08.Feb.2010 Shoubenkozou

小便小僧 [しょうべんこぞう] – a statue of a little boy peeing into a fountain

  • 小便 [しょうべん] – urine; pee (lit “small convenience.”  Opposite of 大便 [だいべん] – feces; excrement.)
  • 小僧 [こぞう] – youngster; young Buddhist priest

I shudder to consider the possibility of a 大便小僧.

07.Feb.2010 Kajiru

齧る [かじる] – to chew, bite, gnaw, have a nibble

01.Feb.2010 Senshuuraku

千秋楽 [せんしゅうらく] – concluding festivities; the final day of a sumo tournament

  • 千 [セン・ち] – thousand
  • 秋 [シュウ・あき] – autumn
  • 楽 [ガク・ラク・たのしい] – music; carefree; fun

This word is a favorite of mine.  I love how it sounds and love the poetic nature of the characters that comprise it.

31.Jan.2010 Nukumori

ぬくもり – warmth

This warmth doesn’t just refer to heat, but also seems to have an emotional connotation.  A warm glow, warm hearted, a warm feeling running through your heart.  This is ぬくもり.

30.Jan.2010 Fukusuukei

複数形 [ふくすうけい] – plural (grammatical term)

  • 複 [フク] – double; multiple
  • 数 [スウ・ス・かず] – number; figure
  • 形 [ケイ・かた] – shape; form

Most Westerners have heard of the kanji 数 (sorta), even if they aren’t aware of it.  That’s because it’s one of the characters that make up the name of the popular number puzzle “Sudoku” – 独 [すうどく].  While it’s written “Sudoku” in English, the “u” should actually be elongated slightly, as in “Sūdoku.”  So, the next time you find yourself in Kinokuniya, asking for a book on “suhdookoo,” don’t be surprised if you’re met with curious stares.

  • 数 [スウ・ス・かず] – number; figure
  • 独 [ドク・ひとり] – single; alone

28.Jan.2010 Tenran Zumō

天覧相撲 [てんらんずもう] – A Sumō tournament which the Emperor is attending

  • 天 [テン・あま] – heaven; imperial
  • 覧 [ラン・みる] – peruse; see
  • 相撲 [すもう] – Sumō (lit “mutual striking”)

In this compound, 天 is an abbreviation for 天皇 [てんのう] “the Emperor.”  覧 is often used in the 敬語 [けいご] (honorific) phrase ご覧下さい or “please have a look.”  But, I’m afraid we’ll need to tackle 敬語 some other time.

26.Jan.2010 Yabai

やばい – dangerous; risky.

The word やばい is also commonly heard in the slang used by youngins.  Its meaning can run the gamut from “awful” to “cool” to “oh crap” to “uh-oh.”  You will need to glean the exact meaning from context.

As Britney Spears might say (if she were Japanese), “やばい、またやっちゃった!

Zatsudan

雑談 [ざつだん] – chit chat; idle talk

  • 雑 [ザツ・まじる] – miscellaneous
  • 談 [ダン] – discuss; talk

These characters can also be found in the following commonly-used words:

  • 誌 [ざっし] – magazine
  • 談 [そうだん] – consultation; advice

24.Jan.2010 Bakusui

爆睡 [ばくすい] – dead asleep; crashed hard

  • 爆 [バク・はぜる]  – bomb; burst open
  • 睡 [スイ] – sleep

爆 is also used in the word 爆発 [ばくはつ] “explosion.”

21.Jan.2010 new nihongo à gogo store

In an effort to help subsidize the cost of hosting nihongo à gogo, we’ve created an Amazon Associate store. We will be including our favorite Japanese-related picks, including books, music, electronics, toys, and other stuff. If you need to buy any Japanese materials, please consider supporting nihongo à gogo by buying them through us!

nihongo à gogo store