Getting on the receiving end of the wide world of 'ukeru'
Ryōshin-no eikyō-o ukete, musuko-mo rokku-ga suki-ni natchatta-mitai. (My son was influenced by his parents and has come to like rock, I guess.) ...
A Tokyo government has a cat cafe in Sumida Ward a 30-day business suspension due to improper management of the animals and poor hygiene.
Stalking the elusive subtleties of Japan's political humor
Certain Japanese publications are rife with political word play, and deciphering these puns and riddles can be a fun challenge for language learners.
Getting abstract in Japanese with 'koto' clauses
A look at X(noun modifier)こと, which forms noun clauses, and how it differs from Xの.
Give my love to Kyoto — if you get to see her
The "hometown of the Japanese heart" is bursting at the seams with foreign tourists. There just isn't any room for us indigenous Japanese folk anymore.
Using the 'no' clause in Japanese to add layers to your language
Introduce the proper way of using の to make a clause that can be used like a noun within a sentence.
KDDI Corp. has developed a communication tool in the shape of a teddy bear for use by young children and grandparents living apart from each other.
In-out distinction raises linguistic issues for Japan's long-term 'inside outsiders'
In this culture, some basic distinctions are made between those who are Japanese and those who are not — differences reflected in both law and language.
Overdoing it and feeling the effects with 'amari'
A look at the use of あまり in affirmative sentences, in the patterns あまりに(も) and あまりのX. ...
The shinkansen line directly linking Hokkaido with Tokyo officially opened March 26, promising shorter travel times and introducing slick new carriages.
Ubiquitous and conveniently vague: Let's look at -ō and -shō
Let's-style hortatives serve a range of purposes in Japanese, running the gamut from polite prohibition to whole-hearted encouragement.
Emphasizing not very much with 'amari' and 'taishite'
Introducing two adverbs — あまりand 大(たい)して — that pair with ない to mean "not very much." ...
