Japanese Language

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

You Say Tsuyu, I Say Baiu: How Japanese Jukujikun Make Kanji Even Harder

Why do the same two kanji for Japan's rainy season change pronunciation based on context? Blame the phenomenon known as jukujikun.

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

Japanese Social Media Auto-Translation: a Blessing, or a Curse?

Is auto-translation on Japanese social media breaking language barriers or creating new problems? We look at the illusion of certainty and its…

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

Kanji Forever? Why Japan Still Uses Chinese Characters, But Korea Mostly Doesn’t

Japan spent a century trying to abolish kanji, from an 1866 petition to the shogun to a postwar novelist who wanted Japan…

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

The “Dead” Slang Words a Japanese Dictionary Officially Killed

In English, words are rarely deleted from dictionaries. So why in 2021 did a Japanese dictionary publisher give 1,100 words the boot?

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

Why This Japanese Phrase from Kansai Sounds Strange to the Rest of Japan

It's a phrase that confuses Tokyoites. But to many in the Kansai region, it's a daily expression rooted in the region's unique…

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

Why Are More Japanese Girls Calling Themselves “Boku”?

How do you refer to yourself in Japanese? For most women, it’s some variant of "watashi." But for many young girls, the…

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

MEXT to Nothing: Japan Struggles to Help Foreign Residents Learning Japanese

Many foreign residents in Japan want to learn Japanese. But reports show a majority feel they're not getting the support they need…

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

These Are the Hardest Japanese Place Names to Read – Even for Native Speakers

Can you pronounce these difficult Japanese place names? If not, don't feel bad: most native speakers can't either!