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Here are the list of all my articles about Japanese grammar/expressions and culture. For your easier navigate (search), please try the link, "Grammar/Expression Lessons" or "Japanese Culture Lessons."
The Year of the Dog
2006 is the year of the Dog! The Japanese use
animal zodiac symbols like the Chinese. Learn some Japanese expressions
including the word dog.
Most Popular Baby Names of 2005
Here is the list of
50 Popular Kanji (10)
Here is the newest list of 50 popular kanji.
The Year of the Rooster
The Japanese use
animal zodiac symbols like the Chinese. Learn some Japanese expressions
including bird names.
Most Popular Baby Names of 2004
Here is the list of the most popular baby names
of 2004.
Japanese Baby Names for Boys and Girls
50 Popular Kanji (7)
Find the words you like and
learn how to write them in kanji!
Animal Sounds
How do you describe the sounds of animals in your country? It is interesting
that each language has its own special words to describe such sounds.
Katakana in The Matrix
If you are a fan of the movies or a keen learner of Japanese, you might
already know this fact about katakana and The Matrix. Find out more.
Top 10 Japanese Surnames
Ever wondered what the Japanese equivalent of "Smith" is? Here is
the list of the top 10 most common Japanese surnames.
50 Popular Kanji (6)
Find the words you like and
learn how to write them in kanji!
"Spirited Away" won the Oscar
Hayao Miyazaki's critically acclaimed movie "Spirited
Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi)" won the Oscar for Best
Animated Feature Film at the 75th Annual Academy Awards ceremony.
Relationships with Nature: The Firefly
The Japanese word for a firefly is "hotaru." In
some cultures hotaru might not have a positive reputation, but they are well liked in Japanese society.
Find out more.
Japanese Events in February
The calendar might say February is the
beginning of spring, but
The Year of the Sheep
It is the year of the sheep! The Japanese use
animal zodiac symbols like the Chinese. Learn some Japanese expressions
including the word sheep.
Japanese Events in January
The Japanese word for January is "ichi-gatsu"
which literally means "the first month." Learn about events held in
January.
50 Popular Kanji (5)
Kanji might be hard to learn, but it is also a
fun part of the Japanese language.
Learn the kanji characters for the words you like!
Japanese Language Expert Quiz
How
are your Japanese studies? Here is a fun quiz to test your knowledge of the
Japanese language. There are 15 questions and the further you go, the more
difficult it gets. Enjoy!
2002 FIFA World Cup
The FIFA 2002 World Cup
is being held in Asia for first time and is co-hosted by Korea and Japan. Learn
how to write the names of the countries competing in this tournament.
50 Popular Kanji (4)
Kanji might be hard to learn, but it is also a
fun part of the Japanese language.
Learn the kanji characters for the words you like!
The Year of the Horse
It is the year of the horse! The Japanese use
animal zodiac symbols like the Chinese. There are a quite few expressions
including the word horse.
Particles: To
The functions of particle "to" include complete listing, accompaniment,
quotation, and so on.
Japan's New Royal Baby
On December 1st 2001, all of Japan was
overjoyed at the birth of a girl to Crown Princess Masako
Before You Buy a Japanese Dictionary
A dictionary is the essential tool when learning a language. There are many
dictionaries to choose from. I will give you some tips to find the dictionary
for your needs.
Yoji-Jukugo (4)
Yoji-jukugo are
idiomatic expressions made up of four kanji characters.
Learn some
yoji-jukugo tha
Sentence Ending Particles (2)
Learn more about sentence ending particles.
Sentence Ending Particles (1)
In Japanese, there are many particles that are added to the end of a
sentence. They express the speaker's emotions of doubt, emphasis, caution,
hesitation, wonder, admiration, and so on.
Expressions Used in Letters
The difference between written language and conversational language in
Japanese is much greater than in English. Learn some set expressions used
in formal letters.
Japanese for Travelers: Getting Around
Do you plan to go for a trip to Japan? Learn
some useful expressions before you go. Speaking the language of the country you
Conversation Openers and Fillers
In conversations, openers and fillers are used quite often to smooth
communication. Let's learn about frequently used openers and fillers.
Body Part Expressions: Head
There are many expressions including head in Japanese. Let's take a look
these words, phrases and proverbs.
Particles: De
The functions of particle "de" include place of action, means,
materials, and so on.
Particles: Ni
The Particle "ni" has quite a few different functions such as
indirect object marker, location, direction, time, and so on.
Particles: O and No
A particle
Onomatopoeic Phrases (3)
Japanese is
filled with onomatopoeic phrases, the words that describe sound or action
directly. We will take a
look at onomatopoeic phrases related hunger, eating, taste
and so on.
Symbols of Japanese Summer
August is the hottest month of the year in Japan. Not only is the
temperature high, so is the humidity. This week we will look at symbols for the
hot Japanese summer.
Yoji-Jukugo (3)
Yoji-jukugo are
idiomatic expressions made up of four kanji characters.
Shopping at Department
Store
Japanese department stores are much bigger than their North American
counterparts, and you can buy almost anything there. Let's learn useful
expressions for shopping.
Proverbial Flowers
There are quite a few Japanese proverbs
including flowers.
All About
Radicals (3)
This is the last lesson about radicals. We
will take a look at the common
radicals that take the "ashi",
"tare", "nyou" and "kamae" position.
All About
Radicals (1)
A radical is a common sub-element found in
different kanji characters.
The Number Seven
It seems that every culture has lucky numbers and unlucky numbers. Seven
appears to be a universally lucky or holy number. Find out how the number seven is used in
the Japanese language.
Expressing One's
Thoughts
When expressing one's thought, feelings,
opinions, ideas and guesses, "~ to omou (I think that ~)" is
frequently used. Find out more.
Counters
Each language has different ways for counting
objects. Japanese uses a variety of counters, often
The Extended Use of
the Verb "Suru"
The
verb "suru (to do)" has many extended uses that occur quite often.
Specificity of
Japanese Verbs
Some Japanese verbs are more specific when describing actions than
English verbs. We will have a look what verbs are used to describe "to
wear" and "to play".
Soccer Vocabulary
Are you a soccer fan? Can't wait for the World Cup to start next year? Let's
warm up your soccer vocabulary in time for the World Cup!
Particles: Wa VS Ga
Particles are probably one of the most difficult and confusing aspects of
Japanese sentences. The two most confusing seem to be "wa" and "ga".
Japanese Baby Names
Learn
50 Popular Kanji (3)
Kanji might be hard to learn, but it is also a
fun part of the Japanese language.
Yoji-Jukugo (2)
Yoji-jukugo are
idiomatic expressions made up of four kanji characters
Talking on the Phone
Let's learn common expressions used on the
phone
All About Adjectives
There are two types of adjectives in Japanese. Japanese adjectives differ
from their English counterparts. Find out more.
Learn From Movie
Dialogues (2)
Here is another lesson with movie dialogues. If you recognize the
scenes of the movies from the lines, you must be a movie junkie!
Learn From Movie
Dialogues (1)
Have you ever wondered how the movie dialogues are translated into Japanese?
Want to know the phrases that you can actually say or hear in daily
conversation?
All About Verbs
Verbs forms are considered to be difficult to
learn. The good news is the system itself is rather simple, as far as memoriz
Hinamatsuri (Doll's
Festival)
Hinamatsuri (Doll's Festival) is held on March
3rd. This is a day to pray for young girl's growth and happiness. Find out more.
Expressions of Ability
Ability and potential can be expressed by two different ways. Find out more.
Talking About Love
Learn how to say, "I love you" in Japanese. You will also learn
some expressions including the word "love".
Is Red the Color of
Love?
What is like Valentine's Day in Japan? You will also learn Japanese
conception of the color of red, and how they use it in their culture.
Visiting Someone's
Place
Japanese seem to have many formal phrases for certain actions. Learn some
common expressions you are likely to use when visiting Japanese homes.
The Year of the Snake
It is the year of the snake! The Japanese
use animal zodiac symbols like the Chinese. You will learn expressions including
the word snake.
Movie Titles in
Japanese (2)
We will have another look at translated movie
titles.
Movie Titles in
Japanese (1)
Western movies are popular in Japan. When the
titles are translated into Japanese, they are sometimes
turned into totally different ones. Find out more.