To be 'iru' or 'aru'? That is the question
To be or not to be? What Hamlet did not know (and likely didn't care about too much at the time) is that Japanese ways of "being" make a categorical difference between animate and inanimate objects.
Giving a reason or pinpointing a cause with 'riyū' and 'gen'in'
Introducing 理由 (riyū) and 原因 (gen'in), words that have similar meanings. ...
J. League's Vissel Kobe welcomes Spanish soccer legend Iniesta
Vissel Kobe holds an event at the Noevir Stadium Kobe to welcome midfielder Andres Iniesta, who joined J1 team Vissel Kobe from Spanish La Liga team Barcelona.
The 'Mao suit': One outfit for the people, but with many names
The English-language media recently described North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un as wearing a "Mao suit," but no one in East Asia would refer to it this way.
License plates with regional designs to be introduced across Japan
On May 22, the transport ministry announced new designs for license plates that will be introduced in 41 regions nationwide.
A selection of responses from readers to recent stories on the Community pages.
To know Japan, its people and its story, know its grub
Food in Japan is hardwired to emotion, personal identity and memory in a way that is often baffling to Westerners.
Explaining what you see and hear with 'no da'
Introducing のだ, a phrase that is frequently used in daily conversation but has no good translation in English.
For the second consecutive year, the island of Koshima is connected to the mainland thanks to a lack of major typhoons, raising fears of trouble between visiting humans and resident monkeys
Whose line is it anyway? Tips for deciphering dialogue in Japanese fiction
Dialogue in Japanese fiction has its own set of rules, and if you're not paying close attention, you may have trouble understanding who is saying what to whom.
Give your Japanese verbs wings using 'agaru' and 'ageru'
Introduce the basic meanings and uses of compound verb structures V上(あ)がる and V上(あ)げる. ...
