Super Mario Bros. 3/ja-en

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This translation is intended for people who already know English and are learning Japanese. It is not intended to be used to learn English, because the sentences in English may use strange or awkward wording in order to illustrate the vocabulary and grammar of the original Japanese.
This game's text originally used little to no kanji. We have added kanji in case they would be of interest.

Vocabulary

Enemy names

These don't appear in the game itself (with the exception of クッパ, コクッパ, and クリボー), but they will help you communicate with other people who have played the game.

English name Japanese name Reading Meaning
Big Bertha 巨大プクプク きょだいプクプク
Blooper ゲッソー "Geso" means like squid
Bob-omb ボム兵 ボムへい Bomb soldier
Boo Diddly / Boo Buddy テレサ
Boom-Boom ブンブン
Boomerang Bros. ブーメラン・ブロス
Bowser 大魔王クッパ だいまおう クッパ Great Demon King Koopa
Bullet Bill キラー Killer
Buster Beetle リフト・メット A Met that "lifts" its blocks
Buzzy Beetle メット "Met", derived from "helmet"
Chain Chomp ワンワン Bow-wow [a dog's bark]
Cheep Cheep プクプク
Dry Bones カロン
Fire Bros. ファイアー・ブロス Fire Bros.
Fire Chomp ケロンパ
Fire Snake ファイアスネーク Fire snake
Goomba クリボー The Japanese name is why its shoe is called "Kuribo's shoe"
Hammer Bros. ハンマー・ブロス Hammer Bros.
Hot Foot ウォーク Walk (a candle's fire walk)
Jelectro しびれくらげ Numbness jellyfish
Koopa Troopa ノコノコ
Koopa Paratroopa パタパタ
Koopaling コクッパ Little koopa; koopa offspring (from 子 + クッパ)
Lakitu ジュゲム The Japanese name is why its cloud is called "Jugem's cloud"
Lava Lotus スイチューカ 水中花, a flower in water
Missile Bill Uターン・キラー U-turn Killer
Muncher ブラック・パックン Black Pakkun
Nipper Plant プチ・パックン Petite Pakkun
Para-Beetle パタ・メット
Para-Goomba パタ・クリボー
Piranha Plant パックン・フラワー Pakkun Flower
Podoboo バブル
Ptooie Plant フーフー・パックン フーフー indicates the sound of blowing
Rocky Wrench プー
Sledge Bros. ヒマン・ブロス Fat Bros.
Spike ガボン
Spiny トゲゾー
Stretch ネッチー
Thwomp ドッスン
Venus Fire Trap ファイア・パックン

Game text

Most of the game text uses only hiragana, i.e., without katakana. Hence, words that normally take katakana will appear as hiragana, with the sole exception of Peach's name. This is because of technical limitations; they couldn't make the font large enough to add a complete katakana font.

Mushroom house

Japanese
すきなはこひとつだけ
あげる。きっとなにか
のやくにたつから・・・
Kanji
好きな箱一つだけあげる。きっと何かの役に立つから・・・
English
I will give you the contents of the box of your choice. I'm sure it'll come in useful for something...

好きな(箱) literally means "(the box) you like", but is often used to mean "(the box) you most like". Much like "take whichever you like".

役に立つ means "be useful". Adding 何かの means "be of some kind of use".

White mushroom house

Japanese
あれ みつかっちゃった

よそにはない とくべつのものばかりだよ

Kanji
あれ、見つかっちゃった。他所には無い特別の物ばかりだよ。
English
Oh, so you found it. [Here are] only special things that are nowhere else [to be found].
  • 他所 is ateji, that is, its reading does not consist of the separate readings of 地 + 所 respectively.

Mushroom house with whistle

Japanese
この ふえ ふいたら
とおくの くにへも
ひとっとび!・・
Kanji
この笛吹いたら、遠くの国へもひとっとび!・・
English
If you play this flute, even far-away countries are just a single bound away!

There is an implied を after 笛.

ひとっ飛び is an emphasized version of 一飛び (ひととび), literally meaning "a single bound" or "one jump", but it can also refer to any kind of short flight. For example, dic.yahoo.co.jp has this sentence: 上海まで一飛びだ "It's just a short flight to Shanghai."

Slots game

Japanese
えあわせ えあわせ
うまくいったら・・・おたのしみ
いっかいきりのだいちゃんす!
Kanji
絵合わせ、絵合わせ! 上手く行ったら・・・お楽しみ! 一回切りの大チャンス!
English
Match the pictures, match the pictures! If it goes well... well, see for yourself! One shot at a big prize!

Card game

Japanese
くるりん くるりん かあどを
めくって いろいろあたる。
おてつきは いっかいだけ。
Kanji
クルリン クルリン・カードを捲って色々当たる。お手付きは一回だけ。
English
Turn around cards and hit various [items]. There is only one "touching a wrong card". [You may make a mistake only once.]

クルリン is a 擬態語(ぎたいご)/mimesis and refers to "turning around". Interestingly, there is a game for the GBA called 「クル クル クルリン」 where you have to navigate a spinning sticks through obstacles.

The king has been transformed

Japanese
たいへん!たいへん!
おうさまがこんな
すがたに かえられ
たよ!
まほうのつえを とり
かえしてください。
Kanji
大変! 大変! 王様がこんな姿に変えられたよ! 魔法の杖を取り返してください。
English
It's terrible! It's terrible! The king has been changed into this (awful) form! Recover the magic wand!

こんな (stemming from この様な) literally means "this kind of". It has a negative connotation here, ie the "awful"-part is implicit. Consider the English "Such a form the king has turned into!" for a similar connotation.

Castle revisited after airship has left

Japanese
はやく! はやく!

はやくこくっぱから
まほうのつえを とり
かえしてください。
Kanji
早く! 早く! 早くコクッパから魔法の杖を取り返してください。
English
Hurry! Hurry! Hurry and recover the magic wand from the koopaling!

The King restored

Japanese
よかった よかった
もとのすがたに も
どれたありがとう

ピーチひめからてが
みがきております。
Kanji
よかった、よかった! 元の姿に戻れた。有難う! ピーチ姫から手紙が来ております。
English
Thanks heavens! I have returned to my original form. Thank you! A letter from Princess Peach has arrived.
  • よかった is a general expression of relief or glee. Literally, it is the past of 良い(よい・いい) - "good".
  • 居ります(おります) is the polite form of 居る. The kanji-form is uncommon, but it clearly shows its meaning. It is the humble form of 居る(いる) - "to be". 来ておる means 来ている - "has come [arrived]". A テ-form of a verb + いる is a construction meaning either "has verbed" [perfect], "is verbing" [continuative] or "usually verbs" [custom/habit]. Which of these possible meanings is intended must be figured out by the context. Not that for the perfect meaning, transitive verb would use ある instead of いる (eg 書いてあります - "[someone] has written [something]" as in "is written", compared 閉めてあります(transitive) - "[someone] closed [something]" with 閉まっています(intransitive) - "[something] is [closed]").

If Mario is wearing frog suit

Japanese
あれあれそんなすが
たにかえられてしまっ
て・・・
このつえでもとの
すがたにもどし
てさしあげようか?
Kanji
あれあれ、そんな姿に変えられてしまって… この杖で元の姿に戻して差し上げようか?
English
Oh my, you've been transformed! Shall I restore you to your original form with this wand?
  • Using the テ-form for the sentence turns turns it into an ellipsis, ie open sentence, which is further emphasized by using 「…」.
  • テ-form + 上げる is a polite expression for "to do something for you". テ-form + 差し上げる is even more polite and certainly appropriate when you are talking to a king. ("It is an honor for me to restore you to your previous shape."]
  • 変えられて仕舞(しま)う is a construction like above, a テ-form with a (helper) verb, which happens to be 仕舞う this time. First of all, note that 仕舞う is 当て字/ateji and the less-common form, which hints to its meaning is 終う. The kanji 「終」 refers to "end" and しまう means "to finish", "to do something completely", "to put an end to". Thus, 変えられてしまう literally means "the action of him being changed is finished" or "was completely changed". This construction often bears a negative connotation, that it is a bad thing the action was completed, which leads us to something like "What a pity you were turned into this form...".


If Mario is wearing Tanuki Suit

Japanese
しんせつな たぬき
さん!
どうもありがとう

おなまえを きかせて
ください。
Kanji
親切な狸さん! どうもありがとう。お名前を聞かせてください。
English
Kind tanuki! Thank you. Please tell me your name.

If Mario is wearing Hammer Bros. Suit

Japanese
そのふくを わしに
ゆずってくれないか
・・・
だめか・・・

しかたがない。
Kanji
その服をわしに譲ってくれないか?・・・駄目か?・・・仕方がない。
English
Would you give me your clothes? ...No? ...Oh well.

TODO — Nuance of 譲る

Princess Peach's letters

World 1

Japanese
おげんきですか?
Kanji
お元気ですか?
English
How are you?

Peach begins every letter with this. It literally means "Are you healthy?". This is a very common greeting. As the literal translation suggests, it's generally used when you haven't seen somebody in a while.

Japanese
もしおばけに であったら
せなかを むけていると おいかけてくる
のできをつけてくださいね。
Kanji
もしお化けに出会ったら、背中を向けていると追い掛けて来るので、気を付けてくださいね。
English
If you happen to meet a ghost, it will come chasing after you if you have your back turned to it, so please take care.
Japanese
たからものをひとつおくります。
なにかのおやくにたててください。

ピーチ
Kanji
宝物を一つ送ります。何かのお役に立てて下さい。
ピーチ
English
I send you [include in this letter] one precious item [treasure]. Please make it stand up to some role/purpose. [I hope it will prove useful to you.]

Peach ends every letter with this.

  • 役 (etym.: "post", "service") is a common words used to express "fitting for a particular purpose".

World 2

Japanese
しろいぶろっくは てきを けちらす
まほうの ちからがあるそうよ。
Kanji
白いブロックは敵を蹴散らす魔法の力があるそうよ。
English
It is said the white block possesses the magic power to kick enemies around.
  • 蹴散らす=蹴る(to kick) + 散らす(to scatter) and falls under the category of verb + (helper) verb, ie the first is the main action and the second verb (modifies/gives additional information to) the first. Thus "to kick is a manner of scattering", "to kick so that the enemies are scattered".

World 3

Japanese
くりぼうのくつをつかうと
いろんなてきを ふみつけられるのよ。
Kanji
クリボーの靴を使うといろんな敵を踏みつけられるのよ。
English
If you use the kuribō's shoe, you can stomp various enemies.

World 4

Japanese
ふえを ぬすんだどろぼうが
さばくの ひがしに にげていった
らしいわよ。
Kanji
笛を盗んだ泥棒が砂漠の東に逃げて行ったらしいわよ。
English
The thief who stole the flute seems to have escaped to the east of the desert.

World 5

Japanese
こおりのせかいは きをつけて
こおりにとじこめられた ものたちは
ほのおで よみがえるはずです。
Kanji
氷の世界は気を付けて! 氷に閉じ込められたものたちは炎でよみがえるはずです。
English
Be careful in the Ice World! Things encased in ice are sure to come alive with fire.

World 6

Japanese
ピーチは とても げんきよ
いちわーるどの みっつめの ごーるの
かげできのぴおから まほうのふえを
もらってください。
Kanji
ピーチはとても元気よ。一ワールドの三つ目のゴールの影でキノピオから魔法の笛をもらってください。
English
I'm doing very well. At the goal in the third stage of the first world, please receive the magic flute from Kinopio.

In case you're unaware, Kinopio is Toad's Japanese name.

World 7

Japanese
へっ!おまえがうろうろしてるあいだに
ピーチは あずかったぜっ。

くやしかったら おれさまのしろ まで
きてみやがれ!

ぐわっはっはっはっ・・・

くっぱ
Kanji
へっ! お前がウロウロしてる間にピーチは預かったぜっ。くやしかったら俺様の城まで来て見やがれ! ぐわっはっはっは・・・
クッパ
English
Har! While you have been fooling around, I've taken Peach! If that is regrettable, [If you want her back,], come to my castle. Gwarh-har-har...
  • ウロウロ is 擬態語 again. "hang about doing nothing/indecisively/aimlessing/with no purpose", loiter, drift, prowl around
  • 俺様 is a very boasting way to address oneself. Do not use it.
  • 連用形 / masu form of a verb + やがる makes your sentence show more condescension / hatred / contempt / disdain. Again, do not use it.

Ending

Japanese
ありがとう! やっと
きのこのせかいに へい
わがもどりました。
おしまいっ!
Kanji
ありがとう! やっとキノコの世界に平和が戻りました。おしまいっ!
English
Thank you! Peace has finally returned to the Mushroom World. The end!

Miscellaneous

If you turn the Hammer Bros. into a treasure ship, the ship on the map will have the kanji 宝 on its sail. It's read たから and means "treasure". (This kanji is present in the English version of the game, too. If you haven't noticed, it's probably because its small size makes it look like a random fancy design.)