Get ready to impress/terrify your Japanese friends!
Learning a foreign language can be tough. All the new grammar and vocabulary and verb conjugations are enough to fry anyone’s brain. Sometimes you just need to relax and learn some fun ways to use the language instead.
And one English vocabulary book does just that: “English Vocabulary Not on Any Test.” The book has been on sale in Japan for a couple of years now, but it was recently brought back to the attention of the online masses via Japanese Twitter user shunchan, who found it in his school’s library.
But if you’re reading this, then you’re probably already pretty good at English, so don’t worry—we’ll supply you with how to say the phrases in Japanese too. Purely for educational purposes, of course.
▼ The book’s cover, in all its glory, complete with a very useful phrase of its own. (Scroll down for transcriptions/translations.)
English: “Don’t worry, he is a docile pervert.”
Japanese: Daijoubu. Kare wa otonashii hentai da yo.
English: “Fantastic octopus wiring!”
“Thanks, I had a pro do it!”
Japanese: Suteki na tako ashi haisen!
Arigatou. Senmonka ni onegaishita no.
English: “Don’t whine just because someone shot you in the arm and chest with a machine gun.”
Japanese: Mashin gan de ude ya hara o utareta kurai de meso meso suru n ja nai.
English: “Boss, if there something wrong?”
“Bob, your Mobile Suit is on backwards.”
“Oops.”
Japanese: Kachou, dou ka saremashita?
Bobu, kimi no mobiru suutsu ushiro mae da yo.
Otto.
English: My brother has been pitching root crops ever since he received a heavy blow to the head.
Japanese: Otouto wa atama o kyouda shite kara zutto konsai o nagete imasu.
English: Bob laughed so hard that the salmon carpaccio came out of his nose.
Japanese: Bobu wa warai sugite saamon karupaccho ga hana kara demashita.
English: “What a nice barbed wire.”
“Thank you. I knitted it myself.”
Japanese: Suteki na yuushi tessen desu ne.
Arigatou. Jibun de anda n desu.
English: Miss Fukuda is the first financial planner to kill a brown bear with her bare hands.
Japanese: Fukuda san wa higuma o sude de shitometa, hajimete no fainansharu purannaa desu.
English: “I’m afraid to say this, but you are passed [sic] your best-before date.”
Japanese: Kyoushuku desu ga, anata no shoumi kigen wa kirete imasu yo.
English: “May I go home early? I’m feeling rather horny.”
Japanese: Muramura shite kita node soutai shitemo ii desu ka?
Out of all the phrases in the book, that one may just actually end up coming in handy someday….
If you want to see more incredibly useful English/Japanese phrases, then follow the book’s official Twitter account, where they post new ones regularly.
Or, if you really need the book itself as the ultimate coffee table conversation piece, then pick it up at Amazon Japan. Enriching your guests’ vocabulary with words like “root crop” and “octopus wiring” can never be a bad thing!
Source: Twitter/@U1Mx71qTN43oivc via Hamusoku
Images: Twitter (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
English for otaku – New book provides fans with skills to internationalize their oshikatsu
The reason why Japanese students don’t pronounce English properly
Foreign English teachers in Japan pick their favorite Japanese-language phrases【Survey】
Japanese book “nekotan” teaches foreign language the best way possible: by talking about cats
New English textbook for Japanese learners is completely full of crap, looks pretty useful
Even at twice regular Daiso price, this handy item is still great for summer travel in Japan
Ghibli’s No Face continues to demonstrate his generous character growth by dispensing soy sauce
Japanese convenience store shows us how to dress for the rainy season
Japanese rice cooker recipe gives us a tasty new way to enjoy vegetables and wieners
Tokyo’s Pokémon Cafe reopens this month with brand-new sweets and Pikachu show
A Japanese toast sandwich remix: The toasted rice rice ball[SoraKitchen]
Osaka is hosting a “hentai” event, but it’s probably not what you think
Japan Railways partners with Overwatch, heroes hit the Shinkansen for bullet train collaboration
Uniqlo reveals third round of massive 100-year-anniversary manga T-shirts for Jump’s Shueisha
Lawson opens a new mini supermarket, and the lucky bags can essentially stock your kitchen
New official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more
Kyoto public junior high school becomes first in Japan with a hoodie school uniform
Starbucks Japan unveils new Frappuccino showcasing “mottainai” culture
What’s up with the Ghibli Park photo and video ban?
What’s it like to join Tokyo’s walking-and-talking-with-strangers club for a day?
Krispy Kreme releases a new Doughwich… at only one store in Japan
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Japanese convenience store Lawson launches new “mini supermarket” chain, L Minimart
Japan’s real-world Pokémon hot spring’s first photos are here![Photos]
Japan now has gyoza doughnuts, and they taste like no other doughnut we’ve tried before
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
10 Japanese phrases for travelers that will help, amuse, or just plain confuse
Pronunciation anxiety: many Japanese people don’t want to speak English unless it’s “perfect”
English conversation school in Japan has clever reminder that students don’t have to be perfect
Testing English “loan words” on people who don’t speak Japanese (Spoiler: they don’t make sense)
The Japanese you learn at school vs the Japanese used in Japan【Video】
New book teaches Japanese people English to help out foreign travelers
Sega’s Like a Dragon yakuza teaches “useless” English, let’s use it to learn some useful Japanese
Teaching English in Japan? New book helps students talk about the Illuminati, alien abductions
Newest tool to help Japanese people learn English: An all-English isekai light novel
“We wasted so much time in English class” — Japanese Twitter user points out major teaching flaw
Five magic Japanese phrases to know before starting a job in Japan
English pick-up lines: Foreign writer shares his advice with amorous Japanese men
Hachiji juppun mae – A Japanese phrase that even Japanese people can’t agree on the meaning of
The science behind why English speakers can’t pronounce the Japanese “fu”
Anime-style English textbook character who stole Japan’s heart now has her own calendar series
How to respond to Japanese people saying “I don’t speak English” when you’re speaking Japanese?