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Learn Japanese with Anime - Thinking You're Worthless Is The Worst Thing You Can Do

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Learn Japanese with Anime - Thinking You're Worthless Is The Worst Thing You Can Do

In this video we’re going to analyse Nobita’s quote from Doraemon (anime scene edited).

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Analysis

The sentence structure is AはBだ meaning “A is B”.

A: 一番いけないの

一番 means “number one“ or “the most“.

いけない means “bad” which is a softer way to say 悪い.

The の particle is used to change the preceding word into a noun.

So 一番いけないの means “the worst thing”.

B: 自分なんかダメだって思い込むこと

自分 means “I” or “me” which is more objective than the first person pronouns like 私.

なんか is used to make the preceding word seem unimportant. So 自分なんか is like “someone like me“ in a humble way.

ダメ means “hopeless” or “worthless”.

だ is the auxiliary verb which makes the statement declarative. It’s used with a noun or na-adjective.

って is the casual form of the quotation particle と which works as quotation marks or the conjunction “that” used with a verb like “say” or ”think” and 思い込む means “to think” with certainty of one’s beliefs, so 自分なんかダメだって思い込む means “to think that I’m worthless“.

こと is also used to change the preceding word into a noun just like the particle の, so 自分なんかダメだって思い込むこと means “thinking that I’m worthless”.

こと and の are interchangeable in many cases but when you use it with だ or です, you can only use こと. So the こと in the B part cannot be replaced with の whereas the の in the A part ( 一番いけないの) can be replaced with こと but you tend not to repeat the same words in a sentence so の is better as こと is used later in the predicate.

Lastly, よ is the sentence ending particle which is used when the speaker is trying to tell something the listener should know.

Sentences

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Nobita’s Quote

Thinking you’re worthless is the worst thing you can do.

Noun + なんか (makes the preceding word seem unimportant)

Someone like me still has a long way to go.
Hiragana is easy.
Do not believe what that guy says.

NOTE

In this usage, なんか and なんて are interchangeable but when it’s followed by a particle, you can only use なんか.

I don’t have time to care about you.

ダメ (hopeless, worthless)

This TV set is useless. It’s broken.
This team is hopeless! None of the members are motivated.
I drank too much alcohol and slept on the roadside again. I am a worthless human!

NOTE

  • ダメ also means “no good” which can be substituted with いけない, but ダメ sounds more subjective and has a strong nuance of “NO”.
  • It can be written in kanji as “駄目”, but “ダメ” in katakana is more commonly used.
It’s no good to smoke.

Clause + の/こと (nominaliser)

The important thing is to enjoy yourself in everything you do.
What I most dislike is writing kanji.
Losing my mother was the saddest thing in my life.

Vocabulary

Romaji Hide|Display Default|Add to ▼
aitsu
pronoun
  1. that guy (きゃつ and かやつ are masc.)
ikenai
expression
  1. wrong; not good
osake
noun
  1. alcohol; sake
omae
pronoun
  1. you (formerly honorific, now oft. derog. in ref. to an equal or inferior)
omoikomu
godan verb, intransitive verb
  1. to be convinced (that)
kaku
godan verb, transitive verb
  1. to write
kanashii
i adjective
  1. sad; sorrowful (of a person)
kamau
godan verb
  1. to mind; to care about; to be concerned about
kanji
noun
  1. kanji
kantan
na adjective, noun
  1. simple
kowareru
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
  1. to be broken
jibun
pronoun
  1. myself
shimau
godan verb, transitive verb
  1. to finish
auxiliary verb, godan verb
  1. to do completely (after the -te form of a verb)
shinjiru
ichidan verb, transitive verb
  1. to believe
jinsei
noun
  1. (human) life (i.e. conception to death)
suu
godan verb, transitive verb
  1. to smoke
sugiru
ichidan verb, intransitive verb, suffix
  1. to be excessive; to be too much (often used after adj. stems or the -masu stems of verbs)

Kanji

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Stroke Count
1 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. one, one radical (no.1)
Readings
Kun'yomi: ひと、ひと.つ、はじめ、てん、かづ、かつ、いる、まこと、かず、おさむ、か、かた、くに、さね、すすむ、たか、ただ、ち、のぶ、はじむ、ひ、ひじ、ひで、ひとし、まさし、もと、もろ、ひと-。
On'yomi: イチ、イツ。
Stroke Count
2 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. person
Readings
Kun'yomi: ひと、-と、-り。
On'yomi: ニン、ジン。
Stroke Count
3 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. large, big
Readings
Kun'yomi: おお、おお.きい、おお.いに、もと、まさる、ひろし、はじめ、とも、たかし、おう、わ、うふ、-おお.いに、おお-。
On'yomi: ダイ、ダ、タイ、タ。
Stroke Count
4 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. part, minute of time, segment, share, degree, one's lot, duty, understand, know, rate, 1%, chances, shaku/100
Readings
Kun'yomi: わ.け、わ.かつ、わ.かる、わ.ける、わ.かれる。
On'yomi: ブ、フン、ブン。
Stroke Count
5 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. mama, mother
Readings
Kun'yomi: はは、も。
On'yomi: ボ、ム、モ、ボウ。
Stroke Count
5 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. life, genuine, birth
Readings
Kun'yomi: い.きる、い.かす、い.ける、う.む、う.まれる、は.える、は.やす、お.う、なま、き、あい、あさ、あり、あらは.る、あ.る、あれ、い、いか、いき、いく、いけ、う、うぶ、うまい、うまは.る、うまる、うる、え、お、おい、おいし.く、おお、おき、おや、おや.す、おゆ、きつ、ぎゅう、くるみ、ごせ、さ、さん、すぎ、すすむ、せ、そ、そう、たか、ちる、なじ、な.す、なせ、なば、なり、なる、な.る、にう、にゅう、ぬく、のう、のり、ばい、はえ、はさま、ふ、ぶ、ふゆ、み、む、む.す、もう、や、ゆ、よ、よい、よど、りゅう、-う、う.まれ、なま-、うま.れる、うまれ。
On'yomi: しょう、セイ、サン、ショウ。
Stroke Count
6 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. spirit, mind, air, atmosphere, mood
Readings
Kun'yomi: いき。
On'yomi: ケ、キ。
Stroke Count
7 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. what
Readings
Kun'yomi: なに、なん、あが、なに.の、なん.の、なん.ぞ、いず.れ、なに-、なん-。
On'yomi: ガ、カ。
Stroke Count
9 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. in front, before
Readings
Kun'yomi: まえ、さき、-まえ。
On'yomi: ゼン、セン。
Stroke Count
10 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. write
Readings
Kun'yomi: か.く、-が.き、-がき。
On'yomi: ショ。
Stroke Count
12 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. interval, space
Readings
Kun'yomi: あいだ、ま、あい。
On'yomi: ケン、カン。
Stroke Count
4 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. hand
Readings
Kun'yomi: -て、て、た-、て-。
On'yomi: ズ、シュ。
Stroke Count
6 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. character, letter, word, section of village
Readings
Kun'yomi: あざな、あざ、めぐ.む、-な。
On'yomi: ジ、シ。
Stroke Count
6 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. oneself
Readings
Kun'yomi: みずか.ら、おの.ずから、より、おの.ずと。
On'yomi: ジ、シ。
Stroke Count
7 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. private, I, me
Readings
Kun'yomi: わたくし、わたし、わたくし.する、わし、ひそ.か。
On'yomi: シ。
Stroke Count
7 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. say
Readings
Kun'yomi: い.う、こと。
On'yomi: ゴン、ゲン。
Stroke Count
8 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. matter, thing, fact, business, reason, possibly
Readings
Kun'yomi: こと、つか.う、つか.える。
On'yomi: ジ、シ、ズ。
Stroke Count
9 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. think
Readings
Kun'yomi: おも.う、おぼ.す、おもえら.く。
On'yomi: シ。
Stroke Count
10 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. employee, member, number, the one in charge
Readings
Kun'yomi: かず、いな。
On'yomi: エン、ウン、イン。
Stroke Count
12 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. road-way, street, district, journey, course, moral, teachings
Readings
Kun'yomi: みち。
On'yomi: ドウ、トウ。

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