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 sports manga! With all of the exciting acquisitions announced at New York Comic Con, I figured this would be a great time to teach some Japanese based around my favorite genre!

HAIKYU (はいきゅう)

HAIKYU means "volleyball" and is also the title of one of our upcoming series, Haikyu!! The KYU means "ball" and is used in other ball sports, like YAKYU, or "baseball." Haikyu!! is a volleyball manga about a short boy named Shoyo Hinata. Ever since he saw the legendary player known as the Little Giant compete at the national volleyball finals, he has been aiming to be the best volleyball player ever! He decides to join the team at the high school the Little Giant went to—and then surpass him. Who says you need to be tall to play volleyball when you can jump higher than anyone else? Haikyu!! is a really fun and cute series filled with passion and teamwork, so please look forward to it in 2016!

BASUKE (バスケ)

BASUKE is the shortened word for "basketball." It's common in Japanese to shorten English words to fit their pronunciation. Kuroko's Basketball (Kuroko no Basuke in Japanese) is about a boy named Tetsuya Kuroko who doesn't stand out much. In fact, he's so plain that people hardly ever notice when he's around. Though he's just as unremarkable on the basketball court, that's where his plainness gives him an unexpected edge—one that lets him execute awesome moves without others noticing! And now that he's a high school student, he's on a mission to defeat each member of his legendary middle school team, known as the Miracle Generation, with the help of a new transfer student fresh from the U.S.—Taiga Kagami! I have been a longtime fan of Kuroko's Basketball, and I am super pumped for American readers who can now join in the experience!

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by Marlene First