2d • General discussion
🇯🇵🐼 What’s Happening in Japan: Pandas May Disappear from Japanese Zoos
Here’s a piece of news from Japan.
At Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, there are twin pandas named Shaoshao and Leilei.
Tokyo announced that these two pandas will be returned to China at the end of January next year, as agreed in the original loan arrangement.
For the past 53 years, Japanese zoos have always had pandas borrowed from China, including pandas born in Japan.
If these two pandas are returned, there will be no pandas left in Japan.
Tokyo has told China that it would like to borrow new pandas, but so far there has been no response.
Many visitors say they feel sad about the possibility of pandas disappearing from Japanese zoos.
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🈶 Useful Vocabulary
Japanese Romaji English
動物園（どうぶつえん） doubutsuen zoo
パンダ panda panda
双子（ふたご） futago twins
返す（かえす） kaesu to return
借りる（かりる） kariru to borrow
約束（やくそく） yakusoku promise
いなくなる inaku naru to be gone / disappear
寂しい（さびしい） sabishii sad / lonely
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🧠 Key Phrase (Very Simple)
〜いなくなります
= “will be gone / will disappear”
Examples:
日本にパンダがいなくなります。
→ Pandas will be gone from Japan.
ねこがいなくなりました。
→ The cat disappeared.
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📝 N5 Japanese Reading
日本の動物園には、パンダがいます。
でも、来年、中国に返します。
パンダがいなくなるのは、さびしいです。
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🫵 Your Turn!
Answer one of these (Japanese or English OK):
① Do you like pandas?
パンダが好きですか。
Panda ga suki desu ka?
Do you like pandas?
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② How do you feel about pandas leaving Japan?
パンダがいなくなるのは、さびしいですか。
Panda ga inaku naru no wa, sabishii desu ka?
Is it sad that the pandas will leave?
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③ What kind of animal do you like?
どんな動物が好きですか？
Donna doubutsu ga suki desu ka?
What type of animal do you like?
Post your thoughts below! 🐼🇯🇵
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🇯🇵🐼 What’s Happening in Japan: Pandas May Disappear from Japanese Zoos
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