Recent Posts
Japanese Words Made for Earthquakes and Other Disasters
Following the magnitude 6.1 earthquake that recently hit Kansai, the floods and landslide in western Japan and the current nationwide heatwave, it’s time to look at some words for these terrifying natural occurrences.
By Matthew Coslett on July 28, 2018
World Cup Words: Talking about Football in Japanese
Following Samurai Blue’s inspiring run in the World Cup and finals about to start, there has never been a better time to master some of the unique Japanese words associated with the tournament as it nears it’s exciting finish!
By Matthew Coslett on July 12, 2018
He Said, She Said: How to Quote Others in Japanese
GaijinPot presents a guide to quoting what others have said — because you can’t always be the definitive source.
By Matthew Coslett on June 27, 2018
Visa Basics: Instructor Versus Specialist in Humanities and International Services
GaijinPot investigates two common types of visas for teachers in Japan that cause the most confusion.
By Matthew Coslett on June 19, 2018
Cheat Sheet: Moving up to Intermediate Japanese with a New Verb Ending
GaijinPot offers advice for moving from the ない (not) to the ず (not doing) suffix — and helps you ti answer trick test questions in the process.
By Matthew Coslett on June 14, 2018
Get Yourself Connected: A Quick Guide to Internet Setup in Japanese
At first the words for the internet can seem somewhat easy after all — a lot of them are English. However, once you try and get online, the words become increasingly difficult. GaijinPot investigates.
By Matthew Coslett on May 30, 2018
How the Simplest Kanji Can Often Trick Us
With the JLPT exams just around the corner, GaijinPot takes a look at some of the weird compounds using basic kanji that examiners can’t resist slipping into their tests.
By Matthew Coslett on May 21, 2018
The First 10 Sentences You Should Learn in Japanese
Gaijinpot presents a guide to the first ten sentences for beginner language learners that will make the scaffolding to all your later studies.
By Matthew Coslett on April 26, 2018
April Fools: How to Talk About Big or Little Lies in Japanese
Since April is the month of fibs and mistruths, Gaijinpot presents some vocabulary to discuss them.
By Matthew Coslett on April 12, 2018
Get it on Credit: Shopping Hard with your Charge Card
Here are some details about the information on your Japanese bank card to help you have a better online shopping experience.
By Matthew Coslett on March 29, 2018
The Roots: Obscure Origins of Unusual Katakana
Learners may know of “wasei eigo” (English words coined in Japan), but there is another weird subcategory of katakana terms: those whose meaning has been utterly altered from the original form.
By Matthew Coslett on March 21, 2018
The Ties That Bind: Fate and Love in Japanese
If a partner “has you wrapped around their little finger,” it may not be such a bad thing. When it comes to love in Japanese, this a sign of destiny!
By Matthew Coslett on March 1, 2018
What’s in a Name? Love By Any Other Word is Still as Sweet
While the feeling of love and romance is something that is impossible to describe, Japanese has a lot of words that try to capture its essence.