You speak English very well!

You use chopsticks very well.

Your eye color is beautiful.

Your nose is tall.

Hello everyone it's Cathy Cat! Today I will warn you my Japanese audience

There are 5 words of praise that foreigners might actually NOT be happy about.

Why? Let's find out and start!

Number one!

"You speak Japanese very well."

I understand that you want to praise the other person...

But if someone only said "Arigatou" it can be too much to counter with "Wow you speak Japanese well."

People who have just come to Japan and tried the word will be happy.

Foreigners who have been living here for years however...

might not want to hear their Japanese is great from just hearing one word they said.

Let's watch out for that.

I personally think, praising the other person something I like in Japanese culture

It shows how kind Japanese people are and their hospitality towards foreign visitors.

I basically think it's great to praise a person that tries to speak your language a little.

But those who really speak the language well, want their skills to be recognized for what they are

and not just for being able to say the word "arigatou" well.

There are some foreigners who feel a bit disappointed if they're praised too loosely.

Number 2! You speak English very well.

Or you speak (insert native language) very well.

I am German, so if people tell me my English is good, I will be very happy.

But when Japanese people praise a British person for speaking English.....

.... I really wonder why.

Praising people for being able to speak their native language... well of course they can speak it...

I really wonder why many Japanese people do that.

I assume it's that the person saying this wishes they could speak English a little better too...

and that's why they praise even native speakers for it...

But when you say to an American or English person "You speak English well..."

They might be surprised to be praised for that.

Number 3: You use chopsticks very well.

I know you want to praise the other person. I mean older people like aunts or...

or grandmas.... or maybe mums...

... if you say that to them, they might be happy.

Because maybe they did not grow up with asian foods and restaurants.

There is a possibility that they never ate Asian foods.

So if they use chopsticks, it's ok to compliment them for that....

If you have lived in Japan for several years and people praise you for using chopsticks....

Well one of the things I say is... I have been living here for 5 years....

if I still wasn't able to eat with chopsticks, I would have surely died of starvation by now.

If someone can grab difficult things like Tofu and other things that are hard to grab...

that's a pretty good reason to praise a foreigner for.

I was so proud of myself when I managed to grab a silken Tofu!

Like I said praising is fine but...

But considering the other person's situation might be good here.

Even tourists, might have a reason why they can use chopsticks already very well...

even without living in Japan, many foreigners learn how to use chopsticks in their country.

Japanese food is popular abroad nowadays too.

And many eat other asian foods like Chinese foods abroad too.

Those restaurants use chopsticks too.

Many foreigners learn how to use chopsticks abroad.

Of course there are still some who don't. Evaluate the situation right.

Number 4: Your eye color is beautiful.

The first time I heard that I was actually really happy.

I was super happy people thought my eyes were beautiful while in fact...

they usually then add saying "Japanese people all have the same eye color"

What made me sad there is....

The fact that it is not my eyes that are beautiful. It's because the color is DIFFERENT...

that I am being praised for them. I guess that's ok but...

Maybe this is something very personal to me... but being singled out for being different...

is something I don't like much.

It's not something that I had to try hard for to earn.

People do say it a lot to me....

For me personally it's a happy and also sad thing at the same time.

I heard a Japanese person say this in an interview but...

A Japanese person said "half Japanese people have beautiful eye colors" and I asked which color

They said "half-Japanese have beautiful brown eyes."

So I asked her "do you not also have brown eyes?"

Turns out there are different shades of brown in her opinion.

I don't quite understand that.

For example with foreigners...

some foreigners will use ring contact lenses to add sharpness to their eyes

instead of colored contacts.

Summarizing that. I, with my green eyes...

am actually adding black circles to my eyes. Not today though but I sometimes do.

So let's be honest, we all want what we don't have.

I think everyone's eye color is beautiful.

And I am sure your eye color is very beautiful too!!!

Your eyes are beautiful!

Number 5! Be super careful!!!

"Your nose is tall!"

You REALLY have to be careful with that compliment!

The reason being....

In Japan often people see a tall nose as a symbol of beauty.

But for some foreigners it's the opposite and

some girls I know have a complex about their nose.

There are girls that think their nose is too tall and thus not cute enough.

There are even people who make their nose smaller with surgery.

So saying "Your nose is so tall" to someone with a tall nose...

could not make the other person happy.

It might backfire and hurt them.

Noses and other parts included. I once knew an Italian man who

had a rather small face.

His face was smaller than the average...

and according to Japanese beauty ideals, they praised him for a small face...

They meant well but... he always got hurt and defensive...

"My ... face is not ... small. It's just that... your face is BIG!"

is something he would say. I know this is cultural difference...

If you tell people some of their facial parts are big or small...

you might hurt the other person.

So let's be careful about saying "Your nose is so tall" as compliment.

Did you catch all of that? These 5 words of praise are really meant well.

Giving compliments to other people is a good thing in general.

When people plaise... praise me I am so happy every time.

There are foreigners that might really not be happy.

Let's watch out for that.

I hope more Japanese people and foreigners can get along and become friends.

I am rooting for you! Thanks for watching!

There are related videos down below, check them out.

And please subscribe. See you soon!

Give us a like!