Japanese learning blog
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
All articles · Page 115
Ma Meaning: Negative Space, Pauses and Timing in Japanese
Ma is the gap between things, and in Japanese that gap is never empty: it can be a room, a pause, a moment of timing or the silence that makes a conversation work.
11 min readShokunin Meaning: The Japanese Craftsperson and Shokunin Kishitsu
A shokunin is a skilled craftsperson, but in Japanese the word also carries an attitude: doing one job, very well, for a very long time.
10 min readOmakase Meaning: Leaving It to the Chef, and Far Beyond Sushi
At a Japanese sushi counter, omakase de onegai shimasu means you are handing your dinner over to the chef, but the same word is used at hair salons, in offices and between friends every day.
11 min readUmami Meaning: The Word, the Taste and How to Describe Flavour
Umami is the savoury depth in dashi, soy sauce, cheese and ripe tomatoes, and the word itself is simply Japanese for the quality of being delicious.
10 min readShinrin-yoku Meaning: Forest Bathing and the Words Around It
Shinrin-yoku sounds like an ancient practice, but the word is a modern Japanese coinage built on the same pattern as sunbathing and sea bathing.
10 min readNemawashi Meaning: Laying the Groundwork Before a Meeting
In a Japanese office, the real decision is often made in quiet one-to-one conversations days before the meeting, and the word for that preparation is nemawashi.
10 min readUkiyo Meaning: The Floating World, the Sorrowful World and Ukiyo-e
Ukiyo is usually translated as the floating world, yet the older word it grew from meant a world of sorrow, and both meanings still sit inside the same sound.
9 min readSaikō Meaning: The Best, Saikō ni and Saitei in Japanese
Saikō is the Japanese word for the best, the highest or simply amazing, and it is one of the most useful ways to show real enthusiasm about food, trips, friends and good news.
11 min readOmoshiroi Meaning: Funny or Interesting? Plus Tanoshii and Okashii
Omoshiroi covers two English words at once, funny and interesting, and the context tells you which one someone means.
10 min readDoki Doki Meaning: Nervous, Excited and in Love in Japanese
Doki doki is the sound of a pounding heart in Japanese, and people use it for stage fright, exam nerves, thrilling moments and falling for someone.
11 min readYoshi Meaning: Right, OK, Let's Go and Yoshi Yoshi in Japanese
Yoshi is what Japanese speakers say when they decide to get going, check that something is fine or celebrate a small win: all right, OK, good, let's do this.
10 min readSō ka Meaning: Sō desu ka, Sokka and Sō nan da Explained
Sō ka is the Japanese I see: a short reaction that shows you have taken in what someone said, and its tone changes completely depending on how your voice moves.
11 min readPractical guides
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