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Let’s learn Japanese with Ranma Saotome’s quote from Ranma 1/2 (Ranma Nibun-no-Ichi, Ranma One-Half).

Video

Ranma Saotome’s Quote

Japanese: 命は捨てても男を捨てる気はなかったわい！
Romaji: inochi wa sutetemo otoko o suteru ki wa nakatta wai!
English: I would give up my life but not my manhood!

Analysis

命は捨てても

命 means “life”.

This は is the contrastive particle, used instead of the を particle, in order to contrast 命 with something in the main clause. So let’s move on for now and we will come back to this later.

捨てて is the te-form of 捨てる meaning “to throw away” and a verb te-form followed by も means “but” “although”, or “even if one does something”.

So 命は捨てても means “Even if I would throw away my life” or “I would give up my life but”.

男を捨てる気はなかったわい

男 means “man”.

The を particle indicates the direct object of the verb 捨てる so 男を捨てる literally is “to throw away man” which can be translated as “to give up my manhood”.

気 in this case is used to mean “intention” or “motivation”. And here is the other contrastive particle は used instead of the が particle and なかった is the past negative form of ある meaning “to have” and 気がある following a verb dictionary form means “to feel inclined towards doing something” or “be willing to do something”.

So 男を捨てる気はなかった means “I was not willing to give up my manhood” or “I did not want to give up my manhood”.

So 命 and 男を捨てる気 are compared as he is saying that he would give up his life but he wasn’t willing to give up his manhood.

He could also say 命は捨てても男は捨てる気がなかった which is simply comparing 命 and 男. But the は particle also has the function of emphasising the predicate.

Let’s compare these sentences.

• 男は捨てる気がなかった – the emphasis goes onto 捨てる気がなかった meaning “I didn’t want to give up”
• 男を捨てる気はなかった – the emphasis only goes onto なかった which makes the negation stronger, so it’s like “I DID NOT want to give up”.

Lastly, わい is the softer and comical version of the sentence ending particle わ which is used to emphasise your opinion and make it sound more assertive.

Examples

Contrastive は & Verb Te-Form + も (but, although, even if)

失敗しっぱいはしても、諦あきらめたくはない。

shippai wa shite mo, akirametaku wa nai.

Even if I fail, I don’t want to give up.

魚さかなは食たべても肉にくは食たべないのがペスカタリアンです。

sakana wa tabete mo niku wa tabenai no ga pesukatarian desu.

Someone who does eat fish, but does not eat meat is a pescatarian.

金かねは持もってなくても夢ゆめはある。

kane wa mottenakute mo yume wa aru.

I do not have money but I do have a dream.

Verb Dictionary-Form + 気がある (to feel inclined towards doing, be willing to do …)

彼かれは私わたしと結婚けっこんする気きがない。

kare wa watashi to kekkon suru ki ga nai.

He is not willing to marry me.

本当ほんとうに勉強べんきょうする気きがあるんですか？

hontō ni benkyō suru ki ga aru n desu ka?

Do you really have any intention to study?

彼女かのじょは僕ぼくとデートに行いく気きがないようだ。全然ぜんぜん返信へんしんをくれない。

kanojo wa boku to dēto ni iku ki ga nai yō da. zenzen henshin o kurenai.

She doesn’t seem like she wants to go on a date with me. She never texts me back.

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