Page 341 - Basic Japanese

The word “otaku” is known by everyone now.

花よりだんごという諺を聞いたことがありますか。
Hana yori dango to iu kotowaza o kiita koto ga arimasu

ka.
Have you ever heard the proverb “Hana yori
dango”? (Lit., “Flowers rather than dumplings.”)

心という漢字はきれいな形ですね。
Kokoro to iu kanji wa kirei na katachi desu ne.
The kanji character “kokoro” is such a pretty

shape, isn’t it?

To say ‘How do you say this word in Japanese?,’ you say

Kono kotoba wa Nihongo de nan to iimasu ka. To say ‘How do you

say this sentence in Japanese?,’ you usually just say Kore wa
Nihongo de dō iimasu ka. To say ‘How do you write this

sentence in Japanese?,’ you say Kore wa Nihongo de dō kakimasu
ka.

If the expression is followed by koto or no ‘fact,’ the

meaning is something like ‘the fact that.’ This sort of
expression is often used with verbs of knowing or informing.

家賃が払えないということは, お金がないということ

ですね。
Yachin ga haraenai to iu koto wa, o-kane ga nai to iu koto

desu ne.
The fact that you cannot pay the rent means
you do not have money, right?

母がよく怒るのはストレスのせいだろう。
Haha ga yoku okoru no wa sutoresu no sei darō.

The fact that my mother often gets angry is due
to stress.