Yoroshiku onegaishimasu (よろしくお願いします) is one of those quintessential Japanese words that is highly ingrained into the culture but very difficult to translate to English.

In 2025, the average JLPT pass rate was just 35%. See how Coto Academy students achieved an 83% pass rate—more than double the average—and how you can too.

Apples and oranges. Walking and running. Swiftly and slowly. In English, connecting ideas is usually as simple as inserting the word “and” between two items. But in Japanese, expressing “and” is a bit more nuanced.  In fact, the language offers multiple ways to connect words, phrases, and even full sentences. This depends on what you’re […]

Want to learn some of Japan’s no-no words? We’ll be going over some of Japan’s Swear Words that you probably should not be using. They can range from kind of insulting to you’ll get punched if you say this. Read on to learn more!

In Japan, “rock paper scissors” is referred to as “じゃんけん”(Janken). Although it is called different names in different places, the rules of the game are generally the same in every country. The full countdown phrase is じゃんけんぽん (Janken pon!), equivalent to “Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot!”In Japan, janken is used to settle disagreements, select participants, and […]

Ever wondered about different ways to respond to “Thank you” in Japanese? In this article, we cover the various ways to say “You’re Welcome” in Japanese.

Ganbare (頑張れ) or ganbatte (頑張って) is a Japanese phrase that means “Come on!” “Let’s go!” or “Go for it!” in English.

There are four basic Japanese greetings, or aisatsu (挨拶), that can be used at different times of the day. If you’re starting to learn Japanese, this will be the first thing you’re introduced to. After all, you don’t want to accidentally claim “Good morning” in the middle of the night or say “Have a good […]