Tag: bilingual

  • I know Japanese. Why can’t I read signs in Hokkaido?

    I know Japanese. Why can’t I read signs in Hokkaido?

    Place names in Japanese are difficult to read, because they combine kanji characters you wouldn’t see together in other situations. Once I finally started getting used to the combinations on Japan’s main island, I was dumb-struck by the names up north in Hokkaido. The combinations were highly unusual, and often used characters I’ve never seen…