J-WOTD: 二足のわらじを履くBlue on Nov 24 2006 | Filed under: WOTD - Japanese
にそくのわらじをはく (nisokuno waraji wo haku)* “J-WOTD” = “Japanese Word of the Day”
To “Have one’s fingers in two pies”, or to “have the best of both worlds”. (Literally: To “Wear two pairs of straw sandles” - waraji being the straw sandles, pictured here.)
There are situations everyday where we would like to do two things [...]
J-WOTD: 鰻登りBeige on Nov 08 2006 | Filed under: WOTD - Japanese
うなぎのぼり (unagi nobori)
* “J-WOTD” = “Japanese Word of the Day”
The eel, or “unagi”, not only has pride of place on the Japanese menu but, in the term unagi nobori, it also adds some rich flavour to the Japanese lexicon. Literally meaning “eel climb”, this delightfully descriptive term refers to something that is constantly growing or [...]
J-WOTD: 倦怠期Blue on Nov 04 2006 | Filed under: WOTD - Japanese
けんたいき (kentaiki)* “J-WOTD” = “Japanese Word of the Day”
I often hear colleagues at work and other Japanese friends talking about their relationships at home - married or otherwise. Some of the key words used these days seem to be セックスレス(sexless)、喧嘩多発(constant quarreling) and 離婚寸前 (thinking of divorce)…
I’m not going to go to deep into [...]
J-WOTD: 怪我の功名Blue on Oct 27 2006 | Filed under: WOTD - Japanese
けがのこうみょう (kegano koumyou)* “J-WOTD” = “Japanese Word of the Day”
A “lucky mistake”, or “to come out of a mistake unscathed”. (Literally “Great feat from an injury”)
Once again, I heard this at work today. We had quite a serious mishap a few weeks ago, but we found it and fixed it before our SOX [...]
J-WOTD: 天は二物を与えずBlue on Oct 21 2006 | Filed under: WOTD - Japanese
てんはにぶつをあたえず (tenha nibutsuwo ataezu)* “J-WOTD” = “Japanese Word of the Day”
Rather than being a “J-Word of the Day”, this is a great ことわざ that I heard today. It is a strange one, and would normally instinctively go against the grain for most foreigners.
It literally means,
Red on Oct 17 2006 | Filed under: Japan: Language
If you’re like me, whenever you need a quick translation, you are probably a “regular” at the alc site. But what do you set as your home page if you are also a regular at both Google and Stippy? Now that there is a Google bar at the top of Stippy.com, part of that [...]
The Purple Imo on Sep 25 2006 | Filed under: Japan: Language
For anyone who has ever studied in Japan or is thinking of moving here and taking the plunge into a language that has three alphabets you will more than likely be lured by the electronic option. For me, who came to study in Japan with next to no Japanese ability, as with most foreign [...]
J-WOTD: しゃくに障るBlue on Sep 23 2006 | Filed under: WOTD - Japanese
しゃくにさわる (shakunisawaru)* “J-WOTD” = “Japanese Word of the Day”
“grate on one’s nerves” or when used about a person, “gets on my nerves”
Examples:
「お嬢ちゃんと言われるのは、本当にしゃくに障るよ」
“Being called a ojyo-san really grates (gets) on my nerves”
「彼はしゃくに障るね」
“He gets on my nerves”, “He is a trying person”
J-WOTD: 袂Red on Sep 21 2006 | Filed under: WOTD - Japanese
たもと (tamoto)* “J-WOTD” = “Japanese Word of the Day”
As I was getting my daily dose today of Horie’s trial today on the livedoor higaisha nikki, I came accross the word tamoto. While it literally refers to the sleve of a kimono, it is generally combined with the verb 分かつ (wakatsu) and used to mean [...]
Blue on Sep 09 2006 | Filed under: Japan: Language
Jgram is an interesting page for people learning Japanese and are struggling with the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT - 日本語能力試験). Its goal is to tackle how to learn Japanese grammar, which is one thing that online dictionaries, textbooks, and even many Japanese teachers never go in to to any level of complexity.