better-and-happier

[better-and-happier]

silly how the ten-key Japanese kana keyboard on the iphone is labeled 日本語かな like hmm… is it 日本語？I wonder…

[better-and-happier]

How to ask "What is the difference between A and B?" in Japanese

I think it's time to write down this phrase and I always ask my Japanese teacher in English and I should stop.

Sentence structure:

「A」と「B」はどう違いますか？

「A」と「B」の違いは何ですか？

For example for asking: What's the difference between 勤める and 働く?

「勤める」と「働く」はどう違いますか？

「勤める」と「働く」の違いは何ですか？

[better-and-happier]

Me when my co-teacher would explain a lesson and all I could say was “hai, daijoubu desu!”

no sé cómo decir nadaaa

[better-and-happier]

龍 (ryū) "dragon"

If you visit a shrine or temple in Japan, make sure to look up at the ceiling of the main room.

Often there will be a painting of a dragon.

One reason is that dragons represent the virtue of courage.

Another, more superstitious reason is that dragons are associated with the element of water, and so are a protection against fire. This is very important in a country where wood is the main building material.

If you look closely, you'll notice that the dragon is clutching a ball in one of its feet. Much like their European counterparts, Japanese dragons like to collect precious objects. These balls are the "Dragon Ball" of the eponymous comic book - the ball-shaped jewels that grant the owner wishes.

Buddhists speak of the "jewel within the lotus" - a boundless compassion. It is cryptically described as "the jewel that grants all desires", and represented pictorially as a precious jewel - the Dragon Ball.

The above artwork is available on my Etsy shop here.

[better-and-happier]

Double trouble today! And good news—the 22-day streak of wet names is still going!

The surname 照沼 is usually read Terunuma, like it is here (or as far as I can tell with this AWFUL all-caps English font), but it can also be Terinuma, Teranuma, or Shōnuma.

照 means illuminate, shine, or compare. It can also mean bashful or blushing. It's read て.る, て.らす, て.れる, or ��ョウ.

沼 means marsh, swamp, bog, wetland, pond, or lake. It's read ぬま or ショウ. The latter reading comes from the right radical, 召, which is also why 照 is read ショウ. See? It's useful to learn radicals.

The second surname, 今道, is usually read Imamichi, like it is here, but it may also be Kondō.

今 means now. By extension, it also means the most recent/this (as in “this week,” or “the current ~”). It's read いま, コン, or キン.

道, improbably, seems to be new to this blog! It means road, path, or journey���both literally and figuratively. It can also mean teachings or moral. It's commonly read みち, ドウ, or トウ, but can also be read いう.

Aaaand this post is already long, but it's fun to discover that you know vocabulary that you don't even know you know, so here you go:

照り焼き　　　　 teriyaki

天照大（御）神 Amaterasu Ō(mi)kami (the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology)

武士道 Bushidō (the samurai moral code)

道場 dōjō (martial arts training hall)

道教 【どうきょう】 Taosim/Daoism

[better-and-happier]

best feeling in the world is seeing a word you don't know but it's made up of kanji you do know and you're able to guess the correct reading and meaning from that

[better-and-happier]

This is so cool!!

Simplified Chinese characters vs. Japanese shinjitai

I had always heard that Japanese has simplified kanji, kind of like how Chinese has simplified characters. They are called shinjitai (新字体). When I traveled to Japan (knowing Chinese but not knowing any Japanese), I instantly began noticing shinjitai and comparing them to simplified characters.

It was fascinating how I was able to understand some shinjitai instantly, whereas others took more time to decode. Some are actually identical to simplified Chinese characters. Below are all the shinjitai I noticed on my trip. This has been in my drafts for ages...!

Simplified in Japanese only

(Order: traditional / shinjitai)

冰-氷

乘-乗

舍-舎

拜-拝

窗-窓

Same simplification in both languages

(Order: traditional - simplified/shinjitai)

萬-万

來-来

寫-写

區-区

醫-医

國-国

學-学

當-当

淺-浅

會-会

體-体

Different simplifications in each language

(Order: traditional - simplified - shinjitai)

兩-两-両

單-单-単

傳-传-伝

價-价-価

兒-儿-児

勞-劳-労

營-营-営

團-团-団

圖-图-図

圍-围-囲

賣-卖-売

處-处-処

實-实-実

廣-广-広

從-从-従

對-对-対

檢-检-検

樂-乐-楽

氣-气-気

滿-满-満

龜-龟-亀

麵-面-麺

發-发-発

經-经-経

總-总-総

藥-药-薬

觀-观-観

讀-读-読

豐-丰-豊

轉-转-転

鐵-铁-鉄

藝-艺-芸

關-关-関

險-险-険

齒-齿-歯

廳-厅-庁

鹽-盐-塩

For more, you can refer to these Wikipedia/Wiktionary pages: Shinjitai Differences between Shinjitai and Simplified characters Category:CJKV characters simplified differently in Japan and China

[better-and-happier]

Love u おしゃれ forever and ever ✨

[better-and-happier]

外柔内剛 (gai-jū-nai-go) “Soft outside, hard inside”

This expression refers to someone who is soft and gentle on the outside, but inwardly tough and resilient. Similar to the English expression “steel in a velvet glove”.

This is a special kind of Japaneses idiom known as a 四字熟語 (よじじゅくご、yo-ji-juku-go), or 4-character idiom. As the name suggests, these are idiomatic phrases made of 4 kanji characters.

They often contain a small life lesson or moral message, similar to English sayings such as “you reap what you sow” and “the early bird gets the worm”.

[better-and-happier]

粋 (iki) "understated elegance"

"Iki" is a Japanese aesthetic ideal. It refers to subtle elegance and sophistication.

One of the aspects of iki is caring about the sensibilities of others. What you wear should make others feel comfortable, and wearing stylish clothing is a way of respecting those around you.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t wear what you want, but neither does it mean that you can’t think about how your appearance affects others. Iki is somewhere in between.

[better-and-happier]

I didn’t know there were so many! I only knew about the sex and gender ones, and the smell one!

Harassment in Japanese

A list of the types of harassment in Japanese.

Note: There are obviously some triggering things in here, so please skip if you think that descriptions of forms of harassment might cause you distress.

あ

アカハラ/Aka-Hara Academic Harassment (アカデミックハラスメント) Situations where professors or superiors in an academic setting take advantage of their position to harass or prevent the academic development of a student. This includes preventing them from using equipment without just cause, or not giving students credit for their work.

アルハラ/Aru-Hara Alcohol Harassment (アルコールハラスメント） Any kind of forced alcohol consumption can be considered alcohol harassment. Hazing, bullying, using hierarchy to force someone to drink, or not arranging for non-alcoholic drinks all constitute alcohol harassment. 

エアハラ/Ea-Hara Air Harassment (エアーハラスメント) Otherwise known as air-conditioning harassment. Companies prohibiting the use of air conditioning on hot days to save on energy costs or setting the temperature so low that employees feel uncomfortable because it's too cold.

エイハラ/Ei-Hara Age Harassment (エイジハラスメント) Age harassment has many forms. Originally it meant the harassment of middle-aged or older members of the workforce specifically because of their age; however, it has been expanded to include age-discrimination in job requirements (e.g. restricting the age of applicants for no just cause) and the harassment, harm or neglect of elders in the home or in nursing homes. 

オワハラ/Owa-Hara Stop (One's) Job Search Harassment ((就)終われハラスメント) Taking advantage of the insecurity of job seekers by verbally promising them a job under the condition that they stop seeking other opportunities.

か

カジハラ/Kaji-Hara Housework Harassment (家事ハラスメント) Unbalance, disrespect, or excessive badgering with respect to the division of household chores and other domestic duties in the home.

カスハラ/Kasu-Hara Customer Harassment (カスタマーハラスメント) Inappropriate or disrespectful behavior by customers towards service staff. For example, making unreasonable requests, refusing to pay for services or any other kind of verbal or physical abuse.

カラハラ/Kara-Hara Karaoke Harassment (カラオケハラスメント) When someone uses their position of authority at work to force people to sing at karaoke when they don’t want to.  While karaoke is considered a social activity and for some it is a way to relieve stress, there are many who do not enjoy karaoke and find it embarrassing to sing in front of others.

キャンハラ/ Kyan-Hara Campus Harassment キャンパスハラスメント） Any kind of harassment that occurs on a university campus falls under the umbrella of campus harassment, including but not limited to: sexual harassment, academic harassment, and power harassment. The difference between campus harassment and academic harassment is that the former can occur between peers and colleagues and is not limited to teacher-student interactions. 

ケアハラ/Kea-Hara Care Harassment (ケアハラスメント) Harassment in the workplace towards those who take leave or work fewer hours in order to care for family members. 

さ

シルハラ/Shiru-Hara Silver Harassment (シルバーハラスメント) Silver harassment is similar to age harassment and refers to older people, but more specifically refers to harassment of those receiving elder care. The “Silver Generation” refers to those who are above the age of 60, and harassment of this population tends to happen in the form of bullying, neglect, or outright abuse by those taking care of them (e.g. family or nursing home staff). This is a growing problem in Japan due to the aging population. 

ジェンハラ/Gen-Hara Gender Harassment (ジェンダーハラスメント) When traditional gender roles are imposed upon people in the workplace. E.g. forcing only women to serve tea, expecting men to be dominant or leaders in a project or a team or to be responsible for physical labor. Gender harassment also includes discrimination or harassment of LGBTQ individuals. 

スクハラ/ Suku-Hara School Sexual Harassment スクールセクシャルハラスメント） Sexual harassment of students by teachers at school. This includes such things as asking a student if he/she is dating, using one's position to prohibit dating, or inappropriate physical contact with a student that can be considered sexual abuse. Often times school administration may not be equipped or receptive to such claims made by students, therefore it is advised to contact a third-party organization for victim support. 

スメハラ/Sume-Hara Smell Harassment (スメルハラスメント) Smell Harassment is the act of making others uncomfortable with smells. Body odor or bad breath may be common but also the overuse of perfume or fabric softener can be considered smell harassment.

スモハラ/ Sumo-Hara Smoke Harassment (スモークハラスメント) Harassment of nonsmokers by smokers. When a smoker forces a nonsmoker to smoke or be exposed to second-hand smoke. In addition, some have extended smoke harassment to include the undue burden placed on non-smokers in the workplace because smokers take significantly more breaks implying that non-smokers work longer or end up doing more work than smokers. 

セクハラ/Seku-Hara  Sexual Harassment (セクシャルハラスメント) When unwanted or inappropriate sexual comments or physical contact is made in the workplace. 

セカハラ/Seka-Hara Second Harassment (セカンドハラスメント) When a victim of sexual harassment reports the abuse to their company or superior and is secondarily harassed to stay silent or otherwise ignored or threatened. 

ゼクハラ/Zeku-Hara Zexual Harassment (ゼクシャルハラスメント) Passive aggressive or direct pressure from a woman to a man to get married. The term zexual comes from the bridal magazine Zexy. Social pressure on women to get married is consequently transferred to their current partners and is known as zeku-hara.

ソーハラ/So-Hara Social Media Harassment (ソーシャルメディアハラスメント) Any kind of discomfort or pressure caused by colleagues or superiors with regard to social media. Insisting on follows or engaging on social media or using people’s social media posts against them in the workplace. 

た

継ぐハラ/Tsugu-Hara Inheritance (of a family business) Harassment (継ぐんでしょうハラスメント) Pressure from parents or relatives to take over a family business despite the preferences of the individual.

テクスハラ/ Tekusu-Hara Textual Harassment（テクスチュアルハラスメント） Textual harassment is the unfair degrading or ignoring of a work or evaluation of a person who is a woman or because of her gender. In particular, it refers to the evaluation of a work by a female writer being lower rated than that of a male writer, or the evaluation of a work being based on the gender of the writer, rather than on the quality of the work.

テクハラ/ Teku-Hara Technology Harassment (テクノロジーハラスメント) Technology harassment is the harassment of people who are not tech-savvy. Especially older members of the workforce may not be as well versed in using technology. While the job might require a certain amount of competency in technology, not allowing people the time to learn or belittling them for their lack of skills is considered technology harassment. 

ドクハラ/ Doku-Hara Doctor Harassment（ドクターハラスメント） Discomfort or mental stress caused to a patient by the words, actions, attitude, or atmosphere of a doctor treating a patient. This can include anything from dismissive comments like "If you don't trust me, go somewhere else," or forced treatment or examination despite hesitation by the patient. 

な

ヌーハラ/Nu-Hara Noodle Harassment (ヌードルハラスメント) It is common to audibly slurp one’s noodles while eating in Japan. Some find the sound unsettling and in certain situations eating one's noodles noisily can be considered noodle harassment. 

は

ハラハラ/ Hara-Hara Harassment Harassment (ハラスメントハラスメント) Harassment harassment is the act of embarrassing or harassing someone by claiming that words, actions, or behavior that are not actually harassment are "harassment." This can worsen human relationships within an organization and reduce work efficiency.

パーハラ/ Pā-Hara Personal Harassment (パーソナルハラスメント) Any kind of bullying or attacks that are personal in nature (e.g. in reference to personal taste, appearance, habits, personality, etc.). 

パワハラ/ Pawa-Hara Power Harassment (パワーハラスメント） When someone in a position of power in the workplace uses that power to harass or bully a person in a lower-ranked position. 

フォトハラ/Foto-Hara Photo Harassment (フォトハラスメント) Taking photos without a person's permission, uploading the photo to social media without permission, or any other use of photographs to intentionally cause discomfort, harm, humiliation, distress, or danger. 

ブラハラ/ Bura-Hara Blood Type Harassment (ブラッドタイプハラスメント) In Japan, many believe that one’s blood type has an influence on a person’s personality, also known as blood type horoscopes. Blood type harassment refers to words, actions, or judgments of a person’s personality or capability based on their blood type. For example, Type O is careless, Type A is meticulous, etc. Not only is there no evidence for the validity of blood type horoscopes but deciding people’s work responsibilities and tasks based on blood type is harassment. 

ペットハラ/ Petto-Hara Pet Harassment (ペットハラスメント) Pet harassment has two variations.

Abuse or neglect of one’s pet

Improper maintenance of one’s pet in public that causes fear or discomfort to people who are afraid of animals.

ま

マタハラ/Mata-Hara Maternity Harassment (マタニティハラスメント) Harassment of a woman who is pregnant or has given birth, either mentally or physically, on the grounds that her pregnancy, childbirth, or parental leave is interfering with her work duties.

マリハラ/Mari-Hara Marriage Harassment (マリッジハラスメント) Marriage harassment refers to the constant pestering of unmarried to get married, by colleagues, superiors, work, relatives, and peers. 

モラハラ/ Mora-Hara Moral Harassment (モラルハラスメント) Moral harassment is harassment that causes mental pain to the other person through words, attitudes, and actions. Specifically, it includes ignoring the other person, using abusive language, acting in a bad mood, or forcing or taking away work. When a person is mentally harassed through words and attitudes, in the workplace this often manifests as not receiving recognition for work. This kind of harassment is often concealed and happens in private. 

ら

ラブハラ/ Rabu-Hara Love Harassment ラブハラスメント Emotional distress or discomfort caused to a person in relation to the topic of love or relationships. Asking about one’s dating situation or unsolicited advice about dating, relationships, or marriage. 

リスハラ/ Risu-Hara Restructuring Harassment (リストラハラスメント)  A form of power harassment that forces employees into departments, positions, or locations they are not necessarily suited for. When decisions regarding one’s working conditions are deliberately made to make the employee experience discomfort or hardship. 

リモハラ・テレハラ/ Remo-Hara or Tele-Hara Remote Harassment/Telework Harassment (リモートハラスメント・テレワークハラスメント) A new type of harassment has emerged with the spread of remote work during the pandemic. As many people’s personal spaces became visible to colleagues and superiors, it resulted in an undue invasion of personal privacy. In addition, people were forced to join online drinking sessions or were excluded from necessary meetings. All of the above fall under the umbrella of remote harassment.

レイハラ/ Rei-Hara Racial Harassment (レイシャルハラスメント) Racial harassment is the act of insulting or harassing someone on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, etc. It refers to a situation in the workplace or in everyday life where an employee is subjected to discriminatory remarks or actions or unfair treatment on the basis of race or nationality, resulting in a harmful working environment.

レリハラ/ Reri-Hara Religious Harassment (レリジャスハラスメント) Harassment by religious officials involving emotional, physical, or financial distress. It may include pressure to join a religious group, threats of severe consequences if one tries to leave a religious group, or sexual or child abuse that occurs within a religious group. Interestingly, this term is not used for people who get discriminated against because of their religion. 

ロジハラ/ Roji-Hara Logical Harassment (ロジカルハラスメント) Logical harassment is harassment that uses logic and reason to mentally corner the other person. It refers to acts that cause mental pain to the other person by presenting logical arguments, confusing them, or taking away their confidence.

わ

ワクハラ/ Waku-Hara Vaccine Harassment (ワクチンハラスメント) Forcing someone to get vaccinated or making remarks or behaving in a way that blames them for not being vaccinated. It is an abbreviation for vaccine harassment, and the term "wakuhara" has become more common in the workplace amid the influence of COVID-19.

Note: There are other types of harassment, each with their own catchy four-syllable (or so) phrase. While Japan recognizes a lot of harassment types, the policies for combating harassment aren't always strong enough to support the victims. I provide this list in case you need help describing harassment you are facing, and to shine a light on some of the issues facing Japanese society.

Original Source

[better-and-happier]

The way my guess was audiobook before I read the hints and then I was just completely flabbergasted

Katakana Quiz:

オードブル

This one's tricky. After reading this to myself like five times I got it. Hints and answer below the cut.

Hint #1:

「なにそれ、豪華じゃん」

デパートの地下で買ったオードブルやローストビーフ (...)

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Hint #2: it's originally from French

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Answer:

hors d'oeuvre

[better-and-happier]

Little bit of cowboy-style branding on a pastry today! And it allows us to continue our wet names streak for rainy season!

浜 means beach, seashore, or seacoast. It’s read はま or ヒン. The left radical is 氵water, and the right is 兵 soldier. You can remember it because the line of the tide along a coast is kind of like an army advancing or retreating. And you can remember 兵 soldier because it's technically made up of 斤 axe, 一 one, and 八 eight, but actually it looks like an axe on legs wearing a belt.

田 means rice paddy/field. It’s read た or デン.

山 means mountain. It’s read やま, サン, or セン.

Put 'em all together and you get 浜田山 Hamadayama! Which is a place name, not a human name, though both 浜田 Hamada (rarely Hamata) and 田山 Tayama are human surnames.

[better-and-happier]

乗

音読み　おんよみ　ジョウ

訓読み　くんよみ　の(る)

英語　えいご　① ride; ② multiplication; ③ counter for vehicles

3の3乗は27である。 さん の さん じょう は にじゅうなな である。 The third power of three is 27.

[better-and-happier]

少々

しょうしょう

just a minute, small quantity

少々お待ちください。 しょうしょう おまち ください。 Just one moment, please.

[better-and-happier]

2025/05/28 29

大きなショッピングモールで友達と待ち合わせて遅めの夕食を食べ、閉店時間までフリースペースでお茶を飲みながらおしゃべりをした

こんな風にふらりと待ち合わせて食事をしてなんとなくだらだらと話をし、またねと手を振り合うのって良いな

次の日は辺りをうろうろと歩く

普通に道路の途中にいきなり灯籠や鳥居が出てきてその下を車も通ってる

灯籠や鳥居のすぐ横に民家もあるし日常の風景になっていて不思議な感じ

お賽銭を入れてお参りする場所もなんだろう、昔は舞でもしたのかな、とか思ったり

奥にある神様が祀られている所まで行くと猫が慌てたように逃げて行き、驚かせてしまったようで申し訳ないことをした

スモークツリーが植っているのを初めて見た気がする、もふもふの花？も可愛いが葉のグラデーションも可愛い、こういうのを見ると我が家にも植えたくなる衝動

ネットでスモークツリー、鉢植えとか苗とか検索してしまったり

夜にはぽつぽつと雨が落ちてきて今朝もまだ降っている

落ち着かない体と心のまま5月を終えそう

[better-and-happier]

Late Night Diner, Shinjuku 新宿