よつばと! Vol 2 Discussion Thread (Yotsuba&! Reading Club)

Japanese Language Book Clubs
25

Ah, yes, thank you!

26

What?!? I thought we were going to do Yotsuba& volume 2 after finishing Kiki’s Delivery Service! :frowning:

I must have missed some further discussion. But dang — I don’t think I have time to do both books, but I hate to miss either one. I really enjoyed Yotsuba vol. 1 (and I’m really enjoying Kiki so far too).

Well, I guess I’ll try to do both. I guess the stretch will be good for me. :slight_smile:

27

This is separate from the beginner reading club. Here we’re just reading the よつばと！books! Check out the home thread as that explains why:

The beginner thread will now probably end up reading something else after Kiki, but many people who weren’t at Kiki’s level didn’t want to have to wait 6 months to read (or discuss) volume 2, so that’s why this exists.

28

Hi Leinna - great you’ve joined us! I also struggled with the first chapter of Vol. 1, but someone commented in the Vol. 1 thread that it is one of the more difficult chapters in the series - the first chapter of Vol. 2 was much easier. I downloaded the reading packs that BobaGakusei has provided a link to and they have rsally helped, though I do still have some queries!

29

Yup, this! I bought Kiki’s at the same time as Vol.2, and wow, what a difference in comprehension levels. So happy this has been set up, thanks folks!

30

Page 13

Sorry, a real beginners question here.
On page 13 みうら introduces herself and her name by saying 早坂みうらってゆーんだ
I’m guessing this is either some kind of extreme contraction or else a very casual form.
Any pointers? Thanks again!

31

って is colloquial for the quoting particle と
ゆー is colloquial for 言う, to be called
ん is colloquial for the explanatory particle の

32

Kumirei, you are a star! Thank you!

33

P. 19, bottom right, Yotsuba describes her drawing as 「なかなかうまいな-」; now, I’ve learned in WK that 中々means ‘very, considerably’ and Jisho agrees, though it also tells me it’s usually only written in kana, but the reading pack translates it as ‘not bad’ - while I wouldn’t expect someone (Japanese) to describe their own drawing as ‘very skilled’ that is what seems to be written. What am I missing?

34

First item. Fairly/quite good ≈ not bad. It’s quite the versatile word, actually, and has a much broader meaning than “very, considerably”.

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35

Yes, I looked up this page - I’m not getting anything as understated as ‘not bad’ from it, so was wondering if there was something I was missing.

A few minutes later…: Alright, I’ve just looked up なかなか usage on Maggie sensei, and while still giving ‘very’ as one of the translations, it is a lesser very than とても or すごく, so the understated bit I was looking for seems to be inherent, which I hadn’t picked from WK or Jisho.
http://maggiesensei.com/2015/02/09/how-to-use-なかなか-nakanaka/

36

I THOUGHT MIURA WAS A BOY THIS WHOLE TIME!

I don’t know how the ちゃん didn’t give it away. I’m an idiot.

37

My adult student 誠 (まこと), in his 50s, was still called まっちゃん by his aunt!

39

p. 19, bottom left, みうらちゃん:

Is つーかさ = 通過さ, to pass (an exam, etc.)? Is she saying, “No, it (only) gets a pass”?

40

It happens to everyone

41

You also seem to be missing that it’s Yotsuba the one that says that! :stuck_out_tongue:

42

Thanks, I was looking at who the bubble was over, not at where the rather small ‘pointy bit’ (which I’m sure has a proper name) was coming from. That does make it more contextually appropriate, ta!

43

The reading pack says this is a contraction of ていうか:

I mean (used at the beginning of a sentence)​

And then さ

well; who knows; I don’t know…; uh; hmm​

I think Miura is basically saying “I mean, I don’t know (about Yotsuba being good)”. And in the next bubble she outright says that Yotsuba is bad.

44

Can’t see for staring! Don’t know how I missed that, thanks.

45

Is it ever explicitly stated that みうら is a boy or girl? I too have been assuming they were male…