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 once again feature terms from one of our new series, We Never Learn! With its cute characters and hilarious situations, this series is a breath of fresh air. Having a more lighthearted series to balance out the serious ones truly enhances the Shonen Jump experience!

TANOSHII (たのしい)

TANOSHII means “fun.” While reading We Never Learn is a TANOSHII experience, the characters aren’t always having a great time. This is a series about studying, after all. Nariyuki has taken on the role of teacher in the series, but in chapter 7 he does a little learning of his own. Learning can be TANOSHII with a few tweaks! Thanks to his wacky students, Nariyuki is going to be the best teacher in the world by the end of the series!

TSURAI (つらい)

TSURAI means “difficult” or “painful” in an emotional way. Studying for hours and hours is TSURAI! It’s a good thing Nariyuki found a way for Uruka to learn her English grammar that was less TSURAI and more TANOSHII! Plus, those scenes at the pool in chapter 7 contain lots of eye candy (girls in swimsuits) and brain candy (more Japanese terms) for us!

KUYASHII (くやしい)

KUYASHII can be a bit difficult to translate. It can mean “frustrating,” “vexing” or “infuriating.” It’s that feeling you get when you make it to the finals of the sports tournament and lose at the buzzer! Manga characters will train their butts off just so they can avoid feeling KUYASHII.

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