As a musician and general music lover, I’ve been wanting to learn more about Japanese traditional instruments and music. As it turns out, there are plenty of traditional instruments in Japan with a lot of variety in all classifications, from strings, to winds, to drums…. These instruments are called Wagakki (和楽器, literally Japanese instruments) and were used during the Antiquity. They’re pretty different from western instruments and it’s really interesting.
This is kind of obvious, but I cannot imagine what I would have done without my dictionary on my phone. Wherever I am, I can check any word I see or hear, it’s really one the most helpful tools you can have. My dictionary’s called JED, on Android.
Continue reading “Quicktip #2 : Download a Japanese/English dictionary”
Ah! Christmas! It’s that time of the year where streets light up, snow starts falling, families gather and start singin’ songs, making delicious meals, eating (lots of) delicious treats… It’s the most beautiful time of the year! Ever wondered what it’s like in Japan? Let’s find out!
Recently I decided to learn how to read Korean (because why not?) and so I needed explanations on how it works, and what better way to optimize language learning than by being taught in a language you’re already studying! Killing two birds with one stone as they say.
Continue reading “Quicktip #1 : Learning other languages in Japanese (or any foreign language!)”
The Japanese writing system is composed of three scripts (technically four if you include the roman alphabet). One of them is Kanji. It comprises thousands of characters, each one representing an idea, a meaning. Each kanji can have multiple readings, going from a few (1 or 2), to a LOT (dozens), and it can be quite a pain to learn. Believe me, I’m talking from personal experience.
