Words June 2025 Week 2

The light was dim. (The light was not bright.)

The sea was rough. (Some people got seasick.)

Sansenman is 30 million in English. (We were talking about the high cost of many things.)

The Japanese game PythagoraSwitch is similar to American Rube Goldberg machines. (You can Google these machines for YouTube videos.)

There were many bruises on her arms and legs. (Her arms and legs were black and blue from many injections.)

I bought five 200-yen scratch lotto tickets. (I won five thousand yen in a lottery.)

I spent 10 thousand yen on yakitori and drinks – easy come, easy go. (He got the money easily and then spent it easily. Que sera sera.)

None of the dancers were out of step. (They were line dancing to country music.)

Folk dances are typically regional, traditional, and passed down from generation to generation. (The term “folk dancing” is not common since is so vague. We are usually more specific such as “square dance,” “ballroom dancing,” “slow dancing,” etc.)

She had pancreatic cancer. (She had cancer of the pancreas.)

The photo was taken at her daughter’s engagement party. (You can also say engagement ceremony or engagement dinner.)

I had to attach a photo to my resume. (A resume is a document that presents an individual's professional background, skills, and accomplishments, typically used to apply for jobs.)

I put important papers in document protectors. (Document protectors are primarily used to safeguard documents from common hazards like dust, moisture, and spills.)

I turned in the document on time. (She finished making the document before it was due and can now relax.)

We left home at 5 a.m. (You can say “we started”, “went out” etc. but left home is most common.)

We got there early so the shops selling talismans were closed. (They arrived at 7 a.m. but the shops didn’t open until 9.)

This ( / ) is a slash and this ( \ ) is a backslash.

#10 is read “number ten.

10# is read “ten pounds.

This symbol ( #) is called a number symbol, pound symbol and hashtag. (As you can see, many symbols have several uses.)

A valley is a low flat area between mountains.

A gorge is a deep, narrow valley with steep sides, often formed by a river. 

A ravine is a smaller, narrower valley, similar to a smaller gorge. (Now you know the difference between valley, gorge and ravine.)

Moyamoya disease describes the blood vessels in the brain being tangled. (The Japanese name moyamoya is used internationally to describe this disease.)

The castle is surrounded by a moat. (The moat is filled with water to help prevent the enemy from entering the castle.)

Hashima Island, a.k.a. Battleship Island, is now a ghost town. (One of my students wanted to visit the island but rough seas cancelled the tour.)

Humid means there is moisture in the air and muggy is an informal term that refers to the discomfort of humidity. (After the rainy season is over, there will be many muggy days.)

Gnat bites are very painful. (I always use a bug spray to keep mosquitoes and gnats from biting me.)