Tag - language

 
 

LANGUAGE

LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Mar 21, 2016
A certain ratio: the relative strengths of wariai, wari to and wari ni
Introducing the meaning and adverbial uses of the noun u5272u5408 (u308fu308au3042u3044, ratio).
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Mar 21, 2016
'Konmari' decluttering book finally tops U.S. best-seller list
The English version of a Japanese book on how to declutter rooms has topped U.S. newspaper USA Today's weekly best-seller list.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Mar 21, 2016
Let's discuss the child care blog post that went viral
Mothers and their supporters have handed over some 28,000 signatures to the government from people seeking a better child care system, after they were inspired by an anonymous blog post written by a frustrated mother.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 14, 2016
Japanese go out on a limb for health (but not for love)
You could say that health has become a national obsession — one of the most obvious side-effects of Japan's super-aged society.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Mar 14, 2016
Breathing a sigh of relief with tokoro datta
Introducing the patterns Xu3068u3053u308du3060u3063u305f and Xu306fu305au3060u3063u305f, which indicate what might have happened but in fact didn't.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Mar 14, 2016
Japanese like the look of life in Nagano
Nagano Prefecture is the place that Japanese would most like to move to if they were to relocate to the countryside, a survey shows.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Mar 14, 2016
Let's discuss the recent ruling on dementia
The Supreme Court has dismissed the liability of the family of a 91-year-old man with dementia who was killed by a train after wandering onto railway tracks.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 7, 2016
To furu or furareru: In Japanese or any language, breaking up is hard to do
The girl who dumped me wasn't Japanese, so I was surprised to get a Japanese language lesson out of the ordeal.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Mar 7, 2016
Don't miss an opportunity when kikkake comes knocking
Introducing u304du3063u304bu3051, which identifies a clue, trigger, motivation or cause to start something.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Mar 7, 2016
Manga and anime goods store opens in Bangkok
An estimated 400 customers lined up in Bangkok for the opening of the first Thai branch of Animate, a Japanese manga and animation goods store.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Mar 7, 2016
Let's discuss the Tokyo Marathon
February in Tokyo was the season for running, as thousands prepared for one of the world's major sports events: the Tokyo Marathon.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 29, 2016
Joining Japanese words together to reveal the true nature of things
Once you understand how the pieces fit together, you can magically turn verbs into nouns and vice versa, expanding your Japanese vocabulary by leaps and bounds.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Feb 29, 2016
Ramming home the point with dokoro ka
Introducing the meaning and usage of the particle of emphasis u3069u3053u308du304b and its related expressions.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Feb 29, 2016
Bid for world heritage status for Christian sites retracted
The government has decided to retract its recommendation to UNESCO that a slew of churches and other Christian sites be listed as World Heritage sites.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Feb 29, 2016
Let's discuss Ota Ward's Airbnb-style rental plan
Tokyo's Ota Ward has given permission to an online travel service provider to start renting out private homes based on the popular Airbnb model.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 27, 2016
Time to get real about English instruction
Disappointing results from students undergoing total-immersion English education show it's time to rethink policy.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 22, 2016
When it comes to taking the temperature and talking about it, Japanese is sensational
Where in English something is just 'cold,' in Japanese it's not so simple.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Feb 22, 2016
Seeing the other side and defying expectations with 'han shite'
Today we will introduce the meaning and usage of the adverbial phrases Xu306bu53cd(u306fu3093)u3057u3066 (contrary to X) and Xu53cdu9762(u306fu3093u3081u3093) (on the contrary), which are mainly used in written language, formal speech, lectures or when talking about a rather serious theme. In the pattern X(noun/noun phrase)u306bu53cdu3057u3066Y(clause), X is usually a word like u4e88u60f3 (u3088u305du3046, anticipation), u671fu5f85 (u304du305fu3044, expectation), u4e88u6e2c (u3088u305du304f, prediction), u610fu5fd7 (u3044u3057, will) or u610fu601d (u3044u3057, intention), u6cd5u5f8b (u307bu3046u308au3064, law) or u30ebu30fcu30eb (rule), and Y is the result or fact that betrays the content of X. In Ms. Yamani's sentence in Situation 1, X is her and her staff's expectation that their product would sell better and Y is the fact that it is not. Its noun-modifying form is uff5eu306bu53cdu3057u305f, as in u5e38u8b58(u3058u3087u3046u3057u304d)u306bu53cdu3057u305fu884cu52d5(u3053u3046u3069u3046) (an action that defies common sense).
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Feb 22, 2016
Password hacks as simple as 1-2-3-4-5-6
Even after tens of millions of people had their online accounts hacked, many Internet users still rely on easy-to-guess passwords.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami