September 2016 – Page 2 – Learning English and Japanese

Toru Sep 21, 2016Jan 06, 2024 come here, dogs, English phrase, Japan, kame, Meiji era, misunderstanding, name, turtles, Western dogs

Inu and Kame (Dogs and Turtles)

Inu and Kame 犬と亀 Dogs are called “inu” in Japan. “Dog” は日本語で「犬」です。 However, in the Meiji era, dogs (especially western Read More

Culture Essay Etymology Idiom Japanese tradition Onomatopoeia Uncorrected

Toru Sep 20, 2016Jan 06, 2024 beasts, bonanza, exaggeration, horabanashi, horafuki, horagai, Japanese, lie, wind instrument, word

Horafuki

Today, I’d like to talk about the Japanese word “horafuki”. ほら吹き The literal meaning is “a person who blows Hora”, Read More

Culture Essay Etymology History Idiom Japanese tradition Slang Uncorrected

Toru Sep 19, 2016Jan 06, 2024 easy, Edo period, etymology, he no kappa, inverting words, Japanese, koppa no hi, literal meaning, slang, trivial

He no Kappa (Water Imp of Farts)

He no Kappa 屁の河童 Today, I will talk about the Japanese slang “he no kappa.” 今日は日本語の俗語「屁の河童」を紹介します。 The literal meaning is Read More

Culture Essay Etymology Idiom Japanese tradition Science Uncorrected

Toru Sep 18, 2016Jan 06, 2024 engineers, frequency, fricative, Japanese, microphone, phrase, plosive, radio signals, testing, translation

Honjitsu wa Seiten Nari (It’s Fine Today)

Honjitsu wa Seiten Nari 本日は晴天なり Japanese people often say “honzitsu wa seiten nari” when testing microphones or wireless applications. 日本では無線やマイクのテストでよく「本日は晴天なり」という表現を使います。 Read More