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Useful Japanese Lessons Archive

A Zen sand garden with smooth, curved lines running through it, with three stones stacked on top of each other in the middle. The text on the images says, "10 Useful Japanese Proverbs to Sound Like a Native Speaker."

10 Useful Japanese Proverbs to Make You Sound Like a Pro

April 15, 2021 • Momoko Hoyt • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Proverbs are used a lot in Japanese conversations. There are approximately 43,000 Japanese proverbs, according to the Great …
A woman wearing a traditional Japanese outfit (kimono) holding a Japanese style umbrella walking on a street towards a temple in the background. The text on this images says, "Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in Japanese: A Step-By-Step Guide."

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in Japanese

April 14, 2021 • Kristin Schreiner • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
If you’re speaking English, you probably don’t think much about whether your verbs are transitive or intransitive. In …
A Japanese temple with Mt. Fuji in the background and a cherry blossom tree in the foreground illustration. The title says, "A complete guide to the Bakari form in Japanese."

The ばかり (Bakari) Form in Japanese: A Complete Guide

April 11, 2021 • Margherita Pitorri • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Bakari (ばかり) is a word that Japanese learners usually stumble upon early in their studies. We use the …
A young, Asian woman in a pink-ish dress holding her first finger to her lips as if to say "shhh" to be quiet.

How to Say Shut Up in Japanese

April 1, 2021 • Yuka Fujiwara • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Have you ever wanted to say “shut up” in Japanese? Even though Japan is a polite society, there …
A young, Asian woman with her arms crossed in front of her face to form an "X" shape.

How to Say No in Japanese

March 30, 2021 • Yuka Fujiwara • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
When you live in Japan, you’ll encounter times when you’d like to say “no.”  There are many phrases …
A Japanese Torii Gate looking outside into nature, with the title of the article on a black rectangle that says, "How to Use the たり (-Tari) Form in Japanese.

Japanese Tari Form: Listing Actions Or Qualities

March 30, 2021 • Andrew Garrison • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
There are multiple ways to string verb phrases together in Japanese, one of which is by using the …
A young, Asian woman with a blue, white, and orange stripped shirt with both pointer fingers pointing to herself.

How Do You Say “I” in Japanese?

March 30, 2021 • Risa • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The general way to refer to yourself in Japanese is by using the word 私 (watashi).  While this …
A young Asian boy dressed in a Japanese school uniform and backpack waving to someone.

How to Say Boy in Japanese Naturally

March 13, 2021 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The Japanese word for “boy” is 男子(danshi). There are several other words for boy that depend on the …
White butterflies and flowers on tree branches drawn on a blue background with the words "Happy Birthday" on the bottom in white text.

How to Say Happy Birthday in Japanese

March 5, 2021 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Happy birthday in Japanese is 誕生日おめでとう (tanjoubi omedetou). Birthday celebrations in Japan are quieter and more personal than …
A young, Asian woman point straight at the camera and smiling.

How to Say You in Japanese Naturally

February 26, 2021 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
While the standard textbook definition for you in Japanese is あなた (anata), this pronoun is highly nuanced and …
A screenshot of the iKnow Japanese word with English translation and example sentence.

iKnow Japanese Review: Is It Worth Paying For?

February 12, 2021 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
You need to learn thousands of core vocabulary words to be fluent in Japanese. This is a daunting task; …
A sign that says, "LEARNING" with a smaller red arrow above it.

The Best FREE Resources for Learning Japanese

January 15, 2021 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Did you know that it’s possible to learn Japanese for free? All you need is an internet connection, …
Items on a table: A small Japanese flag to the right, a brown and green book to the left, with a smartphone connected to a pair of headphones on top of it.

Pimsleur Japanese Review: Does It Work?

January 8, 2021 • Dallen Nakamura • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Disclaimer: This article includes affiliate links. This means that if you click and purchase something, I may receive …
A woman dressed in traditional Japanese clothes with her hands together as if in prayer or saying please.

How to Say Please in Japanese

January 4, 2021 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
There are two ways to say “please” in Japanese: ください(Kudasai)– often used when requesting an action or a …
Two young Asian boys, and one young Asian girl, all wearing Japanese high school student uniforms. The boy on the left is holding up a smartphone to take a selfie of them all together.

How to Say Friend in Japanese: 12 Natural Ways

December 24, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The generic word for friend in Japanese is 友人 (yuujin). Japanese people have many different ways to say …
A gold, open pocket watch with its face visible is resting on a tabletop with the background blurred.

How to Tell Time in Japanese

December 11, 2020 • Kristen Wolter • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
In this article, you will learn how to tell time in Japanese. This is an essential skill in …
Two young girls in a white room sharing an ice cream cone.

How to Say Sister in Japanese: 7 Different Ways

December 7, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The Japanese for older sister is 姉 (ane), while the word for younger sister is 妹 (imouto). Unlike …
An older brother hold his younger brother in his lap and they are both smiling.

How to Say Brother in Japanese

December 4, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The word for brother in Japanese depends on whether they are older or younger than you. Your older …
An older woman and man dressed in traditional Japanese clothes, outside in a garden looking at one another.

How to Say Husband in Japanese

November 25, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The “standard” word for husband in Japanese is 夫 (otto). Whereas there are many nuanced words for wife …
A young woman doing the "OK" gesture with both of her hands while smiling.

18 Ways to Say Yes in Japanese

November 24, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
In Japanese, yes is often translated as はい (hai). However, there are more meanings to the word hai …
A young man swinging a young girl by her arms on the beach.

10 Ways to Say Father in Japanese

November 16, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The general word for father in Japanese is お父さん (otousan). However, there is more than one way to …
An close-up of a young, Asian couple. The man is seen from the back, while the woman is wrapping her arms around his neck, embracing him. They are touching one another with their foreheads. The woman appears to be wearing a white veil.

How to Say Wife in Japanese

November 9, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The “standard” word for wife in Japanese is 奥さん (okusan). However, there are actually many different ways to …
A young girl on a bicycle being held by her mom. She is kissing her mom on the cheek.

How Do You Say Mother in Japanese?

November 8, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The “general” Japanese word for mother is お母さん (okaasan). However, there are many different ways to say mother …
Two young Asian woman standing next to each other, looking at the camera and giving the "okay" gesture with their hand.

What Does Daijoubu Mean in Japanese?

October 26, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The word 大丈夫 (daijoubu) means certainly, undoubtedly, alright, okay, problem-free. If you want learn how to speak Japanese quickly, …
A blackboard with the text, "What do you want?" written on it in different colors (pink, yellow, blue, yellow).

Tai Form: Expressing Desire in Japanese

October 26, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
In Japanese, the ~たい(-tai)form is used to express desire. When a verb is conjugated using the -tai form, …
An Asian woman dressed in a Japanese kimono standing in front of a Japanese style entrance, with her hands gesturing to the entrance to welcome someone.

Natural Japanese Expressions: Ittekimasu, Itterasshai, Tadaima and Okaerinasai

October 16, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Whether you’re settling into your Japanese homestay, trying to fit in better at the office, or just wanting to make some …

What Does Sugoi Mean in Japanese?

October 11, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
The word すごい (sugoi) is very popular, even among people who don’t know a lot of Japanese.  Sugoi has two …
A small rectangular chalkboard with the words, "LEARN JAPAENSE" written on it in white chalk. Behind the chalkboard are a stack of books. In front of it is an alarm clock, paper rolled into a tube. a pen, and a ruler. On the right side is a pencil holder with pencils in it.

The Complete Guide to Learning Japanese

September 28, 2020 • Dallen Nakamura • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
This complete guide to learning Japanese will go into detail of how and what to study. Most traditional …
A traditional Japanese room with tatami style mats, with the door open that looks out into a green Japanese garden. In the center is an elderly Asian man and woman seated on a cushion on their knees, with a black table between them. The woman is pouring the man a cup of tea.

Itadakimasu and Gochisousama Deshita: Being Polite in Japan

September 24, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
If you’ve watched anime or other Japanese media, you’ve probably heard the phrases いただきます(itadakimasu) and ごちそうさまでした (gochisousama deshita). …
An open note book with a the text "13 Amazingly Useful Japanese Words" written on the left page, with a paper with a red circle on the right page. A pen is resting on top of the left page.

13 Amazingly Useful Japanese Words

September 18, 2020 • Erin Himeno • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
If you’re studying Japanese, then you know it can be a tricky language. However, it can also be …

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