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 feature terms that concern our newest monthly series, Boruto: Naruto Next Generation. It's always great to start a new series in Weekly Shonen Jump, and this one comes with quite the pedigree! It will be very exciting to see just how young Boruto measures up to his legendary father!

SHINSEDAI (しんせだい)

SHINSEDAI means "new generation," and this seems to be the overarching theme of Boruto: Naruto Next Generation. Actually, it may have been the theme of Naruto as well. There were frequent mentions of Naruto and his generation surpassing their parents and teachers and correcting the mistakes of the past. It'll be interesting to see how Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura deal with having their kids upstage them. Plus there's the completely unpredictable element of Mitsuki. What are his life goals?

JIDAI (じだい)

JIDAI means "era" or "age." This term can also combine with SHIN, or "new," to become SHINJIDAI, or "new era." And that's exactly what this series is all about. Unfortunately, based on the opening pages of the chapter, this new era seems like it could be pretty dark. What exactly happened to Naruto? What are the mysterious marks all over Boruto? Who is Kawaki?! What a way to kick off a new series!

Get more tips by listening to our PODCAST!