Francesca Rex-Horoi 
Ever wondered how to crack a joke in Japanese? The majority of Japanese jokes are based on wordplay (kotoba asobi / 言葉遊び) and puns (dajare / 駄洒落) and if you’re able to say one smoothly, you’re sure to impress even the most stoic of your friends! Why are wordplay jokes so popular in Japanese? They … Read more
Warning: This post contains language not appropriate for young readers. Curious about curse words in Japanese? We swear we won’t tell! (no pun intended…) It’s easy to get the impression when first learning Japanese that everything is ultra-polite and it’s impossible to sound offensive. But just like any other language, Japanese comes with its fair … Read more
You don’t learn slang words from your average teacher – and it’s likely you won’t hear Japanese slang outside of Japan! (Unless you have Japanese friends of course!) In my humble opinion, Japanese has way cooler slang than English because it has an expressive ring to it which makes you sound more fluent. Being able … Read more
Have you ever wondered how English internet slang words like ‘lol’ and ‘lmao’ translate into Japanese? Look no further, we have the answers right here. Since the dawn of the internet, the way we communicate has changed, whether you speak English or Japanese! Words like ‘lol’ became a natural part of internet slang because we … Read more
There are similar punctuation marks in Japanese and English like the question mark and the exclamation mark but there are other punctuation marks you’ve probably never seen or used before! Punctuation helps us express ourselves and show emotion in our writing but did you know that it wasn’t a part of the Japanese language until … Read more
When learning to read kanji, you will come across the concepts of kunyomi and onyomi, which are basically the two ways to read a kanji character! Kunyomi and onyomi are often called the Japanese reading and Chinese reading respectively. But why are there two different ways to read kanji you might ask? And what does … Read more
Asking someone for a service or favour is never complete without saying ‘please’ and in Japanese, ‘please’ is usually translated as either onegaishimasu or kudasai. But what’s the difference between these two words and are there more? Yes, there are many words for ‘please’ in Japanese and as always, context is king! Saying ‘please’ in … Read more