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家 vs うち vs お宅: The Difference Between House, Home, My Place, Family, Your House, and Polite Japanese
You have been studying Japanese for a few weeks and you want to invite a friend over. Easy, right? Except when you try to say "come to my house," you hit a fork in the road: is it 家に来ませんか or うちに来ませんか? And when you want to ... -
寒い vs 冷たい vs 涼しい: The Difference Between Cold Weather, Cold Objects, Cool Air, Feelings, and Natural Japanese
You step outside on a winter morning and say it's "cold." You pick up a glass of water from the fridge and it feels "cold" too. Then the summer breeze comes in and the evening air is — well, "cool." In English, one word covers a lot of g... -
値段 vs 価格 vs 料金 vs 代金: Japanese Price, Cost, Fee, Charge, Payment, and Money Words Explained
You walk into a Japanese shop and want to ask how much something costs. Easy enough — except Japanese has several different words for "price," "cost," "fee," and "payment," and they are not interchangeable. Use the wrong one and you migh... -
早い vs 速い: The Difference Between Early, Fast, Quick, Speed, Timing, and 早く in Japanese
You set your alarm to wake up hayai — early. You then sprint to the station because the train is hayai — fast. At work, your boss says your replies are hayai — prompt. And somehow, a single pronunciation covers all three of those situati... -
暑い vs 熱い vs 厚い: The Three “Atsui” Words for Hot Weather, Hot Objects, Thickness, Passion, and Deep Trust
You are sitting in a sweltering Japanese summer, holding a steaming bowl of ramen, with a thick textbook open in front of you. Now try to say "hot" in Japanese. If you answered atsui, you are technically right — but which atsui? Japanese... -
悲しい vs 寂しい: The Difference Between Sad, Lonely, Empty, and Missing Someone in Japanese
Imagine your best friend moves to another city. You wave goodbye at the station, walk home alone, and sit in a quiet apartment. How do you feel? In English, you might say you feel "sad." But in Japanese, there are two very different word... -
嬉しい vs 楽しい: The Difference Between “Happy,” “Glad,” “Fun,” and “Enjoyable” in Japanese
Picture this: you just received an unexpected gift from a friend. You feel happy — but which Japanese word do you reach for? Now picture laughing at a party with everyone around you. You're happy again — but is it the same kind of happy?... -
思う vs 考える: The Difference Between “Think,” “Feel,” “Consider,” Opinions, Decisions, and Japanese Nuance
You look at a menu at a Japanese restaurant and say, "I think the ramen looks good." Your friend is trying to decide which apartment to rent and says, "I'm thinking about it." A colleague at work says, "I think the plan needs revision." ... -
勉強する vs 学ぶ vs 習う: The Difference Between Studying, Learning, and Being Taught in Japanese
勉強する習う学ぶ練習するCore meaningStudy (effort)Learn from teacherLearn broadlyPractice (repeat)Source of learningYourselfHuman instructorAny (incl. experience)Your own repetitionRegisterEverydayEverydayFormal / elevatedEverydayWith te... -
聞く vs 聴く vs 訊く: The Three “Kiku” Verbs for Hearing, Listening, Asking, Music, Questions, and Business Japanese
聞く (きく)聴く (きく)訊く (きく)PronunciationきくきくきくCore meaningHear, listen, ask (general)Listen attentivelyAsk / inquire (written)Safe for beginners?AlwaysUse for music/lecturesSkip in speechWith music○ natural◎ pre...
