Studying classical Japanese with 古文
Kanji Explanation: Oldness and antiquity with 古
Following the a midterm exam, Yomi asks Tomo how it went.
- とも:
- 「古文はなんのために勉強するの？」
- “What's the point of studying classical Japanese?”
- Literal: “As for classical Japanese, for what purpose is it that we study it?”
- “What's the point of studying classical Japanese?”
Key Points
1古文 = “classical Japanese” as a school subject
- Here 古文 refers to the study of classical Japanese texts, not simply any old piece of writing.
- The compound joins 古, “old”, with 文, “writing” or “text”.
2古文は makes classical Japanese the topic
- Tomo singles out 古文 and asks why anyone studies it. The literal opening is “As for classical Japanese…”
3何のために … する = “what is the point of doing …?”
- 何のために asks the purpose of an action.
4Sentence-final の asks for an explanation
- In 勉強するの？, の makes the question explanatory. Tomo sounds doubtful about the value of studying classical Japanese, rather than merely asking whether people study it.
Vocabulary
古文 (Classical Japanese)
古文 means classical Japanese writing or literature, especially works from the Edo period or earlier. In school, it also names the study of such texts.
勉強 (Study)
勉強 means study or the work of learning something.
See Also
- Grammar: Marking the topic with は and も
- Grammar: Reasoning with 〜のだ
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