Apr
28
2013

Japanese Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia. That’s a big scary term with a much less daunting meaning: any word that mimics a sound. In English, onomatopoeia consists of words like “boom”, “pop”, and “cock-a-doodle-do”.

Of course, Japanese also has onomatopoeia (which they call 擬態語 : ぎたいご). They have LOTS of it…

Japanese Onomatopoeia
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Do you know these Japanese words?

These are the latest additions to the Nihonshock Vocabulary Bank Want to see all the words?

醍醐味

だいごみ [daigomi] – This word refers to the most interesting/pleasurable/thrilling thing in some category. The word 醍醐 comes from…

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別腹

べつばら [betsubara] is your “separate stomach.” Specifically, it’s the (imaginary) one where you always seem to have room for dessert even after a big dinner.

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Oct
20
2012

Numbers and Time Cheat Sheet (PDF)

For those of you who missed it because you aren’t connected with Nihonshock on either Twitter or Facebook (shame on you!), I just released a digital version of one of the most popular sheets in the full Cheat Sheet Pack!

Numbers and Time Cheat Sheet (PDF)
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Oct
15
2012

Basic Japanese Cheat Sheet: Digital Version!

Today I am releasing a version of the Basic Japanese cheat sheet which has been fully optimized for use on a computer (or computer-like device).

Basic Japanese Cheat Sheet: Digital Version!
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Jun
01
2012

Japanese Cheat Sheet Pack

At last, the time has come to unveil what I’ve spent the last several months working on: a pack of Japanese cheat sheets for intermediate to advanced Japanese learners.

Japanese Cheat Sheet Pack
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Feb
05
2010

Japanese Cheat Sheet

After 2 months of planning and composition (okay, so I did procrastinate quite a bit), I now understand how Moses felt when he descended Mount Sinai with the holy tablets. Behold, Nihonshock’s newly revised and much improved Japanese cheat sheet!

Japanese Cheat Sheet
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Jan
01
2010

Nihonshock 2010

In any country, the start of a New Year is a time to reflect upon the past and to make goals and plans for the future. In the English-speaking world, we have “New Year’s Resolutions” but in Japan they have 新年の目標 (shinnen no mokuhyou).

How did you do last year? What are your goals for the new year?…

Nihonshock 2010
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