JapanesePod101.com Blog

https://www.youtube.com/embed/sWs1GCPQbO4 Is that autumn in the air, already? I don’t know about you, but I’m more than ready for it!  Today, we’re going to explore 彼岸の中日 (ひがんのちゅうにち), or "the equinoctial day," on which the Japanese acknowledge the arrival of autumn. On the Autumn Equinox, Japanese people express appreciation for their ancestors and indulge in a few seasonal celebrations as well.  Let’s take a closer look! 1. What is the Autumnal Equinox? Autumnal Equinox Day, or 秋分の日 (しゅうぶんのひ), normally falls on September 22 or 23. This is the day on which summer officially becomes autumn; in addition, the sun will rise in the true east and then set in the true west.  The Autumn Equinox celebration... Show more

How many Japanese verbs do you know? When you know the 100 most common Japanese verbs and understand basic Japanese verb conjugation, you can express and understand Japanese much better! Verbs are one of the most important parts of speech, and it’s said that verbs are the second most frequently used words (26%, next to nouns at 42%) among all other categories of words in daily Japanese conversations.  It’s always a bit tiring to learn grammatical rules, such as the conjugation patterns of verbs. However, it’s easier than you think! Once you have the rules down and become used to using them, all you have to do is apply those rules to new Japanese verbs you learn. Japanese verb conjugation has unique rules from those in English. But... Show more

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

Do you remember the moment you fell in love with languages? Do you desire to learn or advance in Japanese quickly and effectively? Then you need a Japanese tutor. A common question that first-time language-learners ask is "Where do I begin?" The answer? Guidance. For native English-speakers who want to learn Asian languages, for example, timelines provided by the U.S. Foreign Service Institute can appear discouraging. However, defeating these odds is not unheard of. If you want to beat the odds yourself, one of the best learning options is a subscription to Premium PLUS from Innovative Language. As an active Premium PLUS member of JapanesePod101.com and KoreanClass101.com myself, I have an enjoyable experience learning at an... 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

https://www.youtube.com/embed/9fkjkyuZ5rs Japanese fireworks are arguably the best part of summer. After a long and trying rainy season (tsuyu), people are just itching to get out and enjoy themselves! Did you know there’s a firework display called the Niagara? These fireworks are arranged in a row, set off at the same time, and are specially designed to look like a huge wave or waterfall. In this article, you’ll learn all about the fireworks festival in Japan: what to expect, how these festivals got started, and some relevant vocabulary you can use to impress your Japanese friends. Let’s get started. 1. What is the Hanabi Festival in Japan? Every year during the summer, usually in July and August, the Japanese... 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

https://www.youtube.com/embed/9MwLqr1hrfQ Rain, rain, go away… I don’t know about you, but I get pretty depressed when it’s rainy or overcast—and more so with each day that the weather remains gloomy. Imagine that kind of weather for several weeks straight! Each year, various regions of Japan experience a several-week period of much rainfall and cloud cover called the rainy season, or tsuyu. In this article, you’ll learn all about this rainy season, Japan’s most notable features during this time, what you can do during a rainy season visit, and some useful vocabulary. Let’s get started. 1. What is the Rainy Season in Japan? 梅雨 (Tsuyu) is the rainy season in Japan, and it literally translates to "plum rain." This is in... Show more