My friend Naoki has a new strategy when it comes to getting dates; these days he says the best bet is to kusuguru (くすぐる, tickle, or appeal to) a woman’s sense of aikokushin (愛国心, patriotism). This seems like a risky undertaking, considering that aikoku (愛国, love for one’s country) used ...
Today we introduce some uses of the verb がんばる that can be used in various situations.
Japan raised its sales tax on A pril 1 for the first time in 17 years in a move to ...
Stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency first came to the public's attention on Jan. 28, after the British journal Nature published research showing that Haruko Obokata and her team in Kobe had successfully reprogrammed the adult cells of mice into STAP cells by subjecting them to ...
Spring — the season of sakura (桜, cherry blossoms) — has finally arrived and the entire country has been transformed into a fairyland tinted pale pink. In a heartening season of renewal after winter’s chill, a wave of sakura washes over these islands. Usually ...
Today, we will introduce the proper use of 合（あ）う, which attaches to a main verb. X [verb in masu form without masu] 合（あ）う adds the meaning that two or more people/things do the same action [X], creating a reciprocal effect.
Skymark Airlines Inc.'s miniskirt uniform for cabin attendants has drawn fire from a group of cabin attendants who claim it will disturb operations and possibly induce sexual harassment.
Living in Japan can be quite a noisy experience. Even in my quiet little neighborhood, rarely a day passes without a great variety of sounds being heard. Four days a week the garbage truck fills the air with its most peculiar orugōru (オルゴール, music ...
Today, we will introduce the various meanings and usages of two adjectives かわいい (cute/lovable) and こわい (scary/scared) and their related expressions.
On March 11, Japan marked the third anniversary of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake with prayers for the more than 18,000 people who died or remain missing.
Students of Japanese are often Japanese-as-a-second-language (JSL) cavemen. JSL cavemen live a mostly pleasant existence of blissful ignorance, using a devolved form of the language as best they can. However, JSL cavemen are not total ignoramuses — their thick hide can be penetrated by ...
Today we will explain various meanings and usages of the colloquial adverb ちょっと.
Hollywood named the historical drama "12 Years a Slave" best picture at the 86th annual A cademy A wards on March 2.
One approach to acquiring new vocabulary that I’ve always found effective is to seek out the 反対語 (hantai-go, antonyms) of words. To prove my point, how about looking at words that relate to “good” and “bad,” which are about as opposite as you can ...
Sample newspaper article QUITTING SMOKING MAKES YOU HAPPIER 喫煙者は禁煙すれば、不安やストレスを感じている人が抗うつ剤を摂取するのと同様の精神的な幸福感の高揚を得ることができるという研究報告が２月13日に発表された。英国の研究者たちは、被験者たちが記入したアンケートから、不安や気持ちの落ち込み、ストレス、生活の質についての答えを標準化したスコアカードを調査した。調査対象の喫煙者は平均44歳で、一日に10本から40本のタバコを吸っていた。彼らは禁煙を試みる前と禁煙を始めて平均6か月の2回、調査を受けた。禁煙に成功した被験者は、喫煙を続けた被験者に比べて、気持ちの落ち込みや不安感、ストレスの減少を報告し、人生に対してより前向きな展望を持つようになったと回答した。(Feb. 14) Words and phrases 喫煙者 (kitsuensha) smokers; 禁煙する (kin’en-) stop smoking; 不安 (fuan) anxiety; ストレス stress; 抗うつ剤 (kōutsuzai) anti-depressants; 接種する (sesshu-) take; 同様の (dōyō-) equivalent to; 精神的な (seishinteki-) mental; 幸福感 (kōfukukan) well-being; 高揚 (kōyō) boost; ...
