I knew essentially nothing about Japan when I made the decision to study in Tokyo for my Fall semester. Fortunately, in the 2 months I’ve been here, my lack of preparation hasn’t stopped me from enjoying all that Japan has to offer. Of course, Tokyo is a good place to be for the ill-prepared, English speaking 外人. I’ve been getting around fairly well, but lately I’ve felt that maybe I would get more out of my experience if I knew at least basic Japanese. Plus, I have to leave Tokyo every once in awhile, or else I’d miss out on things like this: My biggest problem with learning Japanese was always my perceived lack of progress. It just never felt like I was learning anything applicable to everyday life, and even when I... Show more

どのくらい (dono kurai):how long, how many, how much Here is how to ask how long someone has been studying Japanese: どのくらい日本語を勉強していますか。How long have you been studying Japanese? Here are some ways to answer this question. 一か月間です。 For 1 month. 二年間です。For 2 years. 半年間です。For half a year. How long have you been studying Japanese? Click here and leave your answer! P.S. Get Your Daily Dose of Japanese with 1-Minute Mini-Lessons The Daily Dose of Japanese is a Calendar that gives you new, 1-minute lessons every day. Why? Because learning a little every day is easy, strengthens your habits and motivation and you improve your Japanese over time. Lessons range from culture and holidays to grammar, slang, phrases and more. Find it in... Show more

何歳ですか。 (Nan-sai desu ka?): How old are you? Here are some ways to answer this question: 18歳です。 - I'm 18 years old. 25歳です。 - I'm 25 years old. 60歳です。 - I'm 60 years old. How old are you? Click here and leave your answer! P.S. Get Your Daily Dose of Japanese with 1-Minute Mini-Lessons The Daily Dose of Japanese is a Calendar that gives you new, 1-minute lessons every day. Why? Because learning a little every day is easy, strengthens your habits and motivation and you improve your Japanese over time. Lessons range from culture and holidays to grammar, slang, phrases and more. Find it in the Japanese Resources menu or in the Quick Links menu on your Dashboard. Click here to check out the Daily Dose of Japanese Calendar.

Which do you like? どちらが好きですか？ (Dochira ga sukidesu ka?) We're having another Choose One Quiz. Which do you like, 親子丼(oyakodon) or 牛丼(gyūdon)? Choose one and let us know! 親子丼(oyakodon) vs 牛丼(gyūdon) A. 親子丼(oyakodon) Oyakodon Is a combination of chicken, egg, green onion and various other ingredients that is put over rice to create a rice bowl. The litereal translation of this dishes name is parent-and-child-donburi. B. 牛丼(gyūdon) Gyūdon is a Japanese rice bowl that uses cooked beef and onions on top of rice. The dish may also include noodles, and commonly has a raw egg poured on top of it. P.S. Do you want to learn more about Japanese food? Click here to listen to related a lesson on JapanesePod101: Culture Class:... Show more

宝くじ (takarakuji): lottery Here are some ideas from our users: I would start a new life in Korea and visit Japan often !! Spend a month in Japan, every other month! I'd like to travel around the world! What would you do if you won the lottery? Click here to share your word P.S. Get Your Daily Dose of Japanese with 1-Minute Mini-Lessons The Daily Dose of Japanese is a Calendar that gives you new, 1-minute lessons every day. Why? Because learning a little every day is easy, strengthens your habits and motivation and you improve your Japanese over time. Lessons range from culture and holidays to grammar, slang, phrases and more. Find it in the Japanese Resources menu or in the Quick Links menu on your Dashboard. ... Show more

どうですか？ (Dō desu ka.): How is it? Here is how to ask someone how his or her food tastes: どうですか。How is it? (for food) Here are some ways to answer the question: とてもおいしいです。- It's so good. (for food) 辛いです。- It's spicy. すっぱいです。 - It's sour. How's the food you're eating? Click here and leave your answer! P.S. Get Your Daily Dose of Japanese with 1-Minute Mini-Lessons The Daily Dose of Japanese is a Calendar that gives you new, 1-minute lessons every day. Why? Because learning a little every day is easy, strengthens your habits and motivation and you improve your Japanese over time. Lessons range from culture and holidays to grammar, slang, phrases and more. Find it in the Japanese Resources menu or in the Quick Links... Show more

Here are some bugs picked by Risa: 蜂 - bee 蚊 - mosquito 蝉 - cicada Learn more words about bugs! Click here and learn more with Risa! P.S. Get Your Daily Dose of Japanese with 1-Minute Mini-Lessons The Daily Dose of Japanese is a Calendar that gives you new, 1-minute lessons every day. Why? Because learning a little every day is easy, strengthens your habits and motivation and you improve your Japanese over time. Lessons range from culture and holidays to grammar, slang, phrases and more. Find it in the Japanese Resources menu or in the Quick Links menu on your Dashboard. Click here to check out the Daily Dose of Japanese Calendar.

写真をとってくれますか。(Shashin o totte kuremasu ka?): Can you take my picture? If you go sightseeing in Japan, don't forget your camera at home! Japan is full of beautiful scenery, and there are times when you and your family and friends will want to take a picture together. Therefore, the phrase, “Can you take my picture?” in Japanese will be very useful! すみません。写真をとってくれますか。(Sumimasen. Shashin o totte kuremasu ka?): Excuse me. Can you take my/our picture? P.S. Get Your Daily Dose of Japanese with 1-Minute Mini-Lessons The Daily Dose of Japanese is a Calendar that gives you new, 1-minute lessons every day. Why? Because learning a little every day is easy, strengthens your habits and motivation and you improve your Japanese over time.... Show more

Hello Listener! Are you having trouble finding a reliable study guide to go along with your JapanesePod101 lessons? You can never have enough language learning material. Whether you're learning Japanese for work or even just for fun, it's always a good idea to study with high-quality resources. Though we offer hundreds of in-depth Japanese lessons here at JapanesePod101.com, we realize that the web is a very big place with lots of great options for studying foreign languages. This blog series will focus on the websites and products that we've deemed trustworthy and beneficial for the Japanese language learner! After all, different paths can lead to the same destination, right? First up, we have jlptbootcamp.com. If you're studying... Show more

好き(suki): to like Here is how to ask someone if he or she likes Japanese food: 日本食が好きですか. Here are some ways to answer this question: はい、特に寿司が好きです。 (Yes, I especially like Sushi.) はい、特にたこ焼きが好きです。(Yes, I especially like Takoyaki.) はい、特にしゃぶしゃぶが好きです。(Yes, I especially like Shabushabu.) Do you like Japanese food? Click here and leave your answer! P.S. Get Your Daily Dose of Japanese with 1-Minute Mini-Lessons The Daily Dose of Japanese is a Calendar that gives you new, 1-minute lessons every day. Why? Because learning a little every day is easy, strengthens your habits and motivation and you improve your Japanese over time. Lessons range from culture and holidays to grammar, slang, phrases and more. Find it in the... Show more