Loekalization Blog
Japanese/Chinese/Korean/English/Dutch game localization
Category: japanese
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How a ‘Gamble’ Turned Into a 700% Win: The Japanese Love Affair with Our Adventurer Guild
I smell the sweet, bewildering charm of the Japanese gaming market—a land where even the most niche indie SRPGs can find themselves transformed into “神ゲー” (divine game). Enter Our Adventurer Guild, a game that began as a heartfelt tribute by a lone German developer, GreenGuy, to his late friend, and ended up conquering the hearts…
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閂 – Kannuki – Bolt
閂 (kannuki) is a deceptively simple little kanji sitting there like a quiet guardian of linguistic chaos. At first glance, it’s just a little horizontal line lounging under a gate, like it’s got nowhere better to be. But don’t be fooled—this kanji has a history, a career, and apparently a secret moonlighting gig in the…
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When a Game’s Fans Buy a Billboard, You Know You’ve Made It
Imagine waking up one day to find that your labor of love—a gothic visual novel steeped in despair, tragedy, and emerald-eyed maids—has made its way onto the towering billboards of Shanghai. And not just any billboard, mind you, but one plastered on the side of what can only be described as the ultimate otaku shrine.…
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幽閉 – Yūhei – Confinement
幽閉 (yūhei) is a word that practically drips with the romance of locked doors and the thrill of someone else deciding, “Nope, you’re not going anywhere.” It’s not just a term; it’s a lifestyle choice—for your captor, anyway. This delightful piece of Japanese vocabulary means to lock someone away, imprison them in some dark, dank…
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X 本 – X hon – Measure word for long, thin objects
本 (hon) is a delightful Japanese counter that comes with more baggage than a tourist in Kyoto during cherry blossom season. Today, we delve into the twisted tale of this humble kanji, a simple root from which an entire forest of meaning has grown. And like any good forest, there are vines to trip over…
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糠 – Nuka – Rice bran
糠 (nuka) is the kanji for when life hands you rice, but you’re the part nobody asked for. Rice husks, people. That’s what we’re dealing with today. Not the fluffy, photogenic grains themselves, but their rejected siblings—the bitter, gritty underdogs of the grain world. The Kardashians have Kim, rice has 糠 (nuka). Welcome to the…
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人民 – Jinmin – People
人民 (jinmin) is a word that holds within it the hopes and dreams of humanity. Or at least it pretends to. What it actually holds is a spectacular history of oppression, sarcasm-worthy irony, and the linguistic equivalent of slapping a smiley face on a disaster. Before we dive into this word’s incredible rollercoaster through history,…
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立つ瀬がない – Have no leg to stand on
立つ瀬がない is a phrase that drips with the poetic drama of realizing you’ve made an absolute mess of things, and there’s not a single patch of dry ground left to save face. This isn’t just your garden-variety embarrassment. No, it’s a linguistic work of art designed to capture the profound despair of having nowhere to…
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回転翼機 – Kaitenyokuki – Rotorcraft, rotary-wing aircraft
回転翼機 (kaiten yokuki), such a majestic term for what we know as the spinny death machines that mock gravity by doing the absolute least aerodynamic thing possible: spinning like a caffeinated toddler on a merry-go-round. If you’ve ever looked at a helicopter and thought, “That shouldn’t work,” you’re not alone. But hey, leave it to…
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