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 Golem Hearts, the newest JUMP START series. This round of JUMP STARTs have really stood out for their diversity. There’s been a gag manga with Lycopene the Tomatoy Poodle, a sports manga with Full Drive and finally, an adventure manga with Golem Hearts. Make sure to vote in the weekly surveys and have your voice heard!

YAKU NI TATSU (やくにたつ)

YAKU NI TATSU means “to help” or “to be useful.” Noah sure uses this phrase a lot in chapter 1. He has a super-strong drive to help others and is always offering to pitch in. Unfortunately, he’s not very good at being useful. He destroys things when he tries to clean them and causes valuable merchandise to get stolen. He may have a heart of gold, but he needs a better understanding of the world.SHIPPAI (しっぱい)

SHIPPAI means “failure.” Chapter 1 of Golem Hearts was filled with a lot of SHIPPAI. Lemmeck seems to always mess up when he’s fixing golems, and Noah blunders in a major way when transporting skunk mushrooms. But these two can be counted on when you really need them. They were the perfect team to take down that evil kidnapper. If only Lemmeck was a little more consistent in his golem arts…

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