Author: Michael
-
Me? Her? Fangirls! – ミーハー
Don’t look now! It’s the Me-Her girls! The what girls? Say it with me – the Me-Har girls. You’ve got it! ミーハー女子. But what does it mean?
-
Japanese Honorifics
‘Honorific’ is a linguistic term referring to titles added to a person’s name. In Japanese, the vast majority of these are suffixes. You’ve likely have heard one or two in movies: ‘Daniel-san’ and ‘Miyagi-sensei’ spring to mind. Honorifics aren’t just limited to suffixes however. In English for example, we generally use prefixes added to a…
-
Japanese True Love Tester Bra
A little bit racy this post, but if you were able to handle the Condom Word Play frivolities, you’ll enjoy this one. In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Japanese lingerie maker Ravijour is holding its ‘Mood Up’ campaign and has come up with a curious bra design that guarantees not to open unless the lady…
-
The Chubbiness Idol Group
Do you have a フェッチ? If it’s for cute, chubby girls, then this is the lesson for you! In response to the rising popularity of AKB48 and other local idol groups in Japan, a niche collection of girls have popped up aiming to win the hearts and minds of guys who like their idols just…
-
No More Hold-Ups!
もう改札で止まらない！ So goes the catchy line in this advert featuring the pudgy, bulging yurukyara character that is Tokyu’s ‘Noru-run’. The picture speaks a thousand words, but can you figure out the Japanese? It’s quite clever!
-
Fuming Mad – 激おこぷんぷん丸
One of the buzzwords of 2013 in Japan was the rather bizarre word 激おこぷんぷん丸. Originating from Japanese schoolgrils, the word made its way onto the internet and spawned an intriging new meme. Let’s break the word down!
-
10 Japanese Buzzwords for 2013
Every year publisher Jiyu Kokuminsha publishes a list of buzzwords that capture the things that were popular. Everything from popular catchphrases on television to political terminology and even niche terms used on the internet.
-
Japanese Female Divers – 海女
Here’s word rich in culture that’s quite unusual and yet very memorable. Ama (海女) means ‘woman of the sea’ and is used to describe the free-diving ladies of Japan’s costal regions who plunge down to the shallows in order to gather shellfish and other food.
-
Lucky Ears – 福耳
Do you ever secretly worry about the shape of your ears? Perhaps you have larger-than-normal earlobes? Do they droop down in a stretched-out fashion? It may be that you’re one of the lucky owners of ‘fukumimi’!
-
Fist of the North Star – Condom Word Play!
One of Japan’s most famous anime – Hokuto no Ken (北斗の拳), or Fist of the North Star in English, has been united with that most basic of human desires – sex! There should be no mistaking that this post will be for our more mature readers. If you’re easily offended or embarrassed by talking about…