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 61
Japanese at the Bank: Accounts, Cards, and Transfers
A Japanese bank visit is mostly a small number of fixed procedures wrapped in very polite language. Learn the procedure words and the two or three phrases that slow the staff down, and the rest becomes routine.
12 min readJapanese for City Hall: Registration and Paperwork
A Japanese city office is a queue, a form, and a short conversation at a window. Learn how to name the procedure you came for and the visit stops being intimidating.
13 min readRenting an Apartment in Japan: Phrases and Questions
Renting in Japan is less about vocabulary size and more about knowing which twenty questions decide whether a flat suits you. This guide gives you those questions in natural spoken Japanese.
14 min readJapanese at the Hairdresser: Getting the Cut You Want
A haircut goes wrong in Japanese for one reason: the request was vague. Learn to state amounts and directions precisely and the rest of the appointment takes care of itself.
13 min readJapanese at the Post Office: Parcels and Deliveries
A Japanese post office runs on a short set of questions, and the same questions come back every single time. Learn the answers once and the counter stops being the errand you keep putting off.
14 min readJapanese for a Mobile Phone Contract in Japan
Signing a phone contract in Japan is a long conversation with a script you cannot see. Learn about fifteen nouns and four questions and you stay in control of it from beginning to end.
14 min readJapanese Neighbourhood Life: Greetings and Rules
Most friction between a foreign resident and a Japanese neighbourhood is not rudeness. It is a handful of short sentences nobody taught you, and a rubbish timetable written in words you have never met.
12 min readHow to Make Appointments and Bookings in Japanese
Almost every booking in Japanese runs on the same four pieces of information and the same two or three counter-questions. Learn the pattern once and the restaurant, the clinic and the plumber all become the same conversation.
12 min readJapanese Bowing Etiquette and What to Say While Bowing
A bow in Japan almost always comes with words. Get the depth roughly right and the phrase exactly right, and people will read you as polite even when your grammar wobbles.
13 min readJapanese Gift Giving and Omiyage: Phrases and Etiquette
Omiyage is one of the few Japanese customs where the words are fixed and the gift is flexible. Learn the handful of lines each side says and any box of sweets becomes a smooth exchange.
14 min readJapanese Onsen Etiquette and the Phrases You Need
An onsen visit is almost silent once you are in the water. The talking happens at reception and in the changing room, and it is short, predictable, and easy to prepare.
13 min readJapanese Izakaya Phrases and Drinking Etiquette
An izakaya evening has a rhythm, and the Japanese follows it. Learn the lines in the order the night unfolds and you will always know what comes next.
13 min readPractical guides
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