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上目遣い

うわめづかい

upturned eyes

頬を染めて、上目遣いで俺に訊く。 ほお を そめて、うわめづかい で おれ に きく。 She asked me with her cheeks flushed and her eyes upturned.

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nodding furiously at every second of this video

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月震

[ yuèzhèn ] - moonquake (noun)

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科目

かもく

① (school) subject; curriculum; course

② item; heading; entry

小学校からずっと、私の得意科目は国語だった。 しょうがっこう から ずっと、わたし の とくい かもく は ぼこくご だった。 Ever since elementary school, my strong subject has been Japanese language.

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I think I have a language learning tip

I understand that this tip is not for everybody bc it’s tied to religious traumas and stuffs

If you don’t have any negative feeling towards the Bible and are above B1-B2 level in your target language (especially a European one), you might want to consider using it as your language learning material

Pros

1. Translations are almost always of high quality, both in your native language and in your target language

2. Because of the verses being numbered, you can always pinpoint which sentence corresponds to which when comparing the translations

3. If you want to deal with older texts in your target language, there’s a high possibility that there’re older versions of translations lying around, especially with European languages

4. There’s a Bible app which gives you a “Daily Verse” every day, and the shortness of the verses are perfect for me to get some daily practice without it being a heavy burden

5. “Daily Verse” I get is more of a meaningful ones, so I can avoid the part with unnecessarily specific vocabs (like the part where they gather foreskins)

JFYI, my method with Daily Verse

1. Check the modern version of my target language, look up the word I don’t understand, and assume the meaning roughly

2. Check the verse in my native language, make sure that I correctly understand the one in my target language

3. Check the older translation paying attention to what changed and what didn’t

[bonbonmacaron]

How I Study Languages with Processing Disorders

(disclaimer: I am not diagnosed, but I have my own struggles. I will not defend myself in this post. send me an ask if you care that much, but keep it out of the comments please.)

what happens -> how I deal with it

————–

reading

flipping letters & transposing syllables -> listen to new words with audio; read “aloud” in your head 

you may not even notice when you misread something, but the audio gives you a second chance to catch your mistake. reading “aloud” won’t lessen the number of errors you make, but it should help you identify incorrect words more easily. then you can try to read it again

misreading words entirely -> don’t get hung up on it; take a break if you’ve been studying for a while

recently, I’ve read 二 as 人; puño as palo; and Verhandlung as Verständnis, and these are definitely more than careless mistakes. I don’t know what to say other than to be lienient with yourself. if you’ve been working for an hour, there’s a chance that you just need a break, but if it happens without reason, forgive yourself

simply can’t process the dang sentence -> skip it

you’ve read the sentence. you know that you should be able to understand it. but you just can’t… skip it. if you have to read something 4 times in you native language to get it, reading it 10 times in your TL will only frustrate you. it’s okay to just go onto the next sentence :)

your spelling is shxt -> sorry, I’ve got nothing (please leave comments if you have advice)

listening

just need a second to process -> ask natives to pause; pause whatever your listening to

you probably freeze even after hearing random sentences in your native language because you need to process. let yourself do the same in your TL. there’s no shame in pausing your netflix show because you need a second. also, make sure you know how to ask speakers to wait in your TL

they’ve said it 3 times, and the words still sound incomprehensible -> ask for the sentence to be reworded

this works decently enough for me. I’m not sure why. sometimes asking a speaker to slow down helps, too!

another sensory annoyance is keeping you from focusing -> try to eliminate the annoyance 

ask if you can move the conversation to a quieter room, turn off the lights, get a blanket, etc. if I’m hyperfocused on how terrible I feel, my comprehension goes out the door. allow yourself to feel comfortable

note: try to identify when listening comprehension is a processing struggle versus a language learner struggle. you’ll be better able to accomodate yourself after figuring that out

speaking

your mouth just won’t make the words -> speak slower, find synonyms

say the word syllable by syllable if you can. if you still can’t do it, you can also choose a synonym. (the number of words in my native language that I just can’t even say lmao) 

you realize the sentence you’re saying / just said is unintelligible -> try again from the begining

take a second in your mind to figure out what you want to say, then speak slowly to make sure your brain has the time to process it. I hate this because it makes me feel stupid, but it works… make sure you know how to say “let me try again” or something similar in your TL

my best 2 pieces of advice: forgive yourself & just keep pushing through it.  sometimes no amount of advice is helpful, and I get it. just do your best, and know that you can try again tomorrow :)

[bonbonmacaron]

Do you have advice for how to remember when to use Kanji versus other kana?

Read. A lot.( ˘•ω•˘ )

It’s unfortunately the only way since in Japanese whether or not to use a kanji generally comes down to style more than concrete rules. But you’re generally safe to use kanji for most nouns and verbs. You’ll pick up on what most people would not write in kanji with more exposure to written Japanese.

As a base of things that you shouldn’t use kanji for (at least in modern Japanese):

Particles

Greetings - In formal writings you can include the kanji, but it feels too rigid for regular conversation. Even in formal writings こんにちは, if written, does not use kanji

いる and ある - You might sometimes see 居る and 有る in formal writings, but even then it’s on the rare side.

The こ・そ・あ・ど sets

Things that are a hassle to write. Which is pretty ambiguous, but for example きれい is usually written in hiragana because 綺麗 is just a monster to write for a quick comment and 御 like in 御茶 and 朝御飯 looks overly formal so is skipped (so you’d see お茶 and 朝ご飯 more often) 

And a lot of animals, especially sea-life, have rather complicated kanji so you can usually write them in kana instead.

[bonbonmacaron]

Difference of 辞典, 事典 and 字典 (jiten)

Yes, all these words spelled as JITEN. But they are actually a different word for a different type of book.

To analyze the difference between homonym in Japanese, we could easily analyze them based on the kanji they used. Usually, they will have different kanji. In 辞典, the kanji used is 辞 which means terms/expressions. This is the word for the standard language dictionary such as the Japanese – English dictionary. In 字典, the kanji used is 字 which means characters. It also refers to 漢字 (kanji). Therefore it means a dictionary which holds in-depth information about Japanese characters. While in 事典, the kanji used is 事 which means things/facts. It’s a book that holds information about facts. In another language, this is a word for an encyclopedia.

Now you know what is the difference between all these JITEN! Happy learning! ｡ﾟ✶ฺ.ヽ(*´∀`*)ﾉ.✶ฺﾟ｡ 

Links:

• CrunchyNihongo - Easy to Learn Japanese Lessons Site • Get our easy Japan lessons on your facebook timeline

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Maybe Vocabulary List 多分

Because of the great post by @nihongokudasai and the contribution by @leplusgrandlivredumonde HERE I thought I’d (possibly) do a vocabulary list with that theme. 

多分: たぶん (tabun) - perhaps/probably/generous/many/much/great

若しかしたら: もしかしたら (moshikashitara) - perhaps/maybe/ perchance/by some chance/by any chance

若しかすると: もしかすると (moshikasuruto) - perhaps/maybe/by some chance

ひょっとすると (hyottosuruto) - perhaps/maybe/possibly

事にすると: ことにすると (kotonisuruto) - perhaps/maybe/possibly

ワンチャン (wanchan) - one chance/ only opportunity/maybe/ perhaps/there is a chance that/one-night stand

かもね (kamone) - maybe/ could be/ might

もしかし (moshikashi) - perhaps/maybe/ by some chance

大方: おおかた (ookata) - large part/ greater part/ majority/people in general/ general public/ public at large/mostly/for the most part/ almost/ nearly/probably/ maybe/ perhaps

かもしれない (kamoshirenai) - may/might/perhaps/ may be/ possibly

あるいは (aruiha) - or/ possibly

かも (kamo) - may/ might/ perhaps/ may be/ possibly

もしや (moshiya) - perhaps/ possibly/ by some chance/ by some possibility

[bonbonmacaron]

One of my favorite things about learning about traditional textiles is the little ghosts they left in the language. Of course the ghosts are there, now that I know to look for them. Once upon a time, half the population spent a majority of their day making textiles. Spinning, at the very least, has been a part of humanity since the Neanderthals. That kind of knowledge doesn't just disappear.

A heckle was a device with sharp metal spikes, and people drag flax through the spikes to separate out the fibers from the chaff. When you say someone heckled a performer, you think you are being literal but you're speaking in an ancient metaphor.

When my grandpa says "spinning yarns" to mean telling stories, he knows that one's not quite literal, but its vividness is lost to him. There is no image in his mind of rhythm, muscle memory, and the subtle twist that aligns clouds of fibers into a single, strong cord.

When a fanfic writer describes someone carding their fingers through someone's hair, that's the most discordant in my mind. Carding is rough, and quick, and sometimes messy (my wool is full of debris, even after lots of washing). The teeth of my cards are densely packed and scratchy. But maybe that's my error, not the writer's. Before cards were invented, wool was combed with wide-toothed combs, and sometimes, in point of fact, with fingers. The verb "to card" (from Middle English) may actually be older than the tools I use, archaic as they are. And I say may, because I can't find a definitive history. People forget, even when the language remembers.

[bonbonmacaron]

Finding delight in language learning

It's all too easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of unknown vocabulary when learning a language. That's why it's important to savor moments of delight. Here are 4 words I've come across recently that delighted me.

【1】 虎口 hǔkǒu - the area between the thumb and index finger When I came across this word, I was very confused as to why the webnovel I was reading had a tiger.

【2】 烛泪（燭淚）zhúlèi - drops of melted wax that run down the side of a candle This one seems so poetic to me—candle tears!

【3】 毛毛雨 máomaoyǔ - drizzle The dictionary says 毛 can mean small or fine, but in my head I think of it as "fuzzy rain" since 毛 also means hair/fur.

【4】 趿拉 tāla - to wear (one's shoes) while stepping on the backs to flatten them / onomatopoeia for shuffling sound I used to wear my shoes like this all the time when I was growing up, so I love that there is a specific word for it.

Definitions are from MDBG, edited by me.

[bonbonmacaron]

What word or words do you wish we had in English? For example, I love estadounidense. It’s so much easier than saying “person from the United States”.

estadounidense is such a good example lol - the closest thing we have in English, that is totally informal, is calling it "USian"

I think there are a handful of words that I've come across where you can't totally translate because it's like... a visceral feeling you only understand if you know the culture?

mala leche is a big one; I can never quite describe it to people, but when you get more used to the culture you see mala leche and part of you makes that noise like you just touched something really hot and immediately withdraw, that's the gut reaction to how bad the vibe is haha

Also the verb madrugar is hard to get quite right; because it means "to get up early", but this can also be something more like "to get up so early the sun hasn't come out yet"

I think estrenar is another one that's a little more difficult to translate or I wish there were a better way to explain it; the closest you can get is "to debut" (and same idea for acting, "to debut" or "to star"), or "to show off (for the first time)" like with clothes

...And this one is probably more relevant for Spanish-speaking countries or countries with stricter naming policies, but tocayo/a I wish had a better translation in English

The equivalent is "namesake", but tocayo/a can mean "someone with the same name as you" - so it could be "someone you were named after" like a relative or a saint, like you had a grandparent named Robert and now you're Robbie or Roberta, that's a tocayo/a even if it's a genderswapped version (which they also did for saints like John turns to Juan or Juana) - but it could also just be like "yeah there are three girls named Ashley in my class" or "my name is Maria and so is hers" etc. and that's also tocayo/a

-

There are also some words that just don't have the same meaning anymore, ones that make sense in some languages but not English

The idea of tutear "to speak informally with someone" literally "to tú someone" is hard to express in English where in general we address everyone the same, but in older English it was "to thou" someone because we used to have more emphasis on classes and social standing - something that makes total sense in many Asian countries, or countries that use a more formal or informal register, but something very much lost in some English-speaking countries

[bonbonmacaron]

JLPT N1 Vocabulary

補足　ほそく　supplement; complement

保護　ほご　① protection; safeguard; guardianship; custody; patronage; ② preservation; conservation

保険　ほけん　① insurance; ② guarantee; warranty

本能　ほんのう　instinct

本音　ほんね　real intention; motive; true opinion; what one really thinks

本心　ほんしん　① true feelings; real intention; one's heart; ② one's right mind; one's senses; one's conscience

本質　ほんしつ　essence; true nature; substance; reality

施す　ほどこす　① to give (time, money, goods); to donate; ② to do; to perform; to conduct​; ③ to apply (processing, makeup, etc.); to add (e.g. ornamentation, annotation)​; ④ to sow; to seed; to scatter (e.g. fertilizer); to sprinkle​; ⑤ to spread far and wide​ (Archaic)

崩壊　ほうかい　① collapse; crumbling; breaking down; caving in; ② (radioactive) decay; disintegration​

放棄　ほうき　abandonment; renouncement; renunciation; resignation; abdication; surrender; relinquishing; waiving; giving up

方策　ほうさく　plan; policy

報酬　ほうしゅう　remuneration; recompense; reward; toll

法廷　ほうてい　court (of law); courtroom

票　ひょう　① vote; ballot; ② label; ticket; tag; stub (used as a suffix)

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Hiragana and Katakana

Numbers & Times / Dates

Counters & Pointers

Expressions of Time

People & Family

Useful Verbs

Useful Adjectives

Conjugation Basics

Common Verb Conjugations

Useful Adverbs

Useful Nouns

Common Particles

Sentence Recipes

The guide roughly covers the content of the first ‘Minna no Nihongo‘ textbook and is intended as a supplement for classroom study, not as a replacement – it does not include copious examples or explanations.

Click through to download

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I'm fucking dying someone please make a Pink Panther-style crime comedy about this

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Snowboarding in Peking opera costumes

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western cat twitters are like “HoOman” and japanese cat twitters are like “Today I will consider the state of things.”