Let’s learn Japanese with Akira Toya’s quote from Hikaru no Go (ヒカルの碁).
CONTENTS
Video
Akira Toya’s Quote
Japanese: 君を一番知っている僕だからわかる。僕だけがわかる。君の中にもう一人いる！
Romaji: kimi o ichiban shitteiru boku dakara wakaru. boku dake ga wakaru. kimi no naka ni mō hitori iru!
English: I can tell because I know you better than anyone else. Only I can tell. There’s someone else inside you!
Analysis
君を一番知っている僕だからわかる
君 (pronoun) means “you”. It’s used when speaking to people of the same or lower relative position from the speaker’s perspective. It can sound a bit distant or superior, so you don’t hear it often in everyday conversation, but for Akira, an anime character who acts very mature for his age, his use of 君 to address Hikaru fits naturally. 君 also has literary or poetic connotations, so you often see it in literature such as novels, song lyrics, and anime titles.
を (particle) indicates the direct object.
一番 (adverb), literally meaning “number one”, is used to express the superlative degree, indicating “most” or “best” in various contexts.
知っている (verb) means “to know”. Its dictionary form 知る represents the action “to get to know”, while 知っている expresses the state of knowing.
僕 (pronoun) means “I”. It’s used by males in casual speech with polite and well-mannered connotations. You hear it in everyday conversation, just as often as 俺, which has a more masculine or rough tone than 僕 – exactly as we see with Akira using 僕 and Hikaru using 俺.
When a verb phrase precedes a noun, it modifies the noun like an adjective clause in English. So 君を一番知っている僕 means “I, who know you best”.
から (particle) means “because”. When it’s used with a noun or な-adjective, you need to attach だ.
わかる (verb) means “to understand” or “to recognise”, used when something is clear to someone.
This わかる is used as a stative verb, so it can express a state by itself without the “te-form + いる”. On the other hand, 知る is an action verb, so it must take the form 知っている to express a state of knowing.
So, 君を一番知っている僕だからわかる means “because it’s I who know you best, I understand”, which translates to “I can tell because I know you better than anyone else”.
僕だけがわかる
僕 (pronoun) means “I”, だけ (particle) means “only”, が (particle) emphasises exclusivity of “I and no one else”, and わかる (verb) means “to understand”, so 僕だけがわかる means “I’m the only one who understands” or “Only I can tell”.
君の中にもう一人いる
The pattern “Noun の location word に” indicates position or location. 君 means “you” and 中 means “inside”, so 君の中に means “inside you”.
The word もう, followed by a number and counter word, indicates an additional quantity of what the counter word represents. 一人 means “one person” so もう一人 means “one more person” or “another person”.
いる (verb) means “to exist” or “to be”.
So, 君の中にもう一人いる means “Inside you, another person exists” which translates to “There’s someone else inside you”.
Examples
〜から (because)
Noun + だ + から
まだ17歳だから、お酒は飲めないよ。
mada jūnana-sai dakara, osake wa nomenai yo.
I can’t drink alcohol because I’m still 17 years old.
な-Adjective + だ + から
この洗濯機は静かだから、夜でも使えるよ。
kono sentakuki wa shizuka dakara, yoru demo tsukaeru yo.
This washing machine is quiet, so you can use it at night, too.
い-Adjective + から
頭が痛いから、もう寝るね。
atama ga itai kara, mō neru ne.
Because I have a headache, I’m going to bed now.
Verb + から
今日は雨が降るから、傘を持っていきなさい。
kyō wa ame ga furu kara, kasa o motte ikinasai.
It will rain today, so take an umbrella with you.
In formal contexts, ので/なので is preferred over から/だから.
頭が痛いので、もう寝ますね。
atama ga itai node, mō nemasu ne.
Because I have a headache, I’m going to bed now.
Object + の + Location Word + に (Spatial Relation)
机の上に本があります。
tsukue no ue ni hon ga arimasu.
There is a book on the desk.
椅子の下に猫がいます。
isu no shita ni neko ga imasu.
There is a cat under the chair.
駅の近くに住んでいます。
eki no chikaku ni sunde imasu.
I live near the station.
もう + Number + Counter
ビールをもう一杯ください。
bīru o mō ippai kudasai.
Can I have another beer, please?
もう500円あったら、この本が買えたのに…
mō gohyaku-en attara, kono hon ga kaeta noni…
If I had 500 yen more, I could have bought this book…
コーラを一本買うと、もう一本無料でもらえます。
kōra o ippon kau to, mō ippon muryō de moraemasu.
If you buy one coke, you’ll get another one free.
もう can also be used with words that express one of a pair or a quantity.
もう片方の靴下が見つからない。
mō katahō no kutsushita ga mitsukaranai.
I can’t find the other sock.
もうちょっと食べたい。
mō chotto tabetai.
I want to eat a little more.
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