Japanese Words of the Week
Year 2: August 2023 - August 2024
If you listen to the end of our podcast, you know that in each episode we share a new Japanese word of the week! In case you miss any (or you just want to read back through past words), this page contains a list of all the words.
Click here for the words from Year One!
They’re listed by in episode order (starting with the most recent), and have the Japanese words written in romaji, katakana/hiragana, and their kanji form, along with the english translation. As always, feel free to email us if you notice we got anything wrong, or if you have any questions!
Episode 103– Business Card Etiquette, International Shipping, & Coastal Bikepacking
Meishi
名刺 (めいし)
= name card
Neko no toire
猫のトイレ (ねこのといれ)
= litterbox (literally “cat’s toilet”)
Episode 102– Making Kites, Golden Week, and Wisteria Ice Cream
Danboru
段ボール (だんぼーる)
= cardboard box
Dorobou
泥棒 (どろぼう)
= thief
Episode 101– Making Kites, Golden Week, and Wisteria Ice Cream
Yoyaku
予約 (よやく)
= reservation
Deko boko
凸凹 (でこぼこ)
= bumpy
Episode 100– Our 100th Episode! Are We Still Glad We Started This Podcast?
Ma
真 (ま)
= Prefix, used in colors (like 真っ黒 makkuro is pitch black)
Kohi
コーヒー (珈琲 - but the kanji is used rarely)
= coffee
Episode 99– Ibukiyama Bike Race, Kanazawa's Oldest Shrine, and Fish Auctions
Koke
苔 (こけ)
= moss
Oka
丘 (おか)
= hill
Episode 98– Cherry Blossom Picnic in Kanazawa & the Japanese Food Pyramid
Karaoke
カラオケ
= karaoke
Mitai
見たい (みたい)
= want to see
Episode 97– Shimanami Kaido and End of the School Year
Giri giri
ぎりぎり
= just barely, almost
Yoko
陽光 (ようこう)
= sunshine, sunlight
Episode 96– Riding the New Hokuriku Shinkansen Extension From Kanazawa to Tsuruga
Pan no mimi
パンの耳 (パンのみみ)
= bread butts/ends/heels (literally “bread ears”)
Densha
電車 (でんしゃ)
= train (technically an electric train - ressha, shinkansen, and kisha are also words for different trains)
Episode 95– Moving To A New Country - Vernal Equinox & Big Life Changes This Fall
Kadode
門出 (かどで)
= setting out, starting a new life; starting life anew
Sumaho
スマホ
= smart phone
Episode 94– Scenic Berumonta Train, Eating Eel Bones, & Mister Donuts Truth
Sanpo
散歩 (さんぽ)
= taking a walk or a stroll
Boken
冒険 (ぼうけん)
= adventure
Episode 93– Tourism Vocabulary, Friends’ Visit, and Mountain Biking in Japan
Ishidatami
石畳 (いしだたみ)
= cobblestones
Uruudoshi
うるう年 (うるうどし)
= leap year
Episode 92– Japan's Unlikely First Astronaut, Kids’ Menus & Cycling the Tedori River
Shuumatsu
週末 (しゅうまつ)
= weekend
Ijou
以上 (いじょう)
= that’s all (can use when finished ordering at a restaurant, etc.)
Episode 91– Sake, Samurai Swords, Giant Peach Babies, & Tiny Bars
Shouyu
醤油 (しょうゆ)
= soy sauce
Ei
鱝 (エイ)
= stingray
Episode 90– Third Places, Kanazawa Cafes, & Cardinal Directions in Japanese
Kitai
期待(きたい)
= expectation, anticipation, hope
Kekko
結構 (けっこう)
= word that can be used to mean “alright,” “sufficient,” “no need,” "more ~ than expected," among other scenarios
Episode 89 – Celebrating Setsubun, Throwing Beans, & Travel Clickbait
Yukikaki
雪かき (ゆきかき)
= snow shovel
Tama Tama
偶々 (たまたま)
= by chance, unexpectedly, accidentally
Episode 88 – Snowy Kenrokuen Garden & Superstitions in Japan
Shujutsu
手術 (しゅじゅつ)
= surgery
Obaasan/Ojiisan
おばあさん, おじいさん
= grandmother/grandfather, or any elderly person/senior citizen
Episode 87 – Government Dating App, Kotatsu Train, and Japanese Idioms
Chika Idol
地下アイドル (ちかアイドル)
= underground/not famous singer/performer
Onkatsu
温活 (おんかつ)
= things/activities that keep you warm
Episode 86 – Burning New Years Decor, Your “Rebirth Year”, and University Entrance Exams
Datsuijo
脱衣所 (だついじょ)
= changing room/dressing room
Fumei
不明 (ふめい)
= unclear, unknown
Episode 85 – Noto Earthquake Updates, Dragons, and Kanji of the Year
Kotoshi
今年 (ことし)
= this year
Shimekazari
注連飾り (しめかざり)
= new year’s decoration made from shimenawa
Episode 84 – Our Ishikawa Update, 24 Hours After the Noto Earthquake
No words shared from this week
Episode 83 – Shared Spaces, Snowmen & Ban on Wheels in Japan
Sharin
車輪 (しゃりん)
= wheel
Tebukuro
手袋 (てぶくろ)
= glove
Episode 82 – Field Trip Episode: Snow Day in Kanazawa
No words this week, just bringing you along on a “field trip” to snowy Kanazawa!
Episode 81 – Pizza, Pass Hunting, and Bicycle History in Japan
Monsuta Baru
モンスターボール
= Monster Ball (what a Poke Ball from Pokemon is called in Japanese)
Danro
暖炉 (だんろ)
= fireplace
Episode 80 – Going to the Dentist in Japan, Godzilla, and High School Cycling Practice
Tashikani
確かに(たしかに)
= probably, if I’m not mistaken (implies a greater degree of certainty than “I think” but to a lesser degree than “definitely”)
Mochiron
勿論 (もちろん)
= of course!
Episode 79 – Taking the JLPT Language Test, Funerals in Japan, & Winter's Arrival
Yaoya
八百屋(やおや)
= grocery store, fruit & vegetable shop
Samuzamu
寒寒 (さむざむ)
= wintry, cold looking
Episode 78 – Camping and Biking in Wakayama, Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Trail, & Three Legged Crows
Seitai Moho
生体模倣(せいたいもほう)
= biomimicry
Miken
未見 (みけん)
= not yet seen, unknown
Episode 77 – Modeling Photoshoot in Kaga Onsen, Kintsugi, and Lolita Fashion
Tashikani
確かに (たしかに)
= probably, if I’m not mistaken (implies a greater degree of certainty than “I think” but to a lesser degree than “definitely”)
Sabishi
寂しい (さびしい)
= lonely
Episode 76 – The Not-So-Useful News Report: Fun Facts From Life in Japan
Shimbun (or shinbun)
新聞 (しんぶん)
= newspaper
Washi
わし
= I/me (used by older men)
Episode 75 – Noto Peninsula, Salt, and Coastal Cycling in Wajima
Shio
塩 (しお)
= salt
Shio
潮 (しお)
= tide
Episode 74 – Halloween in Japan, Cat Yokai, Yurei Stories, & Famous Graves
Kowai
怖い (こわい)
= scary
Chinmi
珍味 (ちんみ)
= delicacy (literally “rare taste”)
Episode 73 – TeamLab in Kanazawa, Silvervine, & Tourism Stats in Japan
Doki doki
ドキドキ
= an onomatopoetic word for the sound of a beating heart, being excited, or nervous
Ishou
衣装 (いしょう)
= costume
Episode 72 – Pocket Money, Persimmons, & Horumonyaki
Hesokuri
臍繰り (へそくり)
= secret savings
Itazura
悪戯 (いたずら)
= mischief, prank, trick
Episode 71 – Eating Konjac, Goshuin Stamps, and Gunma's Onsen Water
Shuppatsu
出発 (しゅっぱつ)
= departure
Kansou
乾燥 (か ん そ う)
= dry, arid
Episode 70 – Date Day in Kanazawa, Conveyor Belt Sushi, & Bike Messenger World Champs
Momigara
籾殻 (もみがら)
= rice husk
Kaiten-zushi
回転寿司 (か い て ん ず し)
= conveyor belt sushi
Episode 69 – Japanese Weddings, Talking to Neighbors, and What Annie Brought Back to Japan
W
comes from warau (笑う) "to laugh"
= used like “lol” in text, or can mean “double” when written on menus
Kuri
栗 (くり)
= chestnut
Episode 68 – Kanazawa Itinerary, Asheville North Carolina, and Goodbye to Japanese Summer?
Hisashiburi
久しぶり (ひさしぶり)
= Long time no see!
Kanko
観光 (かんこう)
= sightseeing/tourism
Episode 67 – Jet Lag, JLPT, Golden Cubes, & Silver Cups
Jisaboke
時差ぼけ (じさぼけ)
= Jet lag
Gokaku
合格 (ごうかく)
= To pass a test
Episode 66 – What If Our US Hometowns Had Character Mascots Like In Japan?
Kukou
空港 (くうこう)
= airport
Shyushin
出身 (しゅっしん)
= hometown
Episode 65 – Getting a Driver’s License on the First Try and Returning to the USA
Kisei
帰省 (きせい)
= homecoming
Beikoku
米国 (べいこく)
= a way to say "United States”
Episode 64 – 7 Day Bike Trip Around Japan! Cycling From Kanazawa to Matsumoto and Back
Seiko
成功 (せいこう)
= success
Minshuku
民宿(みんしゅく)
= guesthouse
Episode 63 – How to Plan A Cycling Trip in Japan & 72 Seasons
Mono No Aware
物の哀れ (もののあわれ)
= the “sensitivity of things” - beauty in the brevity and impermanence of things in life, like seasons
Casa
笠(かさ)
= conical hat
Episode 62 – Japan-iversary Podcast Episode! 1 Year Of Living In Japan
Kaerimiru
顧みる (かえりみる)
= to look back at, reflect
Oto
音(おと)
= sound