language – Learning English and Japanese

Toru Dec 22, 2023Jan 01, 2024 confusion, expression, idiom, Japanese, language, panic, right and left, rushing, synonym, wandering

Uō Saō (右往左往 – Helter-Skelter)

Uō Saō 右往左往 The four-character idiom uō saō (右往左往) describes a situation where someone is confused and wanders around. 混乱し、あっちへ行ったりこっちへ行ったりうろうろすることを、「右往左往」と言います。 Read More

Culture Essay Idiom Japanese tradition Kanji Slang Uncorrected

Toru Dec 14, 2023Jan 02, 2024 bokyahin, Japanese, language, literal meaning, obselete, poor, slang, study, term, vocabulary

Bokyahin (ボキャ貧 – Limited Vocabulary)

Bokyahin ボキャ貧 Over the past two days, I introduced slang terms that mean limited vocabulary. 昨日と一昨日に、語彙力が不足していることを意味する表現を紹介しました。 There is another similar Read More

Culture Essay Idiom Japanese tradition Kanji Proverb Uncorrected

Toru Sep 30, 2023Jan 02, 2024 expression, iwazu mogana, Japanese, language, negative suffix, old-fashioned, pronunciation, saying, traditional, wish

Iwazu Mogana (言わずもがな – Needless to Say)

Iwazu Mogana 言わずもがな When describing a situation where “something should not be said” or “something is needless to say,” you Read More

Culture Essay Etymology Food Idiom Japanese tradition Onomatopoeia Slang Uncorrected

Toru Aug 25, 2023Jan 01, 2024 ahan, gotsu gotsu, hot rice, humor, Japanese, language, onomatopoeia, phrase, sound, spoonerism

Spoonerism: Part 2

Spoonerism: Part 2 スプーナリズム Part 2 One of my favorite spoonerisms in Japanese is gotsu gotsu no ahan (ゴツゴツのアハン). 私が個人的に好きなスプーナリズムの一つに、「ゴツゴツのアハン」があります。 Read More

Culture Diary Etymology Idiom Japanese tradition Kanji Slang Uncorrected

Toru Jun 17, 2023Jan 02, 2024 chan chara okashī, comical, etymology, funny, Japanese puppet theater, kabuki, language, ningyo-joruri, ridiculous, slang

Chan Chara Okashī (ちゃんちゃらおかしい – Fiddle-faddle)

Chan Chara Okashī ちゃんちゃらおかしい To describe something too ridiculous, you can use the slang term chan chara okashī (ちゃんちゃらおかしい). あまりにも馬鹿げているようなことがあったとき、「ちゃんちゃらおかしい」という俗語を使うことができます。 Read More

Culture Essay Etymology Idiom Japanese tradition Kanji Onomatopoeia Slang Uncorrected

Toru Apr 05, 2023Jan 02, 2024 etymology, gen, Japanese, language, laughing, meaning, shissho, shitsu, shitsugen, shitugen

Shitsugen (失言 – Slipping of the Tongue)

Shitugen 失言 I said several shitugen (失言) today. 私は今日、幾つかの「失言」をしました。 Shitsu (失) often means “to lose something,” but here it means Read More

Corrected Culture Essay Etymology Idiom Japanese tradition Kanji Onomatopoeia

Toru Aug 12, 2021Jan 08, 2024 ear, hearing, Japanese, language, lyrics, phantom, phenomenon, soramimi, teacup, yunomi

Soramimi (空耳 – Hearing Things)

Soramimi 空耳 Lately, I’ve been hearing the small cry of a kitten in the evening. 最近、夕方になると子猫の小さな鳴き声が聞こえてきます。 However, this might be Read More

Business Culture Essay Etymology Idiom Japanese tradition Kanji Uncorrected

Toru Aug 11, 2021Jan 02, 2024 benkyo, commercial, discounting, Japanese, language, negotiations, polite, study, textbooks, transactions

Benkyō (勉強 – Discounting/Study)

Benkyō 勉強 There is a Japanese term, benkyō (勉強), which means “study.” “Study” を意味する「勉強」という日本語があります。 Japanese language learning textbooks will always Read More

Essay Etymology History Uncorrected

Toru Apr 16, 2019 0 Comments antiquated, dead, dead language, dead word, death, language, linguistics, obsolete, obsolete word, term, word

Shigo (死語 – Dead Language/Word)

Shigo 死語 In my post yesterday, I used the Japanese word ‘shigo‘ (死語). 昨日の投稿の中で、「死語」という言葉を使いました。 Since ‘shi‘ (死) means “death/dead” and Read More