Weekly Words no. 3: Luck of the Irish
I have a few good memories from my childhood about Saint Patrick's Day. One memory sticks out in my mind: the infamous pancake disaster of '08.
My brother was home for the weekend. He wanted to make clover-shaped pancakes for breakfast. Being the over-the-top guy that he is, he couldn't settle for just the clover shape - they had to be green, too.
Unfortunately for us, my parents never had food coloring in the pantry before. We had one box (who knows how old it was) of instant pistachio pudding. He mixed the powder and fried it in a pan. Let's just say the slimy consistency and chopped nuts did not help to make the pudding appear appetizing. Hands-down, that was the worst breakfast I've ever had, but it got an A+ for festive effort.
Well... St. Patty's day obviously isn't a Japanese holiday. There are some festivities held around Tokyo, but it's really not an important day. (If we're being frank, it's not that important in America, either.)
However, a foreign holiday gives us a great opportunity to practice reading katakana! Let's add some loan words to our vocabulary, along with some native Japanese related to the holiday this week.
• レプラコーン Leprechaun
ex. だれもレプラコーンを見ましたか。
Daremo repuraco-n wo mimashita ka.
Has anyone seen a leprechaun?
• アイルランド Ireland, Irish
ex. オブライアンさんはアイルランド人です。 Oburaian-san wa airurando jin desu. Mr. O'Brian is an Irishman.
• ラッキー Lucky
ex. 見て、レプラコーンだ！ とてもラッキー！ Mite, repuraco-n da! Totemo rakki-! Look, a leprechaun! How lucky!
• にじ Rainbow Written in kanji as 虹
ex. 金やにじやきれいと思います。 Kin ya niji ya kirei to omoimasu.
I think gold and rainbows are pretty.
• みどり Green Written in kanji as 緑
ex. 三月、私たちはみどりの服を着る。 Sangatsu, watashitachi wa midori no fuku wo kiru.
In March, we wear green clothes.
I'd love to hear how your weekend goes, I hope it's a lucky one!