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 92
Japanese Rendaku: Why Tegami Has a G and Hitobito Has a B
Rendaku is the voicing that often happens where two Japanese words join, so the k of kami becomes g in tegami and the h of hito becomes b in hitobito; it is a strong tendency with known blockers, not a fixed rule.
12 min readJapanese Request Politeness Ladder: From Matte to Itadakemasen Ka
To make a Japanese request more polite, make it longer and less direct: matte becomes matte kureru?, then matte kudasai, matte kuremasen ka, matte moraemasen ka and matte itadakemasen ka, each step giving the listener more room to say no.
12 min readJapanese Kaomoji Guide: How to Read, Type and Use Faces Like (^_^)
Kaomoji are Japanese emoticons read upright rather than sideways, such as (^_^) for a smile and (T_T) for tears; the eyes carry the feeling, and people type them through their keyboard's conversion list in casual messages, never in business email.
12 min readJapanese Shapes and Patterns Vocabulary: From Maru and Sankaku to Mizutama
Japanese shape words such as maru (circle), sankaku (triangle) and shikaku (square) and pattern words such as sutoraipu (stripes), mizutama (polka dots) and muji (plain) are mostly nouns joined with no, and the marks maru, sankaku and batsu mean correct, partly and wrong.
12 min readJapanese Wearing Verbs: Kiru, Haku, Kaburu and How to Take Things Off
In Japanese the verb for wearing depends on how the item goes onto your body: kiru for the torso, haku for legs and feet, kaburu for the head, kakeru for glasses, and tsukeru, suru, shimeru or hameru for accessories.
12 min readJapanese Address Format Explained: From Prefecture to Room Number
A Japanese address runs from the biggest area to the smallest: postcode, prefecture, city or ward, town, then three numbers for the chōme, the block and the building, and finally the building name and room, because Japan numbers blocks rather than streets.
12 min readJapanese Envelope Addressing: Where Every Line Goes, Front and Back
To address a Japanese envelope, write the postcode in the boxes at the top right, the address in a column down the right side, the recipient's name large in the centre with sama or onchū, and your own details on the back.
12 min readJapanese Hanko and Inkan Guide: Jitsuin, Ginkōin and Mitomein
A hanko, also called an inkan, is a personal name seal used in Japan in place of or beside a signature; many adults keep an everyday seal, a bank seal and a registered seal, each accepted for a different weight of paperwork.
12 min readJapanese Apartment Floor Plans: Reading 1K, 1LDK, Jō and Madori Symbols
In a Japanese floor-plan code the number counts the rooms you can close off and the letters describe the kitchen area: 1K is one room plus a small kitchen, 1DK adds space to eat, and 1LDK adds space to sit.
12 min readJapanese Building Floors and Elevator Buttons: Ikkai, B1 and Okujō
In Japan the floor you enter from the street is ikkai, the first floor; floors above count up from there, floors below count down from chika ikkai, basement one, and there is no floor zero.
12 min readJapanese Evacuation Signs: Hinanjo, Hinan Basho and Alert Levels 1 to 5
Japanese evacuation signs tell you where to go and for which disaster: a hinan basho is a site for escaping immediate danger, a hinanjo is a shelter for staying, and ○ or × beside each hazard shows what the site is designated for.
12 min readHow to Read a Japanese Receipt: Reshīto, Tax Marks and Ryōshūsho
A Japanese receipt, or reshīto, reads top to bottom as the story of the purchase: shop, date, items, subtotal, tax at 8% or 10%, total, cash handed over and change; a ryōshūsho is separate proof of payment made out to a name.
12 min readPractical guides
Turn Japanese knowledge into speaking confidence
Practice with Unihongo's AI Sensei in an immersive 3D classroom, with roleplay missions, pronunciation coaching, useful feedback, and learning games that build your vocabulary while you play.