道 (Michi) with Profound Meanings in Japanese Culture
In addition to 鼻 & 花 (Hana), 道 (Michi) is among the Kanji characters we learn in early elementary grades when most students only know the word 道 means road. But 道/Michi, also pronounced...
Category: Culture
鼻 (Hana) vs. 花 (Hana) vs. 華 (Hana): Meaning in Japanese
When I hear はな or Hana (pronunciation), what comes to mind right away is these three Kanji characters, 鼻, 花, and 華, for we Japanese pronounce them the same way. While the first two...
Ohayo or Konnichiwa, Which Would Japanese Use?
As you know, Ohayo (おはよう: also spelled Ohayou) and Konnichiwa (こんにちわ) are commonly used Japanese phrases for greetings, respectively meaning Morning and Hello or Good Afternoon. While Konnichiwa is usable with anyone, only Ohayo...
How often do Japanese eat Sushi and Ramen?
Sushi (寿司) and Ramen (ラーメン) are Japanese foods well-known and loved by many overseas people, but how often do you think we eat each of the two dishes per month? How many times do...
Okashi vs. Okashii: The Difference in Meaning in Japanese
Okashi and Okashii sound almost the same. But what do you think about their meanings in Japanese? The former Okashi reminds me of two writings right away; お菓子 and をかし, and what I should...
Interview with 08-12 (Oh-Eight-Twelve) Magazine
At the end of October 2022, I had an email from a woman named Kara, who had enjoyed reading my blog posts, and in her mail, she asked me if I would be interested...
Ki (木) vs. Hayashi (林) vs. Mori (森): Meaning in Japanese
木 (Ki), 林 (Hayashi), and 森 (Mori) are Kanji characters that we learn in elementary school. They are similar in shape, from which you could guess the meanings. This may be off topic, but...
Why do Japanese say sorry a lot when speaking English?
I’m aware one of the mistakes we tend to fall into when speaking English is saying sorry a lot or over-apologizing, as I did in the past. Why do Japanese people apologize so much...
