Thursday, May 7th, 2009

Japanese Word of the Day

暮色


【ぼしょく】
(n) dusk; twilight scene

暮 — live, make a living; grow dark, end (O'Neill 1140)

色 — colour, passion (O'Neill 241)
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Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

Japanese Word of the Day

団子

【だんご】
(n) dumpling (sweet)

団 group, troupe (O'Neill 243)

子 child (O'Neill 61)

Also: お団子 double-bun hairstyle
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Saturday, March 21st, 2009

Japanese Word of the Day

空母【くうぼ】kuuba
aircraft carrier

sky, empty (O'Neill 184)

mother (O'Neill 89)
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Thursday, February 19th, 2009

Japanese Word of the Day

風葬【ふうそう】

burial (disposal of a body) by exposure to the elements; aerial sepulture

— wind (O'Neill 134)

— bury (O'Neill 1593)
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Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

Japanese Word of the Day

仙郷、仙境【せんきょう】
fairyland; enchanted land

仙 — hermit, mystic (O'Neill 1959)

郷 — village, native place (O'Neill 1165)

境 — boundary, border, mental state (O'Neill 751)


This entry inspired by the NASA mapping of Titan.
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Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

Japanese Word of the Day

熔岩【ようがん】
(n) lava

熔 (ヨウ,と(火す))melt (O'Neill 1517)

岩 (ガン,いわ)rock, crag (O'Neill 821)


Bonus katakana: パホイホイ
(n) Pahoehoe, a basaltic lava hardened into a glassy, wrinkled finish
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Monday, November 10th, 2008

Japanese Word of the Day

多分 【たぶん】

(adv,n) (1) perhaps; probably; (adj-na,adj-no) (2) generous; many; much; great

多 Many, plentiful (O'Neill 181)

分 Share, lot (O'Neill 35)
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Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008

Japanese Word of the Day

浮世絵【うきよえ】
(n) ukiyoe (colour print of everyday life in the Edo period)

浮 float (O'Neill 991)

世 world, age, reign, generation (O'Neill 177)

絵 picture (O'Neill 380)
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Tuesday, September 30th, 2008

Japanese Word of the Day

昔昔【むかしむかし】mukashi mukashi
(n-t) long ago; once upon a time

昔 olden days, former times (O'Neill 988)
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Saturday, September 13th, 2008

Japanese Word of the Day

水素【すいそ】
(n) hydrogen

水 water (O'Neill 16)

素 simple, plain; origin (O'Neill 797)
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Tuesday, June 17th, 2008

Japanese Word of the Day

過ち【あやまち】
(n) fault; error; indiscretion; faux pas

過 mistake (O'Neill 368)

Also:

誤ち【あやまち】
(n) fault; error; indiscretion; faux pas

誤 mistake, be mistaken (O'Neill 602)
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Saturday, June 14th, 2008

Japanese Word of the Day

畜生【ちくしょう】
(int,n) (1) beast (i.e. any animal other than man); (2) (Buddh) person reborn into the animal realm; (3) brute (i.e. a contemptible human being); (int) (4) son of a bitch; for Christ's sake; damn it;

畜 Raise livestock (O'Neill 1740)

生 Life (O'Neill 67)
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Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

Japanese Word of the Day

弁慶の泣き所【べんけいのなきどころ】benkeinonakidokoro
(n) one's weak point; shin

弁慶【べんけい】
(n) strong man

弁 discriminate, speech, petal, braid (O'Neill 513)

慶 rejoice, congratulate (O'Neill 1033)

泣き所【なきどころ】
(n) weak point; vulnerable point; Achilles' heel

泣 cry, weep (O'Neill 1049)

所 place (O'Neill 137)
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Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

Japanese Word of the Day

Takenoko (竹の子) たけのこ

Bamboo shoots

竹 Bamboo (O'Neill 68)

子 Child (O'Neill 61)
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Thursday, May 15th, 2008

Japanese Word of the Day

社会正義 【しゃかいせいぎ】 shakai seigi

Social justice


社会 【しゃかい】 shakai

(n) society; public

社 association (O'Neill 203)

会 meeting, society (O'Neill 116)


正義 【せいぎ】 seigi

(n) justice; right; righteousness; correct meaning

正 correct (O'Neill 123)

義 justice, integrity, loyalty (O'Neill 244)


Today's word inspired by this comment on Boingboing, by Jake Adelstein:

In Japanese, a lot of reporters talk about journalism as a force for bringing about 社会正義 (social justice). It's said so often that it's almost kind of a joke. Like you'll be going out to get a cup of coffee, another reporter will ask you, "hey why are you going out for coffee now" and you might smart back, ”社会正義のためだ” (for the sake of social justice). Well, it gets laughs in Japanese.
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Monday, May 12th, 2008

Japanese Word of the Day

Mimikaki (耳掻き【みみかき】)

(n,vs) (1) earpick; (2) ear cleaning

耳 Ear (O'Neill 107)

掻く To scratch, sweat or paddle
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Thursday, May 8th, 2008

Japanese Word of the Day

Tachikurami, 立ち暗み
(n) giddiness (from standing up too fast)

立, stand (O'Neill 72)
暗, dark (O'Neill 576)
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Tuesday, February 12th, 2008

Japanese Word of the Day

恍惚状態【こうこつじょうたい】koukotsujoutai
(n) state of ecstasy (rapture); trance; senile dementia

恍惚【こうこつ】
(adj-na,n) ecstasy; trance

状 condition, form, letter (O'Neill 512)

態【なり】
(n,adj-no) (uk) style; way; shape; form; appearance; state
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