Grammar
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
Grammar · Page 18
Shika, Dake, Bakari, and Mo: Japanese Focus Particles
Dake and shika both translate as only, yet swapping one for the other changes the feeling of your sentence and, in shika's case, forces the verb into the negative. Focus particles are where politeness and attitude live.
12 min readWhat Does Desu Actually Mean in Japanese?
Desu has two different jobs, and mixing them up is why takai desu confuses people. After a noun it means is or am; after an i-adjective it means nothing at all and only makes the sentence polite.
13 min readKudasai or Onegaishimasu: Which Request Word to Use
Kudasai and onegaishimasu both turn a word into a request, but they attach differently and they feel different. Once you can hear that difference, ordering, asking staff for something and closing a phone call all stop being guesswork.
12 min readWakaru or Shiru: Two Ways to Know in Japanese
English gives you one verb for knowing. Japanese gives you two, and choosing the wrong one can make a polite answer sound dismissive. This guide shows when a Japanese speaker reaches for wakaru and when for shiru.
14 min readMieru or Mirareru, Kikoeru or Kikeru
Japanese separates seeing something because it is there from being able to see it because circumstances allow. Get that split right and a whole family of everyday sentences stops sounding translated.
14 min readMade or Made ni: Deadlines and Durations in Japanese
One small ni is the difference between working until five and finishing by five. Japanese decides between made and made ni by looking at the verb, not at the English translation.
13 min readNan or Nani: Why the Kanji 何 Changes Its Reading
One kanji, two readings, and no obvious signal about which to use. The choice between nan and nani is not random, and the rule behind it fits in a sentence once you know what your tongue is doing.
14 min readNaru or Suru: Becoming Something Versus Making It So
One of the biggest steps toward natural-sounding Japanese is knowing when to say it became and when to say I made it. Naru and suru split that job between them, and Japanese reaches for naru far more often than English does.
14 min readOmou or Kangaeru: Two Ways to Think in Japanese
Both omou and kangaeru translate as think, but they do different jobs. One states what you feel about something; the other describes the work of reasoning it out.
13 min readTokoro: Place, Moment, and Just About To
Tokoro starts life meaning place, but most of the times you hear it in conversation it is marking a moment in a process instead. This guide walks the whole journey.
15 min readMono da and Koto da: Advice, Truths, and Reminiscence
Mono da and koto da look almost identical and do completely different jobs. One talks about how the world is, the other tells someone what to do.
19 min readBa Yokatta: How to Express Regret in Japanese
Regret in Japanese runs through one small pattern: a conditional plus yokatta, meaning it would have been good if. Learn the form and the softeners and you can own a mistake without dwelling on it.
16 min readPractical guides
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