Word of the Day #24

There's been a lot of hype  in Japan over a comedy duo named クマムシ (KUMAMUSHI) for their musical comedy sketches performed in a Japanese Idol style. The title of one of their songs published by Universal Music Japan will be our focus for today.

The Japanese Word of the Day is "warm".

Hooray! More temperature words! It's really important to have a good arsenal of words to use in conversation so you can understand others and express yourself how you want to.

あたたかい

atatakai

You may have noticed is there's only one word for "warm". I do not know if there is a special reason for this, but I'm thankful for it none the less. It could be used in phrases like

I feel warm / 私は暖かいです。

For most English speakers, this word is difficult to pronounce. Native Japanese speakers also have trouble with this word sometimes and often shorten it to あったかい (attakai) to make it easier to say.

This soup is warm / このスープはあったかいです。

Notice when you use the slang あったかい it is no longer written in kanji.

I think a great way to learn a language is through music. You can easily practice your listening skills and lots of pop songs have English translations available online. I really recommend listening to あったかいんだからぁ by クマムシ to practice the Word of the Day.

Try looking up different Japanese songs to practice your listening. Although it might seem a little overwhelming, it will help you to listen for words you have studied and practice recognizing them.