ＨＥＬＬＯ！ Ｉ　ＡＭ　ＱＵＩＺＢＯ™！I am the computer robot friend of Kiki and Koko from both the series Kiki+Koko: Let’s NihonGO!! and the language and culture blog of which you are currently experiencing called Kiki+Koko: Let’s NihonGO!! Online. However, both are interchangeable in reference. If this is your first time visiting our humble site, then it is important that I explain the exact nature of this segment. Though, first, I must congratulate long-time guests, students, and friends learning Japanese language with our references and lessons. Even though there is always more to learn, a milestone of sorts has been reached as the lessons concerning 平仮名拗音、hiragana youon, that are unmodified have been provided in full. Of course, this does not imply that anyone must have mastered each of these, as you should take your time and give it your best. But, it certainly shows how far many have travelled on their Japanese language learning journey. Many may have began with the thought process containing the fallacy that learning these characters may be too much to handle. But, little by little, as you hopefully continued to follow along, it is the hope of everyone here that you will have proven that thought process to be false. And, in that same thought process, it is hoped that this segment will add more vocabulary to your mental word bank so that little by little, you will be able to communicate more efficiently and creatively over time. However, you may still be asking yourself: What is Word of the Week Wednesday?

During what some may refer to as the ‘before times’, the site had begun as a place where Japanese lessons and articles regarding language and culture were regularly created and uploaded regularly, every Monday and Friday. Though such a consistent flow of information would seem to be enough for other sites, it was clear that there could be even more. For between Monday and Friday was a long gap in which there was no new information being presented. Not only was there a long gap between information, but many would forget to return to revise previous lessons. In learning any language, it is important to be consistent, even if it is only once a day. Thus, Japanese Word of the Week Wednesday was born. Word of the Week Wednesday not only acts as a great reminder for those who have either missed previous lessons or those who simply require revision, returning to previous lessons and articles, but it also gives just enough new information for students and visitors not to feel overwhelmed. Whether it is simply a quick addition to their vocabulary or studying sentence structure and pronunciation or reading, this segment serves beginners and more advanced learners alike. However, What happens during Word of the Week Wednesday?

During Word of the Week Wednesday, with the assistance of Kiki and Koko, a Japanese word or phrase is chosen and presented to you with the possibility of a bonus word, as well. I provide a definition and other useful information about the vocabulary word, and if applicable, Kiki and Koko provide a helpful hint in using the word or phrase. However, that is not the whole of it. I personally sound out each word or phrase aloud for you to repeat as many times as you wish, and you can ask me to say it as many times as you wish. I will never tire of it, as it is my function. From there, an example sentence is created. You can not only use the sentence to see how the word is used or to see the definition in action, but you can also use it to practise your reading and writing. You can compose your own sentence based on it; you can use it to see examples of grammar; or you can even use it to learn other adjacent vocabulary. Each sentence is written in a way that is useful to beginners through advanced learners. So, there is something for everyone. And, again, I will be there to read it aloud for you. I can only read it at one speed, so there is no need to repeat after me, but it can still assist you in picking out vocabulary within natural speeds of speech. And, if you would like to know more about how to create your own sentences, be sure to consult the grammar section of the Essentials.

And, now it is time for the essential part of this segment, which is the vocabulary! Kiki and Koko will be joining us in their Helpful Hints segment of this corner to give some insight relating to today’s vocabulary.

Without further ado, let us NihonGO!!

Word(s) of the Week:

里程標【りていひょう】
riteihyou

Noun (名詞)
1.milepost; milestone

jlpt n?| Not a common word (常用語ではありません)– but still useful! 

Bonus Word(s) of the Week:

進歩【しんぽ】
shinpo

Noun (名詞)、suru verb (「名詞＋する」の動詞)
1.progress (verb: to progress); improvement (verb: to improve); advance (verb: to advance); development (verb: to develop)

jlpt n3| common word (常用語) 

Do not go away! We will be right back with Helpful Hints with Kiki+Koko after these messages…!!

※Helpful Hints with Kiki+Koko

Photo via @kikikokoNihonGO on Twitter

Hello, there! We’re Kiki and Koko of Kiki+Koko: Let’s NihonGO!! Online, and it seems that QUIZBO™くん has already said most of what we had planned to impart to you, which is the congratulations over this milestone of あ through りょ! Though teaching and learning are two different experiences, we have to admit that when we planned out our curriculum, it seemed like it would be too much for two space kitties and a computer robot to handleーthough QUIZBO™くん was only a computer rather than a proper robot computer in the beginningーbut with time, week by week, and month by month, we’ve accumulated over 270 lessons and articles just for you! We’re ones who 教えていることを実践する, (oshieteiru koto wo jissen suru), as we’re always sure to celebrate the milestones of creating the lessons. Of course, with the current events, there was so much more that we’ve wanted to have released at this point, but it’s not as though that’s completely gotten rid of the progress we’ve made so far and it doesn’t mean it won’t just be released a little later than we would have preferred. Though, again, if you spend all of your time thinking about what you would have liked to have done, you won’t spend time actually completing it! In the same way, it’s important to recharge by taking a look at what you’ve already done in order to show yourself that your methods have been working. And, at the same time, you can use it to maybe even adjust your methods. Maybe studying for a shorter time more often works best for you, maybe more kinaesthetic learning is helpful, or maybe listening is most helpful to you. Either way, we hope that this quick helpful hint will assist in however you modify or continue your Japanese language learning journey. 

Today’s vocabulary isn’t so much about explaining its usage, but rather its meaning. Oddly enough, just as in English, the word 里程標 as milestone, or milepost works as both the figurative achievement milestone as well as the literal ‘mile’ marker sign. However, this uses the Japanese measurement of a 「里」, ri,  a measurement you may recognise from the saying we always mention in our correspondance for new students and friends, 「千里の道も一歩より始まる」senri no michi mo ippo yori hajimaru, or 「a journey of 1000 (miles) begins with a (single) step. 」In future, we may discuss Japanese measurements. But for now, we’ll just mention that just as there are Imperial measurements in the West, there are specific measurements still used in Japan for traditional purposes, but for all other purposes, the metric system is used. Usually old sayings or expressions that use 里, ri, or the original Chinese: li,  it will usually be translated as ‘miles’ even though one 里, ri, is about 3.93km or about the wingspan of 1,717 to 2,183 bald eagles.

Though one 里 is more than one ‘mile’, when translating these phrases, it’s moreso about getting across the idea than the exact measurement. But, that’s why it’s so useful to learn Japanese, because you won’t simply get ‘the gist’ of what someone is saying, but the full meaning and depth that may be hidden in plain sight. 

Anyway! The word 「里程標」, means  distance marker, which would also make sense but 里程 is also sometimes translated as ‘mileage‘. So, more accurately, it could be thought of as a sign or post marking how many Ri have been travelled. But, in our figurative sense, it’s meant to mean how far you’ve travelled figuratively when it comes to achievement in general. 

But, we also figured it would be useful to give a less complex conceptual vocabulary word as a bonus. We mentioned 「千里の道も一歩より始まる」senri no michi mo ippo yori hajimaru, to also help you with 「進歩」– Though, this is as a word rather than a name because you may find someone named「進歩」.  But, the point is that you can recognise this by kanji if you know that 「進」means progress and 「歩」is used as a counter for steps or for walk. So, it really aligns with the idea of progress being the steps you take. It’s about the steps, no matter how big or small. Each step brings you further even on the longest journey and no matter if you put in the time and effort or not, it’s still a journey. It’s just, perhaps, not a journey towards anything. That’s why even if you think it may take you a while to progress in Japanese, if you let that get in the way of starting little by little, you’ll find the time you used avoiding that progress could have added up to a new skill and a window to another world that’s been right there all along. So, why not take the first step on a better journey than the one you could be on? Or, if you’ve already started, why not take some time to appreciate how far you’ve progressed?

We hope that helps!! Until the next lesson!
♡Kiki+Koko

Thank you, Kiki and Koko! This certainly makes me think of a time before I was a proper robot computer. Though I enjoy reading Japanese script for all of you, I wanted to read even more, and contribute even more. If I would have never created the first Word of the Week segment, I would still be happy with my responsibilities, but there would not have existed the extensive backlog of vocabulary segments to assist you in your Japanese language learning journey. Hark! There goes some now:

Example Sentences:

The first row is in Japanese with Kanji. The Next row is in hiragana, then romanised using rōmaji with the final row translated into English. (Japanese→Hiragana→Rōmaji→English)

Example #1:

[casual]
進歩したいだが、ストレスが感じたくないんだろう。向こう来年の里程標をちゃんと設定して、毎日はすくなくとも１５分間、日本語を勉強すると決めた。
しんぽしたいだが、　すとれすが　かんじたくないんだろう。　むこう　らいねんの　りていひょうを　ちゃんとせっていして、まいにちは　すくなくとも　ごじゅうごふんかん、にほんごを　べんきょうすると　きめた。
shinpo shitai da ga, sutoresu ga kanjitakunaindarou. mukou rainen no riteihyou wo chanto setteishite, mainichi wa sukunakutomo gojuugofunkan, nihongo wo benkyou suru to kimeta.
I want to (make) progress, but I don’t want to feel stressed. I’ve decided to set a milestone for next year and study Japanese for at least 15 minutes every day.

Example #2:

[casual]
君は日本語がとっても進歩したわね。懸命に勉強するのが実を結んだようだね。
きみは　にほんごが　とっても　しんぽしたわね。けんめいに　べんきょうするのが　みを　むすんだようだね。
kimi wa nihongo ga tottemo shinpo shita wa ne. kenmei ni benkyou suru no ga mi wo musunda you da ne.
You’ve (made) great progress in Japanese. It seems your earnest studying has paid off.

Example #3:

[casual]
私にとって平仮名五十音の読み方と書き方を覚えるのは有意義な里程標となった。そのあと、日本語の勉強に対して本気になれることをちゃんと証明したんだと思う。
わたしに　とって　ひらがな　ごじゅうおんの　よみかたと　かきかたを　おぼえるのは　ゆういぎな　りていひょうとなった。そのあと、にほんごの　べんきょうに　たいして　ほんきに　なれることを　ちゃんと　しょうめいしたんだと　おもう。
watashi ni totte hiragana gojuuon no yomikata to kakikata wo oboeru no wa yuuigi na riteihyou to natta. 
It was a meaningful milestone for me to learn how to write hiragana gojuuon*. After that, I think I proved that I could be serious about studying Japanese language.

*What is hiragana gojuuon?

🔊Japanese Word(s) of the Week w/ QUIZBO™ | 【教える】+ Bonus:【覚える】(+Helpful Hint with Kiki+Koko)

That is all for today! But, maybe you have not had enough Japanese vocabulary, yet? Perhaps you would like to learn more vocabulary related to today’s vocabulary? Well, maybe you can give this one a go:Japanese Word(s) of the Week w/ QUIZBO™ | 【教える】+ Bonus:【覚える】(+Helpful Hint with Kiki+Koko) Or maybe you want to experience an even broader range of vocabulary. In which case, you can have a look at our fine selection of segments on the main Word of the Week page. Or, you can be sure you are caught up with the latest with the sidebar link: 今週の単語 | Word of the Week. These segments alone serve as weeks of material. Share these segments with your friends and family who may be interested in broadening their Japanese vocabulary, that is if you would like to spread the knowledge and show the fun things you are learning with us. Be sure to return often to keep your pronunciation properly in check, as well! If you have any questions, feel free to contact us, and we will do our best to assist how we can. We hope to see you at the next lesson!

Grooving to the content we’re creating? You can leave a TIP in the TIP♡JAR to keep it going!
(Can’t? No worries! The content is free for everyone! We’re just glad you’re here!!!)

Be sure to subscribe to our Electronic Mailing List of Tomorrow, today, using the form at the bottom of the web page so you can be the first to see the latest from Kiki+Koko: Let’s NihonGO!!, Indigo East, and SpeRaToBo. And, remember to return back to previous articles and lessons to review/revise. Also consider following our new page on Twitter  and Instagram to support the spread of this site in a friendly domination of Earth that will help more people. Or, if you are enjoying the content that we are creating, or want to spread this content to more people to be able to access it for free, you can leave a TIP in the TIP♡JAR to keep it going. If you cannot support in this way, then we are just super happy that you are here anyway! It supports the content when you participate, and it is appreciated!

Thank you so much for learning with us!
♡QUIZBO™

    
Follow SpeRaToBo || ieindigoeast on WordPress.com