I talked about the word おかしい on Monday. As it implies something “strange,” “odd,” “suspicious,” you need to be careful…
手
Meaning: a hand Reading: シュ、ズ、チョウ、て（で）、た 手話（シュワ）: sign language選手（センシュ）: a player; an athlete 上手（ジョウズ）（な）: clever, skilled. good (at) 手水（チョウズ）: washing…
アルバイト
アルバイト アルバイト comes from the German word "arbeit" which means "work" in English. When the Japanese say アルバイト, that usually…
おかしい
The word おかしい is another difficult one to understand and translate the exact meaning. Examples are: funny: この漫才（まんざい）はおかしくてたまらなかった。 This comic…
耳
Meaning: an ear Reading: ジ、みみ 耳鼻科（ジビカ）: otorhinolaryngology, ear, nose, and throat specialist耳目（ジモク）: the eye and ear.内耳（ナイジ）: the inner ear中耳（チュウジ）:…
そうめん
そうめん そうめん (soumen) are very thin noodles made of wheat flour and are usually served cold with a light flavored…
そこ, そうこ, そこう, そっこう
Today’s sound comparison is among そこ, そうこ, そこう and そっこう. Listen and repeat the sound. If you can pronounce them correctly, it will be easier to hear them apart.
口
Meaning: a mouth Reading: ク、コウ、くち（ぐち） 口調（クチョウ）: a tone of voice; a manner of talking異口同音（イクドウオン）: unanimously 口論（コウロン）: a dispute,…
ビニール
ビニール ビニール is the transliteration of the English word “vinyl” but what it means is not the same as “vinyl”.…
きれい
きれい I have talked about quite a few English words which requires a few different Japanese words to translate them…
目
Meaning: an eye, a pivot Reading: モク（モッ）、ボク、め、ま 目標（モクヒョウ）: a target, a goal目下（モッカ）: now, currently注目（チュウモク）: attention, recognition名目（メイモク）: a name, a…
Ra-men
The word “ramen” comes from the Chinese word, 拉麺, but ラーメン is a Japanese dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat…
そっち, そうち, そち
Today’s sound comparison is among そっち, そうち, and そち. Listen and repeat the sound. If you can say them correctly, it will become easier to hear them apart.
正
#正 is listed under the radical of #とめへん（止）. Apparently 止 has a meaning of a foot and with 一 (one) added, 正 means to advance straight forward, from which …
レッスン
レッスン is the transliteration of “lesson” in English, but the meaning is much narrower than “lesson” in English. This post explains how.
thin
thin The English word “thin” is also a tricky word when you want to translate it into Japanese. When somebody…
茶
Meaning: tea Reading: チャ、サ 茶色（チャいろ）: brown colour茶室（チャシツ）: a tea house, a tea room茶目（チャめ）: mischievousness, a practical joke茶碗（チャワン）: a rice…
Soba
そば そば is the Japanese word for “buckwheat” and it usually refers to thin brown noodles made from buckwheat flour.…
そと, そうとう, そっとう, そっと
Today’s sound comparison is among そと, そうとう, そっとう and そっと. Listen and repeat the sound, then it will become easier to hear them apart.
黒
Meaning: black Reading: コク、くろ（ぐろ） 黒衣（コクイ）: black clothes黒板（コクバン）: a blackboard, a chalkboard暗黒（アンコク）: darkness, blackness大黒柱（ダイコクばしら）: the central pillar, a breadwinner 黒（くろ）:…
