warm. it was warm.

I have a massive post sitting in my draft thing - all stuff ive been thinking about since i read Neil Gaiman`s American Gods. Unfortunately, it just does not want to come out of my head in any way that does not sound lame. Thusly, to tide you lovely people over, i will give you a lesson in a japanese word i cant decide if i love or hate, all based on pronounciation.

あたたかい atatakai

It means warm. This takes a few tries to say right, when you first learn it. Try it, until you can say it fairly quickly. Now, this is all fine, ive had this under my belt for ages. But lately ive had to use the past tense of this a ton, and it is a bit of a doozy. In japanese, past tense adjectives get "katta" tacked on to where the "i" was. So, "it was warm" becomes:

あたたかかった atatakakatta

If i get the rhythm right, i can hit this first try, no problem. But if you lose it part way, it gets confusing as to how many ta`s or ka`s you have already gotten through.


thats all. Oh, for reference, if youre interested, the a sound in japanese is like.. er.. the "ah" you say when the doctor checks your throat with those tongue depressors.