The Nihongo Familiar

Tourists no longer allowed to take JLPT in Japan from 2026 The change was driven by problems linked to overseas applicants using Japanese addresses without permission or submitting invalid phone numbers.

Oop... this seems kinda like a silly decision:
www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02...

A graphic of a colorful raid train that is pink and yellow in gradient form. The train has the words All Abroad with smoke and stars coming out of the top.

Honoring Long COVID Awareness Day on March 13th, Baddies Wear Masks is a raid train planned for Long COVID Awareness, protecting ourselves and our communities through masking and prevention, and being the change we wish to see.

Baddies Wear Masks Raid Train Raising Awareness on Long COVID

If you're interested in joining in for the raid train planned for March 13th-15th, please check out the website for more information to sign up:

baddieswearmasks.carrd.co

Graphic Design by @bibiblossoms.bsky.social

Matt with another interesting article on fascist/right wing thinking. Now strongly considering ordering a copy of Doctor Faustus; Oxford classics is set to release a new edition tomorrow.

ばあちゃん、やった！❤️‍🔥💪

YouTube video by Scripting Japan The Linguistics of Japanese Rap: Interview with Dr. Shigeto Kawahara of Keio University

Had the honor of sitting down with Dr. Shigeto Kawahara of Keio University to discuss his work on the linguistics of #Japanese hip hop. Check it out:

youtu.be/55oLVaVwgS4?...

Mercury Filmworks will officially fully animate ‘Pretty Pretty Please I Don’t Want to be a Magical Girl’ Episode 1.

Watch Episode 2: youtu.be/v8HCg0GD8UQ

gd, language is beautiful. 🥲

Just passing by real quick to mention that if you use duolingo to learn Japanese, you should stop.
It's... bad. Like. Really bad. Not the typical lackluster freebie learning tool experience. It's just bad to the point it's hilarious.

Here are some examples:

1. 彼（かれ）が頑（かたく）なです。 (kare ga katakuna desu / He is stubborn)

2. ジョン ドー が頑（かたく）なな人（ひと）です。(John Doe ga katakuna na hito desu / John Doe is a stubborn person.)

There is something to be said about a grown-ass man who has a piss-baby existential crisis any time he is reminded of Theory of Mind. You know the ones~

In Japanese, that kind of stubbornness & obstinance can be called 頑な (かたくな / katakuna). Anyone wanna try it out? (Note: its also a NA adjective)

YouTube video by Learn Japanese with Toby Word Pairs That Reverse in Japanese and English ~ Learn Japanese with Toby ~

English vs. Japanese: The Word Order Flip!
Let’s learn Japanese with Toby 😺

Did you know some word pairs are reversed between Japanese and English?

#japaneselanguage #wordpair #blackandwhite #catsanddogs #soonerorlater #白黒 #犬猫 #飲食 #あれこれ #前後 #遅かれ早かれ

youtu.be/_PKlW3wk4r8?...

If you want to, then yeah definitely! Its a really cool language that has a lot of charming mechanics. You'll also have more access to various japanese pop media 🤷

教師と学習者のための日本語文型辞典 - white book with red, green and blue swirls.

The 教師と学習者のための日本語文型辞典 is a grammar dictionary for teachers and linguists that every intermediate and advanced learner of Japanese should get.

The explanations and examples are written for native Japanese speakers, which (I think) makes some complex grammar patterns easier to understand.

I am weeping

I was doing my daily Japanese lesson when I learned a new word, 類似 (ruiji, meaning “similarity”). Found it funny because it sounds like Luigi. Then my brain went… wait… surely not… So I checked Google and found theories and a few quotes suggesting Nintendo may have made a pun with the Italian name.

Digital illustration of a white tiger in pastel colors. It’s colored like the transgender flag, having blue and pink stripes and pink eyes. The tiger is surrounded by peonies in subtle shades of pink and blue, and is depicted on a gray background.

Stay safe, stay strong, stay beautiful 🏳️‍⚧️

#art #illustration #transawarenessmonth

Woman with dark hair and bright red lipstick, wearing a royal blue cardigan over a black shirt and shiny black puffer pants, seated in a motorized wheelchair with tubing from medical equipment visible, holds up a copy of "Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life" by Alice Wong.

🧵 Rest in power, Alice Wong. @sfdirewolf.bsky.social A trailblazer, a fierce advocate, and a relentless voice for disability rights. Her work changed the landscape for so many. /1

Message to our friends from our hoomom. If able plz consider donating to a group that provides food for the beloved pets of people struggling right now. Our mum grew up very poor & remembers how hard it was to feed the family & their pet. Share some kindness. Love you all 🩷

How to Study for the JLPT - Japanese Talk A complete guide for how to study for the JLPT including a list of resources, and how to plan your schedule.

It's less than a month until the JLPT! Now is the perfect time to practice what you studied with drill books and practice exams.
jtalkonline.com/how-to-study...

Let’s be clear: this is class warfare.

Tens of thousands of working-class Americans are going to die because of this “deal.”

Real people. Real deaths. For another tax break for the rich.

Those who voted for it — Republicans and Democrats — are on the side the 1%, fighting against the rest of us.

he or she is a gentleman <3

In Japanese, the praying mantis is known as かまきり (kamakiri)! Those sounds also reference the words for a sickle (かま / kama) and cut (きり / kiri)~

Which, yknow.... mantises have big slicey sword arms. You can do the math lol.

This really hasn’t gotten enough attention this week.

@wired.com #ICE
www.wired.com/story/fbi-wa...

I love that Zohran did not praise Cuomo in his speech. You absolutely do not have to say nice things about bad people. We should normalize that in “polite” politics: Praising bad people is not actually “civility.”

a woman in a hijab says shame in front of a crowd of people ALT: a woman in a hijab says shame in front of a crowd of people

You forgot Blinky in one of the sets. All other answers are superfluous and I will not engage

The utter brass balls to release this kind of ad in 2025 America must be respected.

Opinion | What Women Really Want: Work Boundaries

"Women, and especially mothers, don’t necessarily need remote work. We don’t need so-called flexible work schedules"

Please stop speaking for all of us, @nytimes.com

Many mothers, especially those with disabilities or high-risk for Covid, do want remote work.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/02/o...

alpacas are just moe llamas.

Make sure to take a picture and share the love for all the animal relatives <3 I totally wanna see this if you did it