Saying ‘no’ in Japan is a tricky subject. The Japanese will rarely give a direct no to an answer, preferring instead to give an indirect answer that conveys the message of no.

How to count Japanese numerics on a base-ten system up to 100 million, write Japanese kanji for numbers and say Japanese counters.

We’ve already presented the Japanese slang “nanpa” and “gyakunan” to describe flirting with someone – in particular on the street. This time, let’s get more serious and develop important words for dating in Japanese. Whether you live in Japan for a short time or for a few years, you never know what might happen. Who […]

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

Are you going to live in Japan? Better prepare yourself with a Japanese self-introduction – a jikoshoukai. Early in your Japanese study, this language knowledge will help you establish yourself among Japanese friends and colleagues. You will need to introduce yourself in Japanese in various contexts (such as school, work, parties, etc.). What should you […]

About this week’s Author: Mr. Matsumoto, was a junior high school Japanese teacher for 23 years before joining Coto Language Academy. Therefore, he is a Japanese language pro. He currently teaches Coto’s Intensive Courses (intermediate and advanced), Business Courses and the Part Time N1 grammar and reading classes. He is also involved in developing teaching materials at Coto.

Basic Japanese Grammar – Basic Sentence Patterns Cheat Sheet Sentence Structure In this guide to Basic Japanese Grammar,  we will explain in broad terms the most used Japanese sentence patterns, how to alter them to change them from positive statements to negative statements, and how to ask questions while using them. We will continue this […]

Affordable Accommodations in Tokyo are sometimes difficult to find but it doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

The phrases, ittekimasu, itterasshai, tadaima, okaerinasai symbolize so well Japanese spirit that once you grasp the nuance of their meaning you will have a deeper understanding of Japanese culture.

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu (よろしくお願いします) is one of those quintessential Japanese words that is highly ingrained into the culture but very difficult to translate to English.