Juan Pablo
How can one translate the expression かなっていう How could the expression "kanatteiu" (かなっていう), at the end of a sentence, be translated in english? Let's consider in this sentence, for example: お味噌汁とかがやっぱり落ち着くかなっていう。 How would the sentence be translated then? Also, does someone know the meaning of: やっぱり in this case? Thanks.
Mar 1, 2016 5:28 AM
Answers · 3
5
'Kana' is a suffix that gives a sense of wondering or not being sure about something. It's frequently used especially in casual conversation between friends. The reason why Japanese use this suffix so often is that we dislike to make a firm/definitive statement, even when we are 99% sure. If a sentence finishes with 'desu' or 'da', it sounds like a strong statement unless you are talking about a fact. お味噌汁とかがやっぱり落ち着くかなっていう This is a very typical Japanese speech. It basically means お味噌汁が落ち着く(I like miso soup/miso soup is my soul food), but by adding an extra suffix(kana), the speaker is avoiding to make it definitive. If you want to make it even more infinitive, go on and add another suffixes like: お味噌汁とかがやっぱり落ち着くかな+っていう(感じ) お味噌汁とかがやっぱり落ち着くかな+みたいな At the end of the day, I guess my soul food is something like miso soup, you know.. 'Toka' is also used here to avoid certainty. Instead of saying just 'miso soup', you say 'something like miso soup'...you throw more and more ambiguity in your sentences, you'll sound like Japanese! 'Yappari' means at the end of the day, or if I think about it. Hope it helps.
March 1, 2016
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Juan Pablo
Language Skills
Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish
Learning Language
Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian