After the surrender, the Japanese tried to make us more Japanese in the way we speak, think and behave. They fell that this will make you more loyal to Japan. So, they got us to learn Japanese. They set up schools to teach the language and printed textbooks in Japanese. every morning we have to stand facing Japan and sing the Japanese national anthem. In cinemas, only Japanese movies were shown. If I were one of those people who watched the movies, I would think that the Japanese are trying to make us follow them and leave before the story ends. Well, learning Japanese is a bit hard as we need to memorize the meaning. If we spout nonsense without knowing what we're saying, we might get caught. It's better to keep quiet.
This is what I learnt :
PRONUNCIATION NOTE- Desu pronounced dehs ; gozaimasu is goh-zai-mahs ; for shita, i is almost inaudible (sh'ta), do will be pronoucned as though, dare is dah-reh & takusan is tahksahn.
Words :
- Come in = O hairi nasai
- Not yet = Mada nesu
- I believe so = So omoi masu
- Who said so? = Dare ga so iimashita ka?
- It is true = Honto desu
- It may be so = So de sho
- How much is this = Ikura desu ka?
- I don't want any = Mo takusan
- It is excellent = Kekko desu
- Isn't it finished yet? = Mada owari masen ka?
- Certainly, with pleasure = Kashikomari mashita (very polite)
- Yes = Hai or So desu
- No = Liye
Book : Ministry of Education, Singapore (2007) Interacting with Our World : Singapore Under Foreign
Rule. Marshall Cavendish Education
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