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35 Japanese Proverbs & What They Actually Mean

Japanese proverbs, or ことわざ (kotowaza), are a great way to improve your language skills with more figurative speech. Exploring outside the typical methods of memorizing kanji and vocabulary, kotowaza can teach you how to use more nuanced phrases.  Plus, they can help you dive deeper into Japanese culture. Kotowaza paint a picture of different situations […]

Japanese zen garden, an old tradition capturing the wisdom of Japanese philosophy much like Japanese proverbs

How to Write an Email in Japanese: Structure + Template

Writing an email in Japanese isn’t as overwhelming as it sounds. You just need a few key expressions to maintain proper etiquette, and the rest sort of falls into place. In English, we also follow a set of formalities to show good manners. You usually start with a greeting like “Dear…” and end with a […]

email in Japanese

10 Japanese Dad Jokes to Learn

Be warned: you are about to read the most groan-worthy Japanese dad jokes ever! 親父ギャグ (Oyaji gyagu), literally meaning “old man gags,” is the Japanese equivalent of “dad jokes.” They are characterized by cheesy puns, or ダジャレ in Japanese. Similar to English, Japanese puns are built on homophones, or words that sound the same but […]