StudyJapanese
Job interviews in Japan are just like anywhere else. Regardless of the job you want, you have to think long and hard about your キャリア (career) and what スキル (skills) you can offer your employer. Interviews can be daunting enough, even at the best of times, without the added complication of doing it in Japanese. Whether you’re a newbie at speaking the language, learning the basic Japanese job interview questions and knowing how to answer them can set you apart. So while you press your most impressive interview clothes, remember that it’s never too late to cram some typical Japanese interview ques...
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Studying Japanese doesn’t have to be overwhelming, expensive or time-consuming. With free apps to jumpstart your Japanese learning journey, you can easily fit reviewing kanji (Chinese characters with Japanese meaning) and vocabulary seamlessly into your daily routine. Incorporating apps to help supplement your Japanese textbooks can help reinforce what you know and what you need to review. Like studying any other language, you can start by knowing the basics by heart. From memorizing each hiragana and katakana character to understanding the nuance of different grammar points, there’s an app ou...
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The most simple and effective way to learn Japanese is to study. That means textbooks, fumbling through Japanese grammar, memorizing hiragana, katakana and kanji, mountains of flashcards and apps, learning the nuances of keigo (honorific speech) and, most importantly, perhaps even most challengingly, a whole ‘lotta self-discipline. Unfortunately, learning Japanese can feel like a drag if you’re anything like me and absolutely hate studying. But I do like video games. I can focus on RPGs like Persona 5 and Elden Ring and devote over 100 hours of memorizing characters, backstories, weapon sets a...
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My favorite season in Japan is definitely spring. You’ve got cherry blossoms, fair weather, and the official end of winter. The only problem is that with spring comes hay fever. You know the deal, constant sneezing, a runny nose, and itchy eyes that that can only come from an overabundance of pollen. So with hay fever hell just around the corner, it’s time to stay ahead of the curve with some potent hay fever medicine. The only problem? Navigating through all those labels. After all, drugstores literally have entire sections dedicated to fighting off that pesky pollen. Know the basic language ...
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Living in Japan, you soon notice that Japanese Christmas differs from its Western equivalent. From eating Christmas cakes that are made with whipped cream and strawberries galore to enjoying a romantic date instead of visiting your family at Yule time, Christmas in Japan remains fascinatingly different. Nowhere is this difference clearer than in how Christmas has been incorporated into the Japanese language. As Japanese Christmas is unique, it has created new words associated with the season that illustrate how the holiday has become part of the culture. 1. Wine for the whole familyWhen you ra...
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Throughout history, spoken Japanese has evolved in hundreds of different ways, creating dialects in each region. The two most spoken were the Edo and the Kinai dialect. Once Meiji was restored to the Imperial throne, sweeping political and educational reforms took place. Many dialects were suppressed in favor of the Edo dialect to promote cultural unity and cohesiveness. Remains of the distinct dialects can still be found across Japan, most notable in the famous successor of the Kinai dialect, the Kansai dialect. Here are five key slang differences between Japanese spoken in Tokyo and the Japa...
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A few months ago, I thought I’d lost my mind when I heard my boss ask new employees not to forget about “spinach.” Everyone nodded, seemingly undisturbed by her odd request. After the meeting, I asked one of my seniors about it. She explained that hourensou, the Japanese word for spinach, is also a model for corporate communications that many Japanese companies follow. Many corporations have adopted it since its conception in the 1980s, bringing about many similar terms and alternatives. What do vegetables have to do with corporate life in Japan? Make like Popeye The Sailor, grab some spinach,...
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Summers in Japan always feel overbearing, and it feels like every year is hotter than the last. But that feeling is probably correct this time. This past June saw the country’s highest temperatures on record for the month in an intense heatwave. What also broke June records was the number of heat stroke victims, with a total of 15,969 people being admitted to hospital for it that month, over three times more than June 2021. The heat is no joke! We want everyone safe out there, so to help you stay cool, here are some ways to beat the heat in Japan, and what to do if you or someone you know fall...
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So many Japanese words have made their way into everyday English conversation, but do you know what they really mean? Sure, you know what Sudoku is, but do you know why it’s called that? Here are five Japanese words commonly used in English and a brief dive into their backgrounds. 1. SudokuSudoku combines the words suji (numbers) and dokushin (single). It comes from suji wa dokushin ni kagiru, or “the digits must be single” or “the digits are limited to one occurrence.” The sudoku story began in 1783 when a Swiss mathematician named Leonhard Euler came up with Latin Squares, a simple grid wher...
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One of the biggest challenges that English-speaking learners face when they study Japanese are the two verbs 分かる (wakaru, to understand) and 知る (shiru, to know). This is because they are often translated into English as the same verb. Speaking and listening to Japanese, you might also hear wakarimasen (I don’t understand) and shirimasen (I don’t know). Simply put, wakarimasen is used when you don’t understand something or what someone has asked and shirimasen is used when you don’t have the information. However, within that slight difference in nuance lurks a lot of traps for the unwary. Speak...
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