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…
language
Page 6
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
How Nihon Became Japan: The Etymology of Japan in English
Most languages use a variation of the name Japan - except for Japan itself! Learn the etymology of Japan, and the reason…
SOCIETY
Acceptance for “Kira Kira” Names? How Japan’s Koseki Rules May Change
The rise of Japanese "kira kira" names with unexpected kanji readings has sparked controversy over the past few decades. Will altering the…
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Yabai Meaning: From Criminal Slang to 24 Uses Today
There's no word quite like "yabai" in Japanese - an extremely popular slang term that can mean anything from "awful" to "risky"…
HISTORY
Saboru: The Strange Origins of “Cutting Class” in Japanese
Mass strikes, the creation of the 8-hour workday, and an early 20th-century vogue for foreign words - all led to the most…
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
What Japan’s Hot New Buzzwords of 2021 Tell Us
A hot YouTube song, gender equality, and the head of the International Olympic Committee all made 2021's list of Japanese buzzwords. Which…
ENTERTAINMENT
Want Better Localization? Blame Corporate Greed
The entertainment industry’s unwillingness to pay skilled language professionals to produce high-quality localizations is a matter of choice.
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
A Japanese Teacher’s Reflections on “Living” Language
Japanese teacher Chihiro Morioka reflects on a career spent learning and teaching language in both Japanese and English - and the lessons…