In Japanese, there are several unique words that describe different ways of food tasting, namely, 味見 (あじみ, ajimi), 毒味 (どくみ, dokumi), つまみ食い (つまみぐい, tsumamigui), and 試食 (ししょく, shishoku). This article explains the meanings and differences of these words in details!Read Definition
Asatte, Shiasatte, Yanoasatte: Advanced Japanese Words Describing Dates
Compared to English, Japanese has a variety of words that indicate a few days before and after today. This article presents a comprehensive list of those words as well as relevant expressions to them!Read Definition
ザギンでシースー: Japanese “Reverse” Slang Words From 1980s
In the late 1980s, it became a trend among people in the TV industry to read words in (partially) reverse order and use them as jargon. Such words include “ザギン”, meaning “銀座 (Ginza)” and シースー, meaning “寿司 (sushi)”, and people used to say the phrase “ザギンでシースー”, meaning “(eating) sushi at Ginza”, to make a suggestion for lunch or dinner. Eventually, these TV industry jargons spread to ordinary people since some celebrities, especially the comedy duoとんねるず started to use them on TV. Although most of the words now sound quite old-fashioned, some people still use them as a joke or humorous expression. This article explains famous reverse words that you may use to make your Japanese friends laugh and surprised!Read Definition
正義マン (seigiman): Japanese Slang Meaning “Justice Man”
正義マン (せいぎまん, seigiman) is a relatively new slang term which literally means “justice man”. It is a pejorative term which sardonically refers to “do-gooders” who are always seeking for someone who does something immoral or unethical, no matter how trivial, and revile them ostentatiously to show off their moral superiority.Read Definition
自粛警察 (jishukukeisatsu): Japan’s “Self-Restraint Police” Explained
Recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new Japanese slang term has been coined called “自粛警察 (じしゅくけいさつ, jishuku keisatsu)”, which literally means “self-restraint police”. This post explains what it exactly means and also what 自粛 (jishuku) refers to during the pandemic in Japan.Read Definition