Speaking and pronunciation
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
Speaking and pronunciation · Page 25
Japanese 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 readJapanese 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 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 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.
12 min readPractical guides
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