Posted by AZMark on December 21, 1998 at 08:34
In Reply to: Attention japanise people! -I need help! posted by JohN on December 19, 1998 at 17:20
JohN, after the foundation I laid in my response to Mike a little lower down on this thread, I did some checking in my other references.
First, bear in mind that, unlike most Western cultures, the Japanese in particular don't make much mention of body functions. Even to say you are hungry is considered a little vulgar. The phrase they use for that (My honorable insides are empty) may seem like an unlikely substitute for us, but it works for the Japanese. Likewise, they would never admit to thirst. Instead they say "my honorable throat is dry." Further, unless you are immersed in Japanese culture as a native, finding "vulgar" slang references to body functions is next to impossible, since they don't just pop up in text books (just as slang seldom pops up in English references).
For what it's worth, however, "shimetta" is a Japanese word for "wet", as in fabrics, while "kawaita" is a word for "dry." The formal word for "urinate" (the pronunciation for which escapes me right now) is a combination of the characters for "small" and "delivery" or "disposal." I will continue to research this material for you.