She Says:
I think that most people have probably seen the following toilet training video. The person who translated it did a very good job of getting the nuances right, but I thought I'd note a few things that aren't mentioned that are kind of cute...
- Shimajiro says byebye to "oshiko-kun" and "unchi-kun". "Kun" is a word that you attach to the end of little boys' names. ("Chan" is attached to little girls' names.) Since the word "san" gets translated as Mister/Ms when attached to an adult's name, I believe that an appropriate translation of "kun" would be like saying "Little Mr. ________" (Of course "kun" is also used between people of equal status in which case this translation is inaccurate.) So basically, Shimajiro is saying "Byebye Little Mr. Poo". Which cracks me up.
- The other day we talked about the word kimoi as a shortened form of "kimochii warui". At the end of this video, you can hear Shimajiro say, "Pants ga kimochii ii ne." He's literally saying "Underpants have a good feeling." It's translated as being comfortable which is a good translation, but I wanted you to listen for the word you know.
- Also note that the Japanese word for underwear is "pants".
