JapanesePod101.com Blog

Hello Listener, How easy is it to forget new Japanese words and phrases? First you learn ‘em. Two days later, you forget ‘em. Stopping to note them down takes a lot of time. You can write every word down on 100s of flashcards or in a notebook. That’s the time-consuming part of the battle. But wait! You STILL have to review them all! So here are 5 ways to never forget new Japanese words with the Word Bank. It’s your personal, ever-growing collection of vocab. Come across a new word in a JapanesePod101 lesson? Want to master specific vocab list? Save ‘em with 1 click and review ‘em in 1 spot – the Word Bank. And it’s just been updated with new features! If you’re a Premium user, be sure to check it out! If not, take... Show more

Speaking is usually the #1 weakness for all Japanese learners. This is a common issue among language learners everywhere. The reason for this is obvious: When language learners first start learning a language, they usually start with reading. They read online articles, books, information on apps and so on. If they take a class, they spend 20% of their time repeating words, and 80% of the time reading the textbook, doing homework or just listening to a teacher. So, if you spend most of your time reading instead of speaking, you might get better at reading but your speaking skills never grow. You get better at what you focus on. So if you want to improve you speaking skills, you need to spend more of your study time on speaking. Here are... Show more

プレゼント (purezento): gift This is the Japanese word for "gift." Here are some gift ideas by our users: A plane ticket to Tokyo and 30,000 yen to spend. Latest manga books and a one week free trip to Tokyo. What gift do you want the most for the upcoming holiday season? Click here to share your gift! 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

理想 (risō): ideal Here are some answers from our users: 日本人ように親切な人。(Someone kind, understanding and generous just like the Japanese people.....) 合うことができる人。(Someone easy to get along with.) So what's your ideal type of person? 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... Show more

理解することはまあまあできるけど、話すのは難しい！ Understanding is alright, but speaking is hard! Hi, my name is Noemi and this is what I have been saying for over a year whenever someone asks me about my level in Japanese. I have tons of learning books, and I think they are all good but just too heavy to carry. My Japanese friends are helping me, but it is impossible to remember everything they are teaching me, especially in a more casual context. I also took Japanese classes for 2 years, and those are generally a great option, but not so much for my wallet. In other words: I was stuck at my let’s say lower intermediate level and this needs to change. I am in Japan now, so it’s time to learn. Basically, what I need is something light and... Show more

仕事 (shigoto): job, work When you want to know what the other person's job is, you can simply use this phrase. 仕事 job は topic marking particle 何ですか。 what is.. Here are some ways to answer the question. 教師です。(I'm a teacher.) 会社員です。(I'm a company employee.) 弁護士です。(I'm a lawyer.) So what do you do? 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

Hello Listener, You’ll want to know about these 3 new Japanese learning tools and features. They’re great for reviewing, motivation and progress and learning consistently with easy 1-minute lessons. One is an unofficial sneak peek. So what are they? The brand new Achievement Badges, the Daily Dose of Japanese and the Word Bank! And... if you want to master Japanese, unlock our proven learning system at 26% OFF and get a Bonus 6.5-hour Audiobook! In this month’s newsletter: 72 Hours Left! Click here to get 26% OFF + FREE 6.5-Hour Audiobook New Feature! Achievement Badges Now Available for Premium PLUS Sneak Peek: Save & Review Vocab with this Study Tool New! Easy 1-Minute Lessons with the Daily Dose of Japanese ... Show more

There are plenty of destinations where you can get by with English, but sometimes you want to do better than just ‘get by’. Here are 6 reasons you should learn the basics of the language of your next trip destination. 1. You will be able to discover your destination better than other tourists. Getting by is one thing, but actually experiencing a trip abroad is quite another. No amount of guidebooks and online research can compensate for a basic lack of language ability. Speaking the language of your destination permits you to explore that destination beyond the regular tourist traps. Your language skills will not only allow you to dig into all the hidden gems of your destination, but they will also allow you to mingle with the... Show more

Hello Listener, Did you start this year out with a resolution to learn Japanese? Haven’t found time to make it happen yet? Well, with students everywhere going back to school this month... Now’s a perfect time to renew your dream of truly learning Japanese. Even if you’re a complete beginner. Even if you’re out of school... You can and will learn Japanese with 370+ hours of lessons from real teachers. The Too Cool for School Sale at JapanesePod101 starts today: Click here to get 26% OFF & a free Audiobook! Start speaking Japanese from your very first lesson and get our entire Japanese learning system at 26% OFF! That’s just $2.96/month with Basic or $7.40/month with Premium and up to $62.40 in savings. So if you... Show more

皆さん、おはこんばんちは！(mina san, o ha kon ban chi wa!) This is one of my favorite words and it’s from Dr. Slump (a manga series), and it’s actually おはよう (ohayou, “good morning”), こんばんは(konbanwa, “good evening”), and こんにちは (kon ni chi wa, “good afternoon/hello”) all mixed together to make one word. Japanese people love shortening words. I’m pretty sure there are a few that you already know like アニメ(anime), which is a truncated version of アニメーション (a nimēshon, “animation”) and ポケモン (pokemon), which is a contracted version of ポケット・モンスター (poketto monsutā) but there’s more of them than you can even imagine!... Show more