Umeko Tsuda (December 31, 1864 - August 16, 1929) was one of the first Japanese women to study abroad in the U.S., and a pioneer in education for women during the Meiji period in Japan. Umeko was only six years … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: March 2013
Nyaa or miao? Animal sounds across languages
How do you say “meow” in Japanese? What about “woof” in Arabic? Onomatopoeia, like all words, are just symbols shaped by the sound system of a language, so unsurprisingly, when you look at words for animal sounds across languages, you … Continue reading
Girls’ Day (Hinamatsuri) in Japan
On March 3rd, Hinamatsuri (雛祭り) is celebrated in Japan. This is a day when families with little girls wish "health and happiness" for them. Hina refers to the kind of dolls traditionally put on display for the celebration. Matsuri means "festival" in Japanese. Putting them together, Hinamatsuri means something like, "Hina-doll Day". However, Hinamatsuri is commonly referred to as "Girls' Day" in English. Continue reading
