Anime

Let’s learn Japanese with Haruhi’s quote from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu).

Video

Haruhi’s quote

Japanese: ただの人間には興味ありません。
Romaji: tada no ningen niwa kyoumi arimasen.
English: I’m not interested in ordinary humans.

Analysis

ただの means “ordinary”.

人間 means “human”. There are synonyms for 人間 which are 人 meaning “person” or”people” and 人類 meaning”mankind”. 人間 and 人 are quite similar and sometimes they are interchangeable but 人間 has a more biological connotation. So Haruhi could say ただの人 as well, but she used 人間 to contrast humans with non-humans such as aliens.

Noun + the に particle + 興味あります or 興味があります means “interested in something”. So に興味ありません or 興味がありません means “not interested in”.

This は is the contrastive particle which is used to show contrast between 2 things or more. For example, 肉は嫌いだけど、魚は好き。(I don’t like MEAT but I like FISH) So Haruhi is contrasting humans and non-humans. But in this case, the thing that is being contrasted – non humans – is not stated, but is implied. Also, when you add the は particle with the other particle, it always comes after.

Examples

ただの + Noun

彼女かのじょはただの女子高生じょしこうせいじゃない。

kanojo wa tada no joshi kōsē janai.

She is not an ordinary high school girl.

それは毒どくを持もっていないただの蜘蛛くもだった。

sore wa doku o motte inai tada no kumo datta.

It was just a spider which doesn’t have poison.

名推理めいすいりができても、彼かれはただの子供こどもにすぎない。

mēsuiri ga dekitemo kare wa tada no kodomo ni suginai.

Even if he has great deductive abilities he is nothing but a kid.

Noun + に興味（が）ある/ない

日本にほんの文化ぶんかに興味きょうみがあります。

nihon no bunka ni kyōmi ga arimasu.

I’m interested in Japanese culture.

おしゃれにあまり興味きょうみがない。

oshare ni amari kyōmi ga nai.

I’m not interested in dressing up.

You can also use verb dictionary form with the nominaliser “こと” or “の”.

おしゃれをすること/のに興味きょうみがない。

oshare o suru koto/no ni amari kyōmi ga nai.

I’m not interested in dressing up.

貧まずしい人ひとを助たすけること/のに興味きょうみがある。

mazushī hito o tasukeru koto/no ni kyōmi ga aru.

I’m interested in helping poor people.

Contrastive Particle は

これだけは教おしえてあげます。

kore dake wa oshiete agemasu.

I will tell you only this (but I won’t tell you anything else).

テレビは全然ぜんぜん見みないけど、YouTubeは毎日まいにち見みる。

terebi wa zenzen minai kedo, yūchūbu wa mainichi miru.

I don’t watch TV at all but I watch YouTube every day.

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