JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Why Does Japan Have So Many Last Names Compared to China and Korea?
Why does Japan have hundreds of thousands of surnames while China and Korea rely on a handful? The answer lies in a…
language
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…
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Genericide, Japan Edition: How Japan’s Famous Names Slipped Into Common Speech
Like escalator and aspirin, Japan has its own list of trademarks that have succumbed to popular usage. But while some companies aggressively…
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
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…
INSIDER
“Utility Pole Girls”: Japanese Media Has a Demeaning New Buzzword for Women
A survey of 3,000 women found 58% identified with the phenomenon. But it's the label that has people riled up.
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…