How I Studied Japanese in 1976, Part II
Exactly fifty years ago this July 4, I boarded a plane for my first trip to Japan!
Nihongoism
Encounters with the Japanese Language
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Ten Thousand What?
In a recent article on the character 運 (Why does Japanese use the same character for “luck” and “carry”?), I quoted a famous sentence from Dōgen, the thirteenth-century Zen master, in his masterwork Shōbōgenzō (正法眼蔵, “Treasury of the True Dharma Eye”—and hold on to that word “Dharma”):
What exactly is ginjo sake?
Most people who drink sake learn right off the bat that a ginjo (吟醸) or daiginjo (大吟醸) means something exceptional is happening in the bottle.
Why does Japanese use the same character for "luck" and "carry"?
When a Japanese speaker says un ga ii (運がいい), they mean someone is lucky.
Hey Bob, how much of this are you just making up anyway?
A deep dive into Japanese historical linguistics and the surprising revelation that Japanese used to have eight vowels instead of five
The Japanese Art of Thinking, Part 2
How kangaeru behaves and what the grammar reveals
The Japanese Art of Thinking
Part I: The history and archaeology of "kangaeru"
Weaving the threads of time
What do machines and opportunities have to do with each other?
The Farmer Planning His Day with the Hoe at His Side
How a farmer’s first act of the day became the Japanese word for “to plan”
The pata-pata of little feet
Japanese has an extraordinary vocabulary for things touching and being touched