Having doubts is not fun, but it is a reality. You are ready to learn to express doubts in Japanese. And there are some popular phrases that you will only get from this article! Say things like, “You made a promise, but I only half believe you.” When you are able to use this phrase, there is no doubt that you really know your Japanese! This Japanese Yojijukugo article provides everything you need to know to express doubts in Japanese. master’s degree Hanshinhangi (“half believe”) and other popular ways of sharing that you feel insecure. As a bonus, learn how to talk about jobs in Japan using nenkoo joretsu to describe the seniority system. This Japanese article provides detailed instructions on two aspects of Japanese that you can’t do without!
Vocabulary: In this article, you will learn the following words and phrases:
nenkoo joretsu – “system based on seniority, promotion by seniority”
hanshinhangi – “to be half in doubt, only half believe”
Grammar: In this article, you will learn the following words and phrases:
Yojijukugo 1 today:
Roomaji / “Meaning”
nenkoo joretsu / “system based on seniority, promotion by seniority”
Roomaji:
First Kanji / Second Kanji / Third Kanji / Fourth Kanji
Nen / Koo / Jo / Retsu
The meaning of the first kanji is “year”. The second Kanji means “achievement”. The third and fourth kanji mean “order” and “row”, respectively.
History, definition, similar expressions, etc.
Nenkoo means “seniority” or “long service”.
Joretsu means “classification”, “classification” or “hierarchy”.
Nenkoo joretsu means “increase in salary and job position according to the age and length of service of a company”.
Use
We can use it as an adverbial form of an adjective ending -na, as in shooshin shita’s nenkoo joretsu, which means “someone got a seniority promotion.”
We can also use it without and as a pronominal modifier, as in nenkoo joretsu no kyuuyo shisutemu, which means “seniority-based salary system.”
When you want to refer to the seniority system, you can use nenkoo joretsu sei with the word sei, which means “system.”
Sample sentences
- Kare wa, nenkoo joretsu from buchoo ni natta. “He was promoted to general manager because he had seniority.”
- Watashi no kaisha wa, nenkoo joretsu no kyuuyo shisutemu or totte iru. “My company has a salary system based on seniority.”
- Saikin, nenkoo joretsu sei kara jitsuryoku shugi ni kaeru kaisha ga ooi. “Recently, many companies have moved from the seniority system to the merit system.”
Yojijukugo 2 today:
Roomaji / “Meaning”
hanshinhangi / “to be half in doubt, only half believe”
Roomaji:
First Kanji / Second Kanji / Third Kanji / Fourth Kanji
Han / Shin / Han / Gi
The first and second kanji mean “half” and “trust”, respectively. The third kanji repeats the first, thus meaning “half.” The fourth Kanji means “doubt”.
History, definition, similar expression, etc.
Hanshin means “half believer”.
Hangi means “to be half in doubt”.
Hanshinhangi means “unable to be completely sure that something is true”.
Use
We can use this phrase as an adverbial form of an adjective ending in -na, as in [someone] wa hanshinhangi from kiku, which means “someone listens to __ half believing him.”
When you want to express that someone cannot be completely sure about something, you can say [someone] wa hanshinhangi da.
Sample sentences
- Watashi wa, kare no jiman hanashi or kiita hanshinhangi. “I listened to your great talk only half believing it.”
- Otto wa zangyoo from osokunaru to itta ga, watashi wa hanshinhangi datta. “My husband told me he would be home late because he had to work overtime. But I only half believed it.”
- Kare wa, kanarazu o-kane or kaesu to watashi ni yakusoku shita ga, watashi wa hanshinhangi da. “He promised that he would pay me back, but I’m half hesitant.”
