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Erin Himeno Archive

In the background, people can be seen crossing the street with a crosswalk in what appears to be Tokyo, but they are blurry. The foreground as text that reads, "Shitsurei Shimasu Essential Japanese Etiquette."

Understanding Shitsurei Shimasu: Essential Japanese Etiquette

September 10, 2021 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
失礼します (shitsurei shimasu) is a staple phrase in Japanese work and school environments. It’s used to excuse oneself …
Three young girls standing next to each other and looking forward while taking a selfie.

How to Say Girl in Japanese Naturally: 5 Different Ways

May 25, 2021 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The Japanese word for girl is 女子 (joshi). As with the Japanese word for boy, there are several …
A young Asian boy dressed in a Japanese school uniform and backpack waving to someone.

How to Say Boy in Japanese Naturally

March 13, 2021 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The Japanese word for “boy” is 男子(danshi). There are several other words for boy that depend on the …
White butterflies and flowers on tree branches drawn on a blue background with the words "Happy Birthday" on the bottom in white text.

How to Say Happy Birthday in Japanese

March 5, 2021 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Happy birthday in Japanese is 誕生日おめでとう (tanjoubi omedetou). Birthday celebrations in Japan are quieter and more personal than …
A young, Asian woman point straight at the camera and smiling.

How to Say You in Japanese Naturally

February 26, 2021 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
While the standard textbook definition for you in Japanese is あなた (anata), this pronoun is highly nuanced and …
A screenshot of the iKnow Japanese word with English translation and example sentence.

iKnow Japanese Review: Is It Worth Paying For?

February 12, 2021 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
You need to learn thousands of core vocabulary words to be fluent in Japanese. This is a daunting task; …
A sign that says, "LEARNING" with a smaller red arrow above it.

The Best FREE Resources for Learning Japanese

January 15, 2021 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Did you know that it’s possible to learn Japanese for free? All you need is an internet connection, …
A woman dressed in traditional Japanese clothes with her hands together as if in prayer or saying please.

How to Say Please in Japanese

January 4, 2021 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
There are two ways to say “please” in Japanese: ください(Kudasai)– often used when requesting an action or a …
Two young Asian boys, and one young Asian girl, all wearing Japanese high school student uniforms. The boy on the left is holding up a smartphone to take a selfie of them all together.

How to Say Friend in Japanese: 12 Natural Ways

December 24, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The generic word for friend in Japanese is 友人 (yuujin). Japanese people have many different ways to say …
Two young girls in a white room sharing an ice cream cone.

How to Say Sister in Japanese: 7 Different Ways

December 7, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The Japanese for older sister is 姉 (ane), while the word for younger sister is 妹 (imouto). Unlike …
An older brother hold his younger brother in his lap and they are both smiling.

How to Say Brother in Japanese

December 4, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The word for brother in Japanese depends on whether they are older or younger than you. Your older …
An older woman and man dressed in traditional Japanese clothes, outside in a garden looking at one another.

How to Say Husband in Japanese

November 25, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The “standard” word for husband in Japanese is 夫 (otto). Whereas there are many nuanced words for wife …
A young woman doing the "OK" gesture with both of her hands while smiling.

18 Ways to Say Yes in Japanese

November 24, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
In Japanese, yes is often translated as はい (hai). However, there are more meanings to the word hai …
A young man swinging a young girl by her arms on the beach.

10 Ways to Say Father in Japanese

November 16, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The general word for father in Japanese is お父さん (otousan). However, there is more than one way to …
An close-up of a young, Asian couple. The man is seen from the back, while the woman is wrapping her arms around his neck, embracing him. They are touching one another with their foreheads. The woman appears to be wearing a white veil.

How to Say Wife in Japanese

November 9, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The “standard” word for wife in Japanese is 奥さん (okusan). However, there are actually many different ways to …
A young girl on a bicycle being held by her mom. She is kissing her mom on the cheek.

How Do You Say Mother in Japanese?

November 8, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The “general” Japanese word for mother is お母さん (okaasan). However, there are many different ways to say mother …
Two young Asian woman standing next to each other, looking at the camera and giving the "okay" gesture with their hand.

What Does Daijoubu Mean in Japanese?

October 26, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The word 大丈夫 (daijoubu) means certainly, undoubtedly, alright, okay, problem-free. If you want learn how to speak Japanese quickly, …
A blackboard with the text, "What do you want?" written on it in different colors (pink, yellow, blue, yellow).

Tai Form: Expressing Desire in Japanese

October 26, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
In Japanese, the ~たい(-tai)form is used to express desire. When a verb is conjugated using the -tai form, …
An Asian woman dressed in a Japanese kimono standing in front of a Japanese style entrance, with her hands gesturing to the entrance to welcome someone.

Natural Japanese Expressions: Ittekimasu, Itterasshai, Tadaima and Okaerinasai

October 16, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Whether you’re settling into your Japanese homestay, trying to fit in better at the office, or just wanting to make some …

What Does Sugoi Mean in Japanese?

October 11, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The word すごい (sugoi) is very popular, even among people who don’t know a lot of Japanese.  Sugoi has two …
A traditional Japanese room with tatami style mats, with the door open that looks out into a green Japanese garden. In the center is an elderly Asian man and woman seated on a cushion on their knees, with a black table between them. The woman is pouring the man a cup of tea.

Itadakimasu and Gochisousama Deshita: Being Polite in Japan

September 24, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
If you’ve watched anime or other Japanese media, you’ve probably heard the phrases いただきます(itadakimasu) and ごちそうさまでした (gochisousama deshita). …
An open note book with a the text "13 Amazingly Useful Japanese Words" written on the left page, with a paper with a red circle on the right page. A pen is resting on top of the left page.

13 Amazingly Useful Japanese Words

September 18, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
If you’re studying Japanese, then you know it can be a tricky language. However, it can also be …
A young Asian man wearing glasses sitting down with headphones on his head. He also is tangled in a bunch of wires, and is biting down of them to express frustration.

The Many Meanings of Yabai in Japanese

August 11, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The word ヤバい (yabai) is used so often by young Japanese people that many of them might struggle …
A silhouette of a traditionally dressed Japanese woman sitting on her knees bowing to the right. On the left, the silhouette of a tree with its sparse branches, and a teapot on the ground. The sun is in the background, partially covered by a cloud. Three birds can also be seen flying in the background.

Understanding Japanese Keigo: The Honorific Language of Japan

August 4, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Keigo is considered one of the more challenging aspects of studying Japanese. Its three-tier system of honorific levels …
An illustration of a green forest with a stream running through it, with the text that says, "21 Cool Japanese Words That Are Hauntingly Beautiful."

21 Cool Japanese Words That Are Hauntingly Beautiful

July 25, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Some Japanese words are so succinct and deeply ingrained in Japan’s culture that they can’t be easily translated. …
Two young Asian girls dressed in a Japanese kimono (one blue and the other purple) looking at a cherry blossom or plum tree branch with flowers..

How to Say Beautiful in Japanese Naturally

July 12, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Say you’re watching the sun setting behind Mt. Fuji. How do you tell your Japanese friend that the …
A cute, young, Asian girl holding a half an orange in her right hand and showing the number one with her pointer finger on her left hand

The Most Useful Japanese Counters You Need to Know

July 3, 2020 • Erin Himeno • 1 Comment • Useful Japanese Lessons
Along with kanji and onomatopoeia, counting is an element of Japanese that seems daunting due to the sheer …
A cute rabbit and cat statue praying pose on the grass

10 Ways to Say You’re Welcome in Japanese

June 13, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Learning Japanese can be daunting. It is a language with three levels of formality depending on social standing …
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