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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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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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Pokemon Go released in Japan

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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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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Useful phrases for studying Japanese in a classroom

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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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.

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.

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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!

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.

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Street Japanese 05 – Yatta!

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

In this video, Alex and Yoshiko talk about dating in Japan


[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]

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Street Japanese 04 – Sasuga

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


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.

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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Street Japanese 03 – Ikemen

In this video, Yoshiko and Alex will teach you what the slang “Ikemen” means and how to use it naturally in daily Japanese conversation.

Watch the other Street Japanese Videos 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05

[button link=”http://learnjapanesepod.com/wp-content/uploads/Street-Japanese-03.mp3″ color=”silver”]Download MP3[/button] [button link=”http://learnjapanesepod.com/wp-content/uploads/Street-Japanese-03.pdf” size=”medium” color=”green”]Download PDF[/button]

This is the 3rd in the series of Street Japanese videos. In this one Yoshiko talks about a hot new guy she met using the slang term イケメン ikemen.

Check out the dialog below to see how it used in natural Japanese conversation.

Dialog
A: そういえば、言ったっけ?
B: ん?何?
A: この間、イケメンと友達になった!
B: やるね!それで??
A: LINE交換したよ。

A: sō  ieba ittakke?
B: n, nani
A: kono aida ikemen to tomodachi ni natta
B: yaru ne, sore de?
A: rain kō kan shita yo

A: By the way, did I tell you?
B: Huh? What?
A: I met (made friends with) a hot guy
B: Way to go! Then what happened?
A: We exchanged Line contact addresses.

Did you know…
イケメン ikemen – is constructed from “ike” which comes from iketeru which means cool, good looking or stylish. “Men” comes from possibly the kanji 面 men – which means face or more likely from the English word “men”.

 

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Street Japanese 02 – Shoganai

Watch this video to find out what “Shoganai” means.

Watch the other Street Japanese Videos 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05

[button link=”http://learnjapanesepod.com/wp-content/uploads/Street-Japanese-02.mp3″ color=”silver”]Download MP3[/button] [button link=”http://learnjapanesepod.com/wp-content/uploads/Street-Japanese-02.pdf” size=”medium” color=”green”]Download PDF[/button]

In last week’s video we learned the phrase “dotakyan“. In this week’s Street Japanese video Yoshiko and I teach you what shoganai means and how it is used naturally in daily conversation.

Shoganai means something like, “that’s life” or “it can’t be helped” or even “Oh well then…”

Dialog

A: この間はごめんね!何かごちそうするから、ゆるして。
B: しょうがないなあ。
A: ありがとう!何がいい?
B: じゃあ、スタバのコーヒー
A: 了解!

A: kono aida wa gomen ne. nanika gochisō suru kara yurushite
B: shō ga nai naa
A: arigatō. nani ga ii
B: jaa sutaba no koohii
A: ryōkai

A: Sorry about the other day. I’ll treat you so please forgive me!
B: Oh well, it can’t be helped
A: Thanks. What do you want?
B: A Starbucks coffee
A: Got it!

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Street Japanese 01- Dotakyan

Hey there you good-looking Learn Japanese Podders and welcome to my Street Japanese series of videos. I made these videos to teach natural Japanese as it is really spoken on the streets in Japan. Each video in the series links to the next one in order to create a long conversation so be sure to watch all the videos. You can also download PDF shownotes, an mp3 of the video and read about the grammar and culture featured in the videos.

Be sure to check back every Wednesday when we put up a new video. Enjoy!

Watch the other Street Japanese Videos 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05

Listen to just the audio

[button link=”http://learnjapanesepod.com/wp-content/uploads/StreetJapanese01.mp3″ color=”green”]Download MP3[/button]  [button link=”http://learnjapanesepod.com/wp-content/uploads/Street-Japanese-01.pdf” color=”aqua”]Download PDF[/button]

In this video we look at the phrase ドタキャン dotakyan which means to suddenly cancel going to a meeting. Here’s the dialog as we did it in the video.
A) ヨシコ、ひどいよー
B) え?なんで?どうしたの?
A) この間、ドタキャンしたじゃない?
B) あ、ごめん。これからは絶対しないから
A) 本当に?!

A) yoshiko, hidoi yo
B) e? nande?
A) kono aida dotakyan shita ja nai?
A) a, gomen. kore kara zetai shinai kara
B) hontō ni?

A) You’re terrible Yoshiko
B) Eh? Why? What’s the matter?
A) The other day you cancelled on me at the last minute!
B) Ah, sorry. I’ll absolutely never do that again!
A) Really?

Now here’s a little history for you…

Dotakyan comes from 土壇場キャンセル dotanba kyanseru – Last moment cancel. Japanese love to shorten long phrases so “dotanba kyanseru” changes to dotakyan.

But, where does 土壇場 come from?

During the Edo period, executions were carried out by stretching out the guilty horizontally on a small mound of earth. Then they would be decapitated by sword. That mound of earth was a 土壇場 dotanba. 土 do is earth, 壇 tan means a mound and 場 ba means place. During the Edo period 土壇場 came to mean “the place of execution”.

In modern use, 土壇場 dotanba means at the last moment, or at 11th hour. This probably comes from the idea that an execution is the very last minute of life.

There, I bet you didn’t know that AND it’s used all the time. So, try that out on your Japanese friends to amaze and amuse them.

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Learning Japanese with Niko from Nihongo Shark

In this video, I caught up with my buddy Niko, the creator of Nihongo Shark, an awesome website for those interested in learning Japanese.We mostly talked about how he built systems to study Japanese by himself. He also talked about how he overcame various barriers to speaking fluent Japanese and living in Japan.

This video will give you some ideas on how to study Japanese and how to overcome any difficulties you will inevitable encounter on your own path to mastering Japanese.

Nihongo Shark’s free course – How to learn Japanese in a year

Hacking Japanese Super Course

Anki – Flash card learning system

Please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this post or email me at info-at-learnjapanesepod.com if you have any questions or comments.

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Japanese Rice Ball Kanji List

Download PDF Kanji list

In this video, I go over the names and the readings of some of the most common rice balls you’ll find in your average convenience store in Japan. Although, English is being used more and more on things such as station names and menus, convenience store rice balls seem to still exclusively use hiragana and kanji on the packaging.

So this video helps you to read the kanji on rice ball packaging so you don’t have to play onigiri roulette when buying a snack in Japan.

 Japanese Pronunciation Meaning
 おにぎり  onigiri  Rice ball
 梅  ume  Salted Japanese plum
 紅鮭  beni shake  Salmon
 おかか  okaka  Dried bonito flakes and soy sauce
 たらこ  tarako  Cod roe
 明太子  mentaiko  Seasoned cod roe
 筋子  sujiko  Salted salmon roe
 ツナマヨネーズ  tsuna mayoneezu  Tuna mayonnaise
 焼豚  yaki buta  Grilled / BBQ’ed pork
 五目ご飯  gomokugohan  (5 ingredients) Rice
 焼きおにぎり  yaki onigiri  Grilled rice ball

 

Extra flavours
Here are a few other flavours not mentioned in the video that you might find in Japan

昆布 konbu Seaweed
いくら ikura Salmon caviar marinated in soy sauce

 

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10. Useful Japanese phrases for eating

In this video, Tomoe will teach you some super useful phrases for eating with people at their homes.

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Blog LJP Videos Useful Japanese Phrases

How to order anything at a shop or restaurant in Japanese

If you would like to know the single most useful phrase when shopping and eating out in Japan, you are in the right place.
The phrase you need to know is…drum roll…

これをください

Kore o kudasai

This means “This please” or “I’ll take this one”. This is a super useful phrase and can be used to order food and buy almost anything in shops. In fact the joke goes, every restaurant in Japan serves the dish “kore” (This).

The other thing you need to know is how to order multiple things as in “I’ll take two of these”, “I’ll take three of these” etc. Check the vocabulary list below. maaa

 

Japanese Pronunciation English
 これをください  kore o kudasai  I’d like this please
 これをひとつください  kore o hitotsu kudasai  I’d like 1 please
これをふたつください  kore o futatsu kudasai  I’d like 2 please
 これをみつください  kore o mitsu kudasai  I’d like 3 please
 これをよつください  kore o yotsu kudasai  I’d like 4 please
 これをいつつください  kore o itsutsu kudasai  I’d like 5 please

One last thing to remember is that in many Japanese restaurants, you can make use of the menu which usually has pictures for the food. In this way, you can simply point and say これをください and you’ll be fine.

 

ENJOY!

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How to order things at a restaurant in Japan

Transcription:

こんにちは、今日 は 何かを 注文 したりお店 に 行って 何か を 買う 時 を 勉強します。 一番 簡単 な やり方 です。まずメニューを見て、これをください、これを一つください、これを二つください、これをみつください、これを五つください。これだけで頼めます。メ ニューが読めなくてもとりあえず何か注文すれば大丈夫じゃないでしょうか。

 

konnichi wa, kyou wa nanika wo chumon shitari omise ni itte nanika o kau toki wo benkyou shimasu. ichiban kantan na yarikata desu. mazu menyu o mite, kore o kudasai, kore o hitotsu kudasai, kore o futatsu kudasai, kore o mitsu kudasai, kore o yotsu kudasai, kore o itsutsu kudasai. kore dake de tanomemasu. menyu ga yomenakutemo toriaezu nanika wo chumon sureba daijoubu ja nai deshou ka.
Hello, today we’re going to study how to buy and order things in a store or restaurant. And this is the easiest way to do it. First of all, have a look at the menu and say “kore o kudasai” (This please), kore o hitotsu kudasai (I’ll have one please), kore o futatsu kudasai (I’ll have two please), kore o mitsu kudasai (I’ll have three please), kore o yotsu kudasai (I’ll have four please), kore o itsutsu kudasai (I’ll have five please). You can order just with that. Even if you can’t read the menu, just go ahead and order something. You’ll probably be OK, right?

Vocabulary

Japanese Pronunciation English
これ kore This
これをください kore o kudasai This please
これを一つください kore o hitotsu kudasai I’ll have one please
二つ futatstsu 2 (object counter)
三つ mitsu 3 (objects)
四つ yotsu 4 (objects)
五つ itsutsu 5 (objects)
注文 する chuumon suru to order
頼めます tanomemasu be able to order something
大丈夫 daijoubu OK / Fine

 

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9. How to read kanji for menus in Japanese

In this video you will learn some of the most common and useful Kanji for reading a menu in Japanese.

Don’t panic when we say Kanji! It’s all going to be OK because Tomoe will teach you.

 

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8. How to order food from a menu in Japanese

In this video you will learn how to order from a menu in Japanese.

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7. Ordering drinks at a restaurant in Japanese

In this video we learn some useful Japanese phrases for ordering drinks after being shown your table at restaurant in Japan.

 

Japanese Transcript:

こんにちは今日はレストランに入った後注文の仕方を勉強します。前回でレストランに入った時の席に着くまでのやり方を勉強したのでそれを見てない人は見てください。

まずテーブルに着いて店員さんが来ます。「ご注文お決まりですか」という風に聞かれたら、(えと、まあ)何人かテーブルに座ってるので一人が「ビール飲む人、日本酒飲む人、ワイン飲む人」聞いて、「ビールが二つ、ワイン(が)三つ、日本酒が四つ、オレンジジュースが一つお願いします」。これだけです。

Pronunciation

konnichi wa kyō wa resutoran ni haitta ato chuu mon no shikata wo benkyō shimasu. zenkai de resutoran ni haitta toki no seki made no yari kata o benkyō shita no de, sore o mitenai hito wa mite kudasai.

mazu teeburu ni tsuite tennin san ga kimasu. “go chuumon okimari desu ka” toiu fuu ni kikaretara, (eto, maa) nannin ka teeburu ni suwatteru no de hitori ga “biiru nomu hito, nihonshu nomu hito, wain nomu hito” kiite, “biiru ga futastsu, wain ga mitsu, nihonshu ga yotsu, orenji juusu ga hitotsu onegaishimasu”. Kore dake desu.

 English translation

Hello, today we’re going to study how to make an order after arriving at a restaurant. Last time we studied what to say in Japanese before being shown to your seat at a restaurant, so for those of you who haven’t seen it, please watch it.

First of all, when you get to your table the waiter comes. If you are asked “Are you ready to order?” one of the people in your group can say “Who’s drinking beer? Who’s drinking sake? Who’s drinking wine?”. You then say “2 beers, 3 sakes, 4 wines and 1 orange juice please”. That’s it.

Japanese Pronunciation English
ご注文お決まりですか gochuumon okimari desu ka Are you ready to order?
ビール飲む人 biiru nomu hito Who’s drinking beer?
日本酒飲む人 nihonshu nomu hito Who’s drinking sake?
ワイン飲む人 wain nomu hito Who’s drinking wine?
ビールが二つ biiru ga futatsu 2 beers
日本酒が三つ nihonshu ga mitsu 3 sakes
ワインが四つ wain ga yotsu 4 wines
オレンジジュースが一つ orenjijuusu ga hitotsu 1 orange juice
お願いします onegaishimasu please

 

More Japanese language learning videos

Introduce yourself in Japanese Learn Japanese Pod Video 1: How to introduce yourself in Japanese | In this video, we learn some basic useful greetings in Japanese.
Useful daily Japanese phrases Learn Japanese Pod Video 2: Useful daily phrases you use a lot in Japanese | In this lesson, you will learn some must-know daily phrases in Japanese
Screen Shot 2015-01-10 at 19.03.04 Learn Japanese Pod Video 3: Phrases for leaving your house – itte kimasu | “Itte-kimasu” is perhaps one of the most used phrases in Japanese and you should definitely learn it! Check out the video to see what it means.
tadaima Learn Japanese Pod Video 4: Phrases for when you get home – Tadaima – Okaeri nasai | In this video you will learn some great phrases used everyday in Japan when returning home
Apologize in Japanese Learn Japanese Pod Video 5: How to apologize in Japanese | As they say in Japan, if it’s your fault, apologize, and if it isn’t, apologize. Check out how to apologize in Japanese.
Useful Japanese Restaurant Phrases 1 Learn Japanese Pod Video 6: Useful Japanese phrases for restaurants in Japan 1 | In this video you’ll learn how to get seats on your arrival at a restaurant
ordering drinks in Japanese Learn Japanese Pod Video 7: Useful Japanese phrases for restaurants in Japan 2 | In this video you’ll learn how to order drinks in Japanese at a restaurant after being shown to your table

Interviews

Zen Meditation in Kyoto 1) Interview with a Zen monk on meditation in Kyoto
Categories
Blog LJP Videos Videos

6. How to get a seat at a restaurant in Japanese

In this week’s video, we will learn some useful Japanese phrases for getting a seat at a Japanese restaurant.

Transcript

In this video, Tomoe teaches the most common Japanese phrases you will use when getting a seat at a restaurant in Japan.

0:11

こんにちは、レストランに入った時の席に着くまでのやり方を勉強します。
konnichi wa resutoran ni haitta toki no seki tsuku made no yarikata wo benkyou shimasu
Hello, we’re going to learn (some phrases) about how to get a seat at a restaurant (in Japanese).

0:19

まずお店に入ったら店員さんが「いらっしゃいませ、何名様ですか』と聞くから…
mazu omise ni haittara teninsan ga irasshaimase, nanmei sama desu ka to kiku kara
First of all, when you get to a restaurant, the staff will say “irasshaimase, nanmei sama desu ka” (welcome, how many people are in your party?)

0:28

一人だったら「一名」、
hitori dattara ichimei
If it’s one person (say) “ichi mei (desu)”

0:32

二人だったら「二名です」、
futari dattara ni mei desu
If it’s 2 people “ni mei desu”

0:35

三人だったら「三名です」、
sannin dattara sanmei desu
If it’s three people “san mei desu”

0:38

四人だったら「四名です」、
yonnin dattara yonmei desu
If it’s 4 people “yon mei desu”

0:42

五人だったら「五名です」、
gonin dattara gomei desu
If it’s 5 people “gomei desu”

これだけです。
kore dake desu
That’s it.

0:46

後は「おタバコはすわれますか」、「喫煙ですか、禁煙ですか」と聞くので
ato wa otabako wo suwaremasu ka kitsuen desu ka kinnen desu ka to kiku no de
After that, you will be asked if you want a smoking or non smoking seat

0:55

吸う時は「喫煙です」、吸わない時は「禁煙席です」,「禁煙です」というふうに答えてください。
Suu toki wa kitsuen desu, suwanai toki wa kinen seki desu, kinen desu toiu fuu ni kotaete kudasai.
If you smoke you say “kitsuen desu”, if you don’t “kinen seki desu” or “kinen desu” which is how to reply.

More Japanese language learning videos

 Introduce yourself in Japanese Learn Japanese Pod Video 1: How to introduce yourself in Japanese | In this video, we learn some basic useful greetings in Japanese.
 Useful daily Japanese phrases Learn Japanese Pod Video 2: Useful daily phrases you use a lot in Japanese | In this lesson, you will learn some must-know daily phrases in Japanese
  Screen Shot 2015-01-10 at 19.03.04  Learn Japanese Pod Video 3: Phrases for leaving your house – itte kimasu  | “Itte-kimasu” is perhaps one of the most used phrases in Japanese and you should definitely learn it! Check out the video to see what it means.
 tadaima  Learn Japanese Pod Video 4: Phrases for when you get home – Tadaima – Okaeri nasai | In this video you will learn some great phrases used everyday in Japan when returning home
 Apologize in Japanese  Learn Japanese Pod Video 5: How to apologize in Japanese | As they say in Japan, if it’s your fault, apologize, and if it isn’t, apologize. Check out how to apologize in Japanese.
Useful Japanese Restaurant Phrases 1 Learn Japanese Pod Video 6: Useful Japanese phrases for restaurants in Japan 1 | In this video you’ll learn how to get seats on your arrival at a restaurant
ordering drinks in Japanese Learn Japanese Pod Video 7: Useful Japanese phrases for restaurants in Japan 2 | In this video you’ll learn how to order drinks in Japanese at a restaurant after being shown to your table

Interviews

 Zen Meditation in Kyoto 1) Interview with a Zen monk on meditation in Kyoto

 

 

 

Categories
Blog LJP Videos Useful Japanese Phrases Videos

4. Learn Japanese Pod – Tadaima & Okaeri nasai

In this video, Tomoe teaches us two must-know Japanese phrases for when you get home. They are ”ただいま” tadaima – which means “I’m home”. The other phrase ”おかえりなさい” okaeri nasai means something like welcome back and is the answer to tadaima.

This is used everyday in households across Japan so this is a great phrase to know.

More Japanese language learning videos

Introduce yourself in Japanese Learn Japanese Pod Video 1: How to introduce yourself in Japanese | In this video, we learn some basic useful greetings in Japanese.
Useful daily Japanese phrases Learn Japanese Pod Video 2: Useful daily phrases you use a lot in Japanese | In this lesson, you will learn some must-know daily phrases in Japanese
Screen Shot 2015-01-10 at 19.03.04 Learn Japanese Pod Video 3: Phrases for leaving your house – itte kimasu | “Itte-kimasu” is perhaps one of the most used phrases in Japanese and you should definitely learn it! Check out the video to see what it means.
tadaima Learn Japanese Pod Video 4: Phrases for when you get home – Tadaima – Okaeri nasai | In this video you will learn some great phrases used everyday in Japan when returning home
Apologize in Japanese Learn Japanese Pod Video 5: How to apologize in Japanese | As they say in Japan, if it’s your fault, apologize, and if it isn’t, apologize. Check out how to apologize in Japanese.
Useful Japanese Restaurant Phrases 1 Learn Japanese Pod Video 6: Useful Japanese phrases for restaurants in Japan 1 | In this video you’ll learn how to get seats on your arrival at a restaurant
ordering drinks in Japanese Learn Japanese Pod Video 7: Useful Japanese phrases for restaurants in Japan 2 | In this video you’ll learn how to order drinks in Japanese at a restaurant after being shown to your table

Interviews

Zen Meditation in Kyoto 1) Interview with a Zen monk on meditation in Kyoto
Categories
Blog LJP Videos Videos

3. Useful Japanese Phrases – Itte kimasu

When learning Japanese for the first time, it’s a great idea to learn high frequency phrases commonly used in daily life in Japan. It’s also good to learn phrases that are uniquely Japanese, that don’t translate well into English but give an insight into the culture. One such phrase is いってきます itte kimasu. It literally means “I’m going and coming”. It is used when leaving the house and means something like “I’m going out now, see you later”. In response to that you would say “いってらっしゃい” which means something like “see you later”.

You’ll hear this a lot when people are leaving a house in the morning for work for example. So commit this to memory and learn it well young Japanese Jedi, it will serve you well!

Oh and you thought the learning was over…WRONG! Here is the transcription to the video so you can learn some really natural Japanese as spoken by Tomoe in this video. HOW COOL IS THAT?!

“What? So you mean this one video is good for both beginner and more advanced students of Japanese, AND I can learn some unscripted natural Japanese at the same time?” I hear you ask.

THAT’S RIGHT my trainee Japanese ninjas. Thank me later…

But I digress…

Now, let’s check out the transcript.

Japanese transcript:

次のビデオはすごい簡単なんだけどいつもよく使われて言葉です。家を出る時に「いってきます」。中に家に残ってる人が「いってらっしゃい」、気をつけてね。も一回言います。いってきます、いってらっしゃい。はい、これだけです。簡単です。

Pronunciation:

tsugi no bideo wa sogoi kantan nan dakedo itsumo yoku tsukawareteru kotoba desu. ie wo deru toki ni itte kimasu. naka ni ie ni nokotteru hito ga itterasshai, ki o tsukete ne. mo ichido iimasu. itte kimasu, itterasshai. hai, kore dake desu. kantan desu.

English translation:

This next video is really easy but has a commonly used word in it. When you leave the house, you say “itte kimasu”. The person remaining in the house says “itte rasshai”, take care. I’ll say it one more time. Itte kimasu, itte rasshai. Right, that’s it. It’s easy.

More Japanese language learning videos

Introduce yourself in Japanese Learn Japanese Pod Video 1: How to introduce yourself in Japanese | In this video, we learn some basic useful greetings in Japanese.
Useful daily Japanese phrases Learn Japanese Pod Video 2: Useful daily phrases you use a lot in Japanese | In this lesson, you will learn some must-know daily phrases in Japanese
Screen Shot 2015-01-10 at 19.03.04 Learn Japanese Pod Video 3: Phrases for leaving your house – itte kimasu | “Itte-kimasu” is perhaps one of the most used phrases in Japanese and you should definitely learn it! Check out the video to see what it means.
tadaima Learn Japanese Pod Video 4: Phrases for when you get home – Tadaima – Okaeri nasai | In this video you will learn some great phrases used everyday in Japan when returning home
Apologize in Japanese Learn Japanese Pod Video 5: How to apologize in Japanese | As they say in Japan, if it’s your fault, apologize, and if it isn’t, apologize. Check out how to apologize in Japanese.
Useful Japanese Restaurant Phrases 1 Learn Japanese Pod Video 6: Useful Japanese phrases for restaurants in Japan 1 | In this video you’ll learn how to get seats on your arrival at a restaurant
ordering drinks in Japanese Learn Japanese Pod Video 7: Useful Japanese phrases for restaurants in Japan 2 | In this video you’ll learn how to order drinks in Japanese at a restaurant after being shown to your table

Interviews

Zen Meditation in Kyoto 1) Interview with a Zen monk on meditation in Kyoto
Categories
Blog LJP Videos Videos

2. Useful daily Japanese phrases

In this video, you will learn some really useful casual Japanese greetings and phrases for everyday life in Japan.

Here are the phrases used in today’s video:

元気? Genki – How are you?

If you want to say this more formally you could say お元気ですか ogenki desu ka. The reply would be something like 元気です。genki desu – I’m fine. In this video, Tomoe showed us the casual version used between good friends with a simple “genki” with rising intonation to indicate it. Simply answer with a simple “genki”.

まあまあ – maa maa – I’m so so

最近どう? saikin dou – How’ve you been?

最近いい感じ – saikin ii kanji – I’ve been good

あんまりよくない – anmari yokunai – not so good

大丈夫?- daijoubu? – are you OK?

久しぶり – hisashiburi – long time no see

More Japanese language learning videos

 Introduce yourself in Japanese Learn Japanese Pod Video 1: How to introduce yourself in Japanese | In this video, we learn some basic useful greetings in Japanese.
 Useful daily Japanese phrases Learn Japanese Pod Video 2: Useful daily phrases you use a lot in Japanese | In this lesson, you will learn some must-know daily phrases in Japanese
  Screen Shot 2015-01-10 at 19.03.04  Learn Japanese Pod Video 3: Phrases for leaving your house – itte kimasu  | “Itte-kimasu” is perhaps one of the most used phrases in Japanese and you should definitely learn it! Check out the video to see what it means.
 tadaima  Learn Japanese Pod Video 4: Phrases for when you get home – Tadaima – Okaeri nasai | In this video you will learn some great phrases used everyday in Japan when returning home
 Apologize in Japanese  Learn Japanese Pod Video 5: How to apologize in Japanese | As they say in Japan, if it’s your fault, apologize, and if it isn’t, apologize. Check out how to apologize in Japanese.
Useful Japanese Restaurant Phrases 1 Learn Japanese Pod Video 6: Useful Japanese phrases for restaurants in Japan 1 | In this video you’ll learn how to get seats on your arrival at a restaurant
ordering drinks in Japanese Learn Japanese Pod Video 7: Useful Japanese phrases for restaurants in Japan 2 | In this video you’ll learn how to order drinks in Japanese at a restaurant after being shown to your table

Interviews

 Zen Meditation in Kyoto 1) Interview with a Zen monk on meditation in Kyoto

 

Categories
Blog LJP Videos Videos

1. How to introduce yourself in Japanese

In this video, Tomoe teaches you how to introduce yourself in Japanese.

Transcript:
こんにちはともえです。これから六ヶ月間一緒に日本語を勉強して行きましょう。頑張ろう!こんにちは。今日は自己紹介の仕方を勉強します。初めまして、ともえです。よろしくお願いします。

Hello, I’m Tomoe and over the next 6 months let’s study Japanese together. You can do it! So today we’re going to study how to introduce yourself in Japanese.

Hajimemashite means “nice to meet you”.

Tomoe desu means “I am Tomoe”.

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu means something like “please be kind to me” or “nice to meet you”.

We usually use it at the end of a self introduction.

Grammar note:

A more formal way to introduce yourself would be:

はじめまして、アレックスと申します。どうぞよろしくお願いします。

Hajimemashite, Alex desu. Dōzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Nice to meet you, I’m Alex. (Nice to meet you)

So what does all that mean? Firstly, はじめまして hajimemashite comes from the verb hajimeru or to begin and in this context it means “Nice to meet you” when meeting someone for the first time.

Next, アレックスと申します Alex to mōshimasu means I am Alex although this uses the polite form 申す mōsu which means to be called.

Finally we have どうぞよろしくお願いします Dōzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu literally means “please treat me well” or “I count on your good favor” but in this context it is just put at the end of the introduction and has the same meaning as “nice to meet you”.

Dōzo at the beginning makes it more polite.

Finally, if you want a more casual version you could say:

アレックスです。よろしく。

Alex desu. Yoroshiku.

I’m Alex, nice to meet you.

This would be used in a casual encounter between younger people of similar social standing.

More Japanese language learning videos

 Introduce yourself in Japanese Learn Japanese Pod Video 1: How to introduce yourself in Japanese | In this video, we learn some basic useful greetings in Japanese.
 Useful daily Japanese phrases Learn Japanese Pod Video 2: Useful daily phrases you use a lot in Japanese | In this lesson, you will learn some must-know daily phrases in Japanese
  Screen Shot 2015-01-10 at 19.03.04  Learn Japanese Pod Video 3: Phrases for leaving your house – itte kimasu  | “Itte-kimasu” is perhaps one of the most used phrases in Japanese and you should definitely learn it! Check out the video to see what it means.
 tadaima  Learn Japanese Pod Video 4: Phrases for when you get home – Tadaima – Okaeri nasai | In this video you will learn some great phrases used everyday in Japan when returning home
 Apologize in Japanese  Learn Japanese Pod Video 5: How to apologize in Japanese | As they say in Japan, if it’s your fault, apologize, and if it isn’t, apologize. Check out how to apologize in Japanese.
Useful Japanese Restaurant Phrases 1 Learn Japanese Pod Video 6: Useful Japanese phrases for restaurants in Japan 1 | In this video you’ll learn how to get seats on your arrival at a restaurant
ordering drinks in Japanese Learn Japanese Pod Video 7: Useful Japanese phrases for restaurants in Japan 2 | In this video you’ll learn how to order drinks in Japanese at a restaurant after being shown to your table

Interviews

 Zen Meditation in Kyoto 1) Interview with a Zen monk on meditation in Kyoto

 

Categories
Blog Videos

Today’s Kanji: 海老フライ Ebi Furai

Ebi Fry

Today’s Kanji was inspired by this genius TV advertisement which features 海老フライ ebi furai or fried shrimp. I’m not sure if this is actually possible or just clever editing. However, 11 out of 10 for insane entertainment. Well done Japan.

For you real kanji nerds out there, other kanji in the video included:

3秒クッキング san byou kukkingu – 3 second cooking

空気ガス kuuki / gasu – Compressed air / Flammable gas

危険ですので絶対にマネしないでくださいkiken desu no de zettai ni mane shinai de kudasai – As this is dangerous, please don’t copy

You can see where this is going…enjoy!

Categories
Japan travel Videos

Zen Meditation in Kyoto

Zen Meditation in Kyoto
Taka Kawakami, vice Abbot of Shunkoin Temple in Kyoto

When traveling to Japan, Kyoto is an absolute must-destination for those wanting to explore the culture and history of the country. Kyoto and its spiritual sister city Nara have a wealth of temples, shrines, gardens and beautiful vistas for the visitor to take in and enjoy. However if you want to explore the spiritual side of the culture in more depth and come away with a really memorable experience then I recommend checking out meditation classes run by local monks.

Shunkoin (春光院) temple is one such temple that provides daily meditation classes run by the Vice-abbot Taka Kawakami. During a trip to Kyoto I stayed at the guest house in Shukoin temple grounds and the next morning took part in a mediation class the following day.

The class itself was 90 minutes long and consisted of two 15 minute meditation sessions followed by a talk about the temple and how to incorporate Zen philosophy into your daily life. The mediation sessions weren’t too strenuous and were just enough for a beginner like myself.

Kawakami sensei was an extremely relaxed, friendly and down-to-earth teacher and quick to dispel popular misconceptions or myths about what Zen meditation is all about. As he said to our class “Zen meditation won’t give you magical or spiritual powers, it’s more like taking a daily supplement, simple conditioning for your peace of mind”.

The most fascinating part of his talk was about how the latest advances in neurology and brain science tie in with traditional meditation. It was a really interesting and educational experience and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to experience Zen philosophy and meditation first hand.

At the end of his class I asked to interview him and he graciously accepted. Here is the interview we did:

Interview with Rev. Taka Kawakami about Zen Meditation

Could you tell me a little about yourself and your temple?

My name is Taka Kawakami and actually I am vice abbot of this Shunkoin Temple in Kyoto. Then, this temple here, we have a history of 420 years.

What is Zen meditation all about?

So, Zen meditation, it’s more like conditioning of your mind, so you can keep your inner peace, you can keep living in the moment. Because living in the moment is the core idea of Zen Buddhism.

What’s a common misconception regarding Zen meditation?

I think a common mistake or misunderstanding about meditation is people try to achieve something during the meditation, people are trying to become something else by doing the meditation too.

But actually the idea is meditation is just the conditioning of your mind right? So it helps you to achieve something when you do your daily activity in real life. It’s not like, you know, you become some spiritual being or anything like that.

Also, you know, people try to empty their minds but it’s not like you have to clear your mind in this case. You try to eliminate your ego. So that’s not the same thing, it’s what’s important.

How should you practice meditation?

So when you do meditation, you don’t need to worry about, do you have to go to class or you know,  a temple, you find your place in the bedroom or bathroom any place you feel comfortable. And not close your eyes or open your eyes, just focus on your breathing. Maybe 5 to 25 minutes, something like that, you know? It’s really casual. You know it’s not like you have to do it in any strict manner.

What’s an important concept behind Zen meditation?

I suppose in Zazen, probably, many people are talking about emptying your mind and Mushin (無心) and that’s probably the key word. But Mushin in this case is not like emptying your mind, no mind, it’s not like that. You have to eliminate your ego, so it’s no ego. So, Mushin means no ego. That’s the idea. It’s very useful for the Zen practice.

Useful Kanji

  • – Zen

 

  • 春光院 – Shunkoin temple

 

  • 瞑想 – Meisou – Meditation

 

  • 無心 – Mushin – Without sparking controversy or starting an epic wikipedia length article on the subject, “Mushin” at least according to Kawakami sensei is more about dissolving your ego rather than clearing your mind or heart. Check the video above.

 

Zen meditation in Kyoto

Details:

If you’d like to try meditation for yourself at 春光院 Shunkoin temple, the first thing to do is check the website for details about times and holidays as they don’t run everyday. http://shunkoinzentemple.blogspot.jp/

You can also check out their website for details regarding about staying in their guest house which is about 5000 JPY to 6500JPY. The rooms are quite simple but quite comfortable and clean. They have comfy futons and a tatami floor so you can get the real experience.

 


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Categories
Blog Videos

Furusato Matsuri – Japanese Cultural Event in Tokyo

The other day I received an interesting request to do some narration for Fuji TV. (Yes, if you recognized the voice in the video, that is me.) The event is titled Furusato Matsuri which roughly translates as “home town festival” and showcases the best of regional Japanese culture including festivals and food. It’s held every January in Tokyo Dome and apparently attracts well over 370,000 people.

I obviously need to get out more as I had never heard of this festival before. I’ll definitely check it out next time and it would be great to do a Learn Japanese Pod Get Together there.

This particular video features examples of regional Japanese dishes including 丼 donburi – a popular rice bowl dish with various toppings. Typical toppings include 肉- niku – meat, 魚 – sakana – fish and 天ぷら tempura.

Here is a list of some of the toppings often used in donburi in more detail:

香箱ガニ – Kobako Gani – Kobako Crab or snow crab

白エビ – shiro ebi – White shrimp

うなぎ – unagi – Eel

Some other useful words:

In the video at about 2:50, one guy gives his opinion of the food and says:

“うん、おいしいです” – un, oishii desu – Yes, this is delicious.

Another way to say delicious in Japanese is:

うまい – umai – delicious

And just for fun, here’s how you would say it using Osaka slang:

まじやばいで – maji yabai de – Delicious

I’ll be posting more videos about Furusato Matsuri soon so stay tuned!

 

Categories
Videos

What’s your favorite word in Japanese?

One warm Friday night in Osaka, I ventured out with my old tape camera (yes tape!) and videoed some of my friends and asked them what their favorite Japanese word or phrase was. Here are the results in order as they appeared on the video:                                                   

お腹がぺこぺこ – onaka ga peko peko – I’m hungry (usually used by kids)

よく食べて、よく寝て、よく遊ぶ – yoku tabete, yoku nete, yoku asobu – eat well, sleep well and have lots of fun

忍者 – ninja

一所懸命 – isshoukenmei – as much as you can / to your best abilities

なんでやねん?! – nande ya nen – What the hell? (This is Osaka dialect and a very popular word as you will see in the video

どうないやねん – dou nai yanen – What the hell? Similar to nande ya nen and also Osaka dialect

もうええわ – mou ee wa – That’s enough (Osaka dialect)

うまい – umai – delicious / yummy

美味しい – oishii – delicious

かわいい – kawaii – cute

愛してる – aishiteru – I love you

もうほんまに何やってんのよ? – mou honma ni nani yatten no yo – What the hell are you doing?

めんどくさい – mendokusai – a hassle

– samurai

キラキラ – kirakira – sparkly

すごいでしょう – sugoi deshou – that’s awesome isn’t it?

むかつく – mukatsuku – annoying

ありがとう – arigatou – Thank you

So, what’s your favorite Japanese word? Leave your comments below!