Comments on: Cool Word – 渋い http://howtojaponese.com/2009/01/05/p165/ How to "Get Used to" Japanese Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:37:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: How to Japonese» Blog Archive » しばらく http://howtojaponese.com/2009/01/05/p165/comment-page-1/#comment-542 How to Japonese» Blog Archive » しばらく Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:23:18 +0000 http://howtojaponese.com/2009/01/04/p165/#comment-542 [...] - I think this is an old people phrase. Useful if you like to add to your 渋い aura. [...] [...] – I think this is an old people phrase. Useful if you like to add to your 渋い aura. [...]

]]> By: Daniel http://howtojaponese.com/2009/01/05/p165/comment-page-1/#comment-75 Daniel Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:05:17 +0000 http://howtojaponese.com/2009/01/04/p165/#comment-75 I like "acquired-taste" a lot...that's a really great way to express it. It suggests that while it might be hard to get used to at first, it's great once you like it. And true about Elvis. Although maybe Yujiro wasn't shibui back then? Nah, he probably was. I like “acquired-taste” a lot…that’s a really great way to express it. It suggests that while it might be hard to get used to at first, it’s great once you like it.

And true about Elvis. Although maybe Yujiro wasn’t shibui back then? Nah, he probably was.

]]> By: Matt http://howtojaponese.com/2009/01/05/p165/comment-page-1/#comment-74 Matt Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:32:52 +0000 http://howtojaponese.com/2009/01/04/p165/#comment-74 I think a key to the use of "shibui" as a non-literal adjective is that it almost invariably means "stuff only old people like". That is, stuff that has been around long enough to be canonized w/r/t whatever pop tastes are currently in vogue -- stuff that you have to be actively going against the flow to be a fan of. (Elvis was definitely not shibui in his heyday.) Like an "acquired taste", but with old-fashioned connotations... I guess it is hard to define except in opposition to what is normal, modern, fun, sweet, etc., huh? I think a key to the use of “shibui” as a non-literal adjective is that it almost invariably means “stuff only old people like”. That is, stuff that has been around long enough to be canonized w/r/t whatever pop tastes are currently in vogue — stuff that you have to be actively going against the flow to be a fan of. (Elvis was definitely not shibui in his heyday.) Like an “acquired taste”, but with old-fashioned connotations… I guess it is hard to define except in opposition to what is normal, modern, fun, sweet, etc., huh?

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