The holidays are finally here! Gather around the Christmas tree for some Kentucky Fried Chicken and cake!
Wait a minute… KFC and cake?
That’s right, Christmas in Japan is a bit different than what you may be used to.
There …
It’s celebration time!
Put on your party hat and go wish someone a happy birthday—in Japanese!
…But wait a minute, are you sure you know how to?
Japanese is a language that places emphasis on relationships and politeness.
That …
Remember the guy who changed his legal name to Captain Awesome?
Or the little girl with the name “Moxie CrimeFighter?”
Those are pretty bizarre names.
…But guess what?
漢字(かんじ) — kanji can form extraordinary names, too!
And …
Have you ever found yourself struggling to end your sentences with a bang?
Like a “bang” that screams “I’m a grammar guru?”
Or perhaps you’ve been listening to native Japanese speakers’ sentences and realize that you hear a certain word …
If you’ve ever been stuck on the crowded trains of Tokyo, you know the relief of being offered a seat (though it rarely happens!).
So when somebody is nice enough to give your aching legs a rest, what would you …
Unlike written English, which uses a mere 24 letters, kanji is made up of 2,000 commonly used characters.
As a Japanese language learner, mistakes are totally understandable, but can be nonetheless embarrassing—especially when a few missed strokes can …
“Do you like reading manga?”
First of all, yes! I do.
But why do we ask people if they like reading “manga” and not “mangas”?
I’ll give you a hint: It’s the same reason we call them emoji and not …