Japanese Language

Is That Japanese Town a “Chou” or a “Machi”?

The character 町 - pronounced either "chou" or "machi" - is common in Japanese town and neighborhood names. But how do you tell if a given town is a "chou" or a "machi"?

“Pseudo-Chinese”: New Japanese Social Media App Only Allows Kanji

Wanna stress-test your Japanese knowledge? A new social media app for Japanese users dares you to ditch kana by allowing only kanji input, a.k.a. "Pseudo-Chinese."

Can Japanese Stores Use Signs to Keep Tourists Out?

A store in Kyoto made headlines when it posted a sign in English and Chinese saying it was closed - but, in small print, it welcomed anyone who could read Japanese. It's clever - but is it legal? A lawyer in Japan says: yeah, pretty much.

2024 Kanji of The Year Is, Once Again, All About Money

The people have spoken: The Kanji of the Year for 2024 is, once again, 金 (kin, kane), meaning money or gold - a character reflecting a range of topics from the Olympics to the LDP's embarrassing political slush fund scandal.

Japan’s Word of the Year for 2024 is One Few Have Heard Of

Is a word of the year the Word of the Year if most of the people who hear it don't know what it means? That's the debate happening in Japan as the annual U-CAN award goes to a term that doesn't seem to ring many bells.

Kaiwai: What this Japanese Word Means – and Why it’s Trending

Trying to keep up with your Japanese slang? Then you'd better learn "kaiwai" - one of the year's most-trending terms.

Why You Should Never Learn Japanese with Romaji

Some argue that beginners to the Japanese language can skip the writing system and just use romaji. Here's why that's never a good idea.

You Can Write These Japanese Loan Words in Kanji (But Probably Shouldn’t)

We typically write them in katakana now - but these Japanese words originally had kanji. How many of these can YOU read?

Tako! How Did “Octopus” Become a Japanese Insult?

Did someone just call you an "octopus"? How "tako" became both a fish and an insult in Japanese (spoiler alert: it involves samurai).

Japanese Language

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