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 119
Genki Meaning: Health, Energy and Spirit in One Japanese Word
Genki means being well in body and spirit at the same time: healthy, energetic and cheerful, which is why one word covers a recovered patient, a lively child and a friend who is simply in good form.
13 min readTsurai Meaning: Hard, Painful and Tough in Japanese, Explained
Tsurai means hard to bear, painful in the emotional or enduring sense, and it describes a situation or feeling that wears you down, from heartbreak and grief to a long stretch of overwork.
13 min readYatta Meaning: The Japanese Cheer for I Did It and Hooray
Yatta is the plain past tense of yaru, to do, and as a shout it means I did it, hooray or yes, the burst of joy you let out the moment something you wanted actually happens.
13 min readYokatta Meaning: I'm Glad, That's Good and the Past Tense of Ii
Yokatta is the past tense of ii, good, but in conversation it almost always means I'm glad or what a relief, and you say it the moment you hear that something turned out well.
13 min readDōshite, Naze and Nande: The Three Ways to Ask Why in Japanese
Japanese has three common words for why: dōshite is neutral and safe in most situations, naze is formal and analytical, and nande is casual and can sound blunt or accusing, so the choice depends on who you are talking to and how you want to sound.
12 min readKirai Meaning: Dislike and Hate in Japanese, and Why People Soften It
Kirai (嫌い) is a na-adjective meaning to dislike, marked with ga like suki, and daikirai means to hate; in real conversation both are strong words that Japanese speakers usually replace with softer phrases such as nigate or amari suki ja nai.
13 min readMuzukashii Meaning: Difficult in Japanese, and the Polite No It Hides
Muzukashii (難しい) is the everyday Japanese word for difficult or hard, and when someone says chotto muzukashii desu ne about your request, it usually means no rather than a genuine assessment of difficulty.
13 min readSuki Meaning: How to Say You Like Something in Japanese with Ga
Suki (好き) means to like or be fond of, but grammatically it is a na-adjective, so the thing you like takes ga and the whole sentence is X ga suki desu, literally 'X is liked', not a verb with an object.
13 min readTokui and Nigate Meaning: Good At and Bad At in Japanese, Without Boasting
Tokui (得意) means something you are good at and confident in, nigate (苦手) means something you are poor at or cannot handle, and unlike jōzu and heta, both are natural to use about yourself, which makes them the words for self-introductions and interviews.
13 min readBanzai Meaning: Ten Thousand Years, the Three-Cheer Ritual and When to Join In
Banzai, written 万歳, literally means ten thousand years and is shouted three times with both arms raised as a formal cheer of celebration or long life at weddings, election victories and send-offs, not as a casual hooray.
12 min readGaijin Meaning: Gaikokujin, Gaikoku no Kata and What to Say Back
Gaijin is a shortened form of gaikokujin, foreigner, and while many Japanese people use it without any bad intention, it is casual enough that the polite words for talking about foreigners are gaikokujin and, in formal settings, gaikoku no kata.
13 min readHikikomori Meaning: The Verb Hikikomoru, Related Words and Talking About It
Hikikomori comes from the verb hikikomoru, to withdraw and shut oneself in, and it describes both a person who has withdrawn from school, work and society for a long period and, in casual speech, the light-hearted act of staying home for a weekend.
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