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 is gonna have a few more words than our previous ones. It’s time to learn how to say various body parts. We’ll focus on the face today!

KAO (かお)
KAO means “face.” The following words should be useful in various circumstances. Once you know the words for all the features on the face, you can play Mr. Potato Head in Japanese!

ME (め)
ME is “eyes.” Just make sure you pronounce it more like “meh” so there’s no confusion. One manga where eyes are very central to the plot is Naruto. Sharingan, Byakugan, Rinnegan... So many crazy eyes! Why can’t I have magical eyes too? It’s probably a good thing that Jiraiya didn’t have Byakugan though. Then again, his peeking skills were already top-notch even without x-ray vision.

HANA (はな)
HANA is “nose.” What’s the most famous nose in manga? Usopp from One Piece? One of my favorite nose-moments is in early Dragon Ball when Kuririn struggles against a really smelly opponent until Goku gives him some smart advice!

KUCHI (くち)
KUCHI is “mouth.” If you run into Liltotto from Bleach, you might not want to tell her any secrets. I hear she has a big mouth. What other manga characters are famous for their mouth?

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