If you have been studying Japanese for any length of time, you might have heard of the JLPT or Japanese Language Proficiency Test. Organized by Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES), a semi-governmental organization, it has kind of become the standard way of measuring one’s Japanese level, at least in terms of their passive language skills (listening and reading). Japanese learners sometimes use it to find weak points when studying Japanese. And the higher levels of the test can be used to qualify you for jobs and can even earn you points toward a special permanent residency. Even if you currently don’t have plans to work in Japan, knowing about the different levels of the test can help you organize your studies and choose... Show more

Let’s face it. Learning Japanese seems like a daunting task. You’ve got your hands full with new alphabet systems, grammar structures, formality levels and expressions...not knowing where to start, tackling this language and its nuances may be overwhelming. Luckily, the team at JapanesePod101 is dedicated to ensuring your linguistic success. As a foreign language enthusiast, I’ve flirted with a fair share of online learning sites (especially for Japanese), but none of them were ever the one my heart was looking for. I had almost completely given up my pursuit of Japanese, until JapanesePod101 made me fall in love with learning. Why JapanesePod101 Works: Fun AND Free! How often do you see this combo?! Really though,... Show more

One of my main goals has always been to become fluent in Japanese, but despite all the Japanese courses I’ve taken in college, I still seem to be stuck at the intermediate level. Now I am nearly graduated from college and have finished taking all my Japanese courses. Seeing how expensive it is to go to a language school, I decided I needed a cheaper alternative to continuing my Japanese education. Luckily for me, I recently discovered JapanesePod101. When I discovered JapanesePod101, I KNEW that I had found what I needed. After browsing through it’s website and signing up for a membership, I noticed that there are some perks compared to taking lessons in a classroom setting. Here are some of the main perks: The ability to start... Show more

Hello Learners, and welcome to your Monthly Recap that will make Japanese easier to learn! Through this post, you will: - Receive your free ebook in PDF form to easily master Top 1500 Japanese Kanji - Know the latest update and upcoming features on JapanesePod101.com - Catch up with posts and video released this month that you shouldn’t have missed Contents: New Lessons Itadakimasu! Super Sushi Ninja Challenge Current Offers YouTube Videos You Shouldn’t Have Missed in July Top Blog Articles in July JapanesePod101 Corner 1. New Lessons Top - (Beginner) Must-Know Japanese Sentence Structures #4 - Must-Know Japanese Sentence Structures: Asking About Location or Position The Sentence Patterns... Show more

You all have experienced that feeling, right? …Or this one. But what if I told you… THIS IS POSSIBLE NOW! With this new series, you will discover the Radical Approach to Mastering Kanji. It’s perfect for Japanese Beginners! You’ll learn how to read, write and understand Kanji through an easy, step-by-step method – radicals – the building blocks of Kanji. And here is the first Kanji achievement you can successfully unlock: one of the most useful characters, the radical for “person,” 亻. Next episodes of this series to Master Kanji are already available on the wesbite! You are just a click away from becoming a Kanji Master!

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

Today, we bring you another blog post from Motoko, JapanesePod101.com lesson creator, host and Office Party Planner! Motoko will be sharing more bilingual posts on our blog, so check back often and leave a comment! Hi all, Motoko here. Today I'd like to tell you about the baseball game the Innovative Language team went to at the end of September. But before I do, which sports are popular in your country? And do you know which sports are popular in Japan? The answer is: soccer and baseball. Soccer came to Japan because it was popular in Europe. Baseball, on the other hand, can be written in kanji (野球), and that’s because it was introduced to Japan much earlier than soccer was. In fact, it came to Japan in 1872. It is said that... Show more

Today, we bring you another blog post from Motoko, JapanesePod101.com lesson creator, host and Office Party Planner! Motoko will be sharing more bilingual posts on our blog, so check back often and leave a comment! Hi everyone! Motoko here! A few weeks ago, we celebrated the marriage of Marvin. He's part of our Technical Team and is from Germany. The wedding ceremony was held in May – and what’s more, his bride is Japanese! In Japan, there are all kinds of wedding ceremonies. There’s the traditional Shintō shinzenshiki, which is held at a shrine, and the Buddhist butsuzenshiki, which is held at a temple; there’s also the kyōkaishiki, or church wedding, which has been gaining popularity in recent years. Another more unusual variant... 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

やわらかい毛布を触っているところを想像してみてください。「わぁ、この毛布、とっても肌ざわりがいいね」と感想を口にする人もいるでしょう。 「肌ざわり」とは文字通り、肌に触れるときの感じを意味しています。同じ意味のことばに「手ざわり」があります。 では、似たような言葉「耳ざわり」はどんな意味なのでしょうか。聞いていて心地よい音楽やことばを指すのでしょうか。 いいえ、実は「耳ざわり」とは反対の意味のことばなのです。つまり、聞いていて不快に感じる様子を表わしているのですね。 では、「目ざわり」は？　「目障りなビル」などと使いますよ。これも、何かを見るときに邪魔になるものや、見ていて不快に感じる様子を指すことばです。 同じ「○○ざわり」という形なのに、意味が全く違うなんておもしろいですね。 これは、「さわる」ということばに二通りの意味があるからなのです。一つ目は、「手などで触れる」という意味の「さわる」（漢字は「触」）です。二つ目は、「妨げになる、邪魔になる」という意味の「さわる」（漢字は「障」）です。二つ目は、病気のお見舞いなどで別れ際に「お身体にさわると大変ですから、そろそろ失礼します（帰ります）」などと使いますよ。 似ている表現なので、ついうっかり「いやぁ、あなたの歌声はとても耳ざわりが良いですね」などと言ってしまわないようにしてください。 ＝＝＝＝＝ Imagine that you're touching a soft blanket. Some may say "oooh, this blanket has good hadazawari or "skin feeling" Just as it is written,... Show more