Tuesday, July 5, 2016

ワンは持ち帰りましょう。

This is a popular sign around every town in Japan since dog ownership has become a growing trend amongst the young and old in cities and suburbs.




フン - Dog poop

持ち帰りましょう(もちかえりましょう)- Take home

Translations: Take home your dog's poop.


We see another style here:




犬(いぬ)- Dog
の - Possession particle
フン - Dog poop
持ち帰ろう - Take home

条例 (じょうれい) - Regulations, Rules, Laws
により- According to, In accordance with
違反した者 (いはんしたしゃ) - Person who violated, in violation
5万円 (ごまんえん) - Fifty Thousand Yen; about 500 dollars if 100¥=$1
以下 (いか) - Or below, less
の - Possessive particle
罰金 (ばっきん) - Fine, Penalty
に - Particle for direction
処せられる (しょ) - Condemn, Punish
こと - Particle to soften a judgment
が - Particle to designate the subject of the sentence
あります - To have or There is
Translation: Take home your dog poop. In accordance with the law a person in violation will be punished with a fine of 50,000 Yen or less.

Dog poop is a serious issue in Japan. It's a country where people do a lot of walking; on the street, in the park, etc., and if there is dog shit all over the place it's a real nuisance just like in any other city in the world.

Notes
ワン in these signs are being used to refer to dog poop, わんわん is the sound a dog makes, the onomatopoeia of barking and what children call a dog because they don't know the word 犬. It's also めっちゃかわいいですよ。

持ち帰ります is the phrase you use in cafes, restaurants or fast food joints for take out. If you want to eat in you should say,  店内で (てんない) meaning 'in the store'.

違反者 is the word for violator or criminal, but in this sign they put した, the past of する, making it a past verb. They probably didn't have to do that, 違反者 should be enough to convey the message they want to get across. Although, I could be wrong so if I am please send an email or leave a comment at the bottom to let me know. Thank you.

以上です、

ジョシュア

Subscribe to Death By Kanji by Email