Japanese learning blog
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
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Ittekimasu and Tadaima: Leaving and Coming Home
Japanese homes run on four short phrases said at the front door, and once you know them you will hear them everywhere: in offices, dorms, share houses and anime.
6 min readNaruhodo Meaning: I See, and When Not to Say It
Naruhodo is one of the most useful listening words in Japanese and one of the easiest to use in the wrong direction.
6 min readSou Desu Ne Meaning: Agreeing, Thinking and Tone
SΕ desu ne may be the phrase you hear most in Japanese conversation, and it rarely means exactly the same thing twice.
6 min readYappari Meaning: As Expected, After All, and Changing Your Mind
Yappari is the word Japanese speakers reach for when reality matches what they thought, or when they change their mind back to what they thought first.
5 min readKimochi Meaning: Feelings, Kimochi Ii and Kimochi Warui
Kimochi covers the breeze on your face, the nausea on a bus, the thought behind a gift and the hurt behind a careless remark. One word, and all of it is feeling.
6 min readIkigai Meaning: How Japanese Speakers Actually Use the Word
Ask a Japanese grandmother about her ikigai and she is more likely to mention her grandchildren or her morning walk than a career aligned with the world's needs.
6 min readOmotenashi Meaning: Japanese Hospitality Beyond Service
The towel appears before you realise your hands are wet, and the umbrella bag is waiting before you reach the door. That is the idea omotenashi describes.
5 min readKanpai Meaning: How to Toast in Japanese
At a Japanese table nobody drinks until someone says kanpai, and learning when that moment comes matters more than learning the word.
5 min readOishii and Umai: Saying Delicious in Japanese
Oishii is usually the first adjective learners master, and umai is the one they hear in every ramen shop and wonder whether they are allowed to use.
5 min readHow to Say How Are You in Japanese, and What People Really Say
Most learners meet o-genki desu ka in their first lesson and then wait years to hear someone use it. That is not a gap in your listening; it is how the language works.
7 min readHow to Say Beautiful in Japanese: Kirei, Utsukushii and Suteki
Say kirei about a view and you sound natural. Say it about someone's apartment and you may have called it clean. The word you choose for beautiful decides what you actually praised.
6 min readHow to Say Happy in Japanese: Ureshii, Tanoshii and Shiawase
After a great party, learners often say ureshikatta and get a puzzled smile. The party was fun, not good news, and Japanese uses a different word for each.
7 min readPractical guides
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