JapanesePod101.com Blog

Mina-san,

When we first started JapanesePod101.com, we only had a few lessons and a few levels, so it was very easy to figure out how to use the site. But now with over 700 lessons and many different levels and series, a lot of people have asked us “Where should I start?” While there are many ways to use the site, we definitely have a few recommendations!

We grouped the lessons in 4 categories Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Miscellaneous. Also we designated each level linear or non-linear. Then we listed descriptions of the each course and included the first and last lesson so you can better gauge which levels are perfect for you!

Check out the page here:
http://www.japanesepod101.com/help-center/the-courses/

Also, since it’s Golden Week, we’re running a special Promo to save you 33% on any Basic or Premium Subscription! Woo-hoo!

http://www.japanesepod101.com/golden-week/

Back in November, Dr. Matt Wachsman contacted us about his mnemonic system for learning Kanji using captivating and enjoyable flash movies. These movies involve multiple parts of the brain simultaneously, reinforcing memory linkage with visual associations, sequence associations, humor and rhymes. We hope these will appeal to people with a variety of learning styles and that you enjoy them. We plan to introduce about 6-12 new Kanji per week to cover the Kanji taught in the first 6 years of school in Japan and the JLPT levels 4 and 3.

This week’s animation is titled Eyes!

Last week we saw how the 約 in 約束 (yakusoku: promise, promise + to bind) can imply a binding contract. I don’t usually associate contracts with any sense of contracting, which is to say “shrinking.” But just as “contract” has these two meanings, so does 約, strangely enough.

“Contract” in English (and Latin) …

In fact, Halpern says that “shortening” is the original meaning of 約. When does 約 convey a sense of shrinking? I can think of no better example than this one:

括約筋 (katsuyakukin: sphincter)
     to constrict + to shrink + muscle

Oh, come now. There are several sphincters in the body!

What’s With the Breakdown of 括?! …

Whereas 括約筋 conveys a drawing together, other 約 words are more about condensing something long:

要約 (yōyaku: summary, abridged statement)
     important + to shrink

約言 (yakugen: contraction, summary)     to shrink + speech

Two more 約 compounds have to do with restricting or regulating people’s rights:

制約 (seiyaku: restriction, limitation, condition)
     rule + to contract

Read the rest of this entry »

Thank you for all the name entries, for all the votes, and of course, we can’t forget the feedback. This has been a very interesting contest, not without its challenges.

We apologize for the delay in posting this prize announcement, but the logistics of a contest of this scale do not allow for a very quick turnaround.

We’ve decided to award the first place prize, a lifetime subscription to all of our existing sites, to all 8 finalists. We will be contacting all winners by email with the next step.

In addition, for everyone who submitted an entry, we are offering a FREE 1-Month Premium Subscription to JapanesePod101.com + a very special coupon. Look for a follow-up email in the next few days with details on how to claim your prize.

Thank you again!

Back in November, Dr. Matt Wachsman contacted us about his mnemonic system for learning Kanji using captivating and enjoyable flash movies. These movies involve multiple parts of the brain simultaneously, reinforcing memory linkage with visual associations, sequence associations, humor and rhymes. We hope these will appeal to people with a variety of learning styles and that you enjoy them. We plan to introduce about 6-12 new Kanji per week to cover the Kanji taught in the first 6 years of school in Japan and the JLPT levels 4 and 3.

This week’s animation is titled Nose!

In the past, we’ve encountered kanji that embody opposite meanings—namely, 出 and 追. Well, I’ve found another culprit: 約 (YAKU)!

A Note on the Yomi …

In one side of its split personality, this is the laid-back kanji of approximations; when you don’t know a precise number, you can precede it with 約 to express the idea of “about” or “circa” or “kinda sorta like that.” For instance, you might use 約 to say “about half”:

約半分 (yaku hanbun: about half)     about + half (last 2 chars.)

The full breakdown is about + half + part.

When I wrote an article about the soon-to-be-unveiled Shibuya Station, I asked a project architect for its dimensions. He supplied this information (without the rōmaji or English, of course!):

敷地面積 (shikichi menseki: site area)：約１４,０００m²
総床面積 (sō yukamenseki: gross square footage)：約２８,０００m²

A Breakdown of the Kanji …

The 約 allowed him to round off his figures.

Then, during a very different conversation, this kanji emerged in the opposite way, appearing in the word 約束 (yakusoku: promise, promise + to bind).

I had arranged to chat with a new Japanese language partner on Skype at 5 p.m. To my surprise, he contacted me at 4:15 and wanted to get going. I told my friend Mayumi about this. She grew up in Japan but has lived in Italy for years. Ever amused at the differences between the two cultures, she had this to say:
Read the rest of this entry »

We just rolled out a handy little feature that will make it possible for you to see the 5 most recent posts in this blog and our forum from the lessons page of the main site. Here’s a screen shot of the functionality. Let us know what you think.

Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

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Back in November, Dr. Matt Wachsman contacted us about his mnemonic system for learning Kanji using captivating and enjoyable flash movies. These movies involve multiple parts of the brain simultaneously, reinforcing memory linkage with visual associations, sequence associations, humor and rhymes. We hope these will appeal to people with a variety of learning styles and that you enjoy them. We plan to introduce about 6-12 new Kanji per week to cover the Kanji taught in the first 6 years of school in Japan and the JLPT levels 4 and 3.

This week’s animation is titled Throat!

We would like to start with a big, make that a very BIG, “Arigatou gozaimasu!” In total we received over 5,000 submissions! We were blown away by the incredible response to our request for help.

We would like to thank everyone who submitted a suggestion, and also would like to let you know we’ll be sending along a very special e-mail for you in the near future. Please keep an eye out for it.

Below are the finalists. After 7 straight days of analyzing, testing, comparing, brainstorming, and more, below are the finalists.

We would like to ask you help one more time, as we would truly appreciate a vote for your favorite.

Thank you everyone for voting. The final results are below:

Thank you again. It is you, the listeners, that make our community and site so special.

Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.