View Post

Japanese Cultural Post: Onsen (温泉)

In Japanese by Skritter

Hot springs (onsen: 温泉), or literally “warm spring”, are a common part of the average Japanese lifestyle. They’re used for relaxation, rejuvenation and fighting off sickness if you think you’re about to catch a cold. …

View Post

Staying on track with Beeminder

In Development by Olle Linge

There are many ways to motivate yourself to study more. Some of these are based on cultivating an interest for language or culture, others are instrumental, meaning that you learn because you need to be …

View Post

語源: Origin of words

In Japanese by Skritter

The etymology of a word, or origin of a word, is not only interesting to research when learning Japanese but sometimes essential. The word for etymology is 語源 (ごげん), translating directly to “word origin”. When …

View Post

Think before you write

In Chinese, Japanese by Olle Linge

Credit: Mikko Kapanen The more actively you process the language you’re studying, the more you learn. If your learning is automatic and passive, what you study is less likely to stick. Therefore, it’s important to …