苦情　( = kujyou ) + 文句 ( = monku) + クレーム ( = kureimu)

「ちょっと噛んだだけなのに壊れました。」

 = Chotto kanda dake nanoni kowaremashita.

= “I just chewed a little bit and it broke just like that.”

Today’s word is 苦情  ( = kujyou)!  It means “complaint(s)” or“grievance”

I chewed my toy just a little bit but it broke right away.. 😢

「ちょっと噛んだだけなのに壊れました。」

 = Chotto kanda dake nanoni kowaremashita.

🔸Sentence pattern:

ちょっと〜(し)た／（〜だ） だけなのに（or だけで）*****(し)た。

= Chotto ~ (shi)ta (or ~da) dakenanoni (or dake de) ****(shi)ta.

= Just did something and …→ + Result

( だけなのに ( = dakenanoni) and  だけで  ( = dakede)  mean almost the same  but だけなのに ( = dakenanoni)  involves more emotion.)

Ex. 1) ちょっとからかっただけなのに彼女はめちゃくちゃ怒った。 

= Chotto karakatta dake nanoni kanojyo wa mechakucha okotta.

= I just teased her a little bit but she got really mad.

Ex.2) ちょっと泳いだだけで疲れた。 

= Chotto oyoida dake de tsukareta.

= I just swam a little bit but I got tired (already).

So, I have to go “complain” to the store where I bought the toy.

This kind of complaints is called 苦情  ( = kujyou)

Let’s take a look at the kanjis first.

🔸 苦：く／にがい／くるしむ = ku / nigai / kurushimu : distressful, painful, rough

情：じょう／なさけ ( =  jyou/nasake ) feeling

事情 = じじょう ( =  jijyou )  circumstance, situation

If you happen to purchase defective products or you are treated badly or unfairly in the places like hotels, restaurants or public places, you are going to….

• 苦情を言う　( = kujyou wo iu)  to complain

• 苦情を申し立てる ( = kujyou wo moushitateru.)  to file a claim/a grievance

Also some people make 苦情の電話  ( = kujyou no denwa ) calls to make complaints  to the TV station when they hear or see something unacceptable on TV.

If a company sell a bad product, they have to anticipate upcoming  苦情（ = kujyou)

• 苦情が寄せられる　

= kujyou ga yoserareru.

= to draw complaints

• 苦情に対処する　

= kujyou ni taisho suru.

= to respond to a complaint

• 苦情の電話が殺到する　

= kujyou no denwa ga sattousuru

= to be flooded with complaints over the phone

苦情 ( = kujou) is something more official and it is usually towards some entities such as stores, restaurants, companies, schools or groups but it can be used in a daily conversation in a person-to-person level.

• 苦情が来る　 ( = kujyou ga kuru)  to get a complain

Ex. ゴミを間違った日に出したらご近所から苦情が来た。

= Gomi wo machigatta hi ni dashitara gokinjyo kara kujyou ga kita.

= I took out the trash in a wrong day so the neighbors complained.

（ 📝 Note! →If you are going to live in Japan, you have to be very careful when to take out the trash and how to divide the trash. Every residential area has a different system. Each type of trash (burnable, nonburnable, plastic, paper trash, big trash) has different day and different plastic bag to throw away to avoid 苦情  ( = kujou) from your neighbors.)

You often see some mothers yelling at their children,

“そんなにうるさくしているとご近所から苦情が来ますよ！”

= Sonnani urusaku shiteiru to gokinjyo kara kujyou ga kimasuyo.

= “If you make that loud noise the neighbors will complain” →”Keep it quiet or the neighbors will complain! ”

 

「文句」( = monku )   “complaint” is a common word in a daily life.

「文句を言う」( = monku wo iu) to complain, to bitch about something

Ex.妻はいつも私の給料が少ないと文句を言う。

 = Tsuma wa itsumo watashi no kyuuryou ga sukunai to monku wo iu.

= My wife always bitches about my low salary.

(These cases are all personals o we don’t use “苦情 ( = kujou)” )

cf. 文句なしの  ( = monku nashi no)  No complains →perfect ,well-done

Ex. 文句なしの作品  ( = monku nashi no sakuhinn) an excellent piece of work

Now, let’s see the modern Japanese for 苦情 ( = kujyou) which is クレーム  ( = kureemu) .

（Please see the difference between 苦情  ( = kujyou) and クレーム( = kureemu ) in the comment below.)

It originally came from an English word, “to claim”

The real meaning of to claim is “to assert”or “to proclaim” (「要求する」( =  youkyuu suru)  or「主張する 」( = shuchou suru) in Japanese) . However Japanese people mistook the word and use it in Katakana as in “to complain” and an equivalent term of 苦情 ( = kujou)  even in a business situation.

• クレームをつける ( = kureimu wo tsukeru)   to complain

• クレームが出る ( = kureimu ga deru)  to complain

• クレームに対処する ( = kureimu ni taisho suru)  to respond to a complaint

•クレームレター  ( = kureimu retaa) letters to make complaints

• Ex.「お客様から沢山のクレームを頂きました。」

= Okyakusama kara takusan no kureimu wo itadakimashita.

= We have received lots of complaints from our customers.

And this is a relatively new word but the people who complain a lot is called クレーマー ( = kureimaa)　a complainer.

It has a negative connotation. Some クレーマー  ( = kureimaa) complain falsely to take advantage of their position and get some benefits such as money or some gifts in return.

Also the parents who complain a lot to the school are called モンスターペアレンツ. monsutaazu pearentsu. (←Monster Parents.) They are overly protective parents and spoil their children. Whatever problem they find in a school, they complain selfishly.

Sometimes their behaviors are very extreme.

For example, when a teacher scold their kids, they called the school immediately and ask for the apology. If their kids are often late for the school they ask their teachers to come pick them up. Or when their kids failed an entrance examination, they ask the school to pay back the tuition and etc.

cf. モンスターペーシェント ( = monsutaa peishento)  (←Monster patient ) : You can guess its meaning. The patients who complain to their doctors or hospitals and claim money back unreasonably.

 

マギー先生から  = Maggie-sensei kara = From Maggie-sensei

私のブログに間違いがあってもクレームつけないでね。

 = Watashi no burogu de machigai ga attemo kureimu tsukenai dene.

 = Even if you find a mistake in my blog, don’t complain!

***

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