JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Why Did Japan Alone Keep Two Layers of Kanji Readings?
Languages can be stubborn things. You can see this clearly in Japanese, where multiple layers of kanji pronunciation exist to this day.
kanji
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Kanji Kentei: Inside the Japanese Test That Even Japanese People Find Difficult
Forget the JLPT. If you want to take a truly hard Japanese test, check out the Kanji Kentei, whose highest levels have…
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Japan Discovers Changing Your “Kira-Kira” Name is Cheap (But Not Easy)
A viral post brings to light that changing a name in Japan is much cheaper than you might think... but that doesn't…
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
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
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!
INSIDER
Why Supermodel Rola’s Kanji Has Some Fans Worried
Supermodel Rola recently came out with a big announcement - but it's her kanji that has some fans worried for her.
FEATURED
How to Ditch Duolingo and Actually Learn Japanese
Want an alternative to Duolingo now that they're firing workers and resorting to AI slop? Here's a much better way to study…