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 40
Sending Money Home From Japan: The Japanese You Need
Sending money abroad is a routine errand for many people in Japan, but the questions at the counter or in an app are more specific than learners expect.
6 min readJapanese at Hello Work: Finding a Job Through the Public Office
Hello Work is the public employment office, and for many foreign residents it is the most useful place in Japan they have never visited.
6 min readYear-End Tax Adjustment in Japan: Forms and Words to Know
Every autumn, many employees in Japan receive a bundle of forms titled nenmatsu chōsei, and a surprising number fill them in without knowing what they say.
6 min readConverting a Foreign Driving Licence in Japan: Japanese to Know
Converting a foreign licence is mostly paperwork and a short interview, but the questions come fast and the driving check is conducted entirely in Japanese.
6 min readJapanese for Pregnancy and Childbirth in Japan
Pregnancy in Japan involves more paperwork and more clinic visits than many people expect, and the vocabulary arrives all at once.
6 min readSetting Up Home Internet in Japan: Contracts and Install Day
Home internet in Japan is fast once it is running, but getting there involves a contract full of terms and, often, a technician visiting your home.
5 min readScam Calls and Fraud in Japan: Phrases to Refuse and Report
Scam callers rely on pressure and politeness, and the best defence is a few calm phrases that end the call before the pressure builds.
6 min readJapanese at a 100-Yen Shop: Prices, Finding Things and Returns
A 100-yen shop is one of the first places newcomers furnish a home from, and one of the easiest places to practise real shopping Japanese.
6 min readJapanese at an Optician: Eye Tests, Frames and Contact Lenses
Buying glasses in Japan is quick and often done in a single visit, but the eye test is a conversation, and you have to answer in Japanese.
5 min readThe Japanese Tsu and Fu Sounds: How to Pronounce Them
English has the ts in cats and the f in fish, but neither in quite the place Japanese needs them. That small mismatch is why tsu and fu stay accented for years.
5 min readHow to Read Japanese Pitch Accent Marks in Dictionaries and Apps
That small number next to a word in a dictionary is a complete description of its pitch. Once you can read it, you can check any word in seconds.
5 min readSounding Polite in Japanese with Your Tone of Voice
You can use perfect polite forms and still sound curt. In Japanese, a lot of politeness travels in the voice around the words.
5 min readPractical guides
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