# Kami-sama



## Taarii

Hello everyone.

This is my first post, sorry its a question and not helping someone out. But, could someone help translate something into Japanese?

'God, please hear my prayers. Just this one time..."

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for your time.


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## cheshire

神様、わたしの願いをきいてください。ただ今回だけでも....


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## Aoyama

> わたしの*願い*をきいてください


I wonder if 祈り (inori) (わたしの祈り) could be used here.
Oh and also :
-kami sama, watashi no negai (inori) wo kiitekudasai. tada konkai dake demo ...


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## Flaminius

祈り is perfectly usable in this sentence.  願い is supplication both for people and gods.  It is the latter sence through which 願い has become a popular alternative for 祈り.

Flam


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## Aoyama

Arigato mucho .


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## Hiro Sasaki

Aoyama said:


> I wonder if 祈り (inori) (わたしの祈り) could be used here.
> Oh and also :
> -kami sama, watashi no negai (inori) wo kiitekudasai. tada konkai dake demo ...


 
Awoyama san,

Christians may pray so, but the majority of us, buddhists or and shintoists 
usually use （お）願い。　But, the verb お祈りする　can not be so rare.

Hiro sasaki


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## Taarii

Thank you so much! = )


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## jp_fr_linguaphile

I would suggest a slight correction to what has been presented here: 「神様、私の願いを聞き入れてください。ただ今回だけでも。」
"Kami-sama, watakushi no negai wo kiki-irete kudasai. Tada konkai dake demo."

Note scripture from Bible: John 11:41
そこで、人々は石を取りのけた。すると、イエスは目を上げて、言われた、「父よ、わたしの願いを聞き入れてくださったことを賛美します。

I agree that 願い is a more appropriate translation in this case and is used in Christian services also.


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## Hiro Sasaki

jp_fr_linguaphile said:


> I would suggest a slight correction to what has been presented here: 「神様、私の願いを聞き入れてください。ただ今回だけでも。」
> "Kami-sama, watakushi no negai wo kiki-irete kudasai. Tada konkai dake demo."
> 
> Note scripture from Bible: John 11:41
> そこで、人々は石を取りのけた。すると、イエスは目を上げて、言われた、「父よ、わたしの願いを聞き入れてくださったことを賛美します。
> 
> I agree that 願い is a more appropriate translation in this case and is used in Christian services also.


 
Yes, 願い　（　wishes more than prayers ) will fit in the context, but 
buddhist priests do not use the word 賛美する。　I would like to advise
you not to use the bible translation as the material to learn Japanese.
The translators may have had more difficulty to translate it into 
Japanese than they had in translating it into English or Spanish 
frrom Greek or Hebrew.

saludos

Hiro Sasaki


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## jp_fr_linguaphile

聞き入れてください This is the expression I was hoping to draw attention to. Don't you agree that its nuance is closer to what the thread starter is asking?


> priests do not use the word 賛美する.


　I understand that. However, I know from personal experience that in Christian services held in Japan this word is used. As a foreign religion to the East, I think the Japanese language has had to make some adaptations when incorporating Christian language. 



> I would like to advise you not to use the bible translation as the material to learn Japanese.


I agree and disagree with this statement, if that's possible. I agree because the language is oftentimes as akward as the language you find in samurai films. For a beginning student, studying Bible language would not help you learn the language necessary for daily survival in Japanese life. On the other hand, for intermediate to advanced students from a Western/Christian tradition, it would be good language to learn in order to help them commune with their Japanese brethren. 



> The translators may have had more difficulty to translate it into
> Japanese than they had in translating it into English or Spanish
> frrom Greek or Hebrew.


 I believe you are correct. As anglophone and hispanophone societies have a Christian tradition, there is more common ground linguistically.


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## Hiro Sasaki

jp_fr_linguaphile said:


> 聞き入れてください This is the expression I was hoping to draw attention to. Don't you agree that its nuance is closer to what the thread starter is asking?
> I understand that. However, I know from personal experience that in Christian services held in Japan this word is used. As a foreign religion to the East, I think the Japanese language has had to make some adaptations when incorporating Christian language.
> 
> I agree and disagree with this statement, if that's possible. I agree because the language is oftentimes as akward as the language you find in samurai films. For a beginning student, studying Bible language would not help you learn the language necessary for daily survival in Japanese life. On the other hand, for intermediate to advanced students from a Western/Christian tradition, it would be good language to learn in order to help them commune with their Japanese brethren.
> 
> I believe you are correct. As anglophone and hispanophone societies have a Christian tradition, there is more common ground linguistically.


 
Apart from the lingustic matter, the traslantion of the bible into Japanese
has many mistakes due to misunderstanding of the christian ideas 
pointed  out by the Jewish writer イザヤ　ベンダサン　in his ユダヤ人と日本人。
It was proved later that it was written by 山本七平　who prentended to
be a translator. 

Hiro Sasaki


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## cheshire

http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?stype=1&dtype=0&dname=0ss&p=%BF%D6%A4%AF

Please refer to the 3rd definition of 聞く in the link. That says 聞く can mean 　ききいれる. In English, 聞く can mean not only to hear but also to do a favor.

But 聞き入れる is often possible when describing a situation. It is not a word which you can say to someone you wish would do you a favor. It's difficult to explain, but it's superfluous when there is more proper and shorter word to describe the same concept--聞く (meaning 聞き入れる).

 この願いを聞いてください。
 この願いを聞き入れてください。

The latter is not absolutely impossible, that can be used in cases in which the one you're asking for a favor is obstinate, or not willing to give in or do whatever you want them to do.

 いい加減にこの願いを聞き入れてください。何度もお願いしているのに、ひどすぎます。


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## Bunni

cheshire said:


> 神様、わたしの願いをきいてください。ただ今回だけでも....


I have somewhat of a question. Is "demo" used in this context for humility reasons or is there another reason for having "demo" there?


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## Hiro Sasaki

Bunni said:


> I have somewhat of a question. Is "demo" used in this context for humility reasons or is there another reason for having "demo" there?


 
神様、わたしの願いをきいてください。ただ今回だけでも.... This sentence is
good in its way. 今回だけでも　＝　even only once = even only this time.


Hiro Sasaki


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## Bunni

Hiro Sasaki said:


> 神様、わたしの願いをきいてください。ただ今回だけでも.... This sentence is
> good in its way. 今回だけでも　＝　even only once = even only this time.
> 
> 
> Hiro Sasaki


What I'm asking is whether the "demo" in "Konkai dake demo" is used out of humility as opposed to only saying "Konkai dake". Does "demo" mean "but" in this context or something else?

For example, if someone says 食べたいんですが instead of 食べたいんです, I am under the impression that the "ga" is there to make the sentence less demanding. Is "demo" used in the same kind of way here?


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## cheshire

No, you only have to remember "demo" = "even."


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## Bunni

cheshire said:


> No, you only have to remember "demo" = "even."


Oh ok, it makes sense now. (Woohoo!)

Thanks cheshire and Hiro Sasaki.


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## jp_fr_linguaphile

Hiro Sasaki said:


> Apart from the lingustic matter, the translation of the Bible into Japanese
> has many mistakes due to misunderstanding of the Christian ideas
> pointed out by the Jewish writer イザヤ　ベンダサン　in his ユダヤ人と日本人。
> It was proved later that it was written by 山本七平　who prentended to
> be a translator.
> Hiro Sasaki


Hiro,
That is very interesting.  I would like to read that book 「ユダヤ人と日本人」.
Thanks for the recommendation.


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