Welcome to the Nihongo Lesson feature. We strive to give you useful manga-based Japanese language tips and maybe even a glimpse into the translation process. This week's lesson will feature some terms from the cute and hilarious penguin manga The Emperor and I! This is one of the many new manga that are available for free on this site! 

REIZOUKO (れいぞうこ)

A REIZOUKO is a refrigerator! In The Emperor and I, the main character opens her REIZOUKO one day and finds a giant penguin inside! Talk about a shock! How did it get there? If you suddenly had an emperor penguin in your house, what would you do?

KUSAI (くさい)

KUSAI means "smelly." As much as having a penguin around might be fun, there is at least one major drawback. They can be KUSAI and would probably require a lot of bathing. Plus they need to eat tons of fresh fish. Perhaps sticking to a cat or dog as a family pet is the best choice.

NAMAE (なまえ)

NAMAE means "name." Emperor actually got to choose his own name in the first chapter. Mochi seems to be the cutest of the options he was given, but Emperor definitely sounds more important! Now that this penguin has a NAMAE, what kind of trouble will he get into next?

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