Japanese Learning Blog Japanese Blog

June 8, 2016

Japanese Caligraphy: Learn the culture through words

Japanese calligraphy is not only an important part of Japanese culture but also a relaxing and fun way to practice your Kanji! If you are troubled by Kanji studies, why don’t you take a break with some brushes and ink? Japanese Calligraphy’s History & PhilosophyMore than Holding a Brush and Drawing StrokesTools commonly used […]

June 6, 2016

A Japanese Word for June: Tsuyu

Do you believe an umbrella will just do the trick when the rain starts falling? Well, keep that thought in mind, experience the Japanese rainy season, 梅雨（つゆ） , and get back to us! The Japanese rainy season starts in late spring and ends in early summer – roughly the beginning of June until mid-July in […]

June 2, 2016

Japanese Bento (弁当): Much more than just a box of food

You would be very mistaken to think that Japanese bento is merely a quickly prepared meal for busy people. In essence, it is the love of ones who make wrapping for ones who take. Japanese bentos form an integral part of the food culture, which cannot be simply traced from a packed meal. The word bento […]

June 1, 2016

Japanese Conversational Skills: Using Ending Particles "Ne (ね)" and "Yo (よ)"

When studying Japanese, one of the first ending particles you learn is ka (か). This acts as a question mark and turns the whole sentence into a question. It’s one of the many ending particles used in Japanese and is grammatically practical to designate a question. As ending particles in Japanese convey a lot of context […]

May 30, 2016

The Art of Aizuchi: Active Listening in Japanese Conversation

First, watch our video about Aizuchi above! What is The Art of Aizuchi? “Sou” Variations Expressing “I got it!” Showing Your Surprise! Using Aizuchi Properly What is The Art of Aizuchi? To master conversing in Japanese, you must first learn the Art of Aizuchi: A way to indicate to the speaker that you are actively listening. […]

May 23, 2016

Learning Japanese: Knowing the Punctuation used in Japanese Writing

Japanese Study

Without punctuation, language is doomed to be ambiguous. And yet, you would be quite surprised to discover that in Japan, punctuation did not even exist before the 19th century. Despite it being widespread during the Meiji Era, it wasn’t until 1946 that the Japanese punctuation we know of today was imposed by the Ministry of […]

May 23, 2016

Coto's events in June! Pera Pera Night is back!

Japanese Culture

This is an older post – to see our upcoming monthly events – click here Monthly Events at Coto Coto Japanese Academy events in June are so promising! Perapera Night, Lunch Tour, Calligraphy Class, Kabuki Show & a Special Cooking Class! Perapera Active Learning Night Perapera Active Learning Night Friday, June 3rd Have you heard of the Japanese […]

May 19, 2016

Japanese for Love: How to express your feelings

Having many loan words, Japanese for love sometimes might sound familiar to our ears. That’s why it’s not that difficult to learn these useful words and phrases Love-Love…?Origins of Love-Love (ラブラブ)Other Loan words related to LoveTraditional Japanese words related to Love Love-Love…? – They are so love-love!– What are you saying?!– ラブラブだって!– Ah! You […]

May 10, 2016

Moshi Moshi (もしもし): Japanese Phone Etiquette

Speaking in Japanese on the phone is a next level challenge for most students. Here's our handy guide for some key phrases that you need to know.

May 6, 2016

Ways to say "I Love You" in Japanese

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How Do Japanese people use “I Love You”? Do you know how to say “I love you” in Japanese? You may have heard “ai shiteru” or “suki” as ways to express love in Japanese. In this article we explain the Japanese nuances behind the love related words in Japanese. On the other hand, check out […]

April 28, 2016

Discover the Japanese Golden Week!

School News

Coto Japanese Academy will only be open for the Golden Week 5 Day Course on May 3rd, 4th, and 5th. Please note that on April 29th and May 3/4/ 5, there will be no Private Lesson nor Nihongo Plus classes! The 29th of April marks the start of a very special week for the Japanese, as […]

April 25, 2016

Understand Better Keigo: Japanese Honorific Prefixes お and ご

Introduction Rules of Japanese Honorific Prefixes Frequent Expressions Japanese Polite Prefixes When learning the Japanese respectful speech called Keigo, the attention is often focused on verbs construction and the social relations between a speaker and a listener. However, Keigo covers more than set expressions and situational examples, and in particular Japanese uses Honorific Prefixes. Most of […]