In this blog series, we will give some critical vocabulary for politics in Japanese.

These vocabulary words are designed to expand your range of words so that you can have more elaborate conversations.

(This will be a regular series and these blogs are primarily designed for intermediate-advanced learners – so for beginner learners we advise that you check out some of our other blogs here! 🙂 )

General Japanese words about Politics

Japanese words about forms of Government

In Japanese, there are several words that can be used to say “But” or “however” – such as kedo, shikashi, and demo.

Today we will look at the word でも (demo) and how it can be used in a Japanese conversation. It’s one of the most essential JLPT N5 grammar points.

In Japanese, the word for “But” is でも。

It usually appears at the beginning of a sentence after an initial concept.

For example:

日本人ともっと話したいです。でも、私の日本語はあまり上手ではありません。
nihonjin to motto hanashitai desu. demo, watashi no nihongo wa amari jouzu dewa arimasen.
I want to speak to Japanese people more. But my Japanese is not so good.

or

スーパーに行きました。でも、閉まっていた。
Suu-paa – ni ikimashita. demo, shmatteita.
I went to the supermarket, but it was closed

Demo is often used to start a new sentence or to connect two ideas together.

Grammar Point: でも

でも is a conjunctive particle that is used to connect two clauses. It is similar to the English word “but” in that it is used to contrast two ideas. However, there are a few key differences between the two words.

First, でも can be used at the beginning of a sentence, but “but” cannot. For example:

• でも、私は日本語が下手です。 (Demo, watashi wa nihongo ga heta desu.) – But I am not good at Japanese.

Second, でも is more informal than “but.” It is commonly used in everyday conversation, but it is not as appropriate for formal writing.

How to Use でも

でも can be used in a variety of ways to express different shades of meaning. Here are a few examples:

• To contrast two ideas:
• 私は日本語が話せます。でも、日本語が書けません。 (Watashi wa nihongo ga hanasemasu. Demo, nihongo ga kaけません.) – I can speak Japanese, but I cannot write Japanese.
• To express a concession:
• 今日は忙しいです。でも、あなたのために時間を作ります。 (Kyou wa isogashii desu. Demo, anata no tame ni jikan wo tsukurimasu.) – I am busy today, but I will make time for you.
• To express a reservation:
• 私は日本語が上手だと思います。でも、まだまだ勉強が必要です。 (Watashi wa nihongo ga umai to omoimasu. Demo, madamada benkyou ga hitsuyō desu.) – I think I am good at Japanese, but I still need to study.

Examples of でも in Japanese Sentences

Here are a few examples of how でも is used in Japanese sentences:

• 私は日本語が好きです。でも、漢字が難しいです。 (Watashi wa nihongo ga suki desu. Demo, kanji ga muzukashii desu.) – I like Japanese, but kanji is difficult.
• 今日は晴れです。でも、風がとても強いです。 (Kyou wa hare desu. Demo, kaze ga totemo tsuyoi desu.) – It is sunny today, but the wind is very strong.
• 私は日本に行きたいです。でも、お金がありません。 (Watashi wa nihon ni ikitai desu. Demo, okane ga arimasen.) – I want to go to Japan, but I don’t have money.

Conclusion

でも is a very common Japanese word that can be used to express a variety of different meanings. By following the tips in this article, you can learn how to use でも correctly and confidently in your Japanese conversations and writing.

Try it yourself! We’ve compiled 30 other N5 grammar points, so check them out here to prepare the upcoming test!

How to Use Microsoft IME on Windows 10 to Type in Japanese

For Mac, iPhone, iOS click here.
Looking to type in Japanese?
In our modern age, typing has become an essential and integrated part of daily life. From emails to Facebook comments to Google searches, we type almost without thinking on a regular basis.
But what if you want to practice typing in Japanese? Isn’t it exciting that for us in 2020, it’s super easy to do so? Back before Windows came out if you wanted to type in Japanese you had to buy a keyboard with kana. Even now most Japanese keyboards come still standard with kana on them, but not many young people use the kana keys because typing in romaji has become more popular.
In recent years, Windows has come out with a Japanese IME – Japanese typing software that utilizes Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji using an English keyboard. What’s more: it’s super simple to install and easy to use!

Installing the Japanese IME on Windows 10

Just in case you don’t already have the IME installed on your computer, let’s run through how to do that real quick! (if you already have the IME installed, skip to Typing in Japanese)
First, click on the start button in the bottom left-hand corner and open “Settings”.

Second, navigate to “Time & language” and click to go into that.

Next, open “Region & language” and select the “Add a language” button listed under Languages.

Select “日本語 – Japanese” and voila! “Japanese is added” means that the Microsoft IME is now installed and ready to go. Confirm by checking the language bar on the bottom right side of the display, which is probably still set to ENG (English). So go ahead and switch that to “Japanese Microsoft IME” to try it out!

You will notice that the keyboard still types English characters because it is set to [ A ]. This mode is used for typing English words with a Japanese keyboard, so click [ A ] and the typing mode will change to [ あ ]. Now you can type in Japanese Kana and Kanji on an English keyboard!
Now that we have installed the Microsoft IME, let’s try it out!

Romanization Systems for Typing in Japanese

The first thing you need to know is that there are 3 systems of romanization for Japanese: nihon-shiki (日本式), the Hepburn system, and kunrei-shiki (訓令式).
In short, the nihon-shiki is a transliteration of the Japanese writing system, the Hepburn system was historically the nihon-shiki’s competing system, and the kunrei-shiki is a modernized variation of the Hepburn system. The main difference is that the nihon-shiki directly transliterates the kana into English, whereas the Hepburn and kunrei systems convert into roman words with clear pronunciation. For example, nihon-shiki converts ち into “ti”, even though ち is actually pronounced “chi”.
These are generalizations because the distinctions are more complicated. The main thing to keep in mind is that the Hepburn system uses more punctuation than the others, making it a bit more difficult to type with. I recommend sticking with the kunrei-shiki, but if typing on the IME using the nihon-shiki works better for you then you can use that instead. 

Using the Microsoft IME to Type Japanese

Alright, now you are all set to give it a shot! Open up Microsoft Word (or any other word processing app you use) and switch your keyboard mode. It will be in the default mode (Half-width alphanumeric) where you can type in English like normal. The only exception is that some of the punctuation keys will have different values.
Let’s say you wanted to type in Hiragana to start. You can switch the keyboard by right-clicking the language bar on the bottom right-hand side and selecting “Hiragana”.

When you type, it will first appear as alpha-numeric (romaji) until you enter a valid kana. Try typing a Japanese word like hajimemashite and it should convert into はじめまして. Then hit “enter” and the IME will leave the kana word as it is, and is ready for you to input the next word.

What About Typing Kanji?

But what about selecting kanji? Let’s say you want to type sushi, for example, and want to use its kanji: 寿司. Type in sushi and it will convert to すし, but instead of pressing “enter”, tap the space bar instead. A list will pop up and you can use the arrow keys and space bar to go through the options available, so go to 寿司 and hit enter.

Since many Japanese kanji share common readings, multiple kanji options will appear for you to select from. However, this means you need to be able to recognize the kanji you are trying to use.
When you are all done, shortcut easily back to English typing mode with “alt” + “shift”.
For information regarding our Japanese courses, click the link below or right here.
Some of the images displayed are from cosom.co.

Start taking Japanese lessons from Coto Academy and become fluent in speaking and typing!

Do you want to learn to type written Japanese? Are you looking for apps – websites and other tools that will improve your Japanese writing composition skill? 

You may never have the time to master the handwriting of each individual kanji – but thanks to computer input methods – you are now able to compose writing in Japanese without the need of a calligraphy brush.

This week we will share a list of tools that we recommend to our students studying with us at our Japanese language school in Tokyo.

• Question and Answer Sites (HiNative, Quora)
• Community Correction / Notebook Services
• Kanji Writing Apps and  PDF Worksheet Workbooks

With computers – it has never been easier to be able to compose writing in Japanese. In the old days – you would need to learn each individual kanji and write it by hand. 

But no longer! This has lead to many people being able to learn how to write articles and publish blogs in Japanese without having to have thousands of hours of classroom instruction in writing.

This article is all about how you can type written Japanese – and the tools that we recommend to get feedback on your writing and correction.

Japanese Question and Answer Websites

The first tool that we recommend is Question and Answer sites:

If you have been on the internet recently – you may have heard of the website called Quora or Yahoo answers. These websites specialize in crowdsourcing answers for general questions.

But did you know that Quora has a Japanese language specific section?

Below is a list of Q and A sites with where you can get answers about specific usage of Japanese. And at some of these site syou can even have your Japanese proofed by native speakers.

Hi Native

Hi Native is a platform to connect language learners with native speakers of that language so that they can get corrections on the language that they are learning. 

For example – I could type something in Japanese and on Hi Native – A native Japanese speaker can explain to me the correct usage or nuance of the statement that I am trying to make.
 

Quora: Japanese Learning Section

 

Quora is the largest question and answer site on the internet and their Japanese language section has around 250,000 followers on it.  You can ask questions here and also search for questions similar to yours. 

A big warning here is that the people answering the question can often be anonymous and might not be a native speaker.  So be careful to check the responses that you get with a native speaker.
 

italki.com community answers

italki.com has a question and answer section that is typically staffed by Japanese teachers that are willing to answer your questions for free!  This is a nice tool that you can use.
 

Community Notebook Tools

There are several websites online that offer a community sourced proofreading solution.

• Hinative
• Italki

On these websites – you have the ability to write something in Japanese and then have it proofread by native speakers where they will offer you the corrections.

This is different from a question and answer tool in the sense that it allows you to have free correction of your writing.  This is a powerful and free way to improve your Japanese writing ability.

Kanji Writing Applications / Workbooks

Many people can obtain a very high level of comprehension in Japanese listening, speaking, reading, and typing – without ever actually learning how to write Kanji characters for themselves. 

There are several applications that will help you to write in Japanese by learning the stroke order from scratch.

At Coto – we have also begun producing a series of Japanese Kanji writing workbooks that you can download and print for very low cost!

• Skritter
• Coto Academy JLPT N5 Kanji Writing Workbook

Have you ever wonder how and where did the Japanese language come about? or any Japanese language facts?

Here are the top 10 mindblowing ones for you!

1. There are many ways to refer “I” in Japanese

In English, you refer yourself as “I”. But in Japanese, there are many more ways to refer to yourself. Other than 私 (watashi), there are 僕 (boku), 俺 (ore), 俺様 (oresama), 自分 (jibun) and 拙者 (sessha).

“僕” (boku) ー It is often ussed by males. This is less formal than “私” but usually accepted in a business settling as well.

“俺” (ore) ー Similar to “僕””, it is often used by males. However, “俺” has a more aggressive tone than “僕”. I would not recommend using this word as it would be considered rude towards the Japanese.

“俺様” (oresama) ー You might have heard this word in a couple of animes like Dragon Ball. For this word, you should not use it in front of your boss.

“自分” (jibun) ー This word is referred to yourself. The interesting part is you can use “自分” as a second person too! Confusing right?

“拙者” (sessha) ー Another classical way of saying “I” which means “clumsy person”. You should use this word only when you are a samurai because being humble about their abilities was a samurai thing to do.

2. Japan is the only country to have the Japanese language as their official language.

But, this does not mean Japan is the only place where the language is spoken.

For example, in the Republic of Palau, Japanese is considered a minority language is spoken there. As of 2010, 1% of Californians and 15% of Hawaiian residents speak Japanese!

3. The Japanese language is one of the most fast-paced spoken languages in the world. 

Research has been done and shown that Japanese is confirmed as one of the most-fast paced spoken languages in the world! It has an informational density of 0.49, a syllabus rate of 7.84 and an information rate of 0.74.

Compared to 6 other more major languages like English and Mandarin, the Japanese language definitely out beat them.

4. The Japanese language has no genetic relation to any other languages.

Kanji is adopted from Chinese characters and used as a Japanese writing system. Despite popular beliefs, Japanese is not related or derived from the Chinese language at all.

They do not belong to the same language family as Chinese. Considered to be one of the most unique languages in the world, the Japanese language is said to have no direct derivation! How interesting is that!

5. Romaji has an interesting origin.

During the 16th century, some may think Romaji came from the European countries. But, as a matter of fact, it does not!

Romaji has its roots in Christianity!

During the 1500s, the romaji is developed by a Japanese Catholic. They wanted to help European missionaries evangelize and promote their Jesuit religion in Japan without having to learn the complex character systems of Japanese. The oldest form of Japanese romanization is based on Portuguese.

Fun fact, the first Japanese-English dictionary to feature romaji was published by James Curtis Hepburn in the 1800s. Thus, Hepburn Romanization.

6. Japanese is the 9th most commonly spoken language by native speakers.

With around 130 million native Japanese speakers, this makes it the 9th most spoken language. It is most space-concentrated of all the most spoken languages.

Even though Through Globalisation Japanese cultures such as anime, manga and even JPop are becoming more popular. Thus, foreigners are interested in learning Japanese due to the spread of Japanese culture.

7. The Japanese language boasts a specific alphabet system for writing foreign words.

During the Heian period, Kanji words are hard to read and to accommodate this, 片仮名 (カタカナ) is adopted for the purpose of aiding in the reading of Kanji. Thus, making it easier for the Japanese to read them. 

Back to 951AD, 片仮名 (カタカナ) was used by Buddhist monks to annotate Chinese writing for Japanese readers, similar to 振り仮名 (ふりがな).

Over time, it became a way for Japanese officials to communicate with foreign traders. 片仮名 (カタカナ) consists of 48 syllabograms.

8. Japanese is not a tonal language.

The Japanese language is monotonous as compared to English. Many East Asian languages are toned in nature. For example, Mandarin and Thai rely on tone to convey meaning.

Like all languages, the Japanese do have a certain rhythm and cadence to its words and sentences. For non-native Japanese speakers, learning the cadence of the language can be difficult and challenging.

9. Little is known about the Japanese language during their prehistory.

The Japanese language’s origins that came about is still unknown today. Some sources claim that the Japanese language was brought to Japan during the early-to-mid 2nd century BC.

Others say that Japanese is connected to the Ural-Altaic language family, which includes Turkish, Mongolian, Machu, and Korean. Japanese also shows similarities to Austronesian languages like Polynesian.

There is no direct evidence that can be discerned about this period of Japanese must be based on the reconstruction of the old Japanese.

10. The Japanese language does not have a plural form

Those who have studied the Japanese language would have noticed that they do not have a plural form.
For example, in English, if it is in the singular form, we say “This is a book”. In plural form, we say “these are books”. But, Japanese is otherwise.

We say “これはほんです” (kore wa hon desu.) – This is a book, does not matter if it is singular or plural. Japanese have counters to explain if it is a lot such as ”たくさん” (takusan) – A lot or ”さまざま” (samazama) – Various.

Despite whether its singular or plural, the form of the word does not change.

Do you feel that your mind has been blown by these facts? Does it excite you to learn more Japanese? Click the link below for the different types of Japanese courses you can take,

If you are interested in studying Japanese in Tokyo, find out more about our school by filling out the form below.

Let’s face it: Japanese YouTube channels redefine what it means to go above and beyond for online entertainment.

Content creators in Japan wear a lot of faces — both literally and figuratively. They’re propelled by outlandish challenges, mukbangs and squeamish close-ups of fish cutting. We’re talking about consuming ten packs of fire noodles in one seating and cracking open sea cucumbers and poisonous starfish.

But behind the questionably thick veil of Japanese Youtubers, a lot of Japanese Youtube channels have dedicated themselves to helping their international audience learn the Japanese language and culture, proving that YouTube can be an educational platform, too.

So where do you go when you’re looking to climb out of the rabbit hole of freaky Japanese content — and into something more, say, digestible?

Of all the many gathered in the digital creative landscape, we’ve collected 50 of our top Japanese YouTube channels you should subscribe to. A lot of them provide free online Japanese learning resources.

Regardless of whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced, there are Japanese YouTube channels waiting for you.

We’re breaking them down into three categories: Teachers, vloggers and Japanese culture content creators.

Don’t know where to start? Check out Coto’s YouTube account or Coto’s blog section for more helpful Japanese tips and learning materials.

Japanese Youtube Channels: Japanese Teachers

JapanesePod101.com

Recommended for beginners, JapanesePod101 is a channel that covers topics ranging from grammar to vocabulary to reading and many more! It is a verified Japanese Youtube channel with over 2.3 million subscribers. They would host daily YouTube live streams for Japanese listening, speaking and writing. 

Kendra’s Language School

This channel has listening practices. Not only that, the videos give you practice and they have romaji and Japanese words on the screen. It would be easy to follow. Their videos cater to both English and Chinese learners.

Nihonhonomori

This channel has listening practices. Not only that, the videos give you practice and they have romaji and Japanese words on the screen. It would be easy to follow. Their videos cater to both English and Chinese learners.

Minori Education

Minori is perfect for beginners learning N5 and N4 who want to take a challenge. All of their videos are in Japanese to hone your listening skills, but you can always turn on their multilingual subtitles if the lesson goes a bit too hard. The YouTube channel uploads almost daily, and all of the Japanese tutorials are designed for students to map smooth progress. They break down vocabularies, grammar structures and questions. You will also have a practice session at the end.

NihonGoal

There’s an ongoing debate among the Japanese learning community about textbooks: Minna no Nihongo, or Genki? Helmed by Rose, you pick the prior, then NihonGoal is the perfect YouTube channel to walk you through the book. They break down the study into three series: vocabulary, grammar and Kanji. Rose isn’t a native Japanese speaker, though, so if you are focusing on speaking and Japanese pronunciation, head somewhere else.

Tokini Andy

Andy’s presence is unmatched. Combining playful monologues and great presentation skills, Tokini Andy becomes a channel to help Japanese learners nail Japanese conversational fluency — all while having fun. The textbooks he uses are also the Genki books, and his videos are aptly slow and practical. You’ll get sample sentences, extra tips for Japanese grammar and useful vocabulary. He also has his own Patreon.

Dogen

If you hear him blindfolded, you might assume he’s a Japanese — or at the very least, a hafu — but Dogen is one of the few talented international Youtuber who just so happens to nail that spot-on Japanese native-level accent. His YouTube channel primarily consists of comedic skits and quirky storytelling about very relatable Japanese antics that foreigners will understand if they live in Japan long enough. You can head to his Patreon for more thorough (and serious) Japanese phonetic lessons. 

Japanese Ammo with Misa

Japanese Ammo with Misa is flexible for both beginners and advanced learners. She gives lessons on Japanese grammar and vocabulary. There are also videos for useful Japanese phrases as well as topics on Japanese culture. The channel has many playlists that can help you enhance your Japanese learning.

Miku Real Japanese

Miku’s videos are a fun and effective way of learning Japanese. Her playlist has grammar and listening to videos for practice for beginner to intermediate learners. Not only that, you can practice your speaking skill, as well as she has a playlist called “speak with me”. She also does videos on learning Japanese with Terrace House as it would be interesting and fun to take it out of the classroom. You’ll also have access to extra videos if you sign up for her Patreon.

Learning Kanji

This is one of our recommended Japanese Youtube channels that’s perfect if you are considering taking the JLPT exam. The person goes through questions about how to answer and tips on how to answer them. He explains vocabulary to suit everyone’s needs. His videos have a variety of question papers from JLPT, kanji, grammar, hiragana, and katakana. As for JLPT, he has N5 to N2 practice papers which he goes through it. He also does a video on the MEXT scholarship exam.

BondLingo

Learn Japanese Online with BondLingo upload videos about the Japanese language and cultures. Not only are there online lessons, but there are apps on mobile as well. Their playlist consists of the JLPT practice exam – grammar, N5 to N2 but also pronunciation videos as well! They also have live streams for Japanese study sessions, and it’s always good to join the room to make your learning journey less lonely.

Learn Japanese

This Japanese Youtuber gives free videos for JLPT preparations ranging from all levels. His lessons are pretty laidback and chill, and he even has some content dedicated to learning Japanese from anime. He has a dedicated playlist called the Writing Systems for introductions to all aspects of the Japanese writing system: hiragana, katakana and kanji.

Learn Japanese From Zero!

Learn Japanese From Zero is an informative channel that posts videos every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Every video goes through a respective lesson on the channel’s textbook, and materials are only available online. This makes it easy for anyone to learn Japanese and take notes. He also has his own Japanese textbook. 

Yuko Sensei

Yuko Sensei has been teaching Japanese at the university level for 20 years, so to say that she is a Japanese language expert would be a safe bet. Her videos discard any boring PowerPoint, and instead focuses on interactive color-coded animations to help you understand Japanese grammar, vocabulary, and scripts. For those learners who cannot attend classes or do not know where to start learning, this channel is good for online learning courses. She also offers free trial courses.

PuniPuniJapan

PuniPuniJapan’s videos are well-illustrated and narrated with clear explanations. It is more recommended for beginners who started learning Japanese. They cover topics such as katakana, grammar, vocabulary and more. Besides that, PuniPuniJapan also uploads videos about Japanese culture.

Tae Kim

The channel provides step by step learning. They have different episodes and on the episodes, they teach learners different topics such as negative state, adjectives and sentence ending. This channel has a lot of different variables when it comes to learning Japanese. Their video areas are very classroom-based and it is very easy to follow.

ライト Japanese Library 

ライト Japanese Library features Light, who is a foreigner who speaks Japanese, English, and Afrikaans. On his channel, he has videos teaching Japanese as well as some daily vlogs with his daughter. He also gives many different tips for living in Japan.

WORDPIE

This channel is good to learn Japanese because their videos are in songs. Their videos are appealing and it is easy to follow as they have Japanese words plus English words are well. Not only that, their videos are all about Japanese vocabularies.

Kanji – Link

It is very easy to learn Japanese grammar and kanji on this channel. Their videos have an animation of a teacher teaching. Their video content is also very easy to understand. Their kanji videos are step by step and it teaches you basic kanji and how to write it.

Organic Japanese with Cure Dolly

This channel is very good at making simplifying Japanese and making it easier to understand. Their videos are taught by an “android sensei”. Their explanations are very good and their content is original and engaging. Her methods of teaching Japanese are a little unorthodox, but very effective. Unfortunately, the owner of the channel has passed away, but the channel remains up and is still a very good resource.  

FunNihongo

This channel is good to learn basic Japanese because they make learning videos into songs so it would be easier to learn. The videos are interesting as well. They only have 1 playlist of videos such as day of the week song or the hiragana song. This channel is good for both adults and children.

わさび Japanese Teacher Vtuber

わさび or Wasabi is a Japanese Vtuber teacher that makes videos that are great for Beginner and Intermediate learners. She makes grammar and listening videos as well as a lot of YouTube shorts that go over vocab words. She is a much smaller creator, and is able to respond to a lot of questions in her comments.

Nami Ohara

Nami Ohara is another tJapanese grammar, vocabulary, and listening. Also, there are many videos on Japanese culture. Another feature of this channel is that there are many listening quizzes and tests for you to practice your listening skills. Not only that, they have many videos on learning Japanese through songs.

Masa Sensei

This channel is great for beginners in learning Japanese. Masa Sensei, the creator of this channel, makes weekly videos on Japanese grammar. In every video, she explains what grammar means and how to apply it. She also gives clear illustrations and examples in her videos.

三本塾 -Sambon Juku- 

This channel is very good for Intermediate and Advanced learners.  Sambon Juku has multiple playlists for everything from Phrases to Hiragana. He also has series going over N3, N2 and N1. He has very clear explanations and example sentences. His videos are narrated in Japanese, but he also has English subtitles if needed.

myjapanese

myjapanese is a channel covering levels from beginner to advanced. The topics covered are hiragana, kanji, JLPT, and business Japanese. There are many informative videos and are all well narrated and explained in English. The channel posts a new video every week.

Easy Peasy Japanesey

Watching anime and Japanese TV programs is a great vehicle to accelerate your Japanese skill. Easy Peasy Japanesey disects scenes from iconic anime like Attack on Titan and Demon Slayer and breaks down the Japanese vocabularies and grammar structure involved. It’s a great, seemingly effortless away to learn Japanese — just don’t binge watch them all at once if you’re an anime fan who’s avoiding gut-wrenching, tear-inducing spoilers. 

Yumi Ura

Yumi Ura is a channel that is especially good for Japanese students preparing to take the JLPT N2 and N3 level tests. All the videos in this channel are on topics for the N2 and N3-level tests. Their videos allow viewers to practice their listening skills as it is everything is explained Japanese.

Japanization

Japanization is good for learning basic Japanese. Started by a native Japanese, he makes lesson videos on Japanese grammar and vocabulary, as well as on different aspects of Japanese culture. He explains well in English in every video too. Thus, making it easy for non-Japanese listeners to follow.

Clayton MacKnight

Registering for a JLPT exam can be unnerving, let alone preparing for it. Enter Clayton MacKnight, your perfect virtual study buddy. He’s currently residing in Osaka and has recently passed N2. His channel that features a variety of videos to help those taking JLPT. Expect all things Japanese covered in his channels, from grammar and kanji to study guides to Japanese culture. It’s also great to get a learning support from a foreigner. The videos have graphic illustrations to them more engaging. .

Michiyo Wojnovich

Michiyo Wojnovich is a good channel for those learning Japanese with Genki textbooks. All the videos on the channel cover topics from the Genki textbooks. The teacher, Michiyo, narrates and explains each topic in every video in English.

31. Japonin

6 thousand subscribers

Japonin is a channel that can help learners to improve and enhance their Japanese reading skills. There are many videos that feature a text with clear narration. There are also various cultural topics such as ‘imported words’ and ‘origami’ for learners to enhance their Japanese culture knowledge.

Plain Japanese

Plain Japanese’s online lessons are being taught by a native Japanese teacher. Their videos are well-illustrated and explained, covering many different topics on the Japanese language such as grammar and kanji. There are also other informative videos such as ‘Japanese Greetings’ and ‘Counting Numbers in Japanese’.

Top Japanese Youtube Channels: Vloggers

Nihongo Mantappu 

You can leave it up to Jerome Polin to give you a full angle of what it’s like to live in Japan as a university student. As a MEXT scholarship awardee, Jerome is enrolled at Waseda University. His videos started from a humble ground: to help potential Japanese international students learn Japanese and kickstart their life here. It didn’t take long for his channel to skyrocket. After several vlogs, collaborations and fun challenges with his university friends, Jerome quickly grew to be the biggest star in Japan’s creator platform. Now, he has more than 7.5 million subscribers, and the numbers aren’t slowing down. 

Rachel and Jun

This channel is good for learning Japanese because they do vlogs about their daily lives. The channel, started by a Japanese husband and an American wife, who are both living in Japan. Rachel would speak in English while her husband would speak in Japanese. Sometimes both would speak each other’s languages. Their videos have Japanese subtitles so it would be easy to follow and learn about new words. Their videos are very interesting and sometimes funny too. They do not post on their main channel anymore, but still regularly upload on ‘Rachel & Jun’s Adventures!‘

Abroad in Japan

Abroad in Japan does vlogs which talk about how his interreaction experience with the Japanese culture and people here. Some of his interesting vlogs are “how to lose weight in Japan” and “Japanese thoughts on London magic man”

Life Where I’m From

Life Where I’m From has a series of Japanese documentaries and life in Japan starring their children. They give interesting and educational insight into their everyday. They also show how is life in Japan through a series of vlogs. 

39. Bilingirl Chika

A Japanese Youtube celebrity with over 1.4 million subscribers. Her channel has videos in both English and Japanese. Having moved to America at a young age, she has many things to learn about Japan and shares about them on her channel. She also shared many vlogs on her daily life.

Tokyo Lens

The name of this Youtuber is pretty self-explanatory. Tokyo Lens offers an interesting, otherwise unseen, angle to Japan. From exploring Japan’s smallest apartment to visiting Japan’s most active volcano, his videos provide a unique take on living in Japan. 

Tokyo Creative

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