Japanese Language

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

And the Japanese Kanji for the Year of 2020 is…

What one Japanese ideograph best represents the year of COVID-19? Learn more about the winning kanji - and the runner-ups.

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

Will AI Technology Ever Translate Japanese Accurately?

Machine translation has come a long way in recent years. But what use, if any, does machine translation actually have for a…

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

What Was Japan’s Hottest New Buzzword of 2020?

The national chatter in Japan this year was dominated by anime, COVID-19, and killing time. But which word summarized 2020 Japan the…

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…

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

Putsun! The Sound That Japanese Telephone Makes Has Evolved

A recent tweet by a Japanese novelist about a correction she received from her proofreader shows how Japanese is changing with the…

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

Japanese Business Etiquette: How To Say You “Got It”?

Have trouble with your Japanese business etiquette? You're in good company: a recent Twitter thread highlights how even native speakers struggle with…

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

How to Learn Japanese Online

Want to learn Japanese online? I introduce the methods and apps that will help you reach your Japanese language goals.

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

Trump Drives Team of Japanese Interpreters to The Edge

Footage of Japanese interpreters translating a US Presidential debate reveals the inherent difficulty of translating Donald Trump.