Trivia of the Week: Tension

In Japanese, a person with “high tension” is excited or easily excitable. “Tension” is actually a measure of how strongly something (such as a rope) is being pulled from opposite sides. If you hold a rope in one hand, it dangles loosely, but if...

Idiom of the Week: Say the Word

“If you need a ride, just say the word and I’ll come pick you up.” It would probably take more than one word to make a request, but we tell people to “say the word” in order to show that we are ready to do them this favor at any time....

Word of the Week: Petal

“The petals were falling from the cherry blossom trees. It was really beautiful.” Petals are like the “leaves” of flowers. They are usually the most colorful part. 「桜の花びらが舞い落ちてとても美しかった。」...

Picture of the Week: Spinach

Spinach can be eaten raw or cooked. The main character of the cartoon Popeye the Sailorman always uses spinach to give him the strength to beat the bad guys. This has contributed to the popularity of spinach in the US....

Phrase of the Week: In Addition To

“In addition to dogs and cats, we also have rabbits for adoption.” Addition usually refers to adding numbers together, but here it means adding rabbits to dogs and cats. We can use this phrase to include details while putting emphasis on something else. It’s not...