If you’re like most aspiring learners, you may be wondering: How long does it take to learn Japanese? Some people think that learning Japanese is too hard, that it takes forever and requires tremendous painstaking effort. But is that really true? The answer to this question varies depending on multiple factors, such as your... ...mother tongue....educational background....previous language learning experience....level of interest and enthusiasm....learning goals....study methods. In this article, we’ll give you some insight on how long it takes to learn Japanese for the different proficiency levels, keeping these influencing factors in mind. We'll also provide tips to help you make the most of your study time.  Are you ready?... Show more

How many Japanese verbs do you know? When you know the 100 most common Japanese verbs and understand basic Japanese verb conjugation, you can express and understand Japanese much better! Verbs are one of the most important parts of speech, and it’s said that verbs are the second most frequently used words (26%, next to nouns at 42%) among all other categories of words in daily Japanese conversations.  It’s always a bit tiring to learn grammatical rules, such as the conjugation patterns of verbs. However, it’s easier than you think! Once you have the rules down and become used to using them, all you have to do is apply those rules to new Japanese verbs you learn. Japanese verb conjugation has unique rules from those in English. But... Show more

Expanding one’s vocabulary is one of the most essential elements in improving one’s language skills. Learning Japanese nouns will help you boost your knowledge of the Japanese language because nouns occupy the majority of the language’s words. Knowing the top 100 Japanese nouns is the first step to enhance your Japanese vocabulary. Japanese nouns are used to name a person, place, thing, or idea. Contrary to English, Japanese nouns don’t accompany any articles, such as "a" and "the." In addition, there are no certain rules for indicating, in a precise sense, whether a noun is singular or plural. For example, there’s the word 達(たち) , which indicates a plural form of people or creatures when it’s put next to a noun (e.g. 動物 + 達 =... Show more

If you’re learning Japanese grammar, you may be surprised by how many variations there are of Japanese conjunctions and Japanese connective particles, and how they vary depending on the use of sentences. When you think about speaking your mother tongue, the flow of your sentences is very natural, without redundancy or lack of words. This is because you can use conjunctions effectively and naturally to connect sentences. In this way, in Japanese grammar, conjunctions are one of the most essential parts of speech. When you master Japanese conjunctions, you’ll be able to speak Japanese quite fluently! By the end of this article, you should have a better idea about Japanese conjunctions meaning, how to use Japanese conjunctions, and have an... Show more

Are you traveling to Japan and want to learn practical Japanese travel phrases? This article is designed to help you learn the most useful Japanese words for travel. It’s always good to learn basic words when you travel to a foreign country. Not only does it make getting around easier, but it also allows you to enjoy communicating with the locals. In general, Japanese people are not so good at speaking English, free wifi services aren’t very prevalent (especially outside of the central cities), and Japan is still more of a cash-based society than you may think. However, Japanese people are very kind; they’ll listen to you patiently and do their best to help. So just use these basic Japanese travel phrases to talk to Japanese people when... Show more

Hey Listeners! Are you ready to learn the top 10 Japanese slang words? Slang words can be a fun way to hear how locals use the Japanese language and can also be a way to make your conversational skills sound more natural in casual settings! Oh, and don't forget to sign-up for a FREE lifetime account with us to get more interesting word lists from JapanesePod101! And without further ado, let's get into the top 10! 1. ぶっちゃけ bucchake - to be honest 2. おひさ。 Ohisa. - It’s been a while since I see you. 3. ちげーよ。 Chigē yo. - It’s not correct. 4. ダッシュで dasshu de - in a hurry 5. ソッコー sokkō - immediately Click Here To Learn More Japanese For Absolutely FREE! Get you free lifetime account now (Yes, it's... Show more

Click here to listen to the audio pronunciation! 1. ツイッター。 - Twitter. 2. 伝えられなかった。 - Could not tell. 3. 侵略。 - invasion. 4. 便利。 - Convenient. 5. 出力。 - Output power. 6. 店員。 - Clerk. 7. 旅行。 - Traveling. 8. 暖かくなかった。 - Was not warm. 9. 駐車場。 - Parking lot. 10. おっちょこちょい。 - Clumsy. Click here to access this lesson for FREE! Here are some handy ways you can master the quotes with this lesson: Press the sound icon to hear each word and read along Review all words in a slideshow by pressing “View Slideshow” Listen to all the words in one lesson with “Play Audio” Add the words to your Word Bank or Flashcards Print the entire list out for... Show more

理解することはまあまあできるけど、話すのは難しい！ Understanding is alright, but speaking is hard! Hi, my name is Noemi and this is what I have been saying for over a year whenever someone asks me about my level in Japanese. I have tons of learning books, and I think they are all good but just too heavy to carry. My Japanese friends are helping me, but it is impossible to remember everything they are teaching me, especially in a more casual context. I also took Japanese classes for 2 years, and those are generally a great option, but not so much for my wallet. In other words: I was stuck at my let’s say lower intermediate level and this needs to change. I am in Japan now, so it’s time to learn. Basically, what I need is something light and... Show more

There’s absolutely no limit to the number of vocabulary words you could and should learn in the Japanese language. The fact is, the more words you know, the better you’ll be able to speak and communicate. That’s true of any language; even your native tongue! But when are you going to find the time to learn them all? Isn’t there a shortcut? Introducing Visual Dictionary Lite - Learn Japanese, presented by Innovative Language Learning! This new App for iPhone and iPad focuses your Japanese vocabulary learning to the words you need to know - the objects, places and people that you’ll encounter in your daily life. With Visual Dictionary Lite, you’ll be transported to a world where everything you tap and touch comes to life with native... Show more

Japan is a country rich in pop culture that has started to gain recognition and popularity throughout the world. As popular culture changes quickly and drastically, we focus this lesson on the most recent pop culture. Popular Music Japan boasts the second largest music industry in the world after the United States. Pop music is especially popular in Japan, although you can find all sorts of music in Japan done by Japanese artists-including rock, rap, hip-hop, reggae, and more. Popular Movies Recently, the popularity of domestic Japanese movies has been on the rise, with the annual box-office revenue for domestic movies hitting an all-time high in 2008. Of the top Japanese films of 2008, the highest-grossing... Show more