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Useful Japanese Lessons Archive

A young, Asian woman is relaxing in an outdoor hot spring, with trees and natured blurred in the background.

Super Useful Japanese: What Does Kimochi Mean?

December 9, 2021 • Orie Adams • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
In many Japanese conversations, movies, and anime, a very common word you’ll hear is 気持ち (kimochi).  What does …
A young, Asian woman in a white shirt and brown skirt smiling towards the camera while extending both her hands to the side as if showing the size of something. The text on the image reads, "The Sa Particle in Japanese: A Complete Guide."

How to Use the さ (Sa) Particle in Japanese: A Complete Guide

December 1, 2021 • Sara Ceasrine • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Understanding particles are essential for becoming good at Japanese. Each particle has its own connotation and grammatical function. …
A cute white cat with brown stripes and blue eyes on a tree branch surrounded by pink flowers.

How to Say Cat in Japanese: A Complete Guide

November 16, 2021 • Orie Adams • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The basic word for cat in Japanese is: 猫 (neko). As you learn more Japanese, you’ll find that …
A man in a business suit kneeling on the ground and bowing, putting his hands and head to the ground to apologize in Japanese.

7 Ways to Say Sorry in Japanese and How to Use It Naturally

November 16, 2021 • Dallen Nakamura • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Japanese has many different words which have the same meaning but a completely different nuance. For example, Japanese …
A close-up of a man’s hand giving a thumbs down. The man is wearing a button up black shirt with stripes which can be seen blurred in the background.

What Does “Dame” Mean in Japanese

November 6, 2021 • Sara Ceasrine • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Dame (written as だめ in hiragana, ダメ in katakana, or 駄目 in kanji) is one of those Japanese …
A young, Asian woman in the center of the image holding her hands up to her ears. In the background, the city (Tokyo) with many tall buildings can be seen.

What Does Urusai Mean? Does It Really Mean Shut Up?

November 6, 2021 • Orie Adams • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The word うるさい (urusai) in Japanese has a lot of meanings. It can be used to describe something …
A young male wearing trousers, a blue button up shirt and jacket leaning against a wall. He is also wearing sunglasses, a necklace, and a hat. He is starting off on something on this left, smiling.

What Does 格好いい (Kakkoii) Mean and How Do You Use It?

November 6, 2021 • Andrew Garrison • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
“He’s so cool!”  This kind of comment is common in many different cultures, including Japanese. But, how do …
A young Asian man and woman sitting down next to each other at a bar counter holding wine/champagne glasses, talking in the background. Another young Asian female is seen in the foreground standing and holding a wine/champagne glass, looking at a male (whose back is facing the camera) who is also holding a wine/champagne glass.

The Best Japanese Pick-Up Lines You Need to Remember

November 6, 2021 • Kazuko Otsuka • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Are you finally ready to leave your 2-D waifu or husbando and enter into the 3-D dating scene …
The words "WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHY? HOW?" written in white on a grey background. In the middle is a crumpled up ball of yellow paper, with white lines drawn around it and under it to look like a light bulb.

Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How in Japanese: A Complete Guide

October 26, 2021 • Andrew Garrison • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
You may remember studying the “5ws” (and how) in English class at some point. These words are essential …
An Asian family having a picnic. There is a mom, dad, grandpa, grandma, and a young girl and boy in the picture.

How to Say Family in Japanese (and Family Members)

October 25, 2021 • Sara Ceasrine • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
It’s no secret that Japan is a very family-oriented culture. Japanese strongly value bonding with their blood relatives, …
A wooden background with the words "YES NO MAYBE" written on it with arrows flowing and connecting the words to one another.

Kamoshiremasen: How to Say Maybe in Japanese

October 6, 2021 • Margherita Pitorri • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
How do you say “maybe” in Japanese? One expression that you will use hear and often use is …
A close-up of a woman's mouth wearing red lipstick with her tongue curled length-wise and sticking it out.

10 Japanese Tongue Twisters That Will Challenge You

October 6, 2021 • Risa • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Tongue twisters are a fun way to get familiar with a new language. In this article, I will …
A young Asian girl walking away from a man. She is turning towards the man and waving goodbye and smiling.

How to Say Goodbye in Japanese: 6 Different Ways

September 27, 2021 • Yuka Fujiwara • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Many of you already know that the word “sayonara” means goodbye in Japanese, but did you know that …
Silhouettes of two men can be seen bowing towards each other. They are in a building with glass windows, and in the background, other tall buildings can be seen.

What Does すみません (Sumimasen) Mean and How Do You Use It?

September 11, 2021 • Andrew Garrison • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The word すみません (sumimasen) is one of the first words you learn in Japanese class. It is an …
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 …
Two young, Asian women dressed in colorful (one in blue the other in purple) Japanese yukata outfits. They are walking arm-in-arm, on a path with sakura trees on both sides. The woman on the left is pointing at something in the distance.

Mastering the と (To) Conditional in Japanese

September 3, 2021 • Andrew Garrison • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
There are multiple ways to form conditional statements in Japanese, often known as “if” statements in English. One …
The katakana character "o" is shown on the left side of the image. On the right, a girl's hand can be seen writing the katakana characters "a, i, u, e, o" in different colors of ink with a pen on the right.

The Complete Guide to Learning Katakana Step-By-Step

August 27, 2021 • Momoko Hoyt • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
カタカナ (katakana) is one of the fundamental components of the Japanese writing system. ひらがな (hiragana) and 漢字 (kanji) are the other two Japanese …
An Asian woman wearing a white tank-top sitting up in her bed with both her hands grabbing her hair, as if resenting getting up or is frustrated.

What Does Mendokusai Mean?

August 14, 2021 • Risa • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Although there is no literal translation to it, 面倒くさい (mendokusai) means something like “burdensome” or “troublesome.”  Mendokusai is …
A close-up of a blackboard with someone's hand holding a piece of white chalk in the right-hand corner of the image. The text on the backboard reads, "Wait a moment"

What Does Chotto Matte Mean?

August 10, 2021 • Margherita Pitorri • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
ちょっとまって (chotto matte) means “wait a moment,” and it’s used in a wide variety of situations, from everyday …
An illustration of a woman to the left and a man on the right, both wearing white shirts (woman is wearing a grey skirt and the man is wearing grey pants). They are facing each other and bowing to each other.

What Does よろしくお願いします (Yoroshiku Onegai Shimasu) Mean?

July 30, 2021 • Andrew Garrison • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
One of the most famous phrases in Japanese is the greeting よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu). よろしくお願いします is commonly …
An image of a man (only his torso is visable) wearing a suit and tie holding a red balloon. There are buildings in the background and a comic speech bubble that has text that reads, "LET'S PARTY"

How to Use the Volitional Form in Japanese

July 15, 2021 • Satoko Kakihara • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The volitional form of a verb in Japanese expresses an invitation or suggestion. In English, the volitional form …
A wooden "house-shaped" Japanese style sign with black text on it that reads, "The Ba Form in Japanese A step-by-step guide."

An in-Depth Look at the ば (Ba) Form in Japanese

July 15, 2021 • Andrew Garrison • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
For students of Japanese who have progressed to an intermediate level in their studies, one of the best …
Free Japanese Lessons and Resources: Advanced Students

Free Japanese Lessons and Resources: Advanced Students

July 15, 2021 • Dallen Nakamura • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
For those of you who have a pretty good understanding of Japanese, these lessons and help you with …
Free Japanese Lessons & Resources for Intermediate Level Students

Free Japanese Lessons & Resources for Intermediate Level Students

July 15, 2021 • Dallen Nakamura • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
If you already mastered the basics of Japanese, these intermediate level lessons are for you. These lessons can …
Free Japanese Lessons for Beginners

Free Japanese Lessons for Beginners

July 15, 2021 • Dallen Nakamura • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Whether you know a little bit of Japanese or none at all, these beginner Japanese lessons are for …
A black, stone-like plate on a wooden tabletop. There is a pair of chopsticks on the left side of the plate. The text on this image reads, "The Beki Form in Japanese: A Complete Guide"

Using べき (Beki) in Japanese: A Complete Guide

July 14, 2021 • Margherita Pitorri • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Beki (べき) means “should” and “to be supposed to do” and enforces the meaning that something has to …
A screenshot of the Japanese hiragana character "a" with the stroke order. Next to it on the right, someone's had is seen writing it in on a piece of paper three times in blue ink.

The Complete Guide to Learning Hiragana: Reading & Writing (With Video)

July 12, 2021 • Momoko Hoyt • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
ひらがな (hiragana) is the fundamental component of the Japanese writing system. カタカナ (katakana) and 漢字 (kanji) are the other two writing systems in …
A small blackboard with a wooden frame hanging on a wooden wall. The text in English reads, "Desu, Da, & Desho in Japanese."

How To Use Desu , Da, & Deshō in Japanese

July 6, 2021 • Kristin Schreiner • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
So you’ve started learning Japanese! As you’ve gone along, I bet you’ve stumbled across the word desu. It …
A stack of 4 books is seen on top of a bench. The background is blurry and bright.

8 Best Japanese Books for Beginners

July 1, 2021 • Dallen Nakamura • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
  The books in this list are for someone who is at a beginner level of Japanese.  A …
A young Asian girl is standing while holding a book that she is reading. A bookshelf full of books is behind her.

Best Japanese Books for Absolute Beginners

July 1, 2021 • Dallen Nakamura • 9 Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
  Beginning your journey to learn Japanese can be overwhelming. Japanese seems like such a difficult language, that …

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