Excited to announce that @scriptingjapan.bsky.social's slang dictionary is available on the new Jisho! Wes' dictionary, blog posts and videos are deeply researched and entertaining, and a vital resource for anyone who studies Japanese. Thank you Wes! All entries here: four.jisho.org/search/%23sc...

Make music! Get on stage! Draw comics! Make zines! Translate books! Write novels! Put your weirdness out into the world! We need your art to stay sane in this increasingly wild world!

New blog post! Breaking down the Japanese buzzwords of the year from 2025: wesleycrobertson.wordpress.com/2025/12/24/e...

It’s that time again 😇 🎁

Some recent visitors asked about shelves full of シャンメリー(Chanmery) which prompts me to repeat an old thread. Chanmery is a carbonated soft drink, with a cap that sounds like a champagne cork popping when you open it.

I keep seeing posts asking if there are any alternatives to Duolingo for Japanese that don't use AI, and yes there are!!! Also Mango languages might be free through libraries, but they use AI in course creation. jtalkonline.com/japanese-stu...

Explaining the 30 candidates for Japanese buzzword of the year youtu.be/hnRxyIrMMLk?...

I wrote another in this series exploring kanji by different radicals. www.nippon.com/en/japan-top...

J-E false friends: 足が長い, "long legs" This is a casual JP phrase used to describe tall or lanky proportions. In EN, describing someone as having long legs takes on very different connotations. So a literal translation would be adding subtext that the source didn't have.

As a general rule, you should always, ALWAYS be suspicious of katakana words when you translate. Don't translate them without thinking about the context and double checking. And don't trust jisho dot org either.

This dictionary is missing a few things but it's designed for Japanese to English media translators. yakuaru.com

The Yamanote Line first became a full loop in 1925, and November 1st next week will mark the 100th anniversary of its complete encirclement of the city centre. www.47news.jp/13346469.html

Another day, another random post bitterly defaced by yours truly, who only strives to keep it real 😇

#大阪NOHATE街宣 さんが作ったチラシです。広めよう。 『外国人優遇デマあれこれ』

Some Star Trek art for Trek Tuesday. Enjoy. #scifiart #scifi #fanart #StarTrek #TrekTuesday

PART 1 - High Resolution photos of the Voyager Model If you like the content and want to help, Feel free to follow me and share my posts. #startrek #trek #tng #VOY #DS9.

#StarTrek Fonts: The Thread This thread is going to cover the official typefaces used for on-screen titles and marketing materials etc. Not in-universe graphics, alien scripts or any of that. Feedback and corrections welcome! Please check ALT text for additional context. 🧵 [001/???]

Time for the August #Japanese slang review! Click this link to learn about the terms: ドン勝 回します界隈 ぷくぷく界隈 ダル着 グラドル 筋通しましょうや ひな？やったー！ 生まれ持った顔ポーカー 入れ違いグッジョブ ほん𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚わかんのでskrrrrメロいちゃむ〜ドカ鬱横転ちゃんねるでしぬ〜セブンのカリカリ梅しか勝たんのやめれる wesleycrobertson.wordpress.com/2025/08/31/j...

Here's a thing about translation. Particularly, people who complain about "accuracy." Nearly always, what they mean is, "I put this word into a J>E dictionary and that's NOT what it said!" But have you looked at an English dictionary? No, really, have you? Does it look like a J>E dictionary?

This is also actually reminding me of the way a dictionary can be a false friend, too, especially when you don't have a deep enough understand of the source language grammar. a story🧵: some years back, I was helping a J->E translator friend untangle a scene she was having trouble with.

New Blog Post! A guide to understanding the nuances behind different uses of #kanji to write a single word in #Japanese (things like 飲む vs 呑む or 見る vs 診る and 観る). wesleycrobertson.wordpress.com/2025/08/05/a...

Any recommendations for an authoritative Japanese etymology dictionary?

It's time for the July #Japanese slang review! Click the link below to learn about the words: 神ってる ガイガイ音頭 ネット乞食 ビジュイイじゃん 自発光メイク/モカムースメイク 裏山 詐胸 対立厨/出会い厨/カプ厨/懐古厨 水素の音 マコモ湯構文 wesleycrobertson.wordpress.com/2025/07/31/j...

Do I have Japanese grammar study recommendations for N5 to N2 levels? Do I ever?!

Hey! I've got a chapter on script-based language ideologies across Japanese history in this new book Ideologies of Communication in Japan out via @multi-ling-mat.bsky.social! Use the code in the image for 50% off if you order a copy by the 31st of July!

Friend of Garak shirts are freshly restocked! I have t-shirts in sizes S-5XL and tank tops in S-4XL. Other sizes available on backorder. Still 10% off for Pride Month. willburrows.art/shop

New Blog Post! Join the 界隈理解界隈 by reading this deep dive into 界隈... I mean, 界-隈not? wesleycrobertson.wordpress.com/2025/05/22/w...

The tagline of this otaku dictionary is maybe perfect? 知っているだけで恥ずかしいーYou'll be embarrassed just to know these words. So nerdy, the words themselves bring shame, proof that it is *the* geek dictionary of choice.

The beta version of the new Jisho is live! four.jisho.org I'm releasing it today (with one minute to spare!) to celebrate 20 years since the Wayback Machine first indexed Jisho.

New #Japanese 流行語 explanations are out! Click the link below to learn about: 海外ニキネキ 違和感仕事しろ ちくわ大明神 5000兆円欲しい! あくしろよ 切り替えピース 風呂キャンセル界隈 メンブレ リアコ 恋のHamburg♪/お料理、得意なんです wesleycrobertson.wordpress.com/2025/04/30/j...

I was going to post this article this weekend but Duolingo's recent doubling down on replacing humans with generative AI pushed me to get it out sooner. Here's a list of amazing apps for learning Japanese that DON'T use generative AI! #cancelDuolingo jtalkonline.com/japanese-stu...

Me too, Anpanman. Me too.

This piece by Yukiko Duke, who co-translated Kenzaburo Oe, Haruki Murakami and Yu Miri among others with her mother, deeply moved me. "It was the best kind of family business." swedishbookreview.org/joy-translat...

Translation is all about conveying meaning from one language to another. But what do we do when we’re struggling with how to render that meaning in our target language? Let’s talk about deverbalization, functionalism, and examples from SUBREDDITNAME and the Beings from Strange Planet!