Culture Question Of The Day

what language is spoken in Afghanistan?

Pashtu and Dari (Afghan Persian/Farsi) are the official languages of Afghanistan. Pashtu (also written Pushtu) was declared the National Language of the country during the beginning of Zahir Shah’s reign, however, Dari has always been used for business and government transactions. Both belong to the Indo-European group of languages.
According to estimates, approximately 35% of the Afghan population speaks Pashtu, and about 50% speaks Dari. Turkic languages (Uzbek and Turkmen) are spoken by about 11% of the population. There are also numerous other languages spoken in the country (Baluchi, Pashai, Nuristani, etc.), and bilingualism is very common. 

(Source: cultureme.shapado.com)

what are the top 5 most popular sports in France?

1. Football (Soccer)
2. Rugby
3. Cycling
4. Tennis
5. Sailing

Other popular sports are Basketball, handball, kitesurfing, skiing, fencing and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

(Source: cultureme.shapado.com)

What is traditional polish food?

Answer provided by rogersjessica68: Well there’s the Pierogi, which is a boiled pastry similar to a large triangular ravioli. It’s usually filled with a variety of savory fillings of meats, cheese and potato, cabbage and so forth.

Golabki is another traditional dish. It is stuffed cabbage leaves, which is usually filled with minced meat, rice and/or onions and mushrooms. Served with a creamy Tomato or Mushroom sauce.

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When a number is written in western numerals, how do you say them in Japanese?

This was said in my manga. “ まず！我らの使命は２つ！！”

Does he actually say “two” or “に”? If the latter, why not use 二? I don’t see ニつ as being any different.

Answer by erod5t3: “2つ” is just another notation for “二つ,” and is read as ふたつ, although some people consider the notation “2つ” as incorrect.

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Does the Japanese language only have negative terms for flirting?

I am looking for terms in the Japanese language which can describe the act of flirting in a positive light. This probably requires inventing terms to close a lexical gap, because as far as I know, all terms that are related to flirting in Japanese carry a negative connotation.

“Flirting” has a couple of meanings in English. However, here I am speaking specifically about flirting in the sense of when a person shows their attraction to another person. It’s a deliberate act, and can range from covert to overt.

The thing is, where I come from, flirting generally is seen as a playful, positive thing. It is flattering to the recipient. It is also can be considered harmless, in that it might be that the person doing it does not necessarily intend to seduce the other, but that they want to test the limits of their attractiveness by provoking a small response.

The only time flirting is negative in English is when a larger context makes it so. If a person flirts with a third person while in a committed relationship, the action of flirting itself is not what defines it as negative, it’s that the committed relationship comes with an implication of promises that are being broken.

In Japanese, however, all the terms I know of that approximate the act of flirting tend toward the negative.

浮気する【うわきする】 is all about cheating, so this is clearly the dark side of flirting.

ナンパする I would translate as “to hit on,” and it is clearly much more aggressive than “flirting”. With ナンパ one necessarily has the goal of seducing the other. The feeling of the word to me is of a meat-market night club, although I know it can be used in much more mild and neutral circumstances.

いちゃつく might be the most mild, and therefor the closest to the English. However, it does seem a bit cutesy, like a child’s view on flirting (“… sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g…”). Also seems almost entirely on the overt end of flirting, in that it is more like a public display of affection, like kissing and holding, than it would imply any clever or subtle behaviour or words.

In essence, I want to convey the idea of being at play with showing and getting signals of attraction without it necessarily taking on an aggressive sexuality. Flirting can be a sophisticated interaction between adults.

Is there a way to convey flirting in the positive light I am describing?

Is there a way to say “I’m not really hitting on you, I’m just flirting.” Something like: 実際はナンパじゃなくって、ただ___しているだけだ。