The easiest way to say “I understand” in Japanese is 分かります (wakarimasu, meaning “to understand”), but it doesn’t always capture every nuance. Similar to English, the phrases “I know,” “I understand,” and “I comprehend” carry subtly different meanings despite their similarity. In Japanese, this complexity runs even deeper, since certain phrases can sound more polite […]

To achieve fluency, you need to memorize a set of 2,136 kanji called Joyo Kanji, and to make things harder, many can look misleadingly similar. It’s all too easy for Japanese learners to mistake a kanji character for another. But don’t worry! There are subtle details to look for, and in many cases you can […]

It’s okay to make mistakes. We’re all carrots after all.

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Coto Academy has always been committed to providing the highest-quality Japanese lessons at the fairest price possible. That commitment hasn’t changed since 2000, and it’s thanks to our students, staff, and teachers that we’ve grown so much over the years. To maintain the level of lesson quality you deserve, we’ve made the decision to adjust […]

The Japanese writing system uses three types of script: hiragana, katakana, and kanji. The unique thing is that it is a mixed logographic and syllabic system. Logographic is a writing system based on meanings or ideas, and the syllabic is based on sounds (syllabic). When you first start learning Japanese, you might start off using […]

Have you ever used a phrase from your textbook in conversation, just to receive that awkward cringe from a native speaker? We’ve all been there. While learning via a Japanese textbook is one of the best ways to get started, textbooks are far too formal for daily conversation. That’s exactly why they won’t help you […]

Aoi (青い) is a color that can often be said as blue or green, but what is the actual meaning and culture behind the adjective?