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 23
Japanese Peace Sign in Photos: Why Everyone Poses With a V
Japanese people make the peace sign, called pīsu, in photos because it became a fun, friendly pose in the 1970s and has been a habit ever since. It gives your hands something to do, looks cheerful and cute, and is understood by everyone, from small children to grandparents.
9 min readWhy Is Cash Still So Common in Japan? Reasons and Phrases
Cash is still common in Japan because it is safe to carry, ATMs are easy to find, many small shops avoid card fees and machines, and many people simply trust and prefer it. Cashless payment has grown fast in recent years, but small restaurants, shrines, festival stalls and rural places often still take cash only.
9 min readWhy Do Japanese Students Clean Their Classrooms? O-sōji Explained
Japanese students clean their own classrooms because cleaning is treated as part of education, not just a chore: it teaches children to take care of shared spaces, work in teams and take responsibility. Most schools have a daily cleaning time, sōji no jikan, when pupils sweep, wipe floors and tidy up in small groups.
9 min readWhy Do Japanese Pedestrians Wait at Red Lights? Reasons and Words
Most Japanese pedestrians wait at red lights because they learned to as children, because they want to set a good example for children around them, and because following shared rules is a strong social habit. Crossing on red is also against the Road Traffic Act, though pedestrians are rarely penalised.
9 min readHow to Sit Seiza: Step by Step, With Tips for Numb Legs
To sit seiza, kneel on the floor with your knees together, lay the tops of your feet flat behind you, and lower your hips onto your heels with your back straight and your hands on your thighs. It is the formal way to sit on tatami, and most hosts will soon invite you to relax your legs.
9 min readBonsai Meaning: What 盆栽 Means and How to Talk About It
Bonsai (盆栽) means a tree planted in a tray: 盆 (bon) is a tray or shallow container and 栽 (sai) means planting. In Japanese it refers to the art of growing a real tree in a small pot and shaping it over years so it looks like a large, old tree in nature.
9 min readJapanese for Playing in a Band: Studio, Gear and Gig Phrases
To play in a band in Japanese, start with bando o kumu (to form a band), pāto (your part or instrument), sutajio renshū (studio rehearsal) and raibu (a live gig). Add the right verb for each instrument, a handful of gear words that differ from English, and a few rehearsal lines like mō ikkai atama kara, once more from the top.
12 min readJapanese Drawing and Illustration Vocabulary: Tools, Steps and Praise
The core Japanese words for drawing are e (絵, picture), kaku (描く, to draw), irasuto (illustration), shitagaki (rough sketch), senga (line art) and iro o nuru (to colour in). Add the tools, the subjects you draw and a few lines for giving and receiving compliments, and you can talk about your art with anyone in Japan.
10 min readJapanese Dance Vocabulary: Classes, Moves, Counts and Bon Odori
The basic Japanese verb for dancing is odoru (踊る), and a dance routine is furitsuke (振り付け), choreography. In a class you will hear counts in English, wan, tsū, surī, fō, plus instructions like hiza o magete (bend your knees) and chikara o nuite (relax). For festival dancing, bon odori, you mostly copy the people around you.
10 min readJapanese for Train Fans: Tetsudō Words, Fan Types and Manners
A train fan in Japanese is a tetsudō fan (鉄道ファン), casually a tetchan, and fans name themselves by what they love: toritetsu photograph trains, noritetsu ride them, ototetsu record their sounds and mokeitetsu build model railways. The key vocabulary covers cars and formations, special services, last runs and the manners expected at the trackside.
10 min readJapanese Gardening and Houseplant Vocabulary: Soil, Pots and Care
Japanese gardening vocabulary starts with engei (園芸, gardening), kanyō shokubutsu (観葉植物, houseplants), hachi (鉢, pot), tsuchi (土, soil) and mizuyari (水やり, watering). With a few care words such as hiatari (how much sun a spot gets), uekae (repotting) and kareru (to wither), you can look after plants and ask for advice in any Japanese plant shop.
10 min readJapanese Home Baking Vocabulary: Flour, Oven Words and Recipe Verbs
Japanese home baking is okashi zukuri (お菓子作り, making sweets) or pan zukuri (パン作り, bread making). The words you need first are the flours, hakurikiko and kyōrikiko, the measuring spoons ōsaji and kosaji, the recipe verbs mazeru (mix), awadateru (whisk), koneru (knead) and yaku (bake), and yonetsu, preheating the oven.
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