Japanese learning blog
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
All articles · Page 95
Japanese Road and Traffic Signs: Shapes, Kanji and Words on the Road
Japanese road signs tell you their type by shape and colour before you read a word: upside-down triangles mean stop or slow, red rings forbid, blue discs permit or require, and the kanji inside follow a few patterns such as kinshi, prohibited.
12 min readJapanese Weather Symbols (Tenki Kigō): Forecast Icons and Map Signs
Japanese weather symbols come in two families: forecast icons, where an arrow means nochi, then, and a small second picture means tokidoki or ichiji, and the tenki kigō of weather maps, circles that fill up as the sky gets worse.
12 min readJapanese Cuts of Meat: Pork, Beef and Chicken Names at the Supermarket
Japanese meat labels name the animal, then the part, then the cut, so buta bara usugiri (豚バラ薄切り) is thinly sliced pork belly; learn about fifteen part names and a handful of shape words and you can read almost every pack.
12 min readJapanese Sushi Types: Nigiri, Gunkan, Maki and the Names of Neta
Japanese names each piece of sushi by its shape and its topping: nigiri is hand-pressed rice under a slice of fish, gunkan-maki is rice walled in nori, maki are rolls, and the topping, called neta, supplies the rest of the name.
12 min readJapanese Vegetable Cutting Styles: Wagiri, Sengiri, Mijingiri and More
Japanese recipes name a cut by the shape it leaves, compared with something familiar such as a ring, a half moon or a ginkgo leaf, so ninjin wa ichōgiri ni suru means quarter the carrot lengthwise and slice it.
11 min readJapanese Seasonal Foods and Shun: What Is in Season, Month by Month
Shun (旬) is the short window when one food is at its best, most plentiful and cheapest; every ingredient has its own, from bamboo shoots in April to saury in September, and Japanese people mention these windows constantly.
13 min readJapanese Traditional Room Parts: Washitsu From Tatami to Tokonoma
A washitsu is a tatami room whose parts all serve one empty space: sliding fusuma and shōji for walls, a tokonoma alcove for display, an oshiire closet for bedding, and a floor you sit and sleep on.
12 min readHow to Wear a Yukata: Left Over Right, the Obi, Geta and Phrases
Put the right side of the yukata against your body first, then lay the left side over it, for men and women alike; tie the obi in front, turn the knot round to the back, and wear geta barefoot.
12 min readHiragana and Katakana Origins: How Kana Came From Kanji
Both kana scripts come from kanji used only for their sound: hiragana is a whole kanji written in flowing cursive, as 安 became あ, while katakana is one piece cut from a kanji, as the left side of 阿 became ア.
13 min readJapanese Symbols and Emoji: What Marks Made in Japan Mean
Most symbols from Japan stand for a Japanese word: 〒 is the post, ※ is kome-jirushi, a note mark, 〜 in a price means kara, from, and the emoji 🈹 and 🈚 are shop-sign kanji for discount and free.
12 min readJapanese Shrine Layout: The Parts of a Shinto Shrine in Order
A Japanese shrine is laid out as a path inward: you pass under the torii, walk the sandō past the komainu guardians, rinse at the temizuya and pray at the haiden, while the honden, the kami's own hall, stays closed behind it.
12 min readKanji With Many Readings: How to Predict Which One Is Meant
A kanji such as 生 has many readings because it was borrowed with more than one Chinese pronunciation and then lent to several native Japanese words; the shape of the word tells you which reading to use, and anchor words settle the rest.
12 min readPractical guides
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