This podcast episode is about various phrases you can use to start up a conversation in Japanese. It is important to remember that each conversation is unique and how you start one depends on who you are talking to and the situation. However, in this episode you will hear some of the most common phrases you are likely to hear used by Japanese people. One final thing to remember is that this episode focuses on casual conversations between friends.
Main Podcast
Japanese Dialogues
Podcast Vocabulary
Here is a full vocabulary list taken from the podcast
Japanese
Pronunciation
English
久しぶり
Hisashiburi
Long time no see
元気？
Genki?
How you doing?
相変わらず
Aikawarazu
…as usual
バタバタしてる
Batabata shiteru
Really busy / hectic
夏バテ
Natsubate
Exhaustion from the summer
つらい
Tsurai
Tough
最近どう？
Saikin dō?
How’ve you been?
すごく暑い
Sugoku Atsui
Very hot
すごく寒い
Sugoku Samui
Very cold
熱中症
Necchūshō
Heat stroke
風邪をひいちゃった
Kaze o hiichatta
I caught a cold
インフルエンザ
Infuruenza
Influenza
気をつけてね
Ki o tsukete ne
Take care
Podcast Dialog 1
A:
久しぶり元気？
Hisashiburi genki
Long time no see, you good?
B:
元気だよ。あみは？
Genki da yo. Ami wa?
I’m good. And you Ami?
A:
相変わらずバタバタしているよ。最近どう？
Aikawarazu batabata shiteru yo. Saikin dō?
Busy as usual. How’ve you been?
B:
そうだね。ちょっと夏バテがつらい。
Sō da ne. Chotto natsubate ga tsurai.
Well, I’ve been suffering due to the summer heat.
A:
最近はすごく暑いよね。熱中症にならないように気をつけてね。
Saikin wa sugoku atsui yo ne. Necchūshō ni naranai yō ni ki o tsukete ne.
It’s been really hot recently hasn’t it? Be careful not to get heat stroke.
B:
はーい！
Haai
Sure.
Dialog 2
A:
久しぶり元気？
Hisashiburi genki
Long time no see, you good?
B:
元気だよ。あみは？
Genki da yo. Ami wa?
I’m good. And you Ami?
A:
相変わらずバタバタしているよ。最近どう？
Aikawarazu batabata shiteru yo. Saikin dō?
Busy as usual. How’ve you been?
B:
そうだね。ちょっと風邪をひいちゃったよ。
Sō da ne. Chotto kaze o hiichatta yo.
Well, I caught a cold.
A:
最近はすごく寒いよね。インフルエンザにならないように気をつけてね。
Saikin wa sugoku samui yo ne. Infuruenza ni naranai yō ni ki o tsukete ne.
It’s been really cold recently hasn’t it? Be careful not to get influenza.
A great way to practice your Japanese speaking skills and to get to know people in Japan is to talk about free time and hobbies. In a casual setting you may be asked what you do in your free time by Japanese people. So this lesson will teach you the basics of how to ask and answer questions about hobbies. But first of all, listen to the audio podcast which goes through all the points in this lesson. You can also listen to the audio drills which include just the Japanese dialogs without English to practice your listening and speaking skills.
Main Podcast
Japanese Dialogues
Here are four example dialogs from the podcast that give you various examples on how to hold a conversation in natural Japanese about hobbies and free time.
Hobbies Dialog 1
A:
趣味は何？
Shumi wa nani?
What’s your hobby?
B:
そうだね、ギターかな。
Sō da ne. Gitaa kana.
Well…guitar I guess.
A:
そっか。最初のきっかけは？
Sokka. Saisho no kikkake wa?
Really? How did you get in to it?
B:
ロックを聴くことが好きだからやってみようかなと思って。
Rokku wo kiku koto ga suki dakara yatte miyō kana to omotte.
I like listening to rock so I thought I would give it a go.
A:
どのぐらいやってる？
Dono gurai yatteru?
How long have you been doing it?
B:
２０年。
Ni jū nen.
20 years.
A:
すごいね。しょっちゅうやってるの？
Sugoi ne. Shocchū yatteru no?
Wow, do you do it often?
B:
毎日。
Mai nichi.
Every day.
A:
へえ～。
Heh.
Really?
Hobbies Dialog 2
A:
趣味は何？
Shumi wa nani?
What’s your hobby?
B:
そうだね、ジョギングかな。
Sō da ne. Jogingu kana.
Well…jogging I guess.
A:
そっか。最初のきっかけは？
Sokka. Saisho no kikkake wa?
Really? How did you get in to it?
B:
運動することが好きだからやってみようかなと思って。
Undō suru koto ga suki da kara yatte miyō kana to omotte.
I like exercising so I thought I would give it a go.
A:
どのぐらいやってる？
Dono gurai yatteru?
How long have you been doing it?
B:
1年。
Ichi nen.
1 year.
A:
すごいね。しょっちゅうやってるの？
Sugoi ne. Shocchū yatteru no?
Wow, do you do it often?
B:
週に２回。
Shū ni ni kai.
Two times a week.
A:
へえ～。
Heh.
Really?
Hobbies Dialog 3
A:
趣味は何？
Shumi wa nani?
What’s your hobby?
B:
そうだね、読書かな。
Sō da ne. Dokusho kana.
Well…reading I guess.
A:
そっか。最初のきっかけは？
Sokka. Saisho no kikkake wa?
Really? How did you get in to it?
B:
本を読むことが好きだからやってみようかなと思って。
Hon o yomu koto ga suki da kara yatte miyō kana to omotte.
I like reading books so I thought I would give it a go.
A:
どのぐらいやってる？
Dono gurai yatteru?
How long have you been doing it?
B:
６ヶ月。
Rokka getsu.
6 months.
A:
すごいね。しょっちゅうやってるの？
Sugoi ne. Shocchū yatteru no?
Wow, do you do it often?
B:
時間がある時に。
Jikan ga aru toki ni.
When I have time.
A:
へえ～。
Heh.
Really?
Hobbies Dialog 4
A:
趣味は何？
Shumi wa nani?
What’s your hobby?
B:
そうだね、カメラかな。
Sō da ne. Kamera kana.
Well…photography I guess.
A:
そっか。最初のきっかけは？
Sokka. Saisho no kikkake wa?
Really? How did you get in to it?
B:
写真を撮ることが好きだからやってみようかなと思って。
Shashin o toru koto ga suki da kara yatte miyō kana to omotte.
I like taking photos so I thought I would give it a go.
A:
どのぐらいやってる？
Dono gurai yatteru?
How long have you been doing it?
B:
一ヶ月。
Ikka getsu.
1 month.
A:
すごいね。しょっちゅうやってるの？
Sugoi ne. Shocchū yatteru no?
Wow, do you do it often?
B:
毎週末。
Mai shūmatsu
Every weekend.
A:
へえ～。
Heh.
Really?
Sentences patterns to talk about your hobby in Japanese
Let’s start off with some simple and casual examples of how to talk about hobbies in Japanese.
Japanese
Pronunciation
English
趣味はなに？
空手。
Shumi wa nani?
Karate
What’s your hobby?
Karate.
趣味はなに？
ジョギング。
Shumi wa nani?
Jogingu
What’s your hobby?
Jogging.
趣味はなに？
テニス。
Shumi wa nani?
Tenisu
What’s your hobby?
Tennis.
趣味はなに？
サッカー。
Shumi wa nani?
Sakkaa
What’s your hobby?
Football
If you want to say it more politely you would say:
Japanaese
Pronunciation
English
趣味はなんですか。
趣味は空手です。
Shumi wa nan desu ka?
Shumi wa Karate desu.
What is your hobby?
My hobby is Karate.
Another way to describe what you like doing in your free time is this:
Your hobby + SUKI DESU which means you like doing something.
Japanese
Pronunciation
English
ジョギングが好きです
Jogingu ga suki desu.
I like jogging.
ハイキングが好きです
Haikingi ga suki desu.
I like hiking.
テニスが好きです
Tenisu ga suki desu.
I like tennis.
サッカーが好きです
Sakkaa ga suki desu
I like football.
More phrases to ask about people’s hobbies in Japanese
Here are some extra phrases you can use to ask someone what their hobby is.
Japanese
Pronunciation
English
趣味あるの？
Shumi aru no?
Do you have a hobby?
暇な時に何をするの？
Hima na toki ni nani o suru?
What do you do in your free time?
何をするのが好き？
Nani o suru no ga suki?
What do you like doing?
最近ハマってることある？
Saikin hammatteru koto wa?
Recently what are you into?
Another useful pattern you can use to talk about your hobbies is this:
趣味は+NOUN+を+VERB+ことです。
SHUMI WA +NOUN+ O +VERB+ KOTO DESU.
My hobby is doing something
趣味は本を読むことです – Hon o yomu koto desu – My hobby is reading books.
Hon is “book” and yomu is the verb “to read”. If you put KOTO after the verb it’s a little like an -ING verb in English. So 本を読む means “to read books” but 本を読むこと is a little like “reading books”.
Here are some more examples:
趣味は映画を見ることです。My hobby is watching movies.
Shumi wa eiga o miru koto desu.
趣味は音楽を聴くことです。My hobby is listening to music.
Shumi wa ongaku o kiku koto desu
趣味は料理をすることです。My hobby is cooking.
Shumi wa ryōri o suru koto desu
趣味はスキューバダイビングをすることです。My hobby is scuba diving.
Shumi wa sukuuba daibingu wo suru koto desu.
趣味は絵を描くことです。My hobby is painting pictures.
Shumi wa e o kaku koto desu.
Instead of 趣味は映画を見ることですyou can say 映画を見ることが好きです I like watching movies.
So for example:
音楽を聴くことが好きです。I like listening to music.
Ongaku o kiku koto ga suki desu.
料理をすることが好きです。I like cooking.
Ryōri o suru koto ga suki desu.
スキューバダイビングをすることが好きです。I like scuba diving.
Sukuuba daibingu o suru koto ga suki desu.
絵を描くことが好きです。I like painting pictures.
E o kaku koto ga suki desu.
So this means when talking about hobbies you have two options, one being a noun phrase and the other using a verb linked to the hobby, for example:
Option 1
Option 2
趣味は映画鑑賞です。
Shumi wa eigakanshō desu
My hobby is moviegoing.
OR
趣味は映画を見ることです。
Shumi wa eigo o miru koto desu
I like watching movies.
趣味は水泳です。
Shumi wa suiei desu
My hobby is swimming. (noun)
OR
趣味は泳ぐことです。
Shumi wa oyogu koto desu.
My hobby is to go swimming. (verb)
趣味は読書です。
Shumi wa dokusho desu
My hobby is reading.
OR
趣味は本を読むことです。
Shumi wa hon o yomu koto desu.
My hobby is reading books.
This is a list of some very traditional Japanese hobbies:
生け花IkebanaTraditional Japanese flower arranging
書道ShodōJapanese calligraphy
茶道SadōThe tea ceremony
弓道KyūdōJapanese archery
Sports are usually written in Katakana:
ジョギングJoginguJogging
テニスTenisuTennis
サッカーSakkaaFootball (Soccer)
ハイキングHaikinguHaikingu
Other hobbies written in Katakana include the following:
ヨガYogaYoga
ダンスDansuDancing
カラオケKaraokeKaraoke
スマホゲームSumahogeemuPlaying games on your smartphone.
ビデオゲームBideogeemuVideo games
ドライブDoraibuGoing for a drive
Japanese martial arts are written with Kanji:
柔道JūdōJudo
合気道AikidōAikido
空手KarateKarate
Here are some other hobbies that are written using Kanji:
水泳SuieiSwimming
山登りYamanoboriMountain climbing
音楽OngakuMusic
映画鑑賞EigakanshōWatching movies
買い物KaimonoShopping
魚釣りSakana tsuriFishing
園芸EngeiGardening
一人旅Hitori tabiSolo trip / Traveling by yourself
Here is a list of some of the most popular pastimes in Japan now:
1 写真ShashinPhotography
2 自転車JitenshaCycling
3 読書DokushoReading books
4 ランニングRanninguRunning
5 英会話EikaiwaStudying English conversation
6 ヨガYogaYoga
7 登山TōzanMountain climbing
8 株・FX取引Kabu / FX torihikiDay trading / Buying and selling stocks
In this podcast Matthew and I talked about our favorite Japan travel tips, hacks and experiences. We discussed various topics including interesting places to visit, taking ferries in Japan, how to save money and the recent issues with AirBnb.
Also, if you enjoyed this podcast, please consider making a donation to Matthew’s go Fun Me campaign to help with the costs of the current cancer treatment he is undergoing now. Any donation no matter how small is much appreciated.
Please feel free to leave your comments, questions and ideas below.
Food is one of our most popular subjects to talk about so in this podcast Ami sensei and I (Alex) introduce you to one of Kansai’s most loved street snacks, the honorable Takoyaki.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to order and prepare takoyaki yourself with the correct ingredients and utensils. We also talk about the history of takoyaki, why it became so famous plus our recommendations for the best Takoyaki restaurants in Japan.
Here is a full vocabulary list taken from the podcast
Japanese
Pronunciation
English
ご注文
Gochuumon
Your order
いかがでしょうか
Ikaga deshō
Is it OK? / Are you ready?
たこやき
Takoyaki
Takoyaki (Octopus fry)
お願いします
Onegaishimasu
Please
かしこまりました
Kashikomarimashita
Certainly
すみません
Sumimasen
Excuse me
作り方
Tsukurikata
How to make something
教えて
Oshiete
Teach me
いただけませんか
Itadakemasenka
Would you please?
まず
Mazu
First
その後
Sono ato
After that
その次に
Sono tsugi ni
Next
最後に
Saigo ni
Finally
生地
Kiji
Batter
鉄板
Teppan
Iron pan
入れます
Iremasu
Put in
他
Hoka
Other
好きな
Sukina
Something you like
具材
Guzai
Ingredients
焼きながら
Yakinagara
While cooking
千枚通し
Senmaidooshi
Long needle like implement for cooking takoyaki
ひっくり返します
Hikkuri kaeshimasu
Turn something over
熱い
Atsui
Hot
気をつけて
Ki o tsukete
Take care
食べてください
Tabete kudasai
Please eat
なるほど
Naruhodo
I see
ありがとうございます
Arigatō gozaimasu
Thank you very much
Takoyaki Conversation
A:
ご注文はいかがでしょうか。
Gochuumon wa ikaga deshou ka
Are you ready to order?
B:
たこやきをお願いします。
Takoyaki o onegaishimasu
I’d like takoyaki please.
A:
かしこまりました。
Kashikomarimashita
Certainly.
B:
あの、すみませんがたこやきの作り方を教えていただけませんか。
Ano, sumimasen ga, takoyaki no tsukurikata o oshiete kudasai.
Um, excuse me but would you mind telling me how to make takoyaki?
A:
まず、生地を鉄板に入れます。
Mazu, kiji o teppan ni iremasu.
First put the batter in the iron pan.
B:
生地を鉄板に入れます。
Kiji o teppan ni iremasu.
Put the batter in the pan.
A:
そのあと、たこを入れます。
Sono ato, tako o iremasu.
After that, put in the octopus.
B:
たこを入れます。
Tako o iremasu.
Put in the octopus.
A:
その次に、他の好きな具材を入れます。
Sono tsugi, hoka no suki na guzai o iremasu.
After that, put in the ingredients you like.
B:
具材を入れます。
Guzai o iremasu.
Put in the ingredients.
What is Takoyaki?
Takoyaki Ingredients
Takoyaki is a speciality dish from Osaka and is usually eaten as a casual fast food. Imagine golf sized balls of baked dough, crispy on the outside and piping hot in the middle.
What are the basic ingredients of Takoyaki?
The dough is made from water, flour and eggs and you add dashi, salt and soy sauce to taste. It also has slices of tako which is octopus. Yaki means cooked or baked which is why we say we say Takoyaki. It kind of tastes a little like Okonomiyaki so it’s savory with a range of interesting flavors and umami.
How do you cook Takoyaki?
An electric Takoyaki set
We start with a takoyaki teppan which is a hot plate to cook the batter in. The hot plate has semi spherical indents which you pour the batter into. You basically drown the whole plate in runny takoyaki batter. Then add those slices of tako.
You then sprinkle on other ingredients including benishouga which is pickled red ginger, chopped green onions and tenkasu which are little scraps of tempura.
Then as it starts to cook you use what’s called a 千枚通し Senmaidooshi to constantly flip over the batter as it turns into little takoyaki balls.
And then finally you garnish it with mayonnaise, Takoyaki sauce which is like Worcestershire sauce, aonori which is green laver and Katsuo bushi which is dried flakes of bonito fish. But there are other flavours too, sometimes they’ll add cheese or mochi.
When do you usually eat Takoyaki?
You usually pick them up as a snack from a takoyaki stand on the street. But you can also order them in Izakayas with other food. Some restaurants let you make them yourself using the takoyaki teppan which is fun. But usually you’ll get them at a food stall at a matsuri and they usually come in sets of 6 or 8.
Where can you buy Takoyaki?
The Dotonbori area of Osaka
If you are in Japan, you could buy Takoyaki in almost any city. However, if you want to do it in style, in the home of the Takoyaki, I would recommend the Dotonbori area of Osaka. It’s a very popular tourist destination packed with amazing restaurants, Izakayas and bars. It’s famous for its huge colourful illuminated signs, entertainment and nightlife.
All the shops run along the Dotonbori canal where it gets its name. So it’s great for food and just strolling down the river.
There are hundreds of places where you can get Takoyaki but one place I really like is くれおー る They’re actually a chain of restaurants that serve famous Osaka dishes including Okonomiyaki. I would recommend going to the Dotonbori shop as it has seats overlooking the river. It’s a little touristy but if you can get a good seat, the view of the river is really nice especially at night. And the Takoyaki themselves are perhaps some of the best I’ve ever had in Japan. According to the website they supply various hotels with their speciality Takoyaki which isn’t surprising because they really are that good.
To get to the Dontonbori area from Osaka station, get on the Midosuji line and get off at Namba. It’s then a 5 or 10 minute walk north to the river. And you’ll know you’re there when you see a giant plastic animated Crab and also the neon Glico man sign on the river next to Ebisu bridge. Anyway check out the link in the show notes and on the website.
What is the history of Takoyaki?
A street vendor making takoyaki
As you probably know, rice, fish and vegetables have been the traditional staple diet of Japan. Takoyaki which is made from flour and water was a relatively new food type in Japan. It has it roots in the 1600s when battered food and other French cuisine started to be eaten in Japan.
Fast forward to the Tokyo earthquake in 1923 which left the kanto area with huge food shortages. The government started experimenting with flour and water to make cheap filling food. It wasn’t that popular but it kept people from starving.
Then in 1935 a street vendor in Osaka called Tomokichi Endo started experimenting with flour and water batter with seafood. There was a big cheap supply of octopus which he mixed with the batter to create the first Takoyaki. It took off and became a success. In the years after the 2nd world war, wheat flour was sent to Japan as relief aid. And that’s when Takoyaki started to get really famous throughout Japan.
It’s another one of those things in Japan that had a foreign influence but then changed into something uniquely Japanese.
In this lesson you are going to learn how to say “must” in Japanese. Here’s the problem. There are a confusing number of ways to say it. Just look at this list of phrases which all mean the same thing:
しなければなりません Shinakereba narimasen
しなければいけません Shinakereba ikemasen
しなくてはいけません Shinakute wa ikemasen
しなくちゃいけません Shinakucha ikemasen
しなきゃいけません Shinakya ikemasen
しないといけません Shinai to ikemasen
しなくちゃ Shinakucha
しなきゃ Shinakya
しないと Shinai to
Not only that but each way of saying “must” in Japanese has a different level of politeness associated with it for different social situations. It’s also quite common for Japanese schools and textbooks to only teach the formal way of saying of “must”. However, in daily life in Japan, you will notice that most of the time, people tend to use the casual form.
But fear not dear student of Japanese, Learn Japanese Pod will help you to navigate this linguistic confusion. We are all about teaching you the most useful and natural Japanese for daily life in Japan. Therefore, this lesson will exclusively focus on the casual form which in my experience is the most useful form to know.
But before we do, let’s briefly study the grammar and a little of the culture behind this.
Grammar: How to say “must” in Japanese
One of the most formal and common ways you will be taught “must” in Japanese is:
しなければなりませんShinakereba narimasen
This is made from two parts “Shinakereba” which means “If I do not” and “Narimasen” which means “It is not allowed”. So this literally means, “it is not allowed if I do not do it” or “It will be bad if I don’t do it”.
This two part form is used for most levels of politeness
If I don’t do itIt will not be allowed
ShinakerebaNarimasen
ShinakerebaIkemasen
ShinakyaIkemasen
There is no direct way of saying must in Japanese so this indirect double negative form is used. This roundabout way of saying “must” in Japanese perhaps reflects the way Japanese shy away from direct language and confrontational statements.
The most common way to say “must” in Japanese
As you will discover when you come to Japan, most people in daily conversation use the common form. Instead of using the tongue twisting “Shinakereba narimasen” you can drop the -nakereba narimasen and simply add -kya to give you shinakya – I must do something.
The formal way of saying I have to clean the house is:
掃除しなければなりません – Sōji shinakereba narimasen – I have to clean (the house)
However, the more common and easy way to say that is
掃除しなきゃ – Sōji shinakya – I have to clean
How to construct the casual form of “must” in Japanese
To say you must do something using other verbs using the casual form, simply follow these steps:
Step 1) Take the negative casual form of a verb, for example:
しないShinaiDon’t do
行かないIkanaiDon’t go
食べないTabenaiDon’t eat
買わないKawanaiDon’t buy
Step 2) Replace the -i at the end of the verb with -kya
しなきゃShinakyaI must do (something)
行かなきゃIkanakyaI must go (somewhere)
食べなきゃTabenakya I must eat (something)
買わなきゃKawanakyaI must buy (something)
Finally, there are three common casual forms:
1) しなきゃShinakya
2) しなくちゃShinakucha
3) しないとShinai to
Sometimes people will add いけない to the end of these forms to make:
しなきゃいけない
しなくちゃいけない
しないといけない
You can use any of these forms in a casual setting to say you must do something. This lesson will focus on using just shinakya.
Main Dialog
A:
ごめん、もう行かなきゃ。
Gomen mō ikanakya.
Sorry, I have to go.
B:
え？なんで？
E? Nande?
Eh? Why?
A:
明日早く起きなきゃ。
Ashita hayaku okinakya.
Tomorrow I have to wake up early.
B:
何かあるの？
Nani ka aru?
Do you have something?
A:
明日色々しなきゃいけないんだよね。
Ashita iroiro shinakya ikenain da yo ne.
Tomorrow I have to do various things.
B:
何を？
Nani o?
What?
A:
まず部屋が汚いから掃除しなきゃ。後、彼女が来るから料理作らなきゃ。じゃあ…
Mazu, heya ga kitanai kara sōji shinakya. Ato, kanojo ga kuru kara ryōri o tsukuranakya. Jaa…
First, as my room is dirty I have to clean. Then because my girlfriend is coming I have to make some food. Right…
B:
ちょっと待て、お会計は？
Chotto matte, okaikei wa?
Wait, what about the bill?
A:
そうだった、お金払わなきゃね。
Sō datta, okane harawanakya.
Oh right. I have to pay!
Other examples of saying I must in Japanese
Here are some more examples of how you can say you must do something:
１）明日5時に起きなきゃ、めどくさい。
Ashita goji ni okinakya, mendokusai
Tomorrow I have to wake up at 5am, what a hassle.
２）まずいけど薬飲まなきゃ。
Mazui kedo kusuri nomanakya
It doesn’t taste good but I have take (drink) this medicine
３）あ、買い物忘れちゃった、買わなきゃ！
A, kaimono wasurechatta, kawanakya!
Ah, I forgot the shopping. I have to buy something!
４）もう時間だ。行かなきゃ！
Mo jikan da. Ikanakya!
It’s time. I have to go.
５）この部屋超汚い、掃除しなきゃ！
Kono heya chō kitanai, sōji shinakya.
This room is super dirty, I have to clean it.
６）明日テストがあるから勉強しなきゃ。
Ashita tesuto ga aru kara benkō shinakya.
Tomorrow I have a test so I have to study.
７）東京がゴジラに攻められてるから逃げなきゃ。
Tōkyō ga gojira ni semerareteru kara nigenakya.
Godzilla is attacking Tokyo so we have to run!
Random Phrase of the Week
飯テロ Meshi Tero
This is used to make fun of people post pictures what they are eating on social media. It also refers to the way your friends are “terrorised” by the these pictures especially when they are hungry.
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.
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:
Japanese TV Shows
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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI17kyLAA8I
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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEwFBIUFB-o
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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIFYcfFWiS4
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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZWHtmh3wqM
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.
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. Study the vocabulary list and dialogs below to learn how to do it.
Sumimasen, Kinō sochira de saifu o wasureta no desu ga.
Excuse me, I left a wallet there yesterday.
A:
何色のお財布ですか。
Nani iro no osaifu desu ka
What colour is the wallet?
B:
黒い革の財布です。
Kuroi kawa no saifu desu
It is a black leather wallet.
A:
少々お待ちください。届いていますよ。
Shōshō omachi kudasai. Todoite imasu yo.
One moment please. We have it.
B:
ありがとうございます。
Arigatō gozaimasu.
Thank you very much.
Dialog 02
A:
もしもし一番寿司でございます。
Moshi moshi, Ichibanzushi de gozaimasu.
Hello, this is Ichiban Sushi.
B:
すみません、昨日そちらでカバンを忘れたのですが。
Sumimasen, Kinō sochira de kaban o wasureta no desu ga.
Excuse me, I left a bag there yesterday.
A:
何色のおカバンですか。
Nani iro no okaban desu ka
What colour is the bag?
B:
赤い革のカバンです。
Akai kawa no kaban desu
It is a red leather bag.
A:
少々お待ちください。届いていますよ。
Shōshō omachi kudasai. Todoite imasu yo.
One moment please. We have it.
B:
ありがとうございます。
Arigatō gozaimasu.
Thank you very much.
Dialog 03
A:
もしもし六本木ヒルズでございます。
Moshi moshi, Roppongi Hiruzu de gozaimasu.
Hello, this is Roppongi Hills.
B:
すみません、昨日そちらで携帯電話を忘れたのですが。
Sumimasen, Kinō sochira de keitaidenwa o wasureta no desu ga.
Excuse me, I left a mobile phone there yesterday.
A:
携帯電話の機種はなんですか。
Keitaidenwa no kishu wa nan desu ka.
What type of phone is it?
B:
iPhone8です。
iPhone hachi desu.
It’s an iPhone 8.
A:
少々お待ちください。届いていますよ。
Shōshō omachi kudasai. Todoite imasu yo.
One moment please. We have it.
B:
ありがとうございます。
Arigatō gozaimasu.
Thank you very much.
Extra Phrases
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
Cultural Points
The Japanese are generally quite law abiding and honest. Most times, if found, your lost items will be returned.
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.
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
Random Phrase Of The Week
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.
Listen to the podcast to hear our various discussions in more detail and please leave a comment below.
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!
Main Podcast
Japanese Dialogues
Dialog 01
Japanese
Pronunciation
English
A:
「君の名は」見た？
“Kimi no na wa” mita?
Did you see “Kimi no na wa”?
B:
見たよ！
Mita yo!
I saw it!
A:
どうだった？面白かった？
Dō datta. Omoshirokatta?
How was it? Was it interesting?
B:
うん、すごく面白かったよ。
Un, omoshirokatta yo.
Uh huh, it was interesting.
A:
私も見ようかな？
Watashi mo miyō kana
I guess I should go and see it.
B:
うん、すごくおすすめだよ。
Un, sugoku osusume da yo.
Yeah, I highly recommend it
Dialog 02
Japanese
Pronunciation
English
A:
「ミニオンズ」見た？
“Minions” mita?
Did you see “Minions”?
B:
見たよ！
Mita yo!
I saw it!
A:
どうだった？面白かった？
Dō datta. Omoshirokatta?
How was it? Was it interesting?
B:
面白かったけど、声優がイマイチだった。
Omoshirokatta kedo seiyuu ga imaichi datta.
It was interesting but the voice actors weren’t so good.
A:
私も見ようかな？
Watashi mo miyō kana
I guess I should go and see it.
B:
そうだね、もし週末時間があったら見に行ってみればいいよ。
Sō da ne, moshi shuumatsu jikan ga attara mi ni itte mireba ii yo.
Well, if you have time at the weekend, you should go and see it.
Dialog 03
Japanese
Pronunciation
English
A:
「スターウォーズ」見た？
Sutaauozu mita?
Did you see Star Wars?
B:
見たよ！
Mita yo!
I saw it!
A:
どうだった？面白かった？
Dō datta. Omoshirokatta?
How was it? Was it interesting?
B:
全然面白くなかった。ストーリーがつまらなかった。
Zenzen omoshirokunakatta. Sutōrii ga tsumaranakatta.
It wasn’t interesting at all. The story was boring.
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.
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.
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.
Sō desu ne. Yappari kyōzai wa mochiron desu ga, nihon no terebi o mitari, nihongo no ongaku o takusan kiite kudasai.
Let me see. Well of course you need study materials but you should watch Japanese TV, listen to a lot of music, stuff like that.
A: なるほど。
Naruhodo.
I see.
B: 私の友達は、日本に住んだことはないですが、そうやって日本語を結構覚えましたよ。
Watashi no tomodachi wa nihon ni sunda koto ga nai desu ga sō yatte nihongo o kekkō oboemashita yo.
I have a friend who never lived in Japan. However, he learned a lot of Japanese that way.
A: 他に何かアドバイスはありますか？
Hoka ni adobaisu ga arimasu ka?
Do you have any other advice?
B: 日本語が話せる友達を作って、積極的に日本語で会話をしましょう。
Nihongo ga hanaseru tomodachi o tsukutte, sekkyokuteki ni nihongo de kaiwa o shimashou.
Make Japanese speaking friends and proactively try to have conversations in Japanese.
A: 分かりました。頑張ります！
Wakarimashita. Ganbarimasu.
I understand. I will do my best.
The Secret to Speaking Japanese Fluently
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”?
What does “fluent Japanese” mean?
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.
1. Set Specific Goals
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:
Set it and forget it – This avoids stress and decision fatigue worrying over what you should study next. It keeps it simple.
Focus equals momentum – A focused goal gets you to where you want to go more quickly.
Goals avoid waste – If you get super specific about what to achieve you avoid wasteful and irrelevant study
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.
What’s a good Japanese Study Goal?
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:
Exactly what you will study
Exactly how much you need to study
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.
2. Get the Right Japanese Study Materials
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:
Recommendations for basic Japanese textbooks
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.
3. Drill, Drill and Drill Again
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:
Japanese
Pronunciation
English
A: 田中さんの車はどこの車ですか
Tanaka san no kuruma wa doko no kuruma desu ka
Mr. Tanaka, what make of car is that?
B: トヨタの車です
Toyota no kuruma desu
It’s a Toyota
A: あ、そうですか
A sou desu ka
Oh really?
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.
Gap Fill Drills
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.
Shadowing
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.
4. Paraphrase to develop Japanese Fluency
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.
Explain a Japanese word in Japanese
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
Japanese Synonyms
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.
Japanese Antonyms
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.
5. Practice with Native Japanese Speakers
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.
Get a Japanese teacher or enrol on a Japanese course.
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.
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!
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…
5. Go to Japan
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 practising 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!
6. Extra Japanese Fluency Strategies and Mindset
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.
It’s about consistency, not intensity
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.
Don’t just study Japanese, USE Japanese
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!
Japanese Grammar is essential, but limited
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.
Learn the culture behind the words
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!
Make you studies fun!
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!
And if that doesn’t work, watch this Japanese fisherman motivate you!
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. Listen to the full podcast and the dialog only audio underneath.
Main Podcast
Japanese Dialogues
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.
Talking about people’s personalities in Japanese
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.
Podcast Dialog 1.1
A:
ねえ、どんな人がタイプなの？
Ne, donna hito ga taipu na no?
Hey, what kind of person are you into?
B:
そうだね。やっぱり優しくて、気が利いて、陽気な人かな。
Sō da ne. Yappari yasashikute, ki ga kiite, yōki na hito kana.
Let me see. Of course kind, thoughtful and outgoing.
A:
本当？それだけ？
Hontō? Sore dake?
Really? That’s it?
B:
え？どういう意味それ？
E? Dō iu imi sore?
Eh? What do you mean by that?
A:
今までの彼氏みんなイケメンだったし、本当は面食いなんでしょう？
Ima made no kareshi ikemen datta shi, hontō wa menkui nan deshō?
All your boyfriends until now have been really good looking. You’re just into looks aren’t you?
B:
うるさいなぁ、もう！
Urusai na mō!
Oh shut up!
Podcast Dialog 1.2
A:
ねえ、どんな人がタイプなの？
Ne, donna hito ga taipu na no?
Hey, what kind of person are you into?
B:
そうだね。やっぱり優しくて、気が利いて、陽気な人かな。
Sō da ne. Yappari yasashikute, ki ga kiite, yōki na hito kana.
Let me see. Of course kind, thoughtful and outgoing.
A:
本当？それだけ？
Hontō? Sore dake?
Really? That’s it?
B:
え？どういう意味それ？
E? Dō iu imi sore?
Eh? What do you mean by that?
A:
今までの彼女みんな美形だったじゃん、本当は見た目重視なんでしょう。
Ima made no kanojō minna bikkei datta shi, hontō wa menkui nan deshō?
All your girlfriends until now have been really good looking. You’re just into looks aren’t you?
B:
うるさいなぁ、もう！
Urusai na mō!
Oh shut up!
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:
Podcast Dialog 2.1
A:
彼氏はどんな人なの？
Kareshi wa donna hito na no?
What’s your boyfriend like?
B:
そうだね。優しい人だよ。
Sō da ne. Yasashi hito da yo.
Let me see. He’s a kind person.
A:
いいなあ。私の彼女は気が短いんだよね。
Ii naa. Watashi no kanajo ga ki ga mijikain da yo ne.
I envy you. My girlfriend is short tempered.
Podcast Dialog 2.2
A:
彼女はどんな人なの？
Kanojo wa donna hito na no?
What’s your girlfriend like?
B:
そうだね。優しい人だよ。
Sō da ne. Omoshiroi hito da yo.
Let me see. She’s an interesting person.
A:
いいなあ。私の彼氏はつまらないんだよね。
Ii naa. Watashi no kareshi wa tsumaranain da yo ne.
I envy you. My boyfriend is short tempered.
Podcast Dialog 2.3
A:
彼氏はどんな人なの？
Kareshi wa donna hito na no?
What’s your boyfriend like?
B:
そうだね。社交的な人だよ。
Sō da ne. Shakōteki na hito da yo.
Let me see. He’s a social person.
A:
いいなあ。私の彼女はおとなしいんだよね。
Ii naa. Watashi no kanajo wa otonashiin da yo ne.
I envy you. My girlfriend is shy.
Podcast Dialog 2.4
A:
彼女はどんな人なの？
Kanojo wa donna hito na no?
What’s your girlfriend like?
B:
そうだね。勤勉な人だよ。
Sō da ne. Kinben na hito da yo.
Let me see. She’s a hard working person.
A:
いいなあ。私の彼氏は怠け者なんだよね。
Ii naa. Watashi no kareshi wa namakemono nan da yo ne.
I envy you. My boyfriend is lazy.
Podcast Dialog 2.5
A:
彼氏はどんな人なの？
Kareshi wa donna hito na no?
What’s your boyfriend like?
B:
そうだね。頭がいい人だよ。
Sō da ne. Shakōteki na hito da yo.
Let me see. He’s a social person.
A:
いいなあ。私の彼女はちょっと天然入ってるんだよね
Ii naa. Watashi no kanajo wa chotto tennen ga haitterun da yo ne.
I envy you. My girlfriend is a bit of a space cadet.
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:
Podcast Dialog 3.1
A:
A型の人ってどんな人が多い？
A gata no hito te donna hito ga ooi?
What’s the most common personality trait of people with A blood type?
B:
A型は真面目で几帳面な人。
A gata wa majime de kichōmen na hito.
People with A blood type are serious and methodical.
Podcast Dialog 3.2
A:
O型の人ってどんな人が多い？
O gata no hito te donna hito ga ooi?
What’s the most common personality trait of people with O blood type?
B:
O型はおおらかで元気な人。
O gata wa ooraka de genki na hito.
People with O blood type are relaxed and outgoing.
Podcast Dialog 3.3
A:
B型の人ってどんな人が多い？
B gata no hito te donna hito ga ooi?
What’s the most common personality trait of people with B blood type?
B:
B型はよくもわるくもマイペースな人。
B gata wa yokumo warukumo mai peesu na hito.
For better or for worse, people with B blood type taking everything at their own pace.
Podcast Dialog 3.4
A:
AB型の人ってどんな人が多い？
AB gata no hito te donna hito ga ooi?
What’s the most common personality trait of people with AB blood type?
B:
AB型はどこかクールで知的な印象を感じさせる人。
AB gata wa dokoka kuuru de chiteki na inshō o kanjisaseru hito.
People with AB blood type give the impression of being aloof and intelectual.
Random Japanese Phrase of the Week
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”.
Main Podcast
Japanese Dialogues
Japanese Verbs – Taberu
Plain form verb – Taberu
Positive
Negative
Present
食べる Taberu (To eat)
食べない Tabenai (Not eat)
Past
食べたTabeta (Ate)
食べなかった Tabenakatta (Didn’t eat)
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
Positive
Negative
Present
食べます Tabemasu (To eat)
食べません Tabemasen (Not eat)
Past
食べましたTabemashita (Ate)
食べませんでした Tabemasendeshita (Didn’t eat)
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.
After living in Japan for over 20 years, 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.
Main Podcast
Japanese Dialogues
Typical Questions you will be asked by Japanese people
1: お名前はなんですか Oname wa nan desu ka – What is your name?
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.
2: お国はどちらですか Okuni wa dochira desu ka – Where are you from?
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.
3: お仕事は何をされていますか Oshigoto wa nani o sarete imasu ka – What do you do?
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.
4: なんで日本へ来たんですか Nande nihon e kitan desu ka – Why did you come to Japan?
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.
5: おいくつですか/ 何歳ですか Oikutsu desu ka – How old are you?
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.
6: 箸使えますか Hashi tsukaemasu ka – Can you use chopsticks?
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)
7: 納豆食べられますか Natto taberaremasu ka – Can you eat natto?
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.
8: 結婚していますか Kekkon shite imasu ka – Are you married?
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.
9: 日本ははじめてですか Nihon wa hajimete desu ka – Is this your first time to Japan?
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.
10: 苦てな食べ物はありますか Nigatena tabemono wa arimasu ka – Are there any foods you can’t eat?
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.
And that’s it! If you have any interesting experiences being asked questions by Japanese people, leave a comment below!
Loading ...
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:
– 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. 
– Another really good Japanese conversational textbook that focuses on real life situations and natural language to improve you basic level of fluency.
by Giles Murray.
