Thea Ongchua 
Did you know that your pet cat won’t go ‘meow’ in Japanese? Instead, a cat’s meow would be nyaa-nyaa (ニャーニャー)! In Japanese, animal sounds are replicated through onomatopoeia. Each sound differs from the biggest and baddest, to the smallest and fluffiest animals. Some don’t even have an English equivalent, making them very unique to Japan. … Read more
There’s no doubt that the word ‘Japan’ conjures up the image of cherry blossoms or sakura! Each spring, people flock to hanami or cherry blossom viewing spots to witness the blooming curtains of pink and white, making this the most popular flower in Japan! But did you know that although the cherry blossoms are iconic, … Read more
Besides being known for technology and sprawling urban spaces, Japan is also very famous for its lush nature spots! Surely, you’ve seen photos of snow-capped Mount Fuji, huge Lake Biwa, or bamboo forests (or been there in the flesh!). Here are 70 Japanese words for nature to color your vocabulary green (or any color depending … Read more
There are a variety of ways to say ‘okay’ in Japanese. Even in the English language, ‘ok’ can mean different things. For example, one way to say ok as in ‘I understand’ in Japanese is wakarimashita (分かりました). Alternatively, ok meaning ‘it’s alright’ can be daijoubu (大丈夫). Here, you’ll learn the many types of ‘okay’ in … Read more
Ah-choo! Hang on… am I being gossiped about? Is it true that if you sneeze, someone else is talking about you? We’ll never know. That’s only one of the many Japanese superstitions that you might encounter during your stay or in popular culture. There’s a ton of famous superstitions, but a few unknown ones can … Read more
The word for ‘everybody’ in Japanese is minna (みんな). When calling others’ attention, addressing a group or talking about ‘everybody’, the proper word is mina-san (皆さん / みなさん). You can also use minna for inanimate objects when saying ‘everything’ or ‘all’. One of the most common beginner mistakes in learning Japanese is confusing mina and … Read more
Japanese society embraces a hierarchical system especially when it comes to school or work. You may know it as the senpai-kouhai system. Senpai (先輩 / せんぱい) means one’s superior. The opposite of senpai is kouhai (後輩 / こうはい), one’s junior, a younger person or colleague who has little experience. Today we will highlight the background … Read more
For fans of anime and manga, one of the first few Japanese words you can quickly get acquainted with is senpai (先輩 / せんぱい). You may hear this frequently in stories set in schools. A senpai is someone’s senior or superior, an older person who is looked up to in school or the workplace because … Read more