The Japanese counter 発 (はつ) is the counter for shots, hits, punches, and many, many more. So many, that we’ve dedicated most of this article to showing you just how many loud, smacking thwacks 発 can be.

Before we get into usage, take a look at the… …continue reading

    

“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 language has the same principle. Once you are comfortable with certain sets of vocabulary and expressions, do you catch yourself repeating the same all words and expression in certain situations? Feeling comfortable in any situation is great but if you want to improve, you definitely need to try to step out of your comfort zone. It is so easy to say, but so hard to do.

In today’s lesson, I would like to introduce you to the following set of vocabulary that might not sound too familiar but yet good to keep in your vocabulary list.:)

Shotaimen （しょたいめん，初対面）　＝　Meeting someone for the first time

Kanojo towa shotaimen desu.

=>I just met her for the first time.

かのじょとは，しょたいめん　です。（彼女とは　初対面　です。）

Uwanosora （うわのそら）　＝　absent-minded

Karewa nani o ittemo uwano sora da.

=> It doesn’t matter what you tell him, his mind is somewhere else.

かれは　なにをいっても　うわのそらだ。　（彼は　何を言っても　うわのそらだ。）

Gaiken （がいけん，外見）= Appearance

Gaiken dakede hito o handan shinaide.

=> Don’t judge anyone by appearance.

がいけんだけで，ひとを　はんだんしないで。（外見だけで　人を　判断　しないで。）

Kokoro gakeru (こころがける，心掛ける)= keep in mind

Itsumo nihongo de hanasuyō ni kokoro gaketene.

=>Please keep in mind to speak in Japanese at all times.

いつも　にほんごで　はなすように　こころがけてね。（いつも　日本語で　話すように　心掛けてね。）

Magirawashi （まぎらわしい，紛らわしい）=misleading, ambiguous, hard to tell the difference

The twin brothers look so much alike, and it’s hard to tell one from the other.

==> Ano futago no kyudai wa sugoku yoku niteite, docchi ga docchi ka magirawashi.

あの　ふたごの　きょうだいは　すごく　よくにていて，どっちが　どっちか　まぎらわしい。

（あの　双子の兄弟は　すごく　よく似ていて，どっちが　どっちか　紛らわしい。）

So, I hope you challenge yourself today by learning one extra new word/expression!

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For more language learning …continue reading

    

It’s sometimes said that in the context of Asian cuisine Japanese food is a little bland. While neighboring countries like Korea and Thailand are full of explosive flavors and food sprinkled with mind-blowing spices, Japanese people are more content with treats like ふぐ刺身（さしみ） (raw puffer fish) and 豆腐（とうふ） (tofu) with flavors so subtle that you have to train yourself to appreciate them.

One thing that critics of Japanese cuisine tend to overlook is that Japanese people often judge food using different criteria. The 辛（から）い (spicy) food that countries like India create are somewhat rare here, sure, but instead, they tend to focus more on texture than other cultures, even to the point of scientists spending years researching the consistency of many Japanese foods.

As a general rule, foods are divided into 煮物（にもの） (dishes that have been simmered, broiled, etc.), 焼き物（やきもの） (grilled foods), 和（あ）]え物（もの） (marinated chopped fish, shellfish or vegetables), 香（こう）の物（もの） (pickled items) and similarly 酢（す）の物（もの） (foods containing vinegar). Recently, 揚（あ）げ物（もの） (fried things) have been added. The combination of all these observed flavors and varied textures is what gives Japanese food its unique identity.

Favorite Japanese food onomatopoeias

The first category are the fried, crunchy 揚げ物. You will often hear these complimented as being “カリカリ!” (“So crispy!”). The term カリカリ should be easy for English speakers as it’s supposed to be an onomatopoeia and even sounds like the English word crispy. A similar word is パリパリ which describes the crunchy feeling of spring rolls and gyoza. In other words, things that are crispy, but not quite カリカリ levels of crispy!

When you bite into the fried food, you might hear that crunching sound. If you say さくさく quickly, you can soon see why this word represents crunchy, flaky food (as in pastry). The most obvious use is for the feeling of biting into that Japanese-by-way-of-Portugal …continue reading

    

A translator of Japanese literature into English, Louise Heal Kawai originally comes from Manchester in the north of the UK, has lived in Texas and Nagoya, and now calls Yokohama home.

Her translation of Seventeen by Hideo Yokoyama was a finalist in the 2018 Believer Book Awards and longlisted for the 2019 Best Translated Book Award. Her next translation, the classic Japanese mystery The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo (featuring Detective Kindaichi) will be released in December 2019.

Savvy Tokyo caught up with Louise to find out more about her journey from teaching English and speaking zero Japanese to meeting famous authors and being nominated for translation awards.

What initially brought you to Japan?

I live in Yokohama, but I’ve only been in the Kanto area for four years. Before that, I spent around 20 years in Nagoya. I first came to Japan to teach English at a university in Nagoya, but after getting married I have followed my husband’s job transfers to Texas — and now to Yokohama.

What attracted you to translation as a career?

I’ve loved translating ever since secondary school in the UK (what would be a middle school in the US) where I studied French, German, and also Latin. Translating pieces into English was my absolute favorite part of the class, and by the time I was in university, I loved to read French and German literature.

However, career-wise, I started off as a teacher of English as a foreign language. It wasn’t until I decided to do an M.A. in Japanese Studies — and thoroughly enjoyed the translation and literature components of the course — that I began to feel that love of translation again.

A couple of years later I had to give up my teaching job when I moved to Texas with my family and translating was a perfect …continue reading