In this Fun Friday episode of Learn Japanese Pod, I interview Niko of Nihongo Shark, which is a platform for learning Japanese. Niko is a Jedi Master of online self-study techniques which he developed when teaching himself Japanese. Check out the podcast for more details.
In this week’s podcast Yoshiko and Alex discuss useful Japanese vocabulary and cultural points and advice for ordering sushi at a Japanese restaurant like a native.
The good news is you don’t have to learn a huge amount of vocabulary to order your your favorite dishes if you learn just a few useful key phrases.
Listen to the podcast and then you can read the vocabulary list, dialog and cultural tips and advice below.
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 大将 | Taishō | (Sushi) chef |
| サーモン | Saamon | Salmon |
| マグロ | Maguro | Tuna |
| たまご | Tamago | Egg |
| 雲丹 | Uni | Sea urchin |
| いくら | Ikura | Salmon roe |
| 貫 | Kan | Counter for sushi |
| 一貫 | Ikkan | 1 piece of sushi |
| 二貫 | Nikan | 2 pieces |
| 三貫 | Sankan | 3 pieces |
| 一貫ずつ | Ikkan zutsu | One piece of each |
| お願いします | Onegaishimasu | Please |
| さび抜き | Sabinuki | Without wasabi |
| あがり一丁 | Agari ichō | Tea |
| できますか | Dekimasu ka | Can you make it? |
| お冷や | Ohiya | Cold water |
| お椀 | Owan | Soup |
| 茶碗蒸し | Chawan Mushi | Egg and custard dish |
| えんがわ | Engawa | Fin of flounder (flatfish) |
| ごちそうさまでした | Gochisōsama deshita | That was delicious |
| 回転寿し | Kaitenzushi | Conveyor belt sushi |
| お腹いっぱい | Onaka ippai | I’m full |
| 刺身 | Sashimi | Slices of fish |
| 寿司 | Sushi | Slices of fish on rice |
| つまみ | Tsumami | Used when ordering just the meat of the fish rather than sushi |
| ガリ | Gari | Slices of ginger in sweet vinegar |
Dialog for ordering Sushi
Here is the main dialog in the podcast for ordering sushi at a Japanese restaurant.
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| A:大将！サーモン２貫ください | Taishō! Saamon Ni Kan Kudasai | Chef, 2 pieces of salmon please. |
| B:はいよ | Hai yo | Yes |
| A:雲丹といくら１貫ずつできますか | Uni to ikura Ikkan zutsu dekimasu ka | Can you do 1 sea urchin and 1 salmon roe? |
| B:はいよ | Hai yo | Yes |
| A:さび抜きでお願いします | Sabi nuki de onegaishimasu | Without wasabi please. |
| B:はいよ | Hai yo | Yes |
| A:お腹いっぱい。大将あがり一丁 | Onaka ippai. Taishō agari ichō | I’m full. Chef, 1 tea please. |
| B:はいよ | Hai yo | Yes |
10 Cultural Tips for Ordering Sushi
Here are 10 useful cultural points that will really help you when ordering sushi in Japan.
1. Call the Sushi chef “Taishō”
When you order from a sushi chef it is custom to refer to them as 大将 – Taishō. This means various things including general, boss, cheif etc. but in this context is used specifically to adress a sushi chef.
2. Use “Kan” counter to order sushi.
When counting pieces of Sushi you usually use the counter “kan”. For example:
一貫 – Ikkan – One piece of sushi
二貫 – Nikan – Two pieces of sushi
三貫 – Sankan – Three pieces of sushi
四貫 – Yonkan – Four pieces of sushi
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 大将サーモンを一貫下さい | Taishō saamon o ikkan kudasai | One piece of salmon please chef |
| 大将マグロを二貫ください | Taishō maguro o nikan kudasai | Two pieces of tuna please chef |
| 大将たまごを三貫ください | Taishō tamago o sankan kudasai | Three piece of egg please chef |
| 大将雲丹を四貫ください | Taishō uni o yonkan kudasai | Four pieces of sea urchin please chef |
An important thing to remember is it is not so common to order more than 2 or 3 pieces of the same type of sushi at the same time. The most common is ２貫 Nikan – two pieces of sushi. It is possible to say something like this:
たまごを二貫、サーモンを二貫、マグロを二貫ください
Tamago o nikan, saamon o nikan, maguro o nikan kudasai
2 pieces of egg, 2 salmon and 2 tuna please.
3) Use the word “agari” to order green tea
When you want to order tea say あがり一丁 agari ichō. This is a special way to order green tea that is particular to sushi restaurants. When you order, they usually bring it to you in a cup. However, in many conveyor belt sushi restaurants it’s common to make your own tea by putting green tea powder in a cup and adding hot water from a tap at the counter.
4) It is OK to use your hands when eating sushi
Believe it or not it is acceptable to use your hands when eating sushi. There is no decidedly proper way to eat sushi. However, when in doubt just copy what every one else is doing in the restaurant.
5) How to dip sushi in soy sauce
The proper way to eat sushi is to very lightly dip the meat of the fish in the soy sauce and not the rice. If soy gets on the rice it can start to fall apart and is not considered the most tasty way to eat it.
Some people even turn the sushi upside down in their mouth when eating so that the tongue touches the meat first.
Also, go easy on the soy sauce and the ginger. Japanese people tend not to drown each piece of sushi in soy sauce. Ginger is supposed to be eaten just to cleanse the palate between dishes.
6) Not all sushi is raw
It is in fact possible to order broiled versions of your favorite sushi which is called 炙り aburi. One particular favorite is 炙りサーモン Aburi saamon or broiled salmon. The chef will take a torch to the Sushi which gives it a delicious seared and smokey taste.
7) Say Gochisōsama when you finish eating
ごちそうさま Gochisōsama means “that was delicious” and you usually say it at the end of a meal. It’s common to say it either eating at a restaurant or at someone’s house after eating a meal with them.
8) To get the bill say Okaikei kudasai
To get the bill say お会計ください okaikei kudasai. The staff will come to the counter or table where you are seated and count the empty dishes to calculate the bill.
If you enjoyed this podcast you can find all our other Japanese language learning podcasts here.
If you would like to study Japanese more seriously in depth, then check out our Japanese Dojo where you can try out our free online Japanese study courses here.
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If you are interested in studying Japanese and traveling to Japan, then I have just the thing for you. It’s my new Audio Travel Japanese Course which will teach you all the vocabulary, phrases, listening skills and speaking fluency you need to navigate your trip to Japan. I wanted to make this because I keep getting emails from members asking about phrases related to travel, directions, shopping and generally navigating Japan.
The course focuses on teaching you essential vocabulary, phrases and grammar for things such as asking directions, ordering sushi, shopping and even how to have a bath at an onsen (hot spring). It will also include:
Also all the content is downloadable so you can study it anywhere and any time you like at your own pace.
Here’s a screen shot showing you what it will look like when you log in:
Here’s the thing, it’s not quite ready yet. So in order to show you how fast I am progressing in getting this course finished for you I made this progress graph. The thick red line shows what I have done and the think red one shows the predicted ETA of the project. I also posted this to publicly embarrass myself into finishing it earlier.
Please visit regularly to see news updates as well as how far I have progressed on the graph. If you would like to sign up early to get in on this course then please go to Dojo.LearnJapanesePod.com and sign up for a free account. If you sign up there you can get access to the other free courses to test drive the other free online courses. I will send you an email when the premium course is ready. You have no obligation to buy and can unsubscribe at any time.
19th March 2017 – Hoorah! We have a three day weekend in Japan so I will be mixing more episodes for the new premium course.
In this podcast, Yoshiko and I (Alex) talk about etiquette for eating out and drinking with friends at an Izakaya, Hanami party or similar events. If you listen to this podcast you will learn some insider cultural knowledge which will help you to give you your black belt in partying with your Japanese friends.
Listen to the Podcast
In this podcast Yoshiko and I teach you how to talk about your likes and dislikes. Check out the PDF show notes and podcasts to see all the examples.
寿司が大好きです Sushi ga dai suki (desu) – I love sushi
寿司が好きです Sushi ga suki (desu) – I like sushi.
寿司がまあまあすきです Sushi ga mama suki (desu) – Sushi is OK.
寿司があんまり好きじゃない Sushi ga amari suki ja nai – I don’t like sushi very much.
寿司が嫌いです Sushi ga kirai (desu) – I don’t like sushi.
寿司が大嫌い Sushi ga daikkirai (desu) – I hate sushi.
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YOSH! It’s 2017. Let’s do this people!
What are you Japanese study goals for 2017? Do you want to learn the basics of Japanese? Would you like to learn phrases for traveling in Japan? Would you like to learn how to read manga or understand Anime? Perhaps you want to learn something specific like Japanese for getting an IT job or gaming.
Whatever it is I would love to hear what YOUR Japanese study goals are. Now here’s what I want you to do. Write a comment below with the following 3 points:
That’s it! If you write that down below, we can start a discussion on how to achieve it in more detail.
Good luck and I look forward to getting your comments.
Fun Friday is back, Hoorah! And if you don’t know what Fun Friday is, it is a podcast where we temporarily put down our textbooks and talk about life, the universe and everything related to life in Japan. In this episode, Yoshiko joined me to review 2016. We talked about our experiences and the major news events of the last year in Japan. I added links to the topics we covered in the podcast. Enjoy!
Hi, this is Alex from learn Japanese and I would like your help in filling out this survey. I want to know why you want to study Japan which will help me to improve the site and podcasts I am making. Just take the survey below and when you are finished you can see what other people selected.
Then, please leave a comment below and I will mention it on the podcast. That’s it!
So, why are you interested in learning Japanese? Are you studying it in college? Do you like traveling? Manga? Anime? Do you want to be a ninja?
(You can click as many boxes as you like)
Loading ...Please leave a comment below and I will mention it on my next podcast.
In this podcast, you will learn how to ask for help in natural, fluent Japanese. Check out the audio dialogues and audio lesson to learn how to get assistance in Japanese. Enjoy!
Main Dialogue
A: ちょっといい? Chotto ii?
Can I bother you for a minute?
B: うん。どうした? Un. Dō shita
Sure, what’s up?
A: このパソコンを全部会議室 へ運びたいんだけど手を貸
してくれる? Kono pasokon o zenbu kaigishitsu e hakobitain dakedo te o kashite kureru?
I want to take all these PCs to the meeting room. Could you lend me a hand?
Alex: うん、いいよ。 Un, ii yo.
Sure.
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PDF DOWNLOAD: Kanji for daily life for foreigners 外国人のための生活漢字
Hoorah! It’s my 2nd vlog and I’ve got a fantastic free resource for you if you are starting to study kanji and not sure where to start.
It’s a free downloadable PDF entitled 外国人のための生活漢字 / Kanji for daily life for foreigners It contains 82 pages of examples and quizzes that teach you the very basic kanji for everyday life in Japan. There are 13 chapters that cover basic kanji for topics such as going to the doctor, shopping, travel, disasters and emergencies and more.
It also contains pictures, sentence examples, exercises and review quizzes to teach and consolidate your kanji knowledge. Therefore, it’s a great free self contained Japanese course perfect for beginnings in kanji. In terms of level, it’s probably good for students who are studying the N4 or N3 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. However, there’s no reason why complete beginners couldn’t use it. You will have to be able to read Hiragana to understand the basic readings of the kanji as there is no romaji pronunciation in the PDF.
I would recommend downloading and then printing it on double sided A4 paper and then binding it into a booklet for easy storage and portability. You could also use it with your Japanese teacher at school as a beginner’s kanji course.
The other thing I like about this text is the high frequency and practical nature of the kanji. That means you are definitely going to encounter the kanji in real life on a recurring basis. That makes it more useful and easier to remember.
So, try download it and see what you think. If you do download it, let me know what you think by leaving a comment below or sending an email.
So…here’s an experiment. This is the first of series of short vlogs I’m going to post to show you cools stuff around Japan, update you with the latest news from Learn Japanese Pod and also answer your questions and comments. In this vlog you can see me (stupidly) brave one of the recent typhoons battering Japan.
If you listen to the end of the vlog carefully you’ll hear the sound of thunder which was my cue to get the hell back in my apartment and stop asking to be blown into the Pacific ocean.
If you have any requests or questions you like to ask me just send an email to the below address. Yoroshiku!
In this podcast, Asuka and I teach you some useful classroom Japanese phrases so you can interact with your teacher and understand more. We teach you how to ask questions about vocabulary and sentences. In fact, I wish I had known all this when I started to study Japanese in Tokyo all those years ago. It would have helped me learn vocabulary a lot more quickly. We also teach you how to speak in a respectful way to your Sensei. And of course you can catch up with the rest of our random banter about what’s been going on with Asuka and I recently. Check out the podcast!
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English |
| 先生 | Sensei | Teacher |
| ちょっと | Chotto | A little |
| 質問 | Shitsumon | Question |
| どうぞ | Dōzo | Please go ahead |
| …てどういう意味ですか | …te dō iu imi desu ka | What does … mean? |
| …という意味です。 | …to iu imi desu | It means… |
| …でどんな文章が作るんですか？ | …de donna bunshō ga tsukurun desu ka | What kind of sentence can you make with… |
| 食事 | Shokuji | Food |
| 残す | Nokosu | To leave something |
| 彼女 | Kanojo | Girlfriend |
| 振る | Furu | To shake / to dump someone |
| 使える | Tsukaeru | To be able to use something |
| 君 | Kimi | You (casual) |
| 指輪 | Yubiwa | Ring |
| Student: | 先生、ちょっと質問があります。 | Sensei, chotto shitsumon ga arimasu. |
| Teacher: | はい、どうぞ。 | Hai dōzo. |
| Student: | 「もったいない」ってどういう意味ですか？ | Mottainai tte dō iu imi desu ka. |
| Teacher: | それはtoo good to wasteという意味です。 | Sore wa too good to waste to iu imi desu. |
| Student: | 「もったいない」で、どんな文章が作れるんですか？ | Mottainai de donna bunshō ga tsukurun desu ka. |
| Teacher: | 食事を残すなんてもったいない。 | Shokuji o nokosu nante mottainai. |
| Student: | そのように使うんですね。わかりました。ありがとうございます。 | Sono yō ni tsukaun desu ne. Wakarimashita. Arigatō gozaimasu. |
| Student: | (Teacher) Could I just ask a question? |
| Teacher: | Yes, go ahead. |
| Student: | What does “Mottainai” mean? |
| Teacher: | “Mottainai” means too good to waste. |
| Student: | How do you use “Mottainai” in a sentence? |
| Teacher: | Leaving food is a waste (mottainai). |
| Student: | That’s how you use it! I understand. Thank you. |
Here are some extra examples of this week’s random phrase which is “Mottainai” which means it’s such a waste.
Kanojo futta nante mottainai
It was such a shame (waste) that you dumped your girlfriend!
mō atarashii pasokon kau no. mottainai na, mada tsukaeru noni.
You’re buying a new PC already? That’s a waste, you can still use the old one.
Kimi ni sono yubiwa mottainai yo
That ring is wasted on you.
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[responsive_vid]
So, after some delays, Pokemon Go has finally come to Japan. And…
It…was…nuts…
Being completely out of it and knowing next to nothing about Pokemon Go, my suspicions were first aroused when walking into Yoyogi park. There, congregating under a tree was a crowd of mostly young guys with backpacks, staring at their phones, the kind of guys you could tell hadn’t been outside or in a park in a long time.
Slightly confused as to what they were doing, I decided to think nothing of it and head to the main fountain area in the middle of the park. But there was no escape. There they were, a huge army of backpacking, nerdy t-shirt wearing Japanese Pokemon hunters. I counted at least 100 but I wouldn’t be surprised if over the course of the day more than 1000 people turned up.
In all my years living in Japan, I have never seen anything like it before. The only time I have seen crowds like this were at festivals or large outdoor gigs.
Is this a new digital-social phenomenon, or just a tamagochi flash in the pan? It will be interesting to see.
Check out my video to see the madness.
In this video, Tomoe will teach you some useful slang related to the internet, email and texting. These phrases are actually used by Japanese people in real life so they are definitely worth learning. Check out the list below to see what they mean and don’t forget to watch the video.
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| メールしてね | meeru shite ne | Email me |
| リンク送ってね | rinku okutte ne | Send me the link |
| ググってみて | gugutte mite | Google it |
| 自分でググってよ | jibun de gugutte yo | Google it yourself |
| ネットで買った | netto de katta | I bought it online |
| ネットで落としてよ | netto de otoshita yo | I downloaded it off the net |
| ブログ炎上してるよ | burogu enjō shiteru yo | Your bog’s getting flamed |
[responsive_vid]
Are you planning to study Japanese in a classroom environment? Perhaps you are taking a class at college. Maybe you have enrolled in night school or your Japanese friends are going to teach you. If so, you’ll need some basic phrases to help you when studying with a Japanese teacher.
When I studied Japanese at university in Japan, the following phrase below and in the video were absolutely essential to me. This was partly because the other students in my school didn’t speak English well and my Japanese teacher enforced a Japanese only speaking environment.
So, I created this video to help you when you get stuck and you don’t understand what’s going on in your Japanese class. My advice would be to listen to and repeat the phrases in this video as many times as you can so you can say them without thinking. Learn these phrases well young Japanese student Jedi, they will serve you well and they definitely helped me when I was studying in university.
1: すみません ちょっと わかりません
sumimasen chotto wakarimasen
Excuse me I don’t understand
2: もう 一度 言って ください
mō ichido itte kudasai
Please say it again
3: もう 少し ゆっくり 話して いただけますか
mō sukoshi yukkuri hanashite itadakemasu ka
Could you speak a little more slowly please?
4: 茶道 は どういう意味 ですか
sadō wa dōiu imi desu ka
What does “sadō” mean?
5: それは tea ceremony という意味 です
sore wa tea ceremony toiu imi desu
That means tea ceremony
In this video Yoshiko and Alex talk about what they did the night before which included Alex missing the last train and Yoshiko going on a date. Find out how to talk about all of this in natural Japanese in the transcript below with English translations. [responsive_vid]
Watch the other Street Japanese Videos 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07
[button link=”http://learnjapanesepod.com/wp-content/uploads/Street-Japanese-07.mp3″ color=”silver”]Download MP3[/button] [button link=”http://learnjapanesepod.com/wp-content/uploads/Street-Japanese-07.pdf” size=”medium” color=”green”]Download PDF[/button]
Dialog
A: 昨日はおそかったの？
B: そうそう。終電なかったからタクシーで帰ったよ。
A: え、もったいない。
B: わかってる。よしこは？
A: 私は、この間のイケメンとデートしてたよ。
A: kinō wa osokatta no
B: sō sō. shuuden nakkata kara takushii de kaetta yo
A: e, mottainai
B: wakatteru. yoshiko wa
A: watashi wa kono aida no ikemen to deeto shiteta yo
A: Were you up late last night?
B: Yeah, I missed the last train so I took a taxi back.
A: Eh? What a waste!
B: I know. How about you Yoshiko?
A: I went on a date with that hot guy (we talked about before)
Notes:
終電 shuuden – The last train
When in Tokyo and other cities in Japan, be careful not to miss the last train or 終電 shuuden
as it is called. Generally speaking the only transport that runs 24 hours a day is taxis.
In this video Alex oversleeps and is late for an appointment with Yoshiko. Yoshiko forgives him, almost and they decide to go to go get some coffee together. This is the 6th in the series of Street Japanese videos which teach you natural Japanese as it is really spoken in Japan. All the videos connect together in order to create a longer conversation so watch them all![responsive_vid]
Watch the other Street Japanese Videos 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06
[button link=”http://learnjapanesepod.com/wp-content/uploads/Street-Japanese-06.mp3″ color=”silver”]Download MP3[/button] [button link=”http://learnjapanesepod.com/wp-content/uploads/Street-Japanese-06-.pdf” size=”medium” color=”green”]Download PDF[/button]
Dialog
A: アレックス遅い！
B: ごめん。二度寝しちゃった！
A: しょうがないなあ。
B: とりあえずスタバ行こう。
A: arekkusu osoi
B: gomen, nidone shichatta
A: shō ga nai naa
B: toriaezu sutaba ikō
A: Alex, you’re late!
B: Sorry. I overslept.
A: Oh well, it can’t be helped I guess
B: So for now, let’s go to Starbucks.
Notes:
二度寝 – nidone – to oversleep / fall asleep again
Ni do ne literally means 2 times sleep. It refers to when you wake up but then fall asleep again. In this case, Alex woke up, fell asleep which is why he was late for the appointment. To say you overslept in Japanese you can say 寝坊する nebō suru
ちゃった – chatta – verb ending to show regret
…chatta means you did something with a slight feeling of regret. For example, 日本語のテキストを忘れちゃった nihongo no tekisuto wo wasurechatta – I completely forgot my Japanese textbook. In the case of this dialog 二度寝しちゃった nidone shichatta – I completely overslept
とりあえず – toriaezu – for the mean time let’s…
The great thing about Japanese are these one word phrases that have so much meaning embedded within them and toriaezu is one on them. It’s a non-committal suggestion to try and do something. Use tend to use toriaezu when deciding to order food and drinks like this:
とりあえずコーヒーで – toriaezu koohii de
For now I’ll have a coffee
とりあえず生 – toriaezu nama
For now, I’ll have a (draft) beer
Minimal use of words to convey meaning based on context
Another fantastic thing about Japanese is the minimal amount of words you can use to convey meaning. However this is based on the context of the conversation. And this is demonstrated nicely when Yoshiko says to Alex:
アレックス遅い – arekkusu osoi
This literally means “Alex, late”. On the face of it, that doesn’t make so much sense. However, if we take into account the context, Alex just rushed up to Yoshiko looking apologetic and she shouts at Alex, you can be pretty sure she is saying “Alex YOU ARE late”.
Yoshiko could have also said:
アレックス遅い, 怒ってるよ！ Arekkusu osoi. okotteru yo.
This literally means Alex late, really angry. So that’s quite minimal but you can be pretty sure it means “Alex YOU ARE late. I AM really angry.”
So there you have it, you can use less words to say more in Japanese. The only thing you have to be careful about is the confusing vagueness of the language. So make sure you understand the situation so you can understand the conversation.
This is video number 5 in our series of street Japanese videos which teach you natural daily conversation, phrases and slang. In this video, Alex and Yoshiko talk about dating and hunting for boyfriends and girlfriends.
Watch the other Street Japanese Videos 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05
[responsive_vid]
[button link=”http://learnjapanesepod.com/wp-content/uploads/Street-Japanese-05.mp3″ color=”silver”]Download MP3[/button] [button link=”http://learnjapanesepod.com/wp-content/uploads/Street-Japanese-05.pdf” size=”medium” color=”green”]Download PDF[/button]
This is the 4th in the series of Street Japanese videos which are designed to teach you natural
everyday Japanese as it is spoken by real Japanese people. In today’s lesson Yoshiko and Alex
teach you the phrase “sasuga”. Check out the dialog below to see how it used in natural Japanese
conversation.
Watch the other Street Japanese Videos 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05
[responsive_vid]
Audio
[button link=”http://learnjapanesepod.com/wp-content/uploads/Street-Japanese-04.mp3″ color=”silver”]Download MP3[/button] [button link=”http://learnjapanesepod.com/wp-content/uploads/Street-Japanese-04.pdf” size=”medium” color=”green”]Download PDF[/button]
Dialog
A: 最近、いいことあった？
B: デートの約束したんだ。
A: さすが！どこ行くの？
B: まだ考えちゅう
A: ふーん。また教えてね。
B: どうしようかな？
A: saikin ii koto atta
B: deeto no yakusoku shitan da
A: sasuga. doku ni iku no
B: mada kangaechuu
A: fuun. mata oshiete ne
B: dō shiyō kana
A: Anything good happen recently?
B: I’m going on a date
A: Way to go! Where are you going?
B: I’m still thinking.
A: Tell me later
B: I wonder if I will…
Notes:
さすが sasuga is an interesting word with many uses. However, in the case of this dialog, it is
used in response to what someone has. It’s an encouraging response that means something like
“That’s great”, “That’s wonderful” or perhaps “Way to go”. Use it when someone tells you about
something great they did.
の no – is a particle that sometimes goes at the end of sentences to make a question during
casual conversation – どこに行くの doko ni iku no? Where are you going?
かな kana – goes at the end of sentences to make them more uncertain in tone. Example: 行くよ
iku yo – I’m (definitely) going. 行くかな iku kana – I might go / Not sure if I’ll go
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