# Onan, onani, the japanese language and mastrubation

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onan-onani-the-japanese-language-and-mastrubation/248416>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 3, 2004, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onan-onani-the-japanese-language-and-mastrubation/248416 "2004-06-03T07:46:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onan-onani-the-japanese-language-and-mastrubation/248416/21 "2004-06-04T16:38:54Z")

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> [@jovan](#):
>
> And, also, there’s the whole issue of regions that factors in too. A certain word might be all the rage amongst the Yokohama _ganguro_ (my god, why did they have to come back?) while being completely un-heard of in Nagasaki.

I have no idea what this means, this word! What you say here is, of course, 100% true.

We are in IMHO territory, but so often I’ll be with a group of Japanese people (like the company crowd, or whatever), and they are all riffing on pop culture–it’s phrases from TV, blah etc. Sure, I “understand” the Japanese, but I don’t really know what they’re talking about, and I just don’t have the energy to care any more.

Totally tuned out, my friend.

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**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onan-onani-the-japanese-language-and-mastrubation/248416/22 "2004-06-04T16:45:30Z")

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> [@tremorviolet](#):
>
> But I think even dated slang is still pretty interesting. Like “obatarian”. What a fascinating etemology for a useful term. Is the term still used in Japan?

Never, ever heard this one. Then again, I never really been into Japanese TV, manga, anime, pop novels, etc. Pop music, yes, so I’ve picked up a few obscure words from there.

Japanese is much different than English in unexpected ways. The vocabulary and style of writing/speaking is very different depending on the medium. There are the “shuukanshi” (weekly mags) that have a style all their own. I find a lot of their headlines incomprehensible on their ads when I read them on the train (using abbreviations or nicknames for celebrities, etc.).

Language in Japan is like a game without winners. The kind of consistency and stability we have in the US just doesn’t exist here. For example, we can recall 60s US slang even if we didn’t live back then; it has slowly but not totally left the picture: groovy, heavy man, etc. Japanese slang is too ephemeral to make such a lasting impression, and very, very little of pop culture survives very long. Especially now.

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**Author:** ![Chimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@Chimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimpy)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2004, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onan-onani-the-japanese-language-and-mastrubation/248416/23 "2004-06-06T11:18:32Z")

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> [@MelCthefirst](#):
>
> sen = 1000  
> suru = do
> 
> Not sure where you get 10,000?

manzuri-suru

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**Author:** ![MelCthefirst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@MelCthefirst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MelCthefirst)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onan-onani-the-japanese-language-and-mastrubation/248416/24 "2004-06-07T21:56:47Z")

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> [@BigDaiv](#):
>
> manzuri-suru

Ahh, thanks.

So how many does it actually take?

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**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Zamboni)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onan-onani-the-japanese-language-and-mastrubation/248416/25 "2004-06-08T03:52:37Z")

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> [@MelCthefirst](#):
>
> Ahh, thanks.
> 
> So how many does it actually take?

I’ll see…  
onetwothreefourfivesixseveneightnineteneleventwelvethirteenfourteen…  
This’ll be a while. I’ll be back.

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