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Japanese on a Domestic Flight: Kiosks, Security, LCC Bag Rules and Delays
A domestic flight in Japan is fast and mostly self-service, so the Japanese you need is the language of kiosk screens, security staff, boarding announcements and the short cabin exchanges, plus the words for a delay or a bag problem.
13 min readJapanese De Particle Uses: Place, Means, Material, Cause, Scope and Totals
The Japanese particle de marks where an action happens, what it is done with, what something is made of, what caused it, the group within which a superlative holds, a total, and the time an action takes, as in ichi-jikan de owarimasu.
12 min readJapanese Kara and Made Guide: From, Until, Because, Even and Te Kara
Kara means from and made means until or as far as, and together they frame any span of time or space, as in ku-ji kara go-ji made, from nine to five, while kara after a clause means because and made after a noun means even.
13 min readJapanese Mo Particle Guide: Also, Both, Neither, Dare mo and San-kai mo
The Japanese particle mo means also or too and replaces wa, ga or o after the noun it attaches to, but it also builds both and neither, turns question words into anyone and nothing, and adds surprise to numbers, as in san-kai mo, three whole times.
13 min readJapanese Ni vs To with Verbs: Au, Hanasu, Kekkon Suru and Niru
With verbs such as au, hanasu and kekkon suru, ni marks a one-way action aimed at someone, while to marks a mutual action done together with them, and the same verb often accepts both with a subtle change in meaning.
13 min readJapanese No Particle Uses: Possession, Description, Apposition and Question No
The Japanese particle no links two nouns so that the first describes, owns or specifies the second, as in watashi no hon, my book, but it also turns verbs into nouns, ends casual questions, and replaces ga inside relative clauses.
13 min readJapanese Adjective Conjugation Chart: Every Form of I and Na Adjectives
Japanese i-adjectives conjugate by changing their final i (takai, takakatta, takakunai, takakunakatta), while na-adjectives stay fixed and let the copula after them change (shizuka da, shizuka datta, shizuka ja nai).
13 min readJapanese Honorific O and Go Prefixes: Which Words Take Which and Why
Japanese adds o before native words and go before words of Chinese origin to show respect for the listener or to make speech sound refined, so o-namae and go-kazoku follow one rule, and a small set of everyday words like o-cha and o-kane keep the prefix always.
12 min readJapanese Ne and Yo Particles: Agreement, New Information and Tone
Ne marks something you expect the listener already knows or feels, so it invites agreement, while yo marks something you believe is new to the listener, so it asserts, informs or reassures.
13 min readJapanese Negative Forms Guide: Nai, Masen, Nakatta and Ja Nai Explained
Japanese negates verbs with nai in plain speech and masen in polite speech, puts those negatives into the past as nakatta and masen deshita, and negates nouns and na-adjectives with ja nai or de wa arimasen, while i-adjectives change their own ending to kunai.
13 min readJapanese Verb Groups: Ichidan, Godan and the Two Irregulars Explained
Japanese verbs fall into three groups, ichidan (ru-verbs), godan (u-verbs) and the two irregulars suru and kuru, and the group a verb belongs to decides how every one of its forms is built, so sorting verbs correctly is the first skill of conjugation.
13 min readKana at the End of a Sentence: Wondering Aloud and Soft Requests
Kana at the end of a sentence turns a statement into a wondering, so ma ni au ka na means I wonder if I'll make it, and the same ending softens requests, fills the pauses when you talk to yourself and marks a question you are not sure anyone needs to answer.
13 min readPractical guides
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