Feature Articles
Language
11/18/01 - Yoji-Jukugo (4)
Yoji-jukugo are idiomatic expressions made up of four kanji characters. Learn some yoji-jukugo that express the tactics or one's attitude when playing games, or trying something.08/19/01 - 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 of the hot Japanese summer.08/12/01 - Yoji-Jukugo (3)
Yoji-jukugo are idiomatic expressions made up of four kanji characters. Learn some yoji-jukugo that can be used as tattoo designs.07/15/01 - 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.07/08/01 - All About Radicals (2)
We will take a look at the common radicals that take the "tsukuri" and "kanmuri" position.07/01/01 - All About Radicals (1)
A radical is a common sub-element found in different kanji characters. Radicals express the general nature of the kanji characters. If you memorize some of the important radicals, they will help you to figure out the meanings of many kanji!06/24/01 - 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.05/20/01 - 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!05/06/01 - Trends in Baby Names
Baby names are like mirrors to reflect the times. Let's have a look at the transitions in popular baby names and recent trends.04/29/01 - Japanese Baby Names
Learn about naming conventions and the meanings of Japanese names. There are links to explore thousands of Japanese baby names.04/22/01 - 50 Popular Kanji (3)
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!04/15/01 - Yoji-Jukugo
Yoji-jukugo are idiomatic expressions made up of four kanji characters. Learn yoji-Jukugo including the kanji character for "one".03/25/01 - 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!03/18/01 - 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?02/11/01 - Talking About Love
Learn how to say, "I love you" in Japanese. You will also learn some expressions including the word "love".02/04/01 - 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.01/21/01 - 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 snake.01/14/01 - Movie Titles in Japanese (2)
We will have another look at translated movie titles.01/07/01 - 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 titles from the ones in English. Find out more.12/09/00 - Writing New Year's Cards
The Japanese send New Year's cards rather than Christmas cards. Try sending them to surprise your Japanese friends!12/02/00 - 50 Popular Kanji (2)
Learn kanji through words you like. There are also sound files to help your pronunciation.10/21/00 - Who Wants to be a Japanese Language Expert?
Ever wonder what "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" might look like if there were only Japanese language questions? Take the quiz and find out how you would do.10/14/00 - Yoji-jukugo
Yoji-jukugo (four character kanji compounds) are idiomatic expressions made up of four kanji characters.08/20/99 - Borrowed Words
Learn how European languages have influenced Japan.04/18/99 - Characteristics of Japanese Words
There are three different categories of words in the Japanese language.04/05/99 - Why Learn Japanese
Thoughts on learning Japanese.01/07/99 - Peculiarities of Japanese
Learn about the unusual aspects of Japanese greetings.10/18/98 - Is Japanese hard to learn?
This week we will see if Japanese is difficult to learn.07/29/98 - The Sounds of Japanese
A look at some of the basic aspects of pronunciation.02/17/98 - Word Search
How many Japanese words can you find in this word search puzzle?10/23/97 - Borrowed English
A growing concern in Japan, where English words are becoming more prevalent.09/25/97 - A Friendly Word
The Japanese are very fond of salutations and other such pleasantries, though some are reserved just for friends.06/23/97 - Moji
This weeks feature will focus on some history of the the three Japanese writing (moji) systems.06/14/97 - About Nihongo
It is not absolutely known to which language group Nihongo (Japanese language) belongs. The structure of Nihongo is completely different from Indo-European languages such as English and French.05/29/97 - Hogen
To a foreigner, Japan may seem like a homogeneous country. The truth is that Japan has a wide variety of regional dialects that needed to be united to maintain communication.05/22/97 - Keigo
Honorific language is a staple of Japanese communication. This is a very important part of the Japanese language that is not to be missed.
