KY and Other Top Japanese Buzzwords this Year
I come out of JLPT-study-retirement to let you know about the list of 60 words that have been on everyone’s minds in Japan during the past year.
A panel of judges will choose the year’s grand prize winner and top 10 buzzwords from these 60 nominees. The final results will be announced on December 3
We’ll try to get you the results of the final judgement for top buzz words.
Among words that stood out to me were Oshiri kajiri mushi (butt-biting bug), Gabai (I’m a Saga-ken boy and this is a word from the local dialect), sonna no kankei nee (that don’t matter!) and umu kikai which is:
2. Child-bearing machines [umu kikai - 産む機械]: Health minister Hakuo Yanagisawa sparked a controversy when he referred to women as “child-bearing machines” in a January speech about Japan’s declining birthrate.
Pink Tenticle has them all; I really recommend checking out the whole list. Quite possibly one of the simplest ways to refresh yourself on Japanese pop-culture and current events that you could do, and Edo did a good job of describing them all.
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Could someone help me out with #9? The last sentence says:
In Japan, ‘rice’ means ’sushi.’
Am I misreading this sentence, or have I been leaving myself out of the loop?
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I remember this story, but not enough to be of help untangling the mystery…
As I remember it, she was calling herself “Sushi” in response to the “Rice” of Condi, but presumably chose “rice” rather than “gohan” or “kome” as she figured (correctly) that most Americans would not have the faintest idea what “gohan” or “kome” meant.
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I was born in Saga, and my mom was raised there
) YAY
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I had to set someone straight a bit earlier in the year, when they said K-Y was Oubeika.
I also am weirded out by the rice/sushi comment. Was it sarcastic?
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