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 the new JUMP START Dr. Stone! If you’re enjoying the new JUMP START series, make sure to fill out the survey and make your voice heard!

ISHI (いし)

ISHI means “stone.” Dr. Stone seems like a pretty typical story with some quirky high school students until all the people on Earth are suddenly turned to ISHI! There’ve been a lot of apocalypse stories done before, but this one is unique. What has happned? And can Taiju and Senku survive in this crazy new world?

SEKIZOU (せきぞう)

SEKIZOU means “stone statue.” The SEKI part is the same kanji character as ISHI and is used in terms having to do with stones. For example, SEKIKA means “petrification.” One of the cutest moments in chapter 1 of Dr. Stone was when both Taiju and Yuzuriha try to take bird statues to the vet. These two will make a cute couple one day. Like in 3,000 years…

KAGAKU (かがく)

KAGAKU means “science” and is one of the main themes of Dr. Stone. We’ve had some pretty unique ideas in this round of JUMP STARTs. One series is about studying, another is about politics and Dr. Stone is about KAGAKU. And we have a golf manga starting next week! It’s so exciting when manga creators tackle themes that are rarely done!

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