The focus of this lesson is teaching you some very common Japanese expressions you might not learn from a Japanese teacher. すごい (Sugoi) - An adjective meaning "wow," "amazing," or "great." This word is commonly heard and is often used when one hears or sees something interesting or unusual. バカ (Baka) -  A noun meaning "idiot" or "fool." When used as baka na (バカな), it becomes an adjective meaning "stupid." This word can either be insulting or playful depending on how it is used. When used in a serious manner, it can come across as a strong insult, so it's better to exercise caution with this word. うそ！  (Uso!) - literally means "lie," but when used as an exclamation, it corresponds to "No way!" or "Really!?" in... Show more

In this lesson, we'll teach you the top five useful classroom phrases in Japanese, and then some! "Please say it." / "Please repeat." Itte kudasai (言っ てください) means "please say it." As a variation, you might also hear ripīto shite kudasai (リピートしてください), which means "please repeat (after me)," when teachers want you to repeat exactly what they have said. "Please look."  Mite kudasai (見てください) means "please look," and when an object comes before the phrase, it means "please look at (object). "Please read."  Yonde kudasai (読んでください) means "please read." You can expect to hear this phrase if a teacher wants you to practice reading some word, phrase, or passage. "Please write it."  Kaite kudasai (書いてください)... Show more

This lesson offers a few tools to help you learn Japanese. Some of these great tools to aid in your Japanese studies include the following: Rikaichan a popup dictionary extension for the Firefox Internet browser that translates Japanese into English, German, French, or Russian. With this extension installed, you can easily look up the meaning of Japanese words that show up on webpages by simply hovering the cursor over the word. A box will instantly pop up with the reading and definition of the word. Rikaichan Kanji Dictionary Hover the cursor over any kanji, whether it is part of a compound or by itself, and press the Shift or Enter key to toggle between the word, kanji, and name dictionaries. The kanji ... 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

This blog focuses on the top five most important holidays in Japan. Seijin no Hi "Coming-of-Age Day." On this day, people who turn twenty during the current school year, which runs between April until the following March, celebrate their coming of age. In Japan, when people turn twenty, society legally recognizes them as an adult, and they are able to drink alcohol and vote. Golden Week The period in late April and early May that contains many Japanese national holidays grouped closely together. O-bon a Buddhist event where people pray for the repose of their ancestors' souls and remember the deceased. If you are familiar with Mexico's Day of the Dead festival, O-bon is quite similar. O-bon takes place from the... Show more

This is a continuation of the previous blog post Top 5 aspects of Family Life Work Culture and Economy Japan's economy is ranked second in the world after that of the United States some of its main industries include motor vehicles, electronics, industrial and transportation equipment, and chemicals. Employees in their first years at a company often have to work long hours for little pay. It is very common for employees to all go out drinking together after a long day at work; the Japanese see this as a way to strengthen relationships and build work camaraderie. Another important part of the Japanese work economy is the custom of lifelong employment. This system is becoming less common due to a decrease in the... Show more

As you learn more and more Japanese, you will come across the apparently confusing Japanese counting system as the numbers get more complex. This is due to Chinese influence, as the counting system in Japan comes from Chinese tradition, grouping larger numbers in "myriads" (every 10,000, unlike the Western way of grouping in thousands (1000). in Japanese, 乃rom 3 digits on, the numbers are counted as: 百 / "hyaku" /  "100" 千  / "sen" /  "1,000" 1万 /  "ichi-man"  /  "10,000" Numbers from 20 to 90 are ("digit")-jū Hundreds from 200 to 900 are "(digit)-hyaku" Thousands from 2000 to 9000 are "(digit)-sen" Tens of thousands from 10,000 to 90,000 are "(digit)-man" Keep in mind, that: If written in Arabic numerals, they... 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

As you learn more about Japanese culture, we are sure that you will want to learn even more Japanese words and phrases! The way to experience Japan at its fullest is being able to communicate and make the best of your stay in this fascinating country. But sometimes we feel that time is short! However, did you know that you can use Japanese to learn more Japanese?  of course, you can ask for help, in Japanese! Remember to be polite at all times and use: すみません。 (  Sumimasen  ) "excuse me." We often use it to try to politely get someone's attention if we are about to say something or ask a question. 「 word 」 は日本語で何ですか。 (  wa Nihon-go de nan desu ka? ) "How do you say (word) in Japanese?" You can use this phrase... Show more

「この信号、長いね」 「えっ？　どこどこ？　何メートルくらい？」 これは、私の知人とその娘さんの会話です。 ある日、知人は後部座席に娘を乗せて運転していました。広い道路を横断するために信号待ちをしていたのですが、その信号機がなかなか変わりません。そこで、前述のように呟いたのです。 この場合、「長い」は時間的な長さを示しています。つまり、「この信号機は赤から青に変わるまでの時間が長い」と言いたいのですね。しかし、娘さんは「信号機の横幅が長い」と誤解して驚いたのです。 さらに「長い」という形容詞には、抽象的な使い方もあります。 例えば、「気が長い人」という表現。あなたはどのような人物を想像しますか？　「気」すなわち「気持ち」は目に見えませんから、長さを測ることは不可能です。ただ、時間的に長い、ゆとりがあってのんびりしている様子をイメージすることはできるでしょう。だから、「気が長い人」とは「焦らず、ゆったりとしている人、悠長な人」という意味になるのです。 さらに「長い目で見る」という慣用句はどうでしょう。顔からはみ出すくらい横に長い目？…現実離れしていますね。これは「今の時点だけで判断せず、将来を期待して気長に見守る」という意味です。 さて、「長い手紙」と表現された場合は？　もちろん、便箋が横あるいは縦に長いのではなく、文章量が多い手紙を意味していますね。 ＝＝＝＝＝ “This is a long light.” “Oh? Where, where? About how many meters?” This is a conversation between a friend of mine and her daughter. One... Show more