Why does the Pronunciation of Japanese Kanji Change When Reading Names?

12/03/2018Posted inJapanese Kanji Blog, Trivia
I think the Japanese language is difficult. Even when we master certain things like some pronunciations and meanings of kanji, that knowledge might not be useful every time when we read Japanese. So, let's learn about it together! I share a kanji question from a follower today! (*'▽') Why do these changes happen in certain japanese surnames? 矢 (ya) + 島 (shima) = 矢島 Yajima 赤 (aka) + 川 (kawa) = 赤川 Akagawa 目 (me) + 黒 (kuro) = 目黒 Meguro 尾 (o) + 田 (ta) = 尾田 Oda Wow, that is a great question!! I guess so many people learning the language are wondering why. (@_@)?? The Answer is…

Where is Kansai?

12/04/2016Posted inTrivia
I picked the name Kansai Chick for this project. Because I'm from Kansai(関西). Do you know where Kansai is? Maybe it's around Kansai airport? Maybe it's in somewhere west of Japan? Both of these answers are right! Kansai is NOT an official region name! Actually, Kansai is NOT an official region name! In Japan we use the word "Kansai" all the time, but nobody has the perfect answer which cities or areas belong to Kansai. Some definitions exist, but depending on who you talk to the answer varies. Where did the word "Kansai" come from? To explain that, I need to talk to you about Japanese regions. There are 8…