Between people’s fascination with Japanese culture and the desire to live in Japan, Japanese has become one of the most popular languages to learn – but also the hardest, too.

Want to learn some of Japan’s no-no words? We’ll be going over some of Japan’s Swear Words that you probably should not be using. They can range from kind of insulting to you’ll get punched if you say this. Read on to learn more!

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 […]

The easiest way to say “I understand” in Japanese is わかります (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.

Looking for a JLPT prep course online? Compare pricing, levels, and schedules across 6 top options to find the right fit for you.

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 […]