Start Learning Japanese– category –
New to Japanese? Start here. Beginner guides covering the learning path, kana, numbers, basic phrases, and core grammar. See /how-to-start-learning-japanese/ for a curated starting point.
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157 Ways to Explain Personalities: Part1
How do I describe someone's personality in Japanese? I know 優しい (kind) but I want to say more! Japanese has a huge personality vocabulary! In Part 1, we'll cover the most essential and common personality adjectives. These are the ones... -
20 Examples: How to Use ___のおかげ Like Japanese
I want to tell someone 'Thanks to you, I passed my exam!' Which pattern should I use? That's a perfect situation for のおかげ! It's the positive counterpart to のせい — you use it when something good happened because of someone or someth... -
20 Examples: How to Use ___のせい Like Japanese-ish
I wanted to say 'It's because of the rain that I was late' but I wasn't sure whether to use のせい or のおかげ. Great question! のせい is for negative reasons — blame and bad outcomes. のおかげ is for positive reasons — credit and good o... -
Did you know “The joke bombed” is used as すべる?
My Japanese friend said my joke すべった！I know すべる means 'to slip' — but I didn't slip anywhere! Ha! In Japanese, すべる also means a joke failed to land — like it slipped away without getting any laughs. Let me explain both meaning... -
How to say “It is not fair” in Japanese
My Japanese friend said ずるい！when I got dessert and she didn't. I looked it up but I'm not totally sure what it means. ずるい is one of those words you'll hear constantly in Japan! It means unfair, sneaky, or that someone is playing d... -
12 Examples: How to describe “住む” in Japanese
My exchange student asked me to explain 住む. I struggled to explain all the different ways to use it! 住む is actually very versatile! Let me walk you through all the key patterns so you can explain it clearly. The verb 住む（すむ） mea... -
The Nuance of すっかり: How to Use It In A Sentence
My Japanese textbook says すっかり means 'completely,' but I'm not sure when to use it versus 全然 or 完全に. Great question! すっかり has a very specific nuance — it implies a complete change from a previous state. Let me show you! すっ... -
22 Samples: How To Recommend Something to Someone
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... -
18 Examples of すごい (Awesome) You Can Easily Use
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 ... -
30 Ways To Express “Too Much” Sounds Japanese
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...
