So, after having watched "Bleach" for a little while, I've heard this phrase over & over again, & I'm sure many of you have as well. The members of the 13 Protection Squads of the Court of Pure Souls (Seireitei) say this to their captains & other superiors A LOT!

Romaji: Moushiwake arimasen (MOE-shee-wah-kay-ah-REE-mah-SEN)

Japanese: 申し訳ありません　（もうしわけありません）

Meaning: I'm really sorry! (said in a VERY polite manner)

This is more polite than saying "gomen nasai" or "sumimasen". I'm not quite sure, but it might fall under the category of "honorifics" (keigo/敬語), which is an extremely polite way of speaking as well as humbling yourself. I'll explain more about honorifics another time...it can get complicated if you don't understand the basic grammatical concepts first. Please send me a message if you wish to ask a question about honorifics or whatever else may be on your mind!

Konbanwa, mina-san! I'm sure everyone who's in school is dying for the semester to end if it hasn't already & basically just wants to pass all their finals & be done with it all. Or maybe you're already done w/ finals & you're just kicking back & watching your favorite baseball team on TV (or in the stadium). Well, whatever the case may be, here's some encouragement! This is also something Uzumaki Naruto likes to say...

Romaji: Zettai katsu!(zet-TIE kots)

Japanese: 絶対勝つ！（ぜったいかつ）

Meaning: I'm/you're/they're definitely gonna win!

FYI: Naruto says "zettei" instead of "zettai" because he speaks w/ an accent...I forgot which regional accent though...=/. Anyway, another trivial piece of information is that students like to eat a dish called katsu don (カツ丼) (deep-fried pork cutlet & scrambled eggs over rice) before major exams because it sounds like "katsu", which means "to win." Happy practicing!

Ohisashiburi again, mina-san...many apologies for the delay! Working full-time & going to school simultaneously consumes a lot of time...Anyway...here's a mushy phrase you've probably heard a million times in anime that involves romantic relationships, like Sailor Moon, Fushigi Yuugi, & Ayashi no Ceres.

Romaji: Aishiteru (AISH-teh-roo)

Japanese: 愛してる。

Meaning: I love you.

Actually, "aishiteru" grammatically just means "loving." In fact, "aishiteru" is a more colloquial way of saying "aishiteiru (愛している)." I may have explained this before, but the Japanese language is filled with implications of nouns, pronouns, etc. Therefore, the full sentence would be: Watashi wa anata wo aishiteiru. / 私はあなたを愛している。(I am loving you.) Since the "I" (watashi) and the "you" (anata) are implied, you don't have to say/write it! It should also be noted that there's a difference between "suki desu" (好きです) and "aishiteru." "Suki desu" more or less implies feelings of infatuation rather than love, as in "I like him." And, that's my long-winded explanation. As always, feel free to ask me any questions & I'll try my best to answer them for you. ^_^

Ohisashiburi desu ne, mina-san! I've been bad & haven't updated in a while, so since I'm procrastinating on a paper that's due in a week, let me post up a new phrase for all to enjoy practicing! So today's phrase is.........................................................................................................................................................

........................basically, the first thing I said to you all! ^_^

Romaji: Ohisashiburi desu! (oh-hee-SAH-shee-boo-ree • dess)

Japanese: お久しぶりです！　（おひさしぶりです！）

Meaning: Long time no see!

You can leave out the "desu" if it's someone younger than you or someone you're familiar with. I used a "-ne, mina-san" at the end of mine, which changed the meaning ever so slightly to "Long time no see, huh, everyone?" Sooo, the next time you bump into someone you haven't seen in ages, greet them with this phrase in Japanese! They might think you're crazy if they don't speak Japanese, but say it anyway to practice!

Hmmm...here's a common phrase that's exchanged in arguments in both the anime and real world.

Romaji: Kirai desu.

Japanese: 嫌いです。　（きらいです。）

Meaning: I hate you.

Next time you get into an argument w/ someone, just say this & walk away. If they don't speak Japanese, they won't understand you anyway. Although, many non-Japanese speakers know the word "baka (馬鹿)," so use that one wisely!

I decided that today's phrase should be something very common in anime, especially in ones that involve a lot of fight scenes & saving damsels (and their male counterparts) in distress.

Romaji: Nigete! (NII-geh-teh)

Japanese:　逃げて！（にげて！）

Meaning: Run! (as in to run away from a dangerous situation)

We've all heard protagonists yell at their seemingly helpless friends to make a run for it so s/he can once again be the hero(-ine) of the day! Just an FYI...this is the "-te" form of  逃げる/nigeru, which means to run away. =P Well, 'til next time...happy learning!

Sorry for the delay, people! Anyway, I'm gonna teach you all a word you can use when you're pissed off...WOOT!

Romaji: Kuso! (koo-SOH)

Japanese: くそ！

Meaning: Crap! / Damn!

This word is VERY common in anime, as most of you already know. When that damsel in distress disappears w/ the bad guy, your protagonist & his buddies are always gonna say this word.

Argh...getting Global IME on Windows XP is a bitch! >.<...anyway...after watching "Bleach" for a little while over my break, I decided to use this military word for today's "word" for the day!

Romaji: taichou (tie-CHO [rhymes with "toe"])

Japanese: 隊長　（たいちょう）

Meaning: Captain

When you address someone as "Captain ___," you say the person's last name first before their title. For example, "Captain Kuchiki" would be "Kuchiki Taichou" (朽木隊長) in Japanese. This is the same when addressing people using other titles, like teachers/professors/instructors: "Miyagi Sensei". Have fun learning & I promise I'll put up another phrase tomorrow! =)