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 18
Hanasu, Iu, Shaberu: Choosing the Right Japanese Verb for Speak
Hanasu is to talk or converse, iu is to say specific words, shaberu is to chat casually, kataru is to tell a story, noberu is to state formally and tsutaeru is to pass a message on: six verbs, six different jobs.
13 min readOshieru, Narau, Manabu: Japanese Verbs for Teaching and Learning
Oshieru means to teach and also to tell someone information, narau is to learn from a teacher, manabu is to learn in a broad sense, benkyō suru is to study, oboeru is to memorise and minitsukeru is to make a skill your own.
13 min readSuru vs Yaru: When to Use Each Japanese Verb for Do
Suru and yaru both mean to do, but suru is the neutral, all-purpose verb that also builds hundreds of compounds, while yaru is casual, physical and personal, and it doubles as the verb for giving to juniors, pets and plants.
13 min readKakaru Meanings: Time, Cost, Hanging, Locks, Calls and Doctors
Kakaru is an intransitive verb whose core image is something coming to rest on or against something else, which is why it covers time and money being spent, a picture hanging, a lock being on, an engine catching, a call arriving and even seeing a doctor.
13 min readMotsu Meanings: Hold, Own, Last, Pay and Motte Iku in Japanese
Motsu means to hold something in your hand, but the same verb also covers owning, lasting, taking responsibility, paying the bill and, joined with iku or kuru, carrying things away or bringing them along.
13 min readAgaru, Ageru, Sagaru and Sageru: Rise, Raise, Fall and Lower in Japanese
Agaru means something rises by itself, ageru means you raise it, sagaru means something falls or steps back, and sageru means you lower it, and the same four verbs cover prices, temperature, grades, speed, stepping into a house and going on stage.
13 min readAku, Akeru, Shimaru and Shimeru: The Japanese Open and Close Verbs
Aku and shimaru describe something opening or closing by itself, akeru and shimeru describe a person opening or closing it, and the pair you choose changes the particle, the tense and the whole feeling of the sentence.
14 min readHataraku vs Tsutomeru: How to Say Work in Japanese Without Mistakes
Hataraku means to work as an activity and takes de for the place, while tsutomeru means to be employed by an organisation and takes ni, so a self-introduction uses tsutomete imasu for your employer and hataraite imasu for where or how you work.
13 min readNomu Meanings: Drink, Take Medicine, Swallow and Accept in Japanese
Nomu means to drink, but Japanese also uses it for taking medicine, swallowing anything without chewing, smoking in older speech and accepting a demand, so kusuri o nomu and yōkyū o nomu are normal sentences even though nothing is being drunk.
13 min readTsukuru Meanings: Make Food, Friends, Time and Money in Japanese
Tsukuru means to make, and Japanese uses it far more widely than English does: you make dinner, make friends, make time, make money, make a company, make rules and make a document, all with the same everyday verb.
13 min readJapanese Frequency Words: Itsumo, Yoku, Tokidoki, Amari and Zenzen
Japanese frequency words run on a scale from itsumo, always, through yoku, tokidoki and tamani down to amari, mettani and zenzen, and the bottom three only work with a negative verb, which is the rule most learners get wrong.
13 min readJapanese Fruit and Vegetable Vocabulary: Readings, Counters and Shopping Phrases
Japanese fruit and vegetable words split into two groups: native words like ringo and daikon that are usually written in hiragana or kanji, and loanwords like banana and tomato that are always written in katakana.
13 min readPractical guides
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