Here are two similar Japanese expressions, 「上手」 (じょうず) and 「得意」 (とくい), both of which mean “good at doing” something, but are used in different contexts.
1. 上手 (じょうず)
- Meaning: Being skillful or good at doing something.
- Usage: Refers to someone else’s skills, often used when praising another person. It is less commonly used to describe your own skills because it can sound boastful in Japanese culture.
- Example sentence:
- Aさんは歌が上手です
A-san wa uta ga jōzu desu
“A-san is good at singing.” - Grammar:
- 「Aさん」: The subject (A-san).
- 「は」: Topic particle, marking what the sentence is about.
- 「歌」: Singing/song.
- 「が」: Subject particle, marking the thing A-san is good at.
- 「上手です」: Predicate meaning “is good at.”
- Aさんは歌が上手です
2. 得意 (とくい)
- Meaning: Being good at or confident in doing something; implies a personal strength or something you excel at.
- Usage: Commonly used to describe your own skills or strengths. It carries a nuance of confidence rather than external praise.
- Example sentence:
- わたしは歌が得意です
Watashi wa uta ga tokui desu
“I am good at singing.” - Grammar:
- 「わたし」: The subject (I).
- 「は」: Topic particle.
- 「歌」: Singing/song.
- 「が」: Subject particle.
- 「得意です」: Predicate meaning “is good at.”
- わたしは歌が得意です
Key Differences:
- 上手:
- Often used for others.
- Polite, praising tone.
- Example: “Your drawing is very good!” (drawing someone else’s attention to their skill).
- 得意:
- Often used for yourself.
- Shows confidence in one’s own abilities.
- Example: “I’m good at public speaking!” (talking about your strength).
Visual Elements:
- The image includes sketches illustrating the concepts:
- For 上手, someone (the speaker) praises A-san for singing well.
- For 得意, the speaker confidently sings and declares their own skill.
Additional Notes:
- Both 「上手」 and 「得意」 can be followed by 「です」 (desu) to make the sentence polite.
- The use of 「が」 as the subject particle emphasizes the thing that the person is good at (e.g., singing).