#16 What does ごみ箱 mean? ~ Japan doesn't have a trash can?~

2019. 1. 1

Happy New Year!!!

I wish you may be happy this year too!!

So thank you so much for coming here.

It's kÜshi.

🔴I help you study kanji and Japanese
by making example sentences with
kanji.

And then I explain the grammars and
all the kanji which are used in the
sentences

🔴I realized that I should make useful
sentences about Japan so that you can
learn about Japan as well.

I always make very natural sentences,
so they are sometimes difficult to
understand.

But don't worry. I explain everything in
detail.

I hope this helps you a lot!

🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵

So today's word is ごみ箱

Reads: gomi-bako
Means: trash can
How to write 箱👇
https://kakijun.jp/page-ms/1574200.html

箱箱箱箱箱箱箱箱箱箱箱箱箱箱箱箱箱箱箱箱箱箱箱

Example sentence:

・In Japan you can find few trash boxes on the street.

...日本 で は 道路 に ほとんど ごみ箱 が ない

/ni-hon de wa dou-ro ni hotondo gomi-bako ga nai/

(You can still find some at the station)

This seems to be what foreign people are surprised.
Google says so.

I was surprised to hear that streets in Australia have trash boxes every 50 meters.

How's your country? Do you have so many ones??

And people from foreign countries are surprised that the streets are very clean.

This is just because Japanese people don't litter.

So you should try not to litter in Japan if you usually litter XD.

So you'd have to have trash for a long time because you can't find any trash boxes.

When you can't bear to keep having trash anymore, go to a convenience store, and have the clerk throw it away.

So I explain about the grammar used in the sentence!

👉日本(ni-hon)

This means Japan

👉日本で(ni-hon de)

で means like "in", "at", "on"

For example,

海で…IN the sea
→海(umi) means sea

駅で…AT the station
→駅(eki) means station

電車で…ON the train
電車(den-sha) means train

By the way, 電 means "electricity" and 車 means "a car"

So 日本で means "in Japan"

👉道路に(dou-ro ni)

道路(dou-ro) means "a street" or "a road".

に means like "in", "on", "at", and "to"

Oh so what's the difference between に and で？

They mean same, to be sure, but the verbs which are put after them are different.

Verbs which are put after に are fewer.

They are these:
ある(aru)... (something) exist
いる(iru)...(someone) exist
行く(i-ku)...to go
来る(ku-ru)...to come

For example,

・駅に店がある
/eki NI mise ga ARU/
…There is a shop at the station (A shop exists at the shop)

→駅(eki) means a station
→店(mise) means a shop

・電車に人がいない
/den-sha NI hito ga INAI/
... There's no people on the train (Nobody exists on the train)

→電車(den-sha) means a train
→人(hito) means "a person" or "people"
→いない is a negative form of いる, which means to exist

・海に行く
/umi NI I-KU/
...I go to the sea

→海(umi) means sea

In other hand, で has all verbs other than the four verbs written above.

For example,

・駅で待つ
/eki de ma-tsu/
...I wait at the station

→待つ means "to wait"

・電車で寝る
/den-sha de ne-ru/
...I sleep on the train.

→寝る means "to sleep"

・海で泳ぐ
/umi de oyo-gu/
...I swim in the sea

→泳ぐ means "to swim"

So 道路に means "on the streets" because ない(nai) is a negative form of ある, which means (something) exists.

👉ほとんど(hotondo)

This means "few~". So it leads a negative verbs, such as ない, at the end of the sentences.

For example,

・ほとんど人がいない
/hotondo hito ga inai/
... There're few people

→人 means "people" here.
→いない is a negative form of いる, which means (someone) exists

・ほとんど食べない
/hotondo ta-be nai/
...I eat little (I eat very little bit)

→食べない is a negative form of 食べる(ta-beru)

👉ごみ箱(gomi-bako)

ごみ means trash

And 箱(Hako) means a box.

So ごみ箱(gomi-Bako) means a trash can.

👉ない(nai)

This is a negative form of ある, which means (something) exists.

That's all explanations!!!

So you can understand the sentence!

Let's translate it from the back!

ほとんどごみ箱がない, this means
"there're few trash cans"

And 道路にほとんどごみ箱がない, this means "there're few trash cans on the streets"

And 日本では道路にほとんどごみ箱がない, this means
"In Japan, there're few trash cans on the streets"

You can also find some trash cans by the vending machines.

Japan has so many vending machines that you must be surprised!! Hehe XD

So that's all today!

Thank you so much for reading!

Ask me if you have any questions!

I hope this helps you a lot!

See you next time~!!