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In this podcast, Ami and Alex teach you how to make suggestions to your friends in natural, fluent Japanese.
Check out the dialogues and show notes to practice and improve your Japanese.
For more podcasts visit Learn Japanese Pod
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In this lesson you will learn how to make a suggestion to your friends in natural sounding Japanese. It’s better to be indirect with your language as being too pushy can make you come off as being arrogant or rude. But don’t worry, we have you covered. Just check out the main dialogue and extra example sentences and you should get a good idea of how to give your ideas and advice to other people.
Main Dialog 1 – Making a suggestion (Japanese)
A: いや〜もうだめだ。
B: どうしたの？
A: 彼女と喧嘩したんだ。まだ怒ってるみたい。
B: じゃあ、花でもプレセントしたらどう？
A: そうだね。そうしよう。
B: 彼女きっと喜ぶよ。
A: わかった、じゃあ、そうしてみるよ。
Main Dialog 1 – Making a suggestion (Pronunciation)
A: Iyaa, mō dame da!
B: Dō shita no?
A: Kanojo to kenka shitan da. Mada okotteru mitai.
B: Jaa, hana demo purezento shitara dō?
A: Sō da ne. Sō shiyō.
B: Kanojo kitto yorokobu yo.
A: Wakatta, jaa, sō shite miru yo.
Main Dialog 1 – Making a suggestion (English)
A: Argh, this sucks.
B: What happened?
A: I had a fight with my girlfriend. It seems she’s still angry.
B: How about giving her flowers as a present?
A: Right. I’ll do that.
B: I’m sure she’ll be happy.
A: Got it. I’ll give that a try.
Extra sentence examples:
Example 1
A: 頭痛いな。
Atama itai na – I have a headache
B: 薬飲んだらどう？
Kusuri nondara dō? – How about taking some meds?
A: そうだね。そうするよ。
Sō da ne. Sō suru yo. – Right. I’ll do that.
Example 2
A: いいアイデアが思い浮かばないな
Ii aidea ga omoi ukabanai na – I can’t think of any good ideas.
B: 少しやすんだらどう？
Sukoshi yasundara dō? – How about taking a break?
A: そうだね。そうするよ。
Sō da ne. Sō suru yo. Right. I’ll do that.
Example 3
A: 肩凝ってるな。
Kata kotteru – I’ve got stiff shoulders
B: マッサージ受けたらどう？
Massaaji shitara dō? – How about getting a massage?
A: そうだね。そうするよ。
Sō da ne. Sō suru yo. – Right. I’ll do that.
Example 4
A: お腹が空いたな
Onaka ga suita na – I’m hungry
B: おやつ食べたらどう？
Oyatsu tabetara dō? – How about having a snack?
A: そうだね。そうするよ。
Sō da ne. Sō suru yo. – Right. I’ll do that.
Example 5
A: 退屈だな。
Taikutsu da na – I’m bored
B: 映画みたらどう？
Eiga mitara dō? – How about watching a movie?
A: そうだね。そうするよ。
Sō da ne. Sō suru yo. – Right. I’ll do that.
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In this Fun Friday edition of the podcast, Andy and Alex answer listener questions about living in Japan, its culture and tips on learning Japanese.
For more Japanese language learning podcasts visit Learn Japanese Pod
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In this podcast, Ami and Alex teach you how to use the verb Kureru naturally in Japanese conversation.
Kureru is a verb you can use to ask people to do things for you. It’s used casually between friends and family and very common in everyday conversation. Check out the podcast and show notes to learn how to use it naturally in conversation.
For more Japanese learning podcasts check out Learn Japanese Pod
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In this lesson you’ll learn how to use the verb kureru. Kureru is a verb you use when asking someone to do something for you. It translates roughly as do something for me. Check out the
main dialogue on the next page to see how it is used naturally in conversation in Japanese.
Main Dialog 1 – Kureru
A: あのね、ちょっとお願いしていい
B: 何
A: 今日晩御 作ってくれる
B: え また
A: 料は僕が って来るから
B: まあいいけど、次は作ってね
A: はああい
Main Dialog 1 – Kureru (Pronunciation)
A: Ano ne, chotto onegai shite ii?
B: Nani?
A: Kyō bangohan tsukutte kureru?
B: Eh? Mata?
A: Shokuryō wa boku ga katte kuru kara!
B: Maa, ii kedo, tsugi wa tsukutte ne!
A: Haai!
Main Dialog 1 – Kureru (English)
A: Hey, can I ask a favor?
B: What?
A: Can you make dinner tonight?
B: Eh? Again?
A: I’ll buy the ingredients.
B: Well, OK but next time you make it.
A: Yes!
Kureru – Grammar break down
When asking to do something for you, using the verb くれるkureru is really helpful. Here are a few examples of how you can use it.
1) Noun + kureru = Please give me something
Simple say the thing you want followed by kureru like this:
a) 水くれる – Mizu kureru – Could you give me some water?
b) 本くれる – Hon kureru – Could you give me the book?
2) Noun + shite kureru
You can create a lot of verbs using a noun + shite. For example, sōji means cleaning but sōji shite means, do the cleaning. Add kureru to the end and you can ask people to carry out actions for you like this:
a) 掃除してくれる – Sōji shite kureru – Could you do the cleaning for me?
b) 予約してくれる – Yoyaku shite kureru – Could you make a reservation for me?
c) 注文してくれる – Chuumon shite kureru – Could you order for me?
d) い物してくれる – Kaimono shite kureru – Could you do some shopping for me?
3) ~TE form verbs + Kureru
You can use the TE form of a verb + kureru to ask people to do things for you like this:
a) 作ってくれる – Tsukutte kureru – Can you make it for me?
b) ってくれる – Katte kureru – Can you buy it for me?
c) やってくれる – Yatte kureru – Can you make it for me?
Note:
Don’t forget:
1) Using kureru is casual
2) It should be used between friends and family
3) If you are using kureru to ask someone to do a favor for you, remember to make the intonation of your voice go up at the end to show it’s a question.
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These are the PDF show notes for podcast #37 “How to use the verb Kureru in Japanese”.
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In this podcast, I talk to Andy, a good friend and veteran of Japan. We discuss how the Coronavirus, travel restrictions and curfews have effected Japan and how we think things will develop from here.
This is the Fun Friday edition of the podcast where we put down our textbooks and talk to interesting people doing interesting things in Japan.
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In this podcast, Ami and Alex teach you some useful phrases to describe people’s appearance in Japanese. Listen to the example dialogue to hear how this is done in natural and fluent Japanese.
For more Japanese podcasts visit Learn Japanese Pod
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These are just the Japanese dialogues from podcast #36 “Describing people’s appearance in Japanese”.
A: ね、私の家族の写真見る?
B: 見る見る!
A: これはおじいちゃん。背が高いんだよね。
B: ほんと、スマートでかっこういいね! A: そうだけど、反対におばあちゃんは私に似て背が低いんだよね。
B: へえー。彼女は誰?お姉さん?
A: そう!最近髪をショートにして金髪に染めたの!
B: 顔がそっくりだね!それに家族みんなお洒落だよね。
A: ありがとう!
A: Ne, watashi no kazoku no shashin miru?
B: Miru miru!
A: Kore wa ojii chan. Se ga takain da yo ne.
B: Honto, sumaato de kakkō ii ne.
A: Sō dakedo, hantai ni obaa chan wa watashi ni nite, se ga hikuin da yo ne.
B: Heh. Kanojo wa dare? Onee san?
A: Sō! Saikin kami wo shooto ni shite kinpatsu ni someta no!
B: Kao ga sokkuri da ne. Sore ni kazoku minna oshare da yo ne.
A: Arigatō.
A: Hey, do you want to see photos of my family?
B: Yes!
A: This is my grandpa. He’s tall isn’t he?
B: That’s true. He’s tall and good looking.
A: That’s right but on the other hand my grandma looks like me and she’s short.
B: Ah. Who is she? Is she your older sister?
A: Yes. Recently she cut her hair short and dyed it blond.
B: Her face looks just like yours. Your family is very stylish.
A: Thank you.
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These are the downloadable PDF show note for podcast #36 “Describing people’s appearance in Japanese.”
For more Japanese language learning podcasts visit Learn Japanese Pod
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In this episode, I interview Niko from NativShark, a comprehensive Japanese language learning app.
In this episode we talked about Niko’s journey to becoming fluent in Japanese, why a lot of Japanese study materials suck and the art of making flash cards and other topics.
If you are interested in trying out the NativShark app for yourself check out this link for a free 2 week trial.
For more podcasts on Japan and learning Japanese go to: Learn Japanese Pod
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In this podcast, Ami Sensei and Alex teach you useful motivational phrases in Japanese.
For more Japanese language learning podcasts visit Learn Japanese Pod
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In this lesson you’ll learn common useful Japanese phrases used to cheer up and motivate your
friends. Everyone struggles from time to time and a word of encouragement can always mean a
lot to someone. And in Japan, where teamwork is seen as a virtue, motivating other members in
your group to do their best is an important part of building relationships.
You’ll find motivational phrases in manga, anime, J-pop and also in casual conversation with
your friends. So check out the dialogue and extra phrases in this lesson.
Main Dialogue (Japanese)
A: どうしたの？元気なさそうだね。
B: 最近日本語が全然上達しないんだ。
A: 日本語上手じゃん！
B: いや、思うように話せないんだよね。もうだめだ。
A: 大丈夫、大丈夫。塵も積もれば山となる、だよ。
B: それどういう意味？
A: 少しずつ頑張って行けば願いは叶うという意味だよ。
B: わかった！頑張るよ！
Main Dialogue (Pronunciation)
A: Dōshita no? Genki nasasō da ne.
B: Saikin, Nihongo ga zenzen jōtatsu shinain da.
A: Nihongo jōzu jan!
B: Iya, omou yō ni hanasenain da yo ne. Mō dame da.
A: Daijōbu, daijōbu. Chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru da yo.
B: Sore dōiu imi?
A: Sukoshi zutsu gambatte ikeba negai wa kanau toiu imi da yo.
B: Wakatta! Gambaru yo!
Main Dialogue (English)
A: What’s the matter. You don’t seem very well/happy.
B: Recently my Japanese hasn’t improved at all.
A: Your Japanese is great!
B: No, I can’t express myself the way I want to. It’s no good.
A: It’s OK, it’s OK. Even dust when piled up becomes a mountain.
B: What does that mean?
A: It means if you try little by little you can realize your dreams.
B: Got it. I’ll give it a shot!
Extra Motivational Phrases
Here are some extra motivational phrases. These phrases are featured in both the main podcast lesson and the extra drill audio file. Check out Learn Japanese Pod to download the podcast and extra drill audio.
1. 頑張って！ Gambatte!
Do your best.
2. ファイト！ Faito!
Come on, you can do it!
3. 元気出して。 Genki dashite.
Cheer up!
4. 大丈夫、大丈夫。君ならできるよ。Daijōbu, daijōbu. Kimi nara dekiru yo.
It’s OK. You can do it.
5. 前向きにね。Mae muki ni ne.
Be positive.
6. 焦らないでね。少しずつね。Aseranaide. Sukoshi zutsu.
Don’t rush. Do it little by little.
7. 願えば叶うよ。 Negaeba, kanau yo.
If you wish it, it will come true.
Random Phrase of the Week
なんとかなる – Nan toka naru
Things will work out somehow
今の会社を辞めてもなんとかなるよ – Ima Kaisha o yamete mo nan toka naru yo
Even if you quit your job things will work out
そんな心配しないで、なんとかなるさ – Shinpai shinai de, nan toka naru sa
Don’t worry, things will work out you know.
Learn
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These are the downloadable PDF show notes for podcast 35 “Japanese motivational phrases”.
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In this podcast, Ami and Alex teach you about Aizuchi or phrases you can use to interject in conversation to show interest in the speaker.
For more Japanese language learning podcasts visit Learn Japanese Pod
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In this podcast lesson you’ll learn about 相槌 Aizuchi, which are words used to show interest during a conversation. In English you might say things like “Uh-huh” and “really?” during a conversation to show you are listening to the speaker. Japanese is no exception and has a lot of these Aizuchi which are used frequently in conversation. So if you can learn and use these when speaking to your friends, your conversations will go more smoothly and you’ll sound a lot more natural in Japanese.
A: ね、お茶の入れ方教えてくれる？
B: まず、急須に茶葉をいれる。
A: うん
B: で、沸騰したお湯を湯呑みにいれる。
A: 本当？湯呑みにいれるのか。
B: そう、温度を下げるのがポイントだよ。
A: そうなんだ。
B: 渋みがとれるから。
A: ヘェ〜。
B: 次に湯呑みのお湯を急須にいれる。
A: ふぅん。
B: 30秒後お茶を注ぐ。
A: なるほどね。お茶って奥が深いよね。
B: まあね。
A: Ne, ocha no irekata oshiete kureru?
B: Mazu, Kyuusu ni chaba o ireru.
A: Un.
B: De futtō shita oyu o yunomi ni ireru.
A: Hontō? Yunomi ni ireru no ka.
B: Sō, ondo o sageru no ga point da yo.
A: Sō nan da.
B: Shibumi ga toreru kara.
A: Heeh.
B: Tsugi ni yunomi no oyu o kyuusu ni ireru.
A: Fuun.
B: Sanjuu byō go ocha o sosogu.
A: Naruhodo ne. Ocha te oku ga fukai yo ne.
B: Maa ne.
A: Hey, will you teach me how to make tea?
B: First put tea leaves in the teapot.
A: Uh huh.
B: Then put boiling water in the tea cups.
A: Really? You put it in the tea cups?
B: That’s right. The trick is to lower the temperature.
A: Oh really.
B: You can take away the bitterness.
A: Ahh.
B: Next, put the water from the cups into the teapot.
A: Uh huh.
B: Pour the tea after 30 seconds.
A: I see. Tea’s really deep.
B: Yeah, I guess so.
Here’s a list of the Aizuchi featured in this lesson. Use these phrases to show you are really listening to the speaker.
うん – Un – Uh huh
本当？ – Hontō – Really?
そうなんだ – Sō nan da – Is that so?
ヘェ〜 – Heeh – Ahh
ふぅん – Fuun – Uh huh
なるほどね – Naruhodo ne – I see
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These are the downloadable PDF show notes for podcast 34 “Aizuchi”.
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In this podcast I interview Katheryn Gronauer who is a coach specializing in cross cultural communication for foreigners living in Japan. She is the author of Confessions of a Yo Yo Dieter and runs ThriveTokyo a consultancy helping foreigners settle into their lives and work in Japan.
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In this podcast, Ami and Alex teach you how to have a conversation with your friends about a past trip to Japan.
For more Japanese language learning podcasts visit Learn Japanese Pod
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These are the dialogues for podcast #33 “Talking about a trip to Japan.
In this lesson you will learn how to talk about a past trip to Japan with your friends.
Main Dialog (Japanese)
A: 日本の旅行はどうだった？
B: 超楽しかったよ。
A: 何をしたの？
B: 東京と京都で観光してきた。
A: 食べ物はどうだった？
B: 寿司が美味しかったけど…
A: 高かった？
B: いや、そうじゃなくて、メニューが読めなかったんだよね。
A: 食べたい物に指差して、「これください」そう言えばいいじゃん。
B: そうだね。覚えとく。
Main Dialog (Pronunciation)
A: Nihon no ryokō wa dō datta?
B: Chō tanoshikatta yo.
A: Nano o shita no?
B: Tōkyō to kyōto de kankō shitekita.
A: Tabemono wa dō datta?
B: Sushi wa oishikatta kedo…
A: Takakatta?
B: Iya, sō janakute, menyuu ga yomenakattan da yo ne.
A: Tabetai mono ni yubi sashite, kore kudasai sō ieba ii jan.
B: Sō da ne. Oboetoku.
Main Dialog (English)
A: How was your trip to Japan?
B: It was so fun.
A: What did you do?
B: I did some sightseeing in Tokyo and Kyoto.
A: How was the food?
B: The sushi was delicious but…
A: It was too expensive?
B: No, not that. I couldn’t read the menu you know.
A: Just point at the food you want and say “this please”.
B: Right. I’ll remember that!
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These are the PDF show notes for podcast #33, “Talking about your trip to Japan”.
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In this podcast Ami and Alex teach you how to make dinner plans with a friend.
For more Japanese language learning podcasts visit Learn Japanese Pod
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These are the dialogues for podcast #32 “Making dinner plans with a friend”
In this lesson you will learn the following:
Introduction
In this podcast you will learn how to make dinner plans at a restaurant you regularly frequent. You’ll learn some natural phrases for making plans that native speakers commonly use. Check out the dialogue and grammar notes below for a detailed explanation.
Main Dialog (Japanese)
A: もしもし
B: もしもしアレックス、明日夜ご飯食べに行かない？
A: ごめん、明日はちょっと無理なんだ。土曜日なら行けるよ。
B: じゃあ土曜日の７時にいつものお寿司屋さんで！
A: あみは本当にお寿司飽きないねー！
Main Dialog (Pronunciation)
A: Moshi moshi
B: Moshi moshi, Arekkusu, ashita yoru gohan tabe ni ikanai?
A: Gomen, ashita wa chotto muri nan da. Doyōbu nara ikeru yo.
B: Jaa, doyōbi no shichi ji itsumo no osushi ya san de.
A: Ami wa hontō osushi ni akinai ne.
Main Dialog (English)
A: Hello?
B: Hi, Alex, do you wanna go out to eat dinner tomorrow?
A: Sorry, tomorrow’s not possible. If it’s Saturday I can go.
B: OK then, Saturday at 7 o’clock at the usual sushi place.
A: Ami, you never get sick of sushi do you!?
Grammar point and drills
Here is a breakdown of the main grammar pattern featured in the dialogue:
土曜日の７時にいつものお寿司屋さんで
Doyōbi no shichiji ni itsumo no osushiyasan de
(Let’s meet on) Saturday at 7 o’clock the usual sushi place.
Here are some more example drills:
1) 金曜日の６時半にいつものラーメン屋さんで。
Kinyōbi no roku ji ni itsumo no raamenyasan de.
(Let’s meet on) Friday at 6 at the usual ramen place.
2) 日曜日の６時にいつものイタリアンで。
Nichiyōbi no rokuji ni itsumo no itarian de.
(Let’s meet on) Sunday at 6 at the usual Italian place.
3) 木曜日の８時にいつもの居酒屋で。
Mokuyōbi no hachiji ni itsumo no izakaya de.
(Let’s meet on) Thursday at 8 at the usual Izakaya.
4) 土曜日の７時にいつものカラオケで。
Doyōbi no shichiji ni itsumo no karaoke de.
(Let’s meet on) Saturday at 7 at the usual Karaoke place.
Random Phrase of the Week
The random phrase of the week is where we teach you a random Japanese phrase to make your friends laugh and ask “where did you learn that from?!”
行き当たりばったり – Ikiatari battari
Meaning: unplanned and making decisions on the fly / Playing it by ear. It’s generally used in a negative way but there are some exceptions
Example sentences:
1) 行き当たりばったりでなんでも決めちゃう。
Ikiatari battari de nandemo kimechau.
To make decisions in a random or unplanned way
2) 行き当たりばったりな旅だった。
Ikiatari battari na tabi datta
It was an unplanned trip.
3) 行き当たりばったりにレストランを選んだ。
Ikiatari battari resutoran o eranda.
I randomly chose a restaurant.
For more podcasts on how to learn to speak natural fluent Japanese visit Learn Japanese pod
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These are the PDF show notes from Learn Japanese Pod podcast #32 “Making dinner plans with a friend”.
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This is the Fun Friday edition of Learn Japanese Pod. This is where we speak to cool people doing cool things in Japan. In this episode I talk to Japan veteran Andy about life in Japan during the Coronavirus.
For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In this podcast Ami and Alex teach you some useful Japanese phrases you can use when visiting a convenience store.
For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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These are the Japanese dialogues for podcast #31: Convenience Store Japanese.
Introduction
In this podcast you will learn useful Japanese phrases for shopping at a convenience store. Understanding the polite language used by convenience store staff can be a little confusing at first. However, if you learn common set phrases it’s not that hard to understand.
Main Dialog (Japanese)
A: いらっしゃいませ、お次の方どうぞ.
B: ファミチキを一つとハッシュポテトを一つお願いします。
A: こちら温めますか。
B: はい、お願いします
A: お箸をお付けしますか。
B: はい、お願いします。
A: 袋お分けしますか。
B: 大丈夫です。
A: ポイントカードはお持ちですか。
B: はい。
A: 1500円になります。1万円からでよろしいですか。
B: はい
A: ありがとうございました
Main Dialog ( Japanese pronunciation)
A: Irasshaimase, otsugi no kata dōzo.
B: Famichiki o hitotsu to Hasshu potato o hitotsu onegaishimasu.
A: Kochira atatamemasu ka.
B: Hai, onegai shimasu.
A: Ohashi o otsuke shimasu ka.
B: Hai, onegai shimasu.
A: Fukuro owake shimasu ka.
B: Daijōbu desu.
A: Pointo kaado wa omochi desu ka.
B: Hai.
A: Sen gohyaku ni narimasu. Ichi man en kara yoroshii desu ka.
B: Hai
A: Arigatō gozaimasu.
Main Dialog (English)
A: Welcome, next customer please.
B: One Famichiki (fried Family Mart chicken) and one hashed potato please.
A: Would you like it heated?
B: Yes, please.
A: Would you like chopsticks with that?
B: Yes, please/
A: Would you like to use seperate bags?
B: No, that’s fine.
A: Do you have a point card?
B: Yes.
A: That’ll be 1500 yen. Shall I give you change from this 10,000 yen bill?
B: Yes.
A: Thanks.
Extra Phrases
Saying Yes and No
To recap, when talking to Konbini staff you’ll mostly say:
はい、お願いします – Hai, Onegai shimasu – Yes please
大丈夫です – Daijōbu desu – No, it’s OK
Ordering stuff
One useful phrase is これ一つお願いします Kore o hitotsu onegai shimasu – which means I’ll have one of that. When you aren’t sure of the name for something, you can point and say that. So usually at the register or レジ reji – there’ll be a glass case with hot food such as fried chicken, potato and other foods. Sometimes the kanji can be hard to read so just point and say これ一つお願いします Kore o hitotsu onegai shimasu
Bags
One thing you’ll definitely be talking about is plastic bags. Here are some useful phrases:
袋にお入れしますか
Fukuro oire shimasu ka.
Do you need a bag?
袋お分けしますか
Fukuro owake shimasu ka.
Shall I put these in separate bags?
このままでよろしいでしょうか
Kono mama de yoroshii deshō ka
Do you want it just like this. You don’t need a bag right?
袋は結構です
Fukuro wa kekkō desu
No, I don’t need a bag.
Asking if you want chopsticks and other cutlery
Another thing you will almost definitely be asked is if you want chopsticks, a spoon, a straw etc.
お箸はご利用ですか
Ohashi wa goriyō desu ka
Will you be using chopsticks
お箸をお付けしますか
Ohashi o otsuke shimasu ka
Do you want chopsticks? (Shall I add chopsticks?)
スプーンをお付けしますか
Supuun o otsuke shimasu ka
Do you want a spoon?
ストローをお付けしますか
Sutoroo o otsuke shimasu ka
Do you want a straw?
Point card
Another thing that might throw you off is point cards. Many konbini have customer loyalty point cards which allow you to build up points every time you make a purchase. So they’ll usually say:
ポイントカードはお持ちですか
Pointo kaado wa omochi desu ka
Do you have a point card?
Random Phrase of the Week
居留守 Irusu – To pretend to not be at home
or
居留守を使う Irusu o tsukau – To pretend to not be at home
You use this when someone rings on your doorbell and you pretend to not be in. You can also use it for the telephone when someone rings and you don’t answer.
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These are the PDF show notes for podcast #31: Convenience store Japanese.
For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In this podcast Ami and Alex teach you some useful phrases and dialogues to talk about you plans for the year in natural, fluent Japanese.
For more podcasts go to http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In this podcast you will learn how to talk about your New Year’s resolutions, your plans and goals for the coming year. Check out the main dialogue to learn natural phrases and vocabulary for this lesson.
| 新年の抱負 | Shinnen no hōfu | New Year’s resolution |
| 日本語 | Nihongo | Japanese (Language) |
| 上達 | Jōtatsu | Improve |
| 本を読む | Hon o yomu | To read books |
| 後 | Ato | Also / As well / After that |
| もっと | Motto | More |
| 読みたい | Yomitai | I want to read |
| 健康的 | Kenkōteki | Healthy |
| なりたい | Naritai | Want to become |
| 音楽活動 | Ongaku katsudō | Musical activities |
| 頑張りたい | Gambaritai | I want to do my best |
| やる気 | Yaruki | Motivation |
| なんでもできる | Nandemo dekiru | You can do anything |
| よし | Yosh(i) | Let’s do this |
A: ね、新年の抱負はなに？
B: そうだね。やっぱり、日本語を上達させたいからもっと本を読むよ。後、もっと健康的になりたいな。あみは？
A: 私も本をもっと読みたい！後、音楽活動をもっと頑張りたいな。
B: なるほどね。
A: やる気があれば、なんでもできるよ。
B: よし！
A: Ne, shinnen no hōfu wa nani?
B: Sō da ne. Yappari, nihongo o motto jōtatsu sasetai kara motto hon o yomu yo. Ato, motto kenkōteki ni naritai na. Ami wa?
A: Watashi mo motto hon o yomitai! Ato, ongaku katsudō o motto gambaritai na.
B: Naruhodo ne.
A: Yaruki ga areba nandemo dekiru yo.
B: Yosh!
A: Hey, what’s your New Year’s resolution?
B: Well, let’s see. I guess I want to improve my Japanese and read more books. Also, I want to be more healthy. How about you Ami?
A: I also want to read more books. Also, I want to go for it with my music.
B: I see.
A: If you have motivation you can do anything.
B: Let’s do this!
Let’s drill a really useful phrase for talking about you goals for self improvement. Here’s the basic sentence structure:
[The activity or goal] + [もっと頑張りたいな]
I want to go for it (Lit. I want to try harder)
音楽活動をもっと頑張りたいな。
Ongaku katsudō wo motto gambaritai na.
I want to go for it with music
仕事をもっと頑張りたいな。
Shigoto wo motto gambaritai na.
I want to go for it at work
日本語の勉強をもっと頑張りたいな。
Nihongo no benkyō wo motto gambaritai na.
I want to go for it with my Japanese studies
運動をもっと頑張りたいな。
Undō wo motto gambaritai na.
I want to go for it for working out
ダイエットをもっと頑張りたいな。
Daietto wo motto gambaritai na.
I want to go for it for my diet
This week’s random phrase is…
奥が深い – Oku ga fukai
This means something like it’s hard than you think or it’s deep or there’s more than meets the eye.
Nihongo wa oku ga fukai
Japanese is a deep language / Japanese is a deep language
Kono hon wa oku ga fukai
This book is deep / There’s a lot more to this book than meets the eye
Nana korobi ya oki to iu kotowaza wa oku ga fukai
The saying “fall seven times, stand up eight” is very deep in meaning.
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These are the show notes for podcast #30 “Convenience store Japanese”. Download the PDF show notes to read about this lesson in more detail.
For more podcasts video http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In this Fun Friday episode of Learn Japanese Pod, I interview Miku Sensei of Miku Real Japanese. Miku Sensei is a prolific creator of fun, educational Japanese language learning videos on Youtube and Instagram.
She is an international traveler and linguist who speaks fluent English and Spanish. Through her travels she has discovered her own effective techniques for teaching and learning languages.
In the podcast we talk about her journey to become a Japanese teacher and her advice on how to become more fluent in Japanese.
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In this podcast, Ami and Alex teach you useful phrases and dialogues to help you talk about your job in natural Japanese.
For more fun Japanese language podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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Main Dialog 1 – Talking about your job (Japanese)
A: お仕事は何をしてるの?
B: ウェブデザインの仕事してるよ。
A: そうなんだ。楽しい?
B: そうだね。毎日大変だけど楽しいよ。
A: 楽しいのはよかったね。何年ぐらいやってるの?
B: 7年ぐらいかな。
A: ヘェ〜、すごいな。俺はすぐ転職しちゃうからさ。
B: まじで?!
Main Dialog 1 – Talking about your job (Pronunciation)
A: Oshigoto wa nani o shiteru no?
B: Uebu dezain no shigoto shiteru yo.
A: Sō nan da. Tanoshii?
B: Sō da ne. Mainichi taihen dakedo tanoshii yo.
A: Tanoshii no wa yokatta ne. Nan nen gurai yatteru no? B: Nana nen gurai kana.
A: Hee, sugoi na. Ore wa sugu tenshoku shichau kara sa. B: Maji de?!
Main Dialog 1 – Talking about your job (English)
A: What do you do for work?
B: I do web design work.
A: Really? Is it enjoyable?
B: Well, everyday is tough but it’s fun.
A: That’s good it’s enjoyable. How long have you been doing that? B: About 7 years I guess.
A: Wow. I’m always changing jobs.
B: Seriously?!
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These are the PDF show notes for podcast #29 “Talking about your job in Japanese”
For more fun Japanese language podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In this podcast, Ami and Alex teach you some useful phrases and dialogues for talking about the weather in natural, fluent Japanese.
For more fun Japanese language podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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If there is one thing Japanese love to talk about, it’s the weather. Apart from discussing the forecast, it’s quite common to mention the weather in small talk or when striking up a conversation with someone you don’t know so well. Also, as you’ll probably be checking the weather on a daily basis, it makes sense to study related vocabulary and grammar as it’s so useful. Simply listen to the podcast and read along with the dialogues below.
Main Dialogue (Japanese)
A: 今日暑いよね。
B: そうだね。超ジメジメしてるね。
A: 今週の天気予報は？
B: 今週はずっと３５度だよ。
A: うそ！マジで？！もう我慢できない。
B: だけど週末は雨が降りそう。
A: あ、良かった、こんな猛暑だと北極に引っ越ししたくなるな。
Main Dialogue (Pronunciation)
A: Kyō atsui yo ne.
B: Sō da ne. Chō jime jime shiteru ne.
A: Konshuu no tenki yohō wa?
B: Konshuu was zutto sanjuu go do da yo.
A: Uso! Majide? Mō gaman dekinai.
B: Dakedo, shuumatsu wa ame ga furi sō.
A: A, yokatta, konna mōsho da to hokkyoku ni hikkoshi shitakunaru na.
Main Dialogue (English)
A: It’s hot today isn’t it?
B: It sure is. It’s so hot and sticky.
A: What the weather forecast for this week?
B: It’s going to be 35 degrees all week.
A: No way! Seriously?! I can’t take this anymore.
B: But it looks like it might rain on the weekend.
A: Ah good. This kind of heat makes me want to move to the Arctic!
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These are the PDF show notes for podcast #28 “How to talk about the weather in Japanese”
For more fun Japanese language podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In this podcast, Ami and Alex teach you how to talk about your preferences in Japanese.
For more fun Japanese language podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In this podcast, Ami and Alex teach you how to talk about your preferences in Japanese.
Main Podcast Dialogue (Japanese)
A: ね、お寿司とたこ焼きどっちが好き？
B: そうだね。やっぱり、お寿司の方が好きかな。
A: なるほどね。でもなんで？
B: 味が好きだから。あみは？
A: もちろんたこ焼きの方が好き。
B: あみは典型的な大阪人だよね。
A: せやで！
Main Podcast Dialogue (Pronunciation)
A: Ne, osushi to takoyaki, dochi ga suki?
B: Sou da ne, yappari osushi no hou ga suki kana.
A: Naruhodo. Demo nande?
B: Aji ga suki dakara. Ami wa?
A: Mochiron, takoyaki ga suki.
B: Ami wa tenkeitekina osaka jin da yo ne.
A: Se ya de！
Main Podcast Dialogue (English)
A: Hey, which do you prefer, sushi or takoyaki?
B: Well, I guess I prefer sushi.
A: I see…but why?
B: Because I like the taste. How about your Ami?
A: Of course I prefer takoyaki.
B: Ami, you are a typical Osakan!
A: That’s right！
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These are the PDF show notes for podcast #27 “Talking about your preferences in Japanese”
For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In this podcast you’re going to learn useful verbs to talk about your daily routine. These verbs are very commonly used in casual conversation throughout the day so they are well worth learning. You will also study a little grammar related to plain form verbs and -TE form verbs which are the most common type of verb used in casual speech. You will also learn how they are used together when describing actions in a sequence.
Also, the dialogue in this lesson will teach you particles which are sounds that usually go at the end of sentences to change the nuance of what you are saying. Learning these will help you sound a lot more natural when speaking Japanese.
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In this podcast you’re going to learn useful verbs to talk about your daily routine. These verbs are very commonly used in casual conversation throughout the day so they are well worth learning. You will also study a little grammar related to plain form verbs and -TE form verbs which are the most common type of verb used in casual speech. You will also learn how they are used together when describing actions in a sequence.
Also, the dialogue in this lesson will teach you particles which are sounds that usually go at the end of sentences to change the nuance of what you are saying. Learning these will help you sound a lot more natural when speaking Japanese.
A: Amiの平日の過ごし方を教えて！
B: ７時に起きて、顔を洗って、朝ごはんを食べるよ。
その後着替えて、メイクして、仕事に行くよ。
A: 休憩時間は？
B: 休憩時間はお弁当を食べて、携帯で時間を潰すよ。
A: 仕事が終わったら？
B: うちに帰って、晩御飯を食べて、お風呂に入るよ。
A: その後は何をするの？
B: 寝る！
A: Amiは忙しいね！
B: まあね！
A: Ami no heijitsu no sugoshikata oshiete!
B: Shichi ji ni okite, kao o aratte, asagohan o taberu. Sono ato kigaete, meiku shite, shigoto ni iku yo.
A: Kyuukei jikan wa?
B: Kyukeijikan wa obentō o tabete keitaii de jikan o tsubusu yo.
A: Shigoto ga owattara?
B: Uchi ni kaette, bangohan o taberu, ofuro ni hairu yo.
A: Sono ato nani suru no?
B: Neru!
A: Ami wa isogashii ne.
B: Maa ne.
A: Ami, how do you spend your weekdays?
B: I wake up at 7, I wash my face and eat breakfast. After that I get dressed, put on my makeup and go to work.
A: What about your break time?
B: During my break time I eat a bento and kill time with my mobile phone.
A: And when work finishes?
B: I go home, I eat dinner and have a bath.
A: What do you do after that?
B: Sleep!
A: Ami, you’re busy!
B: I guess so.
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These are the PDF show notes for podcast #26 “Japanese verbs for daily life”
For more fun Japanese language podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In this podcast you’re going to learn about how to use adverbs of frequency in daily speech. In other words, you’ll learn how to ask and answer questions about how often you do things in Japanese. You’ll learn how to ask questions such as “How often do you…”. You’ll also be able to reply that you do something never, occasionally, sometimes, often and always.
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In this podcast you’re going to learn about how to use adverbs of frequency in daily speech. In other words, you’ll learn how to ask and answer questions about how often you do things in Japanese. You’ll learn how to ask questions such as “How often do you…”. You’ll also be able to reply that you do something never, occasionally, sometimes, often and always.
This kind of grammar and vocabulary comes up often in daily conversation as well as the Japanese Language Proficiency Exam so it’s well worth learning.
First of all, have a look at the vocabulary lists to get an idea of the main phrases used in this podcast. After that you can practice how to use that vocabulary naturally with the dialog examples. Following that are extra grammar and sentence examples.
Also, while reading this PDF lesson, you can listen along to either the main audio podcast which contains all the dialogs and explanations in English. Alternatively you can listen to the Japanese only audio file.
A: アレックスはどれくらい*運動するの？
B: 全然しないよ。 時間がないからさ。
A: そうなんだ。
A: 昔はよくしてただけどね。あみは？
B: 時々ジョギングするよ。たまに水泳もするよ。
A: じゃ、もうすぐオリンピックだから毎日 運動しよう。
A: Arekkusu wa dore kurai undō suru no.
Alex, how often do you exercise?
B: Zenzen shinai yo. Jikan ga nai kara sa.
Never. It’s cos I don’t have any time, you know.
A: Sō nan da.
Really?
B: Mukashi wa yoku shiteta kedo ne. Ami wa?
I used to however. How about you Ami?
A: Tokidoki jogingu suru yo. Tama ni suiei mo suru yo.
I sometimes go jogging. I occasionally also go swimming.
B: Ja, mō sugu orinpikku dakara mainichi undō shiyō.
Well, it’s almost time for the Olympics so exercise everyday!
Wa – Sentence subject marker (As for so and so…)
Ga – Similar to Wa and is often used in sentences about having or not having something
No – Turns sentence into a question (Casual)
Yo – Emphasizes the statement
Ne – Means isn’t it or right?
Sa – Means something like “You know?” or “You see what I mean”
Japanese only dialog audio (From 00:47)
1: どれくらいお寿司食べるの？ ぜんぜん食べないよ。
Dore kurai osushi taberu no? Zenzen tabenai yo.
How often do you eat sushi? I never eat it.
2: どれくらい映画を見るの？ ぜんぜん見ないよ。
Dore kurai eiga o miru no? Zenzen minai yo.
How often do you watch movies? I never watch them.
1: どれくらいお寿司食べるの？ 滅多に食べないよ。
Dore kurai osushi taberu no? Metta ni tabenai yo.
How often do you eat sushi? I hardly ever eat it.
2: どれくらい映画を見るの？ 滅多に見ないよ。
Dore kurai eiga o miru no? Metta ni minai yo.
How often do you watch movies? I hardly ever watch them.
1: どれくらいお寿司食べるの？ たまに食べるよ。
Dore kurai osushi taberu no? Tama ni taberu yo.
How often do you eat sushi? I occasionally eat it.
2: どれくらい映画を見るの？ たまにに見るよ。
Dore kurai eiga o miru no? Tama ni miru yo.
How often do you watch movies? I occasionally watch them.
1: どれくらい運動するの？ ときどきするよ。
Dore kurai undō suru no? Tokidoki suru yo.
How often do you exercise? I sometimes exercise.
2: どれくらいカラオケに行くの？ ときどき行くよ。
Dore kurai karaoke iku no? Tokidoki iku yo.
How often do you go to Karaoke? I sometimes go.
1: どれくらい運動するの？ よく運動するよ。
Dore kurai undō suru no? Yoku undō suru yo.
How often do you exercise? I often exercise.
2: どれくらいカラオケに行くの？ よく行くよ。
Dore kurai karaoke iku no? Yoku iku yo.
How often do you go to Karaoke? I often go.
1: どれくらいゲームやるの？ いつもやってるよ。
Dore kurai geemu yaru no? Itsumo yatteru yo.
How often do you play video games? I’m always playing them
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These are the PDF show notes for podcast #25 “Japanese Adverbs of Frequency”
For more fun Japanese language podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In this podcast you will learn how to book a table at a restaurant by phone in natural Japanese. These days it is easy to make bookings online and with mobiles apps. However, there are still many restaurants in Japan which don’t have online booking facilities. Also, in crowded cities like Osaka and Tokyo, it can be hard to get a seat, especially during Fridays and weekends. Therefore being able to book seats in Japanese by phone is a useful skill.
Another thing you will learn is the polite language commonly used by restaurant and service staff. This is called Keigo and is a very polite way of speaking in Japanese. It’s also quite tricky to master as it uses different phrases and vocabulary compared with casual speech. However, I would recommend learning just enough to be able to understand it so you can interact with hotel, restaurant or department store staff. You don’t need to learn to speak it perfectly, just understanding a little is enough. Most Japanese people have difficulty speaking proper Keigo!
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In this podcast you will learn how to book a table at a restaurant by phone in natural Japanese. These days it is easy to make bookings online and with mobiles apps. However, there are still many restaurants in Japan which don’t have online booking facilities. Also, in crowded cities like Osaka and Tokyo, it can be hard to get a seat, especially during Fridays and weekends. Therefore being able to book seats in Japanese by phone is a useful skill.
Another thing you will learn is the polite language commonly used by restaurant and service staff. This is called Keigo and is a very polite way of speaking in Japanese. It’s also quite tricky to master as it uses different phrases and vocabulary compared with casual speech. However, I would recommend learning just enough to be able to understand it so you can interact with hotel, restaurant or department store staff. You don’t need to learn to speak it perfectly, just understanding a little is enough. Most Japanese people have difficulty speaking proper Keigo! Check out the podcast lessons and accompanying files which will help you learn to speak the dialogs fluently.
Main Dialogue (Japanese)
A: 居酒屋忍者でございます。
B: 今晩の予約をしたいんですが。
A: はい、かしこまりました。何名様でいらっしゃいますか？
B: 4名でお願いしたいんですが。
A: 何時からご希望ですか？
B: 7時でお願いします。
A: 少々お待ちください。お待たせいたしました。
お席ご用意できます。お名前お伺いしてもよろしでしょうか？
B: アレックスです。
A: アレックス様ですね。 では本日7時から4名様でご予約させていただきます。 お待ちしております。
A: Izakaya Ninja de gozaimasu. – This is Izakaya Ninja
B: Konban no yoyaku o shitain desu ga. – I’d like to make a booking for tonight.
A: Hai, kashikomarimashita. Nanmei sama de irasshimasu ka？ – Yes, certainly. How many people are there in your party?
B: Yonmei de onegai shitain desu ga. – I’d like (to book for) 4 people.
A: Nanji kara gokibō desu ka. – What time would you like (to book)?
B: Shichiji de onegai shimasu. – Seven o’clock please.
A: Shōshō omachi kudasi. Omatasei itashimashita. Oseki go yōi dekimasu. Onamae oukagai shitemo yoroshi deshou ka. – One moment please. Thank you for waiting I have prepared your seats. May I have your name please?
B: Arekkusu desu. – It’s Alex
A: Arekkusu sama desu ne. Dewa honjitsu shichiji kara yonmei sama de goyoyaku sasete itadakimasu. Omachi shite orimasu. – OK, so that is Alex. So, I have prepared your booking for 7pm for 4 people today. We shall be waiting for you.
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These are the PDF show notes for podcast #24 “How to book a table at a Japanese restaurant”
For more fun Japanese language podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In this episode, Ami and Alex teach you how to speak Osaka dialect which is called Osaka Ben in Japanese. And for this lesson Ami sensei is our secret weapon as she is a native of Osaka city.
Sometimes this is referred to as Kansai Ben however, Kansai is the larger region located in central Japanese that includes Osaka city, Kyoto, Nara, Wakayama, Shiga, Mie and Hyogo. And in turn, each of those areas have their own dialects. However, Ami sensei is from Osaka, and Osaka Ben is the dominant dialect that influences all the surrounding areas. Therefore we decided to go with Osaka Ben.
Of course this lesson is not a comprehensive guide to Osaka Ben as that would fill a few books. However, this lesson will teach you the most common phrases, speech patterns and intonation that you will hear on the streets of Osaka.
The main dialog is recorded by natives from Osaka including Ami so you’ll learn the authentic accent. We also included a dialog in standard Japanese so you can compare. Enjoy!
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In this episode, Ami and Alex teach you how to speak Osaka dialect which is called Osaka Ben in Japanese. And for this lesson Ami sensei is our secret weapon as she is a native of Osaka city.
Sometimes this is referred to as Kansai Ben however, Kansai is the larger region located in central Japanese that includes Osaka city, Kyoto, Nara, Wakayama, Shiga, Mie and Hyogo. And in turn, each of those areas have their own dialects. However, Ami sensei is from Osaka, and Osaka Ben is the dominant dialect that influences all the surrounding areas. Therefore we decided to go with Osaka Ben.
Of course this lesson is not a comprehensive guide to Osaka Ben as that would fill a few books. However, this lesson will teach you the most common phrases, speech patterns and intonation that you will hear on the streets of Osaka.
The main dialog is recorded by natives from Osaka including Ami so you’ll learn the authentic accent. We also included a dialog in standard Japanese so you can compare. Enjoy!
A: めっちゃ久しぶりやん。最近どないしてんの?
B: 相変わらずやで。そっちは?
A: ぼちぼちやな。ま、頑張ってるで。
B: そうなんや。うちなんか全然あかんわ。
A: なんでなん?
B: 彼氏と別れてん。
A: え、そうなん?知らんかった。俺やって全然彼女できへんで。
B: 付き合おか。 A: なんでやねん!
A: Meccha hisashiburi yan. Saikin donain shiten no? –It’s been ages. How have you been recently?
B: Aikawarazu ya de. Socchi wa? –Same as usual. About about you?
A: Bochi bochi ya na. Ma, gannbatteru de. – So so I guess. Well, doing my best.
B: Sō nan ya. Uchi nanka zenzen akan wa. – Really? I’m not good at all.
A: Nande nan? – Why?
B: Kareshi to wakareten. –I split up with my boyfriend.
A: E? Sō nan? Shirankatta. Boku yatte, zenzen kanojo dekihen de. – Eh? Really? I didn’t know. I can never get a girlfriend.
B: Tsuki aoka? –Wanna date?
A: Nande yanen! – What the heck!
Here is the same dialog written in standard Japanese. Can you spot the differences?
A: めちゃめちゃ久しぶりじゃん。最近どうしてるの?
Meccha hisashiburi jan. Saikin dō shiteru no.
It’s been ages. How have you been recently?
B: 相変わらずだよ。そっちは?
Aikawarazu da yo. Socchi wa?Same as usual.
About about you?
A: 普通かな。ま、頑張ってるよ。
Futsuu ka na. Ma gambatteru yo.
Same as usual. About about you?
B: そうなんだ。私なんか全然だめだよ。
Sō nan da. Watashi nanka zenzen dame da yo.
Really? I’m not good at all.
A: どうして?
Dō shite?
Why?
B: 彼氏と別れたの。
Kareshi to wakareta no.
I split up with my boyfriend.
A: え、そうなの?知らなかった。俺だって全然彼女できないよ。
E sō na no? Shiranakatta. Boku datte, zenzen kanojo dekinai yo.
Eh? Really? I didn’t know. I can never get a girlfriend.
B: 付き合おっか。
Tsuki aokka?
Wanna date?
A: なんでだよ!
Nande da yo!
What the heck!
ちゃう – Chau – No / That’s not right
ええ – Ee – Good / OK (ええやん、ええで、ええよ)
アホ – Aho – Stupid
なおす – Naosu – Put something away (Standard Japanese = to fix something)
This week’s random phrase of the week is:
ちゃうちゃう、チャウチャウちゃうんちゃう?
Chau chau, chau chau chaun chau.
No no, that’s not a Chow chow is it?! Let’s break it down like this…
ちゃうちゃう 、 チャウチャウ ちゃうん ちゃう?
No no, a chow chow dog , it is not , is it?
Or in more natural English “No no, it’s not a Chow chow is it?!”
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These are the PDF show notes for podcast #23 “Osaka Ben”.
For more fun Japanese language podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In this podcast, Ami and Alex answer all your Japanese study related questions. If you would like to get your question answered on the podcast go to http://learnjapanesepod.com/questions and fill in the form. It’s super quick and easy! Once you submit your question, we will try to answer it in the following “Ask us anything” podcast.
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Have you been scratching your head trying to work out what “Yappari” means? Well, scratch your head no more! In this podcast Ami sensei and I (Alex) attempt to explain what Yappari means. We teach you the three main meanings of Yappari and how to use it naturally and fluently in conversation with your Japanese friends. For more information keep reading, listen to the podcast and download the show notes.
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Have you been scratching your head trying to work out what “Yappari” means? Well, scratch your head no more! In this podcast Ami sensei and I (Alex) attempt to explain what Yappari means. We teach you the three main meanings of Yappari and how to use it naturally and fluently in conversation with your Japanese friends. For more information keep reading, listen to the podcast and download the show notes.
One common use of yappari expresses the fact that your assumptions or predictions were proved to be correct. It also means you were not surprised by a particular outcome. It might be translated into English as “I knew it”, “As I suspected…” or “…but of course…” Another way to think of it is as a phrase that emphasises IS or WAS, as in “It WAS you” or “He IS the culprit!”
Here’s an example of how it can be used in conversation.
Dialog 1
| A: | ねえ、最後のクッキー食べた？ | Ne, saigo no kukkii tabeta? | Hey, did you eat the last cookie? |
| B: | え… | E… | Um… |
| A: | ほら！何これ？クッキーでしょう？！ | Hora! Nani kore? Kukki deshō?! | Look! What’s this? It’s a cookie isn’t it?! |
| B: | だって、お腹減ってたから。 | Datte, onaka heteta kara. | But, I was hungry. |
| A: | やっぱり。 | Yappari. | I knew it! |
| B: | ごめんね。 | Gomen ne. | Sorry. |
Here are some other examples that express the yappari in the same way.
Kare wa hannin da to zutto omottete, yappari sō datta.
I thought he was the criminal, and I knew it, he was.
Mō ichido yatte mita kedo, yappari muri datta.
I tried one more time, but as I suspected, it was impossible.
Yappari kanojo konakatta.
I knew it, she didn’t come.
Another use of yappari emphasises the strength of your opinion. For example, I really do think that something is true. やっぱり温泉が好き Yappari onsen ga suki means I really do indeed love hot springs. English translations might include “indeed” or “of course”.
Dialog 2
| A: | 日本で何が一番好き？ | Nihon de nani ga ichiban suki? | What do you most like about Japan? |
| B: | やっぱり温泉が好き。あみは？ | Yappari onsen ga suki. Ami wa? | I really do love hot springs. How about you Ami? |
| A: | たこ焼きかな。 | Takoyaki kana? | Takoyaki I guess. |
| B: | やっぱりね。 | Yappari ne. | I knew it. |
Note: In this conversation we have two different examples of how yappari is used. Yappari onsen ga suki is the 2nd use of yappari which emphasises the point that the speaker does indeed like hot springs. After Ami says she likes Takoyaki, the reply is yappari which in this case is means “I knew it” as we learned with dialog 1.
Here are some more examples of how yappari is used to mean “indeed” or “of course”:
2.1 やっぱり毎日日本語を勉強しなきゃ。
Yappari mainichi nihongo o benkyō shinakya.
Of course, you have to study Japanese everyday.
2.2 やっぱり彼女が好き。
Yappari, kanojo ga suki.
I DO like her / I do indeed like her / Of course, I like her.
2.3 和食と言えばやっぱり刺身。
Washoku to ieba yappari sashimi.
If you are talking about Japanese food, of course it’s gotta be Sashimi.
The final use of yappari is used when you change your mind. It means something like “Ah, you know what? I changed my mind” or “Actually, let’s not”. Here’s an example in dialog form:
Dialog 3
| A: | 明日なにする？ | Ashita nani suru? | What are you doing tomorrow? |
| B: | 公園に行くよ。やっぱりやめる。明日雨だ。 | Kōen ni iku yo. Yappari, yameru. Ashita ame da. | I’m going to the park. Actually, I won’t. It’s going to rain tomorrow. |
Here are a couple of other examples:
3.1. やめようかな。やっぱりもうちょっと頑張る。
Yameyō kana. Yappari, mō chotto gambaru.
I give up. You know what? I’ll try a little more.
3.2. ケーキ食べたい。やっぱりやめる、ダイエットしなきゃ。
Keeki tabetai. Yappari yameru, dietto shinakya.
I want to eat a cake. Nope, I need to diet.
In every podcast we tech a random phrase to amuse and delight your Japanese friends. Here is this week’s random phrase:
Ex.1 あのテレビ番組超ウケる
Ano terebi bangumi chō ukeru.
That TV program is so funny.
Ex. 2 あの漫才ウケる
Ano manzai ukeru
That comedy duo is so funny.
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These are the PDF show note for podcast #22 “What does Yappari mean?”
For more fun Japanese language podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In this podcast Ami and Alex teach you some really useful phrases and vocabulary to start conversations in Japanese.
For more fun Japanese language podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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This podcast episode is about various phrases you can use to start up a conversation in Japanese. It is important to remember that each conversation is unique and how you start one depends on who you are talking to and the situation. However, in this episode you will hear some of the most common phrases you are likely to hear used by Japanese people. One final thing to remember is that this episode focuses on casual conversations between friends.
Here is a full vocabulary list taken from the podcast
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English |
| 久しぶり | Hisashiburi | Long time no see |
| 元気？ | Genki? | How you doing? |
| 相変わらず | Aikawarazu | …as usual |
| バタバタしてる | Batabata shiteru | Really busy / hectic |
| 夏バテ | Natsubate | Exhaustion from the summer |
| つらい | Tsurai | Tough |
| 最近どう？ | Saikin dō? | How’ve you been? |
| すごく暑い | Sugoku Atsui | Very hot |
| すごく寒い | Sugoku Samui | Very cold |
| 熱中症 | Necchūshō | Heat stroke |
| 風邪をひいちゃった | Kaze o hiichatta | I caught a cold |
| インフルエンザ | Infuruenza | Influenza |
| 気をつけてね | Ki o tsukete ne | Take care |
| A: | 久しぶり元気？ | Hisashiburi genki | Long time no see, you good? |
| B: | 元気だよ。あみは？ | Genki da yo. Ami wa? | I’m good. And you Ami? |
| A: | 相変わらずバタバタしているよ。最近どう？ | Aikawarazu batabata shiteru yo. Saikin dō? | Busy as usual. How’ve you been? |
| B: | そうだね。ちょっと夏バテがつらい。 | Sō da ne. Chotto natsubate ga tsurai. | Well, I’ve been suffering due to the summer heat. |
| A: | 最近はすごく暑いよね。熱中症にならないように気をつけてね。 | Saikin wa sugoku atsui yo ne. Necchūshō ni naranai yō ni ki o tsukete ne. | It’s been really hot recently hasn’t it? Be careful not to get heat stroke. |
| B: | はーい！ | Haai | Sure. |
| A: | 久しぶり元気？ | Hisashiburi genki | Long time no see, you good? |
| B: | 元気だよ。あみは？ | Genki da yo. Ami wa? | I’m good. And you Ami? |
| A: | 相変わらずバタバタしているよ。最近どう？ | Aikawarazu batabata shiteru yo. Saikin dō? | Busy as usual. How’ve you been? |
| B: | そうだね。ちょっと風邪をひいちゃったよ。 | Sō da ne. Chotto kaze o hiichatta yo. | Well, I caught a cold. |
| A: | 最近はすごく寒いよね。インフルエンザにならないように気をつけてね。 | Saikin wa sugoku samui yo ne. Infuruenza ni naranai yō ni ki o tsukete ne. | It’s been really cold recently hasn’t it? Be careful not to get influenza. |
| B: | はーい！ | Haai | Sure. |
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These are the PDF show notes for podcast #21 “Japanese conversation starters”
For more fun Japanese language podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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A great way to practice your Japanese speaking skills and to get to know people in Japan is to talk about free time and hobbies. In a casual setting you may be asked what you do in your free time by Japanese people. So this lesson will teach you the basics of how to ask and answer questions about hobbies. But first of all, listen to the audio podcast which goes through all the points in this lesson.
For more fun Japanese language podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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A great way to practice your Japanese speaking skills and to get to know people in Japan is to talk about free time and hobbies. In a casual setting you may be asked what you do in your free time by Japanese people. So this lesson will teach you the basics of how to ask and answer questions about hobbies. But first of all, listen to the audio podcast which goes through all the points in this lesson. You can also listen to the audio drills which include just the Japanese dialogs without English to practice your listening and speaking skills.
Here are four example dialogs from the podcast that give you various examples on how to hold a conversation in natural Japanese about hobbies and free time.
| A: | 趣味は何？ | Shumi wa nani? | What’s your hobby? |
| B: | そうだね、ギターかな。 | Sō da ne. Gitaa kana. | Well…guitar I guess. |
| A: | そっか。最初のきっかけは？ | Sokka. Saisho no kikkake wa? | Really? How did you get in to it? |
| B: | ロックを聴くことが好きだからやってみようかなと思って。 | Rokku wo kiku koto ga suki dakara yatte miyō kana to omotte. | I like listening to rock so I thought I would give it a go. |
| A: | どのぐらいやってる？ | Dono gurai yatteru? | How long have you been doing it? |
| B: | ２０年。 | Ni jū nen. | 20 years. |
| A: | すごいね。しょっちゅうやってるの？ | Sugoi ne. Shocchū yatteru no? | Wow, do you do it often? |
| B: | 毎日。 | Mai nichi. | Every day. |
| A: | へえ～。 | Heh. | Really? |
| A: | 趣味は何？ | Shumi wa nani? | What’s your hobby? |
| B: | そうだね、ジョギングかな。 | Sō da ne. Jogingu kana. | Well…jogging I guess. |
| A: | そっか。最初のきっかけは？ | Sokka. Saisho no kikkake wa? | Really? How did you get in to it? |
| B: | 運動することが好きだからやってみようかなと思って。 | Undō suru koto ga suki da kara yatte miyō kana to omotte. | I like exercising so I thought I would give it a go. |
| A: | どのぐらいやってる？ | Dono gurai yatteru? | How long have you been doing it? |
| B: | 1年。 | Ichi nen. | 1 year. |
| A: | すごいね。しょっちゅうやってるの？ | Sugoi ne. Shocchū yatteru no? | Wow, do you do it often? |
| B: | 週に２回。 | Shū ni ni kai. | Two times a week. |
| A: | へえ～。 | Heh. | Really? |
| A: | 趣味は何？ | Shumi wa nani? | What’s your hobby? |
| B: | そうだね、読書かな。 | Sō da ne. Dokusho kana. | Well…reading I guess. |
| A: | そっか。最初のきっかけは？ | Sokka. Saisho no kikkake wa? | Really? How did you get in to it? |
| B: | 本を読むことが好きだからやってみようかなと思って。 | Hon o yomu koto ga suki da kara yatte miyō kana to omotte. | I like reading books so I thought I would give it a go. |
| A: | どのぐらいやってる？ | Dono gurai yatteru? | How long have you been doing it? |
| B: | ６ヶ月。 | Rokka getsu. | 6 months. |
| A: | すごいね。しょっちゅうやってるの？ | Sugoi ne. Shocchū yatteru no? | Wow, do you do it often? |
| B: | 時間がある時に。 | Jikan ga aru toki ni. | When I have time. |
| A: | へえ～。 | Heh. | Really? |
| A: | 趣味は何？ | Shumi wa nani? | What’s your hobby? |
| B: | そうだね、カメラかな。 | Sō da ne. Kamera kana. | Well…photography I guess. |
| A: | そっか。最初のきっかけは？ | Sokka. Saisho no kikkake wa? | Really? How did you get in to it? |
| B: | 写真を撮ることが好きだからやってみようかなと思って。 | Shashin o toru koto ga suki da kara yatte miyō kana to omotte. | I like taking photos so I thought I would give it a go. |
| A: | どのぐらいやってる？ | Dono gurai yatteru? | How long have you been doing it? |
| B: | 一ヶ月。 | Ikka getsu. | 1 month. |
| A: | すごいね。しょっちゅうやってるの？ | Sugoi ne. Shocchū yatteru no? | Wow, do you do it often? |
| B: | 毎週末。 | Mai shūmatsu | Every weekend. |
| A: | へえ～。 | Heh. | Really? |
Let’s start off with some simple and casual examples of how to talk about hobbies in Japanese.
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 趣味はなに？空手。 | Shumi wa nani?Karate | What’s your hobby?Karate. |
| 趣味はなに？ジョギング。 | Shumi wa nani?Jogingu | What’s your hobby?Jogging. |
| 趣味はなに？テニス。 | Shumi wa nani?Tenisu | What’s your hobby?Tennis. |
| 趣味はなに？サッカー。 | Shumi wa nani?Sakkaa | What’s your hobby?Football |
If you want to say it more politely you would say:
| Japanaese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 趣味はなんですか。趣味は空手です。 | Shumi wa nan desu ka?Shumi wa Karate desu. | What is your hobby?My hobby is Karate. |
Another way to describe what you like doing in your free time is this:
Your hobby + SUKI DESU which means you like doing something.
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ジョギングが好きです | Jogingu ga suki desu. | I like jogging. |
| ハイキングが好きです | Haikingi ga suki desu. | I like hiking. |
| テニスが好きです | Tenisu ga suki desu. | I like tennis. |
| サッカーが好きです | Sakkaa ga suki desu | I like football. |
Here are some extra phrases you can use to ask someone what their hobby is.
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 趣味あるの？ | Shumi aru no? | Do you have a hobby? |
| 暇な時に何をするの？ | Hima na toki ni nani o suru? | What do you do in your free time? |
| 何をするのが好き？ | Nani o suru no ga suki? | What do you like doing? |
| 最近ハマってることある？ | Saikin hammatteru koto wa? | Recently what are you into? |
Another useful pattern you can use to talk about your hobbies is this:
趣味は + NOUN + を + VERB + ことです。
SHUMI WA +NOUN + O +VERB + KOTO DESU.
My hobby is doing something
趣味は本を読むことです – Hon o yomu koto desu – My hobby is reading books.
Hon is “book” and yomu is the verb “to read”. If you put KOTO after the verb it’s a little like an -ING verb in English. So 本を読む means “to read books” but 本を読むこと is a little like “reading books”.
Here are some more examples:
趣味は映画を見ることです。 My hobby is watching movies.
Shumi wa eiga o miru koto desu.
趣味は音楽を聴くことです。 My hobby is listening to music.
Shumi wa ongaku o kiku koto desu
趣味は料理をすることです。 My hobby is cooking.
Shumi wa ryōri o suru koto desu
趣味はスキューバダイビングをすることです。 My hobby is scuba diving.
Shumi wa sukuuba daibingu wo suru koto desu.
趣味は絵を描くことです。 My hobby is painting pictures.
Shumi wa e o kaku koto desu.
Instead of 趣味は映画を見ることですyou can say 映画を見ることが好きです I like watching movies.
So for example:
音楽を聴くことが好きです。 I like listening to music.
Ongaku o kiku koto ga suki desu.
料理をすることが好きです。 I like cooking.
Ryōri o suru koto ga suki desu.
スキューバダイビングをすることが好きです。 I like scuba diving.
Sukuuba daibingu o suru koto ga suki desu.
絵を描くことが好きです。 I like painting pictures.
E o kaku koto ga suki desu.
So this means when talking about hobbies you have two options, one being a noun phrase and the other using a verb linked to the hobby, for example:
| Option 1 | Option 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| 趣味は映画鑑賞です。Shumi wa eigakanshō desu
My hobby is moviegoing. |
OR | 趣味は映画を見ることです。Shumi wa eigo o miru koto desu
I like watching movies. |
| 趣味は水泳です。Shumi wa suiei desu
My hobby is swimming. (noun) |
OR | 趣味は泳ぐことです。Shumi wa oyogu koto desu.
My hobby is to go swimming. (verb) |
| 趣味は読書です。Shumi wa dokusho desu
My hobby is reading. |
OR | 趣味は本を読むことです。Shumi wa hon o yomu koto desu.
My hobby is reading books. |
This is a list of some very traditional Japanese hobbies:
生け花 Ikebana Traditional Japanese flower arranging
書道 Shodō Japanese calligraphy
茶道 Sadō The tea ceremony
弓道 Kyūdō Japanese archery
Sports are usually written in Katakana:
ジョギング Jogingu Jogging
テニス Tenisu Tennis
サッカー Sakkaa Football (Soccer)
ハイキング Haikingu Haikingu
Other hobbies written in Katakana include the following:
ヨガ Yoga Yoga
ダンス Dansu Dancing
カラオケ Karaoke Karaoke
スマホゲーム Sumaho geemu Playing games on your smartphone.
ビデオゲーム Bideo geemu Video games
ドライブ Doraibu Going for a drive
Japanese martial arts are written with Kanji:
柔道 Jūdō Judo
合気道 Aikidō Aikido
空手 Karate Karate
Here are some other hobbies that are written using Kanji:
水泳 Suiei Swimming
山登り Yamanobori Mountain climbing
音楽 Ongaku Music
映画鑑賞 Eigakanshō Watching movies
買い物 Kaimono Shopping
魚釣り Sakana tsuri Fishing
園芸 Engei Gardening
一人旅 Hitori tabi Solo trip / Traveling by yourself
Here is a list of some of the most popular pastimes in Japan now:
1 写真 Shashin Photography
2 自転車 Jitensha Cycling
3 読書 Dokusho Reading books
4 ランニング Ranningu Running
5 英会話 Eikaiwa Studying English conversation
6 ヨガ Yoga Yoga
7 登山 Tōzan Mountain climbing
8 株・FX取引 Kabu / FX torihiki Day trading / Buying and selling stocks
9 瞑想 Meisō Meditation
10 筋トレ Kintore Weight lifting
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These are the PDF show notes for podcast #20 “Talking about your hobbies in Japanese”
For more fun Japanese language podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In this podcast Matthew and I talked about our favorite Japan travel tips, hacks and experiences. We discussed various topics including interesting places to visit, taking ferries in Japan, how to save money and the recent issues with AirBnb.
Also, if you enjoyed this podcast, please consider making a donation to Matthew’s go Fun Me campaign to help with the costs of the current cancer treatment he is undergoing now. Any donation no matter how small is much appreciated.
Please feel free to leave your comments, questions and ideas below.
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In this podcast Ami and Alex teach you absolutely everything you need to know about the delicious Japanese street snack Takoyaki!
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Delicious Takoyaki with toppings
Food is one of our most popular subjects to talk about so in this podcast Ami sensei and I (Alex) introduce you to one of Kansai’s most loved street snacks, the honorable Takoyaki.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to order and prepare takoyaki yourself with the correct ingredients and utensils. We also talk about the history of takoyaki, why it became so famous plus our recommendations for the best Takoyaki restaurants in Japan.
So get ready for a takoyaki extravaganza!
Here is a full vocabulary list taken from the podcast
|
Japanese |
Pronunciation |
English |
|
Gochuumon |
Your order |
|
|
いかがでしょうか |
Ikaga deshō |
Is it OK? / Are you ready? |
|
たこやき |
Takoyaki |
Takoyaki (Octopus fry) |
|
お願いします |
Onegaishimasu |
Please |
|
かしこまりました |
Kashikomarimashita |
Certainly |
|
すみません |
Sumimasen |
Excuse me |
|
作り方 |
Tsukurikata |
How to make something |
|
教えて |
Oshiete |
Teach me |
|
いただけませんか |
Itadakemasenka |
Would you please? |
|
まず |
Mazu |
First |
|
その後 |
Sono ato |
After that |
|
その次に |
Sono tsugi ni |
Next |
|
最後に |
Saigo ni |
Finally |
|
生地 |
Kiji |
Batter |
|
鉄板 |
Teppan |
Iron pan |
|
入れます |
Iremasu |
Put in |
|
他 |
Hoka |
Other |
|
好きな |
Sukina |
Something you like |
|
具材 |
Guzai |
Ingredients |
|
焼きながら |
Yakinagara |
While cooking |
|
千枚通し |
Senmaidooshi |
Long needle like implement for cooking takoyaki |
|
ひっくり返します |
Hikkuri kaeshimasu |
Turn something over |
|
熱い |
Atsui |
Hot |
|
気をつけて |
Ki o tsukete |
Take care |
|
食べてください |
Tabete kudasai |
Please eat |
|
なるほど |
Naruhodo |
I see |
|
ありがとうございます |
Arigatō gozaimasu |
Thank you very much |
| A: |
ご注文はいかがでしょうか。 |
Gochuumon wa ikaga deshou ka |
Are you ready to order? |
| B: |
たこやきをお願いします。 |
Takoyaki o onegaishimasu |
I’d like takoyaki please. |
| A: |
かしこまりました。 |
Kashikomarimashita |
Certainly. |
| B: |
あの、すみませんがたこやきの作り方を教えていただけませんか。 |
Ano, sumimasen ga, takoyaki no tsukurikata o oshiete kudasai. |
Um, excuse me but would you mind telling me how to make takoyaki? |
| A: |
まず、生地を鉄板に入れます。 |
Mazu, kiji o teppan ni iremasu. |
First put the batter in the iron pan. |
| B: |
生地を鉄板に入れます。 |
Kiji o teppan ni iremasu. |
Put the batter in the pan. |
| A: |
そのあと、たこを入れます。 |
Sono ato, tako o iremasu. |
After that, put in the octopus. |
| B: |
たこを入れます。 |
Tako o iremasu. |
Put in the octopus. |
| A: |
その次に、他の好きな具材を入れます。 |
Sono tsugi, hoka no suki na guzai o iremasu. |
After that, put in the ingredients you like. |
| B: |
具材を入れます。 |
Guzai o iremasu. |
Put in the ingredients. |
Takoyaki Ingredients
Takoyaki is a speciality dish from Osaka and is usually eaten as a casual fast food. Imagine golf sized balls of baked dough, crispy on the outside and piping hot in the middle.
What are the basic ingredients of Takoyaki?
The dough is made from water, flour and eggs and you add dashi, salt and soy sauce to taste. It also has slices of tako which is octopus. Yaki means cooked or baked which is why we say we say Takoyaki. It kind of tastes a little like Okonomiyaki so it’s savory with a range of interesting flavors and umami.
An electric Takoyaki set
We start with a takoyaki teppan which is a hot plate to cook the batter in. The hot plate has semi spherical indents which you pour the batter into. You basically drown the whole plate in runny takoyaki batter. Then add those slices of tako.
You then sprinkle on other ingredients including benishouga which is pickled red ginger, chopped green onions and tenkasu which are little scraps of tempura.
Then as it starts to cook you use what’s called a 千枚通し Senmaidooshi to constantly flip over the batter as it turns into little takoyaki balls.
And then finally you garnish it with mayonnaise, Takoyaki sauce which is like Worcestershire sauce, aonori which is green laver and Katsuo bushi which is dried flakes of bonito fish. But there are other flavours too, sometimes they’ll add cheese or mochi.
You usually pick them up as a snack from a takoyaki stand on the street. But you can also order them in Izakayas with other food. Some restaurants let you make them yourself using the takoyaki teppan which is fun. But usually you’ll get them at a food stall at a matsuri and they usually come in sets of 6 or 8.
The Dotonbori area of Osaka
If you are in Japan, you could buy Takoyaki in almost any city. However, if you want to do it in style, in the home of the Takoyaki, I would recommend the Dotonbori area of Osaka. It’s a very popular tourist destination packed with amazing restaurants, Izakayas and bars. It’s famous for its huge colourful illuminated signs, entertainment and nightlife.
All the shops run along the Dotonbori canal where it gets its name. So it’s great for food and just strolling down the river.
There are hundreds of places where you can get Takoyaki but one place I really like is くれおー る They’re actually a chain of restaurants that serve famous Osaka dishes including Okonomiyaki. I would recommend going to the Dotonbori shop as it has seats overlooking the river. It’s a little touristy but if you can get a good seat, the view of the river is really nice especially at night. And the Takoyaki themselves are perhaps some of the best I’ve ever had in Japan. According to the website they supply various hotels with their speciality Takoyaki which isn’t surprising because they really are that good.
To get to the Dontonbori area from Osaka station, get on the Midosuji line and get off at Namba. It’s then a 5 or 10 minute walk north to the river. And you’ll know you’re there when you see a giant plastic animated Crab and also the neon Glico man sign on the river next to Ebisu bridge. Anyway check out the link in the show notes and on the website.
A street vendor making takoyaki
As you probably know, rice, fish and vegetables have been the traditional staple diet of Japan. Takoyaki which is made from flour and water was a relatively new food type in Japan. It has it roots in the 1600s when battered food and other French cuisine started to be eaten in Japan.
Fast forward to the Tokyo earthquake in 1923 which left the kanto area with huge food shortages. The government started experimenting with flour and water to make cheap filling food. It wasn’t that popular but it kept people from starving.
Then in 1935 a street vendor in Osaka called Tomokichi Endo started experimenting with flour and water batter with seafood. There was a big cheap supply of octopus which he mixed with the batter to create the first Takoyaki. It took off and became a success. In the years after the 2nd world war, wheat flour was sent to Japan as relief aid. And that’s when Takoyaki started to get really famous throughout Japan.
It’s another one of those things in Japan that had a foreign influence but then changed into something uniquely Japanese.
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These are the show notes for podcast #19 “How to eat Takoyaki”.
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In this podcast, Ami and Alex teach you various ways to say ‘must’ in Japanese.
For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In this lesson you are going to learn how to say “must” in Japanese. Here’s the problem. There are a confusing number of ways to say it. Just look at this list of phrases which all mean the same thing:
しなければなりません Shinakereba narimasen
しなければいけません Shinakereba ikemasen
しなくてはいけません Shinakute wa ikemasen
しなくちゃいけません Shinakucha ikemasen
しなきゃいけません Shinakya ikemasen
しないといけません Shinai to ikemasen
しなくちゃ Shinakucha
しなきゃ Shinakya
しないと Shinai to
Not only that but each way of saying “must” in Japanese has a different level of politeness associated with it for different social situations. It’s also quite common for Japanese schools and textbooks to only teach the formal way of saying of “must”. However, in daily life in Japan, you will notice that most of the time, people tend to use the casual form.
But fear not dear student of Japanese, Learn Japanese Pod will help you to navigate this linguistic confusion. We are all about teaching you the most useful and natural Japanese for daily life in Japan. Therefore, this lesson will exclusively focus on the casual form which in my experience is the most useful form to know.
But before we do, let’s briefly study the grammar and a little of the culture behind this.
One of the most formal and common ways you will be taught “must” in Japanese is:
しなければなりません Shinakereba narimasen
This is made from two parts “Shinakereba” which means “If I do not” and “Narimasen” which means “It is not allowed”. So this literally means, “it is not allowed if I do not do it” or “It will be bad if I don’t do it”.
This two part form is used for most levels of politeness
If I don’t do it It will not be allowed
Shinakereba Narimasen
Shinakereba Ikemasen
Shinakya Ikemasen
There is no direct way of saying must in Japanese so this indirect double negative form is used. This roundabout way of saying “must” in Japanese perhaps reflects the way Japanese shy away from direct language and confrontational statements.
As you will discover when you come to Japan, most people in daily conversation use the common form. Instead of using the tongue twisting “Shinakereba narimasen” you can drop the -nakereba narimasen and simply add -kya to give you shinakya – I must do something.
The formal way of saying I have to clean the house is:
掃除しなければなりません – Sōji shinakereba narimasen – I have to clean (the house)
However, the more common and easy way to say that is
掃除しなきゃ – Sōji shinakya – I have to clean
To say you must do something using other verbs using the casual form, simply follow these steps:
Step 1) Take the negative casual form of a verb, for example:
しない Shinai Don’t do
行かない Ikanai Don’t go
食べない Tabenai Don’t eat
買わない Kawanai Don’t buy
Step 2) Replace the -i at the end of the verb with -kya
しなきゃ Shinakya I must do (something)
行かなきゃ Ikanakya I must go (somewhere)
食べなきゃ Tabenakya I must eat (something)
買わなきゃ Kawanakya I must buy (something)
Finally, there are three common casual forms:
1) しなきゃ Shinakya
2) しなくちゃ Shinakucha
3) しないと Shinai to
Sometimes people will add いけない to the end of these forms to make:
しなきゃいけない
しなくちゃいけない
しないといけない
You can use any of these forms in a casual setting to say you must do something. This lesson will focus on using just shinakya.
| A: | ごめん、もう行かなきゃ。 | Gomen mō ikanakya. | Sorry, I have to go. |
| B: | え？なんで？ | E? Nande? | Eh? Why? |
| A: | 明日早く起きなきゃ。 | Ashita hayaku okinakya. | Tomorrow I have to wake up early. |
| B: | 何かあるの？ | Nani ka aru? | Do you have something? |
| A: | 明日色々しなきゃいけないんだよね。 | Ashita iroiro shinakya ikenain da yo ne. | Tomorrow I have to do various things. |
| B: | 何を？ | Nani o? | What? |
| A: | まず部屋が汚いから掃除しなきゃ。後、彼女が来るから料理作らなきゃ。じゃあ… | Mazu, heya ga kitanai kara sōji shinakya. Ato, kanojo ga kuru kara ryōri o tsukuranakya. Jaa… | First, as my room is dirty I have to clean. Then because my girlfriend is coming I have to make some food. Right… |
| B: | ちょっと待て、お会計は？ | Chotto matte, okaikei wa? | Wait, what about the bill? |
| A: | そうだった、お金払わなきゃね。 | Sō datta, okane harawanakya. | Oh right. I have to pay! |
Here are some more examples of how you can say you must do something:
１） 明日5時に起きなきゃ、めどくさい。
Ashita goji ni okinakya, mendokusai
Tomorrow I have to wake up at 5am, what a hassle.
２） まずいけど薬飲まなきゃ。
Mazui kedo kusuri nomanakya
It doesn’t taste good but I have take (drink) this medicine
３） あ、買い物忘れちゃった、買わなきゃ！
A, kaimono wasurechatta, kawanakya!
Ah, I forgot the shopping. I have to buy something!
４） もう時間だ。行かなきゃ！
Mo jikan da. Ikanakya!
It’s time. I have to go.
５） この部屋超汚い、掃除しなきゃ！
Kono heya chō kitanai, sōji shinakya.
This room is super dirty, I have to clean it.
６） 明日テストがあるから勉強しなきゃ。
Ashita tesuto ga aru kara benkō shinakya.
Tomorrow I have a test so I have to study.
７） 東京がゴジラに攻められてるから逃げなきゃ。
Tōkyō ga gojira ni semerareteru kara nigenakya.
Godzilla is attacking Tokyo so we have to run!
飯テロ Meshi Tero
This is used to make fun of people post pictures what they are eating on social media. It also refers to the way your friends are “terrorised” by the these pictures especially when they are hungry.
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These are the PDF show notes for podcast #18 “How to say ‘must’ in Japanese”
For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In the latest Fun Friday podcast Tomo Akiyama is back by popular demand. We mostly talked about various aspects of Japanese culture including the question “Why do Japanese people wear masks?”. This discussion came up through the questions people most commonly ask about Japan on Google. Therefore we took a stab at answering this popular query.
We also talked about how Katakana is used in Japanese and the rules for writing foreign words in this script. We also answered listener questions including how to improver your Japanese listening skills.
The guest on this week’s show is Tomo Akiyama, a corporate communications specialist and linguist. He is a gourmet, advocate of Japan and expert in destroying cultural stereotypes and myths. He’s an absolutely fascinating individual full of mind-blowing facts about the Japanese language and the culture of Japan.
You can follow him on Twitter here @tomoakiyama
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In this episode, Ami and I talk about our favorite Japanese TV shows. Watching Japanese TV shows regardless of you Japanese level is great way to improve your understanding of Japanese culture. It also gives you a common frame of reference to have more interesting conversations with Japanese people. Although Japanese TV is not so accessible outside of Japan, you can usually find extended clips on Youtube. You can also find some Japanese TV shows that have English subtitles.
Here is a list of some of the shows we talked about in the podcast:
1. 水戸黄門 Mito Kōmon
This is a samurai drama set in the Edo period featuring the hero Tokugawa Mitsukuni who roams Japan fighting injustice.
2. 空耳アワーSora Mimi Awa
Sora mimi awa is part of the Tamori Club TV show where listeners submit foreign songs that have sections that sound Japanese.
3. Smap x Smap
Smap X Smap is the long running variety show featuring the boy band Smap. One of the most popular sections of the show was Smap Bistro where the members would compete to cook the most delicious dishes for famous visiting celebrities.
4. ダウンタウンのガキの使いやあらへんで Dauntaun no gaki no tsukai ya arahende
“Dauntaun no gaki no tsukai ya arahende” A.K.A “Gaki Tsuka” is hosted by one of Japan’s most famous comedy duo “Downtown” who are Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masatoshi Hamada.
5. 紅白歌合戦 Kōhaku Uta Gassen
This is the famous singing contest held by NHK as Japan celebrates the new year. This show is perhaps one of the most watched programs on Japanese TV and features famous singers from across Japan.
6. ナイトスクープ Naito Sukuupu (Knight Scoop)
Knight Scoop is a famous TV show from Kansai (Osaka) which features requests from viewers who need help with various random problems. The show is hosted by comedians and actors who visit viewers and try to help them out with their request. Invariably, hilarity ensues.
7. 関ジャニ-クロニクル Kanjani Kuronikuru
This variety show features the boy band Kanjani and their funny exploits. One section is the Dengon game know as Chinese whispers in English. Native English speakers whisper phrases to the band who usually mess us the message leading to some pretty funny results.
8. アメトーク Ame Tōku
Ame Talk is a weekly show that invites comedians to talk on various subjects.
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In this lesson Ami and I teach you how to ask and give your opinions on various topics using the verb 思う Omou – To think. This is usually used to say “I think that…”.
思う is a very useful phrase you use all the time in conversation in Japanese. The main grammatical structure we will be using is this:
Something or someone…どう思う？Dō omou which means what do you think about so and so… For example:
彼女どう思う？ Kanojo wa dō omou What do you think of her?
彼どう思う？ Kare wa dō omou What do you think of him?
Then to answer you could say your opinion plus と思う which means I think so and so. So, for example you can say 可愛いと思うよ Kawaii to omou yo which means I think she’s cute or カッコイイと思うよ Kakko ii to omou which means I think he’s cool.
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In this lesson Ami and I teach you how to ask and give your opinions on various topics using the verb 思う Omou – To think. This is usually used to say “I think that…”.
思う is a very useful phrase you use all the time in conversation in Japanese. The main grammatical structure we will be using is this:
Something or someone…どう思う？Dō omou which means what do you think about so and so… For example:
彼女どう思う？ Kanojo wa dō omou What do you think of her?
彼どう思う？ Kare wa dō omou What do you think of him?
Then to answer you could say your opinion plus と思う which means I think so and so. So, for example you can say 可愛いと思うよ Kawaii to omou yo which means I think she’s cute or カッコイイと思うよ Kakko ii to omou which means I think he’s cool.
Here are the example conversations in the podcast:
| A: | 君のなはってどう思う？ | Kimi no na wa dō omou? | What do you think of “Kimi no na wa”? |
| B: | 面白いと思うよ。 | Omoshiroi to omou yo. | I think it’s interesting. |
| A: | なんでそう思うの？ | Nande sō omou no? | Why do you think so? |
| B: | ストーリーがロマンチックだからね。 | Sutoorii ga romanchikku da kara ne. | Because the story is romantic. |
| A: | ねぇ、iPhoneってどう思う？ | Nee, iPhone te dō omou? | What do you think of the iPhone? |
| B: | まあまあだと思うよ。 | Maamaa da to omou yo. | It’s so so. |
| A: | なんでそう思うの？ | Nande sō omou no? | Why do you think so? |
| B: | 便利だけど高いからね。 | Benri dakedo taki kara ne. | Because it’s useful but expensive. |
| A: | ねぇ、この髪型ってどう思う？ | Nee, kono kamigata dō omou? | What do you think of my hairstyle? |
| B: | 似合うと思うよ。 | Niau to omou yo. | It suits you. |
| A: | なんでそう思うの？ | Nande sō omou no? | Why do you think so? |
| B: | 君は顔が小さいからね。 | Kimi wa kao ga chiisai kara ne. | Because you have a small face. |
| A: | ねぇ、彼女ってどう思う？ | Nee, kanojo te dō omou? | What do you think of her? |
| B: | 可愛いと思うよ。 | Kawaii to omou yo. | She’s cute. |
| A: | なんでそう思うの？ | Nande sō omou no? | Why do you think so? |
| B: | おっちょこちょいだからね。 | Occhokochou dakara ne. | Because she’s so clumsy. |
| A: | ねぇ、彼ってどう思う？ | Nee, kare te dō omou? | What do you think of him? |
| B: | いい人じゃないと思うよ。 | Ii hito ja nai to omou yo. | I don’t think he’s a good person. |
| A: | なんでそう思うの？ | Nande sō omou no? | Why do you think so? |
| B: | 浮気ばかりしてるからね。 | Uwaki bakari dakara ne. | Because he’s always cheating (on girls). |
| A: | ねぇ、このレストランってどう思う？ | Nee, kono restoran te dō omou? | What do you think of this restaurant? |
| B: | イマイチだと思うよ。 | IImaichi da to omou yo. | It’s a little disappointing. |
| A: | なんでそう思うの？ | Nande sō omou no? | Why do you think so? |
| B: | 食べ物は美味しいけどサービスが悪いからね。 | Tabemono wa oishii kedo saabisu ga warui kara ne. | Because although the food is good the service is bad. |
Casual and polite ways to say “I think…”
| Casual | Polite |
| どう思う？ Dō omou?What do you think? | どう思いますか Dō omoimasu ka?What do you think? |
| …と思う。…to omouI think… | …と思います。…to omoimasu.I think … |
A: 最近どう？ Saikin dō? How have you been recently?
B: 相変わらずだよ Aikawarazu da yo Same old, same old…
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These are the PDF show notes for podcast #17 “How to express your opinion in Japanese”.
For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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I hung out with Niko, the creator of Nihongo Shark for my latest Fun Friday podcast. We talked about how he started Nihongo Shark which is a website crammed full of resources for students of Japanese which is well worth a look if you have’t seen it.
We also talked about how to overcome feeling overwhelmed when learning Japanese, translation and the horrors of English education in Japan.
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In this podcast Ami and I talk about what to do if you lose your wallet or other personal items when in Japan. The good news is that Japanese people are generally very law abiding and honest. Therefore, if someone finds your lost item, there is a good chance they will hand it in to the police and you will get it back.
If you do lose something, the best idea is to ring the place you think you left it and ask if it has been found. If you lose something on the train it’s best to go to the station master’s office and ask there. If you drop something in the street then you should go to a Koban or police box.
This lesson focuses on how to call the last place you were at to ask the staff if they found you things.
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In this podcast Ami and I talk about what to do if you lose your wallet or other personal items when in Japan. The good news is that Japanese people are generally very law abiding and honest. Therefore, if someone finds your lost item, there is a good chance they will hand it in to the police and you will get it back.
If you do lose something, the best idea is to ring the place you think you left it and ask if it has been found. If you lose something on the train it’s best to go to the station master’s office and ask there. If you drop something in the street then you should go to a Koban or police box.
This lesson focuses on how to call the last place you were at to ask the staff if they found you things. Study the vocabulary list and dialogs below to learn how to do it.
| もしもし | Moshi moshi | Hello (On the phone) |
| 一番寿司でございます | Ichibanzushi de gozaimasu | This is Ichiban Sushi |
| すみません | Sumimasen | Excuse me |
| 昨日 | Kinō | Yesterday |
| そちら | Sochira | There (Polite) |
| 財布 | Saifu | Wallet |
| カバン | Kaban | Bag |
| 携帯電話 | Keitai denwa | Mobile phone |
| 忘れた | Wasureta | Forgot |
| 何色 | Nani iro | What colour |
| 少々お待ちください | Shōshō omachi kudasai | One moment please |
| 届いてますよ | Todoitemasu yo | It is here (Someone found it) |
| ありがとうございます | Arigtō gozaimasu | Thank you |
| A: | もしもし幕張メッセでございます。 | Moshi moshi, Makuhari Messe de gozaimasu. | Hello, this is Makuhari Messe. |
| B: | すみません、昨日そちらで財布を忘れたのですが。 | Sumimasen, Kinō sochira de saifu o wasureta no desu ga. | Excuse me, I left a wallet there yesterday. |
| A: | 何色のお財布ですか。 | Nani iro no osaifu desu ka | What colour is the wallet? |
| B: | 黒い革の財布です。 | Kuroi kawa no saifu desu | It is a black leather wallet. |
| A: | 少々お待ちください。届いていますよ。 | Shōshō omachi kudasai. Todoite imasu yo. | One moment please. We have it. |
| B: | ありがとうございます。 | Arigatō gozaimasu. | Thank you very much. |
| A: | もしもし一番寿司でございます。 | Moshi moshi, Ichibanzushi de gozaimasu. | Hello, this is Ichiban Sushi. |
| B: | すみません、昨日そちらでカバンを忘れたのですが。 | Sumimasen, Kinō sochira de kaban o wasureta no desu ga. | Excuse me, I left a bag there yesterday. |
| A: | 何色のおカバンですか。 | Nani iro no okaban desu ka | What colour is the bag? |
| B: | 赤い革のカバンです。 | Akai kawa no kaban desu | It is a red leather bag. |
| A: | 少々お待ちください。届いていますよ。 | Shōshō omachi kudasai. Todoite imasu yo. | One moment please. We have it. |
| B: | ありがとうございます。 | Arigatō gozaimasu. | Thank you very much. |
| A: | もしもし六本木ヒルズでございます。 | Moshi moshi, Roppongi Hiruzu de gozaimasu. | Hello, this is Roppongi Hills. |
| B: | すみません、昨日そちらで携帯電話を忘れたのですが。 | Sumimasen, Kinō sochira de keitaidenwa o wasureta no desu ga. | Excuse me, I left a mobile phone there yesterday. |
| A: | 携帯電話の機種はなんですか。 | Keitaidenwa no kishu wa nan desu ka. | What type of phone is it? |
| B: | iPhone8です。 | iPhone hachi desu. | It’s an iPhone 8. |
| A: | 少々お待ちください。届いていますよ。 | Shōshō omachi kudasai. Todoite imasu yo. | One moment please. We have it. |
| B: | ありがとうございます。 | Arigatō gozaimasu. | Thank you very much. |
Let’s study some other phrases related to lost items:
1) 申し訳ありませんが財布は届いてないようです。
Mōshi wake arimasen ga saifu wa todoite inai yō desu.
I’m very sorry but it seems your wallet hasn’t been handed in.
2) 連絡先を教えていただけたら見つかり次第ご連絡します。
Renrakusaki o oshiete itadaketara mitsukari shidai gorenraku shimasu.
If you give me your contact details we’ll contact you the moment it is found.
3) 忘れ物
Wasuremono
Lost items
4) 紛失届け
Fun shitsu todoke
A form to fill out at the police station for lost items
あたまが真っ白
Atama ga masshiro
When you mind goes completely blank or you are lost for words.
留守番電話を残す時いつもあたまが真っ白
Rusuban denwa o nokosu toki ni atama ga masshiro
When I leave a message on an answering machine my mind goes completely blank
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In this Fun Friday edition of the Learn Japanese Pod podcast, I interviewed Tomo Akiyama who is a fascinating expert linguist and well known Twitter user from Japan. We discussed a wide range of topics including the difficulties of learning Japanese and common mistakes non-native speakers make. We also talked about common English phrases Japanese people use, the words they say and they real meaning behind them.
As Tomo said, the biggest take away from this discussion is Japanese and English do not exactly translate into one another as they as such different languages.
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In this podcast, Ami and I (Alex) teach you how to talk about your favorite movies in Japanese. Listen to the podcasts and read the dialogs below to get an idea of what these phrases and dialogs mean. You can also download the PDFs too! Enjoy!
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In this podcast, Ami and I (Alex) teach you how to talk about your favorite movies in Japanese. Listen to the podcasts and read the dialogs below to get an idea of what these phrases and dialogs mean. You can also download the PDFs too! Enjoy!
| Dialog 01 | |||
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English | |
| A: | 「君の名は」見た？ | “Kimi no na wa” mita? | Did you see “Kimi no na wa”? |
| B: | 見たよ！ | Mita yo! | I saw it! |
| A: | どうだった？面白かった？ | Dō datta. Omoshirokatta? | How was it? Was it interesting? |
| B: | うん、すごく面白かったよ。 | Un, omoshirokatta yo. | Uh huh, it was interesting. |
| A: | 私も見ようかな？ | Watashi mo miyō kana | I guess I should go and see it. |
| B: | うん、すごくおすすめだよ。 | Un, sugoku osusume da yo. | Yeah, I highly recommend it |
| Dialog 02 | |||
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English | |
| A: | 「ミニオンズ」見た？ | “Minions” mita? | Did you see “Minions”? |
| B: | 見たよ！ | Mita yo! | I saw it! |
| A: | どうだった？面白かった？ | Dō datta. Omoshirokatta? | How was it? Was it interesting? |
| B: | 面白かったけど、声優がイマイチだった。 | Omoshirokatta kedo seiyuu ga imaichi datta. | It was interesting but the voice actors weren’t so good. |
| A: | 私も見ようかな？ | Watashi mo miyō kana | I guess I should go and see it. |
| B: | そうだね、もし週末時間があったら見に行ってみればいいよ。 | Sō da ne, moshi shuumatsu jikan ga attara mi ni itte mireba ii yo. | Well, if you have time at the weekend, you should go and see it. |
| Dialog 03 | |||
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English | |
| A: | 「スターウォーズ」見た？ | Sutaauozu mita? | Did you see Star Wars? |
| B: | 見たよ！ | Mita yo! | I saw it! |
| A: | どうだった？面白かった？ | Dō datta. Omoshirokatta? | How was it? Was it interesting? |
| B: | 全然面白くなかった。ストーリーがつまらなかった。 | Zenzen omoshirokunakatta. Sutōrii ga tsumaranakatta. | It wasn’t interesting at all. The story was boring. |
| A: | 私も見ようかな？ | Watashi mo miyō kana | I guess I should go and see it. |
| B: | 止めた方がいいよ。 | Yameta hō ga ii yo. | You shouldn’t. |
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These are the PDF show notes for podcast #15 “Talking about your favorite movies in Japanese”
For more podcasts go to http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In this podcast, Ami and I, teach you some fun conversations you can have with your friends in Japanese. The first thing you need to know when speaking on the phone in Japanese is the word Moshi moshi which is hello but used exclusively for the phone. You can use this for both casual and polite conversations.
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In this podcast, Ami and I, teach you some fun conversations you can have with your friends in Japanese. The first thing you need to know when speaking on the phone in Japanese is the word Moshi moshi which is hello but used exclusively for the phone. You can use this for both casual and polite conversations.
Listen to the podcast and read the dialogs below to get a better idea of how to have a conversation on the phone in Japanese with your friends.
| Dialog 01 | |||
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English | |
| A: | もしもし | Moshi moshi | Hello |
| B: | もしもし、あみ元気？ | Moshi moshi, Ami genki? | Hello, how are you Ami? |
| A: | 元気だよ | Genki da yo | I’m good. |
| B: | 最近どう？ | Saikin dō? | How have you been recently? |
| A: | 最近は仕事漬けの毎日! | Saikin wa shigotozuke no mainichi! | Recently, I’ve been so busy at work. |
| B: | そうなんだ……大変だね。 | Sō nan da…Taihen da ne. | Oh really…that’s tough. |
| A: | 全然平気！ | Zenzen heiki! | I’m totally fine! |
| Dialog 02 | |||
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English | |
| A: | もしもし | Moshi moshi | Hello |
| B: | もしもし、あみ元気？ | Moshi moshi, Ami genki? | Hello, how are you Ami? |
| A: | 元気だよ | Genki da yo | I’m good. |
| B: | 最近どう？ | Saikin dō? | How have you been recently? |
| A: | 最近、彼女ができたよ | Saikin kanojo ga dekita yo | Recently I got a new girlfriend |
| B: | そうなんだ！良かったね！ | Sō nan da! Yokatta ne! | Oh really? That’s great! |
| A: | 毎日楽しすぎる！ | Mainichi tanoshisugiru! | It’s so much fun everyday! |
| Dialog 03 | |||
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English | |
| A: | もしもし | Moshi moshi | Hello |
| B: | もしもし、あみ元気？ | Moshi moshi, Ami genki? | Hello, how are you Ami? |
| A: | 元気だよ | Genki da yo | I’m good. |
| B: | 最近どう？ | Saikin dō? | How have you been recently? |
| A: | 最近、ジムに通い出したよ | Saikin jimu ni kayoidashita yo | Recently I started going to the gym. |
| B: | そうなんだ！良いね！ | Sō nan da! Ii ne! | Oh really? That’s good! |
| A: | 毎日筋肉痛がやばいよ！ | Mainichi kinnikutsuu ga yabai yo! | The muscle soreness is really bad everyday! |
携帯電話 – Keitai denwa – Mobile phone
携帯番号 – Keitai bangō – Mobile number
メアド – Meado – Mail address
待受画面 – Machiukegamen – Standby screen (for phone)
写メ – Shame – Mobile phone picture
スマホ – Sumaho – Smart Phone
ガラケー – Garakeh – Flip phone
田中さんはいらっしゃいますか – Tanaka san wa irasshaimasu ka
Is Tanaka san there? / Can I speak to Mr. Tanaka?
田中は出かけております – Tanaka wa dekakete orimasu.
Tanaka is out right now.
伝言をお願いします – Dengon o onegaishimasu.
Can I leave a message please?
折り返しお電話いただけますか – Orikaeshi odenwa itadakemasu ka?
Could you ask them to call me back please?
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These are the PDF show notes for podcast #14 “Talking on the phone in Japanese”
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In this podcast, I talk to Andy, a great friend of mine whom I have known for over 10 years here in Japan. As we are both long term residents of Tokyo, we wanted to record a podcast outlining the best and the worst of life here in the capital city of Japan. We decided to look at the good, the bad and the ugly to give an honest and balanced discussion of what it is really like to live here. If you are thinking about moving to Tokyo to live or just want to come for a brief visit, we hope there is some useful information for you here. So sit back, relax and enjoy the show.
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In this podcast Ami and Alex discuss in detail everything you need to know about becoming fluent in Japanese.
For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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My speaking fluent Japanese…sort of…
One of the most common questions I get at Learn Japanese Pod is “How do I learn to speak Japanese fluently?”. The usual problem I hear is that although students study lots of vocabulary and grammar, they can’t seem to put it together to hold even a simple conversation. Fluency seems out of the question. Well, I hear you because I used to be in the same situation. I was really frustrated. However, after a lot of trial and error… and coffee, I eventually began to discover some effective study techniques, strategies and the mindset that actually worked.
Now, fluency didn’t happen overnight but my ability to hold natural flowing conversations with my Japanese friends got noticeably better and my progress definitely sped up. So if you are feeling confused, frustrated and your motivation is crumbling, it’s time to get your Japanese back on track. So this is why I decided to make this podcast and guide to show you absolutely everything you need to know to speak Japanese fluently.
You can listen to the podcast here where Ami sensei and I discuss this topic in detail. Then keep reading below for more in-depth information with links to useful resources.
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| A: 先生、質問しても良いですか？ | Sensei, shitsumon shite mo ii desu ka. | Teacher, may I ask a question? |
| B: はい、どうぞ。 | Hai dōzo. | Sure, go ahead. |
| A: どうすれば日本語を流暢に話せるようになりますか？ | Dō sureba nihongo o ryuuchō ni hanaseru you ni narimasu ka? | How can I become fluent at speaking Japanese? |
| B: そうですね。やっぱり教材はもちろんですが、日本のテレビを観たり、日本の音楽をたくさん聴いてみてください。 | Sō desu ne. Yappari kyōzai wa mochiron desu ga, nihon no terebi o mitari, nihongo no ongaku o takusan kiite kudasai. | Let me see. Well of course you need study materials but you should watch Japanese TV, listen to a lot of music, stuff like that. |
| A: なるほど。 | Naruhodo. | I see. |
| B: 私の友達は、日本に住んだことはないですが、そうやって日本語を結構覚えましたよ。 | Watashi no tomodachi wa nihon ni sunda koto ga nai desu ga sō yatte nihongo o kekkō oboemashita yo. | I have a friend who never lived in Japan. However, he learned a lot of Japanese that way. |
| A: 他に何かアドバイスはありますか？ | Hoka ni adobaisu ga arimasu ka? | Do you have any other advice? |
| B: 日本語が話せる友達を作って、積極的に日本語で会話をしましょう。 | Nihongo ga hanaseru tomodachi o tsukutte, sekkyokuteki ni nihongo de kaiwa o shimashou. | Make Japanese speaking friends and proactively try to have conversations in Japanese. |
| A: 分かりました。頑張ります！ | Wakarimashita. Ganbarimasu. | I understand. I will do my best. |
Here’s the brutal truth.
There is no secret to speaking fluent Japanese. And if anyone tells you there is a magical course that teaches you how to speak perfect Japanese in 3 days, buy a fire extinguisher because someone’s pants are on fire. It takes time, commitment and hard work…and coffee…I mentioned coffee right?
Anyway, I can’t give you a magic pill BUT…
And this is a big but…
I can tell you the dumb things I did so you don’t have to. And that’s going to save you a LOT of time and frustration. Plus there are more efficient and effective ways to study that will further save time.
But what do we actually mean by “fluency”?
Fluent doesn’t necessarily mean native speaker level. To me, fluency simply means you can express what you want to say, clearly, easily and quickly without getting stuck or stumbling over your words. If you can order sushi or do a simple self introduction in Japanese, you have a basic level of fluency. No, you’re not native level but you could survive in Japan with a limited number of phrases. So don’t feel overwhelmed. Remember fluency isn’t how much you know, it’s how well you use it.
So, let’s move to the first step you need to take on your journey to Japanese fluency.
Perhaps the biggest mistake students of Japanese make is not being clear about what they want to achieve. You need to set clear, specific goals, broken down into small achievable steps with deadlines. And here are my personal reasons:
So what’s a good goal? If you say “I want to speak kick ass, ninja level Japanese” that’s all well and good but it’s too vague and lacks a clear goal. Something better would be “I want to be able to say 100 travel related phrases fluently for my trip to Japan in three months”.
Now you know the following:
Breaking down your goal into small achievable steps will increase your chances of success. So learning 100 phrases in 3 months is a pace of just over 1 phrase a day, totally achievable.
Try to set a goal that inspires and motivates you. Also, try to pick a goal that allows you to be able to do something. You want to build skills rather than simply piling up words. Here are some examples:
I want to learn all the phrases to order food at a Japanese restaurant within 2 weeks.
I want to be able to ask and understand directions in Japanese in one month.
To really demonstrate how a short and laser focused goal can help you make progress more quickly, try out my completely free 5 Day Japanese Challenge. It emails you a new lesson every day and if you follow the course properly you will be able to give a natural self introduction in flawless Japanese in five days.
If you are still not sure what goal to set, choose something, anything, simply to get started. For example, you could attempt to pass the N5 Japanese Language Proficiency Test in 6 months. And even if you fail the test, you will have still improved your Japanese.
Now you have a clear goal, you will need good materials and resources to study with. This depends on your goal and level of Japanese. For beginners, I recommend buying a good standard Japanese textbook. Now, this won’t guarantee fluency, however, a good textbook will teach you the basic grammar and vocabulary you need to build your base before you can attempt conversations. Here are some of my top recommendations:
GENKI I
Nihongo Fun and Easy – A smaller but awesome little Japanese conversational textbook that focuses more on daily situational dialogs and includes a CD to practice with. This is not as comprehensive as Genki but might get you speaking basic Japanese more quickly.
NIHONGO Breakthrough
Again, these textbooks won’t make you fluent over night. However, they will give you the essential base Japanese grammar and vocabulary you need to work towards fluency.
And textbooks on their own are not enough. We need to look at some effective techniques to get you speaking more fluently in less time.
If there was only one single technique I could teach you that would massively help your fluency, that would be drilling. It’s an incredibly powerful technique that will build you vocabulary, speed, pronunciation and fluency.
Drilling is simply repeating phrases out loud over and over again until you can say them easily and without thinking.
I first started studying Japanese on my own. I bought a random Japanese conversation textbook, read the dialogs, listened to the audio and repeated every phrase and conversation until I could say them automatically. The book wasn’t that great and some of the conversations were kind of boring and not even that useful. Here is a reconstruction of the silly things I drilled:
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| A: 田中さんの車はどこの車ですか | Tanaka san no kuruma wa doko no kuruma desu ka | Mr. Tanaka, what make of car is that? |
| B: トヨタの車です | Toyota no kuruma desu | It’s a Toyota |
| A: あ、そうですか | A sou desu ka | Oh really? |
One would have thought a more interesting conversation would have been:
A: Hey Tanaka, what make of car is that?
B: See the sign that says Toyota on the front? Yeah that means it’s a Toyota…you idiot!
ANYWAY…
It wasn’t the best textbook in the world. However, drilling the dialogs out loud repeatedly really helped it all stick in my head. And as I discovered it improved my memory, pronunciation, speed and fluency. I didn’t become fluent immediately but my progress noticeably did speed up.
Another effective technique I discovered was gap fills. A gap fill is drilling a sentence and changing one word every time you repeat it. Take the following sentence and say this as many times as it takes to stick in your head:
日本語を上達させるためには勉強が大事だ
Nihongo o jōtatsu suru tame ni wa benkyō ga daiji da
To improve your Japanese fluency, study is important.
Now you have learned that, you can say it again but this time change the word in red to something else so you can make a new sentence.
日本語を上達させるめには読書が大事だ
Nihongo o jōtatsu suru tame ni wa dokusho ga daiji da
To improve your Japanese fluency, study is important.
You can also use a little humour to make things fun and memorable.
日本語を上達させるためにはコーヒーが大事だ
Nihongo o jōtatsu suru tame ni wa kōhii ga daiji da
To improve your Japanese fluency, coffee is important.
The reason I love this technique is it allows you to drill and learn useful patterns of speech. But it also allows you to create an almost infinite number of new unique sentences. This is how fluency begins.
One last technique is shadowing. Shadowing involves playing audio and repeating out loud exactly what you hear. So just listen and repeat. The textbooks I mentioned earlier have audio CDs you can use.
You could also shadow using youtube videos and even music CDs if you have them. Karaoke is also a great way to build your listening and speaking skills.
So the are various ways to drill and all very effective in building your spoken muscle memory so you can develop automatic recall which is what you will need to speak Japanese fluently.
Paraphrasing is the ability to express the meaning of something using different words. Being able to say the same thing using different words or phrases massively boosts your fluency because it forces you to expand your spoken vocabulary. It’s not an easy skill and requires a fair amount of study. However it is worth it because it is a powerful technique for boosting your fluency.
There are various ways you can paraphrase. Here are my favourite three.
Being able to define a Japanese word in Japanese is a great exercise. For example, let’s use the word 暑い – Atsui – which as you probably know means hot. But can you describe what it means in Japanese? You could say 温度の高いもの – Ondo no takai mono – something with a high temperature. To do this yourself, use a good online Japanese dictionary such as the Goo dictionary at dictionary.goo.ne.jp
The second way is to find a synonym, that is another word which has a similar meaning. So you could use the word 熱 – Netsu – which means heat or fever. Or perhaps you can use the word 暖かい – Atatakai – which means warm.
The third way is to find an antonym, a phrase that means the opposite. If you use the negative form, it’s another way to paraphrase a word. For example, instead of 暑い you could say 寒くない which means not cold.
You don’t have to use all these techniques but being able to define a Japanese word in Japanese is a really powerful skill you should study towards. Again, use a good Japanese dictionary to help you.
There’s a good chapter on paraphrasing in Japanese in the book 13 Secrets for Speaking Fluent Japanese
Now, I know some of you might be shy, attached to your textbook or live in an area where there are very few Japanese people. One of the most common complaints I hear is “I have no Japanese friends to practice with”.
However, if you really want to eventually be able to speak Japanese fluently you HAVE TO get out there and practice with native speakers. I know what you’re going to say; it’s impossible because [insert reason here…]. So here are some ideas that might possibly work for you.
If those methods don’t work for you, then there is only one option left…
I was incredibly lucky to be able to study Japanese intensively for one year in Tokyo when I was in university. I was able to take advantage of the language exchange program between my university in London and Tokyo.
When I got to Japan, I had studied Japanese for a year. However, after living in a dormitory of Japanese guys who spoke next to no English and studying intensively everyday, my Japanese fluency rapidly improved.
Not only that, it was one of the most enjoyable years I had at university. In fact if I hadn’t had that year, I don’t think my Japanese would be anywhere as good as it was today.
So I highly recommend coming to Japan to fully immerse yourself in the culture, language and life in Japan. If you keep studying and practicing I guarantee you will make speedier progress than just studying on your own at home.
If a year of intensive study sounds daunting, time consuming and expensive, I wont lie, it is. However, even if you can only manage to go for only a few months or weeks and enrol in a Japanese program, I recommend it as one of the most effective ways to make progress to Japanese fluently. These days there are lots of small colleges that do short Japanese courses for quite a reasonable price. Some of them will also help you with visa applications and a place to stay.
So, if you haven’t, go to Japan my friend!
Let me finish this guide with a few more observations, strategies and mindsets that might help you to achieve your goal of learning to speak Japanese fluently.
If you go to the gym on Monday and exercise for 10 hours, you won’t get fit. It’s much better to exercise a little everyday over the long term. In the same way, you want to study and use Japanese on a regular basis.
Of course you have to lay the groundwork and study Japanese regularly. However you also need to get out there and use it in real life. Always ask yourself, what will I be able to do if I study a particular lesson rather than trying to randomly cram words. This is also why you need to make Japanese friends if you haven’t!
When you start out in Japanese you have to study grammar to give you a framework to use to construct your own basic sentences. However, the more advanced you become, the less you will be able to rely on your textbook to learn natural patterns of speech. So get as much real speaking and listening practice as you can to pick up the real Japanese not in your textbooks.
One thing I wished I had learned earlier was to have a deeper understanding of the culture behind the grammar and vocabulary I was learning. Learning more about Japanese culture gives you a much deeper understanding of the language and will make you a much better speaker.
For example, understanding different levels of politeness in Japanese will give you a really good insight into the culture and make your Japanese sound more natural.
Don’t be the foreigner who can speak fluent Japanese but just doesn’t “get it” and offends everyone. That’s called KY or Kuuki Yomei – someone who literally can’t “read the air” and is culturally unaware. You have been warned!
This is kind of obvious but it’s worth saying. You have to make your studies fun, engaging and relevant to your interests. Don’t get too serious, have fun and good luck!
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In our latest Fun Friday Podcast, Ami and I talked about our favourite Japanese bands and other recent news that has been happening in our lives
Welcome to Learn Japanese Pod and the Fun Friday episode where we temporarily put down our Japanese textbooks and talk about Japanese culture and anything else to do with Japan that floats into our heads. In this episode, Ami sensei and I talked about our favorite Japanese bands. I kinda showed my age with some of my selection with some old classic Japanese bands most older people know. But Ami Sensei also likes some of those old classics too so we have a lot of music in common that we like.
So here is a break down of some of the music we talked about.
1. Utada Hikaru – Fantome
If you don’t know who Utada Hikaru is, you must have been living in a cave. She is a diva megastar of Japanese pop and has a long career spanning all the way back to the late 90s. Her latest album is Fantome and features quite an eclectic range of styles on the album. It’s definitely worth a listen and for me Utada is one of those go-to classic J-Pop stars you should have in your Japanese music collection.
2. Kick The Can Crew – Super original
I hadn’t heard of Kick the Can Crew until Ami introduced them to me on the podcast. And on the first listen I really liked them. Japanese are masters of importing foreign culture and recreating it with their own unique interpretation. And rap is no exception. Japanese rap has come into its own and is considered to be a unique and innovative genre. If you like Kick the Can Crew and want to check out more great Japanese rap bands then you won’t go wrong with Rip Slyme and Dragon Ash.
3. Super Fly – Ai O Komete Hanataba O
Super Fly is often called the Janis Joplin of J-Pop. She sings a mix of J-pop and rock and has a wide range and present vocal stle which is a refreshing break from your typical female Japanese singer. She has some pretty solid albums and songs out there and one of my favorites is 愛をこめて花束を Ai o komete hanataba – a song that really showcases some great song writing and powerful singing. That’ll definitely get your toes tapping.
4. Wednesday Campanella – Diablo
Wednesday Campanella is a Japanese pop group headed by the super talented KOM_I, a singer and rapper with an hilarious sense of humour and a very original and creative style. In terms of genre it mixes rap, hop hop, electronic music and J-pop. Their videos are also pretty funny and worth a listen.
5. Okuda Tamio – Marshmallow
Okuda Tamio is a singer song writer, guitarist and producer. He was formerly in a band called Unicorn which was pretty famous in Japan. He later quit to follow his own career. If you ask most Japanese people they will have heard of him and is also known for producing the hit band Puffy. The reason I like him is simple. In a word: guitar. As a nerdy guitarist I love the way he produces rock and gets an incredibly fat guitar sounds. Worth a listen!
6. Dry and Heavy – New Creation
Back in the 90s, reggae hit Japan in a big way and the Japanese reggae scene was born. Today you have some really big reggae music events in Japan including the Reggae Sun Splash festival. One really solid Japanese reggae band I love is “Dry and heavy” which has an incredibly well produced and tight sound. One thing I have found is their albums age really well so they are always a good go to band of summer parties and something to listen to on the beach.
7. Urufuruzu – Osaka Strut
ウルフルズ Urufuruzu are a rock band from Osaka and “Osaka Strut” is one of their big hits. The band is headed by the charismatic Tortoise Matsumoto who has also tried his hand at acting. They enjoyed their biggest initial success with the song “Guts Da Ze”, a song you should attempt only when you have achieved your black belt in Karaoke.
8. Southern All stars
Southern All Stars are perhaps one of the most, if not, the most famous band in Japan. They have a long career stretching back to the late 70s and are still active now performing live and having their music featured in adverts and on TV. They have over 15 number one hits and, in short, are a legendary band. Go check them out, there’s a lot of music to choose from!
9. Begin
Begin are one of my favorite bands for their great song writing and singing. Their music is influenced by the culture and history of Okinawa. You can hear the traditional San Shin in a lot of their music. It’s a 3 stringed guitar unique to Okinawa. Their most well known songs are “San shin no hana” and “Shimanchu nu takara”.
10. Mr Children
Mr. Children (ミスターチルドレン Misutā Chirudoren)is rock group from Japan who are another mega group with a career going back to the early 90s. Known more commonly as “Misu-Chiru” (ミスチル), they are a band just about everyone has heard of in Japan. They have a large discography and an impressive share of number one hits. All I can say is, do a google search and see where that takes you as they have a fair bit of music out there.
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In this podcast, Ami Sensei and I teach you how to describe people’s personalities in natural Japanese.
For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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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.
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.
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.
| 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! |
| 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:
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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:
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
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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These are the PDF show notes for podcast #12 “Talking about personality in Japanese”
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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”.
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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”.
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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These are the show notes tp podcast #11 “Japanese Verbs – Taberu”.
For more Japanese learning podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In this podcast Ami and Alex go through the top 10 most common questions you will be asked by Japanese people on your first visit to Japan. Enjoy!
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These are the dialogues from podcast #10 “The top 10 questions you will be asked in Japan”
After living in Japan for over 20 years as a foreigner, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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These are the downloadable PDF show notes for podcast #10 “The Top 10 Questions you will be asked in Japan”.
For more Japanese language learning podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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In this week’s Fun Friday Podcast I talked with my good friend Niko who is the creator of Nihongo Shark, a website for learning Japanese.
Niko is a Jedi master of online language self-study techniques which he developed while trying to teach himself Japanese. If you were ever frustrated with your Japanese studies, Niko understands, as he used to struggle too. And that’s what makes him such a great teacher and Nihongoshark such a great Japanese language learning resource. His philosophy is about teaching people how to teach themselves Japanese more effectively and quickly. This is opposed to wanting to curl up in a ball and cry every time you see a Japanese textbook.
Niko is a prolific creator of great online Japanese lessons and some pretty hilarious blog posts. His website has a wide variety Japanese lessons, advice on language learning, a newsletter and language courses for motivated Japanese students.
In the podcast I talked to Niko about his recent travels in Thailand, his experience and advice about language learning and of course how to suck less at speaking Japanese.
For more Japanese language learning podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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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.
For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com
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These are the dialogues for 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.
Sushi Vocabulary
大将 Taishō – (Sushi) chef
サーモン Saamon – Salmon
マグロ Maguro – Tuna
たまご Tamago – Egg
雲丹 Uni – Sea urchin
いくら Ikura – Salmon roe
貫 Kan – Counter for sushi
一貫 Ikkan – 1 piece of sushi
二貫 Nikan – 2 pieces
三貫 Sankan – 3 pieces
一貫ずつ Ikkan zutsu – One piece of each
お願いします Onegaishimasu – Please
さび抜き Sabinuki – Without wasabi
あがり一丁 Agari ichō – Tea
できますか Dekimasu ka – Can you make it?
お冷や Ohiya – Cold water
お椀 Owan – Soup
茶碗蒸し Chawan Mushi – Egg and custard dish
えんがわ Engawa – Fin of flounder (flatfish)
ごちそうさまでした Gochisōsama deshita – That was delicious
回転寿し Kaitenzushi – Conveyor belt sushi
お腹いっぱい Onaka ippai – I’m full
刺身 Sashimi – Slices of fish
寿司 Sushi – Slices of fish on rice
つまみ Tsumami – Used when ordering just the meat of the fish rather than sushi
ガリ Gari – Slices of ginger in sweet vinegar
Main Dialogue
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
7) How to dip sushi in soy sauceThe 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.
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.
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.
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.
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These are the downloadable PDF show notes for podcast #09 “How to order Sushi at a Japanese Restaurant”
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