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- "わたしたちはしまいです。"
"わたしたちはしまいです。"
Translation:We are sisters.
44 Comments
619
The tone of the word is important in Japanese. If it is し(low)まい(high) it means "terminate (仕舞)" and if it is し(high)まい(low) it means "sisters(姉妹)".
702
When putting on emphasis for English words, we most commonly raise the tone (and sometimes the length, or add a pause after). Not something I ever thought about in that way, but realised it the other day when I was learning about Japanese tone/emphasis.
~たち (達) is a suffix used for pluralizing people, such as turning "me" わたし (私) into "we" (私たち) or "friend" とも (友) into "friends" 友だち (友達). However, しまい (姉妹) is the specific word for "sisters", made of the kanji for "older sister" + "younger sister". The same goes for "brothers", which is きょうだい (兄弟); "older+younger bro", though this one is used for "siblings" in general as well (as most patriarchal languages do).
2418
"Watashitachi/わたしたち/私達" is rather colloquial and casual, while "wareware/われわれ/我々" is literary and formal. However, this distinguishment in actual usage is not so strict. "Watashitachi" often appears in a written expression and "wareware" in a spoken expression.
1212
If I use "boku" (because I'm a boy), could I say "bokutachi" if I am, for example, with my friends? Is there a better option?
1189
In spoken Japanese:
私たちは姉妹じゃないです。
わたしたちはしまいじゃないです。
Watashi-tachi wa shimai ja nai desu.
619
Not quite true. Although ら is more commonly used with males, it can use with females in certain cases, and たち can be used for both genders. One thing definite is that たち is more polite than ら.