*Google Image searching t-back thongs to see what a non-sexy one might look like*JS: Japan Skates always asks this question: What was the funniest gift ever thrown onto the ice for you?
DT: It's hard to say… I'm not sure if I could say, but… "T-back (thong)"! (laughs)
(everyone there laughs)
JS: That's the same answer as Nobu(Nobunari ODA)'s, and Ryo(SHIBATA)'s!
DT: (laughs) (in English
Thanks for the link! Love the interview!
Could you tell me the reason why you call Daisuke "Dai-Chan"? Does "Chan" mean "San" in Japanese? At first, I thought this was a interview on two skaters Dasuke and Patrick Chan.
...Could you tell me the reason why you call Daisuke "Dai-Chan"?....At first, I thought this was a interview on two skaters Dasuke and Patrick Chan.
Chan has a girlfriend. It's Dai vs. Chan.
The Japanese suffix -chan is not only honorific but also diminutive or hypocoristic. It is similar to English suffix-y as in Vicky (from Victoria), Sally (from Sarah), Rosy (from Rosemarie), Jimmy (from Jim), etc. It can be sometimes roughly translated as "little", very similar to Chinese hypocoristic prefix 小 "little". If you know Chinese, just think about calling Patrick Chan 小陳 "Little Chan" and you'll get the idea.
I guess what he/she meant was that it sounds like two syllables (i.e., Dai-ske) to the ear of an English speaker. From a pedantic linguistic point of view, it actually contains four morae: Dá-í-s(ú)-ké. To analyze it as having two syllables violates several Japanese phonological rules (e.g., the absence of diphthongs in Japanese, prohibition of a consonant cluster, etc.). The "two-syllable" explanation, nonetheless, is good enough for non-academic purposes (e.g., for an English speaker who just wants to imitate its native pronunciation).
Nick Slater, Euro commentator is famous to say " Daisuki Takahashi" in stead of "Daisuke Takahashi"
Coincidentally, the word "Daisuki" means " love or like very much" in Japanese. So many Japanese fans are smiling whenever Nick says " Daisuki takahashi.", since we know that Nick is really in love with Daisuke's skating.
In the arena, I often heard that English speaking fans were chanting " Daisuke, Daisuki." meaning, " I love Daisuke so much."
Go Dai-chan:thumbsup:
