Culture, traditions and religion

What holds these lists together

Japanese keeps apart two places English might call by one name: a shrine, 神社(じんじゃ), belongs to Shinto, and a temple, お寺(てら), to Buddhism, and most people visit both without seeing a contradiction. The calendar ties much of this vocabulary to particular days, from お正月(しょうがつ) to the summer festivals, so many of its words are heard only once a year and are worth learning before the day rather than on it. The arts lists add the words for talking about a novel, a poem or a play, where the writing itself — which word is in kanji and which in kana — is part of the effect.

For example: お正月(しょうがつ) (New Year (the first days of January)), 伝統(でんとう) (tradition), 芸術(げいじゅつ) (art; the arts), 宗教(しゅうきょう) (religion), 出産(しゅっさん) (childbirth; giving birth)

Spread across the levels

The category runs across the levels — it is an area, not a difficulty. If you practise it, you can also choose a level at the top of the practice page and then get only the part that sits there.