Common Mistakes– category –
Common mistakes English speakers make in Japanese. Particle confusion, false cognates, politeness errors explained with fixes. Related: 25 Common Japanese Learning Mistakes.
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Common Japanese Mistake: いる (iru) vs ある (aru) — Animate vs Inanimate
【Two "To Be/Have/Exist" Verbs】 Japanese uses two verbs where English uses "there is/are" or "to have": いる for animate things (people and animals) and ある for inanimate things (objects, events, abstract things). Mixing these up is a ... -
Common Japanese Mistake: わかる (wakaru) vs しる (shiru) — Understanding vs Knowing
【Two Words That Both Translate as "Know"】 English "know" covers two different concepts that Japanese splits into two verbs: わかる (wakaru) and しる (shiru). Using the wrong one is a very common intermediate mistake that native speaker... -
Common Japanese Mistake: すき (suki) vs だいすき (daisuki) — Degree of Liking
【The Intensity Problem】 English speakers often use すき (suki) and だいすき (daisuki) interchangeably, or overuse だいすき thinking it sounds more enthusiastic. In Japanese, getting the degree of liking right matters — both for accurat... -
Common Japanese Mistake: Causative and Passive Form Confusion
【Why Causative and Passive Are Confusing】 The causative (〜させる) and passive (〜られる) are two advanced verb forms that get mixed up by learners because: (1) they both add endings to the verb stem, (2) passive and potential look ide... -
Common Japanese Mistake: Potential Form Errors (できる vs 〜られる vs 〜える)
【Three Ways to Say "Can" in Japanese】 English uses just one word for ability: "can." Japanese has three main systems, and choosing wrong — or forming them incorrectly — is a very common intermediate-level mistake. 【System 1: できる (F... -
Common Japanese Mistake: Negative Form Errors (ない vs ません)
【Two Negative Systems — When to Use Each】 Japanese has two main negative systems: the polite negative (〜ません) and the plain negative (〜ない). Mixing them up — or forming them incorrectly — is one of the most common beginner mistake... -
Common Japanese Mistake: Past Tense Confusion in Japanese
【Japanese Past Tense Is Simpler Than English — With Some Traps】 Japanese past tense is formed regularly — change ます to ました, plain form gets た — without the irregular patterns English has (go→went, eat→ate). However, learners stil... -
Common Japanese Mistake: Te-Form Errors and How to Fix Them
【Why Te-Form Causes So Many Mistakes】 The te-form (て形) is one of the most important forms in Japanese — it connects actions, makes requests, expresses ongoing states, and appears in dozens of grammar patterns. Because it's so versati... -
Common Japanese Mistake: Dropping の (no) Particle Incorrectly
【の Is More Than Just Possession】 English speakers often learn の as "the possessive particle" — like 's in English. While that's true (わたしのほん = my book), の has several other important functions that learners frequently misuse o... -
Common Japanese Mistake: Confusing に (ni) and で (de) for Location
【Two Particles, Two Different Uses of "Location"】 Both に and で can mean "at" or "in" a place, which causes endless confusion. The fix is simple once you understand the underlying logic: に marks where something exists or where you go...
