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 22
Japanese Tennis and Badminton Vocabulary: Shots, Scores and Courts
Tennis is tenisu and badminton is badominton in Japanese, and both share a core of katakana words: raketto (racket), sābu (serve), rarī (rally) and sumasshu (smash). The differences are in the details: badminton has its own shuttle words and shots, tennis has its own scoring, and both need a few polite phrases for sharing public courts.
10 min readJapanese Table Tennis Vocabulary: Takkyū Words, Spins and Strokes
Table tennis in Japanese is takkyū (卓球), literally table ball. Most stroke and gear names are katakana, but the spin vocabulary is native Japanese built on kaiten, rotation: kami kaiten for topspin, shita kaiten for backspin and yoko kaiten for sidespin.
10 min readJapanese Surfing Vocabulary: Waves, Boards and Lineup Etiquette
Surfing in Japanese is sāfin, and a lot of its vocabulary is katakana: sāfubōdo, padoru, teikuofu. The words that matter most in the water are native Japanese, though: nami (wave), oki (out the back), the body-part scale for wave size, and maenori, dropping in on someone, the one mistake every surfer in Japan wants you to avoid.
10 min readJapanese Ice Skating Vocabulary: At the Rink and Watching Figure Skating
Ice skating in Japanese is sukēto, and the three verbs you need most are native: suberu (to glide), korobu (to fall) and tomaru (to stop). Add kashigutsu, rental skates, and a few rink rules, and you are ready for a public rink; for watching figure skating on TV, learn kaiten, rotation, and engi, performance.
10 min readJapanese Golf Vocabulary: Driving Range, Course Words and Etiquette
Golf in Japanese is gorufu, and most course and club words are katakana: doraibā, gurīn, bankā, pā. The truly Japanese part is around the game: the uchippanashi driving range, polite lines like osaki ni shitsurei shimasu, and the language of a company golf day, where courtesy matters as much as your score.
10 min readJapanese Skateboarding Vocabulary: Sukebō Tricks, Gear and Park Talk
Skateboarding in Japanese is sukētobōdo, almost always shortened to sukebō. Trick and gear names are katakana, such as ōrī (ollie) and dekki (deck), while the verbs that tie them together are Japanese: noru (to ride), waza o kimeru (to land a trick) and korobu (to fall).
10 min readJapanese Diving and Snorkeling Vocabulary: Gear, Sea Life and Safety
Diving in Japanese is daibingu and snorkeling is shunōkeringu. The gear words are katakana, but the words that keep you safe underwater are native Japanese: moguru (to dive down), uku (to float), mimi nuki (equalising your ears) and iki o haku (to breathe out).
10 min readJapanese Esports Vocabulary: Tournaments, Streams and Team Calls
Esports in Japanese is ī supōtsu, written eスポーツ. Many gameplay words are katakana, but the vocabulary of competition is native Japanese: taikai (tournament), yosen (qualifier), kesshō (final), yūshō (winning the title), jikkyō (play-by-play commentary) and kaisetsu (expert analysis).
9 min readWhy Do Japanese People Wear Masks? Reasons and Phrases
Japanese people wear masks for several everyday reasons: to keep pollen out during hay fever season, to avoid passing on a cold, to stay warm in dry winter air, and sometimes simply for privacy or comfort. Since spring 2023 masks have been a personal choice in Japan, but many people still wear them out of habit and consideration for others.
11 min readWhy Do Japanese People Slurp Noodles? Etiquette and Phrases
Japanese people slurp noodles because it cools hot noodles as they go in, draws air and aroma into the mouth, and lets you eat them quickly before they go soft. Slurping ramen, soba and udon is normal and not rude in Japan, but it is not compulsory, and it does not apply to most other food.
10 min readInemuri: Why People Sleep on Trains in Japan, and the Words
People sleep on trains in Japan because commutes are long, nights are often short, carriages are quiet, and most people feel safe enough to close their eyes. The word for it is inemuri (居眠り), dozing off while you are somewhere else, and on a train it is widely accepted.
9 min readWhy Are There No Trash Cans in Japan? Reasons and Where to Find One
There are few public trash cans in Japan because many were removed for security reasons after the 1995 Tokyo subway attack, because collecting and sorting public rubbish is costly, and because most people are used to carrying their rubbish home. Bins still exist at convenience stores, stations and next to vending machines, but you often have to look for them.
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