[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 30. July 23, 2012.

Here are today's words:

1. 祖先　[sosen] - ancestor
2. 先祖　[senzo] - ancestor; forefather
3. 同封　[doufuu] - enclosure
4. 軍　[gun] - army; force; troops
5. 油脂　[yushi] - oils and fats
6. 軟らかい　[yawarakai] - soft; tender; flexible
7. 軟弱　[nanjaku] - weak; soft
8. 粒　[tsubu] - gain; drop
9. 粒々　[tsubutsubu] - lumps; grain
10. 粒子　[ryuushi] - particle

YAY! It's day 30!

Now, I have to decide what to do next. A couple weeks from now I'll be away from vacation, so I'll start something new when I get back.

Any suggestions?

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 29. July 22, 2012.

Well, I've had a whopper of a birthday: call from my mom first thing in the morning, lazy afternoon with my husband watching old movies, a spectacular evening of poetry at Writers' Bloc, Tokyo's latest event plus the all-day stream of love coming from folks all over the globe. Thanks everyone!

Here are today's words:

1. 備える　[sonaeru] - get ready; prepare; provide
2. 予備　[yobi] - preparation; spare
3. 設備　[setsubi] - facilities; equipment
4. 得る　[uru/eru] - get; acquire; obtain
5. 心得る　[kokoroeru] - know; understand
6. 得意　[tokui] - one's strong point; one's speciality
7. 損得　[sontoku] - loss and gain
8. 化ける　[bakeru] - take the shape of; change
9. ～化　[~ka] - -ize; action of making something
10. 変化　[henka] - change; variation

One day to go!

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 28. July 21, 2012.

Here are today's words:

1. 不慣れ　[funare] - lack of experience
2. 暮らす　[kurasu] - live; make a living; get on
3.暮らし　[kurashi] - living; livelihood
4. 暮れ　[kure] - the end; the close
5. 一人暮らし　[hitorigurashi] - solitary life
6. 逆らう　[sakarau]- go against; disobey
7. 逆様　[sakasama] - upside-down; inverted
8. 退く　[shirizoku] - move backward; retire
9. 徒労　[torou] - wasted effort
10. 貯蔵　[chozou] - storage; storing

2 days to go!

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 27. July 20, 2012.

Here are today's words:

1. 律する　[rissuru] - judge; measure
2. 一律　[ichiritsu] - evenly; uniformly
3. 規律　[kiritsu] - discipline; order
4. 枯れる　[kareru] - wither; die; be blasted
5. 枯れ木　[kareki] - withered tree
6. 枯れ葉　[kareha] - withered leaf
7. 幅　[haba] - width; latitude
8. 歩幅　[hohaba] - step; pace
9. 腕力　[wanryoku] - physical strength; violence
10. 互い　[tagai] - mutual; reciprocal

3 days to go!

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 26. July 19, 2012.

Here are today's words:

1. お礼　[orei] - thanks; gratitude
2. 望む　[nozomu] - wish; desire
3. 失望　[shitsubou] - loss of hope; despair
4. 責める　[semeru] - blame; denounce
5. 責任　[sekinin] - responsibility; duty
6. 絡む　[karamu] - involve; pick a quarrel
7. 短絡　[tanraku] - short circuit; illogicality
8. 脈絡　[myakuraku] - thread of connection; context
9. 構う　[kamau] - mind; care about; care for
10. 舞う　[mau] - dance; flutter


Until next time. :)

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 25. July 18, 2012.

Here are today's words:

1. 狭小　[ kyoushou] - narrowness
2. 価値　[kachi] - value; worth; merit (This blog post had me thinking about the value of certain relationships today.)
3. 光景　[koukei] - scene; spectacle
4. 風景　[fuukei] - landscape; scenery
5. 景色　[keshiki] - scenery; view (another word that I knew by sound but not by sight until recently)
6. 暑気　[shoki] - the heat; hot weather
7. 残暑　[zansho] - the lingering summer heat
8. 喚起　[kanki] - ventilation
9. 偉大　[idai] - great; grand
10. 舞踊　[buyou] - dancing; dance


Check out Butoh, while you're at it.

Whatever happens, don't forget to take time out to dance. :)

Have a good night, all. :)

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 24. July 17, 2012.

Here are today's words:

1. 点滴　[tenteki] - falling drops of water; intravenous drip
2. 吹雪　[fubuki] - driving snow; snowstorm
3. 根気　[konki] - perseverance; patience
4. 子孫　[shison] - descendant; offspring
5. 骨折　[kossetsu] - fracture
6. 液体　[ekitai] - liquid; fluid
7. 貧しい　[mazushii] - poor; needy
8.貧血　[hinketsu] - anaemia
9. 陸　[riku] - land; shore
10. 大陸　[tairiku] - continent

Can't figure out whether I have any friends in Russia who are regularly checking this blog. Whoever you are,  спасибо and good night. :)

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 23. July 16, 2012.

Here are today's words:

1. 荒野　[kouya] - wilderness
2. 拾い物　[hiroimono] - find; bargain
3. 収拾　[shuushuu] - control; settling
4. 童話　[douwa] - fairy tale; children's story
5. 物腰　[monogoshi] - manner; one's demeanor
6. 要領　[youryou] - the main point
7. 権利　[kenri] - right; claim
8. 権力　[kenryoku] - power; authority
9. 政権　[seiken] - political power
10. 賛成　[sansei] - approval; agreement


7 days to go!

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 22. July 15, 2012.

Here are today's words:

1.  断定　[dantei] - conclusion; decision
2. 内緒　[naisho] - secret; secrecy
3. 情け　[nasake] - sympathy; compassion
4. 事情　[jijou] - circumstances; situation
5. 作法　[sahou] - manners; etiquette
6. 思い込む　[omoikomu] - assume; believe
7. 打ち込む　[uchikomu] - drive in; smash; be absorbed
8. 装置　[souchi] - device; apparatus
9. 名残　[nagori] - trace; remains
10. 張る　[haru] - stretch; spread

Only a few more days to go. What to do next? Break dancing, perhaps? :)

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 21. July 14, 2012.

Here are today's words:

1. 暴れる　[abareru] - behave violently; rage
2. 暴風　[boufuu] - violent wind; (wind) storm
3. 乱暴　[ranbou] - violence; outrage
4. 香る　[kaoru] - smell sweet; be fragrant
5. 群がる　[muragaru] - crowd; gather; throng
6. 研磨　[kenma] - grinding; polishing
7. 黄砂　[kousa] - yellow sand
8. 砂　[suna] - sand; grit
9. 砂利　[jari] - gravel; pebbles
10. 砂浜　[sunahama] - sandy beaches

Oh, to be here right now.

This coming Monday is a public holiday in Japan (Marine Day). Enjoy the long weekend, everyone!

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 20. July 13, 2012.

Here are today's words:

1. 観念　[kannen] - idea; notion; concept
2. 宝石商　[housekishou] - jeweller
3. 落第　[rakudai] - failure
4. 交わる　[majiwaru] - cross; associate
5. 交際　[kousai] - association
6. 案外　[angai] - unexpectedly
7. 健やか　[sukoyaka] - healthy; sound
8. 章　[shou] - chapter
9. 船旅　[funatabi] - voyage; sea trip
10. 校章　[koushou] - school badge...as in:

これは私の高校の校章です！　この校章はきれい、でしょう？

Until next time. :)

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 19. July 12, 2012.

Here are today's words:

1. のけ者　[nokemono] - outcast
2. 刺す　[sasu] - stick; pierce; sting
3. 追う　[ou] - go after; pursue
4. 追い付く　[oitsuku] - catch up with
5. 奥　[oku] - the inner part; the depths
6.奥地　 [okuchi] - the interior; the depths
7. 奥底　[okusoko] - depth; bottom
8. 輸血　[yuketsu] - blood transfusion
9. 腹黒い　[haraguroi] - wicked
10. 中央集権　[chuuoushuuken] - centralisation

No happy dancing .gif  today, but here's a penguin :)  :

Stay cool, Northern Hemisphere folks! It's shaping up to be a really hot summer.

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 18. July 11, 2012.

Here are today's words:

1. 実績　[jisseki] - results; achievements
2. 幼い　[osanai] - very young; infant
3. 各　[onoono] - each one; everyone
4. 共に　[tomoni] - together
5. 共同　[kyoudou] - cooperation; collaboration
6. 条件　[jouken] - condition; terms
7. 条例　[jourei] - regulations; rules
8. 独特　[dokutoku] - peculiar; unique
9. 独立　[dokuritsu] - independence; separation
10. 高齢　[kourei] - advanced age


Happy dance time again! :)

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 17. July 10 2012.

Here are today's words:

1. 若年　[jakunen] - youth
2. 倒れる　[taoreru] - fall down; collapse
3. 倒産　[tousan] - bankruptcy
4. 費用　[hiyou] - expense; cost
5. 消費　[shouhi] - consumption
6. 積もる　[tsumoru] - heap; pile; accumulate
7. 助かる　[tasukaru] - be rescued; be saved
8. 救助　[kyuujo] - rescue; relief; aid
9. 光線　[kousen] - beam; ray of light
10. 舞台　[butai] - stage; scene



By the way, does your kanji book also double as a flip book featuring a ninja? :)

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 16. July 9, 2012.

The past few weeks have been challenging, but here I am pushing through simply because I need to keep a promise I made to myself,  for once.

So, here are today's words:

1. 等しい　[hitoshii] - equivalent
2. 貿易　[boueki] - trade
3. 正夢　[masayume] - prophetic dream
4. 夢中　[muchuu] - as if in a dream; frantically
5. 農村　[nouson] - farming village
6. 複雑　[fukuzatsu] - complicated
7. 複写　[fukusha] - reproduction; copy
8. 察する　[sassuru] - conjecture; judge
9. 観察　[kansatsu] - observation
10. 耳鼻科　[jibika] - otolaryngology

No happy dance tonight. I'm too tired.

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 15. July 8, 2012. 15 days down, 15 days to go!

Here are today's words:

1. 歯車　[haguruma] - cog wheel
2. 虫歯　[mushiba] - bad tooth
3. 八百屋　[yaoya] - greengrocery; vegetable store
4. 亡くす　[nakusu] - lose (I had learned word before, but I didn't know that the kanji was the same as the one that means "to die")
5. 氷河　[hyouga] - glacier
6. 草原　[sougen] - grass-covered plain
7. 埋める　[umeru] - bury; fill up
8. 埋蔵　[maizou] - buried property; treasure trove
9. 煙突　[entotsu] - chimney
10. 憎む　[nikumu] - hate; detest


Halfway there!

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 14. July 7, 2012.

Here are today's words:

1. 軒　[noki] - the eaves
2. 爆発　[bakuhatsu] - explosion
3. 双子　[futago] - twins
4. 依頼　[irai] -request; reliance
5. 湾　[wan] -bay;gulf
6. 湾岸　[wangan] - the coast of a bay
7. 床屋　[tokoya] - barber
8. 床の間　[tokonoma] - alcove
9. 起床　[kishou] - getting out of bed
10. 燃料　[nenryou] - fuel


Aaaand here's another happy dance gif:

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 13. July 6, 2012.

Here are today's words:


1. 整備　[seibi] - preparation; maintenance
2. うろうろする　[urourosuru] - hang around; wander
3. 除く　[nozoku] - excluding; except
4. いわゆる　[iwayuru] - what is called
5. 有料　[yuuryou] - charge
6. いきいき　[ikiiki] - lively; active; excited
7. いずれ　[izure] - some day; in the future
8. 盛る　[moru] - pile up; mound
9. くだらない　[kudaranai] - worthless; trashy; rubbish
10. 浅い　[asai] - shallow




Two more days 'til the halfway point!

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 12. July 5, 2012.

Here are today's words:

1. 長生き　[nagaiki] - longevity
2. 穴　[ana] - hole
3. 伸びる　[nobiru] - grow
4. 資料　[shiryou] - data; materials
5. 心理　[shinri] - mental state; psychology
6. たっぷり　[tappuri] - a lot of
7. 息　[iki] - breath; breathing
8. 平均　[heikin] - average
9. がっかり　[gakkari] - disappointed
10. 具体的　[gutaiteki] - concrete

Almost at the halfway point! My to-do list for the rest of this period and beyond:

- do something exceptional
- learn more
-listen to more jazz

Have a good one, everyone. :)

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 11. July 4, 2012.

Today was extremely busy, so I have nothing fancy in the way of resources to use. My ten words for today come from my JLPT N2 vocabulary book:

1. 大勢　[oozei] - a great number of people

2. 団体　[dantai] - body; party; group

3. 集中　[shuuchuu] - concentration

4. 値段　[nedan] - price

5. 夫婦　[fuufu] - married couple

6. 修理する　[shuurisuru] - repair; mend

7. 付き合い　[tsukiai] - relationship

8. 発達する　[hattatsusuru] - develop; advance

9. 抜く　[nuku] - pull out; extract; exceed

10. 周囲　[shuui] - circumference; surroundings

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 10. July 3, 2012.

Hi there. I'm another one of your purchases that got buried somewhere.

Bilingual books like this one comprise another fantastic resource that I have neglected to use over the past couple of years.

Here are my words for today:

1. 技　[waza] - skill
2. なさけ　[nasake] - compassion
3. 禊ぎ　[misogi] - purification
4. 穢れ　[kegare] - defilement
5. 艶　[tsuya] - refinement
6. わび　[wabi] - the beauty of the simple
7. さび　[sabi] - the beauty of the decaying ("wabisabi" makes perfect sense to me now, finally!)
8. 雅　[miyabi] - elegance
9. 徳　[toku] - virtue
10. 運気　[unki] - fate (not to be confused with "unko,"  which is "shit." But then again, if you're taking about shitty fate...)

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 9. July 2, 2012.

Sometimes, just flipping through a dictionary can help build your vocabulary (in your native language and others you're in the process of acquiring).

This is the first Japanese dictionary I ever bought.

Here are my ten words for today:

1. 消化　[shouka] - digestion
2. 鈍い　[nibui] - boring, lacking intelligence
3. 触れる　 [fureru] - mention
4. 礼拝する　[raihaisuru] - worship
5. 議論　[giron] - discussion
6. 孤立した　[koritsushita] - isolated
7. 無条件の　[mujoukenno] -unconditional
8.復元する　[fukugensuru] - restore
9. 熟達　[jukutatsu]-  perfection
10.互換性　[gokansei] -compatibility

[300 new Japanese words] in 30 days: Day 8. July 1, 2012.

I love to read. I really love sitting down with a book and  taking in a good story. The stories in these Japanese Graded Readers are really interesting.

 Plus reading is a good way to build vocabulary, whether you're reading about scary, faceless people or about the person whose picture is on the ten thousand yen note.

Here are my ten words for today:

1. 極楽　[gokuraku] - paradise
2. 糸　[ito] - thread
3. 立派　[rippa] - magnificent
4. 男尊女卑　[dansonjohi] - male chauvinism
5. 不思議　[fushigi] - mysterious
6. 幽霊　[yuurei] - phantom
7. 賽銭箱　[saisenbako] -offering box (like those seen at temples)
8. 一生懸命　[isshoukenmei] - hard
9. 隠す　[kakusu] - conceal
10.驚き　[odoroki] - astonishment