If you’re an advanced learner or starting to move ahead to an upper level, you may soon face a phenomenon known as “diminishing returns.” The learning curve theory indicates that the more you advance, the slower your progress will be. This concept also applies to your Japanese language learning! As such, you’ll need to be patient and make a steady effort in order to achieve the advanced level of Japanese and reach true proficiency.

After learning the grammar and vocabulary of the intermediate level, all you need to do is increase your vocabulary by learning more advanced Japanese phrases. In particular, you’ll want to pick up a variety of idioms, proverbs, expressions, and slang terms. You’ll also benefit from expanding your knowledge of grammatical variations, such as 敬語 (Keigo), or “honorific speech,” as well as the very formal language for particular settings (e.g., only used in official letters or legal texts).

While conquering the advanced Japanese level may feel like an endless journey, remember that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step! You have already achieved so much since Day 1 to arrive at your current level. Now you just need to continue filling the holes in your vocabulary and learning new expressions through books, the news, TV, movies, and other media. 

Boost your journey with our list of the most useful advanced Japanese phrases for various occasions!

You can handle any situation if you’re at an advanced level.

Table of Contents

1. Useful Phrases for Academic Writing
2. Power Phrases for Your Cover Letter
3. Smart Proverbs for Business and Meetings
4. Advanced Japanese Idioms and Sayings for Everyday Usage
5. Conclusion

1. Useful Phrases for Academic Writing

The use of logical and structured sentences is a key element in good academic writing. Below, we will introduce advanced Japanese phrases that are frequently used to organize, articulate, and connect thoughts in writing. These phrases are useful not only in writing but also in public speaking, where they allow the audience to more easily follow and understand the content. 

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
first of all	まず初めに	まずはじめに	mazu hajime ni

Example:

まず初めに、本研究の趣旨について説明します。

Mazu hajime ni, hon kenkyū no shushi ni tsuite setsumei shimasu.

“First of all, I’d like to explain the purpose of this research.”

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
firstly secondly  thirdly	第一に 第二に 第三に	だいいちに だいにに だいさんに	daiichi ni daini ni daisan ni

Example:

小論文を書くために重要なことが三点ある。第一に、論理的であること。第二に、分かりやすいこと。第三に、納得できること、である。

Shōronbun o kaku tame ni, jūyō na koto ga san-ten aru.  Daiichi ni, rironteki de aru koto. Daini ni, wakariyasui koto. Daisan ni, nattoku dekiru koto, de aru.

“There are three important points in writing an essay. Firstly, it is logical. Secondly, it’s easy to understand. Thirdly, it is convincing.”

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
in regard to…	…に関して	…にかんして	…ni kanshite

Example:

地球温暖化のトピックに関して意見を交換しましょう。

Chikyū ondanka no topikku ni kanshite iken o kōkan shimashō.

“Let’s exchange views in regard to global warming.”

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
according to…	ー	…によると	…ni yoruto

Example:

中小企業白書によると、日本の中小企業数は3,578,176社で全企業数のうち99.7%を占めています。

Chūshō kigyō hakusho ni yoruto, Nihon no chūshō kigyōsū wa 3,578,176 sha de,  zen kigyōsū no uchi  99.7% o shimete imasu.

“According to White Paper on Small and Medium Enterprises, the number of small and medium enterprises in Japan is 3,578,176, accounting for 99.7% of the total number of companies.”

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
in other words	言い換えれば	いいかえれば	iikaereba

Example:

地球温暖化の問題は、言い換えれば、私たちひとりひとりの問題です。

Chikyū ondanka no mondai wa, iikaereba, watashi-tachi hitori hitori no mondai desu.

“The problem of global warming is, in other words, the problem of each one of us.”

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
moreover / furthermore / in addition	更に	さらに	sara ni

Example:

パンデミックの発生は、人々の健康に影響を及ぼしました。 更に、国内および世界の経済にも大きな打撃となりました。

Pandemikku no hassei wa, hitobito no kenkō ni eikyō o oyoboshimashita. Sara ni, kokunai oyobi sekaijū no keizai ni mo ōkina dageki to narimashita.

“The outbreak of the pandemic has affected people’s health. In addition, it also had a major impact on the domestic and global economies.”

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
on the contrary /on the other hand	一方で	いっぽうで	ippō de

Example:

九州地方では大雨警報が出ています。 一方で、北関東地方では干ばつが連日続いています。

Kyūshū chihō de wa ōame keihō ga dete imasu. Ippō de, kita Kantō chihō de wa kanbatsu ga renjitsu tsuzuite imasu. 

“Heavy rain warnings have been issued in the Kyushu region. On the other hand, droughts continue every day in the northern Kanto region.”

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
therefore / consequently	従って	したがって	shitagatte

Example:

日本は火山が多い。従って、天然の温泉も多い。

Nihon wa kazan ga ōi. Shitagatte, tennen no onsen mo ōi. 

“Japan has a lot of volcanic mountains. Therefore, there are also many natural hot springs.”

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
to some extent	ある程度	あるていど	aru teido

Example:

作業過程をある程度自動化してくれるツールがいくつかあります。

Sagyō katei o aru teido jidōka shite kureru tsūru ga ikutsuka arimasu. 

“There are some tools that automate the work process to some extent.”

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
as long as… / as far as…	…である限り…いる限り	…であるかぎり　  　…いるかぎり	…de aru kagiri…iru kagiri

Example:

津波が発生した時は、高台にいる限り身の安全を確保できます。

Tsunami ga hassei shita toki wa, takadai ni iru kagiri mi no anzen o kakuho dekimasu.

“When a tsunami occurs, you can secure your safety as long as you are on a hill.”

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
by / in contrast	対照的に	たいしょうてきに	taishōteki ni

Example:

日本列島の南に位置する沖縄の年間平均気温は摂氏23.1度です。対照的に、北に位置する北海道では8.9度です。

Nihon rettō no minami ni ichi suru Okinawa no nenkan heikin kion wa sesshi 23.1-do desu. Taishōteki ni, kita ni ichi suru Hokkaidō wa 8.9-do desu.

“The average annual temperature of Okinawa, located south of the Japanese archipelago, is 23.1 degrees Celsius. By contrast, it is 8.9 degrees in Hokkaido, which is located in the North.”

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
as a result	結果として	けっかとして	kekka to shite

Example:

高速道路での大きな事故によりひどい渋滞に巻き込まれました。結果として、飛行機に乗り遅れました。

Kōsoku dōro de no ōkina jiko ni yori hidoi jūtai ni makikomaremashita. Kekka to shite, hikōki ni noriokuremashita.

“I was caught in a terrible traffic jam due to a big accident on the highway. As a result, I missed the flight.”

2. Power Phrases for Your Cover Letter

When it comes to writing an official letter in Japanese, there are some particular rules and style guidelines to follow.

A cover letter (送付状 [sōfujō] or 添え状 [soejō] in Japanese) is a letter of introduction that a job seeker attaches to their resume or CV. In most cases, its function is to greet and to indicate what document(s) you’re sending by clarifying “to whom,” “by whom,” “what,” and “why.” It may also contain a supplementary explanation of what you want to emphasize in the main document.

Most importantly, however, it can be proof that you have business etiquette and common sense. Therefore, it should be a “decent” letter that follows the rules expected of an official document.

Here is a brief list of advanced-level Japanese phrases you should consider including in your cover letter.

Formal Greeting	拝啓、貴社ますますご清栄のこととお慶び申し上げます。  Haikei, kisha masumasu go-seiei no koto to o-yorokobi mōshiagemasu.
English	Dear sirs, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for considering my application. (in case you’re applying with a CV)
Literal Translation	Humbly (respectfully) I say, I am glad that your company is prospering more and more.

Explanation: 

This is a common formal greeting that is used only in official writing. It should be used as the first line of your text, especially when you’re writing to a company. 

When beginning with 拝啓 (haikei), meaning “Dear sirs” (literally: “Humbly I say”) you have to finish the letter with 敬具 (keigu), meaning “Sincerely yours” (literally: “Humbly I said”).

Stating Reason for Writing	この度、貴社の___職の採用情報を拝見し、応募書類をお送りいたします。  Kono tabi, kisha no ___shoku no saiyō jōhō o haiken shi, ōboshorui o o-okuri itashimasu.
English	I saw your company’s employment information about the ___ position, and I’d like to send you the application documents.
Literal Translation	This time, I humbly saw your company’s employment information for ___, and I will kindly send you the application documents.

Discussing Interests	貴社の求人で特に、___のグローバルプロジェクトについて関心を持ちました。  Kisha no kyūjin de toku ni, ___ no gurōbaru purojekuto ni tsuite kanshin o mochimashita.
English	In your company’s job offer advertisement, I am particularly interested in the global projects of ___.

Talking About Your Experience	___の分野において幅広い経験を持ち、新規顧客の獲得と売り上げの拡大に努めてまいりました。   ___ no bun’ya ni oite habahiroi keiken o mochi, shinki kokyaku no kakutoku to uriage no kakudai ni tsutomete mairimashita.
English	Having extensive work experience in (the field of) ___,  I have endeavored to acquire new customers and expand sales.

Explaining the Relevance of Your Experience	私のX年における___の経験をこのポジションで即戦力として活かし、貴社の業績拡大に貢献できると思っております。   Watashi no X-nen ni okeru ___ no keiken o kono pojishon de sokusenryoku to shite ikashi, kisha no gyōseki kakudai ni kōken dekiru to omotte orimasu.
English	I believe I can apply my X years of experience in ___ to this position from day one, and I will be able to contribute to the expansion of your business.

Asking for a Presentation Opportunity	是非私のプレゼンテーションとポートフォリオをご覧になっていただける機会をいただけたら幸いです。   Zehi watashi no purezentēshon to pōtoforio o goran ni natte itadakeru kikai o itadaketara saiwai desu.
English	I would appreciate it if you could give me a chance to show you my presentation and portfolio.

Asking for an Interview	ご検討の上、是非面接の機会をいただけましたら幸いです。   Go-kentō no ue, zehi mensetsu no kikai o itadakemashitara saiwai desu.
English	I would appreciate it if you could give me a chance to have an interview.

Formal Closing	何卒よろしくお願いいたします。 敬具   [名前]  Nanitozo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.  Keigu  [Namae]
English	Thank you very much for your consideration.  Sincerely yours,  [Name]
Literal Translation	Please kindly be favorable.

Explanation: 

よろしくお願いいたします (yoroshiku onegai itashimasu) is an untranslatable Japanese phrase that is often used in business contexts. It’s a useful phrase in that it has many meanings and can be used in various situations to express gratitude, humbleness, and the desire to have a good relationship from that point forward.

And remember: When you use 拝啓 (haikei) at the beginning of your letter, you must finish it with 敬具 (keigu).

➜ For more expressions related to business and other formal contexts, please also check out our blog posts Essential Business Japanese: Learn the Most Useful Phrases and The Most Useful Japanese Phone Phrases.

3. Smart Proverbs for Business and Meetings

In Japanese culture, idiomatic expressions (慣用表現 kan’yō hyōgen) and proverbs (ことわざ kotowaza) are often used in daily conversations in order to enrich statements or to include a moralistic meaning. The following phrases are popular Japanese idioms and proverbs that are frequently used in business contexts. 

Japanese	埒があかない   rachi ga akanai
Literal Translation	the fence (of a horse riding ground) does not open
Meaning	make no progress / remain unsettled

Example: 

同じ議論を繰り返しても、埒があかない。

Onaji giron o kurikaeshite mo, rachi ga akanai.

“Repeating the same discussion does not make any progress.”

Japanese	案ずるより産むが易し   anzuru yori umu ga yasushi
Literal Translation	It’s easier to give birth than to worry about it.
Meaning	It’s easier to do something than to worry about it. / An attempt is sometimes easier than expected.

Example: 

案ずるより産むが易しと言います。まずはリスクを恐れずに実行することが大切です。

Anzuru yori umu ga yasushi to iimasu. Mazu wa risuku o osorezu ni jikkō suru koto ga taisetsu desu.

“It is said that it’s easier to do something than to worry about it; it’s important to take action without fear of risk.”

Japanese	善は急げ   zen wa isoge
Literal Translation	hurry up goodness
Meaning	Strike while the iron is hot. / Good deeds (ideas) should be done quickly.

Example: 

それは良い案ですね！善は急げ、早速それをプロジェクトに取り入れましょう。

Sore wa ii an desu ne! Zen wa isoge, sassoku sore o purojekuto ni toriiremashō.

“That’s a good idea! Strike while the iron is hot; let’s adopt it into the project now.”

Japanese	損して得取れ   son shite toku tore
Literal Translation	obtain benefit by losing
Meaning	Even if you’re at a temporary loss, keep striving for virtue so that you will get a bigger return later.

Example: 

損して得取れと言うように、設備投資による費用はかかりますが、長期的に見ると生産コストとCO2排出を大幅に削減できます。

Son shite toku tore to iu yō ni, setsubi tōshi ni yoru hiyō wa kakarimasu ga, chōkiteki ni miru to seisan kosuto to CO2 haishutsu o ōhaba ni sakugen dekimasu.

“As the proverb says, ‘Obtain benefit by losing.’ Although there are costs associated with capital investment, production costs and CO2 emissions can be significantly reduced in the long run.”

Japanese	苦肉の策   kuniku no saku
Literal Translation	idea of (from) suffering body
Meaning	last resort / desperate measure taken under pressure of necessity

Example: 

その企業は事業存続のために苦肉の策として、大手企業との業務提携に踏み切りました。

Sono kigyō wa jigyō sonzoku no tame ni kuniku no saku to shite, ōte kigyō to no gyōmu teikei ni fumikirimashita.

“The company has decided to make a business alliance with a major company as a desperate measure for business survival.”

Japanese	乗りかかった船   norikakatta fune
Literal Translation	the ship that already got on
Meaning	having started on something that you can’t quit / having gone too far to turn back

Example: 

一度引き受けた案件は、乗りかかった船です。情勢が変化しても全力でやり遂げましょう。

Ichi-do hikiuketa anken wa, norikakatta fune desu. Jōsei ga henka shite mo zenryoku de yaritogemashō.

“The project that we once undertook is the ship we have already gotten on. Even if the situation changes, let’s do our best to complete it.”

Japanese	先んずれば人を制す   sakinzureba hito o seisu
Literal Translation	If you go ahead, you will get the better of (other) people.
Meaning	Take the initiative, and you will win. / The foremost dog catches the hare.

Example: 

先んずれば人を制す。ライバル社が参入する前に新規事業を軌道にのせましょう。

Sakinzureba hito o seisu. Raibarusha ga sannyū suru mae ni shinki jigyō o kidō ni nosemashō.

“The foremost dog catches the hare. Let’s get the new business on track before our rivals enter the market.”

Japanese	白羽の矢が立つ   shiraha no ya ga tatsu
Literal Translation	An arrow with a feather stands.
Meaning	to be singled out / to be selected from among other people

Example: 

新規プロジェクトのリーダーとして、経験豊富な彼に白羽の矢がたった。

Shinki purojekuto no rīdā to shite, keiken hōfu na kare ni shiraha no ya ga tatta.

“As someone who is well experienced, he was chosen to be the leader of the new project.”

Japanese	後の祭り  ato no matsuri
Literal Translation	later festival
Meaning	a day after the fair / a stage when it’s too late

Example: 

彼は間違って非常に重要な書類を破棄してしまった。後悔しても所詮、後の祭りだ。

Kare wa machigatte hijō ni jūyō na shorui o haki shite shimatta. Kōkai shitemo shosen, ato no matsuri da.

“He accidentally discarded the very important document. Even if he regrets it, it’s too late after all.”

Japanese	運を天に任せる     un o ten ni makaseru
Literal Translation	leave luck to heaven
Meaning	to leave one’s fate to a deity / to leave the rest to heaven

Example: 

イベントの準備に最前を尽くしてきました。成功するかどうかは、あとは運を天に任せましょう。

Ibento no junbi ni saizen o tsukushite kimashita. Seikō suru ka dō ka wa, ato wa un o ten ni makasemashō.

“We have been doing our best to prepare for the event. Let’s leave luck to heaven as to whether we succeed or not.”

4. Advanced Japanese Idioms and Sayings for Everyday Usage

Idiomatic expressions are frequently used not only in daily conversations but also in the stories that make our lives so rich and colorful. 

Japanese idioms are very fun to learn! They feature unique and sometimes eccentric combinations of words that would make no sense at all if you were to translate them word for word.

What do you imagine when you hear “bite a parent’s shin” (親のすねをかじる oya no sune o kajiru)? It does not refer to someone actually biting their parent’s shin, but rather to an adult who still lives off of their parents. 

Below are several idiomatic phrases in Japanese for advanced learners.

Japanese	油を売る　   abura o uru
Literal Translation	sell oil
Meaning	to loaf (particularly on the job) / to idle one’s time away

Example: 

彼はよく営業の外回り中に、カフェで油を売っている。

Kare wa yoku eigyō no sotomawarichū ni, kafe de abura o utte iru.

“He often idles his time away at a cafe when he’s meeting clients out of office.”

Japanese	顔に泥を塗る    kao ni doro o nuru
Literal Translation	smear mud on one’s face
Meaning	disgrace somebody / make somebody lose face

Example: 

彼女は犯罪を犯して、誠実な両親の顔に泥を塗った。

Kanojo wa hanzai o okashite, seijitsu na ryōshin no kao ni doro o nutta.

“She committed a crime and disgraced her sincere parents.”

Japanese	口を酸っぱくする    kuchi o suppaku suru
Literal Translation	make a mouth sour
Meaning	to repeatedly admonish / to tell over and over

Example: 

口を酸っぱくして何度も言うように、交通事故には気をつけてください。

Kuchi o suppaku shite nan-do mo iu yō ni, kōtsū jiko ni wa ki o tsukete kudasai.

“As I tell you over and over, please be careful of traffic accidents.”

Japanese	さじを投げる     saji o nageru
Literal Translation	throw a (small) spoon
Meaning	give up hopelessly

Example: 

彼女はダイエットしようと決めたが、トレーニングと食事制限が辛くてさじを投げた。

Kanojo wa daietto o shiyō to kimeta ga, torēningu to shokuji seigen ga tsurakute saji o nageta.

“She decided to go on a diet, but she gave up because of the painful training and dietary restrictions.”

Japanese	雀の涙    suzume no namida
Literal Translation	sparrow’s tears
Meaning	very small quantity

Example: 

世界的な不景気の影響で、今年のボーナスは雀の涙ほどでした。

Sekaiteki na fukeiki no eikyō de, kotoshi no bōnasu wa suzume no namida hodo deshita.

“Due to the global recession, this year’s bonus was very little.”

Japanese	喉から手が出る　   nodo kara te ga deru
Literal Translation	hands come out from a throat
Meaning	to want something desperately

Example: 

喉から手が出るほど、来月発売の新しいスマートフォンがほしい。

Nodo kara te ga deru hodo, raigetsu hatsubai no atarashii sumātofon ga hoshii.

“I desperately want the new smartphone that will be released next month.”

Japanese	根も葉もない    ne mo ha mo nai
Literal Translation	no roots or leaves
Meaning	completely untrue / groundless (rumor)

Example: 

根も葉もない噂を信じて人を判断しないでください。

Ne mo ha mo nai uwasa o shinjite hito o handan shinaide kudasai.

“Don’t judge people by believing groundless rumors.”

Japanese	身を粉にする     mi o ko ni suru
Literal Translation	make one’s body into powder
Meaning	work hard / make the utmost effort

Example: 

彼女は身を粉にして働き、女手一つで３人の子供を育てました。

Kanojo wa mi o ko ni shite hataraki, onnade hitotsu de san-nin no kodomo o sodatemashita.

“She worked very hard and raised three children all by herself.”

Japanese	水に流す    mizu ni nagasu
Literal Translation	flush in water
Meaning	let bygones be bygones / forgive and forget

Example: 

過去のことは水に流して、今と将来のことに目を向けよう。

Kako no koto wa mizu ni nagashite, ima to shōrai no koto ni me o mukeyō.

“Let’s forgive and forget about the past, and focus on the present and the future.”

Japanese	胸が騒ぐ    mune ga sawagu
Literal Translation	chest makes a fuss
Meaning	to feel uneasy / to feel a strange presentiment

Example: 

帰り道で救急車のサイレンを聞いて胸が騒いだので、家族を心配して家まで走って帰った。

Kaerimichi de kyūkyūsha no sairen o kiite mune ga sawaida node, kazoku o shinpai shite ie made hashitte kaetta.

“I felt uneasy when I heard the ambulance siren on my way home, so I ran home because I was worried about my family.”

5. Conclusion

In this article, we introduced the most useful advanced Japanese phrases for academic writing, cover letters, and business. We even included a few idioms and sayings for daily usage. Some of these phrases are only used in a particular context, such as the formal greeting for letters, and mastering such advanced Japanese phrases will make you appear more fluent!

If you would like to learn more about the Japanese language and pick up additional Japanese phrases for different situations, you’ll find a lot more helpful content on JapanesePod101.com. We provide a variety of free lessons designed to help you improve your Japanese language skills. 

As you approach the advanced level in your Japanese studies, the following articles will also be very useful for you: 

• Advanced Japanese Words
• Essential Business Japanese
• Japanese Proverbs – Gain Japanese Wisdom and Insight

And there’s so much more! Be a faster learner and enjoy studying Japanese at JapanesePod101.com!

Have you gotten bored of learning the basic Japanese grammar rules, reviewing beginner-level words, and practicing beginner phrases? Then it’s time to level up and start learning intermediate Japanese phrases! 

Once you’re confident in your ability to master the beginner levels (N5 and N4) of the JLPT (Japanese-Language Proficiency Test), you can aim to achieve the intermediate level (N3 and above). Achieving this level of proficiency will allow you to cope with more complicated everyday situations while in Japan. The intermediate level is surely more difficult, requiring continuous effort and patience; however, it’s also an enjoyable stage of learning as you’ll start being able to understand more complex things and express more subtle feelings.

In this article, we’ll introduce a list of the most useful intermediate Japanese phrases for various situations. Whether you want to talk about past events, change plans, or make recommendations, this useful phrase list here at JapanesePod101.com covers it all!

Knowing some intermediate-level phrases will make your conversations more enjoyable.

Table of Contents

1. Talking About Past Events
2. Making and Changing Plans
3. Explaining and Giving Reasons
4. Making Recommendations and Complaints
5. Reaction Phrases for Everyday Conversations
6. Etiquette Phrases for Social and Business Settings
7. Conclusion

1. Talking About Past Events

When you first start learning Japanese, you primarily study and use the present tense. However, talking about the past and the future is inevitable in our daily lives; for example, we make plans for the weekend with friends and tell stories about our past experiences. 

When it comes to grammatical tense, Japanese is much simpler than other languages such as English or the Romance languages. This is because Japanese does not have a future tense nor any perfect tenses. Things concerning the future are expressed using the present tense and a time-indicating word, such as “later” or “tomorrow.” It is also relatively easy to use the past tense in Japanese because there is no verb conjugation according to “how far” in the past something took place. 

The only thing you need to pay attention to is the formality level you use (casual vs. formal) and 敬語 (Keigo), the Japanese honorific language. For each of the following intermediate phrases in Japanese, we have included both the casual version and the polite version.  

1.

[Casual] ___はさっき終わったよ。　　
              ___ wa sakki owatta yo.

[Polite] ___はさっき終わりました
            ___ wa sakki owarimashita.

[English]  ___ has just finished. 

2.

[Casual]  今日は忙しくてとても疲れた。　　　  
               Kyō wa isogashikute totemo tsukareta.

[Polite]    今日は忙しくてとても疲れました。
              Kyō wa isogashikute totemo tsukaremashita.

[English]  Today was busy, and I got really tired. 

3.

[Casual]  今日は幸運／不運な日だった。
               Kyō wa kōun/fūn na hi datta.

[Polite]    今日は幸運／不運な日でした。
              Kyō wa kōun/fūn na hi deshita.

[English]  Today was a lucky/unlucky day.

4.

[Casual]  昨日のパーティーは楽しかったよ。
               Kinō no pātī wa tanoshikatta yo.

[Polite]    昨日のパーティーは楽しかったです。
              Kinō no pātī wa tanoshikatta desu.

[English]  The party yesterday was fun. (I enjoyed the party yesterday.)

5.

[Casual]  去年の夏にハワイへ旅行した。
               Kyonen no natsu ni Hawai e ryokō shita.

[Polite]    去年の夏にハワイへ旅行しました。
              Kyonen no natsu ni Hawai e ryokō shimashita.

[English]  I traveled to Hawaii last summer.

6.

[Casual]  私はこの会社で５年前から働いている。
               Watashi wa kono kaisha de go-nen mae kara hataraite iru.

[Polite]    私はこの会社で５年前から働いています。
              Watashi wa kono kaisha de go-nen mae kara hataraite imasu.

[English]  I have been working for this company for five years.

7.

[Casual]  昔「ポチ」という犬を飼っていた。
               Mukashi “Pochi” to iu inu o katte ita.

[Polite]    昔「ポチ」という犬を飼っていました。
              Mukashi “Pochi” to iu inu o katte imashita.

[English]  I used to have a dog called Pochi (in the past).

8.

[Casual]  子供の頃は東京に住んでいた。
               Kodomo no koro wa Tōkyō ni sunde ita.

[Polite]    子供の頃は東京に住んでいました。
              Kodomo no koro wa Tōkyō ni sunde imashita.

[English]  I used to live in Tokyo when I was a kid.

去年の夏にハワイへ旅行しました。(Kyonen no natsu ni Hawai e ryokō shimashita.)
“I traveled to Hawaii last summer.”

2. Making and Changing Plans

As mentioned in the section above, we can use the present tense to express the future by using a time-indicating word. This is the structure we use when making or changing plans. 

In order to form a question, you only have to add a question mark to the end of a casual sentence or か (ka) to the end of a formal sentence. In Japanese, the subject is often omitted when it’s obvious who is speaking or whom you are talking to.

Below are a few examples of how to use this type of intermediate Japanese sentence structure to talk about plans. 

1.

[Casual]  来週空いている日ある？
               Raishū aite iru hi aru?

[Polite]    来週空いている日ありますか。
              Raishū aite iru hi arimasu ka. 　

[English]  Do you have a free day next week?

2.

[Casual]  来月都合の良い日はいつ？
               Raigetsu tsugō no yoi hi wa itsu？

[Polite]    来月都合の良い日はいつですか。
              Raigetsu tsugō no yoi hi wa itsu desu ka.

[English]  When is your convenient day next month? (When is the best day next month for you?)

3.

[Casual]  お寿司食べに行く？
               O-sushi tabe ni iku?

[Polite]    お寿司食べに行きませんか。
              O-sushi tabe ni ikimasen ka.

[English]  Would you like to go eat sushi?

4.

[Casual]  彼氏／彼女も連れて来ていい？
               Kareshi/ kanojo mo tsurete kite ii ?

[Polite]    彼氏／彼女も連れて来ていいですか。
              Kareshi/ kanojo mo tsurete kite ii desu ka.

[English]  Can I bring my boyfriend/girlfriend?

5.

[Casual]  スケジュールを確認してまた連絡するよ。
               Sukejūru o kakunin shite mata renraku suru yo.

[Polite]    スケジュールを確認してまた連絡しますね。
              Sukejūru o kakunin shite mata renraku shimasu ne.

[English]  I will let you know after checking my schedule.

6.

[Casual]  来週にスケジュールを変更できる？
               Raishū ni sukejūru o henkō dekiru?

[Polite]    来週にスケジュールを変更できますか。
              Raishū ni sukejūru o henkō dekimasu ka.

[English]  Is it possible to reschedule for next week?

7.

[Casual]  今週の金曜日にオンライン会議で詳細を話そう
               Konshū no kin-yōbi ni onrain kaigi de shōsai o hanasō.

[Polite]    今週の金曜日にオンライン会議で詳細を話しましょう。　
              Konshū no kin-yōbi ni onrain kaigi de shōsai o hanashimashō.

[English]  Let’s discuss the details during the online meeting this Friday.

来週にスケジュールを変更できますか。(Raishū ni sukejūru o henkō dekimasu ka.)
“Is it possible to reschedule for next week?”

3. Explaining and Giving Reasons

If you’re a native speaker of English or a Romance language, you may feel that giving reasons in Japanese is a bit awkward due to the Japanese word order and sentence structure. Contrary to English and many other languages, we usually mention the reason before the action or event.

For example:

[English]         I drank a glass of water because it was hot.
                (a person’s action) (the reason why)

[Japanese]     暑かったので、  グラス１杯の水を飲みました。
                Atsukatta node,  gurasu ippai no mizu o nomimashita.
                 (the reason why) (a person’s action)

1.

[Polite]    アレルギーがあるので卵を食べられません。　
                 Arerugī ga aru node tamago o taberaremasen.

[English]  I can’t eat eggs because I have an allergy.

2.

[Polite]    雨が降っているので、今日の花火大会は中止になりました。
              Ame ga futte iru node, kyō no hanabi taikai wa chūshi ni narimashita.

[English]  Today’s fireworks festival has been canceled because it is raining.

3.

[Polite]    風邪をひいて頭痛がひどいです。そのため、今日は早く帰ります。
              Kaze o hiite zutsū ga hidoi desu. Sono tame, kyō wa hayaku kaerimasu.

[English]  I caught a cold, and I have a severe headache. For that reason, I will go home early today.

4.

[Polite]    午後に会議が予定されています。このため、会議室は使用できません。
              Gogo ni kaigi ga yotei sarete imasu. Kono tame, kaigishitsu wa shiyō dekimasen.

[English]  A meeting is scheduled in the afternoon. Therefore, the meeting room is not available.

5.

[Polite]    最近少し太ったのでダイエットをしています。 
              Saikin sukoshi futotta node daietto o shite imasu.

[English]  I’m on a diet because I’ve gained a little weight recently.

6.        

[Polite]    終電を逃してしまったため、歩いて家に帰りました。
              Shūden o nogashite shimatta tame, aruite ie ni kaerimashita.

[English]  I missed the last train, so I walked back home.

7.

[Polite]    私がこの車を選んだのには三つ理由があります。
              一つ目はデザイン、二つ目は機能性、そして最後は価格が理由です。

              Watashi ga kono kuruma o eranda no ni wa mittsu riyū ga arimasu.
              Hitotsu-me wa dezain, futatsu-me wa kinōsei, soshite saigo wa kakaku ga riyū desu.

[English]  There are three reasons why I chose this car. 
               Firstly, because of its design; secondly, its functionality; and lastly, its price.

午後に会議が予定されています。このため、会議室は使用できません。
(Gogo ni kaigi ga yotei sarete imasu. Kono tame, kaigishitsu wa shiyō dekimasen.)
“A meeting is scheduled in the afternoon. Therefore, the meeting room is not available.”

4. Making Recommendations and Complaints

Giving your opinion by recommending or complaining about something is a good way to share and exchange ideas in a conversation. 口コミ情報, or word-of-mouth information, is somewhat reliable as it comes from one’s firsthand experience. Sharing experiences and insights is not only useful when deciding what to buy or try, but it also creates rapport between speakers.

The following are frequently used words and phrases for making recommendations and complaints.

• おすすめ (osusume) = recommendation [noun]
• おすすめする (osusume suru) = to recommend [verb]
• おすすめしない (osusume shinai) = not to recommend [verb]

1.

[Casual]  この映画は今年見た中で一番面白いよ。
               Kono eiga wa kotoshi mita naka de ichi-ban omoshiroi yo.

[Polite]    この映画は今年見た中で一番面白いです。
              Kono eiga wa kotoshi mita naka de ichi-ban omoshiroi desu.

[English]  This movie is the most interesting I’ve seen this year.

2.

[Casual]  広島に旅行するなら、厳島神社に行くことをおすすめするよ。
               Hiroshima ni ryokō suru nara, Itsukushima Jinja ni iku koto o osusume suru yo.

[Polite]    広島に旅行するなら、厳島神社に行くことをおすすめします。
              Hiroshima ni ryokō suru nara, Itsukushima Jinja ni iku koto o osusume shimasu.

[English]  If you’re traveling to Hiroshima, I recommend you go to Itsukushima Shrine.

3.

[Casual]  本当においしいお寿司を食べたいなら、銀座の次郎が有名だよ。
               Hontō ni oishii o-sushi o tabetai nara, Ginza no Jirō ga yūmei da yo.

[Polite]    本当においしいお寿司を食べたいなら、銀座の次郎が有名です。
              Hontō ni oishii o-sushi o tabetai nara, Ginza no Jirō ga yūmei desu.

[English]  If you want to eat really delicious sushi, Jiro in Ginza is famous.

4.

[Casual]  この携帯電話の充電器はメーカーの純正を使った方が良いよ。
               Kono keitai denwa no jūdenki wa mēkā no junsei o tsukatta hō ga ii yo.

[Polite]    この携帯電話の充電器はメーカーの純正を使った方が良いですよ。
              Kono keitai denwa no jūdenki wa mēkā no junsei o tsukatta hō ga ii desu yo.

[English]  It’s better to use the manufacturer’s genuine charger for this mobile phone.

5.

[Casual]  あのホテルはカスタマーサービスが最悪だよ。
               Ano hoteru wa kasutamā sābisu ga saiaku da yo.

[Polite]    あのホテルはカスタマーサービスが最悪です。
              Ano hoteru wa kasutamā sābisu ga saiaku desu.

[English]  That hotel has the worst customer service.

6.

[Casual]   あそこは値段が高い割においしくないので、おすすめしないよ。
                Asoko wa nedan ga takai wari ni oishikunai node, osusume shinai yo.

[Polite]     あそこは値段が高い割においしくないので、おすすめしません。
              Asoko wa nedan ga takai wari ni oishikunai node, osusume shimasen.

[English]  I don’t recommend that place because it’s not delicious for the expensive price.

7.

[Casual]  商品が１回使ってすぐ壊れた。このショップからは二度と購入しない。　
               Shōhin ga ikkai tsukatte sugu kowareta. Kono shoppu kara wa ni-do to kōnyū shinai.

[Polite]    商品が１回使ってすぐ壊れました。このショップからは二度と購入しません。
              Shōhin ga ikkai tsukatte sugu kowaremashita. Kono shoppu kara wa ni-do to kōnyū shimasen.

[English]  The product broke immediately after I used it once. I will never buy anything from this shop.

広島に旅行するなら、厳島神社に行くことをおすすめします。　
(Hiroshima ni ryokō suru nara, Itsukushima Jinja ni iku koto o osusume shimasu.)
“If you’re traveling to Hiroshima, I recommend you go to Itsukushima Shrine.”

5. Reaction Phrases for Everyday Conversations

You’ll also need some intermediate Japanese phrases for reacting to others’ statements. Knowing various ways to reply to someone will help make your conversations more colorful and enjoyable. Below, we have included a few short conversation samples using common reaction phrases. 

1.

A:
昨日のパーティーは楽しかったね。　
Kinō no pātī wa tanoshikatta ne.
The party last night was fun.

B: 
うん、みんなに会って話せて良かったよ！
Un, minna ni atte hanasete yokatta yo!
Yeah, I was glad to meet and talk to everyone!

2.

A: 
来週空いている日ある ？　
Raishū aite iru hi aru?
Do you have a free day next week?

B: 
土曜日なら一日中空いてるよ。
Do-yōbi nara ichi-nichijū aite ru yo.
I’m free all day next Saturday.

3.

A: 
この映画は今年見た中で一番面白いよ。
Kono eiga wa kotoshi mita naka de ichi-ban omoshiroi yo.　
This movie is the most interesting I’ve seen this year.

B: 
そうなんだ。Netflixで配信されたら見てみるよ。
Sō nan da. Nettofurikkusu de haishin saretara mite miru yo.
Oh yeah? I’ll watch it when it’s released on Netflix.

4.

A: 
来週にスケジュールを変更できますか。
Raishū ni sukejūru o henkō dekimasu ka.
Is it possible to reschedule for next week?

B: 
はい、大丈夫です。来週の月曜日から金曜日の午後なら調整できます。
Hai, daijōbu desu. Raishū no getsu-yōbi kara kin-yōbi no gogo nara chōsei dekimasu.
Yes, it’s okay. I can make adjustments in the afternoon from next Monday to Friday.

5.

A: 
アレルギーがあるので卵を食べられません。
Arerugī ga aru node tamago o taberaremasen.
I can’t eat eggs because I have an allergy.

B: 
卵を使用していないメニューはこちらです。
Tamago o shiyō shite inai menyū wa kochira desu.
Here is the menu that does not contain eggs.

6.

A: 
あのホテルはカスタマーサービスが最悪です。
Ano hoteru wa kasutamā sābisu ga saiaku desu.
That hotel has the worst customer service.

B: 
本当ですか？有名なホテルなのに残念ですね。
Hontō desu ka? Yūmei na hoteru na noni zannen desu ne.
Really? It’s a shame, though; it’s a famous hotel.

小麦粉を使用していないメニューはこちらです。
(Komugiko o shiyō shite inai menyū wa kochira desu.)
“Here is the menu that does not contain wheat.”

6. Etiquette Phrases for Social and Business Settings

Japanese has some very unique and polite expressions that are frequently used in social and business settings. It’s good to know such phrases even if you’re a traveler to Japan, as you’ll hear them often in restaurants, shops, and hotels.

1.

[Polite]    いらっしゃいませ。
              Irasshaimase.

[English]  Welcome. (Staff members of shops and restaurants will say this to customers.)

2.

[Very Polite]    少々お待ち下さいませ。 
                       Shōshō o-machi kudasai mase.

[English]  Please wait for a moment.

3.

[Very Polite]    大変お待たせしました。 
                      Taihen o-matase shimashita.

[English]  Thank you very much for your patience. (Literally: I made you waiting for long time.)

4.

[Very Polite]    ごゆっくりお過ごしください。
                      Go-yukkuri o-sugoshi kudasai.

[English]  Please have a relaxed time. 

5.

[Very Polite]    何かご質問がありましたらお知らせください。 
                      Nani ka go-shitsumon ga arimashitara o-shirase kudasai.

[English]  Please let us know if you have any questions.

6.        

[Very Polite]    お忙しい中お時間をいただき、どうもありがとうございます。
                      O-isogashii naka o-jikan o itadaki, dōmo arigatō gozaimasu.

[English]  Thank you very much for your time while you are busy.

7.

[Very Polite]    お返事お待ちしております。
                      O-henji o-machi shite orimasu.

[English]  I look forward to hearing from you.

8.

[Very Polite]    お気をつけていってらっしゃいませ。
                      O-ki o tsukete itterasshai mase.

[English]  Please take care and have a safe trip.

少々お待ち下さいませ。
(Shōshō o-machi kudasai mase.)
“Please wait for a moment.”

7. Conclusion

In this article, we introduced the most useful intermediate Japanese phrases for various situations, including:

• Talking about past events
• Making and changing plans
• Explaining and listing reasons
• Making recommendations and complaints
• Reacting to others during a conversation
• Being polite in social and business settings

With these intermediate phrases, you’ll be able to have more complex conversations and explain what you want to say in more detail.

If you would like to learn more about the Japanese language, you’ll find a lot more helpful content on JapanesePod101.com. This is the best place to learn Japanese online, providing a variety of free lessons designed to help you improve your Japanese-language skills. 

If you’re at the intermediate level in your Japanese studies, the following articles are a great place to start: 

• Learn Japanese with Netflix
• Essential Business Japanese
• Japanese Phone Call Phrases

And there’s so much more! Be a faster learner and enjoy studying Japanese at JapanesePod101.com!

Before you go, let us know in the comments if there are any specific topics or situations you’d like to learn Japanese phrases for. We’d be glad to help, and we look forward to hearing from you!

Are you listening to any good podcasts at the moment? 

Maybe podcasts are not as popular as other services like YouTube or Netflix, but they’re still one of the most useful and entertaining forms of online media. As of April 2021, there were over two million podcasts (and over 48 million episodes) on various topics, including many helpful Japanese podcasts for learning the language. 

Did you know that you could benefit from these useful podcasts by adding them to your Japanese study routine? Listening to podcasts in Japanese will allow you to learn the language efficiently and effortlessly from anywhere you are—even without having direct access to native speakers. 

Since there are plenty of Japanese podcasts out there, choosing the right channels and finding the right resources for you are the keys to more effective learning.

In this article, we’ll introduce the twelve best podcast channels to supplement your Japanese studies, including our JapanesePod101 podcast!

Listening to podcasts is one of the most easygoing ways to learn Japanese.

Table of Contents

1. Why learn Japanese with podcasts?
2. The 12 Best Japanese Podcasts
3. How to Make the Most of Podcasts for Japanese Learning
4. Conclusion

1. Why learn Japanese with podcasts?

Before we get to our list, let’s talk about why improving your Japanese with podcasts is totally possible—and why it may just be a gamechanger! 

1 – Benefits of Passive Learning 

Along with more traditional methods, such as taking a class or studying grammar from textbooks, one of the most effective ways to learn a new language is to experience it through immersion. 

If it’s not feasible to live and study in Japan, you can still take full advantage of the internet and technology! Whether it’s streaming audiobooks, listening to online radio, watching YouTube videos, or discovering your favorite podcasts, we recommend making it a habit to listen to Japanese daily. This way, you can efficiently learn even when you’re driving, exercising at the gym, doing chores around the house, etc.

Even such effortless passive learning brings a lot of benefits:

• Improving your listening skills
• Helping you get used to real pronunciation
• Familiarizing you with real-life conversations 
• Upgrading your vocabulary on chosen topics 
• Training you to recognize and confirm the usage of grammar rules you’ve already learned

You’ll also benefit from “Nagara Learning,” or ながら勉強 (Nagara benkyō) in Japanese. 

ーながら (-nagara) means “while —ing.” In other words, you listen to and learn a language while you’re doing something else, such as commuting, walking, or cooking. The advantage of Nagara Learning is that you can use your time efficiently and stay motivated due to the less stressful (and more entertaining) nature of your study time. 

2 – Benefits of Podcasts

So why do we recommend podcasts for learning Japanese when there are various other online services? Well, it’s because podcasts have some advantages over other media when it comes to learning. 

A podcast is basically an episodic series of digital audio files that you can download onto your device. Therefore, you’re able to listen easily at any time and from anywhere—even without internet access. 

You can find podcasts in a wide range of genres and covering various topics. Some podcasts are also exclusively auditory, which means you won’t have to rely on visual aids and will be able to concentrate on listening.

Many episodes are only a few minutes in length, which will allow you to easily shift into and out of your “focusing mode.” In addition, short episodes are ideal for repetition learning, which can keep you focused and interested; repetition is one of the most important elements for learning and for retaining memories. Their short length will also contribute to keeping you motivated rather than suffocating you in endlessly lengthy content.

3 – How to Choose the Best Channel for You

Firstly, choose topics you’re into. The important things are to keep yourself interested and make learning a daily habit. As a Japanese proverb says: 

• 好きこそ物の上手なれ (Suki koso mono no jōzu nare) – “What one likes, one will do well!” 

There are a variety of popular Japanese podcasts to choose from, and you’ll definitely find one (or more) that suits your interests and needs. Even new learners can find different podcasts suited to their level, including those focusing on topics such as daily conversations, everyday news, etc.

Secondly, whether you’re new to the world of Japanese or already have a solid understanding of it, choosing the right level for you is essential for effective learning. If you’re a complete beginner, don’t jump into an IT podcast right away, even if tech is a great interest of yours. The language used would be too far ahead of where you are since you still don’t know the basic Japanese vocabulary or verb conjugations.

It’s free, easy, and convenient.

2. The 12 Best Japanese Podcasts

1 – Let’s Talk in Japanese

Level: Beginner to Advanced
Theme: Lesson Podcast
Features: Covers levels N5-N1 (JLPT)

This Japanese learning podcast is hosted by Tomo, a real teacher who gives Japanese lessons to foreigners. There are more than 170 episodes (as of June 2021), and most episodes are around 10 minutes long—just the right length for listening practice! 

Although the podcast is made for Japanese learners, the episodes are not laid out like traditional lessons. Tomo talks about a variety of topics, from daily life to private thoughts, in easy (but not too easy) Japanese. You can just relax and enjoy. The level (N5 to N1) is indicated beside the title of each episode so that you can easily pick one that’s suitable for you. 

This podcast is quite popular among learners, having a high customer rating score of 4.8 on Apple Podcast. Listeners are happy to learn not only the Japanese language but also about Japanese culture and society. 

2 – Sakura Tips

https://sakuratips.com/
https://podcastranking.jp/1536540690

Level: Beginner
Theme: Daily Stories
Features: Japanese and English transcripts available on the website

Although this podcast is completely in Japanese, don’t be afraid! The host of Sakura Tips, Mari, speaks Japanese very slowly and uses simple vocabulary. This channel is suitable for beginners who want to get used to spoken Japanese but feel that the dialogue in Japanese TV series or movies is too fast.

Each episode is short (around 4-5 minutes), and you can listen without stress. Her slow speech and the mellow background music will make you feel relaxed, and you’ll always look forward to tuning in again. The topics of her stories vary, covering everything from daily life activities to general topics, so you’re not likely to get bored.

Mari also has an online community for those who are learning Japanese. Check it out if you want to meet like-minded people and make friends. 

3 – JapanesePod101

https://www.japanesepod101.com/
JapanesePod101 (Apple Podcast)

Level: Absolute Beginner to Advanced
Theme: Lesson Podcast
Features: Structured online lessons and useful learning tools for free + paid premium content

If you’ve just started learning Japanese and researching the best online learning platforms, you’ve probably come across JapanesePod101.com. Our website is an expert resource for Japanese learners at every level. All language lessons and learning materials on the JapanesePod101 podcast are designed with foreign students in mind. Our website and app feature an array of tools: 

• Audio and/or video material
• Slowed-down audio
• PDF lesson notes
• Transcripts
• Vocabulary lists

Especially if you’re a complete beginner, you’ll find it useful that we explain everything in English. Our lessons cover a range of topics, from everyday vocabulary and conversational phrases to Japanese culture, so you can always find something that interests you. And while our lessons vary in length, most of them are around 5-10 minutes long for easy listening. 

4 – NHK Easy Japanese

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/
NHK World (Apple Podcast)

Level: Complete Beginner and Beginner
Theme: Lesson Podcast
Features: Structured online lessons and programs; domestic and international news

NHK is a major Japanese media broadcaster that offers structured lessons and programs online in addition to domestic and international news channels.

NHK’s Easy Japanese podcast has 48 episodes of about 10 minutes each. They are not currently uploading new episodes, but the podcast includes everything you need for a solid introduction to the Japanese language. This is especially true if you’re a complete beginner who prefers audio learning. 

In each episode, there is a Japanese dialogue that focuses on the topic at hand; this is followed by an explanation in English about the usage and grammar of the Japanese used. Some episodes focus on things like grammar and vocabulary, while others focus on tips for improving your Japanese.

This podcast is more like a lesson than entertainment, but it’s a good choice to begin with if you prefer mastering the basics and getting used to Japanese with audio. 

5 – Learn Japanese w/ Manga Sensei

Learn Japanese w/Manga Sensei (Apple Podcast)

Level: Beginner to Intermediate 
Theme: Lesson Podcast
Features: Plenty of episodes and topics to choose from (best audio learning for JLPT N5-N3 levels)

This podcast offers abundant content for learners of Japanese, containing more than 630 episodes. You’ll find it easy to listen daily and stay engaged since the host also explains lots of non-textbook, more natural expressions and information. It also helps that the episodes are only 5 minutes long and focus on just one topic each. Manga Sensei is especially suitable for those who are studying in line with the JLPT or plan on taking the exam soon. 

The host explains Japanese grammar and spoken expressions in English, so you don’t have to worry about understanding the content itself. However, it’s probably better for you to learn the very basic grammar and standard speech rules of Japanese first. After you master that, this podcast would be a great tool for improving your Japanese. 

6 – Beginning Japanese

Level: Beginner to Upper Beginner 
Theme: Lesson Podcast
Features: Very short episodes

No matter what study method you follow, you can casually add this podcast to your routine without stress. Why? Because each episode is very short (only 2 or 3 minutes). 

The host explains a Japanese word or expression in English and then provides an example Japanese sentence, which is repeated at both normal speed and slow speed. You’ll probably master a given word or expression quickly after just a few listens, as it will really stick in your brain.

The content might be a little too simple, but that’s one of the reasons why you’ll be able to increase your vocabulary so quickly. There are no lengthy explanations or excessive examples to bog you down. If you’re a beginner, spare a few extra minutes listening to this podcast every day—you’ll be amazed at the results! 

7 – Japanese Podcast for Beginners (Nihongo Con Teppei)

https://nihongoconteppei.com/
Nihongo Con Teppei (Apple Podcast)

Level: Intermediate 
Theme: Life, Culture, Small Talk
Features: An all-Japanese podcast on various topics; slow speech

The Nihongo Con Teppei podcast has more than 420 episodes, most of which are around 5 minutes long. The content consists of Teppei (the host) making small talk and sharing opinions about various topics, including daily life, culture, social issues, food, and even private matters.

Although the podcast title says “for beginners,” this channel is probably most suitable for intermediate learners who already have some basic Japanese vocabulary and listening experience. Indeed, Teppei speaks very slowly and pronounces words clearly, but we imagine that beginners would find it difficult to understand the all-Japanese content without transcripts. 

If you want to strengthen your Japanese listening skills and are interested to know how a Japanese person views certain topics, this podcast is for you. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the talk. It’s rather addictive to listen to Teppei’s slow speech and low tone of voice.

8 – News in Slow Japanese

News in Slow Japanese (Apple Podcast)

Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Theme: News
Features: Super short episodes in very slow Japanese

This Japanese news podcast is unique in that each episode consists of two versions: a 1-minute version where the host speaks at a fast speed and a 2-minute version where she uses slow speech. While you would think this type of podcast had been around a while, News in Slow Japanese was the first of its kind.

You’ll be able to easily pick up every word the host Sakura says, as she speaks very slowly and clearly. This podcast is made for learners who are studying for JLPT levels N3, N2, or N1, though it’s also useful for beginners thanks to her slow speech. While listening to this Japanese podcast, you’ll also get to learn about daily news and current events in Japan. 

This is one of the best audio tools for practicing the language, especially in terms of shadowing. You can also download transcripts and translations with ふりがな (Furigana), or Japanese reading aid, from their website.

9 – バイリンガルニュース (Bilingual News)

https://bilingualnews.libsyn.com/
Bilingual News (Apple Link)

Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Theme: News
Features: Japanese- and English-speaking hosts; no sponsors or ads

The hosts, Mami and Michael, introduce several recent news stories from around the world in Japanese and English. Their explanations and opinions regarding the news are presented as a bilingual conversation. 

This podcast serves as a great tool for listening practice, especially for intermediate- and advanced-level Japanese language learners. You’ll be able to learn colloquial speech and new vocabulary from their casual and unedited Japanese-English conversation. You may find it a bit difficult when a news topic is about science, technology, etc., as it will require a high level of vocabulary to follow along. 

There are over 460 episodes so far, and a new episode is released weekly. The length of each episode is very long (usually from 1 to 3 hours), so it’s good to listen while you’re cooking or commuting rather than using it for intensive studying. In case you want to check what they’re saying, transcripts are also available from the official Bilingual News app.

10 – Tofugu

Tofugu (Apple Podcast)
https://www.tofugu.com/podcast/

Level: Beginner to Intermediate 
Theme: Language Lessons and Culture
Features: Lots of info on Japanese words, phrases, and grammar

The Tofugu podcast has around 100 episodes so far, and it’s updated regularly. Each episode focuses on a certain Japanese word, phrase, or tip on how to do things in Japan. The podcasters explain the topic in English, providing many examples and giving useful information on the cultural context. 

Episodes are around 30 minutes to an hour long. Each one contains plenty of informative explanations, which makes it an ideal Japanese podcast for supplementing your studies and becoming familiar with new vocabulary and grammar. But you can still relax while listening due to the easygoing nature of audio learning. 

In addition to its podcasts, Tofugu offers a lot of information about the Japanese language and how to get around in Japan on their website. It’s specifically designed for foreigners who want to visit or live in Japan.

11 – Japanese Swotter

https://japaneseswotter.wordpress.com/
Japanese Swotter (Apple Podcast)

Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Theme: Lesson Podcast
Features: Focuses on speaking and shadowing practice

Yoko, the host, makes this Japanese learning podcast very easy to follow. In a 6- to 10-minute episode, she explains slowly (in English and Japanese) the meaning and usage of a word or phrase. She also introduces examples in the form of simple dialogue. All you need to do is listen to the explanation in English and repeat in Japanese after Yoko. 

Japanese Swotter covers the upper beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, even going into detail about 敬語 (Keigo), or Japanese honorific speech. Although the podcast has less of an entertainment atmosphere compared to the others on our list, it’s a useful tool for those who prefer to study Japanese intensively with audio. 

On her website, you can find some information and tips for learning. In addition, the transcripts and translations are provided on Patreon with a paid subscription.

12 – Rebuild

https://rebuild.fm/
Rebuild (Apple Podcast)

Level: Advanced
Theme: Tech, Software Development, Gadgets
Features: All-Japanese

With over 420 episodes and a customer rating of 4.7, the Japanese podcast Rebuild has a lot of hardcore fans. This all-Japanese podcast is hosted by Tatsuhiko Miyagawa, who has unscripted conversations with a different guest speaker in each episode. The main themes are tech, software, and gadgets; sometimes it expands to topics about culture and social issues, but it’s always discussed from the angle of technology or science. 

If you’re already at an advanced level and can listen to Japanese without much difficulty, this podcast will serve as a good Japanese vocabulary builder for you. This is mainly because they use many technical terms and produce plenty of tech-geek content.

We recommend sitting back and listening to it like a radio show as each free talk is around 2 to 3 hours long. 

3. How to Make the Most of Podcasts for Japanese Learning

(1) Stimulate your interests.

Follow podcasts that cover topics you enjoy, as this will make you feel like listening more without the sense of having a study obligation. However, it’s also true that you need to have the basics down to understand spoken Japanese on any topic. Even if you’re at the beginner level, try different Japanese podcasts for beginners to find one that attracts you.

(2) Don’t stress yourself.

The important thing is to continue learning. Don’t aim high from the very beginning; rather, start with an easier level until you get used to it. Enjoy learning and make it a daily habit in order to avoid stress.

(3) Repetition helps you learn faster.

Once you find your favorite podcasts and episodes, just repeat, repeat, repeat! Long-term memories are often created or fixed through habitual activities or repeated input, like how an infant starts to speak their native language. Not only is repeated listening effective, but so is the repeated imitation of speech (also called “shadowing”). 

(4) Immerse yourself.

The key is not to listen once a week for long hours, but rather to get daily exposure for even just a couple of minutes a day. “I’m busy” is never a plausible excuse. No matter who you are, you definitely have a few minutes to spare every day—while you’re getting ready to go out, commuting to work, relaxing before bed, etc. You can find podcasts with 1- to 5-minute episodes for busy weekdays, and use those with longer episodes for the weekends or when you have free time.

(5) Put in a little extra effort.

Okay, whatever thing you’re working on (sports, work, studying, or a favorite hobby), you need to make an effort to improve and excel, right? The same thing goes for audio learning. Passive learning is easy to take up and is more relaxed than traditional study methods; however, just listening repeatedly won’t take you to the next level anytime soon. To be more efficient and effective, put in a little more effort: listen with and without transcripts, write down new words and phrases in your notebook, use a recorder to shadow the podcast host, etc.

Your continuous efforts will be rewarded.

4. Conclusion

In this article, we introduced the twelve best podcasts for learning Japanese at different levels. Once you find your favorite and most suitable podcast, listening every day will really help you improve your skills (especially in listening, speaking, and pronunciation). Continuation and repetition are the keys for effective learning. Let’s get started and make the most of your Japanese podcast time!

If you would like to learn more about the Japanese language, from basic grammar to practical phrases for any occasion, you’ll find a lot more useful content on JapanesePod101.com. Together with the JapanesePod101 podcast channel, our variety of free lessons and materials will help you improve your Japanese skills in every key area. 

Our personal 1-on-1 coaching service, MyTeacher, is also available when you subscribe to a Premium PLUS membership with us. Your private teacher will help you practice pronunciation, and you’ll get personalized feedback and advice to help you improve more efficiently.

And we have so much more to offer you! Learn Japanese faster and enjoy studying at JapanesePod101.com.

If you’re a beginner, one of the easiest ways to get familiar with Japanese is to learn and practice the most frequently used Japanese phrases for beginners.

According to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), Japanese is a Category IV language. This means it’s considered one of the most difficult languages for native English speakers to learn—but don’t lose heart! Japanese might just be easier than you think. 

While it could take a very long time to master the Kanji, the listening comprehension and speaking aspects are quite easy to pick up. Here are just a few reasons why Japanese is actually simpler than English or Latin languages: 

• There are no separate singular/plural forms.
• There are no articles.
• There is no verb conjugation for person (I am / she is / they are / etc.).
• We also have fewer vowel and consonant sounds than English does, making Japanese pronunciation much simpler. 

In this article, we’ll introduce you to the most useful Japanese beginner phrases: greetings and self-introduction phrases, courtesy and social expressions, dining and shopping phrases, and expressions for getting help.

Let’s master Japanese beginner phrases here at JapanesePod101.com!

The best way to improve at this stage is to learn the most useful phrases for beginners.

Table of Contents

1. Greetings and Self-introductions
2. Courtesy Phrases & Social Expressions
3. Dining & Shopping Phrases
4. Asking for Help
5. Conclusion

1. Greetings and Self-introductions

The very first thing you should learn as a beginner is how to use the most common greeting phrases, starting with “hello.” In Japanese, there are two types of expressions: polite (formal) and casual (informal). The polite language is referred to as 敬語 (Keigo), and the type of polite language used for addressing others is called 丁寧語 (Teineigo). We recommend learning these expressions first, as they’re useful for most social situations. Casual language is only used among close friends and family. 

1 – Greetings 

English	Formality	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
Good morning. [Literally: It’s early.]	Polite:	ー	おはようございます	ohayō gozaimasu
	Casual:	ー	おはよう	ohayō
Hello. [Literally: today is]	Polite / Neutral:	ー	こんにちは	kon’nichiwa
Good evening. [Literally: tonight is]	Polite / Neutral:	ー	こんばんは	konbanwa
Goodnight. [Literally: Rest (well).]	Polite:	ー	おやすみなさい	oyasuminasai
	Casual:	ー	おやすみ	oyasumi
Hello. (on the phone)	Polite / Neutral:	ー	もしもし	moshi-moshi
Goodbye.	Polite:	ー	さようなら	sayōnara
	Casual:	ー	バイバイ	baibai
Bye.	Casual:	ー	じゃあね	jā ne
See you later. [Literally: again]	Casual:	ー	またね	mata ne
See you tomorrow. [Literally: again tomorrow]	Casual:	また明日	またあした	mata ashita
How are you? [Literally: (Are you) well?]	Polite:	(お)元気ですか	(お)げんきですか	(o)-genki desu ka*
	Casual:	元気？	げんき？	genki?
I’m good. [Literally: (I’m) well.]	Polite:	元気です	げんきです	genki desu
	Casual:	元気だよ	げんきだよ	genki da yo
Long time, no see. [Literally: long (time)]	Polite:	(お)久しぶりです	(お)ひさしぶりです	(o)-hisashiburi desu*
	Casual:	久しぶり	ひさしぶり	hisashiburi

*It becomes more polite if you add お (o) in front.

Examples:

• おはよう！よく眠れた?  [casual]
  Ohayō! Yoku nemureta?
  “Good morning! Did you sleep well?”

• もしもし、鈴木です。高木さんと話したいのですが。[polite / on the phone]
  Moshimoshi, Suzuki desu. Takagi-san to hanashitai no desu ga.
  “Hello, I’m Suzuki. I’d like to speak to Mr. Takagi.”

• じゃあね、また明日学校で！[casual]
  Jā ne, mata ashita gakkō de!
  “Bye, see you tomorrow at school!”

To learn more, please check out our blog articles on how to say hello in Japanese, how to say sorry in Japanese, and Japanese phone phrases.

久しぶり！元気? [informal]
Hisashiburi! Genki?
“Long time, no see! How are you?”

2 – Self-introduction

When meeting someone for the first time, you should introduce yourself using polite language. Here are some essential Japanese phrases you can use when introducing yourself. 

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
Nice to meet you.	初めまして	はじめまして	hajimemashite
My name is…	私の名前は…です	わたしのなまえは…です	watashi no namae wa…desu
What is your name?	(お)名前は何ですか	(お)なまえはなんですか	(o)-namae wa nan desu ka*
I am…	私は…です	わたしは…です	watashi wa…desu
Where are you from?	出身はどこですか	しゅっしんはどこですか	shusshin wa doko desu ka
I’m from…	…出身です	…しゅっしんです	…shusshin desu
I come from…	…から来ました	…からきました	…kara kimashita
How old are you?	何歳ですか	なんさいですか	nan-sai desu ka
	ー	(お)いくつですか	(o)-ikutsu desu ka*
I’m … years old.	…歳です	…さいです	…sai desu

*It becomes more polite if you add お (o) in front.

Examples:

• 初めまして、私の名前は田中まりです。  
  Hajimemashite, watashi no namae wa Tanaka Mari desu.
  “Nice to meet you. My name is Mari Tanaka.”

• 出身はイタリアです。私は東京大学の留学生です。
  Shusshin wa Itaria desu. Watashi wa Tōkyō daigaku no ryūgakusei desu.
  “I’m from Italy. I’m an international student at Tokyo University.”

• 失礼ですが、おいくつですか。
  Shitsurei desu ga, o-ikutsu desu ka.
  “I’m sorry if I’m rude, but how old are you?”

For more details about self-introduction in Japanese, check out our article How to Say “My Name is,” in Japanese + More!

初めまして、私は田中です。[formal]
Hajimemashite, watashi wa Tanaka desu.
“Nice to meet you. I am Tanaka.”

2. Courtesy Phrases & Social Expressions

Our next set of beginner phrases in Japanese consists of expressions you can use in different social situations to show respect and be polite. Memorize and practice these phrases to put your best foot forward and impress native Japanese speakers. 

English	Formality	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
Yes.	Polite / Neutral:	ー	はい	hai
	Casual:		うん	un
No.	Polite / Neutral:	ー	いいえ	iie
	Casual:		ううん	ūn
Thank you.	Polite / Neutral:	ー	ありがとうございます	arigatō gozaimasu
	Casual:		ありがとう	arigatō
You’re welcome.	Polite / Neutral:	ー	どういたしまして	dōitashimashite
I’m sorry.	Polite / Neutral:	ー	すみません	sumimasen
	Polite / Neutral:	ー	ごめんなさい	gomen nasai
	Casual:	ー	ごめん	gomen
I’m terribly sorry.	Polite:	申し訳ございません	もうしわけございません	mōshiwake gozaimasen
Excuse me.	Polite:	ー	すみません	sumimasen
	Polite:	失礼します	しつれいします	shitsurei shimasu*
Best regards. /Favorably, please.	Polite:	よろしくお願いします	よろしくおねがいします	yoroshiku onegai shimasu**
	Casual:	ー	よろしく	yoroshiku**
Please take care.	Polite:	お気をつけて	おきをつけて	o-ki o tsukete
Take care of yourself. / Get well soon.	Polite:	お大事にどうぞ	おだいじにどうぞ	o-daiji ni dōzo
	Casual:	お大事に	おだいじに	o-daiji ni
Good luck. / Do your best.	Polite:	頑張ってください	がんばってください	ganbatte kudasai
	Casual:	頑張ってね	がんばってね	ganbatte ne

* 失礼します(shitsurei shimasu) literally translates as “I do rudeness,” but it means “I’m sorry if I’m rude, but excuse me.” This phrase is normally used when parting ways with someone, leaving an office, or knocking on the door before entering someone’s room/office.

** よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu) is an untranslatable Japanese word that can mean different things depending on the context. This phrase is most often used when someone is entering a situation or environment that is new to them: meeting new people at work, starting a new job or project, greeting someone who will be taking care of them, etc. 

Examples:

• 今日からこのチームに加わりました木村です。よろしくお願いします。 
  Kyō kara kono chīmu ni kuwawarimashita Kimura desu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
  “I’m Kimua, who joined this team today. Best regards / Thank you for your cooperation.”

• お大事にどうぞ、怪我が早く治りますように。
  O-daiji ni dōzo, kega ga hayaku naorimasu yō ni.
  “Take care of yourself; I hope your injury will heal soon.”

• 明日の国家試験、頑張ってくださいね！ 
  Ashita no kokka shiken, ganbatte kudasai ne!
  “Good luck on the national exam tomorrow!”

よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu) is one of the most frequently used courtesy phrases in Japanese.

3. Dining & Shopping Phrases

When speaking with waiters/waitresses or shop staff, it’s appropriate to use polite language. Below are some simple Japanese phrases for beginners to learn and start using right away; they’ll help you make the most of your dining and shopping experiences in Japan! 

1 – Restaurants

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
I have a reservation under…	予約した…です	よやくした…です	yoyaku shita … desu
We are [number]. / There are [number] of us.	[number] 人です	[number] にんです	[number]-nin desu
May I have the menu, please?	ー	メニューをください	menyū o kudasai
What do you recommend?	お勧めは何ですか	おすすめはなんですか	osusume wa nan desu ka
I have an allergy to…	ー	…のアレルギーがあります	… no arerugī ga arimasu
Does this contain…?	これに…は入っていますか	これに…ははいっていますか	kore ni … wa haitte imasu ka
I’ll have this one.	ー	これにします	kore ni shimasu
Could you bring me some water?	お水をください	おみずをください	o-mizu o kudasai
Check, please.	お会計をお願いします	おかいけいをおねがいします	o-kaikei o onegai shimasu

Examples:

• ４人です。テーブル席を希望します。 
  Yo-nin desu. Tēburu seki o kibō shimasu.
  “There are four of us. We would like a table.”

• 卵のアレルギーがあります。これに卵は入っていますか。
  Tamago no arerugī ga arimasu. Kore ni tamago wa haitte imasu ka.
  “I am allergic to eggs. Does this contain eggs?”

• お腹いっぱいなので、デザートはいりません。お会計をお願いします。
  Onaka ippai na node, dezāto wa irimasen. O-kaikei o onegai shimasu.
  “I’m full and don’t want dessert. Check, please.”

To learn more relevant vocabulary, please visit our articles on Japanese numbers and the top 100 Japanese nouns.

お勧めは何ですか。
Osusume wa nan desu ka.
“What do you recommend?”

2 – Shopping 

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
How much is this?	ー	これはいくらですか	kore wa ikura desu ka
I’m looking for…	… を探しています	… をさがしています	… o sagashite imasu
Do you have other colors/sizes?	他の色/サイズはありますか	ほかのいろ/サイズはありますか	hoka no iro/saizu wa arimasu ka
Can I try it on?	試着してもいいですか	しちゃくしてもいいですか	shichaku shite mo ii desu ka
It’s a little big/small.	ちょっと大きい/小さいです	ちょっとおおきい/ちいさいです	chotto ōkii /chiisai desu
I’ll think about it.	ちょっと考えます	ちょっとかんがえます	chotto kangaemasu
I’ll buy this.	これを買います	これをかいます	kore o kaimasu
Can I use a credit card?	クレジットカードは使えますか	クレジットカードはつかえますか	kurejitto kādo wa tsukaemasu ka
I’ll pay in cash / by card.	現金/カードで支払います	げんきん／カードでしはらいます	genkin/kādo de shiharaimasu
I don’t need a shopping bag.	袋はいらないです	ふくろはいらないです	fukuro wa iranai desu

Examples:

• 黒いシャツを探しています。Mサイズはありますか。
  Kuroi shatsu o sagashite imasu. Emu saizu wa arimasu ka.
  “I’m looking for a black shirt. Do you have one in medium?”

• これを買います。VISAのクレジットカードは使えますか。
  Kore o kaimasu. Biza no kurejitto kādo wa tsukaemasu ka.
  “I’ll buy this. Can I use a VISA credit card?”

• 自分のバッグに入れるので、袋はいりません。
  Jibun no baggu ni ireru node, fukuro wa irimasen.
  “I put it in my bag, so I don’t need a shopping bag.”

クレジットカードは使えますか。 
Kurejitto kādo wa tsukaemasu ka.
“Can I use a credit card?”

4. Asking for Help

If you’re visiting Japan for the first time, it’s quite possible that you’ll get lost at some point or not know how to get somewhere. In addition, you never know when communication issues or actual emergencies will crop up! Get prepared for any situation by learning these easy Japanese beginner phrases for getting help. 

1 – Directions / Communication

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
Where is a toilet / … station?	トイレ/… 駅は     どこですか	といれ/… えきはどこですか	toire /… eki wa doko desu ka
How can I get to…?	… へどうやって行けばいいですか	… へどうやっていけばいいですか	… e dō yatte ikeba ii desu ka
I don’t know/understand.	分かりません	わかりません	wakarimasen
Do you speak English?	英語を話せますか	えいごを                 はなせますか	Eigo o hanasemasu ka
Does anyone speak English?	英語を話せる　人はいますか	えいごをはなせる　ひとはいますか	Eigo o hanaseru hito wa imasu ka
Can you repeat slowly?	もう一度ゆっくり言ってください	もういちどゆっくりいってください	mō ichi-do yukkuri 　　itte kudasai
How do you say … in Japanese?	… は日本語で何と言いますか	… はにほんごでなんといいますか	… wa Nihon-go denan to iimasu ka

Examples:

• すみません、新宿駅の南口はどこですか。
  Sumimasen, Shinjuku eki no minamiguchi wa doko desu ka.
  “Excuse me, where is the southern exit of Shinjuku Station?”

• 日本語がわかりません。英語を話せる人いますか？
  Nihongo ga wakarimasen. Eigo o hanaseru hito wa imasu ka?
  “I don’t understand Japanese. Does anyone speak English?”

• すみません、もう一度ゆっくり言ってください。
  Sumimasen, mō ichi-do yukkuri itte kudasai.
  “I’m sorry, but can you repeat slowly?”

To learn more useful phrases for travel, please read our article on Japanese travel phrases.

渋谷駅はどこですか。
Shibuya eki wa doko desu ka.
“Where is Shibuya Station?”

2 – Emergency

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
Please help me.	助けてください	たすけてください	tasukete kudasai
I lost…	… を失くしました	… をなくしました	…  o nakushimashita
I feel sick.	気分が悪いです	きぶんがわるいです	kibun ga warui desu
I got injured.	怪我をしました	けがをしました	kega o shimashita
Where is the police station?	警察署はどこですか	けいさつしょはどこですか	keisatsusho wa doko desu ka
Please call the ambulance/police.	救急車/警察を呼んでください	きゅうきゅうしゃ/けいさつをよんでください	kyūkyūsha/keisatsu oyonde kudasai
It’s an emergency.	緊急事態です	きんきゅうじたいです	kinkyū jitai desu
What is it?	何ですか	なんですか	nan desu ka
What happened?	どうしましたか	どうしましたか	dō shimashita ka
I’m okay.	大丈夫です	だいじょうぶです	daijōbu desu
I’m not okay.	大丈夫ではありません	だいじょうぶではありません	daijōbu de wa arimasen

Examples:

• 財布を失くしました。警察署はどこですか。
  Saifu o nakushimashita. Keisatsusho wa doko desu ka.
  “I lost my wallet. Where is the police station?”

• 友達が事故で怪我をしました。救急車を呼んでください！
  Tomodachi ga jiko de kega o shimashita. Kyūkyūsha o yonde kudasai!
  “My friend got injured in an accident. Please call the ambulance!”

• 電車がずっと止まったままです。どうしましたか。
  Densha ga zutto tomatta mama desu. Dō shimashita ka.
  “The train has been stopped for a long time. What happened?”

すみません、気分が悪いです。
Sumimasen, kibun ga warui desu.
“Excuse me, I feel sick.”

5. Conclusion

In this article, we introduced useful Japanese beginner phrases in a number of categories: 

• Greetings and self-introductions
• Courtesy phrases and social expressions
• Dining and shopping phrases
• Phrases for getting directions and asking for help

With these Japanese beginner phrases, you’ll be able to survive your travels in Japan and communicate with locals! 

If you would like to learn more about the Japanese language and culture, you’ll find much more helpful content on JapanesePod101.com. We provide a variety of free lessons designed to help you improve your Japanese language skills in the fastest, easiest, and most fun way possible. 

If you’re a beginner, you’re sure to find the following articles useful: 

• Japanese Words for Beginners
• Japanese Sentence Structure & Word Order
• The 10 Most Useful Japanese Sentence Patterns

And there’s so much more! Be a faster learner and enjoy studying Japanese at JapanesePod101.com!

Before you go, let us know in the comments if there’s any specific topic you’d like to learn words and phrases for! We’d be glad to help, and look forward to hearing from you.

If you’re looking at this page, it means that you’ve achieved the intermediate level and are interested in moving ahead to advanced-level Japanese. That’s great—you’re in the right place!

Levels N1 and N2 of the JLPT (Japanese-Language Proficiency Test) are equivalent to the advanced level, and aiming to pass these levels would be a good source of motivation at this point in your studies. It surely takes tremendous effort and dedication to reach this stage, especially when it comes to learning the more difficult Kanji that are mostly used for special occasions or in official settings. 

Apart from conventional studying, however, there are more enjoyable ways to learn advanced Japanese words. For example, you could start reading books in Japanese and watching Japanese movies or TV shows in more serious genres; history shows, biographies, thrillers, and action films are great examples. Once you learn enough advanced Japanese words, you can utilize such tools to reinforce your knowledge and memory.

In this article, we will introduce a list of frequently used advanced Japanese words, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, as well as other sophisticated words you can use to substitute basic everyday words. Let’s start climbing to the summit here at JapanesePod101.com!

You will be able to more easily read Japanese newspapers with advanced Japanese words.

Table of Contents

1. Nouns – 名詞 (Meishi)
2. Verbs – 動詞 (Dōshi)
3. Adjectives – 形容詞 (Keiyōshi)
4. Adverbs – 副詞 (Fukushi)
5. Alternative Words for Greater Sophistication
6. Conclusion

1. Nouns – 名詞 (Meishi)

The Kanji for advanced Japanese nouns is often complicated and difficult. However, the good news is that you’ll never have to worry about which article to use or how to change a word from singular to plural. 

Advanced Japanese nouns are usually just as simple as beginner nouns in terms of reading and pronunciation, but learning the high-level Kanji will take a lot of time and effort. 

1 – Advanced Academic Words 

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
concept	概念	がいねん	gainen
precision	精密	せいみつ	seimitsu
expansion / extension	拡張	かくちょう	kakuchō
pressure	圧力	あつりょく	atsuryoku
efficiency	効率	こうりつ	kōritsu
specimen / sample	標本	ひょうほん	hyōhon
evidence	証拠	しょうこ	shōko
verification / inspection	検証	けんしょう	kenshō
atom	原子	げんし	genshi
molecule	分子	ぶんし	bunshi
radioactivity	放射能	ほうしゃのう	hōshanō
concentration / density​	濃度	のうど	nōdo
coagulation / solidification​	凝固	ぎょうこ	gyōko
fusion / melting / liquefaction	融解	ゆうかい	yūkai

Examples:

• この実験は新しい説の分析と検証です。
  Kono jikken wa atarashii setsu no bunseki to kenshō desu.
  “This experiment is an analysis and verification of a new theory.”

• この地域は放射能の濃度が高く危険です。
  Kono chiiki wa hōshanō no nōdo ga takaku kiken desu.
  “This area is dangerous because of its high concentration of radioactivity.”

• その物質は温度の変化により凝固と融解を繰り返した。
  Sono busshitsu wa ondo no henka ni yori gyōko to yūkai o kurikaeshita.
  “The substance repeatedly solidified and melted by changes in temperature.”

物質の濃度を測る (busshitsu no nōdo o hakaru)
“measure the concentration of the substance”

2 – Advanced Business Words

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
negotiation	交渉	こうしょう	kōshō
strategy	戦略	せんりゃく	senryaku
capital / fund	資本	しほん	shihon
stockholder /  shareholder	株主	かぶぬし	kabunushi
revenue	歳入	さいにゅう	sainyū
investment	投資	とうし	tōshi
securities  / stock	証券	しょうけん	shōken
loan / financing	融資	ゆうし	yūshi
repayment /  payment / settlement	返済	へんさい	hensai
debt	債務	さいむ	saimu
mortgage /  guarantee	担保	たんぽ	tanpo
credit	債権	さいけん	saiken
assets	資産	しさん	shisan
bankruptcy	倒産	とうさん	tōsan
trademark	商標	しょうひょう	shōhyō
patent	特許	とっきょ	tokkyo
employment	雇用	こよう	koyō
dismissal /  termination of employment​	解雇	かいこ	kaiko
company director  / board member	取締役	とりしまりやく	torishimariyaku
board of  directors	理事会	りじかい	rijikai
permanent  employee	正社員	せいしゃいん	seishain
contract-based  employee	契約社員	けいやくしゃいん	keiyaku shain
outsourced  temporary employee	派遣社員	はけんしゃいん	haken shain

Examples:

• その証券会社は巨額の債務を抱え倒産しました。
  Sono shōkengaisha wa kyogaku no saimu o kakae tōsan shimashita.
  “The securities company went bankrupt with huge debt.”

• 新しい事業のため銀行から融資を受けたいです。
  Atarashii jigyō no tame ginkō kara yūshi o uketai desu.
  “I’d like to get a loan from a bank for a new business.”

• 革新的な技術の特許を取得した後、その企業の株価が上がりました。
  Kakushinteki na gijutsu no tokkyo o shutoku shita ato, sono kigyō no kabuka ga agarimashita.
  “After acquiring the patent of an innovative technology, the company’s stock price went up.”

交渉を有利に行う戦略 (kōshō o yūri ni okonau senryaku)
“a strategy to negotiate favorably”

3 – Advanced Medical Words 

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
medical care	医療	いりょう	iryō
gene	遺伝子	いでんし	idenshi
immunity	免疫	めんえき	men’eki
artery	動脈	どうみゃく	dōmyaku
vein	静脈	じょうみゃく	jōmyaku
blood  transfusion	輸血	ゆけつ	yuketsu
spinal cord	脊髄	せきずい	sekizui
radioactive ray	放射線	ほうしゃせん	hōshasen
medical treatment / therapy	治療	ちりょう	chiryō
department of surgery	外科	げか	geka
internal medicine	内科	ないか	naika
symptom	症状	しょうじょう	shōjō
infection	感染	かんせん	kansen
inflammation	炎症	えんしょう	enshō
fit / spasm / seizure	発作	ほっさ	hossa
paralysis / palsy	麻痺	まひ	mahi
coma	昏睡	こんすい	konsui
tumor	腫瘍	しゅよう	shuyō
bruise	ー	あざ	aza
vomiting	嘔吐	おうと	ōto
diarrhea	下痢	げり	geri
pneumonia	肺炎	はいえん	haien
cancer	癌	がん	gan

Examples:

• 日本の医療システムは国民健康保険で成り立っています。
  Nihon no iryō shisutemu wa kokumin kenkō hoken de naritatte imasu.
  “The Japanese medical system works with National Health Insurance.”

• 昨日から嘔吐と下痢の症状があります。
  Kinō kara ōto to geri no shōjō ga arimasu.
  “I have had the symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea since yesterday.”

• その男性は発作を起こして昏睡状態になりました。
  Sono dansei wa hossa o okoshite konsui jōtai ni narimashita.
  “The man had a seizure and went into a coma.”

放射線治療で癌を治す (hōshasen chiryō de gan o naosu)
“cure cancer with radiation therapy”

4 – Advanced Legal Words 

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
arrest	逮捕	たいほ	taiho
detention / custody	拘留	こうりゅう	kōryū
prosecution / indictment	起訴	きそ	kiso
probation / suspension of sentence	執行猶予	しっこうゆうよ	shikkō yūyo
arbitration / mediation	調停	ちょうてい	chōtei
trial	裁判	さいばん	saiban
court	裁判所	さいばんしょ	saibansho
judge	裁判官	さいばんかん	saibankan
plaintiff / accuser	原告	げんこく	genkoku
defendant / accused	被告	ひこく	hikoku
public prosecutor	検察官	けんさつかん	kensatsukan
imprisonment / penal servitude	懲役	ちょうえき	chōeki
appeal	控訴	こうそ	kōso
detention center / jail	拘置所	こうちしょ	kōchisho
prison	刑務所	けいむしょ	keimusho
death penalty / capital punishment	死刑	しけい	shikei
fraud	詐欺	さぎ	sagi
bribery	賄賂	わいろ	wairo
tax evasion	脱税	だつぜい	datsuzei
forgery / falsification / counterfeiting	偽造	ぎぞう	gizō
threatening / intimidation	脅迫	きょうはく	kyōhaku
theft / stealing	窃盗	せっとう	settō
assault / act of violence	暴行	ぼうこう	bōkō
murder / homicide	殺人	さつじん	satsujin

Examples:

• 彼は懲役５年執行猶予３年の判決を受けました。
  Kare wa chōeki go-nen shikkō yūyo san-nen no hanketsu o ukemashita.
  “He was sentenced to five years in prison suspended for three years.”

• あの会社の元社長は脱税罪で刑務所にいます。
  Ano kaisha no moto shachō wa datsuzeizai de keimusho ni imasu.
  “The former president of that company is in prison for tax evasion.”

•  日本には死刑制度があります。
  Nihon ni wa shikei seido ga arimasu.
  “Japan has the death penalty system.”

裁判官の判決 (saibankan no hanketsu)
“judgment by a judge”

To review the basic Japanese nouns, please check out our blog post titled Guide to the Top 100+ Japanese Nouns.

2. Verbs – 動詞 (Dōshi)

Below, we have divided the most important advanced Japanese verbs into two groups: general verbs and those that are formed using the word する(suru) – “do.”

1 – General Verbs

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
force / compel	強いる	しいる	shiiru
range / lie in a line / stretch out	連なる	つらなる	tsuranaru
go through / pierce	貫く	つらぬく	tsuranuku
rub / chafe	擦れる	すれる	sureru
judge	裁く	さばく	sabaku
dedicate / commit / give	捧げる	ささげる	sasageru
prosper	栄える	さかえる	sakaeru
prohibit / ban	禁じる	きんじる	kinjiru
endure / bear / tolerate / withstand	耐える	たえる	taeru
deal / treat / handle	取り扱う	とりあつかう	toriatsukau
accompany / entail	伴う	ともなう	tomonau
nod	頷く	うなずく	unazuku
influence / affect / exert / cause	及ぼす	およぼす	oyobosu
become weak / become old	衰える	おとろえる	otoroeru
control / regulate /  manage	取り締まる	とりしまる	torishimaru
investigate / examine	取り調べる	とりしらべる	torishiraberu
remove	取り除く	とりのぞく	torinozoku
be made up of / consist of / be composed of	成り立つ	なりたつ	naritatsu
install / attach	備え付ける	そなえつける	sonaetsukeru

Examples:

• その地位は重大な責任を伴う。
  Sono chii wa jūdai na sekinin o tomonau.
  “The position entails grave responsibility.”

• この古い建物は大きな地震に耐えてきた。
  Kono furui tatemono wa ōkina jishin ni taete kita.
  “This old building has withstood big earthquakes.”

• 警察は彼を賄賂の疑いで取り調べた。
  Keisatsu wa kare o wairo no utagai de torishirabeta.
  “Police investigated him on suspicion of bribery.”

アンテナを備え付ける (antena o sonaetsukeru)
“install an antenna”

2 – Verbs Formed Using [ Noun + する (suru) ] 

This type of Japanese verb is formed with the following pattern: 

• [ Noun ] + [ する (suru) – “do” ]

For example:

•  運動する(undō suru) – “to exercise” 
  • 運動 (undō) – “exercise” + する (suru) – “do”

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
fermentate	発酵する	はっこうする	hakkō suru
make use of / have a command	駆使する	くしする	kushi suru
vibrate	振動する	しんどうする	shindō suru
bear (a cost, a responsibility, etc.)	負担する	ふたんする	futan suru
deploy / lay out	配置する	はいちする	haichi suru
shut down / lock out	閉鎖する	へいさする	heisa suru
evacuate	避難する	ひなんする	hinan suru
criticize / blame / condemn	非難する	ひなんする	hinan suru
intervene / interfere	干渉する	かんしょうする	kanshō suru
collapse / break down	崩壊する	ほうかいする	hōkai suru

Examples:

• ブドウを発酵させてワインを作ります。
  Budō o hakkō sasete wain o tsukurimasu.
  “Ferment the grapes to make wine.”

• その建物は人々が避難した後に崩壊した。
  Sono tatemono wa hitobito ga hinan shita ato ni hōkai shita.
  “The building collapsed after people evacuated.”

• 私が車の修理費を負担します。
  Watashi ga kuruma no shūrihi o futan shimasu.
  “I will bear the car repair cost.”

To review the basics regarding Japanese verbs, please check out our articles The 100+ Most Common Japanese Verbs and Japanese Verb Conjugations.

エンジンが振動する (enjin ga shindō suru)
“engine vibrates”

3. Adjectives – 形容詞 (Keiyōshi)

As you approach an advanced level in Japanese, you should start strengthening your vocabulary with more nuanced descriptive words. Below is a list of Japanese adjectives to get you started. 

1 – I Adjectives

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
suitable / appropriate / compatible	相応しい	ふさわしい	fusawashii
delusive / misleading / confusing	紛らわしい	まぎらわしい	magirawashii
grateful	有難い	ありがたい	arigatai
brave/ courageous	勇ましい	いさましい	isamashii
shameful / pitiful	情けない	なさけない	nasakenai
equal	等しい	ひとしい	hitoshii
regrettable	惜しい	おしい	oshii
great	偉い	えらい	erai
dangerous / critical	危うい	あやうい	ayaui
hurried / busy / frantic	慌しい	あわただしい	awatadashii
impudent / shameless	図々しい	ずうずうしい	zūzūshii
quick	素早い	すばやい	subayai
incredible / enormous / dreadful	物凄い	ものすごい	monosugoi
odious / hateful	憎らしい	にくらしい	nikurashii
chilly	肌寒い	はだざむい	hadazamui
careful / cautious / vigilant	用心深い	ようじんぶかい	yōjinbukai
extreme / terrible	甚だしい	はなはだしい	hanahadashii

Examples:

• これはあなたに相応しい車です。
  Kore wa anata ni fusawashii kuruma desu.
  “This is a suitable car for you.”

• 今日は慌ただしい一日でした。
  Kyō wa awatadashii ichinichi deshita.
  “Today was a very frantic day.”

• 彼はとても用心深い男で、人を簡単に信用しない。
  Kare wa totemo yōjinbukai otoko de, hito o kantan ni shin’yō shinai.
  “He is a very cautious man, and he does not trust people easily.”

2 – NA Adjectives

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
immature	未熟	みじゅく	mijuku
thoughtless / careless	軽率	けいそつ	keisotsu
generous	寛容	かんよう	kan’yō
essential / main point	肝心	かんじん	kanjin
depressed / melancholic / gloomy	憂鬱	ゆううつ	yūtsu
sensitive	敏感	びんかん	binkan
quick / rapid / prompt	迅速	じんそく	jinsoku
loyal	忠実	ちゅうじつ	chūjitsu
cruel	残酷	ざんこく	zankoku
detailed	詳細	しょうさい	shōsai

Examples:

• 私はいつも肝心なところで失敗する。
  Watashi wa itsumo kanjin na tokoro de shippai suru.
  “I always fail where it matters.”

• この化粧品は敏感な肌に適しています。
  Kono keshōhin wa binkan na hada ni tekishite imasu.
  “This cosmetic is suitable for sensitive skin.”

• 自然破壊が進む残酷な現実に目を向けなければならない。
  Shizen hakai ga susumu zankoku na genjitsu ni me o mukenakereba naranai.
  “We must face the cruel reality of the destruction of nature.”

仕事で失敗した憂鬱な日 (shigoto de shippai shita yūtsu na hi)
“a gloomy day that failed at work”

To review the basics of Japanese adjectives, please check out Learn the Top 100 Essential Japanese Adjectives and -I vs. -NA Adjectives in Japanese on our blog.

4. Adverbs – 副詞 (Fukushi)

Another set of words you’ll need to add to your advanced Japanese vocabulary is adverbs. You likely know a few of these already, but below is a list of more refined adverbs you can start practicing right away. 

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
at once / right away / promptly / suddenly	咄嗟に	とっさに	tossa ni
just as one thought / as usual	案の定	あんのじょう	annojō
by far / far off	遥かに	はるかに	haruka ni
indeed / truly / certainly	如何にも	いかにも	ikanimo
taking the trouble to do / intentionally	ー	わざわざ	wazawaza
dare to do / not necessarily to do	敢えて	あえて	aete
above all	何より	なにより	naniyori
quite / reasonably / fairly	結構	けっこう	kekkō
once / before / never before	ー	かつて	katsute
in spite of / regardless of​	ー	かかわらず	kakawarazu
as it is / as you are	ー	ありのまま	arinomama
naturally	当たり前に	あたりまえに	atarimae ni
vaguely / ambiguously	ー	あやふやに	ayafuya ni
easily / lightly	ー	あっさり	assari
properly / neatly	ー	きちんと	kichinto
thoughtlessly / recklessly	ー	むやみに	muyami ni
quite / very (emphasizing a size, frequency, etc.)	ー	ごく	goku

Examples:

• 問い詰められて私は咄嗟に嘘をついた。
  Toitsumerarete watashi wa tossa ni uso o tsuita.
  “Being pressed for an answer, I lied promptly.”

• 敢えてそうする訳を教えてください。
  Aete sō suru wake o oshiete kudasai.
  “Please tell me why you dare to do so.”

• ごくわずかな違いで結果が大きく変わります。
  Goku wazuka na chigai de kekka ga ōkiku kawarimasu.
  “A very subtle difference greatly changes the result.”

きちんとお辞儀する (kichinto ojigi suru)
“bow properly”

5. Alternative Words for Greater Sophistication

Whether you aim to get higher scores on writing exams or you want to write proper sentences for official documents, using high-level vocabulary and the appropriate expressions will refine your writing. 

In Japanese, many basic words have more nuanced or formal synonyms. A great example of these advanced counterparts are 熟語 Jukugo (Kanji compounds), which are combinations of different Kanji that create words at different levels of difficulty and specify a meaning.

In addition, having a good command of 敬語 Keigo (“honorific language”) in Japanese is a sign of being at an advanced level, which is essential for official occasions and business settings.  

In this section, you’ll learn the more sophisticated counterparts of simple Japanese words, including frequently used Keigo.  

1 – Alternative Verbs

	English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
生むうむ (umu)to give birth / to generate / to produce	to be born	出生する	しゅっしょうする	shusshō suru
	to be born	誕生する	たんじょうする	tanjō suru
	to derive / to generate from something	派生する	はせいする	hasei suru
	to produce / to yield	産出する	さんしゅつする	sanshutsu suru
	to generate	生成する	せいせいする	seisei suru

始めるはじめる (hajimeru)to start / to begin	to begin / to commence	開始する	かいしする	kaishi suru
	to start / to initiate	始動する	しどうする	shidō suru
	to start / to undertake	着手する	ちゃくしゅする	chakushu suru
	to start / to get down to / to set about	取りかかる	とりかかる	torikakaru
	to start / to set up / to be established	発足する	ほっそくする	hossoku suru

言ういう (iu)to say	to say / to state	述べる	のべる	noberu
	to speak	発言する	はつげんする	hatsugen suru
	to mention / to refer to	言及する	げんきゅうする	genkyū suru

見るみる (miru)to see / to look / to watch	to view / to browse	閲覧する	えつらんする	etsuran suru
	to stare / to gaze	凝視する	ぎょうしする	gyōshi suru
	to watch / to look carefully	注視する	ちゅうしする	chūshi suru
	to see / to visit (a temple, a shrine, etc.)	拝観する	はいかんする	haikan suru

食べるたべる (taberu)to eat	to eat	食す	しょくす	shokusu
	to eat / to take in	摂取する	せっしゅする	sesshu suru

書くかく (kaku)to write	to write (a thesis, a book, etc.)	執筆する	しっぴつする	shippitsu suru
	to write / to transcribe / to take notes	筆記する	ひっきする	hikki suru

読むよむ (yomu)to read	to read (books)	読書する	どくしょする	dokusho suru
	to read well or thoroughly	熟読する	じゅくどくする	jukudoku suru
	to read carefully	精読する	せいどくする	seidoku suru

描くえがく (egaku)to draw / to paint / to depict	to depict / to portray	描写する	びょうしゃする	byōsha suru
	to imitate and draw	模写する	もしゃする	mosha suru

比べるくらべる (kuraberu)to compare	to compare	比較する	ひかくする	hikaku suru
	to compare and check each other	照らし合わせる	てらしあわせる	terashiawaseru

調べるしらべる (shiraberu)to search / to look up / to examine	to examine / to investigate	調査する	ちょうさする	chōsa suru
	to examine / to inspect	検査する	けんさする	kensa suru
	to check / to inspect	点検する	てんけんする	tenken suru

Examples:

• 彼は新しい本を書き始めた。          →   彼は新しい本の執筆に着手した。
  Kare wa atarashii hon o kakihajimeta.    Kare wa atarashii hon no shippitsu ni chakushu shita.
  “He started writing a new book.”

• 実験結果の違いを比べます。　　　　　→      実験結果の違いを比較します。
  Jikken kekka no chigai o kurabemasu.　　　   Jikken kekka no chigai o hikaku shimasu.
  “Compare the differences in the experimental results.”

• 車の調子が悪いので、エンジンを調べてください。        →  車の調子が悪いので、エンジンを点検してください。
  Kuruma no chōshi ga warui node, enjin o shirabete kudasai.     Kuruma no chōshi ga warui node, enjin o tenken shite kudasai.
  “The car has a problem, so please check the engine.”

2 – Alternative Adjectives & Adverbs

	English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
今いま (ima)now	now / present	現在	げんざい	genzai
今日きょう (kyō)today	today	本日	ほんじつ	honjitsu
前にまえに (mae ni)before	before / earlier / back in the past	以前	いぜん	izen
後であとで (ato de)later	later on /  afterwards	後ほど	のちほど	nochihodo
この先このさき (kono saki)from this time on	from now on / in the future / hereafter	今後	こんご	kongo
簡単にかんたんに (kantan ni)easily	easily	容易に	よういに	yōi ni
もっと(motto)more	what is more / furthermore / moreover	更に	さらに	sara ni
	even more / all the more	より一層	よりいっそう	yori issō
本当にほんとうに (hontō ni)really	really / truly	正に	まさに	masani
それぞれ(sorezore)each	each	各々	おのおの	ono’ono
まだ(mada)yet / still	as yet / still	依然として	いぜんとして	izen toshite
少しすこし (sukoshi)a little / a few	a little / a small quantity	少々	しょうしょう	shōshō

Examples:

• 後で資料を送ります。          　　→   後ほど資料を送信します。
  Ato de shiryō o okurimasu.                Nochihodo shiryō o sōshin shimasu.
  “I will send the document later.”

• 原因はまだはっきりしない。　　　　→      原因は依然としてはっきりしない。
  Gen’in wa mada hakkiri shinai.        　　       Gen’in wa izen toshite hakkiri shinai.   
  “The cause is still unclear.”

• 少し待ってください。          →   少々お待ちください。
  Sukoshi matte kudasai.     　　　Shōshō o-machi kudasai.
  “Please wait for a moment.”

3 – 敬語 (Keigo) [Japanese Honorific Language]

Meaning	Keigo	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
見るみる (miru)look / watch / see	Respectful	ご覧になる	ごらんになる	goran ni naru
	Humble	拝見する	はいけんする	haiken suru
食べるたべる (taberu)eat	Respectful	召し上がる	めしあがる	meshiagaru
	Humble	頂く	いただく	itadaku
言ういう (iu)say	Respectful	ー	おっしゃる	ossharu
	Humble	申す申し上げる	もうすもうしあげる	mōsumōshiageru
いる(iru)be there / exist	Respectful	ー	いらっしゃる	irassharu
	Humble	ー	おる	oru
する(suru)do	Respectful	ー	なさる	nasaru
	Humble	ー	いたす	itasu
行くいく (iku)go	Respectful	ー	いらっしゃる	irassharu
	Humble	参る	まいる	mairu
くれる (kureru)give me/us	Respectful	ー	くださる	kudasaru
	Humble	ー	ー	ー
あげる (ageru)give someone something	Respectful	ー	ー	ー
	Humble	差し上げる	さしあげる	sashiageru
知るしる (shiru)know	Respectful	ご存じ	ごぞんじ	gozonji
	Humble	存じ上げる	ぞんじあげる	zonjiageru
聞くきく (kiku)ask / listen	Respectful	お聞きになる	おききになる	o-kiki ni naru
	Humble	伺う	うかがう	ukagau

Examples:

• [Normal Polite] 彼は流れ星を見ました。  Kare wa nagareboshi o mimashita.    
  　　　　　　　(“He saw a shooting star.”)
  
  [Respectful]  こちらのデータをご覧ください。Kochira no dēta o goran kudasai.
  　　　　　　 (“Please look at this data.”)
  
  [Humble]  求人広告を拝見し、応募いたしました。Kyūjin kōkoku o haiken shi, ōbo itashimashita.
  　　　　　(“I saw the job advertisement and applied.”)

• [Normal Polite] 彼女は会議で意見を言いました。  Kanojo wa kaigi de iken o iimashita.    
  　　　　　　　(“She gave her opinion in the meeting.”)
  
  [Respectful]  社長は会議でご意見をおっしゃいました。Shachō wa kaigi de go-iken o osshaimashita.
  　　　　　　 (“The president gave her/his opinion in the meeting.”)
  
  [Humble]  私は会議で意見を申し上げました。   Watashi wa kaigi de iken o mōshiagemashita.
  　　　　　(“I gave my opinion in the meeting.”)

• [Normal Polite]  この新しい技術を知っていますか。  Kono atarashii gijutsu o shitte imasu ka.
  　　　　　 　　(“Do you know this new technology?”)
  
  [Respectful]  この新しい技術をご存じですか。  Kono atarashii gijutsu o gozonji desu ka.
  　　　　　 　(“Do you know this new technology?”)
  
  [Humble]  この新しい技術を存じ上げております。  Kono atarashii gijutsu o zonjiagete orimasu.
  　　　　　(“I know this new technology.”)

6. Conclusion

In this article, we introduced the most frequently used advanced Japanese words, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and sophisticated alternative words. Although the Kanji is difficult at this level, once you conquer it, you’ll be able to successfully work in Japan and watch any Japanese movie without stress!

If you would like to learn more about the Japanese language and pick up other useful Japanese phrases for different situations, you’ll find more helpful content on JapanesePod101.com. We provide a variety of free lessons to help you improve your Japanese-language skills. 

If you want to review and check your knowledge of the intermediate level, the following articles will be very useful: Intermediate Japanese Words, Essential Business Japanese, and Japanese Phone Phrases. On the other hand, if you’re ready to press onward, then we recommend visiting our advanced Japanese course. 

And there’s so much more! Learn Japanese faster and enjoy studying at JapanesePod101.com!

Before you go, let us know in the comments if there are Japanese words related to any specific topic you want to know! We’d be glad to help, and we look forward to hearing from you! 

So, you’ve already mastered the beginner level in Japanese? Congratulations! That means you know how to write Hiragana, Katakana, and the basic Kanji, as well as the basic grammar rules. Now you’re ready to level up to intermediate Japanese! 

At some point during your studies, you probably heard about the JLPT (Japanese-Language Proficiency Test). This is a standardized test that evaluates the Japanese-language proficiency of non-native speakers, including their language knowledge (vocabulary/grammar), reading ability, and listening ability. Level N3 is equivalent to the intermediate level, and setting a goal for yourself to pass this level would be a good source of motivation to help you keep up your studies.

You faced the first challenge when you started learning Japanese, a language with a totally new set of characters and grammar rules from English. However, the beginner level is rewarding in that you can easily see your progress the more you study. On the other hand, the intermediate level is when things start getting hard—you need continuous effort and patience to make meaningful advances at this stage. Although the progress may seem very slow, you’ll steadily move forward as long as you don’t give up!

In this article, we’ll introduce a list of frequently used intermediate Japanese words, including larger numbers, nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and even conjunctions and Japanese particles. Let’s start the journey toward conquering the next level here at JapanesePod101.com!

The Japanese intermediate level gets harder, but you can still have fun learning with JapanesePod101.com.

Table of Contents

1. Larger Numbers
2. Nouns – 名詞 (Meishi)
3. Verbs – 動詞 (Dōshi)
4. Adjectives – 形容詞 (Keiyōshi)
5. Adverbs – 副詞 (Fukushi)
6. Conjunctions – 接続詞 (Setsuzokushi)
7. Auxiliary Words and Particles – 助詞 (Joshi)
8. Conclusion

1. Larger Numbers　

Once you know the basic Japanese numbers, counting to larger numbers is fairly simple. We can easily express these numbers with Kanji using relatively few digits. 

Keep in mind, however, that we group larger numbers by every 10,000 (rather than every 1,000 like in Western counting). That said, when we do write the Arabic numbers in Japan, it’s common to use commas for every thousand just like it’s done in the West. 

Arabic Number	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
100	百	ひゃく	hyaku
1,000	千	せん	sen
10,000	万	まん	man
100,000	十万	じゅうまん	jū-man
1,000,000	百万	ひゃくまん	hyaku-man
10,000,000	千万	せんまん	sen-man
100,000,000	億	おく	oku
1,000,000,000	十億	じゅうおく	jū-oku
10,000,000,000	百億	ひゃくおく	hyaku-oku
100,000,000,000	千億	せんおく	sen-oku
1,000,000,000,000	兆	ちょう	chō

Number-related Vocabulary

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
number	数字	すうじ	sūji
calculation	計算	けいさん	keisan
arithmetic	算数	さんすう	sansū
mathematics	数学	すうがく	sūgaku
addition	足し算	たしざん	tashizan
subtraction	引き算	ひきざん	hikizan
multiplication	掛け算	かけざん	kakezan
division	割り算	わりざん	warizan

Examples:

• 私のいとこは宝くじで2億円を当てました。
  Watashi no itoko wa takarakuji de ni-oku-en o atemashita.
  “My cousin won 200 million Yen in the lottery.”

• 2020年の日本の国家予算は約103兆円です。
  Ni-sen ni-jū-nen no Nihon no kokka yosan wa yaku hyaku san-chō-en desu.
  “Japan’s national budget in 2020 was around 103 trillion Yen.”

• 私は毎日その日の利益を計算します。 
  Watashi wa mainichi sono hi no rieki o keisan shimasu.
  “I calculate the profit for the day every day.”

We can easily express larger numbers with Kanji.

2. Nouns – 名詞 (Meishi)

Our next set of intermediate Japanese vocabulary words will cover the most practical nouns in a range of categories. At this stage in your learning journey, picking up as many new nouns as possible will help you better express yourself and allow you to hold conversations on a greater number of topics. 

Time

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
sunrise	日の出	ひので	hinode
sunset	日没	にちぼつ	nichibotsu
instant (a very short moment)	一瞬	いっしゅん	isshun
a whole life / lifetime /  for life	一生	いっしょう	isshō
a time / while / one time	一時	いちじ	ichiji
a short period or term	短期	たんき	tanki
a medium-length period or term	中期	ちゅうき	chūki
a long period or term	長期	ちょうき	chōki
a school term / semester	学期	がっき	gakki
this time	今回	こんかい	konkai
hereafter / from now on / onward	今後	こんご	kongo

Examples:

• 夏は日の出が早く、日没が遅い。
  Natsu wa hinode ga hayaku, nichibotsu ga osoi.
  “In summer, the sunrise (time) is early and the sunset (time) is late.”

• 彼は短期目標を設定しました。
  Kare wa tanki mokuhyō o settei shimashita.
  “He has set a short-term goal.”

• 私は今後一切タバコを吸いません。 
  Watashi wa kongo issai tabako o suimasen.
  “I will never smoke cigarettes from now on.”

2. People

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
individual	個人	こじん	kojin
group	集団	しゅうだん	shūdan
citizen	市民	しみん	shimin
people (of a country) or  nation	国民	こくみん	kokumin
man / boy / male	男子	だんし	danshi
woman / girl / female	女子	じょし	joshi
infant	幼児	ようじ	yōji
young man / young people / youth	青年	せいねん	seinen
elderly	年配	ねんぱい	nenpai
old person / the aged	老人	ろうじん	rōjin
stranger / others	他人	たにん	tanin
colleague / coworker	同僚	どうりょう	dōryō
boss / superior	上司	じょうし	jōshi
subordinate	部下	ぶか	buka
employee / staff	社員	しゃいん	shain
president / head (of a company)	社長	しゃちょう	shachō

Examples:

• 国民の三大義務は、教育、労働、納税です。
  Kokumin no sandai gimu wa, kyōiku, rōdō, nōzei desu.
  “The three major duties of the people in Japan are education, labor, and paying taxes.”

• あの青年は老人介護施設で働いています。
  Ano seinen wa rōjin kaigo shisetsu de hataraite imasu.
  “That young man works at a nursing home for the elderly.”

• 私の目標は起業して社長になることです。 
  Watashi no mokuhyō wa kigyō shite shachō ni naru koto desu.
  “My goal is to start a business and become president.”

To learn more work-related vocabulary words with audio, we recommend you check out our wordlists Jobs / Work and Workplace.

昼休みに同僚と雑談する (hiruyasumi ni dōryō to zatsudan suru)
“chat with colleagues during lunch break”

3. Other Nouns

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
start / beginning	開始	かいし	kaishi
end / close / termination	終了	しゅうりょう	shūryō
stop / suspension	停止	ていし	teishi
base / fundament / standard	基本	きほん	kihon
basis / foundation	基礎	きそ	kiso
(practical) application	応用	おうよう	ōyō
input / entry / filling in / filling out	記入	きにゅう	kinyū
article	記事	きじ	kiji
right	権利	けんり	kenri
rules / regulations	規則	きそく	kisoku
law	法律	ほうりつ	hōritsu
accounting	会計	かいけい	kaikei
business / commerce	商売	しょうばい	shōbai
profit	利益	りえき	rieki
product	製品	せいひん	seihin
lack / shortage / deficiency	不足	ふそく	fusoku
income	収入	しゅうにゅう	shūnyū
documents	書類	しょるい	shorui
cooperation / collaboration	協力	きょうりょく	kyōryoku
satisfaction / contentment	満足	まんぞく	manzoku
dissatisfaction	不満	ふまん	fuman

Examples:

• 開始と終了の時間に、ベルが鳴ります。
  Kaishi to shūryō no jikan ni, beru ga narimasu.
  “The bell rings at the start and end times.”

• 法律に基づき、18歳以上の国民は投票する権利があります。
  Hōritsu ni motozuki, jū hassai ijō no kokumin wa tōhyō suru kenri ga arimasu.
  “By law, citizens over 18 years old have the right to vote.”

• パンデミックの影響で、衛生製品が不足しています。 
  Pandemikku no eikyō de, eisei seihin ga fusoku shite imasu.
  “Due to the influence of the pandemic, there is a shortage of hygiene products.”

書類に記入する (shorui ni kinyū suru)
“fill out the document”

To learn more Japanese nouns, please check out Guide to the Top 100+ Japanese Nouns on our website. 

3. Verbs – 動詞 (Dōshi)

Verbs, like nouns, make up a huge chunk of any language’s vocabulary. At the beginner level, you picked up a number of useful action words and auxiliaries to get your point across—but as you approach the intermediate level, you may find yourself needing more advanced verbs to clearly express your thoughts. Below is a list to get you started.

General Verbs

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
to encounter / to meet / to come across	出会う	であう	deau
to remove / to undo	外す	はずす	hazusu
to like / to be pleased with	気に入る	きにいる	ki ni iru
to fall down / to fall over	転ぶ	ころぶ	korobu
to receive	受け取る	うけとる	uketoru
to take (something) out	取り出す	とりだす	toridasu
to divide / to split / to separate	分ける	わける	wakeru
to give up	諦める	あきらめる	akirameru
to lose interest in / to get tired of	飽きる	あきる	akiru
to be enough / to be sufficient	足りる	たりる	tariru
to remain / to be in excess	余る	あまる	amaru
to appear / to show up / to turn up	現れる	あらわれる	arawareru
to express / to show	表す	あらわす	arawasu
to treat / to handle / to deal with	扱う	あつかう	atsukau
to put together / to combine / to add to / to match	合わせる	あわせる	awaseru
to deposit / to consign / to entrust	預ける	あずける	azukeru
to touch	触れる	ふれる	fureru
to shake / to tremble / to vibrate / to shudder / to shiver	震える	ふるえる	furueru
to prevent / to guard against	防ぐ	ふせぐ	fusegu
to wear (trousers, skirt, shoes) / to put on	履く	はく	haku
to discuss	話し合う	はなしあう	hanashiau
to separate / to keep apart / to isolate	離す	はなす	hanasu
to release / to free / to let go	放す	はなす	hanasu
to decrease	減る	へる	heru
to pull	引く	ひく	hiku
to celebrate	祝う	いわう	iwau
to dislike	嫌がる	いやがる	iyagaru
to be concerned with / to engage in / to be related to	関わる	かかわる	kakawaru
to hide	隠す	かくす	kakusu
to earn / to make money	稼ぐ	かせぐ	kasegu
to pile up / to put on top of one another	重ねる	かさねる	kasaneru
to shine / to sparkle	輝く	かがやく	kagayaku
to repeat	繰り返す	くりかえす	kurikaesu
to stretch / to get longer / to grow	伸びる	のびる	nobiru
to remove / to get rid of / to exclude	除く	のぞく	nozoku

Examples:

• 諦めたらそこで試合は終了です。
  Akirametara soko de shiai wa shūryō desu.
  “If you give up, the game ends there.”

• あなたに預けた書類を受け取りに来ました。
  Anata ni azuketa shorui o uketori ni kimashita.
  “I came to pick up the documents I entrusted to you.”

• 彼は彼女に関わることを嫌がった。 
  Kare wa kanojo ni kakawaru koto o iyagatta.
  “He disliked getting involved with her.”

[ Noun + する (suru) ] Verbs 

This type of Japanese verb is formed by using this pattern: noun + する (suru). You may remember that する (suru) means “do,” and in this case, we use it to create verbs. For example: 

• 期待する (kitai suru) or “to expect” = 期待 (kitai) “expectation” + する (suru) “do” 

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
to go out	外出する	がいしゅつする	gaishutsu suru
to make (an) effort	努力する	どりょくする	doryoku suru
to memorize / to store data	記憶する	きおくする	kioku suru
to expect / to hope to	期待する	きたいする	kitai suru
to grow (up)	成長する	せいちょうする	seichō suru
to lack	不足する	ふそくする	fusoku suru
to match / to coincide	一致する	いっちする	itchi suru
to agree with / to support (a measure)	賛成する	さんせいする	sansei suru
to oppose / to object	反対する	はんたいする	hantai suru
to concentrate	集中する	しゅうちゅうする	shūchū suru
to import	輸入する	ゆにゅうする	yunyū suru
to export	輸出する	ゆしゅつする	yushutsu suru
to sell	販売する	はんばいする	hanbai suru
to zoom / to enlarge / to expand	拡大する	かくだいする	kakudai suru
to shrink / to reduce / to diminish	縮小する	しゅくしょうする	syukushō suru

Examples:

• 彼は彼女に会えることを期待して外出しました。 
  Kare wa kanojo ni aeru koto o kitai shite gaishutsu shimashita.
  “He went out hoping to see her.”

• この会社は日本茶を海外へ輸出して、世界中で販売しています。
  Kono kaisha wa nihoncha o kaigai e yushutsu shite, sekaijū de hanbai shite imasu.
  “This company exports Japanese tea overseas and sells it all over the world.”

• 勉強する時はテレビを消して集中しなさい。 
  Benkyō suru toki wa terebi o keshite shūchū shinasai.
  “When you study, turn off the TV and concentrate.”

To learn more about Japanese verbs, please check out our articles The 100+ Most Common Japanese Verbs and Ultimate Japanese Verb Conjugation Guide.

努力して試験に合格 (doryoku shite shiken ni gōkaku)
“passing the exam by making an effort”

4. Adjectives – 形容詞 (Keiyōshi)

As a beginner, you probably spent most of your time memorizing nouns, verbs, and practical sentence patterns. But once you have the basics down, picking up a few common adjectives can help you enrich your conversations and add flavor to your writing. Below, we’ve listed the most useful adjectives for intermediate Japanese learners. 

i-Adjectives

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
intense / hard / violent / fierce / furious	激しい	はげしい	hageshii
nostalgic / dear	懐かしい	なつかしい	natsukashii
shameful / pitiful / miserable	情けない	なさけない	nasakenai
frightening / terrifying / fearful	恐ろしい	おそろしい	osoroshii
persistent / insistent	ー	しつこい	shitsukoi
powerful	力強い	ちからづよい	chikarazuyoi
smart / wise / clever	賢い	かしこい	kashikoi
childlike / childish / infant	幼い	おさない	osanai
hard / tough / painful / bitter	辛い	つらい	tsurai
jealous / envious	羨ましい	うらやましい	urayamashii
loose / lax	緩い	ゆるい	yurui
equal / equivalent	等しい	ひとしい	hitoshii
itchy	痒い	かゆい	kayui
noisy	騒がしい	さわがしい	sawagashii
funny	可笑しい	おかしい	okashii
empty / void / fruitless	空しい	むなしい	munashii
refreshing / refreshed	清々しい	すがすがしい	sugasugashii
menial / vulgar / greedy	卑しい	いやしい	iyashii
lovely / adorable	可愛らしい	かわいらしい	kawairashii
missed / longed for	恋しい	こいしい	koishii
smelly / stinky	臭い	くさい	kusai
tight / hard / tough	ー	きつい	kitsui
detailed	詳しい	くわしい	kuwashii
regretful / mortifying	悔しい	くやしい	kuyashii
dazzling / bright	眩しい	まぶしい	mabushii
poor	貧しい	まずしい	mazushii
gentle / mild / quiet	大人しい	おとなしい	otonashii
fortunately / luckily	幸い	さいわい	saiwai
sharp	鋭い	するどい	surudoi
dull / slow	鈍い	にぶい	nibui
rough / harsh / wild	荒い	あらい	arai

Examples:

• 台風の影響で激しい雨が降っています。 
  Taifū no eikyō de hageshii ame ga futte imasu.
  “It is raining hard due to the typhoon.”

• 公園で可愛らしい女の子が一人で遊んでいました。
  Kōen de kawairashii onnanoko ga hitori de asonde imashita.
  “The adorable girl was playing alone in the park.”

• 彼は大人しいが、鋭い洞察力を持っています。 
  Kare wa otonashii ga, surudoi dōsatsuryoku o motte imasu.
  “He is quiet but has keen insight.”

太陽が眩しい。 (Taiyō ga mabushii.)
“The sun is bright.”

na-Adjectives

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
serious / earnest	真面目	まじめ	majime
eager / zealous / ardent	熱心	ねっしん	nesshin
advantageous	有利	ゆうり	yūri
flat / even	平ら	たいら	taira
troublesome / cumbersome	厄介	やっかい	yakkai
rich / abundant / fertile	豊か	ゆたか	yutaka
luxurious	贅沢	ぜいたく	zeitaku
slight / subtle	僅か	わずか	wazuka
obstructive	邪魔	じゃま	jama
obvious	明らか	あきらか	akiraka
troublesome / annoying / unwelcome	迷惑	めいわく	meiwaku
troublesome / onerous / perplexing	面倒	めんどう	mendō

Examples:

• この箱は平らな所に置いてください。 
  Kono hako wa taira na tokoro ni oite kudasai.
  “Please place this box on a flat surface.”

• 私は僅かな可能性があれば、希望を捨てない。
  Watashi wa wazuka na kanōsei ga areba, kibō o sutenai.
  “I will not lose hope if there is a slight possibility.”

• 彼は明らかな間違いを犯しました。 
  Kare wa akiraka na machigai o okashimashita.
  “He made an obvious mistake.”

To learn more about Japanese adjectives, please check out our articles Learn the Top 100 Essential Japanese Adjectives and -I vs. -NA Adjectives in Japanese.

5. Adverbs – 副詞 (Fukushi)

While adjectives describe nouns, adverbs provide additional information about verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. At this stage in your learning journey, having a few Japanese adverbs up your sleeve will allow you to give more detailed descriptions of events and help your writing flow more smoothly. 

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
at once / immediately / promptly / right away	早速	さっそく	sassoku
as … as possible	ー	なるべく	narubeku
carelessly / thoughtlessly	ー	うっかり	ukkari
probably / presumably	恐らく	おそらく	osoraku
quite / pretty	ー	かなり	kanari
approximately / about / roughly	ー	およそ	oyoso
just like / as if	ー	まるで	marude
abruptly / suddenly	急に	きゅうに	kyū ni
rather	ー	むしろ	mushiro
kind of / sort of / fairly / reasonably	ー	なかなか	nakanaka
what is more / furthermore / moreover	更に	さらに	sara ni
already	既に	すでに	sude ni
for some time / for a while	暫く	しばらく	shibaraku
surely / definitely / indeed	確かに	たしかに	tashika ni
rather / quite a	随分	ずいぶん	zuibun
at one time / at once / all at once	一度に	いちどに	ichi-do ni
all / whole	全て	すべて	subete
desperately / frantically	必死に	ひっしに	hisshi ni
deliberately / on purpose	ー	わざと	wazato
increasingly / more and more	益々	ますます	masumasu
one after another	次々と	つぎつぎと	tsugitsugi to
anytime / at all times	ー	いつでも	itsu demo
before one is aware / before one knows	いつの間にか	いつのまにか	itsunomanika
indeed / really	実に	じつに	jitsu ni
as it is	ー	そのまま	sonomama
each / respectively	ー	それぞれ	sorezore
sometimes	時々	ときどき	tokidoki
always / at all times / constantly	常に	つねに	tsune ni
suddenly	突然	とつぜん	totsuzen
in/at the beginning	始めに	はじめに	hajime ni
early / earlier / ahead of time	早めに	はやめに	hayame ni
before long / shortly	間もなく	まもなく	mamonaku
at least	少なくとも	すくなくとも	sukunakutomo
by chance / accidentally / unintentionally	ー	たまたま	tamatama
in particular / particularly	別に	べつに	betsu ni
anyways / in any case	ー	とにかく	tonikaku
by all means	ー	どうしても	dōshitemo
again / once again	再び	ふたたび	futatabi
together	共に	ともに	tomo ni
a short while ago / a moment ago	先程	さきほど	sakihodo

Examples:

• なるべく早く返信してください。 
  Narubeku hayaku henshin shite kudasai.
  “Please reply as soon as possible.”q145

• 間もなく電車が到着します。
  Mamonaku densha ga tōchaku shimasu.
  “The train will arrive shortly.”

• 私は別にこれを欲しくない。 
  Watashi wa betsu ni kore o hoshikunai.
  “I don’t want this in particular.”

次々と良い案が浮かぶ (tsugitsugi to ii an ga ukabu)
“come up with good ideas one after another”

6. Conjunctions – 接続詞 (Setsuzokushi)

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
finally / at last	遂に	ついに	tsuini
to sum up / in short / in a word	ー	つまり	tsumari
therefore / accordingly / consequently	従って	したがって	shitagatte
so / therefore / hence	ー	ゆえに	yueni
therefore / wherefore	ー	それゆえに	soreyueni
and then	ー	すると	suruto
however	ー	しかしながら	shikashinagara
and yet / but even so	ー	それなのに	sorenanoni
nevertheless / in spite of	それにも関わらず	それにもかかわらず	sorenimo kakawarazu
having said that	とは言うものの	とはいうものの	towa iumonono
and / as well as	及び	および	oyobi
besides / moreover / also	ー	かつ	katsu
and also / both…and	並びに	ならびに	narabini
first / first of all	最初に	さいしょに	saisho ni
next / secondly	次に	つぎに	tsugi ni
at last / finally	最後に	さいごに	saigo ni
moreover / besides / on top of	ー	しかも	shikamo
in addition	加えて	くわえて	kuwaete
moreover / in addition	その上で	そのうえで	sonouede
on the one hand	一方	いっぽう	ippō
conversely / contrarily	逆に	ぎゃくに	gyaku ni
while / on the other hand	反面	はんめん	hanmen
the reason why is / because	なぜかと言うと	なぜかというと	naze ka to iu to
still / yet / even	ー	なお	nao
on the condition that…	ー	ただし	tadashi
by the way	ー	ちなみに	chinamini
in truth / in fact	実は	じつは	jitsu wa
namely / that is to say	ー	すなわち	sunawachi
in short / in a word /to sum up	要するに	ようするに	yōsuruni
especially / in particular	特に	とくに	tokuni
above all / in particular	ー	とりわけ	toriwake
anyhow / in any case / either way / anyway	ー	いずれにしても	izurenishitemo
anyways / above all things	ー	ともあれ	tomoare
then / if that is the case	ー	それでは	soredewa

Examples:

• 従って、規則によりこれは無効となります。 
  Shitagatte, kisoku ni yori kore wa mukō to narimasu.
  “Therefore, this is invalid according to regulation.”

• レストランは12時に閉まります。なお、ラストオーダーは11時です。
  Resutoran wa jū ni-ji ni shimarimasu. Nao, rasuto ōdā wa jū ichi-ji desu.
  “The restaurant closes at twelve. Yet, the last order is at eleven.”

• いずれにしても、納期は守ってください。 
  Izurenishitemo, nōki wa mamotte kudasai.
  “In any case, please keep the delivery date.”

いずれにしても、来月は赤字になりそうです。
Izurenishitemo, raigetsu wa akaji ni narisō desu.
“In any case, it looks like it will be in the red next month.”

7. Auxiliary Words and Particles – 助詞 (Joshi)

Japanese particles, or 助詞 (joshi), are suffixes or short words that follow a modified noun, verb, adjective, or sentence. Particles play a very important role in Japanese grammar because even a slight difference in this regard could change the meaning/nuance of a sentence. Memorizing and becoming familiar with how to use these particles is a great way to start improving your Japanese as an intermediate learner. 

English	Hiragana	Reading
the more…the more	ば…ほど	ba…hodo
would have / should have	ば…のに	ba…noni
degree / extent	ほど	hodo
is not as…as	ほど…ない	hodo…nai
no matter how	いくら…ても	ikura…te mo
through / from [A] to [B]	[A]から[B]にかけて	[A] kara [B] ni kakete
only / just / since / after	…きり	…kiri
for sure (emphasizes the preceding word)	…こそ	…koso
if / suppose	もしも…たら	moshimo…tara
although / despite	…ながらも	…nagaramo
even if / even though / regardless of	…ても	…te mo
to / for / as far as…is concerned / regarding	…にとって	… ni totte
even / so much as / not even	さえ	sae
if only / as long as	さえ…ば	sae…ba

Examples:

• 勉強すればするほど賢くなります。 
  Benkyō sureba suru hodo kashikoku narimasu.
  “The more you study, the smarter you become.”

• もしも大金があったら、豪華客船で世界一周したい。
  Moshimo taikin ga attara, gōka kyakusen de sekai isshū shitai.
  “If I had a lot of money, I would want to go around the world on a luxury cruise ship.”

• あなたさえ良ければ、一緒に行きませんか。
  Anata sae yokereba, issho ni ikimasen ka.
  “If only you’re okay, would you like to go with us?”

いくら寝ても眠い。 (Ikura nete mo nemui.)
“(I’m) sleepy no matter how much I sleep.”

Conclusion

In this article, we introduced the most frequently used intermediate Japanese words, including large numbers, nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, and particles—we even threw in some example sentences for you. Some Kanji are a bit harder than those you learned at the beginner level, but you’ll now be able to deal with a wider range of topics and converse in more detail.

If you would like to learn more about the Japanese language and culture, you’ll find a lot more helpful content on JapanesePod101.com. We provide a variety of free lessons designed to help you improve your Japanese language skills. 

If you’re at the intermediate level in your Japanese studies, you’ll find the following articles very useful: 

• Learn Japanese with Netflix
• Essential Business Japanese
• Japanese Phone Phrases

And there’s so much more! Learn Japanese faster and enjoy studying with JapanesePod101.com!

Before you go, let us know in the comments if you would like to learn Japanese words related to any specific topic. We’d be glad to help, and look forward to hearing from you! 

Like many other countries, Japan is blessed with beautiful nature and all kinds of animals. 

When you start learning the Japanese language, picking up the most common Japanese animal names will be an inevitable part of the process! Animals play a central role in our lives, so learning what to call them is important. Doing so will not only allow you to talk about your pets or favorite animals with native speakers, but also help you understand Japanese idioms and stories related to them. 

The good news is that learning Japanese animal names is actually very easy! Do you know why? It’s because animal names in Japanese are often short and simple, and we also use plenty of loanwords from other languages (usually English) to label foreign animals.

While the Kanji for many Japanese animal names is difficult, don’t let this worry you. Even ordinary Japanese people don’t know how to write or read them, so the much simpler Hiragana and Katakana are more commonly used. 

In this article from JapanesePod101.com, you’ll learn popular animal names in Japanese, from pets and farm animals to sea animals and insects. We’ll also introduce animal sounds in Japanese and animal-related Japanese proverbs.

Ready to boost your vocabulary and cultural knowledge? Let’s go!

Table of Contents

1. Pets
2. Farm Animals
3. Wild Animals
4. Sea Animals
5. Bugs and Insects
6. Birds
7. Reptiles
8. Animal Body Parts
9. Animal Sounds
10. Animal-Related Proverbs
11. Conclusion

1. Pets

The Japanese word for “animal” is 動物 (dōbutsu). Literally, this breaks down to 動 (“moving”) + 物 (“thing”). 

Japanese does not distinguish between singular and plural nouns, so the word 動物 (dōbutsu) and all of the animals listed in this article can refer to one animal or many.

To talk about baby animals in Japanese, we add the word for “child” to the beginning of the animal name in question: 子 こ (ko).

• うさぎ (usagi) – “rabbit” → 子うさぎ (kousagi) – “baby bunny”

The most common Japanese counter word for animals is 匹 ひき (hiki), which we place after the number. Or, if we’re counting larger animals, we can use the word 頭 とう (tō), meaning “head.” 

For example:

• 私は犬を２匹飼っています。
  Watashi wa inu o ni-hiki katte imasu.
  “I have two dogs.”

To learn more about numbers in Japanese, please check out our article Japanese Numbers: Let’s Master the Basic Japanese Numbers!

Following is a list of popular pet animals in Japan.

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
“dog”	犬	いぬ	inu
“puppy”	子犬	こいぬ	koinu
“cat”	猫	ねこ	neko
“kitten”	子猫	こねこ	koneko
“rabbit”	兎	うさぎ	usagi
“hamster”	ー	ハムスター	hamusutā
“mouse” / “rat”	鼠	ねずみ	nezumi
“budgerigar”	ー	インコ	inko
“parrot”	ー	オウム	ōmu
“goldfish”	金魚	きんぎょ	kingyo
“hedgehog”	ー	ハリネズミ	harinezumi * literally “needle mouse” in Japanese.

* The Kanji for “rabbit” (兎) and “mouse” (鼠) are difficult and uncommon. We normally use Hiragana or Katakana for these words.

Like many other countries, dogs and cats are popular pets in Japan.

2. Farm Animals

Popular farm animals in Japan include cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, and horses. Ducks and swans are commonly seen in the countryside. 

In addition to the counter words 匹 ひき (hiki) and 頭 とう(tō), meaning “head,” there’s also a counter used for birds: 羽 わ (wa), meaning “feather.”

For example:

• この農場には馬が４頭います。
  Kono nōjō ni wa uma ga yon-tō imasu.
  “There are four horses on this farm.”

• この湖には白鳥が10羽います。
  Kono mizūmi ni wa hakuchō ga jū-wa imasu.
  “There are ten swans in this lake.”

Here’s a list of animals in Japanese you’re likely to find on a farm or in the countryside: 

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
“cow”	牛	うし	ushi
“calf”	子牛	こうし	koushi
“pig”	豚	ぶた	buta
“piglet”	子豚	こぶた	kobuta
“horse”	馬	うま	uma
“foal”	子馬	こうま	kouma
“sheep”	羊	ひつじ	hitsuji
“baby sheep”	子羊	こひつじ	kohitsuji
“goat”	山羊	やぎ	yagi
“donkey”	ー	ロバ	roba
“chicken”	鶏	にわとり	niwatori*literally “garden bird” in Japanese.
“chick”	ー	ひよこ	hiyoko
“duck”	鴨	かも	kamo
“goose”	ー	ガチョウ	gachō
“swan”	白鳥	はくちょう	hakuchō* literally: “white bird” in Japanese

You can also hear the pronunciation of these words on our Animal Names vocabulary list.

Sheep farms are famous in Hokkaido.

3. Wild Animals

Now that we’ve looked at a few domesticated creatures, it’s time to learn the names of different wild animals in Japanese. Below, you’ll also find some interesting facts about indigenous animals in Japan and how mythology influenced our naming of the giraffe! 

A- In the Forest

Did you know that Japan is actually a country of forests, despite the image foreigners often have of a sushi-eating island country surrounded by the sea? Around 73% of the land in Japan is mountainous, 66% of which is forested.

This means there are a lot of forest animals! Some of you might have seen pictures of Japanese monkeys enjoying natural hot springs (温泉 Onsen) in the snowy weather, for example. 

Forest animals often appear in Japanese folktales, idioms, and proverbs. Monkeys are considered clever and are thought to be the closest animal to humans. Raccoon dogs and foxes are often seen as animals that have mysterious powers and the ability to play tricks on humans.

Since many of the following forest animals are indigenous to Japan, they have original names in Japanese (including their own Kanji). 

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
“deer”	鹿	しか	shika
“bear”	熊	くま	kuma
“monkey”	猿	さる	saru
“wild boar”	猪	いのしし	inoshishi
“raccoon dog”	狸	たぬき	tanuki
“fox”	狐	きつね	kitsune
“squirrel”	栗鼠 *	りす	risu
“wolf”	狼	おおかみ	ōkami

* The Kanji for “squirrel” (栗鼠) is difficult and uncommon. We normally use Hiragana or Katakana instead.

Japanese monkeys love Onsen hot springs.

B- Safari Animals (and Others)

There is no Kanji for animals that originate from places that are very far away from Japan, such as safari animals or those from Oceania. They’re typically expressed in Katakana as loanwords or named in Japanese after their characteristics.

Some animals—such as elephants, tigers, and leopards—have Kanji because they’re indigenous to Asian countries (China, India, etc.), and they became known to Japan through trading. Such Kanji were directly imported from the Chinese language, but the names (phonetic readings) are original to Japanese.

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
“elephant”	象	ゾウ	zō
“giraffe”	ー	キリン	kirin
“lion”	ー	ライオン	raion
“tiger”	虎	トラ	tora
“panda bear”	ー	パンダ	panda
“zebra”	ー	シマウマ	shimauma*literally “striped horse” in Japanese.
“hippopotamus”	ー	カバ	kaba
“rhinoceros”	ー	サイ	sai
“ostrich”	ー	ダチョウ	dachō*It means “camel bird” in Japanese.
“baboon”	ー	ヒヒ	hihi
“hyena”	ー	ハイエナ	haiena
“cheetah”	ー	チーター	chītā
“leopard”	豹	ヒョウ	hyō
“koala bear”	ー	コアラ	koara
“kangaroo”	ー	カンガルー	kangarū
“camel”	ー	ラクダ	rakuda

The キリン (kirin), or “giraffe,” was named after the Chinese dragon-like mythical animal called 麒麟 (qílín).　

4. Sea Animals

A recent study revealed that there are about 34,000 species of sea animals living in the oceans near Japan, including everything from plankton to mammals. This means that about 13.5% of all confirmed marine life abound in less than 1% of the world’s ocean. 

As a country blessed with lots of ocean, Japan has an abundance of words related to fish, called 魚 さかな (sakan), and sea animals. However, most of their Kanji are difficult, so Hiragana and Katakana are more commonly used to express their names.

Again, loanwords are used for sea animals that are not indigenous to Japan, such as ペンギン (pengin), or “penguin.”

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
“whale”	鯨	くじら	kujira
“dolphin”	海豚	イルカ	iruka
“shark”	鮫	サメ	same
“seal”	海豹	アザラシ	azarashi
“sealion”	海馬	トド	todo
“penguin”	ー	ペンギン	pengin
“sea turtle”	海亀	うみがめ	umigame *literally “sea turtle” in Japanese
“jellyfish”	海月	くらげ	kurage
“pufferfish”	河豚	ふぐ	fugu
“octopus”	蛸	たこ	tako
“squid”	烏賊	いか	ika
“crab”	蟹	かに	kani
“shrimp” / “prawn”	海老	えび	ebi
“shell”	貝	かい	kai
“starfish”	人手	ヒトデ	hitode * literally “human hand” in Japanese

You can also hear the pronunciation of these words (and more) in our vocabulary list Marine Animals & Fish.

鮫 サメ (same) – “shark”

5. Bugs and Insects

As with sea animals, there is a lot of vocabulary related to bugs and insects in Japan. Most of their Kanji are very difficult, so Hiragana and Katakana are more commonly used to express their names. 

Considering the abundance of mountains and forests in Japan, it’s said that there could be as many as 100,000 insect species in the country. It’s possible that only about 10,000 of these species have been published in books.

Below are the names of some well-known bugs and insects that are commonly seen in Japan.

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
“bugs” / “insects”	虫	むし	mushi
“bee”	蜂	ハチ	hachi
“fly”	蠅	ハエ	hae
“mosquito”	蚊	カ	ka
“butterfly”	蝶	チョウ	chō
“moth”	蛾	ガ	ga
“cicada”	蝉	セミ	semi
“dragonfly”	蜻蛉	トンボ	tonbo
“ant”	蟻	アリ	ari
“spider”	蜘蛛	クモ	kumo
“ladybug”	天道虫	てんとうむし	tentōmushi
“beetle”	甲虫	かぶとむし	kabutomushi
“grasshopper”	飛蝗	バッタ	batta
“mantis”	蟷螂	カマキリ	kamakiri

てんとう虫 (tentōmushi) – “ladybug”

6. Birds 

Thanks to the wealth of nature in Japan, the country is home to a diverse range of birds. There are 658 species of birds here, 22 of which are foreign.

Despite the rich variety of birds in Japan, the ones we see most often are pigeons, crows, sparrows, and swallows. In Japan, swallows are said to be “summer birds.” This is because seeing them is a sign that summer is coming, as swallows spend winter in the warmer southern areas (such as Taiwan, the Philippines, and Malaysia) before flying back to Japan in spring to raise their chicks.

There are also Japanese superstitions related to birds. For example, it’s believed that sparrows bring good luck and that crows bring bad luck. 

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
“bird”	鳥	とり	tori
“small (baby) bird”	小鳥	ことり	kotori
“pigeon”	鳩	はと	hato
“crow”	烏	からす	karasu
“sparrow”	雀	すずめ	suzume
“swallow”	燕	つばめ	tsubame
“seagull”	ー	かもめ	kamome
“eagle”	鷲	わし	washi
“crane”	鶴	つる	tsuru
“owl”	梟	ふくろう	fukurō

The フクロウ (fukurō), or “owl,” is considered an animal of good omen.

7. Reptiles

In Japanese, reptiles are called 爬虫類 はちゅうるい (hachūrui). 

There are 142 reptile species in Japan (19 species of newt, 39 species of frog, 10 species of turtle, 32 species of lizard, and 42 species of snake). Some reptiles, such as turtles and snakes, are popular as pets in Japan. 

Reptiles are normally expressed in Katakana, even though most of them have Kanji. 

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
“turtle”	亀	カメ	kame
“crocodile” / “alligator”	鰐	ワニ	wani
“snake”	蛇	ヘビ	hebi
“frog”	蛙	カエル	kaeru
“lizard”	蜥蜴	トカゲ	tokage
“chameleon”	ー	カメレオン	kamereon

ワニ (wani) – “crocodile” / “alligator”

8. Animal Body Parts  

Now that you’ve learned the names of several different animals in Japanese, you should take some time to study the words for animal body parts. Keep in mind that many of the basic body parts listed below are the same for humans and animals. You can learn even more useful words, along with their pronunciation, on our vocabulary list Body Parts in Japanese! 

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
“horn”	角	つの	tsuno
“beak”	口ばし	くちばし	kuchibashi
“wing” (birds)	翼	つばさ	tsubasa
“wing” (insects) / “feather”	羽	はね	hane
“tusk”	牙	きば	kiba
“mane”	立て髪	たてがみ	tategami
“fur”	毛皮	けがわ	kegawa
“claw”	鉤爪	かぎつめ	kagitsume
“tail”	尾　/ 尻尾	お / しっぽ	o / shippo
“hoof”	蹄	ひづめ	hizume
“fin”	鰭	ひれ	hire
“gill”	鰓	えら	era
“scale”	鱗	うろこ	uroko

角 つの (tsuno) – “horn”

9. Animal Sounds

The Japanese language has a wide range of onomatopoeia, and animal sounds are one of the most common 擬声語 (gisei-go), or “animate phonomimes” we use. 

Here are the sounds animals make in Japanese:

Animal	Katakana	Reading
dog	ワンワン	wanwan
cat	ニャーニャー	nyānyā
mouse	チューチュー	chūchū
pig	ブーブー	būbū
sheep	メーメー	mēmē
cow	モーモー	mōmō
horse	ヒヒーン	hihīn
small bird	チュンチュン	chunchun
crow	カーカー	kākā
chicken	コケコッコー	kokekokkō
pigeon	ポッポー	poppō
owl	ホーホー	hōhō
lion	ガオー	gaō
elephant	パオーン	paōn
cicada	ミーンミーン	mīnmīn

Lions say ガオー (Gaō) in Japanese.

10. Animal-Related Proverbs

There are many Japanese proverbs and sayings that mention animals. Here are some of the most common ones: 

•  猿も木から落ちる。  
  Saru mo ki kara ochiru.
  “Even monkeys fall off trees.”
  
  Meaning: Even Homer sometimes nods. / Even someone who is the best at what they do can make mistakes.
  
  Example:
  
  気にすることないよ。猿も木から落ちると言うし、誰でも失敗することがあるよ。
  Ki ni suru koto nai yo. Saru mo ki kara ochiru to iu shi, dare de mo shippai suru koto ga aru yo.
  “Don’t worry. It says ‘Even monkeys fall off trees,’ and anyone can make mistakes.”

• 飼い犬に手を噛まれる
  Kaiinu ni te o kamareru
  “To have one’s hand bitten by one’s own dog”
  
  Meaning: To be betrayed by one’s trusted follower
  
  Example: 
  
  ずっと面倒をみていた部下に裏切られて、飼い犬に手を噛まれた気分だ！
  Zutto mendō o mite ita buka ni uragirarete, kaiinu ni te o kamareta kibun da!
  “I feel like I got my hand bitten by my dog, as my subordinate, whom I have been taking care of, betrayed me!”

• 猫の手も借りたい  
  Neko no te mo karitai
  “Wanting even the help of a cat”
  
  Meaning: Being extremely busy, so that you need every little bit of help you can get
  
  Example:
  
  昨日は猫の手も借りたいほど、とても忙しかったです。
  Kinō wa neko no te mo karitai hodo, totemo isogashikatta desu.
  “Yesterday was so busy that I even wanted to get help from a cat.”

• 捕らぬ狸の皮算用  
  Toranu tanuki no kawazanyō
  “Counting fur of raccoon dogs which you haven’t caught yet”
  
  Meaning: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. / Do not count on something that has not yet happened. / Do not expect all your hopes to come true.
  
  Example:
  
  昇給とボーナスを期待して家を買うのは、捕らぬ狸の皮算用だよ。
  Shōkyū to bōnasu o kitai shite ie o kau no wa, toranu tanuki no kawazanyō da yo.
  “Buying a house because you expect a pay-raise and a bonus is like counting the fur of raccoon dogs which you haven’t caught yet.”

To learn more Japanese proverbs, please visit our blog post Japanese Proverbs – Gain Japanese Wisdom and Insight.

捕らぬ狸の皮算用
Toranu tanuki no kawazanyō 
“counting fur of raccoon dogs which you haven’t caught yet” = “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”

11. Conclusion

In this article, we introduced Japanese animal words for a number of categories: 

• Pets
• Farm animals
• Wild animals
• Sea animals
• Birds
• Insects
• Reptiles

In addition, we covered the most important animal body parts, Japanese animal sounds, and proverbs related to animals. If you happen to know of any other animal words, sounds, or idioms we didn’t include, please share them in the comments! 

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