The fourth post of the series -13 Secret Techniques to Put You on the Fast Track to Fluency in Japanese.
One of the things I first learnt in Japan, is that as soon as you can read the kana, everything becomes something worth reading. It's the same with phone numbers. Numbers needn't be something you gloss over in your study of Japanese. Sure there might be hundreds of different counters, and many different ways to use ten digits, but that shouldn't stop you from learning how to read them. Once you've learnt a few different readings for each digit, deciphering phone numbers becomes a game.
No 携帯 by kirainet, on Flickr
When I first encountered this technique in 13 Secrets to Speaking Fluent Japanese I didn't realise how prevalent it really was. But once I started paying attention to it, I found it everywhere. You're probably familiar with the practice in your part of the world of advertisers using numbers on the keypad of your cell phone as a handy mnemonic device. (The key '1' can map to either A B or C), as in the following example.
One of the most recognisable and memorable numbers in my home town is 13ecab or 132222. However this mnemonic relies on a touch-pad mapping rather than a true phonetic match.Alternative Readings for Japanese Numbers
Just like kanji, there are two or more readings for Japanese numerals, kun-yomi and on-yomi. These readings described in the table below allow numbers to be mapped phonetically to spell out pithy phrases aiding memory. The most common use is in advertising.
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An Exercise in Code-breaking
Part of what I really enjoy about 13 Secrets to Speaking Fluent Japanese is that it peels back the layers of culture in a way that unlocks hidden visual resources you can then tap in to to accelerate your learning. Now you know what the readings are, use the code to unlock the hidden meaning in these examples.
Example 1 - An Eikaiwa Corpse
The following is from a company I would rather forget, but their number is etched in my memory. The phrase みによくつく can be translated in much the same way, 'stuck well to my body'.
Example 2 - An Eikaiwa Contender
Their competitor in the English Conversation world borrowed from the bastardised English ゴートークトゥミー, 'Go talk to me'.
Example 3 - From the Financial Papers
If you often read the Nikkei (Japanese Financial Newspaper) then you would know what these numbers stand for.
Now it's your turn
For the last two examples I have left the kana hints out, use only the numbers after the dash and little bit of creative license.
Phone code quiz 1 - Get your teeth into it!
Phone code quiz 2 - This is it!
I'd like to see your answers in the comments section below. For the best answers I have two Google Wave invites!
Other posts in this book review series
- Book Review: 13 Secrets for Speaking Fluent Japanese - Introduction
- Secret #1 for Speaking Fluent Japanese - Abbreviations
- Secret #2 for Speaking Fluent Japanese - Explanatory Phrases
- Secret #3 for Speaking Fluent Japanese - Readable Phone Numbers
- Secret #4 for Speaking Fluent Japanese - Statistics
- Secret #5 for Speaking Fluent Japanese - Hypothesis
- Secret #6 for Speaking Fluent Japanese - Synonym Generator
