On this episode of Japan Station, we’re talking about Japanese slang that traces its roots back to Edo and Meiji era street vendors. We’re digging into the origins of words like deka, mappo, and even the infamous yabai. 👉Topics Discussed The etymology/origins of 10 words that trace their origins back to the Edo and Meiji Periods About the meaning and origins of sakura (サクラ) About …

Dragon Ball has some pretty weird yells and battle cries. Don’t believe me? Then watch this video. On this edition of Dragon Ball Dictionary, I dig deep into the world of Dragon Ball’s kakegoe/yells/battle cries. I discuss Dragon Ball Z Dead Zone, Dragon Ball GT and the time Piccolo shouted the name of a musical instrument while shooting ki blasts …

The “Destructo Disc” is one of Dragon Ball Z’s most well known and–in a sense–powerful techniques. But do you know its Japanese name? Is Destructo Disc an accurate translation? Or just something completely made up by Funimation? On this edition of Dragon Ball Dictionary I break down the Japanese name of the Destructo Disc (kienzan 気円斬) and determine whether it’s …

In this video I do a DEEP dive into Goku’s most famous line: ossu ora Gokū (オッス!オラ悟空! ). This is arguably Goku’s most well known catchphrase in Japan. However, did you know it wasn’t written by Akira Toriyama? And do you know it’s true meaning? Despite it being a short and simple sentence, there’s actually a lot of meaning hidden …

There’s a lot of a-holes out there that think they know how to pronounce Dragon Ball names correctly. The vast majority of these individuals don’t know what they are talking about. In this video I explain how to correctly pronounce some of the most popular names and terms in Dragon Ball. If you want more content like this, let me …

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about Japanese abbreviations/contractions, give 12 examples and discuss their origins. 👉Topics Discussed About abbreviations and contractions in Japanese About waseieigo (made in English) About the origins of the Sharp company About the Japanese word wanchan  About the possible origin of the word potation in Japanese: jagaimo And more! 👉Subscribe to the Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/japan-station-a-podcast-by-japankyo-com/id1440454968 Spotify: …

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about the etymology of the Japanese word for egg (tamago) and other interesting quirks of this word! Note: This is actually an episode of Japanese Plus Alpha. 👉Topics Discussed The phrase ~no tamago The etymology of the word tamago  kaigo vs tamago  The difference between tamago written with one kanji (卵) and tamago written with two kanji …

Over the course of the Dragon Ball franchise Bulma has had many memorable outfits. However, one of her most iconic looks has got to be what she wore during her first appearance. To this day it remains seared into the memories of many Dragon Ball fans around the world. But here’s the thing. There’s something about this outfit that makes …

In episode 263 of Dragon Ball Z, Gohan insults Super Buu by calling him “usunoro.” In the English subtitles of this scene “usunoro” is translated as “You retard.” This is an infamous translation that has left many wondering “Did Gohan really say that?” In today’s video I explain what “usunoro” actually means, why it should not have been translated as …

“CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA” is the first opening song of the Dragon Ball Z anime. It is also one of the most iconic anime opening songs of all time. However, do you know what “CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA” actually means? It is NOT nonsense. In fact, it’s actually a phrase with a profound meaning. However, I have yet to see a thorough explanation in English …

In this video, I break down the word puttsun by examining a specific line from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 3 (Stardust Crusaders). Putssun (プッツン, ぷっつん) means to get angry but there’s a lot more to this word that that. The origins of puttsun date back to 1986 when an actor/TV personality named Kataoka Tsurutarō created it and it exploded in popularity. Watch the …

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is known for its crazy sound effects so I decided to do a video showcasing of the most infamous sound effects Hirohiko Araki has come up with. I also explore what go go go/do do do mean. Check out the video below!