In many Japanese conversations, movies, and anime, a very common word you’ll hear is 気持ち (kimochi). What does this word mean, and why is it so useful? Let’s see why! 気持ち (kimochi): Feeling, mood, state of mind Japanese people are often described as non-emotional people. If you board a train in Japan, especially in Tokyo, … Read more
Understanding particles are essential for becoming good at Japanese. Each particle has its own connotation and grammatical function. The さ (sa) particle has two primary uses: to add inflection and emphasis to a sentence and to modify adjectives into nouns. This article will go over both of these functions and how to use さ (sa) … Read more
The basic word for cat in Japanese is: 猫 (neko). As you learn more Japanese, you’ll find that there are many ways to describe cats (depending on their type). You may want to be a cat because they sleep most of the day happily. Japanese people say that cats are geniuses at finding the most … Read more
Japanese has many different words which have the same meaning but a completely different nuance. For example, Japanese uses a lot of keigo or honorific language. Knowing the right word to say for every situation can be difficult, especially if you need to apologize to someone. If you need to say sorry to someone in … Read more
Dame (written as だめ in hiragana, ダメ in katakana, or 駄目 in kanji) is one of those Japanese words you will see all the time in conversation and text. The basic definition of dame is “Not Good,” but it has many other meanings: no, bad, stop, not allowed, useless, hopeless, wasted, or ruined, based on … Read more
The word うるさい (urusai) in Japanese has a lot of meanings. It can be used to describe something that is noisy, loud, or irritating. It can also be used to describe someone’s personality. And it can be used to tell someone to “Shut Up!” Let’s look at all of its nuances and see how to … Read more
“He’s so cool!” This kind of comment is common in many different cultures, including Japanese. But, how do you say “cool” in natural Japanese? We’re here to discuss just that; we’ll break down the word, its meanings, and uses in this article. As you may have already guessed, the word for “cool” in Japanese is … Read more
Are you finally ready to leave your 2-D waifu or husbando and enter into the 3-D dating scene in Japan? Dating in Japan is quite different compared to western standards, and if you venture into the scene unarmed, you’ll probably fail your mission. The Japanese are conservative and generally keep to themselves. That’s why it … Read more
You may remember studying the “5ws” (and how) in English class at some point. These words are essential communication tools in Japanese. In this guide, we’ll break each word down and explain it in full detail. Some of these question words have multiple forms (for polite/formal conversations). Take time to read each explanation carefully and … Read more
It’s no secret that Japan is a very family-oriented culture. Japanese strongly value bonding with their blood relatives, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Common Japanese practices like going out for drinks with your boss and co-workers after work or cleaning the school with your classmates foster a similar close-knit family environment between peers. Considering the concept … Read more