Adam Shaftoe
@adamshaftoe.bsky.social
Guy whose wife said that thing about Alien that one time. Retired Guardian. Occasional writer and critic. 日本語の学生
You're telling me that 溶かす・溶ける are not only N4 vocabulary but fair game for a transitivity problem.
November 30, 2025 at 2:52 AM
You're telling me that 溶かす・溶ける are not only N4 vocabulary but fair game for a transitivity problem.
Hey Google, play Forces by Susumu Hirasawa.
November 29, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Hey Google, play Forces by Susumu Hirasawa.
Prepping for N4 is an endlessly humbling adventure of seeing adverbs that you're "supposed to know" but in some cases have never seen despite generally studying content at an N3 level.
November 28, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Prepping for N4 is an endlessly humbling adventure of seeing adverbs that you're "supposed to know" but in some cases have never seen despite generally studying content at an N3 level.
This is the absolute most dirty pool I've ever seen in a JLPT prep question. Nobody uses the kanji in てみる
November 25, 2025 at 2:33 AM
This is the absolute most dirty pool I've ever seen in a JLPT prep question. Nobody uses the kanji in てみる
After we put the cat down last week, I put on season 1 of Enterprise because I didn't feel like engaging with much of anything. 13 episodes later and man, this show must have made the ghost of Roddenberry cry (a good thing). Perpetually horny all the time.
November 23, 2025 at 6:23 PM
After we put the cat down last week, I put on season 1 of Enterprise because I didn't feel like engaging with much of anything. 13 episodes later and man, this show must have made the ghost of Roddenberry cry (a good thing). Perpetually horny all the time.
Not today, Satan.
You wanted me to pick が but I'm not picking が because that would mean, *said in my Greg Davies affect* "My Japanese was praised by the teacher and HE was glad for it."
You wanted me to pick が but I'm not picking が because that would mean, *said in my Greg Davies affect* "My Japanese was praised by the teacher and HE was glad for it."
November 23, 2025 at 2:35 AM
Not today, Satan.
You wanted me to pick が but I'm not picking が because that would mean, *said in my Greg Davies affect* "My Japanese was praised by the teacher and HE was glad for it."
You wanted me to pick が but I'm not picking が because that would mean, *said in my Greg Davies affect* "My Japanese was praised by the teacher and HE was glad for it."
I've lost an hour to trying to figure out why たべられる and たべることができる aren't effectively the same answer in this scenario.
November 21, 2025 at 5:24 PM
I've lost an hour to trying to figure out why たべられる and たべることができる aren't effectively the same answer in this scenario.
Had an entire stress dream where I was a Steiner Atlas pilot, but the only reason I was deployed was to be seen as the biggest threat on the field and just soak damage while the rest of my lance mates did the actual mission.
My mech got cored 3 times, with 3 bail outs, in the dream.
My mech got cored 3 times, with 3 bail outs, in the dream.
November 21, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Had an entire stress dream where I was a Steiner Atlas pilot, but the only reason I was deployed was to be seen as the biggest threat on the field and just soak damage while the rest of my lance mates did the actual mission.
My mech got cored 3 times, with 3 bail outs, in the dream.
My mech got cored 3 times, with 3 bail outs, in the dream.
I would laugh until I coughed blood if this turned out to be season 3 of SGU.
[Ongoing thread] New Stargate TV show
We knew it was coming!
"Amazon MGM Studios has greenlighted another series based on popular MGM IP, giving a series order to Stargate for Prime Video. The new installment in the classic sci-fi franchise comes from Martin Gero, a Stargate veteran and...."
We knew it was coming!
"Amazon MGM Studios has greenlighted another series based on popular MGM IP, giving a series order to Stargate for Prime Video. The new installment in the classic sci-fi franchise comes from Martin Gero, a Stargate veteran and...."
a dark room with a light coming out of a hole in the wall
ALT: a dark room with a light coming out of a hole in the wall
media.tenor.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:53 PM
I would laugh until I coughed blood if this turned out to be season 3 of SGU.
Absolutely nothing like JLPT prep to make me feel like I don't understand Japanese at all.
I mean I know I'm not an idiot, but clocking the nuance between どうやって洗ってもいいですか and どうやって洗ったらいいですか in 25 seconds feels goddamn impossible.
I mean I know I'm not an idiot, but clocking the nuance between どうやって洗ってもいいですか and どうやって洗ったらいいですか in 25 seconds feels goddamn impossible.
November 19, 2025 at 4:46 AM
Absolutely nothing like JLPT prep to make me feel like I don't understand Japanese at all.
I mean I know I'm not an idiot, but clocking the nuance between どうやって洗ってもいいですか and どうやって洗ったらいいですか in 25 seconds feels goddamn impossible.
I mean I know I'm not an idiot, but clocking the nuance between どうやって洗ってもいいですか and どうやって洗ったらいいですか in 25 seconds feels goddamn impossible.
Days like this I wish I was still actively writing reviews because I would love 800 words to explain why you can't give the Running Man a happy ending and claim to be honouring the source material, which textually states that you can't beat the system.
November 17, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Days like this I wish I was still actively writing reviews because I would love 800 words to explain why you can't give the Running Man a happy ending and claim to be honouring the source material, which textually states that you can't beat the system.
Today in JLPT Presents, "Really? Really!"
載る。
本当？本当！
お客様、これはN４でございます。
載る。
本当？本当！
お客様、これはN４でございます。
November 17, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Today in JLPT Presents, "Really? Really!"
載る。
本当？本当！
お客様、これはN４でございます。
載る。
本当？本当！
お客様、これはN４でございます。
I didn't expect putting 関係 into google image search would yield some truly dubious results.
November 17, 2025 at 12:53 AM
I didn't expect putting 関係 into google image search would yield some truly dubious results.
Reposted by Adam Shaftoe
There’s a Karaoke Bar located in the part of Maspeth that’s just industrial machinery and old graves and it has no reviews on yelp and every room looks like if you tried to recreate the set of Deep Space 9 using stuff from Alibaba.
November 16, 2025 at 6:04 AM
There’s a Karaoke Bar located in the part of Maspeth that’s just industrial machinery and old graves and it has no reviews on yelp and every room looks like if you tried to recreate the set of Deep Space 9 using stuff from Alibaba.
George Lucas, a weeb, created a character called Han Solo and I'm supposed to just assume it's a fucking coincidence that the Japanese for 'to transport' - which is the type of ship he flies - is 搬送する
Hansou and Han Solo are just totally unrelated cosmic jazz?
Hansou and Han Solo are just totally unrelated cosmic jazz?
November 15, 2025 at 10:22 PM
George Lucas, a weeb, created a character called Han Solo and I'm supposed to just assume it's a fucking coincidence that the Japanese for 'to transport' - which is the type of ship he flies - is 搬送する
Hansou and Han Solo are just totally unrelated cosmic jazz?
Hansou and Han Solo are just totally unrelated cosmic jazz?
Yesterday I saw my senior cat off to his ancestors. Today I read this in an essay.
"...It's hard to be a dude, suggest a O'Malley and Robinson, not because of some grand conspiracy of wokeness set to undermine America's men but because it is hard to be anybody these days"
"...It's hard to be a dude, suggest a O'Malley and Robinson, not because of some grand conspiracy of wokeness set to undermine America's men but because it is hard to be anybody these days"
November 14, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Yesterday I saw my senior cat off to his ancestors. Today I read this in an essay.
"...It's hard to be a dude, suggest a O'Malley and Robinson, not because of some grand conspiracy of wokeness set to undermine America's men but because it is hard to be anybody these days"
"...It's hard to be a dude, suggest a O'Malley and Robinson, not because of some grand conspiracy of wokeness set to undermine America's men but because it is hard to be anybody these days"
JLPT, why are you like this?
November 12, 2025 at 2:45 AM
JLPT, why are you like this?
Another entry in what is now going to become a running series of google image results for Japanese words going in an unexpected direction.
The word: 頼る - to depend upon, to rely upon
The image
The word: 頼る - to depend upon, to rely upon
The image
November 9, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Another entry in what is now going to become a running series of google image results for Japanese words going in an unexpected direction.
The word: 頼る - to depend upon, to rely upon
The image
The word: 頼る - to depend upon, to rely upon
The image
When someone still has the nerve to ask me, "Why learn Japanese" I like pointing to things like this and saying, "To understand why"
November 9, 2025 at 6:46 PM
When someone still has the nerve to ask me, "Why learn Japanese" I like pointing to things like this and saying, "To understand why"
What am I missing where one can't use のに to say, "Despite studying a lot the exam was very difficult?"
I don't see why しても is more correct.
I don't see why しても is more correct.
November 9, 2025 at 1:19 AM
What am I missing where one can't use のに to say, "Despite studying a lot the exam was very difficult?"
I don't see why しても is more correct.
I don't see why しても is more correct.
The classic blunder: not taking the extra second to think about which way お母さん is scolding 息子 in the dialogue and picking 勉強するな instead of 勉強しなさい
Come on, Adam, Bruce Lee taught you this one.
考えるな、感じろ。
Come on, Adam, Bruce Lee taught you this one.
考えるな、感じろ。
November 6, 2025 at 4:26 AM
The classic blunder: not taking the extra second to think about which way お母さん is scolding 息子 in the dialogue and picking 勉強するな instead of 勉強しなさい
Come on, Adam, Bruce Lee taught you this one.
考えるな、感じろ。
Come on, Adam, Bruce Lee taught you this one.
考えるな、感じろ。
Tonight in Star Wars RPG:
We were trying to get these mermaids off Yavin 8 because some imperials were doing research on a bad force thing that was poisoning the local water supply.
The plan: covert a ship to haul 100 mermiads to a new home.
We were trying to get these mermaids off Yavin 8 because some imperials were doing research on a bad force thing that was poisoning the local water supply.
The plan: covert a ship to haul 100 mermiads to a new home.
November 5, 2025 at 3:19 AM
Tonight in Star Wars RPG:
We were trying to get these mermaids off Yavin 8 because some imperials were doing research on a bad force thing that was poisoning the local water supply.
The plan: covert a ship to haul 100 mermiads to a new home.
We were trying to get these mermaids off Yavin 8 because some imperials were doing research on a bad force thing that was poisoning the local water supply.
The plan: covert a ship to haul 100 mermiads to a new home.
So...
Two 日本語 revelations for today.
1) Somehow I got to this point thing that 欲しがる/ほしがっている/たがる/たがっている were literally the only things you used the がる suffix with.
2) Why I struggle with adverbs: 90% of my reading is newspapers and periodicals.
Two 日本語 revelations for today.
1) Somehow I got to this point thing that 欲しがる/ほしがっている/たがる/たがっている were literally the only things you used the がる suffix with.
2) Why I struggle with adverbs: 90% of my reading is newspapers and periodicals.
November 4, 2025 at 2:51 AM
So...
Two 日本語 revelations for today.
1) Somehow I got to this point thing that 欲しがる/ほしがっている/たがる/たがっている were literally the only things you used the がる suffix with.
2) Why I struggle with adverbs: 90% of my reading is newspapers and periodicals.
Two 日本語 revelations for today.
1) Somehow I got to this point thing that 欲しがる/ほしがっている/たがる/たがっている were literally the only things you used the がる suffix with.
2) Why I struggle with adverbs: 90% of my reading is newspapers and periodicals.
In other monuments to failure, today's JLPT prep invites a genuinely painful composition question.
November 2, 2025 at 7:37 PM
In other monuments to failure, today's JLPT prep invites a genuinely painful composition question.
I am not a sports person.
I am an artist.
Baseball is human art.
I am an artist.
Baseball is human art.
Did not expect one of the best paragraphs I’d read about baseball would come from an Irish newspaper
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
November 2, 2025 at 5:25 PM
I am not a sports person.
I am an artist.
Baseball is human art.
I am an artist.
Baseball is human art.