Category Archives: Japanese

Greetings, Meetings, and Farewells in Japanese

Hear Me Speak! …And Pronunciate Just listen along and we’ll be covering many common Japanese greetings, for meetings and otherwise, and goodbyes and farewells. I hope that this not only helps you understand the words themselves, but to gain a … Continue reading

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Japanese Language: The Above Text

以上の文 Beyond the two uses of 以上 (ijou) mentioned in the previous post, there is an additional use very important to all aspirants to pass tests like the JLPT and so forth. In the headline above, 文 (bun) means sentences. … Continue reading

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The Soul of Japanese Gaming

日本ゲームの魂 In recent years, it has been argued that Japanese video gaming, as an industry, has faltered and has entered a period of prolonged decline. As a result, numerous Japanese companies are producing “Westernized” video games to compete with North … Continue reading

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Japanese Language: Do You Like Me?

Sweet-Talking Video Game Demon Girls This is a dialog in Persona 2: Innocent Sin, the first version of two games that were both labeled Persona 2. I have not tried the second, but I have very fond memories of the … Continue reading

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The Nuances of Learning Japanese

It’s About The Little Things Some other things in my life have stabilized so I’m going to devote a little time to this blog to put some ideas out. Nihongo: A Precision Instrument In Japanese literature, the meanings of Japanese … Continue reading

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Japanese Language and Culture: The Path

道 In Japanese language, this kanji represents the path. As a solo kanji, it is read as みち (michi). As part of compounds, it is read as ドウ (dou). In English, this is usually translated as the way for various … Continue reading

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My Story: Why I Learned Japanese

The Untimely Death Of Bilingual Schooling in Nova Scotia I am an ethnic French Canadian, with over 90% French blood, all of it Acadian. That is to say, I’m not descended from the French settlers from Quebec; I am descended … Continue reading

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Japanese Language: I love My Cat (Pronunciation)

Pronunciation Exercise This is a Japanese pronunciation exercise intended for beginners and early intermediates. A girl from Saudi Arabia asked me to create a short sentence that uses all Japanese vowel sounds. I think this works. The English “I love … Continue reading

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Pattern and パターン

Did You Know… The Japanese word “pataan” (katakana: パターン) is 100% based on the English word pattern? Not all Japanese people (日本人、nihonjin) know this. After all, they know the word as part of their language, a loan word, one of … Continue reading

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Japanese Culture: GothLoli (Gothic Lolita) Fashion

Not Quite Goth Or Lolita, Per Se This requires a little explanation. While the term “Lolita” must necessarily hail from the famous novel, the gist is reversed in this context. Rather than little girls dressing like adults, this far more … Continue reading

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