JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Egui: One Japanese Word’s Journey from “Awful” to “Awesome!”
"Egui" in Japanese used to have a thoroughly negative meaning. Not anymore. Here's when - and why - that changed.
language
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JAPANESE LANGUAGE
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
The 10 Hardest “Kira Kira” Japanese Names to Pronounce
Some Japanese parents love having fun with kanji (much to their kids' eventual regret). Can you pronounce these 10 "kira-kira" names?
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Beware These False Friends Between English and Japanese!
You may think you know what these words mean in Japanese. Think again! A rundown of the language's most famous "false friends".
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Japan’s Hot New Buzzwords Tell the Story of 2022
The hottest new words and phrases of 2022 tell a story of political and economic upheaval, as well as a tale of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
2chan Founder Hiroyuki Under Fire for Insults of Okinawans
Controversial 2chan founder Hiroyuki is spurring controversy again with remarks that Okinawan residents say are discriminatory.
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
In Aichi, This Japanese “Dirty” Word Means Something Different
Dialects are fun. But in the case of this one word from Aichi Prefecture, they can also lead to some hilarious misunderstandings...
CULTURE
The Myth of Japanese Indirectness and “Subtlety”
Stereotypes of Japan as a land of vague meaning and blunted expression are just straight up Orientalism that obscure a complex reality.
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
New App Promises Greater Convenience in Reading Old Japanese Cursive
Kuzushiji, the “crushed letters” found in historical Japanese documents, have long been the bane of scholars. A new app may change all…