Skill: Read Language, Japanese (Modern) +2

~In my ongoing quest to learn Japanese, I have learned katakana, the second of the three types of Japanese writing. The sounds expressed by each katakana symbol are exactly the same as those of the corresponding hiragana symbols that I had already learned:

--Just as with hiragana, by adding a ten-ten mark (") or a small circle in the upper-right of the symbol, it changes into a similar-but-different sound:














^ A bit daunting, isn't it? Even though katakana is much more useful for me, I'm glad that I learned hiragana before trying to tackle this, since the sounds and rules are the same.

While hiragana is used to express native Japanese words, katakana is used to express foreign words. A word spelled out in katakana will almost always translate into a more-or-less readable English word. Here are some examples:
^ "Nature Made" vitamins produced by Pharmavite LLC. This is an easy example, because the words "Multiple Vitamin" are written in both katakana and English romanji (Roman alphabet letters). This dual use of languages reminds me of the Rosetta Stone, which had the same message in three different writing systems: hieroglyphics, demotic, and Ancient Greek. Modern linguists couldn't read the first two, but could read the Greek, and thus Jean-Francois Champollion was able to decipher the other two.

The katakana symbols ムルチビタミン on the vitamin bottle phonetically translate to "mu-ru-chi-bi-ta-mi-n"; I've found that the key to translating katakana is to say it fast! Note that there is no break between the first word and the second word...which makes it difficult for a non-native reader like me to tell where one word starts and the next begins. Another thing you may have noticed is that there is no 'v' sound (actually there is, ヴ, but it is used very rarely), so the 'bi' sound is used instead.

Spelled in katakana, my name, David, is デイ ビツド, which is de-i-bi-DO. The small ツ, which is the sound 'tsu', is not pronounced; when it's small like that, it means to emphasize the next sound (hence my capitalization of 'DO'). If you go to this website, you can find out what your name looks like in katakana. Unless, y'know, you're Japanese and already know the kanji symbols for your name (curse you!).

^ The local cocoa crispies, courtesy of Kellogg's. The yellow katakana (and hiragana) reads 'koko-kun' (the name of the monkey mascot; '-kun' is a suffix used for boys the way '-san' is used for adults). The brown katakana reads (chi-yo = cho)-ko-ku-ri-su-pi-i ('choco crispies'). Interestingly, I found out that Coco the monkey was the mascot for Cocoa Crispies from 1980-2001, when he was replaced by Snap, Crackle, and Pop. However, Coco remains the mascot in the United Kingdom and in Japan. One day, he will have his revenge on Snap, Crackle, and Pop, and return to reign over Cocoa Crispies for ALL ETERNITY!!!

^ The timer to my microwave oven. As you might expect, the katakana タイマー spells out ta-i-ma-a, or 'timer'. The ー symbol means that you draw out the vowel sound of the previous symbol.

^ The control panel of my microwave, which contains a mix of all three Japanese writing systems. The yellow button with the bread next to it reads トースト ('to-o-su-to' = toast). But the pink panel under that reads おべんとう ('o-be-n-to-u' =o-bento), which is your Word of the Post. 'Bento' is the Japanese word for a boxed lunch, which you can buy at any convenience store or supermarket. The 'o' is a sign of courtesy/respect used in front of certain words (such as o-mizu, which is drinkable water). Below bento, we have ミルク ('mi-ru-ku' = milk).

^ This large sign is located along Nagaoka's main street. As you may recall, Asahi is Japan's largest beer company. The katakana ビアスペース reads 'bi-a-su-pe-e-su', which translates to 'beer space'. So the sign reads, in full, 'Asahi Beer Space 21'. Presumably a bar of some kind, or perhaps a beer market. I'll check it out some time and report back to you, my ever-inquisitive readers. ~Oyasumi!