Pronouns are used to substitute nouns, such as people or things, in a sentence. Using pronouns allows you to avoid repetitive usage of a particular word in a sentence, which would sound awkward. Japanese pronouns are very different from those in English because Japanese pronouns can be omitted from a sentence when they’re implied through the context. Unlike in English, there are many different variations of Japanese personal pronouns that translate as "I/me" and "you," although only a few are commonly used. This expression of Japanese pronouns comes from Japanese culture, which puts importance on respect, seniority, and social order.  Each Japanese pronoun variation denotes the different characteristics of the speaker. These include... Show more

https://youtu.be/bNsfvYJO-yw?si=Z8O8zWudnzoBDCkI When learning a new language, the grammatical part is inevitable. Even if you have a large vocabulary and can communicate well enough with native speakers of that language (which is a great way to practice at first!), you need to know the correct word order and sentence structure to continue improving.  Japanese grammar is totally different from English grammar. However, once you get used to the Japanese sentence structure, it will be much easier for you to make sentences. This is because the Japanese language word order is more flexible than that of English.In this article, we’ll introduce the basics of Japanese word order, which will help you better understand Japanese sentence... Show more

Telling time is one of the most essential aspects of everyday life. Learning how to tell time in Japanese will help you improve your basic Japanese language skills. Whether you’re checking the time for transportation or making an appointment, knowing how to say time in Japanese will help you when visiting Japan. Telling time in Japanese is quite simple and easy to understand. Unlike in English, when expressing time in Japanese, the words which indicate the hour and minute are always added next to the numbers (e.g. 3:12 or three twelve = 時 (3ji) 分 (12fun). Thus, even without context or a sentence, you’ll easily understand that these phrases indicate time in Japanese. In this article, we introduce the basic vocabulary and phrases for... Show more

Knowing how to ask for directions in Japanese is very helpful when it comes to getting around in Japan. In particular, finding the right address can be a bit confusing, because smaller streets in Japan aren’t named and addresses are expressed with the name of a small area and numbers. Along with knowing how to ask directions in Japanese, understanding the directions you were told is even more important. This ensures that you can reach the destination with the information given. (You don’t want to mistake "right" in Japanese for left!) But don’t worry! Japanese people are kind in general, and they’ll stop to listen and help you when you ask them for directions in Japanese. Here’s some useful vocabulary and phrases for giving and... 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

Giving compliments makes people feel important and happy, and compliments are a great way to express your positive feelings. However, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do!" There’s a particular way that people give and respond to compliments in Japanese. Before giving compliments in Japanese, keep this in mind: Humbleness and modesty are the most important values in Japanese culture. Therefore, it’s considered bad manners to show off and explicitly exhibit your abilities and achievements. For this reason, people aren’t used to receiving a lot of praise. However, it’s still a good thing to give a compliment when someone has great traits or has done wonderful things. Giving compliments is a useful way to improve communication and your... Show more

It's essential to be able to express your feelings when communicating with others in everyday life. Knowing how to express your emotions in Japanese, including anger, will help you have smoother communication with Japanese people. Although showing anger with swear words isn’t common in Japanese culture, there are various angry phrases in Japanese you can use. Knowing angry phrases, and how to show that you’re angry in Japanese, will not only help you understand Japanese anime and Japanese TV shows better, but it will also improve your conversation and communication skills. In this article, we’ll introduce useful angry Japanese expressions and phrases to help you discuss your emotions. Let's learn various expressions here at... Show more

Giving proper greetings and celebration messages is essential in making relationships better. Whether you have Japanese friends online, live in Japan, or just want to understand Japanese culture, it’s good to know how Japanese people celebrate events and what they say. Once you learn how to say Happy Birthday in Japanese, Happy New Year in Japanese, and Merry Christmas in Japanese, use them practically with your friends! Japan has various life and annual events to celebrate. Some of them come from the Western culture, such as Christmas and Valentine’s Day. But there are unique Japanese traditions as well, such as the twentieth and sixtieth birthdays, also called 成人 (Seijin) and 還暦 (Kanreki) respectively. So, how do you wish someone well... Show more

Japan has four beautiful seasons, and every season has its own unique characteristics and weather. Whether you want to know the weather in Japan in April to visit the pretty 桜 (Sakura) or "cherry blossoms," or research the weather in Kyoto, Japan for world heritage sightseeing, there are some useful words and phrases to know regarding weather in Japan! Weather is one of the most useful topics for conversation and is also an essential topic in everyday life. When you know how to talk about the weather in Japanese, it will expand both your communication skills and vocabulary skills in Japanese, as there’s a variety of expressions relating to Japanese weather. Let’s get started! By the time we get done, you’ll be talking about weather in... Show more

The school entrance ceremony in Japan, or Nyūgakushiki in Japanese, is one of the most momentous occasions in a student’s life, and it takes place each year as the cherry blossoms bloom. In this article, you’ll learn all about this celebratory season and gain some new vocabulary along the way. Let’s get started! 1. What is the School Entrance Ceremony? The Japanese school entrance ceremony name is Nyūgakushiki. Nyūgakushiki is a time of both encouragement and excitement about the coming year for students in every grade, though the Japanese high school entrance ceremony may be the most exciting for new students. During a school entrance ceremony, Japanese students celebrate their enrollment in a school, and that... Show more