Today, I refined my understanding of the word かしら (kashira). This word is put at the end of a sentence to make it into a question or request for confirmation.
For example, if you want to go home, you could ask your boss the following.
帰っても良いでしょうか。
kaette mo ii deshou ka
Nuance: May I go home now?
If you are talking [...]
Electronic dictionaries are good because they can help you look things up quickly when you are on the go, and they often have a few tools to help you study. However, most Japanese-English electronic dictionaries are designed for Japanese people, so some of them cannot be used well unless you already know kanji. [...]
Over the next couple of years, there are going to be some revisions to the Japanese Language Proficiency Test.
1. A new level will be introduced between levels 2 and 3 in 2010, making 5 levels in total. The new system will then consist of levels N1 to N5.
2. From 2009, levels 1 [...]
Continue reading about Changes to the Japanese Language Proficiency Test
On a frosty morning in late January, we came out of the woods and were passing through a meadow in Tsukuba`s Konda Neighborhood. We were on the way back from watching a crew of workers with heavy machinery clear the trees from around a local pond. My hands and ears were numb with cold and my heart numbed by what we [...]
Continue reading about Early Plum Blossoms, So-Bai (早梅), Reassure Us That Spring Is Not Far Off
The most commonly used expression for AUTUMN FOLIAGE in the Japanese language is KOHYOH ( 紅葉), which literally means- RED LEAVES. This is a testament to the fact that since more than a thousand years ago, the residents of the old capital Heian-Kyo ( now Kyoto), out of all the colorful autumn trees, have had a strong preference for the deep [...]
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