In Japan, a mysterious sickness to a foreign eye appears every year around May. Termed as the May sickness, 五月病（ごがつびょう） is not a specific disease per se, but more a disorder created by the rhythm of the Japanese year. April marks the start of a new school semester, and for most Japanese companies, this is also a popular hiring […]
What does “Muri Shinai De” Mean?When can I use it?In Daily Contexts… What does “Muri Shinai De” Mean? Japanese people have at heart to care for others. In Japan, you often hear the expression “muri shinai de”. Broadly speaking, the phrase means “don’t overdo it” or “take it easy”. The expression shows that you care about […]
Do you know the Japanese word Kaizen? It means improvement. For example, the word is synonymous with quality control at a car assembly line. The concept is widely adopted not only in manufacturing but also in service industries. This includes retail, transportation and even education. As long as the starting block is a solid one, […]
How Can I Say “Goodbye” in Japanese? Are you using Sayonara to say “goodbye” in Japanese? It may not mean quite what you think…Using さよなら (Sayonara) to express FarewellCasual ConversationsIn Formal Context…Not meeting for a while… Using さよなら (Sayonara) to express Farewell One of the first words that you will learn when studying Japanese is さよなら (sayonara), […]
How to count Japanese numerics on a base-ten system up to 100 million, write Japanese kanji for numbers and say Japanese counters.
Article written by our contributor Jason Cohen. He has a master’s degree in Japanese language and worked in a variety of unique fields as a multi-cultural consultant and as a translator. Jason will explain to us the differences between Japanese and English in his point of view.
Learning the NuancesPractice & ExamplesGoing Further… Did you know that both “wakarimasen” or “shirimasen” can be used to say “I don’t know” depending on the situation? Take a look at the examples below to find out when to use each phrase! Learning the Nuances “Shirimasen” can be used to simply convey that you don’t […]
みなさんが日本に来て最初に覚えた日本語は何ですか？ この記事を英語で読む こんにちは？さようなら？ Konnichiwa? Sayonara? そうですね。日本語の別れの挨拶は「さようなら」が定番です。 会話本や一般的なテキストにもしっかりと書かれています。 しかし日本で生活しはじめた多くの皆さんが気がついているように、日本人は普段の会話でさようならをほとんど使いません。学校などの下校時などに使われているぐらいでしょうか。 さて、では日本語で別れの挨拶は「さようなら」でなくどんな表現が使われているのでしょうか。 日本語での自然な表現を見てみましょう！ ●友達と日本語で別れの挨拶 じゃあね。 じゃあまた！ またね！ 次に会う予定が決まっていれば、 また明日！ また来週！ 仕事場での挨拶 それでは、失礼します。 お先に失礼します。（自分が先に会社をでるとき） ●しばらく会わない相手には じゃあ、元気で（ね）！ また連絡する（ね）！ また会おう（ね）！ ーよく一緒に使う言葉 がんばってね。 がんばろうね。 ●目上の方と話すとき 今日はありがとうございました。 また是非！ などのように使います。 日常生活に役立つ自然な日本語を身につけたい方はこちら！ Coto Academy is a unique Japanese Language School in Iidabashi Tokyo, we offer relaxed and fun conversational lessons for all levels of Japanese […]
When you are learning a foreign language, studying slang is a funny way to deepen your vocabulary. Not only will you speak more fluently but you will sound more like a native speaker. Moreover, slang gives you an interesting point of view on society. IntroductionDefinitionExamples of Usage Introduction If you have been to Japan and met with some […]
