Japanese grammar and more! (Episode 5: the negative verb tense)
In this 5th episode of my new podcast for beginning Japanese, a talk about the negative verb tense, another usage of the “wa” particle, and a useful daily expression.
Category Archives: grammar
Japanese grammar and more! (Episode 4: existence verbs, “ga” and “ni” particles, etc.)
In episode 4 of my new podcast for Japanese beginners, I discuss the two verbs of existence, as well as the particles “ni” and “ga”.
Japanese grammar and more! (Episode 3: 1st person pronouns, the “yo” particle, an everyday greeting…)
In the 3rd episode of my new Podcast about learning Japanese, I touch on the following topics: Introduction to first person pronouns Using the particle “yo” Vocabulary words related to drinks or drinking (“coffee”, etc.) Using people’s names in a sentence. A common greeting You can also hear this episode on Spotify here (along with… Read More »
“Japanese grammar and more!” Episode 2
I’ve released the second episode of my new podcast, “Japanese grammar and more!”. This time I’ll be going over basic word order, nouns and verbs, dictionary tense, and a basic introduction to particles.
A new podcast about learning Japanese: “Grammar and more!” (Episode 1)
This is the first episode of a new podcast I am starting about Japanese grammar basics, targeted at beginning students (but also helpful for intermediate students).
Japanese bilingual reader book release: “Kantan! Read Japanese stories like a native (Volume 2)”
I’m proud to announce the second book in my new series of Japanese bilingual readers, showcasing “The Bowels of the City”, a historically relevant experimental work by modernist author Riichi Yokomitsu (横光利一).
Japanese grammar: the fickle word “ii” (良い) and a trio of particles
After studying a foreign language for a certain amount of time, you develop a level of confidence about grammar and commonly used words. But for all of us that have learned a language as a non-native, there comes a time when we fail to use even the simplest of words properly, resulting in disastrous consequences…… Read More »
Important Japanese word: よく (yoku)
In this post I want to highlight a common and important word in the Japanese language, “yoku”. It can be written in hiragana as よく, and depending on the meaning can also be written in kanji as 良く or 欲. The first meaning I would like to go over is the most common one, which… Read More »
Advanced Japanese technique: changing a thought mid-stream
As we learn a foreign language, we gradually improve our vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation, and at the same time gain other more abstract skills that help us understand and communicate better. Often these things happen subconsciously, but you can also learn these types of skills explicitly and try to apply them to your daily language… Read More »
Several usages of “mono”（もの）in Japanese
“Mono” in Japanese (usually written in hiragana as もの, and sometimes in kanji as 物) is a word that has the basic meaning of “thing”, generally in the sense of a physical (often tangible) thing. 店でいいものを買ったよ (mise de ii mono wo katta yo) I bought something good (=a good thing) at the store. However this… Read More »