Hokudai/Cast

刀郎's 情人 Video

2011-10-15T10:39:00.001+09:00

Learn to sing in Chinese with 刀郎 (Dao Lang) singing 情人 (Qing Ren - Lover) which can also be heard on our podcast on iTunes, Libsyn, or Hokudai/Cast.

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 223: Entrance to Euphoria?

2011-10-11T13:55:00.000+09:00

We have a trilingual lesson talking about being Bilingual (二か国語 Bilingual 双语). Hmm. Interesting, eh? The sentences are:

彼女は二か国語が使えます。
She is bilingual.
她会说两种语言。
私は二か国語が使えません。
I'm not bilingual.
她不会说两种语言。
二か国語が使えますか？
Are you bilingual?
你会说两种语言吗？
誰が二か国語使えますか？
Who is bilingual?
谁会说两种语言？

The music is from Koo2: Hello (GBUC.net) and TianZhen: ZhiZhuo (Chinese-tools.com)

We also have a euphoric Word/Play continuing use of the letters 'eu' which, of course, mean 'good'.

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 220: Botany Bay

2011-09-03T10:56:00.002+09:00

A new show, not a Past/Cast, which features a song in English and one in Japanese plus an older Trilingual Lesson dealing with science words:

evolution
science
mathematics
theory
gravity

Plus, the Word/Play includes words like botany, Botany Bay (which is in Sydney, Australia,) penal, penalty, and penalize.

The music is:

John Paul III by kimux from gbuc.net
I've Got So Many Questions by Ken Kurland with Penny Towers Wilber from musicalley.com

Please enjoy.

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

不得不爱 by Pan Weibo

2011-07-25T13:24:00.001+09:00

A song in Chinese for your listening pleasure. Soon to be showcased on Hokudai/Cast 219

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Chinese Rap with Subtitles

2011-07-01T13:42:00.002+09:00

Practice reading, speaking, and listening to Chinese with this Chinese rap song.

Hokudai/Cast: Your Tri-Lingual podcast for Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Haruka Kanata (Japanese & English)

2011-06-17T13:29:00.001+09:00

Haruka Kanata in Japanese with English & Japanese subtitles for your learning pleasure.
Enjoy.

Hokudai/Cast: Your Trilingual Japanese, English, and Chinese Podcast.

A Sad Love Song (Chinese)

2011-06-06T12:09:00.002+09:00

Andy Lau sings a sad love song in the rain. You can read the lyrics and improve your Chinese. Enjoy.

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun, trilingual podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Learn to Bargain in Mandarin

2011-06-06T12:01:00.002+09:00

More from Peggy Teaches Chinese. Bargaining in Chinese. Watch, listen, and learn.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service trilingual podcast for Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Stefanie Sun 孫燕姿

2011-05-20T13:35:00.001+09:00

A cool wet song by 孫燕姿 Stefanie Sun.

Hokudai/Cast: A Trilingual Podcast to Learn Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Tao Zhe's Sha Tan

2011-05-12T09:35:00.000+09:00

A video of Tao Zhe's song Sha Tan.

With subtitles in Chinese so that you can follow along with the pronunciation.
Enjoy.

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Cui Jian - The Godfather of Chinese Rock

2011-04-25T16:04:00.003+09:00

This is a video using Cui Jian's Rock and Roll on the New Long March
(新长征路上的摇滚). Cui Jian is considered the foremost pioneer of Chinese rock music.

You can read along as he sings.

Some of the lyrics from travellerJim on YouTube:

新长征路上的摇滚

oh..., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

ask heaven, ask earth, how many miles left (for the march)

pray to wind, pray to rain, please leave me alone,

mountain after mountain, river after river,(I) can't tell east from west,

people after people, tongue after tongue, can't tell the truth,

what to say, what to do, I can be myself?

how to sing, how to song, my heart will be satisfied?
heard of it, never seen it, twenty five kilo miles

only talked, not tried, how you know it's hard

lower your head, keep marching, seek my soul

come here, go there, there's no safe place (base)

what I think, what I do, is rifle and millet

only reasoning, no action, is cannon and bomber (red army who only had rifle and millet beat Nationalist army that had cannon and bomber)

flowing sweat, shedding tears, my heart still rebels,

hiding here, concealing there, tell myself take easy.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Geisha House (芸者 - geisha)

2011-03-31T14:34:00.007+09:00

Ever wonder what the inside of a geisha house looks like? Here's a short video of Kanazawa's geisha district and the inside of one house.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Love Comes In Any Shape - Sumo Sisters

2011-03-07T10:23:00.002+09:00

A little tune from an upcoming Hokudai/Cast. In fact, from Hokudai/Cast 199. The Sumo Sisters' "Love Comes In Any Shape." Enjoy.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

What is Kamishibai - 紙芝居?

2011-02-17T23:05:00.003+09:00

What is 紙芝居 - kamishibai?

It's an old Japanese storytelling art done with pictures, a wooden frame, and a storyteller. On one side of a thick paper are the pictures for the story. On the other side, the side the audience doesn't see, the story is written so the storyteller can read it. But the story is not of the picture but of the Next picture, so that the storyteller can read it as the audiences looks at the picture. But good storytellers don't just read the story, they enthuse it with actions, voices, and emotions.

Here is a video that describes and shows what 紙芝居 is:

And here is a video of a professional 紙芝居 storyteller telling a story. Notice how he looks at the back of the picture he has just removed from the frame.

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Chinese (some English) Rock Karaoke

2011-02-05T10:40:00.002+09:00

Chinese rock (from Taiwan). Listen, watch, and learn some Chinese.

蕭亞軒 - 表白

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

クロスロード - 別々の道

2011-01-21T21:53:00.002+09:00

An error was made on the Hokudai/Cast podcast. We announced that the song クロスロード was by the group 別々の道. This is in error. The song クロスロード - 別々の道 is by Koo, who we have had on Hokudai/Cast many times - in fact, you can scroll down to November 18, 2010 (or click on the date) and see another set of lyrics by Koo. As way of apology, here are the lyrics to クロスロード - 別々の道 (Crossroad - Betsubetsu no Michi) by Koo.

クロスロード - 別々の道
by Koo

僕らは何処から別々の道を歩き始めたのだろう

気が付け橋の向こう　君は遠い遠い海を見てる

僕らは大事な何かをきっと　勘違いしてしていたんだろう

本当の自分の姿も　本当のあなたの心も

際限ない存在はない　永遠の感情も無い　変わらない人間はいない

終わらない生命も無い　この先に保証はない　

否定する理由も無い　全ては僕らの中に

すれ違う人たちも　大きな荷物を抱えている

言葉にならなぬ　その想いを呑み込む様に

僕ももう先に行くよ　全ての過去をここに置いて

ララライ　僕らは生きるという旅を続ける

寂しさから　逃げようとしても　しつこく付きまとってくる

逃れられぬ蜘蛛の糸　全身に絡み付く様に

運命だって言葉ひとつで　片付けるのは嫌だけど

運命だから仕方ないよと　自分に聞かせる僕がいる

完全な人間はいない　思い通りの人生も無い　別れの無い出会いも無い

苦しみの無い幸せは無い　否定する理由も無い　

開き続ける真実の扉を

もう一度地図を開いて　新しい場所を探すとするよ

ララライ　自分の旅を終わらせはしない

僕ももう先に行くよ　全ての過去をここに置いて

ララライ　僕らは生きるという旅を続ける　

旅を続ける　生きるという旅を

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

情歌没有告诉你

2010-12-11T14:02:00.002+09:00

情歌没有告诉你
Love Song Does Not Tell You
by Fish Leong - 梁静茹 - Liang Jingru

yǒu xiē shì nǐ bù bì wèn　
有　些　事　你不必问　
yǒu xiē rén nǐ bù bì děng
有　些　人　你不必　等　
xǔ duō xì jié yǐ yān mò
许多　细节　已淹　没　
hái jì de nà fù gē
还　记得那副歌
qíng huà bèi xiàn shí fǎn bó　
情　话　被　现　实　反　驳　
hái bù rú yī jù qíng gē
还　不如一句　情　歌
ān wèi le jì mò　 yě wèi yǎng jì mò
安慰　了寂寞　也喂　养　寂寞
tīng zhe nà shú xī qián zòu
听　着　那熟　悉　前　奏　
huí yì nì liú chéng hé　 yān mò nǐ wǒ
回　忆逆流　　成　河　淹　没你我
nèi xiē qíng gē　 shì wǒ　 wèi nǐ chàng guò
那　些　情　歌　是　我　为　你　唱　过　
bié hòu nà piàn tiān kōng
别　后　那　片　天　空　
méi yǒu rú guǒ　 méi shuō de
没　有　如果　　没　说　的　
xī wàng nǐ huì dǒng
希　望　你会　懂　
ài hèn tǎn tè　 shì nǐ　
爱恨　忐　忑　是　你　
péi wǒ zǒu guò
陪　我走　过　
qíng gē méi yǒu gào sù nǐ wǒ
情　歌没　有　告　诉你我
zhī chàng yǒng qì méi yǒng qì hái shì méi jié guǒ
只　　唱　勇　气没　勇　气还　是　没　结　果　
zài měi gè mèng xǐng shí fèn　
在　每　个　梦　醒　时　份　
shuí huì péi nǐ shù shāng hén
谁　会　陪　你数　　伤　痕　
xǔ duō xì jié dōu fù huó　
许多　细节　都　复活　
dāng chàng qǐ nà shǒu gē
当　　唱　起那　首　歌
yǒu xiē huà bìng bù néng shuō
有　些　话　并　不　能　说　
què néng gòu bù duàn ān kě
却　能　够　不　断　安可
tā ràng nǐ gǎn dòng　 yě ràng nǐ xīn tòng
它　让　你感　动　　也　让　你心　痛　
nèi xiē qíng gē　 shì wǒ　 wèi nǐ chàng guò
那　些　情　歌　是　我　为　你　唱　过　
zēng chù mō de tiān kōng
曾　触　摸的　天　空　
nèi xiē jì dòng　 méi shuō de
那　些　悸　动　　没　说　的　
yòng wēi xiào dài guò
用　微　笑　带　过　
ài hèn tǎn tè　 shì nǐ　 péi wǒ zǒu guò
爱恨　忐　忑　是　你　陪　我走　过　
qíng gē méi yǒu gào sù nǐ wǒ
情　歌没　有　告　诉你我
zhī chàng yǒng qì méi yǒng qì hái shì méi jié guǒ
只　　唱　勇　气没　勇　气还　是　没　结　果　
ài shì shén me 　gǎn dòng yǔ zhòu
爱是　什　么　感　动　宇　宙　
gǎn dòng bù liǎo nǐ yòu suàn shén me
感　动　不　了　你又　算　什　么
zhè bú shì gē　 shì jì mò de chū kǒu
这　不是　歌　是　寂寞的出　口　
nèi xiē qíng gē　 shì wǒ　 wèi nǐ chàng guò
那　些　情　歌　是　我　为　你　唱　过　
zài méi yǒu duì cuò
再　没　有　对　错　
nèi xiē wēn róu　 xī wàng nǐ huì dǒng
那　些　温　柔　　希　望　你会　懂　
nèi xiē qíng gē　 shì wǒ　 wèi nǐ chàng guò
那　些　情　歌　是　我　为　你　唱　过　
wǒ men dōu gāi kuài lè
我们　都　该　快　乐
nèi xiē chén mò　 méi shuō de
那　些　沉　默　没　说　的　
bú yào biàn fù hè
不要　变　负荷
ài hèn tǎn tè　 shì nǐ　 péi wǒ hēng guò
爱恨　忐　忑　是　你　陪　我　哼　过　
qíng gē méi yǒu gào sù nǐ wǒ
情　歌没　有　告　诉你我
zài shě bù dé méi yǒu shè hái shì bú huì de
再　舍　不得没　有　舍　还　是　不会　得
nèi xiē qíng gē　 shì wǒ
那　些　情　歌　是　我
rú guǒ nǐ huì 　xiǎng wǒ
如果　你会　　　想　我
nèi xiē qíng gē　 shì wǒ
那　些　情　歌　是　我
méi gào sù nǐ　 shì wǒ
没　告　诉你　是　我
nèi xiē qíng gē　 shì wǒ
那　些　情　歌　是　我
rú guǒ nǐ huì 　xiǎng wǒ
如果　你会　　　想　我
nèi xiē qíng gē　 shì wǒ
那　些　情　歌　是　我
méi gào sù nǐ　 shì wǒ　
没　告　诉你　是　我

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

2010-12-09T23:20:00.002+09:00

Another Seattle Standard Cafe video - the drummer graduated from Hokuriku University so please enjoy.

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

僕らだけの約束 - Our Promise

2010-11-18T12:21:00.002+09:00

僕らだけの約束
by Koo
from gbuc.net

君と僕の約束　そう多くも無いでしょ

世界などは知らない　僕らだけの約束

あーあ　あーあ　僕らだけの約束

子供の頃夢みた　未来とは違っても
今の僕はいつでも　あの頃と続いてる

あーあ　あーあ　今だって続いてる

う〜　時々　とても不安になるんだ
う〜　全てが消えてしまうんじゃないかと

いつか見た夢の事　僕は君と別れて
ひとりぼっち眺めてる　今夜の様な月を

あ〜あ　あ〜あ　今夜の様な月を

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

What is Beijing?

2010-11-03T21:32:00.010+09:00

What is Beijing? A video short of Beijing.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Morning in No-machi, Kanazawa, Japan

2010-10-16T00:21:00.005+09:00

Another quick video starring Kanazawa. This time, the morning street scene in No-Machi, which is near downtown Kanazawa. Music by Somewhere Off Jazz Street which might be found at musicalley.com.

_______________________
Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Ambiguous - 暧昧 by Wang Fei - 王菲

2010-09-30T10:56:00.003+09:00

Ambiguous by Wang Fei

méi mù lǐ sì kū bù sì kū
眉　目里似哭不似哭

hái qí qiú shí mǒ shuō bù chū
还　祈求　什　麽　说　不出　

péi zhù nǐ qīng hū zhù yān quān
陪　著　你　轻　呼著　烟　圈　

dào chún biān ～ jiǎng bù chū mǎn zú
到　唇　边　～　讲　不出　满　足

nǐ de wēn róu zěn kě yǐ bǔ zhuō
你的温　柔　怎　可以捕　捉　

yuè lái yuè jìn què cóng bù jiē chù
越　来　越　近　却　从　不接　触　

la～～
la～～
chá méi yǒu hē guāng zǎo biàn suān
茶　没　有　喝　光　早　变　酸　

cóng lái méi rè liàn yǐ xiāng liàn
从　来　没　热　恋　已　相　恋　

péi zhù nǐ tiān tiān zài dōu quān nà chán rào zěn mǒ kě
陪　著　你　天　天　在　兜　圈　那　缠　绕　怎　麽可

suàn duǎn
算　短　

nǐ de yī shang jīn tiān wǒ zài chuān
你的衣　裳　今　天　我在　　穿　

wèi liú zhù nǐ què réng rán wēn nuǎn
未　留　住　你却　仍　然　温　暖　

pái huái zài sì kǔ yòu tián zhī jiān wàng bù chuān zhè
徘　徊　在　似苦又　甜　之　间　望　不　穿　这　

ài mèi de yǎn
暧昧　的眼　

ài huò qíng jiè lái tián yī wǎn
爱或　情　借　来　填　一晚　

zhōng xū dōu guī huán méi wèi duō tān
终　须都　归　还　没　谓　多　贪　

yóu nǐ zài sì jí ruò lí zhī jiān wàng bù chuān zhè ài
犹　疑在　似即若　离之　间　望　不　穿　这　暧

mèi de yǎn
昧　的眼　
sì shì nóng què réng rán hěn dàn tiān zǎo huī lán
似是　浓　却　仍　然　很　淡　天　早　灰　蓝　

xiǎng gào bié piān wèi wǎn
想　告　别　偏　未　晚　

chá méi yǒu hē guāng zǎo biàn suān
茶　没　有　喝　光　早　变　酸　

cóng lái méi rè liàn yǐ xiāng liàn
从　来　没　热　恋　已　相　恋　

péi zhù nǐ tiān tiān zài dōu quān nà chán rào zěn mǒ kě
陪　著　你　天　天　在　兜　圈　那　缠　绕　怎　麽可

suàn duǎn
算　短　

nǐ de yī shang jīn tiān wǒ zài chuān
你的衣　裳　今　天　我在　　穿　

wèi liú zhù nǐ què réng rán wēn nuǎn
未　留　住　你却　仍　然　温　暖　

pái huái zài sì kǔ yòu tián zhī jiān wàng bù chuān zhè
徘　徊　在　似苦又　甜　之　间　望　不　穿　这　

ài mèi de yǎn
暧昧　的眼　

ài huò qíng jiè lái tián yī wǎn zhōng xū dōu guī huán
爱或　情　借　来　填　一晚　　终　须都　归　还　

méi wèi duō tān
没　谓　多　贪　

yóu nǐ zài sì jí ruò lí zhī jiān wàng bù chuān zhè ài
犹　疑在　似即若　离之　间　望　不　穿　这　暧

mèi de yǎn
昧　的眼　

sì shì nóng què réng rán hěn dàn tiān zǎo huī lán
似是　浓　却　仍　然　很　淡　天　早　灰　蓝　

xiǎng gào bié piān wèi wǎn
想　告　别　偏　未　晚　

pái huái zài sì kǔ yòu tián zhī jiān wàng bù chuān zhè
徘　徊　在　似苦又　甜　之　间　望　不　穿　这　

ài mèi de yǎn
暧昧　的眼　

ài huò qíng jiè lái tián yī wǎn zhōng xū dōu guī huán
爱或　情　借　来　填　一晚　　终　须都　归　还　

méi wèi duō tān
没　谓　多　贪　

yóu nǐ zài sì jí ruò lí zhī jiān wàng bù chuān zhè ài
犹　疑在　似即若　离之　间　望　不　穿　这　暧

mèi de yǎn
昧　的眼　

sì shì nóng què réng rán hěn dàn tiān zǎo huī lán
似是　浓　却　仍　然　很　淡　天　早　灰　蓝　

xiǎng gào bié piān wèi wǎn　
想　告　别　偏　未　晚　

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

即时生效 - Efffective Immediately (Lyrics)

2010-09-02T15:22:00.002+09:00

Effective immediately (即时生效)
By Jolin Tsai 蔡依林 (Cai Yilin)

jiē xiǎo yīng gāi shì ài qíng zài bàn lù pāo máo
揭　晓　应　该　是　爱　情　在　半　路抛　锚　
suǒ yǐ qiū bǐ tè chí dào
所　以丘　比特迟　到　
hái hǎo wǒ men zài dōu guò le xǔ duō wān jiǎo
还　好　我们　在　兜　过　了许多　弯　角　
zǒu jìn le tóng yī zuò chéng bǎo
走　进　了　同　一座　　城　堡　
nǐ shuō rú guǒ zǎo yù dào duō hǎo
你　说　如果　早　遇到　多　好　
duō jǐ fēn jǐ miǎo nǐ dōu yào
多　几分　几　秒　你都　要　

wǒ shuō nà jiù jiā bèi duì wǒ hǎo
我　说　那就　加　倍　对　我好　
nǐ diǎn zháo tóu gěi wǒ kěn dìng de wēi xiào
你　点　着　头　给　我肯　定　的微　笑　
ài qíng jí shí shēng xiào xià yī miǎo
爱　情　即时　　生　效　下　一　秒　
xìng fú jiù suàn bīng shān yī jiǎo hěn nán zhǎo
　幸　福就　算　冰　山　一　角　很　难　找　
nǐ shì dài wǒ dǐ dá de lù biāo
你是　带　我抵达的路　标　
jiù suàn tiān yá hǎi jiǎo
就　算　天　涯海　角　
shì yán jí shí shēng xiào duì wǒ hǎo
誓　言　即时　　生　效　对　我好　
yán tú ǒu ěr yù dào fēng bào ràng wǒ kào
沿　途偶尔遇到　风　暴　让　我靠　
jì de yào bǎ wǒ de shǒu zhuā láo
记得要　把我的　手　抓　牢　
dā yìng wǒ bù qīng yì fàng diào
答　应　我不　轻　易　放　掉　

jiē xiǎo yīng gāi shì ài qíng zài bàn lù pāo máo
揭　晓　应　该　是　爱　情　在　半　路抛　锚　
suǒ yǐ qiū bǐ tè chí dào
所　以丘　比特迟　到　
hái hǎo wǒ men zài dōu guò le xǔ duō wān jiǎo
还　好　我们　在　兜　过　了许多　弯　角　
zǒu jìn le tóng yī zuò chéng bǎo
走　进　了　同　一座　　城　堡　
nǐ shuō rú guǒ zǎo yù dào duō hǎo
你　说　如果　早　遇到　多　好　
duō jǐ fēn jǐ miǎo nǐ dōu yào
多　几分　几　秒　你都　要　

wǒ shuō nà jiù jiā bèi duì wǒ hǎo
我　说　那就　加　倍　对　我好　
nǐ diǎn zháo tóu gěi wǒ kěn dìng de wēi xiào
你　点　着　头　给　我肯　定　的微　笑　
ài qíng jí shí shēng xiào xià yī miǎo
爱　情　即时　　生　效　下　一　秒　
xìng fú jiù suàn bīng shān yī jiǎo hěn nán zhǎo
　幸　福就　算　冰　山　一　角　很　难　找　
nǐ shì dài wǒ dǐ dá de lù biāo
你是　带　我抵达的路　标　
jiù suàn tiān yá hǎi jiǎo
就　算　天　涯海　角　
shì yán jí shí shēng xiào duì wǒ hǎo
誓　言　即时　　生　效　对　我好　
yán tú ǒu ěr yù dào fēng bào ràng wǒ kào
沿　途偶尔遇到　风　暴　让　我靠　
jì de yào bǎ wǒ de shǒu zhuā láo
记得要　把我的　手　抓　牢　
dā yìng wǒ bù qīng yì fàng diào
答　应　我不　轻　易　放　掉　
ài qíng hé shí jiān sài pǎo
爱　情　和时　间　赛　跑　
wǒ men yào yì qǐ dào lǎo
我们　要　一起到　老　
nǐ suǒ wèi wǒ zài jiān shàng pī de nà jiàn wài tào
你所　为　我在　肩　　上　披的那　件　外　套　
dài biǎo nǐ yī bèi zi gěi wǒ de zhuān shǔ yī kào
代　表　你一辈　子给　我的　专　属　依靠　
wēn róu de ràng wǒ zǒng rěn bú zhù xiǎng xuàn yào
温　柔　得　让　我　总　忍　不住　　想　炫　耀　

ài qíng jí shí shēng xiào xià yī miǎo
爱　情　即时　　生　效　下　一　秒　
xìng fú jiù suàn bīng shān yī jiǎo hěn nán zhǎo
　幸　福就　算　冰　山　一　角　很　难　找　
nǐ shì dài wǒ dǐ dá de lù biāo
你是　带　我抵达的路　标　
jiù suàn tiān yá hǎi jiǎo
就　算　天　涯海　角　
ài qíng jí shí shēng xiào xià yī miǎo
爱　情　即时　　生　效　下　一　秒　
xìng fú jiù suàn bīng shān yī jiǎo hěn nán zhǎo
幸　福就　算　冰　山　一　角　很　难　找　
nǐ shì dài wǒ dǐ dá de lù biāo
你是　带　我抵达的路　标　
jiù suàn tiān yá hǎi jiǎo
就　算　天　涯海　角　
shì yán jí shí shēng xiào duì wǒ hǎo
誓　言　即时　　生　效　对　我好　
yán tú ǒu ěr yù dào fēng bào ràng wǒ kào
沿　途偶尔遇到　风　暴　让　我靠　
jì de yào bǎ wǒ de shǒu zhuā láo
记得要　把我的　手　抓　牢　
nǐ bú huì qīng yì dì fàng diào　
你不会　轻　易的　放　掉　
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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Karen Mok - 莫文蔚 (Mo Wenwei)'s Honey

2010-08-27T09:28:00.004+09:00

Honey
– Karen Mok • 莫文蔚 (Mo Wenwei) –

bù zhī cóng nà tiān kāi shǐ
不知　从　那　天　开　始　
bù zhī dào nà yì tiān zhǐ
不知　到　那一　天　止　
nǐ yī zhí dōu cáng zài wǒ xīn dǐ
你一直　都　藏　在　我心　底
shí guāng tíng zài nǐ yǎn lǐ
时　光　停　在　你眼　里
hài pà dé bù gǎn shēng xī
害　怕得不敢　　声　息
wǒ hǎo xiǎng zhù jìn nǐ de líng hún lǐ
我好　　想　住　进　你的　灵　魂　里
qīng fǔ zhù nǐ de tóu 　shuì bɑ
轻　抚著　你的头　　睡　吧　
wǒ zài nǐ mèng lǐ
我在　你　梦　里
bù guǎn xǐng zài nà lǐ
不　管　醒　在　那里
bǎo bèi
宝　贝　
wǒ jì de nǐ
我记得你
bù zhī cóng nà yì tiān qǐ
不知　从　那一　天　起
zài méi yǒu nǐ de xiāo xī
再　没　有　你的　消　息
zhè shì jiè hū rán jiān bù měi lì
这　世　界　忽然　间　不美　丽
yáng guāng xià de wǒ huái niàn nǐ
阳　　光　下　的我　怀　念　你
děng dài zhù nǐ de guī qī
等　待　著　你的归　期
wǒ hǎo xiǎng tóu jìn nǐ de huái bào lǐ
我好　　想　投　进　你的　怀　抱　里
jǐn wò zhù nǐ de shǒu　 shuì bɑ
紧　握著　你的　手　　睡　吧　
wǒ zài nǐ huái lǐ
我在　你　怀　里
bù guǎn xǐng zài nà lǐ
不　管　醒　在　那里
bǎo bèi
宝　贝　
wǒ ài zhù nǐ
我爱著　你
jǐn wò zhù nǐ de shǒu　 shuì bɑ
紧　握著　你的　手　　睡　吧　
wǒ zài nǐ mèng lǐ
我在　你　梦　里
bù guǎn hé shí hé dì
不　管　何时　何地
bǎo bèi
宝　贝　
wǒ jì de nǐ
我记得你
wǒ ài zhù nǐ　
我爱著　你

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Wo Ai Ni - S.H.E. Today by SSC

2010-08-16T17:32:00.015+09:00

First, a video from S.H.E titled Wo Ai Ni, which we know from listening to Hokudai/Cast 171 means "I love you" in Chinese. Right? Right. Watch, listen, and enjoy. Following that, we have a video from Seattle Standard Cafe (featuring a Hokuriku University graduate) while in Shanghai on their first ever performance outside of Japan. Cool, eh? Enjoy.

Link to their video if you can't see it.

And now, Seattle Standard Cafe in Shanghai - SSCnS? Enjoy.

Link to their video if you can't see it.

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Taiyo no Maho

2010-07-31T09:48:00.004+09:00

The lyrics for
Taiyo no Maho
by Koo
from GBUC.net

太陽の日差しに満ちてる　まるで誰かに背を押される様さ
自然と前を向いてく　そうこれが太陽の魔法

吹き抜ける風を追いかけ　僕は全力ではしった
狭い道を抜けると　そこは真っ青が突き抜ける世界

世界のスピードについてゆけずにくよくよするけど
喜びも悲しみさえも　この大きな青は呑み込んでく
どもまでも続くこの青い世界は　まだ見ぬ何かを信じる力
与えてくれる

Listen and follow along to learn a little Japanese pronunciation and go to Hokudai/Cast to learn more English, Japanese, Chinese and listen to more music.

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

S.H.E.'s SHERO

2010-07-13T15:07:00.005+09:00

On your right you can see a photo of the Chinese pop group S.H.E. and the song we have included in Hokudai/Cast 167, S.H.E.R.O. If you're studying Chinese, please listen, enjoy, and learn. If you're not studying Chinese, please listen and enjoy.

Follow along with the words in Chinese or the transliteration of the Chinese words and see if you can pronounce the words. Could be fun. Enjoy.

SHERO
by S.H.E

péi zì jǐ kàn yān huǒ

陪自己看烟火

péi zhe zì jǐ qù dōu fēng
陪着自己去兜风

xiàng ruǎn ruò shuō fēn shǒu　
向软弱说分手

zì jǐ lǚ xíng zì jǐ mèng
自己旅行自己梦

hē yī guàn bīng pí jiǔ　
喝一罐冰啤酒

guàn gài jiǔ wéi de jiǔ wō
灌溉久违的酒窝]

ràng xiào róng huí dào shuāng jiá de fěn hóng
让笑容回到双颊的粉红

nà shì shuí shuō
那是谁说

nǚ hái méi yǒu ROCK’N ROLL
女孩没有 ROCK’N ROLL

wǒ duì wǒ shuō
我对我说

dāng zuì hòu zhī shèng xià wǒ shuí shì wǒ yīng xióng
当最后只剩下我谁是我英雄

kàn bú dào zhǎo bú dào　
看不到找不到

děng bú dào nǐ de HERO
等不到你的 HERO

wèi hé bù zuò zì jǐ
为何不做自己

zhī shǒu chēng tiān de SHERO
只手撑天的 SHERO

nǐ kě yǐ wǒ kě yǐ
你可以我可以

wéi zì jǐ fù tāng dǎo huǒ de SHERO
为自己赴汤蹈火的 SHERO

xiàng nǚ wáng huī wǔ zhù
像女王挥舞著

jiāo ào pī fēng
骄傲披风

xiān zhuǎn shēn xiān zì yóu　
先转身先自由

xiān shuō zài jiàn xiān jiě tuō
先说再见先解脱

shì jiè zài tā bèi hòu　
世界在他背后

yuán lái zhè me de liáo kuò
原来这麼的辽阔

yě jiān qiáng yě wēn róu　
也坚强也温柔

yě yǒu jǐn wò de quán tou
也有紧握的拳头

qù qiāo zòu quán xīn shēng huó de jié zòu
去敲奏全新生活的节奏

nà shì shuí shuō
那是谁说

nǚ hái méi yǒu ROCK’N ROLL
女孩没有 ROCK’N ROLL

wǒ duì wǒ shuō
我对我说
dāng zuì hòu zhī shèng xià wǒ shuí shì wǒ yīng xióng
当最后只剩下我谁是我英雄

kàn bú dào zhǎo bú dào　
看不到找不到

děng bú dào nǐ de HERO
等不到你的 HERO

wèi hé bù zuò zì jǐ
为何不做自己

zhī shǒu chēng tiān de SHERO
只手撑天的 SHERO

nǐ kě yǐ wǒ kě yǐ　
你可以我可以

wéi zì jǐ fù tāng dǎo huǒ de SHERO
为自己赴汤蹈火的 SHERO

xiàng nǚ wáng huī wǔ zhù jiāo ào pī fēng
像女王挥舞著骄傲披风

zài wǒ de biān nián shǐ zhōng
在我的编年史中

xiě xià le yí gè chuán shuō
写下了一个传说

yào bǎ History gǎi xiě chéng Her story
要把 History 改写成 Her story

zài wǒ de huí yì lù zhōng
在我的回忆录中

kuài lè yào màn yán hěn jiǔ
快乐要蔓延很久

nà jiù jīn tiān kāi shǐ jiàn zào wǒ wáng guó
那就今天开始建造我王国

wǒ shì nǚ wáng yì bān de SHERO
我是女王一般的 SHERO

kàn bú dào zhǎo bú dào
看不到找不到

děng bú dào nǐ de HERO
等不到你的　HERO

wèi hé bù zuò zì jǐ
为何不做自己

zhī shǒu chēng tiān de SHERO
只手撑天的　SHERO

nǐ kě yǐ wǒ kě yǐ　
你可以我可以

wéi zì jǐ fù tāng dǎo huǒ bù zài tuì suō
为自己赴汤蹈火不再退缩

bú yào liǎo bù zhǎo liǎo
不要了不找了

bù děng le shuí yào HERO
不等了谁要HERO

zhàn chū lái zuò zì jǐ
站出来做自己

zhī shǒu chēng tiān de SHERO
只手撑天的SHERO

nǐ kě yǐ wǒ kě yǐ　
你可以我可以

wéi zì jǐ fù tāng dǎo huǒ 　de SHERO
为自己赴汤蹈火的 SHERO

xiàng nǚ wáng 　huī wǔ zhù
像女王挥舞著

jiāo ào pī fēng
骄傲披风

S-H-E-R-O S-H-E-R-O
S-H-E-R-O S-H-E-R-O
S-H-E-R-O S-H-E-R-O
S-H-E-R-O S-H-E-R-O

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Charlene Choi - 蔡卓妍

2010-07-10T11:38:00.004+09:00

On your right we have a picture of Charlene Choi (蔡卓妍) who sings one of the songs in Hokudai/Cast 166. The song in English is Big Storm and in Chinese is 大风暴. And below the picture are the lyrics to the song, if you're learning Chinese and want to follow along.

If you're studying Japanese, it won't help, though. It won't help if you're studying English either, but it certainly is fun to listen and follow the words, if you can. Enjoy:

蔡卓妍 - 大风暴

你只是玩笑却没有拥抱
是你给我这场风暴的暗号

我在捉摸你的情绪
你的眼角发出天气的预报

是否有什麼我做得不好
所以平时球赛比我重要

如果沉默总是你的最后警告
我没打算要逃跑

快要来到这一场大风暴
我压抑着心跳为明天来祷告
快要来到翻天覆地的大风暴
要吹走我们的合照
结果变得无聊你不礼貌

我不计较不能在风中跌倒耶

爱情的乌影太让我捆扰
你已连续三次看着手表

是否未为了另一个人被神魂颠倒
你说明白好不好

我不计较我只需奔跑思考奔跑
我会好好检讨
一定熬成为你的爱看的频道

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Chinese Rap Video

2010-05-28T22:54:00.003+09:00

A Chinese rap video for your listening and viewing pleasure. Naturally, I have no idea what she's singing. Enjoy.

Jazzy cafe-style music for you listening pleasure. Just a little experiment in audio.

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Tetsuo Sakurai Bass Solo

2010-05-25T18:08:00.002+09:00

A simple bass solo for your listening pleasure. Although he seems to have six strings on his bass, it is still a bass. (The bass is not a fish.)

mbed>

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

What is Shogi? An anime with English subtitles

2010-05-16T10:06:00.002+09:00

An interesting shogi match with English subtitles. It's understated but nice. In its basic format it follows NHK's shogi matches - an expert and a female announcer doing the play-by-play and quietly.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 146: Cooking in a Quaqmire

2010-02-22T11:25:00.002+09:00

Click here for Jesushairdo's video for his song Elephant in the Sky.

Today, following last week's Hokudai/Cast when we talked about oden, we will show you how to make a delicious oden. Suitable for any cold, wintry, stay-at-home day. In this video it takes about an hour to cook. More to prepare to food.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 145: The Music Video

2010-02-12T09:32:00.001+09:00

Today's George Hrab music video: The Assumption

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 144: The Music Video

2010-02-05T13:11:00.003+09:00

A music video from Autopilot, the South African rock group on Hokudai/Cast 144: What is Moor vs moor? To see more about Autopilot click here. Enjoy. And watch more videos over at MiraiSozo (videos taken at Hokuriku University.)

By the way, the site where we hosted our audio show notes has closed down. No more audio show notes for a couple of weeks. They'll be back soon, we hope.
_______________________________________
Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

What is Extreme Skateboarding? This.

2010-01-21T20:49:00.002+09:00

Do NOT try this at home, boys and girls. This is a combination skateboarding and basejumping at the Grand Canyon. Again, leave this to the professional crazy people, okay. Enjoy the video.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai Festival Dancers Two!

2009-11-17T19:15:00.002+09:00

Click Here to See More Dancers!

Actual video will be uploaded here soon so stayed tuned.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokuriku University Dance! Festival

2009-10-30T16:43:00.001+09:00

At Hokuriku University's school festival a couple of weeks ago, we had Dancing! Here is some of the dancers. More to come!

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Fire at Hokuriku University

2009-10-27T12:17:00.003+09:00

A couple of weeks ago Hokuriku University had a school festival. This group of fire players came and entertained everyone on the last day. Enjoy.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 129: A Close Brush with Getting Up

2009-10-16T11:03:00.003+09:00

Since we talked about getting up and brushing your teeth in English, Japanese, and Chinese, here is a video of a rap song about brushing your teeth. Enjoy.

说起用英语，日语和中文说霉天起床和刷牙的事，下面是一个关于刷牙的饶舌歌曲。请欣赏。

Dream Jam Band – Brush Your Teeth - Watch more Funny Videos

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 125: Fashionable Fear & Silver Week

2009-09-25T10:46:00.005+09:00

On your left we have a picture of pie ala mode. Pie with ice cream. This particular pie seems to be apple pie. There's a phrase "As American as apple pie." But there is no phrase "As American as apple pie ala mode." Although there should be as pie ala mode is very popular, especially in the summer, in the US.

In Japan there is a series of holidays in April/May that sometimes line up quite nicely to form a solid week of holidays. Starting with April 29 - Showa Day because it was Emperor Hirohito's birthday - and ending May 5th - Children's Day (which used to be called Boy's Day. There was no Girl's Day). This week is called 'Golden Week.' Well, there is also, in September, another series of holidays that can line up to form another solid week of holidays called Silver Week. The holidays are Sept. 21, 22, 23 and when they line up with Saturdays and Sundays (and in this economy, Fridays) it is possible for those in Japan to have six days holiday. This just happened this year and everyone was extremely happy - except employers.

And now, a reggae video from Vimeo: Tosh Meets Marley

Tosh Meets Marley from Reggae, Ska & World Music on Vimeo.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 121: What is August Funky?

2009-08-07T11:21:00.002+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 121

Here is a simple video about Augustus Caesar, the namesake of the month of August, one of the stronger emperors of the Roman empire, nephew of Julius Caesar (the namesake of July), and enemy of Cleopatra. In the video it appears that Augustus speaks English with a British accent. Very peculiar. Please watch.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 119: How Do You Spell Caesar?

2009-07-17T14:57:00.002+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 119
Click on 'Posts' on the player at left.
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Caesar. There are many words related to Caesar. There are the Roman leaders Julius and Augustus, who gave use the months of July and August. There is caesarian section which is a surgical method of giving birth - It is said Julius Caesar was born by caesarian section. There is also a Caesar salad but this is not named after either Julius or Augustus.

Related to Caesar are two other words we use with leaders: Kaiser and Tsar. Kaiser is used for the leader of Germany before World War 2. Kaiser means 'emperor' but the word comes from 'caesar.' Tsar is the word we use for the leader of the Russian Empire before that empire collapsed in 1917. Tsar is sometimes spelled Czar. Today we often see tsar or czar used for a government worker who is in charge of something. For example, we often see someone called the Energy Tsar or the Drug Tsar. This means they are in charge of government policies for energy or drugs.

If you search for 'Caesar' spelled 'Caesar' on the internet, you will get almost 19,000,000 sites. If you search for 'Ceasar' spelled 'Ceasar' you will get almost 2,000,000 sites. Why? Because the correct spelling is 'Caesar'. (AE nor EA).

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Hokudai/Cast 115: Energetic Love

2009-06-18T12:56:00.003+09:00

Here is Jackal and Wolf's new video for their song "For Love," one of two songs on today's Hokudai/Cast. The other song is "Tripping" by After the Ice. They have a video on their site, too.

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Hokudai/Cast 114: Optimistic Love

2009-06-12T12:04:00.005+09:00

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What is SNS?
What does SNS stand for?
Who uses SNS?

SNS stands for Social Networking Site. Social Networking Sites are things like blogs, MySpace, MyFace, and other sites where you can communicate with strangers over the internet. Flickr (a photo sharing site) is a popular SNS for people who like photographs, for example.

Many people use SNS. If you post to an online forum, you are probably using an SNS. In fact, many large companies such as IBM, Dell, Microsoft, and Coca Cola use SNS to advertise their products, talk to consumers, answer questions, and ask people questions. Large companies are starting to communicate with people using SNS.

If you use SNS and can upload audio or video, can type in two or three languages, and enjoy talking with people, perhaps you should look into getting a job at a company as the SNS person. It might be fun and you'll definitely learn alot while getting paid. Just a thought.

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Hokudai/Cast on MySpace

Hokudai/Cast on MySpace

2009-06-12T01:50:00.006+09:00

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Click on "MySpace Promo"

A
New
and Exciting Development?

Hokudai/Cast is now available on MySpace.
at
http://www.myspace.com/hokudaicast

or click on the link above or below

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•
Hokudai/Cast on MySpace

Special Hokudai/Cast video: 初恋 by NJ

2009-06-09T10:26:00.005+09:00

Here is a simple video using NJ's 初恋 (First Love) which can be found at GarageBandUsersClub.Net. The video was taken, of course, at Hokuriku University.

初恋 by NJ will also be featured on our Hokudai/Cast 114 coming next week! Along with a Trilingual Lesson dealing with words like boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, husband and other words related to love. Please enjoy our special video episode.

Also, Hokudai/Cast has a MySpace page. Check out Hokudai/Cast on MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/hokudaicast)

HatsuKoi (First Love) from The DinoSoar on Vimeo.

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Hokudai/Cast 113: Creative Hunger

2009-06-04T11:38:00.002+09:00

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What is Alternative rock? Back in the 1970s it was rock music and musicians who couldn't get a contract with a record company. But back in the 70s it was called punk. Punk musicians played what they wanted and didn't expect to make any money. Ironically, punk music created the foundation for the inventiveness of Nirvana, a huge success. Nirvana began as a garage band, then became a grunge band and finally, a success.

And now, besides alt rock we also have alt rock music videos. Here's one by The Plastic Surgeons of Rock and Roll.

The Plastic Surgeons of Rock n' Roll alt video from flush studios on Vimeo.

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Hokudai/Cast 112: What Are Cheerful Pains

2009-06-04T08:48:00.002+09:00

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I've said it before and I will probably say it again, but if you learn about roots, prefixes, and suffixes - about what they are, what they mean and how they are used to make English words - you will probably be able to improve your vocabulary - and spelling - quickly and easily.

In Hokudai/Cast 112 we have great possbilities. We use the prefix im - it means 'not' - to learn three words. Start with plausible, probable, possible. Add the prefix im and we get impossible, improbable and implausible.

With just two letters - i and m - we learn the antonyms of plausible, probable, and possible. And now, we can learn synonyms of these three words, too. They are all synonyms (although they carry a slightly varying degree of meaning).

By the way, antonym is made up of a prefix (ant) and a root (onym). Ant means opposite and onym means name. Similarly synonym is made up of a prefix (syn) and the same root (onym). Syn means same. So, what does synonym mean? That's right: the same name or the same meaning. See, roots, prefixes, and suffixes are fun!

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Hokudai/Cast 111: What is Retrospect?

2009-05-22T08:38:00.003+09:00

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Perhaps you have heard of prefixes, roots, and suffixes before. Here is a quick refresher. Many words in English have two or three parts: a root (the base) and a prefix or a suffix (or both). The prefix comes in front of the root. (Pre means 'before') and the suffix comes after the root.

Here is an example:

dict - this is a root; it means 'say' and we find it in words like dictation, dictator and diction.
pre - this is a prefix and it means 'before.' We can see it in preview and previous.

If we put these two parts together we get predict. 'Predict' means 'say before something happens.' In a sentence: "A fortune teller claims he can predict when I will fall in love."

We can add a suffix to predict to make a new word.

able - this is a suffix and it means 'can' or 'able to.'

If we add it to predict, we get the word Predictable which means 'able to say before something happens.' In a sentence: "She told him she wanted a divorce. His reaction was predictable."

Finally, we can add another prefix to make a completely opposite word.

un - this is a prefix and it means 'not.' We can see it in words like unlikeable, unsure, and, from Alice in Wonderland: unbirthday.

We can add 'un' to 'predictable' and we get Unpredictable. 'Unpredictable' means 'can not say before something happens.' In a sentence: "You should stay away from crazy dogs because their actions are unpredictable."

Knowing the parts of words helps you build your vocabulary easily. If you know what the parts mean, you can make a good guess as to what a new word means. Knowing the parts of words also helps you learn to spell new words easily.

Many prefixes, roots, and suffixes in English come from Greek or Latin.

Check out some of these sites for lists of prefixes, roots, and suffixes.

Good luck.

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 110: Jack and A Trip

2009-05-08T14:57:00.004+09:00

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The name 'Jack' is often used as a generic name for men. If you don't know someone's name, you can safely say, "Hey, Jack, come over here." And the person won't be offended. Why Jack has become a generic name, no one is sure but it has been used for at least 400 years.

A 'jack of all trades' means a person (not necessarily a man) who can do many things. He has learned many trades: carpentry, plumbing, painting. He might be able to do many things but he might not be the best at any of them. The complete phrase is 'Jack of all trades, master of none.' That means he can do many things, but is not the expert in any trade.

A Renaissance man or woman is someone who can do many things well. Leonardo DaVinci was a Renaissance man, for example. The Renaissance was a period of time when the arts and sciences flourished and many people were both artists and scientists. A Renaissance man, then, is opposite a Jack of all trades - he or she can do many things very well.

And now, for no particular reason, a short trip by car through a small part of Kanazawa.

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 109: What is Golden Week?

2009-05-07T12:50:00.004+09:00

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Tae Kwon Do is originally from Korea and the parts mean 'strike or break with the foot' (Tae) and 'strike or break with the hand or fist' (Kwon) and 'method' (Do). Every year Hokuriku University invites a Tae Kwon Do group from Korea to demonstrate their sport and it is quite amazing. They jump pretty high and split wood being held by another person who is standing on the shoulders of another person. (There are both men and women in the group.)

Tae Kwon Do Demonstration

Tae Kwon Do - Spirit - Click here for more free videos

What is Golden Week? A series of Japanese national holidays that all fall in a nice row about from April 29 (Showa Emperor's birthday) to May 6th (Children's Day.) During the week people go to their hometowns or tourist resorts or other countries. The freeways, train stations, and airports are very busy.

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 105: Africa Rocks

2009-03-26T16:48:00.003+09:00

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This is the first in a short series about Africa. What do we know about Africa? Most of us, when we think of Africa, think animals: lions, elephants, and millions of pink flamingos. But what is it really like? Let's find out.

Drifting with the wind in South Africa:

Jackal and Wolf performing their hit 'Jackal and Wolf'

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Hokudai/Cast 104: Machiavellian Rock and Blues

2009-03-19T20:52:00.002+09:00

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About Machiavelli from The Discovery Channel (not-so-easy English)

Salman Rushdie (author of Satanic Verses, Midnight's Children, and The Enchantress of Florence) on Machiavelli. Mr. Rushdie uses words like 'devious,' 'cynical,' and 'power politics' to describe Machiavelli's message.

However, he describes Machiavelli the person as very democratic, a party animal, a sweet man, and a gentle person plus a successful playwright. He also says he was a philanderer.

Rushdie uses the phrase 'shooting the messenger.' This means that the person who tells you bad news is punished when all he or she had done is tell you the bad news.

In this video Rushdie describes the person more than the message of Machiavelli. Please listen and enjoy.

Rushdie mentions a man called Amerigo Vespucci, a cousin of Machiavelli's friend. Amerigo Vespuci was a map-maker who made maps for another Italian, Christopher Columbus (see Hokudai/Cast 103). America got its name from Amerigo.

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Hokudai/Cast 103: Inquisitive Blues

2009-03-11T09:08:00.003+09:00

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Inquisitive. This is the word for the day on Hokudai/Cast 103. It means to ask questions or to want to know about a subject.

There is a era in European history known as The Spanish Inquisition. As you can see inquisition and inquisitive are very close in spelling. They are also very close in meaning. Inquisition is the noun for the verb inquire and adjective inquisitive.

The Spanish Inquisition was in Spain. The purpose was to find heretics - people who did not follow the rules and laws of the Catholic church in Spain. The Inquisitors (people who asked questions) could be very cruel and many people died. The Inquisitors asked many people about the rules and laws of the church in Spain and why the people didn't follow them. Being a heretic was a serious offense.

The Spanish Inquisition was started by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. They are more famous for giving an inquisitive explorer three ships and crew so that he could sail to China to find pepper and other spices. Christopher Columbus got lost, however, and ended up discovering America in 1492.

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Hokudai/Cast 102: Special Musical Episode

2009-03-04T13:13:00.002+09:00

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Is WiFi indispensable for your life or dispensable? First, I guess it depends on if you know what WiFi means or not. WiFi is the name of a wireless lan. That means you can use your cell phone to surf the internet. Without WiFi you wouldn't be able to surf it. (This is different from getting text messages from your friends.)

How often do you use your cell phone to look up things on the web? Everyday? Only when you are sitting at your computer? Well, as of this April Hokuriku University is going to have WiFi in all the classrooms. This means you bring your cell phone or computer and look up information on the internet. How will you use it? How will teachers use it? This is going to be a fun year, don't you think? Will WiFi become indispensable for education?

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Hokudai/Cast 101: The Sightseeing Pharoah

2009-02-26T16:22:00.003+09:00

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Vacation and holidays. Vacation means you can skip out of work or school and enjoy yourself. The weekends (Saturday and Sunday) are not vacation days but merely our weekends. Holidays in American English are special days, like the Fourth of July, or Thanksgiving. In British English, holidays means vacation (in American English). Originally, of course, holidays meant a religious day, one where people didn't have to work. Holy days. Like Christmas and Sundays.

Whatever you call it, university students in Japan are not in schools this month or next. It is their spring vacation. School starts in April but in the mean time, they are free to travel, work part-time jobs, or even study. Most, however, will probably hang out with their friends and dread the coming of April.

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Hokudai/Cast 100: Introduction to Beautiful Business

2009-02-18T10:37:00.008+09:00

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Over on the MiraiSozo Blog is a four-minute video of 44 US presidents. One of them, Abraham Lincoln, was born February 12, 1809. Another famous person was born the same day: Charles Darwin. February 12, 2009 was their 200th birthday.

Abraham Lincoln, of course, lead the US during the American Civil War (1860 - 1865) and was just voted the best US president by a group of American historians. He was assassinated in Ford's Theater in 1865. Last week President Obama gave a speech praising Lincoln in Ford's Theater. Lincoln's most famous speech is probably his Gettysburg Address. This speech begins with "Four score and seven years ago..." This is a very famous phrase now. (A 'score' is 20 years, so he is saying 87 years ago.) By the way, in the 1800s it was normal for speeches to last two hours or more. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address lasts about two minutes.

Charles Darwin wrote On The Origin of Species, a biology book that explained how natural selection works. Natural selection is the basis of the theory of evolution. Darwin sailed around the world from 1831 to 1836 and collected a wide variety of plants and animals. He also noticed that the same animal was subtly different in different places. From these differences he introduced his theory of natural selection. His ideas changed the way people thought about botany, zoology, and biology in general. He greatly influenced science and scientists. He died in 1882. (And yes, the city of Darwin, Australia is named after him.)

Our Word For Today is Beautiful. Try to use it whenever you can.

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Hokudai/Cast 98: How Do You Say...?

2009-02-12T10:07:00.006+09:00

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(Believe it or not, that was a sneeze.) Como se dice Japon en ingles? That's Spanish for 'How do you say Japan in English?' 'Como se dice' in Japanese is '何と言いますか?' Let's start backwards. 'か' means whatever you said before it is a question. For example,

Today is Saturday.
今日は土曜日です。

We can make into a question by adding か:

今日は土曜日ですか?

Now it means, 'Is today Saturday?'

'何と言いますか?' iimasu (言います) means ' to say' from the verb iu (言う). Nanto (何と) means 'what is.' 'to (と)' is an indicator that goes with the verb iu. Before iu (言う) we often say to (と). And 'nan' (何) means 'what?'

So, 'What do you say this word?' would actually be "How do you say this?" in Japanese.

This is useful for nouns but it's not so useful for verbs unless you like to spend a lot of time doing pantomime. However, it's very important if you are going to a country that speaks English to learn how to say "How do you say..."? and then point at something.

How do you say this? How do you say that?

This is one way you can increase your vocabulary in any language if you learn how to say "How do you say...?" or '何と言いますか?' or 'Como se dice?" The more you use it perhaps the larger your vocabulary will become.

Thank you and good luck.

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Groundhog Day Update for 2/2/09

2009-02-03T09:37:00.002+09:00

Last week we told you about Groundhog Day. Well, February 2nd was the day. And the results, after a minute or two of coaxing Punxsutawney Phil out of his home:

As you can see and hear in the video, six more weeks of winter will follow Punxsutawney Phil seeing his own shadow.

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What is Groundhog Day?

2009-01-28T16:31:00.002+09:00

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What is Groundhog Day? (link in English) When is it? What do people do on Groundhog Dog? (Link in Japanese)

Groundhog Day is a fun day where people can, if they remember that it is Groundhog Day, have a party and enjoy themselves. Most people don't remember until they see news on TV that Phil either saw his shadow or didn't. What does it mean if he sees his shadow? Winter will last six more weeks. If he doesn't see his shadow, it means spring is just around the corner - It's coming soon!

The next time you see an American, ask if they know when Groundhog Day is. (And no, not the movie staring Bill Murray.) By they way, Phil is the name of the groundhog.

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Hokudai/Cast 96: What Are the 12 Animals of the Chinese Zodiac?

2009-01-22T16:06:00.006+09:00

Chinese New Year'sis just around the corner this year so we thought we'd introduce the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. They are:

rat
ox (cow)
tiger
rabbit
dragon
snake

horse
ram (sheep)
monkey
rooster (chicken)
dog
pig

Three of them, the ox, ram, and rooster, sometimes have different names. One, the dragon, is the only mythical animal. I've been told it's because the dragon is very strong. Also, the rat is a strong symbol rather than, like in the west, a dirty animal. It's always enlightening to view the world through different eyes, isn't it?

In other events, the school year in Japan goes from April to March. Today is mid-January so school is winding down right about now. Final exams are looming up and students are getting nervous. On the other hand, after the final exams comes spring vacation. Spring vacation goes from early February to the first week of April. Two months! Very nice, eh?

Check out the Department of Future Learning at
Hokuriku University

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Hokudai/Cast 94: A New Feature

2009-01-08T14:32:00.003+09:00

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Hokudai/Cast is stealing an idea from the A Word A Day website and introducing one word on each episode of Hokudai/Cast. I guess this would be more like a word a week. The idea is for you to listen to the word and try to use it during the week. If you use a word often, you will keep it and it will become part of your vocabulary. Over time, your vocabulary will grow and grow into gigantic proportions! Great news, eh?

In Hokuriku University news, a senior baseball player has been drafted by a local minor league team. This could be a step towards the Japanese major leagues. Also, a freshwoman has won the Junior Olympic trampoline championships. And, if you're interested in ice hockey, Hokuriku University's hockey team was chosen to play in the national collegiate championships for the 14th year in a row. Pretty exciting sports stuff at Hokuriku University this week.

Back to building your vocabulary. The first thing you should do is read. When you come to a word you don't know, look it up and try to use it often. The more you read, the larger your vocabulary will become. The next thing you should do is listen. Listen to podcasts, like Hokudai/Cast and others that use the language you want to learn. The more you listen, the larger your vocabulary will become. Finally, don't forget to use the words as often as possible. The more often you use a word, the more your brain will remember it.

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Hokudai/Cast 93: Keeping Your End Up

2009-01-05T09:23:00.003+09:00

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About half of a conversation in American English is you speaking. People want to hear what you think about what they said. If you only nod your head while remaining silent, people will get tired of speaking with you. You don't want this to happen, do you? If you don't understand what people say, you should say so - this will make other people want to help you understand. What should you say? Easy. Say:

"I don't understand what you just said."
"I think I understand the words, but I don't understand the meaning."
"What did you just say? I don't know the word ~."

This will make it easier for the person you're talking to to help you understand. Everyone wants people to understand them. If you understand but can't express your feelings, you can say:

"I know what I want to say, but I can't say it in English."
"I'm not sure how to say what I mean."
"I understand what you said, but I don't know how to respond in English."

Even if you disagree with the other person, they might help you express yourself in English.

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Happy Holidays.

2008-12-25T22:18:00.002+09:00

Happy Holidays!

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Hokudai/Cast 91: What is an Abacus?

2008-12-18T16:27:00.002+09:00

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Wow, what is an abacus? The first ones date from about 4,000 years ago in what is now Iraq. Then, about 2600 years ago an abacus appeared in what is now Iran. This is the abacus that spread across the globe, ending up in the Roman empire, China, India, and, eventually, Japan. Japan first got an abacus from China in about 1600 AD.

People who are efficient at using an abacus can do arithmetic problems very quickly. Some people don't even need the abacus to calculate the numbers - they just flick their fingers as if they had an abacus. An amazing sight to see. From a few thousand years ago, when the abacus was made of stone or wood, we now have, thanks to the iPhone, a completely modern abacus: a virtual abacus. Watch this video:

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Hokudai/Cast 90: Drama and Dorama

2008-12-11T09:33:00.008+09:00

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First, if you download from iTunes there is a new mini-Hokudai/Cast called Cafe Hokudai. Just a little light jazz for your listening pleasure. With a few distorted pictures to look at on your iPod.

Second, you'll need Flash to listen to Hokudai/Cast. If you haven't got it, get it here.

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In Japanese 演劇 (engeki) means drama when you mean plays on the stage such as Shakespeare plays. If you mean drama on TV, the Japanese word is borrowed from English and it is ドラマ (dorama). There are many ドラマ on Japanese TV and many of them star pop singers.

One feature of many radio stations is the radio dorama or audio drama. These are usually short - sometimes less than 10 minutes - and often involve few speaking parts. Recently, radio dramas in Japan are used to build an audience for anime movies that come out a few months after the radio drama. (Anime is shortened from another word borrowed from English: animation but now it has its own meaning: Japanese animation.)

Anime is so big that the number of people who are voice actors grows every year. Voice actors in Japan are big stars. In Japanese they are called 声優 (seiyu). 声 is voice and 優 (yu) is actor. A male actor is a 男優 while a female actor is a 女優. (Male = 男; female = 女 )

Besides 演劇 and ドラマ, there are the traditional plays of Japan: 文楽 (Bunraku), 能 (Noh) and 歌舞伎 (Kabuki). By far the most popular are, of course, TV dramas staring pop singers.

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Hokudai/Cast 89: Get a Job

2008-12-04T09:51:00.003+09:00

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Factory worker, office worker, and employer all have one thing in common. First, they are jobs and second, they all end in ~er. ~er is one of the groups of letters that end words that are related to jobs and jobs are important, especially these days when so many companies are laying off so many workers. Other words related to jobs that end in ~er are teacher, minister, and gardener.

Besides ~er, there is also ~or. Actor and doctor are two words that end in ~or that are related to jobs. Notice that when you remove the ~er or ~or, you have verbs (動詞). (except for doctor.)

Act, work, employ are all verbs.

By adding ~er or ~or to the end, you make a noun that is about a job. But it's not only ~er and ~or that can be added to the end of a word to make it about jobs. ~ian can also be used. If you add ~ian to the end of music, you get musician; if you add it to the end of politic, you get politician.

There is one more group of letters that can be used: ~ist. Dentist and artist are two job-related words that end in ~ist. While it is not exactly a job, you often hear the word terrorist in the news. This is another job-related word that ends in ~ist.

Lastly, a new word that has emerged from South Central Los Angeles is krumper. What is a krump? Someone who krumps. What is krumping? Watch this video:

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 88: Interviews About Kanazawa

2008-11-28T14:19:00.005+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 88 - Interviews about Kanazawa

Click on 'Posts' on the player at left to hear these notes.

This week we asked a bunch of people the same questions in English, Japanese, and Chinese. (Not so many but a few.) The main questions were:

What is your favorite Japanese pop music group?
What is your favorite place for night view in Kanazawa?
What is the most delicious restaurant in Kanazawa?
What is your favorite shopping spot in Kanazawa?
If you had a girlfriend/boyfriend where would you want to go in Kanazawa?

We asked in English, Japanese, and Chinese. Not all the answers are serious, by the way, so there might be some laughter.

The question at the beginning is: What is your favorite Japanese pop music group and the answer was

Cat-O'-Nine Tails

which just happens to be our music for today and their new release: snufkin or I Wait for the Postcard You Won't Send. Please enjoy.

Next week: more interview questions.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 87: Sites for Listening

2008-11-22T09:12:00.004+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 87

Click on 'Posts' on the player at right to Listen to these Notes.

Here are a few sites to listen to our three languages. In this post, we'll show you three Mandarin sites. In the future we'll try to find you some good sites for learning Cantonese.

Sites for Practicing Listening to Mandarin

Ten easy (?) lessons for beginning Mandarin can be found at BBC Languages.
A list of sites using natural (TV and radio) Mandarin can be found at Learn ChineseEZ.
A long list of conversations in relatively easy Mandarin can be found at Chinese Tools.

Sites for Practicing Listening to Japanese

Simple expressions you can listen to can be found at Japanese.About.
More difficult listening exercises can be heard at UVic Asian Studies.
Some natural (normally spoken, normally used - taken from radio and field recordings) Japanese can be heard at Griffith University.

Sites for Practicing Listening to English

You can read and listen simultaneously to English from around the world at ELLLO.
A rather fun site with simple listening exercises and pre-listening can be found at Caroline Brown Listening.
Normal and quick English can be heard at English Listening Lounge.

Here is a video of the song on Hokudai/Cast 87 by Cat-O-Nine Tails:

By the way, there is a Swedish group called Cat O'Nine Tails that plays ultra-heavy thrash metal. They should not be confused with the Japanese indies band called Cat-O-Nine Tails.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 86: Vigorous Body Parts Part Three

2008-11-13T15:56:00.002+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 86

Click on 'Posts' on the player at left.

Click on Hokudai/Cast 86 to hear these notes.

With the internet and hundreds of online language learning sites and podcasts, people can learn nearly any language in the comfort of their own homes. This has never been available to people before. It is an exciting time! As recently as only 10 years ago, if you wanted to learn a foreign language you had to buy a book, or find a school that provided classes, or - and this is the most fun - go to wherever that language was spoken in order to learn it; live, work, and play in a foreign country. But now we have easy access to sounds, books, and videos to teach us. We can learn anything if we put our minds to it.

In the coming months, we hope to show you some videos, podcasts, and blogs that will help you learn English, Chinese, and Japanese. If you have any favorite sites, let us know and we'll pass them along to everyone else.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 85: Extreme Body Parts 2

2008-11-11T10:04:00.006+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 85

Click on 'Posts' on the player at right.

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Body parts are often used in phrases that have nothing to do with the body part. For example, look at these four body parts:

leg ankle toes and foot.

If we start at the top with 'leg' we have "Shake a leg." This means two things. First, it means 'get up' and second, it means 'hurry up.' 'Shake a leg' - Move fast or get up quickly. Another phrase with 'leg' is from actors and the stage. Actors think it is bad luck to say 'Good luck' so instead of saying 'Good luck' to an actor before he goes out on stage to act, they say something that is not good. They say, 'Break a leg.' 'Break a leg' means 'good luck.'

The next word, ankle, has one that is often used, especially to new mothers or fathers. It's ankle-biter. An ankle-biter is a baby or a small child because they are walking or crawling around your ankles.

Toes. There are two phrases that we can use with toes. One is 'toe the line.' This means to be the same as everyone else, or to conform and be serious along with everyone else. The other phrase is 'be on your toes.' This means 'be alert.'

Finally we have 'foot.' First we have 'foot in the mouth.' This you've said something wrong, you shouldn't have said it, and you can't take it back so you have your foot in your mouth. The other one deals with beginning. The other phrase is 'foot in the door.' Once you get your foot in the door you have a new beginning or an opportunity, if you are on your toes, to go higher in an organization, become more popular, or earn more money once you get your foot in the door.

So our phrases, starting with leg, are:

shake a leg
break a leg

and ankle

ankle-biter

toes

toe the line
be on your toes

foot

foot in the mouth
foot in the door

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 84: Salt and Salary

2008-10-31T12:57:00.003+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 84

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How important is salt? During the European Age of Exploration (the 1400s) it drove nations to explore new worlds - Columbus was looking for pepper and salt; Vasco da Gama was looking for a short route to India where salt was plentiful. Salt toppled the British Empire in India (Gandhi's famous Salt March in 1930 started it.) It was used as payment to soldiers during the Roman Empire. And humans need salt, although too much is dangerous.

The English word for 'salary' comes from the Latin word 'salarium' which meant 'money to buy salt.' There are a quite a few phrases that use 'salt.' Here are five.

worth your salt - obviously this means that you are worth a lot; you are valuable. You can say, "She's worth her salt." This phrase goes back to the Roman era. More recently people say, "She's worth her weight in gold."
salt of the earth - this means that you are good, hardworking, and a true friend.
take it with a grain of salt - this means you shouldn't take it seriously or you should be careful about believing it. A person might say, "You should take this with a grain of salt but I think she's getting promoted."
back to the salt mines - this means back to work. Working in a salt mine is hard work. After lunch, a salaryman (a salt man?) might say, "Well, back to the salt mines." And then go sit in a nice air-conditioned office.
rub salt into a wound - this means making things worse. If you've ever cut your finger cooking and then accidentally put some salt into the cut, you know this really hurts. If someone is upset because his dog just ran away and you say, "Maybe you didn't feed him enough." The first person can say, "Why don't you just rub some more salt in my wound."

Salt, a world-shaping spice.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 83: Body Parts Part One

2008-10-23T09:29:00.003+09:00

Click on the Title to hear Hokudai/Cast 83

Hokudai/Cast 83 brings you a Trilingual Lesson that includes the Chinese and Japanese words for 'arm, wrist, hand, finger' and 'leg, ankle, foot, toe' as well as 'eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.' This is part one of our Body Parts series. In English we often use parts of the body in phrases that have little to do with the body. For example:

Long arm of the law - This means the police will catch you eventually and you can't escape forever.

Point a finger at - This means to accuse someone of something. For example: "She thought someone stole her iPod and pointed the finger at me even though I was in a different prefecture."

Finger - This means you point someone out, especially to the police. For example: "I stole her iPod but her friend fingered me and I was arrested."

There are several phrases that deal with hands.
For example: hand in, hand over, hand out, and hands down.

'Hand in' means to give something to someone, usually an assignment to a teacher. "Please hand in your report by November first."

'Hand over' means to give something to someone even if you don't want to. "England handed over Hong Kong to China in 1997." You often see hand over' in movies when the criminal or policeman says, 'Okay, hand it over.'

'Hand out' is phrase that means 'gift' but is meant in a mean way; some people think the person who gets the hand out doesn't need it or deserve it. "He doesn't work. He just waits for some hand outs."

And "hands down" means easily. "Hands down, he is the best musician in school." Or "The iPod is hands down the best mp3 player on the market."
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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 82: Festive Festival

2008-10-19T20:01:00.007+09:00

Click on the title to listen to Hokudai/Cast 82

In Hokudai/Cast 82 we interview people who took part in Hokuriku University's school festival (学園祭 - gakuensai - in Japanese.) Please remember that not everyone at Hokuriku nor everyone in Japan studies English or speaks it. We snuck up on people and asked them questions - in English. They had to struggle to get the answers. They did well. We also have some music by a student band and a teacher.

To the left is a photo of a student band doing a sound check. Drums, bass, guitar, and vocalist. Kind of a heavy metal sound with J.pop lyrics.

To the right are two of the many booths set up by different clubs. Most of them are selling food or drinks; some sell handmade or recycled things.

Here is a short (six and a half minutes) movie: Festive Festival Part One. It begins with traditional taiko (drums) and it has koto music, a street scene, and rock-pop music (acoustic and electric guitar and beat box). Please watch and enjoy.

Taiko drumming 0:00 - 0:13

Koto 0:20 - 3:32

Street scene 3:32 - 4:02

Utalu Rock/Pop music 4:03 - 6:32

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 81: Names and Months

2008-10-08T08:22:00.003+09:00

Click on Hokudai/Cast 81 to listen to the episode.

Click on 'Posts' on the player at left.

Click on 'Hokudai/Cast 81' to listen to these notes.

Hokudai/Cast 81 talks about the suffix ~onym. Onym means name. In English classes the most common word with the suffix ~onym might be either antonym (ant = against, opposite) or synonym (syn = same). A teacher might ask, "What is an antonym for cold?" And, of course, the students will scream out, "Hot!" Or a teacher might ask, "What is a synonym for cold?" And the students will yell out, "Chilly! Freezing!"

However, if you go to wikipedia and look up ~onym you will find a long list of words that use the suffix ~onym.

In Hokudai/Cast 81 besides antonym and synonym, we mention:

heteronym (same spelling but different sound):

Desert (a sandy place with no water) and desert (abandon)

Does (do something) and does (female deer)

Invalid (not valid) and invalid (a sick person)

homonym (different spelling but same sound):

Eight and ate

Sail and sale

Two and too

pseudonym (fake name, pen name, stage name).

Natsume Soseki is a pseudonym for Natsume Kinosuke.

Richard Bachman is a pseudonym for Stephen King

Ken Ogata is a pseudonym for Akinobu Ogata

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 80: 50 Seasons?

2008-10-02T09:07:00.003+09:00

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Hokudai/Cast 80 has a list of the 50 most commonly used words in English. The first 11 words are

they
of
an
a
to
in
is
you
that
it
he

The 12th word is "was." Did you notice that the seventh word was "is"? These are both from the verb 'to be.' All the other words on the list are similar - small words often used. Another verb on the list is 'have'. Memorizing this list would be useful if you wanted to read quickly over the smaller words. There aren't many verbs or nouns on the list of 50 most used words and verbs and nouns are the important part of the sentence. You should find the words that you need and learn them. After you learn the words you need, you should practice using them.

Find, Learn, Practice

Rhythm of Our Feet by Somebody's Closet

I feel the breeze of transition coming round the corner tapping me on my back. With it comes visions of rebirth from the past. Its like the spring changing everywhere on the earth underneath my feet. Another step on the road to growing into being complete.

Its been forewarned and its been said, that when the waves come over our heads the sharks will circle in but they wont win. They wont feed on me. I will go on and on with the beat; with the rhythm of our feet.

When I look around its safe to say Im not the only one that feels this way. I can see behind their eyes anticipation for a change. Some show hesitation, perhaps so fear of what the unknown will bring. Some have that fire in their eyes looking ready for anything.

But we all have heard the sound when the rain comes pouring down. A sharp wind may try to make us cold, but it wont. In my soul I know we will go on and on with the beat; with the rhythm of our feet.

They say we cant change anything, but whose to say that we cant die trying.

Summer Is Gone by Pensive

Summer is gone and I can’t be here anymore
Slide into fall and I’ll never be too sure
Will you be here waiting when snow hits the ground
Summer is gone and I can’t stop this world from spinning around

Can I stay here another day, another day
Can I stay here with you
Can I stay here another day, another day
Can I stay here with you

Watching you sleep and I’m counting down the days
Hoping that your dreams will remind you of this time and place
You can see that I can’t stop this world from spinning around

Can I stay here another day, another day
Can I stay here with you
Can I stay here another day, another day
Can I stay here with you

Can’t you see it’s a tragedy
Every word I say, every song I sing’s about you, about you

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 79: Count the Quads?

2008-09-25T12:17:00.003+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 79

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HokudaiSai is October 11th and 12th.

Music, food, comedy, and more music plus special events. Please come enjoy!

In Word/Play in Hokudai/Cast 79 we talked about Quad, which means four. We see 'quad' in such words as 'quadruped,' (an animal with four feet), 'quadruple' (make something four times bigger), and 'quadruplets' (four babies born to the same mother at the same time - Here are a famous set of quadruplets.).

We also see it in the word 'quadriplegic' (someone who cannot move their arms or legs - someone who is paralyzed). The physicist Stephen Hawking is paralyzed - he can't move his body. He probably has no problem solving quadratic equations - math problems to solve X.

'Quad' is also what Americans call a 'square' where people can gather. In Japanese it's called '広場' This 'quad' is the shortened form of the word 'quadrangle.' Many quads - especially in university campuses - are surrounded by buildings or streets so they are square and quadrangle means a shape with four sides. A square is a quad and both are, in Japanese, 広場 (hiroba).

This October 11th and 12th in the quad at Hokuriku University there will be the school festival - Hokudai Sai - 北大祭.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 78: Rainy Days and School

2008-09-17T11:12:00.004+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 78

Click on the player at left to hear these notes.

Rain.

It's raining cats and dogs. Save for a rainy day. Don't rain on my parade. These are sayings using the word 'rain.' In the first one rain actually means rain. When it rains cats and dogs, a lot of rain is pouring down. Nobody knows why cats and dogs are associated with heavy rain, however.

A rainy day is not necessarily a day. It could be a period of time (a day, week, month, or year) when things are bad - maybe you have no job or the pay is very low. Instead of spending all of your money when things are good, you should save some for when things are bad (a rainy day.)

Rain on a parade is not a good thing. Everyone gets wet and the people watching the parade run away to seek shelter in the storm. The sentence "Don't rain on my parade" is asking people not to make you feel bad about something you feel good about.

On the opposite side of the street we have "Take a walk on the sunny side of the street." This means be optimistic (cheerful and happy). This should not be confused with 'Sunny side up' which is one way to cook eggs.

Music in Hokudai/Cast 78 is:

"A Little Rain" by Tongue of the Dog

"Rain" by Bernadette Seacrest and Her Yes Men.

Additional music is "Lava" by Manzi.

Some sound effects are from Freesound.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 77: Vacation Gone

2008-09-10T13:31:00.003+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 77

Click on the player at left to hear these notes.

Vacation, Vacant, Vacate, and Vacuum are all related. Their root is vacare which is Latin for empty or to empty. A vacation, of course, is when we are free to do what we want; we are empty of responsibilities. American high school students just finished their summer vacation. They started back to school in the first week of September after being free of school for June, July, and August. (But not all of June.)

Vacant is also empty. Vacant is usually used with a house; for example -

"That house is vacant. Nobody lives there." or

"The vacant lot next to my house has a lot of nice trees and flowers."

Another word related to vacant and houses is Vacancy. If you see a sign on a house or apartment that says "Vacancy" it means the house is for rent. It's empty now.

If you need to tell someone to get out of a building you can say, "Please vacate the building." Vacate is a verb that means leave or make the building empty.

Finally, we have Vacuum. Of course we use this word when we clean our rooms with a vacuum cleaner. A vacuum cleaner empties a room of dirt. Space, beyond the earth, is sometimes called a vacuum because we sometimes think of it as empty.

Pound Bend by Russ Aimz

We're so happy today

Passing time in the shade

There's a blue sky painted above

It reminds us to give more love

More love

We stand beside the riverside

I can't deny your air supply you give to me

You're so tall and slim when we breathe in deep

We live a little more

A 360 view of sticks and eucalyptus

Crisp brown leaves

Feel the rivers strength push around Pound Bend

We're so happy today

Passing time in the shade

There's a blue sky painted above

It reminds us to give more love

More love

We stand beside the riverside

I can't deny your air supply you give to me

You're so tall and slim when we breathe in deep

We live a little more

A 360 view of sticks and eucalyptus

Crisp brown leaves

Feel the rivers strength push around Pound Bend

We're so happy today

Passing time in the shade

There's a blue sky painted above

It reminds us to give more love

More love

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 76: New School Days

2008-09-03T13:12:00.004+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 76

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Terraforming. This word has two parts - terra, which means Earth and land - and forming, which means make. Let's look at Terra first.

Terra is also used in terra incognita, which means unknown (incognito means unknown) land. This was used on maps centuries ago when explorers did not know what lay beyond. More recently, terra is used in the word terra cotta, which means 'cooked' or 'baked' earth. Terra cotta is a form of pottery. The famous terra cotta soldiers of Xian, China are an example.

You will often see 'terra' used in the phrase terra firma. This phrase means 'land.' It is a word used by sailors when they see land after a long time at sea. You can use it when you land after a long plane flight. "At last," you can say, "I'm on terra firma."

Forming in terraforming means make. Stars are formed (created), ideas are formed. And, in the world of space exploration, planets are made livable (for humans) through terraforming. Terraforming is making a planet livable by introducing plants, atmosphere, and water. Scientists are thinking of terraforming Mars someday; other scientists think this is impossible because Mars is too small.

Some of the sounds on Hokudai/Cast 76 are from FreeSound and Movie Sounds. Additional music is by Manzi, a local Kanazawa indies band.

Thank you for listening.

________________

Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

West Meets East

2008-08-28T13:50:00.001+09:00

From College Humor

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 75: Reggae Manga

2008-08-11T09:35:00.003+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 75

Click on 'Posts' on the player at left to hear these notes.

Convenience stores are all over the place in many countries - sometimes two or three on one corner. They are convenient but they are also expensive; more expensive than a regular grocery store. We pay for the convenience of a store that is open 24/7. The word 'convenience' also includes the word 'convene' which means a place to meet. You can say, for example, "Let's convene at the convenience store." Another word wrapped in 'convenience' is 'venue.' Venue is a place. It's often used for concerts or conventions. "Where is the venue?" you can ask. The answer could be a concert or convention hall or, even a convenience store.

Today's songs are Podcast Reggae by Reggae Far East (Japan)

and

O Manga by Cumplice (Brazil)

Does 'manga' mean manga in Portuguese?

I don't know. If you know, please let me know. Thanks.

Both are found at PodsafeAudio.com.

Additional music was by Manzi, an independent Kanazawa band.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 74: Summer Surfboard Basics?

2008-08-07T11:08:00.005+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 74

Click on Posts on the player at left to hear these notes.

Ever since the Beach Boys burst onto the American rock scene back in the sixties, surf music has been a staple of summer time fun. Going to the beach or pool and listening to music while sunbathing and getting a nice suntan or a bad sunburn was the thing to do in the 60s and 7os. Then worries about skin cancer appeared and people started taking better care of their skin with suntan lotion and hats. But the music remains! Surf music! (although the Beach Boys also sang about cars - Little Deuce Coupe and 409 come to mind - and love: God Only Knows)

Hokudai/Cast 74 has an instrumental surf music song called Crack in the Surfboard - similar to the Ventures - by Uma Floresta. Our second song is a catchy little tune about Back to the Basics by Pensive.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 73:

2008-07-30T11:59:00.002+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 73.

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Hokudai/Cast 73 deals with floods and words related to floods. There are flood gates and flash floods; there are flood plains and flood waters. But there are no flood planes. Flood gates are gates on a dam that keep the water from rushing into the river and flooding towns and cities downstream. Sometimes these gates are opened to make a controlled flood, to control the amount of water. You can also use flood gates to mean letting anything in a large amount out. For example:

If we allow 18-year-olds the right to vote, we are opening the floodgates of voter fraud.

Flash floods are floods that happen very quickly. Flash means quickly; for example, the flood was over in a flash. The movie was over in a flash. Flash floods catch people unaware. Many floods happen slowly. It will rain a little over a long period of time and the amount of water in the river will increase and increase over hours and hours. Flash floods are caused by a lot of rain in a short period of time.

Flood plains are where the river floods. If you look at a river, you will see the river and on both sides of the river is low-lying land. This low-lying land is the flood plain. Usually, people don't want to build their homes on a flood plain. I think people wouldn't mind building a home on a flood plane, though. They could fly away from the flood! Imagine having a flying home.

Flood waters means the water brought by the flood. Often you will hear newscasters saying, "The flood waters have risen six meters!"

If you see The Flood (with capital letters T and F) you will know that the writer is talking about the Biblical flood from Noah's time. This happened a long, tong time ago and is when, according to the Bible, all the people in the world were killed (except Noah and his family) by a world-wide flood. That would have been a good time to have had a flood plane, don't you think?

Music is by The KeathMoon - a Japanese indies band -

which can be found at GarageBandUsersClub.

Additional music is by Manzi.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 72: Bass, Not Bass

2008-07-22T10:07:00.005+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 72

We have two songs on Hokudai/Cast today. (It's summer, time to sing!) The first is:

Letter

by Seattle Standard Cafe

and sung in Japanese.

Sorry, I can't find any lyrics for Letter.

The second is

STAND BY ME

by Lil'Bi'T

and sung in English. Here are the lyrics.

Written by: LiL'BiT (Lyrics/Lyrical Melody Only); Paul Napier (Track Only);

CHORUS
Stand By Me/
Cuz I'm So Far Gone/
And I Need You In My Life/
To Lead Me Back Home

Stand By Me/
Cuz I Don't Know What To Do/
And I Need You In My Life/
To Help Me Get Through

VERSE 1
How am I gonna make it through?/
Bills piling up---I don't know what to do/
How am I gon' find my way/
Try and I try---It gets harder each day

I am tired, I'm wore out/
I've been hurt, there ain't no doubt/
My hope is gone, still holding on/
Too tough a time, I need you by my side (so)

CHORUS

VERSE 2
The madness still lingers on/
No longer safe...even in my own home/
Spending time all under my bed/
To keep them stray bullets from hitting my head

I'm tired yall---I'm wore out/
I been hurt, there ain't no doubt/ (no, no)
My hope is gone, STILL holding on/
Too a tough time, I need you by my side

CHORUS TO FADE

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 71: Walking in the Heat

2008-07-17T13:24:00.002+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 71.

Click on 'Posts' on the player at left to hear these notes.

Hokudai/Cast 71 deals with the heat of summer with words like 'humid,' 'hot,' and 'sweltering.' It also uses crows to make money. Make money? How? Listen and find out.

The crows are walking?

In many parts of the southwest in the United States (Arizona, Texas, New Mexico) you will hear the phrase "It's not the heat, it's the humidity." This means that people think they don't mind the heat but the humidity is what makes them feel hot. For example:

If the temperature is 25 degrees but the humidity is 75% you will feel hotter than if the temperature were 25 degrees and the humidity were 5%. Sometimes during the summer in Japan the humidity can be 80 or 90% while the temperature might be 35 or 40 degrees. This is very hot and humid. People feel very tired and worn out. They don't want to walk anywhere. In the southwest in the US when you hear the phrase "It's not the heat, it's the humidity" check the humidity. Sometimes it is only 10% but the temperature is 50 degrees. In other words, it's not the humidity, it's the heat!

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 70: My Summer Vacation

2008-07-08T08:25:00.010+09:00

In Pamplona, Spain (northern Spain) they have a fiesta (festival) called San Fermines. San Fermines is held every year from July 6 to July 14. During this fiesta, people run with bulls who rush down the slippery cobblestone streets. People are often gored or injured, even killed. In Hokudai/Cast 70's Trilingual Lesson, we mention running with the bulls in Pamplona. Here is a video of one such run.

The same Trilingual Lesson mentions climbing the Eiffel Tower. Most people climb up the stairs to the top. Here is an illegal jump from the Eiffel Tower. Don't do this.

and looking at Big Ben. Here is a link to a short video of Big Ben.

Click here: Trilingual Lesson for Japanese, English, and Chinese words and the dialog.

What are you going to do during your summer vacation?

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 69: Take the Bus or Take a Bath?

2008-07-02T15:56:00.005+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 69.

Click on"Posts" on the player on the left.

Choose "Hokudai/Cast 69" to hear these notes.

Hokudai/Cast 69 introduces us to 'take' (which should not be confused with bamboo: 竹 - take) and some of its uses: we can both 'take a bath' and 'take a bus' but we do different things with both. We can even 'take care.' 'Take' means more than just 取る.

Actually, there are three words that you should explore. These three words are very useful in speaking English. They are take, get, and go.

For example, we get up in the morning, we get breakfast, we get to the bus stop, we get on the bus, we get to work or school, and we get home after school or work, we get to bed at the end of the day.

When we take out the garbage, we take care not to mix burnable (燃えるゴミ) and non-burnable (燃えないゴミ) garbage. We take a bus to work or school. When we take a bath in the evening we take our time relaxing. And, when we are tired, we take a break.

Sometimes we go to work or school and get busy. We go to lunch or take lunch at our desk. We go to the bathroom and we go home after work or school. We go on vacation and we go to bed. On the weekends we might go shopping or go on a date. We might go back to our hometown and get caught up with family news.

I take it you can see that we can take a bath or go to the bathroom. These are two different things. 'Take a bath' is お風呂 and 'Go to the bathroom' is トイレ. Another word for 'bathroom' is 'restroom.' In English, the 'toilet' (トイレ) is the fixture - usually white - people sit on. The room where the toilet is is called the bathroom or restroom. ('Bathroom' is usually used for a トイレ in a house; 'restroom' is used in public places like restaurants and stores.)

If you take a look in your dictionary or go to the library you can get the meanings of all these different uses of take, get, and go. Get it? (分かりますか?) Good. Go for it!

Music is by Aldo Leopardi and it is called "Always Be" and can be found at Podsafeaudio.com.

Additional music is 'Lava' by Manzi, an indies band from Kanazawa.
Their guitarist is a Hokuriku University junior. (三年生)

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 68: What I Want in a Dream

2008-06-25T15:37:00.002+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 68

Click on 'Posts' and Choose 'Hokudai/Cast 68' to listen to these notes.

Hokudai/Cast 68 continues our useful phrases to use at the Beijing Olympics (in English) this summer. This week we learn to say "I want to eat...", "I want to buy..." and "I want to see..." in Japanese, English, and Chinese. If we learn these phrases, we can be more comfortable when we go to Beijing. In fact, if we learn these phrases in any language, we can be more comfortable when we go to a foreign country.

Instead of pointing at pictures in a menu, for example, we can speak to the waitperson. Whenever a tourist from a foreign country tries to speak another country's language, people appreciate it. Since I live in Japan, I try to speak Japanese as much as I can. This is good for both the people I speak to - who might not be able to speak English - and for me; it improves my Japanese ability.

If you're planning to go to Beijing for the Olympics, (in Chinese) learning a few phrases in Chinese will increase your Chinese experience. And, if you have the time, you can drop in on Japan and practice the same phrases in Japanese.

Learning phrases in any language can be both frustrating and rewarding but it is always a good way to learn more about your own language and country. We begin to see things in a new way when we speak a foreign language and this can only be good for the planet. It will be extra good for your time at the Olympics (in Japanese).

The music this week is by Micheal Slupczynski.

It is a jazzy-blues number called "Blue Dream."

It is from Podsafeaudio.com and is quite exciting.

Additional Music on Hokudai/Cast 68 is by Manzi.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 67: Chinese for the Olympics

2008-06-18T13:30:00.005+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 67

Click on Posts on the player at left.

Choose Hokudai/Cast 67 to Listen to these notes.

The Beijing Olympics will be held in August - that's two plus months away. On Hokudai/Cast 67 we are going to hear some Chinese (and Japanese) words you can use if you go to Beijing. Many Hokuriku University students go to Beijing to study English and Chinese simultaneously. But you can sit at home and study these simple phrases just by listening to Hokudai/Cast 67.

Before the useful sentences though, why are the Olympics sometimes called the Olympics and sometimes called the Olympic Games? The Olympics (with an 's') is a short way to say The Olympic Games. Sometimes the city where the Olympics were held is added: the Mexico City Olympics, the Seoul Olympics, the Barcelona Olympics, and now the Beijing Olympics.

Olympics - with an 's' - is a noun but Olympic - without an 's' - is an adjective: the Olympic Games vs the Beijing Olympics.

Hokudai/Cast's Trilingual Lesson includes the following sentences (in English - click on the title to hear the sentences in Japanese and Chinese):

Where is the National Stadium?
Where is the bus stop?
Where is a good restaurant?
Where is the restroom?
Where are you from?
I'm from Japan.

Thanks for listening.

The music today is Rolling Family from Jesushairdo.

You can find more Jesushairdo at music.podshow.com

Additional music is by Manzi, a local Kanazawa indies band.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 66: International Law and Reflection

2008-06-11T11:45:00.006+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 66

Click on 'Posts' on the player at left and choose Hokudai/Cast 66 to hear these notes.

This week Hokudai/Cast 66 brings you international law, legal words, and reflections about our company visit. We will also hear from three students who are at Hokuriku University to study Japanese, Japanese culture, and the Japanese lifestyle.

'Law' can be used to make many other words. For example, we can add 'ful' to the end and make 'lawful.' If we add 'un' (which means 'not') to the beginning of 'lawful' we come up with 'unlawful.' Similarly, 'legal' can be used to make many words. We can start with adding 'il' (which means 'not') to the beginning. This makes 'illegal' (not legal.) 'Illegal' and 'unlawful' are similar in meaning. This you can see from their similarities - 'il' and 'un' both mean 'not' and 'legal' and 'law' are similar, too.

Last week the students visited two companies: an architect's office and a TV commercial producer's office. In Hokudai/Cast 66 we will hear - in English, Japanese, and Chinese - their reflection on their trip. Both companies are not 'conventional.' This means they do not wear dark suits and push paper all day. Well, the architect does but different paper. Were the students very pleased with their company visits? Listen and learn!

Last week Hokuriku University had a charity concert to raise money for the victims of China's massive earthquake. Some of the music from that concert can be heard on Hokudai/Cast 66. Please listen and please help the victims of that natural disaster.

How do you say these words in Chinese and English? Please listen and find out!

法律弁護士不法な契約契約上合法的非合法的

Music is "Daydream" by Robin Stine from PodSafeAudio.Com

and

"Lava" by Manzi, a Kanazawa indies band

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 65: Architect and Archangels

2008-06-05T13:53:00.007+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 65

Click on the player at left to Listen to these Notes.

This week at Hokuriku University, students spent time not going to class. It's a new innovation here called Liberal Arts Week. Students attend different lectures, read books, go for long walks and learn about subjects not on their normal class schedule. One class went to an architect's office to learn about becoming an architect, what is the most difficult part of being an architect, and what is most enjoyable.

The word 'architect' is a combination of two Greek words, 'arch' and 'tekton'. Arch means 'chief,' or major person, or leader.Tekton means 'builder.' Naturally, an architect is the chief builder. Other words that have 'arch' in them are arch-enemy (the main enemy), and arch-angel (the most important angel).

The students discovered that this architect enjoys all parts of his job: from thinking about the design, discovering new ways to build, and watching his buildings being built. The most difficult part is negotiating the prices of everything - from the price of wood he uses to the amount his clients pay him.

The architect showed the students models of the homes he has built and described the reasons why. For example, he often uses large windows so people in the houses can see a good view. But he also uses smaller windows so they can communicate with people outside. The main feature in many of his houses is communication: there are few walls, walls having openings, and the flow of air and peolple is unimpeded. Openness and full of light. That describes this architect's designs.

What does 'unimpeded' mean? Let's look: impede means 'block or stop.' Un means 'not' so unimpede means 'not blocked.' The flow of air in this architect's homes is not blocked. It flows easily from room to room. By the way, part of the word 'impede' is 'ped or pede.' This means 'foot.' 'impede' meant to tie a person's feet together so he couldn't move. He was blocked from moving. ('unimpeded' was first used by Shakespeare.)

The music is by Bob Maus and is called Next Step. It can be found at Podsafeaudio.com

Additional Music is by Kanazawa Indies band Manzi.

Next week: A CM producer and the End of Dead Men Don't Travel.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 64: What Do You Eat?

2008-05-27T14:02:00.004+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast

Click on the player at left to listen to these notes.

Are you a carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore?

These are words related to what you eat. First, notice that each word has 'vore' in it. 'Vore' means 'to eat.' Now, look at carnivore. Carn means 'meat' so carnivore means 'eats meat.' What do you think 'herbivore' means? Here's a hint. 'Herb' means 'plant' so an animal that eats only plants is an herbivore. (eats plants).

– If a person is an herbivore we usually call them a vegetarian (from vegetables.). –

The final word is omnivore. What does omni mean? It means 'all.' An omnivore is an animal that eats meat and plants. There is one more word that you might like to know: fructivore. What is that? Well, fructose is a sugar. It is usually found in plants. Specifically, it is found in fruit. 'Fruc' is related to fruit. This means a fructivore is an animal that eats fruit. (sometimes it is spelled frugivore.) Many monkeys and bats are fructivores.

Which are humans? Well, many people think we are omnivores because many people eat both plants and animals. However, many other people are saying that we Can eat animals but our bodies are built for eating plants. Read this and decide: Omnivore?

It is interesting to note that the planet's biggest animals are herbivores. Elephants, horses, and hippopotamus are all herbivores; they don't eat meat. Also, generally speaking, humans don't eat carnivores. We don't eat lions and tigers, for example. But we do eat rabbits (herbivores) and dogs (omnivores.)

Do you know chili con carne? It's a famous Mexican food and usually it is called chili. The 'con' means 'with' and chili is a spice. What is the spice with? Carne. This is Spanish for 'meat.' One of the most popular dishes in the world is arroz con pollo. Arroz means 'rice' and pollo means 'chicken'. Rice with chicken. There's a Spanish restaurant in Kata-machi, Kanazawa called Arroz, by the way, and the owner speaks Japanese and Spanish.

By the way, look at the word hippopotamus. This has a couple of useful roots in it. First, 'hippo' means horse. And 'potamus' means river. A hippopotamus is a 'river horse.' In Japanese a hippopotamus is a 河馬 (river horse).

Omni means 'all' and sci means 'know or knowledge.' We can see this 'sci' in science. A person who knows everything is omniscient - knows all.

In Dead Men Don't Travel (part 9) Vicki is on the verge of finding the mysteriously disappearing Roger, a dead man. Or is she? Two people have died and she is no closer to finding Roger's body. But she's on her way to his wife's house. Did Roger's wife hide his body? Did she move his body? What did she do with Roger's body? Maybe Vicki will find out.

Email us at hokudaicast at gmail.com

Visit our website at Hokudai/Cast.net.

The music in Word/Play is by Ghost of Gelsomina from PodSafeAudio.com.

Other music is Lava by Manzi.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 63: Finance and Natural Disasters

2008-05-21T13:31:00.001+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 63

Hokudai/Cast 63 is a disaster. Specifically, we are talking about natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, and the three big wind storms: typhoons, hurricanes, and cyclones. There was an earthquake in China May 13, 2008 and a cyclone in Myanmar May 2, 2008. Three years ago a very big hurricane, Katrina, destroyed the American city of New Orleans. And typhoons often cause floods in Japan, especially in Kagoshima and Nagasaki. In 1991, there was a big volcanic eruption in Nagasaki when Mt. Unzen erupted.

In the past month or so the world has had a couple of large natural disasters. An earthquake in China and a cyclone in Myanmar. There was also a large volcanic eruption in Chile.

What does an earthquake look like? (Chengdu, China, 2008)

What does a hurricane look like? (America, 2004)

What does a cyclone look like? (Myanmar, 2008)

What does a volcanic eruption look like? (Unzen, 1991)

Natural Disasters (sometimes called 'Acts of God')

地震 - earthquake -地震
台風 - typhoon -台风
サイクロン - cyclone -龙卷风
ハリケーン - hurricane - 飓风
津波 - tsunami (tidal wave) -海啸
火山の爆発 - volcanic eruption -火山爆发
洪水 - flood -洪水

For Words of natural disasters that you hear on Hokudai/Cast 63,

go to Natural Disasters: Words & Sentences

Music is by David Hahn. Title is OOKA FOOKOO - an experimental piece that Hahn calls the oldest music ever written by humans - caveman music. From PodSafeAudio.com

Additional music is 'Lava' by Manzi.

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 62: Nisui and High School

2008-05-13T13:41:00.006+09:00

Click on the title to hear Hokudai/Cast 62

Go to Hokudai/Cast.net or

Check us out on iTunes.

In Hokudai/Cast 62 we have lots of words and phrases about 'high school.' First, Word/Play is about studying, students, graduation, graduate, and studious. Our Japanese-English-Chinese lesson is quick and about high school students, studying, and college.

And we have an Interview with an English teacher at Nisui High School in Kanazawa.

Glenn has come to Japan three times - twice to study and once to work - and he has some good advice on learning to speak English. Listening to the interview you will discover his major when he was a student in college and what languages he has attempted to learn (Japanese is one but there are others.)

In high school in America, students are encouraged to study a foreign language, just like in Japan. In many high schools in America, though, there is a choice of language. Of course there are many European languages offered (Spanish, French, German, and Latin), but also Asian languages such as Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. Some high schools might have six or seven different languages that students can choose from.

Here are the words and sentences used in our Japanese-English Chinese lesson.

I'm a high school student.
I'll graduate from high school next March.
I'm eager to go to university.
I don't think I'm too studious.
I like to study.

Music is by Seattle Standard Cafe and Manzi

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Hokudai/Cast 61: Chinese, English & Japanese!

2008-05-08T16:04:00.007+09:00

Click on the title to hear our podcast.

Or, go to iTunes or our website at Hokudai/Cast

Thank you.

In Hokudai/Cast 61 we have our first Chinese-English-Japanese lesson of the year! Amazing. It is a short and quick lesson using the days of the week Plus certain Japanese foods (sushi, okonomiyaki) and

"See you next week!

In Word/Play we deal with 'Self." The words are all related to 'Auto' such as automobile, auto-pilot, and autobiography. This last word is easy if you know the parts: Auto (Self), bio (life) and graphy (write). Yes, it means writing about your life. (自伝記 in Japanese.)

Hokuriku University has a soccer course. It has both men and, from this year, women in the course. They have to study English and all the other classes but they also have to practice soccer nearly everyday. They need English because they will play in other countries. Also, international soccer referees must be able to speak English so if the Hokuriku University soccer players want to talk to a referee or other players, they will need to speak English.

In Hokudai/Cast 61 we have a short interview (in Japanese) with a soccer coach.

The music today is by a Japanese group called Cat O'Nine Tails and the song is "Alice with Headphones"

It is from PodSafe Audio.Com

Additional music is by Manzi!

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.