思い出したように (omoidashita youni) Meaning “As if you’ve just remembered”

April 13, 2020

思い出したように (おもいだしたように, Omoidashita youni) is an idiomatic Japanese expression that literarily means "as if one has just recalled/remembered". It is used when something happens or someone does something out of the blue after a long suspension period.Read More

How The Japanese Word 神 (Kami, ‘God’) Is Used Metaphorically

September 8, 2019

This post introduces some Japanese expressions and slang terms that use ‘God’ metaphorically, some of which may sound a little strange or impious to native English speakers. Read More

Idiom 何を隠そう (nani o kakusou) Meaning “Well, in fact…”

September 2, 2019

Basic　○ ○ ○ ● ○Advanced

Standard　○ ● ○ ○ ○Slang

Formal　○ ○ ○ ● ○Informal

Japanese “活 Words”: 婚活 (Konkatsu), 就活/終活 (Shūkatsu)

July 7, 2019

In Japanese, there are many casual words that contain the kanji character ‘活’ (katsu). This character is short for ‘活動’ (katsudou) meaning ‘activity’, and the words including ‘活’ describe a variety of unique activities. This article introduces such unique words with their meanings and what ‘activities’ they describe. Read More

Meaning of “May Disease” (五月病, gogatsu byou) in Japanese

May 11, 2019

五月病 (Gogatsu byou) literally means ‘May disease’. This is a ‘disease’ that many Japanese people suffer from every year in May. If you’re in Japan at that time, take care of yourself!Read More