Nihongo Lesson 05/01/15

Learning Japanese is fun for the whole family!

By John Bae May 01, 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. In this week’s lesson, we will continue to focus on family. Family is a very important theme in Weekly Shonen Jump, and there is a lot to delve into. Step aside, Professor Jump! The better incarnation of you is back once again to deliver this very important lesson!

KAZOKU (かぞく)

KAZOKU means “family,” and family means nobody gets left behind… See what I did there? Family is precious in Weekly Shonen Jump, with the bonds of family running even deeper than friendship. In One Piece, the Straw Hat crew treats each other like a family. Zolo and Sanji sure bicker like brothers! There are also tons of families in Nisekoi, albeit families that want to kill each other. It’s kind of romantic if you think about it. TEAM JUMP is also like a family, albeit a little dysfunctional at times. Then again, what family isn’t?!

Nl Happy Family 1

OYA (おや)

OYA means “parent.” Becoming a parent seems to be the big thing in Naruto these days…just check out Boruto! Naruto is now a dad! Yay! Naruto and Hinata have a lot of trouble ahead of them with this bratty child. A few other parents worth mentioning are Miho’s mom in Bakuman, Chitoge’s parents and Raku’s dad in Nisekoi, Goku in Dragon Ball…there are just too many parents! I wonder what Luffy as a dad would be like…

Nl Happy Family 3

KODOMO (こども)

Kodomo means “child.” With all of those Weekly Shonen Jump parents comes a lot of Weekly Shonen Jump children. I’ve always found shonen manga inspiring because it’s the children who save the world. It teaches children that they can be pretty amazing. Just look at Goku from Dragon Ball when he first starts his adventures. It’s time to welcome the newest child to the Weekly Shonen Jump family: BORUTO!!

Nl Happy Family 2

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