Learn Japanese Online
Learning from a blog is great, but learning directly from a tutor is better. If you are interested, follow the link to Learn Out Live and see what opportunities await you.
Category Archives: Japanese
The Language of Nature, Oct. 15 2011
Changing My Approach Truth be told, the demand for learning Japanese is pretty anemic in the West. I had hoped for more, but more has simply not materialized. What I will do is use language as a tool, prop, sock … Continue reading
Miyamoto Musashi’s “Book of Five Rings”
A Book For All Times and Cultures Today, I will write a few words about Miyamoto Musash’s “Book of Five Rings,” a book I have read in translated form… as even I have not studied enough medieval Japanese to be … Continue reading
Some Things Just Snowball
A Comparison In Pictures A Daruma (doll). A group of yukidaruma . Yuki means “snow,” and “daruma” means, well, what you saw just above. Yukidaruma is Japanese for “snowman.” Japanese snowmen traditionally have one big snowball for the body, rather … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Japan, Japanese
Tagged daruma, Japan, Japanese, snowman, Yuki, yukidaruma
Leave a comment
Using Sushi to Teach Japanese
A Matter of Taste Last Tuesday, I was finally able to implement a plan for a Japanese lesson I’d had my heart set on: using sushi to teach Japanese vocabulary. It was a strong success. Somehow, people just remember things … Continue reading
Teaching Japanese Verbs Well
A Successful Experiment For someone not intending to mess with the written Japanese language, verbs, or doushi (動詞), are one of the largest hurdles to forming one’s own sentences in Japanese. Forming sentences is a major positive step for the … Continue reading
Japanese and One Word Statements
A friend commented on my previous post on “ureshii” about how one-word statements are hard on early Japanese learners. He blamed his inability to “think in Japanese.” Well, how about I show you a small part of how to do … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Languages
Tagged blog, Japanese, language, learning, one, statements, word
Leave a comment
Ureshii (Adjective: Happy)
Happy Faces The Japanese adjective ureshii (嬉しい、うれしい) stands for “happy”. This is an “i-adjective” that conveys joy, contentment, and fulfillment. In a case like this, it’s easier to convey using pictures.
Identity: The Group and the Self
A Difference In Perspective Culturally and linguistically, Japan and the West come from different starting points, even though the people on both sides often talk about the exact same things. In the West, when you are selfish, you prioritize yourself … Continue reading
Japanese Adjectives
The Basics I like to talk about words as a bridge to cultural communication. Unfortunately, there’s some pretty basic reasons why this is hard: even if I talk about an adjective, beginners in Japanese will want to, you know, use … Continue reading
Japanese: Aru, Iru, and Desu
Fundamentals Hi, I haven’t been able to blog enough lately due to personal scheduling. A busy stretch has now ended, so I wanted to cover some important Japanese basics for early learners.