Useful Japanese Lessons

Useful Japanese Lessons Archive

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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 …

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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

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

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

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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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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Best Books for Very Advanced Japanese Students

July 1, 2021 • Dallen Nakamura • 5 Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons

At this level of Japanese, you are on your way to attain complete fluency in both speaking …

Top 7 Books for Low-Advanced Students of Japanese Pictures

Top 7 Books for Low-Advanced Learners of Japanese

July 1, 2021 • Dallen Nakamura • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons

If you made it to this level of Japanese, congratulations! It only gets better from here! At …

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Top 9 Japanese Books for Low-Intermediate Level Students

July 1, 2021 • Dallen Nakamura • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons

Low-intermediate students of Japanese are just beginning to master the basics, and are ready to dive head …

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The 10 Best Japanese Books for High-Intermediate Students

July 1, 2021 • Dallen Nakamura • 2 Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons

Your goals as a high-intermediate student should be to increase your skill in all areas of Japanese, …

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How To Say Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner Japanese Naturally

June 26, 2021 • Satoko Kakihara • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons

You’ve probably heard different words to refer to the various meals of the day in Japanese. But how …

A young, Asian woman dressed in a blue and red kimono holding a blank, white sign. On the sign is text that reads, "The Japanese Conditional Form Tara If/When ~."

How to Use the Japanese Conditional Form たら (Tara)

June 25, 2021 • Andrew Garrison • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons

The たら (tara) form is often used in Japanese, and it can be a valuable tool if you …

A young, Asian woman looking off to the left side of the image with her finger to her mouth as if thinking about something. The text on the image reads, "How to Use To Omoimasu in Japanese."

How to Use と思います(To Omoimasu) in Japanese

June 25, 2021 • Margherita Pitorri • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons

と思います (to omoimasu) means “I think” in Japanese. It is widely used in both casual and formal situations …

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ていく (Te Iku) & てくる (Te Kuru) in Japanese: More Than Just Coming and Going

June 12, 2021 • Margherita Pitorri • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons

Te iku and te kuru can express: A physical movement in space; Consistency within an ongoing process; A …

The Himeji Castle seen from afar, with the surrounding landscape and sky visible all around. There is text in it that reads, "The Sou Form in Japanese: It Looks Like ~ I Hear That ~"

Using the Sou Form in Japanese: It Seems/Looks Like ~/ I Hear That ~

June 12, 2021 • Satoko Kakihara • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons

The 〜そう (~sou) suffix expresses two different things: It seems/looks (like) I hear (that). Let’s take a look …

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How to Say to Wear in Japanese: 6 Ways to Get Dressed

May 29, 2021 • Risa • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons

The general way to say “wear” Japanese is 着る (kiru). However, there are actually many different ways to …

A younger, Asian woman in a black business suit with her right hand out as if to say, "stop." She is holding a white board that reads, "The Zu Form in Japanese."

The Zu Form in Japanese: A Classic Negative Form

May 29, 2021 • Kristin Schreiner • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons

At some point in your Japanese-learning journey, you’re bound to stumble on zu form verbs. Don’t worry—if you’ve …

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JapanesePod101 Review – Is It Worth It?

May 27, 2021 • Dallen Nakamura • 15 Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons

Disclaimer: This article includes affiliate links. This means that if you click and purchase something, I may receive …

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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 bunch of Post-It sticky notes of different colors on a board. Each has resolutions written on it like lose weight, find love, quit smoking, save money, etc. This is to illustration the meaning of the Tsumori form in Japanese.

The Tsumori Form in Japanese

May 23, 2021 • Margherita Pitorri • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons

Tsumori is a “must-know” grammar point when we want to talk about our plans and intentions. Let’s see …

The days of the week, from Monday - Sunday, are displayed on yellow sticky notes, one note for each day on a black background. Each day also has a face, starting with a sad face on Monday, eventually becoming a happy face on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Learn the Days of the Week in Japanese

May 21, 2021 • Momoko Hoyt • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons

Do you know how to say Monday in Japanese? How about Tuesday? In this article, you can learn …

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The Days of the Month in Japanese

May 21, 2021 • Andrew Garrison • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons

When making plans or discussing future events in Japanese, the ability to say the days of the month …

A group of business people (4 men and 2 women) talking to each other. The two women are talking in one group, and the 4 men are talking in their own group.

Sou in Japanese: One Of the Most Useful Words You’ll Learn

May 21, 2021 • Satoko Kakihara • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons

We use そうです (sou desu) and its variations to confirm or ask about the way things are. Related …

A young woman in a kimono sitting down on a rock in front of a pond in a Japanese garden. The text on it reads, "ある (Aru) Vs. いる (Iru) What's the Difference?"

How to Use ある (Aru) and いる (Iru) in Japanese

May 10, 2021 • Kristin Schreiner • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons

How do you say ‘is’ in Japanese? It’s just one tiny word in English, but it has several …

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The Complete Guide to Japanese Honorific Titles: San, Sama, Chan, Kun, & More

May 8, 2021 • Momoko Hoyt • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons

What are honorifics? Honorifics are words used to imply high status, politeness, or respect. The Japanese language has …