Japanese
Signs (5)
Two signs on
a wall, next to a road, on a street that has a number
of friendly, bladder-filling bars, and not far from a
cozy neighborhood with a good many pet dogs who must
be taken out for walks.
The sign on the right is directed at human beings, the one on the left at dogs, apparently.
The one on the right reads, Koko ni tachishôben kinshi. Tachishôben means urinating while standing. The rest is self-explanatory, with koko ni meaning "here" and kinshi "forbidden" or "not allowed" or just "don't do it." I wonder why the particle "ni" is used rather than "de." Maybe the writer was thinking of the wall, or urinating "on" the wall, in which case it might be kabe ni.
The sign on the left reads, Inu no fun kinshi, with, of course, inu meaning dog and fun poop. These two signs are about as direct as you can get. Both man and dog take a beating.
The sign on the right is directed at human beings, the one on the left at dogs, apparently.
The one on the right reads, Koko ni tachishôben kinshi. Tachishôben means urinating while standing. The rest is self-explanatory, with koko ni meaning "here" and kinshi "forbidden" or "not allowed" or just "don't do it." I wonder why the particle "ni" is used rather than "de." Maybe the writer was thinking of the wall, or urinating "on" the wall, in which case it might be kabe ni.
The sign on the left reads, Inu no fun kinshi, with, of course, inu meaning dog and fun poop. These two signs are about as direct as you can get. Both man and dog take a beating.
Second from
the top on the big sign on the right, we see the
familiar word hon
or book. In
this case, it means bookstore. The sign at the very
top is for Tsutaya, a big DVD rental outlet, which
also has a bookstore on the premises. To the right
(unseen) is a Denny's restaurant.
Oshibotan
shingô. "Push-button signal." The
sign only changes when someone pushes the button.
Oshi is the stem of the verb osu (to push). I am not sure whether it has become a noun here or is a kind of prefix.
Botan is said to come from the Portuguese, which would mean in the sixteenth century. Oshi and botan have been combined into one word.
The final two characters are read shingô, meaning "signal," "sign," or "traffic light."
Oshi is the stem of the verb osu (to push). I am not sure whether it has become a noun here or is a kind of prefix.
Botan is said to come from the Portuguese, which would mean in the sixteenth century. Oshi and botan have been combined into one word.
The final two characters are read shingô, meaning "signal," "sign," or "traffic light."
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Japanese Signs
(6)
