Welcome to the Nihongo Lesson feature. We strive to give you useful manga-based Japanese language tips and maybe even a glimpse into the translation process. This week’s lesson will focus on some terms from our JUMP START series Hungry Marie! If you’re enjoying the new JUMP START series, make sure to fill out the survey and make your voice heard!

HARAPEKO (腹ペコ)

HARAPEKO is a cute way of saying “hungry” or “starving.” The title character in Hungry Marie is the daughter of Marie Antoinette, who has supposedly been haunting a Japanese church for hundreds of years. But why is she so hungry? Then again, Goku was super hungry even when he was a ghost too!

HATSUKOI (はつこい)

HATSUKOI means “first love” or “first crush.” You’ll see this term show up in a lot of manga series. The romance in Hungry Marie could get complicated. Who knows where it will go, but we have one character who is a man in a woman’s body and another who is the reverse. Sounds like we’re in for a lot of wacky hijinks!

IKENIE (いけにえ)

IKENIE means “sacrifice.” One of the funniest moments in chapter 1 of Hungry Marie is when Taiga is chosen as the IKENIE instead of some chicken thighs. Poor Taiga… But what would have happened had they actually used the chicken thighs?

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