CultureEssayIdiomJapanese traditionKanjiProverbUncorrected Toru Aug 23, 2023Jan 01, 2024 clear, context, doubt, expression, fire, Japanese, literal meaning, negative, obvious, see Hi wo Miru yori mo Akiraka (火を見るよりも明らか – Completely Obvious) Hi wo Miru yori mo Akiraka 火を見るよりも明らか Things that are completely obvious and beyond doubt are sometimes described as hi Read More
CultureEssayEtymologyIdiomJapanese traditionOnomatopoeiaSlangUncorrected Toru Jul 02, 2023Jan 02, 2024 adjective, awesome, exclamation, extreme, incredible, Japanese, negative, oh my gosh, positive, yabai Yabai (やばい – Incredible) Yabai やばい Japanese young people often use the word, yabai (やばい). 日本の若者がよく使う言葉に「やばい」があります。 Yabai is an adjective that represents a severe Read More
AnimalCultureEssayEtymologyIdiomSlangUncorrected Toru Jun 01, 2023Jan 02, 2024 Chinese, dog, English, Japanese, Korean, negative, single, slang, unattractive, worthless The Meaning of Dog: Part 2 The Meaning of Dog: Part 2 犬の意味 Part 2 In Part 1, I introduced several slang meanings of “dog” in Read More
CultureEssayEtymologyIdiomJapanese traditionKanjiProverbSlangUncorrected Toru Sep 19, 2021Jan 02, 2024 hitosujinawa, idiom, ikanai, Japanese, meaning, negative, one, rope, standard way, tool Hitosujinawa de wa Ikanai (一筋縄ではいかない – Being Never Easy) Hitosujinawa de wa Ikanai 一筋縄ではいかない When a standard way of doing something does not work, it can be described as Read More
CorrectedEssayIdiomKanji Toru Jul 09, 2021Aug 01, 2021 0 Comments action, doing, four-character idiom, negative, positive, saying, talk, walk, words Fugen Jikkō and Yūgen Jikkō (不言実行と有言実行 – Action before Words / Walking the Talk) Fugen Jikkō and Yūgen Jikkō 不言実行と有言実行 To do what you have to do without saying a word is described as Read More
EssayEtymologyKanjiUncorrected Toru Oct 09, 2019Jun 01, 2021 0 Comments complete stranger, emphasize, family, friend, negative, phrase, relationship, stranger, thing En mo Yukari mo Nai (縁もゆかりもない – Complete Stranger) En mo Yukari mo Nai 縁もゆかりもない When describing that there is no relationship between things or people, you can say Read More
EssayEtymologyUncorrected Toru Jun 24, 2019 0 Comments chance, finish, fisherman, fishermen, high tide, indicator, leave, low tide, mistake, moment, negative, quit, start, tide, time Shiodoki (潮時 – Time/Chance) Shiodoki 潮時 Everything has its shiodoki (潮時). あらゆる物事には「潮時」があります。 Shio (潮) means “tide” abd doki/toki (時) means “time,” so the literal Read More
EssayEtymologyUncorrected Toru Jun 13, 2019 0 Comments degree, deny, hair, head, least, least of all, negative, no, nothing, slight, small, tip, tip of hair Mōtō-nai (毛頭ない – Least of All) Mōtō-nai 毛頭ない When denying something strongly, we sometimes say mōtō-nai (毛頭ない) by adding mōtō (毛頭) to the negative term nai Read More
EssayEtymologyUncorrected Toru May 15, 2019Jun 01, 2021 0 Comments bearish, bearish attitude, defiant, defiant attitude, fight, negative, quarrel, waist, weak Kengka-goshi and Yowa-goshi (喧嘩腰と弱腰 – Defiant Attitude and Bearish Attitude) Kengka-goshi and Yowa-goshi 喧嘩腰と弱腰 In my post yesterday, I used the Japanese term kenka-goshi (喧嘩腰), which means an attitude that Read More