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
So, you want to learn Japanese online? Rocket Japanese is one of the biggest names out there when it comes to Japanese learning software. You can study online or on their app. It’s an interactive, audio based course with a strong emphasis on speaking out loud. I’ve worked through several lessons in order to bring … Read more
Japan is no stranger to the cute, weird, and all things in between. With the popularity of kawaii culture, Japanese mascots or yuru-kyara (ゆるキャラ) became part of the fun and quirky side of their culture! These mascots are designed to be cute, strange, or even something straight out of a nightmare. Yuru-kyara often make appearances … Read more
“If we spoke a different language, we would perceive a somewhat different world.” ‒ Ludwig Wittgenstein Do you agree with this quote? I know I do. Many languages have beautiful and unique words which cannot be translated precisely. These words often represent concepts which are so unique to that culture, there is simply no equivalent … 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
The 12 zodiac signs or juunishi (十二支) are an important element of Japanese culture, especially when a new year rolls in. It is part of the astrological system called eto (干支). The Japanese zodiac uses special kanji characters that are different from the usual characters for each animal. The Japanese zodiac is separated into 12 … Read more
Did you know that the famous saying ‘fall down seven times, stand up eight’ actually originated from Japan? Japanese quotes go way back, rooted in cultural practices and philosophy. Japanese proverbs or kotowaza (諺 / ことわざ) can be used in daily conversation or literature. There are three types of kotowaza: Though idioms are very common, … Read more
Are you new to anime? Maybe you’re reminiscing about some of your favorite childhood series? Whether you came from classics like Naruto or One Piece, or newer favorites like Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen, there are a lot of Japanese words you commonly hear in anime episodes. Some famous anime words can be used as … Read more