<p>In episode one of the Nichijou anime at 11:24, the principal makes some jokes, which Yuuko comments are old and wonders if they're made to show corrupt youth the meaning of hard work. I don't really understand what's <em>supposed</em> to be funny about the principal's jokes, and I don't understand the connection with the meaning of hard work.</p>
<p>I feel like I'm missing something that is lost to me in translation.</p>
<p>The subtitles are as follows:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Principal Shinonome: Good morning, everyone. Spring is here, and a new year has begun, but it's still quite cold. I'm twice as cold as any of you, though. *he touches his bald head and partially stifles his laughter*</p>
<p>*cuts to the students, showing their completely deadpan, unimpressed faces.*</p>
<p>Principal Shinonome: In any case, be sure not to catch a cold. All right? Please, promise your principal that you won't. If you break that promise... *pause for some dramatic effect* I'll become the principal of another school. *partially stifles his laughter*</p>
<p>*cuts to the students, showing their completely deadpan, unimpressed faces.*</p>
<p>Yuuko: Hey, Mio.</p>
<p>Mio: What is it? We'll get in trouble for talking.</p>
<p>Yuuko: Do you think that the principal knows how old all of his jokes are? He must know better than anyone that nobody thinks they're funny...</p>
<p>Mio: Hm. I don't know.</p>
<p>Yuuko (internal thought): Wait, what if he knows they're not funny, but he just wants to show today's corrupt youth the meaning of hard work? If that's the case, this principal is absolutely diabolical!</p>
</blockquote>
<p>For the first joke, I'm pretty sure the joke is just that he's bald (his bald head will get cold easier compared to if he had hair). For the second joke, I have no idea. Is there a pun or other difficult-to-translate, japanese-language-based joke there? Or is the meta-joke there (to the anime viewer) that there's absolutely nothing funny about what he said? I kind of doubt that, since Yuuko's question to Mio says that the jokes are &quot;<em>old</em>&quot;, which makes me think that they're actual jokes (there's something in the mechanics of humour that actually makes them funny, or at least made them funny in the past). How does the second joke &quot;work&quot;?</p>
<p>I also don't understand what bad jokes have to do with the meaning of hard work to corrupt youth (at least- in Yuuko's mind). Is there something cultural that I'm missing? Is there something lost in translation there? I know Yuuko isn't very smart, but from the way the scene is executed, I don't get the feeling that she just made a completely random association here.</p>
<p>TL;DR What's <em>supposed</em> to be funny about the principal's jokes (how do they work), and why/how did Yuuko connect his jokes with the meaning of hard work to corrupt youth?</p>
<p><sup>Sorry if there's no &quot;real answer&quot;. Whatever knowledge of Japanese culture and language or anything else necessary there is to know the answer or that there isn't one- I don't have it.</sup></p>
<p>Here's my (very probably bad) attempt to romanize the principal's second joke:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>tonikaku kazu yo hikanai you ni. ii desu ka? kore wa kouchou sensei tono yakusoku desu. minna san wa yuukoto o kikanakattara, kouchou sensei wa... okano gakkou no kouchou sensei ni naccha imasu yo</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-09T23:34:33.840Z
I have to find and watch the clip first, but based on the dialog, it's probably [*oyaji gag*](https://workinjapan.today/study/language-lessons-oyaji-gags-japanese-dad-jokes/).
Aki Tanaka
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-10T09:08:19.383Z
@AkiTanaka :OO at 12:44 Yuuko (thinking Mai is laughing at the principal's jokes) says "Masaka- ano oyaji gyagu ga?" (or "ka" and not "ga" (I don't know)). I still want to understand what/where the dad joke is though.
starball
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-13T09:33:12.350Z
Not a typial oyaji-gag, but the joke should be referring to this part ' If you break that promise... *pause for some dramatic effect* I'll become the principal of another school'.
sundowner
<nichijou>
How do principal Shinonome's jokes in ep1 work (what's the joke), and what could they have to do with the meaning of hard work?
# How do principal Shinonome's jokes in ep1 work (what's the joke), and what could they have to do with the meaning of hard work?
Posted by: username_0 on 2023-02-09
In episode one of the Nichijou anime at 11:24, the principal makes some jokes, which Yuuko comments are old and wonders if they're made to show corrupt youth the meaning of hard work. I don't really understand what's *supposed* to be funny about the principal's jokes, and I don't understand the connection with the meaning of hard work.

I feel like I'm missing something that is lost to me in translation.

The subtitles are as follows:

> Principal Shinonome: Good morning, everyone. Spring is here, and a new year has begun, but it's still quite cold. I'm twice as cold as any of you, though. \*he touches his bald head and partially stifles his laughter\*
>
> \*cuts to the students, showing their completely deadpan, unimpressed faces.\*
>
> Principal Shinonome: In any case, be sure not to catch a cold. All right? Please, promise your principal that you won't. If you break that promise... \*pause for some dramatic effect\* I'll become the principal of another school. \*partially stifles his laughter\*
>
> \*cuts to the students, showing their completely deadpan, unimpressed faces.\*
>
> Yuuko: Hey, Mio.
>
> Mio: What is it? We'll get in trouble for talking.
>
> Yuuko: Do you think that the principal knows how old all of his jokes are? He must know better than anyone that nobody thinks they're funny...
>
> Mio: Hm. I don't know.
>
> Yuuko (internal thought): Wait, what if he knows they're not funny, but he just wants to show today's corrupt youth the meaning of hard work? If that's the case, this principal is absolutely diabolical!

For the first joke, I'm pretty sure the joke is just that he's bald (his bald head will get cold easier compared to if he had hair). For the second joke, I have no idea. Is there a pun or other difficult-to-translate, japanese-language-based joke there? Or is the meta-joke there (to the anime viewer) that there's absolutely nothing funny about what he said? I kind of doubt that, since Yuuko's question to Mio says that the jokes are "*old*", which makes me think that they're actual jokes (there's something in the mechanics of humour that actually makes them funny, or at least made them funny in the past). How does the second joke "work"?

I also don't understand what bad jokes have to do with the meaning of hard work to corrupt youth (at least- in Yuuko's mind). Is there something cultural that I'm missing? Is there something lost in translation there? I know Yuuko isn't very smart, but from the way the scene is executed, I don't get the feeling that she just made a completely random association here.

TL;DR What's *supposed* to be funny about the principal's jokes (how do they work), and why/how did Yuuko connect his jokes with the meaning of hard work to corrupt youth?

Sorry if there's no "real answer". Whatever knowledge of Japanese culture and language or anything else necessary there is to know the answer or that there isn't one- I don't have it.

Here's my (very probably bad) attempt to romanize the principal's second joke:

> tonikaku kazu yo hikanai you ni. ii desu ka? kore wa kouchou sensei tono yakusoku desu. minna san wa yuukoto o kikanakattara, kouchou sensei wa... okano gakkou no kouchou sensei ni naccha imasu yo
**Tags:** nichijou
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I have to find and watch the clip first, but based on the dialog, it's probably [*oyaji gag*](https://workinjapan.today/study/language-lessons-oyaji-gags-japanese-dad-jokes/).  
> **username_0**: @AkiTanaka :OO at 12:44 Yuuko (thinking Mai is laughing at the principal's jokes) says "Masaka- ano oyaji gyagu ga?" (or "ka" and not "ga" (I don't know)). I still want to understand what/where the dad joke is though.  
> **username_2**: Not a typial oyaji-gag, but the joke should be referring to this part ' If you break that promise... *pause for some dramatic effect* I'll become the principal of another school'.  
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## 0 answers
