Learn kanji with my Kanji Kanban(漢字看板) Japanese street and shop sign series, an ever expanding database of kanji, hiragana and katakana characters in natural contexts. The word ‘kanban’ refers to shop signs in Japanese. This series focuses on the joyo kanji (常用漢字), the most frequently used characters. It includes various reference tools that make this … Read more
Rikaichan is a pop-up Japanese dictionary add-on that can really turbo charge your online Japanese reading practice. If I had to give up all but one of my printed and online Japanese language learning resources, rikaichan would be the keeper. And it happens to be free! You can download it and get more info here. … Read more
おまつり How do you say ‘festival’ in Japanese? If you’re learning hiragana, try reading this poster advertising an upcoming event. I noticed it on a community message board in my neighborhood in Kyoto. The お at the beginning is an honorific and is often omitted. Use the rikaichan popup dictionary or your favorite reference tool … Read more
生ビール冷えてます。 Use the rikaichan popup dictionary or your favorite reference tool on the text I’ve transcribed just below the photo if you need help reading this sign. It includes an often seen kanji/katakana pairing, so even if you’re still getting katakana down, this is a good chance to get some exposure in a natural context … Read more
甘食 国産 小麦粉 使用した 懐かしい 味わい ヤマザキ Click on the photo to see the characters on this packaging more clearly. How many of the seven words that I’ve transcribed below the photo can you read or understand? Hover your mouse over them with the rikaichan popup dictionary or use your favorite reference tool if you need help. This package appealed … Read more
自転車 バイク 修理 販売 Use the rikaichan popup dictionary or your favorite reference tool on the text I’ve transcribed just below the photo if you need help reading this sign. Even if you’re learning katakana and aren’t very familiar with kanji yet, you might be able to sight read these words based on the context of this photo, … Read more
ダンス スタジオ If you’re learning katakana, try reading this sign.It caught my eye because of the colors and graphics, which might help you to decipher the meaning. Then again, the more I look at the two figures above the words, it looks like a barroom brawl or a shootout! So it might be best to focus … Read more
アート＆クラフト If you’re learning katakana, try reading this shop sign that I saw in Kyoto and you’ll discover what kind of store it is. Kyoto is written in Kanji at the bottom along with the name of this branch, taken from the name of the street that it’s on. Use the rikaichan popup dictionary or … Read more
夜間工事 ２３時３０分〜翌５時３０分 車線変更 Use the rikaichan popup dictionary on the text I’ve transcribed just below the photo if you need help reading this sign. I took this at night in Kyoto in an area where there’s been a lot of road work at night, which involves diverting traffic. I’d only just learned the reading of 夜間yesterday when … Read more