Saka
- Thread starter rondonJIN
- Start date
ロンドン人さん
Saka is not an adjective but a noun that means slope.
I hasten to explain why I have okayed saka as the translation for "hilly" in the first sentence despite my statement that saka is a noun. Some Japanese nouns can be used adjectivally. But this is a derived function and not always applicable. I am not sure if there is a clear-cut rule which nouns are adjectivasable and which are not.
Even in the first sentence, saka loses its adjectival force when deprived of the adverb ちょっと.
*この道は坂です。
In the second sentence, I cannot interpret 坂ではありません as a negated adjective, "is not hilly." Instead, the most usual understanding of the sentence would be, "Nagasaki's hills are tall but not slops."
I would suggest rewriting the translation as;
長崎の丘は高いですが、急ではありません。
A bonus pack.
Kyūda can be attached to saka too; 急な坂. The opposite state is ゆるやかな/ゆるい坂.
Saka is not an adjective but a noun that means slope.
e.g. The road is hilly.
e.g. Nagasaki's hills are tall but not steep.
この道はちょっと坂です。
長崎の丘は高いですが坂ではありません。
I hasten to explain why I have okayed saka as the translation for "hilly" in the first sentence despite my statement that saka is a noun. Some Japanese nouns can be used adjectivally. But this is a derived function and not always applicable. I am not sure if there is a clear-cut rule which nouns are adjectivasable and which are not.
Even in the first sentence, saka loses its adjectival force when deprived of the adverb ちょっと.
*この道は坂です。
In the second sentence, I cannot interpret 坂ではありません as a negated adjective, "is not hilly." Instead, the most usual understanding of the sentence would be, "Nagasaki's hills are tall but not slops."
I would suggest rewriting the translation as;
長崎の丘は高いですが、急ではありません。
A bonus pack.
Kyūda can be attached to saka too; 急な坂. The opposite state is ゆるやかな/ゆるい坂.
ロンドン人さん
The script of a song says :
坂の長崎 異人町 （ さかのながさき いじんまち ）、 and therefore,
we can not understand " 長崎の丘は高いですが坂ではありません ". Nagasaki
is well-known for its saka ( slope ) and the hill where the christian
martyrs were executed about 400 years ago.
By the way, "saka" sounds romatic in Japanese language, but the
English word "slope" has no romantic implication.
Hiro Sasaki
The script of a song says :
坂の長崎 異人町 （ さかのながさき いじんまち ）、 and therefore,
we can not understand " 長崎の丘は高いですが坂ではありません ". Nagasaki
is well-known for its saka ( slope ) and the hill where the christian
martyrs were executed about 400 years ago.
By the way, "saka" sounds romatic in Japanese language, but the
English word "slope" has no romantic implication.
Hiro Sasaki
Probably you wanted to say :
長崎には 高い丘がありますが 坂は 急（勾配（きゅうこうばい））では
ありません。
Hiro sasaki
長崎には 高い丘がありますが 坂は 急（勾配（きゅうこうばい））では
ありません。
Hiro sasaki
I would stay away from the word "slope" in English and stick with the word "steep", which sounds much better, which is why this sentence was given:
"Nagasaki's hills are tall but not steep."
I believe that is almost exactly what your sentences says. Am I correct?
I believe you would more likely to use the word "slope" when talking about a mountain, especially one with snow where people ski.
Gaer