Vocabulary and phrases
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
Vocabulary and phrases · Page 12
Japanese Shapes and Patterns Vocabulary: From Maru and Sankaku to Mizutama
Japanese shape words such as maru (circle), sankaku (triangle) and shikaku (square) and pattern words such as sutoraipu (stripes), mizutama (polka dots) and muji (plain) are mostly nouns joined with no, and the marks maru, sankaku and batsu mean correct, partly and wrong.
12 min readJapanese Wearing Verbs: Kiru, Haku, Kaburu and How to Take Things Off
In Japanese the verb for wearing depends on how the item goes onto your body: kiru for the torso, haku for legs and feet, kaburu for the head, kakeru for glasses, and tsukeru, suru, shimeru or hameru for accessories.
12 min readJapanese Banknotes and Coins: Names, Counters and the 2024 Notes
Japan uses six coins, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 yen, and four notes, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen; name each as the amount plus en-dama for a coin or en-satsu for a note, and count both with mai.
12 min readJapanese Weather Symbols (Tenki Kigō): Forecast Icons and Map Signs
Japanese weather symbols come in two families: forecast icons, where an arrow means nochi, then, and a small second picture means tokidoki or ichiji, and the tenki kigō of weather maps, circles that fill up as the sky gets worse.
12 min readJapanese Cuts of Meat: Pork, Beef and Chicken Names at the Supermarket
Japanese meat labels name the animal, then the part, then the cut, so buta bara usugiri (豚バラ薄切り) is thinly sliced pork belly; learn about fifteen part names and a handful of shape words and you can read almost every pack.
12 min readJapanese Sushi Types: Nigiri, Gunkan, Maki and the Names of Neta
Japanese names each piece of sushi by its shape and its topping: nigiri is hand-pressed rice under a slice of fish, gunkan-maki is rice walled in nori, maki are rolls, and the topping, called neta, supplies the rest of the name.
12 min readJapanese Vegetable Cutting Styles: Wagiri, Sengiri, Mijingiri and More
Japanese recipes name a cut by the shape it leaves, compared with something familiar such as a ring, a half moon or a ginkgo leaf, so ninjin wa ichōgiri ni suru means quarter the carrot lengthwise and slice it.
11 min readJapanese Kitchen Measurements: Ōsaji, Kosaji, Kappu and the Pinch
In Japanese recipes, ōsaji is a 15 ml tablespoon, kosaji a 5 ml teaspoon and one kappu 200 ml, while rice is measured in gō of 180 ml, and shōshō and hitotsumami are two-finger and three-finger pinches.
12 min readJapanese Onigiri Fillings and Wrappers: Labels, Tabs and Nori
A convenience store onigiri label names the filling you cannot see, such as shake for salmon, ume for pickled plum or tsuna mayo, while the film with tabs 1, 2 and 3 keeps the nori away from the rice so it stays crisp.
12 min readJapanese Stove Heat Levels: Yowabi, Chūbi, Tsuyobi and IH Buttons
Japanese recipes name heat by how a gas flame meets the pan: tsuyobi (high) spreads across the base, chūbi (medium) just touches it, yowabi (low) stops halfway and torobi barely stays alight, while IH hobs turn these into numbered levels.
12 min readJapanese Sake Labels: Junmai, Ginjō and the Numbers on the Back
A Japanese sake label answers two questions, how far the rice was polished and whether distilled alcohol was added; junmai means rice only, ginjō means rice polished to 60 percent or less, daiginjō to 50 percent, and honjōzō allows a little added alcohol.
12 min readJapanese Weather Map: Fronts, Isobars and Seikō Tōtei Explained
On a Japanese weather map, 高 marks high pressure and usually fair weather, 低 marks low pressure and rain, the lines are isobars, and the four front symbols show where warm and cold air meet and which way they are moving.
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