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Old 06-23-2011, 07:32 PM   #22
Chris Farnham
Dojo: Aikido of Champlain Valley/Hamamatsu Aikidokai/Aikido Shidokai
Location: Hamamatsu, Japan
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 97
United_States
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Re: -"masu" or -"mashita"?

doumo really is one of the more versatile words in the Japanese language. If you look it up in the dictionary it lists 6 disperate meanings:
どうも
1: (Abbreviation) thanks; (Adverb)
2: much (thanks); very (sorry); quite (regret);
3: quite; really;
4: somehow;
5: no matter how hard one may try; (Interjection)
6: greetings; hello; goodbye

When I first came to Japan an Aikido friend,who is incidentally rather active on this site, told me how a senior Aikikai shihan here in Japan once told him that anytime you don't know what to say, just say doumo.
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