https://youtu.be/94F5sTXhhjg?si=jYJsOD68a3Ik4cur   Numbers are necessary in everyday life as you need them to express time, record dates, interpret recipe amounts, count objects, and the list goes on. Japanese numerical systems have unique features and they are very different from those in English. For example, Japanese has a variety of counter words depending on different factors. Further, large numbers are counted by units of four digits while the Western system counts by that of three digits, and the differences only continue for numbers in the Japanese language. Let’s start to learn basic Japanese numbers with JapanesePod101.com! Table of Contents Counting in Japanese: Numbers 0-9 Counting in Japanese: Numbers 10-99 Counting in... Show more

You're learning to speak Japanese, and it's going well. Your confidence is growing! So much so that you feel ready to share your experiences on social media—in Japanese. At Learn Japanese, we make this easy for you to get it right the first time. Post like a boss with these phrases and guidelines, and get to practice your Japanese in the process. 1. Talking about Your Restaurant Visit in Japanese Eating out is fun, and often an experience you'd like to share. Take a pic, and start a conversation on social media in Japanese. Your friend will be amazed by your language skills...and perhaps your taste in restaurants! Mamoru eats at a restaurant with his friends, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment: POST Let's break down... Show more

Bunka no hi, celebrated each year in November, is a relatively new Japanese cultural holiday that has experienced some adaptations over time. Originating during the reign of Emperor Meiji, and originally called Meijisetsu, this holiday was a day for Japan to celebrate the birth of its emperor until 1948. In this article, you’ll learn the most pertinent facts about Culture Day in Japan: activities, meaning, and what role the Constitution of Japan played in evolving the holiday into what it is today. At JapanesePod101.com, we hope to make every aspect of your learning journey both fun and informative! 1. What is Culture Day in Japan? Culture Day is a Japanese national holiday for appreciating peace and freedom, and was... Show more

Greetings are the first thing you learn when you start to learn a new language. “Hello” and “Thank you” are essential, but “Sorry” becomes even more important when it comes to good communication in a foreign culture which often has different customs and values from your original culture. Thus, “sorry” in studying Japanese is one of the most vital things you’ll learn. One of the noteworthy features of Japanese apologies is that there are various ways to say sorry. How to say sorry in Japanese has variations, both formal and informal, and in the severity of what you’re apologizing for and who you’re apologizing to. Japanese apologies also have to accompany particular gestures in some situations. Let’s take a detailed look at how to say... Show more

From time to time, we all need to reevaluate our health—our dietary habits, our exercise patterns (or lack thereof), and our ability to live each day well. On Health and Sports Day, the people of Japan do just this. This holiday encourages and inspires good health and more exercise at every level of society, but most especially for children and young adults. In this article, you’ll learn about Health-Sports Day in Japan and how it affects the health and lives of people all over the country. At JapanesePod101.com, we hope to make every aspect of your language-learning journey both fun and informative! 1. What is Health and Sports Day in Japan? Health and Sports Day is a national Japanese holiday dedicated to inspiring a... Show more

Have you ever wondered "How are the elderly treated in Japan?" Each year, the Japanese population celebrates and honors the elderly people in Japan for their contributions to society. The aged are regarded with much respect, and Respect for the Aged Day is a special occasion on which to really go all out and show this admiration. In this article, you’ll learn all about the Respect for the Aged Day meaning, and more facts about the elderly people in Japan. Learning about this holiday and what it looks like in Japanese society will go a long way toward helping you understand the culture of Japan. At JapanesePod101.com, we hope to make every aspect of your learning journey both fun and informative! So let’s get started. 1.... Show more

Every culture has its own unique body gestures when speaking to express certain feelings or situations efficiently. Japanese hand gestures and body language are no exception and there are a variety of body gestures in Japan—many more than you’d expect! Most Japanese body gestures are particular to the Japanese culture and foreign people may wonder what they stand for, or even get the wrong meaning from them. Learning the body language in Japan will not only help you understand the Japanese culture better, but also make you feel more comfortable communicating with Japanese people. If you’re a beginner in the Japanese language, you can express and communicate much more with Japanese body gestures without lengthy explanation. If... Show more

Do you know the Japanese slang ググる (guguru)? It means “to search on Google” and is one of the most-used Japanese internet slang terms. If you chat with your Japanese friends online or use social media such as Facebook, you might be struggling to understand Japanese internet slang terms. However, most common Japanese slang words aren’t exclusive to the internet, as you may have found them in anime and manga as well. The problem is that your teachers and textbooks won’t teach you those slang terms, because they aren’t official Japanese language. Japanese text slang terms might be very confusing for Japanese learners because they developed very uniquely. Japanese people also use many kinds of 顔文字 (kaomoji) or text face, such as “（*^_^*）,... Show more

When learning a new language, people encounter words and expressions which can’t be clearly translated into that language. Japanese is no exception. Japanese has various untranslatable words which need to be explained with concepts, contexts, or situations in order to grasp the true meaning and nuance these original words have. Japanese phrases with no English equivalent are both fun and important to learn during your language studies. Much like in other languages, Japanese untranslatable words reflect the Japanese culture. By learning untranslatable Japanese words, you’ll also gain insight into unique Japanese views, values, and philosophies. Japanese words that are untranslatable often prove interesting to other cultures, and in... Show more

Do you know why the Japanese focus on the Altair and Vega stars one night a year? This has to do with the Tanabata story, which tells about the love between a cow-herder and a weaver (we’ll give you the full story later in this article!). During the Star Festival, Japan sets its eyes to the night sky and the Milky Way, hoping that the two constellations, which represent the cow-herder and weaver, will meet. The Star Festival Japan celebrates offers a fun and unique glance at Japanese culture and thought. Learning about the Tanabata Festival is a wonderful way to improve your language skills, too, as knowing a country’s culture is key to mastering its language! At JapanesePod101.com, we want to make this learning journey both... Show more