What Does “Dame” Mean in Japanese
Dame (written as だめ in hiragana, ダメ in katakana, or 駄目 in kanji) is one of those Japanese …
Useful Japanese Lessons Archive
What Does Urusai Mean? Does It Really Mean Shut Up?
The word うるさい (urusai) in Japanese has a lot of meanings. It can be used to describe something …
What Does 格好いい (Kakkoii) Mean and How Do You Use It?
“He’s so cool!” This kind of comment is common in many different cultures, including Japanese. But, how do …
The Best Japanese Pick-Up Lines You Need to Remember
Are you finally ready to leave your 2-D waifu or husbando and enter into the 3-D dating scene …
Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How in Japanese: A Complete Guide
You may remember studying the “5ws” (and how) in English class at some point. These words are essential …
How to Say Family in Japanese (and Family Members)
It’s no secret that Japan is a very family-oriented culture. Japanese strongly value bonding with their blood relatives, …
Kamoshiremasen: How to Say Maybe in Japanese
How do you say “maybe” in Japanese? One expression that you will use hear and often use is …
10 Japanese Tongue Twisters That Will Challenge You
Tongue twisters are a fun way to get familiar with a new language. In this article, I will …
How to Say Goodbye in Japanese: 6 Different Ways
Many of you already know that the word “sayonara” means goodbye in Japanese, but did you know that …
What Does すみません (Sumimasen) Mean and How Do You Use It?
The word すみません (sumimasen) is one of the first words you learn in Japanese class. It is an …
Understanding Shitsurei Shimasu: Essential Japanese Etiquette
失礼します (shitsurei shimasu) is a staple phrase in Japanese work and school environments. It’s used to excuse oneself …
Mastering the と (To) Conditional in Japanese
There are multiple ways to form conditional statements in Japanese, often known as “if” statements in English. One …
The Complete Guide to Learning Katakana Step-By-Step
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 …
What Does Mendokusai Mean?
Although there is no literal translation to it, 面倒くさい (mendokusai) means something like “burdensome” or “troublesome.” Mendokusai is …
What Does Chotto Matte Mean?
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 …
What Does よろしくお願いします (Yoroshiku Onegai Shimasu) Mean?
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 …
How to Use the Volitional Form in Japanese
The volitional form of a verb in Japanese expresses an invitation or suggestion. In English, the volitional form …
An in-Depth Look at the ば (Ba) Form in Japanese
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
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
If you already mastered the basics of Japanese, these intermediate level lessons are for you. These lessons can …
Free Japanese Lessons for Beginners
Whether you know a little bit of Japanese or none at all, these beginner Japanese lessons are for …
Using べき (Beki) in Japanese: A Complete Guide
Beki (べき) means “should” and “to be supposed to do” and enforces the meaning that something has to …
The Complete Guide to Learning Hiragana: Reading & Writing (With Video)
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 …
How To Use Desu , Da, & Deshō in Japanese
So you’ve started learning Japanese! As you’ve gone along, I bet you’ve stumbled across the word desu. It …
8 Best Japanese Books for Beginners
The books in this list are for someone who is at a beginner level of Japanese. A …
Best Japanese Books for Absolute Beginners
Beginning your journey to learn Japanese can be overwhelming. Japanese seems like such a difficult language, that …
Best Books for Very Advanced Japanese Students
At this level of Japanese, you are on your way to attain complete fluency in both speaking …
Top 7 Books for Low-Advanced Learners of Japanese
If you made it to this level of Japanese, congratulations! It only gets better from here! At …
Top 9 Japanese Books for Low-Intermediate Level Students
Low-intermediate students of Japanese are just beginning to master the basics, and are ready to dive head …
The 10 Best Japanese Books for High-Intermediate Students
Your goals as a high-intermediate student should be to increase your skill in all areas of Japanese, …
