Photos and your phone
Collocations, Stage 2chunk 11 of 24Phone, photos & screens
The phone as camera and album: taking photos, looking at them, sending them, and idle time on the phone in between.
- shashin o torutake a photo
- shashin o mirulook at photos
- sumaho o ijirube on your phone
- shashin o okurusend a photo
Mix-ups Three verbs on shashin: toru (take), miru (look at), okuru (send). Idle phone use is ijiru, not asobu or tsukau, and shashin o okuru shares okuru with meeru o okuru.
shashin o toru
polite shashin o torimasutake a photo
写真を撮る しゃしんをとる 写真を撮ります
verbtoru 撮るtake (a photo or video)typical 31% of shashin
Said whenever photos come up, mostly as requests: shashin totte (take a photo of me or us), and shashin totte moraemasu ka? to a stranger. Casual speech drops o.
issho ni shashin torou yo.
Let's take a picture together.
一緒に写真撮ろうよ。
issho ni shashin o torimashou.
Let's take a picture together.
一緒に写真を撮りましょう。
The one English 'take' that is toru. Take medicine is kusuri o nomu, a shower shawaa o abiru, a train densha ni noru, time jikan ga kakaru. toreru = come out in the photo: yoku toreta (it came out well).
Same verb: douga (video), purikura (photo-booth stickers), rentogen (X-ray)Learn alongside: shawaa o abiru, ofuro ni hairu, kusuri o nomu, jikan ga kakaru, jikan ga tatsu, tema ga kakaru, onsen ni hairu (Stage 3), jikan o toru (Stage 4)Main list: toru (Stage 4)
shashin o miru
polite shashin o mimasulook at photos
写真を見る しゃしんをみる 写真を見ます
verbmiru 見るsee, look at, watchtypical 14% of shashin
Said when people share photos, mostly as kono shashin mite (look at this photo) while holding out a phone, or shashin mita? (did you see the photo I sent?). Casual speech drops o. Something you've only seen in pictures is shashin de mita.
chotto kono shashin mite.
Take a look at this photo.
ちょっとこの写真見て。
chotto kono shashin o mite kudasai.
Please take a look at this photo.
ちょっとこの写真を見てください。
Asking to see someone's photos uses miseru: shashin misete (show me).
Same verb: douga (video), sukusho (screenshot), chizu (map)Main list: miru (Stage 2), miseru (Stage 2)
sumaho o ijiru
polite sumaho o ijirimasube on your phone
スマホをいじる スマホをいじります
verbijiru いじるfiddle with, tinker with
trap Not tsukau or sumaho o asobu: idly being on your phone is sumaho (o) ijiru, and zutto sumaho miteru is just as common. tsukau is understood but sounds like using it for a task; sumaho de asobu is fine but means playing games on it.
Said about idly using a phone, usually in the -teru form: zutto sumaho ijitteru (always on their phone). About someone else it often carries a mild complaint; about yourself it admits a habit. Casual speech drops o.
mata sumaho ijitteru.
You're on your phone again.
またスマホいじってる。
neru mae ni, tsui sumaho o ijitchaimasu.
I always end up on my phone before bed.
寝る前に、ついスマホをいじっちゃいます。
With a person as the object, ijiru means tease (slangy): ijiranaide yo (stop teasing me).
Same verb: keitai (cell phone), pasokon (computer), kami (hair), settei (settings)Main list: tsukau (Stage 3), asobu (Stage 3), miru (Stage 2)
shashin o okuru
polite shashin o okurimasusend a photo
写真を送る しゃしんをおくる 写真を送ります
verbokuru 送るsend; see someone offtypical 4% of shashin
Said after outings and when sharing on LINE, mostly as a promise or a request: ato de shashin okuru ne (I'll send you the photos later), shashin okutte. The person takes ni and the app takes de. Casual speech drops o.
kinou no shashin, rain de okutte.
Send me yesterday's photos on LINE.
昨日の写真、LINEで送って。
kinou no shashin, rain de okutte kudasai.
Please send me yesterday's photos on LINE.
昨日の写真、LINEで送ってください。
Photos arriving take kuru, like meeru ga kuru: shashin kita yo (got the photos).
Same verb: douga (video), sukusho (screenshot), ichi jouhou (location), sutanpu (LINE sticker)Learn alongside: renraku o toru, renraku ga kuru, meeru o okuru (Stage 3), meeru ga kuru (Stage 3), meeru o kaesu (Stage 3)Main list: kuru (Stage 1)