みなさん、こんにちは！Welcome to Sakura Neko Japanese Study room, where you can learn Japanese from anime. Today’s topic is Memorable Quotes from Episode 4 in Demon Slayer Entertainment District Art.
鬼滅の刃 遊郭編 (Demon Slayer – Entertainment District Arc) has been on air since late 2021. Episode 4 is about Tanjiro’s encounter with Daki, Upper 6 Demon. I selected 7 useful Japanese phrases which you won’t learn from your Japanese textbook.
Today’s article is for you if
✅ Want to improve your communication skills in Japanese
✅ Want to use native-like expressions
✅ Want to learn Japanese from anime
Disclaimer ⚠️ Anime expressions often use casual Japanese, so you will have to be careful when you use them so you won’t offend other people (E.g. expressions here may be appropriate to your friends, but not necessarily to your teacher)
This blog post will introduce Japanese expressions and English translations as they appear in anime. I will also include the polite versions that will be useable in the real-life context.
1 – Just forget about it!
放っておけ。
Just forget about it.
As Zenko went missing, the girls at Kyogoku House asked the Housemaster what to do about it. Somewhat frustrated, he replies them with this: 「放っておけ hootteoke」. You can also translate this phrase as ‘leave it alone’, ‘leave it as is’ or ‘don’t bother’.
As the Housemaster talked to the girls, who are essentially his employees, his language was casual. If you would like to use this phrase,
「放っておいて (hootteoite)。」would be appropriate to use to friends, and
「放っておいてください (hootteoite kudasai)。」would be appropriate in a formal context.
2 – That guy has mad skills!
As Inosuke runs out of his patience, he decides to undress his disguise and calls out Muscular Mice, subordinates of Tengen Uzui. Being impressed with how the mice, he makes the following comment.
あいつ、やるやつだぜ。
That guy has mad skills
Inosuke commented on Tengen as Tengen set up the mice to deliver Inosuke’s katana. This also shows how Inosuke wants to have underlings who work for him.
As the meaning expressed in this phrase shows Inosuke’s arrogant attitude, if you would like to use this phrase, you might have to change it, so it suits your context.
「あの人、やるね」(That person performs well)
「あの人、できるね。」(That person can do their job well)
The above two phrases can be great to use amongst your friends.
「あの方、すごいですね。」would be more appropriate in a formal context.
3 – What do you mean by …
On a rooftop, Insuke enthusiastically explains the demon he saw in Ogimoto house to Tanjiro. Tengen stealthily arrives undetected and tells them that Zenitsu will not be joining this meeting. Tanjiro then asks Tengen…
善逸は来ないってどう言うことですか。
What do you mean by ‘Zenitsu is not coming’?
「〜ってどう言うことですか。」is a convenient expression when you want to get clarification.
As Tengen is Tanjiro’s superior, he speaks formally. Therefore, you can directly copy Tanjiro and use this phrase in a formal setting. If you want to use this in a non-formal environment, you can say
「〜ってどう言うこと？」 or 「〜ってどう言う意味？」.
4 – Wait! We don’t have time for this! Sorry!
そうだ！こんな場合じゃないんだ！ごめん！
Wait! We don’t have time for this! Sorry!
Tanjiro says this as he remembers the main topic of the discussion after getting side-tracked with Inosuke. Tanjiro says this to remind himself that now is not the right situation to get side-tracked. Therefore, this phrase is relatively informal. If you want to use this phrase to your friends, you can say 「（今は）そんな場合じゃないよ」. In a formal situation, you can say 「（今は）そんな場合じゃありません。」.
5 – Give me the short version.
As the Housemaster of Kyogoku house is seen holding his late wife’s kimono in his room, Tengen stealthily appears. As Tengen demands the whereabouts of Zenko and Hinatsuru, he says this.
簡潔に答えろ。
Give me the short version.
「簡潔」refers to ‘concise’, so you can also translate into ‘answer concisely’. This phrase is followed by…
問い返すことは許さない。
No question from you, go that?
心当たりのあることを全て話せ。
Tell me everything you think might be relevant.
怪しいのは誰だ。
Who are you suspecting?
Naturally, these phrases are spoken in very harsh and blunt language. If you don’t mind sounding very demanding, you can use these phrases as they are, but if you happen to want to use them with your friends…
「簡潔に答えて。」
「問い返すことはしないで」
「心当たりのあることは全て話せ。」
「怪しいのは誰？」
These would do. If you find yourself in a situation where you need the formal version of these phrases, They can be …
「簡潔に答えなさい。」
「問い返すことは許しません。」
「心当たりのあることは全て話しなさい。」
「怪しいのは誰ですか。」
These would be appropriate.
6 – Who do you think you are talking to?
Daki has a prideful and dismissive personality and looks down on humans, including Demon Slayers (presumably except for Hashira). She gets pretty irritated by being spoken to by Tanjiro, and say this to him…
誰に向かって口をきいてんだ、お前は！
Who do you think you are talking to?
「口をきく」is another way of saying 「話す」. As the content of this phrase suggests the speaker’s condescending attitude to the listener, I would’t recommend using this phrase, but if you would like to know the casual version, you can say…
「誰に向かって口をきいてるの？」
「誰に向かって口をきいてるつもり？。」
One of these would do. If you would like to know the polite version…
「誰に向かって口をきいてるんですか。」would do.
7 – It’s not a matter of if I can do it! I have to do it!
As Tanjiro faces Daki, he quickly realises the overwhelming combat strength of the Upper Rank demon and gets knocked down. He then goes into the self-narrative mode as he gathers strength to get back up and fights back.
やれるかじゃない。やるんだ！
It’s not a matter of if I can do it! I have to do it!
As Tanjiro says this phrase to himself, he uses casual speech. You can adapt this phrase a little bit, so it’s suitable to use for friends.
「やれるかじゃなくて、やりましょう。」(It’s not if we can do it. Let’s just do it.)
This phrase is also suitable to use in a formal setting.
まとめ – Summary
This blog post introduces 7 Japanese quotes from Episode 4 of Demon Slayer Season 2, which you can incorporate into your daily conversations. If you use these phrases to Japanese native speakers, I am sure they will be impressed!
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave comments.
以上です！I would be happy if you find this article useful. If you find this helpful, please pass this on to your friend who also learn Japanese and love anime, and also check out my YouTube channel and Twitter!
じゃ、皆さんさようなら👋
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