One of the joys of reading Japanese literature is that the more you do it, the more you pick up certain words and phrases that are specific to literature and not commonly used in spoken language. This knowledge helps you not just understand the meaning of such words but also their nuances. In this post… Read More »
Banana Yoshimoto is one of the most well-known Japanese authors in the Western world, with over 10 novels translated into English. Because I generally try to read, review, and translate authors which are not yet very well known in the West, it might seem odd that I choose to read and review one of her… Read More »
When studying a foreign language, it’s common to ask a native speaker to correct your spoken or written language, which often involves determining what sort of phrasing sounds natural and correct. Similarly, as a native or at least semi-fluent speaker of some language, you can get into situations where you are answering such questions, or… Read More »
As you probably know, particles are little words that help give grammatical context to other words in Japanese and are critically important for proper grammar (and in some ways are similar to articles and prepositions in English). Particles can be used on their own, as well as in limited combinations with other particles, and in… Read More »
(quick link to my new particle quiz book on Amazon) For anyone who has followed this blog you probably know that in the last few years I’ve started putting out eBooks with my translations of various pieces of Japanese literature. A few of these are in parallel Japanese / English to help those studying Japanese,… Read More »
Sometime during my high school years, I remember being shocked to discover that a friend could understand Spanish, and yet barely speak it herself. While I’ve since accepted that passive activities (listening and reading) are quite different from active ones (speaking and writing), even now it’s still a little mysterious to me. One way to… Read More »
Particles––small words that can have a big impact on the meaning and nuance of a sentence––are arguably one of the most difficult things to master in Japanese grammar (the other being various forms of politeness). Over time I’ve written a bunch of posts about particles, which you can see here. This time I would like… Read More »
In this post I illustrate 50+ sentence patterns in Japanese using example sentences and English translations. The examples are minimal and the focus is on how small changes (especially involving particles) can lead to very different meanings.
While I believe it’s a good idea to learn fundamentals of a language in a relatively formal setting like a classroom or at least using a textbook, often expressions that are considered slang will be omitted or deemphasized in those forums. That’s why I think it’s good to actively seek out slang expressions that you… Read More »
After a few months focusing on a classical Japanese translation project without much time spent on reading modern Japanese, I was eager to get started on “Twins Teleport Tale” by Kotaro Isaka, which I had picked up in my local Kinokuniya store late last year on a sale. My reasons for purchasing this book were… Read More »