Tag - language

 
Menu
Search
 
August 26, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

LANGUAGE

Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 24, 2017
The stories behind familiar Japanese words
Let's take a look at the origins of half a dozen Japanese words that have found wide usage in English.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jul 24, 2017
Introducing the adverb 'hotondo'
How do you say, 'We managed to sell most of our stock' in Japanese?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jul 24, 2017
Let's discuss Japan's univesity admissions
Upcoming changes to Japanese university admissions have students, parents and teachers raising their hands to ask questions.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 10, 2017
In Japan everything counts in its own way
When emails first hit Japan in the mid-1990s, these were counted in u901a (tsu016b), the common classifier for letters. However ...
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jul 10, 2017
Introducing the pattern Xぶり
How do you say, 'It's been three years since we last met, hasn't it?' in Japanese?
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Jul 10, 2017
Venomous fire ants found at Osaka port
Venomous fire ants, native to South America, have been found, including a queen ant.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jul 10, 2017
Let's discuss the new Starbucks coffee shop in Kyoto
Starbucks opened a new coffee shop with tatami rooms.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 3, 2017
Tips for nailing that Japanese interview
You've found the right job, sent off your u5c65u6b74u66f8 (rirekisho, resume) and now it's time for the u9762u63a5 (mensetsu, interview).
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Jul 3, 2017
Shogi prodigy sets new record with 29th straight win
The youngest professional shogi fourth-dan player, Sota Fujii, 14, set the all-time record for most consecutive wins — 29 official matches.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jul 3, 2017
Let's discuss the Kake scandal
A June 8 article in the Asahi Shimbun reported that Japan already has 39,000 working veterinarians.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 26, 2017
Introducing two auxiliary verbs 'ageru' and 'yaru'
How would you say, 'Here, you can look at mine' in Japanese?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 19, 2017
The Japanese prefer a raw deal in language
The word 'nama' is a favorite among the Japanese, referring to everything from phone calls to foods to legs.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 19, 2017
Introducing two auxiliary verbs 'kureru' and 'morau'
How do you say, 'Ms. Yamada lent the book to my wife' in Japanese?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 19, 2017
Let's discuss summer bonuses
Summer bonuses at major companies fell 4.56 percent to u00a5917,906 ($8,300) on average from last summer.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2017
Number of foreign students at public schools who lack Japanese language skills hits record high
Support system seen lacking as education ministry survey shows that 34,335 children needed remedial lessons as of May last year.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 12, 2017
Kanji ‘toilet training’ is a hit with kids
The media is abuzz over a new series of workbooks for children titled u3046u3093u3053u6f22u5b57u30c9u30eau30eb (Unko Kanji Doriru, 'Poop Kanji Drills').
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 12, 2017
Introducing the term 'shikkari'
'Shikkari' expresses strength and stability, and shows when something is done firmly.
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Jun 9, 2017
In case you missed them: a year of responses to Community stories, part 2
The second in a series of selections of unpublished letters about Community stories from the previous year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 5, 2017
Learn Japanese as you binge with Netflix anime series
If it's anime you crave, streaming sites such as Netflix offer an ever-expanding smorgasbord of morsels to suit every appetite.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 5, 2017
Introducing 'ikura sagashite-mo' and 'nani-o tabete-mo'
How do you say, 'No matter X, Y' and 'However X, Y' in Japanese?
Character-crazed Japan has little appetite for Labubu
A pop-up advertisement for the newly opened Chiikawa Park in Tokyo's Ikebukuro neighborhood demonstrates how the country is chockful of cute characters — to the detriment of trends like Labubu.
Are 'coolcations' the answer for Japan's heat-weary tourists?
Hikers on a trail in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture. As extreme heat continues to grip Japan, a tectonic shift may be underway in the nation’s summer tourism scene as more people gravitate toward cooler destinations.
JICA to designate four Japanese cities as 'hometowns' for African nations
The Japanese flag (left) with the flag of the African Union
Man arrested in Kobe stabbing had been staying at hotel near victim’s home
Masashi Tanimoto arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of a woman in Kobe, is sent to prosecutors on Sunday.
Tokyo releases AI-generated video of Mount Fuji erupting
A screenshot from an AI-generated video showing what could happen to Tokyo if Mount Fuji erupted
Are 'coolcations' the answer for Japan's heat-weary tourists?
Hikers on a trail in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture. As extreme heat continues to grip Japan, a tectonic shift may be underway in the nation’s summer tourism scene as more people gravitate toward cooler destinations.
Germany's first sakemaker offers a bold brew of ideas
Reigen, Germany's first sake brewery, makes a diverse, nontraditional range of sake that includes fruit-flavored sips and wine barrel-aged renditions.
Alicia Keys closed Summer Sonic, but J-pop owned it
Summer Sonic’s 2025 lineup demonstrated its strength, showcasing the latest in J-pop, including “new kawaii” act Fruits Zipper.
Is the LDP’s catch-all approach to politics still effective?
Former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi visits Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Aug. 15. Political commentator Toru Hashimoto has suggested that Takaichi ought to lead a group of like-minded hawkish politicians out of the Liberal Democratic Party and form their own party.
Fingers sore from too much phone time? You might have ‘sumaho yubi.’
A catch-all term for tendonitis and arthritis caused by excessive smartphone use, 'sumaho yubi' may be difficult to treat for gadget-crazy Japan.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy
Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER