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JLPT N2 Grammar

使い方　[Verb (plain) / Noun+である / い-adjective / な-adjective+である] ＋ にしろ／にせよ

意味　even if ~, even in the case of ~, regardless, whether ~ or, no matter ~

Both of these (にしろ・にせよ) can be used interchangeably.

With a single use, the meaning is closer to: regardless of; even if. (See below for double use).

例文

何にしろ／何にせよ anyhow; in any case

いくら忙しいにせよ。 No matter how busy you may be.

ここは不便でどの駅に行くにせよ、徒歩で30分以上かかる。 ここはふべんでどのえきにいくにせよ、とほで３０ぷんいじょうかかる。 This place is really inconvenient, no matter which station you go to will take at least 30 minutes by foot.

～にしろ～にしろ・～にせよ～にせよ

JLPT N2 Grammar

使い方　[Verb (dictionary form) / Noun / い-adjective / な-adjective ＋ にしろ／にせよ] ＋ [Verb (ない form) / Noun / い-adjective / な-adjective ＋ にしろ／にせよ]

意味　whether ~ or ~

Both of these can be used interchangeably, but usually they have to be the same (にしろ＋にしろ、にせよ＋にせよ).

例文

来るにせよ来ないにせよ。 Whether you will come or not.

就職するにしろ進学するにしろ、自分でよく考えてください。 しゅうしょくするにしろしんがくするにしろ、じぶんでよくかんがえてください。 Think carefully by yourself whether you’ll start working or pursue higher education.

犬にしろ猫にしろ、このマンションではペットを飼ってはいけない決まりです。 いぬにしろねこにしろ、このマンションではペットをかってはいけないきまりです。 Whether it be dogs or cats, pets are not allowed in this apartment.

使うにしろ使わないにしろ、それをもらったことにはお礼を言った方がいいですよ。 つかうにしろつかわないにしろ、それをもらったことにはおれいをいったほうがいいですよ。 Whether you will use it or not, you should say thanks for receiving it.

しろ = modern imperative (very strong unless complementized)

返事しろ！ = answer me!

せよ = archaic imperative, occasionally still used in writing

恋せよまやかし天使ども = 恋しろ = fall in love, you false angels

you can also see related morphological forms in some non-standard varieties, like kansai japanese:

せえへん（関西弁） = しない（標準語） = does not/will not do

蟒草[Uwabamisō] Elatostema involucratum

蟒[Uwabami] : Giant serpent; heavy drinker

草[Sō] : Grass, herb

There are three words for "great serpent". Mizuchi(蛟), Orochi(大蛇, which is also read as daija) and Uwabami(蟒, 蟒蛇). Mizuchi is believed to be a spirit beast that lives in water and takes the form of a serpent, so this is a slightly different kind. Long long ago, giant serpents were called Orochi. As time went on, it came to be called as Uwabami.

The reason heavy drinkers are called Uwabami is that Uwabami swallows its prey whole and is said to snore when sleeping. And it is also said that its snoring sounds like the wind.

蝮の 鼾も合歓の 葉かげかな

[Uwabami no ibiki mo nemu no hakage kana] What sounded like a snoring of Uwabami is actually the wind rustling through the leaves of Nemu By 与謝 蕪村[Yosa Buson](Haiku poet, 1716-1783)

Today, many scientists acknowledge the troubling attitudes that have long plagued research projects in Indigenous communities [...] But some Indigenous groups feel that despite such well-intentioned initiatives, their inclusion in research is only a token gesture to satisfy a funding agency.

Has everyone just believed this whole time that I bring it up for optics?

Everyone nods, "of course he mentions Indigenous people," because they believe it would simply look bad for me if I didn't.

In fact Indigenous knowledge is a constant topic of conversation and point of reference when I discuss my work as a scientist who uses Western science because my work is useless without it.

I work with endangered species which are endangered solely due to continual colonial violence against people and the land. I can follow the Western scientific method all I want and publish 100 papers on how to fix salmon populations—and get nowhere without Indigenous knowledge and sovereignty.

Indigenous knowledge is not an afterthought to reference as back up to Western science. Believe it or not, we can and should lead any number of scientific projects with Indigenous knowledge.

ライデン大学植物園

図書室の怪談 - 悪魔の本

Level: ~N3 (Natively link: https://learnnatively.com/book/c30ffd5dee/ )

#10 for 2025! This was a nice pick for October, and a much easier read than #9 (which I was very glad for). It's a frame story that contains 16 ghost stories, some spookier than others. My favorites were the 7th and 8th. This book is a junior novel with partial furigana, straightforward grammar, and a fun premise.

Like many countries, Japan uses a 12-month calendar. The names are very simple. January is 一月 (ichi-gatsu, literally "Month one"), February is 二月 (ni-gatsu, "Month two"), etc.

However, before the Meiji Restoration (mid-1800s) it was common to use an older 12-month system. These months’ names referenced the weather and the seasons (similar to the French Revolutionary calendar).

June is “Minatsuki” in this old Japanese calendar.

水 = water

無 = none / not any

月 = month

無 means "not any", not "of".

So why doesn't this mean "the month with no water"?

According to wikipedia, this 無 is used purely as an ateji, which is a kanji used for its pronunciation rather than its meaning. 無 is pronounced "na", which sometimes has the same meaning as the possessive particle の ("no"), thus rendering the meaning something like "water's month".

Hiyawan from Nabari, Mie Prefecture, is a dog with a face like a Noh mask, a katayaki rice cracker pendant, and a few other things I don’t really understand.

迷迭香[Mannenrō] Salvia rosmarinus

Native to the Mediterranean coastal region, it seems to have been introduced via China around the end of the Edo period(1603-1868), and was given a Chinese name, to which a Japanese reading has been applied.

This reading seems to have changed, and the current one does not follow the reading rules, or an ateji. If read according to the rules, it is meitetsukō. In addtion, the reading of the kanji 迭 is also slightly different from the usual rules. So it is often mistakenly read as shitsu, but is actually read as tetsu and means to take turns.