Ever wondered what real-life people inspired our favorite and most memorable anime characters? Every great character takes inspiration from somewhere, and often that inspiration comes from real-life icons we may have heard of. Writers frequently design their characters based on the image, life story, or even personality of real-life people, since sometimes facts can be […]

Want to learn Japanese hiragana? In this blog, we share our own PDF learning hiragana practice sheets and links to some popular apps for learning Japanese. Just started learning Japanese? Head to our main article about the Japanese writing system for a more comprehensive guide! What is hiragana? Hiragana (平仮名) is one of three writing […]

ながら (nagara) is used to describe two actions happening at the same time, performed by the same person. It connects to the first action and translates roughly as “while doing ~” or “as ~.”Eating breakfast while checking your phone. Listening to music while studying. Walking while talking — we do two things at once all […]

Whether we like it or not, AI tools are changing how we learn languages, especially when it comes to learning Japanese. Nowadays, there are so many AI tools on the market for learners to use to improve their language skills, some of which may be beneficial for your Japanese language learning journey. But what tools […]

If you’ve ever wanted to talk about the things you love doing in Japanese, 〜のが好きです (no ga suki desu) is one of the most useful grammar points you’ll pick up at the N5 level. 〜のが好きです (~no ga sukidesu) means “to like to do something.” It is used for expressing activities you like to do by […]

Spring in Japan is known for the beautiful pink foliage, but also winds of yellow mists dispersing pollen and causing nationwide hay fever, or 花粉症 (kafunshou). Enjoying the sakura viewing in Tokyo, let alone living comfortably, during Japan’s peak pollen season, is close to impossible when you are being plagued by incessant sneezes, itchy eyes, […]

Ever used the Japanese grammar, でしょう (deshou)? Picture this. You recently got these new glasses, and you think they look nice. You want to tell your Japanese friend about your new glasses, but you want them to agree that they look nice. So what do you say when you want your friend to agree with […]

Ever heard a Japanese friend say いっしょに食べませんか？ (issho ni tabe masenka) and wanted to respond, or say the same thing yourself? ～ませんか (masen ka) is one of the most natural and polite ways to make suggestions and invitations in Japanese. In this context, 食べませんか (tabemasenka) literally translates as “Won’t you eat?” but naturally means “Would […]