西山にしやま、のへ

Shogi player Tomoka Nishiyama (31) uses her right to become a full professional 棋士, the first woman in history; starts April 1, 2027 and will keep playing women's title matches too

やさしい日本語

の（31）が、の「」になることにしたとしました。
のはです。
西山にしやまは「とたい、をたい」とました。
からとしてして、のともさせるです。

In English

On Oct 26, women's shogi champion Tomoka Nishiyama (31) announced at the Shogi Hall in Tokyo that she will use her right to join the professional ranks as a "kishi", the full professional title that has no gender limit. She becomes the first woman in history to do so. She earned the right on Oct 10 by winning the women's Hakurei title for the fifth time (which makes her "Queen Hakurei"), under a rule the Japan Shogi Association created last year. After holding off on her answer for about two weeks, she said she decided because she wants "to fight stronger players and aim higher." She starts on April 1, 2027 as a Free Class 4-dan and plans to keep playing women's title matches as well. She had tried twice before (the apprentice league until 2021, and a transfer exam in 2024–25) and missed both times.

Phrases to steal

史上初
the first ever in history
のはです。
上を目指す
to aim higher
N3にしたら、をたいです。
〜と両立する
to balance / manage both ~ and ~
とをするのはです。

Grammar

〜ことにする
to decide to ~ (your own choice)（棋士（きし）になることにしました）

YOUR TURN

A coworker asks what your goal is for Japanese. Tell them you decided to take N3 next July, that you want to aim higher after that, and that balancing work, kids and study is hard but fun. Use ことにする, , and .

From this day · next up

Evening recall

Asking about renewing your period of stay at immigration + Nishiyama becomes the first woman pro shogi player

Start recall