Grammar
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
Grammar · Page 14
Kurai and Gurai in Japanese: About, So Much That, and At Least
Kurai and gurai look like one small word for about, but in conversation they also exaggerate, belittle and scold, sometimes all in the same afternoon.
10 min readJanai Desu ka in Japanese: Isn't It?, You Know, and N Janai
Janai desu ka looks like a simple negative question, but in real conversation it more often means you know, doesn't it, or I told you so, and your voice decides which one.
10 min readKa Dō Ka in Japanese: Whether, and Questions Inside Sentences
"I don't know when he's coming" and "I haven't decided whether to go" are some of the most useful sentences in any language, and Japanese builds both with one small particle.
9 min readSasete Itadaku in Japanese: Humble Permission and When It's Too Much
Sasete itadakimasu is one of the most recognisable sounds of polite Japanese, and one of the most argued about.
9 min readPpoi in Japanese: Sounding Like, Tending To, and -ish
Ppoi is the casual suffix that turns a word into an impression: kodomoppoi, usoppoi, wasureppoi. It is short, flexible and everywhere in relaxed conversation.
6 min readJapanese Kke: Trying to Remember and Checking What You Heard
When a name or a time slips your mind mid-conversation, Japanese has a tiny ending for exactly that moment: kke. Nan datta kke means what was it again.
5 min readMama in Japanese: Leaving Things As They Are
Denki o tsuketa mama nete shimatta: I fell asleep with the light on. Mama is how Japanese says a state stayed the same when you would expect it to change.
6 min readOkage de and Sei de: Thanks To and Because Of in Japanese
Japanese separates causes by how you feel about the result. A good outcome is okage de, thanks to. A bad one is sei de, because of, and it points a finger.
6 min readTsuide ni in Japanese: While You Are At It
Tsuide ni gyūnyū mo katte kite: pick up some milk while you are out. Tsuide ni is how Japanese adds a small extra task to a trip that is already happening.
6 min readAida and Aida ni: During and While in Japanese
Matte iru aida, hon o yonde ita: I read the whole time I was waiting. Add ni, and the meaning shifts to one event somewhere inside that time.
6 min readHajimeru, Owaru and Tsuzukeru: Start, Finish, Keep Doing
Ame ga furihajimeta: it started to rain. Japanese builds start, finish and keep doing by attaching a second verb to the stem of the first.
5 min readBa Hodo in Japanese: The More You Do, the More It Happens
Renshū sureba suru hodo, jōzu ni naru: the more you practise, the better you get. Japanese builds the more, the more by saying the same word twice.
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