JapanesePod101.com Blog

I first want to say that learning another language is difficult. It's time-consuming, you always feel like you're not pronouncing things right and it's really easy to just give up. BUT DON'T! Learning another language is the best thing I have done to improve my mind and my view on the world. When I decided to spend my summer in Japan, I had not learned a word of Japanese. I thought I would be able to pick it up from simply being around it all the time. I was wrong. When I arrived in Japan, I felt because of my language barrier I was missing out on a part of Japan that only people who spoke the language got to experience. This was when I started using JapanesePod101. Reasons I enjoyed using JapanesePod101 It’s free!!! →... Show more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_SyvQyJvAI Have you ever felt confused about all those -kun, -chan and -senpai you hear when watching anime? I am sure you have wondered about the meaning of these Japanese suffixes. After reading this post your Japanese will sound more natural as you will learn how to use Japanese honorifics! Remember to take the quiz at the end to test your understanding and to sign up at JapanesePod101.com if you really want to learn Japanese with effective resources. Most languages use them: “Mr.”, “Mrs”, “Sir”, “Dr”… But in Japanese, there are more of them, and they are a lot more nuanced. They are often attached to a name as a suffix, but some can stand alone, such as sensei. In Japanese there are... Show more

You want to learn Japanese but you don't want to spend a cent. You don't want to lose time creating an account if they ask you for your credit card just after. For you Japanese learner, we tell you how you will access great resources for free for life and without card or having to pay. This is your unique path to fluency for free. JapanesePod101 is not really free, is it? Although there are paid plans, yes, it is FREE. Every single lesson that we have ever created has been free for a certain period of time. And every new audio and video lesson (we publish 3-5 lessons a week) is completely free to access for 3 weeks before going into our lesson library. What's a Free Lifetime Account? A Free Lifetime Account is – simply put – a... 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!

In this lesson you will learn what adjective describes your personality best. In this video, Risa a native Japanese speaker, will explain the simple adjectives you need. They're written in both Japanese characters and the alphabet, giving all the tools you need to get started in your Japanese study. Here is our list! Click here to listen how to pronounce those adjectives! 1. つまらない。 Tsumaranai Boring. 2. 丁寧。 ていねい。Teinei Polite. 3. 落ち着いた。 おちついた。Ochistuita Calm. 4. 面白い。 おもしろい。Omoshiroi Humorous. 5. まじめ。 Majime Serious. Watch the full video on our website! 6. 恥ずかしい。 はずかしい。Hazukashii Shy. 7. 親切。 しんせつ。Shinsetsu Kind. 8. 賢い。 かしこい。Kashikoi Kind. 9. 熱心。 ねっしん。Nesshin ... Show more

Are you traveling in Japan and missing your cat? Maybe you are just looking to cuddle some kawaii felines? Of course you are! The cat cafe, or neko cafe, will be your paradise. Adventure with Risa! You always dreamt of seeing Risa cuddling some cute cats? Today Risa takes you to a cat cafe and introduces you this trendy concept in Tokyo! Start learning Japanese with videos starring Risa! Cat cafe, an original concept You might be surprised to hear that this concept is not originally from Japan but from Taiwan, where the world’s first cat cafe opened in 1998. After seeing that it attracted many tourists from Japan, a Japanese person decided to bring the concept, which mixes the relaxing and cozy atmosphere of a coffee... Show more

We always see this kind of advice on the Internet: “You should watch Japanese drama, it helped me to quickly progress” or “There is nothing better than anime without subtitles for learning Japanese”. Can you really learn a language without much effort by watching anime? Following this advice can bring many advantages: Attuning your ears to Japanese by listening to native speakers Boosting your vocabulary Boosting your dialogue-related listening comprehension Letting you hear a language used in context Learning passively while having funAt the end of the day, it seems like a great idea, but in reality it’s not totally true… Actually, it varies! We definitely recommend that you expose yourself to a lot of resources in their... Show more

Stuck in traffic? Losing time in your car? Have you ever felt that in all this wasted time, you could have watched the 750 episodes of One Piece, finished the last Super Mario ten times, or even better…you could have learned Japanese? Between family, friends and work, in addition to this time-consuming commute, it can become difficult to find time to properly learn Japanese. Fortunately, every problem has a solution, and what could be a better solution than turning that commute time into learning time? Stop passing the time mindlessly listening to the radio and try some of our best tips for mastering Japanese in your car! Here are the 5 reasons why you should start learning Japanese! You can learn Japanese in your car,... Show more

In Japan many things are considered to bring good or bad luck. Superstitions are strongly entrenched in Japanese society, and some of them are meant to teach lessons or serve as practical advice. Here is a list of the top 10 superstitions in Japan you must know! Click Here To Start Learning Japanese Right Now! 1) Numbers 4 and 9 are considered to be unlucky numbers because 4 in Japanese is sometimes pronounced し which means “death,” while 9 is also sometimes pronounced く and means “suffering.” In the US, some old buildings don’t have a 13th floor, while in Japan hospitals and some hotels don’t have a 4th floor. Often the room number 4 and rooms 40 through 49 are not there. When you give a gift of a set of plates or cups to somebody,... Show more

Click here to listen to the audio pronunciation! 1. きみは最高の友達だよ。 きみはさいこうのともだちだよ。Kimi wa saigō no tomodachi dayo You are an awesome friend. 2. そのジャケット、似合っていますね。 そのジャケット、にあっていますね。Sono jaketto, niatteimasu ne That jacket looks nice on you. 3. ハンサムですね。 Hansamu desu ne You’re handsome. 4. よくやった！ Yoku yatta! Great job! 5. 見た目より内面のほうがずっとすてきです。 みためよりないめんのほうがずっとすてきです。 Mitame yori naimen nohōga zutto suteki desu Your inside is even more beautiful than your outside. Click Here To Sign Up For A FREE Lifetime Account! 6. 頭いいですね！ あたまいいですね！Atama ii desu ne You’re smart! 7. センスがいいね。 Sensu ga ii ne You have good taste. 8. 笑顔が素敵です。 えがおがすてきです。Egao ga suteki desu Your smile is... Show more