This post introduces classic “dajare”, i.e. Japanese puns that you can use to give your Japanese friends a barrel of laughs; or cringes. The dajares are selected by me (Takashi) in the eyes of a native speaker (some of them are not very famous). 布団が吹っ飛んだ Yomi: futon ga futton da Meaning: “Futon was blown away” This is probably the most famous dajare among all generations and almost all Japanese people should know it. アルミ缶の上にあるミカン Yomi: arumikan no ue ni aru mikan Meaning: “A mandarin orange that is on the aluminium can” This one is also very famous and well done. マスカラつけてますから！ Yomi: masukara tsukete masu kara Meaning: “Coz I’m wearing…Read More
Meaning of “It’s gonna snow a lot tomorrow!” in Japanese
In Japanese, "It will snow/rain a lot tomorrow" can mean "It is so unlike you to do such a nice thing". A similar figure of speech is in Italian/Vietnamese/FrenchRead More
“Gakkī Loss”: Meaning of ロス (“Loss”) in Japanese
Today, a lot of Japanese people were flabbergasted to hear the news that the Japanese actress Yui Aragaki (新垣結衣), a.k.a "Gakky", and the Japanese singer Gen Hoshino (星野源), will tie the knot. This announcement has left a myriad of their fans speechless and "Gakky Loss" or "Hoshino Gen Loss".Read More
Hatsuyume: Japanese Superstition about New Year’s Dream
初夢 (“hatsuyume”) means the first dream you have during the night of 1st January, and it is believed In Japan that its content foretells your luck in the new year.Read More
“Omission of Words” and “Unfinished Sentences” in Japanese
Arguably, Japanese is an ambiguous language – however, it is not the grammar or vocabulary that make it ambiguous, but how we express things in the language. This post explains one of the causes of ambiguity: "omission of words" in Japanese.Read More
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