Japanese Language
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.
February 22, 2024
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.
We typically write them in katakana now – but these Japanese words originally had kanji. How many of these can YOU read?
Japan maintains an “official” list of kanji. But some “unofficial” kanji are also in common use – and chances are you know a few.
Some Japanese parents love having fun with kanji (much to their kids’ eventual regret). Can you pronounce these 10 “kira-kira” names?
Kuzushiji, the “crushed letters” found in historical Japanese documents, have long been the bane of scholars. A new app may change all that.
Most languages use a variation of the name Japan – except for Japan itself! Learn the etymology of Japan, and the reason for the difference.
The trick to memorizing kanji for the JLPT is… don’t! Instead, focus on learning kanji radicals, the alphabet of kanji characters!
Learning Japanese requires a lot of memorization. But this simple tidbit of knowledge makes learning some words just a little bit easier.
What one Japanese ideograph best represents the year of COVID-19? Learn more about the winning kanji – and the runner-ups.
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