There are many benefits of learning Japanese. You get to interact with some of the friendliest people in the world and share your ideas with them, and learn about Japan on a new level. Another fun aspect of studying Japanese is finding out what all those company names mean. Like how Subaru is the Japanese word for the Pleiades star group, which was logical as it was formed when seven smaller companies merged into one. Or how Nintendo’s kanji name is a shortened version of a Chinese proverb which translates as, “Man does what man can do then awaits the verdict of heaven or fate.” Or how many company names like Asahi and Hitachi mean “sunrise,” a famous image of the country. Another interesting name is Atari, which company founder Nolan Bushnell chose when no one liked his first pick, Syzygy. Originally a term in the Japanese game of go that’s similar to “checkmate” in chess, the verb ataru means to hit (as in to hit something with your body), to try something, or to be successful at something. If someone guesses the correct answer to a question you’ve asked, you can say “Atari!” to mean “that’s correct!” When you learn the kanji for ataru you get another surprise, as it looks very much like the company’s logo.
The iconic Atari logo was derived from a Japanese kanji for ataru.
