Japanese Language Blog

Children’s Day (子供の日) is a Japanese holiday that takes place on May 5th, the last day of Golden Week. The holiday was originally called Tango No Sekku (端午の節句), translated literally as “the first horse of May”, and until 1948 was a boy’s holiday; the counterpart to Hinamatsuri (ひな祭り), Girl’s Day. Children’s Day In 1948, “Tango…

Did you meet a Japanese girl or guy but have no idea what to say to them in Japanese? I have come to rescue you. Here are a few basic Japanese dating phrases that you can use for that special someone. Good afternoon (こんにちは). When starting a conversation with that cute Japanese person across the…

March 20th is fast approaching, and with it comes the annual spring equinox. In Japan, this event is a national holiday called “Shuubun no HI” (春分の日). In technical terms, an equinox is “either of the two times each year (as of about March 21 and September 23) when the sun (太陽) crosses the equator and…

Coronavirus (コロナウイルス) fears are sweeping across the world and there is a lot of information (情報) – and misinformation (誤報) – concerning the virus, and how to respond. Recently, there has been a shortage of (不足) masks and toilet paper, as panicked people continue to stockpile items. Though the fear of infection (感染) is understandable…

Countries from all over the world have legends – stories passed down from generation to generation. Some of those legends are absolutely terrifying. Japan’s stories are no exception. Here are four Japanese legends that just might freak you out. Hanako of the Toilet トイレの花子さん  Hanako of the Toilet is the story of a school girl…

You are planning to come to Japan, and you want to be completely and utterly prepared. You’ve learned all of the standard phrases, but what do you do when you need to curse at someone? Most people generally avoid flinging out expletives willy-nilly, but it can’t be denied that there are some situations where cursing…

“A comfort zone is a beautiful place but nothing ever grows there.” – Unknown    The other day, I came across this quote above, and thought I would share with you all. This applies to all sorts of things we deal with everyday. Your work, study, and social life, etc. and obviously, learning a foreign…