What to do when a Japanese word shows signs of needing 'meku' attached to it
Attaching the verb "meku" to certain Japanese words can emphasize the idea of showing signs of something or appearing to look like something.
Let's look at some business terms via a Japanese news article about a rise in sales at convenience stores during the early days of the new coronavirus outbreak.
Cancellations, postponements, suspensions — words that define the times
March was a month of cancelled classes, postponed planes and sudden suspensions. Let's take a deeper look at the ways we express delays.
The Japanese words used to encourage self-restraint
As concern over the new coronavirus increases so does a Japanese learner's vocabulary. Get to know the words that are most commonly being used in news stories about the outbreak.
The 'ni ataranai' structure is actually a grammar point that's worth learning
The terms "ni(wa) ataranai" and "made mo nai/naku" point out things that aren't worth doing, but they have slightly different nuances.
Local governments short on volunteer interpreters in emergencies
A Kyodo story looks at the lack of multilingual volunteers that would be able to help Southeast Asian communities in Japan in an emergency.
An expert committee that advises the “Mount Fuji World Cultural Heritage Council” working group comprised of prefectures such as Yamanashi and Shizuoka, had confirmed a discussion as of (Feb.) 18th for an entrance fee for Mount Fuji.
Pointing out the family with 'ni ataru'
Mari-chan wa Nana no obasan ni ataru. (Mari is Nana’s aunt.) ...
Can’t find tissues? Get some towels, it’s moving time
It’s a bad time to run out of toilet paper and tissues. March is a month of big life changes in Japan such as 入学 (nyūgaku, entering university), 入社 (nyūsha, entering a company) and 転勤 (tenkin, company transfers), and those will often require your ...
Looking for luck in Japanese amid a pandemic
It's St. Patrick's Day and with the spread of coronavirus taking place it's a good time to talk about lucky charms.
Celebrating special occasions with 'ni atatte' and 'ni saishite'
A more formal construction, "ni atatte" is used when you are marking the occasion. "Ni saishite" has a similar nuance, think of both as a fancy way to say "when."
Tradition has come down with the flu this year as the virus known as COVID-19 has people rethinking their party plans.
