If you are interested in visiting Kyoto then this podcast is for you. In this Fun Friday edition of the podcast I interview my long suffering brother Ben about his work as a tourguide in Kyoto. We talk about what to visit, when to come, etiquette for tourists, food, history and more!
In this lesson we will teach you useful phrases for disagreeing with people and how to use them in different situations. Different phrases and inflections in your voice can be interpreted in many ways, from being vague to being very direct or even rude.
Compared to some cultures, Japanese people tend to be less confrontational and don’t always express their opinions clearly or directly. So if you disagree with someone in Japanese, try to err on the side of being polite and less direct.
With this in mind, check out the podcast to get an idea of how to use these phrases naturally in conversation.
In this lesson Ami Sensei and I will teach you how to express different levels of certainty in Japanese. You’ll learn how to express the probability you think something will happen through various example sentences and dialogues.
In English we do this all the time with words such as “definitely”, “probably” and “might”. And of course, you can do that in Japanese too. However, spoken Japanese tends to be less direct and uses more tentative language. And that means there are a lot of ways to say you think something may or might happen.
Check out the podcast to hear example sentences and natural dialogues to help you learn how to express yourself more fluently in Japanese.
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In this podcast, Ami Sensei and I talk about how to make small talk in Japanese. We talk about appropriate topics and ones to avoid. And we also teach you some useful vocabulary, phrases and grammar to make you sound more natural and fluent.
Please not we have opened a new Premium membership that provides even more Japanese fluency lessons and materials for serious students of Japanese.
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Please note, we have created a new premium membership area where you can get the show notes, Japanese-only dialogue version of the podcast plus loads more content. Click on the link below to access it:
In this lesson you will learn how to agree with people in Japanese. Check out the example sentences and dialogues to learn how these phrases are naturally used by native Japanese speakers in conversation.
A: Kotoshi no natsu wa mōsho ga tsuzuita da yo ne.
B: Hontō da yo ne.
Main Dialogue (English)
A: It’s really hot today isn’t it?
B: Right.
A: So, I like the summer but I don’t like the humidity.
B: I know, I know.
A: This year’s summer heat has been extreme hasn’t it?
B: That’s true.
Extra phrases
Please note that you can listen to the example sentences in the dialogue-only audio file which is on our podcast feed. The podcast feed can be subscribed to by visiting the Learn Japanese Pod website.
1. そうだね– Sō da ne – That’s right.
The first phrase you should know is そうだねsō da ne or そうだよsō da yo which means that’s right or I agree. You can even shorten that to だよねDa yo ne, which is a casual way to agree with someone and means something like, “right?”. If you want to be more polite you would say そうですね Sō desu ne.
2. 僕もそう思う– Boku mo sō omou – I think so too,
This means something like, ”yeah I think so too”.
For example:
a. この試験は難しすぎ – Kono shiken wa muzukashi sugi
This test is too hard.
b. うん、僕もそう思う – Un, boku mo sō omou
Yup, I think so too.
3. 確かに- Tashika ni – Certainly / Absolutely
Here’s an example using 確かに:
a. あの映画超怖かったよね – Ano eiga chō kowakatta yo ne
That movie was so scary
b. 確かに – Tashika ni
It certainly was.
4. 賛成できる– Sansei dekiru – I can agree / I agree
This means that you can agree with an idea or you agree to doing something. For example:
そのアイディアは賛成できる – Sono aidia wa sansei dekiru
I can agree with that idea / I second that
Learn Japanese Pod
その提案は賛成できる – Sono teian wa sansei dekiru
I can agree to that plan.
5. 間違いない / 間違いなく– Machigai nai / Machigau naku – No doubt
This means something like without doubt, or no question about it.
For example:
a. 今日めっちゃ寒い – Kyō meccha samui
Today’s really cold.
b. うん、 間違いない – Un, machigai nai
Yup, no question about it.
6. もちろん – Mochiron – Of course
もちろん is used as an affirmative response to a statement someone makes.
For example;
a. 今日の晩御飯は簡単なものでいい？- Kyō no bangohan wa kantan na mono de ii?
Do you mind if we just do something simple for dinner tonight?
b. もちろん – Mochiron
Of course.
7. 当たり前じゃん – Atarimae jan – Obviously / That goes without saying
This phrase means something like obviously, that goes without saying or that’s a given.
Here’s an example:
a. 彼女の誕生日プレゼント忘れちゃだめだよ – Kanojo no tanjōbi puresento wasureccha dame.
You cannot forget your girlfriend’s birthday present.
This lesson focuses on how to receive compliments in Japanese. We’ll teach you some useful phrases you can use to respond to people who say nice things to you. We’ll also discuss Japanese attitudes towards compliments, why they make them and what they really mean. Spoiler alert, the cultural mindset in Japan might be quite different from your own, so be mindful of the differences!
In this podcast, Ami Sensei and Alex teach you the meaning of とりあえずToriaezu and how to use it naturally in Japanese conversation. This is a very commonly used phrase so it’s worth knowing and it’ll make you sound more natural in Japanese.
とりあえずToriaezu roughly translates as “for the time being” or “for now we’ll do so and so”. This is a useful phrase to use when you want to make a temporary decision before committing to a more substantial or permanent solution. This phrase is often used when you are ordering food at an Izakaya, which is Japanese style pub. You can use とりあえずToriaezu to order drinks or small snacks while you are deciding what to order for your main dishes.
Let’s look at the example sentences below:
Example Sentences
Here are some examples of how to use とりあえずToriaezu naturally in Japanese conversation. You can listen to the following example sentences with the extra listening practice audio file that is included in the podcast feed.
1. とりあえずビールで Toriaezu biiru de We’ll have beer for now
2. とりあえずワインで Toriaezu wain de We’ll have wine for now
3. とりあえずお冷で Toriaezu ohiya de We’ll have water for now
4. とりあえずなんか食べよう Toriaezu nanka tabeyō Let’s eat something for now
5. とりあえず買う Toriaezu kau I’ll buy it for now
6. とりあえず行く Toriaezu iku I’ll go for now
7. とりあえずやってみる Toriaezu yatte miru I’ll try it for now
8. とりあえず映画見よう Toriaezu eiga o miyō I’ll watch the movie for now
9. とりあえず生で Toriaezu nama de We’ll have a beer for now
In this Fun Friday edition of the podcast I interviewed my good friend and fellow student of Japanese Peter Manthei. We talked about various topics including the challenges of studying Japanese outside of Japan, Japanese versus American craft beer, useful methods to improve your Japanese as well as some great travel tips.
Peter runs a brewery in Michigan called Beards Brewery and you can find out more about him and his adventures on Instagram and Facebook.
In this Fun Friday edition of the podcast, I sat down with Ben and A-Chan to talk about random things including green tea, ramen, life in Kyoto and more.
In this lesson you will learn all about Japanese onomatopoeia which are words that resemble sounds. Some examples in English are splash, bang, zap and beep and you will learn how similar words are used in daily Japanese conversation.
Listen to the podcast for dialogue examples as well as vocabulary and grammar explanations.
Main Dialog 1 – Daily Japanese Onomatopoeia (Japanese) A: ね、外見て、雨がザーザー降っているよ。
B: 雷もゴロゴロ鳴ってる。ハラハラする。
A: え?どうしたの?大丈夫?
B: 天気が悪くなると頭がクラクラするんだ。
A: ちょっと休んだら?
B: うん、そうする。
Main Dialog 1 – Daily Japanese Onomatopoeia (Pronunciation) A: Ne, soto mite, ame ga zaa zaa futteru yo.
B: Kaminari mo gorogoro natteru. Hara hara suru.
A: E? Dōshita no. Daijōbu?
B: Tenki ga waruku naru to atama ga kurakura surun da. A: Chotto yasundara?
B: Un, sō suru.
Main Dialog 1 – Daily Japanese Onomatopoeia (English) A: Hey, look outside, it’s raining really hard.
B: The thunder is rumbling too. I feel kinda nervous. A: Eh? What’s the matter? Are you OK?
B: When the weather turns bad my head gets dizzy. A: Why don’t you have a rest?
B: Yup, I’ll do that.
About Japanese Onomatopoeia
In this lesson we are studying Japanese onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia are words that resemble sounds such as splash, bang and beep. Japanese also has onomatopoeia and they are called 擬音語 Giongo.
There is a huge number of Japanese giongo and they are frequently used in casual daily conversation. Therefore they are worth learning as they will improve your comprehension and make you sound more natural when speaking.
However, because there are so many giongo, it would be impossible to teach them all in a single lesson. Also, students of Japanese sometimes feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of them. However, if you get regular listening and speaking practice in Japanese, you can eventually start to pick them up naturally.
You’ll notice a common pattern with most giongo which is a pair of repeating sounds las below (although there are exceptions):
コロコロ Korokoro The sound of something rolling ドキドキ Dokidoki Excitement (from the sound of a beating heart)
Another thing you might notice is that some giongo are written in Katakana and others Hiragana. There aren’t any strict rules on this but generally speaking, Hiragana is used for softer sounds and Katakana for harder sounds.
Also, although it’s not strictly necessary to learn the following grammar rules, giongo are divided up into five different types.
Here are the five types and examples:
擬音語 Giongo
These are words that resemble sounds made by inanimate objects and nature as mentioned before.
ゴロゴロ – Gorogoro – Rumbling (thunder)
コロコロ – Korokoro – Sound of rolling
ガタガタ – Gatagata – Rattling
ガチャ – Gacha – Sound of a door closing or similar sound
擬態語 Gitaigo
These describe conditions and states of things.
クラクラ – Kurakura – Feeling dizzy
すべすべ – Subesube – Smooth to the touch
フワフワ – Fuwafuwa – Fluffy
もちもち – Mochimochi – Chewy, sticky, squidgy
擬声語 Giseigo
These are animal and human sounds.
ワンワン – Wanwan – Woof
ニャン – Nyan – Meow
コケコッコー – Kokekokkoo – Cock-a-doodle-doo
ゲロゲロ – Gerogero – Croak (frog)
ガオー – Gaoo – Roar (lion, tiger etc.)
擬容語 Giyōgo
These describe movements and motions.
ノロノロ – Noronoro – Move very slowly
ぐっすり – Gussuri – Sleep soundly
ブルブル – Buruburu – To shiver
擬情語 Gijōgo
These describe feelings and emotions.
ウキウキ – Ukiuki – Excitement
ワクワク – Wakuwaku – Excitement
もやもや – Moyamoya – To feel uneasy or gloomy
Random phrase of the week
出た！ Deta! Oh here we go again…
Most students of Japanese will immediately recognize 出た deta as the verb which means to leave, exit or go out of something. However, there is deeper meaning.
Deta can be used as a negative criticism or a tease in response to something someone says repeatedly. In this scenario it means something like “oh here we go again” or “Oh no, not that again” or “Again?”.
So if someone starts talking about their favorite conspiracy theory again you can say:
出た！
Or your uncle starts talking about his health problems for the 100th time:
出た！
Or your mum starts bugging you to do the chores yet again:
出た！
Of course this isn’t very polite so only use this with your friends and family members.
In this Fun Friday edition of the podcast, Ami and I talk about some of our favorite Anime, the latest and most popular releases and some old classics that are famous in Japan but not so well known abroad.
We are certainly not Anime experts and we couldn’t properly cover all the major Anime even if we wanted to! We simply talk about the Anime we happen to know and love. Enjoy!
Main Dialog 1 – Calling an ambulance (Pronunciation)
A: Hyaku juu kyuu ban no shōbō desu ga, kaji desu ka, kyuukyuu desu ka? B: Kyuukyuu desu. A: Kyuukyuu desu ne. Juusho o oshiete kudasai. B: Tōkyō to, Shibuya Ku, icchōme no juuni no juusan. Yuubinkyoku no mae desu. A: Kega desu ka, byōki desu ka.
B: Byōki desu. Hito ga taorete imasu. A: Wakarimashita. Ato gofun hodo de kyuukyuusha ga tōchaku shimasu.
Main Dialog 1 – Calling an ambulance (English)
A: This is 119, Fire Department. Is it fire or a medical emergency? B: Medical emergency. A: Medical emergency. Please tell me your address. B: Tokyo city, Shibuya ward, district 1-12-13
A: Is this an injury or illness? B: Illness. The person has collapsed. A: Understood. The ambulance should arrive in about 5 minutes.
Extra phrases for medical emergencies
Here are some extra phrases you might find useful during a medical emergency.
If you want to ask someone to call an ambulance for you, you can use the following phrase:
すみません、救急車を呼んでください
Sumimasen, Kyuukyuusha o yonde kudasai.
Excuse me, please call an ambulance.
It’s common for the emergency services to ask you for your details including your name. For example:
お名前を教えてください
Onamae o oshiete kudasai
What’s your name? And you can reply with your name followed by “…desu” like this:
ジョン・スミスです
Jon sumisu desu
I’m Jon Smith
You might then want to explain what’s happened by using the following phrases:
病人がいます
Byōnin ga imasu
There’s a sick person
怪我をした人がいます
Kega o shita hito ga imasu
There’s an injured person.
If there’s been a traffic accident you can say:
交通事故です
Kōtsuu jiko desu
There’s been a traffic accident
Here are some other phrases that describe someone’s medical condition. You can use these to talk about yourself or someone else:
Main Dialog 1 – Making a suggestion (Japanese) A: いや〜もうだめだ。 B: どうしたの？ A: 彼女と喧嘩したんだ。まだ怒ってるみたい。 B: じゃあ、花でもプレセントしたらどう？ A: そうだね。そうしよう。 B: 彼女きっと喜ぶよ。 A: わかった、じゃあ、そうしてみるよ。
Main Dialog 1 – Making a suggestion (Pronunciation) A: Iyaa, mō dame da! B: Dō shita no? A: Kanojo to kenka shitan da. Mada okotteru mitai. B: Jaa, hana demo purezento shitara dō? A: Sō da ne. Sō shiyō. B: Kanojo kitto yorokobu yo. A: Wakatta, jaa, sō shite miru yo.
Main Dialog 1 – Making a suggestion (English) A: Argh, this sucks. B: What happened? A: I had a fight with my girlfriend. It seems she’s still angry. B: How about giving her flowers as a present? A: Right. I’ll do that. B: I’m sure she’ll be happy. A: Got it. I’ll give that a try.
Extra sentence examples: Example 1 A: 頭痛いな。
Atama itai na – I have a headache
B: 薬飲んだらどう？
Kusuri nondara dō? – How about taking some meds?
A: そうだね。そうするよ。
Sō da ne. Sō suru yo. – Right. I’ll do that.
Example 2 A: いいアイデアが思い浮かばないな
Ii aidea ga omoi ukabanai na – I can’t think of any good ideas.
B: 少しやすんだらどう？
Sukoshi yasundara dō? – How about taking a break?
A: そうだね。そうするよ。
Sō da ne. Sō suru yo. Right. I’ll do that.
Example 3 A: 肩凝ってるな。
Kata kotteru – I’ve got stiff shoulders
B: マッサージ受けたらどう？
Massaaji shitara dō? – How about getting a massage?
In this podcast, Ami and Alex teach you how to use the verb Kureru naturally in Japanese conversation. Kureru is a verb you can use to ask people to do things for you. It’s used casually between friends and family and very common in everyday conversation. Check out the podcast and show notes to learn how to use it naturally in conversation.
