日
reading: hi, bi, jitsu, ka, nichi, ni,
meaning: day, everyday, the sun, Japan
examples:
*日焼けする hiyake suru/ get a sun tan
*日焼け止めを塗る hiyakedome wo nuru/
apply [put on] sunscreen [sunblock]
*日々 hibi/ everyday, daily, day-to-day, days=毎日 mainichi
e.g. 日々の生活 hibi no seikatsu/ everyday[daily] life
日々の食事/食生活 hibi no shokuji/ shokuseikatsu/ daily diet
幸せな日々を送る shiawase na hibi wo okuru/ spend happy days
*日曜日 (too much 日!) nichiyoubi/ Sunday
*休日 kyuujitsu/ holiday, day off
*本日 honjitsu/ today=今日 kyou(exceptional reading of the kanji)/ today
Note that 本日Honjitu sounds more formal.
*三日、３日 mikka/ the third day, three days
*日常会話 nichijo kaiwa/ daily [everyday] conversation
*日米関係 nichibei kankei/ Japan-U.S. relations/relationship
*日本 nihon, nippon/ Japan
e.g. 日本人と結婚したい nihonjin to kekkon sitai/ I want to marry a Japanese man/woman.
*日記 nikki/ diary, journal
e.g. 毎日、日本語で日記を書く (too much 日, again!) mainichi nihongo de nikki wo kaku/ keep a journal in Japanese every day
Please note that examples shown above are the major usage of the kanji. I might not have included all the meanings and readings.
Showing posts with label tips for learning Japanese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tips for learning Japanese. Show all posts
July 14, 2008
June 27, 2008
Tokyo Movie Experience Part 3
About 50-60% of the movies here in Japan are Japanese, but I rarely see them. I've never seen any Kurosawa films. I'm so into Hollywood movies and TV series.American movie titles are often renamed and become longer than the original titles when these are translated into Japanese. Take a look at Japan box office below to see the diffrences. The titles in boldface are the original ones. Japanese movies are written in purple.
Japan box office Weekend of June 21, 2008 - June 22, 2008
(Japanese->reading in Katakana->English translation->English original title)
1. インディ・ジョーンズ クリスタル・スカルの王国 Indy Jones: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ---> Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
2. ザ・マジック・アワー The Magic Hour
3. 奇跡のシンフォニー Kiseki no shinfonii/The Miracle Symphony--->August Rush
4. ナルニア国物語 第2章：カスピアン王子の角笛 Naruniakoku monogatari dainishou: kasupian ouji no tunobue/The Chronicles of Narnia Chapter 2: The Horn of Prince Caspian --->The The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
5. 相棒 劇場版 絶体絶命 東京ビッグシティマラソン42.195km Aibou Gekijyoban Zettaizetsumei Tokyo Big City Marathon 42.195km /Partner the Movie: Catch-22 Tokyo Big City Marathon 42.195km
6. 西の魔女が死んだ Nishi no majo ga shinda/ The Witch of the West is Dead
7. 僕の彼女はサイボーグ Boku no Kanojyo wa Saibougu/ My Girlfriend is a Cyborg
8. 築地魚河岸三代目 Tsukiji Uogashi Sandaime/The Third Generation of Tsukiji Riverside Fish Market
9. ラスベガスをぶっつぶせ Ras Begasu wo buttsubuse/Beat Las Vegas--->21
10. ダイブ!! Daibu!!/Dive!!
Source: MovieWalker /Kogyo Tsushinsha
Click on movie names to get details. Some of these websites will automatically start with movie trailers.
Ta-da! Speed Racer will finally open on July 5. Have you seen it? Jin Akanishi is a voice actor in the movie. I can't wait to see (or listen to) it!Related posts:
Tokyo Movie Experience Part 1
Tokyo Movie Experience Part 2
June 10, 2008
Kanji of the Day
和
reading: wa, nago(-mu, -yaka), yawa(-ragu), kazu(used for personal names)
meaning: peace, harmony, calm, comforting, friendly, soften, relax, Japanese
examples:
*平和 heiwa/ peace
*調和 chouwa/ harmony
*和む nagomu/ calm, comforting, soothing, gentle
e.g. 心が和む曲をかけるkokoro ga nagomu kyoku wo kakeru/
play some soothing music
*和やか nagoyaka/ friendly, peaceful
e.g. 和やかな雰囲気 nagoyaka na funiki/ friendly atmosphere
*和らぐ yawaragu/ soften, ease, relax
e.g. 緊張が和らぐ香り kincho ga yawaragu kaori
=緊張を和らげる香り kincho wo yawarageru kaori/
fragrance which helps release tension
*和服 wafuku/ kimono
*和訳 wayaku/ Japanese translation
*和菓子wagashi/ Japanese cake/confectionery
Please note that examples shown above are the major usage of the kanji.
I might not have included all the meanings and readings.
reading: wa, nago(-mu, -yaka), yawa(-ragu), kazu(used for personal names)
meaning: peace, harmony, calm, comforting, friendly, soften, relax, Japanese
examples:
*平和 heiwa/ peace
*調和 chouwa/ harmony
*和む nagomu/ calm, comforting, soothing, gentle
e.g. 心が和む曲をかけるkokoro ga nagomu kyoku wo kakeru/
play some soothing music
*和やか nagoyaka/ friendly, peaceful
e.g. 和やかな雰囲気 nagoyaka na funiki/ friendly atmosphere
*和らぐ yawaragu/ soften, ease, relax
e.g. 緊張が和らぐ香り kincho ga yawaragu kaori
=緊張を和らげる香り kincho wo yawarageru kaori/
fragrance which helps release tension
*和服 wafuku/ kimono
*和訳 wayaku/ Japanese translation
*和菓子wagashi/ Japanese cake/confectionery
Please note that examples shown above are the major usage of the kanji.
I might not have included all the meanings and readings.
May 19, 2008
6 Reasons to Blog in Japanese
If you are learning Japanese, have you ever hoped to blog in Japanese? You can open your Japanese blog even today if you decide you should do so no matter how poor you think your skills are. Your Japanese blog will accelerate your learning, believe me. Here are the reasons why:
1. Have more opportunities to use Japanese
As you probably know, it is crucial to use Japanese to maintain and develop your skills. Are you learning from your teacher or language exchange partner? Of course, that's a good way to express yourself in Japanese. So, how many hours a week do you speak Japanese? I assume most of you attend 1-2 times a week and spend an hour or so for each lesson. Yes, having lessons with native Japanese-speaking teachers is simply fun.
However, I would like you to note that taking lessons is not the only way to use what you learned. And it is not enough unless you have a private teacher 24/7. To blog in Japanese, you don't have to buy textbooks, pay a large amount of money for school, or make a reservation for a lesson. Blogging provides you with virtually free and convenient lessons exclusively for you.
2. Get active
Blogging is active. You write about what you are passionate about. It's a lot more exciting than reading articles, highlighting new words. Reading is entertaining but somewhat passive. Learning Japanese tends to be filled with passive activities and it often gets boring. To keep motivated, you need to make your learning varied by doing many different kinds of practices. To increase hours to do something active, blogging is a must-try. What you need to do is just follow your heart, be real, and write about your own ideas that come from within.
3. Learn a lot by having your readers
Do you keep a journal in Japanese either in analog form or digital one? Then,who are the readers? Probably your are the only reader. I had been writing a journal in English for years, doing "fast-writing," that is what I learned from my college English professor. It's an innovative way in which you never use your dictionary without worrying about grammar or spelling. You just jot down ideas as they pop up in your mind. Although this is a great idea not to slow down your writing, there is a limit to how much you learn by fast-writing. You can't check if your writing is grammatically correct or not. You depend on words and phrases that you already know.
While keeping a journal is personal, blogging is public and you have your readers. So, you will have a little more pressure from them. This will impact you in a positive way. If you want to write quality posts, you may want to use your dictionary to avoid mistakes , check your sentences by google, and go on to Eijiro. This will enable you to expand your vocabulary and improve your grammar significantly.
4. Answer a pile of questions
It's a great opportunity for you to solve your "How do you say this in Japanese?" questions. These kinds of questions tend to pile up horrendously. You may even forget what your questions are. When you write a post in Japanese, you have to answer your questions. It takes longer than you expect. It is frustrating to realize that your Japanese skills are poorer than you imagined. This process may not sound pleasant for you, but it is a necessary step toward proficiency if you have a feeling that your vocabulary is limited and your grammar is weak. You can't be fluent in a language if you leave questions unsolved. You will consequently learn how great it feels when you tackle and solve these questions. You will feel refreshed and become wiser, too.
5. Learn Japanese on a regular basis
The more you blog, the more traffic to your blog you come to want to get. One of the tips to gain more readers is to post frequently. Writing more posts in Japanese means you will spend more time not only writing but also learning new words and phases as I explained in #3. By posting 2-3 times a week, you will probably spend at least 4-6 hours being focused on using Japanese, maybe thinking in Japanese.
6. Interact with Japanese (for free!)
Break the language barrier so that your blog will appeal to a large audience in Japan. You can gain current trends in Japan through your own media, your blog, by communicating with Japanese speakers. Thanks to the Internet, it's free to talk to them now. You don't have to buy an air ticket to share thoughts and information globally.
So, what do you think? Do you want to give it a try now?
Please let me know when you open your Japanese blog!
1. Have more opportunities to use Japanese
As you probably know, it is crucial to use Japanese to maintain and develop your skills. Are you learning from your teacher or language exchange partner? Of course, that's a good way to express yourself in Japanese. So, how many hours a week do you speak Japanese? I assume most of you attend 1-2 times a week and spend an hour or so for each lesson. Yes, having lessons with native Japanese-speaking teachers is simply fun.
However, I would like you to note that taking lessons is not the only way to use what you learned. And it is not enough unless you have a private teacher 24/7. To blog in Japanese, you don't have to buy textbooks, pay a large amount of money for school, or make a reservation for a lesson. Blogging provides you with virtually free and convenient lessons exclusively for you.
2. Get active
Blogging is active. You write about what you are passionate about. It's a lot more exciting than reading articles, highlighting new words. Reading is entertaining but somewhat passive. Learning Japanese tends to be filled with passive activities and it often gets boring. To keep motivated, you need to make your learning varied by doing many different kinds of practices. To increase hours to do something active, blogging is a must-try. What you need to do is just follow your heart, be real, and write about your own ideas that come from within.
3. Learn a lot by having your readers
Do you keep a journal in Japanese either in analog form or digital one? Then,who are the readers? Probably your are the only reader. I had been writing a journal in English for years, doing "fast-writing," that is what I learned from my college English professor. It's an innovative way in which you never use your dictionary without worrying about grammar or spelling. You just jot down ideas as they pop up in your mind. Although this is a great idea not to slow down your writing, there is a limit to how much you learn by fast-writing. You can't check if your writing is grammatically correct or not. You depend on words and phrases that you already know.
While keeping a journal is personal, blogging is public and you have your readers. So, you will have a little more pressure from them. This will impact you in a positive way. If you want to write quality posts, you may want to use your dictionary to avoid mistakes , check your sentences by google, and go on to Eijiro. This will enable you to expand your vocabulary and improve your grammar significantly.
4. Answer a pile of questions
It's a great opportunity for you to solve your "How do you say this in Japanese?" questions. These kinds of questions tend to pile up horrendously. You may even forget what your questions are. When you write a post in Japanese, you have to answer your questions. It takes longer than you expect. It is frustrating to realize that your Japanese skills are poorer than you imagined. This process may not sound pleasant for you, but it is a necessary step toward proficiency if you have a feeling that your vocabulary is limited and your grammar is weak. You can't be fluent in a language if you leave questions unsolved. You will consequently learn how great it feels when you tackle and solve these questions. You will feel refreshed and become wiser, too.
5. Learn Japanese on a regular basis
The more you blog, the more traffic to your blog you come to want to get. One of the tips to gain more readers is to post frequently. Writing more posts in Japanese means you will spend more time not only writing but also learning new words and phases as I explained in #3. By posting 2-3 times a week, you will probably spend at least 4-6 hours being focused on using Japanese, maybe thinking in Japanese.
6. Interact with Japanese (for free!)
Break the language barrier so that your blog will appeal to a large audience in Japan. You can gain current trends in Japan through your own media, your blog, by communicating with Japanese speakers. Thanks to the Internet, it's free to talk to them now. You don't have to buy an air ticket to share thoughts and information globally.
So, what do you think? Do you want to give it a try now?
Please let me know when you open your Japanese blog!
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