barryg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Lee Gold) (04/15/85)
Most of the time Japanese doesn't spcify whether a word is singular or plural. One way some plurals are formed, though, is by repeating the word and changing the voicing. Hito = person (people) Hitobito = people Shima = island(s) Shimajima = islands Perhaps more strange is the use of iroiro (iro = color, emotion) to mean "various." --Lee Gold