A little about myself.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Hello isn't Moshi-moshi

When I went on travel to America, I stopped by a bank to withdraw some cash in the morning. One of bank clerks said to me "Moshi-moshi" with smile.  I was not able to understand what she said. She exactly said "Moshi-moshi", but I thought I heard was wrong. I greeted her "Hello" with smile too.

Leaving the bank, I was still asking myself "Why she said Moshi-moshi? What's that mean?" When I took a step from the bank, I finally understood. We Japanese say "Moshi moshi" first when we get a phone call and pick the receiver up. "Moshi" means "Speaking" in Japanese, then "Moshi- moshi" is "Speaking speaking". But in English, you say "Hello" first. Why doesn't a person who can speak English but can't speak Japanese think "Oh I see, Moshi-moshi means hello in Japanese".

It is very natural that a friendly bank clerk say "Moshi-moshi" to a person who looks Japanese came into the office. This must be why the bank clerk said to me "Moshi-moshi".