カタカナ

I could talk all day on Katakana, but I will try not to. Katakana makes up half of the Japanese phonetic alphabet and is typically used to sound out words that are 'borrowed' from other languages. It comes in handy for sounding out foreign names as well. Some words make learning 'Japanese' seem like the easiest thing in the world. Other words make your brain want to leap out of your skull and punch the closest person in the face. It is a blessing, and a curse to the Japanese language. Here are a few easy to learn words to make you sound more fluent...followed by a few words that will pain you to speak because it sounds so ridiculous.

Pinku (ピンク): pink. Easy right?
Nyuusu (ニュース) : News. Like the kind on TV.
Gei (ゲイ): Gay. In the very homosexual sense of the word.
Kiro (キロ): Kilogram. Good to know since Japanese are smart enough to use metric.
Raisu (ライス): Rice. The cooked kind.
Karori- (カロリー): Calorie. Just because the word above reminded me.
Konpyu-ta- (コンピューター): Computer.
Biiru (ビール): Beer. A word you will never forget.

Now for the stupid ones...

Charenji (チャレンジ): Challenge. This is actually a very useful word in Japanese, but its meaning is a little off kilter. In this sense, you use challenge for when you try something new, or challenge yourself.
Fechi (フェチ): Besides the fact that it sounds like you’re giving your dog a command, this word is overly used in Japanese. It means fetish, but not necessarily the weird fetishes. You can use the word to describe anything you like about the opposite sex.
Manshon (マンション): What do you think this means? If you guessed small apartment, you’re absolutely correct.
Arerugi (アレルぎ): It took me saying this word 47 times to guess this one, so I’ll save you the trouble. Allergy.
Miruku (ミルク): Since when was milk a three syllable word? Seriously?
Kanningu (カンニング): Nope, not cunning. That would actually make sense. Instead it somehow means cheating. You pair it with the verb for ‘to do’ and it becomes to cheat. Class, don’t do the cunning during a test!
Metabo (メタボ): Possibly short for metabolism? Eh, you’re half right..ish. It is short for metabolic syndrome and means overweight. Some comedians have based their entire bit on this word.

Once you get over how stupid you sound saying English words like a toddler, Japanese will just open up for you. Katakana words, though kind of stupid, are the easiest to remember, so study up and learn this crucial element of the Japanese language.