Tweet of the Week #157: Teen Asks Aquarium For Love Advice—Gets an Answer You’d Expect

In Japan, businesses value customer feedback so much that stores, supermarkets, museums and aquariums typically have a box asking for customer feedback. There has been a trend lately to turn these suggestion boxes into a sort of therapy box.

The Kyoto Aquarium in Umekoji Park created a special feedback box for patrons to share their problems and worries, such as romance, anonymously. The aquarium staff then reply. However, the advice you may get is not always constructive, as a 16-year old high school student learned after sharing his blues over not meeting a girl.

Fools fall in love

pic.twitter.com/kleYgMCTFP

— 天海冬月 (@amamikad) November 9, 2021

男子（だんし）高校生（こうこうせい）なので出会（であ）いが「全（まった）く」ない・・・

“I’m in high school, so I can’t meet anyone at all…”

全く違（ちが）うよ: That’s totally different!

Staff from the aquarium’s fish department/team (魚類（ぎょるい）チーム) replied back with a funny, but not a very helpful solution.

クマノミという魚（さかな）はメスがいなくなると一番（いちばん）大き（おおき）なオスがメスに性転換（せいてんかん）します。

女子（じょし）高校生（こうこうせい）になってみてはいかがでしょうか？

新（あたら）しい恋（こい）を始（はじ）めましょう！

“When there are no female clownfish, the largest male will change its sex to female. How about becoming a high school girl?

Start a new love life!”

Express ‘truly,’ ‘completely,’ or ‘not at all’ in Japanese

The adverb 全く strongly expresses a state of completion and translates “truly,” completely,” and “really” in English. It’s an emotional word, that conveys the speaker’s strong feelings about something.

• 全（まった）くその通（とお）りです: I totally agree with you; exactly!
• 全く違（ちが）うよ: That’s totally different!
• 全く同（おな）じだ: That’s exactly the same!
• まったく、ショーンさんは!: Come on, Shawn!/ Oh my God, Shawn! (disappointment or exasperation)

全くのばか: A complete fool.

You often find this adverb in a sentence ending in ない, in which case 全く translates “not at all.”

• 全く知（し）らない: I don’t know at all.
• 全く記憶（きおく）がない: I do not have any memory at all.
• 全くその話（はなし）を聞（き）いたことがない: I haven’t heard about this at all.

It can also be attached to a word with the particle “の.”

• 全くのばか: A complete fool.
• 全くの嘘うそ: A complete lie.

Vocabulary

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