Learn Japanese Online - JOI Teachers blog

Japanese new words In many languages including English, there is a growing number of words as modern vocabulary increases. Technology and trends change, and create an addition to the jargon used in every day speech. In Japanese too, there are always new words added to the vocabulary. Some are imported into the language and use the Katakana alphabet to write them. Some are new uses of old words t...

Advanced level Japanese The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test or JLPT, is an internationally recognized test to evaluate Japanese language ability for non-native speakers, covering language knowledge, reading ability, and listening ability. The highest level of the test is the JLPT N1 level. This test level's curriculum is covered at JOI online school in the Advanced level classes. There are c...

Japanese Onomatopoeia The Japanese language features a large amount of onomatopoeia. There are words that express the sound of animals and people which are called Giseigo. There are words that describe other sounds like the sound of footsteps on dry leaves which are called Giongo. There are also Mimetic words that describe feelings and way in which something is done. These are called Gitaigo. H...

七転び八起き Seven falls, eight rises (Pick yourself up, dust yourself off start all over again) By　CHIBA Sakie     皆さんの国の言葉には『ことわざ』がたくさんありますか。日本語にはことわざがたくさんあり、新聞やニュースはもちろん、日常会話でもよく使われています。仕事の面接で「座右の銘は何ですか。」と聞かれることもよくありますが、その場合はたいていことわざや四字熟語を使って答えます。 　私が一番好きなことわざは『七転び八起き』です。七転び八起きとは七回転んでも八回起き上がるという意味です。つまり、何度失敗しても、諦めずに立ち上がるということです。私の人生は失敗だらけですが、失敗を失敗のままにしておいたことはありません。必ずもう一度挑戦して、成功する...