51858
I looked it up in online dictionaries and they didn't really prove useful.
"Selfish" or "convenience" doesn't seem to fit.

So this is a quote from [Niji-iro
Tohgarashi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niji-iro_T%C5%8Dgarashi)

> **勝手な** 奴だ。

This is the sentence a brother said about his sister, after he found out that
much as she hated insects, she seemed to like fireflies (which are insects), a
lot. I figure what he means is "she hates insects, yet she likes fireflies
which are insects, so she's kinda self-serving in a way, likes what looks
beautiful and hates what doesn't". But "selfish" sounds a bit
misleading/confusing, and harsh, and I'm not sure about the connotation of
"self-serving" either.

Yet, the same word is used later

> 害虫も雑草も人間の **勝手な** 都合で分類されたもんだろ。

In this case, it describes the way people classify insects and grasses into
categories like pests and weeds to their liking. They like what's good for
them, and hate what isn't. In this context, both "selfish" and "self-serving"
sound apt.

If both of these contexts were independent from each other, I would go with
"Whatever suits her" with the former sentence, and "The selfish means" with
the latter. But they are not independent within the bigger context of the
manga. And both sentences use the same word. So I wonder is there a good way
to describe those similar qualities ("a little self-serving, but not that
serious" and "it's self-serving and now we're talking seriously") with the
same word(s) in English that will sound natural and soothing for both
sentences.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-29T22:05:09.590
51857
2017-07-30T00:53:00.043
10168
question
translation na-adjectives
What quality would 勝手 describe in these contexts?
勝手 can also be taken to mean **arbitrary**. Instead of directly referencing
the definition of 'selfish' with all its English connotations, it's easier to
think of it as describing the basic idea of just doing as one pleases; without
approval, without auxiliary, and with their own judgement.

While 'arbitrary' doesn't carry the negative connotation that both sentences
have, it is unfortunately the only word I can think of that stays true to the
meaning of the original _and_ works in both contexts. Hope this gives you a
place to start off in.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-30T00:53:00.043
51858
2017-07-30T00:53:00.043
9132
51857
answer