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
Superstition about 初夢 (Hatsu yume, “New Year’s First Dream”) in Japan
In Japan, it is widely believed that 初夢 (“hatsu yume”) – the first dream you have at the night of 1st January – foretells your luck thought 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
Meaning of 遠慮 (enryo) and 空気を読む (kuuki wo yomu)
This article introduces two essential Japanese words – 遠慮 (えんりょ) する and 空気を読む (くうきをよむ) – to help you understand the Japanese culture more!Read More
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 More