Language | COMMUNICATION CUES Sep 19, 2016
With the number of confirmed cases of the Zika virus in Singapore rising, several countries including Japan are advising pregnant women or those trying to conceive to avoid traveling to the country.
Language | BILINGUAL Sep 12, 2016
Can Japanese speakers really read Chinese? It depends on what you mean by 'read'
by Mark Schreiber
Will acquiring the ability to read Japanese give you some degree of literacy in Chinese? Well, it could at least give you a head start.
Language | WELL SAID Sep 12, 2016
How you use 'dake' can mean the difference between 'giving it a try' and 'trying your best'
by Akemi Tanahashi and Hitomi Tashiro
Introducing forms of the pattern X(verb)-dake Y, which expresses limitations.
Language | COMMUNICATION CUES Sep 12, 2016
Hugely popular boy band SMAP will break up at the end of the year, their management agency has announced.
Language | BILINGUAL Sep 5, 2016
Sneaky September in Japan brings storms, sadness and 'shukudai'
by Kaori Shoji
The ninth month may herald a welcome respite from the summer heat, or it may bring on the loneliness and depression that invariably accompanies the summer's end.
Language | WELL SAID Sep 5, 2016
Say it like it sounds in Japanese with onomatopoeic verbs
by Akemi Tanahashi and Hitomi Tashiro
Introducing some combined verbs made up of various adverbial onomatopoeia combined with と and する (do).
Language | COMMUNICATION CUES Sep 5, 2016
In a nod to the host nation for the next Summer Olympics, the International Olympic Committee has approved the addition of 18 events in five sports.
Language Aug 29, 2016
The Emperor's speech: lucid but appropriately indirect
by Mark Jarnes
Emperor Akihito's choice of words and presentation speak volumes about how the relationship between the Imperial family and the people of Japan has evolved since his father's address to the nation in 1945.
Language | WELL SAID Aug 29, 2016
'Kakeru' and 'kakaru': two very useful Japanese verbs worth hanging on to
by Akemi Tanahashi and Hitomi Tashiro
Introduce some meanings and usages of the verbs 掛ける and 掛かる (both "to hang"). ...
Language | BILINGUAL Aug 22, 2016
Stuff happens: opening up to intransitive Japanese verbs
by Peter Backhaus
While English prefers to describe things in terms of an actor who performs some action on an object, in Japanese such things often seem to happen out of themselves.
Language | WELL SAID Aug 22, 2016
Beyond the long and short of 'nagai' and 'mijikai'
by Akemi Tanahashi and Hitomi Tashiro
Introducing the meaning and usages of the two i-adjectives 長(なが)い (long) and 短(みじか)い (short). ...
Language | BILINGUAL Aug 15, 2016
In Japan, August is for remembering
by Kaori Shoji
For this island nation, the month of August has never really been about vacations and relaxation — at least not since 1945.