Japanese Explainer is Live!

This image is the Facebook Group banner for Japanese Explainer. It features the text "Japanese Explainer" in large font, with "Japanese Q&A powered by The Detail Woman LLC" in smaller font. At the bottom is a stripe with the text "Clarity on Japanese grammar," "Weekly answers," and "Low-key & low-commitment".

Calling all Japanese language learners! Want a free resource that’s low-key and low-commitment? In 2026 I am ramping up my efforts to offer learning opportunities in some of my favorite teaching areas, in channels where they can reach more people than my humble blog here. As my first initiative, I’ve just launched Japanese Explainer, a … Read more

Japanese Language Corner: When “But” Doesn’t Really Mean “But”

A word cloud containing the words が、けど、しかし、and それにしても

The Detail Woman here, back with another Japanese learning and translation post.

Have you ever felt betrayed by your introduction to Japanese words for “but”?

If so, I get it. が、けど、しかし、and それにしても are all Japanese words that first get taught to us as “but,” and yet they often seem to mean something else in context.

I’d bet that a lot of readers are already familiar with this issue when the “buts” come in the middle of a sentence. However, my Japanese Phrase of the Month for December will be the sentence-beginning それにしても, and that one is pretty tricky if you don’t already have a handle on the “buts” that occur mid-sentence.

So if you’re a beginner, or you’d just like a refresher on mid-sentence “buts,” I’ve got you covered in this post. And if you already know all about these, feel free to skip to the next post!

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Japanese Phrase of the Month 復活!! – November 2023

Caution sign (English/Japanese)

復活! Japanese Phrase of the Month is back!

Welcome to the relaunch of Japanese Phrase of the Month. Now that I own my own business and have the time, this little corner of the internet will be guaranteed monthly for the first time ever!

This month, we start out with something a little different: a dive into the word “stoic,” and how it behaves differently in English vs. in Japanese.

「ストイック」

Have you been translating it correctly?

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Japanese Phrase of the Month – June 2021

Caution sign (English/Japanese)

Welcome to the Japanese Phrase of the Month for June 2021!

Yeah, I know it’s been a few months. I did admit from the beginning that this might not be monthly…

This month, let’s talk Japanese pronouns! And in particular about a common pronoun trap in anime, manga, and video games.

I’ll give a pronoun overview for general readers, and then get into some concrete details about the pronoun trap.

 

手前てめえ」and Friends

Have you been translating them correctly?

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Japanese Phrase of the Month – October 2020

Caution sign (English/Japanese)

I kept meaning to do a “commonly mistranslated phrases” type thing for my crew at Funimation, but then I thought, why not do it in my Copious Spare TimeTM instead, so that I can share it both here and there? Welcome to my (possibly-not-monthly) Japanese Phrase of the Month!   「何が悲しくて」・「何が悲しゅうて」 Have you been translating … Read more

Pictures and Sound: Audiovisual Terminology

Tomorrow November 8th, I’ll be presenting my first-ever American Translators Association conference session. If you’ve ever wondered what translating audiovisual content is all about, come join me for session T-10: “Pictures and Sound: Translating Television and Other Audiovisual Media” from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. So that attendees don’t have to give themselves hand cramps … Read more