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Podcast 12: Describing people’s personalities in Japanese

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.

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Podcast 11: Japanese Verbs – Taberu

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.

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Podcast 10: The Top 10 Questions you will be asked in Japan

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.

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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!

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Fun Friday 03: Interview with Niko #1

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.

Podcast 03: Interview with Niko
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Podcast 09: How to Order Sushi at a Japanese Restaurant

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.

Main Podcast

Japanese Dialogues

Vocabulary from the Podcast

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
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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Premium Travel Japanese Course Progress Report

Travel To Japan

New Premium Travel Japanese Course

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.

Travel Course Contents

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:

    • Over 30 audio mp3 lessons on travel topics for Japan
    • Japanese vocabulary lists, dialogs in PDF format
    • Extra drill audio files to practice listening and speaking fluency
    • Anki files for each lesson to drill vocabulary
    • Lessons on culture and recommendations on places to visit
    • A comment section where you can ask me questions or talk to the other students

Also all the content is downloadable so you can study it anywhere and any time you like at your own pace.

Travel Japanese Course Sample

Here’s a screen shot showing you what it will look like when you log in:

travel Japanese Course

Travel Course Opening Schedule

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.

Latest Travel Course News

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.

NEWS UPDATE

19th March 2017 – Hoorah! We have a three day weekend in Japan so I will be mixing more episodes for the new premium course.

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Blog Podcasts

Fun Friday 02: Drinking Etiquette in Japan

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

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Podcasts

Podcast 08: Talking about your likes and dislikes in Japanese

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.

Main Podcast

Japanese Dialogues

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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Download: Main Podcast | Japanese Dialogues | PDF Lesson Notes

Get the app: iTunes App | Android App

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | Spotify | Stitcher | Youtube

Tell a friend: Twitter

 

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Blog Videos

What are your Japanese study goals?

What are your Japanese Study Goals?

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:

  1. What is your Japanese study goal?
  2. What steps will you take to achieve it?
  3. What is your deadline to achieve it?

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.

 

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Blog Podcasts

Fun Friday 01: Review of 2016

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!

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Blog

Why are you interested in studying Japanese?

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)

 

Why do you want to study Japanese?

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Please leave a comment below and I will mention it on my next podcast.

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Podcast 07 How to ask for help in Japanese

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 Podcast

Japanese Dialogues

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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Download: Main Podcast | Japanese Dialogues | PDF Lesson Notes

Get the app: iTunes App | Android App

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | Spotify | Stitcher | Youtube

Tell a friend: Twitter

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LJP Videos Videos Vlog

Free Kanji Course PDF Download

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.

email

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Vlog

Learn Japanese Pod Vlog 01

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!

email

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Podcast 06 Useful Classroom Japanese Phrases

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!

Main Podcast

Japanese Dialogues

Vocabulary

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
Kimi You (casual)
指輪 Yubiwa Ring

Main Dialog 1 (Japanese)

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.

Main Dialog (English)

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.

Random Phrase – Mottainai – It’s a waste

Here are some extra examples of this week’s random phrase which is “Mottainai” which means it’s such a waste.

1) 彼女を振ったなんてもったいない!

Kanojo futta nante mottainai

It was such a shame (waste) that you dumped your girlfriend!

2) もう新しいパソコン買うの?もったいないな、まだ使えるのに。

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.

3) 君にその指輪はもったいないよ。

Kimi ni sono yubiwa mottainai yo

That ring is wasted on you.

Download, Get the App, Subscribe, Tell a friend

✓Download: Main Podcast | Japanese Dialogues | PDF Lesson Notes

✓ Get the app: iTunes App | Android App

✓ Subscribe: iTunes | Android | Spotify | Stitcher | Youtube

✓ Tell a friend: Twitter

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Blog Videos

Pokemon Go released in Japan

[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.

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Blog LJP Videos Useful Japanese Phrases Videos

Japanese Internet Slang


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
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Blog LJP Videos Videos

Useful phrases for studying Japanese in a classroom

[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.

Useful Classroom Japanese Phrases

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

 

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Blog LJP Videos Videos

Street Japanese #07 – Shuuden – The Last Train

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.

Categories
Blog LJP Videos Videos

Street Japanese – 06 Nidone

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.