At first glance, written Japanese and Chinese seem to share a lot. Both use Chinese characters—called hanzi in Chinese and kanji in Japanese—and many characters look exactly the same. In fact, Japanese writing contains thousands of kanji that were directly borrowed from classical Chinese. Because of this shared origin, it’s easy to assume that a […]
Tag: intermediate
If you’re watching anime or reading manga (or listening to or reading Yakuza words) and hear a character shout something like: 「見るか！」 You might wonder — are they asking a question? Or refusing something? The answer is: it depends on the tone and context. In anime and casual Japanese, 〜か isn’t always a simple question […]
In Japanese grammar, “〜たところで” (ta tokorode) is a phrase that means “even if an action or a state were realized” or often (to put it even more simply) just “even if”. It suggests that even if the action were to occur, the result would not change. Here’s how to use “〜たところで” in a sentence: Note: […]
In Japanese, the grammar pattern “〜てみせる” (te miseru) is used to express a strong determination or intention to perform an action and show the result or outcome to someone. It is formed by combining the te-form of a verb with “みせる” (miseru), which means “to show” or “to display,” as explained in the previous answer. […]
In Japanese grammar, “〜そうになる” (sou ni naru) is a phrase that means “for something to almost happen” or “to be about to happen.” It is very often used to describe a situation in which something looks like it’s about to happen. Here’s a few examples of 〜そうになる in action: Bonus: The phrase “そうになる” is often […]
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The Japanese Kanji for Crab (蟹)
The kanji 蟹 (かに(kani))is a logographic character that is used in the Japanese writing system. It is composed of four parts: the radical 虫 (くも), which means “insect” or “bug,” and the radical 角 (かど), which means “angle” or “corner”, the radical 刀 (とう), which means sword, and the radical 牛 (うし), which means cow. […]