Nihongo Lesson 03/20/15

Learn Japanese, the "RIGHT" way!

By John Bae March 20, 2015

Welcome to the Nihongo Lesson feature. We strive to give you useful manga-based Japanese language tips and maybe even a glimpse into the translation process. This week’s lesson will focus on directions. Nothing too complicated though. We’re going back to the basics!

MIGI (みぎ)

MIGI means “right” as in your “right hand.” Knowing your right from your left is important in any language, and Japanese is no different. If you ever give or receive directions, you’re going to want to know this word. In One Piece, Zolo is always getting lost. Zolo, I hope you’re paying attention to this week’s lesson! My favorite manga use of MIGI is actually in an old series where an alien character took control of the main guy’s right hand. His name in Japanese was MIGI. However, this was back in the day when manga was flipped to be read left to right. So the character had to be renamed Lefty! 

HIDARI (ひだり)

HIDARI means “left.” The hardest part about these two words is telling their kanji characters apart. I usually don’t include the kanji in the Nihongo Lesson because it’s more advanced, but I think it’s important in this instance. In fact, even I mess them up sometimes! Good thing Saitama from One-Punch Man knows his directions. Otherwise he never would have escaped that alien spaceship.

Nl Right Way 1

The kanji character for MIGI is 右.
And the kanji character for HIDARI is 左.

MASSUGU (まっすぐ)

MASSUGU means “straight” as in “straight ahead.” If you ask for directions and receive this as an answer, you must be on the right track! You can also describe people with this word if you think they are straightforward or honest. And if you’re in the One Piece world, make sure you choose your path wisely!

Nl Right Way 2

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