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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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Learning Japanese as a Teenager: A Practical Guide
As a teenager you have something most adult learners would love: real interest and a timetable that already includes learning. The trick is turning that interest into steady progress.
6 min readIs Duolingo Enough to Learn Japanese? What It Covers and What to Add
Whether Duolingo is enough depends less on the app than on what you want to do with Japanese. For some goals it is a great start; for conversation, it is one piece of the plan.
6 min readWhy You Understand Japanese but Can't Speak It (and How to Fix It)
You can follow a show, read a message and understand your teacher, but when it is your turn to talk, the words will not come. That gap is normal, and it has specific causes.
6 min readInside and Outside Groups in Japanese
The reason you drop the honorific from your own manager's name in front of a client is not politeness; it is which group you are both standing in.
6 min readHonne and Tatemae: What People Say and Mean
Tatemae is not a lie, and treating it as one is the fastest way to misread a Japanese conversation.
6 min readWhere to Sit: Seating Order in Japanese Rooms
There is a correct seat, you are probably standing next to it, and everyone in the room knows which one it is.
6 min readDrinking Party Etiquette for Work in Japan
The rules of a work drinking party are fewer than the internet suggests, but the ones that exist are noticed every single time.
6 min readPunctuality in Japan and How to Talk About Time
On time means five minutes early, and being late by three minutes still requires a message.
6 min readPublic Behaviour in Japan: Queues, Trains, Noise
Most of what feels like strict etiquette in Japanese public space is one idea: do not make your presence someone else's problem.
5 min readSeasonal Gifts in Japan: Ochugen and Oseibo
Twice a year, department store basements fill with boxes that are less about the contents than about the relationship they acknowledge.
6 min readJapanese Holidays and When Everything Closes
Three periods a year, the whole country moves at once, and if you have not planned around them you will find out the hard way.
6 min readJapanese for a Sushi Restaurant, Counter to Bill
The hardest part of a sushi counter is not the etiquette; it is that the menu is a list of fish names you have never seen written down.
5 min readPractical guides
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