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 132
Oshii Meaning: So Close, What a Pity, Too Good to Lose
When the ball hits the post, the quiz answer is one letter off, or the lottery ticket is one number short, Japanese has a single word ready: oshii!
5 min readHidoi Meaning: Awful, Mean and That's Not Fair
Hidoi can describe a terrible storm, a cruel act or a friend who ate the last slice of cake, and the difference is mostly in the tone.
5 min readTsumaranai Meaning: Boring, Dull and a Gift Formula
Tsumaranai is the word a bored child says about homework, and also, surprisingly, the word an adult uses when handing over a carefully chosen gift.
5 min readHow to Say You're Welcome in Japanese: Beyond Dō Itashimashite
Every textbook teaches dō itashimashite, and then learners notice that almost nobody around them says it. The phrase is fine; the habit behind it is different.
7 min readHow to Say Of Course in Japanese: Mochiron, Zehi and Yorokonde
Of course sounds friendly in English. Translated too directly, it can sound either wonderfully eager or faintly insulting in Japanese, depending on the word you pick.
6 min readHow to Say Good Night in Japanese, and When Oyasumi Is Wrong
In English, good night can mean goodbye in the evening. In Japanese, oyasumi means you are going to sleep, and using it at 7 pm as you leave the office sounds strange.
6 min readHow to Say Sorry to Bother You in Japanese: Osoreirimasu and More
English uses one phrase for interrupting, entering and asking a favour. Japanese splits the job, and the right opener makes the rest of your request sound polite before you have even made it.
6 min readHow to Say I Don't Speak Japanese, and Get Through Anyway
Saying I don't speak Japanese in Japanese sounds like a contradiction, but it is one of the most useful sentences a visitor can learn: it sets expectations politely and usually makes people more helpful.
5 min readHow to Say What Do You Mean in Japanese Without Sounding Rude
What do you mean can be curious or challenging in English, depending on tone. Japanese separates the two more sharply, and the wrong phrase in the wrong tone can sound like you are objecting.
6 min readHow to Say Bless You in Japanese (Hint: People Usually Don't)
Someone sneezes in a Japanese office and nobody says anything. That silence is not coldness; there simply is no bless you, and commenting can feel more awkward than ignoring it.
5 min readHow to Say Me Too in Japanese: Watashi Mo, Onaji and Me Neither
Learners worry about how to say me neither in Japanese, and then discover they already know it. The trick is in how mo copies whatever the other person said.
5 min readHow to Say I'm Hungry in Japanese: Onaka Ga Suita and Pekopeko
Onaka ga suita is literally my stomach has become empty, which is why it uses the past tense even though you are hungry right now.
5 min readPractical guides
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