G
GouRonin
Guest
This is for Rob Broad. Please post this to the e-mail list you have on Yahoo as I can't seem to find the addy. It was something I was discussion earlier in that list and Dr. Chap'el was good enough to repost it.
"osssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss"
by Dr. Chapél
When you walk into some karate schools in the United States, you might here someone say "Oos!" At first some wonder what all of the grunting and hissing is about, but soon enough you'll begin to understand that the word is being used to mean hello, goodbye, yes sir, that's cool, and a host of other expressions. "Oos!" permeates many karate schools or dojo, as some insist. In many it is enforced upon the membership. Newcomers, unfamiliar with this expression, look at each other in dismay when students and teachers start barking "Oos!" when they walk through the door, approach an instructor, receive a command, begin an exercise, end an exercise, or need permission to go to the bathroom?
What is the word, and how did some end up barking it at each other? Why do some people use and over use it, and why do people who trained in Japan return to the United States no longer speaking the word much - if at all? Forget what you have been taught about "Oos!" It's probably wrong.
Oosssssss! If you are going to go around barking foreign words at other people, then it behooves you to learn to pronounce this, the most over-used of all Japanese terms, correctly. Most people say "Oos!" the way its written here. Typically it is pronounced as if it rhymes with the word "book." Osu, or ossu, is properly pronounced with a long "oh" sound. Osu rhymes with rope, boat, and toe.
The long sssss noise you hear in karate schools the United States and Canada is an affectation as well. Osu shouldn't be said with a lot of hissing. The 's' sound at the end of the word should be followed by half of a 'u' noise as in the word 'book'. The 'u' at the end of most Japanese words is present, but choked to 1/4 length. Oh-sue would be poor pronunciation. Try saying OHS(u), with the u so short in length that it is almost completely inaudible. There. At least now you can stop pronouncing it "oos" incorrectly over and over and over again. Now let's learn where the expression comes from.
The word osu has its origin in one of two places. Dr. Mizutani, a linguistics professor at the University of Nagoya thinks that the word's origins are in the term Ohayo Gozaimasu. This greeting literally means it's early, but is not used that way any longer. The expression has become an idiom meaning good morning or I greet you for the first time today. One uses this expression primarily toward one's in-group, not people that one is not familiar with. The expression is very polite, but connotes intimacy. Mizutani claims that the word becomes contracted in order to sound more familiar and casual, or more familiar, tough, and manly.
He says it is a very tough, rough expression of masculinity. Used primarily by young boys and others engaged in athletic activities. It is generally aimed toward one's colleagues, not the coach, instructor, or other seniors. The expression is avoided by women, unless the particular culture of the athletic activity has become one in which the ladies use this word regularly. Mizutani additionally from his study finds the word to be used by people engaged in athletics as a rough, abrupt greeting which could be rude if used in a situation where a longer polite greeting would be possible or more appropriate.
There is another potential source for osu. That source is shown in the way that the word is written. The word is generally written with two kanji. The first one is "osu" - to push, and the nin character from ninja. It can also be read as oshi or shinobu, and it means endure, bear, put up with, conceal, secrete, spy, sneak.' Ossu, by this way of creating the word, means "grin and bear it."
In training in Japan, the adults do not use this word toward each other. At the beginning of the class, everyone sits, meditates, and then bows saying Osu, Onegai Shimasu, or some expression of "Please teach us." However, after that group usage, no one in the karate club would utter it again. "Oossssss!" is unwelcome. Many Japanese in particular situations frequently see Osu as rude. It is inappropriate in the office, wrong to use during church, not used in the home, and generally never used at school, or public. Most of the time, the word is inappropriate and considered forbidden. It is a locker room type of expression, very manly, and masculine and macho. Osu expresses a sort of intimacy with others. Think about how you might call your best friend "*******." He probably laughs. Would you use that toward your boss?
Osu is also restricted to usage by particular people. Usually only young men ever utter this sound when they are involved in some sort of extremely team oriented sport. A team of girls playing on a rough and tumble soccer team, looking like a troop of amazons, might use Osu toward each other. Remember, all of the people you've read about so far are Japanese children 18 years old and younger. Because of the intimacy suggested by using such abrupt language, osu is rarely appropriate. Adults, especially females, usually do not use the word osu at any time in the dojo unless they are the type of hard-core type of women who could play professional hockey in Canada.
Some karate instructors encourage their students to use the word osu while other more educated and even Japanese recommend you avoid it. Others will get angry if you "osu" them, although this is less likely outside of Japan since the instructors here are fairly used to non-Japanese slaughtering their language for fun. You should understand that Japanese is an actual language that actual people speak just as we speak English.
Imagine that you are Japanese, and that you come to America and visit a karate club. The mispronunciation of counting numbers, technique names, and the hideousness of hearing the Dojo Kun said in Japanese must absolutely send a chill down your spine. Your instructor may think it is cool, but to Japanese who are not odd-balls it must be like going to Disney World in Tokyo.
"Japanese is one of those languages where one syllable out of place gets you into severe trouble. There is a lovely pickled vegetable roll you can order at a sushi bar called oshinko, but if you make the sh sound into a harder ch, you are requesting to be served a penis instead of some rice and vegetables. Ooops?" Another really fine one is the word for 'awaken' which is 'oko****e'. Change one syllable slightly and it becomes an extremely vernacular term for a socially taboo sexual activity. Oku****e means please rape me.
Here is more commentary on the usage of Osu from someone who is currently living long-term in Japan: I don't have a clue about the history of osu, but in its common usage it's only respectful in a childishly macho way. My six year old uses it when he meets a bunch of eight year olds and wants to prove that he's 'cool' enough to play with them. I know that 'bosozoku' (teenage biker gangs) use it in much the same way. My young son might use it to a male PE teacher at school during a practice, but not to other male teachers and never would use it to a female teacher. Why? Because contrary to its American usage among martial artist, it's not respectful."
"Osssssssssssssssss"
"osssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss"
by Dr. Chapél
When you walk into some karate schools in the United States, you might here someone say "Oos!" At first some wonder what all of the grunting and hissing is about, but soon enough you'll begin to understand that the word is being used to mean hello, goodbye, yes sir, that's cool, and a host of other expressions. "Oos!" permeates many karate schools or dojo, as some insist. In many it is enforced upon the membership. Newcomers, unfamiliar with this expression, look at each other in dismay when students and teachers start barking "Oos!" when they walk through the door, approach an instructor, receive a command, begin an exercise, end an exercise, or need permission to go to the bathroom?
What is the word, and how did some end up barking it at each other? Why do some people use and over use it, and why do people who trained in Japan return to the United States no longer speaking the word much - if at all? Forget what you have been taught about "Oos!" It's probably wrong.
Oosssssss! If you are going to go around barking foreign words at other people, then it behooves you to learn to pronounce this, the most over-used of all Japanese terms, correctly. Most people say "Oos!" the way its written here. Typically it is pronounced as if it rhymes with the word "book." Osu, or ossu, is properly pronounced with a long "oh" sound. Osu rhymes with rope, boat, and toe.
The long sssss noise you hear in karate schools the United States and Canada is an affectation as well. Osu shouldn't be said with a lot of hissing. The 's' sound at the end of the word should be followed by half of a 'u' noise as in the word 'book'. The 'u' at the end of most Japanese words is present, but choked to 1/4 length. Oh-sue would be poor pronunciation. Try saying OHS(u), with the u so short in length that it is almost completely inaudible. There. At least now you can stop pronouncing it "oos" incorrectly over and over and over again. Now let's learn where the expression comes from.
The word osu has its origin in one of two places. Dr. Mizutani, a linguistics professor at the University of Nagoya thinks that the word's origins are in the term Ohayo Gozaimasu. This greeting literally means it's early, but is not used that way any longer. The expression has become an idiom meaning good morning or I greet you for the first time today. One uses this expression primarily toward one's in-group, not people that one is not familiar with. The expression is very polite, but connotes intimacy. Mizutani claims that the word becomes contracted in order to sound more familiar and casual, or more familiar, tough, and manly.
He says it is a very tough, rough expression of masculinity. Used primarily by young boys and others engaged in athletic activities. It is generally aimed toward one's colleagues, not the coach, instructor, or other seniors. The expression is avoided by women, unless the particular culture of the athletic activity has become one in which the ladies use this word regularly. Mizutani additionally from his study finds the word to be used by people engaged in athletics as a rough, abrupt greeting which could be rude if used in a situation where a longer polite greeting would be possible or more appropriate.
There is another potential source for osu. That source is shown in the way that the word is written. The word is generally written with two kanji. The first one is "osu" - to push, and the nin character from ninja. It can also be read as oshi or shinobu, and it means endure, bear, put up with, conceal, secrete, spy, sneak.' Ossu, by this way of creating the word, means "grin and bear it."
In training in Japan, the adults do not use this word toward each other. At the beginning of the class, everyone sits, meditates, and then bows saying Osu, Onegai Shimasu, or some expression of "Please teach us." However, after that group usage, no one in the karate club would utter it again. "Oossssss!" is unwelcome. Many Japanese in particular situations frequently see Osu as rude. It is inappropriate in the office, wrong to use during church, not used in the home, and generally never used at school, or public. Most of the time, the word is inappropriate and considered forbidden. It is a locker room type of expression, very manly, and masculine and macho. Osu expresses a sort of intimacy with others. Think about how you might call your best friend "*******." He probably laughs. Would you use that toward your boss?
Osu is also restricted to usage by particular people. Usually only young men ever utter this sound when they are involved in some sort of extremely team oriented sport. A team of girls playing on a rough and tumble soccer team, looking like a troop of amazons, might use Osu toward each other. Remember, all of the people you've read about so far are Japanese children 18 years old and younger. Because of the intimacy suggested by using such abrupt language, osu is rarely appropriate. Adults, especially females, usually do not use the word osu at any time in the dojo unless they are the type of hard-core type of women who could play professional hockey in Canada.
Some karate instructors encourage their students to use the word osu while other more educated and even Japanese recommend you avoid it. Others will get angry if you "osu" them, although this is less likely outside of Japan since the instructors here are fairly used to non-Japanese slaughtering their language for fun. You should understand that Japanese is an actual language that actual people speak just as we speak English.
Imagine that you are Japanese, and that you come to America and visit a karate club. The mispronunciation of counting numbers, technique names, and the hideousness of hearing the Dojo Kun said in Japanese must absolutely send a chill down your spine. Your instructor may think it is cool, but to Japanese who are not odd-balls it must be like going to Disney World in Tokyo.
"Japanese is one of those languages where one syllable out of place gets you into severe trouble. There is a lovely pickled vegetable roll you can order at a sushi bar called oshinko, but if you make the sh sound into a harder ch, you are requesting to be served a penis instead of some rice and vegetables. Ooops?" Another really fine one is the word for 'awaken' which is 'oko****e'. Change one syllable slightly and it becomes an extremely vernacular term for a socially taboo sexual activity. Oku****e means please rape me.
Here is more commentary on the usage of Osu from someone who is currently living long-term in Japan: I don't have a clue about the history of osu, but in its common usage it's only respectful in a childishly macho way. My six year old uses it when he meets a bunch of eight year olds and wants to prove that he's 'cool' enough to play with them. I know that 'bosozoku' (teenage biker gangs) use it in much the same way. My young son might use it to a male PE teacher at school during a practice, but not to other male teachers and never would use it to a female teacher. Why? Because contrary to its American usage among martial artist, it's not respectful."
"Osssssssssssssssss"
