Japanese Language

Japanese Restaurant Menus: Reading the Kanji

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.

Tasukatta! Useful Japanese Phrases When Dining Out in Japan

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.

A Simple Guide to Ordering in Japanese Restaurants

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.

What Do I Call You, Honey? Japanese and the Language of Marriage

In Japan, what you call your partner in front of other people can be a confusing question - and one laden with a lot of cultural baggage.

Why Some Westerners in Japan Never Learn Japanese

How a casual tweet promoting an author's new book about Japan blew up into a discussion of Western privilege and Orientalism.

Colors in Japanese: Not as Black and White as You’d Think

Did you know that Japanese once only had four colors? A look at the interesting evolution of color vocabulary in the Japanese language.

The Five Hot New Japanese Words Even Many Japanese Don’t Know

The distance learning company U-CAN has announced its list of new and trendy words for 2018. Discover the five words that even had some Japanese people stumped.

Why Does Japan Struggle With English?

A city park employee managed to lose a quarter million dollars because he couldn't speak English. Krys Suzuki, a former English teacher in Japan, says that's not uncommon, and discusses why Japan still struggles with the language.

Japanese Language

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