"so ka" what does this mean ?
Parizel Fabrice
klin...@pilot.msu.edu
par...@ufr-info-p7.ibp.fr (Parizel Fabrice) wrote:
>I read it several times in some books... I believe it's japanese...
>
"I understand, I get it." (this is what I've been told) I've also heard it
used as a question, as in "do you understand?--So Ka?" But I'm curious if
this is correct Japanese or not. Any biligual chummers out there proficient
in Japanese?
Jason Baldwin
So ka is Japanese, and is a shortened form of 'so, desu ka'. While anything
that ends with the particle 'ka' is generally going to be a question, this is
an expression that is closest in translation to 'is that so?' or 'that is very
interesting'. You will find that in an average conversation while one person
tells a story, the other will repeat this expression to indicate that they are
indeed listening. Therefore, a practical translation of 'so, desu ka' is plain
and simple: 'uh huh'. It is of course far more polite.
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sl...@cc.usu.edu
> In article <4gv2e2$d...@vishnu.jussieu.fr>,
> par...@ufr-info-p7.ibp.fr (Parizel Fabrice) wrote:
>>I read it several times in some books... I believe it's japanese...
>>
>
> "I understand, I get it." (this is what I've been told) I've also heard it
> used as a question, as in "do you understand?--So Ka?" But I'm curious if
> this is correct Japanese or not. Any biligual chummers out there proficient
> in Japanese?
It generally means things like "Oh, I get it.", "is that so?" or "really?"
soo desu ka has many different meanings and it's difficult to do a direct
translation.
That's what I've learned, however I'm not native Japanese so I could be wrong.
Just my 2 Nuyen worth.
Jared
Damon Harper
writes:
>klin...@pilot.msu.edu writes:
>>In article <4gv2e2$d...@vishnu.jussieu.fr>,
>> par...@ufr-info-p7.ibp.fr (Parizel Fabrice) wrote:
>>>I read it several times in some books... I believe it's japanese...
>>>
>
>>"I understand, I get it." (this is what I've been told) I've also
heard it
>>used as a question, as in "do you understand?--So Ka?" But I'm
curious if
>>this is correct Japanese or not. Any biligual chummers out there
proficient
>>in Japanese?
>
>yet, but as far as I know "so" means "that way, in that manner", and
>"ka" marks a question, so "so ka", or "so desu ka" means "Is that the
>way it is?".
>
> /Mats
Very good, Mats. But do remember that the language in the SR world
is broken up from traditional Japenese and is call "Neo-Japanese" or
"Street-Japenese". A lot of the phrases are missing non-essintial words
and are thusly broken down into crude forms. Regardless of the literal
translation, it's my understanding that "So ka" in a question in means
"Understand" and when used as a reply means "Understood."
Just to give you an idea of what I mean, try asking a Japanese
person learning english was does "chummer" mean. :)
the Tripper
also appears in some of FASA's Battletech books. Matter of fact, I think
they were used in BT before they were used in SR. And the translation
they give in the books are the same as people have already posted: I
"understand" and also "is that so?".
the Tripper
--
"640K ought to be enough for anybody."
-- Bill Gates, 1981
Mats hrman
>In article <4gv2e2$d...@vishnu.jussieu.fr>,
> par...@ufr-info-p7.ibp.fr (Parizel Fabrice) wrote:
>>I read it several times in some books... I believe it's japanese...
>>
>"I understand, I get it." (this is what I've been told) I've also heard it
>used as a question, as in "do you understand?--So Ka?" But I'm curious if
>this is correct Japanese or not. Any biligual chummers out there proficient
>in Japanese?
Well, as a beginner I've not really gotten anywhere with my Japanese
yet, but as far as I know "so" means "that way, in that manner", and
"ka" marks a question, so "so ka", or "so desu ka" means "Is that the
way it is?".
/Mats
--
_
Mats Ohrman E-mail: ma...@lysator.liu.se
Sean P. O'Brien
in the back which tells you "So ka" means "I understand" or "I get
it." This is nowhere near proper contemporary Japanese as I know it,
where "I understand" would be translated as "Wakarimasu."
Several people have already mentioned that "ka" placed at the end of a
sentence in Japanese turns it into a question, usually. The phrase
"Sô desu ka", as Jared pointed out, has many translations from "Oh?
How interesting." to "Is that so?" So it is very difficult to get a
handle on it at any given time without context. I seem to recall
reading the phrase "So ka" in several different books with several
different meanings. Go figure.
I think I'll stick to my own phrases, like "Bukoroshite yaru!" for my
Japanese characters.
Sean P. O'Brien
Anand Chelian
Damon Harper <joed...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> Very good, Mats. But do remember that the language in the SR world
>is broken up from traditional Japenese and is call "Neo-Japanese" or
>"Street-Japenese". A lot of the phrases are missing non-essintial words
>and are thusly broken down into crude forms. Regardless of the literal
>translation, it's my understanding that "So ka" in a question in means
>"Understand" and when used as a reply means "Understood."
This would take a *lot* of semantic drift (even more than kamikaze to
kamakazi (divine wind)). "so ka" is an interrogative (as any first term
Japanese student could tell you. It means "is that so?" There are
other uses for so ka (but it is a different so). Your "translation"
requires a deliberate misunderstanding of Japanese to achieve, and most
people I know know better even without taking Japanese. There is *NO*
phrase in Japanese that is can with the elimination of "non-essential"
words that can go to "so ka" and mean "understand?" Any person who
relies on a source other than Shadowrun for their ideas about Japanese
will come to a more reasonable conclusion.
> Just to give you an idea of what I mean, try asking a Japanese
>person learning english was does "chummer" mean. :)
Try a better example. Try asking a Japanese person learning English what
"chum" means. (It is a more accurate comparison as the word "chum" is
common usage today.) Your example would be as accurate as quizzing a
random person on names and grammar from Tolkein.
--
Anand Chelian | ana...@ugcs.caltech.edu
"History is made by the few, and wielded over the many."
Tim O'Connor
: Parizel Fabrice wrote:
: >
: > I read it several times in some books... I believe it's japanese...
: when it has been pointed out, or explained.)
: Glenn Fernandez
: InterCom
How about just a slured its ok -soe kae- :)
Michael Carson
>Parizel Fabrice wrote:
>>
>> I read it several times in some books... I believe it's japanese...
>> Its equal to he phrase, "Ah, I see now." (In understanding a situation
>when it has been pointed out, or explained.)
>Glenn Fernandez
>InterCom
It is from the Japanese, "wakarimaso-ka", and means "I understand". I
have my doubts that a Japanese speaker would recognise it as a valid
contraction (not that I speak Japanese).
Cheers,
Michael