Miso Soup

                                                                 
                                                                        miso

I remember when I was first learning Japanese, I decided to visit a Japanese restaurant.  I did something I shouldn't have...I went alone.  This meant that I did not know a single item on the menu.  So, I did what any person in that situation would do.  I asked the waitress for her recommendation.

She suggested Miso Soup for starters.  But, I thought she said 'Omizu' (お水) meaning "water".


I said, "what"?  She said, "Miso."  I asked her again.  As when people speak a language so easily, she kept saying the word almost incomprehensible to anyone not familiar with the language.  I asked, "Omizu?".  A little frustratedly she said, "No, Miso soup."  I looked at her, and then after a few moments, finally said, "Ok.  I'll try that."  She went back to the kitchen leaving me there wondering what could "water" soup be like.

The waitress came back with some soup and I was immediately intrigued.  I thanked her and started to eat it after she'd left.  I really enjoyed the soup.  Later, I would find out that it was "Miso" soup, not "Mizu" soup.

Despite the true meaning of the kanji, whenever I order Miso soup at a restaurant to this day, I still think "Water Soup."

Trains, Trains, & More Trains

                       Electric Train:     
                                                      densha
                                                 electric car

I find this word to be a little tricky.  The kanji on the left, pronounced 'den' here, means electric.
                                                      The kanji on the right, pronounced 'sha' here, means car
                                                                                                                               or vehicle.

So, what we're doing is calling an electric train, a electric car or vehicle.  And I'm ok with that.


But, there's a denkisha 電気車 which is an 'actual' electric car.
                                                                                    The 3 kanji are:  (electric-energy-car).


And then, we have a kisha:  which is an old style steam train.
                                                  kisha      The kanji on the left, pronounced 'ki', means steam.
                                              steam car   The kanji on the right, pronounced 'sha' here,
                                                                                                              means car or vehicle.

Finally, we have a shinkansen (bullet train):  

That's when I give up and simply say, "Where's the TRAIN?!"

Honda Alert!

                                                                    
                                                                         Honda
                                                                      OriginRicefield
Attention!  Attention!

We've just received a pressing story!   The famous Japanese automotive company, Honda, is reportedly working on developing a giant Transformer robot!


The research is said to still be in the preliminary stages in two different departments.

One department is developing the robot component:  

The other department is developing the automobile component:  

Reports say that this new robot will be powered by a new clean fuel source called 'Energon'.

Top Honda company officials are denying the report.  But, many people are still very suspicious.

More news on this topic at a later date!

kozakana

                                                                    
                                                                         kozakana
                                                                         little fish

This word is interesting to me...and not just because I like goldfish.  It's the pronunciation that fascinates me the most.

The kanji character on the left means 'small' and is pronounced as 'ko' here.
The kanji character on the right means 'fish' and is pronounced as 'sakana' here.  (Notice not 'zakana'.)

So, why was the 's' in sakana changed to a 'z' in kozakana?

Well, I'm not sure.  But, I remember in High School I met a girl with the last name 'Zuniga'.  Years later, in college, I was working as a parking attendant.  A Hispanic woman pulled up looking for a parking pass.  She said her name was "Suniga'.

I asked her if her name was really 'Suniga'...or 'Zuniga'.  She looked at me for a moment and then said, "It doesn't really matter."  I chuckled to myself, gave her the pass, and watched her drive by.

I think the reason why cultures change the letter 's' to 'z'  is that it is easier to pronounce a 'z' than it is to pronounce an 's'.

So, my question to you is how do you pronounce my name?  'James'

Funny Kanji (Laugh Your Way To Japanese Writing Skill)

Konnichiwa, minasan!

I wanted to let you all know about a new book that I've written called Funny Kanji.

It's a humorous book designed to teach Kanji characters through jokes and fun quizzes.
AND it's available at an affordable price.

So, if you're interested in learning to read and write Kanji while having a lot of fun and laughter, then this book is for you.

It can be found at: http://bookstore.xlibris.com/Products/SKU-0095396050/Funny-Kanji.aspx 

Select on the right side which format you would like: Hardback, Paperback, or E-book.


Have a Happy New Year!

James