Study + Crossing

みやこ

キ

近畿　「きんき」　Kinki Japan

京畿　「けいき」　territories in the vicinity of Kyoto​

京畿道　「きょんきどう」 or 「キョンギド」 Gyeonggi-do South Korea

帝畿　「ていき」　territories in the vicinity of Kyoto

邦畿　「ほうき」　territories in the vicinity of the capital and under direct imperial rule

畿内　「きない」　territories in the vicinity of the capital and under direct imperial rule

五畿　「ごき」　the Five Home Provinces: Yamato, Yamashiro, Settsu, Kawachi, and Izumi

どんな- what kind of/ what sort of

How to ask what a place is like:

(Place) + は + どんな + ところ + ですか？=

(Place) + は + which kind of + place + is it?

Examples-

東京はどんなところですか？- what kind of place is Tokyo?

ロンドンはどんなですか？- what kind of place is London?

When using どんなですか？you need to be careful if you’re using a na- adjective or i-adjective.

i-adjectives are- Adjective + noun

Na-adjectives are- Adjective + な + noun

Examples-

I-adjective- あたらしいこるま- new car

I-adjective- ならは、ふるいまちです。- Nara is an old town

Na-adjective- きれいなくるま- clean car

#Japanese #WordoftheDay 呑気 (のんき/nonki) ‘carefree, optimistic, careless, reckless, heedless, happy-go-lucky, easygoing, thoughtless’ Example: どうしただと 呑気なこと言ってんじゃねぇこの死に急ぎやろうが

ちょっとだけ文法を勉強した

ちなみに二日前に婚約しました💍💕🎉

4/september : updates!

Today is my birthday !! One year until my teenage days are done 🎉

I finished my first week of Data Science uni ! That deserves an entire post lol.

Also first week of living in France - currently staying with my ❤️'s parents until we find an apartment in Caen!

English Proverbs | ことわざ Hey guys, today we’re going to have a look at some English proverbs and their Japanese translations! I tried to do the most common ones, but if I’ve missed your fave just let me know and I’ll try to add it to the post! Proverb is 「ことわざ」in Japanese! The following proverbs are the same in English and Japanese:

Laughter is the best medicine. 笑いは百薬の長・わらいはひゃくやくのちょう

The grass is always greener on the other side. 隣の芝は青い・となりのしばわあおい

No news is good news. 便りのないのは良い便り・たよりのないのはよいたより

Silence is golden. 沈黙は金・ちんもくはきん

Time is money. 時は金なり・ときはかねなり

Easier said than done. 言うは易く行うは難し・いうはやすくおこなうはむずかし

Good things come to those who wait. 果報は寝て待て・かほうはねてまて

All’s well that ends well. 終わりよければすべて良し・おわりよければすべてよし

Better safe than sorry. 備えあれば憂いなし・そなえあればうれいなし

Where there’s smoke there’s fire. 火のないところに煙は立たぬ・ひのないところにけむりはたたぬ

Rome wasn’t built in a day. ローマは一日にして成らず・ロームはついたちにしてならず

Practice makes perfect. 習うより慣れろ・ならうよりなえれろ

The following proverbs have a slightly different translation in Japanese than the English meanings we’re used to:

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. 郷に入っては郷に従え・ごうにいってはごうにしたがえ Enter the village, follow the township.

There’s no place like home. 我が家が一番・わがやがいちばん My house is the best.

You can’t judge a book by its cover. 人は見た目に寄らない・ひとはみためによらない Appearance doesn’t matter.

A picture is worth a thousand words. 百聞は一見にしかず・ひゃくぶんはいっけんにしかず Seeing is believing.

The early bird gets the worm. 早起きは三文の徳・はやおきはさんもんのとく Waking up early brings benefits.「＊＊＊」

There’s no use crying over spilled milk. 覆水盆に返らず・ふくすいぼんにかえらず Spilled water will not return to the basin.

Tomorrow is another day. 明日は明日の風が吹く・あしたはあしたのかぜがふく The winds of tomorrow will blow tomorrow.

Let sleeping dogs lie. さわらぬ神にたたりなし・さわらぬかみにたたりなし An undisturbed God wreaks no vengeance.

Out of sight, out of mind. 去るものは日々に疎し・さるものはひびにうとし The departed become distant over time.

Birds of a feather flock together. 類は友を呼ぶ・るいはともをよぶ Similar types call (each other) friends.

Ignorance is bliss. 知らぬが仏・しらぬがほとけ Not knowing is Buddha.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. 捨てる神あれば拾う神あり・すてるかみあればひろうかみあり If there is a God that throws you away, there’s another God who picks you up.

No pain, no gain. 苦は楽の種・くはらくのたね Pain is a seed of pleasure.

japanese literature is one of the reasons i absolutely adore the language and the culture. it’s unique, different from anything i’ve seen in literature from other parts of the world. during the years of learning japanese i’ve discovered many authors and books that are now my favourite, so i thought i’d share them with you! they can become great help while studying japanese, but you definitely should read them for fun first - it’s worth it, believe me.

i’m gonna include romaji, in case someone who doesn’t speak japanese wanted to read these!

dazai osamu - ningen shikkaku (太宰治・人間失格) (english title: no longer human)

this novel is considered one of the masterpieces of contemporary literature in japan. it’s taught at school, adapted to mangas and films and anime series, reissued up to this day despite it being first published in 1948. the book follows a man who feels like he is losing his ability to be human. it’s a timeless story, but also very sad and engulfing the readers in hopelessness. don’t read if you hate emotional rollercoasters.

natsume souseki - kokoro (夏目漱石・こころ)

natsume is another of the most respected japanese writers, this novel considered his masterpiece. during a trip, the protagonist meets someone he calls sensei - someone he deeply admires and looks up to. however, sensei is more mysterious than it seems. though the plot is quite simple and spoiling it in any way would be ruining your fun, it’s definitely worth reading. the author conveyed the feelings of admiration, loss, guilt, shame, as well as described developing friendship between the two men.

yumeno kyuusaku - dogra magra (夢野久作・ドグラマグラ)

the japanese say that whoever finishes this novel will surely go mad. i can’t deny; when reading it for the first time i stopped halfway because it’s very long and difficult. i still want to go back and read it properly though. it’s a very creepy and disturbing story about a man who wakes up in a mental hospital, not remembering who he is, why he’s there and what he has to do with the woman who keeps calling him from behind the wall. since this novel has no english or even european language translation (only a french one, to my knowledge) reading it would be big challenge. it contains a lot of medical vocabulary related to psychiatry and mental illnesses. recommended to horror fans.

yoshimoto banana - kitchen (吉本ばなな・キッチン)

this novel is quite short and fairly easy to read. it’s often described as a shoujo manga without pictures. it tells a story of a young woman who loses her last family member and suddenly finds herself lost in the adult world. luckily, she gets the chance to live with her acquaintance and his mother. the mother is actually a father, but it doesn’t stop them all to live together like a family. this book is very calm and melancholic, devoid of swift action, focused more on the feelings of the characters. it’s full of coziness and descriptions of food. read when it’s dark outside.

sakurazaka hiroshi - all you need is kill (桜坂洋・all you need is kill)

now this book might seem like it doesn’t fit in this list, which is full of classics and serious books. it’s a light novel, made solely for entertainment. it even got a hollywood adaptation starring tom cruise (which isn’t very good, mind you). what i love about this novel, though, is its simplicity in telling the story. the hero, a soldier, gets trapped in a time loop which feels like a nightmare but also allows him to master his fighting skills. the narrations follows his witty thoughts, which is very entertaining. despite it being simple, the novel is touching and gripping, it also has a fairly simple language to read it in japanese.

that sums up my top 5 japanese books list. if you have any recommendations of your own, don’t hesitate to add them here, since i’m always looking for new books to read!

Kawase Hasui- woodblock prints

To watch the sun sink behind a flower clad hill.

To wander on in a huge forest without thought of return. To stand upon the shore and gaze after a boat that disappears behind distant islands. To contemplate the flight of wild geese seen and lost among the clouds

And, subtle shadows of bamboo on bamboo."

~Zeami Motokiyo