Recent News
Professor Chan Lü of the Department of Asian Languages & Literature has been quite busy lately sharing her findings from her research on bilingualism with immigrant and other bilingual communities in the Seattle area. Last year, Prof. Lü received a grant from the Belgium-based Harmonious Bilingualism Network, or HaBilNet, on "Parenting styles, family language policy… Read more
The Department of Asian Languages & Literature's Prof. Heekyoung Cho, together with Hyokyoung Yi, Director of the Tateuchi East Asia Library (TEAL) and Korean Studies Librarian, recently celebrated the launch of the English Translations of Korean Literature online database.
Developed over three years (2022-2025), this database is currently the most user-friendly, extensive, and accurate database of English translations of Korean… Read more
In a recent episode of the New Books Network podcast, Prof. Zev Handel sits down with Dr. Miranda Melcher of Kings College, London to discuss his new book, Chinese Characters across Asia: How the Chinese Script Came to Write Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese (University of Washington Press, 2025). Prof. Handel's book explores the spread and adaptation of the Chinese script across two… Read more
Because of its unique status in the modern world, myths and misunderstandings about Chinese characters abound. Where does this writing system, so different in form and function from alphabetic writing, come from? How does it really work? How did it come to be used to write non-Chinese languages? And why has it proven so resilient? By exploring the spread and adaptation of the script across two millennia and thousands of miles, Chinese Characters across Asia: How the Chinese Script Came to Write… Read more
Chris McCarty, an undergraduate student in the Department of Asian Languages & Literature double-majoring in Chinese and Political Science, has been recognized for the 2025 Husky 100. Each year, the Husky 100 recognizes 100 undergraduate, graduate and… Read more
On Saturday, April 12, the 24th "Chinese Bridge" competition was held at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU), bringing together nineteen students from four universities across Washington State: the University of Washington (UW), Western Washington University (WWU), Washington State University (WSU), and PLU.
The competition consisted of three challenging components: a three-minute speech in Chinese, a Q&A session on Chinese language and culture, and a talent performance. Due to the demanding… Read more
From campus to wherever you call home, we welcome you to learn from and connect with the College of Arts & Sciences community through public events spanning the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. We hope to see you this May. Innovation Month April 30 | An Evening with Christine Sun Kim (Public Lecture)...Featured
on UW News
Three Assistant Professors in the Department of Asian Languages & Literature -- Nazry Bahrawi (Southeast Asian Program), Ungsan Kim (Korean Program), and Joe Marino (South Asian Program) -- have been awarded First Book Fellowships by UW's Simpson Center for the Humanities. These fellowships provide funding for assistant professors to devote intensive attention to first book manuscripts that are near completion.… Read more
The Center for Southeast Asia & Its Diasporas has been supporting Thai language courses in the Jackson School of International Studies since the course series moved over from Asian Languages & Literature in the fall quarter of 2018. The Jackson School’s Thai courses use an online learning system named Moodle, which is managed by the UW Language Learning Center. Students complete lessons, practice exercises, and quizzes in the Moodle system and meet with an instructor to review materials… Read more
Dana Fried, a graduate student in the Asian Languages and Cultures Program at the Department of Asian Languages & Literature, has been awarded a … Read more