Ask-a-Teacher Question

<< more questions for course 5

Question to Teacher: What does the SHI at the end of Japanese sentences mean?
Course 5 Lesson 11: ヨーロッパからの手紙 (Comprehension)

moosethemooche

Post Date: 2010-01-12 02:06:24

save to notebook

saved questions

member since
2009 Sep 22

Questions: 5
Comments: 0

ここは観光する所が多いし、昼間だったら、一人でぶらぶらしていても大丈夫なので、後一週間、滞在しようと思っています。

I don't understand the grammar in the first part of the sentence...I understand that "ooi" means "many" or "numerous" but I don't get why there is a "shi" at the end of it. Thanks so much for explaining.

Was this question helpful to you?

YesJapan Teacher (George)

Post Date: 2010-02-03 04:49:52

member since
1997 Aug 25

Questions: 14
Comments: 2557

Great question. It's very possible we don't cover this in our grammar lessons.

Very simply SHI means "AND". It is used to connect sentences in and is VERY VERY VERY often used in Japan. I don't think you can go one day without hearing it.

Sometimes it's added after an adjective and left hanging:

TANOSHII SHI
And it's fun.

KOWAI SHI.
And it's scary.

These type of phrases might be just added to something that someone else said.

I use this A LOT also. One phrase I say after I say something to someone and get no response is:

KIITENAI SHI...
And they aren't even listening.

This always gets a laugh by the people around me who did hear what I said.

Try it out!

Hope this helps!

George
YesJapan.com

igotitalljp

Post Date: 2010-03-27 09:05:07

member since
2010 Mar 23

Questions: 0
Comments: 1

Shi Particle
Thank you SOOO much, George for explaining that. I'd hear "shi" being used so much and had no clue what it meant. Of course being a foreigner I just thought my everyone, including my baby's mother, was saying the English word "sheeesh" or I'd just ignore it but in reality "shi" actually meant something. I might start using it now.