Well, that was me, my username has always been tanisnikana, cause Tanis Nikana is the name I had at birth. Eventually I decided changing it is too hard. Just kept it.
Parents were white Americans on an Air Force base in rural Japan. They gave me an Irish boy’s name that would be reasonably smooth in katakana. I transitioned to female at 28, kept it, pronunciation and spelling (タニス) and all. A lot of people think my last name is Japanese too, but it isn’t. I’m not sure where it came from. I learned English when I moved to America when I was 11. Most people don’t know I can speak Japanese from looking at me.
Yeah, fairly well, but it stunted when I was eleven, cause I had to learn English. Even now at 41, I’m actively studying both languages. I have a trip to Tokyo in January, and I’m dreading getting the old 日本語上手 from people who look at me and think I can’t speak.
Generous of you to assume I even read katakana. Hiragana? Anyway deepl translates it as “proficient in Japanese” from Chinese, interestingly. But maybe that’s just them trying to tell them apart.
So I read that people asking you if you understand them in a language you might not understand?
Well, that was me, my username has always been tanisnikana, cause Tanis Nikana is the name I had at birth. Eventually I decided changing it is too hard. Just kept it.
From the perspective of an international audience, the name sounds fairly unisex. Is it actually gendered in your own language?
Parents were white Americans on an Air Force base in rural Japan. They gave me an Irish boy’s name that would be reasonably smooth in katakana. I transitioned to female at 28, kept it, pronunciation and spelling (タニス) and all. A lot of people think my last name is Japanese too, but it isn’t. I’m not sure where it came from. I learned English when I moved to America when I was 11. Most people don’t know I can speak Japanese from looking at me.
And given that you grew up with Japanese you probably speak it quite well, to the surprise of most Japanese.
Yeah, fairly well, but it stunted when I was eleven, cause I had to learn English. Even now at 41, I’m actively studying both languages. I have a trip to Tokyo in January, and I’m dreading getting the old 日本語上手 from people who look at me and think I can’t speak.
Generous of you to assume I even read katakana. Hiragana? Anyway deepl translates it as “proficient in Japanese” from Chinese, interestingly. But maybe that’s just them trying to tell them apart.
So I read that people asking you if you understand them in a language you might not understand?
日本語上手 is often said to non-Japanese people with a bit of sarcasm, sadly.
You could let them believe you don’t understand and later let them know you actually do when it stings.
Insincerity often hurts feelings and betrays trust, so I don’t do it.