Learn Japanese Today

Okay so maybe you’ve been reading the blog and you want me to review something, either something you like, hate, or are unsure about.

Well now you can tell me all about it with the all new Request a Review Form!

It’s really simple. All I ask is that when you submit something you leave me your name, e-mail, and URL if you have one. I’m not going to publish the e-mail, I just want it so I can send you a mail if I have any questions.

Then you should also give me the name of what you want me to review and the type of thing it is (podcast, radio station, book). Also leave a couple reasons why you’re recommending it as well as a URL where I can read more about it.

If you recommend something good that I end up reviewing, I’ll mention you in the review along with a link to your site. I’m glad to send you the traffic, so recommend some good stuff!

From now on, whenever you feel the need, just click on the tab at the top and request away!

I guess some stereotypes are true.

So today, I was working on a story for the paper about the amount of food the Chicago Bears consumed during training camp. For example, they ate enough liquid eggs to fill 4 standard-sized bathtubs.  You know, that kind of thing.

Anyways, I was looking at per capita seafood consumption to make some sort of statistical joke about the Bears eating more seafood than Ethiopia, and I found out that Japan eats more seafood per year than the US, despite being much smaller. Go JAPAN!

I had the statistical data in front of me all day, I think per capita consumption was 49.8 pounds per year according to an NOAA study. But now I can’t find it. And I’m tired because I worked for 14 hours. Go JAPAN!

I’ve decided that this blog needs a little more routine. Especially on Saturdays. Man, I never have anything to post about on Saturdays. Until now.

That’s right, it’s Word of the Week, or WotW for short (not to be confused with World of the Warcraft). Everyweek I’ll take a look at a word I find interesting, funny, or useful in a way that isn’t generally addressed in class.

Alright, time for this week’s word:

暖かくなかった

Reading: atatakakunakatta

Definition: Was not warm

This definitely used to be my favorite word, scratch that, it still is. I mean, just try saying it a couple of times.

Atatakakunakatta, atatakakunakatta, a-ta-ka-ta-tu - CRAP!

Not only is this word a natural tongue-twister, it also sounds like it could be something someone is saying in the background over and over in an underground rap song. Something with a lot of bass drum and sitar.

I suppose you grammar-lings will fuss at me if I don’t tell you that this is just a conjugation of the adjective atatakai, which means warm.

I’m going to level with you, this word does not get said very often. At least it’s rare enough that I still giggle every time I say it. You basically say it when something that was supposed to be warm (bath, meal, etc) was in fact, not warm. GASP! If it’s snowing outside, you aren’t going to go around saying atatakakunakatta. Unless you’re kidding. If you’re kidding, Japanese people will find it hilarious. Then you can all laugh at this hilarious word.

And now it’s time for a real life practice sentence so you can be cool and use the Word of the Week in REAL LIFE!

お風呂に入ったけど、水は暖かくなかったから、びっくりした。

Ofuro ni haitta kedo, mizu wa atatakakunakatta kara, bikkuri shita.

I got in the bath, but I was shocked to discover the water wasn’t warm.

Kuroda (黒田）is one of the 12 free online stations you can listen at MuMix.net .

This station is run by Michihiro Kuroda, popular J-Pop/J-Rock solo star, and former lead singer of the J-Pop group Iceman.

The station has mostly J-Rock, and they play a lot of stuff I like. There’s just one problem that it took me a little while to realize. It only plays Kuroda’s music.

I think this is an excusable mistake on my part, I mean, a lot of J-Rock sounds the same with the vocal boosters and reverb and the incredible use of synthesizers. The nice thing about listening to this station is you can basically base your opinion off 1 or 2 songa.

If you like Kuroda stay, if not, go.

Ease of Use: 9

It’s just 1-click and you can play it with iTunes and Windows Media Player. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

Authenticity: 9 

I like listening to this station because Kuroda speaks very clearly and rarely sings very fast. This makes it easy to pick out entire sentences rather than the few words here and there that I usually get from rock songs.

Quantity of Knowledge: 2

If I was comparing this station to other Michihiro Kuroda stations, it would probably get a 9.5 or a 10 in this category because it has just about every one of his songs. Unfortunately for our friend Kuroda, there are other musicians in the world, and maybe even other ones you want to listen to. Sorry buddy.

Price: 10

I’m gonna review something that’s not free soon, I promise! I just got my paycheck…

Fun: 6.5 and decreasing

I got this number by averaging the score I gave after the first 15 minutes of listening, a 9, with the score I gave after the next hour of listening, a 4. Kuroda is actually pretty good, but it’s tedious to listen to any one artist for a long time, so use this station sparingly.

Overall: 7.5

It’s really not that bad to listen to once in a while. You just really need to know how to use moderation.

You can start listening to MuMix here .

This is less of a review and more of a public service announcement. MuMix is a great site I found for listening to Japanese music. There are 12 stations to choose from, so you’ll probably get something you like, and there are also a variety of singles and even whole albums available to listen to on the site as well.

All the stations play in a variety of formats and are pretty easy to get going, it’s pretty much just one click. I’ve been listening to a lot of MuMix stations lately because Armitunes has been getting on my nerves a little with all the songs in English as well as the insane repition someimes (i heard one song 6 times in a row once.)

On the front page, there is a big list of singles and then a shorter list of albums that you can listen to for free. Check those out too.

I’ll be reviewing some of the stations they have on there in the upcoming days, but they’re all generally pretty good. Just try to find one where you can hear the Japanese clearly enough to understand it.

Word.

This is a Sansa Clip. It has 1GB of flash memory and is about the same size of a matchbox. A small matchbox. It has an easy-to-read 4-line display as well as a gym-worthy clip that can stay attached to your clothing through all but the most vigorous exercise. And it costs $35, on average about $10 less than the iPod shuffle, which does not have a screen.

Mine just came in the mail two days ago.

Having a small, cheap, MP3 player with flash memory (make sure it has flash memory), opens up all sorts of possibilities. Flash memory essentially means “no moving parts,” which means that you can jostle them around and it won’t be a problem. The classic iPod, and many other players have actual hard drives that can fall apart if you do a little jogging with them in your pocket. I should know, I’ve gone through 3 iPods that way.

Anyways, the iPod Shuffle and Nano both have flash memory, so you may want to get one of those if you have a lot of iTunes music. Otherwise get the Sansa Clip. Anyways, on to the possibilities.

Think about all the times during your day when you’re just standing around waiting. I’m talking about small windows, like waiting for your car to fill up with gas or waiting for a bus or carpool to arrive. Waiting to get your haircut. Life is full of these small windows of waiting, and you can take advantage of them.

Just keep your MP3 player with you all the time. Whenever you come across a moment when you’re going to have to wait for a few minutes, take out your MP3 player and listen to a Japanese song or two. And really listen. Try to figure out what they’re saying.

For example, when I’m on my lunch break, I usually walk to a pizza place or a Jimmy John’s that are both a few blocks away. I used to just waste that time, but now I can squeeze in a Japanese song or two. Not only does it make the walk more interesting, but it helps me do my daily studying. And if there’s one thing that’s good for Japanese, it’s repetition.

And then you’re done. When you’re done waiting, you stop listening. Then you get in another couple minutes later on. It just adds up.

It may not seem time-effective to reach into your pocket and get your headphones on for only a few minutes of listening, and it probably won’t be at first. But when it becomes a habit, and when you get some headphones that won’t get tangled up, you’ll wonder what you ever did before.

And that’s only the beginning. Your MP3 player should become an extension of yourself, like your wallet, your watch, or your cell phone. Just bring it with you wherever you go. Having a small player makes this quite easy. You can just keep it in your breast pocket, or clip it to your belt line, then just use it when you can.

Listen while you work out. Listen while you do the dishes. Listen while you smoke a cigarette. Listen while you poo (oh no he didn’t!).

Oh yes he did. Turn this into a positive habit. I mean, if it’s socially acceptable to leave just about any situation to go outside and smoke a cigarette, why would it be wrong to practice your Japanese?

If people ask, tell them what you’re doing. Tell them why. Tell them you have to learn Japanese. You’ll be surprised how impressed people will be.

This is the kind of thing Japanese for Overworked People is all about. Making positive study habits that are fun, and easy to keep. Things that are fast, and that you can do on the go.

At LEAST give it a try. If you’re not completely satisfied within our 7 day trial then… I don’t know, leave me a comment.

But this is good, real good.

Learn, learn, learn.

And buy a Sansa Clip here.

I know you’re watching the Olympics. You have to. You’re probably watching the Olympics right now while you’re reading this. And of course you cheer for your favorite athletes. You yell at the screen. Why not yell in Japanese?

がんばれ！(ganbare!): This is a fairly common phrase that means “do your best,” but is also used in the same context as the English “good luck.” The Japanese don’t need luck. They just do their best. This cheer is appropriate for just about any activity, but is somewhat on the tame side.

行け！(ike!): Not to be confused with the word for “pond,” this word is a rough command form of “GO!” Use this word repeatedly to cheer people on in races or any contests where speed is involved.

速く、速く！(hayaku, hayaku!): Equivalent to the English “Faster, FASTER!” or “Hurry up!” Again, it should be used for contests of speed, especially if your athlete is behind.

勝って！(katte!): This command does not beat around the bush. It means “WIN!” Good for any sport, especially towards the end.

勝った！(katta!): Another derivative of the word katsu (to win), this is a celebratory cheer meaning “We Won!”

やった！(yatta!): This is possibly the simplest exclamation on the list, it’s another celebratory cheer meaning “Hooray!”

こいつを破れ！(koitsu o yabure): This is a fun one, and you may want to be careful who you say it around. It means “destroy those guys.” Use this one in a game between bitter rivals. For “destroy that guy” change koitsu to aitsu.

ぜんぜん負けられない！(zenzen makerarenai!): This one is a defiant cheer meaning “We can’t possibly lose!” Good for when your team is up against the wall.

まさか (masaka): This expression of despair is something along the lines of “Oh, no” “It can’t be” or “Goddammit” depending on the level of emphasis. This is a good thing to say when your athlete either loses or underperforms.

チェ!  (che!): It may not sound like it, but this exclamation means pretty close to the English “Shit!” It’s good to show an outburst of anger, like when an opponent does something well.

Print this list out and start actually enjoying the Olympics. See if you can use each word at least once in a single event. Ganbare!