38440


In the bonus episode, the group of players who don't make the cut to play in
the competition form a B-Squad named Monaka, after the first character of
their three second-year members' names.

When they announce this name to the rest of the club, Asuka misunderstands and
thinks the name has something to do with youth:

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/fg30em.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/fg30em.jpg)
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/9WNZsm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/9WNZsm.jpg)
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hww9Jm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hww9Jm.jpg)
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/WPtzom.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/WPtzom.jpg)

> Asuka: "Monaka". We're in the thick of our youth! Or something.  
>  Girl: No, we just took the start of the second-years' names.

Where did Asuka think they had gotten the name "Monaka" from?


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2017-01-15T22:00:49.727
38432
2017-01-16T04:22:21.087
7579
question
japanese-language hibike-euphonium
Where did Asuka think "Monaka" came from?


Here is what Asuka said in Japanese:

> なるほど…最中【もなか】。私達【わたしたち】は青春【せいしゅん】真っ【まっ】最中【さいちゅう】～的【てき】な？
>
> I see... _monaka_. We're _in the middle_ of our youth~ or something?

The idea is, [最中](https://www.japandict.com/%E6%9C%80%E4%B8%AD) (in the
middle) is usually read as " _saichuu_ ", but also has another reading of "
_monaka_ ". As for why Asuka connected it to "youth", it's a common idea that
school life is related to youth life.

* * *

Monaka itself is actually [a wafer cake filled with the bean
jam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monaka). The origin of _monaka_ is from
最中【もなか】の月【つき】 which has the meaning of ["the shape of full
moon"](http://gogen-allguide.com/mo/monaka.html).


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2017-01-16T04:14:36.817
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2017-01-16T04:22:21.087
2020-06-17T09:17:53.303
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answer