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 having fun! And what’s more fun than toys? I mean, besides manga...

OMOCHA (おもちゃ)

OMOCHA means “toy” or “toys,” and we’ve been seeing a lot of them in Shonen Jump lately. This week’s Cyborg Roggy had the main character infiltrating a toy company to uncover some dark secrets. And according to the author comments, the author even got to visit a real-life toy company for research purposes. Now that is the kind of homework I can get behind! But what’s the deal with toys being connected to evil schemes in Shonen Jump? I’m just glad all the people who were turned into toys on the Island of Dressrosa in One Piece are back to their former selves!

ASOBU (あそぶ)

ASOBU means “to play.” However, this word has a lot of variation and can be used in many different forms. You’ll need a more advanced lesson to learn all of that, but for now, the most important thing to remember is ASOBIMASHOU! That means “Let’s play!” Just don’t say it too loud when your boss is nearby. TEAM JUMP seems to make that mistake a lot...

NUIGURUMI (ぬいぐるみ)

A NUIGURUMI is a “stuffed animal” or a “plushie.” Chitoge from Nisekoi owns a gorilla NUIGURUMI that looks just like her! If you had a stuffed animal that looked like you, what would it be?

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