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 93
Japanese ATM Screen Vocabulary: Menus, PIN, Fees and Buttons
A Japanese ATM asks one question per screen in a fixed order: which transaction, your card, your four-digit PIN, the amount, then confirmation; learn the six menu words and the buttons kakunin, teisei and torikeshi and you can use almost any machine.
11 min readJapanese Food Labels and Expiry Dates: Shōmi Kigen, Shōhi Kigen and More
On Japanese food packaging, shōmi kigen is a best-before date about taste and shōhi kigen a use-by date about safety; both belong to a standard label box with the name, ingredients by weight, contents, storage method and maker.
12 min readJapanese 24 Solar Terms: Nijūshi Sekki on Calendars and Forecasts
The nijūshi sekki are 24 seasonal markers that divide the sun's yearly path into equal steps, from risshun, the start of spring, around 4 February, to daikan, the great cold; calendars print them and forecasters quote them, usually a month ahead of the weather.
12 min readJapanese IC Card Phrases: Suica, PASMO, Top-Ups and Ticket Gates
To use a Japanese IC transit card you need a handful of words: chāji to top up, zandaka or zangaku for the balance, zandaka fusoku when it runs short, and norikoshi seisanki, the fare adjustment machine inside the gates where you fix a shortfall.
12 min readReading Japanese Medicine Instructions: Bags, Labels and Inserts
Japanese medicine instructions tell time by meals: shokuzen is before eating, shokugo after, shokkan between meals rather than during them, and neru mae before bed, followed by the amount per dose, the doses per day and the days supplied.
12 min readJapanese Platform Signs and Car Numbers: Reading a Train Platform
A Japanese train platform shows where everything will stop before the train arrives: the bansen number names the track, floor marks show each car's doors by gōsha number, and signs flag women-only cars, reserved cars and the stations on either side.
12 min readJapanese Station Exits and Compass Directions: Kita, Minami, Higashi, Nishi
Japanese station exits are mostly named after the compass: kitaguchi, minamiguchi, higashiguchi and nishiguchi open onto the north, south, east and west sides of town, chūō-guchi is the central exit, and subway exits carry numbers such as A2.
13 min readJapanese Train Types: Local, Rapid, Express and Limited Express
Japanese train types, from kakueki teisha (local) through kaisoku (rapid), junkyū (semi-express) and kyūkō (express) to tokkyū (limited express), usually share the same tracks; what differs is which stations they skip, and the ranking changes from one railway company to the next.
12 min readJapanese Air Conditioner Remote Buttons: What Every Kanji Means
On a Japanese air conditioner remote, unten/teishi (運転/停止) turns it on and off, reibō (冷房) cools, danbō (暖房) heats, joshitsu (除湿) or dorai removes humidity, sōfū (送風) only blows air, and ondo, fūryō and fūkō set temperature, fan strength and direction.
12 min readJapanese Laundry Care Symbols: Reading the Sentaku Hyōji Label
Japanese care labels, sentaku hyōji (洗濯表示), use five shapes in fixed order: washtub for washing, triangle for bleach, square for drying, iron for ironing, circle for professional cleaning; numbers and dots set maximum heat, lines mean gentler, a cross forbids.
12 min readJapanese Washing Machine Buttons: Reading the Panel Step by Step
A Japanese washing machine runs three steps, arai (洗い) wash, susugi (すすぎ) rinse and dassui (脱水) spin, plus kansō (乾燥) drying on washer-dryers; you press dengen (電源) for power, choose a kōsu (コース), then press sutāto (スタート).
12 min readJapanese Bath Panel Buttons: Furo Jidō, Oidaki and the Voice Prompts
A Japanese bath panel controls one water heater with two outputs: the kyūtō settings govern the taps and shower, while the furo buttons run the tub, and furo jidō fills it and announces ofuro ga wakimashita, the bath is ready.
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