At this level of Japanese, you are on your way to attain complete fluency in both speaking and reading Japanese, and you can write a fair share of kanji too. At this level you should already know how to: Read at least 2,000 kanji Hold conversations with native speakers in difficult topics Have no … Read more
If you made it to this level of Japanese, congratulations! It only gets better from here! At this level, you should be able to: Read a minimum of 800 kanji characters Are comfortable reading simple books, blogs, and/or flyers in Japanese Hold conversations in Japan about a wide range of topics Can improvise (ex. … Read more
Low-intermediate students of Japanese are just beginning to master the basics, and are ready to dive head first into more complex skills. This is where you’ll spend a lot of time adding to your foundation in all areas of Japanese. There’s a lot to learn, but the material at this level is very useful. … Read more
Your goals as a high-intermediate student should be to increase your skill in all areas of Japanese, but put an emphasis on reading and speaking more naturally. A high-intermediate level means that you have: An excellent foundation in all areas of Japanese (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) Can read at least 300 kanji characters … Read more
You’ve probably heard different words to refer to the various meals of the day in Japanese. But how do they differ? Read below to learn what words work better in what situations! Breakfast in Japanese Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that applies in Japan too. While fewer folks nowadays eat the … Read more
The たら (tara) form is often used in Japanese, and it can be a valuable tool if you are familiar with its meanings and uses. There are several of them, and we’ll break them all down in this article to help make this grammar point clear and natural for you to understand. The たら is … Read more
と思います (to omoimasu) means “I think” in Japanese. It is widely used in both casual and formal situations to express opinions and predictions. It also used to make some expressions sound more polite and nicer. How to Use と思います (To Omoimasu): An Brief Introduction と思います (to omoimasu) is the polite form of と思う (to omou): … Read more
Te iku and te kuru can express: A physical movement in space; Consistency within an ongoing process; A change of state. Sounds hard? Don’t worry, we’ll break this down step by step! The Basics Iku means “to go,” and kuru means “to come.” We use the “te form” to connect two verbs (two actions) done … Read more
The 〜そう (~sou) suffix expresses two different things: It seems/looks (like) I hear (that). Let’s take a look at how it’s used. Sou Meaning #1: It Seems/Looks (Like) ~ “It looks/seems (like)” using 〜そう expresses the speaker’s impression or opinion based on visual cues. For this usage, 〜そう can be attached to verbs and adjectives. … Read more