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Tag Archives: language
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.
A Few Tips For Learning Japanese
How To Learn Great Japanese, and Keep It
“I’ll Be Back”
Here’s a phrase I randomly saw in a video game: “Kanarazu modotte kuru!!” This roughly means, “I’ll be back!” (though not with the same delivery as the Governator, above.)
Posted in Japanese, Languages
Tagged Arnold, certainty, governator, Japanese, kanarazu, language
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Abstract vs. Tangible Learning in Japanese
There’s More Than One “Learning” One of the largest annoyances in trying to teach Japanese is that many words have differences that dictionaries will not tell you about. Some differences ought to only matter to ex-translators, like me; but not … Continue reading
The Language of Shinto: “Kami”
Kami Large and Small In reading up on Shinto at Wikipedia (link here), I read it stated that Shinto scholars think translating “kami” as “god” or “deity” can cause a misunderstanding of the term. I mulled this over. If there … Continue reading
Japanese: Making Things Clear (Hakkiri)
はっきり So you want to spell things out in simple terms? To say it straight? To make things crystal clear? In Japanese, this is being hakkiri (はっきり) about it. There is no kanji for “hakkiri”; it is a native Japanese-ism … Continue reading
Japanese: Places, Names, Fame and Renown
A Rose By Any Other Name What’s in a name? Today’s subject isn’t any particular place name; it is a term used for famous places as described in an essay on viewing Japanese prints, like ukiyo-e. There is, after all, … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Japan, Tourism, Ukiyo-e
Tagged famous places, history, Japan, Japanese, Japanese prints, language, Tourism, ukiyo-e
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Japanese Idioms: O-tsukaresama desu
Thank You For Your Hard Work Usually, when お疲れ様です (o-tsukaresama desu) rolls off the Japanese tongue, it can be safely understood as “Thank you for your hard work.” The “o” part means that this applies to someone else. The “tsukare” part … Continue reading