Let's Sing the "Rudolph" Song in Japanese
Dateline: 12/16/00
Page: 1 2
I will explain about the Japanese lyrics one line by line.
Makka na ohana no tonakai-san wa
"Ma" is a prefix to emphasize that the noun that comes after
"ma".
| makka | bright red | massao | deep blue |
| masshiro | pure white | makkuro | black as ink |
| manatsu | the middle of summer | makkura | pitch-dark |
| massaki | at the very first | mapputatsu | right in two |
The prefix "o" is added to "hana
(a nose)" for politeness. The names of animals are sometimes written in
katakana, even if they are native Japanese words. In the songs or children's books,
"san" is often added to the animals to make them more like humans or for
friendliness.
Itsumo minna no waraimono
"~ mono" is a suffix to describe the nature of the
person.
| warai-mono | The person who is made fun of. |
| ninki-mono | The person who is popular. |
| hataraki-mono | The person who works hard. |
| kiraware-mono | The person who is disliked. |
Demo sono toshi no kurisumasu no hi
"Kurisumasu" is written in katakana because it is an
English
word. "Demo" means "however" or "but".
It is a conjunction used at the beginning of a sentence.
Santa no ojisan wa iimashita
Although "ojisan"
means "uncle," it is also used when addressing a man.
Kurai yomichi wa pika pika no
"Pika pika"
is an onomatopoeic expression. It
describes giving off a bright light or the glittering of a polished object.
| Hoshi ga sora ni pika pika hikatte iru. | The stars are twinkling in the sky. |
| Kutsu o pika pika ni migaita. | I gave my shoes a good shine. |
Omae no hana ga yaku ni tatsu no sa
"Omae" is a personal pronoun
and means "you" in an informal situation. It should not be used to
your superior.
Itsumo naiteta tonakai-san wa
"~ teta" or "~ teita" is
the past progressive. "~ teta" is more colloquial. It is used to describe past habitual action or past states
of being. To make this form, attach "~ta" or "~ita" to
"te form" of the verb.
| Itsumo naite ta tonakai-san. | The reindeer that used to cry all the time. |
| Terebi o mite ita. | I was watching TV. |
| Denki ga tsuite ita. | The light was on. |
Koyoi koso wa to yorokobi
mashita
"Koyoi" means "this evening" or
"tonight". It is usually used as a literary language. "Konban"
or "konya" is commonly used in conversation.
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