JapanesePod101.com Blog

One month ago, I stepped off the plane at Narita Airport armed with 2 semesters of Japanese language instruction, a handful of Japanese guidebooks/dictionaries, and a naïve confidence of my communication abilities. Although I realized that I was far from fluent, I was sure that I could easily get in a cab, check into my apartment, and get dinner, at the very least. I was wrong. The Taxi Ride Nearly sideswiped by the automatic doors of the taxi, I hopped into the taxi with a map, pointed and stated “Tokyo Weekly Mansions Onegaishimasu.” He then stared at the map blankly, obviously not understanding where to go. After he said a string of incredibly fast Japanese (much faster than the audio recordings played for me in my college... Show more

Someone asked on a recent post at Japanesepod101.com what なつこ先生's name was in 漢字. I said that it was 夏子. I'm pretty sure it's 夏子, in all of the early PDFs, she is listed as 夏子. Almost all Japanese people have 漢字 names, and all family names are 漢字. The last time I went to Japan, I was quite fluent with my 漢字 from my Chinese study, but I still found common Japanese names very interesting. Whenever I'd go into any shop, I'd make a point of reading the various workers' namecards. I found the names fascinating. To someone used to dry, uninteresting Chinese names, Japanese names are a breath of fresh air. They sound like they were made up by hippie parents. Take 夏子 for example (the name, not the lady!) The first character is 'summer', the... Show more

Today we would like to introduce you to our new friend videocaster Yukako Tajima, AKA Tajee. Tajee is a video podcaster from Tokyo, who currently splits her time between the US and Japan podcast/videocast scene. She produces videocasts to help people who are interested in Japanese culture, and the language, and currently, she maintains the following blogs: What's Hot in Tokyo - Tajee, a podcaster from Japan, introduces hot culture and useful Japanese words! Check out the latest one on Suica! She also produces another blog on what is hot on the podcasting scene! This is really nice, as it is bilingual. あみのタジーのポッドキャスト冒険ブログ Tajee's Podcast Adventure! - A bilingual blog on what is hot on the podcasting scene! Mina-san, be sure... Show more

Quick Links Welcome to Kanji Curiosity | The Basics | Glossary In Urdu (the national language of Pakistan), the word kal means both "yesterday" and "tomorrow." Context determines the intended meaning. In a similar way, the meaning of 後 slip-slides from compound to compound, as we can somewhat grasp from its assorted yomi: GO, nochi: after, later KŌ, ushi(ro): behind ato: afterward, subsequent, later, back, rear, remainder, retro- oku(reru): to be late, to lag behind, to fall back I say "somewhat" because in one sense, all the definitions look like close cousins. But from another perspective, that's not necessarily so. Concepts of "after" and "behind" can be tricky in both Japanese and English. To explore this, let's think... Show more

Some of us don't get the opportunity to use what we learn in Japanesepod101.com lessons; Japanese speakers just aren't everywhere. But there is one avenue that we can take advantage of, one which is often overlooked. Our teachers mention it in almost every podcast. It's the message board. In case you haven't noticed, there is a separate message board for every individual lesson at the Japanesepod101.com website. It is where users can post anything. Recently, I have made a conscious decision to post something every day. It wasn't easy at first, but it's getting easier and easier. One of my first problems was not a language problem, but what to post. But once you get your creative side working, it gets easier gradually. Also, after... Show more

Hi everyone! One of the most fun ways to learn a language is to play a game. Some of you might find it easy to learn language when you use your body and learn visually. If you are kinesthetic or visual learner, you should try “Fukuwarai”! Fukuwarai is a Japanese traditional game which is usually played as a New Years game. “Fukuwarai” can help you to learn directions and parts of the face. How do you play Fukuwarai? You have an outline of a blank face and paper cutouts in the shape of the eyes, a nose, and a mouth. The blindfolded player will place the cutouts of the eyes, mouth, etc., while other people give him or her directions by saying “うえ (up), した (down), みぎ (right), ひだり (left)”. When you give the parts of the face to the... Show more

Quick Links Welcome to Kanji Curiosity | The Basics | Glossary In my first blog for JapanesePod101.com, I sought compounds with a neat repetition of shapes, such as 宝玉 (hōgyoku: jewel, gem, treasure + jewel). Soon afterward, I found repeating shapes inside 読売 (to read + to sell), which says Yomiuri, as in the prominent newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. As Yomiuri isn't a real word, I can't help wondering if the founders coined 読売 partly for its visual appeal. Repeated shapes within a compound can be visually arresting. Just look at all these words containing two or more instances of 力 (RYOKU, chikara: power):   助力 (joryoku: help, assistance)     help + power   努力 (doryoku: effort) ... Show more

Quick Links Welcome to Kanji Curiosity | The Basics | Glossary You've likely heard of "voiding the check." Well, today we'll be doing the inverse—checking the void. That is, we'll look at more ways in which 空 conveys a sense of emptiness ... or even a yawning void! A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Empty Empty the mind, empty the mind. That's supposed to be the goal of meditation. But what if people really were empty? That wouldn't be optimal, according to this compound: 空け者 (utsukemono: fool, idiot, dunce)                 empty + person On Options forInsulting Someone ... When 空 has the kun-yomi utsuke, it means "empty-headed" or even "dumb"!... Show more

Hi, everyone! Nowadays, there are many fantastic ways to learn Japanese with modern technology like JapanesePod101.com! One good way to learn and experience Japanese culture and language is to surf YOUTUBE! There are many excellent things, and many not so excellent things, you can find on this website. For example, this video can help you remember some adjectives. This is an actual TV commercial in Japan. This commercial uses i-adjectives in a very simple and funny way! You can find many other ads if you search “Japanese Funny Commercial”. If you are learning Japanese outside of Japan, it is sometimes difficult to find very authentic material, but YOUTUBE provides you with the opportunity to access updated authentic... Show more

Quick Links Welcome to Kanji Curiosity | The Basics | Glossary Musically and astronomically, we know about the dark side of the moon. But what about the dark side of the sky—or rather, the dark side of the "sky" kanji, 空? As I mentioned in my last blog (when discussing 空々しい　(sorazorashii: false, hypocritical) and 空手形 (karategata: bad check; empty promise)), 空 has a seamy side. This kanji often means "fake" or "sham." Take, for example, these words: 空名 (kūmei: empty name; false reputation)             fake + name 空夢 (sorayume: fabricated... Show more