Only three other countries from East or Southeast Asia scored lower on the global ranking.
Teaching English in Japan
Unko Drill series wants to help English learners in Japan get ready for their college entrance exams.
Heartwarming tale of a boy who grew up to have the last laugh, and get rich off the experience as well.
Assistant Language Teacher quickly learns that Japanese doesn’t always translate properly into English.
Fans of Do You Love Your Mom? Will learn how to say “You may not look at me in the nude” as part of new textbook.
Reports say the Canadian teacher regularly spanked children and shoved books into their mouths.
Grabbing the attention of young minds with the implied power of hot lead.
Call us cynical, but we find that our standards over what constitutes funny Engrish have been changing. Unless it’s something really hilarious, perhaps involving naughty words or references to embarrassing body parts, we just can’t muster up the same kind of enthusiasm we once had. When it comes to English that’s just a little bit off in certain ways, it’s sometimes just not that funny, especially when you understand the number of reasons why Engrish happens in the first place. However, visitors to Japan will always remember that first taste of Engrish fondly, even if the same example might fail to raise an eyebrow after a few years of acclimatizing. The last piece of Engrish I felt was worthy of documenting can be seen above – it’s a T-shirt from a store in Osaka and several years later it still blows my mind. However, there’s also plenty of pretty mediocre Engrish to be found, as we’ll demonstrate after the jump.
I’ve marked my fair share of English exam papers here in Japan, and there have been a few gems of hilarity in amongst the spelling mistakes and butchered grammar, but nothing that measures up to this beauty. One student’s answer to a simple question was so deep and existential, it read like poetry.
Learning a second language is never easy, especially when there are so many things like context, nuance, and cultural connotations standing in the way. The key to conquering these hurdles, though, usually lies outside the pages of a textbook, and the Japanese Government addresses this issue by employing thousands of foreigners to assist English teachers in its education system every year. So where would a foreigner start when correcting a student on the finer points of English as a second language? One of the easiest ways would be to take a look at this collection of commonly misused phrases and their simple fixes, put together by David Thayne, the head of AtoZ English.
MOST POPULAR
Now
Japanese burger chain no longer serves onion rings, but offers intriguing replacement【Taste test】
Taking the Kyoto overnight bus for the first time
Kyoto Whopper divides customers at Burger King Japan
Starbucks Japan unveils second Holiday Frappuccino for 2024
Forbidden area at Japanese mountaintop shrine opens to the public for first time in 400 years
Japan’s caramel gacha machines offer sweet thrills, but do they deliver?
Yakuza vending machines coming to real-world Tokyo neighborhood that inspired Like a Dragon games
Berserk T-shirts coming to Uniqlo for launch of new Manga Curation line【Photos】
Looking for cinnamon rolls on “Japan’s closest street to America”【Taste test】
Made In Japan Fender Limited Edition Hello Kitty Stratocaster now on sale in Japan
Weekly
One of Japan’s most beautiful hot spring towns announces new limits on number of day trippers
Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke teams up with Foxfire for outdoor apparel collaboration【Photos】
After cancelling Halloween, Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood cancels New Year’s Eve too
Japanese job-quitting service contacted by other job-quitting service because employee wants to quit
Mario Kart Happy Meal toys arrive at McDonald’s Japan, and SoraNews24 has the whole set!【Photos】
Tokyo park’s sea of clouds, nighttime illumination, and cosplay days make now perfect time to visit
Beautiful Japanese garden green tea crepes waiting in Tokyo’s historical Asakusa neighborhood
Samurai ritual suicide contest cancelled by organizer in west Japan
American jackass tourist arrested after carving name into gate at Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine【Video】- Berserk T-shirts coming to Uniqlo for launch of new Manga Curation line【Photos】
Monthly
Nintendo’s controller capsule toys are so cool, even the machine you buy them from is awesome【Pics】- One of Japan’s most beautiful hot spring towns announces new limits on number of day trippers
Tokyo Disneyland loses top-attendance crown for Japanese theme parks for second year in a row- Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke teams up with Foxfire for outdoor apparel collaboration【Photos】
Ghibli Park debuts first winter illumination display with Howl’s Moving Castle theme
Pringles releases a limited-edition sweet flavour in Japan
Sanrio and magical girl anime PreCure join forces for new merch line【Photos】
What’s the deal with akebi, the perfectly purple, alien-like fruit that’s in season now in Japan?- Japanese job-quitting service contacted by other job-quitting service because employee wants to quit
- After cancelling Halloween, Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood cancels New Year’s Eve too
Yearly
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Foreign tourists on Shinkansen bullet train break suitcase etiquette, angering local passengers
[Deleted] Article written for April Fool’s Day 2018
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Foreigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Japanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spaces
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Life-size vibrating Legend of Zelda Master Sword for sale from Nintendo【Photos】
Studio Ghibli releases free-download board game — Here’s how to play it without reading Japanese
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Japan’s caramel gacha machines offer sweet thrills, but do they deliver?
Yakuza vending machines coming to real-world Tokyo neighborhood that inspired Like a Dragon games
Berserk T-shirts coming to Uniqlo for launch of new Manga Curation line【Photos】
Looking for cinnamon rolls on “Japan’s closest street to America”【Taste test】
Made In Japan Fender Limited Edition Hello Kitty Stratocaster now on sale in Japan
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
American jackass tourist arrested after carving name into gate at Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine【Video】
Domino’s erupts with a 1kg Cheese Volcano in Japan
The new Ranma 1/2 anime is here! So is it worth watching?【SoraReview】
Japan’s biggest manga magazine is raising its minimum payment rate for creators
Is Burger King’s Big Mouth Burger really as overwhelmingly meaty as promised? 【Taste test】
New Ghibli papercraft kit gives you a little Princess Mononoke forest on your desk【Photos】
Tokyo Bon Japanglish song is a crazy way to learn Japanese 【Video】
-
