In this podcast, we’ll dive into the process of opening a bank account in Japan, providing you with essential vocabulary and practical phrases that will help you confidently handle your finances. Not only will you learn how to navigate the specific steps of opening an account, but we’ll also cover useful language for managing money in various situations—whether you’re making a deposit, withdrawing cash, transferring funds, or even discussing your account with bank staff. These are practical skills that go beyond the basics covered in many textbooks, ensuring you’re better equipped to manage your money in Japan.

We’ll also explore the cultural context surrounding Japanese banks, shedding light on unique practices and expectations so you can better understand how the system works and avoid potential confusion. By the end of the episode, you’ll be prepared with both the language skills and cultural insights to handle a wide range of financial interactions with ease.

To get access to extra premium content including podcasts, audio drills and pdf show notes, visit out Patreon page here.

The Japanese-only audio drills for podcast 58 have moved to our new Patreon page. Please click the link below for access:

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Podcast 54 Audio dialogue drills

In the latest Fun Friday podcast Tomo Akiyama is back by popular demand. We mostly talked about various aspects of Japanese culture including the question “Why do Japanese people wear masks?”. This discussion came up through the questions people most commonly ask about Japan on Google. Therefore we took a stab at answering this popular query.

We also talked about how Katakana is used in Japanese and the rules for writing foreign words in this script. We also answered listener questions including how to improver your Japanese listening skills.

The guest on this week’s show is Tomo Akiyama, a corporate communications specialist and linguist. He is a gourmet, advocate of Japan and expert in destroying cultural stereotypes and myths. He’s an absolutely fascinating individual full of mind-blowing facts about the Japanese language and the culture of Japan.

You can follow him on Twitter here @tomoakiyama

In this episode, Ami and I talk about our favorite Japanese TV shows. Watching Japanese TV shows regardless of you Japanese level is great way to improve your understanding of Japanese culture. It also gives you a common frame of reference to have more interesting conversations with Japanese people. Although Japanese TV is not so accessible outside of Japan, you can usually find extended clips on Youtube. You can also find some Japanese TV shows that have English subtitles.

Here is a list of some of the shows we talked about in the podcast:

1. 水戸黄門 Mito Kōmon

This is a samurai drama set in the Edo period featuring the hero Tokugawa Mitsukuni who roams Japan fighting injustice.

2. 空耳アワーSora Mimi Awa

Sora mimi awa is part of the Tamori Club TV show where listeners submit foreign songs that have sections that sound Japanese.

3. Smap x Smap

Smap X Smap is the long running variety show featuring the boy band Smap. One of the most popular sections of the show was Smap Bistro where the members would compete to cook the most delicious dishes for famous visiting celebrities.

4. ダウンタウンのガキの使いやあらへんで Dauntaun no gaki no tsukai ya arahende

“Dauntaun no gaki no tsukai ya arahende” A.K.A “Gaki Tsuka” is hosted by one of Japan’s most famous comedy duo “Downtown” who are  Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masatoshi Hamada.

5. 紅白歌合戦 Kōhaku Uta Gassen

This is the famous singing contest held by NHK as Japan celebrates the new year. This show is perhaps one of the most watched programs on Japanese TV and features famous singers from across Japan.

6. ナイトスクープ Naito Sukuupu (Knight Scoop)

Knight Scoop is a famous TV show from Kansai (Osaka) which features requests from viewers who need help with various random problems. The show is hosted by comedians and actors who visit viewers and try to help them out with their request. Invariably, hilarity ensues.

7. 関ジャニ-クロニクル Kanjani Kuronikuru

This variety show features the boy band Kanjani and their funny exploits. One section is the Dengon game know as Chinese whispers in English. Native English speakers whisper phrases to the band who usually mess us the message leading to some pretty funny results.

8. アメトーク Ame Tōku

Ame Talk is a weekly show that invites comedians to talk on various subjects.

In this lesson Ami and I teach you how to ask and give your opinions on various topics using the verb 思う Omou – To think. This is usually used to say “I think that…”.

思う is a very useful phrase you use all the time in conversation in Japanese. The main grammatical structure we will be using is this:

Something or someone…どう思う？Dō omou which means what do you think about so and so… For example:

彼女どう思う？ Kanojo wa dō omou What do you think of her?

彼どう思う？ Kare wa dō omou What do you think of him?

Then to answer you could say your opinion plus と思う which means I think so and so. So, for example you can say 可愛いと思うよ Kawaii to omou yo which means I think she’s cute or カッコイイと思うよ Kakko ii to omou which means I think he’s cool.

In this lesson Ami and I teach you how to ask and give your opinions on various topics using the verb 思う Omou – To think. This is usually used to say “I think that…”.

思う is a very useful phrase you use all the time in conversation in Japanese. The main grammatical structure we will be using is this:

Something or someone…どう思う？Dō omou which means what do you think about so and so… For example:

彼女どう思う？ Kanojo wa dō omou What do you think of her?

彼どう思う？ Kare wa dō omou What do you think of him?

Then to answer you could say your opinion plus と思う which means I think so and so. So, for example you can say 可愛いと思うよ Kawaii to omou yo which means I think she’s cute or カッコイイと思うよ Kakko ii to omou which means I think he’s cool.

Here are the example conversations in the podcast:

Casual and polite ways to say “I think…”

A: 最近どう？ Saikin dō? How have you been recently?

B: 相変わらずだよ Aikawarazu da yo Same old, same old…

I hung out with Niko, the creator of Nihongo Shark for my latest Fun Friday podcast. We talked about how he started Nihongo Shark which is a website crammed full of resources for students of Japanese which is well worth a look if you have’t seen it.

We also talked about how to overcome feeling overwhelmed when learning Japanese, translation and the horrors of English education in Japan.

In this podcast Ami and I talk about what to do if you lose your wallet or other personal items when in Japan. The good news is that Japanese people are generally very law abiding and honest. Therefore, if someone finds your lost item, there is a good chance they will hand it in to the police and you will get it back.

If you do lose something, the best idea is to ring the place you think you left it and ask if it has been found. If you lose something on the train it’s best to go to the station master’s office and ask there. If you drop something in the street then you should go to a Koban or police box.

This lesson focuses on how to call the last place you were at to ask the staff if they found you things.

In this podcast Ami and I talk about what to do if you lose your wallet or other personal items when in Japan. The good news is that Japanese people are generally very law abiding and honest. Therefore, if someone finds your lost item, there is a good chance they will hand it in to the police and you will get it back.

If you do lose something, the best idea is to ring the place you think you left it and ask if it has been found. If you lose something on the train it’s best to go to the station master’s office and ask there. If you drop something in the street then you should go to a Koban or police box.

This lesson focuses on how to call the last place you were at to ask the staff if they found you things. Study the vocabulary list and dialogs below to learn how to do it.

Let’s study some other phrases related to lost items:

1) 申し訳ありませんが財布は届いてないようです。

Mōshi wake arimasen ga saifu wa todoite inai yō desu.

I’m very sorry but it seems your wallet hasn’t been handed in.

2) 連絡先を教えていただけたら見つかり次第ご連絡します。

Renrakusaki o oshiete itadaketara mitsukari shidai gorenraku shimasu.

If you give me your contact details we’ll contact you the moment it is found.

3) 忘れ物

Wasuremono

Lost items

4) 紛失届け

Fun shitsu todoke

A form to fill out at the police station for lost items

1. The Japanese are generally quite law abiding and honest. Most times, if found, your lost items  will be returned.
2. If you lose something on the train go to the nearest 駅長室 Eki Chō shitsu – Station master’s office and tell them what you lost and on which train it was on. They’ll ring ahead to the next station or terminal station to see if they can locate your items.
3. You can also go to any 交番 Koban police box to report lost or stolen items. For lost items you would write out a form called a 紛失届け Fun shitsu todoke

あたまが真っ白

Atama ga masshiro

When you mind goes completely blank or you are lost for words.

留守番電話を残す時いつもあたまが真っ白

Rusuban denwa o nokosu toki ni atama ga masshiro

When I leave a message on an answering machine my mind goes completely blank

In this Fun Friday edition of the Learn Japanese Pod podcast, I interviewed Tomo Akiyama who is a fascinating expert linguist and well known Twitter user from Japan. We discussed a wide range of topics including the difficulties of learning Japanese and common mistakes non-native speakers make. We also talked about common English phrases Japanese people use, the words they say and they real meaning behind them.

As Tomo said, the biggest take away from this discussion is Japanese and English do not exactly translate into one another as they as such different languages.

In this podcast, Ami and I (Alex) teach you how to talk about your favorite movies in Japanese. Listen to the podcasts and read the dialogs below to get an idea of what these phrases and dialogs mean. You can also download the PDFs too! Enjoy!

In this podcast, Ami and I (Alex) teach you how to talk about your favorite movies in Japanese. Listen to the podcasts and read the dialogs below to get an idea of what these phrases and dialogs mean. You can also download the PDFs too! Enjoy!

In today’s episode, we’re diving into a crucial topic that anyone living in or visiting Japan should know at least a little about, and that is to stay safe during a natural disaster. Japan is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, and is prone to various natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons, heavy rain, and tsunami.

And as language learners, it’s good to not only master everyday conversational Japanese but also understand the language used in various emergency situations.

So, today we’ll look at some basic vocabulary related to natural disasters and phrases related to disaster preparedness.

In this podcast, Ami and I, teach you some fun conversations you can have with your friends in Japanese.  The first thing you need to know when speaking on the phone in Japanese is the word Moshi moshi which is hello but used exclusively for the phone. You can use this for both casual and polite conversations.

For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

In this podcast, Ami and I, teach you some fun conversations you can have with your friends in Japanese.  The first thing you need to know when speaking on the phone in Japanese is the word Moshi moshi which is hello but used exclusively for the phone. You can use this for both casual and polite conversations.

Listen to the podcast and read the dialogs below to get a better idea of how to have a conversation on the phone in Japanese with your friends.

携帯電話 – Keitai denwa – Mobile phone

携帯番号 – Keitai bangō – Mobile number

メアド – Meado – Mail address

待受画面 – Machiukegamen – Standby screen (for phone)

写メ – Shame – Mobile phone picture

スマホ – Sumaho – Smart Phone

ガラケー – Garakeh – Flip phone

田中さんはいらっしゃいますか – Tanaka san wa irasshaimasu ka

Is Tanaka san there?  / Can I speak to Mr. Tanaka?

田中は出かけております – Tanaka wa dekakete orimasu.

Tanaka is out right now.

伝言をお願いします – Dengon o onegaishimasu.

Can I leave a message please?

折り返しお電話いただけますか – Orikaeshi odenwa itadakemasu ka?

Could you ask them to call me back please?

In this podcast, I talk to Andy, a great friend of mine whom I have known for over 10 years here in Japan. As we are both long term residents of Tokyo, we wanted to record a podcast outlining the best and the worst of life here in the capital city of Japan. We decided to look at the good, the bad and the ugly to give an honest and balanced discussion of what it is really like to live here. If you are thinking about moving to Tokyo to live or just want to come for a brief visit, we hope there is some useful information for you here. So sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

In this podcast Ami and Alex discuss in detail everything you need to know about becoming fluent in Japanese.

For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

My speaking fluent Japanese…sort of…

One of the most common questions I get at Learn Japanese Pod is “How do I learn to speak Japanese fluently?”. The usual problem I hear is that although students study lots of vocabulary and grammar, they can’t seem to put it together to hold even a simple conversation. Fluency seems out of the question. Well, I hear you because I used to be in the same situation. I was really frustrated. However, after a lot of trial and error… and coffee, I eventually began to discover some effective study techniques, strategies and the mindset that actually worked.

Now, fluency didn’t happen overnight but my ability to hold natural flowing conversations with my Japanese friends got noticeably better and my progress definitely sped up. So if you are feeling confused, frustrated and your motivation is crumbling, it’s time to get your Japanese back on track. So this is why I decided to make this podcast and guide to show you absolutely everything you need to know to speak Japanese fluently.

You can listen to the podcast here where Ami sensei and I discuss this topic in detail. Then keep reading below for more in-depth information with links to useful resources.

Here’s the brutal truth.

There is no secret to speaking fluent Japanese. And if anyone tells you there is a magical course that teaches you how to speak perfect Japanese in 3 days, buy a fire extinguisher because someone’s pants are on fire. It takes time, commitment and hard work…and coffee…I mentioned coffee right?

Anyway, I can’t give you a magic pill BUT…

And this is a big but…

I can tell you the dumb things I did so you don’t have to. And that’s going to save you a LOT of time and frustration. Plus there are more efficient and effective ways to study that will further save time.

But what do we actually mean by “fluency”?

Fluent doesn’t necessarily mean native speaker level. To me, fluency simply means you can express what you want to say, clearly, easily and quickly without getting stuck or stumbling over your words. If you can order sushi or do a simple self introduction in Japanese, you have a basic level of fluency. No, you’re not native level but you could survive in Japan with a limited number of phrases. So don’t feel overwhelmed. Remember fluency isn’t how much you know, it’s how well you use it.

So, let’s move to the first step you need to take on your journey to Japanese fluency.

Perhaps the biggest mistake students of Japanese make is not being clear about what they want to achieve. You need to set clear, specific goals, broken down into small achievable steps with deadlines. And here are my personal reasons:

1. Set it and forget it – This avoids stress and decision fatigue worrying over what you should study next. It keeps it simple.
2. Focus equals momentum – A focused goal gets you to where you want to go more quickly.
3. Goals avoid waste – If you get super specific about what to achieve you avoid wasteful and irrelevant study
4. Deadlines make it real – Set a date to increase the chances of success. A deadline further focuses you and makes your goals more concrete. Breaking things into small steps with many deadlines can help to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

So what’s a good goal? If you say “I want to speak kick ass, ninja level Japanese” that’s all well and good but it’s too vague and lacks a clear goal. Something better would be “I want to be able to say 100 travel related phrases fluently for my trip to Japan in three months”.

Now you know the following:

1. Exactly what you will study
2. Exactly how much you need to study
3. When your deadline is

Breaking down your goal into small achievable steps will increase your chances of success. So learning 100 phrases in 3 months is a pace of just over 1 phrase a day, totally achievable.

Try to set a goal that inspires and motivates you. Also, try to pick a goal that allows you to be able to do something. You want to build skills rather than simply piling up words. Here are some examples:

I want to learn all the phrases to order food at a Japanese restaurant within 2 weeks.

I want to be able to ask and understand directions in Japanese in one month.

To really demonstrate how a short and laser focused goal can help you make progress more quickly, try out my completely free 5 Day Japanese Challenge. It emails you a new lesson every day and if you follow the course properly you will be able to give a natural self introduction in flawless Japanese in five days.

If you are still not sure what goal to set, choose something, anything, simply to get started. For example, you could attempt to pass the N5 Japanese Language Proficiency Test in 6 months. And even if you fail the test, you will have still improved your Japanese.

Now you have a clear goal, you will need good materials and resources to study with. This depends on your goal and level of Japanese. For beginners, I recommend buying a  good standard Japanese textbook. Now, this won’t guarantee fluency, however, a good textbook will teach you the basic grammar and vocabulary you need to build your base before you can attempt conversations. Here are some of my top recommendations:

GENKI I – This is good  standard textbook used in university Japanese courses. This is more grammar heavy so it will give you a good language base to build on. It includes an audio CD which you can use to listen and practice with. Japanese for Busy People is another widely known text good for teaching you the basics.

Nihongo Fun and Easy – A smaller but awesome little Japanese conversational textbook that focuses more on daily situational dialogs and includes a CD to practice with. This is not as comprehensive as Genki but might get you speaking basic Japanese more quickly.

NIHONGO Breakthrough – Another really good Japanese conversational textbook that focuses on real life situations and natural language to improve you basic level of fluency.

Again, these textbooks won’t make you fluent over night. However,  they will give you the essential base  Japanese grammar and vocabulary you need to work towards fluency.

And textbooks on their own are not enough. We need to look at some effective techniques to get you speaking more fluently in less time.

If there was only one single technique I could teach you that would massively help your fluency, that would be drilling. It’s an incredibly powerful technique that will build you vocabulary, speed, pronunciation and fluency.

Drilling is simply repeating phrases out loud over and over again until you can say them easily and without thinking.

I first started studying Japanese on my own. I bought a random Japanese conversation textbook, read the dialogs, listened to the audio and repeated every phrase and conversation until I could say them automatically. The book wasn’t that great and some of the conversations were kind of boring and not even that useful. Here is a reconstruction of the silly things I drilled:

One would have thought a more interesting conversation would have been:

A: Hey Tanaka, what make of car is that?

B: See the sign that says Toyota on the front? Yeah that means it’s a Toyota…you idiot!

ANYWAY…

It wasn’t the best textbook in the world. However, drilling the dialogs out loud repeatedly really helped it all stick in my head. And as I discovered it improved my memory, pronunciation, speed and fluency. I didn’t become fluent immediately but my progress noticeably did speed up.

Another effective technique I discovered was gap fills. A gap fill is drilling a sentence and changing one word every time you repeat it. Take the following sentence and say this as many times as it takes to stick in your head:

日本語を上達させるためには勉強が大事だ

Nihongo o jōtatsu suru tame ni wa benkyō ga daiji da

To improve your Japanese fluency, study is important.

Now you have learned that, you can say it again but this time change the word in red to something else so you can make a new sentence.

日本語を上達させるめには読書が大事だ

Nihongo o jōtatsu suru tame ni wa dokusho ga daiji da

To improve your Japanese fluency, study is important.

You can also use a little humour to make things fun and memorable.

日本語を上達させるためにはコーヒーが大事だ

Nihongo o jōtatsu suru tame ni wa kōhii ga daiji da

To improve your Japanese fluency, coffee is important.

The reason I love this technique is it allows you to drill and learn useful patterns of speech. But it also allows you to create an almost infinite number of new unique sentences. This is how fluency begins.

One last technique is shadowing. Shadowing involves playing audio and repeating out loud exactly what you hear. So just listen and repeat. The textbooks I mentioned earlier have audio CDs you can use.

You could also shadow using youtube videos and even music CDs if you have them. Karaoke is also a great way to build your listening and speaking skills.

So the are various ways to drill and all very effective in building your spoken muscle memory so you can develop automatic recall which is what you will need to speak Japanese fluently.

Paraphrasing is the ability to express the meaning of something using different words. Being able to say the same thing using different words or phrases massively boosts your fluency because it forces you to expand your spoken vocabulary.  It’s not an easy skill and requires a fair amount of study. However it is worth it because it is a powerful technique for boosting your fluency.

There are various ways you can paraphrase. Here are my favourite three.

Being able to define a Japanese word in Japanese is a great exercise. For example, let’s use the word 暑い – Atsui – which as you probably know means hot. But can you describe what it means in Japanese? You could say 温度の高いもの – Ondo no takai mono – something with a high temperature. To do this yourself, use a good online Japanese dictionary such as the Goo dictionary at dictionary.goo.ne.jp

The second way is to find a synonym, that is another word which has a similar meaning. So you could use the word 熱 – Netsu – which means heat or fever. Or perhaps you can use the word 暖かい – Atatakai – which means warm.

The third way is to find an antonym, a phrase that means the opposite. If you use the negative form, it’s another way to paraphrase a word. For example, instead of 暑い you could say 寒くない which means not cold.

You don’t have to use all these techniques but being able to define a Japanese word in Japanese is a really powerful skill you should study towards. Again, use a good Japanese dictionary to help you.
There’s a good chapter on paraphrasing in Japanese in the book 13 Secrets for Speaking Fluent Japanese by Giles Murray.

Now, I know some of you might be shy, attached to your textbook or live in an area where there are very few Japanese people. One of the most common complaints I hear is “I have no Japanese friends to practice with”.

However, if you really want to eventually be able to speak Japanese fluently you HAVE TO get out there and practice with native speakers. I know what you’re going to say; it’s impossible because [insert reason here…]. So here are some ideas that might possibly work for you.

1. Get a Japanese teacher or enrol on a Japanese course.
2. Use Meetup.com to locate and join a Japanese study group in your area. If not, make your own group. You never know, there may be other people interested in studying Japanese.
3. Attend Japanese cultural events. Institutions such as The Japan Society based in New York hold regular events for promoting Japanese culture. There may be an event closer to you than you think!
4. Use online language exchange sites. Although this is not an endorsement, you MIGHT find sites such as Lang-8 and iTalki useful for making online Japanese friends to practice with.

If those methods don’t work for you, then there is only one option left…

I was incredibly lucky to be able to study Japanese intensively for one year in Tokyo when I was in university. I was able to take advantage of the language exchange program between my university in London and Tokyo.

When I got to Japan, I had studied Japanese for a year. However, after living in a dormitory of Japanese guys who spoke next to no English and studying intensively everyday, my Japanese fluency rapidly improved.

Not only that, it was one of the most enjoyable years I had at university. In fact if I hadn’t had that year, I don’t think my Japanese would be anywhere as good as it was today.

So I highly recommend coming to Japan to fully immerse yourself in the culture, language and life in Japan. If you keep studying and practicing I guarantee you will make speedier progress than just studying on your own at home.

If a year of intensive study sounds daunting, time consuming and expensive, I wont lie, it is. However, even if you can only manage to go for only a few months or weeks and enrol in a Japanese program, I recommend it as one of the most effective ways to make progress to Japanese fluently. These days there are lots of small colleges that do short Japanese courses for quite a reasonable price. Some of them will also help you with visa applications and a place to stay.

So, if you haven’t, go to Japan my friend!

Let me finish this guide with a few more observations, strategies and mindsets that might help you to achieve your goal of learning to speak Japanese fluently.

If you go to the gym on Monday and exercise for 10 hours, you won’t get fit. It’s much better to exercise a little everyday over the long term. In the same way, you want to study and use Japanese on a regular basis.

Of course you have to lay the groundwork and study Japanese regularly. However you also need to get out there and use it in real life. Always ask yourself, what will I be able to do if I study a particular lesson rather than trying to randomly cram words. This is also why you need to make Japanese friends if you haven’t!

When you start out in Japanese you have to study grammar to give you a framework to use to construct your own basic sentences. However, the more advanced you become, the less you will be able to rely on your textbook to learn natural patterns of speech. So get as much real speaking and listening practice as you can to pick up the real Japanese not in your textbooks.

One thing I wished I had learned earlier was to have a deeper understanding of the culture behind the grammar and vocabulary I was learning. Learning more about Japanese culture gives you a much deeper understanding of the language and will make you a much better speaker.

For example, understanding different levels of politeness in Japanese will give you a really good insight into the culture and make your Japanese sound more natural.

Don’t be the foreigner who can speak fluent Japanese but just doesn’t “get it” and offends everyone. That’s called KY or Kuuki Yomei – someone who literally can’t “read the air” and is culturally unaware. You have been warned!

This is kind of obvious but it’s worth saying. You have to make your studies fun, engaging and relevant to your interests. Don’t get too serious, have fun and good luck!

In our latest Fun Friday Podcast, Ami and I talked about our favourite Japanese bands and other recent news that has been happening in our lives

Welcome to Learn Japanese Pod and the Fun Friday episode where we temporarily put down our Japanese textbooks and talk about Japanese culture and anything else to do with Japan that floats into our heads. In this episode, Ami sensei and I talked about our favorite Japanese bands. I kinda showed my age with some of my selection with some old classic Japanese bands most older people know. But Ami Sensei also likes some of those old classics too so we have a lot of music in common that we like.

So here is a break down of some of the music we talked about.

1. Utada Hikaru – Fantome

If you don’t know who Utada Hikaru is, you must have been living in a cave. She is a diva megastar of Japanese pop and has a long career spanning all the way back to the late 90s. Her latest album is Fantome and features quite an eclectic range of styles on the album. It’s definitely worth a listen and for me Utada is one of those go-to classic J-Pop stars you should have in your Japanese music collection.

2. Kick The Can Crew – Super original

I hadn’t heard of Kick the Can Crew until Ami introduced them to me on the podcast. And on the first listen I really liked them. Japanese are masters of importing foreign culture and recreating it with their own unique interpretation. And rap is no exception. Japanese rap has come into its own and is considered to be a unique and innovative genre. If you like Kick the Can Crew and want to check out more great Japanese rap bands then you won’t go wrong with Rip Slyme and Dragon Ash.

3. Super Fly – Ai O Komete Hanataba O

Super Fly is often called the Janis Joplin of J-Pop. She sings a mix of J-pop and rock and has a wide range and present vocal stle which is a refreshing break from your typical female Japanese singer. She has some pretty solid albums and songs out there and one of my favorites is 愛をこめて花束を Ai o komete hanataba – a song that really showcases some great song writing and powerful singing. That’ll definitely get your toes tapping.

4. Wednesday Campanella – Diablo

Wednesday Campanella is a Japanese pop group headed by the super talented KOM_I, a singer and rapper with an hilarious sense of humour and a very original and creative style. In terms of genre it mixes rap, hop hop, electronic music and J-pop. Their videos are also pretty funny and worth a listen.

5. Okuda Tamio – Marshmallow

Okuda Tamio is a singer song writer, guitarist and producer. He was formerly in a band called Unicorn which was pretty famous in Japan. He later quit to follow his own career. If you ask most Japanese people they will have heard of him and is also known for producing the hit band Puffy. The reason I like him is simple. In a word: guitar. As a nerdy guitarist I love the way he produces rock and gets an incredibly fat guitar sounds. Worth a listen!

6. Dry and Heavy – New Creation

Back in the 90s, reggae hit Japan in a big way and the Japanese reggae scene was born. Today you have some really big reggae music events in Japan including the Reggae Sun Splash festival. One really solid Japanese reggae band I love is “Dry and heavy” which has an incredibly well produced and tight sound. One thing I have found is their albums age really well so they are always a good go to band of summer parties and something to listen to on the beach.

7. Urufuruzu – Osaka Strut

ウルフルズ Urufuruzu are a rock band from Osaka and “Osaka Strut” is one of their big hits. The band is headed by the charismatic Tortoise Matsumoto who has also tried his hand at acting. They enjoyed their biggest initial success with the song “Guts Da Ze”, a song you should attempt only when you have achieved your black belt in Karaoke.

8. Southern All stars

Southern All Stars are perhaps one of the most, if not, the most famous band in Japan. They have a long career stretching back to the late 70s and are still active now performing live and having their music featured in adverts and on TV. They have over 15 number one hits and, in short, are a legendary band. Go check them out, there’s a lot of music to choose from!

9. Begin

Begin are one of my favorite bands for their great song writing and singing. Their music is influenced by the culture and history of Okinawa. You can hear the traditional San Shin in a lot of their music. It’s a 3 stringed guitar unique to Okinawa. Their most well known songs are “San shin no hana” and “Shimanchu nu takara”.

10. Mr Children

Mr. Children (ミスターチルドレン Misutā Chirudoren)is rock group from Japan who are another mega group with a career going back to the early 90s. Known more commonly as “Misu-Chiru” (ミスチル), they are a band just about everyone has heard of in Japan. They have a large discography and an impressive share of number one hits. All I can say is, do a google search and see where that takes you as they have a fair bit of music out there.

In this podcast, Ami Sensei and I teach you how to describe people’s personalities in natural Japanese.

For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

In this podcast, Ami Sensei and I teach you how to describe people’s personalities in natural Japanese. Listen to the full podcast and the dialog only audio underneath.

So we thought we would have look at how to discuss people’s personalities in this week’s podcast. However, instead of only teaching a list of phrases, we wanted to give some conversational examples of how you might talk about people’s characters.

In this podcast, Ami sensei and I talk about how to describe people’s personalities in Japanese and how to talk about your favorite “type” of person for dating and romance.

The first two dialogs show you how you can talk about people’s ideal boyfriend of girlfriend in terms of their personality.

In the next set of dialogs we look at how to compare people’s personalities in Japanese. These dialogs also contain a nice technique for expanding your vocabulary which is learning a adjective and it’s exact opposite. So if you learn the word 優しい Yasashii which means kind, you could then learn a word such as 気が短い Ki ga mijikai which means short tempered or bad tempered. This is a really nice way to group relevant vocabulary together which will double the amount of words you know and improve your fluency if you drill them.

Here are some examples:

In the next set of dialogs we talk about personality as it relates to blood type. In Japan, it is widely believed that a person’s blood type is linked to or influences your personality. Although this is utter nonsense that has absolutely no scientific basis at all what so ever, it’s worth knowing about this cultural phenomenon. And it’s a great way to get a conversation going in Japanese and increase your vocabulary.

There are a couple of ways you can ask about bloody type and personality including the following:

A型の人ってどんな人が多い？ A gata no hito te donna hito ga ooi?

What is a common personality for people with A type blood?

Or

典型的なA型の人ってどうなの？Tenkeiteki na A gata no hito te dō na no?

What is the typical personality of someone with A type blood?

Here are some example dialogs as featured in the podcast:

In this episode’s random phrase of the week we looked at the word 茶番劇 Chabangeki which literally means a dramatic farce. It’s used to describe situations and things that are over the top or crazy.

Here are the examples:

あのカップルの喧嘩はいつも茶番劇だよね。

Ano kappuru no kenka wa itsumo chabangeki da yo ne

That couple are always having epic fights.

とんだ茶番劇をやらかしたもんだ！

Tonda chabangeki o yarakashita mon da!

That situation totally got out of hand / That was one crazy thing that happened.

In this podcast, Ami sensei and I teach you about using the verb 食べる in the casual form which is used between people who know each other well in an informal situation. This is how you conjugate the verb taberu in plain form or “dictionary form”.

In this podcast, Ami sensei and I teach you about using the verb 食べる in the casual form which is used between people who know each other well in an informal situation. This is how you conjugate the verb taberu in plain form or “dictionary form”.

Plain form verb – Taberu

Japanese Verbs – Taberu Dialog
A: ね、食べる？ Ne taberu? You wanna eat?
B: 食べない Tabenai. I don’t want to eat
A: 食べないの？ Tabenai no? You don’t want to eat?
B: もう食べたから。食べなかったの？ Mo tabeta kara. Tabenakatta no. Already ate. You didn’t eat?
A: うん、食べなかった。食べようよ Un Tabenakatta. Tabeyō yo. I didn’t eat. Let’s eat!
B: いらない、ひとりで食べて！ Iranai, hitori de tabete. I don’t want any. You eat by yourself.

Grammatical Breakdown of Dialog
Rule 1 – You can drop the subject before a Japanese verb
The dialog starts with ね – Ne which means “Hey” and used to get attention to start a conversation. Then the next word is 食べる？ Taberu with a rising intonation. This literally means “Eat?”. One important thing to remember is that you don’t need to use the subject of the sentence as the meaning is understood from the context of the situation. If someone is looking at you and simply says “Taberu” with a rising inflection. You can be pretty sure that they mean “Do you want to eat”? which is what it means in this situation. In fact, this entire dialog is completely devoid of sentences with the words you or I in them. And this because…

Rule 2 – You have to guess the meaning from the context
As we continue to the next line in the dialog we have 食べない tabenai which means “not eat”. Again, from the context, you can guess this means “I don’t want to eat”. And context is everything here. This aspect of Japanese can make it easier for you to say more with less because minimalism is the key. It can also make it devilishly hard to understand what is being said because if you don’t understand the situation you won’t understand the conversation.

Continuing we have 食べないの？Tabenai no which is literally “Not eat” + のno which signifies a question. This means “Not eat?” or “Don’t you want to eat?”

Next we haveもう食べた Mō tabeta kara – This literally means “Already ate because” or “No because I already ate”. Then 食べなかったの Tabenakatta no – which means “didn’t eat” with the の question marker so “Didn’t you eat?”.

Rule 3 – Yes means no and no means yes
The answer to the question “Didn’t you eat” is うん 食べなかった Un Tabenakatta – Yes, I didn’t eat. This might be confusing as in English you would usually say:

A: Didn’t you eat?

B: No, I didn’t

However in Japanese you have to say “Yes, I didn’t eat”. This is because in Japanese, when you say yes, you are agreeing directly with the statement that was just made so you could think of it as “Yes, it is true that I didn’t eat”.

Rule 4 – Verbs ending in ō mean “Let’s do something”
Next we hear 食べよう Tabeyō. This form of the verb is used to suggest or propose an idea. So it means “Let’s eat”. Theよ Yo at the end emphasizes the meaning more. Here are some more examples:

飲もうよ Nomō yo – Come on, let’s drink!

行こうよ Ikō yo – Come on, let’s go!

やろうよ Yarō yo – Come on, let’s do this!

Rule 5 – Verbs ending in “Te” can be an order to do something
The last line of this dialog is いらいない Iranai – Not needed or more naturally “I don’t want any”. Finally we have 一人で食べて Hitori de tabete. Hitori means one person or in this case by yourself. 食べて Tabete is what’s called the “Te” form of the verb and is an order or request to do something so Tabete means “Eat!”. In this case the speaker is saying, “I don’t want any, you go ahead and eat by yourself”.

What is Japanese plain verb form?
In Japanese, there are various forms of politeness from very direct to extremely polite. Plain form verbs are considered to be less formal and are often used in casual conversation between friends and people of similar social rank in society. When looking up verbs in the dictionary, you will always find the plain form of the verb which is why they are also know as “dictionary form” verbs.

The more formal and polite form is the -masu form which is conjugated for the verb Taberu like this:

-Masu form verb – Taberu

The -masu form of the verb is used in more formal situations when to talking to people of senior rank. You will often here service staff use the -masu form of verbs to customers.

Why study Japanese plain form verbs?
When studying Japanese for the first time it is quite common to study -masu form verbs first. This may be because of tradition and perhaps Japanese teachers would rather give you all the polite Japanese first before you go out and offend people with the wrong level of politeness.

This is not necessarily a bad idea and I would advise you to definitely learn polite -masu form verbs. However, in my experience, after studying almost exclusively polite Japanese in my first year of university, I found that around 90% of the conversations I was having was in plain form. That means, if you only learn the polite form, you will have difficulty understanding taking part in conversations and discussions with your Japanese friends, family and even coworkers.

Should you learn the safer polite form or the more plain form first? Great question and I will let that heated debate continue as it always has. Of course, you should learn learn both verb forms. However learning plain form verbs is your key to understanding daily conversation and being able to speak Japanese more fluently.

The Japanese-only audio drills for podcast 53 have moved to our new Patreon page. Please click the link below for access:

Learn Japanese Pod Patreon page

In this podcast Ami and Alex go through the top 10 most common questions you will be asked by Japanese people on your first visit to Japan. Enjoy!

For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

These are the dialogues from podcast #10 “The top 10 questions you will be asked in Japan”

After living in Japan for over 20 years as a foreigner, I have noticed a clear pattern of questions I am often asked. As well as being very hospitable, the Japanese are inquisitive people who are genuinely interested in why people visit or live in their country. Therefore students of Japanese who are planning a trip to Japan will find it extremely useful to study those questions and how to answer them in Japanese. In this podcast, Ami Sensei and I go through the top 10 most common questions Japanese people ask and the cultural reasons behind them. So if you are slightly surprised or shocked by what you are asked, it’s usually due to a cultural difference which we discuss in the podcast.

Although obvious, this is the first question you should learn. To reply, simply say your name + desu. アレックスです – Arekkusu desu – I am Alex. The other thing you should keep in mind is that Japanese say their surname first and first name last. So, if you want to say I am John Smith you would say スミスジョンです – Sumisu Jon Desu.

Finally, saying your name using a Japanese accent or Katakana sounds might will make it a little easier for Japanese to understand you name.

Japanese people are always very interested in where you are from. To answer this question you could simply say アメリカです Amerika desu – America or イギリスです Igirisu desu – The UK. You can also say アメリカから来ました Amerika kara kimashita – I come from America.

This is a very common question that might be asked anywhere in the world. However, there is an added cultural dimension to this. When meeting people for the first time, Japanese people tend to ask questions that give them an idea of the social status of the person they are speaking to so as to communicate with an appropriate level of politeness or respect. To answer this question simply say your job + desu. For example 学生です Gakusei desu – I am a student.
サラリマンです Sarariman desu –  I am an office work (only for men). Women might say OLです – Oh Eru desu – I am (a female) office worker.

This is the perhaps the most commonly asked question foreigners get when visiting or living in Japan. In fact there is a very popular show on TV entitled “Youは何しに日本へ” You wa nani shi ni nihon e – Why did you come to Japan?

Japanese people are fascinated in why people take the trouble to travel to Japan. Perhaps this is something to do with the fact that Japanese people are interested in how their country is perceived abroad and what might be interesting or attractive to foreigners. When replying say your reason + tame which means the reason why you did something. For example:

はじめて日本に来た時は日本語を勉強するためでした Hajimete nihon ni kita toki wa nihongo o benkyō suru tame deshita – I first came to Japan in order to study Japanese.

This is one of those questions that some visitors to Japan might find a little surprising or rude. However, when Japanese ask what your age is, what they are really saying is “I want to know your age so I don’t speak to you with an inappropriate level of politeness”. At the same time, you are under no obligation to give your age if you feel it is too personal. Deflecting with humour usually works and you can say something like 秘密です Himitsu desu – It’s a secret.

If you don’t mind giving your age, say your age + sai desu. For example ２５歳です Nijuugo sai desu – I am 25.

For a cosmopolitan westerner who is used to eating Chinese or Vietnamese food at home, you might be surprised if Japanese people ask you if you can use chopsticks. Your answer might be a slightly irritated “Well of course I can dammit!”. However, Japanese are trying to be polite and are showing you their hospitality in making sure you don’t have any problems with their food.

You can simply say 箸使えますよ Hashi tsukaemasu yo – I can use chop sticks

If you can’t you could say ちょっと難しです Chotto muzukashii desu – It’s a little difficult (for me)

If you didn’t know, natto is a Japanese delicacy which is made from fermented beans. It has quite a strong smell which can put off people new to the food. But don’t worry if you don’t like it, don’t worry, it’s one of those foods that divides Japanese people into natto fans and natto haters.

If you like natto you can say 納豆食べられます Natto taberaremasu – I can eay natto. If you don’t like it you can say 納豆食べられません Natto taberaremasen – I can’t eat natto. Alternatively you can say ちょっと口に合わないです Chotto kuchi ni awanai desu – I don’t like eating it.

This is another one of those questions which is simply trying to ascertain your social standing. If you are married you can say 結婚しています Kekkon shite imasu – I am married. If you aren’t married you can say 結婚していません Kekkon shite imasu OR 独身です Dokushin desu – I am single.

This is another question you will be often asked. If it is your first time you can say はい、初めてです Hai, hajimete desu – Yes, this is my first time. If it is your 2nd time you could say いいえ、２回目です Ni kai me desu – No, this is my second time.

Again, Japanese people are obsessed with food which is good news for you because you will eat in some amazing restaurants. The Japanese are also aware that some parts of their cuisine including natto or raw fish might be difficult for foreigners to eat. Japanese like to make sure their guests are comfortable and so it is common to be asked what foods you can and can’t eat.

If you have no problems with food you could answer 特にないです Toku ni nai desu – Nothing in particular. If there is a type of food you can’t eat then use the same pattern as we learned for not being able to eat natto: 納豆食べられません Natto taberaremasen or perhaps 肉食べられません Niku taberaremasen – I can’t eat meat.

In this week’s Fun Friday Podcast I talked with my good friend Niko who is the creator of Nihongo Shark, a website for learning Japanese.

Niko is a Jedi master of online language self-study techniques which he developed while trying to teach himself Japanese. If you were ever frustrated with your Japanese studies, Niko understands, as he used to struggle too. And that’s what makes him such a great teacher and Nihongoshark such a great Japanese language learning resource. His philosophy is about teaching people how to teach themselves Japanese more effectively and quickly. This is opposed to wanting to curl up in a ball and cry every time you see a Japanese textbook.

Niko is a prolific creator of great online Japanese lessons and some pretty hilarious blog posts.  His website has a wide variety Japanese lessons, advice on language learning, a newsletter and language courses for motivated Japanese students.

In the podcast I talked to Niko about his recent travels in Thailand, his experience and advice about language learning and of course how to suck less at speaking Japanese.

For more Japanese language learning podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

In this week’s podcast Yoshiko and Alex discuss useful Japanese vocabulary and cultural points and advice for ordering sushi at a Japanese restaurant like a native.

The good news is you don’t have to learn a huge amount of vocabulary to order your your favorite dishes if you learn just a few useful key phrases.

For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

These are the dialogues for podcast #09 ““How to order Sushi at a Japanese Restaurant”

In this week’s podcast Yoshiko and Alex discuss useful Japanese vocabulary and cultural points and advice for ordering sushi at a Japanese restaurant like a native.

The good news is you don’t have to learn a huge amount of vocabulary to order your your favorite dishes if you learn just a few useful key phrases.

Sushi Vocabulary

大将 Taishō – (Sushi) chef
サーモン Saamon – Salmon
マグロ Maguro – Tuna
たまご Tamago – Egg
雲丹 Uni – Sea urchin
いくら Ikura – Salmon roe
貫 Kan – Counter for sushi
一貫 Ikkan – 1 piece of sushi
二貫 Nikan – 2 pieces
三貫 Sankan – 3 pieces
一貫ずつ Ikkan zutsu – One piece of each
お願いします Onegaishimasu – Please
さび抜き Sabinuki – Without wasabi
あがり一丁 Agari ichō – Tea
できますか Dekimasu ka – Can you make it?
お冷や Ohiya – Cold water
お椀 Owan – Soup
茶碗蒸し Chawan Mushi – Egg and custard dish
えんがわ Engawa – Fin of flounder (flatfish)
ごちそうさまでした Gochisōsama deshita – That was delicious
回転寿し Kaitenzushi – Conveyor belt sushi
お腹いっぱい Onaka ippai – I’m full
刺身 Sashimi – Slices of fish
寿司 Sushi – Slices of fish on rice
つまみ Tsumami – Used when ordering just the meat of the fish rather than sushi
ガリ Gari – Slices of ginger in sweet vinegar

Main Dialogue

A: 大将！サーモン２貫ください Taishō! Saamon Ni Kan Kudasai – Chef, 2 pieces of salmon please.

B: はいよ Hai yo – Yes

A: 雲丹といくら１貫ずつできますか Uni to ikura Ikkan zutsu dekimasu ka – Can you do 1 sea urchin and 1 salmon roe?

B: はいよ Hai yo – Yes

A: さび抜きでお願いします Sabi nuki de onegaishimasu – Without wasabi please.

B: はいよ Hai yo – Yes

A: お腹いっぱい。大将あがり一丁 Onaka ippai. Taishō agari ichō – I’m full. Chef, 1 tea please.

B: はいよ Hai yo – Yes

10 Cultural Tips for Ordering Sushi

Here are 10 useful cultural points that will really help you when ordering sushi in Japan.

When you order from a sushi chef it is custom to refer to them as 大将 – Taishō. This means various things including general, boss, cheif etc. but in this context is used specifically to adress a sushi chef.

When counting pieces of Sushi you usually use the counter “kan”. For example:

一貫 – Ikkan – One piece of sushi

二貫 – Nikan – Two pieces of sushi

三貫 – Sankan – Three pieces of sushi

四貫 – Yonkan – Four pieces of sushi

An important thing to remember is it is not so common to order more than 2 or 3 pieces of the same type of sushi at the same time. The most common is ２貫 Nikan – two pieces of sushi. It is possible to say something like this:

たまごを二貫、サーモンを二貫、マグロを二貫ください

Tamago o nikan, saamon o nikan, maguro o nikan kudasai

2 pieces of egg, 2 salmon and 2 tuna please.

When you want to order tea say あがり一丁 agari ichō. This is a special way to order green tea that is particular to sushi restaurants. When you order, they usually bring it to you in a cup. However, in many conveyor belt sushi restaurants it’s common to make your own tea by putting green tea powder in a cup and adding hot water from a tap at the counter.

Believe it or not it is acceptable to use your hands when eating sushi. There is no decidedly proper way to eat sushi. However, when in doubt just copy what every one else is doing in the restaurant.

The proper way to eat sushi is to very lightly dip the meat of the fish in the soy sauce and not the rice. If soy gets on the rice it can start to fall apart and is not considered the most tasty way to eat it.

Some people even turn the sushi upside down in their mouth when eating so that the tongue touches the meat first.

Also, go easy on the soy sauce and the ginger. Japanese people tend not to drown each piece of sushi in soy sauce. Ginger is supposed to be eaten just to cleanse the palate between dishes.

It is in fact possible to order broiled versions of your favorite sushi which is called 炙り aburi. One particular favorite is 炙りサーモン Aburi saamon or broiled salmon. The chef will take a torch to the Sushi which gives it a delicious seared and smokey taste.

ごちそうさま Gochisōsama means “that was delicious” and you usually say it at the end of a meal. It’s common to say it either eating at a restaurant or at someone’s house after eating a meal with them.

To get the bill say お会計ください okaikei kudasai. The staff will come to the counter or table where you are seated and count the empty dishes to calculate the bill.

In this podcast, Yoshiko and I (Alex) talk about etiquette for eating out and drinking with friends at an Izakaya, Hanami party or similar events. If you listen to this podcast you will learn some insider cultural knowledge which will help you to give you your black belt in partying with your Japanese friends.

For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

In this podcast Yoshiko and I teach you how to talk about your likes and dislikes. Check out the PDF show notes and podcasts to see all the examples.

For more Japanese language learning podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

These are the dialogues for podcast #08: Talking about your likes and dislikes in Japanese

Dialog 1

Yoshiko: ねぇ、ところで食べ物は何が好き?  – Ne, tokoro de tabemono wa nani ga suki – Hey, by the way, what food do  you like?

Alex: そうだな、やっぱりお寿司かな? –  Sō da na, yappari osushi kana – Hmm, let me see…well for me I  guess it is Sushi.

Yoshiko: 何のネタが一番好き? – Nan no neta ga ichiban suki –  What topping do you like?

Alex: 鮪が一番好きかも – Maguro ga ichiban suki kamo – I suppose it’s tuna.

Dialog 2

Yoshiko: ねぇ、ところでスポーツは何が好き? –  Ne, tokoro de supōtsu wa nani – Hey, by the way, what sport do  ga suki you like?

Alex: そうだな、やっぱり野球かな? – Sō da na, yappari yakyuu kana – Hmm, let me see…well for me I  guess it is baseball.

Yoshiko: どこのチームが一番好き? – Doko no chiimu ga ichiban suki – Which team do you like?

Alex: ジャイアンツが一番好きかも。 – Jaiantsu ga ichiban suki kamo – I suppose it’s The (Tokyo)  Giants.

How to express how much you like or dislike things

1. 寿司が大好きです – Sushi ga dai suki (desu) – I love sushi
2. 寿司が好きです – Sushi ga suki (desu) – I like sushi.
3. 寿司がまあまあすきです – Sushi ga mama suki (desu) – Sushi is OK.
4. 寿司があんまり好きじゃない – Sushi ga amari suki ja nai – I don’t like sushi very much.
5. 寿司が嫌いです – Sushi ga kirai (desu) – I don’t like sushi.
6. 寿司が大嫌い – Sushi ga daikkirai (desu) – I hate sushi.

Fun Friday is back, Hoorah! And if you don’t know what Fun Friday is, it is a podcast where we temporarily put down our textbooks and talk about life, the universe and everything related to life in Japan. In this episode, Yoshiko joined me to review 2016. We talked about our experiences and the major news events of the last year in Japan. I added links to the topics we covered in the podcast. Enjoy!

Time / Topic

02:00 Myojinkan Hot Spring

03:08 Nokogiriyama

04:01 Coffee House – Cafe Edomonzu

05:20 Warayakiya Japanese restaurant

06:43 Learn Japanese Pod Dojo – New online Japanese Course area

07:13 Learn Japanese Pod 5 Day Japanese Challenge

09:13 Why do you want to study Japanese Survey results

21:14 2016 Japanese Buzzwords

This is podcast 07: How to ask for help in Japanese. Asuka and Alex will teach you lots of useful phrases on the topic of asking your friend to help you.

In this lesson we’ll discuss how to deal with a cold which is pretty common during the winter months in Japan. We’ll look at how to describe symptoms and remedies for recovery.

Today’s Key phrase

If you only learn one thing from this podcast, learn today’s key phrase which is: て を 貸して くれる？ Can you lend me a hand? TE O KASHITE KURERU

This phrase literally translates as “Could you lend me a hand?” and it has the same meaning. This is a casual level phrase used between people of similar social standing. It’s fine to use this at work with your coworkers but you might not want to use this with your boss.

Even if you are a beginner in Japanese and don’t understand everything in the following dialogs don’t worry. Just try to listen out for the key phrase to get a feel of how it is used in daily conversation.

You can also memorize the phrase and try to use it in real life when the opportunity arises. Even if you can’t describe exactly what it is you want help with, you can just say 手を貸してくれる and depending on the context the listener should probably be able to understand what you want.

If you wanted to ask someone of high social status for help you might say something like: 手伝っていただけますか Would you help me please? Tetsudatte itadakemasu ka

If you want to ask someone if they need help politely you might say: なにかお手伝いしましょうか Do you need help with anything? Nani ka otetsudai shimashōka

Dialog 1

Asuka: ちょっといい？ Chotto ii? Can I bother you for a minute? Alex: うん。どうした？ Un. Dō shita Sure, what’s up?

Asuka: このパソコンを全部会議室 へ運びたいんだけど手を貸 してくれる？ Kono pasokon o zenbu kaigishitsu e hakobitain dakedo te o kashite kureru? I want to take all these PCs to the meeting room. Could you lend me a hand?

Alex: うん、いいよ。 Un, ii yo. Sure.

Dialog 2

Asuka: アレックス、ちょっとい い？ Arekkusu, chotto ii? Alex, can I bother you for a minute?

Alex: どうした？ Dō shita What’s up?

Asuka: 週末引越しするんだけど手 を貸してくれる？ Shuumatsu hikkoshi surun dakedo te o kashite kureru? I’m moving this weekend. Could you lend me a hand?

Alex: あの、今週末ちょっと髪の 毛洗わなきゃいけない Ano, konshuumatsu chotto kaminoke arawanakya ikenai Well, I have to wash my hair this weekend…

Asuka: まじでお前？週末しか洗っ てないのかよ Maji de omae. Shuumatsu shika arattenai no ka yo Are you kidding me? You only wash on the weekends?!

Alex: 手伝うよ Tetsudau yo I’ll help you

Asuka: ありがとう Arigatō Thanks

Dialog 3

Asuka: アレックス、ちょっとい い？ Arekkusu, chotto ii? Alex, can I bother you for a minute?

Alex: うん。どうした？ Un. Dō shita Sure, what’s up?

Asuka: 廊下の電球とりかえたいん だけど手を貸してくれる？ Rōka no denkyuu torikaetain dakedo te o kashite kureru I want to change the lightbulb in the corridor. Could you lend me a hand?

Alex: あの実は暗いところは ちょっと怖いんですけど Ano jitsu wa kurai tokoro wa kowain desu kedo Well, the thing is I’m afraid of dark places.

Asuka: まじかよ？！ Maji ka yo Are you serious?!

Dialog 4

Asuka: アレックス、ちょっとい い？ Arekkusu, chotto ii?

Alex, can I bother you for a minute?

Alex: うん。どうした？ Un. Dō shita Sure, what’s up?

Asuka: 宿題でわからないところが あるんだけど手を貸してく れる？ Shukudai de wakaranai tokoro ga arun dakedo te o kashite kureru There’s something I don’t understand in my home work. Could you lend me a hand?

Alex: いいよ Ii yo Sure

Asuka: 本当わかるのか？ Hontō wakaru no ka Do you really understand?

Alex: あの、とりあえずわかるふ りをする Ano, toriaezu wakaru furi o suru Well, for now I’ll pretend to understand

Dialog 5

Asuka: アレックス、ちょっとい い？ Arekkusu, chotto ii? Alex, can I bother you for a minute?

Alex: うん。どうした？ Un. Dō shita Sure, what’s up? Asuka: 部屋を片付けたいんだけど 手を貸してくれる？ Heya o katazuketain dakedo te o kashite kureru? I want to clean up the room, could you lend me a hand?

Alex: 絶対やだ！ Zettai yada Absolutely not! Asuka: 大きソーファがあってうご かせないの！ Ōkii sōfa ga atte ugokasenai no There’s a big sofa I can’t move

Alex: なんでいつもいやな仕事？ Nande itsumo iya na shigoto Why is it always these sucky jobs?

Asuka: アレックス手を貸してくれ るかな… Arekkusu te o kashite kureru ka na… I thought you might be able to help…

Asuka: ぎっくり腰なんですよ！ Gikkuri koshi nan desu yo I’ve got a strained back.

Asuka: わかった、わかった、ごめ ん。違う人に聞いてみる Wakatta, wakatta, gomen. Chigau hito ni kiite miru OK, OK, sorry. I’ll try asking someone else.

Random Phrase – Mottainai – It’s a waste

やみつき　Yamitsuki To be completely addicted to something / To be hooked on something you can’t stop

Examples: Pokemon Go にみんなやみつき Pokemon Go ni minna yamitsuki Everyone is hooked on Pokemon Go

ぱちんこにやみつき Pachiko ni yamitsuki I’m hooked on Pachinko

ロスアンゼルスのみんなラーメンにやみつき Rosuanzerusu no minna raamen ni yamitsuki Everyone in Los Angeles is hooked on ramen noodles

In this podcast, Asuka and Alex will teach you some useful classroom Japanese phrases. These phrases will help you to interact with your teacher and ask and answer questions.

For more Japanese language learning podcasts go to http://learnjapanesepod.com

These are just the Japanese dialogues taken from podcast #06 “Useful Classroom Japanese Phrases”

In this podcast, Asuka and I teach you some useful classroom Japanese phrases so you can interact with your teacher and understand more. We teach you how to ask questions about vocabulary and sentences. In fact, I wish I had known all this when I started to study Japanese in Tokyo all those years ago. It would have helped me learn vocabulary a lot more quickly.

We also teach you how to speak in a respectful way to your Sensei. And of course you can catch up with the rest of our random banter about what’s been going on with Asuka and I recently.

Main Dialog 1 (Japanese)

Main Dialog (English)

Random Phrase – Mottainai – It’s a waste

Here are some extra examples of this week’s random phrase which is “Mottainai” which means it’s such a waste.

1) 彼女を振ったなんてもったいない！

Kanojo futta nante mottainai

It was such a shame (waste) that you dumped your girlfriend!

2) もう新しいパソコン買うの？もったいないな、まだ使えるのに。

mō atarashii pasokon kau no. mottainai na, mada tsukaeru noni.

You’re buying a new PC already? That’s a waste, you can still use the old one.

3) 君にその指輪はもったいないよ。

Kimi ni sono yubiwa mottainai yo

That ring is wasted on you.

For more Japanese language learning podcasts go to http://learnjapanesepod.com

In this podcast we reveal our top 10 tips for studying Japanese more efficiently.

For more Japanese language learning podcasts go to http://learnjapanesepod.com

These are just the Japanese dialogues taken from podcast #05 “Top 10 tips for studying Japanese”

Top 10 Tips for Studying Japanese 

One of the most common questions I get is “I want to study Japanese but where should I start?”. The next most common question is “I’ve hit a wall with my Japanese and don’t seem to be improving, what should I do?”.

So, if you are a beginner, or have already started studying Japanese but got stuck, this podcast is for YOU! Asuka and I put our heads together and came up with our top 10 tips for studying Japanese more quickly and effectively. I also wanted to make this podcast to point out that, there aren’t any magical shortcuts or secret techniques for learning to speak perfect Japanese in only a few months. A lot of websites out there would have you believe otherwise!

Rather, it is more about discovering your “why” or motivation for studying Japanese. Then, you want to focus on a specific goal. In that way, you won’t waste your time studying non-essential topics and save a lot of time.

Top 10 Tips for Studying Japanese
Tip # 1 – Set a clear goal

This one is pretty obvious. Before you start anything, you should set a clear goal, preferably with a deadline. This will help to really focus your studies. If you’re not sure what your goal is, simply ask yourself “why do I want to study Japanese?”

Do you want to visit Japan on holiday? Do you want to be able to read your favorite manga? Or perhaps you want to become a ninja. Depending on that answer, you can focus more effectively on a study plan.

That might be obvious to you but it is worth saying. And there is one more reason to have a clear goal that people sometimes forget about.

And that is, setting a goal avoids wasting time studying stuff you don’t need to know. If your goal is to visit Japan for a week on holiday, then you should just be studying simple phrases for booking tickets, asking directions and perhaps shopping. You don’t need waste your time studying 2500 kanji from a dusty textbook for that.

So, why do you want to study Japanese? Think about it and leave a comment below.

On to the next tip.

Tip # 2 – Know your everyday expressions

For those of you who want to visit Japan, work here and be able to hold a conversation in Japanese, learning high frequency everyday expressions is a great place to start. You should know greetings for different times of day, asking how people are and how to say please and thank you.

For example:

おはようございます – ohayō gozaimasu – Good morning

こんにちは – Konnichi wa – Hello (Used around midday)

こんばんは– Konban wa – Good evening

お元気ですか – ogenki desu ka – How are you?

元気です – I’m fine

お願いします – onegai shimasu – Please (Could you do something for me?)

ありがとうございます – arigatō gozaimasu – Thank you

どういたしまして – dō itashi mashite – You’re welcome

Tip # 3 – Learn expressions that don’t translate easily into English

After learning some basic daily expressions you should learn phrases that don’t easily translate into English. In other words, learn phrases that give you a deeper insight into Japanese culture. This also helps you to stop translating words from your own language into Japanese which wastes time and makes you sound unnatural. Here are some examples:

お先に失礼します – osaki ni shitsurei shimasu

This means something like, “I’m sorry for leaving before you”. You say this when you are the first person leaving work or some engagement with a group of people.

お疲れ様です – otsukare sama

This literally means, “you must be tired”. It is used in various situations but means something like good job, or well done. You use it to express your appreciation for someone after they have exerted a lot of effort for something. It can also be used when someone finishes work and goes home for the day.

You often hear the last two phrases together like this.

A: お先に失礼します – Right, I’m off (Excuse me for leaving first)

B: お疲れ様です – Bye (Good job)

これからよろしくお願いします – kore kara yoroshiku onegaishimasu

The word “yoroshiku” means something like good or please treat me well. So this phrase is could be used to mean “I look forward to working with you” or ” I look forward to doing something with you in the future”. It’s used a lot at the end of a self introduction.

いただきます – itadakimasu

The closest phrase I could think of would be “bon apetite”. You say it before eating, usually at home when someone has cooked for you. Itadakimasu literally means “I receive”. It’s not only used for food but 9 times out of 10 you’ll hear it before people eat.

ごちそうさまです – gochisō sama desu

This basically means “That was delicious”. You use it after you’ve eaten to show your appreciation for having received the food and that it was delicious.

All of these phrase teach you the deeper cultural values of the Japanese and give you a glimpse into the way they interact with each other. This isn’t a complete list but it’s a good place to start.

Learn these phrases well young Jedi.

Tip # 4 – Drill common speech patterns

If you only learn one thing this from this lesson, learn this: Drill, drill and drill again common speech patterns. This is perhaps the single most effective method I used to develop my own fluency in Japanese. It’s not rocket science or anything new, but it does work. You just have to do it.

It’s super simple. Just choose a phrase, say it over and over again and just change one word every time. In that way, you practice the pattern until you can say it without thinking and you also expand your vocabulary at the same time.

For example, let’s learn how to say “where is…” so and so in Japanese which is… “…はどこですか” ( …wa doko desu ka)

Now, let’s drill and change one word every time.

銀行はどこですか？ – ginkō wa doko desu ka – Where is the bank?

郵便局はどこですか？- yūbinkyoku wa doko desu ka – Where is the post office?

駅はどこですか？eki wa doko desu ka – Where is the station?

コンビニはどこですか？konbini wa doko desu ka – Where is the convenience store?

ガンダムはどこですか？gandamu wa doko desu ka – Where is Gundam?

That’s it. You just gotta do it! You can drill phrases from whatever textbooks you are studying from, manga or even Learn Japanese Pod lesson notes which you can find on our podcast pages.

Tip # 5 – Know your Japanese adjectives

One really good way to start having conversations quickly in Japanese is learning adjectives. Why? Japanese usually omits the subject of a sentence. So although you could say 今日は暑いですね Today is hot. You could just say, 暑いですね it is hot. Or even just 暑い！ So you can simply say “hot” and it will make sense in Japanese. So by learning adjectives you are going to be able to say more with less.

This is because Japanese is what’s called a high context language. If you compare it with English, a low context language, you rely on the words in the sentence to convey all the meaning.

However with Japanese, you have to take into account the situation in which the word is being spoken. So, if you are standing outside in the park, sweating and fanning yourself and you just say 暑い atsui – hot, the person listening will fill in the blanks and understand that you are saying that you are hot now.

That means, on the plus side, Japanese can be extremely minimal and efficient in conveying what you want to say. On the minus side, it can sometimes lead to infuriatingly vague and confusing conversations. So when in Japan, it’s not what you say, it’s where, when and by whom it is being said by.

Here are some examples:

暑い – atsui – hot

寒い – Samui – cold

冷たい – Tsumetai – cold, used for things like liquids or solids

高い – takai – high or expensive

安い – yasui – cheap

楽しい – tanoshii – fun

Also, adjectives conjugate. For example, if you wanted to say, it was fun, you say:

楽しかった – tanoshikatta – it was fun

Tip # 6 – Know your basic Japanese verb conjugation

Just like adjectives, you can use verbs to express more with less. Also, basic verb conjugation in Japanese is pretty simple. Just like adjectives, you can use single verbs on their own without a subject and sometime without an object. Check out this basic pattern:

行きます – ikimasu – to go (present)

行きません – ikimasen – not go (negative present)

行きました – ikimashita – went (past)

行きませんでした – ikimasen deshita – didn’t go(negative past)

Depending on the situation you could simply say 行きませんでした which could mean “I didn’t go” or if you raised your voice “Didn’t you go?”. It’s all pretty useful stuff so make sure to learn some basic verbs.

Tip # 7 – Supercharge your Japanese with sentence enders

Although there are many sentence ending particles, you won’t go far wrong if you start by learning “yo” and “ne”.

“ne” means something like “isn’t it” so for example:

楽しかったね – tanoshikatta ne – it was fun wasn’t it

いいね – ii ne – That’s good isn’t it (This is also used on facebook for the “like” button)

“yo” emphasizes the point you want to make. So you could say:

楽しかったよ – tanoshikatta yo – It really was fun

いいよ – ii yo – That’s fine. (That’s totally OK)

Using sentence enders like these make you sound a lot more natural so learn them!

Tip # 8 – Listen to Japanese language learning podcasts

OK, shameless self promotion here but you can listen to my Japanese language learning podcasts here.

You want to get as much listening practice as you can and these days there is a lot on line you can download and listen to. It’s important to find something that you find interesting and can engage in to increase the chances you will keep listening to it. You don’t have to limit yourself to podcasts. Check out Youtube videos, listen to the weather forecast on NHK news or perhaps watch anime online.

When I started studying Japanese a million years ago, I just bought a simple Japanese conversation textbook with a CD and listened to that religiously. It wasn’t the best textbook out there but it really helped with my listening and prepared me well for studying Japanese conversation.

Whatever you listen to, the point is to just listen, even if you don’t understand everything. The goal is to get used to the sounds, pace and intonation of Japanese. Trust me, it will really help with listening and building the base to develop your conversational skills. You can also listen to a repeat audio out loud which is called “shadowing”. It’s another great way to drill common sentence patterns as I talked about in point #4.

Tip # 9 – Learn Hiragana and Katakana and don’t use Romaji

Just a quick tip here but try to learn Hiragana and Katakana as quickly as you can. Try to get away from using “romaji” to learn Japanese. This is because it’s somewhat confusing to read Japanese in romaji script. Also, being able to read Hiragana and Katakana helps a little with pronunciation as it forces you to speak using the basic sounds of Japanese.

And don’t be shy to start learning Kanji right from the start. But that’s another article for later…

Tip # 10 – Get out there and practice your Japanese

I was having a conversation with a well traveled multi-lingual friend of mine who said something very interesting. He said “if you can engage with the culture, you won’t need any language classes”.

In other words, if you can take part in something you enjoy with other people who speak the language you want to learn, then you’ll learn a lot faster. Of course, taking lessons is essential. However, it can be all too easy to get stuck learning kanji lists and grammar points and not get out there and actually practice speaking with Japanese people.

If you can create the opportunity to interact with Japanese people in real life situations outside of the classroom, that’s when you start to really internalise the language and really start communicating.

My own Japanese speaking skills really improved when I studied in Japan and lived in a dormitory of Japanese students who didn’t speak English very well. I was forced to used Japanese on a daily basis which really helped me improve. I also studied Aikido for a while which also really boosted my speaking and listening skills.

Also, just hanging out with my Japanese buddies and drinking with them in Izakayas was a great experience and a really fun was to consolidate everything I had learned in the classroom.

Even if you don’t live in Japan, you can create opportunities to speak with Japanese people. For example, joining a club, taking Japanese lessons or even speaking to people online.

In this podcast, Asuka and Alex teach you how to talk about your home town in Japanese. You will also learn how to ask and answer questions about where you are from.

For more Japanese language learning podcasts go to http://learnjapanesepod.com

These are just the Japanese dialogues taken from podcast #04 “How to talk about your home town in Japanese”

How to talk about your home town in Japanese

I can guarantee you, if you are visiting or living in Japan as a foreigner, you will undoubtedly be asked 出身はどこですか – shusshin wa doko desu ka – where you are from?

So Asuka and I (Alex) thought we would make this podcast to teach you how to talk about your home town with someone you have just met in Japan. This is a great way to get a conversation going and with the simple vocabulary and phrases in the podcast, you’ll learn how to do this without too much trouble.

You’ll learn how to say where you are from, describe what it’s like and recommend cool places to visit. Japanese are very interested and inquisitive when it comes to finding out why a foreigner would take the time to travel all the way to Japan.

Main podcast dialog

A:　ご出身はどこですか？ shusshin wa doko desu ka

Where are you from?

B:　ロンドンです rondon desu

(It is) London

A:　そうですか。どんなところですか sou desu ka. donna tokoro desu ka

Really? What is it like?

B:　賑やかですね nigiyaka desu ne

It’s lively

A:　おすすめな観光スポットはありますか？ osusume na kankou suppoto wa arimasu ka

What’s your recommendation for sightseeing?

B:　バキングハム宮殿がいいですね。ぜひ遊びに来てください。案内しますよ。bakinguhamu kyuuden ga ii desu ne. zehi asobi ni kite kudasai. annai shimasu yo.

Buckingham Palace is good. You should visit. I’ll show you around.

For more Japanese language learning podcasts go to http://learnjapanesepod.com

As discussed in Top 10 Etiquette Mistakes in Japan, there are two golden rules for apologising in Japanese:

1) If it’s your fault apologize.

2) If it’s not your fault, apologize.

I’m half joking but Japanese people tend to apologize more frequently than westerners. As they say in Japan:

とりあえず謝る – toriaezu ayamaru

(Whatever happens) just apologize

In this podcast, Asuka and Alex go through the basics of apologizing in Japanese in different situations and contexts. This is perhaps one of the most important skills you will learn when studying Japanese.

Lesson goal
In this lesson you’re going to learn some various ways to apologize in Japanese and what situations to use them in naturally.

Being humble, sincere and ready to admit you are wrong are traits held in high regard in Japan. Making excuses is avoided as that can be interpreted as being selfish or childish.

Japanese are also sometimes quick to apologize for the actions of others especially if they are in the same group. Some westerners might sometimes find this hard to understand however Japanese people are highly sensitive to the group dynamic and how their actions might affect others.

So, let’s have a look at the most useful vocabulary and phrases for apologizing in Japanese.

すみません Sumimasen
This is most common way to say sorry for something. It is common for people in conversation to
pronounce it “seimasen”. However, it is also useful in a variety of other situations, for example:

1) “Excuse me” if you bump into someone on the street or just a simple apology

すみません – sumimasen
Sorry, that was bad of me

2) Getting someone’s attention such as a waiter or when you want to ask someone directions. すみません、メニューお願いします – sumimasen, menyuu onegaishimasu

Excuse me, can I have the menu please?

すみません、駅はどこですか – sumimasen, eki wa doko desu ka
Excuse me, where is the station?

3) Receiving something from someone

A: メニューをどうぞ – menyuu o dozo
B: すみません – sumimasen
A: Here’s the menu
B: Thanks

ごめんなさい Gomen nasai
“Gomen nasai” is a little less formal than “sumimasen” and can sometimes sound a little childish so it’s better to only use this with friends and not your boss or other superiors.
It can also be shortened to ごめんね – gomen ne which is much more casual. When in doubt, use “sumimasen”.

申し訳ありません Mōshi wake arimasen
This is a very formal phrase and is stronger than “sumimasen” and “gomen nasai”. This should be used when apologizing to superiors. As a tourist or customer, you’ll often hear this when staff apologize to you. Here are some typical uses of this phrase:

大変申し訳ありません -taihen mōushiwake arimasen
I’m very sorry

遅れて申し訳ありません – okurete mōshiwake arimasen
I’m sorry for being late

申し訳ありません満席です – mōshiwake arimasen manseki desu
I’m sorry, the flight is full. (no seats left)

申し訳ありません満室です – mōshiwake arimasen manshitsu desu

I’m sorry we don’t have any available rooms left.

失礼します Shitsurei shimasu
Shitsurei literally means “rude” so when you say Shitsurei shimasu is a semi-causal way to say
you are sorry. It has various uses including the following;

失礼な!– shitsurei na
How rude! – Used when complaining about a rude person.

失礼します – shitsurei shimasu
I’m sorry / Excuse me

失礼しました – shitsurei shimashita
I’m sorry (This is usually used for something bad you did or a mistake you made) 失礼 – Shitsurei
Sorry (Very casual and usually used more by men)

お先に失礼します – osaki ni shitsurei shimasu
May I be excused? – This is used when you are the first person to leave a social gathering or the office at the end of the day.

ご迷惑 Gomeiwaku
This means trouble or troublesome and although is not an apology in itself, it is used a lot with
“sumimasen” and “mōushiwake arimasen” and is quite formal. For example:

ご迷惑をおかけてしてすみません – gomeiwaku o okakeshite sumimasen
I’m sorry for any trouble I caused. (Polite)

ご迷惑をおかけております – gomeiwaku o okakeshite orimasu
(The most formal way of apologizing often seen on signs outside construction works)

お詫び 申し上げます Owabi Mōshi agemasu
This is extremely polite and formal. It is rarely used in speech and usually appears in formal letters of apology.

Dialog examples from the podcast

Example 01
A: あの、変なことして本当にすみません B: どんなこと?
A: ちょっと言えないんですけど
A: ano, hen na koto shite hontou ni sumimasen B: donna koto
A: chotto ienain desu kedo
A: I did something weird, I’m sorry B: What kind of thing?
A: I can’t really say

Example 02
遅れしまってすみません
okurete shimatte sumimasen
I’m sorry for being late

Example 03

すみません、メニューお願いします
sumimasen menyuu onegaishimasu Excuse me, may I have the menu please?

Example 04
すみません、駅はどこですか
sumimasen eki wa doko desu ka Excuse me, where is the station

Example 05
A: 明香さんいろいろ助けてくれました。どうぞ、バラです。 B: すみませんアレックス
A: asuka san iroiro tasukete kuremashita. douzo bara desu B: sumimasen arekusu
A: Asuka, you’ve helped me with so many (various) things. Here are some roses. B: Thank you Alex (You shouldn’t have)

Example 06
お忙しところ大変申し訳ございません
oisogashii tokoro taihen moushi wake arimasen I’m sorry to disturb you at such a busy time

Example 07
お待たせしてしまって本当に申し訳ございません
omatase shite shimatte hontou ni moushi wake gozaimasen I’m sorry to have kept you waiting

Example 08
ご迷惑をおかけして大変申し訳ございませんでした
gomeiwaku o okake shite taihen moushi wake gozaimasen deshita I’m extremely sorry to have caused you such trouble

Example 09
大変ご迷惑をおかけして申し訳ございませんでした。では失礼します。
taihen gomeiwaku wo okake shite moushi wake gozaimasen deshita. dewa shitsurei shimasu. I’m sorry to have caused you so much trouble. Please allow me to excuse myself now (and leave)

These are just the Japanese dialogues from podcast #03 “How to apologize in Japanese”

In this podcast, Asuka and Alex are back to teach you how to do a self introduction in Japanese to a group of people. For example, this might be useful for you on your first day of Japanese class at university, college or school.

We cover how to say your name, where you are from and what your hobbies and interests are. If you learn the set phrases in this podcast you should be able to do your own self introduction easily.

For more Japanese language tutorial podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

The Japanese-only audio drills for podcast 52 have moved to our new Patreon page. Please click the link below for access:

Learn Japanese Pod Patreon page

These are just the Japanese dialogues for podcast #02 “How to do a self introduction in Japanese.

How to do a basic self introduction in Japanese
Today’s podcast will teach you how to do a self introduction in Japanese. This is extremely useful for students who are about to start a new Japanese course at university, college or even high school. Don’t worry, although there are many ways you could do this, we’ve made you an easy template with 5 simple steps for you to use to make your own. Just change the words in blue to fit your own information.

Step 1: Say your name
はじめまして、ジェニファーと申します。

Hajimemashite, Jennifer to moushimasu

Nice to meet you. I’m Jennifer.

Step 2: Say where you’re from
アメリカのカリフォルニア州から来ました。

Amerika no kariforunia shuu kara kimashita

I come from California in the US

Step 3: Say what your hobbies and interests are
趣味はタンゴダンスです。そして、食いしん坊です。

Shumi wa tangodansu desu. soshite kuishinbou desu

My hobby is dancing tango. Also I love food.

Step 4: Say you’ll do your best to study Japanese
これから日本語を一所懸命勉強したいと思います。

Korekara nihongo wo isshokenmei benkyou shitai to omoimasu

I want to do my best to study Japanese.

Step 5: Use a natural Japanese phrase express good will and end the introduction
宜しくお願い致します。*

yoroshiku onegai itashimasu

I look forward to (studying) with you

*This literally means “I count on your good favour in the future” but it can mean anything from “nice to meet you” to “I look forward to working/studying with you”

If you listen to the podcast you can hear more examples of self introductions.

In this podcast, Alex and Asuka will teach you how to ask your friends to hang out with you in natural, fluent Japanese. Listen to dialogues spoken by a native speaker for various situations so you can improve your listening and speaking skills. You can also download the free PDF show notes to study the grammar and vocabulary in more detail.

Get involved with the Learn Japanese Pod Community

Website: http://learnjapanesepod.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/japanesepodcast
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearnJapanesePod

These are just the Japanese audio dialogues featured in podcast #01: How to ask your friends to hang out in Japanese. Us this to practice your listening and speaking skills.

Here are the main dialogues used in today’s lesson:

Dialogue 01

A: ね,アレックスお寿司好き
B: 好き、好き
A: じゃあ、明日一緒にお寿司食べに行かない B: いいね、楽しみ

A: Ne, arekkusu, osushi suki
B: Suki suki
A: Jaa, ashita issho ni osushi tabe ni ikanai ii ne. tanoshimi

A: Hey Alex, do you like sushi?
B: Yeah, I love it.
A: OK, so do you want to get some sushi with me tomorrow? B: Sounds great, I’m looking forward to it!

Dialogue 02

A: ね,アレックスしゃぶしゃぶ好き
B: 好き、好き
A: じゃあ、明日一緒にしゃぶしゃぶ食べに行かない B: いいね、楽しみ

A: Ne, arekkusu, shabu shabu suki
B: Suki suki
A: Jaa, ashita issho ni osushi tabe ni ikanai ii ne. tanoshimi

A: Hey Alex, do you like shabushabu?
B: Yeah, I love it.
A: OK, so do you want to get some shabushabu with me tomorrow? B: Sounds great. I’m looking forward to it!

Dialogue 03

A: ね,アレックスビール好き
B: 好き、好き
A: じゃあ、明日一緒にビール飲みに行かない B: いいね、楽しみ

A: Ne, arekkusu, shabu shabu suki
B: Suki suki
A: Jaa, ashita issho ni biiru nomi ni ikanai ii ne. tanoshimi

A: Hey Alex, do you like beer?
B: Yeah, I love it.
A: OK, so do you want to get some beer with me tomorrow? B: Sounds great. I’m looking forward to it!

Dialogue 4

A: ね,アレックス日本酒好き
B: 好き、好き
A: じゃあ、明日一緒に日本酒飲みに行かない B: いいね、楽しみ

A: Ne, arekkusu, nihonshu suki
B: Suki suki
A: Jaa, ashita issho ni nihonshu nomi ni ikanai ii ne. tanoshimi

A: Hey Alex, do you like nihonshu?
B: Yeah, I love it.
A: OK, so do you want to get some nihonshu with me tomorrow? B: Sounds great. I’m looking forward to it!

Dialogue 5

A: ね,明日香,お寿司好き
B: 好き、好き
A: じゃあ、明日一緒にお寿司食べに行かない

B: ああ、明日はちょっと忙しいかも
A: じゃあ、また今度ね
B: ありがとう、またね

A: Ne, asuka, osushi suki
B: Suki suki
A: Jaa, ashita issho ni osushi tabe ni ikanai aa, ashita wa chotto isogashii kamo jaa, mata kondo ne
B: Arigatou, mata ne

A: Hey Asuka, do you like sushi?
B: Yeah, I love it.
A: OK, so do you want to get some sushi with me tomorrow? B: Ah, actually, tomorrow’s a little difficult for me
A: OK, next time
B: Thanks, next time