Mind the Gap

Variants in Japanese

The following are some variants on the Japanese announcement 'Mind the Gap'. They fall into three types:

1. 'There are places where there is a wide gap between the train and the platform'.

2. Variations on 'watch your step'.

3. Omission of no de and separation into two sentences.

1. "There are places where there is a wide gap between the train and the platform".	Densha to hoomu to no aida ga hiroku aite iru tokoro ga gozaimasu.
	Densha to hōmu to no aida ga hiroku aite iru kasho ga gozaimasu.
	Comment: These two sentences are a slight refinement of the original. tokoro or kasho (formal) = 'place'. ga = subject particle gozaimasu = elevated polite form of arimasu 'to exist, to be'. Note that tokoro or kasho 'place' is modified by the whole clause that comes before, i.e. tokoro (place) where densha to hōmu to no aida ga hiroku aite iru (there is a wide gap between the train and the platform). The modifying verb, in this case iru, is put in the plain form, not the -masu form.
2. Variations on "watch your step"	Ashimoto ni go-chūi negaimasu. 'Please watch your step'
	Substitutes negaimasu 'to request' for kudasai. Slightly more formal but not necessarily more polite.
	Ashimoto ni o-ki o tsuke kudasai. 'Please watch your step'
	The honorific form of the normal request ki o tsukete kudasai 'please take care'. Ki o tsukeru is a fixed expression meaning literally 'attach care/attention/spirit'.
	O-ori no sai wa go-chūi kudasai. 'Please take care when you alight'.
	o-ori = noun form meaning 'alight' derived from honorific o and the verb oriru ('to alight'). no = connecting particle sai = 'occasion' wa = topic particle
3. Omission of no de	Densha to hōmu to no aida ga hiroku aite orimasu. Ashimoto ni go-chūi kudasai.
	Since no de is functionally little more than a polite link, it is quite possible to omit it and use two separate sentences.