It’ll Work Out Somehow

There are many things we convince ourselves are right when they’re mistaken.

For example, aren’t you writing the word “完璧” (kanpeki, “perfect”) as “完壁”?

Aren’t you saying “please carry your feet to such-and-such a place” when the phrase is “please make your way to such-and-such”?

At a restaurant, when settling up, aren’t you saying “o-aiso” instead of “the check, please / the bill, please”?

Aren’t you calling “fast food”—shops where you can eat right after ordering—”first food”?

To a superior, aren’t you saying “gokurō-sama” (good work, said downward) instead of “otsukare-sama”?

Aren’t you saying “suimasen” instead of “sumimasen”?

Aren’t you saying “arieru” instead of “ariuru” (“it’s possible”)?

Aren’t you reading 乳離れ (weaning) as “chichi-banare” instead of “chi-banare”?

Aren’t you reading 貼付 (affixing) as “haritsuke” instead of “chōfu”?

I think that with words and letters, the importance of being understood matters most—but knowing the correct usage and writing of Japanese makes one more learned than not knowing it.

I, too, have been writing, reading, and using words full of mistakes; that I’ve somehow gotten by until now is perhaps because there were so many ignorant people around me—myself included.