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Learn the difference between sappari and sukkiri in Japanese. Sappari means physically refreshed or frank. Sukkiri means mentally clear or resolved. Both are common but work in different situations.

My friend asked me how to recommend a restaurant. I wasn't sure how to say it in Japanese! There are a few great patterns for recommending things. Let's go through them together! Whether you want to suggest a great restaurant, a book, or...

If there is one Japanese word you will hear every single day — in cafes, on trains, from your host family, in anime — it is すごい (sugoi). This little word packs in "amazing," "incredible," "awesome," "wow," and more, all at once. Here ...

You hear すぐ and もうすぐ dozens of times in a normal Japanese conversation. Both relate to "soon" or "in a moment," but they do not mean quite the same thing — and mixing them up can create subtle misunderstandings about timing. Here i...

"At least" sounds like one simple concept — but in Japanese, two different words carry it in two very different emotional directions. 少なくとも (sukunakutomo) is the objective, factual minimum. せめて (semete) is the emotional appeal. M...

There is one Japanese grammar pattern that learners pick up fast and then use everywhere — because it is just so satisfying: ～過ぎる (-sugiru). Whether you ate too much, studied too hard, or find someone incredibly cute, ～すぎる lets y...

One of the fastest ways to connect with Japanese people is to talk about what you love. Whether it is music, food, travel, or a person, Japanese gives you a whole spectrum of words for "like" and "favourite" — from the everyday 好り (oki...

You are sitting in a cafe in Tokyo and your friend says something you don't understand. Your instinct is to say "just Google it!" — but how do you say that in Japanese? The answer is one slick little verb: ググる (guguru). It's one of th...

Whether you are at a restaurant asking for a little less salt, or on the phone asking a client to wait just a moment, Japanese has exactly the right word for "a little" — if you know which one to reach for. 少 (shōshō) look and sound sim...

We all have those moments — the presentation slides go blank, your train is cancelled, or you get an unexpected test result. In Japanese, there are two go-to words for those panicked, shocked moments: テンパる (tenparu) and ショック (sho...