meaning: a friend reading: ユウ、とも 友人（ユウジン）: a friend友情（ユウジョウ）: friendly feelings, friendship友禅（ユウゼン）: a dyeing method for kimono親友（シンユウ）: a best friend,…
ホルモン
If you have been to Japan, you may have noticed a BBQ restaurant with a sign saying ホルモン焼き. ホルモン? The…
たすける=help??
The English word “help” is a rather difficult word to translate. I usually tell my students to remember the following…
女
Meaning: woman, female Reading: ジョ、ニョ、ニョウ、おんな、め 女子（ジョシ）: a woman, a female, a girl女児（ジョジ）: a girl, a female child女性（ジョセイ）: a woman,…
昆布（こんぶ/konbu） – kelp
Last week, I talked about bonito flakes which we use to make stock. Today, I’m going to talk about the…
ロック、ろうく、ろく
ロックバンドで労苦（ろうく）を共（とも）にした六人（ろくにん）がつくったロック装置（そうち） means a “locking device which 6 people who shared hard work together in a rock band” – again a…
男
Meaning: a male Reading: ダン、ナン、おとこ（おのこ） 男女（ダンジョ）: man and woman; male and female男児（ダンジ）: a boy, a male child男子（ダンシ）: a man,…
クライアント and クライエント
On Tuesdays I usually talk about katakana words that are used differently from their origin but today, I’m going to…
ひまなときってどんなとき？
ひまなときなにをしますか。(What do you do in your free time?) A popular beginners’ textbook in Australia has this sentence in the chapter…
子
Meaning: a child Reading: シ（ジ）、ス、こ 帰国子女（キコクシジョ）: school children who have returned from abroad子弟（シテイ）: sons, children子息（シソク）: a son母子（ボシ）: mother and…
花かつお – bonito flakes
花かつお（はなかつお/hana_katsuo）, often translated as “bonito flakes,” is shaved 鰹節（かつおぶし/katsuobushi）. 鰹節（かつおぶし/katsuobushi） is dried, fermented and smoked skipjack tuna fillet. Did you…
かき、カーキ、かっき
Today’s post is about the sound differences among かき, カーキ and かっき. If you can pronounce them, it’s easier to hear them apart.
妹
Meaning: a younger sister Reading: マイ、いもうと、いも 姉妹（シマイ）: sisters義妹（ギマイ）: a younger-sister-in-law (the wife of one’s younger brother or a younger…
ポット
ポット is the transliteration of the English word “pot,” so can you spot a ポット in the photo? If you…
弟
Meaning: a younger brother Readings: ダイ、デ、テイ、おとうと 兄弟（キョウダイ）: sibling (including sisters) 弟子（デシ）: a disciple, a follower 兄弟（ケイテイ）: brothers…
Daikon radish
The other day, I got asked a very strange question: If you are to eat only one kind of vegetable…
ほる, ほうる, ホール and ボール
Today’s sound comparison is among ほる, ほうる, ホール and ボール. Listen and repeat the sound here. If you can say them correctly, it’s easier to hear them apart.
姉
Meaning: an older sister Recognized Reading: シ、あね 姉妹（シマイ）: sisters姉弟（シテイ）: an older sister and a younger brother長姉（チョウシ）: the eldest sister義姉（ギシ）:…
ミシン/mishin
When I was young, I used ミシン a lot. I was aware that it was written in Katakana but I…
兄
Meaning: an older brother Recognized Reading: キョウ、ケイ、あに 兄弟（キョウダイ）: a sibling (including sisters) 兄弟（ケイテイ）: brothers兄妹（ケイマイ）: older brother and younger…
