sci.lang.japan Frequently Asked Questions

This is a list of questions and answers about the Japanese language originally from the Usenet newsgroup sci.lang.japan.

Jump to: Writing, Grammar, Word origins, Words from other languages, Japanese and English, Word meanings, Pronunciation, Slang and colloquialisms, Names, Examinations, Word games, Numbers, counting, and dates, Etiquette, Computers, Miscellaneous, Other internet resources, About the sci.lang.japan Frequently Asked Questions.

1. Writing

• 1.1. Hiragana and katakana
  • 1.1.1. How did katakana and hiragana originate?
  • 1.1.2. Is there a kana symbol for ye or yi?
  
  • 1.1.3. What is the use of the "we" and "wi" kana?
  • 1.1.4. Is there a mnemonic for remembering the order of kana signs?
  • 1.1.5. What is the origin of the gojūon kana ordering?
  • 1.1.6. How does the i-ro-ha ordering go?
  • 1.1.7. What is historical kana usage?
  • 1.1.8. What is okurigana?
  • 1.1.9. What is katakana used for?
  • 1.1.10. What is the small kana "tsu" used for?
  • 1.1.11. How can I distinguish similar kana?
  • 1.1.12. What is hentaigana?
  • 1.1.13. What is the long line symbol used in katakana?
• 1.2. Kanji
  • 1.2.1. What are the origins of the kanji for sushi?
  • 1.2.2. How many kanji are there?
  • 1.2.3. What is the difference between Tōyō Kanji and Jōyō Kanji?
  • 1.2.4. What are the Jōyō Kanji?
    • 1.2.4.1. A list of Jōyō Kanji
  • 1.2.5. Which kanji were created in Japan?
    • 1.2.5.1. A list of kokuji (国字)
  • 1.2.6. Why do some gairaigo words have kanji?
  • 1.2.7. Why do kanji have several different pronunciations?
  • 1.2.8. Can a word have mixed on and kun readings?
  • 1.2.9. Can a kanji word have more than one reading?
  • 1.2.10. What are kanji radicals?
    • 1.2.10.1. What are the names of the kanji radicals?
  • 1.2.11. How is a kanji dictionary used?
  • 1.2.12. Why do some kanji have alternative forms?
    • 1.2.12.1. Table of new and old kanji forms
  • 1.2.13. How does kanji stroke order work?
  • 1.2.14. What are the Jinmeiyō Kanji?
    • 1.2.14.1. A list of Jinmeiyō Kanji
  • 1.2.15. What is the most complicated kanji?
  • 1.2.16. What are itaiji?
• 1.3. Other questions on writing
  
  • 1.3.1. What is the small katakana ke in 霞ヶ丘 and 一ヶ月?
  • 1.3.2. How are animal and plant names written in Japanese?
  • 1.3.3. What is furigana?
  • 1.3.4. What are the systems of romanization of Japanese?
    • 1.3.4.1. What is Nippon-shiki romanization?
    • 1.3.4.2. What is Kunrei or Kunrei-shiki romanization?
    • 1.3.4.3. What is wāpuro rōmaji?
    • 1.3.4.4. Other systems of romanization of Japanese
    • 1.3.4.5. A table of romanizations
    • 1.3.4.6. What is the "kwa" in "kwaidan"?
    • 1.3.4.7. What kana do not have romanized forms?
    • 1.3.4.8. What is Hepburn romanization?
  • 1.3.5. How is Japanese writing taught to Japanese children?
    • 1.3.5.1. List of kanji by elementary school grade
  • 1.3.6. What are the names of the Japanese non-kana, non-kanji symbols?
  • 1.3.7. What are the symbols on Japanese maps?
  • 1.3.8. Can Japanese be written right to left?
  • 1.3.9. What are the different styles of Japanese lettering?
    • 1.3.9.1. Ancient Chinese styles
    • 1.3.9.2. Printed styles
    • 1.3.9.3. Handwritten styles
    • 1.3.9.4. Edomoji (江戸文字)
    • 1.3.9.5. Other font styles
  • 1.3.10. What is man'yōgana?
    • 1.3.10.1. Table of man'yōgana
  • 1.3.11. Is Japanese ever written with spaces between the words?
  • 1.3.12. Writing reforms in modern Japan
  • 1.3.13. Why are election candidates' names written in hiragana?
  • 1.3.14. What are the meanings of circle, cross, and triangle in Japan?

2. Grammar

• 2.1. Verbs
  • 2.1.1. What Japanese verbs are irregular?
  • 2.1.2. What are group I and group II (also consonant and vowel) verbs?
  • 2.1.3. Which iru and eru verbs are actually group I (consonant-stem, godan) verbs?
  • 2.1.4. What's the difference between hajimeru and hajimaru?
  • 2.1.5. How do Japanese verbs conjugate?
  • 2.1.6. How does the te form work?
  • 2.1.7. What is a suru verb?
• 2.2. Verb endings
  • 2.2.1. What are the uses of the sō ending?
  • 2.2.2. How does the causative passive form of the verb work?
  • 2.2.3. What is the 'i' verb ending?
  • 2.2.4. What is the zaru verb ending?
  • 2.2.5. What is the tamae verb ending?
  • 2.2.6. What is the mizenkei verb ending?
• 2.3. Particles (助詞)
  • 2.3.1. How do I choose between wa and ga?
  • 2.3.2. What is the difference between ringo ga tabetai and ringo wo tabetai?
  • 2.3.3. What is the particle nite?
  • 2.3.4. How do I choose between de and ni?
  • 2.3.5. What is the difference between to naru and ni naru?
  • 2.3.6. What is the difference between kai and ka particles for questions?
  • 2.3.7. How is it that wo can be used with intransitive verbs?
• 2.4. Other grammar questions
  • 2.4.1. What is the no da or n da ending?
  • 2.4.2. What is an i adjective?
  • 2.4.3. What is the difference between ōkii and ōki na?
  • 2.4.4. How can I tell what tame means?

3. Word origins

• 3.1. What is the name of Mount Fuji?
• 3.2. What are the origins of the san suffix for names?
• 3.3. What is the origin of the name Godzilla?
• 3.4. Why is America called bei?
• 3.5. What are the names of Japan?
• 3.6. Where did the Japanese get their names for the weekdays?
• 3.7. What is the origin of yakuza?
• 3.8. What is the meaning of the word maru in the names of Japanese boats?
• 3.9. What is the origin of the name of the number puzzle "sudoku"?
• 3.10. What is the origin of the name hotchikisu meaning "stapler"?
• 3.11. Why are there so many adjectives ending in yaka?
• 3.12. Is desu a contraction of de arimasu?
• 3.13. What is the origin of saboten?
• 3.14. What does san in Japanese names mean?

4. Words from other languages

• 4.1. Is arigatō related to Portuguese "obrigado"?
• 4.2. Which Japanese words come from Portuguese?
• 4.3. Which Japanese words come from German?
• 4.4. Which Japanese words come from Dutch?
• 4.5. Which Japanese words come from French?
• 4.6. Which Japanese words come from Russian?

5. Japanese and English

• 5.1. How do I write an English word in Japanese?
• 5.2. Where does the word yen come from?
• 5.3. Where does the name Japan come from?
• 5.4. What are these pseudo English words like salaryman?
  • 5.4.1. What is the origin of konsento for electric sockets?
• 5.5. What English words come from Japanese?
• 5.6. What "false friends" are there between Japanese and English?

6. Word meanings

• 6.1. What is an "OB"?
• 6.2. What is an otaku?
• 6.3. Is gaijin a derogatory term?
• 6.4. What colour is ao?
• 6.5. What is yamato nadeshiko?
• 6.6. Is a tanuki a badger?
• 6.7. What is Yamato kotoba?
• 6.8. What is an ikemen?
• 6.9. What do 上 and 下 on books mean?
• 6.10. What does bukkake mean?
• 6.11. What words have the same kanji in China and Japan but different meanings?
• 6.12. What does boke mean?
• 6.13. What is the difference between shiru and wakaru?

7. Pronunciation

• 7.1. What are the differences between kana writing and pronunciation?
• 7.2. What is that small tsu at the end of a sentence?
• 7.3. What is rōmaji r?
• 7.4. What parts of Japanese are difficult for English speakers to pronounce?
• 7.5. What is Japanese pitch accent?
• 7.6. How important is pitch accent?
• 7.7. What is the difference between a mora and a syllable?
• 7.8. What is yōon?
• 7.9. What is rendaku?
• 7.10. What is syllabic n?
• 7.11. What is a devoiced vowel?

8. Slang and colloquialisms

• 8.1. What is the yagaru verb ending?
• 8.2. What are the chau, cha verb endings?
• 8.3. What are contracted words like rimokon?
• 8.4. What are these i adjectives kimoi and muzui which aren't in the dictionary?
• 8.5. What are some Japanese insults and swear-words?
• 8.6. What are itee and sugee?

9. Names

• 9.1. What are the personal pronouns of Japanese?
• 9.2. How can I read a Japanese name?

• 9.3. How do Japanese names work?
• 9.4. How are historical names formed?
• 9.5. What personal names are the same in Japanese and other languages?
• 9.6. How do I write my name in Japanese?
• 9.7. Do Japanese people have middle names?
• 9.8. How do the Japanese sign their names?
• 9.9. How can I find the Japanese name of a film, person, plant, etc.?

10. Examinations

• 10.1. What is the Japanese language proficiency test?
• 10.2. Kanji Kentei
• 10.3. Jetro Business Japanese test
• 10.4. BJT Business Japanese Test
• 10.5. Japanese University Exam for Foreign Students

11. Word games

• 11.1. What is henohenomoheji?
• 11.2. Do you know any Japanese palindromes?
• 11.3. What is shiritori?
• 11.4. Do you know any Japanese tongue-twisters?

12. Numbers, counting, and dates

• 12.1. How does Japanese write large and small numbers?
• 12.2. What are the kanji numbers on bank notes?
• 12.3. What is the counter for ...?
• 12.4. How do I write or say a mathematical expression in Japanese?
• 12.5. What are Japanese number puns?
• 12.6. What Western dates correspond to what Japanese dates?
  • 12.6.1. Complete list of Japanese eras
  • 12.6.2. What is the Jikkan jūnishi?
• 12.7. What are the old Japanese units like shaku?
• 12.8. What are the special birthdays in Japan?
• 12.9. What are the Japanese numbers from 1 to 100?
• 12.10. Why do the Japanese use numbers for months?
• 12.11. What are the Japanese days of the month?
• 12.12. How do Japanese decimal fractions work?

13. Etiquette

• 13.1. What is Japanese respect language?
• 13.2. How do I make a request?

• 13.3. How can I say "I love you" in Japanese?
• 13.4. What are the phrases used on nengajō (New Year's greetings)?
• 13.5. What is the difference between san, sama, kun and chan?

14. Computers

• 14.1. How is Japanese input on a computer?
• 14.2. Encodings of Japanese
• 14.3. What is half-width katakana?
• 14.4. How can I input small kana like ぃ, っ and ょ, or づ on a computer?
• 14.5. What is mojibake?
• 14.6. Electronic typefaces
• 14.7. What are JIS level one and two kanji?
• 14.8. What are the Yūrei Moji or Ghost Kanji?
• 14.9. What is "wide ASCII"?

15. Miscellaneous

• 15.1. How does the Japanese addressing system work?
• 15.2. How do I find this Japanese word for a tattoo?
• 15.3. What noises do animals make?
• 15.4. What are the names of the letters of the alphabet in Japanese?

16. Other internet resources

• 16.1. Related newsgroups
• 16.2. Online dictionaries
• 16.3. Online kanji dictionaries
• 16.4. Internet forums
• 16.5. Web sites
• 16.6. Mailing lists

17. About the sci.lang.japan Frequently Asked Questions

• 17.1. FAQ Copyright
• 17.2. FAQ Thank Yous
• 17.3. FAQ Format
• 17.4. Frequently Asked Questions about the Frequently Asked Questions
• 17.5. Deleted page

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