Let’s learn some common Japanese phrases in this lesson! Before I introduce those phrases, let me talk about speech styles. We Japanese differentiate speech styles depending on who we are talking to. We have Formal speech and Informal speech. Native Japanese people, when they are little, first learn the Informal speech because this is […]
Japanese Romaji – Sensē, Sensei or Sensee?
Japanese Romaji is a writing system to spell Japanese syllables in Roman (Latin) characters. Do people in Japan use Romaji? The answer is Yes and No. Romaji system was invented for non-Japanese people who cannot read Japanese characters (Hiragana, Katakana, & Kanji). In Japan, you may see things spelled in Romaji at airports, train stations or […]
Katakana shi シ & tsu ツ – How to Remember Easily
Do you get confused between Japanese Katakana シ(shi) and ツ(tsu)? They look pretty much the same, don’t they? In this lesson, I share tips to differentiate between the two letters. Also, let’s learn how to write シ(shi) and ツ(tsu) correctly! Katakana shi シ & tsu ツ are Similar First, let’s learn how to write Katakana shi […]
“Where” in Japanese – Doko DE or Doko NI?
Let’s learn how to say WHERE in Japanese and how to use it with a verb in your question. “Where?” in Japanese is どこ DOKO, so to simply ask where is it? you can just add ですか desu ka after DOKO. For example, to ask “Where is the restroom?” we phrase it “As for the […]
“When” in Japanese – Is it correct to say いつに Itsu NI?
Let’s learn how to ask when in Japanese. The question word “When?” is いつ Itsu. To ask when is it? you can simply add ですか desu ka after いつ Itsu and ask as below. For example, let’s say you want to ask your boss “When is the next meeting?” We phrase the question like this […]
How to Translate English to Japanese
In this article, I will explain how to translate English to Japanese. Translating English sentences into Japanese is not overwhelmingly challenging as long as you understand these TWO key points. Figure out how many units in the English sentence you need to convert into Japanese. Know what Particle you need to mark each unit. Here […]