Want to get better at Japanese? Reading is one of the best ways to improve your language skills. It’s especially important to read a lot when you’re learning a language with a different writing system, like Japanese. Hiragana, katakana and kanji can be overwhelming at first. But with enough reading practice, reading these characters will … Read more
In our previous post, we covered the basic colours in Japanese. Even though we pretty much discussed each colour of the rainbow, it is barely a drop in the bucket when it comes to the expansive world of colour! For example, we learned that the word ‘red’ is aka in Japanese. However, red can range … Read more
What better to brighten up your language learning journey than colour! When acquiring a new language, learning basic colours is something that will help your speaking and listening skills come on in leaps and bounds. Our everyday lives are just filled with colour, so it’s definitely worth adding to our vocabulary! ‘Colour’ in Japanese is … Read more
So, you know how to count in Japanese? Congratulations! But unfortunately, that doesn’t necessarily mean you know how to count things in Japanese… The Japanese language has a concept called counters. These are words that you use for counting specific objects. There are counters for all kinds of categories of things you might want to … Read more
Cherry blossoms, or sakura (桜 / さくら), are more than just pretty flowers in Japan – they are a symbol of new beginnings and beauty. Every spring, these delicate pink blossoms cover the country, inviting people to enjoy hanami (花見 / はなみ), which means ‘flower viewing’. In Japan, cherry blossoms remind us of the start of spring and how … Read more
Cherry blossom season in Japan is a magical time when the whole country seems to be painted in pink and white. But it’s not just about the flowers. It’s a time to celebrate, connect, and embrace a centuries-old tradition: hanami, or enjoying the blossoms. During this season, parks and gardens come alive with families and … Read more
When you start learning a new language, there are a few fundamental first steps that you need to take. This includes learning the language’s alphabet or scripts, and our topic of interest in this post — the numbers! Your scope of learning and communication opens up hugely once you learn numbers in Japanese. Master the … Read more
In our previous post, we discussed the various words for ‘grandmother’ in Japanese. Accordingly, it is only right that we teach you how to say ‘grandfather’ in Japanese! We will also learn the term for the collective of the two, ‘grandparents’. Ojiisan お爺さん Grandfather The standard word for ‘grandfather’ in Japanese is ojiisan (お爺さん / … Read more
‘Grandmother’ is one of those terms that is notorious for differing from family to family. You have granny, gran, nana, nonna, mimi, grammy… the list goes on. Luckily, in Japanese, there are only a couple of words that are used to say ‘grandmother’. Just learn these few terms and you will be up to speed! … Read more