New Articles and Resources

By Namiko Abe, About.com Guide since 1997

Children's Day in Japan and Koinobori Song Created: Tuesday, May 01, 2012 Updated: Tuesday, May 01, 2012
May 5 is Japan's national holiday known as, Kodomo no hi　(Children's day). It is a day to celebrate the health and happiness of children.
The Extended Use of the Verb "Suru" Created: Monday, April 23, 2012 Updated: Monday, April 23, 2012
The verb
Particle "O" and "No" Created: Thursday, April 12, 2012 Updated: Thursday, April 12, 2012
A particle is a word that shows the relationship of a word, a phrase, or a clause to the rest of the sentence. We will look at the functions of the particle
Learn Japanese: How to Count from 1 to 10 Video Created: Thursday, April 12, 2012 Updated: Thursday, April 12, 2012
Learning Japanese is easier than you think and we'll teach you how to count from 1-10 like a native speaker! Watch this About.com video to see how it's done.
Expressions of Ability Created: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Ability and potential can be expressed by two different ways in Japanese.
Kanji for "Fish" and Fish Proverbs Created: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 Updated: Sunday, March 25, 2012
Learn the kanji character for
Learn Japanese: How to Say "Isn't That Terrible" Video Created: Friday, March 09, 2012 Updated: Friday, March 09, 2012
Japanese is a difficult language to learn but practicing Japanese in short phrases makes the process easier. Watch this language video from About.com to learn how to say
Japanese Tattoos: Popular Kanji Characters for Tattoos Video Created: Wednesday, February 29, 2012 Updated: Monday, April 09, 2012
Kanji characters are popular symbols for tattoo, but be sure you know how the Kanji is correctly translated. Watch this video from About.com for more on Kanji symbols for tattoos.
Japanese Fish Proverbs Created: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 Updated: Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Fish are closely related to Japanese culture. There are quite a few expressions and proverbs including fish in Japanese. Find out more.
Free japanese language videos Created: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 Updated: Friday, March 16, 2012
Here is a list of free instructional Japanese language videos to improve your comprehension. There is also a variety of free Japanese audio files available on my
Expressions of Desire Created: Monday, January 23, 2012 Updated: Monday, January 23, 2012
There are two ways to express desire or wish.
Hiragana - Learn Japanese: What Are Hiragana Characters? Video Created: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 Updated: Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Hiragana characters are one of the alphabets commonly used to write Japanese. Here's a brief video overview of what Hiragana characters look like and how they sound.
Hiragana - Learn Japanese: How to Write Hiragana Part 11: Dashes and Circles Video Created: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 Updated: Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Learning to write Hiragana characters is an important part of learning Japanese. Here is a video that teaches you to write Hiragana characters that use dashes and circles.
Learn Japanese - Learn Japanese: How to Say "I Love You" Video Created: Friday, January 13, 2012 Updated: Friday, January 13, 2012
Japanese Names - Learn Japanese: Common Girls' Names in Japan Video Created: Friday, January 13, 2012 Updated: Friday, January 13, 2012
Japanese names have a great deal of meaning, with certain names becoming more popular than others based on trends. Here's a video listing some of the most common Japanese girls' names.
Japanese Names - Learn Japanese: Meaning of Boys' Names in Japan Video Created: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Japanese boys' names are chosen because of their meaning, and there's a wide range of names to choose from. Here's a video list of the meanings of a couple of the most popular Japanese boys' names...
Japanese Number Seven Created: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, January 11, 2012
It seems that every culture has lucky numbers and unlucky numbers. In Japan, four and nine are considered unlucky numbers because of their pronunciation
Japanese Names - Learn Japanese: Common Boys' Names in Japan Video Created: Monday, January 09, 2012 Updated: Monday, January 09, 2012
Japanese boys' names vary in popularity over time thanks to trends and fashions, just like all other names. Here's a video about the most common contemporary Japanese boys' names.
Japanese Names - Learn Japanese: Trends in Girls' Names in Japan Video Created: Monday, January 09, 2012 Updated: Monday, January 09, 2012
Japanese girls' names have changed quite a bit over the last fifty years. It's interesting to see how those trends have changed. Here's a video detailing the popularity of different Japanese girls'..
Japanese Names - Learn Japanese: Meaning of Girls' Names in Japan Video Created: Monday, January 09, 2012 Updated: Monday, January 09, 2012
Japanese names have very specific meanings, and these meanings account for the popularity of certain names. Here's a video overview of the meanings of some of the most popular Japanese girls' names..
Japanese Names - Learn Japanese: Trends in Boys' Names in Japan Video Created: Monday, January 09, 2012 Updated: Monday, January 09, 2012
Japanese names, like names everywhere, are subject to changing trends and fashions. This video gives a brief overview of some trends in Japanese boys' names.
Learn Japanese: How to Say "Anything" Video Created: Friday, January 06, 2012 Updated: Friday, January 06, 2012
Japanese is a tough language to learn, so take it step by step. Learn how to say
Learn Japanese - Learn Japanese: Useful Expressions for a Toast Video Created: Wednesday, December 28, 2011 Updated: Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Learning Japanese should entail learning phrases that will be used in common social situations, like toasts. Here is a lesson to help you learn some common Japanese toasts.
The Year of Dragon - Tatsudoshi Created: Tuesday, December 27, 2011 Updated: Friday, January 27, 2012
2012 is the year of the dragon.
Learn Japanese: Key Phrases for Dating Video Created: Friday, December 23, 2011 Updated: Friday, December 23, 2011
Learn Japanese by practicing key phrases day by day. In this Japanese language tutorial you will learn key phrases for dating.
Learn Japanese: How to Write the Kanji for "Love" Video Created: Friday, December 23, 2011 Updated: Friday, December 23, 2011
Learn the Japanese Kanji for love including how to write the symbol in its proper stroke order. Though it may seem like a difficult writing style, you can learn Japanese Kanji with practice.
Japanese Tattoos: Picking the Right Kanji Style Video Created: Friday, December 23, 2011 Updated: Friday, December 23, 2011
Popular Japanese tattoos use different kanji styles. Learn about the different kanji styles used in tattoo designs to create the best looking tattoo for you.
Learn Japanese: How to Write Hiragana Part 10: wa, o, n Video Created: Thursday, December 22, 2011 Updated: Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Learn Japanese in small parts in order to begin mastering the language. In this Japanese tutorial from About.com you will learn how to say and write the Japanese sounds,
Learn Japanese: How to Write Compass Directions in Hiragana Video Created: Thursday, December 22, 2011 Updated: Thursday, December 22, 2011
Learn Japanese in small parts in order to begin mastering the language. In this Japanese language tutorial you will learn how to speak and write the four compass directions in Hiragana
Learn Japanese: How to Write Seasons in Hiragana Video Created: Thursday, December 22, 2011 Updated: Thursday, December 22, 2011
Learn Japanese in small parts in order to begin mastering the language. In this Japanese language tutorial you will learn how to speak and write the four seasons in Hiragana
Learn Japanese: How to Write Hiragana Part 11: Extended Sounds Video Created: Thursday, December 22, 2011 Updated: Thursday, December 22, 2011
Japanese extended sounds are compound syllables that combine two Hiragana. Learn Japanese extended sounds with this helpful language tutorial.
How to write collapse in Japanese kanji Created: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 Updated: Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Kanji Land Lesson - Learn how to write kanji character for collapse

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