通り and せっかく: A metaphorical road and an untranslatable word.

[@chiaracoetzee]

Hearing her talk about how precious and irreplaceable life is really hits different after we lost her. RIP and thank you for everything.

[@jaddaj5881]

What happened to her? I only recently discovered the channel but noticed there have been no new posts for about a year.

[@chiaracoetzee]

@@jaddaj5881 See comments on her most recent upload for details. All I know is that she passed away.

[@INTJames]

I thought the exact same thing when she said, "The necessity to grasp what is rare and precious while we can before it passes"..I can barely watch her channel anymore because it gets me really upset, even though I know she would want me to keep watching to keep her ideas alive, it still gets me so sad. I'll have to wait and come back when some more time has passed. Gets me even more sad thinking about her last video where she said she wouldn't be making videos for a little while because she wasn't feeling good and it was her last video 😭🤧

[@moonagesyndrome]

"Let's face this beautiful future together."

[@technic1285]

I was just binging Cure Dolly and a new video comes up. Neat!

[@hermitxIII]

End made me sad.

[@tech6hutch]

Yeah. Has a different feeling since she’s gone…

[@EXTREMEKIWI115]

せっかくのドリー先生。

[@Eltaurus]

The beginning of the video is not any less tear-dropping. To think that the year had started being so hopeful.. and what it ultimately came down to.

[@JSCG12]

Thanks for the video Dolly. Thinking about せっかく as more of a concept than a word with a specific definition really helps grasp the meaning better than memorizing all these seemingly abstract dictionary definitions. I have to wonder how many other words would also be better served by thinking about them in this fashion.

[@organicjapanesewithcuredol49]

I have done several videos talking about the underlying idea behind various words and expressions.

[@edge3220]

Some time ago I ran across 噂通り and the dictionary app I use for quick look-ups (imiwa) said it meant "a rumor that appears to be quite true." I didn't know specifically why, but it was easy enough to remember, I didn't bother pressing it. It's good to understand it better now. Thank you! Also, I love the fact there are untranslatable words in languages. It makes learning and understanding them feel special.

[@vanessameow1902]

1:47 As a fellow weeb I cant help but say, この動画はごらんのスポンサーの提供でお送りしますwww

[@organicjapanesewithcuredol49]

Oh yes - a very good and common example of ごらん. It is keigo of course, so used in announcements like that, though ごらんの通り is such a set phrase that it is used where keigo isn't being otherwise used.

[@vanessameow1902]

@@organicjapanesewithcuredol49 なるほど！

[@carsonsmith2831]

I appreciate videos like this. Just the other day I was wondering what せっかく meant, and lo and behold!

[@JorgeMP53]

This channel is just incredible. I was watching your "は&が" particle video and how they really work. That video just awakened my brain on their true functions and now I can be more confident in using them. I also have been watching all of your videos and the quality of the content is outstanding. Thanks to you, my learning process is feeling way less stressful. ありがとうございます、ドリ先生!

[@ムネタ]

Happy New Year! Thanks for covering these. I had seen sekkaku used in various ways and this clears it up. Mind, I was ready to learn all the "meanings" separately as they would come by, but this made it easier. Also, I felt happy to recognise the expression 水の泡. Watching anime sure does good.

[@organicjapanesewithcuredol49]

Happy New Year to you and I am glad this was helpful.

[@アレックス-r5w]

あけましておめでとうございます！🎉🎊

[@organicjapanesewithcuredol49]

今年もよろしくお願いします。

[@なにいってんの-s5e]

Great video very informative, this is awesome content. What would I do without cure dolly

[@arpitkumar4525]

一番!

[@julianlayner5847]

明けましておめでとうございます and thank you for all your videos.

[@organicjapanesewithcuredol49]

今年もよろしくお願いします。Thank you for your kind comment.

[@HyperLuigi37]

I’d like to request the duo of もしかして and もしかしたら. They’ve always confused me as to not only how they make sense, but the difference between the two.

[@TIMRUM]

it's 若しかして moshi is adverb meaning literally "if" moshika is what i assume moshi+ka question particle, but it's used adverbially as "if" all the same, only in more stronger sense(「もし」を強めた言い方。) shite/shitara - is of course our familiar suru verb, the difference between the two is nigh unnoticeable and they're used interchangeably, basically the former is te form, and here it's used as clause connector but you can effectively treat it as an adverb too, the latter is tara conditional, which gives "if if" overall thus we have an expression that's used before a complete clause, to underline supposition or possibility, i.e: "by any chance; perhaps; possibly." One other expression similar to this is ひょっとして、 ひょっとしたら, whereas "hyo" being a sound effect for accidental action and shite and shitara is, again, suru verb, this means something like "should it happen (that/then); by any/some chance"

[@HyperLuigi37]

@@TIMRUM Mfw this reply would be the first time I would learn of Cure Dolly’s passing…

[@TIMRUM]

@@HyperLuigi37 what you haven't been in touch with her channel for 2 years? some avid learner you are

[@HyperLuigi37]

@@TIMRUM what

[@STOVL93]

Happy New Year, Dolly! I noticed something interesting today. If you measure support as a ratio of subscribers to Patrons then your fanbase is incredibly engaged. I'll compare you to EmpLemon, a internet culture documentary youtuber whose videos I also enjoy. -EmpLemon has 649,000 subscribers and 229 Patrons with an average contribution of $3.86 per Patron. -Cure Dolly has 16,000 subscribers and 286 Patrons with an average contribution of $5.22 per Patron Not only do you have more Patrons, than a channel with more than half a million subscribers, but their average dollar contribution is 35% higher as well. It might be more fair to compare you against Miku Sensei (another Japanese language youtuber as I'm sure you're aware). -Miku Sensei has 170,000 subscribers and 863 Patrons. Cure Dolly subscribers are 3.5x more likely to become Patrons than Miku Sensei's. Miku Sensei doesn't disclose how much she earns from Patreon so I can't compare you on this front, although I suspect your average Patron contribution is higher. (I will add that I admire that you share this info!) Anyway, your videos are very high effort, and if you're ever slightly dejected by your relatively small number of subscribers (if an android can even feel emotions such as dejection), realize that the impact you're having on your viewers is orders of magnitude higher than your average successful youtuber (at least by this measurement).

[@STOVL93]

Forgot to add that Cure Dolly subscribers are 68x more supportive on Patreon than EmpLemon subscribers. Quite an impressive number.

[@organicjapanesewithcuredol49]

​@@STOVL93 Happy New Year! And thank you for your encouraging words. I had not realized that the ratios were so extreme! I did "comfort" myself (made a rational determination) that while this channel is pretty small (in absolute terms of subscriptions, views etc) in relation to many others in this field, the ratio of engagement by most metrics (including likes, comments etc.), is massively higher. I think this may have something to do with the radical nature of the content. It was not my intention but I do tend to contradict not only the prevailing orthodoxy but also all the main challengers to it. I am also aware that I have the charisma and "personality" of a budget toaster. All of this I think tends to mean that I do not easily gain traction with the majority, but do attract a very committed audience. I think that is important because I am seriously trying to bring a new and better approach to the learning of Japanese, and it is probably the case that the first people to embrace it will be pioneers.

[@pazispeace]

thank you very muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch

[@pazispeace]

you are the best sensei

[@Soulskinner]

Happy new yeah! Wish you lots of views, infinity inspiration for new videos, and good year in general. ^_^

[@organicjapanesewithcuredol49]

Thank you. May all your dreams come true this year.

[@EXTREMEKIWI115]

I keep wanting to hit like every few minutes, but I already have!

[@axelkeuchel5728]

明けましておめでとうございます🌅🎍😉👋❗️

[@organicjapanesewithcuredol49]

今年もよろしくお願いします。

[@sprite_goblin]

Thank you for this!! Happy New Year!

[@organicjapanesewithcuredol49]

And Happy New Year to you!

[@learnlibyanarabic8760]

First of all, awesome video as always ♥💕. I came across the expression 狙ったとおり which is a set phrase that means "just as I planned". Is it customary for とおり to be used with the た form (or other forms)? I searched for たとおり and other verbs showed up. Is this a special idiomatic construction? Thanks a lot for your great explanations and ❤️ from 🇱🇾

[@organicjapanesewithcuredol49]

とおり is a noun and any noun can be modified by any verb or verbal clause in any tense. In fact it can be modified by any of the three sentence Engines. See this video on modifier (adjectival) basics: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6q5i5-XetaIaJY

[@learnlibyanarabic8760]

@@organicjapanesewithcuredol49 Thanks you !

[@DANGJOS]

The Merriam Webster website has an added section called "Essential Meaning". I wish there was an equivalent version in Japanese dictionaries so we didn't have to guess or figure out the true meaning of words. Thank you so much for this! Interestingly, I feel like I've already begun to get an idea on these meanings just from my immersion, but I definitely wasn't all the way there.

[@TIMRUM]

well "essential meaning", as a rule, is the very first definition, the ones that follow should usually be extended and metaphorical uses of the word, as well uses unique to particular fields and contexts

[@DANGJOS]

@@TIMRUM Yes, I have noticed this in both English and English-Japanese dictionaries. It is generally true that the first definition is the essential meaning, but I've seen a number of exceptions to this. Sometimes the essential meaning isn't listed first, or it isn't clear if it's the first or second or third listed. Sometimes it seems that the first definition is the oldest definition, but the essential meaning has evolved and become a different sense. That's why I think it would be helpful. It would be nice if the actual essential meaning was always clearly given.

[@user-hf6jm4tv2v]

『そのとおり飴を作っているます』 I practice candy making every holiday, done so in secret for 3 years

[@user-hf6jm4tv2v]

まもる君でケモショタですね

[@organicjapanesewithcuredol49]

@@user-hf6jm4tv2v そのとおり飴を作っているます』does not mean what you wrote in English. いるます is not even Japanese. Assuming it was います or いる, it simply means "That's right, I am making candy."

[@悪巫山戯]

いつも通りにせっかくの授業してありがとうございます！

[@LimeGreenTeknii]

せっかく is 折角 right? Is there any particular reason for the Kanji? It always made think of a really difficult origami with lots of angles.

[@organicjapanesewithcuredol49]

It actually has its origins in an old Chinese story of one Shu Un who defeated a proud intellectual, which described as "an accomplishment like breaking the antlers of a fine deer". So the meaning is horn-breaking (折 often means break and of course 角 can mean horn). It isn't all that relevant to the current meaning - though the idea of a precious or difficult feat is ultimately related.

[@TokyoXtreme]

Send me back to 昭和 and leave me there, like Back to the Future 3.

[@smegskull]

せっかくsounds a lot like the metaphoric use of "sacred" in english.

[@organicjapanesewithcuredol49]

I don't think I've heard that one.

[@LimeGreenTeknii]

Oh, ok, that's why 文字通り means literal, right? It's the way that the words written out are saying that they are.

[@organicjapanesewithcuredol49]

It _literally_ means literally! "Literally" means "to the letter" (from Latin _litera_ - letter) and 文字通り means "in the way of (according to) the 文字 (character)". In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the term was a direct "kanjification" of "literally" (or equivalent) from a European language.

[@lisacanyon6880]

Have you talked about when to use と with adverbs? It's very confusing. Thanks for this wonderful video though!! :D

[@yuko3258]

Sensei, in the sentence 優等生ぶりやがって… I know the anime translation but I can't understand the yagatte part. Can you explain? Love your vids, btw!

[@organicjapanesewithcuredol49]

やがる is a derisive form of やる used to show dislike or contempt for someone's action. Generally added to the い-stem of another verb or (as in this case) a similar verb-formed noun. So simply adds a layer of contempt to the accusation of pretending to be a top-class student.

[@yuko3258]

@@organicjapanesewithcuredol49 oh thanks a bunch! I've noticed this in a ton of anime and manga when people are bickering, makes sense now.

[@pond6282]

Completely off topic, but I'd like to get your opinion on this sentence I came across: 頭が赤い魚を食べる猫 I took it mean something like, "A cat that eats a red fish with its head", but I'm not entirely sure. I think the sentence its meant to be confusing.

[@organicjapanesewithcuredol49]

No there is nothing confusing about it. It is very standard Japanese. The only thing that makes it confusing to a learner is that we have stacked modifiers. but this is quite standard. So let's look at it. First of all let's note that this is _not_ a sentence. it does not end with an engine but with a noun. This means that it isn't a sentence, only a modified noun. (You don't give wider context so I can't say if there is an implication that the noun is doing anything but grammatically it isn't). So what is actually happening? 頭が赤い modifies 魚 and 魚を食べる modifies 猫. And 猫 does nothing (unless by implication). The meaning is simply "The (a) cat that eats a (the) red-headed fish". Everything here is just telling us more about this cat. The cat isn't doing anything. It isn't a sentence.

[@かえる77]