グラミー
guramī
グラミー (guramī) is the Japanese name for the Grammy, the prestigious award recognizing achievements in the music industry.
In Japanese, the English loanword グラミー refers specifically to the music industry's award. However, if you are looking for the term for a grandmother, there are several different words depending on the level of politeness and familiarity.
Which one should you use?
When referring to a grandmother, the forms vary by social distance: お祖母さん is the formal version, while おばあちゃん and ばあちゃん are informal. The term ばあちゃん is a popular, casual way to say 'Grammy'.
How do you pronounce it?
guramī
Did you know?
- The informal term ばあちゃん (baachan) is so common in Japanese media that it is often used as a generic archetype for a 'kind old lady' in anime and manga. It is used as much as a character trope as it is a familial term.
- While a Westerner might use 'Grammy' as a nickname for a grandmother, using the phonetic loanword グラミー to refer to an elderly woman in Japan would likely result in complete confusion. In Japanese, the phonetic similarity to 'grandmother' is non-existent.
- Because グラミー is a loanword, it is written in Katakana, the alphabet used for foreign concepts. This visually signals to a Japanese reader that the word originated from English rather than from Japanese tradition.
Examples in context
- お祖母さん、お体を大事にしてください。Please take care of yourself, Grandma.
- ばあちゃん、今度の日曜日に会える？Grammy, can we meet this Sunday?
- おばあちゃん、お腹空いた？一緒にご飯食べようよ。Grammy, are you hungry? Let's have a meal together.
- 彼はグラミー賞を受賞しました。Kare wa guramī-shō o jujō shimashita.He won a Grammy Award.
- 今年のグラミーのノミネートは誰ですか？Kotoshi no guramī no nominēto wa dare desu ka?Who are this year's Grammy nominees?
- グラミー賞の授賞式を見ましたか？Guramī-shō no jujōshiki o mimashita ka?Did you watch the Grammy Awards ceremony?
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about music news at a cafe.
- 美咲 Misaki今年のグラミー、誰が受賞したか知ってる？Kotoshi no guramī, dare ga jujō shita ka shitteru?Do you know who won the Grammy this year?
- 健太 Kentaまだ詳しく知らないよ。Mada kuwashiku shiranai yo.I don't know the details yet.
- 美咲 Misaki有名なアーティストがグラミー賞をもらったみたいだよ。Yūmei na ātisuto ga guramī-shō o moratta mitai da yo.It looks like a famous artist won a Grammy Award.
- 健太 Kentaそれはすごいニュースだね！Sore wa sugoi nyūsu da ne!That's great news!
