Asian Languages

Why We Call It Japan, Not Nippon

Why do we call the "Land of the Rising Sun" Japan instead of its native Nippon? This linguistic puzzle opens…

4 months ago

The Secret Script of Women: The Story of Nüshu

In the patriarchal world of rural China, women were denied a voice—so they invented their own. Uncover the story of…

4 months ago

Why Korean is Easier Than You Think

Intimidated by the angular characters and unfamiliar sounds of Korean? You shouldn't be. Contrary to its complex appearance, the Korean…

4 months ago

The Four ‘You’s of Mandarin Chinese

Think "you" is simple? In English, it is, but Mandarin Chinese requires a more nuanced approach. The choice between the…

4 months ago

Counting People in Japanese: The ‘Nin’ Counter

Learning to count in Japanese means mastering counters, and the one for people holds a fascinating secret. While most numbers…

4 months ago

How Persian Lost Its Gender

Modern Persian, or Farsi, is famously gender-neutral, but its ancestor, Old Persian, was not. This post explores the fascinating linguistic…

4 months ago

Why Korean Uses Two Number Systems

Ordering coffee in Seoul? You'll need one set of numbers. Telling the time? You'll need another. This might seem confusing,…

4 months ago

A Guide to Sino-Tibetan Languages

Journey into the Sino-Tibetan language family, a vast linguistic world of over 400 languages spoken by 1.4 billion people. From…

4 months ago

The Pitch-Accent Puzzle of Japanese

In Japanese, a single word like `hashi` can mean 'bridge' or 'chopsticks' based on a subtle change in melody. This…

4 months ago

The Uphill Verb: Grammar of the Himalayas

In most languages, you simply 'go' somewhere. But in the Himalayas, the very grammar of the language forces you to…

4 months ago

This website uses cookies.