Tag - nihongo

 
Menu
Search
 
April 11, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

NIHONGO

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 6, 2020
Cancellations, postponements, suspensions — words that define the times
March was a month of cancelled classes, postponed planes and sudden suspensions. Let's take a deeper look at the ways we express delays.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 31, 2020
The Japanese words used to encourage self-restraint
As concern over the new coronavirus increases so does a Japanese learner's vocabulary. Get to know the words that are most commonly being used in news stories about the outbreak.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Mar 31, 2020
The 'ni ataranai' structure is actually a grammar point that's worth learning
The terms 'ni(wa) ataranai' and 'made mo nai/naku' point out things that aren't worth doing, but they have slightly different nuances.
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Mar 31, 2020
Local governments short on volunteer interpreters in emergencies
A Kyodo story looks at the lack of multilingual volunteers that would be able to help Southeast Asian communities in Japan in an emergency.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Mar 24, 2020
Entrance fee to Mount Fuji to become mandatory
An expert committee that advises the “Mount Fuji World Cultural Heritage Council” working group comprised of prefectures such as Yamanashi and Shizuoka, had confirmed a discussion as of (Feb.) 18th for an entrance fee for Mount Fuji.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Mar 24, 2020
Pointing out the family with 'ni ataru'
Mari-chan wa Nana no obasan ni ataru. (Mari is Nana’s aunt.)
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 24, 2020
Can’t find tissues? Get some towels, it’s moving time
It’s a bad time to run out of toilet paper and tissues. March is a month of big life changes in Japan such as 入学 (nyūgaku, entering university), 入社 (nyūsha, entering a company) and 転勤 (tenkin, company transfers), and those will often require your moving to a new apartment. A 空っぽな...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 17, 2020
Looking for luck in Japanese amid a pandemic
It's St. Patrick's Day and with the spread of coronavirus taking place it's a good time to talk about lucky charms.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Mar 17, 2020
Celebrating special occasions with 'ni atatte' and 'ni saishite'
A more formal construction, 'ni atatte' is used when you are marking the occasion. 'Ni saishite' has a similar nuance, think of both as a fancy way to say 'when.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Mar 17, 2020
Will the coronavirus wreck Tokyo's cherry blossom season?
Tradition has come down with the flu this year as the virus known as COVID-19 has people rethinking their party plans.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Mar 11, 2020
'Masaka,' it's good to know this expression in a pinch
The adverb 'masaka' can be used to express the level of an emergency or a certain level of disbelief.
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Mar 10, 2020
School closures begin as Japan steps up coronavirus fight
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a 'request' to close schools, not an 'order.' Let's look at the language of a Kyodo News piece on the subject.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 7, 2020
Your Japanese vocabulary can expand as the new coronavirus spreads
When news of a virus began to surface we took the opportunity to review the Japanese for things like 'symptoms' and 'cough.' Now we're learning terms like 'pandemic' and 'state of emergency.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 3, 2020
'Emergency' Japanese can help build fluency
One trick to improving your fluency in Japanese is to keep a list of stock phrases that can be deployed in multiple situations.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Mar 3, 2020
Talking about other people in Japanese using the 'garu' structure
You can tack 'tai' on the end of a verb to express what you want to do, but if you're going to speak for someone else then it's best to get a handle on the 'garu' ending.
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Mar 3, 2020
'United by Emotion' revealed as the motto for the Tokyo Games
An article reports the announcement of the new Olympic and Paralympic motto and gets a little emotional.
LIFE / Language
Feb 25, 2020
Shinjiro Koizumi and the new Japanese father
Shinjiro Koizumi joins the growing ranks of 'ikumen,' dads who challenge the norm of the Japanese father by taking stronger interest in raising their kids.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Feb 25, 2020
Endowed with the talent for understanding the Japanese structures using 'nagara ni'
The structures 'nagara ni' and 'nagara no' are used in very specific ways in Japanese, which makes their comprehension slightly easier.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Feb 25, 2020
Japan railway firm to test anti-groping app on rush-hour trains
A Kyodo piece looks at the launch of a new smartphone app that is meant to alert passengers when there is a groper on the train.
Takayasu’s latest heartbreak makes sumo history
Takayasu during the one-day Annual Sumo Tournament at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Feb 9, 2020
Trump's tariff gambit leaves Asia stunned and scrambling
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he attends the National Republican Congressional Committee dinner in Washington on Tuesday. Trump allowed new tariffs — including a 24% levy on Japan — to go into effect as scheduled on Wednesday.
Tokyo cheers Trump’s tariff U-turn with second-biggest market gain ever
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday in Washington.
Banks freeze withdrawals for foreign nationals upon expiration of visas
Foreign residents who fail to renew their residential statuses before their expiry may find that they won’t be able to withdraw cash from their bank accounts.
Japanese badminton ace Shida blasts 'stalker' Chinese fans
Chiharu Shida of Japan in action during the bronze medal match with Nami Matsuyama against Pearly Tan and Muralitharan Thinaah of Malaysia at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France on Aug. 03, 2024
How police are cracking down on 'scout' sex broker groups
The skyline during sunset in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Japan's new underground criminal groups operate under a highly organized and brutal system.
Tokyo cheers Trump’s tariff U-turn with second-biggest market gain ever
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday in Washington.
Takayasu’s latest heartbreak makes sumo history
Takayasu during the one-day Annual Sumo Tournament at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Feb 9, 2020
Who is Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's tariffs negotiator?
Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, who Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has appointed Japan's tariff negotiator, is one of his closest allies and busiest ministers.
After a tumultuous buildup, a first look at the Osaka Expo
A large statue of Osaka Expo mascot Myaku Myaku sits near the east entrance of the event's venue in Yumeshima island, Osaka, on Wednesday.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.
By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

BOARDING & INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL DAY 2025 (Sunday, April 20)
BOARDING & INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL DAY 2025 (Sunday, April 20)

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER