sorry, quick translation question

[sava 0]

Does any body know what is 'modest' (as in not a really big ego, opposite of satoru) in japaense?

 

thanks!

[gamera 0]

Modest in Japanese are often translated :

 

tsutsushimi bukai

kenson na

 

etc

but if you mean " to realize something " by "satoru", I'm confused.

 

[scouser 4]

I've actually never heard those two phrases, thanks gamera. I can't imagine people using those to talk about yourself, right? Any peculiar rules on using them.

[gamera 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by scouser:
I can't imagine people using those to talk about yourself, right? Any peculiar rules on using them.

Usually those 2 (tsutsushimi bukai , kenson na) are used to talk about others. I don't think I use them to talk about myself e.g.

Watashi wa tsutsushimi bukai.
Watashi wa kenson na hito desu.

Maybe sometimes some people use "tsutsushimi bukai" to talk about themselves but I think it's very rare. Maybe some use it for it but only with close friends in some casual situation otherwise I think others hear someone uses it to talk about him/herself might think the person very audacious/uncommon/stupid.

Peculiar rule - both are epithets, but "tsutsushimi bukai " could work that way not accompanying any other words or phrases afterward ( and even if you put some noun afterward, it also work ) but "kenson na" usually accompanies a noun ( hito in that case above ) afterward.

The verb form of "tsutsushimi bukai " is I think "tsutsushimu". When a samurai says "Tsutsushinde moushiagemasu" in a historical play, it means roughly "I would tell you something respectfully/sincerely from the bottom of my heart" which is one of the 'medest' way of saying, I guess.