The exam timetables are out; and they are as follows;

Friday 23rd January: Japanese Language - 9am (3 hours)
Tuesday 27th January: Lexicology - 1.30pm (2 hours)
Wednesday 28th January: Japan's Minorities - 1.30pm (3 hours)

Eep. This means my exams are tightly packed but obviously its quite nice as I can now possibly plan a nice trip for myself - or maybe just go home and get drunk (probably the latter.) I think I have 10 days off altogether. Currently my revision and exam preparation during the holidays is going to physically kill me.

美佳子ちゃんとロンドンに旅行した時に、Japan Centreに行った。Japan Centreは大きい色々な日本から食品や製品を売る店だ。レストランも本屋があるよ！また、新鮮な寿司を買えるよ！美佳子ちゃんはきつねうどんが好きで、きつねうどんのポットを買いたがったが、値段は高いから、僕はそれは買ってあげた。親切だね！

じゃぁ、それも買った。チョコレー風味だ。「風味」っていう意味は英語で「flavour」ことだ。「プチクリーム・ロール」というのは小さいまきのことだ。ボックスで好きなことはロールくんというキャラクターだ。コロコロというのは擬音語「オンマトペアの例」ことだ。例えば、ボールを転がしたら、「コロコロ」と言う。

味は？おいしかったよ！

僕の志望や思想などを書くのは久しぶりね！非常に長時間だから、何も日本語でも英語でも書けないだろうなぁー。。。

最近、大学の勉強は難しくなったので、あまり友達と遊ばない。毎週十漢字を習ったり、作文を書いたり、在日についてのエッセーをしたりしなくちゃ。本当に、面倒くさいじゃん！毎水曜日にはJapan Society「日本のサークル」のエベントだ。去年、よく、勉強についてと思わずに、友達とビールを飲み行くよ。でも、今年はひまがないので、かわいそうな人のように、行って、十分の後で、出るよ。

そして、彼女ができた。じゃぁ、実は好きな女子で、気持ちがあると思う。一緒にロンドンに旅行したが、僕の気持ちをまだ表せない。時々スカイプで喋るけど、最近彼女ともっと喋るべきだと思う。クリスマスの前に、気持ちを表したほうがいいね。オレは弱虫だよ！でも、勉強だし、ひまがないから、大変難しいよ。一方、彼女にとっても、忙しいから、毎日はハンサムなイギリス人と喋るのは難しいにちがいないね。しかも、もう一度、一緒に何かしたいよ。

次に、ひげを剃ったばかりで、真面目な若者みたいだし。。。実はちかんみたいだと思う。笑☆　先日友達もリチャードさんはもっと若そうな人になったと言った。

最後、留学については確か、東京で行くが、大学はまだ決めない。立教大学に行きたいけど、結果はがっかりにするかもから、特定な行きたい大学にした。

じゃぁ、リチャードのアップデート：

彼女をできた　（女子の友達でしょう？）　＝　喋りたいんだけど。
ひげがない人になった　（また、イギリスの天気は寒くなったよ！）
日本語学力は悪くなった　（簡単な漢字が覚えられないほど）
来年東京に行くかも！　（多分？）

じゃぁまた次回ね！

リチャードより。。。

わけではない

The word わけ means conclusion and added with ではない means; "one can't conclude that" or in a more literal sense, "it doesn't mean that."

日本語の試験を落ちたけど、日本語が分からないわけではない。
Although I failed my Japanese exam, you can't conclude that that I don't understand Japanese.

Sometimes instead of using わけではない it is possible to say と言うわけではない。This is often a softer way of expressing the above and avoids directness and a personal opinion.

マイクさんはマンガを読んでばかりいるが、お宅と言うわけではないと思う。
Mike does nothing but read manga but I don't think you can't say he is an otaku.

かねない

かねない expresses when something or someone is capable of something, usually in a negative or extreme sense. The form is stem+かねない

ジョンさんは誰か殺しかねなかったので、警察に逮捕をされた。
Because John was capable of murdering someone, he was arrested by the police.

常にテレビを見たら、病気になって、頭痛がしかねない。
If you watch TV everyday, you are capable of becoming ill and getting headaches.

さえ

さえ is often added to the end of a noun (and sometimes verbs) to express the notion of 'even'. It is used to expresses a more than average or beyond the extent of something. However unlike まで it doesn't go to an extreme length.

日本語は三年間勉強しているのに、「こんにちは」や「ありがとう」という言葉（で）さえ、覚えられない。
Even though I have been studying Japanese for three years, I unable to remember even words like 'hello' and 'thank you'.

あれ？リチャードさんさえ、彼女をできた？！
What? Even Richard has a girlfriend?!

ものだ

ものだ expresses the 'thing that' and supplies information based on the notion that the thing which is being discussed is an inevitable eventuality.

男の人はサッカーを見たり、パブでビールを飲んだりするのが好きだことだ。
Guys like watching football and drinking beer.

For some reason, I always want to just use んだから at the end of such phrases to give it a little bit more of a punch when explaining something that is understood by the listener. A good way to translate it would be, "it is the fact that" or "its a thing that is commonly understood as". Hard to translate the exact nuance into English.

日本語は難しいものだね？

せいで

The word せい means act, doing or deed but in the below context it means 'fault' or 'cause'. The usage is entirely subjective and refers to the speaker's opinion about the cause or fault of something or someone. For example;

彼女とショッピング・センターに出かけたせいで、サッカー試合を見られなかったよ。
I was unable to watch the football match, because I took my girlfriend out to the shopping centre.

夕べ食べ過ぎちゃったせいで、今朝気に悪いんです。
I am unwell this morning because I ate too much last night.

Generally the indication is nearly always negative. Offering an explanation for a negative occurrence.

はもちろん

If we understand the meaning of もちろん to mean 'of course', we can understand this grammar point. For example;

日本の料理と言えば、寿司はもちろん、焼き鳥も焼きそばもとうふとがある。
If we talk about Japanese food, there is of course sushi, as well as yakitori, yakisoba and tofu.

The はもちろん starts the sentence with something expected by the reader or listener as a given example, either through context of something or something which symbolises the topic overall. To use it effectively, the first example should be something easily aware to the audience and then the use of Nも to describe other such things.

きっかけ

きっかけ can be generally translated as the 'trigger' or 'impetus' for a desired action or feeling. きっかけ is a noun.

日本語を勉強しているきっかけは、日本に行って、その経験は気持ちだった。
The reason (trigger) that I am studying Japanese is that I went to Japan and it was a pleasant experience.

ながら

When you began beginner Japanese all those many moons ago, you remembered ながら as something symbolising 'whilst doing something'. The meaning here is roughly the same and carries the same nuance in English.

イギリスは小さい国ながら（も）、色々なきれいな所があるし、歴史的な協会がある。
Whilst England is a small country, there are various beautiful places and historic churches.

The grammar is sort of similar to expressing the same thing as でも、のに、けど etc but it appears to be more of a fancy way of constructing things. The も is often included in written speech rather than spoken. I think the usage is the same in English and is perhaps a slightly formalised way of saying things. Anyway its good to know.

おかけで

Simply, 'thanks to' or 'owing to'... Again, like きっかけ it is treat as a noun. For example,

友達の支持のおかげで、お酒を飲むのをやめた。
Thanks to the support of my friends, I quit drinking alcohol.

もともと

A useful adverb and probably more helpful when you see it in kanji = 元々. This means 'originally' or 'starting from'

もともとは大学で中国語を勉強していたが、毎日アニメの番組を見たおかげで、どんどんお宅になって、日本語を勉強することにした。
Originally, I was studying Chinese at university but, thanks to watching anime programmes everyday, I steadily became an otaku and decided to study Japanese.

New week, new grammar:

として

として describes the situation whereby something, acts as or simply in the capacity. For example;

日本語を勉強している人として、毎日勉強するべきだ。
As a Japanese language student, you should study everyday.

日本に住んでいる時、英語の先生として、働いていた。
When I was living in Japan, I worked as an English teacher

と言えば

Breaking this down, its easy to derive its meaning. In most contexts, its meaning suggests, 'if we talk about' or 'talking about' and usually precedes when the topic has been mentioned.

A: ジョンさんは今日の日本語授業に行かなかったと聞いた。
B: うんそうだ、ジョンさんと言えば、まだ東京から来る日本人を付き合っているの？

A: I heard John didn't go to today's Japanese class.
B: Yeah, speaking of John, is he still going out with that Japanese girl from Tokyo?

と言えば always comes when the topic has been introduced and is understand by the listener. The function works very much the same way in English.

Sometimes, the actually subject of the と言えば can be substituted for それ which becomes そう; Using the above example again...

B: そう言えば、まだ東京から来る日本人を付き合っているの？

Here the そう would be understood as John. It can also be used to elicit more information from the speaker. Again, its fairly rudimentary when you compare directly to English.

Speaking of which, do you think English is harder than Japanese?

Ho-ho-ho...

ほど

The use of ほど has several meanings. Firstly you may recognise the following structure;

イギリスの冬はロシアの冬ほど、寒くないよ
English winters aren't as cold as Russian winters.

ほど can be taken to mean, 'as' or 'like' but generally we shall focus on the meaning 'to the extent of'

昨日、頭が痛くなるほど、日本語を勉強した。
Yesterday, I studied Japanese to the extent that my head hurt. (lit. becomes painful.)

If you really love/hate someone you can also use it to good effect.

会うために、東京まで歩くほど、彼女が好きだよ。
I love my girlfriend to the extent that I would walk to Tokyo in order to meet her.

いつ歩いていくるアメリカ人を見ても、道を渡るほどアメリカが大嫌いだよ。
I hate America to the extent that, whenever I see an American walking towards me, I cross the street. (Not really, I love America!)