Category: Reading
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Oops! Now I’ve Gone and Done It! – やってもうた
Here’s a cool little phrase that is worth remembering that can really liven up your Japanese – at least when speaking to yourself! やってもうた emphasises a state of shock and disappointment at mistake you’ve made. You’ll certainly catch people’s attention by using it!
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Proving Your Tardiness
As punctual and reliable as Japanese public transportation is, there are unfortunately occasions where not everything goes according to plan. Tardiness just isn’t acceptable for the working adult, perhaps moreso in Japan than most other countries. So it is then that when even despite your best efforts acts of god seem to smite you, there…
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Fire Safety – 火の用心
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.
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No Loitering or Sleeping in the Station!
A seemingly simple sign in the local train station conceals a couple of juicy words to learn. No loitering or sleeping inside the station premises!
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Please Do It Subway Posters
Tokyo Metro produce refresh their series of subway posters annually, with an unique design for each month. In recent years, the posters by graphic artist Bunpei Yorifuji have been particularly stylish and easy to understand, utilising clever visuals and bright colours to grab the attention of commuters.
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Gugurekasu Lyrics
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…
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Complete – コンプ
Here’s a neat little conversation that I just spotted on Facebook that has a slang term and some pretty simple language. It definitely gives you a better feel for how an actual conversation between two young guys would play out! As you may have guessed from the title, コンプ simply means ‘complete’. As with many…
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Beware of Perverts!
While not an overwhelmingly common sight, in some districts of Japan you may come across signs like the one below that warn against folk of stranger dispositions.
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Haikyo Hiragana Reading Practice
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!
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Japanese Job Hunting Test
Recently as part of my job hunting I had to take a personality test in Japanese. There were quite a number of unusual adjectives that I came across, so I thought the content would be useful for advanced learners of Japanese.