( )へやで べんきょうしましょう。 Which word makes the most sense?( )へやで べんきょうしましょう。 a. あかい b. あかるい c. かるい d. くらい ( …
会う vs 合う
Both 会う and 合う are read as あう and they look alike, so even Japanese native speakers sometimes make a mistake with these two. Check the difference here,
How to read big numbers in Japanese
This post explains how to read big numbers in Japanese in order to read price tags which are written in “yen” only unlike other countries using dollars & cents.
友達( )ほしいです。友達( )なってください。
友達( )ほしいです。友達( )なってください。 I think a lot of people here want more friends (友達/ともだち). How do we say that in…
「いく」と「くる」(1)
Mum: Dinner’s ready.ごはんできたよ! Me: Coming! いま____! If you have to say いきます or きます, which would be better? いきます/いく and…
to win
“To win” is not an easy word to translate into Japanese. First you need to work out what kind of…
十分 – じゅっぷん or じゅうぶん ?
If you are reading this article, that is probably because you were intrigued by the question in the photo. So…
to take a day off
There are several different ways but the easiest way of saying “to take a day off (…)” is: (…を)休(やす)む. インフルエンザで三日間仕事を休んだ。…
かわいい、かわいらしい、かわいそう
This post explains the difference between かわいいらしい and かわいらしい as well as that between かわいいそう and かわいそう. One more い can make a rather big difference!
Beginners Guide to Happiness in Japanese
“happy” can be rephrased with many different terms in English, so there are many translations of “happy” in Japanese also. Here are some.
開ける(あける) vs 開く(ひらく)
開ける(あける) vs 開く(ひらく) (A) 店(みせ)を開(あ)ける。 (B) 店(みせ)を開(ひら)く。 Both sentences are correct and both can be translated as “I open a…
たすける=help??
The English word “help” is a rather difficult word to translate. I usually tell my students to remember the following…
ひまなときってどんなとき?
ひまなときなにをしますか。(What do you do in your free time?) A popular beginners’ textbook in Australia has this sentence in the chapter…
わかりません
If you are asked: あしたなにをしますか。(What are you going to do tomorrow?) and if you “don’t know yet,” the recommended answer…
If you want to drink English tea in Japan…
On Tuesday, I talked about Japanese tea. Today, I’m going to talk about “English style tea.” “English style tea” is…
変化 vs 変更
変化 and 変更 both means “change” and many people find it hard to differentiate the two. This post explains the difference and how they can be rephrased.
体験 vs 経験
体験 and 経験 are both translated as “experience” in English, but they are not interchangeable. This post explains the difference and when to use which.
Yes
“Yes” “Yes” is such a basic word, but there are a few variations. はい – This is the most proper…
Quiet
quiet The English word “quiet” is another difficult word to translate into Japanese. 静(しず)か(な) – silent, still 静(しず)かにしてください。 Be quiet,…
おかしい
The word おかしい is another difficult one to understand and translate the exact meaning. Examples are: funny: この漫才(まんざい)はおかしくてたまらなかった。 This comic…