Writing & Language
Why the Second Alphabet Trips Everyone
Four look-alike pairs, a long-vowel bar with no hiragana equivalent, and words you have to decode back into English. Where katakana really breaks down.
Japan Know How archive
Category: Writing & Language
Hiragana, katakana and kanji: what each script is for, how loanwords get reshaped on the way into Japanese, and which romanization system to trust when three of them disagree. Practical explanations for readers who want to understand the machinery, not memorize charts.
Writing & Language
A Two-Day Schedule for 46 Characters
Five blocks a day, written by hand, reading real words by Sunday night. The order that works, and the three characters worth extra time on day two.
Writing & Language
The First 92 Characters, in Order
Both kana sets in a working order, with the look-alike pairs flagged before they cause damage. A plan you can finish in a week without a subscription.
Writing & Language
Japanese Numbers and Counters, Made Simple
Two counting systems, several hundred counters, and a handful you actually need. Plus what to say when you have no idea which counter is right.
Writing & Language
How Many Kanji Do You Actually Need?
The official answer is 2,136. The useful answers are thirty, a hundred, and a thousand, depending on what you want to read. What each threshold buys, and the official lists explained.
Writing & Language
Why Japanese Loanwords Are Not the English You Think
A mansion is an apartment, a viking is a buffet and smart means slim. Which borrowed words are safe, which are traps, and the four stages that change a word on the way in.
Writing & Language
Romaji Explained: Three Systems and Which One to Use
Hepburn, Kunrei-shiki and Nihon-shiki disagree about a handful of very common syllables. How to tell them apart, which to use, and what to do about long vowels.
Writing & Language
Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji: How Japanese Writing Works
Three scripts in one sentence, each doing a job the others cannot. What each one is for, why Japanese never dropped kanji, and how to read the layout before you read the words.