Photo by e.g.gatsby on Flickr
Granted, there is a debate on what exactly being fluent in Japanese means. Personally my aim is to be conversationally comfortable rather than try and pack in 30,000 words. Truth be told, even if I know 30,000 English words, how many of those will I actually use every day or even in a year? So here’s what I think it means to be fluent in Japanese and how many words that’s going take.
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Photo by Kalexanderson on Flickr
A while back we did a post on how to say you’re sorry in Japanese. The post took a look at some simple ways on how even the most beginner Japanese learner or traveller can express themselves properly. I ran across a more in depth series on the different ways to say you’re sorry over on the LiguaLift blog.
Japan is a country where ostensive humility prevails over and above over almost any other social norm. Japanese people appear to say some variant of the word ‘sorry’ at almost every juncture during their day—even when they have done nothing wrong!
Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of the series. It’s well worth a read if you want a deeper understanding of the various ways and degrees of apologizing in Japanese.
Photo by tokyoform on Flickr
Today’s idiom paints a fun mental picture and is uniquely Japanese. So what exactly is a crying signboard?
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Photo by Ben K Adams on Flickr
Japan has been know as a place where manners go a long way. While style and opinion certainly change, it’s hard to go wrong when you try and be as polite as possible when meeting new people in Japan. For this instalment of our lessons in helpful Japanese travel phrases we thought we’d look out how to say “It was nice to meet you” in Japanese.
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Photo by Bill Gracey on Flickr
The Japanese idiom we’re going to look at today is also very similar to an English idiom of expressing when two things or people cannot seem to mix or get along. It’s called water and oil.
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Photo by GabrielaP93 on Flickr
Back when I started learning Japanese, I had nothing more than some audio lessons and a pile of index cards. It was a simpler time. As I’ve progressed and branched out over the years I’ve expanded and explored many different learning options and digital solutions. This week I’ve decided to get back to the basics.
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Photo by el patojo on Flickr
We have an idiom in English when we do something stupid and have to face the consequences, it’s called being in the doghouse. The Japanese have a something similar, except it has to do with the temperature of your rice :)
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Photo by by quinn.anya on Flickr
Ordering food in Japanese doesn’t need to be an intimidating experience. With these simple phrases and your pointer finger you’ll be ordering food off the Japanese menu like a pro.
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Study abroad programs are an excellent way for students to supplement the educational process with lessons in life. By jetting off to another country to continue the path towards a degree, you will enjoy the opportunity to meet new people and learn about different cultures in a foreign setting. In other words, the experience can open your eyes and expand your mind. However, choosing the right program can be difficult.
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For anyone who’s tried learning to count in Japanese, you’ll soon find out how many strange and annoying variables the Japanese language has for counting. There’s different words for counting days of the week, people, flat items, long slender items, floors in a building, large animals, small animals…and on and on.
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