Language Smorgasbord 語言自助餐

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 20 - 防

2011-11-16T19:14:00.001+10:00

防
to protect, to defend

防水 방수 ぼうすい fángshuǐ

waterproof

防音 방음 ぼうおん

soundproof

防止 방지 ぼうし fángzhǐ

prevention

防臭劑 방취제 ぼうしゅうざい

deodorant

防火 방화 ぼうか fánghuǒ

fire prevention; fireproof

防衛 방위 fángwèi

defense （national)

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 19 - 變（변）

2011-11-15T16:08:00.000+10:00

變変(日）变（简体）
to change (변하다)

變改 변개 へんかい
revolutionize / reform / carry out a reform

變更 변경 へんこう biàngēng
change / modification

變動 변동 へんどう biàndòng
fluctuation

變成 변성 へんせい biànchéng
metamorphosis (in Chinese, it simply means to change into)

變換 변환 へんかん biànhuàn
to convert （in Chinese, to change shape/form)

變則 변칙 へんそく
irregular

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 18 - 就(취)

2011-11-15T15:32:00.000+10:00

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 18 - 就(취)
to achieve

就眠 취면 しゅうみん
to sleep

就業 취업 しゅうぎょう jiùyè
to work

就任 취임 しゅうにん jiùrèn
be sworn in / take office / be inaugurated as

就職 취직 しゅうしょくjiùzhí
find a job / get a position / be employed

就學 취학 しゅうしょく
to attend school

Download Chinese Movie Subtitles!

2010-07-22T20:34:00.001+10:00

Movies are some of the best tools to learn a foreign language. The language used in movies is more or less applicable to daily life, and the speed at which the actors speak is natural. The problem though is that the intermediate or even the advanced learner might not be able to pick up some of the words in the movie. The obvious solution is to look at the subtitles while watching the movie, and to look up words you don't know.

It's easier said than done...

You have look up the word in the dictionary. Now if you are learning Chinese (or Japanese), you probably have to do the extra step of looking up the Chinese character(s) themselves. It sounds easy enough but let's say you find an unknown word in every sentence or two... a typical movie will easily contain a thousand sentences or more. That means flipping through pages of a dictionary (or maybe typing or writing into an electronic dictionary) more than a thousand times! Not exactly time-efficient!

If only you could download subtitles, then you can use popup/mouseover dictionaries and save time not having to flip pages or scribble into a dictionary...

Well it turns out you can download subtitles for Chinese movies! I'm not so surprised though. Sure Facebook and Youtube may be blocked, but you can download a heck of a lot more! Unfortunately I haven't something like that for Japanese.

So if you are an intermediate or advanced learner try learning from movies.
If you don't like mainland Chinese or Taiwanese movies, then that might be a problem...

Here's the link: http://www.subom.com/

LingQ - Word Counter

2010-07-21T18:46:00.001+10:00

Long time no blog! I was a little bit stressed out last month looking for a job in China and I sort of lost motivation to update this blog but since that issue seems to have been sorted out (fingers crossed), I think I'm ready to start blogging again... until I get hit by another lazy spell.

Well today I thought I would write about LingQ. LingQ is a website where you can learn Japanese, Chinese, Spanish and a few other languages. You can also learn Korean, but the resources are quite under developed as Korean is a recent addition (by under developed I mean there isn't much variety in the lessons you can study). Since I think Steve Kaufmann will do a better job at explaining LingQ than I can, I will only write about the one feature of the site the I specifically like.

The word counter. LingQ has a function where you can count how many words you know in particular language. I believe that the number of words that you can understand (not necessary use actively) is an important measure of your proficiency in the language. Of course understanding the meaning of a word is only half a step, learning how to use it is the other half. Nonetheless it's nice to keep track of what and how many words you know. You can also use this feature to limit how many new words you learn or study in a day. You can see your word counter in your profile page, and you can use it as a badge in your blog!

Check out the website yourself so you can understand how it works. You can sign up for free and you'll be able to access the site with some of the key features disabled. You can also pay $10 a month for a basic subscription, which I think is pretty cheap if you are keen on learning languages.

Names of Various Herbs and Spices in Chinese

2010-07-11T18:13:00.000+10:00

I'm going to China in a few months, and I would like to prepare for future trips to the supermarket by learning the names of some herbs and spices in Mandarin. I didn't include in this list the names of spices I already now. I doubt I would be using all the herbs and spices in the list during my stay there, but I might was well learn them.

Anise 大茴香子 dàhuíxiāngzǐ
Basil 罗勒 luólè
Bay Leaves 月桂叶 yuèguìyè
Cardamom 砂仁 shārén
Cinnamon 肉桂 ròuguì
Clove 丁香 dīngxiāng
Dill 莳萝 shíluó
Fennel 小茴香子 xiǎohuíxiāngzǐ
Fenugreek 葫芦巴 húlúbā
Galangal 高良姜 gāoliángjiāng
Kaffir Lime Leaves 青柠叶 qīngníngyè
Lemongrass 香茅 xiāngmáo
Marjoram 墨角兰 mòjuélán
Mustard Seed 芥末子 jièmozǐ
Nutmeg 肉豆蔻 ròudòukòu
Oregano 牛至 niúzhì
Parsley 香芹 xiāngqín
Perilla 紫苏 zǐsū
Rosemary 迷迭香 mídiéxiāng
Saffron 藏红花 zànghónghuā
Sage 鼠尾草 shǔwěicǎo，山艾 shānài，洋苏草 yángsūcǎo
Tarragon 龙蒿 lónghāo
Thyme 百里香 bǎilǐxiāng (麝香草) shèxiāngcǎo
Turmeric 姜黄 jiānghuáng
Wasabi 山葵 shānkuí

中上级单词 Upper-Intermediate Chinese Vocabulary # 5

2010-06-07T21:28:00.001+10:00

This list has 26 new words...

赤裸 chìluǒ naked, bare

真相 zhēnxiàng the actual facts

哺乳動物 bǔrǔdòngwù mammals

褪 tùn to fade

濃密 nóngmì thick, murky

體毛 tǐmáo body hair

重點 chóngdiǎn to re-count, re-evaluate

提要 tíyào summary, abstract

靈長類 língzhǎnglèi primate

厚重 hòuzhòng thick

化石 huàshí fossil

標本 biāoběn specimen, sample

線索 xiànsuǒ trail, clues

性狀 xìngzhuàng nature, character

容量 róngliàng capacity, measure

象徵性 xiàngzhēngxìng symbolic, emblem

演化 yǎnhuà evolution

奠定 diàndìng to establish, to fix

與眾不同 yǔzhòngbùtóng to stand out from the masses

光滑 guānghua glossy, sleek, smooth

猩猩 xīngxing orangutan

近親 jìnqīn close relative

禿 tū bald, blunt

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 17 - 同 (동)

2010-06-07T15:37:00.002+10:00

同

to be the same (같다 / 동)

同僚     동료    どうりょう tóngliáo
colleague

同感     동감     どうかん tónggǎn
sympathy

同意     동의    どうい tóngyì
agreement, consensus

同時     동시    どうじ tóngshí
simultaneously, concurrently

共同     공동    きょうどうgòngtóng
cooperation, collaboration

協同     협동    きょうどう xiétóng
association

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 16 - 乘 (승)

2010-06-06T18:16:00.003+10:00

乘

to ride (타다 / 승) Japanese Version:　乗

乘客 승객 じょうきゃくchéngkè
passengers

乘馬 승마 じょうば
horse-riding

乘務員 승무원 じょうむいん chéngwùyuán
train crew, flight attendant

乘船 승선 じょうせん

to embark (a ship)

乘用車 승용차 じょうようしゃ

a vehicle for human transport

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 15 食 (식)

2010-06-04T20:45:00.003+10:00

食

to eat (먹다)

食慾 식욕　　しょくよく shíyù

appetite

食卓 식탁　　しょくたく

dining table

食前 식전　　しょくぜん

before meals

食後 식후　　しょくご

after meals

食用 식용　　しょくよう shíyòng

edible

食料 식료　　しょくりょう

food (goods)

食糧 식량　　しょくりょう shíliáng

rations, food supply

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 14 通 (통)

2010-06-03T19:49:00.005+10:00

通

to pass through (통)

通過 통과　つうか tōngguò
to pass through

通勤 통근　つうきん
to commute (to work)

通路 통로　つうろ tōnglù
a passageway

通常 통상　つうじょうtōngcháng
common, normal

通夜 통야　つや tōngyè
a vigil

通譯 통역　つうやく　（通訳）

to translate

通用 통용　つうようtōngyòng
to be in common use　

通貨 통화　つうか tōnghuò
currency

通話 통화　つうわtōnghuà
a telephone call

中上级单词 Upper-Intermediate Chinese Vocabulary # 4

2010-06-01T20:05:00.001+10:00

There are 24 new words in this list.

诸如 zhūrú ...such as the following
取而代之 qǔ’érdàizhī to substitute something
从而 cóng’ér thus, thereby
减轻 jiǎnqīng to lighten, to ease
相得益彰 xiāngdéyìzhāng (each one shines more brilliantly in each other's company)
引发 yǐnfā to lead to, to trigger
时尚 shíshàng fashion
尝试 chángshì to try, to attempt
组成部分 zǔchéngbùfen component
为期 wéiqī to be done in...(amount of time)
逐渐 zhújiàn gradually
淘汰 táotài to wash out
取代 qǔdài to substitute, to replace
图形　túxíng picture
詹姆斯　zhānmǔsī　James
迫不及待　pòbùjídài (itching to get on with it)
甩掉　shuǎidiào to get rid of
肩膀　jiānbǎng shoulders
时常　shícháng often
酸痛　suāntòng sore
无疑　wúyí without doubt
记事本 jìshìběn notebook
交互式电子白板 jiāohùshìdiànzǐbáibǎn interactive whiteboard
一举　yījǔ a move (measure word)
措　cuò measure

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 13 - 動 (동)

2010-06-01T16:42:00.000+10:00

動

to move (움직이다 / 동) / simplified variant: 动

動物 동물　どうぶつ

an animal

動機 동기　どうき

a motive

動詞 동사　どうさ

a verb

動作 동작　どうさく

an action, movement

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 12 - 國（국）

2010-05-31T13:43:00.002+10:00

國

country (나라 / 국) / simplified variant: 国

國家 국가 　こっか

country

國民 국민　こくみん

citizens of a country

國歌 국가　こっか

national anthem

國際 국제　こくさい

international

國內 국내　こくない

domestic

國籍 국적　こくせき

nationality

國境 국경　こっきょう

a country's borders

國債 국체　こくさい

national debt

國會 국회　こっかい

The National Assembly (Korea)

國產 국산　こくさん

domestic products

Japanese Newspaper Vocabulary 日本語の新聞の語彙 (May 31, 2010)

2010-05-31T11:47:00.000+10:00

These words are from a newspaper article regarding a record-breaking heat stroke in Myanmar. There are 16 new words in this list.

見舞われる　(みま・われる）to experience, to suffer

頻発する　（ひんぱつ・する）to occur frequently

抑制策 (よくせいさく）suppression policies

まばら (疎ら・疎）sparse

脱水症 (だっすいしょう）dehydration

熱中症 (ねっちゅうしょう）heat stroke

農閑期 (のうかんき）off-season (for farming)

干上がる　（ひあ・がる）to dry up

懸念 (けねん）worry, fear

顕著 (けんちょ）remarkable, obvious

躍起 (やっき）desperation, eagerness

翼賛 (よくさん）countenance, assistance

高騰 (こうとう）sudden increase in price

直結する (ちょっけつ）to connect directly

不信感 (ふしんかん）distrust

摘み取る　（つ・み・と・る）to pluck

中上级单词 Upper-Intermediate Chinese Vocabulary

2010-05-30T21:14:00.001+10:00

There are 18 new words from this list.

导航（導航）dǎoháng navigation

搜索 sōusuǒ to search

州选区（州選區）xuǎnqū state electoral district

联邦分区（聯邦分區）liánbāng fēnqū federal division

滑浪 huálàng to surf

相邻（相鄰）xiānglín adjacent

规划（規劃）guīhuà plan; program

兴建（興建）xīngjiàn to build; to construct

构想（構想）gòuxiǎng to conceive (a thought)

趋势（趨勢）qūshì trend, tendency

谋（謀）móu to plan, to seek

执行（執行）zhíxíng to implement

繁华（繁華）fánhuá flourishing, bustling

地段 dìduàn section, district

后院（後院）hòuyuàn backyard

游艇（遊艇）yóutǐng yacht

出游 chūyóu to go on a tour

闻名（聞名）wénmíng well-known

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 11 - 本（본）

2010-05-30T13:10:00.001+10:00

本

origin, base (밑 / 본)

本能　　본능　　ほんのう
instinct

本望　　본망 　ほんもう
real desire, true wish

本格的　본격적 ほんかくてき　
authentic; whole-hearted　

本部　　본부　　ほんぶ
the main office, headquarters

本人　　본인　　ほんにん
the person (himself/herself)

本體　　본체　　ほんたい
the thing (itself)

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 10 - 店 (점)

2010-05-29T15:14:00.001+10:00

店

a shop, a store (가게 / 점)

店員 점원 てんいん

store attendant, shopkeeper

店鋪 점포 　てんぽ

a store, a shop

店內 점내　　てんない

inside a store

專門店 전문점　せんもんてん

a specialty store

支店 지점　　　してん

a branch (store)

Yoji-Time 四字熟語 # 3 - 本末転倒

2010-05-28T23:27:00.000+10:00

ほんまつてんとう

本末転倒

中文：本末倒置

한국어: 배보다 배꼽이 크다

The English equivalent for this Yojijukugo is "putting the cart before the horse."

Example Sentence:

賭博で食事のお金がなくなるなんて本末転倒ではないですか。

You don't have your priorities straight if you lose

低脂肪の食べ物の糖分が高いのは本末転倒だ。

It's self-defeating for low-fat food to have a high sugar content.

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 9 (보)

2010-05-28T20:45:00.001+10:00

保

to preserve, to safeguard (보)

保健 보건 　ほけん

health preservation, sanitation, hygiene

保留 보류 　ほりゅう

to put on hold

保證 보증 ほしょう

to guarantee

保護 보호 ほご

to protect, to safeguard

保存 보존 ほぞん

to preserve, to conserve, to save (data files)

保障 보장 ほしょう

to guarantee

中上级单词 Upper-Intermediate Chinese Vocabulary # 2

2010-05-28T20:07:00.001+10:00

This list has 37 new words...

不端 bùduān improper (behavior)

透露 tòulù to divulge

企圖（企图）qǐtú to attempt

縱火（纵火）zònghuǒ to set on fire

騷擾（骚扰）sāorǎo to disturb

巡視（巡视）xúnshì to patrol

有所 yǒusuǒ to some extent

收斂（收敛）shōuliǎn to show restraint

聲明（声明）shēngmíng a declaration, to declare

經營（经营）jīngyíng to operate

慶典（庆典）qìngdiǎn a celebration

熟知 shúzhī an acquaintance

查驗（查验）cháyàn an inspection, to inspect

豪華（豪华）háohuá luxurious

轎車（轿车）jiàochē a limousine

行業（行业）hángyè an industry

投訴（投诉）tóusù to file a complaint

運營者 （运营者）yùnyíngzhě to operate

保障 bǎozhàng to guarantee

撥出（拨出）bōchū to pull out

受益 shòuyì to benefit from

補貼（补贴）bǔtiē a subsidy, an allowance

運行（运行）yùnxíng to be in motion

理應（理应）lǐyīng should, ought to

縮短（缩短）suōduǎn to curtail

環節（环节）huánjié connect

資助 zīzhù to subsidize

海濱（海滨）hǎibīn shore, seaside

寶貴（宝贵）bǎoguì precious

財富（财富）cáifù wealth, riches

入伍 rùwǔ to enter (the army)

服役 fúyì to serve in the army

暫時（暂时）zànshí temporary

霍華德 huòhuádé Howard

防衛 (防卫）fángwèi to defend

軍隊（军队）jūnduì army troops

貢獻（贡献）gòngxiàn to contribute

Japanese Newspaper Vocabulary 日本語の新聞の語彙 # 1

2010-05-27T20:57:00.000+10:00

覚せい剤　（覚醒剤） - かくせいざい - a stimulant (drug)
It is interesting to note that the word "醒" (セイ、さ・める）is not written in kanji, but in hiragana. Apparently the character "醒" is a current candidate for addition to the list of commonly-used characters (常用漢字）. In dictionaries however, the word is written in kanji.

脱北者 - だっぽくしゃ(탈북자) - a North Korean defector
I added the Korean pronunciation since it was close enough.

装う　－　よそ・う　－　to be disguised as

密輸する　－　みつゆ・する　－　to smuggle　

素手　－　すで　－ bare hands

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 8 (기)

2010-05-27T19:41:00.002+10:00

記
to record in writing (적다 / 기) / simplified variant: 记

記錄 기록　　　　　きろく
a recording, to record

記念 기념　　　　　きねん
a commemoration, to commemorate

記載 기재　　　　　きさい
to record (to write down)

記憶 기억　　　　　きおく
a memory

記事 기사　　　　　きじ
a newspaper or magazine article

Yoji-Time 四字熟語 # 2 - 心機一転

2010-05-26T22:31:00.000+10:00

　しんきいってん

心機一転

The English equivalent of this Yojijukugo is to "turn over a new leaf."

Example Sentence:

彼は病気になり、心機一転、タバコをやめるよう決心した。
He turned over a new leaf when got sick, and he decided to quit smoking.

Yoji-Time 四字熟語 # 1　－　不撓不屈

2010-05-25T23:44:00.000+10:00

ふとうふくつ

不撓不屈

This Yojijukugo means to have an unbending will and spirit.

Example Sentence:

不撓不屈の努力でやっと日本語能力試験の一級に受かった。

I finally passed Level 1 of the JLPT due to my unwavering perseverance.

Extra Notes：

撓う　しなう　－　to be flexible, to be springy

Japanese Study Plan from June 2010 to July 2010

2010-05-25T23:03:00.001+10:00

I've already achieved a major milestone for studying Japanese - passing Level 1 of the proficiency test. I know I've mentioned this over and over in my blog posts and that makes me sound like I'm "full of myself" but in all honesty I'm just trying to convince myself that I've made progress after all this time. I also have to remind myself that this is not the end of my journey into Japanese language fluency and so I have to set specific goals to make sure that I don't lose the proficiency I've gained and that I can further improve.

I really love Yojijukugo 四字熟語, which are idiomatic expressions made out of 4 Chinese characters. I also like plain idiomatic expressions. Therefore I will make an effort to learn either one Yojijukugo or idiomatic expression everyday and post a few example sentences everyday. I should also read at least 3 newspaper articles in Japanese everyday and list down the words I did not understand.

I should really make sure I have listening input too, so I think I will look into watching Japanese TV on the internet.

頑張ります！

Canto Mando Menu 菜單指南 # 5

2010-05-24T13:13:00.000+10:00

chòudòufu cau3 dau6 fu6

臭豆腐

This popular street-food in China must be one of those foods that only Chinese people can enjoy and a only a few foreigners can stomach. I heard the most authentic version of this stinky snack can be found in Taiwan, however I have yet to try it. I've only tried the Hong Kong and Shanghai versions of it. The Shanghai version doesn't taste or smell that much different to plain deep-fried tofu, but the Hong Kong version definitely does have a special taste and smell to it. I wouldn't call it stinky, but my American friends thought otherwise. I guess I'm just that open to trying new and exotic foods.

この人気のある中国の屋台食べ物は、普通は中国人だけが好きで、外国人があまり好きではない食べ物の一つである。最も本格的な臭豆腐は台湾で見つかると聞いたことがあるが、まだ食べたことがない。上海風と香港風の臭豆腐だけを食べたことある。上海風の臭豆腐は普通の揚げ豆腐との味が違いがあまりないが、香港風の臭豆腐は確かに独特な味とにおいがある。自分は臭いと思わないが、友達は臭いと言った。僕は独特な味と臭いに「免疫がある」かもしれない。

Vocabulary：
臭 - smelly, stinky
豆腐 - bean curd
豆 - bean
腐 - rotten

Reflecting on the Last Two Years of Language Learning

2010-05-23T22:04:00.000+10:00

Reading an article from a language learning website called "Fluent in 3 Months" by Benny the Irish polyglot has made me think about the language learning strategies I have been using for the last 2 years. Being out of school where language learning was structured, I felt the need to try out a few different methods of language learning. It's good to try different methods of course and pick out elements of each method that seem useful. However I think each language learner has their own tried and tested method and for me it has always been memorizing vocabulary lists.

That's right...memorizing lists!!

It sounds tedious, boring and pointless but it has truly worked for me. Of course I don't mean just looking at a word in a foreign language and then try to memorize its English definition. I of course look at the foreign word used in context. When I've memorized a set of words I move onto a new one but I always make sure I review the words at a set time in the future.

However the freedom I experienced after graduating coupled with the fact that I discovered and had more access to different kinds of learning materials has actually put me off course. I also think I have spent more time worrying about losing ability in a language rather than actually doing something about it.

This is where the previously mentioned article comes in.

The article states the key to language learning is setting small achievable goals. For every foreign language that I intend to use in the future, ie. Japanese, Mandarin, Korean and Cantonese I have to set different goals as my skills in each language vary significantly. In my next post I will write about my major and minor goals for each language.

I think I will just have to come to terms with the fact that I will not be proficient in Korean or Cantonese anytime soon, because if I spend too much time learning these languages, my Mandarin will suffer. I need to get my Mandarin skills up to professional level because I have gotten so far to just stop.

Hopefully sharing my experiences in this blog will help me keep track of my goals.

Random Chinese Vocabulary # 2

2010-05-23T15:44:00.000+10:00

This entry's random vocabulary comes from chinesepod.com and popupchinese.com. I can never seem to remember the word for traffic jam in Chinese.

堵車 - dǔchē - traffic jam
遇上- yùshàng - meet, encounter
暗示 - ànshì - hint
謙虛 - qiānxū - modesty
谦虚
權利鬥爭 - quánlì dòuzhēng- power struggle
权力斗争

Canto Mando Menu 菜單指南 # 4

2010-05-22T13:12:00.000+10:00

xiǎolóngbāo siu2 long4 baau1

小笼包小籠包

Originally from Shanghai or one of it's neighbouring cities, this dumpling is one of my all time favourite street foods. I remember during my first week in Suzhou I discovered a food alley near my dorm and saw cart full of steaming xiaolongbao. I was already full by then but I couldn't resist buying some. It's a surprise I didn't die from overeating that time.

I almost forgot to mention what was special about this dumpling. It's filled with soup! Therefore those who are inexperienced may get lose the soup while grabbing it with their chopsticks, or even worse, burn their toungue!

小籠包はもともと上海かその付近の都市の食べ物で、僕の一番好きな「屋台食べ物」の一つです。蘇州での一週間目はある屋台の並を見つけた日が思い出した。その中に小籠包が売っている屋台が見つけた。その時にもうお腹がいっぱいだったが、小籠包を買わずにはいられなかった。食べすぎで死ななかったのは謎！

小籠包の特徴は中に汁が入ってる。小籠包を食べたことのない人はお箸で掴もうとする時に汁をなくすこともある。舌を焦げる恐れもある！

Vocabulary:
小 - small
籠 - a basket used for steaming dumplings
包 - a Chinese dumpling, a stuffed Chinese bun

Random Chinese Vocabulary # 1

2010-05-17T16:43:00.001+10:00

This is a set of words from a chinesepod.com lesson which I will not name (because it's not a free site and people have to pay to see the content). I previously haven't encountered or mastered the words in this list, and so I hope posting them here will help me remember them.

水印 - watermark
假鈔 (假钞） jia3 chao1 - counterfeit bill
薄 bao2 - thin
驗鈔機 (验钞机） yan4 chao1 ji1 - money verifier
鈔票（钞票）chao1 piao4 - paper money

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 7 - 不 (부 / 불)

2010-05-16T14:26:00.001+10:00

不

no, (negative prefix) (아니다 / 부 / 불)

不便 불편 ふべん　

inconvenient, uncomfortable

많은 사람들이 안전벨트는 불편하다고 말합니다.
Many people say seat belts are uncomfortable.
多くの人がシートベルトは不便と言います。

不景気 불경기 ふけいき

depression, recession

언제까지 이 불경기가 계속되는 걸까?
How long will this recession last?
いつまでこの不景気が続くのでしょう。

不足 부족 ふそく

shortage, scarcity

많 은 경제전문가들은 중국에 진짜로 부족한 것은 숙련된 인력, 특히 관리자라고 말합니다.
Many economists say what China is really short of are skilled people, especially managers.
多くの経済専門家たちは「中国に本当に不足するのは熟練した人材。特に管理者と言いました。」

不安 불안 ふあん

unease, anxiety

질투와 불안감은 남녀를 불문하고 모든 사람에게 공통적으로 있는 것입니다.
Jealousy and insecurity are one-size-fits-all clothes worn by both men and women.
嫉妬と不安感は男女を問わず、すべての人に共通的にあります。

不可能 불가능 ふかのう

impossible

이 개울을 수영해서 건너기는 불가능하다.
It is impossible to cross this creek by swimming.
この小川を泳いで渡るのは不可能です。

不可缺 불가결 ふかけつ

indispensable

문 화를 이해하자면 언어의 습득은 불가결하다.
Learning the language is the key to understanding the culture.
文化を理解しようとすれば、言語の習得は不可欠です。

Canto Mando Menu 菜單指南 Lesson # 3

2010-05-15T20:30:00.000+10:00

咸鱼鸡粒炒饭鹹魚雞粒炒飯

Daily Korean Verb and Adjective # 7

2010-05-15T20:02:00.000+10:00

The Korean and English example sentences are from the Naver Dictionary.

묻다 ask 聞く・問う・尋ねる

전문가의 의견을 묻다.
Ask the opinion of an expert.
専門家の意見を聞く。
问专家的意见。/ 問專家的意見。
Alamin ang opinyon ng isang dalubhasa.

밝다 bright 明るい
달이 밝다.
The moon is bright.
月が明るい。
月很明亮。
Maliwanag ang buwan.

Canto Mando Menu 菜單指南 Lesson # 2

2010-05-14T23:16:00.000+10:00

yúxiāng qiézi jyu4 hoeng1 ke2 zi2

鱼香茄子魚香茄子 This is a very simple and inexpensive dish. When I first saw this dish in a menu back when I was an exchange student at Suzhou University, I thought it was some sort of fried fish dish with eggplant. However what I was given was simply a mix of stir-fried eggplant with pork... and that's simply what it is. The sauces they use to flavour the dish are suppose to make the dish taste like fish. I don't really think it tastes like fish though, but it definitely tastes good!

これは本当に簡単で手ごろの料理です。蘇州大学で留学した時、あるレストランのメニューでこの料理を見た時になんか揚げた魚と茄子の料理だと思いました。でも料理が出てきたのはひき肉で炒めた茄子でした。この料理の調味料は魚の味がすると言われています。僕は魚の味がしないと思うけど、とにかくおいしいと思います。

Vocabulary:

魚（鱼）- Fish
香 - Scent
茄子 - Eggplant

Canto Mando Menu 菜單指南 Lesson # 1

2010-05-14T22:53:00.000+10:00

mǎ yǐ shàng shù maa5 aai2 seung5 syu6

蚂蚁上树螞蟻上樹

The name of this dish literally means "ants climbing a tree." However there are no ants used in this dish. It is simply a dish made out of vermicelli, ground pork and soy sauce. I believe it is a dish from Shanghai.
この料理の名前を直訳すると「木を上っている蟻」と意味しますが、この料理に蟻が全く使っていません。春雨、豚のひき肉と醤油を使った料理です。上海の有名な料理の一つだと思います。

Vocabulary:

螞蟻(蚂蚁) - ants -　蟻　
上 - to climb　-　　上る
樹(树） - tree　-　木

Canto Mando Menu 菜單指南

2010-05-14T22:24:00.000+10:00

Chinese food is my favorite food on earth. I may be from the Philippines, and I definitely love Philippine food. However I can go on for months without eating Philippine food. I cannot go on for more than a week though without eating some sort of Chinese food! In this series, I will introduce some food typically found in the Chinese menus.

我世界上最喜歡的食物就是中國菜。我是菲律賓人，所以我當然喜歡菲律賓菜。但是我幾個月不吃菲律賓菜也沒有關係。不過我一個星期之內肯定要吃任何中國菜。在這個系列我要給大家介紹一些在菜單常見的菜。

Daily Korean Verb and Adjective # 6

2010-05-14T14:49:00.000+10:00

The Korean and English example sentences are from the Naver Dictionary.

서다 to stand 立つ
한 다리로 서 있는 새
a bird standing on one leg
一足で立っている鳥

맵다 spicy 辛い
이 김 치는 너무 맵다.
This kimchi is too spicy.
このキムチは辛すぎる。
这个泡菜太辣。/ 這個泡菜太辣。
Masyadong maanghang ang kimchi na ito.

Daily Korean Verb and Adjective # 5

2010-05-12T13:05:00.000+10:00

The Korean and English example sentences are from the Naver Dictionary.

헤엄치다 swim 泳ぐ
강에서 헤엄치다
Swim in the river.
川で泳ぐ。
在川里游泳。 / 在川裡游泳。
Lumangoy sa ilog.

시원하다 cool 涼しい・冷たい
맥주가 별로 시원하지 않다
The beer is not very cold.
ビールはあまり冷たくない。
啤酒不太冷。
Hindi masyadong malamig ang alak (beer).

Daily Korean Verb and Adjective # 4

2010-05-10T21:05:00.000+10:00

The Korean and English example sentences are from the Naver Dictionary.

뛰다 jump 飛び出す
조종사는 불타고 있는 비행기에서 뛰어내렸다.
The pilot jumped from the burning plane.
操縦士は燃やしている飛行機から飛び降りた。

Ang piloto ay tumalon mula sa nasusunog na eroplano.

쓰다 bitter 苦い
Example:
블랙커피를 마시면 입에 쓴 맛이 남는다.
Black coffee leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.
ブラック・コーヒーを飲んだら苦い味が残る。

Daily Korean Verb and Adjective #3

2010-05-09T19:53:00.000+10:00

The Korean and English example sentences are from the Naver Dictionary.

달리다 (뛰다) run 走る
Example:
너 마이크만큼 빨리 달릴 수 있니?
Can you run as fast as Mike?
あなたはマイクほど速く走れる？
你能不能像麦克一样快的跑步吗？ / 你能不能像麥克一樣快的跑步嗎？
Kaya mo bang tumakbong kasing bilis ni Mike？

시다 sour 酸っぱい
Example:
맛이 신 사과
sour apples
味が酸っぱいりんご味道酸的苹果 / 味道酸的蘋果
maasim na mansanas

Online Resources for Learning Korean

2010-05-09T18:58:00.000+10:00

I promised YouTuber Felix (username loki2504) a video on some of the resources I use to study Korean, but I decided to make a blog entry first. In this entry I will talk about some of the websites that I find useful. I also use textbooks to study, but I will talk about those in another entry.

Useful Websites for Studying Korean

There are many websites that are very useful for beginner-level students of Korean. The websites in this blog post are those that I tend to use often whenever I have time to study Korean.

1) http://www.learnkorean.com/

This is the website that I used to familiarize myself with the Korean language. There are lessons on this website to learn basic Korean vocabulary, grammar and Hanja (Chinese Characters).

2) http://ezcorean.com/

This website has a vocabulary list consisting of 6000 commonly used Korean words. The words are categorized into beginner, intermediate and advanced, and are further subdivided into nouns, pronouns, adjectives and verbs. Once in a while a make vocabulary lists which I arrange according to what part of speech they belong to as I find the words are easier to remember when arranged in that way. Furthermore most of the words have example sentences so you can see how to words are used.

3) http://korean.sogang.ac.kr/

This website was introduced to me by another YouTube user named Cody. It is like an online textbook, which contains exercises for reading, listening and writing. There are lessons for beginner and intermediate learners of Korean. I believe there are also other universities with similar online programs but I have not yet checked them out.

4) http://www.koreanclass101.com/

This was the very first podcast for Korean learners. Podcasts such as these are good way to get used to the natural rhythm of Korean native speakers. While the speakers in the podcasts speak much more slowly than they do in real life, their rhythm and intonation is much more natural, unlike those found in other online lessons or textbooks. I especially like the Audio Blog feature.

5) http://www.talktomeinkorean.com/

This is a relatively new podcast that boasts a lot of free material such as video lessons on YouTube and workbooks in PDF format. I like their interactive video stories on YouTube. However my favorite from this website is their "iyagi" series which is aimed at intermediate speakers. I think my vocabulary level is at intermediate, but my listening skills are still at upper beginner at best. Therefore "iyagi" is perfect for me. I will try translating the "iyagi" series into English.

6) http://dic.naver.com/

This online dictionary very useful because you can search the Korean equivalents of words in English, Chinese, Japanese and vice-versa.

7) http://www.zonmal.com/

This dictionary is useful for finding the definition and pronunciation of Hanja. This is especially useful for me because I like learning Hanja-based vocabulary, which are usually loanwords from Japanese.

8) http://learnkorean.ning.com/

This is an online community where learners of Korean can communicate with each other. I sometimes post the odd video or Korean blog post here for practice. If you are going to Korea and if you want to meet up with some other Korean learners, this website is very useful for contacting them.

I’m sure there are other useful Korean language-learning websites. I’ll post them here on my blog when I find them. Good luck with your Korean studies!

화이팅!

中上级单词 Upper-Intermediate Chinese Vocabulary #1

2010-05-09T15:55:00.001+10:00

I will learn 100 new words from this article - which is about positivity in the workplace.
我从这篇文章能学到 100个新单词。

社区【shèqū】 community.
召开【zhàokāi】 convene; convoke.
指望【zhǐwang】 look to; count on; prospect; hope.
主旨【zhǔzhǐ】 purport; substance; gist.
发言人【fāyánrén】 spokesman.
哈佛【hāfó】 Harvard University.
讲授【jiǎngshòu】 lecture; instruct; teach.
热门【rèmén】 in great demand; popular.
冥想【míngxiǎng】 deep thought; meditation.
激励【jīlì】 encourage; impel; urge; inspire; drive; excitation.
摆脱【bǎituō】 cast of; shake off; break away from; free (extricate) oneself
from.
中的【zhòngdì】 hit the mark; hit the nail on the head.
灰暗【huī'àn】 murky grey; gloomy.
情绪【qíngxù】 morale; feeling; mood; sentiments; depression; moodiness; the sulks.
满脑子【mǎnnǎozi】 have one's mind stuffed with.
振作【zhènzuò】 bestir oneself; display vigour.
心态【xīntài】 point of view; attitude.
消极【xiāojí】 negative; font-family:mingliu;passive; inactive.
雇主【gùzhǔ】 employer.
聘请【pìnqǐng】 engage; invite.
融合【rónghé】 mix together; fuse; merge.
事务【shìwù】 work; routine; general affairs.
大批【dàpī】 large quantities (or numbers, amounts) of; mass criticism.
推行【tuīxíng】 carry out; pursue; practise.
思维【sīwéi】 thought; thinking.
承担【chéngdān】 bear; undertake; assume.
失业【shīyè】 lose one's job; be out of work; be unemployed.
威胁【wēixié】 threaten; menace; imperil.
之际【zhījì】 at the time of.
面向【miànxiàng】 turn one's face to; turn in the direction of; face; be geared to the needs of; cater to.
指责【zhǐzé】 censure; criticize; find fault with.
得以【déyǐ】 so that ... can (or may) ....
逃避【táobì】 escape; evade; shirk.
业绩【yèjī】 outstanding achievement.
有益【yǒuyì】 profitable; beneficial; useful.
业务【yèwù】 vocational work; professional work; business.
活跃【huóyuè】 brisk; active; dynamic; enliven; animate; invigorate.
氛围【fēnwéi】 atmosphere.
相互【xiānghù】 mutual; reciprocal; each other.
鼓舞【gǔwǔ】 inspire; hearten.
利润【lìrùn】 profit.
愉悦【yúyuè】 joyful; cheerful; delighted.
思路【sīlù】 train of thought; thinking.
开阔【kāikùo】 open; wide; tolerant; widen.
创造性【chuàngzàoxìng】 creativeness; creativity.
公报【gōngbào】 communique; bulletin.
失误【shīwù】 fault; muff.
给予【jǐyǔ】 give; render; offer.
评价【píngjià】 appraise; evaluate.
辅导【fǔdào】 give guidance in study or training; coach.
传授【chuánshòu】 pass on; impart; teach.
处事【chǔshì】 the way one conduct oneself in public.
技能【jìnéng】 technic ability; mastery of a skill or technique.
困境【kùnjìng】 difficult position; predicament; straits.
在于【zàiyú】 lie in; rest with; be determined by; depend on.
混乱【hùnluàn】 confusion; chaos.
厄运【èyùn】 adversity; misfortune.
采用【cǎiyòng】 adopt; use; employ.
新手【xīnshǒu】 new hand; raw recruit.
往往【wǎngwǎng】 often, frequently; more often than not.
思绪【sīxù】 train of thought; thinking; feeling.
期望【qíwàng】 hope; wish.
回报【huíbào】 report back on what has been done; repay; requite; reciprocate;
retaliate; get one's own back.
感激【gǎnjī】 feel grateful; be thankful; feel indebted.
钦佩【qīnpèi】 admire; esteem.
赞美【zànměi】 praise; eulogize.
注意【zhùyì】 pay attention to; take note (or notice) of.
集中【jízhōng】 concentrate; centralize; focus; amass; put together.
不假思索【bùjiǎsīsuǒ】 without due consideration.
上好【shànghǎo】 first-class; best-quality; tip-top.
标签【biāoqiān】 label; tag.
负面【fùmiàn】 negative; negative effect.
灌输【guànshū】 instil into; inculcate; imbue with.
疾病【jíbìng】 disease; illness.
障碍【zhàng'ài】 hinder; obstruct; obstacle; obstruction; barrier; impediment.
长岛【ChángDǎo】 Place Name - Area code: 0535, Postcode: 265800 (山东省).
名誉【míngyù】 fame; reputation.
学院【xuéyuàn】 college; academy; institute.
赢得【yíngdé】 win; gain.
大师【dàshī】 great master; master; Great Master - a courtesy title used
to address a Buddhist monk.
犹太教【yóutàijiào】 Judaism.
常见【chángjiàn】 common.
信条【xìntiáo】 article of creed or faith; creed; precept; tenet.
有助于【yǒuzhùyú】 contribute to; be conductive to; conduce to..
得出【déchū】 reach (a conclusion); obtain (a result).
更替【gēngtì】 replace.
改革【gǎigé】 reform.
不知【bùzhī】 unknowing(ly).
变化【biànhuà】 change; vary.
长远【chángyuǎn】 long-term; long-range.
过早【guòzǎo】 premature; too early; too soon.
下结论【xiàjiélùn】 perorate.

中上级单词 Upper-Intermediate Chinese Vocabulary

2010-05-08T22:37:00.000+10:00

To try to build up my Chinese vocabulary, I will choose an article from a Chinese website, parse it, and then list any unknown vocabulary here. I will list the links to the original article so that any of you who are interested can see how the vocabulary is used in context. I will post a new article as soon as I feel that I have fully understood and memorized the vocabulary I chose to study from the previous article.

加油！

Daily Korean Verb and Adjective # 2

2010-05-08T20:52:00.000+10:00

The Korean and English example sentences are from the Naver Dictionary.

짜다 salty 塩辛い
Example:
캐비어는 맛이 짜고 가격이 아주 비싸다.
Caviar is an salty and expensive food.
キャビアは味が塩辛くて価格がとても高い。
鱼子酱味道咸价格贵。 / 魚子醬味道鹹價格很貴。
Ang caviar ay maalat at mamahaling na pagkain.

걷다 to walk 歩く
Examples:
1) “너 거기엔 어떻게 갔니?” “걸어갔어.”
‘How did you get here?' ‘I walked.'
「どうやって来たの？」「歩いて来た」
“你是怎么来的？”“我走路来。” / “你是怎麼來的？”“我走路來。”
”Paano ka pumunta dito?""Naglakad ako."

Daily Korean Verb and Adjective # 1

2010-05-07T20:47:00.000+10:00

The Korean and English example sentences are from the Naver Dictionary.

가지다 to bring / to have 持つ
Examples:
1) 돈은 얼마나 가졌니?
How much money do you have?
お金はどこのぐらい持っているの？
你有多少钱？ / 你有多少錢？
Magkano ang (perang) dala mo?

2）손에 가진 게 뭐야?
What do you have in your hand?
手に持っているのは何？
你的手里有什么东西？ / 你的手裡有麼東西？
Ano ang nasa kamay mo?

달다 to be sweet 甘い
Examples:
1) 나는 뭔가 단 것이 너무 먹고 싶었다.
I had a craving for something sweet.
私は何か甘いものを本当に食べたかった。
我很想吃什么甜的东西。/ 我很想吃甚麼甜的東西。
Gusto kong kumain ng matamis.

２）이 포도주가 내겐[내 입에는] 너무 달다.
This wine is too sweet for me.
このワインは私にとって（私の口にとって）とても甘い。
这个葡萄酒对我来说太甜。/ 這個葡萄酒對我來說太甜。
Masyadong matamis ang wine na ito para sa akin.

Old Video - Passing JLPT Level 1

2010-05-07T20:35:00.000+10:00

I made this video when I found out I passed Level 1 of the JLPT. It was a very important milestone in my study of Japanese. This doesn't mean of course that I will stop studying Japanese. In many ways, it marks the beginning of another challenge, to find a career where I can use Japanese. It also means that I can finally study things that in the past may have seemed out of my league or impractical. Anyway, I hope this video inspires those who are learning Japanese, whether or not you are interested in taking the test. 頑張ってね！

Daily Korean Verb and Adjective

2010-05-07T20:29:00.000+10:00

Everyday I will post a Korean verb and adjective with examples from the online Naver dictionary, and translate the examples into English and Japanese (and into Chinese if I can). I will do this so I can gradually build up my base of verbs and adjectives, which I currently lack. Hopefully, this will be helpful for other learners of Korean as well.

簡単な豆腐炒め

2010-01-25T20:32:00.000+10:00

今日はスーパーで買ってきた材料で簡単な料理を作った。普通は豆腐と挽肉を買う時は、マーボー豆腐を作るんだけど、うちに豆板醤がなかったので「マーボー豆腐風」の料理を作った。

豆板醤の代わりにコチュジャン、料理酒と醤油を混ぜたソースを使った。玉ねぎ、ニンニクと挽肉を炒めて、コチュジャン・ベースのソースと豆腐を入れて、１～２分ぐらい煮込んだら完成！冷蔵庫に人参が有ったのでそれも多めに入れたんだ。

皆さんも作ってみて下さい。

スーパーで胡瓜のキムチある？

2010-01-20T23:46:00.001+10:00

先月から色々な韓国料理を挑戦し始めた。それで何回も胡瓜のキムチを作った。でも実はレストランや店の胡瓜のキムチは何年も食べていないから、今日はスーパーで胡瓜のキムチを買いに行こうと思ったけど...見つからなかったんだ！普通は胡瓜のキムチを買わないけど、自分が作ったキムチとスーパーで売っているのをちょっと比べたかったから買いに行った。普通のスーパーでは売ってないの？

以下の写真は自分の手作り胡瓜のキムチ

今月からお金を貯めようと思ったのに

2010-01-18T23:20:00.001+10:00

カメラは壊してしまった！！！最悪だぜ～！

今日は作ったご飯の写真をフェース・ブックにアップしたかったからご飯の写真を撮ったんだけど、SDカードを取り外してからカメラを起動した時に全然反応がなかった。問題があったら普通は画面に何かのエラー・メッセージが出てくるけど、今回は何もなかった。電池の問題かなと思って電池を充電してまた使おうとしたけどやっぱり起動しなかった。シオのウェブサイトにはレンズ修理は９０００円もかかるとあるけど、しょうがない。新しいカメラを買いたいけど今のやつは勿体ないからさ。

でもなぜ突然壊れたかわからない。写真を撮った時にはカメラを出来るだけ食べ物の近くに置いて撮ったけど、その瞬間には食べ物から出た蒸気がレンズに入ったかもしれない。でも、ずっと前からそういうことをやってたけど全然問題はなかったけど、今回は不幸運に遭った。最悪！

還有3個月就要離開日本了

2010-01-17T23:05:00.000+10:00

三個月以後，我在日本的生活就要結束了。我去年決定不繼續在日本工作。在日本这一年半多的時間，我體驗到了很多東西：親眼看到了日本的學生是甚麼樣子，跟本地的人做朋友，也提高了自己的日語水平。於是我覺得自己已經達到了10年前定下的目標。

當時我是個中學生。我們一年級的學生都必須學日文。父母告訴我日文是一門很難學的語言，所以如果想要考試及格的話，就要認真的學習。不過我發現了其實是相反的。我越來越喜歡了日文和日本文化了。後來，我決定去日本留學，也想將來在日本工作一段時間。現在，我已經實現了這些夢想。雖然不是跟我想像的那麼理想，但還是很難忘的經歷。我已經不想將來再長期住在日本了。不過希望能找到一份可以每天用日文的工作。

四級に出る四字熟語

2009-12-14T22:34:00.000+10:00

起承転結
理路整然
一網打尽
故事来歴
針小棒大
一挙両得
狂喜乱舞
前途有望
山紫水明
美辞麗句
沈思黙考
明鏡止水
縦横無尽
異口同音

疑心暗鬼
七難八苦
豊年万作
利害得失
驚天動地
是非曲直
一触即発
空前絶後
単刀直入
温故知新
用意周到
心機一転
一進一退
油断大敵
無味乾燥
臨機応変
優柔不断
論旨明快

本末転倒
奇想天外
同床異夢
天災地変
大同小異
一部始終
時節到来
注意散漫
晴耕雨読
思慮分別
言語道断
意気投合
適材適所
一望千里

是非善悪
電光石火
大器晩成
信賞必罰
熟慮断行
一心不乱
絶体絶命
危急存亡
品行方正
離合集散
容姿端麗
率先垂範
起死回生
有名無実
意味深長
悪戦苦闘
一刀両断
同工異曲

漢字検定４級に出る類義語表

2009-12-07T21:12:00.000+10:00

類義語

釈明　－　弁解
前途　－　将来
備蓄　－　貯蔵
近隣　－　周辺
手柄 achievement　－　功績 a great deed
沈着　－　冷静
用心　－　警戒
薄情　－　冷淡
周到　－　綿密 minute / attentive
不朽　－　永遠
出色　－　抜群 outstanding
手腕　－　技量
風刺　－　皮肉
露見　－　発覚 [disclosure] of a secret
専用　－　独占 to monopolize
同意　－　賛成
冒頭　－　最初
長者　－　富豪
及第　－　合格
守備　－　防御
手元　－　模範
互角　－　対等
介抱　－　看護
使命　－　任務
変更　－　改定　
反撃　－　逆襲
平時　－　平素
憶測　－　推量
閉口　－　困惑
値段　－　価格

漢字検定４級に出る対義語表

2009-12-06T22:32:00.000+10:00

対義語

抵抗　resist; oppose　－　服従
返却　－　借用
破壊　－　建設
中断　－　継続
高雅　class　－　低俗　vulgar; lowbrow
利益　－　損失
攻撃　－　守備
需要　－　供給
閉鎖　－　開放
徴収 collect [levy] ((taxes)　－　納入
劣悪 inferior; poor　－　優良 superior; excellent; choice
加熱　－　冷却
却下 reject; dismiss　－　受理 accept; receive
困難　－　容易
確信　－　憶測 suppose; conjecture
禁止　－　許可
回避　－　直面
逃走　－　追跡 stalk / chase / pursue
私立　－　従属 dependency / rely
沈殿 precipitate / sediment　－　浮遊
温和　－　乱暴
大敗　－　圧勝
決定　－　保留 withhold
希薄 dilute　－　濃密 dense
末尾まつび　－　冒頭
慎重　－　軽率 careless / thoughtless
加入　－　脱退
攻撃　－　防御
難解　－　平易 easiness / simplicity
冷静　－　興奮

JLPT 1 Kanji Words to Remember - December

2009-12-06T21:09:00.000+10:00

折衷(する） - せっちゅう（する） - to make a compromise
濫用 - らんよう - to abuse (one's power)

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 6 - 實 (실)

2009-11-20T10:58:00.005+10:00

實

truth, reality (열매 / 실), simplified variant: 実

實感　실감　じっかん
나는 외국에 있을 때 한국 제품의 인기를 실감했다.
私は外国にいる時に韓国の製品の人気を実感した。
I realized the popularity of Korean products when I was abroad.

實力　실력　じつりょく
그는 영어 실력이 뛰어나다.
His English skills are outstanding.
彼は英語の実力が優れている。

實習　실습　じっしゅう
아직 교생실습 한 학기를 더 해야 돼.
I still have to do one semester of student teaching.
まだ教生実習をもう一学期しなきゃ。

實行　실행　じっこう
나는 결심을 곧 실행하겠다.
I will put my decision in action soon.
私は決心をすぐ実行する。

實現　실현　じつげん
법의 정의를 실현하는 것은 어렵다.
The course of justice is difficult to practice.
法の定義を実現するのは難しい。

實驗　실험　　じっけん
우리는 새 기계를 전부 실험해봤다.
We tested the new machine body and breeches.
私達は新しい機械を全部実験してみた。

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 5

2009-11-10T19:36:00.001+10:00

現

現金 현금 cash
그녀는 여분의 현금이 많아.
彼女は余分の現金が多い。
She has plenty of money to spare.

現代 현대 modern
미술관에서는 고미술품뿐만 아니라 현대 미술품도 전시하고 판매한다.
美術館では古美術品だけではなく現代美術品も展示して販売します。
Art galleries display and sell modern art pieces, as well as antiques.

現象 현상 phenomenon
약사 부족 현상이 심각합니다.
There is an acute shortage of pharmacists.
薬師不足の現象が深刻です。

現實 현실 reality
꿈이 현실이 되었다
My dream turned into reality.
夢が現実になりました。

現場 현장 the scene (of a crime etc.)
그는 현장 경험이 풍부하다.
He's a man with a lot of field experience.
彼は現場経験が豊富です。

現在 현재 now
그는 현재 병원에 입원 중이다.
彼は現在病院に入院中です。
He's currently hospitalized.

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 4

2009-11-05T20:46:00.000+10:00

中

中斷 중단　be interrupted; be discontinued
中古品 중고품 second hand goods
中毒 중독 to be poisoned
中止 중지 to stop; discontinue; cancel
中央 중앙 the center

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 2

2009-11-03T10:08:00.000+10:00

習

習慣 습관 habits, customs, practices

나는 늦게까지 안 자는 습관이 있다

I have a habit of staying up late.

私は遅くまで寝ない習慣がある。

習得 습득 to learn, to acquire a skill perfectly

어학 습득의 방법은 다만 연습에 있을 뿐이다.

Practice is the only way of mastering a language.

語学習得の方法はただ練習するしかない。

The Thousand Character Classic 千字文 Part 5

2009-11-03T09:42:00.000+10:00

Here is part 5 of the Thousand Character Classic

閏餘成歲, 律呂調陽

Mandarin:　rùnyú chéngsuì lǜlǚ diàoyáng
Japanese: ジュンヨ　セイサイ　リツリョチョウヨウ
Korean: 윤여성세, 율려조양

Sino-Korean Vocabulary 1 - 學（학）

2009-11-02T23:32:00.002+10:00

學
to study, to learn (배우다 / 학) / simplified variant: 学

學校 학교 がっこう

a school

學生 학생 がくせい

a student

學習 학습 がくしゅう

to study

學級 학급 がっきゅう

a year level (in school)

學部 학부 がくぶ

a school, faculty (discipline)

Japanese Self-Introduction 日本語での自己紹介

2009-11-02T20:02:00.000+10:00

This my first self-introduction video in Japanese. I and other ALTs were invited to a Japanese couple's house and had us wear some kimonos. Since there couldn't be anything more Japanese than a kimono, I thought I would make my self-introduction on the spot. It was very impromptu and casual so you could see some of them laughing...

Here is the English translation for the video:

Hello everyone, I'm Nick. I have made quite a few videos on youtube in the past, but now for the first time, I'd like to make a Japanese self-introduction video.

I have lived in Tokyo before as an exchange student, but now I work as an ALT in Minami-Alps City which is in Yamanashi,Japan. I teach English at elementary and junior high school. There are a lot of challenges everyday but I am having fun for the most part.

I am very interested in learning languages. I am interested not only in Japanese, but also in Chinese and Korean. In the future, I'd like to use these languages and teach at university, or work as a translator.

In the future I'd like to make more videos about language learning on youtube, so if you have time please check them out. Thank you!

The Thousand Character Classic 千字文 Part 4

2009-11-01T23:18:00.000+10:00

Here's part 4 of the Thousand Character Classic

寒來暑往, 秋收冬藏

Mandarin: hánlái shǔwǎng qiūshōu dōngcáng
Japanese: カンライ　ショオウ　シュウシュウトウゾウ
Korean: 한래서왕 추수동장

The Thousand Character Classic 千字文 Part 3

2009-10-31T23:14:00.000+10:00

日月盈昃　辰宿列張

Mandarin: rìyuè yíngzè chénxiù lièzhāng
Japanese: ジツゲツ　エイショク　シンシュクレツチョウ
Korean: 일월 영측 진숙열장

The Thousand Character Classic 千字文 Part 2

2009-10-30T23:28:00.001+10:00

This is the 2nd phrase for the Thousand Character Classic:

宇宙洪荒

Mandarin: yǔzhòu hónghuāng
Japanese: ウチュウ　コウコウ
Korean: 우주 홍황

The Thousand Character Classic 千字文 Part 1

2009-10-30T19:16:00.001+10:00

So I was browsing through random language-related articles in wikipedia today when I stumbled upon something called the Thousand Character Classic or 千字文 (Mandarin: qiānzìwén, Cantonese: cin1dzi6man4, Japanese:千字文, Korean: 천자문). Basically it was first written for the prince of a certain Chinese dynasty so that he could practice calligraphy. It was then used as a primer for children to learn the 1000 basic Chinese characters necessary to be literate. It is no longer used now as modern Chinese is structured differently to Classic Chinese. However most characters have roughly the same meaning either in Classic Chinese or Modern Chinese. If you have been reading this blog you know probably already know just how addicted I am to the Chinese characters. Therefore learning the Thousand Character Classic is a must!

Since the classic is broken down into 4-character phrases, I plan to learn a phrase a day. I will write down the phrase and provide the Mandarin, Japanese and Korean pronunciation using many online resources of course. I plan to include the Japanese onyomi pronunciation just so I could learn them but reading Classical Chinese in Japanese is quite complicated, so I will not deal with that here.

Here is the first phrase:

天地玄黃

Mandarin: tiān dì xuán huáng
Japanese: テン　チ　ゲン　コウ
Korean: 천 지 현 황

The Origin of Hiragana Characters あいうえお

2009-10-17T16:31:00.000+10:00

Hiragana is one of the scripts used to write the Japanese language. Japanese was first written using "Kanji," which are what Chinese characters are called in the Japanese language. As Chinese characters were not completely suitable as the sole medium for writing Japanese, scripts such as Hiragana and Katakana were developed.

In this video series I'd like to show you the Chinese characters from which Hiragana originated. Hiragana are the simplified cursive form of the Chinese characters they originate from.

Korean Practice / Response to Hyunwoo's Video Request

2009-10-11T15:25:00.000+10:00

Just like the title says...

The 2009 Kanji Challenge

2009-07-20T12:57:00.000+10:00

I am joining fellow language enthusiast KanjiKeith and others in the 2009 Kanji challenge. Basically, we will try to familiarize ourselves with up to 2009 Kanji in a short span of time. The goal is not to actually master the Chinese Characters, but just to know their basic meaning and pronunciation. Please click on the picture below to view the website.

Kanji by Kunyomi Readings　－smart.fm list

2009-07-11T01:47:00.000+10:00

Do any of you guys use smart.fm? It's a website for language learners that utilises spaced-repition to learn vocabulary. There are tons of lists for learning many languages and you can even make your own!

I started making this list of the Kunyomi readings for Kanji as they are impossible to guess (unlike Onyomi). A person who knows more than 500 Kanji or who is Chinese (or even maybe Korean if they studied it in school) should be able to guess, though not perfectly, the onyomi for most Kanji, but for Kunyomi you can't actually guess the pronunciation.

Anyway click on the link below and it should take you to the list. I hope to expand this list so keep on checking.

Launcher

これは訓読みを覚えるのに困っている人には助かると思うので使って下さい。将来にはこのリストを拡張するつもりなのでよく見て下さい。

我覺得日本漢字的訓讀很難記得所以我在smart.fm造了這個單詞表。

Live Language Practice - Meeting Hyunwoo Sun!

2009-06-27T01:30:00.000+10:00

I have to say that meeting Hyunwoo Sun was a big highlight of my stay in Japan. It's very inspiring to see another person trying to learn many languages and actually succeed.

Update on Korean Learning

2009-06-21T07:59:00.000+10:00

What started out as an attempt to impress a high school crush has turned out to be an on and off obsession. After high school, I eventually lost interest in this person, but my love for her language and culture actually increased day by day. Unfortunately, learning the language of Korea is not as easy as learning the language of it's neighbours China and Japan. By that I mean there aren't quite as many resources for learning Korean (at least in Australia) as there are for learning Japanese and Chinese. I really hope that I can live in Korea at least for 2 months so I can get to the point where I can at least hold a decent conversation. Right now, I can travel around Korea OK. I guess I just need to have more vocabulary. Anyway for now it's time to re-subscribe to KoreanClass101.com. Meeting some fantastic people last Saturday reminded me of just how much I love the Korean language and how I want to experience life there even just for a bit.

Practicing Chinese Characters Through Typing

2009-05-26T23:07:00.000+10:00

Hello everyone. I'm a little lazy to do my videos on the Japanese pitch accent, but I was inspired to share my way of learning Chinese characters. Basically, all you have to do is keep on typing and typing and typing! Regardless of the language, many characters share the same pronunciation and by typing you are given character recognition practice. Please watch the video for more details.

Language Smorgasbord 語言自助餐

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 20 - 防

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 19 - 變（변）

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 18 - 就(취)

Download Chinese Movie Subtitles!

LingQ - Word Counter

Names of Various Herbs and Spices in Chinese

中上级单词 Upper-Intermediate Chinese Vocabulary # 5

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 17 - 同 (동)

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 16 - 乘 (승)

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 15 食 (식)

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 14 通 (통)

中上级单词 Upper-Intermediate Chinese Vocabulary # 4

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 13 - 動 (동)

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 12 - 國 （국）

Japanese Newspaper Vocabulary 日本語の新聞の語彙 (May 31, 2010)

中上级单词 Upper-Intermediate Chinese Vocabulary

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 11 - 本 （본）

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 10 - 店 (점)

Yoji-Time 四字熟語 # 3 - 本末転倒

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 9 (보)

中上级单词 Upper-Intermediate Chinese Vocabulary # 2

Japanese Newspaper Vocabulary 日本語の新聞の語彙 # 1

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 8 (기)

Yoji-Time 四字熟語 # 2 - 心機一転

Yoji-Time 四字熟語 # 1 － 不撓不屈

Japanese Study Plan from June 2010 to July 2010

Canto Mando Menu 菜單指南 # 5

Reflecting on the Last Two Years of Language Learning

Random Chinese Vocabulary # 2

Canto Mando Menu 菜單指南 # 4

Random Chinese Vocabulary # 1

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 7 - 不 (부 / 불)

Canto Mando Menu 菜單指南 Lesson # 3

Daily Korean Verb and Adjective # 7

Canto Mando Menu 菜單指南 Lesson # 2

Canto Mando Menu 菜單指南 Lesson # 1

Canto Mando Menu 菜單指南

Daily Korean Verb and Adjective # 6

Daily Korean Verb and Adjective # 5

Daily Korean Verb and Adjective # 4

Daily Korean Verb and Adjective #3

Online Resources for Learning Korean

中上级单词 Upper-Intermediate Chinese Vocabulary #1

中上级单词 Upper-Intermediate Chinese Vocabulary

Daily Korean Verb and Adjective # 2

Daily Korean Verb and Adjective # 1

Old Video - Passing JLPT Level 1

Daily Korean Verb and Adjective

簡単な豆腐炒め

スーパーで胡瓜のキムチある？

今月からお金を貯めようと思ったのに

還有3個月就要離開日本了

四級に出る四字熟語

漢字検定４級に出る類義語表

漢字検定４級に出る対義語表

JLPT 1 Kanji Words to Remember - December

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 6 - 實 (실)

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 5

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 4

Korean Through Hanja 한자어정선 # 2

The Thousand Character Classic 千字文 Part 5

Sino-Korean Vocabulary 1 - 學 （학）

Japanese Self-Introduction 日本語での自己紹介

The Thousand Character Classic 千字文 Part 4

The Thousand Character Classic 千字文 Part 3

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