Category Archives: Word of the Moment

Just a quick entry. This morning, minutes after waking up, Makoto saw two of his favorite things at once–grandma (baba) and cat (neko)–and decided to put the two together saying, 「猫ばば」 (neko baba) 猫糞 neko baba [lit. cat poop] is … Continue reading →

Makoto has been enjoying watching となりのトトロ tonari no totoro (My Neighbor Totoro) over and over again.* It is a famous anime that you can buy in the States on DVD through Disney. It is set in rural Japan some time … Continue reading →

Whoah! Setting up a new computer with a few heavy orders days really eats up blog time! Today’s post is brought to you by the hiragana あ and the phrase 百年の恋も冷める. First a word from our sponsors: The Hiragana あ, … Continue reading →

You say ‘good-bye’ and I say ‘hello.’ Or more interestingly: You say ‘good-bye’ and I say ‘あばよ.’ Tired of the same ole 「さようなら」? Or is 「またね」 not cool enough for you anymore? Here are two ways to say ‘good-bye’; both … Continue reading →

In my last post I mentioned a word which means ‘to pretend one is not home when one really is.’ Here it is: 居留守 i rusu It starts with 居. This is the kanji behind the famous 「いる」 which shows … Continue reading →

Let’s take a look at using うるさい urusai to mean ‘fussy’ or ‘choosy.’ うるさい’s usage isn’t limited to ‘loud’ as in the level of volume only, but it is also used to mean ‘shut up!’ and as today’s post shows, … Continue reading →

Here is a fun word I just heard: (from Kenkyusha’s 新和英大辞典) ひょうへん　【豹変】 a drastic change in character ～する suddenly change; change character; become somebody different; change one’s spots This is an interesting word. First, let’s break it down: 豹 hyou … Continue reading →

Yumi just found this gem in a Japanese newspaper. A man asked a child what a word she had written in katakana meant. She said “It’s English.” The child wrote 「アナポ」 さて、質問です。 What could 「アナポ」 mean when returned to its … Continue reading →