Student comments of the day

The question: Tell me something interesting about yourself.

The answers:

My left toe has 6 pieces of nails
My charm points is blue glasses
I am a book
My body is stiff
I like bogs
I am a gentlewomen
I like sing a song in a bath
Winnie the Pooh is my pet

I'm sure my Japanese sounds just as strange at times.

To balance it out here are some of my best quotes in Japanese

はい僕はマークさんです　　(Yes I am mister Mark)
Referring to yourself as 'san' in Japanese is very inpolite and one of the first things you learn not to do. I got into the habit of listen and repeat - ie many people asked: you are Mark san? I replied: Yes, Im Mark san (this may not sound too bad, but in Japanese this sounds like baby talk and is inexcusable after being in Japan a month!) I knew immediately after saying it that it was wrong, but it was difficult to correct.

あなたは急がしですか　　(literally - are you busy?) Having used this several times with no comment one day I said it to my Vice Principal who laughed out loud. A better term is ちょっといいですか　　(Do you have a minute).

彼は果物です　(he is a fruit!) I was supposed to say - he is a child.
Fruit > kudamono Child > Kodomo

先週僕のかそう日本にきました　　(Something like last week my dressing up clothes came to Japan) What I meant to say was last week my family came to Japan! .... Whoops!

I am sure there are more but the worrying thing is that Japanese people are so polite that they are unlikely to say that you made a mistake. I will be sure to post more when I find out... Please check back here.