Ok, I don’t have an official list, but these three proverbs tend to be the first new learners learn. I like pushing ことわざ kotowaza proverbs and other famous sayings because you essentially kill two birds with one stone - 1) you can learn new vocabulary and 2) learn a bit of cultural Japanese.
Speaking of [...]
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, normally priced at $29.95 fell last week for the first time ever under the $20 mark ($19.99). [...]
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 of which aren’t very useful, but may spice up your Japanese with your friends!
1) さらば [...]
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 existence as in:
犬がいる。
inu ga iru.
There is a dog.
You may happily go about your existence never knowing [...]
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, ‘to be fussy about something.’
Notice the pattern is usually:
(what is being fussed about) + に + [...]
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 leopard (the big cat)
変 hen change (into)
You may think it means to suddenly become as ferocious as a leopard, but [...]
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 home language?
a-na-po
I’ll tell you, but before I do, I’d like to mention Yumi didn’t let me [...]
Today’s excursion into the wonderful world of Japanese leads us to one of the more exciting words in the history of language: わがまま. Go ahead, let ‘er rip. Say that a few times and your mouth will thank you for it. It is almost as fun as そのまま, but not quite.
Yumi was [...]
Yesterday, while eating a watermelon, I wondered when and how Japan got their first watermelons. So I pulled out my Casio XD-GW9600* and did a search for すいか in the Britannica Encyclopedia. Oddly, I couldn’t find it. Undaunted (when have I ever been daunted?), I pressed the Kenkyusha’s giant J-E button but [...]
Here is a new phrase for me. It has a nice sound to it like 中途半端 (chuuto hanpa - doing something halfway) or ぬきあしさしあし (nukuashisashiashi - walking stealthily like a ninja)*
選り取り見取り
yoridori midori
Having lots of choices
Here is the Kenkyusha 和英 entry for 選り取り:
よりどり【選り取り】
choice.
どれでもよりどり３足５００円だよ。
doredemo yoridori sansoku gohyaku en da yo.**
Your Choice! Any 3 [...]
