Join Our Newsletter
  • Visit Our Store
  • Come Write for J-List!
J-List Blog
Visit J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
No Result
View All Result

Fuji-san or Fuji-yama?

Peter Payne by Peter Payne
14 years ago
in Your Friend in Japan

One impression of the Japanese language I got soon after arriving here was one of “duality,” and it seemed that most of the new concepts I was encountering had “two faces” to them. Often ideas we cover with one word in English are split into two in Japanese, like oneesan and imouto for “older sister” and “younger sister,” which takes some getting used to since we just say “sister” without considering relative ages. The Japanese have two words to express “cold,” samui (sa-moo-ee) meaning coldness in the air and tsumetai (tsuoo-meh-tai) for something that’s cold to the touch, and the idea of food being “good” (oishii) is completely separate from a product being of good quality (which is ii, pronounced like the letter “e”). The Japanese often import English words then split them into two versions for their own convenience: glass in a window is garasu, while a glass you drink from is gurasu, and you can be sure gaijin will get the wrong word every time. Another source of confusion comes from the fact that each kanji has two readings, a Chinese and a Japanese one. A good example of this is the kanji for “mountain,” which is san using the Chinese pronunciation or yama using the Japanese one, and for most every mountain these can be used interchangeably, e.g. either Akagi-san or Akagi-yama is acceptible when referring nearby Mt. Akagi. One exception is Mt. Fuji, which should always be pronounced “Fuji-san” in Japanese, as the name Fuji-yama has become hopelessly cliched after decades overuse by American soldiers and foreign tourists.

 

Mt. Fuji should always be Fuji-san, never Fuji-yama. And please don’t say “saki” either.

Tags: foodgaijinJapanese languagesisters

More Posts Like This

When The Subtitles Substitute Name For Onii Chan
Your Friend in Japan

Onii-chan, No! When Translators Don’t Follow Japanese Naming Conventions

by Peter Payne
7 months ago

How do you feel when you're watching anime and a character uses an honorific like "Onii-chan," but the subtitles use...

Camera Angles In Anime
Your Friend in Japan

Yandere Meets Instant Noodles! Anime Marketing with Seiyuu Saori Hayami

by Peter Payne
8 months ago

Last week X lit up with the hashtag #早見沙織, or #HayamiSaori. Being a huge fan of anime voice actress Hayami...

The Best Anime Little Sisters Article

Who Are The Best Ecchi Anime Sisters? Blood-Related Edition!

10 months ago
Japanese Is Similar To Spanish Blog

Why Is Japanese So Similar to Spanish? Let’s Compare Both Languages!

10 months ago
Screenshot

Stepsister Romance! Should You Watch Gimai Seikatsu?

11 months ago
What Does Bitch Mean In Japanese

Bitch Means What in Japanese?? Nine Times Japan Changed the Meaning of Words

11 months ago
Next Post
Xgqigz W

My Japanese Students: "America is 'Free.'"

Trending Today

Summer 2025 Ecchi Anime Web Cover
Featured

Summer 2025 Ecchi Anime and The Streaming Services of Culture

6 days ago
Spring 2025 Ecchi Anime Web Cover
News

Spring 2025 Ecchi Anime and Where to Watch Them

3 months ago
Jlist Wide Yabai Banner Email
Your Friend in Japan

J18 Publishing Presents: The YABAI Art Gallery Experience at LA ARTCORE, Little Tokyo!

5 days ago
Yandere Dark Elf Episode 1 Featured Image
Featured

Yandere Dark Elf, Episode 1 — Love Heavier than Chocolate Melons!

2 months ago
How Profitable Is Anime As A Business?
Your Friend in Japan

Anime Industry Profitability: How Much Does Sony Make from Anime?

6 days ago
Get the Newest Figures from J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
My Dress Up Darling Returns! 7 Reasons We Can't Stop Loving Marin Kitagawa
Your Friend in Japan

My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Is Here! 6 Reasons We Can’t Stop Thinking About Marin Kitagawa

by Peter Payne
July 7, 2025

My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Is Here! 6 Reasons We Can’t Stop Thinking About Marin Kitagawa

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Travels North

Adult Slice of Life: Why You Should Watch Kowloon Generic Romance

Welcome to the Outcast’s Restaurant! — A Fluffy Foodie Iyashikei

Campfire Cooking with My +3 Cardboard Delivery Box (It’s Just a Box)

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Discord
  • YouTube

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.