JapanesePod101.com Blog

Many people wonder how to start a conversation and what to talk about when meeting new people. Good communication skills are often expected and welcomed in society; indeed, it’s a useful and necessary skill to keep a fun conversation going and familiarize yourself with new people or the environment.  Starting a conversation in Japanese, however, is a bit tricky. There are various patterns of speech in Japanese that express different levels of formality, politeness, intimacy, and friendliness. Even for honorific speech in Japanese, 敬語 Keigo, have different levels of politeness, ranging from casually polite to extremely respectful. Using the right choice of speech and how you talk is the key to starting a good conversation in Japanese,... Show more

When meeting someone exotic, most of us are interested in where he/she is from and try to start a conversation related to their  home country. Likewise, when we’re in a foreign country, we often  introduce ourselves by including what country we’re from. Here is the best guide on how to talk about countries and nationalities in Japanese! As an island nation with a monocultural background, Japanese people are especially conscious and interested in the differences between countries and cultures. Talking about your own country and nationality is a good icebreaker when meeting new people in Japan. Some country names and their major cities are different in Japanese than in English, so it’s useful to know how to say them. In this article,... Show more

If you're baffled by the title of this article or considering the possibility that we might have fallen victim to a typo, let's start by saying neither of those ideas is accurate. While there is just one language known as Japanese, the Japanese language comprises various dialects and three very different writing systems. In this article, we'll explore the Japanese languages and their intriguing history to explain why Japanese is as much of an art as a unique language! Table of Contents History of Japanese Exploring the Different Dialects of Japanese Four Fascinating Japanese Language Facts Wrapping Up 1. History of Japanese A- Old Japanese Did you know that Japanese history dates back some 2,000 years? Although... Show more

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... Show more

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... Show more

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... Show more

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... Show more

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... Show more

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... Show more

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... Show more