Hello Listener, The Summer of Japanese is in full swing at JapanesePod101. That means we’re helping thousands of people like you to learn Japanese this summer! Yes, we are helping to make your dream of learning Japanese easier and more affordable with a LIMITED TIME 29% OFF Basic and Premium. Up to $69.60 in savings! Click here to get a BIG 29% OFF! Ready to learn Japanese? During our Summer of Japanese Sale, you gain full access to our ENTIRE learning system – 370+ hours of Japanese audio and video lessons from real Japanese teachers, exclusive apps, plus loads of additional study tools and resources for just... $7.10/Month for Full Access to Our Premium Plan $2.84/Month for Full Access to Our Basic Plan But you... Show more

Hello Everyone! Ai-chan here! Just a random guest who was given the opportunity to write on JapanesePod101’s blog! ヽ(*⌒∇⌒*)ﾉ First off, a big round of applause to JapanesePod101! Why, you ask? Cause they are awesome! I started using JapanesePod101 about two months ago and I LOVE it! To be honest, I was never the type to learn from websites or apps because I always find myself giving up halfway (too boring). So I took the Japanese classes offered in my university and learning it directly from a teacher was the best. Unfortunately, it had to come to an end when I graduated last year. Unable to give up on my passion for the language, I tried all sorts of method to keep learning Japanese...from playing Japanese games to reading... Show more

Hello everyone! Ai-chan here! I was talking to my Japanese friends recently and realized how much they use onomatopoeia in conversations. Onomatopoeia in English never amazes me as much as it does in Japanese because in Japanese, it feels like they have a word for everything! Unlike English onomatopoeias, Japanese has words to describe not only the sounds made by animate or inanimate object, but also feelings, actions and state. I’m pretty sure manga lovers would have known this already! I think some of the common ones would be ワンワン (wan wan), the sound of a dog barking,ドキドキ (doki doki), the sound of a heartbeat, and キラキラ (kira kira), to describe something that is glittering. One of my favorite onomatopoeias is ゴロゴロ (goro goro)... Show more

Learn a little Japanese everyday with the free Japanese Word of the Day Widget. Check back daily for more vocabulary!唐辛子 (とうがらし) chili pepper (noun)私はいつも唐辛子を入れすぎて辛すぎて食べきれないと言う。わたしはいつもとうがらしをいれすぎてからすぎてたべきれないという。I always say that too much chilli pepper means too much heat for me to eat.唐辛子の身は調味料としても野菜としても用いられる。とうがらしのみはちょうみりょうとしてもやさいとしてももちいられる。The fruit of the chilli pepper is used as a spice and a vegetable.唐辛子の種も使うとより辛さが増す。とうがらしのたねもつかうとよりからさがます。Leaving the seeds in a chili pepper will make it much hotter.辛い唐辛子からいとうがらしspicy chili pepperOwn a blog or website? Share free language content with your readers with the Japanese Word of the Day with Audio Widget. Click here for instructions on how to embed and customize this free widget!

Hi Listener, Here’s how you speak and understand more Japanese in 2015... With new JapanesePod101 audio and video lessons by real teachers. And this is important – you get new lessons for FREE, every week. How? You simply start a lesson, hear native Japanese conversation and have our teachers explain it all to you. Every word. Every grammar point. Every cultural insight. Sit back and learn – we’ll do the work. Learn directly on our site or on the go on your mobile device. So, you’ll speak and understand more Japanese with new, free lessons every week! Here’s what you need to know. We’re starting a brand new season of lessons for the second half of 2015. So, starting July 6th, 2015, we’ll be releasing new seasons of audio... Show more

No matter how good you are, mistakes are inevitable, especially when you’ve just started learning Japanese. There’s nothing wrong with making mistakes, but who wants to be *THAT* foreigner who makes awkward mistakes when speaking to Japanese people? In this JapanesePod101 Blog post, we’ll give you a heads up so that you can be aware of common mistakes people make, which will make your Japanese language learning experience a lot easier. 1. Don’t Attach -san to Your Own Name! One of the first things English speakers learn in Japanese is the name suffixes used when addressing other people. The most common one is -san, which we attach to people’s names to show respect. -San corresponds with “Mr.” and “Mrs.” when referring to other... Show more

Learn a little Japanese everyday with the free Japanese Word of the Day Widget. Check back daily for more vocabulary!柔らかい (やわらかい) soft (i-adjective)下着には、もっと柔らかい素材の方がよい。したぎには、もっとやわらかいそざいのほうがよい。Softer materials are preferred for undergarments.彼女の新しいバスタオルは、柔らかい綿でできていた。かのじょのあたらしいバスタオルは、やわらかいめんでできていた。Her new bath towels were made of soft cotton.柔らかい食事の生活やわらかいしょくじのせいかつsoft food diet柔らかいピンクの綿毛やわらかいピンクのわたげsoft pink fluff柔らかい繊維やわらかいせんいsoft fabric柔らかいタオルやわらかいタオルsoft towelsOwn a blog or website? Share free language content with your readers with the Japanese Word of the Day with Audio Widget. Click here for instructions on how to embed and customize this free widget!

1. Schedule your time. One of the most important factors in keeping your motivation up is developing it into a habit. Whether it be 20 minutes or 3 hours, schedule time to study every day and stick to it. Regular exposure solidifies what you learn and keeps you progressing. To make sure you stick to your routine, a great idea is to build a schedule for your day and decide that every day/Monday/weekend, you study from 6pm to 8pm. Just remember that 30 minutes a day, every day, is better than a binge 8-hour study session at the end of the week (though it’s obviously better than nothing). 2. Learn a word a day with our great Word of the Day learning tool. Trying to learn everything at once and getting overwhelmed by the sheer number... Show more

Learn a little Japanese everyday with the free Japanese Word of the Day Widget. Check back daily for more vocabulary!クジャク (クジャク) peacock (noun)クジャクが、向きを変えている。クジャクが、むきをかえている。The peacock is turning.クジャクの羽は美しいです。クジャクのはねはうつくしいです。The peacock's feathers are beautiful.うちわのように広がった尾をしたクジャクうちわのようにひろがったおをしたクジャクpeacock with fanned tailOwn a blog or website? Share free language content with your readers with the Japanese Word of the Day with Audio Widget. Click here for instructions on how to embed and customize this free widget!

“To have another language is to possess a second soul.” - Charlemagne Learning a new language is an achievement anyone can be proud of and it's exciting and beneficial at all ages. It offers many practical, intellectual and aspirational benefits. A wave of new research shows the incredible psychological benefits of learning a second language. These benefits extend far beyond being able to order a cup of coffee abroad or ask directions to your hotel. 1. Learning a Foreign Language Boosts Brain Power Medical studies have shown the positive effect learning a second language has on the brain. A foreign language is a whole new system with distinct rules, etymology, and meaning, which are just a few of the complexities of a language.... Show more