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 26
Deru and Dasu: Leaving, Attending, Submitting, Starting
Deru and dasu are the same idea seen from two sides: something comes out, or someone puts it out. Once you hear that pairing, dozens of everyday collocations stop looking random.
14 min readToru: Take, Book, Remove, and Which Kanji to Use
Toru is one of the busiest verbs in Japanese, and the hard part is not the meaning but the spelling: five kanji share the same sound. Group the senses by kanji and the verb becomes manageable.
14 min readHairu and Ireru: Entering, Joining, Adding, Switching On
Hairu and ireru are the same idea seen from two sides: something goes in by itself, or somebody puts it in. Once you own the pair, dozens of everyday sentences stop needing translation.
14 min readKiru: Cut, Hang Up, Turn Off, and the Kiru Suffix
切る kiru is far more than to cut. It ends phone calls, switches machines off, drains noodles, sets deadlines and, as a suffix, means doing something all the way to the end.
13 min readThirty Japanese Phrases Built on the Word Ki
One small word, 気, sits inside dozens of everyday Japanese expressions. Learn what it points at and a whole family of phrases stops being a memory list and starts making sense.
17 min readWhat Japanese Says With the Word Te
One short word, te, carries a whole department of Japanese: who is free, who is helping, what you managed to get, and how much trouble something costs.
17 min readReading Japanese Recipes and Cooking Terms
A Japanese recipe is short because it assumes you already know about thirty words. Learn those words and the whole page opens up, from the ingredient list to the last line of the method.
18 min readJapanese for Baseball: Stadium, Broadcast, and Cheering
Baseball gives a learner something rare: a few hundred words that repeat every few minutes, in front of a picture that explains them. It is one of the best listening classrooms in Japan.
15 min readJapanese for Gaming and Playing Online
Switching a game into Japanese puts a few hundred words in front of you every session. This guide covers the interface vocabulary you will meet on almost every screen and the short polite lines that make online play with Japanese speakers go smoothly.
13 min readJapanese for Music, Live Shows, and Concerts
Going to a live show in Japan means reading a ticket page, standing in the right queue, and understanding a few announcements. This guide gives you that vocabulary, plus the everyday language for talking about music with someone.
14 min readKiku: Listen, Ask, Obey, and Take Effect
Kiku is one of the first verbs you learn and one of the last you finish learning. The same sound covers hearing, listening, asking, obeying and a medicine taking effect, and the kanji quietly tell you which one is meant.
16 min readAu: Meet, Match, Fit, and Run Into Trouble
Au is three verbs wearing one pronunciation. Learn which kanji goes with which particle and a whole family of everyday sentences becomes predictable, from tomodachi ni au to jiko ni au.
16 min readPractical guides
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