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Japanese Words for Describing Taste and Flavour: Amai, Karai, Shoppai and Beyond
Japanese has five basic taste adjectives, amai, karai, shoppai, suppai and nigai, plus a second layer of words such as koi, usui, assari and kotteri that describe how rich or light a dish is, and those are what you need to talk about food well.
13 min readJapanese Words for Quantities and Amounts: Takusan, Sukoshi, Zenbu, Hotondo
Japanese expresses amounts with adverb-like words such as takusan, sukoshi, zenbu and hotondo that sit before the verb without a counter, and knowing which one to use, and where it goes, lets you order, shop and describe a crowd without counting anything.
13 min readJapanese Bathing Customs at Home: Ofuro Rules, Bath Order and Phrases
In a Japanese home you wash and rinse completely on the stool outside the tub, then soak in bath water that the whole family shares in turn, leave the water in for the next person, and use a separate toilet room with its own slippers.
13 min readJapanese Birthday Customs: Who Pays, Cake, Milestone Ages and Phrases
Japanese birthdays are celebrated warmly but quietly: a cake and presents at home for children, a dinner where friends treat the birthday person for adults, very little at work, and big family ceremonies only at milestone ages such as three, twenty and sixty.
13 min readJapanese Name Order and How to Address People: Surname First, Titles and San
Japanese names are given surname first, and you address people by surname plus san unless a title such as sensei or buchล applies, keeping first names for children, close friends and family, and using your own name in the order your listener expects.
13 min readJapanese Tipping and Service Culture: Why There Is No Tip and What to Say
You do not tip in Japan: good service is part of the price, a tip left on the table is treated as forgotten money, and the way to show appreciation is a clear thank you, a return visit, and in a few specific settings a small gift or a sealed envelope.
13 min readJapanese Train Etiquette: Queuing, Priority Seats, Phones and Rush Hour
On Japanese trains you queue at the painted marks, let people off first, keep your phone silent and your voice low, hold your rucksack in front of you, avoid eating on commuter lines, and give up priority seats without being asked.
13 min readAra Ara Meaning: Real Japanese Use vs the Anime Stereotype
Ara ara is a soft, slightly amused "oh my, oh dear" that real Japanese speakers use every day, but anime has turned it into a character type, and that changes how it sounds when a learner says it.
9 min readMasaka Meaning: No Way, Surely Not and Masaka no Toki
Masaka is the Japanese reaction to something you thought could not happen: no way, surely not, or I never imagined, and it also names the unexpected emergency you should prepare for.
9 min readNakama Meaning: Comrade, Teammate and Friend in Japanese
Nakama means the people you belong with: teammates, companions, fellow members of a group, which is why it feels different from tomodachi, the everyday word for friend.
9 min readItai Meaning: It Hurts, Pain Words and Itai as Cringe
Itai is the word Japanese people shout when they stub a toe, but it also describes pain to a doctor, painful losses, and people or behaviour that make others cringe.
9 min readKami Meaning: God, Paper, Hair and Upper in Japanese
Kami is one of the best-known homophones in Japanese: the same two sounds can mean a god, a sheet of paper, the hair on your head, or the upper side of something.
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