Many writers know the 5-7-5 syllable count of haiku, but this is merely the surface. The true grammar of the…
For over two centuries, Japan was sealed from the world. Yet, on the tiny island of Dejima, a single language—Dutch—became…
Why can you say "three dogs" in English, but speakers of Chinese, Japanese, and Mayan languages must use a special…
The Japanese writing system uniquely blends three distinct scripts—Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana—often within a single sentence. This presents a fascinating…
Once believed to be extinct, the Kusunda language of Nepal is a true linguistic ghost, with no known relatives in…
On a remote island lives a people who have rejected all contact with the modern world. Their language, Sentinelese, is…
The Vietnamese alphabet, Quốc Ngữ, presents a fascinating paradox with its Latin letters used for a tonal, Austroasiatic language. Originally…
Mandarin is famously a tonal language, but what many learners quickly discover is that the tones they memorize often change…
Beyond "konnichiwa" lies Keigo, a complex system of Japanese politeness that goes far beyond simple pleasantries. This linguistic art form…
Just as the West has its infamous mistranslation of Marie Antoinette's "Let them eat cake", the East too has seen…
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