# After seeing your films, I became fascinated with Japan...



## lmarfell

Hi everyone. 

I have recently become fascinated by Japan and the Japanese language, and I hope to study Japanese at University next year.
However, as you can imagine, I am not yet fluent. Nowhere near so!

So, I need some help in writing a letter.
I've got the basic formal structure, including opening and closing passages, but I need some help with the main body of the letter.

I realise this is a vague question, and rather a lot to ask, but I would really appreciate this help and it's not the kind of information you can get from a dictionary, nor online translators (at least, not reliably!).

Basically, I want to be able to say (write) the following purple passage. I've sort of simplified it, but feel free to jig it around in order to get the meaning across. That is, as long as the meaning DOES come across! 
I do not, of course, expect miracles. Just let me know if any of you have any ideas. Otherwise, I'll simply write this section in English!

After seeing your films, I became fascinated with Japan and will study Japanese at University next year. I hope to visit soon and stay for a while in the future, maybe to teach or write. Perhaps one day we will work together?(I'd rather this was more lighthearted than fangirly...!)
I have enclosed a Christmas card and a sketch I did of the Oku-chichibu mountains. I hope you like them.


I would've liked to have said more, but I realise that this is a lot to ask.
I would prefer answers in either ROMAJI or KANJI, please. I can copy & paste Kanji, but can type Romaji (which I would prefer).

Many thanks in advance,

- lmarfell


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## katable

***（Here the name of the person)さんの映画を見てから日本に魅了されまして来年大学で日本語を勉強したいと思っています。

After that you want to say that you hope to visit and stay in Japan, right?

もしかしたらいつか一緒に働くだろうか。（Im not very sure of the last part)

クリスマスカードと私が書いたOKU-CHICHIBU?山の絵を同封します。

Hope you like them...　I couldnｔ translate it...Sorry!　Im in a hurry now...


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## lmarfell

Thankyou!  I will wait for a few more people to respond, to see what the general concensus is, but I really appreciate your help.
Also - don't worry about the Oku-Chichibu. That's technically already in Romaji, so I don't need that translating.  I will edit my post to say so, now.
Thanks again!
- lmarfell


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## cheshire

> After seeing your films, I became fascinated with Japan and will study Japanese at University next year. I hope to visit soon and stay for a while in the future, maybe to teach or write. Perhaps one day we will work together?(I'd rather this was more lighthearted than fangirly...!)
> I have enclosed a Christmas card and a sketch I did of the Oku-chichibu mountains. I hope you like them.


 
あなたの映画を拝見してから日本のとりこになりました。来年大学で日本語を勉強する予定です。近いうちに日本へ訪れて、将来的には教師か物書きをして日本で暮らしたいです。おそらくいつの日か、私たちは一緒に働くようになるかもしれませんね！てへへ、冗談です。

クリスマスカードと、奥秩父の山脈の私自身のスケッチを同封しました。お気にいるとうれしいです。

（宮崎はやおさんっすか？）


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## lmarfell

I'm sorry, I have pretty much no idea what you said in that post, *cheshire*! I wish I did, but I'm just not familiar enough with Kanji. 

I assume the first section was a translation, but the bit in parentheses - was that a question directed at me?


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## cheshire

Yes, it's a question to you, but it was not a serious question--「っすか」 makes the question a casual feeling.


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## jp_fr_linguaphile

（宮崎はやおさんっすか？=（Miyazaki Hayao san ssu ka?）

Cheshire was asking if you were writing to the movie director Hayao Miyazaki.


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## lmarfell

Thankyou, jp 
I'm not, actually. I'm writing to an actor, so I don't know if "your films" is technically what I want to say.
Like I say, I really don't have such a good hold of the Japanese language!


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## lmarfell

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm still a little confused, though, could someone talk me through this?

Line by line, or something, so I really know what I'm writing. I don't just want to copy & paste something without technically understanding it.

Thankyou.


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## jp_fr_linguaphile

lmarfell said:


> Thankyou, jp
> I'm not, actually. I'm writing to an actor, so I don't know if "your films" is technically what I want to say.


In this case, would it be あなたの出る映画, Cheshire?


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## jp_fr_linguaphile

あなたの出る?映画を拝見してから日本のとりこになりました。
Anata no deru eiga wo haiken shite kara Nihon no toriko ni narimashita.
After seeing your films, I became fascinated with Japan.

来年大学で日本語を勉強する予定です。
Rainen daigaku de Nihongo wo benkyou suru yotei desu.
And will study Japanese at the University next year. 

近いうちに日本へ訪れて、将来的には教師か物書きをして日本で暮らしたいです。
Chikai uchi ni Nihon-e otozurete, shouraitekini ha kyoushi ka monogaki wo shite Nihon de kurashitai no desu. 
I hope to visit soon and stay for a while in the future, maybe to teach or write.

おそらくいつの日か、私たちは一緒に働くようになるかもしれませんね！てへへ、冗談です。
osoraku itsu no hi ka, watakushi-tachi ha issho-ni hataraku you ni naru kamoshiremasen! te he he, joudan desu. 
Perhaps one day we will work together? Just kidding. 

クリスマスカードと、奥秩父の山脈の私自身のスケッチを同封しました。
Kurisumasu kaado to, okuchichibu no sanmyaku no watakushi jishin no sukecchi wo doufuu shimashita. 
I have enclosed a Christmas card and a sketch I did of the Oku-chichibu mountains.

お気にいるとうれしいです。
O-ki ni iru to ureshii desu.
I hope you like them.


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## cheshire

あなたの出る映画​
あなたの映画​
あなたの出演する映画​All of these are OK!
Your command of Japanese is ニャンともワンだ振る（なんとも wonderful)


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## lmarfell

Thank you both - these answers are perfect. You've been really helpful 
I really hope that one day I'll have the same command of Japanese as you, jp!


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## Flaminius

jp_fr_linguaphile said:


> あなたの出た映画を拝見してから日本のとりこになりました。
> Anata no deta eiga wo haiken shite kara Nihon no toriko ni narimashita.
> After seeing your films, I became fascinated with Japan.
> _
> As the film has been already made at the point of reference, the verb should be in perfect aspect._
> 
> クリスマスカードと、奥秩父の山脈の私自身のスケッチを同封しました。
> Kurisumasu kaado to, okuchichibu no sanmyaku no watakushi jishin no sukecchi wo doufuu shimashita.
> I have enclosed a Christmas card and a sketch I did of the Oku-chichibu mountains.
> 
> _The crossed part is too mouthful with a lot of adnominals.  Use a relative clause as in;
> 私が描いた秩父の山のスケッチを or
> 私が秩父の山をスケッチしたものを.
> watashi-ga kaita Chichibu-no yama-no sukecchi-o
> watashi-ga Chichibu-no yama-o sukecchi-shita mono-o
> 
> I find 山脈 more strongly associated with geological discourse.  It sounds too academic here._
> 
> お気にいるとうれしいです。
> O-ki ni iru to ureshii desu.
> I hope you like them.
> 
> _ 気に入ってくださると、うれしいです。
> kiniitte kurasaru-to ureshii desu.
> *I* would be delighted if *you* like it.
> 
> When two verbs are in premise-hypothesis relation and the their subjects are first person and second person, verbs should be marked by honorific auxiliaries._


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## lmarfell

Wow, thanks Flaminus. I half hope he doesn't end up writing back, because I'll have no idea what he says. 

Saying that, is there any Japanese phrase I can just add on the end of the letter, ie "I'm not really this good, I got help!" kind of thing?


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## Flaminius

lmarfell said:


> Saying that, is there any Japanese phrase I can just add on the end of the letter, ie "I'm not really this good, I got help!" kind of thing?


日本語は上手くありません。この手紙も、手伝ってもらって、書きました。
Nihongo-wa umaku arimasen.  kono tegami-mo, tetsudatte moratte, kakimashita.
I am not good at Japanese.  I wrote this letter with [myself] being helped.

Gambarandum est!


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## jp_fr_linguaphile

I like this alternative translation: 私が描いた秩父の山のスケッチを for a sketch I did of the Chichibu mountains.

気に入ってくださると、うれしいです。
kiniitte kudasaru-to ureshii desu.  Flaminius, this was a typo, I imagine.  

Regarding the statement above, this is what Flaminius means in layman's terms: When you and another person are being referenced in a sentence (i.e. I hope you like it.), it is important to make the distinction between "you" and "me" by using different levels of politeness since personal pronouns are not often used in Japanese.

Thus, the verb highlighted in 気に入ってくださると refers to "you."  This is an honorific verb.  うれしいです This is one level below くださる.  Therefore, we know the subject is "I."

I hope I have been able to shed some light on this daunting aspect of the Japanese language.


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## jp_fr_linguaphile

lmarfell said:


> Thank you both - these answers are perfect. You've been really helpful
> I really hope that one day I'll have the same command of Japanese as you, jp!


I started Japanese when I was 17 and here I am 19 years later.  It was a lot of work.  My recommendation to you, though.  Make sure you keep up your proficiency.  Since I have left Japan, I have started to neglect my Japanese studies, and subsequently I see my ability precipitously falling.   
This forum will help bring me back up to where I was.  

Thanks for the compliment.


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## cheshire

奥秩父の山脈の私自身のスケッチ
This is not wrong but awkward and unclear, leaving other possibilities of modifying the noun "スケッチ." For example it could be taken, if you will, as "the sketch in which I'm depicted with the background of the Okuchichibu Mountains."


jp_fr_linguaphile said:


> 気に入ってくださると、うれしいです。
> Regarding the statement above, this is what Flaminius means in layman's terms: When you and another person are being referenced in a sentence (i.e. I hope you like it.), it is important to make the distinction between "you" and "me" by using different levels of politeness since personal pronouns are not often used in Japanese.
> 
> Thus, the verb highlighted in 気に入ってくださると refers to "you." This is an honorific verb. うれしいです This is one level below くださる. Therefore, we know the subject is "I."
> 
> I hope I have been able to shed some light on this daunting aspect of the Japanese language.


There must be more *sophisticated* ways of saying it, but you are on the right track. Keep going!


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## lmarfell

Thanks for that. Seems I've ignited a bit of discussion about Japanese grammar, here!
I can't wait for the day that I can join in that debate


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