Mercury Falling

~As those of you who read this blog are doubtless aware, I am very fond of word-based humor. Japanglish is an example of this, but I also enjoy puns. I've been trading them for years, and the more obscure and groan-inducing, the better.

Many people hate puns, but I like them, because they involve thinking. I love that moment of realization that people get when you tell them a really far-fetched pun (wait for it...), and they sit there for a moment trying to understand it (waaait for it...), and then, like light bulb being switched on, they understand the joke and unleash a rueful laugh, often accompanied by a groan or an outburst of "Booo!". I find the whole process vastly amusing and quite satisfying.

I've also run across a few good puns in Japanese, which I will share with you. In Japanese, puns are called "Oya-ji gagu" (literally: old-man gags).

I was very interested to see the difference in reaction to a pun between an American and a Japanese person. Most Americans, when told a pun, react the way I described above. The Japanese, on the other hand, have their own expression for this sentiment. When they understand the joke, they wrap their arms around themselves as if shivering and say, "Samui!" (cold!). The idea is that the joke is so bad it makes them feel cold; the worse they perceive the pun as, the colder they pretend to be.

Japanese Pun #1:
Coworker: "David-sensei, what is your favorite sport?"

Me: "Ski suki!" (I like to ski!)

The joke here is that the word "ski" (skiing) sounds identical to the word "suki" (to like). For a more intensely *samui!* reaction, replace "suki" with "daisuki" ("ski daisuki" = I really like to ski).

Japanese pun #2:
"What did the ten ants say to their queen?

"...ari-gatou!"

In Japanese, arigatou means thank you. But ari is also the word for ant, and ari gatou literally means ten ants. The teacher that I replaced at my school was very fond of this pun. Before she left, she made a goodbye poster with ten ants drawn around the border. Her older students got the joke, and when they saw it, they shivered and said "samui!"



Finally, I present you with what may be the coldest of all Japanese puns. When I presented this one to my long-suffering coworkers, they complained that it wasn't just cold, it made their blood freeze. Here it is, Japanese pun #3:

"What's the best bread in Asia?"

"Ja-pan!"

^ "Pan" is the Japanese word for bread; it's actually a loan word from Portuguese. This is because bread was unknown in Japan until Portuguese traders brought it to this islands. Hence the origin of this truly frigid pun. Please be very careful with this one, and do not use it in the presence of a Japanese person if the temperature is below freezing, as it may induce hypothermia. ~Oyasumi!