日本語のブログ

****If there are corrections or additions I should make to this list, please send me a message!****

So I just started using HelloTalk for Japanese, and found out pretty quickly that asking people to help you IN Japanese gets you MUCH better answers so long as you’re up to the challenge of figuring out slightly more complicated explanations! Here are some ways to do that:

THINGS TO ASK

Can I ask you a question?

ちょっと質問していいですか？

How do you say “_____” in Japanese?

「＿＿＿」は日本語で何と言いますか？

日本語で「＿＿＿」はどうやって言いますか？

What does “_____” mean?

「＿＿＿」の意味はなんですか？

「＿＿＿」って、どういう意味ですか？

Could you please correct my sentences/check them for errors?

文章を直してください/くれませんか/もらえませんか

間違いがあるかどうかチェックしてもらえますか？

What is the difference between “__” and “__”?

「＿＿」と「＿＿」の違いは何ですか？

Which one sounds more natural?

どちらがもっと自然に聞こえますか？

どちらの方が自然ですか？

What kind of situation should I use it in?

どんな場合に使いますか？

Is there another way to say it?

日本語で同じような言い回しがありますか？

How would you say it?

___さんなら、これを何と言いますか？

Do people normally use this word/phrase?

このフレーズ/言葉を普段使いますか？

How do I use (this word/phrase)

「＿＿＿」をどうやって使いますか？

Is it similar to/Is it like “_____,” for example?

「＿＿＿」という事ですか？

「＿＿＿」と同じような意味ですか？

AND IF U DIDNT REALLY GET THEIR CORRECTIONS/COMMENTS:

I’m sorry, I didn’t really understand “_____.” Could you explain it to me?

（すみません、「＿＿＿」はよく分からなくて）、ちょっと説明してもらえませんか？

I’m sorry, would you mind explaining your corrections?

すみません、訂正を説明してもらえませんか？

OTHER TIPS

Say thank you afterward!

The sentences above are mostly starting points. The more you talk to people, the more you’ll notice how people ask things like “Oh, can you explain that thing on the bottom?” or “So it’s okay if I say this instead of this?” etc. etc. But these sentences will help you get on your feet!

What I sometimes like to do if they’re using really complicated Japanese to explain to me, it try to explain it in my own words and then add っていうことですか？ to find out if I’m understanding right!

Challenge yourself by answering Japanese-speakers’s questions in Japanese! You’d be surprised how much you can learn about explaining just by reading explanations!

Good luck! Please let me know if you have any questions! <3 頑張ってください！皆さん何か聞きたいことがあったら、何でも聞いてくださいね！<3

Hey there! There are actually quite a few recommended sites for Japanese learners, so I’ll link them right now :)

Japanese IO – I’ve used this site quite a few times and I love the interface! The design is really sleek and “to the point,” so there’s no distractions from what you’re trying to do, which is practice reading Japanese. It also has a great library and look-up feature.

朝日学生新聞社 – This is the “kid’s version” of the more adult 朝日新聞社. If you don’t feel that you’re quite up for the adult version, test out the version geared towards kids. They have fewer articles, but there’s plenty for a learner to pick through.

NHK NEWS EASY – I’m almost positive this is one of the most famous ones for learners. It’s similar to Asahi’s kid newspaper – articles are condensed with easier kanji and vocabulary, and it’s geared towards children, so learners can spend some time combing through updated articles and testing their skills.

Yahoo! Kids – More short news articles geared towards easier-to-understand Japanese.

MATCHA – A fun magazine similar in style to NHK EZ.

Watanoc – Another magazine-type site with a variety of articles.

Traditional Japanese Stories – Get your hands on some easily printed Japanese stories that are told to children. Great for language skills and culture! Similar to English pop culture stories (like Cinderella and so on), Japan has its own fairytales that are occasionally referenced.

Fuku Musume’s Fairy Tale Collection – More stories!

World of チョコチョコ – These are beginner stories, but as you progress you can read other stories on this website.

EhonNavi – Read hundreds of Japanese picture books for free!

If you’re looking for more advanced content…

NHK – Japan’s national broadcaster. You can read articles as well as stream audio and video (may be blocked depending on location).

毎日新聞 – Moderate/left-leaning national newspaper

朝日新聞 – Left-leaning national newspaper

読売新聞 – Conservative national newspaper

東洋経済オンライン – A well-known business and finance magazine.

Project Gutenberg (Japanese) – Get access to a ton of out-of-print and classical books for free.

小説家になろう – A site where authors can publish their works online in exchange for reviews.

青空文庫 – Another site where you can get older and out-of-print novels.

University of Virginia Japanese Text Initiative – Another place to access novels in Japanese for free (with the option to read them with furigana).

ComicWalker – Free manga from the publisher Kadokawa. There’s an app too!

最前線 – You can read some manga online for free.

コミコ – More free Japanese manga available here!

キナリノ – A woman’s lifestyle blog which covers fashion, cooking, decor, and more!

Magazine Lib – You can read PDFs of Japanese magazines.

1000文字小説 – A place where users can submit 1000 characters or less stories. 

I also highly recommend starting a Twitter (if you don’t already have one) and following Japanese accounts. I follow a lot of feminist and political accounts so that I’m learning words relevant to my interests, as well as interacting with people that are discussing topics of interest to me (i.e. women and their place in Japanese society).

If you’re curious, you can find me on Twitter at @sydney0313 :)

I hope this list proves useful to you! (And others.)

nouns:

正当防衛（せいとうぼうえい） = legitimate self-defense

チャラ = forgiving (a debt), being even; pretending something never happened (colloquial)

減らず口（へらずぐち） = impudent talk, talking back, getting in the last word

形見（かたみ） = memento (esp. of a deceased person)

遺言状（ゆいごんじょう） = will (legal)

かんしゃく = temper, irritability

賽銭泥棒（さいせんどろぼう） = thief who steals money from the offerings box at a shrine/temple

音痴（おんち） = tone deafness

〜音痴（おんち） = having no sense of (e.g., direction), being illiterate in (e.g., computers)

よりどころ = grounds, authority; support, something to rely on

風化（ふうか） = fading (of memories)

杞憂（きゆう） = needless fear, unfounded worry

三次元（さんじげん） = three dimensional

verbs:

狂う（くるう） = to go mad, lose one’s mind

付け回す（つけまわす） = to follow, shadow, hover around

入り浸る（いりびたる） = to hang around, frequent

振り下ろす（ふりおろす） = to swing downward, bring down

ねじくれる = to be contrary, uncooperative

ませる = to be precocious, be mature for one’s age

喰らう（くらう） = to be on the receiving end of, undergo (trouble)

きょどる = to act suspiciously

へこむ = to be disheartened, feel down

〜だより = news, tidings, updates from

adjectives:

冷淡（れいたん）な = cool, indifferent; cold, heartless

支離滅裂（しりめつれつ）な = incoherent, inconsistent, nonsensical

三次元（さんじげん）の = real-world, IRL

adverbs/onomatopoeiae:

片っ端（かたっぱし）から = every little bit, thoroughly, systematically, one after the other

矢先（やさき）に = just when (one is about to), just as, on the point of

expressions:

耳（みみ）に付く（つく） = to catch one’s attention/ear

途方（とほう）に暮れる（くれる） = to be at a loss, puzzled

〜ずじまい = ending before one had time to do something

ひんしゅくを買う（かう） = to be frowned upon

まった = wait, hold it

片や（かたや） = on the one hand

For those curious, the sentence/word was:

写真は拡大イメージです。

大 I know, of course, and I understood the rest of the sentence. Looked at 拡 and thought, okay. Hand + spacious/wide... oh, like manually making something wider? So that word must be something like make bigger/enlargen! Which totally makes sense given the context!

Looked it up and I was right!

Vlogs and Lifestyle

in living. - She does fashion videos, hauls or simply videos about her everyday life. Also has a bunch of different channels for specific things like eg games. Sorekara Travel - Ryo does travel videos in Japan with a very…ambient feeling? There is not much overlay with music. I don’t know what I am saying. 5歳からの同級生とルームシェア - Kaito and Kouki basically showcase their everyday life as roommates and often make cooking videos. It’s a good channel if one wants to here more casual conversation. Se-ya - Vlogs. Interior. The music selection is just top tier too with the jazzy&retro vibe he has going on. あっちゃん - Your typical vlogs with a chill vibe. I don’t have much more to say what kind of videos he makes.

Cooking

Kiwami Meshi - Do you know ‘The Way of the Househusband’? Yeah, that’s basically this channel. Also made a few recipes already, really good!! ご飯が美味しいch - Because of the nature of the videos it is rather a reading than listening practice but they are incredibly soothing.

Gaming and Art

Let's Pay

Money-related words in Japanese

現金　げんきん　cash

クレジットカード　credit card

レジ　cash register

勘定　かんじょう　bill, check

勘定を済ませる　 かんじょう を すませる to pay the bill/check

お勘定をお願いします おかんじょう を おねがい します Could I have the check please.

別々に払う べつべつ に はらう to pay separately

別々でお願いします べつべつ で おねがい します We will pay separately.

割り勘　わりかん　splitting the cost

割り勘にする わりかん に する to split the bill

おごる　to treat someone to

おごり　treat

有効期限　ゆうこうきげん　expiration date (of medicine, credit card, etc.), term of validity

カードの有効期限確認する カード の ゆうこうきげん を かくにん する to confirm the expiry date of the credit card

札　さつ　banknote, bill, paper money

お札をくずす おさつ を くずす to break a bill

つり　change

おつりをもらう　to receive the change

レシート　receipt

領収書　りょうしゅうしょ　receipt

レシート/領収書をもらう レシート/りょうしゅうしょ を もらう to ask for a receipt

ぜいたくする　to splurge

むだづかいをする　to waste money

請求書　せいきゅうしょ　bill, invoice

請求書が届く せいきゅうしょ が とどく to receive a bill

費用　ひよう　cost, expense

費用がかかる ひよう が かかる to cost a great deal

生活費　せいかつひ　living expenses

生活費が不足する せいかつひ が ふそく する to be short on living expenses

交通費　こうつうひ　transportation expenses

お金が足りる おかね が たりる to have enough money

お金が足りない おかね が たりない to run out of money

食費　しょくひ　food expenses

節約　せつやく　economizing, saving

食費を節約する しょくひ を せつやく する to economize on food expenses

無駄　むだ　waste

無駄を省く むだ を はぶく to eliminate waste

無駄をなくす むだ を なくす to prevent waste

貧乏　びんぼう　poverty-stricken, destitute, poor

お金持ち　おかねもち　wealthy, rich

貧しい　まずしい　poor, needy

借金　しゃっきん　debt, loan

借金をする しゃっきん を する to borrow money

Basic Japanese Vocabulary - Transport 

車 - くるま (kuruma) - car

自転車 - じてんしゃ (jitensha) - bicycle

バス (basu) - bus

電車 -でんしゃ (densha) - train

地下鉄 - ちかてつ (chikatetsu) - subway, metro

新幹線 - しんかんせん (shinkansen) - bullet train

飛行機 - ひこうき (hikōki) - plane

船 - ふね (fune) - ship

駅 - えき (eki) - station

切符 - きっぷ (kippu) - ticket

Grammar

When saying you go somewhere by a method of transport, use the particle で. You can use へ (e) or に to say where it is you’re going.

私は日本に飛行機で行きます。(I will go to Japan by plan)

彼はいつも仕事に電車で行きます。(He always goes to work by train)

You can say how long something takes with the verb かかる. Use the particles から and まで to indicate from and to respectively.

ロンドンから東京まで飛行機で１４時間かかります。(It takes 14 hours to go from London to Tokyo by plane).

東京から京都まで新幹線でどのくらいかかりますか？ (How long does it take to get from Tokyo to Kyoto by bullet train?)

Another useful verb here is 乗る (のる). This means to ride or to get on.

昨日、地下鉄に乗りました。(Yesterday, I took the subway)

土曜日、初めて新幹線に乗ります。(On Saturday, I will take a bullet train for the first time).

(no 魔女の宅急便 vocab this time, it got too busy for me to read more than one book at a time 😭)

nouns:

表紙（ひょうし） = cover (of book, magazine, etc.); appearing on the cover of a magazine (slang)

工程（こうてい） = operation, process; progress of work

穴開け（あなあけ）パンチ = hole punch(er)

ひも = string, cord

手順（てじゅん） = process, procedure

かまくら = snow hut

陰（いん）キャラ = gloomy person

植え込み（うえこみ） = shrubs, thicket

花壇（かだん） = flower bed

上履き（うわばき） = hallway slippers, indoor shoes

あご = chin, jaw

同情（どうじょう） = sympathy, compassion, pity

会釈（えしゃく） = slight bow, nod (in greeting)

verbs:

削る（けずる） = to shave, whittle; to cut down, reduce; to delete, cross out

なめる = to look down on, make fun of; to underestimate

ひったくる = to snatch from, steal from

おごる = to give someone a treat

ほころばす = to rip up (a seam); to break out (e.g., into a smile)

ごった返す（がえす） = to be in confusion/commotion/turmoil; to be jammed with people

寄せ付ける（よせつける） = to allow to come near

もたつく = to not make progress, be inefficient

adjectives:

淡い（あわい） = light, pale (e.g., color)

気詰まり（きづまり）な = uncomfortable, awkward

鋭い（するどい） = sharp (blade, pain, noise, etc.); perceptive, keen; nimble, agile

気さく（きさく）な = friendly, sociable, good-humored

即座（そくざ）の = immediately, right there on the spot

adverbs/onomatopoeiae:

サラリと = sleek, smooth; without hesitation

改めて（あらためて） = once again, anew

移動「いどう」movement

賛成「さんせい」approval/support

任せる「まかせる」to entrust to, to leave to [一段動詞、他動詞] 無事「ぶじ」 peace, quietness

移設 「いせつ」 relocation of a facility

蚊　「か」mosquito

没頭する「ぼっとうする」to immerse oneself in, to be absorbed in

雰囲気「ふんいき」mood, atmosphere

発掘 「はっくつ」excavation

衣装「いしょう」clothing, outfit

I did not receive any formal classes or training when comes to sending formal business emails in Japanese.

It is indeed a completely ball game and normal jlpt Japanese knowledge didn’t help me at all. When I first started sending and replying to my jp boss, it took me almost 2 hours just to reply a simple email because I was so afraid of messing up and offending him. However as time goes by and learning by myself + on the go, it became easier for me to do so. I’m still far away from replying naturally and comfortably for biz jp emails but I’m happy I’ve made significant progress!

here are some resources which helped me improved my business jp for emails

knowing the to-do’s, especially the not to-do’s is very important as a head start imo! learn how not to offend anyone comes first, focus more on the common mistakes. youtube has some of such similar resources too so feel free to check them out. Here are some website recourses of mine:

https://lamire.jp/200943

https://kicho-navi.jp/keigo-phone-mail/

https://business-textbooks.com/honorific70/

templates ranging from 催促、ご確認、依頼、ご指示、ご教義、お礼、お詫び、ご報告 etc, really depends on what you wanna search 🌟

https://email.chottu.net

https://business-mail.jp/example

https://biz.trans-suite.jp/category/マナー/メール

http://nomad-salaryman.com/category/ビジネス

The kanji in this 4-character idiom are:

鏡 = mirror

花 = flower

水 = water

月 = moon

It evokes the image of the full moon reflected in water, or a flower reflected in a mirror - something beautiful but out of reach.

【Free (mostly) resources】

Syosetu - A site where novelists can post their novels. They are free to read even without an account.

Matcha - A web magazine which introduces Japan for visitors. It introduces not only sightseeing spots all over Japan but also food, shopping and other useful information that you should know when you are travelling to Japan. If you are still a beginner in Japanese or not a high level there also is a Matcha Easy. Both are free.

Satori Reader - Probably my favourite resource for reading. You can choose stories based on your level and also adjust how many kanji will be featured. Grammar and unusual sentence structure is annotated to help you understand the sentence fully and the thought process why the sentence structure is the way it is. Satori Reader also has a built-in SRS which is just awesome because it not just tests you on the word but it shows the word and the whole sentence you bookmarked it from. Free to a certain degree. If you want to access full stories, usually the first episode is free, you will have to get premium which is 9€/month or 90€/year. There are often sales though eg. during New Year's or Golden Week.

Pixiv - Not much to say about Pixiv tbh. You have to make an account to be able to access the content on there but then you are free to roam and discover art, manga and novels based on what you like.

【Where to get books, manga and whatnot from】

bookwalker.jp - Huge selection of ebooks and manga. Offers a lot of manga and books for free everyday which you can keep them forever once they are in your library. Downside, no downloadable app to read books offline in. Upside, you can highlight and colour code words, grammar, phrases you want to remember etc. (Only works with novels though and not manga...grrr)

cmoa.jp - Same as Bookwalker, huge selection of books and manga. Offers many works for free everyday too. I haven't used it that much yet so I am not sure but they seem to be time restricted too- I don't know if you can keep them after the time-period ends. Downside, you can only put bookmarks but not highlight individual words, etc. from what I have seen. Upside, downloadable app where you can also download your books to and read offline.

I found JLPT sensei's table very useful for reference.

Here they are - the rest of my printable kanji writing sheets! The first one is a repost of the template I designed for my WaniKani studies. The rest of them are different variations in box size based on the original template.

There are three sizes:

large boxes (approx. 35 mm)

medium boxes (approx. 27 mm)

small boxes (approx. 17 mm)

Printed Japanese notebooks for kanji and handwriting practice have squares that are 5 or 6 mm wide, which is much smaller than these sheets that I made.

Here’s a diagram illustrating a size comparison:

As you can see, the 5 mm and 6 mm boxes are waaaaaay smaller than the boxes in the sheets that I made! I’ve tried writing kana on 5 mm paper and even that is difficult for me - so I can’t imagine writing kanji that small. I’d say natural handwriting would probably fit in 6 or even 7 mm square paper.

And so, I decided to make two more sheets with 6 mm and 7 mm boxes! Here they are~

For those of you who are more experienced writing kanji than myself, give these sheets a try and let me know what you think! (*´∀｀)

みんな、一緒にがんばろうね！～ (｀・ω・´)ゞ

It’s a grammar point used to express doing something ahead of time or in preparation for something 

Example sentences:

いつか日本に留学したいので、日本語を勉強しておきます。

Someday I want to study abroad in Japan so I will study Japanese in advance.

母は今晩出かけるので、晩ご飯を作っておいてくれた。

Since my mom is going out tonight, she made dinner for us in advance.

The short form of ておく used in speech is とく

Example sentences:

ホテルを予約（よやく）しとくよ。

I’ll make a hotel reservation in advance.

今日、「レ・ミゼラブル」を見に行くから、宿題をしといた。

えさ箱（ばこ） = feed tray, feed bowl (for animals)

お義姉さん（おねえさん） = sister-in-law (only different from お姉さんin writing, so context is important)

破片（はへん） = fragment, splinter, broken piece

ウインカー = turn signal, blinker (on a car)

積もる（つもる） = to pile up, accumulate

住宅街（じゅうたくがい） = residential area