the word benjo is all right if it occurs as part of compounds such as suisen-benjo 水洗便所 “flush toilet” and kōshū-benjo 公衆便所 “public toilet.”
Benkyō 勉強 study
Benkyō 勉強 most often means “study.”
EXAMPLE:
(1) Uchi no musuko wa ima juken-benkyō-chuu desu.
うちの息子はいま受験勉強中です。
Our son is in the midst of studying for entrance examinations.
The noun benkyō 勉強, with the addition of the verb suru する “to do,” becomes the compound verb benkyō-suru 勉強する “to study” (see BENKYŌ-SURU).
EXAMPLE:
(2) Itsu Nihongo o benkyō-shita n desu ka.
いつ日本語を勉強したんですか。
When did you study Japanese?
Having a learning experience is also benkyō 勉強, especially in the expression benkyō ni naru 勉強になる.
EXAMPLE:
(3) Sensei no ohanashi o ukagatte, taihen ii benkyō ni narimashita.
先生のお話を伺って、たいへん良い勉強になりました。
I learned a lot listening to your (lit., teacher’s) talk.
After hearing a talk, Americans commonly say to the speakers, “I really enjoyed your talk.” Japanese, on the other hand, would normally focus on what they learned from the talk, as in (3) above.
Benkyō-suru 勉強する to study
With the compound verb benkyō-suru 勉強する, do not use the object marker o twice, as in sentence (1), to mean “I am studying Japanese.”
EXAMPLE:
(1) *Nihongo o benkyō o shite-imasu.
*日本語を勉強をしています。
Instead, use either (2a) or (2b).
EXAMPLES:
(2a) Nihongo o benkyō-shite-imasu.
日本語を勉強しています。
(2b) Nihongo no benkyō o shite-imasu.
日本語の勉強をしています。
This rule of not repeating o を is also applicable to other compound verbs such as renshū-suru 練習する “to practice,” ryokō-suru 旅行する “to travel,” and shūri-suru 修理 する “to repair” (see RYOKŌ-SURU).
B
Bikkuri-suru びっくりする, like odoroku おどろく, means “to be surprised,” the only difference being that bikkuri-suru is probably more subjective and colloquial than odoroku.
In English, a number of verbs relating to one’s emotions are used in the passive, as in “I was surprised/amazed/astonished/touched/moved/pleased/overjoyed.” The Japanese counterparts, however, all occur in the active, as in
EXAMPLES:
(1a) Bikkuri-shita/Odoroita.
びっくりした/驚いた。
I was surprised/amazed/astonished.
(1a) Kandō-shita.
感動した。
I was touched/moved.
Although these Japanese verbs may be used in the causative-passive, as in “Bikkurisaserareta/Odorokasareta/Kan-dō-saserareta びっくりさせられた/おどろかされた/感動させ られた, etc.,” they are wordier that way, sound more translation-like, and occur much less frequently.
Bi
Whereas English poor has several meanings, binbō 貧乏 has only one. It is the opposite of kanemochi 金持ち “wealthy” and is a na-adjective
EXAMPLE:
(1) Kuni no keizai ga akka-suru to, binbō na hito ga fueru.
国の経済が悪化すると、貧乏な人が増える。
When the national economy deteriorates, the number of poor (people) increases.
Unlike “poor,” binbō 貧乏 cannot be used figuratively to describe things such as talent, ability, and knowledge. For that, one must use another word, e.g., mazushii 貧しい “poor” or toboshii 乏しい “lacking.”
EXAMPLE:
(2) mazushii (or toboshii) sainō
貧しい（乏しい）才能
poor talent
Whereas “poor” is often used to express compassion, binbō 貧乏 must be replaced by another word such as kawaisō かわいそう.
EXAMPLE:
(3) Tanaka-san jidōshajiko de kega-shita n datte, kawaisō ni.
田中さん自動車事故で怪我したんだって、かわいそうに。
Mr. Tanaka got hurt in a car accident, poor man.
Unlike kanemochi 金持ち, which can mean both “wealthy” and “wealthy person,” binbō 貧乏 can mean only “poor” and not “poor person.” For the latter, one must say binbōnin 貧乏人.
EXAMPLE:
(4) Binbōnin (not *binbō 貧乏) wa kanemochi yori kokoro ga kiyoi ka mo shirenai.
貧乏人は金持ちより心が清いかもしれない。
The poor might be more pure-hearted than the rich.
Bo
Boku 僕 meaning “I” is used
