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So today, I’ve discovered a problem with a fairly basic word: おふろ, or bath. Denshi jisho has bath written as ふろ, but google images for おふろ seems to pick up more correct results (also more naked anime women, but complaining about the futility of safe search is best left for another time)
お is often added to give respect to something, I know, but.. a bath? Which one is correct? And more importantly, which one is more common?
Yes, it is more common to see it with an honorific. Don’t think I’ve hardly ever seen it without it. It is certainly used with the verb “to take a bath”: お風呂に入る「おふろにはいる」
Thank you very much! Into anki you go, vocab!
Some Japanese words over time have kind of assimilated the honorific form. Another example would be 茶 and お茶 (tea) – as far as I know, 茶 is still used occasionally, but the お茶 form is far more prevalent. Can’t think of any other examples though… I think ご飯 (meal, rice) might be similar?
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This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by
MisterM2402 [Michael].
Aye, ご飯 is another – ご is the Chinese-style formalising prefix (お is Japanese-style). Other common words with a fairly permanently-attached prefix include お手洗い, お母さん, お疲れ様, ご主人 and おはよう (though the one’s probably lost in the mists of etymology).
That said, if the world of baths is mystical to you, I’m kinda glad there’s an Internet between me and you. =P
Ugh, damn, I knew there were some more obvious ones :P
But baths have bubbles, Joel! BUBBLES!
Also, thank you very much for the advice! Very helpful!
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This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by
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