Hiroshi Shiode Saying 'Yes' or 'No'

YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwhqsi0TErc

Japanese

はい、えっと、私は、日本人は「はい」と「いいえ」をはっきり言うのはあまり好きではないと思っています。何て言いますかね、日本人は「阿吽の呼吸」というのをよく使いますが、「察する」という文化がありまして、特に全部は言わないけども、相手の考えていることを感じるというのを好む民族だと私は思っています。ビジネスの習慣では、やはり「はい」と「いいえ」をはっきり言う場合もありますが、全般的にははっきり言わなくても相手に伝わる、要するに、相手の言いたいことをくむという行為を好まれる傾向があると思っています。

English

Yes, well, I think that the Japanese people do not like to say clearly "yes" and "no." What shall I say…the Japanese often use what we call "mutually agreed feelings," and there is a culture of "guessing." I think that the Japanese are people who especially prefer to sense what others think even when they do not say everything. Well, in business practice, there are times when we rather clearly say "yes" and "no." But overall, I think that we can convey to others without saying clearly; in other words, there is a tendency that act of considering what others would like to say is preferred.

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Authors: LouisPM, h.brinsko, orkelm.