To my readers from the US and Canada, I hope you’ve had a great Thanksgiving! Here are some Thanksgiving related vocabulary to mark the occasion! 感謝祭 (かんしゃさい, kanshasai) – Thanksgiving This phrase is literally as you see it in English. 感謝かんしゃ means thanks (it’s used as a noun), whereas 祭 (pronounced as まつり own it’s own, and more often as さい in… Read more »
This week we’ll explore some travel related vocabulary! Modes of transportation will not be covered in this post, please refer to my Types of Transport post instead. 旅行 (りょこう, ryokou) – travel; trip 旅 (たび, tabi) – travel; trip; journey ツアー (tsuaa) – tour 観光旅行 (かんこうりょこう, kankouryokou) – (sightseeing) tour ガイド (gaito) – guide; tour guide; conductor; guiding; leading ツアーガイド (tsuaagaito) – tour… Read more »
This week, we’ll continue our exploration of various occupations in Japanese. 料理人 (りょうりにん, ryouriin) – cook; chef 給仕 (きゅうじ, kyuuji) 1. waiting on a table; serving (at dinner) 2. waiter; waitress; waitperson; server; cabin boy; bellboy; page; pageboy 3. office boy; office girl ウェイター (ueitaa) – waiter ベルボーイ (berubooi) – bellboy ポーター (pootaa) – porter 弁護士 (べんごし, bengoshi) – lawyer;… Read more »
We’ll continue our exploration of how various occupations are called in Japanese. 写真家 (しゃしんか, shashinka) – Photographer カメラマン (kameraman) – cameraman; photographer; cinematographer 画家 (がか, gaka) – painter; artist 運転士 (うんてんし, untenshi) – driver; train driver; train engineer; motorman; taxi driver 歌手 (かしゅ, kashuu) – singer 作曲家 (さっきょくか, sakkyokuka) – composer プログラマー (puroguramaa) – programmer 技術者 (ぎじゅつしゃ, gijutsusha) – engineer;… Read more »
What’s your occupation? In this vocabulary list, we’ll learn the names of some occupations in Japanese. 仕事 (しごと, shigotou) – work; job; business; occupation; employment; vocation; task 職業 (しょくぎょう, shokugyou) – occupation; business Of course, we have to start off by learning what the word ‘occupation’ is in Japanese. As you might be able to tell from the word definitions, 仕事 is a more general… Read more »
Ah the food of life! We all eat. To get nutrients, to satisfy our hunger… But how do you describe food in Japanese? This list will teach you just that. 味覚 (みかく, mikaku) – taste; palate; sense of taste 味 (あじ, aji) – flavor; flavour; taste What’s the difference between 味覚 and 味? 味覚 is referring to yourself, your sense of taste, whereas 味 is referring… Read more »
河豚 (ふぐ, fugu) – puffer fish; blow fish; fugu; globefish; swellfish 眼梶木 (めかじき, mekajiki) – swordfish (Xiphias gladius); broadbill 梶木 (かじき, kajiki) – marlin; swordfish; spearfish; sailfish 帆立 (ほたて, hotate) – Japanese scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis); Yesso scallop 螺貝 (つぶがいt, subugai) – whelk (esp. Neptunea and Buccinum spp.) 雲丹 (うに, uni) – sea urchin; sea urchin eggs 蛍烏賊 (ほたるいか, hotaru ika) – firefly squid (Watasenia scintillans); sparkling enope… Read more »
浅蜊 (あさり, asari) – Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) 赤貝 (あかがい, akagai) – blood clam (Scapharca broughtonii); ark shell 蛸 (たこ, tako) – octopus 海獺 (らっこ, rakko) – sea otter (Enhydra lutris) 鰻 (うなぎ, unagi) – eel (esp. the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica) 平目 (ひらめ, hirame) 1. flounder (esp. the large-tooth flounders of family Paralichthyidae, but also lefteye flounders of family Bothidae) 2. bastard halibut;… Read more »
海月 (くらげ, kurage) – jellyfish 蟹 (かに, kani) – crab 海鼠 (なまこ, namako) – sea cucumber (Holothuroidea spp.) 海馬 (かいば, kaiba) 1. seahorse; sea horse 2. walrus 竜の落し子 (たつのおとしご, tatsu no oto shigo) – seahorse; sea horse This is an interesting name for sea horse. It literally means ‘fallen child of the dragon’. 海豹 (あざらし, azarashi) – true seal (animal); earless seal 海驢… Read more »
貝類 (かいるい, kairoi) – shellfish 貝 (かい, kai) – shell; shellfish 魚介類 (ぎょかいるい, gyokairoi) – marine products; seafood; fish and shellfish 類 (るい, roi) means type, sort, kind… So 貝類 refers to all the various types of shellfish, and 魚介類 refers to all the various types of fish. 鮪 (まぐろ, maguro) – Tuna (Thunnus spp.) 魬 (はまち, hamachi) – young Japanese amberjack; young yellowtail 鯖… Read more »