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...
Category: Trivia
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...
Abunai vs. Yabai: Meaning & Usage in Japanese
Abunai (危ない/あぶない) is a word that Japanese learners should memorize during the early stage of studying, meaning dangerous. But in everyday conversation, young Japanese generations often use Yabai (やばい) instead of Abunai to mean...
What is Yakiniku no Tare?: Japanese Barbecue Sauce
Yakiniku (焼肉) is a Japanese barbecue grill enjoyed indoors, where diners cook thinly sliced raw meat (from various portions of beef and pork) for themselves on a griddle/gridiron set on the table and eat...
Juice vs. Cider: What’s the Difference in Japan?
What cider means differs by country, and in Japan, the word サイダー generally refers to sweet drinks containing carbonated water, citric acid, and fruit flavoring, as I wrote in this article. Hearing that, you...
Soba Tsuyu vs. Mentsuyu Broth: What is the Difference?
In the previous post, I mentioned that we often make the broth of Soba with a soup base called Mentsuyu (めんつゆ: Tsuyu meant for Men/麺 or noodles) or Soba Tsuyu (そばつゆ). As you may...
Somen vs. Soba noodles: What is the Difference?
Somen (そうめん/素麺) and Soba (蕎麦) are noodles that represent Japan, and we commonly eat them, but it seems the former is less recognized than the latter overseas, and some people are wondering how the...
Kusa (草): 4 Possible Meanings of the Japanese Word
Kusa (草), originally meaning grass or weed, is a word sometimes seen in the names of Wagashi (和菓子: traditional Japanese confections), like Kusa Daifuku (草大福) or Kusa Mochi (草餅). As guessed from it, the...
