Japanese Language
Japanese Writing: The 80-Year Battle for “Genbun Itchi”
How did written Japanese come into accord with the spoken language? A short history of the movement to bring Japanese writing to the masses.
November 17, 2020
How did written Japanese come into accord with the spoken language? A short history of the movement to bring Japanese writing to the masses.
The story of how modern Japanese came to assume its current written form – and how kanji nearly got left on the cutting room floor.
How Japanese writing and Japanese written speech differed in the Edo period – and how pronunciation came closer to what’s spoken today.
How did the hiragana and katakana writing systems come to exist in Japanese? What purpose did they serve? A history of writing in Japan’s Heian period.
How did the written Japanese language assume its current form? We look at the language’s earliest written forms – Chinese kanji and manyogana.
Reading Japanese menus can be tricky, as you’ll often find many kanji you don’t encounter elsewhere. Here’s a short guide to make it easier.
Trying to order in Japanese at a Japanese restaurant? Here are some of the questions you might not expect – and how to respond to them.
Eating out in Japan, but afraid your Nihongo’s a little rusty? Here’s an easy guide to getting seated, ordering and enjoying yourself at any restaurant in Japan.
Japanese food is so much more than sushi and ramen. Learn about some of the different types of restaurants you can find when you visit.
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