On May 1st 2019 Japan entered a new official era to mark the new emperor’s ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne. The name chosen for this era, Reiwa, uses two Chinese characters 令和, which were taken from an ancient Japanese poetry collection called the Man’yōshū. Oddly … [Read more...] about A Myriad Leaves: The Timeless Poems of the Man’yōshū
All About Wa – The Significance of the Kanji 和 in Japanese Language & Culture
If you ever live in Japan, sooner or later you are going to encounter the kanji character 和. Pronounced “wa” it is frequently used as a prefix in kanji compounds to mean “Japanese” or “Japanese style”. Here are some examples: 和紙 (washi) = Japanese paper 和歌 (waka) = a … [Read more...] about All About Wa – The Significance of the Kanji 和 in Japanese Language & Culture
Why Study Japanese: Seven Impractical Reasons
Japanese is a fascinating language, but studying it can be a challenge. Whether it’s the complex writing system, the unfamiliar sentence structure, the heavy emphasis on honorifics, or the plethora of particles, there will inevitably be times when you will feel utterly perplexed … [Read more...] about Why Study Japanese: Seven Impractical Reasons
Why Study Japanese: Seven Practical Reasons
Learning any language requires commitment, but Japanese is harder than most. It is widely accepted that for people who do not have an East Asian language background, Japanese is one of the hardest languages to learn. The U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI) actually puts Japanese … [Read more...] about Why Study Japanese: Seven Practical Reasons
All About Kana and Kanji — An Introduction to the Japanese Writing System
The Japanese writing system is a complex system of interconnected parts. There are two phonetic syllabaries called kana, which are used to represent syllable sounds, and there are Chinese characters used to represent meaning, which in Japanese are called kanji. You can see a good … [Read more...] about All About Kana and Kanji — An Introduction to the Japanese Writing System