Tag

#language

3 articles tagged #language.

• language

  Sumimasen — the Japanese word that does the work of three English ones

  One Japanese word does the work of sorry, thank you, and excuse me. The literal meaning solves all three at once.

• language

  Arigatō gozaimasu — the Japanese 'thank you' that literally means 'this is a rare and precious thing'

  Japan's standard 'thank you' literally means 'this is a rare and precious thing.' Here's how a phrase about rarity became the country's gratitude.

• language

  Daijobu — the Japanese word that means yes, no, and 'I'm fine'

  The most context-dependent word in everyday Japanese. Means yes, no, thanks, and don't worry — situation decides.