snow

눈에서 멀어지면, 마음에서도 멀어진다 - Out of sight, out of mind

뜻이 있는 곳에 길이 있다 - Where there is a will, there is a way

웃음은 최고의 명약이다 - Laughter is the best medicine 

고생 끝에 낙이 온다 - At the end of hardship come happiness 

가는 말이 고와야오는 말이 곱다 -  If the outgoing words are beautiful, then the incoming words will be beautiful too

옷이 날개다 - Clothes are wings

하늘의 별 따기 - Plucking a star from the sky

시작이 반이다 - Starting is half the task

원숭이도 나무에서 떨어진다 - Even monkeys fall from trees

anon asked: 안녕하세요! My Korean friends keep telling me bad words in Korean but not tell me what they mean! Please help me know what they mean? Can you give a list of all the swears in Korean?

Hello! 안녕하세요! I did an ask similar to this I can link them here [x]. 

AS A REMINDER: This is for educational purposes only! Please read the following blog with caution. I will censor all words, so use your imagination. 

놈 - b*stard

년 - b*tch

좆 - d*ck/c*ck (this word can usually be combined with other swears)

개새끼 - SOB // son of a b*tch (can be shortened to 개새)

씨발 - f*ck

젠장 - damn it!

병신 - jerk / *sshole

엿먹어 - f*ck you

꺼져 - get the hell out / leave me the f*ck alone

보지 - p*ssy

좆됐어 - i’m f*cked / it’s f*cked

미친(놈/년) - crazy b*stard / b*tch

좆나//존나 ‘x’ - f*cking ‘x’      > you can use this like 존나 맛있어 - fkn delicious!

변태 - pervert

These are really the only ones I know - so if other ppl have more, put them in the comments or reblog to help anon out! 

I hope this helps! Now when your Korean friends tell you a bad word, you can trick them haha! Best of luck and Happy Learning :)

Introduction

I've studied Spanish at school for 3 years and now I'm at a low B1 level. I can actually understand pretty well while listening or reading but I can't communicate fluently.

This plan will include vocabulary build up, some grammar revision, a lot of listening, reading and writing. And could be used for the most languages, not only Spanish.

Plan

Every day:

Conjugate one verb in present, past and future tenses

Make a list about 10 - 30 words long

Create flashcards with them and start learning them (I use Quizlet for flashcards)

Revise yesterday's set of flashcards

2-3 times a week:

Read an article or a few pages from a book

Write a few sentences about anything in your target language

Listen to one episode of podcast (at least one)

Once a week or every two weeks:

Watch a movie in your target language, preferably animated movie as the language used there is easier. You can watch with subtitles

Grammar exercises

Translate some short text

Once a month:

Write something longer, like an essay or report, on chosen topic

Additionally:

Talk to yourself, to your friends, to your pets

Text with someone

Look at the transcription while listening to the podcast for second time

Repeat what you hear (in podcast or movie)

Check words you don't know from the listening and reading

Read out loud

Listen to music in your target language - you can even learn the text and sing along

Watch YouTube in your target language

Change your phone language to the one you're learning

Think in you target language!!!

Winter, again ☆ また冬 (ふゆ)

厳冬　げんとう　 severe winter

大寒　だいかん　extreme cold

寒中　かんちゅう　mid-winter, cold season

冬至　とうじ　winter solstice

冷気　れいき　cold, chill, cold weather

寒雨　かんう　cold winter rain

寒雲　かんうん　clouds in midwinter, cold winter clouds

寒気　かんき　cold chill, the shivers

寒月　かんげつ　wintry moon, a winter month

here is some basic information on japanese verb conjugation and sentence structures! 

japanese verb conjugations by tense:

present positive: ROOT + ます

present negative: ROOT + ません

present questioning: ROOT + ますか

past positive: ROOT + ました

past negative: ROOT + ませんでした

sentence particles:

は: topic particle; used to indicate the subject of a sentence 

へ: direction particle: used to indicate a place, direction, or destination

を: object particle: Used to indicate the object of a sentence, NOT Subject

の: possessive particle: Used to indicate possession, acts as an “ ‘s”

basic japanese grammar structure and comparing it to english:

the japanese language follows an SOV sentence structure, which means that the subject comes first, an object comes second, and a verb comes last in a sentence. this is different from english, which follows an SVO structure, where the subject comes first, the verb comes second, and the object comes last. here is an example:

私はアメリカ人です。（わたしはアメリカじんです）

[subject] + [particle] + [adjective] + [object] + [verb] 

literally: [I] + [subject indicator] + [america person] + [am]

VS…

i am american. 

天文（てんもん）ASTRONOMY

宇宙（うちゅう）SPACE; COSMOS; UNIVERSE

大気（たいき）Atmosphere

空（そら）Sky

上空（じょうくう）Upper sky

星（ほし）Star

彗星（すいせい）Comet

星雲（せいうん）Nebula

望遠鏡（ぼうえんきょう）Telescope

惑星（わくせい）PLANET

太陽（たいよう）Sun

水星（すいせい）Mercury

金星（きんせい）Venus

地球（ちきゅう）Earth

火星（かせい）Mars

木星（もくせい）Jupiter

土星（どせい）Saturn

天王星（てんのうせい）Uranus

海王星（かいおうせい）Neptune

冥王星（めいおうせい）Pluto

School || 学校・がっこう Hey guys, today I’m going to be doing sort of an extension on a previous post of mine regarding “school subjects” vocabulary. This post will focus on all kinds of vocabulary relating to school! Vocabulary・単語・たんご：

School・学校・がっこう

All Boy’s School・男子校・だんしこう

All Girl’s School・女子高・じょうしこう

Co-Ed School・共学校・きょうがくこう

CramSchool・塾・じゅく

Graduate School・大学院・だいがくいん

High School・高校・こうこう

Kindergarten・幼稚園・ようちえん

Middle School・中学校・ちゅうがこう

Preschool／Daycare・保育園・ほいくえん

Prep School・予備校・よびこう

Primary School・小学校・しょうがっこう

Private School・私立学校・しりつがっこう

Public School・公立学校・こうりつがっこう

School・学校・がっこう

University/College・大学・だいがく

Student・学生・がくせい

Classmate・クラスメイト／同級生・どうきゅうせい

First Grade・一年生・いちねんせい

Junior・後輩・こうはい

Kindergartener・幼稚園児・ようちえんじ

Preschooler・未就学児・みしゅうがくじ

Principal・校長・こうちょう

Professor・教授・きょうじゅ

School Nurse・保健室の先生・ほけんしつのせんせい

Senior・先輩・せんぱい

Student・学生・がくせい

Teacher・先生・せんせい

Vice Principal・教頭・きょうとう

Classroom・教室・きょうしつ

Art Room・美術室・びじゅつしつ

Classroom・教室・きょうしつ

Gym・体育館・たいいくかん

Library・図書室・としょしつ

Music Room・音楽室・おんがっくしつ

Nurse’s Office・保健室・ほけんしつ

Playground・校庭・こうてい

Principal’s Office・校長室・こうちょうしつ

Science Lab・理科室・りかしつ

Staff Room・職員室・しょくいんしつ

Other・その他・そのほか

Break/Holiday・休み・やすみ

Enroll/Enter・入学する・にゅうがくする

Enrance Ceremony・入学式・にゅうがくしき

Entrance Exam・入学試験・にゅうがくしけん

Exam/Test・試験・しけん

Expelled・退学になる・たいがくになる

Fill In The Blank・穴埋め問題・あなうめもんだい

Finals・期末試験・きまつしけん

Grades・成績・せいせき

Graduate・卒業する・そつぎょうする

Graduation Ceremony・卒業式・そつぎょうしき

Leave/Withdraw/Quit School・退学する・たいがくする

Midterm・中間試験・ちゅうかんしけん

Multiple Choice・選択問題・せんたくもんだい

Quiz・少テスト・こテスト

Report Card・通信簿・つうしんぼ

Skip Class・授業をサボる・じゅぎょうをサボる

Suspension・停学・ていがく

Teacher’s Pet・先生のお気に入りの生徒・せんせいのおきにいりのせいと

Transfer・転校・てんこう

Paying attention in Japanese

When talking with Japanese people, in English or Japanese, you might notice that they frequently nod or interject something like はい or yes frequently while you are talking. This participatory style of communication characterizes spoken Japanese. With あいづち (aizuchi) or short interjections, the listener is letting you know that they are following you.

If the listener doesn’t show any reaction during a conversation, a Japanese person might feel uneasy and stop and ask if you understand. In some cases they may repeat what they said if they assume you don’t follow the conversation. Over the telephone this might happen if the listener doesn’t respond enough, with the speaker asking もしもし？ to see if the listener is still there.

あいづち is an important part of Japanese conversation, and even if it seems strange at first, with enough practice it will become second nature.

Examples of あいづち

はい (does not necessarily mean “I agree” when used as あいづち; formal)

ええ (less formal than はい)

うん (more casual than はい and ええ; sounds closer to a short, hard “mm” sound in English)

ああ (”ah, I see”; less formal)

へえ (”no way”; casual)

そうですか (”is that so?”; formal)

そうですね (”I see”; less formal)

そうっか (”I see”; casual)

そう (”I see”; casual)

そうなんですか (”oh really?”; expresses with extra emphasis)

ほんとうですか (”is that true?”; formal) 

ほんとうに (”oh really?”; less formal)

マジ (”really?”; casual)

なるほど (”I see”, “that’s right”; formal)

english - japanese

space/universe -  宇宙 (うちゅう - uchū)

alien -  宇宙人 (うちゅうじん -  uchūjin)

astronaut -  宇宙飛行士 (うちゅう ひこうし - uchūhikōshi)

spaceship -  宇宙船 (うちゅうせん - uchūsen)

spacesuit -  宇宙服 (うちゅう ふく-  uchūfuku)

star -  星 (ほし - hoshi)

planet -  惑星 (わくせい - wakusei)

comet -  彗星 (すいせい - suisei)

asteroid - 小惑星 (しょう わくせい - shō wakusei)

meteor - 流星 (りゅうせい - ryūsei)

meteor shower -  流星群 (りゅうせい ぐん- ryūseigun)

galaxy -  銀河˙’系’ ( ぎんが’けい’ - ginga’kei’)

nebula - 星雲 (せいうん - seiun)

sun -  太陽 (たいよう - taiyō)

solar system -  太陽系 (たいようけい - taiyōkei)

moon -  月 (つき - tsuki)

eclipse -  食 (っしょく - shoku)

solar eclipse -  日食 (にっしょく - nisshoku)

lunar eclipse - 月食  (げっしょく - gesshoku)

constellation -  星座 (せいざ- seiza)

a profound, mysterious sense of the beauty of the universe  -  幽玄  (ゆうげん -yuugen)

A Japanese picture book app.

Difficulty level: beginner | intermediate | advanced

Options

Japanese only: ☑ Yes; ☐ No

Free: ☑ Yes; ☐ No (Paid version available)

Interaction with others: ☐ Yes; ☑ No

Score: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

PIBO is a really neat picture book app available on iOS from the App Store. It’s exactly what it says on the tin: A really big collection of picture books entirely in Japanese.

After downloading the app, here’s what you see. The selection available to you changes each day. Now, this interface is important to explain what differences there are between free and paid users. Paid users

Get an unlimited number of books to read per day’.

See where it says 「０かい」? That’s because I’ve already read my 3 free books for the day when I took this picture.

Can access the full list of available books (through「すべて」).

Can access the books they’ve marked as favorite (through 「おきにいり」).

Which, obviously, free users can’t do, but I find that just going through 3 small books a day is a very good form of practice. And, as a free user, if you really liked one book, you can still find it under your 「りれき」 tab!

Opening a book will give you information about its intended age group - bearing in mind that ‘intended age group’ refers to Japanese children, who have grown up with the language! - and a little bit about the story you can expect. I’ve seen mostly books for the 3-6 age group, but also something marked appropriate for ages 10-12, which made me mark this app as suitable for the lower intermediate level.

Final comments

会う (あう)- to meet

合う (あう)- to fit, to suit

上がる (あがる)- to go up

開く (あく)- to open

空く (あく)- empty, with space

開ける (あける)- to open

あげる- to give

上げる (あげる)- to rise

遊ぶ (あそぶ)- to play

浴びる (あびる)- to take a shower

洗う (あらう)- to wash

有る (ある)- to be, to exist

ある- to possess

歩く (あるく)- to walk

言う (いう)- to say, to tell

行く (いく)- to go

いる- need, must have, be required

いる- to exist

入れる (いれる)- to insert, to put in

歌う (うたう)- to sing

生まれる (うまれる)- to be born

売る (うる)- to sell

起きる (おきる)- to get up, to stand up

置く (おく)- to put

送る (おくる)- to send

押す (おす)- to push

覚える (おぼえる)- to memorize, to remember

泳ぐ (およぐ)- to swim

降りる (おりる)- to get off

終わる (おわる)- to end

買う (かう)- to buy

返す (かえす)- to return an object

帰る (かえる)- to return home

掛かる (かかる)- to take time or money

書く (かく)- to write

かける- to wear

かける- to make a phone call

貸す (かす)- to lend

冠る (かぶる)- to put on a hat

借りる (かりる)- to borrow

聞こえる (きこえる)- to hear, can hear, be audible

消える (きえる)- to go out, to vanish

決まる (きまる)- to be decided

決める (きめる)- to decide

聞く (きく)- to listen

切る (きる)- to cut

着る (きる)- to wear, to put on

来る (くる)- to come

くださる- to give (to me) respectful

比べる (くらべる)- to compare

暮れる (くれる)- to get dark

くれる- to give (me) simple form

消す (けす)- to turn off, to switch off

答える (こたえる)- to answer

困る (こまる)- to be in trouble

込む (こむ)- to be crowded

壊す (こわす)- to break

壊れる (こわれる)- to be broken

咲く (さく)- to blossom

探す (さがす)- to look for, to search

さす- to open an umbrella

下がる (さがる)- to get down

下げる (さげる)- to lower

差し上げる (さしあげる)- to give (respectful)

騒ぐ (さわぐ)- to make noise, to be excited

触る (さわる)- to touch

叱る (しかる)- to scold

知らせる (しらせる)- to notify

調べる (しらべる)- to investigate

死ぬ (しぬ)- to die, to pass away

閉まる (しまる)- to close

閉める (しめる)- to close

締める (しめる)- to fasten a belt

知る (しる)- to know

知らせる (しらせる)- to notify

調べる (しらべる)- to investigate

過ぎる (すぎる)- to exceed

進む (すすむ)- to make progress

捨てる (すてる)- to throw away

滑る (すべる)- to slide, to slip

吸う (すう)- to breath, to smoke

住む (すむ)- to live, to reside somewhere

済む (すむ)- to finish

する- to do

座る (すわる)- to sit

育てる (そだてる)- to rear, to bring up

出す (だす)- to take out, hand in

立つ (たつ)- to stand

倒れる (たおれる)- to break down

足す (たす)- to add a number

訪ねる (たずねる)- to visit

尋ねる (たずねる)- to ask

建てる (たてる)- to build

立てる (たてる)- to stand up, to put up

楽しむ (たのしむ)- to enjoy

足りる (たりる)- to be sufficient

頼む (たのむ)- to ask, to request

食べる (たべる)- to eat

違う (ちがう)- to be different

使う (つかう)- to use

疲れる (つかれる)- to get tired

着く (つく)- to arrive

作る (つくる)- to make, to produce

捕まえる (つかまえる)- to seize

付く (つく)- to be attached

漬ける (つける)- to soak, to pickle

伝える (つたえる)- to report

続く (つづく)- to continue, to last

続ける (つづける)- to continue, go on

包む (つつむ)- to wrap

釣る (つる)- to fish

連れる (つれる)- to lead

点ける (つける)- to turn on

勤める (つとめる)- to work for someone

出かける (でかける)- to go out

出来る (できる)- can do, to be able to do

出る (でる)- to leave

手伝う (てつだう)- to assist

飛ぶ (とぶ)- to fly

止まる (とまる)- to stop

取る (とる)- to take

通る (とおる)- to go through

届ける (とどける)- to reach

泊まる (とまる)- to lodge at

止める (とめる)- to stop

取り替える (とりかえる)- to exchange

撮る (とる)- to take a photo

直す (なおす)- to fix, to repair

直る (なおる)- to be fixed, repaired

治る (なおる)- to be cured, to heal

泣く (なく)- to cry

無くなる (なくなる)- to disappear, to get lost

亡くなる (なくなる)- to die

投げる (なげる)- to throw away

なさる- to do (respectful)

慣れる (なれる)- to grow accustomed to

並ぶ (ならぶ)- to form a line

並べる (ならべる)- to line up

なる- to become

逃げる (にげる)- to escape

似る (にる)- to be similar

脱ぐ (ぬぐ)- to take off clothes

盗む (ぬすむ)- to steal

塗る (ぬる)- to paint, lacquer

濡れる (ぬれる)- to get wet

寝る (ねる)- to sleep

眠る (ねむる)- to sleep

登る (のぼる)- to climb up

飲む (のむ)- to drink

残る (のこる)- to remain

乗り換える (のりかえる)- to take off clothes

乗る (のる)- to take, to ride

入る (はいる)- to enter

履く (はく)- to put on shoes

運ぶ (はこぶ)- to transport

始まる (はじまる)- to begin, to start

始める (はじめる)- to begin

走る (はしる)- to run

働く (はたらく)- to work

話す (はなす)- to talk, to speak, to tell

張る (はる)- to put something on, to stick

払う (はらう)- to pay

晴れる (はれる)- to clear up

引く (ひく)- to pull

冷える (ひえる)- to get cold, to feel chilly

光る (ひかる)- to shine

引き出す (ひきだす)- to draw out

弾く (ひく)- to play an instrument

引っ越す (ひっこす)- to move (house)

開く (ひらく)- to open an event

拾う (ひろう)- to pick up, to gather

吹くふくfukuto blow (wind)

増える (ふえる)- to increase

太る (ふとる)- to grow fat

踏む (ふむ)- to step on

降り出す (ふりだす)- to start to rain

降る (ふる)- to fall (rain, snow)

褒める (ほめる)- to praise

曲がる (まがる)- to turn

参る (まいる)- to go, to come (humble)

負ける (まける)- to lose

間違える (まちがえる)- to make a mistake

間に合う (まにあう)- to be in time for

回る (まわる)- to go around

待つ (まつ)- to wait

見える (みえる)- to be visible, to be seen

磨く (みがく)- to polish, to brush

見つかる (みつかる)- to be discovered

見つける (みつける)- to discover

見せる (みせる)- to show

見る (みる)- to see, to watch

向かう (むかう)- to face

迎える (むかえる)- to go to meet

召し上がる (めしあがる)- to eat (respectful)

持つ (もつ)- to have, to own

申し上げる (もうしあげる)- to say, to tell (respectful)

申す (もうす)- to be called, to say (respectful)

戻る (もどる)- to return, to go back

貰う (もらう)- to receive

休む (やすむ)- to rest

焼く (やく)- to bake, to grill

役に立つ (やくにたつ)- to be helpful

痩せる (やせる)- to become thin

止む (やむ)- to stop

止める (やめる)- to stop

やる- to do

ゆれる- to shake, to sway

呼ぶ (よぶ)- to call

読む (よむ)- to read

汚れる (よごれる)- to get dirty

寄る (よる)- to visit

喜ぶ (よろこぶ)- to be delighted

沸かす (わかす)- to boil, to heat

別れる (わかれる)- to separate

分かる (わかる)- to know, to understand

沸く (わく)- to boil, to grow hot

笑う (わらう)- to laugh, to smile

割れる (われる)- to break

忘る (わすれる)- to forget

渡す (わたす)- to hand over

渡る (わたる)- to cross

There’s this theory that in any given language, there are 600 basic words that are really, really good to know, because, you guessed it, they are the most common. Up next: a list of adverbs. Bear in mind that while these are adverbs in English, they aren’t necessarily also adverbs in Japanese! Some are nouns or conjunctions.

here　－　ここ

there　－　そこ

above　－　上｛うえ｝に

below　－　下｛した｝に

in front　－　前｛まえ｝に

behind　ー　後｛うし｝ろに

nearby　－　手元｛てもと｝

a long way away　－　あそこ

inside　－　家｛いえ｝の中｛なか｝で

outside　－　外｛そと｝で

right (=direction)　－　右｛みぎ｝

left　－　左｛ひだり｝

somewhere　－　どこか

anywhere　－　どこまでも

everywhere　－　どこにも

nowhere　－　どこにも…ない

Note that you need to use a negative verb for the word to mean “nowhere”

upstairs　－　階上｛かいじょう｝

downstairs　－　階下｛かいか｝

now　－　今｛いま｝

soon　－　まもなく

immediately　－　すぐ

quickly　－　速い｛はや｝く

finally　－　到頭｛とうとう｝

again　－　もう一回｛いっかい｝

once　－　一度｛いちど｝

for a long time　－　前々｛まえまえ｝から

today　－　今日｛きょう｝

generally　－　一般｛いっぱん｝に

sometimes　－　時々｛ときどき｝

always　－　いつも

often　－　しばしば

before　－　先｛さき｝に

after　－　〇〇の後｛あと｝

early　－　早｛はや｝い

late　－　遅｛おそ｝い

never　－　決｛けっ｝して

not yet　－　まだ

still (=as it has been)　－　依然｛いぜん｝として

already　－　もう

then (=at that time)　－　それ

Followed by sentence to refer to event

then (=next)　－　次｛つ｝いで

yesterday　－　昨日｛きのう｝

tomorrow　－　明日｛あした｝

tonight　－　今晩｛こんばん｝

a little　－　少｛すこ｝し

about (=approximately)　－　ぐらい/くらい

almost　－　ほとんど

at least　－　少｛すく｝なくても

completely　－　まるっきり

very　－　とても

enough　－　十分｛じゅうぶん｝

exactly; just　－　丁度｛ちょうど｝

too much　－　〇〇すぎ/〇〇すぎる

more　－　もっと

less　－　未満｛みまん｝

also　－　また

especially　－　とりわけ/特｛とく｝に

gradually　－　だんだん

of course　－　もちろん

only　－　だけ

otherwise　－　又｛また｝は

perhaps; probably　－　たぶん

quite　－　まるで

so; then (=therefore) 　－　したがって/だから

too (=also)　－　も

unfortunately　－　残念｛ざんねん｝

very much (=really)　－　本当｛ほんとう｝に

well　－　ろくに

I will be making a Quizlet set with, if not all, then definitely most of the words in this 600 words series, for people to use as a sort of basis to build their vocabulary. Keep an eye out for that!

A little snapshot of my own hiragana and katakana characters. 

Many beginners encounter problems while learning Japanese writing systems: hiragana and katakana. I decided to take a look at the most common, in my opinion, mistakes made by learners.

Remember, the stroke order isn’t there to make your life harder (although it does most of the time). It is really important to write the characters the certain way as any other way makes them look slightly or completely different. 

Before I begin I would like to explain the particular way I write き・さ・ふ・そ.

There are, as far as I know, two different ways to write a character. The way I write them is more of a caligraphic approach (the second line). Mostly, learners tend to choose the first approach. 

I switched the way to write this characters as ふ is faster to write (three strokes instead of four). そ・さ・き plainly look better to me. 

Getting to the gist of the post now - common mistakes made by beginners.

1. Mirroring

Even though hiragana is more complicated (more strokes and more curvy ones), the characters are fairly more distinguishable. Learners might however make mistakes by mirroring the characters (き・ち・さ・く are the trickiest ones among them).

2. Confusing hiragana り and katakana リ

The hiragana ri り is shown at the left side. The first stroke should go down and then a little up (shown at the bottom). Because of this ri り could be written in hiragana as the 2nd and 3rd example on the left side show. 

The katakana ri リ however doesn’t have a pointed end in the first stroke (as shown on the right).

While writing a word in hiragana or katakana, you must make sure you write the correct ‘ri’. You musn’t write a word in one system and the throw a character from the other system! 

e.g. Writing リんご ( リんご ) instead of りんご

3. Mixing up similar characters

I think this mistake applies more to katakana. The most common mistake is writting shi シ insted of tsu ツ and n ン instead of so ソ.

Confusing so ソ and n ン

You should start by writing the small line first. Then the longer one. The longer line in so ソ should be pointing high, while the one in ン should be lower. 

Many Japanese people tend to make n ン really flat and so ソ higher (like me in the first picture).

Notice that the longer line is written from different sides!

Confusing shi シ and tsu ツ

The same goes for this characters. Shi シ is n ン with two small lines, while tsuツ is so ソ with two small lines. 

Confusing ko コ (the first one) and ユ (the second one)

Ko コ and yu ユ have similar writing patterns. The last stroke in yu ユ should be long and going past the first one. 

Confusing ku ク(the first one) and ke ケ (the second one)

Ku ク consists of two strokes, while ke ケ of three. The first and second line in ke ケ aren’t connected with their ends. The same goes for the second and third line. 

Confusing wa わ and re れ (and ne ね)

Easily mistaken characters in hiragana. 

From left to right: ne, re, wa

Plainly, wa わ should have a round stroke (like a belly) and re れ a little pointed end (like a leg). Ne ね has a little circle inside.

Notice that all three of them consist only of two strokes!

4. Ro ロ and its stroke order

Ro ロ has the same stroke order as the kanji for mouth 口. Don’t write it like a plain square. It has three strokes, not four! It looks different than normal when written using four or even two strokes.

Notice that the kanji looks bigger than ro ロ in normal digital font. 

Hope I cleared up some things for you. If you have some questions regarding Japanese writing feel free to ask me!

持ち物 - もちもの

もつ - to possess, to hold, to carry, to take (持つ)

もの - thing, object (物)

もちもの - one’s property, things you carry (持ち物)

How to form a noun from a verb with もの

1. put the verb in ます form (もちます) 

2.cut down the ます end (もちます) 

3.attach もの (もちもの) 

4. In the end we will get a noun (もちもの). 

Unfortunately it doesn’t apply for all verbs but I will list some of them which works with もの. 

たべもの - food　(食べ物)

のみもの - beverage (飲み物)

かいもの - purchased goods　(買い物)

かぐ - furniture  (家具)

もっている家具 - furniture you have, furniture you carry (持っている家具)

ている grammar

1.put the verb in て form (もって)

2.attach いる (もっている)

Be doing something, is/am/are doing

For example: 私はミルクを飲んでいます - I am drinking milk.

いふく - clothes (衣服) 

あつめる - to collect (集める)

そざい - raw materials (素材)

クラフト  - craft

ざいりょう - ingredients, material (材料)

どうぐ - tool, implement (道具)

タネ - seed  (種)

しょくぶつ - plant, vegetation  (植物)

めずらしい - unusual, rare  (珍しい)    

いく, いきる - to live, to exist (生く, 生きる)  

いきもの - living thing, animal  (生き物)  

english - japanese

(note: i did not include an extensive vocab of typical japanese fairy tale creatures/demons, because there are honestly, just too many to list in a post like this. maybe i will make a seperate post about them sometime in the future)

wizard - 魔法使い ( まほうつかい- mahō tsukai )

magic - 魔法 (まほう - mahō)

witch - 魔女 (まじょ - majo)

fairy - 妖精 (ようせい -  yōsei)

queen - 女王 (じょおう-  joō)

king - 王様 (おう-さま - ō-sama)

princess - 王女 (おうじょ - ōjo)

prince - 王子 (おうじ -  ōji)

monster/demon - 悪魔 (あくま - akuma)

ogre/demon - 鬼 (おに - oni)

goblin/monster - 化物 (ばけもの - bakemono)

spirit - 魂 (たましい - tamashi)

ghost/demon - 妖怪  (ようかい - yōkai)

tale - 物語  (ものがたり- monogatari)

fairy tale/nursery tale - 童話   (どうわ - dowa)

dragon - 竜 (りゅう- ryu)

good - 良い (よい - yoi)

evil - 悪 (あく - aku)

once upon a time -  昔々(むかしむかし - mukashimukashi) 

in a certain place (used like the above) - ある ところ に (aru tokoro ni)

one day -  ある日 (ある日 - aruhi)

finally/at last -  とうとう (tōtō)

One of the questions I get asked the most often is “How do I make my Japanese more colloquial?” or “How do I sound more like a native?” There’s also a lot of discussion about “Textbook Japanese” versus Japanese you’ll hear while on the train, in line at the store, or out with friends.

This post is quite long and explanatory, so here is a list of what’s covered under the cut!

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Plain form 2. Dropping particles 3. です to だ 4. Sentence ending particle の 5. 〜ています → 〜ている → 〜てる 6. て form does not always equal command 7. じゃない & じゃん 8. と to って 9. さ 10. なんか 11. なんて