Today, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has announced the name of Japan’s new era, ‘令和’ (Reiwa). The new era is set to start on May 1, when Crown Prince Naruhito will become the new Emperor after Emperor Akihito abdicates on April 30. 令和 will be the 248th era in the history of Japan.Read Definition
Japanese Idiom ‘Saba wo yomu’: literally meaning ‘read mackerels’
‘Ichiri aru’: Japanese Cool Word for ‘True in a Way’ or ‘Partially True’
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一理ある basically means “(someone’s argument) is true in a way”. It is often used when you show some recognition of someone’s statement while …Read Definition
‘Guu No NeMo Denai’: Japanese Advanced Word for “lost for words”
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Definition
ぐうの音も出ない describes when you are lost for words because someone has got you in an argument. In other words, it indicates a touché moment when you are too …Read Definition
‘Haisui No Jin’: Cool Japanese Word to Describe a “Challenging Situation”
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背水の陣 indicates that you’re facing a last stand and there is nowhere to retreat into. This idiom is very similar to the English expression “one’s back against the wall”, but …Read Definition
‘Jūchin’: Advanced Japanese Word for ‘Important Person’
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重鎮 indicates a person who is very important in a particular field. This word is often used with “~界の”, meaning “in the world of ~”. For instance, “ファッション界…Read Definition
‘Onchi’: Japanese Word for ‘Bad Singer’
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音痴 describes a person who sucks at singing. Some people hate karaoke because they believe that they are 音痴. When they …Read Definition