The True Meaning of “UA” High School for My Hero Academia

09/28/2017Posted inJapanese Kanji Blog
When I was watching "My Hero Academia(僕のヒーローアカデミア)", I noticed one thing. The name of the special high school is "UA" and it's everywhere in this show.  Even the gym uniform says UA.... However, outside of my home country Japan, how many viewers know why the school is named "UA"??? I bet so many people think "What does U.A. stand for??". Even if so, that's not their fault. Because the translation says that way without any explanation....(-_-;) Why They Named the High School "UA" The answer is very simple. Their name is UA because it's a school for Heroes! If you learn a little bit about Japanese Kanji, you'll get it.…

The Kanji on the Document in BORUTO

09/25/2017Posted inJapanese Kanji Blog
In Naruto world, written stuff is always meaningless scribbles. However, I found a readable Japanese Kanji on a document here! The Kanji on the Document about "Class Field Trip" On the Konoha's symbol, it says "修学旅行(syuugaku-ryokou)". That is a very common event in Japanese school and normally a kid from Japan will experience a couple of times of 修学旅行s in his or her life. So, what is THAT? Boruto went to the water clan's city for a school trip. That kind of "big trip for several days" is called "修学旅行" in Japanese. It was translated to "Class Field Trip" but there is a different Japanese word for ONE DAY trip,…

The Shinobi Card Game in “BORUTO”

09/22/2017Posted inJapanese Kanji Blog
The new series "BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS(ボルト)" has been out for a little while now. Do you like all the new character designs of the kids? At the beginning, I felt a little wired about kid's names like Shikadai and Inojin but I got used to it. Today I found some Japanese Kanjis on the card game that Boruto is into. It's called "Shinobi Bout(忍バウト)". Boruto grabbed it to play it with his friends during the school trip. What is "Shinobi Bout" the card game in Boruto First of all, "忍(Shinobi)" is what ninjas call themselves. That's who they are.  See a Little More Details of Meaning for Shinobi I…

The Master Roshi’s Bottle in “Dragon Ball Super”

09/19/2017Posted inJapanese Kanji Blog
Do you watch Dragon Ball Super(ドラゴンボール超)? I remember the original "Dragon Ball" show was on TV when I was small...but the show is still going! And Master Roshi(武天老師) is still alive! Master Roshi's original name is 武天老師(mutenroushi) and his nickname is 亀仙人(kamesennin). The word "老師" means "Old Master", so the translation "Master Roshi" sounds wired for me. It could be "Master Muten" .... No? Master Roshi sounds better to you? Anyway, I finally received a question from a viewer! Thank you soooo much! Question: I see some calligraphy thing on the bottle that Master Roshi was using for the Evil Containment Wave. What does is say? Let me see...Ah hah! Yes,…

What is That Japanese Kanji Flag in “Natsume Yujin-cho”?

09/16/2017Posted inJapanese Kanji Blog
I've talked about a popular Japanese animation show "Natsume Yujin-cho(夏目友人帳)" in a previous post. And I realized the Yokais have a Flag that says "犬の会". What is it?? I was not sure, so I researched the official information. What is That Japanese Kanji Flag in "Natsume Yujin-cho"? The flag is The Japanese Kanji "犬" means "Dog" and  "会" means "Meeting" or "Association" here. Therefore "犬の会" can be translated as "Dog's Meeting" or "Dog's Association". All of those Yokais are related to Natsume. Whenever they have opportunity, they gather and have a party. Then sometimes they put that flag. That means the group of Yokais call themselves "Dog Circle". Dogs are…

Yokai Trick and Japanese Kanji for “Natsume Yujin-cho”

09/13/2017Posted inJapanese Kanji Blog
Yokai is very popular motif for TV shows in Japan. And I'm watching one, too. Do you know "Natsume Yujin-cho (夏目友人帳)"? Its very calm, lay back and a little bit creepy atmosphere is nicely unique. You can see the today's Japanese country side life and scenery. And of course, highlight of this show is Nyanko-sensei's UGLY cuteness.... His design is based on real Japanese traditional cat figurehead "maneki-neko". Well, then let's talk about kanji that I noticed in this show. Yokai Trick and Japanese Kanji In "Natsume Yujin-cho", so many human-shape yokais are covering up their eyes like this. She used to be a bird and now she can shift…

Club Team Slogan Banners in “Haikyu!!”

09/10/2017Posted inJapanese Kanji Blog
I've talked about the Japanese culture of banners for sport teams last time. So, I think I should talk about my favorite volleyball show "Haikyu!!". Karasuno High School Boy's Volleyball Team Banner Main team's slogan banner is so simple! It's "飛べ(tobe)". It means "Fly!". Needless to say, human beings can't fly(飛ぶ: tobu). We can only jump(跳ぶ: tobu). However, I guess they chose that kanji and the color black on purpose because they are Karasuno(烏野: Crow-Field) High School.  Crows can fly and they are black! Aoba-Jousai High School Boy's Volleyball Team Banner The banner of Aoba-Jousai says "コートを制す(kouto-wo-seisu)". That means "Rule the (Volleyball) Court". This team's key player is the setter,…

The Club Team Slogan Banner in”Yowamushi Pedal”

09/06/2017Posted inJapanese Kanji Blog
Next season is not out yet? Well, today let's talk about the banner in the popular Japanese animation "Yowamushi Pedal". Kanji Slogan Banner and Japanese Culture If you are a fan of sports anime, you possibly have noticed a banner here and there in your favorite shows. In Japan, having your own banner is very common thing for groups like a sport club team in school, a local group or a company. Usually they put the name of the group and slogan on the banner. Hanging it on the wall of the club room, showing it off at the competition to cheer up the members, pulling it out whenever they…

Reason of the Yellow Sign for “Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma”

09/03/2017Posted inJapanese Kanji Blog
Most of the time, every episode of TV shows have a subtitle. The popular Japanese animation "Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma" has one too.  But how many viewers noticed the yellow sign of that has a special reason? Japanese Culture behind the Subtitles of "Shokugeki no Soma" It's a yellow vertical rectangle with red line. And you see the subtitle is handwritten with a thick black marker. Actually, this is the typical image of Japanese traditional diner's menu on the wall. I couldn't find the exact image from my resource, but this is the closest one. 海鮮丼(kaisendon: Sashimi Bowl) is 600yen...how nice! Theirs are white and hanging on the rope.…

The Hero’s Motto of “My Hero Academia”2

08/30/2017Posted inJapanese Kanji Blog
The training program at professional hero's office is over! I'm satisfied to watch my favorite character Tsuyu-chan. Ribbit, ribbit. But I can't miss this opportunity to talk about Japanese kanji! The Battle Hero's Motto Uraraka's teacher was a professional hero named Gunhead, we can see her here in his training room with other sidekicks. So, did you notice the frame of a Japanese kanji motto on the wall? The calligraphy on the wall behind them says 心技体(shingitai). Actually this famous motto is consist of 3 words "心(shin: mind)", 技(gi: skill)", "体(tai: body)". That explains what are important for martial arts. We must train ourselves mentally, technically and physically! Possibly some…