ふりがな is magic. I don’t know what I’d have done without it in this other manga I’m reading:
Screenshot
ロングホームルーム
(Of course, I then had to look up “long home room”.)
2 Likes
The new thread is here \o/
5 Likes
Wow, about a week late to this week’s reading. (I did it yesterday.) Reading have taken a bit of a backseat lately. But hopefully that will change.
I really enjoyed this week’s reading and I keep being surprised at how easily I read it compared to what I expected. I think it also partly helps that I’ve gotten okay with not having perfect understanding. 
Also thanks to all who asked questions. Made me realize I hadn’t quite understood everything (even the more gist-y sort of way) especially on the son father story about holding hands.
6 Likes
I know it’s just a typo, but just because I can’t help but fix little things like this… Satoshi is the 10 year old.
Satoshi is four years old when introduced on the first page of this week’s reading, but becomes ten during the course of the first story.
1 Like
Ah ha, yes, four on page 25, and ten on page 29. Thanks for clearing that up Belthazar!
They grow up so fast, don’t they?
6 Likes
Page 32
In the 真似っこ chapter, Haru is painting her nails, sees Shingo and says あ, and he says どうしたの?, “what’s up?” Then Haru says …
足… 冷えちゃって… いま両手使えないから もこもこ靴下 はかせて? おねがい 
足… feet…
冷えちゃって… 冷える is to grow cold. But what is ちゃって? Is it “unfortunately”?
いま - now
両手 - both hands
使えない - can’t use
から - because
もこもこ - lumpy?? fluffy??
靴下 - socks
はかせて? - to entrust, in て form, ie, can you do it for me?
おねがい - please xxx
“my feet have got cold but right now, because I can’t use my hands, can I ask you to help with my socks? pleeeease?”
What I really don’t get is this もこもこ and how it fits into the sentence. And help much appreciated!
3 Likes
ちゃう is something I continue to struggle with. Hopefully someone chimes in with insight!
In the meantime, I may have to read through http://maggiesensei.com/2010/09/14/request-lesson-ちゃうちゃったchau-chatta/ again.
Who doesn’t want to wear their もこもこ (fluffy) socks when their feet are cold?
3 Likes
Oh, I see! Of course! “Can I ask you to help with my fluffy socks?” - she’s identifying which socks! Got it! Thank you so much! And for the link too!
1 Like
Yeah, this is one of those japanese concepts that don’t have English equivalents and can take a while to get used to.
ちゃう is the informal version of てしまう. When you take a verb in て-form and add the auxiliary verb しまう, it means that the action described by the verb was accidental, and usually has some unfortunate or negative effect.
6 Likes
Addendum: ～でしまう becomes ～じゃう
6 Likes
This video is helpful too with てしまう/ちゃう
4 Likes
I just watched it, and found it very helpful, as well. Thanks!
So, in this scene with Haru, rather than simply stating that her feet have gotten cold, the use of ちゃう gives a sense of not wanting that to have been the result (regret or dissatisfaction).
2 Likes
Page 35
Japanese working life is truly awful, and here’s Shingo having to work on his day off. Poor chap. Anyway, he finds himself locked out but is allowed to come in because he bought pudding. At which point he says:
あっ しまった 子どもたちの 分しか買って ないや…
あっ - ahhh
しまった - shoot
子どもたちの - kids’
分 - part; segment; share; ration
しか - I think that this しか, when combined with the ない that follows, means “only”
買って - to buy, in て-form. But why is it in て-form?
ない - helping to make “only”
や… - masculine sentence ending particle
“ah, shoot, I only bought enough for the kids”
My question is, why is 買う in て-form? Why is it 買ってない rather than 買わない?
Any help much appreciated!
2 Likes
It’s stative form 買っていない abbreviated. “I have only bought” rather than “I only bought”.
4 Likes
Keep in mind, this is simply the negative て+ない form of て+いる. If you are not familiar with that either, expect to see it a lot, often shortened to てる.
2 Likes
Thank you!
I READ ITTTTTTTTT I know I’m super late ok fite me.
I thought that the first 2 pages were super cute 
How the man explained that he fell in love with a woman… and that she had a child… and that he was nervous at first, but his time spent with the kid made the kid accept him as the dad… aaaaaaaaa melts
And I learned 4 new words and 1 new expression 
you’ll always be learning new things guyssss… the journey is longgggggggggggggggggggg
4 Likes