Did you know that Japan has a second Valentine’s Day called White Day? In Japan, Valentine’s Day has a bit of a twist; the original Valentine’s Day (on February 14) is for women to give chocolates or small gifts to men. These can range from giri-choco (obligatory chocolates for colleagues or friends) to honmei-choco (romantic […]

There are many reasons you might want to study Japanese: maybe you want to move to Japan someday or make Japanese friends. Maybe you even want to understand your favorite Japanese anime. But then there’s an issue: you might not have the resources to take an in-person lesson, maybe because there isn’t one nearby, or […]

While you might not believe in the otherworldly and mythology, it’s best to avoid going against Japanese superstitions.

Learn about the word Senpai and its meaning in Japanese and English in this latest A-I-U-E-O Learning Blog.

Learning Japanese can feel overwhelming at first, but mastering basic greetings and essential vocabulary is a great way to ease into your studies. Whether you’re planning a trip to Japan, interacting with Japanese speakers, or just curious about the language, these words and phrases will help you build a solid foundation. But what are the […]

From double entendres, puns, paraprosdokians, spoonerisms, and more, adding wordplay, or kotoba asobi (言葉遊び), to your Japanese repertoire will spice up your language and express more of your sense of humor and personality. We naturally use play on words to tell jokes and have fun when speaking with our friends. And Japanese is no different.  […]

What is your name in Japanese? Use this Japanese name generator to find out how to say your name in Japanese.

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! Hiragana Learning Chart: Writing Practice PDFs If you are looking […]