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…
6 Sites All Japanese Learners Should Bookmark
Today I’m going to share a collection of websites that I think are absolutely amazing resources which everyone learning Japanese should know about. A few of them I don’t use (because I’m already fluent in Japanese), but they’re all sites that I either have used, currently use, or wish I had known about when I was still at the beginner-intermediate level.
36 Cool and Obscure Words (WOTD Roundup)
For the last month or so, (almost) every day, I’ve been posting a #Japanese #WOTD on Twitter. Since information on twitter is quickly buried, I’ll leave a record here for the sake of data permanence…
Reading Practice: the Dead Parrot Sketch in Japanese
Month Python’s dead parrot sketch. It’s deservingly one of the most famous sketches in all comedy, in which John Cleese (Mr. Praline) attempts to return a dead parrot to a stubborn pet shop owner…
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!
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).
5 Traits of a Successful Japanese Learner
Let’s be honest, learning a language is tough. While some learners go on to be highly proficient speakers, living and working in their second language, a large number (probably a majority) either give up half way or struggle to progress beyond the intermediate level.
Fortunately, whether or not a person will become an advanced-level bilingual doesn’t seem to have any relation to their IQ or age…
Shorthand Kanji Forms
Shorthand kanji forms (called 略字:ryakuji in Japanese) are something you’re unlikely to come across in your Japanese studies (since they’re technically incorrect), and thanks to the everything-becoming-digital age are less useful than they once were.
Off the Beaten Path: Gujo-Hachiman
What makes this town unique is not only it’s beautiful scenery, but a castle on a steep mountainside with a stunning view, an “old-style town” (古い町並み) that is a pleasant walk, a pristine river that runs through the town, and a certain very unique product that the town is known for.
Otaku Expression: MINAGITTEKITA!!!
Today’s post will be a short one on my favorite expression in Japanese: ミ・ナ・ギ・ッ・テ・キ・ターーーー！！！！！
More from Nihonshock…
