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May 19, 2024
 

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VOCABULARY

Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 29, 2019
When Japanese goes to the dogs ... and the cats
If you want to pet a stranger's dog, it's better to know how to ask permission first.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jul 29, 2019
Joining Japanese sentences is easy if you learn the difference between 'sore de' and 'soko de'
The terms 'sore de' and 'soko de' translate as 'and so' or 'therefore,' but there's a slight difference between their nuances.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 22, 2019
Japanese features a lot of ways to complain about the heat in summer
As we make the shift from u6885u96e8 (tsuyu, rainy season) to u590fu672cu756a (natsu honban, summertime in earnest), you'll find that the weather will take center stage in many Japanese conversations.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jul 22, 2019
With some luck you'll master the Japanese words for good fortune
If you're going to play the u798fu5f15 (u3075u304fu3073u304d, lottery) in Japan, you're going to need some u904b (u3046u3093, luck).
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 8, 2019
Get in tune with the sound of Japanese vocabulary
Certain Japanese words sound like they should represent an action, can you guess what a word means by how it's pronounced?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jul 8, 2019
The Japanese verb 'kuru' comes in many forms
The irregular verb 'kuru' (to come) changes sound and structure depending on the context. And once you learn the rules of using it, prepare to break them.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 1, 2019
As Mount Fuji opens for business, brush up on your Japanese hiking terms
Make sure you know your 'chu014dju014d' from your 'fumoto,' and which trail is right for you on Japan's most famous landmark.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jul 1, 2019
'Kireru' is a cut above other Japanese verbs
When you're out of breath, losing your temper or can't stand the tension in the room, the verb 'kireru' can help describe the situation.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Jul 1, 2019
Japan offers highest paid paternity leave in the world, but few take it
Read an article on parental leave and pick up some vocabulary related to raising kids in the modern world.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 24, 2019
The Japanese words 'mono' and 'koto' can make things tricky
Both 'mono' and 'koto' mean 'thing' in Japanese, but they're used in different ways. And the thing is, nuance matters.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 24, 2019
The ugly truth behind using 'mittomonai' and 'kakkowarui'
The words 'mittomonai' and 'kakkowarui' are used when behavior or appearance is unbecoming, but the former carries more shame.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Jun 24, 2019
1 in 4 aged 80 and over still drives: government survey
Read an article on elderly drivers and answer questions on major challenges that are being tackled.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 17, 2019
In praise of the perfect Japanese compliment
The Japanese haven't traditionally complimented one another in the workplace, but a book on the power of positive reinforcement has garnered a following.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 17, 2019
Speak Japanese smoothly by mastering the difference between 'sara-sara' and 'zara-zara'
The onomatopoeic terms 'sara-sara' and 'zara-zara' both refer to textures, but do you know which is soft and which is coarse?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Jun 17, 2019
Shinkansen operator to aim for its own cleaning 'miracle'
The Central Japan Railway Co. will shorten its interior cleaning time for the Tokaido Shinkansen arriving at Tokyo Station by two minutes, allowing it to be finished in about 10 minutes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 10, 2019
Here’s to nattō, Japan’s original superfood
One of the country's most notable u5065u5eb7u98dfu54c1 (kenku014d shokuhin, health food products), u7d0du8c46 is made from u5927u8c46 (daizu, soybeans) fermented with u67afu8349u83cc (kosu014dkin, bacillus subtilis).
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 10, 2019
Finding amazing ways to use the word 'sugoi'
If you're in Japan, then you've probably heard the term u3059u3054u3044, or it's adverbial form u3059u3054u304f, more times than you can count.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 3, 2019
Don't give up yet on giving and getting in Japanese
One of the first things taught in anthropology classes is that presents exchanged in a given society hardly ever come for free. When someone gives another person something, that always entails some sort of obligation. Acts of giving and receiving are hence highly sensitive social endeavors, and so is...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 3, 2019
Don't forget to use 'sokonau' to mark your failings in Japanese
Ikō to omotte-ita-n-da kedo, misokonatchatta. (I was going to go, but I missed it.)
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Jun 3, 2019
Governor looks to draw up Mount Fuji railway plan in two years
Yamanashi Prefecture Gov. Kotaro Nagasaki, who was elected for the first time in January, on the 22nd revealed an idea to draw up a plan that includes an outline to work toward connecting the bottom and fifth station on Mount Fuji via a mountain railway on a route scheduled for two years later.
Japanese stripper bids to have her porn movies taken off internet
Plaintiff Miyuki Ariga (left) speaks at a news conference along with her lawyer, Yoshitomo Morohashi, after filing a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday.
America wasn’t made for walking, and it’s killing them
A 2010 study found that U.S. adults averaged 5,117 steps daily and that this was lower than the averages found in similar studies in Switzerland, western Australia and Japan.
U.S. envoy to Japan makes landmark visit to front-line island near Taiwan
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel meets with members of the Self-Defense Forces stationed on Yonaguni, Okinawa Prefecture, on Friday.
Japan passes bill to introduce 'blue ticket' fines for cyclists
A new system under which bicycle riders pay fines for minor traffic violations to escape criminal punishment is expected to be introduced in Japan no later than 2026.
Japan changes law to allow joint custody after divorce
Legislation that allows the option of joint custody of children after divorce is passed at the Upper House plenary session on Friday.
Can AI-generated inventions be patented? A Tokyo court says no.
The Tokyo court's ruling comes amid ongoing debates on how to regulate generative AI and is part of a transnational class action lawsuit.
A new initiative rethinks old Tohoku crafts
The colored patterns of Tsuguru "nuri," made in Aomori Prefecture, are achieved by applying multiple coatings of lacquer, which are later polished down to reveal layers of colors beneath.
Xi and Putin mark ‘new era’ amid efforts to counter U.S. ‘containment’
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend an event in Beijing on Thursday. During Putin's visit, the leaders showed off their growing alignment amid efforts to push back against the U.S.-led world order.
Unraveling the Japanese prose of Yukio Mishima
Author Yukio Mishima accepts the Arts Festival Award in the drama category at the 20th Arts Festival Award Ceremony on Jan. 22, 1966.

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