Archive for August, 2009
Maneki Neko Posted by Ginny on Aug 31, 2009
Have you ever seen a Maneki Neko (招き猫)? A Maneki Neko (招き猫) is a white cat with a beckoning paw. The cat is usually made out of porclein. The Maneki Neko (招き猫) will typically have some kind of bib, a collar and a bell. The collar is red and the bell is attached to the…
Bon Festival Posted by Ginny on Aug 26, 2009
The bon (盆) festival (also called obon) can be understood as ‘the day of the dead’. Depending on the region, the obon (お盆) festival can be celebrated this month or the month before. Places like Tokyo (東京) tend to have the festival in August. Normally this time of the year, it’s hot out, so people…
Daiji Posted by Ginny on Aug 22, 2009
In Japanese, there exists a special set of kanji called daiji (大字) for the numbers. The daiji (大字) are used for important financial statements. In the past, the kanji for the numbers we normally use could be easily manipulated to change for the benefit of the person. For example, all you need to do is to…
Japanese Tea Ceremony Posted by Ginny on Aug 19, 2009
Chanoyuu (茶の湯) is the art Japanese Tea Ceremony. Chanoyuu (茶の湯) is a formal ceremony involving various forms of tea etiquette. The main focus is centered on a type of green tea called macha (抹茶). The actual presiding of the ceremony is called chadoo (茶道). The tea ceremony is one of Japan’s oldest traditions. Even now…
Kore, Sore, Are Posted by Ginny on Aug 16, 2009
In Japanese, there are ways to say, ‘this, that and that over there’ This – kore (これ). Refers to things that are close to the speaker. That – sore (それ). Refers to things that are close to the person you are talking to. That over there – are (あれ). Refers to things that are far away…
The To Particle Posted by Ginny on Aug 13, 2009
The to (と) particle is one of the most extensive particles in Japanese grammar. For today, we’ll only look at two possible meanings that can be conveyed by to (と). The to (と) particle can be used as a conjunction. You can use to (と) to add nouns together. For example, you could say, ‘I study English…
The Yo Particle Posted by Ginny on Aug 10, 2009
The yo (よ) particle can be used for emphasis. For example a sentence like uso ja nai yo (うそじゃないよ) means something like, ‘I assure you it’s not a lie!’ Another example is, honto des yo (ほんとですよ) which means something like, ‘I assure you it’s true!’ Without the yo (よ), honto des (ほんとです) or uso ja nai (うそじゃない)…