Minasan konnichiwa...

Most of us learn in our first Japanese class that "aru" applies to
inanimate objects and "iru" is used for living things.  But apparently
there are exceptions.  I've heard "iru" used a couple of times when
referring to boats.  What's going on?

I tried asking a Japanese coworker.  He said maybe "fune ga aru" means
that the ships just exist, whereas "fune ga iru" means they're sitting
in a harbor or something.  I asked him about kuruma and hikouki.  He
said "kuruma ga imasu" would be understandable but "kite iru" would be
the usual choice.

Can anyone explain how "iru" is used in this situation?  Is it
interchangeable with "aru"?  What kinds of things can "iru"?

Doumo sumimasen.

Lars Huttar,                Com on wanre niht scridhan sceadugenga.

                              -   "A Readable Beowulf", Stanley B. Greenfield

   >I've heard "iru" used a couple of times when
   >referring to boats.  What's going on?

  Akira Miura (Japanese Words and their Uses) says of "iru":

     The only exception to the rule is when the subject is a vehicle
     (e.g. kuruma and takushii) with a driver inside. Iru is then
     used instead of aru.

I think "iru" can also be used for such moving things as typhoons.

      Taifuu wa ima dono atari ni iru n darou ?
      `Where is the typhoon now, I wonder?'

In fact, using "aru" instead of "iru" in the above example would be
unacceptable.

Makoto Kanazawa
Deparment of Linguistics, Stanford University

I went to a conference on Japanese and Korean Languages in 1992 at which
someone reported on an analysis of these verbs.  She thought that "aru"
has to do with things that can't move and "iru" has to do with things
that can.  The correspondence with inanimate/animate is an accident.
I think that if you add "abstract existence" to "things that can't
move themselves" for "aru" and things that can move themselves for
"iru" then you're doing ok.  So a train sitting in a station is "iru"
and so is an elevator sitting at a floor, as well as a ship on the
seas (moving or not).  But a clock which runs but is sitting on the
floor is "aru".  Kodomo are "aru" as existence but kodomo at a certain
place are "iru".

I'd be interested in any counterexamples to this description.

Roy O

  I think "iru" is used to things which can be moved by itself.
  A car can be moved by a driver who sit in that car. Therefore,
  in this case, driver is an integral part of a car. A ship.
  same as a car.  Iru-- Possible to be there and actually(temporally)
  be there.  Aru=Sonzai=existence if its there, its there(for ever).
  if its not there, its not there.  How about trees?
  Can we say "asoko niwa sugi no ki ga aru"? I'm sure I can say
  "asoko niwa sugi no ki ga haeteiru".  Hummmm, Amari kangaeruto
  yoku wakaranaku natte simau....

   >Most of us learn in our first Japanese class that "aru" applies to
   >inanimate objects and "iru" is used for living things.  But apparently
   >there are exceptions.  I've heard "iru" used a couple of times when
   >referring to boats.  What's going on?
   >I tried asking a Japanese coworker.  He said maybe "fune ga aru" means
   >that the ships just exist, whereas "fune ga iru" means they're sitting
   >in a harbor or something.  I asked him about kuruma and hikouki.  He
   >said "kuruma ga imasu" would be understandable but "kite iru" would be
   >the usual choice.
   >Can anyone explain how "iru" is used in this situation?  Is it
   >interchangeable with "aru"?  What kinds of things can "iru"?

I feel "fune ga iru" a little odd, but it can be understood.
When used "iru" with inanimate objects, I feel somewhat poetic
or even childish. Many people (always young) use it so, and
it may become usual Japanese phrase.
This may be my very conservative opinion.

Historically, "iru" meant "sitting down". Of course it was applied to
man. Then, the number of the object that can "iru" has grown more and more...

fuminori itoh

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