Katakana Literary Work

1.
しんごうは                               traffic light is
きいろてんめつ                      flashing yellow
アクセルだ                             "accel pedal!"

2.
しゅくだいは                           (turning in)homework
しめきりまぢか                       on deadline
ギリギリだ                              the very last moment

3.
つぎこそは                             next time (finally)
ブロンドかのじょ                    BLOND girl friend
ゲットするぜ                          I will GET one!

Composition 2

やまださんへ。

やまださん、おげんきですか。
にほんは　いま　さむいですか。ニューヨークは　あまり　さむいないです。
はじめまして。　わたしは　Wookです。　かんこくの Seoul からきました。
にじゆうきゆうさいです。
わたしの　かぞくは　よにんです。　ちち、はは、あね、それから　わたしです。
スポーツが　とても　すきです。　そして　スポーツを　たくさん　しますから　わたしは　げんきです。
コロンビアだいがくの　がくせいです。　さんねんせいです。
せんこは　Economics-Statisticsです。
わたしは　げつようびから　もくようびまで　クラスが　あります。
きんようびに　Korean Embassy のKorean Cultural Serviceで　はたらきます。
コロンビアだいがくの　せいかつは　とても　いそがしいですが、とても　たのしいです。
わたしは　らいねん　ろくがつ　ついたちに　にほんへ　ひこうけで　ひとりで　いきます。
じゃ、また。　
よろしく　おねがいします。

Katakana Analysis Draft

マツモトキヨシ　＝　“マツキヨ”

Matsumoto Kiyoshi Ltd., Co.

Largest ­Drug chain store in Japan

Founder: 松本清（まつもときよし）

·         Name after its founder

Effects katakana has:

·         Brings image of “modern”

o   Drug store sells modern consumer goods.

·         Transfer a name of an individual to a name of brand

o   Famous brands are in Katakana since most of them are from foreign country

o   People easily recognize it as a name of brand when the name is written in Katakana

o   By getting rid of the original Kanji of the founder’s name, the name became closer to everyone, not only as a different person

·         Cool

o   Katakana is just somehow “cooler” to young people.

o   Because Katakana is used to translate foreign language to Japanese

o   Fashionable

·         Easy for graphic design

o   It is easier to make a good looking trademark with Katakana since it is not as complex as Kanji; it has more straight lines and edges compared to Hiragana which has more rounded corners.

·         More focused on the sound

o   Katakana is more about the sound, Hiragana and Kanji are more about the meaning

o   Sound part is more important to a brand name

Why not Hiragana:

·         Looks childish or old

o   Hiragana is the first thing that children learn

o   Has an image of lack of knowledge or seriousness

o   Only some stores which have long history(over hundred years) and want to use it as their appeal point, would use Hiragana for their brand name

Why not Kanji

·         Too formal

o   Make an distance between the brand and customer

o   Drug store sells handy items, so Kanji doesn’t fit

·         Reminds people of the individual

o   Reminds people of the founder himself. In this case, not necessary

Conclusion:

Katagana is better than Hiragana and Kanji in this case, since it is modern, looks good and more easily accepted by young people.

ドキドキ

Doki-doki

Onomatopoeia　(a word for describing sound)

The sound of heart beating

Also, ドキドキする

As a verb, means heart is beating (because of being nervous or in love)

Why Katakana:

·         Describe sound rather than meaning.

·         Make people picture the image rather than understanding