Shogatsu San ga Nichi (New Year’s Three Days)
Today is the last day of “shogatsu san ga nichi”..“Shogatsu san ga nichi” (which you can call simply “san ga
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Learning English and Japanese
For everyone learning English/Japanese
History
Omisoka (New Year’s Eve)
Omisoka 大晦日 Today is 大晦日 (omisoka), which means new year’s eve. 今日は大晦日です。 “晦日 (misoka)” was originally written as “三十日 (misoka)”,
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Mushi no Shirase (Word of Insects)
Mushi no Shirase 虫の知らせ Today I will talk about the idiom “mushi no shirase”, the literal meaning of which is
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E ni Kaita Mochi (A Rice Cake Drawn in a Picture)
E ni Kaita Mochi 絵に描いた餅 Yesterday I wrote about “mochitsuki” (rice cake pounding). 昨日は「餅つき」について書きました。 Today I will talk about the
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Christmas and Japan
Since today is Christmas, I will talk about trivia related to Christmas. 日本とクリスマス The first Christmas (Mass of Nativity Festival)
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Tokoya (Barber Shop)
Tokoya 床屋 Today I will talk about the etymology of the Japanese word “tokoya”, which means “barber shop”. 今日は「理髪店」を意味する「床屋」という日本語の語源を紹介します。 The
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Ocha wo Nigosu
Today I will talk about the Japanese phrase “ocha wo nigosu.” お茶を濁す The literal meaning is “to roil tea”, and
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Mimi wo Soroeru (To Arrange Ears)
Today I will talk about the Japanese idiom “mimi wo soroeru.” 耳を揃える The literal meaning is “to arrange ears”, and
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