Haru's Language Tuition

📍 Why Do I Care So Much About Exclamation Marks? 🇬🇧🇹🇼

When I first moved to the UK, I noticed something strange in my messages.
I would often write “Thank you!!” with two exclamation marks, but British people usually replied with “Thanks!” or even just “Thanks.”

In Taiwan (and many Asian cultures), punctuation is part of how we show warmth and respect — especially to teachers.
Two exclamation marks might mean:

“I really appreciate your help, and I want you to feel I’m friendly and grateful!”

But in the UK, people often keep punctuation simple.
One exclamation mark is already warm.
Two exclamation marks might feel very excited, or even a little dramatic — so most people just don’t use them unless they’re close friends.

It made me realise something:
In Asia, we sometimes feel we should “make up for” our weak points by being extra polite or grateful.
In the UK, a teacher usually thinks, “You have strengths and weaknesses — my job is to adapt and help you learn.”
There’s no need to “compensate” with extra punctuation.

Now, I still love my exclamation marks (they’re part of my personality 💛),
but I also enjoy the British style — calm, clear, and friendly without too much decoration.

💬 How about you? Do you feel the difference when writing messages in different cultures?╰(*´︶`*)╯♡

[JP/UK Life Notes | My First Tarot Deck 🔮😍]

This is my first time buying a tarot deck — and I find it really interesting!

I’ve always thought tarot cards were a bit mysterious, and also really beautiful.
I’ve always been drawn to things with a spiritual or reflective element.
Cards like the Pentacles, The Chariot, and The World are not only meaningful — their design is so beautiful, almost like little treasures.

Back in Taiwan, some friends had read tarot for me before.
But now that I finally have my own deck and a little guidebook, it really feels like something special — almost like a collector’s item!

Out of curiosity, I looked into it…
Tarot originated in Europe around the 14th century, during the time of Marco Polo — it’s been around for centuries!

At first I just thought it was something fun and new to try.
But to my surprise, the messages from the cards have actually felt helpful and encouraging.

✨ I’m curious — do people in the UK use tarot too?

📚 Japanese you can learn from tarot:

🔹 タロットカード = tarot card
🔹 占う（うらなう / uranau）= to tell a fortune
🔹 カードを引く（ひく / hiku）= to draw a card
🔹 メッセージを受け取る（うけとる / uketoru）= to receive a message

🗣「今日は自分でタロットカードを引いてみました。」
Today I tried drawing a tarot card by myself.

—

#タロットカード

#日語老師の生活

[JP/UK Life Notes | Aesthetic Observations]

🖼️ Recently, I started doing diamond painting here in the UK –
a craft where you place tiny sparkly gems onto a sticky canvas.
It’s surprisingly calming and satisfying.

What caught my attention is how common it is here:
You can find kits in bookstores, supermarkets, even pound shops.
But when I lived in Japan, I hardly saw this kind of hobby.

🌸 Japan’s crafts often focus on natural textures, quiet colours, and subtle beauty –
like woodwork, embroidery, washi art, or flower arrangement.
Something sparkly like diamond painting just isn’t as common.

🇬🇧 In the UK, handmade hobbies feel more playful and colourful.
It’s less about perfection, and more about relaxing, enjoying the process, and expressing your style.

This time, I chose a cherry blossom (sakura) design.
While working on it, I thought of Japanese spring –
and how our idea of “beauty” often reflects the way we live.

🇯🇵 美は細部に宿る。
（び は さいぶ に やど る。）
Beauty lives in the details.

🇬🇧 It’s a little thing, but it helps me slow down.

—

What kind of aesthetic speaks to you more – soft and subtle, or bright and playful?
Let me know in the comments 🌸✨

—

🌿 Why do Japanese people stop mid-sentence? “O-namae wa…?” 🤔

During a teacher training in the UK,
I was showing a simple Japanese greeting:
「お名前は？」 (Your name is…?)

One British teacher raised his hand and asked:
“But… your name is what? It feels incomplete!” 😅
That question made me stop and think.

💡 That’s when I realised something important.

In Japanese, it’s common to say just:
「お名前は？」 and leave out the rest,
like 「…何ですか？」 (What is your name?)

It’s not forgotten. It’s intentional.
It’s softer, more polite, and allows space 🌿

—

🌏 I’m from Asia, and I thought I understood this “indirect” way of speaking.
But honestly, I never really noticed it—
until I had to explain it to someone else.

That moment helped me see Japanese in a new light.

—

✨ Language isn’t just about grammar.
It’s how we think.
It’s how we relate.
It’s how we make space for each other.

—

🗣️ Have you ever learned a phrase in another language that surprised you?
I’d love to hear your experience in the comments! 💬🥰

📸 Photo from that training day — we were all teachers learning from each other 💡

#お名前は

🌿☕ A calm moment by the window…
Pikachu taking a nap, a cup of tea, and my favourite bilingual Japanese-English dictionary.

This kind of peaceful pause makes language learning feel gentle and personal.
Sometimes, we don’t need to rush — just a soft moment to read, sip, and smile. 🐾

⸻

🌸 Today’s Japanese phrase（ことば）
「安心（あんしん）」= relief, peace of mind
📘 Example: お茶を飲むと安心します。
👉 I feel calm when I drink tea.

（＾∪＾）❀






#日本語の勉強



#日文小句子

🌿【Cultural Note | How close is close】🌿

At Haru Language, we love exploring not just the language, but also the heart behind how people connect.

In many Asian cultures, keeping a little emotional or physical distance at first is a way to show respect and politeness. It might feel a bit reserved to others, but it’s actually a gentle way of saying, “I care about your space.”

In the UK, people might seem more open early on in conversation, smiling and joking with new people — which is also a beautiful way of being warm. But personal boundaries are still important, just expressed differently.

✨ Isn’t it interesting how kindness looks different in every culture?

At Haru Language, we believe learning a language is also learning how to understand hearts — across all kinds of distance. 💬💛

A As a Mandarin and Japanese teacher, I recently built the Wicked LEGO set—and I absolutely loved it! 🧙‍♀️🌹🌸

It’s fascinating how people around the world share a deep love for beauty—
but I’m especially amazed by how Western creators express it—with such boldness, colour, and imagination! 💚🩷

Coming from an East Asian background, I often find beauty in simplicity and harmony. But through things like LEGO and musical theatre, I’m learning to appreciate a different kind of beauty—one that’s full of energy and life.

That’s the joy of learning across cultures.
We don’t just learn words—we learn new ways of seeing the world. 🌍✨