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 27
Kaeru and Kaesu: Return, Change, Swap, and Repay
Six common Japanese verbs share the sound kaeru, and two more share kaesu. The kanji tells you which one is meant, and the verb class decides whether the te-form is kaette or kaete.
16 min readHiku: Pull, Subtract, Look Up, and Catch a Cold
Hiku is one of those Japanese verbs that seems to mean everything. Once you see the picture underneath it, the dictionary entry stops being a list and becomes a family.
16 min readJapanese Ordinal Numbers: Banme, Dai, and Me
Japanese does not add a single ending like -st or -th. It has three ordinal tools, and choosing the right one is what makes second corner, chapter two, and my third year sound natural.
15 min readTalking About Age and Generations in Japanese
Age comes up early in Japanese conversation because it quietly sets the register between two people. Learn the counter, the irregular readings, and the softer ways of asking, and the topic stops being a trap.
14 min readFractions, Percentages, and Decimals in Japanese
You can count to a hundred in Japanese and still freeze in front of a sale sign. Fractions, percentages and discounts use their own patterns, and one of them reverses the order English uses.
13 min readTatsu: Stand, Be Built, Elapse, and Cut Off
Tatsu is one sound covering five verbs, and the one that surprises learners most is time. San-nen ga tachimashita has nothing to do with standing, and the noun in front of the verb is what tells you which tatsu you are hearing.
17 min readHow to Learn Japanese Vocabulary with Games That Work
Rereading a word list feels like study and produces very little. A short game that makes you pull the word out of memory before a timer runs out does far more, provided you choose the right kind of game and finish by saying the words aloud.
13 min readDays, Months, and Dates in Japanese Made Simple
Dates in Japanese look intimidating because a handful of readings refuse to follow the number pattern. Learn which ones are irregular and the rest of the system falls into place in an afternoon.
12 min readHow to Tell the Time in Japanese Without Hesitating
Telling the time in Japanese is two counters and about eight sound changes. Learn the exceptions properly and you can arrange, confirm, and rearrange a meeting without pausing to calculate.
12 min readJapanese Family Words: Talking About Your Family
Japanese gives you two words for every relative: one for your own family and one for everyone else's. Choosing the right set is what makes a simple sentence about your mother sound respectful rather than odd.
12 min readJapanese Onomatopoeia: Sound Words You Will Hear Daily
Kirakira, dokidoki, mochimochi. These are not childish extras in Japanese. They are ordinary adult vocabulary, and without them your descriptions sound oddly flat.
12 min readKatakana Loanwords and Wasei-Eigo Explained
Thousands of Japanese words came from English, yet they are the hardest words for English speakers to hear. The reshaping is systematic, and once you know the rules you can predict most of it.
12 min readPractical guides
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