Category Archives: Vietnamese

A Tale of Two Numbers

While learning both Japanese and Korean, I have noticed an interesting tendency to have two different number systems: a “native” number system and a Chinese-imported one. In some contexts the native system is used, and in some contexts the Chinese-imported … Continue reading

Posted in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Language, Latin, Vietnamese | 16 Comments

Why Pronunciation Matters in Learning a Foreign Language

I found this video on Youtube a few weeks ago, while trying to fix my own pronunciation of Japanese. My wife has repeatedly told me that if I pronounced Japanese better, I could speak Japanese well. I understand what she’s … Continue reading

Posted in Japanese, Korean, Language, Vietnamese | 4 Comments

Amazing how bad my Japanese is

My wife has told me this for years, but I didn’t realize how many little mistakes I was making. I know of course that I do make mistakes, and that I have a hard time keeping up with conversations with … Continue reading

Posted in Japanese, JLPT, Language, Vietnamese | 1 Comment

A beginner’s adventure with tea

The title of this post is a bit of a joke for those who know me well, since I never really drank tea before. I just hated it for some reason. Since moving to Ireland, I noticed that beverages are … Continue reading

Posted in Cooking, Japanese, Language, Vietnamese | 9 Comments

The Buddha Within

Allow me to quote a small poem by the Vietnamese Buddhist, Tue Trung (1230-1291):* The original reality of Amitabha [Buddha] is our own Dharma body, It shines out brightly everywhere, in the South, North, East and West, It is like … Continue reading

Posted in Buddhism, Jodo Shinshu, Jodo Shu, Language, Religion, Vietnamese, Zen | Leave a comment

Zen and Pure Land Buddhism, another perspective

After recommendation by someone I know, I started reading the Buddhist book “Finding our True Home” by the famous Vietnamese monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. I have to admit my feelings on TNH are somewhat ambiguous. I think he writes some … Continue reading

Posted in Buddhism, Jodo Shinshu, Jodo Shu, Language, Religion, Vietnamese, Zen | 10 Comments