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 170
Ganbatte: How to Say Good Luck in Japanese
Ganbatte is the first word most learners reach for when a friend has an exam, and it is usually right. It is also the wrong word to say to someone who is already exhausted, and knowing the difference is what makes you sound thoughtful rather than fluent.
12 min readWhat Does Desu Actually Mean in Japanese?
Desu has two different jobs, and mixing them up is why takai desu confuses people. After a noun it means is or am; after an i-adjective it means nothing at all and only makes the sentence polite.
13 min readIs Baka Rude? Japanese Insults and Their Real Strength
Baka is the first Japanese insult most learners meet, and almost every explanation of it is wrong in one direction or the other. This guide gives the honest range, and the far more common ways Japanese speakers show they are annoyed.
15 min readYabai: How One Word Covers Awful and Amazing
Yabai is one word doing the work of about eight, from this is delicious to I am in serious trouble. Tone and context carry the meaning, which is exactly why it is easy to hear and risky to use.
13 min readSumimasen or Gomen Nasai: Which Apology to Use
Japanese has several apologies and they are not interchangeable. Once you can hear what each one is really doing, choosing takes no thought at all.
13 min readYes and No in Japanese: Why Hai and Iie Are Not Enough
Hai and iie are the first two words most learners memorise, and they are the two that cause the most confusion in real conversation. This guide shows what Japanese speakers actually say when they agree, decline, or simply keep listening.
14 min readKudasai or Onegaishimasu: Which Request Word to Use
Kudasai and onegaishimasu both turn a word into a request, but they attach differently and they feel different. Once you can hear that difference, ordering, asking staff for something and closing a phone call all stop being guesswork.
12 min readJapanese for Cherry Blossom Season
Cherry blossom season gives you a few short weeks when almost every conversation in Japan starts with the same subject. Learn the words for the stages and the lines for organising a picnic, and you can join in instead of nodding along.
13 min readHow to Call In Sick in Japanese
Calling in sick is the workplace phone call learners dread most, because you feel terrible and you have to be polite at speed. It is also one of the most predictable calls in Japanese, with about six moves you can rehearse in advance.
14 min readJapanese for Garbage Day: Reading the Sorting Rules
Sorting rubbish in Japan is mostly a reading problem wearing a plastic bag. Learn the category names, the calendar words and the marks on packaging, and the system stops feeling like a test you are failing.
14 min readBounenkai and Year-End Japanese at Work
December is the busiest social month of the Japanese working year, and it runs on a small set of fixed phrases. Learn the invitation, the toast, the parting line and the first greeting back, and the season stops being something that happens around you.
15 min readWakaru or Shiru: Two Ways to Know in Japanese
English gives you one verb for knowing. Japanese gives you two, and choosing the wrong one can make a polite answer sound dismissive. This guide shows when a Japanese speaker reaches for wakaru and when for shiru.
14 min readPractical guides
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