Have you ever noticed the Kanji character used on the 10,000 yen Japanese banknote? If you’ve got your basic Japanese numerals down, you know that the character for 10,000 is 万 (まん) – a standard unit in the Japanese counting system. But what about the strange character in front of it? Why does the banknote [...]
One of the more iconic types of poster you’ll find in Japan are the fire safety posters. Often adorned with a cute girl or popular celebrity, they aim to raise awareness of accidental fires in the home and encourage people to be vigilant.
Here are the lyrics to the famous Vocaloid song ‘Gugurekasu’ – Go Google it! The song was created by AaminP (あー民P) using the voices of vocaloid characters Megurine Luka and Kamui Gakupo -【巡音ルカと神威がくぽ】. I’ve also added translation notes and insights into the Japanese language used and slang terms from 2ch at the bottom of this [...]
The word Shuhari is originally a Japanese martial arts concept from Bushido that describes the stages leading to mastery in a given discipline, but it can also be applied in other fields and situations, such as the entertainment sector or in business. Let’s break it down. 守破離 しゅはり The 3 stages of learning that lead [...]
Recently I had an article published in the Hiragana Times (on sale in Japan this month) about Haikyo – Japan’s abandoned buildings. The main article is only available in the magazine, but there’s a small summary on the Hiragana Times homepage that makes for some good reading practice for beginners. Enjoy!
Something you’ll see a lot of in Japanese is the Kanji 会 (かい), which symbolises a grouping or meeting. Its uses are quite broad, from titles, such as ‘International Association’ (交際交流会 – こくさいこうりゅうかい) to birthday party (誕生日会 – たんじょうびかい) . The trick is simply to look for the Kanji on the end and think of [...]
A recent slang term that has naturally evolved with increased use of the internet and virtual interaction. The word is a mixture of リアル and 充実 (じゅうじつ) and refers to a person who is has a rich and satisfying offline (real) life. This is meant in contrast to an online (virtual) life that revolves around [...]
Continuing with the top 10 buzzwords of 2011 then, we take a look at the remaining 5 terms with were picked to best represent the year in Japan.
Publisher Jiyu Kokuminsha just released the year’s top 10 buzzwords. Selected by a panel of judges, they encapsulate the major trends throughout 2011. You can view the full list of 60 that were candidates here on Gakuranman.com and read more about the top 10 below. Naturally, as a Japanese lesson!
A bit of an unusual update today. You have heard that the residence management system in Japan will be undergoing some rather big changes from July 2012. The current alien registration system will be abolished, and foreign nationals will be given a new ‘residence card’. They will also for the first time be able to [...]
