I had an opportunity to go back to Japan this summer. I spent time with my family and old friends, enjoyed good Japanese foods, and was even lucky enough to take a professional photo wearing a Kimono! (See the profile pic on the right? ;-)) However, I have one great regret about this trip back […]
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Japanese Chopsticks Etiquette – 12 Things Not to Do
Do you know chopsticks etiquette? Although forks and spoons are widely used in Japan, chopsticks (箸 “hashi” in Japanese) are still the major utensil in the country. Therefore, knowing the proper etiquette is vital. Japanese children start attempting to use chopsticks between 3 to 5 years old. As they grow up, they gradually learn how […]
How Do You Say I love You in Japanese? – Is There Only One Way?
Sensei, how do you say I love you in Japanese? This is one of the common questions that I receive from my students almost every semester. I usually answer that there is not only one way. There are several ways to say “I love you” in Japanese and it would differ depending on the context […]
How to Write Japanese Letters – Basic Rules
In Japanese, we have three writing systems: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji (Chinese characters). Today’s topic is how to write Japanese letters appropriately. This is going to apply to all of the three groups of letters in Japanese. By the way, in case you are wondering why the heck we have three different sets of letters and how […]
Understanding Japanese Writing – Why Three Sets of Characters?
In Japanese, we use three writing systems: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji (Chinese characters). Understanding Japanese writing systems and how they work are crucial in mastering the language. You must be aware of how each set of characters functions especially if your goal is to learn to write in Japanese. In this article, I am going to cover […]