Japanese lessons

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

Almost everyone knows how to say ‘thank you’ in Japanese using the word arigatou but as you probably guessed, there are many other ways to express gratitude! Japan is a country with a long history of hierarchy and many layers of social etiquette which means we end up with many Japanese words for ‘thank you’, … Read more

They say time flies by when you’re having fun. One day, you’re exchanging gifts by the Christmas tree, then a few days later, everyone’s counting down to the New Year! We hope continuing your Japanese learning is part of your resolutions! 😉 Ganbatte! In fact, in this article, we will learn how to say Happy … Read more

Do you plan to spend the holidays in Japan? Maybe you have a Japanese pen pal who you want to wish an enjoyable winter holiday? Saying ‘Merry Christmas’ in Japanese is very easy: merii kurisumasu (メリークリスマス)! The English phrase has no direct translation in Japanese, because the holiday was only adapted from the West during … Read more

If you’ve watched some anime or Japanese drama, you might’ve noticed that the characters tend to apologize a lot. A few familiar words for sorry in Japanese might be gomen nasai (ごめんなさい) or sumimasen (すみません). While the words for ‘sorry’ in Japanese vary in degree, there are also physical ways to express your sincerest apologies, … Read more

Close friend, best friend, childhood friend, BFF – we describe our friendships in English using adjectives before the word ‘friend’. We can also use other words for people we know from work and school, such as colleague, acquaintance, peer, and so on. So it should come as no surprise that Japanese has more than one … Read more