2

The following excerpt is taken from a conversation with my language partner.

息子はサンタさんにカメラをお願いしました。ドイツでは、クリスマスをどんな[風]{ふう}にお祝いしますか。

My attempt at translation:

"My son has asked for a camera from Santa. In Germany, in what manner do you gift Christmas?"

So, first I'm simply not sure if I interpreted 風 correctly or not.
On jisho.org the meaning "manner, behavior" is listed when 風 is used as a "noun/noun used as prefix"? What does this mean? That it is used as a noun in the function of a prefix, or that it can be used as a noun OR like a prefix??
There were no other meanings which would make any sense here, unless wind/breeze can be used metaphorically here.

Ultimately, クリスマスを...お祝いしますか. To "gift Christmas" doesn't seem to make sense. Does it mean something along the lines of "to gift FOR Christmas"?

Chocolate
  • 62,056
  • 5
  • 95
  • 199
Narktor
  • 4,767
  • 2
  • 12
  • 31
  • By the way, you want this one I think: http://jisho.org/search/%E9%A2%A8%20%E3%81%B5%E3%81%86 – knowledge_is_power Dec 24 '17 at 23:21
  • 1
    I interpreted the question as: "In what way (i.e. how) do you celebrate Christmas?" That may help. – binom Dec 24 '17 at 23:24
  • 4
    祝う is "celebrate". I'm not sure where you got the translation you were going for there. – Leebo Dec 24 '17 at 23:29
  • 1
    Related: https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/28691/how-much-buzz-is-there-in-%e5%bc%8f-of-%e6%89%8b%e6%89%93%e3%81%a1%e5%bc%8f-udon-noodles –  Dec 24 '17 at 23:42
  • 2
    ^ Leebo,`祝う is "celebrate". I'm not sure where...` <-- I think the confusion occurred because they used 「お+祝い+する」. They didn't use the verb 「祝う」. 「(お)祝い」 is "celebration" (noun form of 祝う), but it can also mean "gift". eg 「お祝いをもらう」「お祝いを贈る」 – Chocolate Dec 25 '17 at 13:23

2 Answers2

2

The correct use of 風　for this particular sentence would be here.

In this sense, it refers to "way". In your sentence, I would translate it as,

ドイツでは、クリスマスをどんな風にお祝いしますか。

How (In what way) does one celebrate Christmas in Germany?

knowledge_is_power
  • 1,858
  • 10
  • 26
1

ドイツでは、クリスマスをどんな風にお祝いしますか。
"In Germany, in what manner do you gift Christmas?"

Your understanding of the [風]{ふう} is correct. I think your confusion comes from the fact that the noun 祝い has two meanings. According to 明鏡国語辞典:

いわい【祝い】〘名詞〙
① 祝うこと。祝賀。「還暦の祝いをする」「お祝い」
② 祝う気持ちを示す言葉や金品。「謹んでお祝いを申し上げます」「お祝いをもらう」

In your example it's used in the sense of #1 ("celebration, act of celebrating/congratulating"), though it seems you interpreted it as #2 ("word or gift to express one's feeling to congratulate/celebrate"). So お祝いする in your sentence (consisting of the polite prefix 「お」+ the noun 「祝い」+ verb 「する」, literally "do celebration") means "celebrate" (≂ 祝う), hence the translation given by other posters: "How (In what way) do you celebrate Christmas in Germany?"

Chocolate
  • 62,056
  • 5
  • 95
  • 199