Thursday, April 30, 2015

Everyday English Words That Are Really Japanese

I’ve written before about the English words that have become loan words in Japanese. There are a few Japanese words that have become common English words. (I didn’t think this up myself, I read it on RocketNews24).

Futon, from the Japanese 布団 (futon), first known use in 1876
In English, known as the sofa bed.

Honcho, from the Japanese : 班長 (hanchō), first known use: 1955
Sounds like it came from Spanish, but it actually comes from the Japanese word meaning “squad leader”.

Karaoke, from the Japanese カラオケ (karaoke), first known use: 1979
Not only was karaoke invented in Japan, the name was taken straight from Japanese, kara, meaning empty and ōke, short for ōkesutora (orchestra).

Rickshaw, from the Japanese 人力車 (jinrikisha), first known use: 1887
I thought rickshaws were from China, but they were actually invented in Japan in 1869, and used in China four years later. The word, rickshaw, comes from a corruption of the original Japanese, jinrikisha, which literally means “human powered vehicle.”

Skosh, from the Japanese  少し (sukoshi), first known use: 1952
Skosh, as in “give me a skosh more” or just a little bit more, was created by shortening the Japanese word sukoshi, which means “a little.”

Soy, from the Japanese  醤油 (shōyu), first known use: 1679
There are many possible origins of the word soy, but it’s thought that the term is a corruption of the Japanese word for soy sauce, shōyu. 

Tsunami, from the Japanese 津波 (tsunami), first known use: 1897
A giant sea wave is called a tsunami in English, just like it is in Japanese, although with a slightly different pronunciation. Tsunami literally means “harbor wave” in Japanese.

Tycoon, from the Japanese  大君 (taikun), first known use: 1857
The title of taikun was applied by foreigners to the shogun of Japan in the mid 1800s but the English version, tycoon, is used to describe any wealthy or powerful person in business. 

I find all this word business very interesting!

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

2015 Smalls Stitch A Long - Miniature Rug

This month I finished a miniature rug for the Smalls SAL.  It measures about 4” x 5 1/3” and is stitched on hardanger fabric with four strands of DMC floss.


 
Check out all the other completed smalls at Stitching Lotus.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Walking is Good for Your Health and Your Soul

I’ve been walking every day since my surgery last fall.  (The surgeon took out all of my abdominal lymph nodes and told me I needed to walk to prevent lymphedema.) Walking is good for a lot of reasons – physical and mental.  I walked in the gym during the winter.  Now that it’s spring, I’m walking outside again and seeing new flowers pop out every day. Even if I walk the same route, the view is different from one day to the next.






 
Most of the snow is gone, but there are still a few patches of dirty snow here and there.



 
At the bridge park, the sakura and mokuren (magnolia) are just starting to bloom. I just noticed this trash can yesterday.  The trash can is there, but they would rather you take home your trash.  They really want you to take home your dog’s poop.





 
 
At the track near the library, elementary school children were running.  One child ran right out of his shoe.



 
Winter is harsh here in Hokkaido, but spring totally makes up for it.





 
(To find out more about the benefits of walking, check out Walk Talk, an inspirational blog for walkers.)

Monday, April 27, 2015

Monday Morning Star Count - One Fat Turtle and Some Seaweed

I have the hexagons assembled and am ready to embellish!

 
 

So far I have added a head and feet to one of the turtles and some seaweed. 


 
Check back next week.  I think this is going to get better.
Linking up with Hibiscus Stitches and SuperMomNoCape.
 

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Little Toolie Bag Finish

I started this little bag last year, but didn’t get much done, past cutting out all the pieces. I think it’ll be good for holding a few little toolies and is a great way to use up small pieces of fabric.



Saturday, April 25, 2015

Spring Day in Sapporo

This week after Japanese class, we took a stroll through Odori Park.  Some flowers have been planted and the trees were beginning to bloom.






 
The benches were being put back in place after being stored away for the winter.


 
Children (and their parents) were out playing on the giant slide.


 
Dogs (and their people) were taking in the warm fresh air.




 
I told Ted I modeled for this sculpture when I was young, before we met!

 
After our walk through the park, we ate dinner at the Korean restaurant, then headed home.