Category Archives: Word of the Week

interesting aspects of Japanese language

Word of the Week: Chuusen 注染

Posted on July 10, 2011 by John Marshall

Chuusen (注染), as described elsewhere in the blog, is a process in which dye is poured through many layers of cotton at the same time, with the help of vacuum suction from below. The first character, 注, is also pronounced … Continue reading →

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Word of the week 朧

Posted on June 20, 2011 by John Marshall

朧 Oboro is a fun character in Chinese. Chinese characters used in Japanese are called kanji (漢字). Many kanji are made up of smaller, simple ideas to express larger complex concepts. In this case oboro, meaning misty or vague, is … Continue reading →

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Word of the Week – 型染め Katazome

Posted on May 19, 2011 by John Marshall

The use of a wide range of terms in Japanese can be very confusing. There is the nit-picky, precise meaning of a word, and then there is the common usage. This confusion can be compounded by the fact any given … Continue reading →

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Word of the Week: 牡丹 Tree Peony

Posted on May 12, 2011 by John Marshall

There are two major groups of peonies; tree peonies, and herbaceous peonies . The herbaceous die back to the ground each year and the tree peonies leave a small trunk with buds. These are considered two very different varieties of … Continue reading →

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