Some Japanese words are so succinct and deeply ingrained in Japan’s culture that they can’t be easily translated. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t learn them. These are amazingly beautiful and cool Japanese words that often describe concepts that we don’t have in English. It will impress your Japanese friends too! Let’s look at some of … Read more
Japanesepod101 is the best program I have used to learn natural Japanese. Not only is there a ton of material for all levels (absolute beginner to advanced), but the price is one of the best deals out there for learning Japanese. You can check out my detailed Japanesepod101 review to why I think it’s … Read more
Say you’re watching the sun setting behind Mt. Fuji. How do you tell your Japanese friend that the scene is beautiful? Or perhaps your partner just walked in wearing a new dress. How would you compliment them? Let’s look at how to say beautiful in Japanese. Beautiful in Japanese: Utukushii (美しい) or Kirei (綺麗)? … Read more
Japanese speakers often use the word Naruhodo(なるほど) in everyday conversation. Learning how to use naruhodo correctly can make your Japanese sound very natural. However, you need to be careful in certain situations, as misusing the word can lead to awkward conversations. So let’s take a detailed look into the naruhodo, as well as similar expressions … Read more
Along with kanji and onomatopoeia, counting is an element of Japanese that seems daunting due to the sheer amount of words involved. There seems to be a counter for everything—in fact, the Japanese language has about 500 – 600 counters! (reference page is in Japanese only) Even native speakers will confess they don’t know all of them. … Read more
Learning Japanese can be daunting. It is a language with three levels of formality depending on social standing and the situation the speaker is in. There are easy and fun ways to learn Japanese though. “ありがとう” (Arigatou), or thank you, is one of the first textbook Japanese phrases we are taught. But if you are the one … Read more
If you need to visit a doctor in Japan, you might run into some difficulties when communicating. While there are English speaking doctors or staff at some clinics and hospitals in Japan, the majority of places only understand Japanese. Even if you can find an English-speaking doctor, they might not be completely fluent and might … Read more
Shinto, which means “the way of the Gods” or “Kami” (spirits), as they are referred to, is the oldest religion of the Japanese indigenous people. Shintoism dates back to around the sixth century B.C.E. Despite this lengthy history, Shinto is commonly understood to have become popular around the sixth century C.E. to distinguish between Buddhism, … Read more
Buddhism is an exercise in spiritual development. The ultimate aim is achieving enlightenment through the practices of meditation and mindful living. Practitioners also strive to develop qualities such as compassion, wisdom, and awareness. Enlightened beings experience life without rose-colored glasses, understanding that life—with all its beauty, trials, and tribulations—can be glorious. Buddhism teaches that by … Read more
Japanese particles are among the most fascinating and important to your understanding of the language. Particles are suffixes – they attach themselves right after words (nouns, verbs, and adjectives) and phrases in the sentence. Think of a Japanese sentence as being built out of separate blocks of information. Particles work as the glue and the … Read more
Te-Form, Part I: Putting It All Together How do you go from the short, choppy sentences found in your first-year Japanese textbook to longer, more complex statements? If I had to name the single element of Japanese grammar that is most important to moving past the beginner level, it would have to be the te-form. … Read more
Wa and Ga: A Tale of Two Particles When I started learning Japanese way back in 2002, my white-haired professor shared a daunting, darkly hilarious fact: by the end of our first semester, we would have a good idea how to use wa and ga correctly, but it would take us until we were his … Read more
Mastering Japanese verbs is probably one of the most important skills you need to become fluent in Japanese. Knowing how to conjugate Japanese verbs will allow you to describe actions, desires, situations and a lot more. Most people think that learning Japanese verbs is very difficult. This is NOT true! Learning Japanese verbs is easy. … Read more
Are you planning to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) but don’t know which level you should take? The JLPT test offers five levels, ranging from the N5 level (easiest) to the N1 (most difficult). Imagine this… You have four months before the next JLPT test. You feel that you are at an N3 … Read more
Everyone who studies Japanese always wants to know how long it will take for them to become fluent, or at least be able to communicate effectively. In this guide, we’ll show you how long it will take to reach fluency as well as how long it will take to master different levels of Japanese. Most … Read more
Do want to know how to learn Japanese fast? How about becoming fluent in 3 months? Or maybe you want to know the secrets to learn Japanese without effort? If this is you, then I apologize. You’ve come to the WRONG place. While there are ways to learn Japanese much faster than traditional methods, there … Read more
Planning a trip to Japan? Interested in learning Japanese? Then you have come to the right place. Although a lot of people are already familiar with the word arigatou, there are more ways to say thank you in Japanese. I will be sharing different ways to say thank you, as well as explaining the meaning … Read more
Japanese soy sauce, or shoyu, is an essential part of Japanese cuisine. Without this sauce, many of your favorite Japanese dishes would not exist. But did you know soy sauce comes in different flavors, colors, and textures? The dark, salty sauce you find on the table in Japanese restaurants is the most commonly used… but … Read more
When I was learning Japanese, my go-to device was my Nintendo DS. On it, I used the game “Kanji Sono-mama Rakubiki Jiten,” an electronic Japanese dictionary and kanji translator, and I got my money’s worth. I used that baby every single day throughout college for my Japanese classes. When I lived in Japan, I carried … Read more
How to Learn Japanese for Beginners In this guide, you’ll find all of the resources you need to go from a beginner to a low-intermediate level of Japanese. While this guide is for beginners, it assumes you already know the basic fundamentals of Japanese. If this is your first time learning Japanese, check out our … Read more
Why Can’t I Learn Japanese? Have you been studying Japanese for months or years and feel like you’re not improving at all? Or do you feel like studying is pointless because you don’t really learn anything useful? If this is you (and I’m sure most of us have felt this way studying Japanese), there is … Read more
One of the best ways to learn the Japanese language and culture is to make Japanese friends.But for many of us, meeting someone new can be hard – and awkward – and it can take us out of our comfort zone.And if you’re still learning how to speak Japanese, it may seem intimidating or even … Read more
There is never truly an end to learning a language, and to me, that is precisely what makes it so exciting. You’re never done. There is always something new to learn, and you will always play the role of the student. I was always that kid in class who loved coming back to school in … Read more
Visiting Japan and don’t have time to learn 2,000 kanji? That’s the number of kanji that are commonly used in Japan in everyday life.These days, if you stick to the larger cities like Tokyo or Osaka, you can probably get by without knowing any at all. But in the smaller cities and towns, you’ll be … Read more
When you’re learning to speak Japanese, it can sometimes feel like you’re learning more than just one language. That’s because you use different words and grammar depending on who you’re talking to. It’s expected that you acknowledge a person’s social status in the language that you use. If you’re going to interact with Japanese people … Read more
Name: Rosetta Stone Japanese Website: http://www.rosettastone.com/learn-japanese/ Price: Online Subscription: $59 for 3 months, $84 for 6 months, $129 for 12 months, $179 for 24 months. CD-ROM: $144 for levels 1-3 Instant Download: $89 for level 1 Japanese Level: Beginners to Low-Intermediate Materials: Vocabulary and Grammar Lessons, Japanese Language Games, Speaking and Listening Activities JLPT Materials: Not Recommended … Read more
What is the best way to learn Japanese? If you want to know how to learn Japanese fast and efficiently, this list of 15 tips will show you exactly how to do that. The methods covered in this guide are a collection of advice from Japanese teachers, people who have gained fluency in a second … Read more
Chapter II: Where to Start Learning Japanese In this chapter, we’ll show you what you should study for each level. If you don’t know where to start learning Japanese, this guide will help you. Absolute Beginners If you have never studied Japanese before, you’re in for a treat. The beginning of your journey to learn … Read more
Chapter III: 5 Steps to Mastering Japanese (Or Any Language) In Chapter I, you learned the basic formula and tips that will put you on the path of becoming fluent in Japanese. In chapter II, we gave you an outline of all the material you should learn and master at each level. In chapter III, … Read more
How to Practice Speaking Japanese if You’re Shy What if I’m too afraid or shy to speak Japanese with anyone? This is an issue that many people have. It can be difficult speaking to someone in a totally different language, especially if you’re a beginner. You don’t know many words and grammar patterns, so you … Read more