15 Crypto Questions, Japanese Version

Do you know that the ‘X’ in Xmas comes from Greek and means ‘Christ’? This is why ‘Xmas’ means ‘Christmas’. Ever since I became a Literacy Coach this year, I became interested in the etymology of words. It’s fascinating to learn the origins of words and how they came to be incorporated into the English language.

My better half is Japanese, so I have always had a fascination with the Japanese language. But I guess that thanks to Japan’s prowess as an economic giant and a soft power titan, many Japanese words have been adopted by the English language. Some words like sushi and karaoke retain their original meaning whereas other words like ramen seem to take on a slightly different meaning. I don’t know whether this holds true for all instances, but at least for the crypto enthusiasts on r/cryptocurrency, they use ‘ramen’ to mean ‘instant noodles’. This surprised me a bit because ramen noodles are not exactly cheap in Singapore. But if ‘ramen’ encompasses the connotation of ‘instant noodles’ for them, who am I to tell them otherwise?

Anyway, this got me thinking about the Japanese words we are familiar with. I combined Japanese and crypto to come up with Crypto Questions, Japanese Version. It was a fun intellectual exercise for me and I hope you guys learn a new word or two from my list!

Living Life

Books on Ikigai (life purpose) seem to tip the bestseller charts. Given the Japanese people’s longevity, we seem to be enamoured with their psyche - on how they always gambatte (do their best), how they stay Zen (calm and collected), and how they enjoy Kanpai (Cheers) during drinking parties.

1. Do you believe in ikigai? If so, does crypto play a vital part in realising it?
2. What makes you gambatte at your crypto endeavours?
3. How do you stay Zen in the midst of all this crypto turmoil?
4. Which crypto milestone will you Kanpai to?

Japanese history is a topic of fascination, regardless of whether you gravitate towards the samurai or ninja camp. You may also know more about hentai (perverted figures) than you are willing to admit.

1. Calling out to all degen gamblers! Do you fancy yourself as a samurai or ninja?
2. Some of us may be familiar with the term ‘hentai’, thanks to Japanese anime, so what would crypto hentai look like?

Fascination with Nice Stuff

Japanese people love kawaii (cute and adorable) things. Many foreigners are so besotted with Sakura (cherry blossoms) that they make it a point to visit Japan every spring.

1. It’s Ms Crypto Universe! Which coin should be crowned Ms Kawaii?
2. Sakura ??  dazzle the senses during their short time on earth. Which crypto is like them - beautiful but short-lived?

Disaster and Death

Unfortunately, disasters befall Japan so regularly that not only ‘tsunami’, but also ‘typhoon’ make it to the English language. Incidentally, people the world over are familiar with two words that refer to the act of committing suicide: ‘hara-kiri’ and ‘kamikaze’.

1. Would you consider this BNB hack a catastrophic tsunami ?? ?
2. What’s your kamikaze crypto move?
3. Which coin is doing so terrible that it should do a hara-kiri?

Miscellaneous

Because I don’t know how to slot ‘sayonara’, ‘kuchisabishii’, ‘chotto matte’ and ‘emoji’ into neat categories. LOL.

1. 1st of October! Last quarter of the year. Which bad crypto habits are you gonna say sayonara to before 2022 ends?
2. Kuchisabishii is a Japanese word that literally means ‘lonely mouth’. We eat ramen when we are down in our luck. But what do you eat when you stare mindlessly at the charts and want to occupy your mouth with something?
3. ‘Chotto matte’ is what Japanese people shout when they want someone to wait a while. If you have the magical power to put one thing in your crypto life on pause, what will it be?
4. What emoji best describes your crypto portfolio?