Language Diary

🎋日本語✨中文🌱(•͈⌔•͈⑅)♡🎍 🎄26🍁Aus🍃Bi🌸 🌿INFP🍄あつ森🍂

[chaotic-language-journey]

Decided to redo my intro~

I’m Milky, 26, Australian｡:°ஐ♡*

Studying☆≡｡ﾟ

日本語 and 中文 (I know little Chinese)

Dropped languagesﾟ*✩‧₊˚

한국어

Tags and post names♡ᵕ̈*⑅୨୧

Japanese - Day + number (my 30 day challenge 2023)

Chinese - (Still deciding how to fit it in with my Japanese practice)

Personal - #chaotic-language-journey

Japanese diary posts - #日本語の日記

[wolf-and-moon-rabbit]

☆ visual kei word of the day (CRY MORRY edition) ☆

Song four of the album! This time let's look at 3 words.

Words and meanings:

居心地 (igokochi) - 'feeling of a place' mostly used when talking about the vibe of a room, a shop...

鬱 (utsu) - 'depression', 'low spirits' (no wonder, just look at how many strokes this kanji has... It's 29)

抜け出す (nukedasu) - 'to sneak away', 'to break free from'

Lyric: 居心地が悪いこの鬱を抜け出そう (igokochi ga warui kono utsu wo nukedasou) 'let's break free from this uncomfortable depression'

Translation note: as always I have trouble translating this lyric nicely.. but I genuinely don't know what to do with the 居心地. Is the 鬱 being understood as a place? Is it 'let's get away from this depressive place with bad vibes' maybe? Please do share your knowledge or opinion

Song: めいさんの成分(抽出) (meisan no seibun (chuushutsu)) by mama.

[japanese-lol]

Today's phrase is "自分の脚下を見る（jibun no ashimoto wo miru）".

【Vocabulary & Grammar】

１．自分（じぶん, jibun） It means “oneself.” A noun referring to the self.

２．の (no) Possessive particle meaning “of” or “one’s.” It links 自分 and 脚下.

３．脚下（あしもと, ashimoto） Literally means “under one’s feet,” “one’s footing,” “one’s immediate surroundings.” In idiomatic usage, it refers to: ・one’s current situation ・one’s position ・one’s circumstances ・the basics one should check first

４．を (wo) Direct object marker. It indicates that 脚下 is what is being “seen.”

５．見る（みる, miru） Verb meaning “to see,” “to look at,” “to examine.” In this idiom, it means “to examine carefully,” “to look at your own situation,” “to reflect on yourself.”

Put together, 「自分の脚下を見る」 means to examine your own situation or behavior before criticizing or acting. It’s a reminder to stay grounded, humble, and aware of your own footing. When you take a moment to reflect on yourself, you may find that it helps you take a better step forward.

-----

本日の一言は、「自分の脚下を見る」です。 たまに自分を見つめ直すと、より良い一歩を歩むことができるかもしれません。

[camundongodebabel]

A great way to find vocab that's relevant to you is to read the wikipedia page for things you're already familiar with (your home city, a hobby, etc) in your target language ⭐ I'm on the Russian pages for my own home state and several neighbouring countries rn, and it's a lot more encouraging than a vocab list lemme tell you that much

[corvid-language-library]

日本語総まとめ didn't really include an explanation on the difference between 〜上げる and 〜上がる so I've been asking my Japanese friends and they've all been like. hmm. huh. um. yeah there's a difference. how to explain. hm. えーわかんない.

Finally got to ask my tutor and she thought about it for a moment before concluding を〜上げる is for transative verbs and が〜上がる is intransitive and now I feel stupid for not being able to spot that 🤣

[japanwords]

積読 (tsun-doku) "The habit of acquiring books but letting them pile up unread" 📚

The kanji:

積

Comes from 積んでおく(tsundéoku), meaning "to let something pile up".

読

Comes from 読書 (dokusho), meaning "reading".

The above artwork was a commission for a book-lover 📚

[tokidokitokyo]

食事の単語

Vocabulary related to eating (JLPT N2)

食事　しょくじ　meal, dinner

この食事にはビタミンがたくさん入っている。 この しょくじ には ビタミン が たくさん はいって いる。 This meal is full of vitamins.

創作　そうさく　creation, creative work

誰かが考えたレシピに沿った料理でなければ、創作料理だからです。 だれか が かんがえた レシピ に そった でなければ、そうそく りょうり だから です。 If a recipe is not based on a recipe that someone else came up with, it is creative cuisine.

食物　しょくもつ　food, foodstuff

ある種の食物を食べるとのどが渇く。 あるしゅ の しょくもつ を たべる と のど が かわく。 If you eat certain kinds of food it makes you thirsty.

品種　ひんしゅ　kind of goods, brand; breed, cultivar

除草剤耐性品種でなぜ収量が増えるのか？ じょそうざいたいせい ひんしゅ で なぜ しゅうりょう が ふえる の か？ Why do yields increase with herbicide-resistant varieties?

粒　つぶ　grains, drop; counter for tiny particles

ビタミンEを豊富に含む食物には、濃い緑色の葉の野菜・豆・木の実・全粒穀類がある。 ビタミンE を ほうふ に ふくむ しょくもつ には、こい みどりいろ の は の やさい・まめ・こ の み・ぜんつぶ こくるい が ある。 Foods rich in Vitamin E include dark-green, leafy vegetables, beans, nuts, and whole-grain cereals.

少量　しょうりょう　small quantity, small amount; narrowmindedness

食料の供給が不足したので、我々は残された少量を配分しなければならなかった。 しょくりょう の きょうきゅう が ふそく した ので、われわれ は のこされた しょうりょう を はいぶん しなければ ならなかった。 Supplies of food were low and we had to ration out the little bit that was left.

試す　ためす　to attempt, to test, to try out

このソース試してみて。 この ソース ためして みて。 Try this sauce.

食感　しょっかん　food texture

お餅のモチモチした食感が好きです。 おもち の モチモチ した しょっかん が すき です。 I like the chewy texture of mochi.

保存　ほぞん　preservation; saving (e.g. to disk)

肉を長く保存しておきたいなら冷凍しなさい。 にく を ながく ほぞん して おきたい なら れいとう しなさい。 If you want meat to keep for a long time, freeze it.

人前　にんまえ　portion of food

彼は3人前注文した。 かれ は さん にんまえ ちゅうもん した。 He ordered three dinners.

温める　あたためる　to warm, to heat

食べ物を電子レンジで温めています。 たべもの を でんし レンジ で あたためています。 I am heating up the food in the microwave.

冷める　さめる　to cool down, to get cold

食べ物が冷めます。 たべもの が さめます。 The food is getting cold.

[tokidokitokyo]

食事の単語

Vocabulary related to eating (JLPT N2)

食事　しょくじ　meal, dinner

この食事にはビタミンがたくさん入っている。 この しょくじ には ビタミン が たくさん はいって いる。 This meal is full of vitamins.

創作　そうさく　creation, creative work

誰かが考えたレシピに沿った料理でなければ、創作料理だからです。 だれか が かんがえた レシピ に そった でなければ、そうそく りょうり だから です。 If a recipe is not based on a recipe that someone else came up with, it is creative cuisine.

食物　しょくもつ　food, foodstuff

ある種の食物を食べるとのどが渇く。 あるしゅ の しょくもつ を たべる と のど が かわく。 If you eat certain kinds of food it makes you thirsty.

品種　ひんしゅ　kind of goods, brand; breed, cultivar

除草剤耐性品種でなぜ収量が増えるのか？ じょそうざいたいせい ひんしゅ で なぜ しゅうりょう が ふえる の か？ Why do yields increase with herbicide-resistant varieties?

粒　つぶ　grains, drop; counter for tiny particles

ビタミンEを豊富に含む食物には、濃い緑色の葉の野菜・豆・木の実・全粒穀類がある。 ビタミンE を ほうふ に ふくむ しょくもつ には、こい みどりいろ の は の やさい・まめ・こ の み・ぜんつぶ こくるい が ある。 Foods rich in Vitamin E include dark-green, leafy vegetables, beans, nuts, and whole-grain cereals.

少量　しょうりょう　small quantity, small amount; narrowmindedness

食料の供給が不足したので、我々は残された少量を配分しなければならなかった。 しょくりょう の きょうきゅう が ふそく した ので、われわれ は のこされた しょうりょう を はいぶん しなければ ならなかった。 Supplies of food were low and we had to ration out the little bit that was left.

試す　ためす　to attempt, to test, to try out

このソース試してみて。 この ソース ためして みて。 Try this sauce.

食感　しょっかん　food texture

お餅のモチモチした食感が好きです。 おもち の モチモチ した しょっかん が すき です。 I like the chewy texture of mochi.

保存　ほぞん　preservation; saving (e.g. to disk)

肉を長く保存しておきたいなら冷凍しなさい。 にく を ながく ほぞん して おきたい なら れいとう しなさい。 If you want meat to keep for a long time, freeze it.

人前　にんまえ　portion of food

彼は3人前注文した。 かれ は さん にんまえ ちゅうもん した。 He ordered three dinners.

温める　あたためる　to warm, to heat

食べ物を電子レンジで温めています。 たべもの を でんし レンジ で あたためています。 I am heating up the food in the microwave.

冷める　さめる　to cool down, to get cold

食べ物が冷めます。 たべもの が さめます。 The food is getting cold.

[goodplan-ipromise]

[trench-knife]

one of my worst writing sins is abusing my power to create compound words. i cannot write the sentence "The sun shone as bright as honey that afternoon." no. that's boring. "The sun was honey-bright that afternoon" however? yes. that sentence is dope as fuck. i do not care if "honey-bright" is a word in the english dictionary. i do not care if the sentence is grammatically correct. i will not change. i will not correct my erred ways. the laws of the english language are mine.

[rmhashauthor]

*holds your face gently*

Listen to me. English is BARELY a language on its own. It is the unrecognized bastard child of Latin, Germanic and Romance languages that took THOUSANDS of years to come together. We have loanwords from Arabic, French, Greek, the Goths (no not those Goths, the Ostrogoths and Visigoths), Middle and Old Norse. Our alphabet is part Arabic, part Greek and part Middle English. We even use French words to describe meat on the plate vs. meat on the animal because French was the language of the elites for, like, ever. You can basically track European colonialism by watching new words pop up in letters and charters.

The English language is a mess. It's ten raccoons in a trenchcoat bonking other languages on the head and stealing their boots. Do whatever the fuck you want. Shakespeare invented or introduced nearly 2,000 words to the English language, you're in good company.

[survivetoread]

I'm a big fan of extensive reading apps for language learning, and even collaborated on such an app some 10 years ago. It eventually had to be shut down, sadly enough.

Right now, the biggest one in the market is the paywalled LingQ, which is pretty good, but well, requires money.

There's also the OG programs, LWT (Learning With Texts) and FLTR (Foreign Language Text Reader), which are so cumbersome to set up and use that I'm not going to bother with them.

I presently use Vocab Tracker as my daily driver, but I took a spin around GitHub to see what fresh new stuff is being developed. Here's an overview of what I found, as well as VT itself.

(There were a few more, like Aprelendo and TextLingo, which did not have end-user-friendly installations, so I'm not counting them).

Vocab Tracker

++ Available on web ++ 1-5 word-marking hotkeys and instant meanings makes using it a breeze ++ Supports websites

-- Default meaning/translation is not always reliable -- No custom languages -- Ugliest interface by far -- Does not always recognise user-selected phrases -- Virtually unusable on mobile -- Most likely no longer maintained/developed

Lute

++ Supports virtually all languages (custom language support), including Hindi and Sanskrit ++ Per-language, customisable dictionary settings ++ Excellent, customisable hotkey support

-- No instant meaning look-up makes it cumbersome to use, as you have to load an external dictionary for each word -- Docker installation

LinguaCafe

++ Instant meanings thanks to pre-loaded dictionaries ++ Supports ebooks, YouTube, subtitles, and websites ++ Customisable fonts ++ Best interface of the bunch

== Has 7 word learning levels, which may be too many for some

-- Hotkeys are not customisable (yet) and existing ones are a bit cumbersome (0 for known, for eg.) -- No online dictionary look-up other than DeepL, which requires an API key (not an intuitive process) -- No custom languages -- Supports a maximum of 15,000 characters per "chapter", making organising longer texts cumbersome -- Docker installation

Dzelda

++ Supports pdf and epub ++ Available on web

-- Requires confirming meaning for each word to mark that word, making it less efficient to read through -- No custom languages, supports only some Latin-script languages -- No user-customisable dictionaries (has a Google Form to suggest more dictionaries)

[zatsugaku-deactivated20230825]

コンビニ人間　ふりがな編

鼓膜　「こまく」　eardrum

物色する　「ぶっしょくする」　to look for a particular thing, to rummage

染み　「しみ」　stain, smudge

微か　「かすか」 　faint, vague, meager

煙草　「たばこ」　cigarette

掌　「てのひら」　palm of hand

咄嗟に　「とっさに」 　at once, promptly

回り続ける　「まわりつづける」　to continue turning

綺麗　「きれい」　pretty, clean

一斉に　「いっせいに」　all at once

凝視する　「ぎょうしする」　to stare

雀　「すずめ」　sparrow

囁く　「ささやく」　to whisper, to murmur

仰天する　「ぎょてんする」　to be taken aback, to be amazed

戸惑う　「とまどう」　to be perplexed, to be confused

喋る　「しゃべる」 　to talk, to chat

呟く　「つぶやく」　to mutter, to murmur

叱る　「しかる」 　to scold, to chide

慕う　「したう」　to yearn for

庇う　「かばう」　to defend, to stand up for

玩具　「おもちゃ」　toy

苛める　「いじめる」　to bully, to treat poorly

偽物　「にせもの」　fake, forgery

紛れ込む　「まぎれこむ」　to be lost in, to disappear into

棚　「たな」　shelf, rack

縛る　「しばる」　to fasten, to tie

外す　「はずす」 　to remove, to take off

挨拶　「あいさつ」　greeting

微笑む　「ほほえむ」　to smile

呆然　「ぼうぜん」　in a daze, dumbfounded

反芻　「はんすう」 　rumination

お辞儀　「おじぎ」　bow, bowing

灯り　「あかり」　light, glow, lamp

灯す　「ともす」　to light (a candle, a lamp)

透き通る　「すきとおる」　to be clear, to be see-through

沢山　「たくさん」　a lot

蠢く　「うごめく」　to wriggle

蘇る　「よみがえる」 　to be recalled (memory), to be resurrected, to be revived

殆ど　「ほとんど」　mostly, just about

叩く　「たたく」　to knock, to tap

履く　「はく」　to put on (lower-body), to wear

癖　「くせ」　habit, crease

纏め　「まとめ」 　summary, conclusion

焦り　「あせり」　impatience

億劫　「おっくう」　troublesome, tiresome

頻繁　「ひんぱん」　frequent

曖昧　「あいまい」　ambiguous, vague, shady

施す　「ほどこす」　to give (time, money), to do

寄越す　「よこす」　to send, to forward

頷く　「うなずく」　to nod, to agree

誤魔化す　「ごまかす」　to deceive, to cheat

憚る　「はばかる」　to hesitate, to have influence

無頓着　「むとんちゃく」　indifferent, unmindful

幾何学　「きかがく」　geometry

潰れる　「つぶれる」　to be crushed

刻む　「きざむ」　to tick away (time), to chop up, to carve, to remember distinctly

辿る　「たどる」　to follow (road), to follow up

俯く　「うつむく」　to hang one's head, to look down

絡みつく　「からみつく」　to twine around, to twist around

瘦せる　「やせる」 　to lose weight, to slim

皺　「しわ」　wrinkle, crease

怪訝　「けげん」　dubious, suspicious

窪む　「くぼむ」　to cave in, to sink

的を射る　「まとをいる」　to be to the point

捲る　「まくる」　to turn up, to do relentlessly

縄文　「じょうもん」　jōmon period (14,000–300 BCE)

眉間　「みけん」　eyebow

頬　「ほお」　cheek of face

紡ぐ　「つむぐ」　to spin, to assemble words

割り箸　「わりばし」　disposable chopsticks

甥っ子　「おいっこ」　nephew

傲慢　「ごうまん」　proud, insolent

鬱陶しい　「うっとうしい」　depressing, irritating, cloudy

拭う　「ぬぐう」　to wipe

睨む　「にらむ」　to glare at

不穏　「ふおん」　disquieting, restless

払拭する　「ふっしょくする」　wiping out

小突く　「こづく」　to push, to poke

恍惚　「こうこつ」　ecstasy, senility

浸る　「ひたる」　to be soaked in

雇われる　「やとわれる」　to hire, to employ

糞　「くそ」　crap, shit, feces

素朴　「そぼく」　simple, artless

高飛車　「たかびしゃ」　high-handed, domineering

饒舌　「じょうぜつ」　talkativeness

厄介　「やっかい」　trouble, burden, support, care

削除する　「さくじょする」　to delete

屈める　「かがめる」　to stoop

社畜　「しゃちく」 　corporate slave

見初める　「みそめる」　to fall in love at first sight

矛盾　「むじゅん」　contradiction

垂れる　「たれる」　to hang, to dangle, to confer

摑む　「つかむ」　to seize, to obtain

溢れる　「あふれる」　to overflow, to flood

遡る　「さかのぼる」　to go upstream

弾く　「はじく」　to flip, to snap, to repel

淹れる　「いれる」　to make tea/coffee

云々　「うんぬん」　and so on and so forth, as such, et cetera

風情　「ふぜい」　taste, elegance, charm

膠着　「こうちゃく」　agglutination, adhesion

被る　「かぶる」　to wear on head, to pull over one's head, to be covered with, to bear

凄い　「すごい」　terrible, amazing

肘　「ひじ」　elbow

球団　「きゅうだん」　baseball team

餌　「えさ」　animal feed, bait

詐欺　「さぎ」　fraud, trick, scam

何時　「いつ」　when

揺蕩う　「たゆたう」　to sway, to be fickle

直ぐ　「すぐ」　immediately, right away

騙す　「だます」　to trick, to cheat

縋る　「すがる」　to cling onto, to implore

餓死　「がし」　death from starvation

逃れる　「のがれる」　to escape

掻き消す　「かきけす」　to erase, to make disappear

蛇口　「じゃぐち」　faucet, tap

幻　「まぼろし」　phantom, illusion

夫婦箸　「めおとはし」　his and hers chopsticks

奢る　「おごる」　to treat someone, to be proud

藍色　「あいいろ」　indigo blue

摂る　「とる」　to have (lunch), to take (vitamins, etc)

髭　「ひげ」 　beard, moustache

磨く　「みがく」　to polish, to improve

一欠けら　「ひとかけら」　fragment, piece

春雨　「はるさめ」　gentle spring rain

掟　「おきて」　law, rule

[key-cat]

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.

優しさとは、耳が聞こえない人でも聞くことができ、目が見えない人でも見ることができる言語である。

Mark Twain マーク・トウェイン　

[thekimonogallery]

Photo, late 19th century, Japan.  Photographer unknown.  "In the past, a kimono would often be entirely taken apart for washing, and then re-sewn for wearing. This traditional washing method is called ‘arai hari.’ Because the stitches must be taken out for washing, traditional kimonos needed to be hand sewn. Arai hari is very expensive and difficult and is now only done for high-end garments". Image owned by Okinawa Soba, Flickr

[syuu]

[shoku-and-awe]

Hourensou [ほうれんそう] means spinach, but it’s also a mnemonic for good working practices.

報 [hou] → 報告 [houkoku] / report

連 [ren] → 連絡 [renraku] / contact

相 [sou] → 相談 [soudan] / consult

Basically, it means to (1) report your progress to your boss, (2) keep the relevant people abreast of what’s going on, and (3) get advice from your superiors.

But this bunny has other ideas. She’s having a much nicer time of things.

放 [hou] → 放置 [houchi] / abandon, leave alone

連 [ren] → 連休 [renkyuu] / consecutive days off

早 [sou] → 早退 [soutai] / go home early

[helenstudies]

me: hey, japanese language might be convoluted but it's still very enjoyable to learn!

japanese language: oh! by the way the kanji for おいしい is 美味しい :)

me: one day i will kill you with my bare hands

[helenstudies]

I'm sure some people think this is because I have to learn more kanji. I can assure you, it is NOT. I love writing and reading kanji. I write chinese words to destress. That's my favorite past time. My anger about this is Japanese language uses so many unreasonably sounded kanji to support hiragana characters.

美 is NEVER "o" except in this word.

味 is NEVER "i" except in this word.

I can accept "美味い" being うまい because at least 美 has "utsukushii" and 味 has "mi" which is close enough to "ma."

But what do you mean it's also おいしい????? Where is the O where is the i?

Japanese language: I KNOW you retroactively assign kanji to the kana instead of the other way round like Korean. You intentionally do this. I'm coming for you in your sleep.

[onigiriforears]

やばい Alternatives | Vocab

Step 1 of 「伝える力」 が伸びる! 12歳までに知っておきたい語彙力図鑑 focuses on teaching you synonyms for words you would typically use to describe your emotions. There are synonyms for words like やばい, エモい, and the like. This particular post will focus on the information that they've given about やばい。

The book also ranks the words' difficulty level, with 1 star being an "of course you know this" to 5 stars being "even adults probably don't know this and you're about to blow them away with your vocabulary and make them pull out their dictionary." Because of this, you may see words that you encountered quickly as a Japanese learner (that a native speaker 12 year old may not have encountered yet) and vice versa on the list below.

やばい

Because やばい is a word that can be used to express nearly any emotion (much like how OMG can be used in many contexts in American English), the book did also make sure to put the contexts in which the alternative word would be appropriate.

危うい (あやうい)- dangerous; in danger; facing imminent danger ❖This is to be used when dangerous situations are imminent. The way they described it was "危険が迫っている状態" ▶︎Their example: 危うい所でピンチを脱出した。

危険 (きけん)- dangerous; risky; uncertain; precarious; in danger ❖This is to be used when a situation may lead to not-so-good/dangerous outcomes. ▶︎Their example: そんなに高い所からジャンプしたら、危険だよ。

驚異的 (きょういてき)- wonderful; astounding; marvelous ❖This is to be used when something passes a level of surprise that you can express. ▶︎Their example: 大谷選手の達成した記録は驚異的だ。

最高 (さいこう)- best; supreme; wonderful; highest; maximum; supreme ❖This is to be used when describing something of the highest status/dignity/ranking. (This is relative in comparison to other things.) ▶︎Their example: 夏休みに友達と見に行った映画が、最高に面白かった。

素晴らしい (すばらしい)- wonderful; splendid; magnificent ❖ This is used to describe something that's elegant/praiseworthy/splendid, things that are desirable, and things that admirable. ▶︎Their example: 富士山の山頂から眺める景色は、息をのむほどに素晴らしい。

Yojijukugo (四字熟語)

This section also includes four-character compound idioms (yojijukugo) that can be associated with the word we're focusing on expanding our vocabulary from.

絶体絶命 (ぜったいぜつめい)- desperate situation with no escape; being driven into a corner; being cornered; last extremity ❖ You would use this when you find yourself in a situation that there's no conceivable way you could think of making it out in the way that you truly desire. ▶︎Apparently you can use it in phrases like this 「絶体絶命のピンチ」 BONUS: I found an example online that also uses it to mean "stalemate" and the example is a cop and a suspect both pointing a gun at each other.

最上無二 (さいじょうむに)- there is nothing else like it in this world; it's an unparalleled marvel ❖They listed this one at 5 stars (aka, the adults are gonna be surprised that you know this and also go look it up) and I can certainly see why--I couldn't find any official English translations of it. Here's the definition the book gave: この世に二つとなく、最もすばらしいこと。「最上」は最もすぐれていること、「無二」は同じ物がないことを意味するよ。

SOMEONE PLEASE CORRECT ME IF MY UNDERSTANDING OF THIS LAST YOJIJUKUGO IS INCORRECT SO THAT I CAN LEARN IT PROPERLY!! I BESEECH THEE!! I IMPLORE YOU!!

Anyways, the next post will be alternatives words for かわいい and エグい