もったいない

English translation: That's too good for me.

07:07 Sep 22, 2016
Japanese to English translations [PRO]
Linguistics
Japanese term or phrase: もったいない
what is the best meaning of the this phrase.

I know it means "what a waste" ..

I have given one gift to one of my Jap friend & she replied mottainai...what does it mean here...she is not worth??
Yogender Vashist
India
Local time: 23:36
English translation:That's too good for me.
Explanation:
That's too good for me.
I think it's just a way to say "thank you for the lovely gift".

Here is how mottainai, which is often translated as wasteful, can be translated as "too good":
If you give an expensive violin that a professional violinist would want to someone who has just started playing the instrument, it's もったいない because it's way more than what is good enough for the recipient. In this situation, although it can be translated as "a waste of money", it also means "it's too good".
Selected response from:

Port City
New Zealand
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3You really shouldn't have...!
Patrick Hideo Kirby
3 +2That's too good for me.
Port City
Summary of reference entries provided
FYI
cinefil

  

Answers


34 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
That's too good for me.


Explanation:
That's too good for me.
I think it's just a way to say "thank you for the lovely gift".

Here is how mottainai, which is often translated as wasteful, can be translated as "too good":
If you give an expensive violin that a professional violinist would want to someone who has just started playing the instrument, it's もったいない because it's way more than what is good enough for the recipient. In this situation, although it can be translated as "a waste of money", it also means "it's too good".

Port City
New Zealand
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Cezar GRINEA
4 hrs
  -> Thank you!

agree  Yasutomo Kanazawa
3 days 8 hrs
  -> Thank you!
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58 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
You really shouldn't have...!


Explanation:
Another way of translating this would be "You really shouldn't have...!"
as in "Thank you so much. You really shouldn't have..(bought this for me - as it is too good for me!)"

Patrick Hideo Kirby
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:06
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Marc Brunet: this phrase may sound hackneyed but is the idiomatic phrasing.
3 days 16 hrs

agree  Christopher W Gladden
14 days

agree  aphx
260 days
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Reference comments


1 hr peer agreement (net): +2
Reference: FYI

Reference information:
What a waste!
もったいない
むだなことをしているのを見たり聞いたりして「もったいない!」と言う場合の英語はWhat a waste!である。Don't leave the water running. What a waste!(水を出しっぱなしにしないで。もったいないじゃない)。このWhat a waste!はIt's a waste.と言うこともできる。前者が「もったいないなあ!」と詠嘆調なのに対し、後者は「もったいない(すぐやめなさい)」と相手を咎めている感じになる。単に「水を出しっぱなしにするのはもったいない」ならIt's a waste to leave the water running.「彼女は彼にはもったいない」とか「このワインは僕にはもったいない」のように「分不相応」の意での「もったいない」もwasteを動詞に使ってbe wasted on someoneのかたちで言える。前者はShe's wasted on him.後者はThat wine would be wasted on me.である。ただし、やや書き言葉的である。口語ではShe's too good for him.とかThat wine is too good for me.あたりが無難であろう。そのほか、物に限ればwould be thrown away on someone(捨てるようなものだ)も場合によって使えよう。A mink coat would be thrown away on me since I have no place to wear it.(私にはミンクのコートなんてもったいないわ。着ていくときがないんですもの)。「もったいないお言葉」といった場合の「もったいない」はgraciousが相当する。graciousの第一義は「上品な」であるが、「(目下の者に)寛大な」とか「ありがたい」の意でも用いる。gracious words of praise(もったいないおほめのお言葉)とかbe gracious enough to 〜(もったいなくも〜してくださる)のように使う。When she visited my gallery, the president's wife was gracious enough to tell me she admired my work.(大統領夫人が私の画廊にいらっしゃったとき、もったいなくも私の作品を素晴らしいと言ってくださいました)。
○アリゾナに1カ月も滞在して、グランドキャニオンに行かなかったなんて、もったいない。You spent one month in Arizona and never went to the Grand Canyon. What a waste!
E-DIC

cinefil
Japan
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  Marc Brunet: thank you for this thorough coverage+ rarer use of 前者・後者!
3 days 16 hrs
agree  Michelle Komura: When she visited my gallery, the president's wife was gracious enough to tell me she admired my work.(大統領夫人が私の画廊にいらっしゃったとき、もったいなくも私の作品を素晴らしいと言ってくださいました)。I love this usage of もったいない, thank you for reminding us of it!
61 days
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