In my last Japanese lesson I came
across the word Keitai in a document and
asked about it, because it wasn't referring to
mobile phones.
The word keitai actually refers to any small portable
device that you can carry home with you and walk
around with (Mochiaruite), like a walkman, cellular phone,
palm pilot, etc etc.
But in usage it usually refers to what we know as
Keitai Denwa. But Keitai and PHS are used to refer
to the 2 respective things we know of as Keitai
and PHS. So rest assured all the other answers
to this thread were also correct. Keitai
Confusing, yeah. Thats language. But its good to know.
The literal meaning of keitai is:
to carry, bring, take with one's self, portable (radios)
hand (cameras), pocket (dictionaries) canned tinned (fuel),
one's belongings, one's personal effects, hand baggage (luggage),
a cloakroom, a checkroom.
(Use the dictionary to understand all this further, don't
just use these synonyms, they need context).
(From Kenkyushas New Collegiate Dictionary).
The slang meaning is those digital phones like the
P503i and the TH-092, etc etc that everyone uses
and usually not PHS phones.
Andrea Hoffmann wrote:
> Hi,
>
> > In the recent issue of J@pan Inc, Daniel Scuka
> > uses "keitai" as opposed to "PHS", rather than
> > PHS as a *kind* of keitai.
>
> I also heard that both words are used that way, e.g. by saying "I have a
> keitai" or "I have a PHS" (which is different).
>
> I wonder if that is still true or maybe changing recently. Also, what
> would you say if you have a doccimo, which incorporates both keitai and
> PHS?
>
> > When I had a PHS phone, I still said "Call me
> > on my keitai...." Was I being presumptuous?
> > Is keitai really a synonym for "*cellular* phone"?
>
> Yes, at least it used to be.
>
> Cheers,
> Andrea
>
> [ Did you check the archives? http://www.appelsiini.net/keitai-l/ ]
--
-Paul Lester
pbl1@cornell.edu
http://members.tripod.com/~pbl1/
"Don't Forget to Try in Mind"
"May the Force be with you"
"Ketchup is Good"
-"Ketchup, natto and kimchee, that`s what Wogis are made of"
[ Did you check the archives? http://www.appelsiini.net/keitai-l/ ]
Received on Mon Apr 2 02:49:02 2001