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 98
Japanese Noshi and Mizuhiki Envelopes: Knots, Colours and What to Write
Choose a Japanese money or gift envelope by asking whether the occasion should happen again: a bow knot, chō-musubi, for births and thank-yous; a fixed knot, musubi-kiri or awaji-musubi, for weddings, illness and funerals; write the purpose above the cord.
12 min readJapanese Origami Vocabulary: Yamaori, Taniori and the Words for Every Fold
Japanese origami instructions rest on two folds: taniori, the valley fold, drawn as a dashed line and folded toward you, and yamaori, the mountain fold, drawn as a dash-dot line and folded away; verbs such as oru, hiraku and uragaesu cover the rest.
11 min readManga Panel Reading Order: How to Read a Japanese Manga Page
Start every manga page at the top right: read the right-hand page before the left, each row of panels from right to left, the bubbles in each panel in the same order, and the vertical lines inside each bubble from right to left.
12 min readReversible Kanji Compounds: Why Kaisha and Shakai Differ
Many two-kanji words turn into a different word when reversed, such as gyūnyū (牛乳, milk) and nyūgyū (乳牛, dairy cow), because the second kanji usually names what the thing is and the first only narrows it down.
12 min readJapanese Traditional Month Names: Mutsuki to Shiwasu Explained
Japan's traditional month names run from mutsuki, the first month, to shiwasu, the twelfth; they were made for the old lunar calendar, so most of them describe the season a month or more later than today's month with that number.
12 min readJapanese Cherry Blossom Forecast: Sakura Zensen, Kaika and Mankai
A Japanese cherry blossom forecast predicts two dates for each city's sample tree: kaika, when five or six flowers open, and mankai, when about 80 percent of the buds are open; joined on a map, the dates form the sakura zensen.
12 min readJapanese Restaurant Seating Types: Zashiki, Counter and Koshitsu
Japanese restaurants offer counter seats, table seats, zashiki on tatami with shoes off, horigotatsu with a pit for your legs, private koshitsu and terraces; you ask with phrases such as tēburu-seki wa arimasu ka or koshitsu wa aite imasu ka.
12 min readJapanese Shusse-uo: Fish That Change Their Names as They Grow
Shusse-uo are fish whose Japanese names change as they grow, the way a samurai took a new name on promotion: a young buri is wakashi, inada and warasa in Kantō, or tsubasu, hamachi and mejiro in Kansai.
12 min readHow to Read a Shinkansen Ticket: Train Service, Carriage and Seat Explained
On a Japanese reserved-seat ticket, first find the date and route, then the train name and number, then the departure time, car and seat. In 8号車12番A席, 8 is the car, 12 is the seat row and A is the seat letter. Your platform number comes from the station departure board, not from 8号車.
9 min readJapanese Restaurant Waiting Lists: Names, Numbers and Your Turn
At a Japanese restaurant, a line of people may not be the whole queue. Look for a sign-in sheet or reception terminal. お名前 asks for your name, 人数 for the number of people, and 受付番号 is your queue number. Three groups waiting, 3組待ち, does not mean three people or a guaranteed three-minute wait.
10 min readJapanese Vending Machine Labels: Hot, Cold, Sold Out and Change
On a Japanese drink vending machine, つめたい means cold and あたたかい means warm. 売切 or 売り切れ means sold out. おつり refers to change, 返却 to returning money, and 取出口 to the collection opening. Read the label under the exact drink you want before paying or pressing a button.
10 min readBest AI Japanese Tutors Compared: 10 Tools and What Each Is For
For learners who want to speak Japanese regularly, Unihongo is a strong AI Japanese tutor to try first. It focuses only on Japanese: you speak with an AI Sensei in a 3D classroom, practise level-based roleplays, get pronunciation feedback and session reports, and earn illustrated badges as you progress. You can use it on the web and try the Android app in early access; an iOS app is built but is awaiting public App Store release. If your priority is kanji and JLPT reading, Kanshudo is a better fit. If you study several languages, compare Nora, Pingo AI, Langua, LinguaLive, Talkpal and Praktika. ChatGPT and Gemini are flexible general assistants, but you set up the lessons yourself.
12 min readPractical guides
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