easy essay in japanese

• Privacy Policy

Transition Words and Phrases for Japanese Essays  

  June 9, 2020

By   Alexis Papa

Are you having a hard time connecting between your ideas in your Japanese essay? In this article, we have listed useful transition words and phrases that you can use to help you let your ideas flow and have an organized essay.

Japanese Phrases for Giving Examples and Emphasis

For example,

がいこく、たとえばちゅうごくへいったことがありますか。 Gaikoku, tatoeba Chuugoku e itta koto ga arimasu ka?

Have you been abroad, for instance China?

たぶんちゅうごくへいったことがあります。 Tabun Chuugoku e itta koto ga arimasu.

I have probably been to China.

Japanese Essay Phrases: General Explaining

しけんにごうかくするのために、まじめにべんきょうしなきゃ。 Shiken ni goukaku suru no tame ni, majime ni benkyou shinakya.

In order to pass the exam, I must study.

あしたあめがふるそう。だから、かさをもってきて。 Ashita ame ga furu sou. Dakara, kasa wo motte kite.

It seems that it will rain tomorrow. So, bring an umbrella.

Showing Sequence

まず、あたらしいさくぶんのがいせつをしようとおもう。 Mazu, atarashii sakubun no gaisetsu wo shiyou to omou.

First, I am going to do an outline of my new essay.

つぎに、さくぶんをかきはじめます。 Tsugi ni, sakubun wo kaki hajimemasu.

Then, I will begin writing my essay.

Adding Supporting Statements

かれはブレーキをかけ、そしてくるまはとまった。 Kare wa bureki wo kake, soshite kuruma wa tomatta.

He put on the brakes and then the car stopped.

いえはかなりにみえたし、しかもねだんがてごろだった。 Ie wa kanari ni mieta shi, shikamo nedan ga tegoro datta.

The house looked good; moreover,the (selling) price was right.

Demonstrating Contrast 

にほんごはむずかしいですが、おもしろいです。 Nihongo wa muzukashii desu ga, omoshiroi desu.

Although Japanese language is difficult, it is enjoyable.

にほんごはむずかしいです。でも、おもしろいです。 Nihongo wa muzukashii desu. Demo, omoshiroi desu.

Japanese language is difficult. Nevertheless, it is enjoyable.

にほんごはむずかしいです。しかし、おもしろいです。 Nihondo wa muzukashii desu. Shikashi, omoshiroi desu.

Japanese language is difficult. However, it is enjoyable.

にほんごはむずかしいですけれど、おもしろいです。 Nihongo wa muzakashii desu keredo, omoshiroi desu.

Japanese Essay Phrases for Summarizing

われわれはこのはなしはじつわだというけつろんにたっした。 Wareware wa kono hanashi wa jitsuwa da to iu ketsuron ni tasshita.

We have come to a conclusion that this is a true story.

Now that you have learned these Japanese transitional words and phrases, we hope that your Japanese essay writing has become easier. Leave a comment and write examples of sentences using these Japanese essay phrases!

Alexis Papa

Alexis is a Japanese language and culture enthusiast from the Philippines. She is a Japanese Studies graduate, and has worked as an ESL and Japanese instructor at a local language school. She enjoys her free time reading books and watching series.

Your Signature

Subscribe to our newsletter now!

LEARN JAPANESE WITH MY FREE LEARNING PACKAGE

• 300 Useful Japanese Adjectives E-book
• 100 Days of Japanese Words and Expressions E-book

Sign up below and get instant access to the free package!

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Skip to footer

StoryLearning

Learn A Language Through Stories

How To Write In Japanese – A Beginner’s Guide

Do you want to learn how to write in Japanese , but feel confused or intimidated by the script?

This post will break it all down for you, in a step-by-step guide to reading and writing skills this beautiful language.

I remember when I first started learning Japanese and how daunting the writing system seemed. I even wondered whether I could get away without learning the script altogether and just sticking with romaji (writing Japanese with the roman letters).

I’m glad I didn’t.

If you’re serious about learning Japanese, you have to get to grips with the script sooner or later. If you don’t, you won’t be able to read or write anything useful, and that’s no way to learn a language.

The good news is that it isn’t as hard as you think. And I’ve teamed up with my friend Luca Toma (who’s also a Japanese coach ) to bring you this comprehensive guide to reading and writing Japanese.

By the way, if you want to learn Japanese fast and have fun while doing it, my top recommendation is  Japanese Uncovered  which teaches you through StoryLearning®. 

With  Japanese Uncovered  you’ll use my unique StoryLearning® method to learn Japanese naturally through story… not rules. It’s as fun as it is effective.

If you’re ready to get started,  click here for a 7-day FREE trial.

If you have a friend who’s learning Japanese, you might like to share it with them. Now, let’s get stuck in…

One Language, Two Systems, Three Scripts

If you are a complete beginner, Japanese writing may appear just like Chinese.

But if you look at it more carefully you'll notice that it doesn’t just contain complex Chinese characters… there are lots of simpler ones too.

Take a look.

それでも、 日本人 の 食生活 も 急速 に 変化 してきています 。 ハンバーグ や カレーライス は 子供に人気 がありますし 、都会 では 、 イタリア 料理、東南 アジア 料理、多国籍料理 などを 出 す エスニック 料理店 がどんどん 増 えています 。

Nevertheless, the eating habits of Japanese people are also rapid ly chang ing . Hamburgers and curry rice are popular with children . In cities , ethnic   restaurants serv ing Italian cuisine , Southeast Asian cuisine and multi-national cuisine keep increas ing more and more .

(Source: “Japan: Then and Now”, 2001, p. 62-63)

As you can see from this sample, within one Japanese text there are actually three different scripts intertwined. We’ve colour coded them to help you tell them apart.

(What’s really interesting is the different types of words – parts of speech – represented by each colour – it tells you a lot about what you use each of the three scripts for.)

Can you see the contrast between complex characters (orange) and simpler ones (blue and green)?

The complex characters are called kanji (漢字 lit. Chinese characters) and were borrowed from Chinese. They are what’s called a ‘logographic system' in which each symbol corresponds to a block of meaning (食 ‘to eat', 南 ‘south', 国 ‘country').

Each kanji also has its own pronunciation, which has to be learnt – you can’t “read” an unknown kanji like you could an unknown word in English.

Luckily, the other two sets of characters are simpler!

Those in blue above are called hiragana and those in green are called katakana . Katakana and hiragana are both examples of ‘syllabic systems', and unlike the kanji , each character corresponds to single sound. For example, そ= so, れ= re; イ= i, タ = ta.

Hiragana and katakana are a godsend for Japanese learners because the pronunciation isn’t a problem. If you see it, you can say it!

So, at this point, you’re probably wondering:

“What’s the point of using three different types of script? How could that have come about?”

In fact, all these scripts have a very specific role to play in a piece of Japanese writing, and you’ll find that they all work together in harmony in representing the Japanese language in a written form.

So let’s check them out in more detail.

First up, the two syllabic systems: hiragana and katakana (known collectively as kana ).

The ‘Kana' – One Symbol, One Sound

Both hiragana and katakana have a fixed number of symbols: 46 characters in each, to be precise.

Each of these corresponds to a combination of the 5 Japanese vowels (a, i, u, e o) and the 9 consonants (k, s, t, n, h, m, y, r, w).

(Source: Wikipedia Commons )

Hiragana  (the blue characters in our sample text) are recognizable for their roundish shape and you’ll find them being used for three functions in Japanese writing:

1. Particles (used to indicate the grammatical function of a word)

は     wa     topic marker

が     ga      subject marker

を     wo      direct object marker

2. To change the meaning of verbs, adverbs or adjectives, which generally have a root written in kanji. (“Inflectional endings”)

急速 に     kyuusoku ni        rapid ly

増 えています       fu ete imasu     are increas ing

3. Native Japanese words not covered by the other two scripts

それでも     soredemo     nevertheless

どんどん     dondon     more and more

Katakana  (the green characters in our sample text) are recognisable for their straight lines and sharp corners. They are generally reserved for:

1. Loanwords from other languages. See what you can spot!

ハンバーグ     hanbaagu     hamburger

カレーライス     karee raisu     curry rice

エスニック     esunikku     ethnic

2. Transcribing foreign names

イタリア     itaria     Italy

アジア     ajia     Asia

They are also used for emphasis (the equivalent of italics or underlining in English), and for scientific terms (plants, animals, minerals, etc.).

So where did hiragana and katakana come from?

In fact, they were both derived from kanji which had a particular pronunciation; Hiragana took from the Chinese cursive script  (安 an →あ a), whereas katakana developed from single components of the regular Chinese script (阿 a →ア a ).

So that covers the origins the two kana scripts in Japanese, and how we use them.

Now let’s get on to the fun stuff… kanji !

The Kanji – One Symbol, One Meaning

Kanji  – the most formidable hurdle for learners of Japanese!

We said earlier that kanji is a logographic system, in which each symbol corresponds to a “block of meaning”.

食     eating

生     life, birth

活     vivid, lively

“Block of meaning” is the best phrase, because one kanji is not necessarily a “word” on its own.

You might have to combine one kanji with another in order to make an actual word, and also to express more complex concepts:

生 + 活   =   生活     lifestyle

食 + 生活   =  食生活     eating habits

If that sounds complicated, remember that you see the same principle in other languages.

Think about the word ‘telephone' in English – you can break it down into two main components derived from Greek:

‘tele' (far)  +  ‘phone' (sound)  = telephone

Neither of them are words in their own right.

So there are lots and lots of kanji , but in order to make more sense of them we can start by categorising them.

There are several categories of kanji , starting with the ‘pictographs' (象形文字 sh ōkei moji), which look like the objects they represent:

(Source: Wikipedia Commons )

In fact, there aren’t too many of these pictographs.

Around 90% of the kanji in fact come from six other categories, in which several basic elements (called ‘radicals') are combined to form new concepts.

For example:

人 (‘man' as a radical)   +   木 (‘tree')    =  休 (‘to rest')

These are known as 形声文字 keisei moji or ‘radical-phonetic compounds'.

You can think of these characters as being made up of two parts:

• A radical that tells you what category of word it is: animals, plants, metals, etc.)
• A second component that completes the character and give it its pronunciation (a sort of Japanese approximation from Chinese).

So that’s the story behind the kanji , but what are they used for in Japanese writing?

Typically, they are used to represent concrete concepts.

When you look at a piece of Japanese writing, you’ll see kanji being used for nouns, and in the stem of verbs, adjectives and adverbs.

Here are some of them from our sample text at the start of the article:

日本人     Japanese people 多国籍料理     multinational cuisine 東南     Southeast

Now, here’s the big question!

Once you’ve learnt to read or write a kanji , how do you pronounce it?

If you took the character from the original Chinese, it would usually only have one pronunciation.

However, by the time these characters leave China and reach Japan, they usually have two or sometimes even more pronunciations.

How or why does this happen?

Let's look at an example.

To say ‘mountain', the Chinese use the pictograph 山 which depicts a mountain with three peaks. The pronunciation of this character in Chinese is sh ā n (in the first tone).

Now, in Japanese the word for ‘mountain' is ‘yama'.

So in this case, the Japanese decided to borrow the character山from Chinese, but to pronounce it differently: yama .

However, this isn’t the end of the story!

The Japanese did decide to borrow the pronunciation from the original Chinese, but only to use it when that character is used in compound words.

So, in this case, when the character 山 is part of a compound word, it is pronounced as san/zan – clearly an approximation to the original Chinese pronunciation.

Here’s the kanji on its own:

山は…      Yama wa…     The mountain….

And here’s the kanji when it appears in compound words:

火山は…     Ka zan wa     The volcano…

富士山は…     Fuji san wa…     Mount Fuji….

To recap, every kanji has at least two pronunciations.

The first one (the so-called訓読み kun'yomi or ‘meaning reading') has an original Japanese pronunciation, and is used with one kanji on it’s own.

The second one (called音読み  on'yomi or ‘sound-based reading') is used in compound words, and comes from the original Chinese.

Makes sense, right? 😉

In Japan, there’s an official number of kanji that are classified for “daily use” (常用漢字 joy ō kanji ) by the Japanese Ministry of Education – currently 2,136.

(Although remember that the number of actual words that you can form using these characters is much higher.)

So now… if you wanted to actually learn all these kanji , how should you go about it?

To answer this question, Luca’s going to give us an insight into how he did it.  

How I Learnt Kanji

I started to learn kanji more than 10 years ago at a time when you couldn't find all the great resources that are available nowadays. I only had paper kanji dictionary and simple lists from my textbook.

What I did have, however, was the memory of a fantastic teacher.

I studied Chinese for two years in college, and this teacher taught us characters in two helpful ways:

• He would analyse them in terms of their radicals and other components
• He kept us motivated and interested in the process by using fascinating stories based on etymology (the origin of the characters)

Once I’d learnt to recognise the 214 radicals which make up all characters – the building blocks of Chinese characters – it was then much easier to go on and learn the characters and the words themselves.

It’s back to the earlier analogy of dividing the word ‘telephone' into tele and phone .

But here’s the thing – knowing the characters alone isn’t enough. There are too many, and they’re all very similar to one another.

If you want to get really good at the language, and really know how to read and how to write in Japanese, you need a higher-order strategy.

The number one strategy that I used to reach a near-native ability in reading and writing in Japanese was to learn the kanji within the context of dialogues or other texts .

I never studied them as individual characters or words.

Now, I could give you a few dozen ninja tricks for how to learn Japanese kanji. B ut the one secret that blows everything else out of the water and guarantees real success in the long-term, is extensive reading and massive exposure.

This is the foundation of the StoryLearning® method , where you immerse yourself in language through story.

In the meantime, there are a lot of resources both online and offline to learn kanji , each of which is based on a particular method or approach (from flashcards to mnemonic and so on).

The decision of which approach to use can be made easier by understanding the way you learn best.

Do you have a photographic memory or prefer working with images? Do you prefer to listen to audio? Or perhaps you prefer to write things by hands?

You can and should try more than one method, in order to figure out which works best for you.

( Note : You should get a copy of this excellent guide by John Fotheringham, which has all the resources you’ll ever need to learn kanji )

Summary Of How To Write In Japanese

So you’ve made it to the end!

See – I told you it wasn’t that bad! Let’s recap what we’ve covered.

Ordinary written Japanese employs a mixture of three scripts:

• Kanji, or Chinese characters, of which there are officially 2,136 in daily use (more in practice)
• 2 syllabic alphabets called hiragana and katakana, containing 42 symbols each

In special cases, such as children’s books or simplified materials for language learners, you might find everything written using only hiragana or katakana .

But apart from those materials, everything in Japanese is written by employing the three scripts together. And it’s the kanji which represent the cultural and linguistic challenge in the Japanese language.

If you want to become proficient in Japanese you have to learn all three!

Although it seems like a daunting task, remember that there are many people before you who have found themselves right at the beginning of their journey in learning Japanese.

And every journey begins with a single step.

So what are you waiting for?

The best place to start is to enrol in  Japanese Uncovered . The course includes a series of lessons that teach you hiragana, katakana and kanji. It also includes an exciting Japanese story which comes in different formats (romaji, hiragana, kana and kanji) so you can practice reading Japanese, no matter what level you're at right now.

– – –

It’s been a pleasure for me to work on this article with Luca Toma, and I’ve learnt a lot in the process.

Now he didn’t ask me to write this, but if you’re serious about learning Japanese, you should consider hiring Luca as a coach. The reasons are many, and you can find out more on his website: JapaneseCoaching.it

Do you know anyone learning Japanese? Why not send them this article, or click here to send a tweet .

Language Courses

• Language Blog
• Testimonials
• Meet Our Team
• Media & Press

Our website uses cookies to provide you the best experience. By continuing to use our website, you agree to our use of cookies. For more information, read our Cookie Policy .

Download this article as a FREE PDF ?

What is your current level in Swedish?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Swedish tips…

Where shall I send the tips and your PDF?

We will protect your data in accordance with our data policy.

What is your current level in Danish?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Danish tips…

NOT INTERESTED?

What can we do better? If I could make something to help you right now, w hat would it be?

Which language are you learning?

What is your current level in [language] ?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] [language] tips, PLUS your free StoryLearning Kit…

Where shall I send them?

Download this article as a FREE PDF?

Great! Where shall I send my best online teaching tips and your PDF?

Download this article as a FREE PDF ? 

What is your current level in Arabic?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Arabic tips…

FREE StoryLearning Kit!

Join my email newsletter and get FREE access to your StoryLearning Kit — discover how to learn languages through the power of story!

Download a FREE Story in Japanese!

Enter your email address below to get a  FREE short story in Japanese and start learning Japanese quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!

What is your current level in Japanese?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Japanese StoryLearning® Pack …

Where shall I send your download link?

Download Your  FREE   Natural Japanese Grammar Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Japanese Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Japanese grammar quickly and naturally through stories.

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Natural Japanese Grammar Pack …

What is your current level in Portuguese?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Natural Portuguese Grammar Pack …

What is your current level in German?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Natural German Grammar Pack …

Train as an Online Language Teacher and Earn from Home

The next cohort of my Certificate of Online Language Teaching will open soon. Join the waiting list, and we’ll notify you as soon as enrolment is open!

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Portuguese tips…

What is your current level in Turkish?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Turkish tips…

What is your current level in French?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the French Vocab Power Pack …

What is your current level in Italian?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Italian Vocab Power Pack …

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the German Vocab Power Pack …

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Japanese Vocab Power Pack …

Download Your  FREE Japanese Vocab Power Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Japanese Vocab Power Pack and learn essential Japanese words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)

Download Your  FREE German Vocab Power Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my German Vocab Power Pack and learn essential German words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)

Download Your  FREE Italian Vocab Power Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Italian Vocab Power Pack and learn essential Italian words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)

Download Your  FREE French Vocab Power Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my French Vocab Power Pack and learn essential French words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Portuguese StoryLearning® Pack …

What is your current level in Russian?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Natural Russian Grammar Pack …

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Russian StoryLearning® Pack …

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Italian StoryLearning® Pack …

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Natural Italian Grammar Pack …

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the French StoryLearning® Pack …

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Natural French Grammar Pack …

What is your current level in Spanish?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Spanish Vocab Power Pack …

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Natural Spanish Grammar Pack …

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Spanish StoryLearning® Pack …

Where  shall I send them?

What is your current level in Korean?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Korean tips…

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Russian tips…

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Japanese tips…

What is your current level in Chinese?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Chinese tips…

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Spanish tips…

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Italian tips…

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] French tips…

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] German tips…

Download Your  FREE   Natural Portuguese Grammar Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Portuguese Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Portuguese grammar quickly and naturally through stories.

Download Your  FREE   Natural Russian Grammar Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Russian Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Russian grammar quickly and naturally through stories.

Download Your  FREE   Natural German Grammar Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural German Grammar Pack and learn to internalise German grammar quickly and naturally through stories.

Download Your  FREE   Natural French Grammar Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural French Grammar Pack and learn to internalise French grammar quickly and naturally through stories.

Download Your  FREE   Natural Italian Grammar Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Italian Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Italian grammar quickly and naturally through stories.

Download a FREE Story in Portuguese!

Enter your email address below to get a  FREE short story in Brazilian Portuguese and start learning Portuguese quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!

Download a FREE Story in Russian!

Enter your email address below to get a  FREE short story in Russian and start learning Russian quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!

Download a FREE Story in German!

Enter your email address below to get a  FREE short story in German and start learning German quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the German StoryLearning® Pack …

Download a FREE Story in Italian!

Enter your email address below to get a  FREE short story in Italian and start learning Italian quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!

Download a FREE Story in French!

Enter your email address below to get a  FREE short story in French and start learning French quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!

Download a FREE Story in Spanish!

Enter your email address below to get a  FREE short story in Spanish and start learning Spanish quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!

FREE Download:

The rules of language learning.

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Rules of Language Learning and discover 25 “rules” to learn a new language quickly and naturally through stories.

What can we do  better ? If I could make something to help you right now, w hat would it be?

What is your current level in [language]?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level]  [language] tips…

Download Your  FREE Spanish Vocab Power Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Spanish Vocab Power Pack and learn essential Spanish words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)

Download Your  FREE   Natural Spanish Grammar Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Spanish Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Spanish grammar quickly and naturally through stories.

Free Step-By-Step Guide:

How to generate a full-time income from home with your English… even with ZERO previous teaching experience.

What is your current level in Thai?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Thai tips…

What is your current level in Cantonese?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Cantonese tips…

Steal My Method?

I’ve written some simple emails explaining the techniques I’ve used to learn 8 languages…

I want to be skipped!

I’m the lead capture, man!

Join 84,574 other language learners getting StoryLearning tips by email…

“After I started to use your ideas, I learn better, for longer, with more passion. Thanks for the life-change!” – Dallas Nesbit

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] [language] tips…

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level]   [language] tips…

Join 122,238 other language learners getting StoryLearning tips by email…

Find the perfect language course for you.

Looking for world-class training material to help you make a breakthrough in your language learning?

Click ‘start now’ and complete this short survey to find the perfect course for you!

Do you like the idea of learning through story?

Do you want…?

Unconventional language hacking tips from Benny the Irish polyglot; travelling the world to learn languages to fluency and beyond!

Looking for something? Use the search field below.

Home » Articles » How to Write in Japanese — A Beginner’s Guide to Japanese Writing

Full disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. ?

written by Caitlin Sacasas

Language: Japanese

Reading time: 13 minutes

Published: Apr 2, 2021

Updated: Oct 18, 2021

How to Write in Japanese — A Beginner’s Guide to Japanese Writing

Does the Japanese writing system intimidate you?

For most people, this seems like the hardest part of learning Japanese. How to write in Japanese is a bit more complex than some other languages. But there are ways to make it easier so you can master it!

Here at Fluent in 3 Months , we encourage actually speaking over intensive studying, reading, and listening. But writing is an active form of learning too, and crucial for Japanese. Japanese culture is deeply ingrained in its writing systems. If you can’t read or write it, you’ll struggle as you go along in your studies.

Some of the best Japanese textbooks expect you to master these writing systems… fast . For instance, the popular college textbook Genki , published by the Japan Times, expects you to master the basics in as little as a week. After that, they start to phase out the romanized versions of the word.

It’s also easy to mispronounce words when they’re romanized into English instead of the original writing system. If you have any experience learning how to write in Korean , then you know that romanization can vary and the way it reads isn’t often how it’s spoken.

Despite having three writing systems, there are benefits to it. Kanji, the “most difficult,” actually makes memorizing vocabulary easier!

So, learning to write in Japanese will go a long way in your language studies and help you to speak Japanese fast .

Why Does Japanese Have Three Writing Systems? A Brief Explainer

Japanese has three writing systems: hiragana, katakana, and kanji. The first two are collectively called kana and are the basics of writing in Japanese.

Writing Kana

If you think about English, we have two writing systems — print and cursive. Both print and cursive write out the same letters, but they look “sharp” and “curvy.” The same is true for kana. Hiragana is “curvy” and katakana is “sharp,” but they both represent the same Japanese alphabet (which is actually called a syllabary). They both represent sounds, or syllables, rather than single letters (except for vowels and “n”, hiragana ん or katakana ン). Hiragana and katakana serve two different purposes.

Hiragana is the most common, and the first taught to Japanese children. If this is all you learn, you would be understood (although you’d come across child-like). Hiragana is used for grammar functions, like changing conjugation or marking the subject of a sentence. Because of this, hiragana helps break up a sentence when combined with kanji. It makes it easier to tell where a word begins and ends, especially since Japanese doesn’t use spaces. It’s also used for furigana, which are small hiragana written next to kanji to help with the reading. You see furigana often in manga , Japanese comics, for younger audiences who haven’t yet learned to read all the kanji. (Or learners like us!)

Katakana serves to mark foreign words. When words from other languages are imported into Japanese, they’re often written in Japanese as close as possible to the original word. (Like how you can romanize Japanese into English, called romaji). For example, パン ( pan ) comes from Spanish, and means “bread.” Or from English, “smartphone” is スマートフォン ( suma-tofon ) or shortened, slang form スマホ ( sumaho ). Katakana can also be used to stylistically write a Japanese name, to write your own foreign name in Japanese, or to add emphasis to a word when writing.

Writing Kanji

Then there’s kanji. Kanji was imported from Chinese, and each character means a word, instead of a syllable or letter. 犬, read inu , means “dog.” And 食, read ta or shoku , means “food” or “to eat.” They combine with hiragana or other kanji to complete their meaning and define how you pronounce them.

So if you wanted to say “I’m eating,” you would say 食べます ( tabemasu ), where -bemasu completes the verb and puts it in grammatical tense using hiragana. If you wanted to say “Japanese food,” it would be 日本食 ( nipponshoku ), where it’s connected to other kanji.

If you didn’t have these three forms, it would make reading Japanese very difficult. The sentences would run together and it would be confusing. Like in this famous Japanese tongue twister: にわにはにわにわとりがいる, or romanized niwa ni wa niwa niwatori ga iru . But in kanji, it looks like 庭には二羽鶏がいる. The meaning? “There are chickens in the garden.” Thanks to the different writing systems, we know that the first niwa means garden, the second ni wa are the grammatical particles, the third niwa is to say there are at least two, and niwatori is “chickens.”

Japanese Pronunciation

Japanese has fewer sounds than English, and except for “r,” most of them are in the English language. So you should find most of the sounds easy to pick up!

Japanese has the same 5 vowels, but only 16 consonants. For the most part, all syllables consist of only a vowel, or a consonant plus a vowel. But there is the single “n,” and “sh,” “ts,” and “ch” sounds, as well as consonant + -ya/-yu/-yo sounds. I’ll explain this more in a minute.

Although Japanese has the same 5 vowel sounds, they only have one sound . Unlike English, there is no “long A” and “short A” sound. This makes it easy when reading kana because the sound never changes . So, once you learn how to write kana, you will always know how to pronounce it.

Here’s how the 5 vowels sound in Japanese:

• あ / ア: “ah” as in “latte”
• い / イ: “ee” as in “bee”
• う / ウ: “oo” as in “tooth”
• え / エ: “eh” as in “echo”
• お / オ: “oh” as in “open”

Even when combined with consonants, the sound of the vowel stays the same. Look at these examples:

• か / カ: “kah” as in “copy”
• ち / チ: “chi” as in “cheap”
• む / ム: “mu” as in “move”
• せ / セ: “se” as in “set”
• の / ノ: “no” as in “note”

Take a look at the entire syllabary chart:

Based on learning how to pronounce the vowels, can you pronounce the rest of the syllables? The hardest ones will be the R-row of sounds, “tsu,” “fu,” and “n.”

For “r” it sounds between an “r” and an “l” sound in English. Almost like the Spanish, actually. First, try saying “la, la, la.” Your tongue should push off of the back of your teeth to make this sound. Now say “rah, rah, rah.” Notice how your tongue pulls back to touch your back teeth. Now, say “dah, dah, dah.” That placement of your tongue to make the “d” sound is actually where you make the Japanese “r” sound. You gently push off of this spot on the roof of your mouth as you pull back your tongue like an English “r.”

“Tsu” blends together “t” and “s” in a way we don’t quite have in English. You push off the “t” sound, and should almost sound like the “s” is drawn out. The sound “fu” is so soft, and like a breath of air coming out. Think like a sigh, “phew.” It doesn’t sound like “who,” but a soft “f.” As for our lone consonant, “n” can sound like “n” or “m,” depending on the word.

Special Japanese Character Readings and How to Write Them

There are a few Japanese characters that combine with others to create more sounds. You’ll often see dakuten , which are double accent marks above the character on the right side ( ﾞ), and handakuten , which is a small circle on the right side ( ﾟ).

Here’s how dakuten affect the characters:

And handakuten are only used with the H-row characters, changing it from “h” to “p.” So か ( ka ) becomes が ( ga ), and ひ ( hi ) becomes either び ( bi ) or ぴ ( pi ).

A sokuon adds a small っ between two characters to double the consonant that follows it and make a “stop” in the word. In the saying いらっしゃいませ ( irasshaimase , “Welcome!”), the “rahs-shai” has a slight glottal pause where the “tsu” emphasizes the double “s.”

One of the special readings that tend to be mispronounced are the yoon characters. These characters add a small “y” row character to the other rows to blend the sounds together. These look like ちゃ ( cha ), きょ ( kyo ), and しゅ ( shu ). They’re added to the “i” column of kana characters.

An example of a common mispronunciation is “Tokyo.” It’s often said “Toh-key-yo,” but it’s actually only two syllables: “Toh-kyo.” The k and y are blended; there is no “ee” sound in the middle.

How to Read, Write, and Pronounce Kanji Characters

Here’s where things get tricky. Kanji, since it represents a whole word or idea, and combines with hiragana… It almost always has more than one way to read and pronounce it. And when it comes to writing them, they have a lot more to them.

Let’s start by breaking down the kanji a bit, shall we?

Most kanji consist of radicals, the basic elements or building blocks. For instance, 日 (“sun” or “day”) is a radical. So is 言 (“words” or “to say”) and 心 (“heart”). So when we see the kanji 曜, we see that “day” has been squished in this complex kanji. This kanji means “day of the week.” It’s in every weekday’s name: 月曜日 ( getsuyoubi , “Monday”), 火曜日 ( kayoubi , “Tuesday”), 水曜日 ( suiyoubi , “Wednesday”), etc.

When the kanji for “words” is mixed into another kanji, it usually has something to do with conversation or language. 日本語 ( nihongo ) is the word for “Japanese” and the final kanji 語 includes 言. And as for 心, it’s often in kanji related to expressing emotions and feelings, like 怒る ( okoru , “angry”) and 思う ( omou , “to think”).

In this way, some kanji make a lot of sense when we break them down like this. A good example is 妹 ( imouto ), the kanji for “little sister.” It’s made up of two radicals: 女, “woman,” and 未, “not yet.” She’s “not yet a woman,” because she’s your kid sister.

So why learn radicals? Because radicals make it easier to memorize, read, and write the kanji. By learning radicals, you can break the kanji down using mnemonics (like “not yet a woman” to remember imouto ). If you know each “part,” you’ll remember how to write it. 妹 has 7 strokes to it, but only 2 radicals. So instead of memorizing tons of tiny lines, memorize the parts.

As for pronouncing them, this is largely a memorization game. But here’s a pro-tip. Each kanji has “common” readings — often only one or two. Memorize how to read the kanji with common words that use them, and you’ll know how to read that kanji more often than not.

Japanese Writing: Stroke Order

So, I mentioned stroke order with kanji. But what is that? Stroke order is the proper sequence you use to write Japanese characters.

The rule of stroke order is you go from top to bottom, left to right.

This can still be confusing with some complex kanji, but again, radicals play a part here. You would break down each radical top left-most stroke to bottom right stroke, then move on to the next radical. A helpful resource is Jisho.org , which shows you how to properly write all the characters. Check out how to write the kanji for “kanji” as a perfect example of breaking down radicals.

When it comes to kana, stroke order still matters. Even though they’re simpler, proper stroke order makes your characters easier to read. And some characters rely on stroke order to tell them apart. Take シ and ツ:

[Shi and Tsu example]

If you didn’t use proper stroke order, these two katakana characters would look the same!

How to Memorize Japanese Kanji and Kana

When it comes to Japanese writing, practice makes perfect. Practice writing your sentences down in Japanese, every day. Practice filling in the kana syllabary chart for hiragana and katakana, until there are no blank boxes and you’ve got them all right.

Create mnemonics for both kanji and kana. Heisig’s method is one of the best ways to memorize how to write kanji with mnemonics. Using spaced repetition helps too, like Anki. Then you’re regularly seeing each character, and you can input your mnemonics into the note of the card so you have it as a reminder.

Another great way to practice is to write out words you already know. If you know mizu means “water,” then learn the kanji 水 and write it with the kanji every time from here on out. If you know the phrase おはようございます means “good morning,” practice writing in in kana every morning. That phrase alone gives you practice with 9 characters and two with dakuten! And try looking up loan words to practice katakana.

Tools to Help You with Japanese Writing

There are some fantastic resources out there to help you practice writing in Japanese. Here are a few to help you learn it fast:

• JapanesePod101 : Yes, JapanesePod101 is a podcast. But they often feature YouTube videos and have helpful PDFs that teach you kanji and kana! Plus, you’ll pick up all kinds of helpful cultural insights and grammar tips.
• LingQ : LingQ is chock full of reading material in Japanese, giving you plenty of exposure to kana, new kanji, and words. It uses spaced repetition to help you review.
• Skritter : Skritter is one of the best apps for Japanese writing. You can practice writing kanji on the app, and review them periodically so you don’t forget. It’s an incredible resource to keep up with your Japanese writing practice on the go.
• Scripts : From the creator of Drops, this app was designed specifically for learning languages with a different script from your own.

How to Type in Japanese

It’s actually quite simple to type in Japanese! On a PC, you can go to “Language Settings” and click “Add a preferred language.” Download Japanese — 日本語 — and make sure to move it below English. (Otherwise, it will change your laptop’s language to Japanese… Which can be an effective study tool , though!)

To start typing in Japanese, you would press the Windows key + space. Your keyboard will now be set to Japanese! You can type the romanized script, and it will show you the suggestions for kanji and kana. To easily change back and forth between Japanese and English, use the alt key + “~” key.

For Mac, you can go to “System Preferences”, then “Keyboard” and then click the “+” button to add and set Japanese. To toggle between languages, use the command key and space bar.

For mobile devices, it’s very similar. You’ll go to your settings, then language and input settings. Add the Japanese keyboard, and then you’ll be able to toggle back and forth when your typing from the keyboard!

Japanese Writing Isn’t Scary!

Japanese writing isn’t that bad. It does take practice, but it’s fun to write! It’s a beautiful script. So, don’t believe the old ideology that “three different writing systems will take thousands of hours to learn!” A different writing system shouldn’t scare you off. Each writing system has a purpose and makes sense once you start learning. They build on each other, so learning it gets easier as you go. Realistically, you could read a Japanese newspaper after only about two months of consistent studying and practice with kanji!

Caitlin Sacasas

Content Writer, Fluent in 3 Months

Caitlin is a copywriter, content strategist, and language learner. Besides languages, her passions are fitness, books, and Star Wars. Connect with her: Twitter | LinkedIn

Speaks: English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish

Have a 15-minute conversation in your new language after 90 days

• Top page -->>
• Japan Guide & Information -->>

• Learning -->>

How to improve your writing skills in Japanese

UPDATE | October 1, 2022

The ability to write Japanese, which is necessary for living in Japan. Here are four recommended ways to do just that.

• Copying example sentences from Japanese textbooks and reference books
• Write a 3-line diary in Japanese
• Decide on a theme and write a short essay.
• Post to SNS. write a comment. send a message.

In order to go on to higher education or find a job in Japan, you need to be able to write in Japanese. What kind of training do you do to improve your writing skills in Japanese? What should I do to improve my writing ability?

In this column, I will introduce four ways to improve your writing skills in Japanese!

1. Copy the example sentences from Japanese textbooks and reference books

Do you have any Japanese textbooks or reference books? The book can be used not only for reading, but also for improving your writing skills. It's easy to do. Just write an example sentence. You can write the example sentences in a notebook, or you can write them using computer software.

This method is very easy, but it can be a little boring. However, the example sentences in recent textbooks are created by Japanese teachers considering whether they will really use them in their daily lives. Therefore, if you write down the example sentences and memorize them as they are, they will be useful in your daily life.

If you write example sentences properly, you will be able to memorize grammar and words at the same time. If you think writing example sentences is too easy, start from the last page of your textbook. Many people haven't read the last page (maybe for the first time!), so it's a great practice.

2. Write a 3-line diary in Japanese

The next method is to write a diary in Japanese. Don't you think you have to write long sentences in your diary? But short sentences are fine. Write a lot of short sentences, until you have three lines. It can be a little tough at first.

When writing a diary, you don't have to write "I'm amazing". Rather than that, let's honestly write "bad self". "I couldn't study today," "I couldn't do the laundry even though the weather was nice," or "I slept until noon."

After I write about myself, I write about what happened today and what I noticed. "I took a walk and the wind felt good," "It seems that the neighborhood bakery is closed today," and "It's nice weather." If you write every day, you will get used to "writing".

3. Decide on a theme and try to write a mini composition.

A third way is to write an essay. Think writing is difficult? Actually, it's the same as a diary, and you should keep writing down what you're thinking. This composition is to improve your writing skills, so you don't have to show it to anyone. So feel free to get started.

It may be difficult to decide on a theme for writing, so I prepared a few themes. From the themes below, choose one that you think you can write, and try to write it in 200 to 400 characters. Even if it's not the theme below, you can write what you want to write.

"self-introduction" "Things I want to do in Japan" "My favorite 〇〇" "How to study Japanese" "How to spend your day off" "Friend 〇〇" "Let me introduce you to my family." "Recommended shop" "How to cook national dishes" "What I want to study more"

4. Post to SNS. write a comment. send a message.

Have you ever sent a message in Japanese on SNS (LINE, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)? You can improve your Japanese writing skills by using Japanese on SNS and messaging apps. However, the thing to be careful about with SNS is that there are people who read it.

Send messages with the other person in mind so that the person reading the message doesn't feel bad. The same is true when posting on SNS or writing comments.

And Japanese on SNS and messaging apps often uses "spoken language" rather than "written language". It's a different style of word than the Japanese used for higher education or job hunting, so be careful when using it properly. SNS is fun, so I want to make good use of it to improve my Japanese writing skills.

This time, I introduced four ways to improve your writing skills in Japanese. Please feel free to challenge yourself in whatever way you like. See you in the next column!

I teach Japanese at Japanese language schools and universities in Kyushu. I love games and manga. I also work as a coordinator and web writer to create a local Japanese language class for those who are studying Japanese.

September 20, 2022

【International Student Interview】 Meiji University (MEIJI UNIVERSITY)

June 15, 2022

【International Student Interview】Kanagawa University

August 19, 2021

May 27, 2022

What is a famous school-oriented cram school?

February 01, 2022

[For Japanese language schools] Why don't you teach Japanese through manga at "Trial Manga Library"?

Recommended articles.

March 05, 2019

3 reasons why you should start a "school search" right now

January 16, 2019

Three points to find a “school that suits you”

“How to Gather Japanese School Information” Guide for International Students

January 09, 2019

“Scholarship” guide for international students

Useful tips.

Japanese Writing Lab #1: Basic self-introduction

In a recent post I announced I would be starting a new program on my blog called “Japanese Writing Lab” that aims to motivate people to practice writing in Japanese, provides feedback on their writing, and allows them to see posts of other Japanese learners. This article represents the first writing assignment of that program.

For this assignment, I’d like to focus on a very common, but important topic: self-introduction, known as 自己紹介 (jiko shoukai) in Japanese.

Self-introductions can range widely from formal to casual, and from very short (name only) to much longer. This time, I’d like everyone to focus on writing a basic self-introduction whose main purpose is to actually introduce yourself to me and others in the group. So while it is a writing exercise, it actually serves an important purpose as well. Try to keep it brief (a few sentences is fine) and stick more to written language as opposed to spoken language. For example, you would avoid using things like “あの。。。” which you might say if you actually spoke a self-introduction.

For those who are comfortable writing a self-introduction in Japanese, you can go ahead and get started. If you have written one recently, I suggest you try to write one again from scratch without referring to it unless you really get stuck.

Once you finish this writing assignment please post it via one of the two following methods:

• For those who have a blog (WordPress or anywhere else is fine): post it on your blog, and post a comment on this article including a link to your post. I also suggest adding a link on your post back to this article, so people who find your post can follow it to read other people’s submissions.
• For those who don’t have a blog: simply post it as a comment to this article with the text you’ve written. [Note: creating a blog is pretty easy and free on many sites, so if you have a few minutes I’d just consider just trying to create a blog]

I’ll be reading through the submitted assignments and will try to make constructive comments. I highly recommend for everyone submitting to read other people’s submissions.

For those who are not too familiar with how to write self-introductions in Japanese, here is a general template to help you get started (taken from this Japanese website). If you want to do your own research on how to write a self-introduction, that is fine as well. Feel free to omit any of the below categories, for example if you don’t want to discuss where you live.

Keep in mind that for a self-introduction in Japanese, it is usually best to use at minimum basic polite language, like ~です and ~ます, since you aren’t likely to be on very familiar terms with those you are speaking to.

General template for  basic self-introduction

僕（私) の名前は [your name here] です。

• Place where you live (住所)

住所は[place where you live]というところです。

• Hobbies (趣味)

趣味は [one or more of your hobbies]です。

仕事は「your current job」をしています。

• Positive ending

[try to think of something positive to close with]

My submission

For each assignment I will give my submission as well, to help give you ideas. Feel free to send me questions or comments about my submission.

For this assignment I’ll keep things pretty simple and mostly follow the template I gave above, but in future assignments I’ll start using more advanced language and get more creative.

僕の名前はlocksleyuです。

住所はオレゴン州のポートランドですが、先週までは南フロリダに住んでいました。

趣味は色々ありますが、最近は日本の小説を読んだりチェスをやったりしています。

仕事はソフトウェア開発をしています。

このクラスで日本語の文章力を向上できたらいいと思います。

よろしくお願いします。

Share this:

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

22 thoughts on “ Japanese Writing Lab #1: Basic self-introduction ”

Hi – I put together a WordPress site today so I could participate in this, and also to encourage me to write in Japanese.

Here’s my basic self introduction article: https://bokunojapanese.wordpress.com/2016/05/30/japanese-writing-lab-1-basic-self-introduction/

I tried once yesterday and once just now to post here and I am not seeing anything getting through. Are these comments moderated? Is there some other issue? I’m sick of retyping my introduction 🙁

The comments are moderated (that is the default setting of WordPress) but I check very often and approve pretty much all comments except for Spam. For some reason I didn’t see any of your comments from yesterday, only two from today.

I’ll read your other comment and respond now.

OK, this blog doesn’t seem to accept Japanese characters as comments (I just tried a third time).

I’m sorry that you are experiencing trouble. I’ll try to do my best help you out so we can get this solved (:

I have used Japanese before in comments. Let’s test now:

こんにちは [<- can you read this?] What happens when you try to write Japanese characters? Can you please make a post like this with some Japanese and some English so I can see what it looks like? Also, what browser/OS are you using? Can you try a variation of either? I am using Safari/Mac OS.

Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I’m reading that. The last three comments I have made that have included either all Japanese characters or a mix of Japanese and English have just…vanished. Like, I click “post” and the page refreshes but I don’t see my comment or even a “Your comment is pending” notification. I’m on Chrome on Mac OS, everything’s reasonably up to date.

Here’s a comment with English and hiragana only: こんにちは Thanks for helping me debug and sorry to be leaving so many comments on the blog ;_;

Here’s a comment with English, hiragana and kanji: こんいちは 漢字は難しいですが、大切です。

Everything looks great now, I can see all the characters fine (: I’m guessing that was just some temporary issue with WordPress.

You can go ahead and try to put your self-introduction now. Just make a backup copy in case it gets deleted again.

You’re not going to believe this, but it STILL isn’t posting. I was avoiding making a new blog because I thought it would be “more work” but now I’m thinking that would be simpler after all.

Thats so weird, I wonder why. Maybe if you make a longer comment it doesn’t like it?

I agree it will probably be easier at this point to create your own blog, and that will have other benefits for you in the future.

But if you still want to try and troubleshoot the original issue I can help…

The good news is that WordPress makes it really easy to set up a new blog these days. I guess in retrospect I should have done that to begin with. Thanks for your help trying to debug this issue! https://nihongonoheya.wordpress.com/2016/06/02/first-blog-post/

Great, glad you were able to make a blog so easily! Will check out your blog later today when I get more time.

Hi, I have been reading several of your articles with great interest. The first that lead me to you was your comments on ‘Hibana’ by Naoki Matayoshi. A friend of mine in Japan is reading this book and I was curious about its content. Your translation is amazing. To introduce myself I set up a site, above link, however it doesn’t really seem to be a blog as such, so I may need to change that later. Anyway it’s accepted the script ok so you should be able to read it. I hope to join in here to improve my Japanese. Thanks for your time, Sylvia

Thanks very much for the comment and feedback!

Also, I’m glad you are interested in joining my program. I checked out your site, but like you said it seems like it isn’t exactly a blog, so I am not sure if I will be able to comment. Without that, it will be hard for me to correct your writings (I found a few errors I wanted to point out).

If it’s not too much trouble, would you mind trying to create a blog on WordPress.com? It should be pretty easy and it’s free.

Hi, Thank you for your reply. I think I’ve sorted it OK. See link below, I’ve never done a blog before so this is new to me! https://kafuka97.wordpress.com/

I just copied what I wrote before, no changes. Many thanks, Sylvia

PS: I do have a website which I have sent a link to.

Hello! My name is Jheanelle, I just found your website today and I think I’ve already looked through have of it. Its amazing. I’m interested in doing the assignments but I don’t have a blog so I’ll post it in the comments section.

ジェネルと言います。今日本に住んで仕事にしています。私は英語の先生です。 色々な趣味があります。例えば、寝たり、韓国の番組を見たり、本を読んだりするのが好きです。 日本語もっと上手になりたいそしてこのブログを見つけて嬉しくなった

どうぞよろしくお願いします

Hello Jheanelle. I’m sorry for the late reply but your message was showing up in Spam on my blog for some reason.

Thanks for the submission. Right now I am sort of taking a break from the writing labs since I didn’t get too much response from my readers, but I will consider restarting them again at some point. There is a few others however I posted (up to #3 or #4, I think).

I hope your Japanese studies are going well.

One minor comment, in your sentence “今日本に住んで仕事にしています” I think maybe you could have said: “今日本で仕事をしています” or “今日本に住んでで仕事もしています”

These might sound a little better.

One more thing, I recommend watching Japanese dramas instead of Korean if you want to improve faster (:

Hello locksleyu, I just posted my self-introduction here: https://soreymikleo1421.wordpress.com/2021/05/21/japanese-writing-lab-1-basic-self-introduction/ Thank you in advance!

Thanks! I just posted a few comments.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Welcome to Kakimashou

Practice writing Japanese on your screen. Let's write!

Learning to write in Japanese takes a lot of practice, but this website will take care of a lot of the legwork for you. You can stop wasting paper and looking up stroke-order diagrams and just focus on learning.

Begin Tutorial

Send Feedback

Support this Website

• KU Libraries
• Subject & Course Guides
• Resource Guide for Japanese Language Students

Resource Guide for Japanese Language Students: Essays

• Short Stories
• Translated Foreign Literature
• Japanese and English
• Comics with Furigana
• Comics with no Furigana
• Picture Books
• Online Reading Materials
• Apps, Sites, Extensions, and Podcasts
• For Listening Practice: Read Aloud Picture Books
• For Listening Practice: Children's Literature
• For Listening Practice: Young Adults
• Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT)
• Japanese Research & Bibliographic Methods for Undergraduates
• Japan Studies This link opens in a new window
• Guidebooks for Academic and Business Writing

About This Page

This page introduces the variety of essays written by popular contemporary authors. Unless noted, all are in Japanese.

The author, さくらももこ, is known for writing a comic titled 『 ちびまる子ちゃん 』. The comic is based on her own childhood experiences and depicts the everyday life of a girl with a nickname of Chibi Maruko-chan. The author has been constantly writing casual and humorous essays, often recollecting her childhood memories. We have both the『 ちびまる子ちゃん 』 comic series and other essays by the author. 

To see a sample text in a new tab, please  click on the cover image or the title .

中島らも(1952-2004) started his career as a copyrigher but changed his path to become a prolific writer, publishing novels, essays, drama scripts and rakugo stories. He became popular with his "twisted sense of humour."  He is also active in the music industry when he formed his own band. He received the 13th Eiji Yoshikawa New Author Prize with his 『今夜、すべてのバーで』 and Mystery Writers of Japan Aaward with 『 ガダラの豚 』.

東海林（しょうじ）さだお

東海林さだお(1937-) is a well-known cartoonist, but he is also famous for his essays on food. His writing style is light and humorous and tends to pay particular attention toward regular food, such as bananas, miso soup, and eggd in udon noodles, rather than talk about gourmet meals. (added 5/2/2014)

Collection of Essays: 天声人語 = Vox Populi, Vox Deli (Bilingual)

A collection of essays which appear on the front page of Asahi Shinbun . Each essay is approx. 600 words. KU has collections published around 2000. Seach KU Online catalog with call number AC145 .T46 for more details. 

To see a sample text, please click on the cover image or the title .

Other Essays

Online Essay

• 村上さんのところ "Mr. Murakami's Place" -- Haruki Murakami's Advice Column Part of Haruki Murakami's official site. He answers questions sent to this site. He will also take questions in English. Questions will be accepted until Jan. 31, 2015.

Search from KU Collection

If you are looking for essays in Japanese available at KU, use this search box. If you know the author, search by last name, then first name, such as "Sakura, Momoko." Make sure to select "Author" in the search field option.:

• << Previous: Level 4
• Next: Short Stories >>
• Last Updated: Feb 1, 2024 11:08 AM
• URL: https://guides.lib.ku.edu/c.php?g=95189

• Draw it in the drawing area
• Type the name in the text area
• Look for it in the list
• Notice that 漢 is made of several components: 氵 艹 口 夫
• Draw any of these components (one at a time) in the drawing area, and select it when you see it
• Alternatively, look for a component in the list. 氵 艹 口 each have three strokes; 夫 has four strokes
• If you know the meanings of the components, type any of them in the text area: water (氵), grass (艹), mouth (口) or husband (夫)
• Keep adding components until you can see your kanji in the list of matches that appears near the top.
• Draw a component in the center of the area, as large as you can
• Try to draw the component as it appears in the kanji you're looking up
• Don't worry about stroke order or number of strokes
• Don't draw more than one component at a time

Joy o' Kanji - Individual Kanji Essays and Thematic Bundles

• Study all kanji in the collection immediately with Quick Study
• Create Flashcards for the kanji to study with Kanshudo's spaced repetition flashcard system
• View your current Kanji Mastery level for each kanji, as well as a quick summary of readings and meanings
• Download the kanji with readings and meanings for study offline or in another flashcard program

Home > Easy Japanese > 2015 English Top > What is "Easy Japanese"

What is "Easy Japanese"

Grammar lessons (2015 version).

• Master basic grammar!
• Also－words that sound like what they describe.

"Easy Japanese" is a program of Japanese language lessons produced by Japan's public broadcaster, NHK WORLD-JAPAN. You can learn basic grammar and useful expressions. You can download texts for the lessons.

Introduction of the story

The heroine of the story is Anna, a 20-year-old Thai student who loves Japanese manga. She has come to Japan to learn the Japanese language for one year at a university in Tokyo. She will learn practical Japanese through various experiences, such as classes at the university, daily life at a dormitory, shopping, and traveling.

Main Characters

A student from Thailand. She loves Japanese manga, and her aim is to be able to read manga in Japanese without difficulties. She is of cheerful personality and has great curiosity. Even by making mistakes at times, she learns the Japanese language and customs and grow up as a person.

Sakura is a student at the university where Anna is studying. She is studying aiming to become a Japanese language teacher. She serves as a "tutor" supporting foreign students and helps Anna get used to life in Japan. She is from Shizuoka Prefecture on the Pacific coast.

Rodrigo is a student from Mexico and he is Anna's classmate. He is interested in Japanese history. He is knowledgeable and sincere, but also gets carried away sometimes.

Prof. Suzuki

Professor Suzuki teaches Japanese to Anna and other foreign students. They depend on him. He counsels them when they have problems.

Dorm Mother

She is the dorm mother of the dormitory where Anna resides. She is much liked by the students who call her "Okâsan", the Japanese word meaning "mother". She is strict but warmly watches over students from abroad.

Kenta is Sakura's cousin. He is a university student, living in Shizuoka Prefecture, Sakura's home town. At the university, he belongs to the photography club.

Supervisor of the lessons

Akane Tokunaga

Associate Professor - Kanda University of International Studies

Tokunaga has been active in various roles as a Japanese language teacher since the 1990's. From the year 2000, she has been teaching Japanese to foreign students in the Japanese Language and Culture Program at Kanda University of International Studies. She has also been involved in developing teaching materials. She has a friendly personality, and is highly evaluated for her practical lessons.

Select your language

• Bahasa Indonesia

FREE Websites for Japanese Reading Practice (At Every Level)

Want to get better at Japanese?

Reading is one of the best ways to improve your language skills.

It’s especially important to read a lot when you’re learning a language with a different writing system, like Japanese.

Hiragana, katakana and kanji can be overwhelming at first. But with enough reading practice, reading these characters will become natural!

Reading consolidates all that vocabulary and grammar you’ve spent all that time learning. When you come across new words in a story or article, it’s much easier to remember.

And best of all, it’s free!

So if you’re wondering how to learn Japanese effectively, I really do recommend making regular time to read.

Here’s a selection of great websites for completely free Japanese reading practice online , whatever your level:

Japanese reading practice for beginners

If you’re a beginner, you’ll probably want to stick to resources in hiragana only.

(Not sure what hiragana is? First check out my post on how to read Japanese for a quick introduction to the Japanese writing systems!)

Japan Foundation’s hiragana mini books

The simplest (and cutest!) Japanese reading practice on this list! Designed as a classroom resource to teach hiragana to complete beginners, you can start reading these mini books as soon as you have just two hiragana characters under your belt (あ and か). 

The navigation on this site is not great, but for more hiragana books, look for the grey link at the bottom of the page. There are also katakana versions here . 

Plus, once you’ve learned all your kana, you can move on to the manga and short stories here .

Tadoku literally means ‘read a lot’, and the idea behind this site is that reading a lot is the best way to learn Japanese! Tadoku provides dozens of free, simple picture books for students of Japanese.

The site is all in Japanese, but don’t panic! It’s not hard to navigate. For beginner Japanese reading material, look for those marked with the blue ‘L0’ towards the top of the page. Click on a book cover that catches your attention. On the next page, click on the grey box labelled ‘READ FOR FREE’ (in English). Enjoy!

Another truly wonderful site based on the concept of tadoku (reading a lot). This is a great site for free Japanese reading practice at every level.

The texts are categorised based on JLPT levels (N5 being the easiest, N1 the most advanced). There is also an N6 level, which is the easiest and suitable for beginners who’ve just learned hiragana.

There are a couple of things I love about this site. Firstly, plenty of pictures to keep it interesting and help your comprehension! Secondly, it uses kanji (with furigana or pronunciation guides in hiragana) even from the very basic levels.

This means you will gradually get accustomed to seeing kanji, and it hopefully won’t be such a big step up when you start learning them!

Kindly shared by reader SakuraSpeaks.

Hukumusume is a site full of traditional Japanese children’s stories.

It’s is an absolutely huge site and it is written for Japanese children (not language students), so it can be a bit confusing to navigate. I recommend that beginners start with this page which has four stories written in hiragana with English translations.

Once you’ve read those, you can explore the rest of the stories here . Most of them don’t have English translations, but they are written in very simple Japanese so you can have a go at translating them yourself!

This page lists the stories by Japanese school year. Start with １ねんせい (1 st grade, which uses hiragana only) and work up to 6 th grade as you learn more kanji!

Many of the stories also have audio or video tracks.

Crunchy Nihongo’s hiragana stories

Here’s a very simple site for Japanese reading practice in hiragana only. Scroll to the bottom of the linked page and you will find links to several Japanese fairy tales, written in very simple Japanese. There is the option to show or hide romaji and English translation line by line.

EhonNavi is an amazing site that lets you read hundreds of different Japanese children’s picture books, all for free! Unlike the above sites, there are lots of modern books (not just traditional tales). You can browse books by age, from 0 up to 12. Yes, there are even books for babies with just one of two words per page, making this a great resource even for complete beginners!

The only downside is that you have to register. The whole site is in Japanese, so it’s a bit difficult for beginners. Here you can find fantastic instructions with screenshots to help you get set up.

CosCom News

It’s unusual to find reading materials for beginners that aren’t children’s books, but I managed it! This site publishes very short news articles in simple Japanese. You can click the buttons at the top to switch between romaji, hiragana, and full Japanese (with kanji). 

You can also download a pdf of the article if you want to write notes. Key vocabulary is listed in English below.

The ‘Tenki Yohoo’ (weather forecast) and ‘Short News’ sections contain very short articles for beginners. The ‘Japan News and World News’ section has slightly longer articles. Only the most recent article in each section is available for free. You can also pay for membership to read the archives.

Easy Japanese Stories

The author of this site is a high school Japanese teacher who writes simple stories as Japanese reading practice for their students. There are some made up stories and also some traditional Japanese children’s stories, rewritten in simple Japanese. The stories contain some kanji with furigana (pronunciation guide in hiragana). Each story comes with a vocab list, a sound recording and a downloadable pdf. Thank you Matthew for sharing!

Another source for Japanese children’s picture books online. This site is not so user-friendly, but I included it as an extra resource in case you have problems with the above sites.

Just click on an image to go to the book. Then click the yellow ‘next’ button at the top to turn the pages.

One problem with this site is that the writing is an image file, so you can’t copy and paste words to look in a dictionary. You can increase the text size from the homepage.

Intermediate Japanese reading practice

At the intermediate level, you will be able to understand longer sentences and more difficult words. You know hiragana and katakana, and can also read some kanji.

You need some reading resources that introduce these features of the language, but you still need a bit of help understanding new words.

We have just the thing for you! Here are some sites for Japanese reading practice for intermediate students:

Hirogaru is a cute site for Japanese learners. It has short texts and videos on lots of different topics. In particular, it has a lot of articles on traditional Japanese culture, such as calligraphy, tea ceremony and martial arts. There are vocabulary lists (with English translations) of key words for each topic.

Matcha is a cool Japanese travel and culture magazine. It’s available in 10 different languages, including an easy Japanese version! (My link will take you directly to the ‘easy Japanese’ site.) It does use kanji but always with furigana (pronunciation guides) above.

Most of the articles are available in English too. You can read the English version afterwards to check your understanding (use the drop down bar at the bottom of the page to change the language). Be careful though, because the translations aren’t always the same word-for-word.

Watanoc is a ‘free web magazine in simple Japanese’. The name comes from ‘wa’ (Japanese) ‘tanoshii’ (fun). It has a lot of articles of different lengths and different levels, so it’s suitable from beginners to intermediate. The topics include food, culture, events and funny news. After each title, it tells you the approximate JLPT reading level (N5 is the easiest). Also, if you hover your mouse over a word, it will pop up with an explanation in English! Highly recommended for upper beginners and lower intermediate.

NHK News Web Easy

NHK is Japan’s national news service. On this site, you can read NHK’s top news stories each day in simple Japanese. It’s aimed at Japanese elementary school children, as well as foreigners learning Japanese.

The site has furigana on the kanji, and Japanese dictionary definitions that pop up when you hover over a word. Many of the stories have videos too.

You can toggle furigana on and off using the blue button at the top of each article labelled 感じの読み方を消す. And, if you’re feeling up for a challenge, you can view the original NHK version of the article by clicking the blue button at the bottom labelled 普通のニュウスを読む.

The site has several new stories each day. If you enjoy reading about current affairs, this is a good site for you.

Short news articles, school lessons, games and bulletin boards in simple Japanese, aimed at elementary school kids. There is no furigana on the kanji so this might be a bit advanced for some users.

Hiragana Times

Hiragana Times is a magazine that publishes articles about Japan in simple Japanese with furigana, alongside an English translation. You have to subscribe for full access, but you can read selected sample articles on the main website here . You can toggle furigana, romaji and English on and off using the ‘あ’ button to the left hand side. You can also download a free sample magazine here .

Nippon Talk

This is a blog about many aspects of everyday life in Japan. Each paragraph is written in Japanese, with translation in English underneath. A small number of posts have French translations, too. You can choose to turn the furigana on or off. Unfortunately the blog is no longer updated, but there are several years of posts to read through.

Wasabi (Fairy Stories)

A small collection of Japanese fairy stories with furigana, audio, vocabulary lists and English translations. You can play the audio at different speeds, so this is also a useful site to practise reading aloud and work on your pronunciation! The Japanese texts contain kanji and a bit more advanced than the children’s stories in the beginner section above.

Wasabi (Manga)

This is from the same site as above but I wanted to list it separately because it’s so useful. If you dream of reading Japanese manga in the original, but you need some extra help, this is a great place to start. On this page you can read Give My Regards to Black Jack, a bestselling Japanese manga about a young doctor. Alongside the original manga, there is the Japanese script with English translation and language notes.

Bunsuke’s Newsletter

Bunsuke publishes short snippets from famous Japanese writers, together with a vocab list and translation. This is an excellent way for intermediate learners to dip their toes into reading Japanese literature in the original version, without overwhelm. You might even discover some favourite works to explore further! 

Previously, Bunsuke sent out his snippets every day in an email newsletter. The daily emails are paused for now, but you can read all previous newsletters in his Substack archive. He also runs occasional interactive reading challenges.

Advanced Japanese reading practice

If you are an advanced Japanese learner, I recommend using real Japanese materials as much as possible. By this I mean books and articles written for native Japanese speakers – not for language learners.

The ultimate goal is to speak fluent Japanese, the way native speakers do. You will learn the most natural language by using real life sources.

The good news is, it’s incredibly easy to find real life Japanese resources online! You can also find resources on literally any topics.

I recommend thinking about what you read in your native language for fun. What do you read in your spare time, just because you love it ? Find the Japanese version of that! This means you’ll be more likely to stick with it. Plus, you’ll learn new words specific to your hobbies and interests.

This is also a good time to change your phone, computer, Facebook settings into Japanese and create an immersion environment .

Here are a few websites to start you off. I tried to choose a selection of websites from different genres. Remember, this list is just to give you some ideas! When you know advanced Japanese, you can read whatever you want 🙂

NHK – the Japanese national broadcaster. As well as reading the news online, you can stream radio and watch some TV shows (might be blocked depending on location)

Yomiuri Shimbun – national newspaper (conservative)

Mainichi Shimbun – national newspaper (moderate/left leaning)

Asahi Shimbun – national newspaper (left leaning)

Big list of Japanese news sites, including many regional and industry-specific publications

Aozora Bunko – free digital copies of books for which the copyright has expired

Project Gutenberg (Japanese) – another site for free out-of-copyright books

Shousetsuka ni narou – a site where budding authors publish their work online for free to get reviews

University of Virginia Japanese Text Initiative – a huge library of Japanese texts online, and you can even choose to read with furigana

Bookwalker – Bookwalker is a Japanese ebook store and app. They specialise in manga and light novels. Although you have to pay for most of the content, they have a large selection of volumes (mostly manga) that you can download for free. Just look for the section marked 無料.

Also, you can usually read several sample pages of other (paid) books on the site for free. This is good if you want to try out some Japanese reading materials in different styles or by different authors. Just look for the 試し読み button on the product page.

Note that there is an English version of the website, but this will only show you English language books. You need to navigate the website in Japanese to download Japanese books ( tutorial on how to sign up ).

Bauddha – This website publishes bilingual stories and excerpts from famous writings, political speeches and other sources. You can read the Japanese version alongside the English version. This website is actually for Japanese learners of English, not the other way around! The language level here is quite advanced because the writings are mostly literary classics.

NDL Digital Collections – digital library of the National Diet. Digital versions of books and documents of historical/national importance. You have to dig around a bit, but if you are interested in classical Japanese texts, folklore, etc, you will find some gems.

Comicwalker – free manga from the publisher Kadokawa. You can read the comics online, or there’s an app too. Look for the ones with the red ​​無料マンガ (free manga) triangle. From the same people as BookWalker above but it has some different content.

Shonen Jump – the best selling manga magazine in Japan. On their website you can read their latest manga instalments and also news articles about new releases and so on.

Sai Zen Sen – you can read some Japanese manga online for free

Comico – another site with some free Japanese manga to read online.

Animate Times – site dedicated to anime and related pop culture and media, including manga, light novels, cosplay and more. The tab on the far right of the menu bar links to free manga to read online ( 無料マン ガ .) You can also read interviews with artists and directors, news about new releases, commentary/reviews and so on.

Yahoo Questions – yes, Yahoo Questions has died out in the West but the Japanese version is still going strong – in fact, it’s one of the most popular forums on the Japanese internet. It’s a good way to get used to reading casual Japanese and hearing Japanese people’s viewpoints on all kinds of issues.

Oshiete! Goo – another popular forum for questions and answers.

Ameblo – a Japanese personal blogging platform similar to Blogspot or Livejournal. You can browse blogs and articles by topic.

Twitter – the biggest social media platform in Japan (after messaging app LINE). It’s a great way to get some reading practice in bite-sized chunks! You could start by following your favourite Japanese celebrities or search for your interests/interesting hashtags in Japanese. Or, check out the website Togetter , which rounds up popular threads and topics from Japanese Twitter.

Anonymous Diary – a simple bulletin board/forum where people can post anonymously. It’s a mixed bag – some posts are just random thoughts, but since it’s anonymous, there are lots of controversial takes and secret confessions too.

Girls Channel – a bulletin board, kind of like Reddit but just for girls. Good for learning internet slang and girls’ talk.

Mixi – a Japanese social network. You can read news articles and some public threads without signing up. There are communities on different topics similar to Reddit. It’s not as popular as it used to be but there is still plenty of content for free Japanese reading practise.

Magazines, lifestyle and more

Your options here are literally endless, but here are just a few sites that I enjoy personally or that have been recommended to me!

Japanese magazine lists – This site and this one  have huge lists of popular Japanese magazines with links to their websites. They are mostly fashion magazines but there are some in other categories such as business, tech and travel. Note that the amount of free content varies by site; some have a lot of free articles online whereas others just want you to buy the print magazine.

Rocket News – short funny news articles on topics such as pop culture, viral content, new releases etc. Very fun and easy to read with lots of pictures! They have an English-language sister site, Sora News , and you can sometimes find the same article on both which is useful for checking your comprehension.

Hatena Bookmarking – a social bookmarking site. Users share interesting articles from around the web.

1000moji – user-submitted short stories in 1000 characters

Pouch – Pouch describe themselves as offering ‘cute, fun, weird’ content for women! It’s a round-up of content on popular culture, cute items, trending internet stuff, random blog articles and more.

Kinarino – women’s lifestyle blog covering food, fashion, travel, interiors and more

CanCam – a popular Japanese women’s fashion magazine

Otokomae – otokomae means ‘handsome guy’, so as you might expect, this site is about men’s fashion and grooming.

Spot – curated travel blog about local travel and points of interest in Japan. Its stated goal is to collect “tourist information provided by locals”.

Tabizine – all about travel (Japan and international) and food

Lifehacker – interesting tips and tricks, and tech news

Toyo Keizai – a well-known business and finance magazine

BuzzFeed Japan – you probably know this one! Funny and interesting things from around the internet

The Rising Wasabi – satirical news site

Nippon.com – news about and from Japan. Many articles are also available in English (and other languages) so you can switch to check your comprehension.

Note – a Japanese magazine style site as recommended by our reader Erik. It covers lifestyle, education, culture, work and more. Content is user generated and very varied.

Orange Page – one of the biggest Japanese cooking sites. Love Japanese food? Why not kill two birds with one stone and learn to cook some Japanese dishes while you get your Japanese reading practise! In addition to recipes, they also publish some lifestyle articles.

VNs – VNs or Visual Novels are interactive games with lots of text. They are like a cross between novels and games. Personally I have never played one but I have heard some people swear by them to improve their Japanese reading, so I thought I’d give them a shout out here! Freem and Novel Game have lots of free Japanese VNs. Here is a blog all about learning Japanese with VNs.

Browser extensions for reading Japanese online

No doubt about it, learning to read in Japanese in slower than most other languages simply because of the Japanese writing system! I just wanted to finish off by sharing a few useful browser extensions that can help you read Japanese websites.

• Rikaikun (for Chrome) – hover over any Japanese word and a dictionary box will pop up.
• Yomichan (for Firefox) – same as above.
• Furigana Extension (for Chrome) – adds furigana (pronunciation guide) to kanji.
• Furigana (for Firefox) – same as above.

There are dozens of similar extensions out there but these are some of the top recommended!

More free resources to learn Japanese

And finally, if you enjoyed this list, please check out my other round-ups of free native materials to practise Japanese:

• Best Japanese podcasts for listening practice
• Best YouTube channels to learn Japanese
• Japanese Writing Practice: Ultimate List of Resources for Every Level
• Where to get Your Japanese Listening Practice: The Epic List of Resources!
• 10+ Effective Ways to Get Japanese Speaking Practice (Even if You Study By Yourself!)

Do you know any other good sources for free Japanese reading practice online? Please share in the comments!

JapanesePod101 is our top recommendation to learn Japanese online. We love the fun, current audio lessons and interactive online tools. Sign up for your free lifetime account and see for yourself!

Rebecca Shiraishi-Miles

Rebecca is the founder of Team Japanese. She spent two years teaching English in Ehime, Japan. Now back in the UK, she spends her time blogging, self-studying Japanese and wrangling a very genki toddler.

31 thoughts on “FREE Websites for Japanese Reading Practice (At Every Level)”

That’s wonderful! Thank you so much!

You’re welcome, Mario! I hope it’s useful for you 🙂

These are great resources! It’s hard to find good reading sources for intermediate level. If you’re interested, I’d like to reference your website on mine. I have a website for people learning any language and showing them ways to use their skills to help others, and I’m looking for good resources to share with them.

Let me know what you think! 頑張っって！！

Hi Keith! Thanks very much for your comment and sorry for the late reply! I’d be very happy for you to share my site with your readers 🙂 looks like your site is a great resource too!

I’d also recommend Nippon.com for advanced Japanese readers. No paywall, and an additional benefit is that much of the content gets translated into other languages (not always close line-for-line translations, but you can see what is being said in the Japanese). My disclaimer is that I work here and am in charge of the English-language edition.

Thank you!! Exactly what I’ve been looking for.

I would recommend https://www.kanshudo.com all the way through from beginners to very advanced Japanese learners. You can jump in at any level and it makes intelligent study recommendations to help improve your grammar, vocab and kanji. There are also lots of enjoyable games and challenges.

Kanshudo also has a very good dictionary with links to more context such as example sentences, etc.

I have gone from near beginner a few years ago, learning as a hobby (a few hours a week) to nearly reading newspapers, so highly recommended!

This is the best and most useful article I’ve ever seen in my entire life. All the information you give about the sites are so clear and detailed! Thank you so much, this is more than awesome! If I were to look for these sites, I wouldn’t have found anything … this really made my day! 🙂

Chiara, that is so nice to hear! I put a lot of effort into researching this article, so I’m glad you found it useful 🙂 thank you for your feedback!

Great post! Thank you! I already started using the advanced learner resources.

Thanks for your comment, Fumi! I hope you will enjoy the resources!

Thanks, this will be a great resource for my students. There is another site I don’t see on here though. http://www.easyjapanesestories.com

I hope that I can get more reading skill from your website. Thank you.

Thank you so much ! great material

Thank you so much! This is very helpful 🙂

One site I enjoy is https://note.com/ The reading experience is great thanks to the minimalistic design and there’s a lot of varied content.

for those who want to read manga in Japanese, I would recommend the combo: bilingualmanga.com + yomichan browser extension.

Thank you so much. You have done a great job by creating this information page. Really very useful.

This website is the most useful among all the things I’ve been searching. Thanks a lot for making it soo detailed, it is very helpful.

For those who want to learn the Japanese language through a private tutor, I recommend you visit the site of TUTOROO. They have great native Japanese tutors and speakers. TUTOROO can help you connect with them and you can even choose your own Japanese tutor from their website. You can view their tutors here: https://www.tutoroo.co/japanese-tutor Hope this helps!

some of them are currently showing error 404 . could u update the blog pls. thank u ! few of them really helped

Thanks for letting us know! Sad to see a couple of great sites have closed down. This page has been fully updated today with lots more resources! 🙂

My name is Maki and I am a writer/artist from North Carolina, USA (born and raised in Japan). My recent bilingual children’s book “What do you love to do?” was published by Mirai Publishing in Japan on 4/29/22 and is now available on amazon.co.jp ( https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4434302612 ). My book won an award from Purple Dragonfly Book Contest in the USA.

I wrote this book to inspire children all over the world. On the back cover, I included some artwork drawn by a 11 year-old girl who loves to draw pictures to demonstrate a child “doing what she loves to do” and kids love it! If this book can help American children living in Japan, please share my amazon link information with their parents.

Thank you very much, I sincerely appreciate your consideration.

Maki Nishio Phipps

I want to learn japanese

a set of learning japanese method is useful for me.Thank you very much

You are such a life saver! I have been looking for such a page for months now and given up hope. And today it happen to be in my Pinterest proposed paged. THANK YOU SO MUCH! There ist nothing better to consolidate a new writing system in your mind than reading. Here you can finally find tonns of material. Great!

“There is nothing better to consolidate a new writing system in your mind than reading.” – I 100% agree! So glad you find it useful! 🙂

What a great website, thank you for putting this together, Im sure this is many many hours of work and for that we are all very grateful.

Your website has amazing resources! Thank you so much for sharing all these with us! YOU ARE THE BEST!

You’re welcome! Thank you for the feedback – I’m so glad it’s helpful!

I love using yomujp.com for reading practice. Especially when I was at N5/N4 level it can be hard to find reading material at that level.

Thanks for the suggestion! I will check that site out. It’s hard to find interesting resources at the beginner levels for sure!

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

I accept the Privacy Policy

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Your Step-by-Step Jikoshoukai Guide Learn the basics, practice, and create an advanced Japanese self-introduction

October 11, 2016 • words written by Mami Suzuki and Michael Richey • Art by Aya Francisco

Viewing under The Tofugu JET Program Guide

When you start learning Japanese or are visiting Japan for the first time , there are few words to learn right away:

Once you've mastered those three, you need to learn your jikoshoukai.

Jikoshoukai 自己紹介 （ じこしょうかい ） is the Japanese word for "self-introduction." In theory, this is similar to how you would introduce yourself in your own culture. Say hello, say your name, tell a little about yourself. But in practice, there are cultural differences and set procedures you should stick to. You only get one first impression, so it's important to learn how to do it right.

We'll start by teaching you the basic Japanese self-introduction, then cultural subtleties, and finally a ton of extra grammar and vocabulary you can use to talk about yourself with your new Japanese friends.

Jikoshoukai Vocabulary

Writing your jikoshoukai, 1. first name and family name, 2. occupation, 3. don't talk about yourself too much, 4. bowing vs. handshake, 5. holding your hands behind your back, 6. don't bow while talking, business cards, "nice to meet you", "please be kind to me", where you are from, your school, where you live, hobbies and proficiencies, plans for the future, only the beginning, how to jikoshoukai.

Going to Japan, but don't know Japanese? Don't worry. You can jikoshoukai. The Japanese self-intro has a standard order and set phrases, so even beginners can meet and greet in Japanese.

• How do you do?

The set phrase hajimemashite 初めまして （ はじ　　　　 ） either comes from the verb hajimeru 始める （ はじ　　 ） , which means "to start," or it's a shortened form of 初めて （ はじ　　 ） お 目 （ め ） にかかりまして. Though etymologists aren't sure of the word's true origin, hajimemashite implies beginning or doing something for the first time . Most people think of it as saying "How do you do?" or "Nice to meet you."

• 私 （ わたし ） は [name] と 申します （ もう　　　 ） 。
• My name is [name].

The breakdown of this sentence is easier than it looks. It has three parts:

• 私 （ わたし ） は - The first word 私 means "I" or "me." It's followed by the particle は which indicates the topic of the sentence. In this case, 私 is the topic.
• [name] - Your name.
• と 申します （ もう　　　 ） - One meaning of the verb 申す is "to be called." It's paired with the particle と and conjugated to 申します。 This is a polite phrase, so it's safe to use in almost any situation.

When you put them all together, you get something along the lines of "I am called [name]" or "My name is [name]."

• よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） します。
• Please be kind to me.

The final piece of the puzzle is よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） します. It doesn't translate well to English, which is why we wrote a whole article about it . In a self-intro situation, it means something like "Please be kind to me." It's often translated as "Nice to meet you." This isn't technically correct, though it carries a similar feeling.

Now that you've got the basic building blocks down, it's time to put it together. At its simplest, the jikoshoukai sequence is:

• はじめまして。 私 （ わたし ） は (name) と 申 （ もう ） します。よろしくお 願 （ ねが ） いします。
• How do you do? My name is (name). Please be kind to me.

See? Not so hard. When you're getting ready to meet Japanese people for the first time, write this out and practice until it flows. If you're a beginner at Japanese , you don't need any more than this.

Jikoshoukai Etiquette

It's great to know the words to say when introducing yourself in Japanese, but how you say those words will make or break your jikoshoukai.

There are cultural differences to be aware of. They're subtle, so if you miss them it probably won't be counted against you. But paying attention to details like these can give you an extra social edge when you first meet a new Japanese friend.

In English, people usually introduce themselves by their first names or full names. When you give your full name, the first name comes first and the family name afterward.

In Japanese, people usually introduce themselves by their family names or full names. When they introduce their full name, the family name comes first and the first name comes second.

Revealing one or two of your strengths is fine, but listing all your amazing abilities will annoy others and make you seem over-confident.

In English, when you asked what you do for work, you give a brief summary of your job, or the name of your profession.

In Japan, it's common to answer only, " 会社員 （ かいしゃいん ） です。" (I'm an office worker./I work for a company./I'm a salaryman.)

However, if you introduce yourself to someone in a business setting, mention your company in your self-intro. For example:

• Tofuguのコウイチと 申します （ もう　　　 ） 。
• I'm Koichi from Tofugu.

This concept goes along with our next point…

Japanese people sometimes say lightly self-deprecating things as a form of humility, but it's usually followed by something positive (or the positivity is implied). For example:

• 至らない点が多いかもしれませんが、頑張りますので、よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） します
• I might have many flaws, but I'll do my best so please be kind to me.

You don't have to say anything like this (in fact, we advise you don't), but the point is this: Japanese people usually keep their strengths on the down-low.

So try not to show off too much. Revealing one or two of your strengths is fine, but listing all your amazing abilities will annoy others and make you seem over-confident.

In the West, if you're meeting someone one-on-one, you shake hands.

In Japan, don't move in for the handshake, especially if your status is the same or lower than the person you're meeting. In Japan, handshakes are for equals, so if you try to shake hands with the Emperor, it would be considered rude. Bow instead, and do so at the beginning and end of your jikoshoukai.

In Japan, holding your hands behind your back signals importance, so it may make you look full of yourself. Put your hands in front of you (the left hand on top of the right), or put your hands beside you.

This is a no-no from our Japanese bowing guide . Do your bowing after giving your self-introduction. Make sure to finish saying "yoroshiku onegaishimasu" and then bow.

Business cards in Japan are called meishi 名刺 （ めいし ） , and are an important part of Japanese culture. Even outside of the business world, Japanese people sometimes have personal meishi made (meishi means "name card" after all).

We covered meishi etiquette in our article about Japanese work customs , but here are the rules again in a jikoshoukai context.

Orient your card toward the recipient. Give and receive meishi with two hands.

Put meishi in a carrying case: You can buy business card carrying cases online or at any department store in Japan. If you don't have a case, you can carefully put the meishi in your purse or wallet after you've received it. Just don't put it in your pocket.

Use two hands: Orient your card toward the recipient when presenting. Hold the top edge with both hands. When they offer their card, accept it with two hands. Try not to cover any words with your fingers either. Some Japanese people are taught that a meishi is the "face" of the person giving it, so you don't want to cover theirs or your own.

When you and your new friend offer each other meishi at the same time: Present your card with your right hand, while simultaneously receiving theirs with your left.

Read meishi you receive: Read the person's name and title on the card before you put it away. Make sure to show interest in what they do. Act at least a little bit impressed with their job title.

When exchanging meishi in a group, give to the most senior person first: Start by giving your business card to the shachou, then fukushachou, and so on down the chain of command .

Treat meishi with respect: Use common sense and treat meishi like you would a gift. Don't toss or write on them.

Expanding the Basic Jikoshoukai

Maybe you've been doing your Japanese self-intro for years, repeating the same three set phrases over and over. Maybe you've read this guide before and have the basics down pat. You're ready to level up!

Below are example sentences you can mix into your standard jikoshoukai to give it more flavor, and make your self-intro a memorable one.

Earlier we learned how to use はじめまして (nice to meet you, how do you do). Here's a few ways to add to this set phrase.

• こんにちは。はじめまして。
• Hello. Nice to meet you.
• みなさん、はじめまして。
• Nice to meet you, everyone.
• みなさん、こんにちは。はじめまして。
• Hello everyone. Nice to meet you.

For a formal situation, you should say both your first and last names. In a casual situation, it's common to say only your family name for Japanese people.

If you're an English teacher on something like the JET Program , your school might want you to give your first name when you introduce yourself to the students. Ask your supervisor what's appropriate for the situation.

Below are several ways to introduce your name, organized by politeness in ascending order.

• 私 （ わたし ） の 名前 （ なまえ ） はマイケルですが、みんなにはマイクって 呼ばれて （ よ　　　 ） います。
• My name is Michael, but most people call me Mike.
• I'm Michael.

Very Formal:

• マイケルと 申します （ もう　　　 ） 。

Very Formal/Business:

• Tofuguのマイケルと 申します （ もう　　　 ） 。
• I'm Michael from Tofugu.

When you end your jikoshoukai, you'll use a phrase that means "Please be kind to me" or "Remember me favorably." But once you've got a handle on the standard " yoroshiku onegaishimasu ," you can move on to more casual or more formal variations. Below we've organized them by politeness level in ascending order.

Polite/Business:

• どうぞ、よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） します。
• よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） 致します （ いた　　　 ） 。

Very Polite/Business:

• どうぞ、よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） 致します （ いた　　　 ） 。

Formal/Business:

• よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） 申し上げます （ もう　あ　　　 ） 。
• どうぞ、よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） 申し上げます （ もう　あ　　　 ） 。

Custom Jikoshoukai Modification

From here we get into the fun stuff. After expanding on the initial three pieces of the Japanese self-introduction, you can start adding information about yourself, short sentences that explain where you're from, what you like to do, and so on.

These jikoshoukai modifications will help people get to know you faster when you first introduce yourself. This is especially important as you start to make more Japanese friends, go on dates, or have job interviews.

Telling where you're from is always a good addition to a self-intro. Even if you don't use it during the initial jikoshoukai, your new Japanese friend will probably ask you anyway, so memorizing a few of these phrases is extra useful.

Two quick vocabulary usage notes: First, the word shusshin 出身 （ しゅっしん ） mean's "person's origin," and refers more to the place you were born or grew up than where you currently live. It's often used for specific places like a city, state, or prefecture, rather than a country. For example, Mami was born in Osaka, and now lives in Canada. But she spent most of her life in Nara, so she says " 奈良県 （ ならけん ） の 出身 （ しゅっしん ） です。" or " 出身 （ しゅっしん ） は 奈良県 （ ならけん ） です。"

Second, the verb mairu 参る （ まいる ） is a more humble form of kuru 来る （ く　 ） or iku 行く （ い　 ） . So when 参る （ まい　 ） is used to talk about where you came from in "アメリカから 参りました （ まい　　　 ） ," it's much more humble, so use it in appropriate situations.

• アメリカの 出身 （ しゅっしん ） です。
• I'm from America.
• アメリカから 来ました （ き　　　 ） 。
• アメリカから 参りました （ まい　　　　 ） 。
• オレゴン 州 （ しゅう ） のポートランドから 来ました （ き　　　 ） 。 生まれ （ う　　 ） も 育ち （ そだ　 ） もポートランドです。
• I'm from Portland, Oregon. Born and raised.
• 生まれ （ う　　 ） は 大阪 （ おおさか ） ですが、 育ち （ そだ　 ） は 東京 （ とうきょう ） です。
• I was born in Osaka, but grew up in Tokyo.
• 育ち （ そだ　 ） はニューヨークです。
• I grew up in New York.
• 田舎 （ いなか ） で 育ちました （ そだ　　　　 ） 。
• I grew up in the countryside.
• 生まれ （ う　　 ） は 東京 （ とうきょう ） ですが、 十歳 （ じゅうさい ） の 時 （ とき ） に 大阪 （ おおさか ） に 引っ越しました （ ひ　こ　　　　 ） 。そして、 大学 （ だいがく ） に 入る （ はい　 ） 時 （ とき ） に、 名古屋 （ なごや ） に 引っ越して （ ひ　こ　　 ） 来ました （ き　　　 ） 。
• I was born in Tokyo, but moved to Osaka when I was ten, and lived there until I entered university, which is when I came to Nagoya.
• 小さい （ ちい　　 ） 時 （ とき ） 、 家族 （ かぞく ） が 何度も （ なんど　 ） 引っ越した （ ひ　こ　　 ） ので、 私 （ わたし ） には 育った （ そだ　　 ） 場所 （ ばしょ ） というのはないんです。
• My family moved a lot when I was little, so I'm not really from anywhere.

School, from elementary up through university , is a big part of Japanese life. Be prepared to have people ask alma mater and what you studied. Or cut them off at the pass by including the information in your jikoshoukai.

• Ⓐ 大学 （ だいがく ） Ⓑ 学部 （ がくぶ ） Ⓒ 科 （ か ） の 出身 （ しゅっしん ） です。
• I graduated from the Ⓒ department of the faculty of Ⓑ of Ⓐ University.
• Ⓐ 大学 （ だいがく ） Ⓑ 学部 （ がくぶ ） Ⓒ 科 （ か ） の 学生 （ がくせい ） です。
• I'm a student of the Ⓒ department of the faculty of Ⓑ of Ⓐ University.
• Ⓐ 大学 （ だいがく ） Ⓑ 学部 （ がくぶ ） Ⓒ 科 （ か ） の 二年生 （ にねんせい ） です。
• I'm a second year student of the Ⓒ department of the faculty of Ⓑ of Ⓐ University.
• オレゴン 大学 （ だいがく ） で、 二年間 （ にねんかん ） 東 （ ひがし ） アジアの 歴史 （ れきし ） を 専攻 （ せんこう ） していました。
• I studied East Asian history at Oregon university for two years.

Occupation is a common conversation topic when meeting someone new. If you're doing business in Japan (or want to), you'd better learn at least one of these phrases.

A quick grammar usage note: some of these jikoshoukai example sentences use the continuous state conjugation of suru する （ ） which is shiteimasu しています （ ） . If you want to get extra polite with any of these sentences, swap out しています with shiteorimasu しております （ ） . One easy switch and you're ready to tell CEOs and presidents about your work situation.

• Tofuguで 編集長 （ へんしゅうちょう ） を しています 。
• I'm the chief editor of Tofugu.
• トヨタで 営業 （ えいぎょう ） を 担当 （ たんとう ） しています 。
• I'm working in sales at Toyota.
• 会計課 （ かいけいか ） に 配属 （ はいぞく ） になりました、 佐藤 （ さとう ） です。
• I'm Satou , assigned to the accounts department.
• 私 （ わたし ） は 会社員 （ かいしゃいん ） です。
• I'm an office worker.
• 私 （ わたし ） は 英語 （ えいご ） の 教師 （ きょうし ） です。
• I'm an English teacher.
• 私 （ わたし ） は 英語 （ えいご ） を 教えています （ おし　　　　　 ） 。
• I teach English.
• 私 （ わたし ） はこの 学校 （ がっこう ） で 英語 （ えいご ） を 教えます （ おし　　　 ） 。
• I'm going to teach English at this school.
• 私 （ わたし ） は 東 （ ひがし ） フグ 小学校 （ しょうがっこう ） で 働いて （ はたら　　 ） います。
• I'm working at East Fugu Elementary School.
• 私 （ わたし ） は 東 （ ひがし ） フグ 小学校 （ しょうがっこう ） に 勤めて （ つと　　 ） います。
• I'm working for East Fugu Elementary School.

"You live around here?" is a common question no matter the culture. Be ready to answer questions about your living situation with these sentences.

• 東京 （ とうきょう ） に 住んで （ す　　 ） います。
• I live in Tokyo.
• 東京 （ とうきょう ） 駅 （ えき ） の 近く （ ちか　 ） に 住んで （ す　　 ） います。
• I live near Tokyo station.
• 東京 （ とうきょう ） 駅 （ えき ） の 近く （ ちか　 ） のマンションに 住んで （ す　　 ） います。
• I live in an apartment near Tokyo station.

Hobbies are super important part of life in Japan. Japanese junior high and high school students take school club activities seriously ( sometimes more than academics ) and this passion often continues into adult life. If you have a hobby, that is your "thing." Even if you don't think of your interests as "hobbies," describe them as such anyway. It will help people understand you better . Alternatively, you can say what you like and don't like.

• 趣味 （ しゅみ ） は[____]です。
• My hobby is [____].
• 趣味 （ しゅみ ） は[____]することです。
• My hobby is to do [____]
• [____]が 趣味 （ しゅみ ） です。
• [____]することが 趣味 （ しゅみ ） です。
• 私 （ わたし ） は[____]が 好き （ す　 ） です。
• I like [____]
• [____]も 好き （ す　 ） です。
• I also like [____]
• [____]は 好き （ す　 ） ではありません。
• I don't like [____]
• 私 （ わたし ） は[____]することが 好き （ す　 ） です。
• I like to do [____]
• 私 （ わたし ） は[____]が 得意 （ とくい ） です。
• I'm good at [____].
• 私 （ わたし ） は[____]することが 得意 （ とくい ） です。
• I'm good at doing [____].
• 私 （ わたし ） は[____]が 苦手 （ にがて ） です。
• I'm not good at/I don't like [____](noun)
• 私 （ わたし ） は[____]することが 苦手 （ にがて ） です。
• I'm not good at doing [____].

What do you want to be when you grow up? What new skills are you trying to develop? What are you going to eat for lunch tomorrow? Answer these questions and more with the example sentences below.

Grammar usage note: the noun tsumori つもり （ ） is used to tell what you plan to do. It's most commonly used in situations where you've already made up your mind. It's definite. Don't use it for instances where you're kind of maybe thinking about something, but you're not sure yet.

• [____]ようと 考えて （ かんが　　 ） います。
• I'm thinking about doing [____].
• [____]したいと 思って （ おも　　 ） います。
• I'd like to do [____].
• [____]つもりです。
• 私 （ わたし ） の 目標 （ もくひょう ） は[____]です。
• My object is [____].
• [____]に 挑戦 （ ちょうせん ） したいと 思って （ おも　　 ） います。
• I'd like to challenge [____].

Now you know what it takes to put together a stellar jikoshoukai in Japanese. Put the pieces together, mind the cultural differences, and practice till its second nature.

With a solid self-intro on your side, you're poised to start your relationships right. Just don't forget your business cards.

Start Learning Japanese in the next 30 Seconds with a Free Lifetime Account

Learn Japanese - JapanesePod101.com

Skip to content

• Board index Japanese Language - Learn Japanese Learn All About Japanese

SHORT Japanese essay

Moderators: Moderator Team , Admin Team

Post by yamiisan93_509416 » December 12th, 2015 10:24 pm

Re: SHORT Japanese essay

Post by community.japanese » December 21st, 2015 2:35 pm

Return to “Learn All About Japanese”

• General Information
•     Learn Japanese Forum Help and Posting Guidelines
•     Tech Updates
• Japanese Language - Learn Japanese
•     Learn All About Japanese
•     Japanese Resources & Reviews
•     JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) - 日本語能力試験
•     Practice Japanese - 日本語を練習しましょう
• Japanese Culture
•     General Japanese Culture
•     Japanese Anime & Manga
•     Japanese History & Tradition
•     Japanese Food & Entertainment
• Travel Japan - Life in Japan
•     Visiting Japan
•     Working & Studying in Japan
• Everything Else Japan Related
•     JapanesePod101 Listener's Lounge
• Feedback & Support
•     Feature Requests
•     Japanese Lesson Suggestions
•     Technical Support
•     Moderator Corner

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience.

174 Basic Japanese Words and Phrases to Survive Everyday Life in Japan

With these 174 essential Japanese words and phrases, you’ll be prepared for any situation.

The Japanese language might take years to master, but what if you need to get through a conversation right now? Start by learning these Japanese daily vocabulary and the rest will follow.

Just click on a word or phrase to hear its native pronunciation.

Greetings and Starters

Basic conversation, japanese pronouns, saying “yes” and “no”, saying “i don’t understand”, saying “please”, saying “thank you” and “you’re welcome”, saying “sorry” and “excuse me”, saying “goodbye”, basic question words, travel vocabulary, phrases for dining at a restaurant, shopping in japanese, phrases for home, phrases for casual conversations, japanese slang, and one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

1. ohayou gozaimasu ( おはようございます ) — Good morning

The casual version of this greeting is ohayou ( おはよう ). In a workplace, someone greeting a colleague for the first time that day might use this phrase even if the clock reads 7 p.m.

2. konnichiwa ( こんにちは ) — Hello / Good afternoon 

Konnichiwa can be used any time of day as a general greeting, but it’s most commonly used between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

3. konbanwa ( こんばんは ) — Good evening

From 5 p.m. onwards, you use konbanwa to greet people. Note that, in this case, は is read as “wa” rather than “ha.”

4. hisashiburi ( 久しぶり ) — It’s been a while

Use this for someone you haven’t seen in a long time.

5. o genki desu ka? ( お元気ですか？ ) — How are you?

This is a polite way to ask someone how they are.

6. genki desu ( 元気です ) — I’m fine

Likewise, this is the most polite response to o genkidesu ka ?

7. o namae wa nan desu ka? ( お名前は何ですか？ ) — What’s your name?

This is a polite way to ask someone for their name. The more informal version is O namae wa? ( おなまえは? ) — Your name is…?

8. … desu ( …です ) — I am … / It is …

Think of desu as roughly equivalent to the English word “to be.” Unlike “to be,” desu stays the same regardless of the subject.

For example: 

• Tomu desu ( トムです ) — I’m Tom
• Atsui desu ( 暑い です ) —  It’s hot/I’m hot
• Osoi desu ( 遅いです ) — You’re late!

You can append this word to adjectives like:

• samui ( 寒い ) — cold 
• ureshii ( 嬉しい ) — happy
• nemui ( 眠い ) — sleepy

Notice in the native Japanese pronunciation that the su is hardly audible. So, when you say desu , it sounds more like “dess” than “de-soo.”

9. watashi wa … desu ( 私は…です ) — I am …

This is the politest way to introduce yourself. For example:

Watashi wa Pouru desu. 私はポールです。 I am Paul.

Be careful not to overuse watashi wa beyond introductions, though. In most cases, “your name/subject + -desu ” will suffice if it’s clear from the context who or what you’re referring to.

10. … karakimashita ( … から来ました ) — I’m from … 

Simply use this to describe what country you’re from. Here’s a list of some countries in Japanese:

• Igirisu ( イギリス ) — United Kingdom
• Doitsu ( ドイツ ) — Germany
• Chuugoku ( 中国 ) — China
• Kankoku ( 韓国 ) — Korea

Many others are almost identical in Japanese, such as:

• Kanada ( カナダ ) — Canada
• Furansu ( フランス ) — France 
• Supein ( スペイン ) — Spain
• Amerika ( アメリカ ) — United States of America
• Ousutoraria ( オーストラリア ) — Australia

If you don’t know how to say your country’s name, say it in English—chances are, people will understand where you mean.

11. suki desu ( 好きです ) — I like it

You can say what you like by adding … ga suki desu ( が好きです ). For example:

Okashi ga suki desu. お菓子 が好きです 。   I like sweets.

12. ii desu yo ( いいですよ ) — It’s good

You’ll also often hear ii yo ( いいよ ), especially from women/girls.

13. suki dewa arimasen ( 好きではありません ) — I don’t like it

The less formal version would be suki dewa nai ( 好きではない ).

14. dame desu ( ダメです ) — It’s no good 

In more casual conversation, you can also say just:

• dame ( だめ )
• dame da ( だめだ )

15. takusan ( たくさん ) — A lot

Takusan is similar to ooi ( 多い ). The main difference is that takusan can function as a noun, adjective or adverb , while ooi is only an adjective. For example:

Kooen ni hana ga takusan arimasu. 公園に花が たくさん あります。   There are lots of flowers in the park .

16. sukoshi ( 少し ) — A little

Here’s an example of it in use:

Koohii ni satou wo sukoshi onegaishimasu. コーヒーに砂糖を すこし お願いします。   A little sugar in my coffee, please.  

17. ima nanji desu ka? ( 今何時ですか？ ) — What time is it? 

In casual situations, saying ima nanji? ( 今何時？ ) will work just fine. You’re probably already noticing that desu can be changed or even dropped in casual situations.

18. … ji desu ( …時です ) — It’s … o’clock

This, plus a number, is all you need to tell the time ! For example:

Ichi ji desu. 一 時です 。   It’s 1 o’clock. 

19. nihongo de hanashimashou ( 日本語で話しましょう ) — Let’s talk in Japanese

Once you kick off a convo with this phrase, make sure you’re ready to do a lot of talking!

By the way, when you see or hear a verb paired with the suffix -mashou (- ましょう ), it suggests that someone is trying to get you to do the verb prior to -mashou .

20. yoroshiku onegaishimasu ( よろしくお願いします ) — Nice to meet you

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu doesn’t have a direct English translation, but it can often be interpreted as “Please (do this favor for me),” “I am counting on you” or “I leave it to you.” You’ll often hear this from people making requests, starting a new relationship or asking for someone’s cooperation.

Japanese has a wide variety of pronouns you can use, helping you make your sentences more direct when you’re referring to yourself , your friend or your friend’s boyfriend.

21. watashi ( 私 ) — I (all genders)

Watashi is the go-to in polite situations. It’s sometimes pronounced watakushi ( わたくし ) for extra formality, and some female speakers may shorten it to atashi ( あたし ) in casual settings. No matter the pronunciation, though, they all use the character 私 in writing.

22. boku ( 僕 ) — I (usually male)

Boku is mostly used by men and boys when they’re among friends. Nowadays, some girls use boku as well, which gives off an air of tomboyish-ness.

23. ore ( 俺 ) — I (male)

While boku is sometimes used by girls, ore is an exclusively male pronoun. It gives off a bit of a rough image, so it’s only used among close friends in casual situations.

24. jibun ( 自分 ) — Myself / Yourself / Themselves

Jibun is used to refer to a sense of self. It can also take a variety of forms, like:

• jibun no ( 自分の ) — one’s own (something)
• jibun de ( 自分で ) — by yourself

Also, it’s a more polite way of referring to someone else.

25. anata ( あなた ) — You

Anata translates to “you,” but it’s not used in the same way it is in English . Most of the time, Japanese omits “you” altogether, favoring a person’s name instead. This form can be used as a term of endearment between couples.

26. kimi ( 君 ) — You

Kimi is largely used to talk to someone of lower status than yourself, such as a boss talking to their employees. It’s also used to add some pizzazz to writing, such as in the hit movie “Kimi no na wa” ( 君の名は ) — Your Name.

27. kare ( 彼 ) — He / him

While the Japanese language does favor using a person’s name over second- or third-person pronouns, using kare is perfectly okay. Plus, kare can also refer to someone’s boyfriend.

28. kanojo ( 彼女 ) — She / her

This is the feminine counterpart of kare. Like kare, k anojo can also be used to refer to a girlfriend.

29. tachi ( …たち ) — “… and company” (pluralizes pronouns)

To turn a pronoun into a plural, just add -tachi . For example:

• watashi tachi ( 私たち ) — We 
• kimi tachi ( 君たち ) — You (plural)
• kanojo tachi ( 彼女たち ) —   A group of women
• Sasuke tachi ( サスケたち ) — Sasuke and his friends

30. kore ( これ ) — This

This is used to refer to something close to the speaker.

31. sore ( それ ) — That

This one is used to refer to something close to the listener.

32. are ( あれ ) — That (over there)

This is used to refer to something far from both the speaker and the listener.

33. hai ( はい ) — Yes

Even if you only have a passing familiarity with Japanese, chances are you’ve heard this monosyllabic affirmation before. Aside from hai , another way to say “yes” in Japanese is with non-verbal cues like nodding your head up and down or giving a thumbs up.

34. sou desu ka ( そうですか ) — Is that right?

Saying this while nodding is a polite way to show that you’re paying attention when someone tells you something new. You can also use:

• sokka ( そっか )
• soudane ( そうだね )
• soune ( そうね )

These are less formal, but generally acceptable and certainly not rude.

35. sou desu ( そうです ) — That’s right 

You can also say hai, sou desu ( はい ,そうです ) — Yes, that’s right. However, the hai is implied and you can leave it off. In casual contexts, you can also just say sou ( そう ).

36. un ( うん ) / aa ( ああ ) / ee ( ええ )

The Japanese use aizuchi ( 相槌 ), which are simple words or gestures that  indicate you’re listening.

They don’t have direct English translations, but you could say they’re similar to saying “uh-huh” or “mm-hm” in English.

37. mochiron ( もちろん ) — Of course

This is not the “of course” you use to emphasize a point, but rather the one in “Of course, I’ll do that favor you’re asking me!”

38. ii desu yo ( いいですよ ) — Okay

This literally means “That’s good!” As such, it can be used to show your approval of something.

39. iie ( いいえ ) — no

This is the no-nonsense way to say “no.” However, Japanese culture prefers less direct approaches .

There are also several nonverbal ways to express “no.” Rubbing the back of the neck, making an “X” with both arms or even taking in a deep breath all mean “no.”

40. uun ( ううん )

This is a sound that indicates you don’t quite agree with what the person is saying.

41. iya ( いやー )

Whether this interjection means “no” depends on the context. If you suggest dinner and someone responds with iya… , they’re probably trying to politely turn you down with a non-committal “Well, you see…”

42. chotto… ( ちょっと… ) — A little…

If you use chotto, remember to trail off at the end, as you’re basically saying, “It’s a little…” For instance, if someone asks what you’re doing tomorrow afternoon with the aim to meet up, you can respond with “Chotto…” to mean that tomorrow afternoon’s not an ideal time for you.

In business settings, two simple phrases to convey “no” without saying “no” are:

• muzukashii desu ( 難しいです ) — It’s difficult
• kangaete okimasu ( 考えておきます ) — I’ll think about it

While not outright saying “no,” they express a refusal to the listener without sounding impolite.

43. wakarimasen ( 分かりません ) — I don’t understand

If you’re around friends, you can use the casual variant,  wakaranai ( 分からない ).

44. mou ichido itte kudasai ( もう一度言ってください ) — Please say that again

If someone is speaking in Japanese far too quickly for you, you can use this phrase to politely tell them to repeat themselves. You can also say:

• yukkuri onegai shimasu ( ゆっくりお願いします ) — Slowly, please
• kikoemasen deshita ( 聞こえませんでした ) — I didn’t hear that

45. kudasai ( ください ) — Please (requesting)

The word kudasai is used when making requests, as in these examples:

Isoide kudasai. 急いで ください 。   Please hurry.

Koohii o kudasai? コーヒーを ください ? Can I please have a coffee?

46. douzo ( どうぞ ) — Please (offering)

Using  douzo is like saying, “Please go ahead.” You can use it when ushering someone through the door before you, or offering a coworker some delicious snacks, for example.

47. arigatou gozaimasu ( ありがとうございます ) — Thank you 

The friendlier, more casual way to say thanks is  arigatou ( ありがとう ) . You’ll also see its abbreviation,  ari ( あり ) ,  pretty often on  Japanese message boards .

48. doumo ( どうも ) — Thank you

If you’re close friends with the person you’re thanking, you could also say doumo . In fact, you’ll sometimes see these combinations, which are used in very formal contexts:

• doumo arigatou gozaimasu ( どうもありがとうございます )
• doumo arigatou ( どうもありがとう )

Most of the time, though, just arigatou gozaimasu will suffice.

49. otsukaresama desu ( お疲れ様です ) — Thank you for your efforts

This expression is often said as a parting sentiment when you, or someone else, finishes their work. You can think of it as saying, “That’s a wrap for the day.”

50. iroiro arigatou gozaimashita ( 色々ありがとうございました ) — Thank you for everything

Iroiro ( 色々 ) literally means “various things.” So, this is the expression to use if you’re thanking someone for doing a lot of things for you or if you’re not sure exactly what to thank them for.

51. mondai nai desu ( 問題ないです ) — No problem

Mondai ( 問題 ) means “problem,” and the addition of nai  ( ない ) negates the problem. Therefore, you’re saying that the favor you performed didn’t trouble you at all.

52. douitashimashite ( どういたしまして ) — You’re welcome

Although this is technically the correct response to “Thank you,” it’s rarely used these days in casual Japanese conversation. But it’s still worth knowing if you want to respond to someone’s gratitude in a formal context.

53. shitsurei shimasu ( 失礼します ) — Excuse me (for my rudeness)

Another expression commonly heard in the office, shitsurei shimasu is used when you’re leaving a room. It’s similar to saying, “Sorry to have bothered you.” You can also end a formal or polite phone call with this phrase.

If you watch Japanese media often, you’ll also hear shitsurei shimasu when someone is entering a room.

Speaking of authentic Japanese media, you can find plenty of those on the language learning platform FluentU .

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

Try FluentU for FREE!

54. sumimasen ( すみません ) — Excuse me, I’m sorry 

Sumimasen is often used to say “Excuse me” (like if you need help getting directions ) and “Sorry” (like when you accidentally nudge someone). It can also be said as a “thank you” when you’ve troubled someone—think “Thanks for letting me put you out.”

55. gomen nasai ( ごめんなさい ) — I’m sorry

In casual situations and among family members and friends, gomen nasai replaces sumimasen when saying sorry.

56. gomen: ごめん — I’m sorry

Gomen is even less formal than gomen nasai , and is reserved for people you’re truly close to.

57. jaa, mata! ( じゃあ、また！ ) — See you later!

You can replace  mata with dewa mata ( ではまた ) for a slightly more formal expression. There’s also:

• jaa mata ashita ne (じゃあまた明日ね) — see you tomorrow
• jaa ne ( じゃあね ) — see you
• mata ne ( またね ) — see you

58. o genki de ( お元気で ) — Take care

If “see you” is a little too casual for you, then you can say  o genki de  instead. This literally means “be healthy” and can be used to say, “Good luck!”

59. meado wo oshiete moraemasu ka? ( メアドを教えてもらえますか？ ) — Could I have your e-mail address?

If that’s a little too long to memorize, you can ask:

Meado wo oshiete? メアドを教えて？ Can I get your e-mail address? (Literally, “Teach me your email?”)

60. tegami kaku yo ( 手紙書くよ ) — I’ll write you letters

Do you prefer exchanging physical letters instead of emails? If so, keep this phrase handy for your Japanese penpals !

61. tsuitara, … shimasu ( 着いたら、… します ) — I’ll … you when I arrive

You can use this phrase as follows:

• tsuitara, denwa shimasu ( 着いたら、電話します ) — I’ll call you when I arrive
• tsuitara, meeru shimasu ( 着いたら、メールします ) — I’ll email you when I arrive

62. mata sugu ni kimasu yo: またすぐに来ますよ — I’ll be back soon

This is generally a casual phrase, as indicated by the ending yo ( よ ).

63. asobi ni kite kudasai ne ( 遊びに来てくださいね ) — Come visit me

Although asobi ( 遊び ) in this context means “to visit,” that word can also mean “to play”—adding an extra sense of warmth to this phrase.

64. watashi no ie dewa, itsudemo anata wo kangei shimasu yo! ( わたしの家ではいつでもあなたを歓迎しますよ！ ) — You’re always welcome in my home!

Knowing some of the essential Japanese question words will go a long way toward getting your questions across to Japanese speakers.

65. nani ( 何 ) — What

Nani can be used alone or in a sentence. When placed before desu, the word nani drops its -i and becomes nan. For example:

Kore wa nan desu ka? これは 何 ですか？ What is this? (Remember this phrase in particular—it’s going to come in handy in a variety of situations!)

66. doko ( どこ ) — Where

Doko is used when asking for a location, like this:

Toire wa doko desu ka? トイレは どこ ですか ? Where is the toilet?

If you don’t know the word for the place you’re looking for, another helpful option is pointing to it on a map and asking:

Doko desu ka? どこ ですか ? Where is it?

67. dare ( 誰 ) — Who

If you’re referring to a specific person, add it before dare :

Kanojo wa dare desu ka? 彼女は 誰 ですか？ Who is she?

68. itsu ( いつ ) — When

Itsu is typically used in the following structure: itsu + verb (in the -masu form) or event + question marker ka.

Itsu kaerimasu ka? いつ 帰りますか？ When are you coming back?

69. doushite ( どうして ) — Why

If you need to ask politely, say it as Doushite desu ka? ( どうしてですか？ ). If you’re with friends or family, you can use the casual form nande ( 何で ) instead.

70. naze ( なぜ ) — Why

This is pretty similar to doushite , but a bit more formal. Naze is also used to ask the reason behind something, while doushite has a nuance of “how” to it.

71. ikura ( いくら ) — How much

Just tack on the question marker desu ka? ( ですか？ ) at the end of this word, and you’ll get ikura desu ka? ( いくらですか？ )

A quick not: ikura also sounds like “salmon roe” ( イクラ ). So, if you’re using this phrase, make sure it’s clear from the context that you’re saying “How much?” and not “Is this salmon roe?”—the latter of which would be イクラですか？

72. ikutsu ( いくつ ) — How many

This is a general word to ask “how much” or “how many” of a numerical amount. For example:

Okashi wa ikutsu hoshii desu ka? お菓子は いくつ 欲しいですか？ How many snacks do you want?

It can also be used to ask someone’s age:

Oikutsu desu ka? お いくつ ですか？ How old are you?

Here, ikutsu is preceded by o ( お ), which makes your question sound more polite and palatable for older folks!

73. nan … ( 何… ) — How many

Nan is a more specific way of asking how much of something there is. It works by combining nan with a counter , such as:

• nanhon ( 何本 ) — How many long cylindrical objects?
• nannin ( 何人 ) — How many people?
• nanmai ( 何枚 ) — How many sheets?

74. dochira ( どちら ) — Which one?

Use this phrase when you’re referring to a choice between two objects.

75. dore ( どれ ) — Which one?

Use this one when you’re referring to a choice between three or more objects.

This list of Japanese daily vocabulary will give you what you need to get around Japan and, in case of an emergency, ask for help. 

Public Transport

76. sumimasen, … wa doko desu ka? ( すみません、… はどこですか？ — Excuse me, where’s the …?

This construction comes in handy for phrases like the following. Just tack on your intended destination before wa doko desu ka:

• sumimasen, chikatetsu wa doko desu ka? ( すみません、地下鉄はどこですか？ — Excuse me, where’s the subway?
• sumimasen, eki wa doko desu ka ( すみません、駅はどこですか？ ) — Excuse me, where’s the station?
• sumimasen, takushii no noriba wa dokodesu ka? ( すみません、タクシーの乗り場はどこですか？ ) — Where is the taxi platform?

77. kono densha wa … eki ni tomarimasu ka? ( この電車は… 駅に停まりますか？ ) — Does this train stop at … station?

To say that Japan has one of the most intricate train systems would be an understatement. Luckily, you can easily untangle that intricacy with this simple phrase!

78. kono basu wa … ni ikimasu ka? ( このバスは…に行きますか？ ) — Does this bus go to … ?

If you’re not sure where your public transport is stopping, you can also use this phrase. You can substitute basu with densha ( 電車 ) — train, takushi ( タクシー ) — taxi, and so on.

79. … made tsureteitte kudasai ( …まで連れて行ってください ) — Please take me to …

Use this phrase to tell the taxi driver where you want to go.

Hotel Phrases

80. yoyaku wo shitainodesuga ( 予約をしたいのですが ) — I’d like to make a reservation.

Like most hotels around the world, it’s advisable to make a booking in advance when it comes to Japanese hotels. However, if your hotel allows it, you may be able to book at the front desk.

81. yoyaku shiteimasu ( 予約しています ) — I have a reservation.

Use this phrase if you’ve already made a booking in advance.

82. chekkuauto wa nanji desu ka? ( チェックアウトは何時ですか？ ) — What time is checkout?

This one is self-explanatory. You can also replace the word chekkuauto ( チェックアウト ) with anything that you want to know the time of.

Emergencies

83. michi ni mayotte shimaimashita ( 道に迷ってしまいました ) — I’ve lost my way.

If that feels like a bit of a mouthful, you could also just say mayotte shimaimashita ( 迷ってしまいました ).

84. tasukete! ( 助けて！ ) — Help! (for emergencies)

All I’m going to say is, if you end up forgetting every other phrase that’s been listed so far, don’t forget this one. It could save your life—literally!

85. tetsudatte kuremasen ka? ( 手伝ってくれませんか？ ) —   Can you help me? (for everyday situations) 

If you’re not in a life-threatening situation, tetsudatte kuremasen ka will do.

86. … wo yondekudasai ( …を呼んでください ) — Please call the …

Use this construction when you want someone else to contact emergency services, like so:

• keisatsu wo yondekudasai ( 警察を呼んでください ) — Please call the police.
• kyuukyuusha wo yondekudasai ( 救急車を呼んでください — Please call an ambulance.

Here’s a useful note: The emergency numbers in Japan are 119 for an ambulance and 110 for the police. 

Okay, now that we’ve gotten the formalities out of the way, it’s time to talk about what’s really important: food !

Here are some of the food words you should know:

87. kome ( 米 ) — Rice (raw)

88. yasai ( 野菜 ) — Vegetables

89. kudamono ( 果物 ) — Fruit

90. miruku ( ミルク ) — Milk

91. pan ( パン ) — Bread

92. pasuta ( パスタ ) — Pasta

93. niku ( 肉 ) — Meat

94. jagaimo ( じゃがいも ) — Potatoes

95. tamago ( 卵 ) — Eggs

Saying You’re Hungry

96. onaka ga suite imasu (お腹が空いてます) — I’m hungry

This literally means your stomach has become empty. Some variations are:

• onaka ga suita (お腹が空いた) — informal
• onaka ga hetta ( お腹が減った ) — informal, often interchanged with onaka ga suita
• hara hetta ( 腹へった ) — masculine
• onaka ga pekopeko ( お腹がペコペコ ) — onomatopoeia that means your stomach is growling

97. mada tabete imasen ( まだ食べていません ) — I haven’t eaten yet

For a more casual version, go ahead and say mada tabeteinai ( まだ食べていない ) .

Before the Meal

98. menyuu, onegai shimasu ( メニュー、お願いします ) — Please bring me a menu

You can opt for the more formal version:

Menyuu, onegai dekimasu ka? メニュー 、 お願いできますか？ May I have the menu?

Also, you can substitute menyuu ( メニュー ) with:

• dezaato ( デザート ) — dessert
• nomimono ( 飲み物 ) — drinks

99. kore wa nan desu ka? ( これは何ですか？ ) — What’s this?

If the menu is entirely in Japanese, you can point to an item you want and direct this question at the waiter.

100. kore o tabete mitai desu ( これを食べてみたいです ) — I’d like to try this

If you’re a little more adventurous, just point to the item you want and run with this phrase!

101. … wo kudasai ( …をください ) — I’d like …

State whatever you’d like to order, and follow it with … wo kudasai . For example:

Koohii wo kudasai . コーヒー をください? I’d like a coffee, please.

102. … ga arimasu ka? ( …がありますか？ ) — Do you have … ?

As a reply, you’ll simply hear arimasu ( あります ).

103. … tsuki desu ka ( …付きですか？ ) — Does it come with … ?

If you want to know if certain foods are included with your order, use this to ask. For example:

Furaido poteto tsuki desu ka? フライドポテト 付きですか ？ Does it come with fries? 

104. … ga taberaremasen ( …が食べられません ) — I can’t eat …

This is a good phrase to learn for vegetarians, vegans and other people with dietary restrictions. For example, niku ( 肉 ) is “meat” and sakana  ( 魚 ) is “fish.” So if you’re on a strict veg diet, you can say:

Niku to sakana ga taberaremasen. 肉と魚 が食べられません 。 I can’t eat meat and fish.

105. … arerugii ga arimasu ( …アレルギーがあります ) — I’m allergic to …

State whatever you’re allergic to and add this phrase to the end. Just to be safe rather than sorry, you can ask: … ga haitte imasu ka? ( が入っています か？ ) which means, “Are / Is there any … in it?”  For example:

Tamago ga haitte imasu ka ? 卵 が入っていますか？ Are there any eggs in it?

106. kore wa … desu ka? ( これは…ですか？ ) — Is this … ?

If you want to be more direct about whether a specific food meets your dietary requirements, you can insert one or more of the following between kore wa ( これは ) and desu ka ( ですか ):

• guruten hurii  ( グルテンフリー ) — Gluten-free
• bejitarian ( ベジタリアン ) — Vegetarian
• biigan ( ビーガン ) — Vegan
• nyuseihin hushiyou  ( 乳製品不使用 ) — Dairy-free

You can also ask about portions with the same construction and by substituting the following:

• omori ( 大盛り ) — Large portion
• nakamari ( 中盛り ) — Medium portion
• komori ( 小盛り ) — Small portion

107. kore wa nan karorīdesu ka? ( これは何カロリーですか？ ) — How many calories are in this?

Generally, Japanese food is quite healthy and doesn’t have a ton of calories, but it won’t hurt to check!

During the Meal

108. itadakimasu ( いただきます ) — Let’s dig in

This is used before digging into your meal, similar to “Bon appétit.”

109. mazui desu ( まずいです ) — It’s terrible

Ideally, you don’t want to end up in a restaurant where you have to say something like this, but sometimes it’s unavoidable!

110. okawari ( おかわり ) — Another serving, please

If you really like your food, you can let the lovely folks at the restaurant know by saying okawari. The more polite version would be okawari o kudasai ( おかわりをください ).

You can also say, depending on the context:

• hai, onegaishimasu ( はい、お願いします ) — Yes, please (when offered food)
• iie, kekkoudesu ( いいえ、結構です ) — I’m fine, thank you (when offered food)

111. onaka ga ippai desu ( お腹が一杯です ) — I’m full

112. kanpai! ( 乾杯！ ) — Cheers!

When you’re drinking with other people, it’s essential to clink your glasses together and say kanpai! You say this phrase before drinking, not after.

After the Meal

113. oishii desu! ( 美味しいです！ ) — It’s delicious!

If you’re eyeballing a slice of cake, then oishisou ( 美味しそう ), meaning “It looks delicious,” could be useful. A casual and “manly” way to say something is delicious is umai ( 旨い ) .

114. gochisousama deshita ( ごちそうさまでした ) — Thanks for the meal

Like itadakimasu, this phrase is a fixture at every meal. You say this when the meal is finished.

115. okaikei, onegai shimasu ( お会計、お願いします ) — Check, please

This is the most common way to ask for a check. You may also hear okanjou, onegai shimasu ( お勘定 、お願いします ), though not as often. Just note that the word for “check” is kaikei ( 会計 ).

116. warikan ni shite kudasai ( 割り勘 にしてください ) — Split the check, please 

If there are multiple people at the same table, this phrase will come in handy, as will betsubetsu de onegaishimasu ( 別々でお願いします ) —   We’ll pay separately, please.

Cooking Phrases

You’ll likely be cooking for yourself at some point, even if it’s just toast. Here are some useful Japanese words if you plan on cooking.

117. zairyo ( 材料 ) — Ingredients

118. ryori ( 料理 ) — Cooking

119. o bento ( お弁当 ) — Readymade meal/TV dinner

120. retoruto gohan ( レトルトご飯 ) — Instant rice (for the microwave)

121. guramu ( グラム ) — Grams

122. kiroguramu ( キログラム ) — Kilograms

With streets brimming with food stalls and vendors, the high-end boutiques lining Ginza and the ultra-cool and unique souvenir shops, there’s no way to avoid shopping while traveling through Japan .

123. kore wa nan desu ka? ( これは何ですか ) — What is this?

If you want to be more specific, you could also say kore wa nan to iu mono desu ka? ( これは何というものですか？ ) — What’s this called?

124. kore wa ikura desu ka? ( これはいくらですか？ ) — How much is this?

If it’s clear from the context what you’re referring to, you can also just say ikura desu ka? いくらですか？

125. chotto takai desu ( ちょっと高いです ) — It’s a bit expensive

If you haven’t started your adventure of learning Japanese adjectives, then here’s some essential shopping vocabulary:

• yasui ( 安い ) — Cheap, easy
• takai ( 高い ) — Expensive, high
• takakunai ( 高くない ) — Inexpensive

126. … ga ari masu ka ( ＿がありますか？ ) — Do you have…?

127. hoka no iro ga arimasu ka? ( 他の色がありますか？ ) — Do you have another color?

Some colors you may come across include:

• aka ( 赤 ) — Red
• ao ( 青 ) — Blue
• kiiro ( 黄色 ) — Yellow
• midori ( 緑 ) — Green
• kuro ( 黒 ) — Black

128. … wo kudasai ( ＿をください ) — I’d like …, please.

129. sore wo itadakimasu ( それを頂きます ) — I’ll take it

If the phrase itadakimasu sounds familiar, that’s because it’s also the one used when you’re about to dig into a tasty meal. In the same way, saying sore o itadakimasu when you’re buying something expresses that you’re thankful for what you bought.

130. kurejitto kaado wa tsukaemasu ka? ( クレジットカードは使えますか？ ) — Can I use my credit card?

If you’d like to use a traveler’s check, then replace kurejitto kaado with: toraberaazu chekku ( トラベラーズチェック ) — traveler’s check.

Your Suica and Pasmo cards , which are rechargeable cards you can use on Japanese trains, can also be used to pay for taxis or your groceries at select stores. You can ask:

Suika wa tsukaemasu ka? スイカわつかえますか？ Can I use my Suica?

131. tsutsunde itadakemasu ka? ( 包んでいただけますか？ ) — Can I have it gift-wrapped?

132. hai, onegaishimasu ( はい、お願いします ) — Yes, please 

133. īe, kekkō desu ( いいえ、結構です ) — No, thank you 

Common Phrases You’ll Hear in Japanese Shops

If you’re wondering what the shopkeepers mean when they throw these phrases at you—well, now you know!

134. irasshaimase ( いらっしゃいませ ) — Welcome

You will hear a chorus of  irasshaimase! when you enter a shop.

135. honjitsu wa (_) ga seru desu ( 本日は (_) がセールです ) — (This product) is on sale today

_ いかがですか？ is often used to invite you to take a look at specific products or try a free sample. You may also come across the term hangaku ( 半額 ) — half-price.

136. fukuro ni ire masu ka? ( 袋に入れますか？ ) — Would you like a bag?

Got a ton of items to carry home? If the Japanese shop you’re in graciously offers you this, lucky you!

137. ni nari masu (amount) ( になります ) — That’s (amount), please

138. wo okaeshi itashi masu (amount) ( をお返しいたします ) — Here’s your change (+ amount)

Shopping Words in Japanese

139. en ( 円 ) — yen 

In Japan, the currency is Japanese yen. 100 yen usually comes to around $0.90 to $1.10 USD. If you think of 100 yen as around a dollar when you go shopping, it’s a good way to keep track of your budget.

140. suupaa ( スーパー ) — supermarket 

141. konbiniensusutoa / konbini ( コンビニエンスストア / コンビニ ) — convenience store 

142. yubin kyoku ( 郵便局 ) — post office 

143. nichi yōhin ( 日用品 ) — groceries

144. kaimono kago ( 買い物かご ) — basket

145. shoppingu kato ( ショッピングカート ) — shopping cart 

146. muryō sanpuru ( 無料サンプル ) — free sample 

147. kaikei ( 会計 ) — cash register  

148. tadaima ( ただいま ) — I’m back

Everyone says this when they arrive home. If you go out, say this when you get back to let everyone know you’ve arrived home safely. If you want to, you can also say it when coming back from the bathroom; it tends to go down well.

149. okaeri nasai ( おかえりなさい ) — Welcome back

This is said in response to tadaima.  You can use this when someone else gets home, like when a parent returns from work or when a sibling gets back from cram school.

150. ofuro ni haitte mo ii desu ka? ( お風呂に入ってもいいですか？ ) — May I take a bath?

In Japan, most families take a bath every night, and if you’re staying somewhere like with a host family, you’ll be welcome to have one too if you ask.

If you’d prefer to take a shower (I did), you can just replace the word ofuru ( お風呂 ) — bath with shawaa ( シャワー ) — shower. Just make sure you don’t throw the bath water out when you’re done, as the family shares the hot water.

151. oyasumi nasai ( おやすみなさい ) — Good night

You can also leave off the -nasai  to make it less formal.

Want to sound like a native when you know minimal Japanese? There are a few common phrases you can use with friends in casual conversations.

152. ikimashou ( 行きましょう ) — Let’s go

Once you’ve decided on your plans for the day with friends, it’s time to head out by saying this phrase.

153. tabemashou ( 食べましょう ) — Let’s eat

If you decide to have lunch with friends, state tabemashou!

154. nomimashou ( 飲みましょう ) — Let’s drink

You can also suggest grabbing a drink by using this phrase.

155. yattaa! ( やったー！ ) — Yay!

This is generally an informal phrase. It’s something you use when you want to express that you’re excited, or that you’re happy about the outcome of something.

156. ureshii desu ( 嬉しいです ) — I’m happy

If you want to convey, in no uncertain terms, that you’re happy, then this is the phrase to whip out.

157. daijoubu desu ( 大丈夫です ) — I’m fine

Aside from conveying that you’re all right, this is a polite way to respectfully say “no,” such as when you’re done drinking for the night.

158. yoroshiku ne ( よろしくね ) — Nice to meet you

This is the casual version of yoroshiku onegaishimasu —a phrase that can also translate to “Please take care of me” or “I’ll leave it up to you.”

159. doushita no? ( どうしたの？ ) — What’s wrong?

Does your friend seem down? Tell them this phrase to cheer them up.

160. yabai ( やばい ) — Awful or cool

While talking, your friend may mention they have an important test or date. Use yabai and depending on the context, it can mean “Awful” or “Cool.”

161. yokatta ( よかった ) — Good, excellent, nice

This is an expression of relief, a bit like “Oh, thank goodness!”

162. ganbatte ( 頑張って ) — Do your best

This simple word means either “Good luck” or “Do your best.” In more formal situations, you’d say Ganbatte kudasai ( 頑張ってください ) . 

163. omedetou! ( おめでとう！ )  — Congrats!

The formal variant is o medetou gozaimasu ( おめでとうございます ) — Congratulations.

164. zenzen ( 全然 ) — Not at all (with neg. verb)

In a nutshell,   zenzen is the Japanese phrase of denial. It can be used either sincerely or not, such as when answering your mother when she asks, “Am I bothering you?”

165. maji de? ( マジで？ ) — Really?

You can express your surprise with this casual phrase, or its even more casual and assertive variant maji ka yo ? ( マジかよ? )

166. hontou? ( 本当？ ) — Really? / Seriously?

This word translates literally to “truth,” “reality,” “actuality” or “fact.” In question form, it comes across more like a surprised,“Are you serious?”

167. usoo! ( うそー！ ) — No way!

This is another way to express surprise, which literally means “Lie!”

168. yappari ( やっぱり ) — As expected

If you’re not surprised, you can use this word to say, “I knew it!”

When you’re making friends, you’ll hear tons of these terms going back and forth. Many slang terms are written in katakana , which marks them as being casual words.

169. ukeru ( ウケる ) — Funny, hilarious

Let’s say your friend made a great joke . By saying ukeru , you’ll let him know he struck your funny bone.

170. chou ( 超 ) — Super

This word is used to add emphasis, like the words “really” or “very.” You could say, for example, that something is chou ukeru ( 超ウケる   ) or very funny.

171. dasai ( ダサい ) — Uncool

You’ll often hear young people say dasai to refer to something that’s boring, unfashionable, etc.

172. kimoi ( キモい ) — Gross

Kimoi  is a contraction of the words kimochi ( 気持ち ) — feeling, and warui ( 悪い ) — bad. 

173. gachi ( ガチ ) — Totally, really, seriously

G achi implies that something actually took place, or was really as intense as the speaker claims.

174. hanpa nai ( 半端ない ) — Crazy, insane

Hanpa nai means that something is awesome or insane, but in a good way, like an epic roller coaster ride.

And there you have it! With these phrases and some core vocabulary , you’ll be able to make small talk with new friends, or show others that you’re sincerely interested in learning Japanese.

Just by incorporating these Japanese daily vocabulary into your conversation , you’ll soon be sure to hear nihongo ga jouzu desu ne! ( 日本語が上手ですね ) — You’re good at speaking Japanese!

If you love learning Japanese with authentic materials, then I should also tell you more about FluentU .

FluentU naturally and gradually eases you into learning Japanese language and culture. You'll learn real Japanese as it's spoken in real life.

FluentU has a broad range of contemporary videos as you'll see below:

FluentU makes these native Japanese videos approachable through interactive transcripts. Tap on any word to look it up instantly.

All definitions have multiple examples, and they're written for Japanese learners like you. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.

And FluentU has a learn mode which turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples.

The best part? FluentU keeps track of your vocabulary, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You'll have a 100% personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

Enter your e-mail address to get your free PDF!

We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe

147 Japanese Culture Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Looking for interesting topics on Japan? Find them here! This list contains plenty of Japanese culture topics relating to the country’s traditions, art, and social phenomena. Check them out!

🔝 Top 10 Japanese Culture Topics to Write About

🔎 culture-related japan research topics, ✅ japanese topics for presentations, 🏆 best japanese culture topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good japanese culture essay topics, 💡 interesting japanese culture topics to write about, 📌 simple & easy japanese culture essay titles, ❓ research questions about japanese culture.

• The Cultural Impact of Anime
• The Mystique and Roles of Geisha
• Traditional Japanese Arts and Crafts
• Tea Ceremony in Japanese Culture
• The Beauty of Japanese Gardens
• The Art of Japanese Floral Arrangement
• Festivals and Matsuri in Japanese Culture
• The Code of Bushido and Its Influence on Society
• Pop Culture Phenomena of J-Pop and Kawaii
• Sushi, Ramen, and Other Culinary Delights of Japan
• Environmental Sustainability in Japan
• Shintoism and Its Influence on Japanese Society
• Modernization and Transformation of Japan
• Challenges Related to Japan’s Aging Population
• Japanese Video Games and Their Global Appeal
• The Aftermath of the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster
• The Role of Women in Modern Japanese Society
• Ways of Preserving and Revitalizing Traditional Japanese Arts
• The “Japanese Miracle” of Economic Growth and Technological Advancements
• Achievements, Critiques, and Reforms in the Japanese Education System
• Cherry Blossom Season in Japan
• Symbolism of the Iconic Mount Fuji
• The Legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• Japan’s Ancient Temples and Urban Landscapes
• How Zen Buddhism Impacts Japanese Aesthetics
• The Beauty and Significance of Origami and Calligraphy
• Japanese Bullet Train and Other Transportation Advancements
• Traditional Japanese Performing Arts: Noh, Kabuki, and Gagaku
• Modern Japanese Literature: Haruki Murakami and Yukio Mishima
• Japanese Business Etiquette, Work Ethics, and Corporate Practices
• Japanese Animations’ Effects on the Japanese Economy and Their Cultural Influence on Foreign Countries These artists incorporate the characteristic anime stylizations, gags and methodology in their piece of work to produce animations that are a bit similar to Japanese anime. The growing interest among foreign artists in anime is […]
• Ramen Culture as a Vital Part of the Traditions in Japan Studying the history of the transformation of ramen culture and the role it plays in modern Japanese popular culture helps to explore the uniqueness of the phenomenon and understand the origins of its immense popularity.
• Disneyland in American, Japanese, European Cultures Due to the popularity of the American culture, Disneyland’s representation of American culture that spreading a positive attitude about life has a significant impact on Disneyland in Asian countries, especially in Japan.
• Culture Comparison Between China and Japan In Japan, it can be proved by the fact that the name Japan is written in the Chinese Kanji and not the Japanese Katakana or Hiragana.
• The Influence of Heavy Metal on Japanese Culture In Japan, the association involving the realm of heavy metal music and personal distinctions has been surveyed in a number of studies.
• Western Pop Culture and Street Fashion of Japanese Youth The research of the topic needs to be preceded by the explanation of the key subjects and notions used in the current paper.
• Japanese Popular Culture: Anime, Video Games, and the Film Industry This report will investigate the growth and influence of Japanese pop culture through anime, video games, and the film industry. The game was created by a Japanese studio and is built on the concept of […]
• Process of Modernization and How It Affected the Cultures of China and Japan Among such countries, China and Japan were voted as the most affected nations by modernization process because of the emergent of simple and advanced technologies. This changed gradually with the spread of industrial revolution in […]
• Issues of Japanese Cultural Identity The other way the anime productions deal with the issues of the Japanese and their cultural identity is by presenting the aspects and ideas that define the people of Japan.
• Conflict Management in Japanese Culture Japan and its culture truly represent the cultural compromise that determines the development of the entire Japanese spiritual tradition.
• Influence of Japanese Culture in Hawaii From the census, it is clear that the culture and the cuisine Hawaii, which are known today, were created by the history of the migration of Japanese to Hawaii when they settled there to work […]
• The Japanese Culture of Ukiyo-E and Ikebana Two areas of the Japanese culture that Mori talks about is Ukiyo-e and Ikebana which are Japanese words that are common to the pre-Meiji artistic works of the Japanese people.
• Culture and Customs of Japan After WWII It must be admitted, however, in the interests of truth, that the traditional mode of living and ways of thinking, both good and bad, are deeply rooted in the life of the Japanese people of […]
• Language and Culture: The Honorifics (Speech or System) of Japanese and Korean In Japan, honorific use is determined by the category of the addressee, that is, he/ she might be superior to the addresser, and this corresponds directly to the verb in use.
• Japanese Anime and Doujin Culture In the 1980’s the anime spread to other parts of the world including the western world where it has continued to grow in popularity.
• Globalization and Japanese Cultures This map is in that book and this course because of demonstrating the movement of goods and people across the world from Afrique to Patagonia and Nouvelle-Guinee.
• Japan After Globalization: Culture and Ethnocentrism The isolated territorial position of the country, geographical and climatic features, frequent earthquakes, and typhoons had a significant influence on the culture and mentality of the Japanese people.
• Researching of the Culture of Japan As for me, I thought that the Arabic language is complicated but after I heard Japanese, I understood it was really hard to learn and speak it.
• Relationships in Japanese History and Culture The preparation of the obento is not easy, it demands some special skills, and, of course, deep knowledge of the traditions.
• Chinese Han Dynasty: Comparing to the Japanese Culture Changing the focus to that one of the daily lives of ordinary citizens, the art of the Chinese culture during the Han Dynasty era allowed introducing a significant amount of diversity into the artistic realm.
• The Japanese Culture and Ecological Interests Many Japanese practices have been adopted in the western world due to the popularity of the culture. Among the many cultural practices of Japan, karate is the most practiced one outside the state.
• Violence and War in Japanese Popular Culture 50 years after the end of the war, the effects of the war have continued to influence the Japanese culture and have also affected its relations with other countries.
• Comparing the USA, China, Japan and the United Kingdom Cultures This diversity is evident in their music, fashion, cuisine, visual arts, cinema and literature and due to the propagation of the same through the media; the American culture has today become the pedestal through which […]
• Comparing Japanese and Chinese Cultures The main difference between the Chinese and Japanese concept of loyalty is that the Chinese people emphasize their loyalty to their family as a top priority.
• The Growth of Japanese Culture in the Tokugawa Period The principal factor that benefited the growth and progress of the nation after the ascension of Tokugawa Ieyasu to power is the conclusion of the Sengoku period.
• Japan’s History and Culture on a Global Scale 1868 marked a period of the modernization of Japan, with the Meiji restoration leading to the centralization of everything about the emperor.
• Japanese and Southeast Asia Cultures The activities of the warrior were based on the principle of bushido. Human civilization is the main characteristic of the culture in the continent of Asia.
• Japanese Colonialism Impact on the Korean Culture For instance, Faker and Ryang consider the effects that the Japanese culture has had on the Korean one, while Schmidt and Lim deal with the ways in which Korea accepted colonialism and how the country […]
• Japanese Culture and Identity in the Modern Era I strongly believe that Japanese popular culture might lose its identity due to influence from other cultures, which may lead to a slight modification of the culture.
• Age in the American and the Japanese Cultures In the Japanese environment, elderly people are respected and appreciated, whereas in the environment of American society, old people are viewed as dead weight.
• American vs. Japanese Cultures as Adaptive Systems Since the analysis of these cultures will be done from the perspective of the cultural theory, the paper will also examine how each culture influences the development of people, identity, and personality within it.
• Japanese National and Organizational Cultures So it is mandatory for the organization to work out modalities of avoiding the feeling of one culture domineering the organization while making the other cultures seem inferior by promoting intercultural bonding and communicating the […]
• Zen Buddhism Religion in Japanese Culture The uniqueness of Zen is in rejecting the importance of doctrines and emphasizing the role of the spiritual growth of the person through the practice of meditation.
• Daoism Philosophy in the Cultures of the Koreans, Japanese and Chinese Besides, the treatise explores the orientations of the Daoist tradition and the concepts of sages, deities, hell and heaven, and Confucian discourse.
• General Aspects of Japanese Corporate Culture Analysing the corporate culture in Japan, the essay will classify the companies into two: the large and small companies The Japanese culture of management stands out clearly in large corporations.
• Japanese Culture Analysis: Values and Traditions For a manager working with a person from the Japanese culture, understanding how the cultural dimensions apply to the culture will help the manager to work well with the other individuals.
• Diversity Management and Japanese Culture This is because it requires a comprehensive understanding of the cultural values of both the native country and also that of the foreign country in which you are supposed to carry out your business activities.
• An Aspect of Politics and Culture of Meiji in Japan In mid 1880’s there was a financial crisis in Japan due to the huge expenses on industrialization. The Sino-Japanese war between 1894and 1895 was due to divergence of interests in Korea involving China and Japan.
• Whaling in Japan: Justifiable by Culture? The gap in reasoning when it comes to utilizing the concept of “scientific research” as a means of justifying the hunting of various whale species by Japanese whalers is the obvious fact that you do […]
• Analysis of “Yuri” Manga as a Peculiarity of Japanese Popular Culture Conclusions of the analysis indicate that yuri manga is not limited to lesbian culture, moreover, it is a significant element of Japanese popular culture.
• Japanese Fascist Ideology and Culture In a fascist authority, the issue of taking control over the people is of great significance and fascist leaders know that for them to control the naivety of the people well then they have to […]
• Traditional Culture No Longer Is Prevalent in Japanese Society However with the phasing of the government policies in to the adoption of the 1870s epoch, it was aimed to enhance the exports of lacquerware to Western countries.
• Cross-Cultural Management: Japanese Culture and Its Workplace Practices This is one of the strategies that can be adopted. This is one of the pitfalls that should be avoided.
• Cultural Evaluation of Japan: Beliefs and Behavior Generally, the culture of Japan is characterized by collectiveness where individualism is not usually a key concept in various practices in different sectors of the economy such as the education system, health care, and politics.
• Influence of the Consumption Phenomenon on Japan’s Social Culture The present society in Japan is founded on the concepts of bettering the welfare of people. Another vital aspect that is worth noting is that the Japanese society is exceptional in because of the presence […]
• Political Economy and Culture in Japan A strong work ethic and management culture in the commerce and manufacturing industry has ensured the prosperity of the Japanese economy. A good example of the interaction of political economics and culture is the case […]
• Hip-Hop and the Japanese Culture The prevalence of soul dancing in Japan in the earlier years also formed the basis for the wide acceptance of the hip-hop culture into the Japanese culture because soul dancing was common in the streets […]
• Japanese Culture vs. Chinese Culture: The Loss of Patriotism
• Anime and Its Effects on Japanese Culture
• Impact of Buddhism on the Japanese Culture
• Chinese and Japanese Culture Comparison and Analysis
• Cultural Globalisation Through Japanese Culture
• Did the Samurai Have a Significant Impact on Japanese Culture?
• Differences Between Korean and Japanese Culture
• Eating Disorders and Self-Harm in Japanese Culture
• Gender Roles in the Japanese Culture
• Hip-Hop Impact on the Japanese Culture
• How Does Sushi Reflect Japanese Culture?
• Overview of Japanese Culture and Communication Features
• Japanese Culture Views on Homosexuality
• How Japanese Culture Has Become So Popular
• Japanese Culture and Its Relation to Buddhism
• How Japanese Culture Affects the Economy
• The Parallels Between Japanese Culture and Military Conflict History
• The Relationships Between Japanese Culture and Politics
• How Reliance Will Get Fit Into the Japanese Culture
• Linking Japanese and South African Culture
• Japanese Culture and the Misconceptions Associated With It
• American Culture and Japanese Culture: Comparative Analysis
• Japanese Culture and Western Influence on It
• The Role of Sexuality in the Japanese Culture
• Japanese Culture: Art, History, and Society
• Japanese Culture and Role of Women in It
• Communication Guide Between America Business Culture and Japanese Culture
• Japanese Culture Factors Influenced the Disclosure of Financial Information
• The Link Between Religions and Japanese Culture
• Japanese Culture: From Ancient to Modern Times
• Social and Geographical Aspects of the Japanese Culture
• Japanese Culture Places High Value on Privacy
• The Gender Problems in the Japanese Culture
• Japanese Culture: Producing Japan in the World
• Key Similarities and Differences Between the Japanese and the American Cultures
• Japanese Culture That Reflects Through Their Writing and Art Forms
• Motivation and Organizational Japanese Culture
• The Odd and Fascinating Japanese Culture
• Tracing Back the Japanese Culture to 10,000 BC
• Understanding the Japanese Culture Through the Warrior Codes of Bushido
• What Is the Influence of Anime on Japanese Culture?
• Are Chinese and Japanese Cultures Similar?
• How Is Cultural Globalization Through Japanese Culture?
• Did the Samurai Have a Significant Impact on Japanese Culture and Historical?
• What Are the Differences Between Korean and Japanese Cultures?
• Are Eating Disorders and Self-Harm Inherent in Japanese Culture?
• What Is the Cultural Assessment of Japanese Culture?
• What Are the Gender Roles in Japanese Culture?
• How Has Japanese Culture Become So Popular?
• How Dose Japanese Culture Affects the Economy Cultural?
• What Is the Attitude Towards Homosexuality in Japanese Culture?
• What Are the Features of Communication in Japanese Culture?
• How Reliance Will Get Fit Into the Japanese Culture?
• How Does Japanese Culture Affect Japanese Business?
• What Are Some Misconceptions About Japanese Culture?
• What Is the Place of Women in Japanese Culture?
• What Do You Need to Know About Japanese Culture Before Going to Japan?
• How Did Japanese Culture Change From Ancient Times to Modern Times?
• How Is Japan’s Culture Reflected in Their Writing and Art Forms?
• What Are the Differences Between American and Japanese Cultures?
• How Is Sexuality Interpreted in Japanese Culture?
• How Does Japanese Culture Spread Abroad?
• What Is the Place of Religion in Japanese Culture?
• What Are the Socio-Geographical Aspects of Japanese Culture?
• What Is the Place of Food in Japanese Culture?
• How Can Japanese Culture Be Understood Through the Warrior Codes of Bushido?
• What Is the Uniqueness of Japanese Culture?
• How Does the West Respond to Japanese Culture?
• What Is the Role of Buddhism in Japanese Culture?
• Mitsubishi Essay Titles
• Ceramics Titles
• Hiroshima Topics
• Cultural Identity Research Topics
• Meditation Questions
• Yoga Questions
• Tea Research Topics
• Bicycle Research Topics
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, December 21). 147 Japanese Culture Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/japanese-culture-essay-topics/

"147 Japanese Culture Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." IvyPanda , 21 Dec. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/japanese-culture-essay-topics/.

IvyPanda . (2023) '147 Japanese Culture Essay Topic Ideas & Examples'. 21 December.

IvyPanda . 2023. "147 Japanese Culture Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." December 21, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/japanese-culture-essay-topics/.

1. IvyPanda . "147 Japanese Culture Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." December 21, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/japanese-culture-essay-topics/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "147 Japanese Culture Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." December 21, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/japanese-culture-essay-topics/.

Essays About Japan: Top 5 Examples and 5 Prompts

Japan is a beautiful country famous for its lush landscape, delicious food, and well-mannered people. Here are some examples of essays about Japan.

A developed country in Asia known as the “land of the rising sun,” Japan has become a hot commodity for tourism and business. Japan is truly a sight to behold, from its beautiful cherry blossoms, efficient public transportation system, and delicious food. 

Japan’s rich history has allowed it to develop into one of the most advanced nations in the world, and its technology is renowned worldwide. Moreover, its people are known for their discipline, hard work, and resilience, even in the face of severe natural disasters. Japan is, without a doubt, a country worth visiting. 

If you want to write essays about Japan, here are our best essay examples and writing prompts to help you begin. 

1. What Japan Taught Me About Life by Beth Louise

2. japan experience: reflection on japanese culture by rayan elhafiz abdalla, 3. what i learned about design from travel in japan by teo yu siang.

• 4.  The best time to visit Japan by Pat Kay

5. A Day Trip To Kobe by David Swanson

5 prompts for essays about japan, 1. what does japan mean to you , 2. misogyny in japanese society, 3. why visit japan, 4. japan’s history, 5. living in japan: what’s it like.

“In fact, there’s so much to see and do that it feels like a lifetime of exploring would never uncover all that’s on offer. It’s also a bright, buzzing lesson in living fast; just wandering around in the crowds is a massive adrenaline rush, and Monday nights are as mental as Fridays. But despite the intensity of a city so large, people are calm and quiet. It’s the most magical juxtaposition. Everything is moving at light-speed, but with such efficiency and thoughtfulness, that it feels like a well-oiled, intuitive machine, powering a ride that you never want to get off.”

In her essay, Louise writes about her experience traveling to Tokyo, Japan. She compares it to a machine, with all the people in the city playing their part. She is amazed by the people’s focus, discipline, manners, and sense of purpose, and she can better appreciate life’s simplicity. She is mesmerized by Japan and recommends booking a trip to Tokyo as soon as possible. 

You might also like these essays about being yourself and essays about college .

“People were very friendly, they will greet you even if they don’t know you. One shocking incident that I will not forgot, is when the cashier was trying to help me put all my coin money in my wallet with me. In America I am not used to having someone put my money inside my wallet, that is really invading personal space. However, I learned that in Japan it seems normal to just drop off someone’s coins in their wallet.”

Similar to Louise, Abdalla reflects on new things he discovered about Japan and its people during his time there. These range from trivial things such as the “Pokemon Go” rollout in the country to the Japanese’ sense of honor and discipline. He recounts an experience in which the cashier was helping him put his change into his wallet, something he is not used to back home. He provides excellent, although short, insight into Japan, its culture, and its people. 

“Everything around us is designed: from the smartphones we use every day to the tactile paving on a walkway. But it’s often hard to examine the designed environment around us with eyes as fresh as a tourist’s. So if you’ve made it to the end of this post, I’ve got a challenge for you: The next time you take a walk outside, try to become aware of the thousands of design decisions around you. What works, and what can be improved?”

Siang writes about the edge that Japanese cities and society in general have because they are well-designed. He cites innovations such as fast, automated cash register machines and aid for the visually impaired and recalls lessons such as the importance of accessibility when designing something. 

4.   The best time to visit Japan by Pat Kay

“When people ask me “When is the best time to visit Japan?”, I usually reply with “anytime”. Japan is always a good idea, at any time of year. It’s truly an all-year-round destination that provides vastly varied experiences throughout its distinct 4 seasons. Whether you’re a traveller who loves snow, or one who thrives in humidity; a traveller who wants to see beautiful nature changes, or wants to be thrown into crowds; whatever your style of travel, there’s a season and a time for that.”

Kay describes the weather and activities during the different seasons in Japan, giving readers an idea of when they would prefer to visit. Japan ranges from the ethereal but chaotic cherry blossom season to the calm, frigid snow season; however, each year’s season has its own charm. Kay’s essay gives good insight into the best times to visit Japan.

“When planning a visit to Kobe, consider the fact that the city has been completely rebuilt since 1995, following the great Hanshin earthquake that leveled much of the city. Except for a few memorials, you likely won’t be aware of the destruction at all. Instead, what you will discover is a cosmopolitan port city where foreign influences intermingle, museums are dedicated to sake, and a conveniently compact and walkable quarter showcases a robust nightlife scene that has featured jazz on the menu for nearly a century. Oh, and, of course, there is the beef.”

In this short write-up, Swanson lists the best things to do in Kobe, Japan, a place best known for its top-quality beef. However, there are many things to do in the city besides eating beef, such as viewing historical buildings, going to the hot springs, and visiting the botanical gardens. However, Swanson notes that eating is an integral part of a trip to Kobe, and one should not miss out on trying the beef. 

In your essay, you can write about the country’s significance to you. For example, are you from there, or do you have Japanese ancestry? Have you visited? Write about your connection to the country and why this connection exists in the first place. If Japan has a special place in your heart, this essay topic is for you. 

When editing for grammar, we also recommend taking the time to improve the readability score of a piece of writing before publishing or submitting

With all its glory and excellence, Japan is less evolved in gender equality. So how are women treated in Japan? First, delve into research about the treatment of women in Japanese society, and show how the culture differs from modern western gender equality ideologies. Then, discuss why Japan is behind in encouraging women’s equal rights. Make sure to cite research, statistics, and interviews to support your point. 

This topic is straightforward; whether you have been or not, try to persuade others to visit the country. Include highlights that others should visit and suggestions for places others can visit. If Japan was a bad experience for you, go the other way: why should you not visit Japan?

Japan has a dark history surrounding its role in World War II. In your essay, briefly explain these events and research their effects on Japan after the war. How did the war change Japan- for better or for worse? Elaborate on the impact and, as always, include references to strengthen your arguments. This is quite a broad topic, so you can focus on one element of Japanese society: values, city planning, relationships with tourists, race, inequality, and gender equality.

Based on reading articles and sample essays as well as any experiences in Japan, list the advantages and disadvantages of living in Japan and conclude whether it would be ideal for moving to Japan or not. Use anecdotes from travel writers or people who live in Japan to show why living in japan is enjoyable or not so enjoyable. Pick a stance for a compelling argumentative essay.

If you are interested in learning more, check out our essay writing tips !

If you’re stuck picking your next essay topic, check out our guide on how to write an essay about diversity .

Martin is an avid writer specializing in editing and proofreading. He also enjoys literary analysis and writing about food and travel.

View all posts

Essay on Japanese Culture

Students are often asked to write an essay on Japanese Culture in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Japanese Culture

Traditional clothing.

Japanese culture is famous for its traditional clothing. The kimono is the most well-known dress. People wear it on special occasions like festivals and weddings. It’s made of silk and comes in many colors and patterns. The obi is a wide belt tied around the kimono. It’s not just clothing; it’s a symbol of Japanese beauty.

Japanese food is more than just sushi. Rice is a staple in their meals. They also love noodles like ramen and udon. Meals often include fish, pickled vegetables, and miso soup. Eating in Japan is an art. They value presentation and flavor.

Festivals are big in Japan. They celebrate the seasons, like cherry blossoms in spring. There’s music, dancing, and food stalls. Children and adults dress up and enjoy games. Lanterns light up the night. These events show Japan’s love for nature and community.

Japanese arts include delicate crafts and performances. Origami, paper folding, and calligraphy, beautiful writing, are popular. In theaters, you can see kabuki, a dramatic play style with colorful costumes. Their art is about detail and expressing feelings.

Respect is key in Japan. People bow to greet each other. They are polite and considerate. Children learn to respect elders and each other early on. This respect makes their society peaceful and orderly. It’s a core part of being Japanese.

250 Words Essay on Japanese Culture

Japanese traditions.

Japan is known for its unique traditions. Tea ceremonies show the beauty of calm and respect. People sit on tatami mats and enjoy green tea. The host carefully prepares the tea, showing the importance of every step. This tradition helps people find peace and enjoy simple moments.

Festivals and Celebrations

Japanese festivals are colorful and exciting. They celebrate the seasons, like cherry blossoms in spring or leaf colors in autumn. People wear traditional clothes called yukata and enjoy street food. Fireworks light up the sky in summer, and everyone feels joy together.

Arts in Japan

Japanese art includes beautiful paintings, calligraphy, and pottery. Manga and anime are popular among kids. These are comic books and cartoons that tell all kinds of stories. Origami, the art of paper folding, is also famous. With just a paper, you can make animals, flowers, and more.

Japanese Food

Food in Japan is not just about taste but also how it looks. Sushi is a well-known dish made with rice and fish. It’s healthy and delicious. Japanese people also enjoy noodles like ramen and soba. Meals are often served with green tea, which is good for your health.

Respect and Manners

In Japan, people greet each other by bowing. This shows respect. Kids learn to be polite and listen carefully when others speak. Saying “thank you” and “please” is very important. In schools, students clean their classrooms to learn responsibility and respect for their environment.

Japanese culture is rich with traditions, celebrations, art, food, and respect. It’s a beautiful blend of old and new, where each part is important and adds to the whole picture.

500 Words Essay on Japanese Culture

Introduction to japanese culture.

Japanese culture is like a beautiful tapestry, woven with history, traditions, and modern life. It’s a unique blend that forms the way of life in Japan, a country in East Asia. The culture is known for its traditional arts, distinct foods, and strong sense of community. Let’s explore some key parts of this fascinating culture.

Traditional Arts

When you think of Japan, you might imagine delicate paper cranes or beautiful paintings of cherry blossoms. These are part of the traditional arts that have been passed down for generations. Origami, the art of paper folding, is not just a craft but a way for people to express creativity. Calligraphy, which is the art of writing with a brush and ink, is another important traditional art. It’s not just about writing words; it’s about making the writing look like a piece of art.

Food in Japan

Japanese food is famous all over the world. Sushi, which is rice with fish or vegetables, is probably the most well-known dish. But there’s so much more! Try a bowl of ramen, which is a type of noodle soup, or tempura, which is seafood or vegetables that have been battered and fried. Japanese people take great care in preparing and presenting their food, making it not only delicious but also a feast for the eyes.

Festivals, or ‘matsuri’, are a big part of Japanese culture. They are often lively events with music, dance, and colorful costumes. One famous festival is the Cherry Blossom Festival, or ‘Hanami’, where people gather under blooming cherry trees to enjoy the beauty and welcome spring. Another important celebration is ‘Obon’, which is a time to remember and honor ancestors. During this time, people might visit their hometowns, clean family graves, and enjoy traditional dances.

Family and Community

Family is at the heart of Japanese society. Respect for elders and ancestors is very important. Many homes have a small altar called a ‘butsudan’, where they place pictures and offer food to remember family members who have passed away. Community is also key in Japan. People often work together to keep their neighborhoods clean and safe, and there’s a strong sense of helping each other out.

Modern Pop Culture

Japan is not just about tradition; it has a vibrant modern culture too. Japanese anime (animated movies and TV shows) and manga (comic books) are popular all over the world. Characters like Pikachu from Pokémon have fans of all ages. Japanese technology is also cutting-edge, with inventions like high-speed trains and advanced robots.

Japanese culture is a rich mix of old and new. From the quiet beauty of a tea ceremony to the excitement of a high-tech video game, there’s something for everyone. It’s a culture that values both respect for the past and innovation for the future. Learning about Japanese culture can be a fun adventure, full of surprises and new experiences.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Japanese Family
• Essay on Japanese Friend
• Essay on Japanese Holiday

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

購読者会員サイト Club Alphaへ

• 英文記事のバックナンバー

Essay 2024.6.7

Omiyage culture お土産文化

Level A day before my family’s trip to Canada, the most stressful thing was not the idea of bringing a toddler on a long-haul flight to the other side of the world. That will be a big challenge, but I’m...

この記事は会員限定です。 全文見るには、会員登録・ログインが必要です

会員限定の記事・バックナンバーが 毎月5本無料 で読むことができます。

定期購読している方、 メルマガ会員の方はこちら

Recommended for you

現在ログインしていません

• Webサイトご利用案内
• 購読･購入方法のご案内

• Video Lectures
• Listening & Speaking
• Describe This!
• 留学生Lillianの教えて　 日本のコト！
• Error Corrector
• Fujisanデジタル版について

The Japan Times Alpha 公式 @japantimes_alpha

Alpha 編集長 @st_takahashi

The Japan Times Alpha 公式

The Japan Times Alpha 公式 @thejapantimesalpha

Alpha Online ログイン

初回ログインの手順は こちら をご確認ください。

ID・PW・Passコードをお持ちの方

パスワードをお忘れですか?

Alpha Passコード

※Fujisan以外でご購読の方は初回にメルマガ会員登録を行い、ログイン時にID・パスワード・Passコードの入力が必要です。

紙面2面の下部に記載され、毎月更新されます。

メルマガ会員へのご登録 ※新聞を購読していなくても登録できます

メルマガ会員になると、毎週の見どころを紹介するメルマガが届くほか、Alpha Onlineの英文記事を月5本までお読みいただけます。

※Fujisanマガジンサービスの提携サイトにてご登録となります

定期購読申込み 無料試読申込み

trending now in World News

Long-lost shipwreck with bounty thought to be worth billions...

Nicki Minaj arrested, slapped with fine in Amsterdam for...

Hitler-worshipping narco who flooded US with cocaine reveals...

Late Sandals Resorts founder's son allegedly waiting for dad’s...

US man seen begging for his life after 'failed Congo coup' was on...

Father-son terrorists describe how they raped, murdered women on...

Mount Everest climbers missing, presumed dead after icy collapse...

Sickening new video shows Hamas line up female Israeli soldiers...

Uss harder, legendary wwii sub that led to japanese surrender, found 80 years after torpedoing.

• View Author Archive
• Email the Author
• Get author RSS feed

Contact The Author

Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission.

Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission.

A long-lost legendary Naval submarine has finally been found — more than 80 years after it was torpedoed by Japanese forces.

The USS Harder was found resting 3,000 feet below the ocean near the Philippines island Luzon, the Naval History and Heritage Command announced Friday.

The World War II-era boat — which earned the nickname “Hit ’em HARDER” for its success rate — was found sitting upright and “relatively intact” except for some damage behind its conning tower.

“Harder was lost in the course of victory. We must not forget that victory has a price, as does freedom,” NHHC Director Samuel J. Cox, U.S. Navy rear admiral, said in a statement.

The USS Harder, which had a reputation for annihilating opposition Japanese submarines, was lost at sea on Aug. 24, 1944, with 79 aboard.

The sub was discovered using data collected by Tim Taylor of the Lost 52 Project, an organization that works to locate the 52 submarines sunk during World War II.

The sub, helmed by the famed Cmdr. Samuel D. Dealey, spent days fighting the enemy ships alongside the USS Hake and USS Haddo in the South China Sea.

The trio had sunk three escort ships, as well as a Japanese destroyer when their luck turned.

Haddo left to replenish their torpedo stockpile, shortly before two Japanese ships closed in to attack.

Hake survived the fire exchange and reported hearing 15 rapid depth charges explode in the distance, at least one of which likely sunk the Harder.

Japanese records later revealed that the Harder crew didn’t go down without a fight and fired three torpedos at their attackers before sinking.

Tragically, the 79-man crew didn’t survive to see Japan surrender just days later — a turning point in the war that the Navy attributes to their valiant efforts.

In the weeks before their final patrol, the USS Harder sunk three and heavily damaged two of Japan’s destroyers in just four days, forcing the Adm. Jisaburo Ozawa’s Mobile Fleet to depart Tawi-Tawi a day ahead of schedule,

“The premature departure upset the Japanese battle plans and forced Ozawa to delay his carrier force in the Philippine Sea, contributing to the defeat suffered by the Japanese in the ensuing battle,” the NHHC said.

Harder was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for her first five patrols and six battle stars for World War II service, while Cmdr. Dealey was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his outstanding contribution to the war effort at the helm of the sub.

“We are grateful that Lost 52 has given us the opportunity to once again honor the valor of the crew of the ‘Hit ‘em HARDER’ submarine that sank the most Japanese warships – in particularly audacious attacks – under her legendary skipper, Cmdr. Sam Dealey,” Cox said.

The submarine will likely not be touched and acts as a war grave for the Harder crew.

Share this article:

Advertisement

At The Brink

An Introduction: It’s Time to Protest Nuclear War Again

Kathleen Kingsbury, Opinion Editor

The threat of nuclear war has dangled over humankind for much too long. We have survived so far through luck and brinkmanship. But the old, limited safeguards that kept the Cold War cold are long gone. Nuclear powers are getting more numerous and less cautious. We’ve condemned another generation to live on a planet that is one grave act of hubris or human error away from destruction without demanding any action from our leaders. That must change.

In New York Times Opinion’s latest series, At the Brink, we’re looking at the reality of nuclear weapons today. It’s the culmination of nearly a year of reporting and research. We plan to explore where the present dangers lie in the next arms race and what can be done to make the world safer again.

W.J. Hennigan, the project's lead writer, begins that discussion today by laying out what’s at stake if a single nuclear weapon were used, as well as revealing for the first time details about how close U.S. officials thought the world came to breaking the decades-long nuclear taboo.

Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, threatened in his 2024 annual speech that more direct Western intervention in Ukraine could lead to nuclear conflict. Yet an American intelligence assessment suggests the world may have wandered far closer to the brink of a nuclear launch more than a year earlier, during the first year of Mr. Putin's invasion.

This is the first telling of the Biden administration’s efforts to avoid that fate, and had they failed, how they hoped to contain the catastrophic aftermath. Mr. Hennigan explores what happened during that tense time, what officials were thinking, what they did and how they’re approaching a volatile future.

In the first essay of the series, W.J. Hennigan lays out the risks of the new nuclear era and how we got here. You can listen to an adaptation of the piece here .

Within two years, the last major remaining arms treaty between the United States and Russia is to expire. Yet amid mounting global instability and shifting geopolitics, world leaders aren’t turning to diplomacy. Instead, they have responded by building more technologically advanced weapons. The recent intelligence on Russia’s development of a space-based nuclear weapon is the latest reminder of the enormous power these weapons continue to wield over our lives.

There is no precedent for the complexity of today’s nuclear era. The bipolarity of the Cold War has given way to a great-power competition with far more emerging players. With the possibility of Donald Trump returning as president, Iran advancing its nuclear development and China on track to stock its arsenal with 1,000 warheads by 2030, German and South Korean officials have wondered aloud if they should have their own nuclear weapons, as have important voices in Poland, Japan and Saudi Arabia.

The latest generation of nuclear technology can still inflict unspeakable devastation. Artificial intelligence could someday automate war without human intervention. No one can confidently predict how and if deterrence will work under these dynamics or even what strategic stability will look like. A new commitment to what could be years of diplomatic talks will be needed to establish new terms of engagement.

Over the past several months, I’ve been asked, including by colleagues, why I want to raise awareness on nuclear arms control when the world faces so many other challenges — climate change, rising authoritarianism and economic inequality, as well as the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Part of the answer is that both of those active conflicts would be far more catastrophic if nuclear weapons were introduced into them. Consider Mr. Putin’s threat at the end of February: “We also have weapons that can strike targets on their territory,” the Russian leader said during his annual address. “Do they not understand this?”

The other answer lies in our recent history. When people around the world in the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s and early ’90s began to understand the nuclear peril of that era, a vocal constituency demanded — and achieved — change.

Fear of mutual annihilation last century spurred governments to work together to create a set of global agreements to lower the risk. Their efforts helped to end atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons, which, in certain cases, had poisoned people and the environment. Adversarial nations started talking to each other and, by doing so, helped avoid accidental use. Stockpiles were reduced. A vast majority of nations agreed to never build these weapons in the first place if the nations that had them worked in good faith toward their abolishment. That promise was not kept.

In 1982 as many as a million people descended on Central Park calling for the elimination of nuclear arms in the world. More recently, some isolated voices have tried to raise the alarm — Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, said last year that “the most serious thing facing mankind is nuclear proliferation” — but mostly such activism is inconceivable now. The once again growing threat of nuclear weapons is simply not part of the public conversation. And the world is less secure.

Today the nuclear safety net is threadbare. The good news is that it can be restitched. American leadership requires that Washington marshal international support for this mission — but it also requires leading by example. There are several actions that the U.S. president could take without buy-in from a Congress unlikely to cooperate.

As a first step, the United States could push to reinvigorate and establish with Russia and China, respectively, joint information and crisis control centers to ensure that misunderstandings and escalation don’t spiral. Such hotlines have all but gone dormant. The United States could also renounce the strategy of launching its nuclear weapons based only on a warning of an adversary’s launch, reducing the chance America could begin a nuclear war because of an accident, a human or mechanical failure or a simple misunderstanding. The United States could insist on robust controls for artificial intelligence in the launch processes of nuclear weapons.

Democracy rarely prevents war, but it can eventually serve as a check on it. Nuclear use has always been the exception: No scenario offers enough time for voters to weigh in on whether to deploy a nuclear weapon. Citizens, therefore, need to exert their influence well before the country finds itself in such a situation.

We should not allow the next generation to inherit a world more dangerous than the one we were given.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Cubs' Shota Imanaga is crushing it on the mound, but life as a Chicagoan is coming along more slowly

Imanaga makes success look so simple, it’s easy to forget to ask him how he’s handling life alone in a huge new city halfway around the world from home..

Shota Imanaga during his big-league debut at Wrigley Field on April 1, 2024.

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Look, Cubs newcomer Shota Imanaga brought this upon himself.

Imanaga, 30, has been so obscenely good since arriving from Japan, we have no choice but to compare him with giant pitching names present and past.

The lefty starter is 5-0 with a minuscule 0.84 ERA, the fourth-lowest after the first nine starts of a season since ERA became an official statistic in — come on, you know you remember it — 1913. The last to go lower in nine starts was Jacob deGrom, at 0.62 in 2021, when he was well on his way to a third Cy Young Award before his season was cut short in July. In 2009, Zack Greinke was at 0.82 and en route to winning the Cy. In 1966, during baseball’s second dead-ball era, Juan Marichal was at 0.69 after nine starts en route to the Hall of Fame.

That’s some company Imanaga is keeping. Not only that, but his 0.84 — the lowest on record for a pitcher in the first nine starts of his career — nips Fernando Valenzuela’s 0.91 with the Dodgers in the Mexican’s unforgettable 1981 debut. All Valenzuela did from there was make his first of six consecutive All-Star teams and win rookie of the year and the Cy.

• Yu Darvish’s evaluation of Chicago resonating with Cubs’ Shota Imanaga

So there’s the bar for the newest Cubs sensation. Sounds perfectly reasonable, right?

But that’s not really fair, of course. Imanaga inevitably will begin to move closer to real-life numbers at some point. And speaking of real life, he has one. He has made success on the mound look so simple, it makes it easy to forget to ask a guy who moved halfway around the world and is living alone in a huge new city how life is going otherwise.

“Chicago’s such a great city, there’s no way I can get homesick,” he said via interpreter Edwin Stanberry.

A day after his latest gem at Wrigley Field, Imanaga walked into the clubhouse in red ankle boots and cuffed jeans, a black baseball cap on backward and a backpack slung over his shoulder. When he reached way up there to high-five 6-6 pitcher Ben Brown hello, the 5-10, 175-pound Imanaga, rising onto his toes, hardly looked the part of a dominant starter.

But that he has been, and the Cubs, who are struggling mightily to generate offense, have needed every bit of it.

The pitching might be coming along faster than the experience of living here, though.

“The [nice weather] lightens my mood,” he said. “It’s a lot better than the cold.”

Imanaga has ordered Japanese takeout a number of times but has not yet sat down for a proper meal in a restaurant. He keeps meaning to sample a Chicago hot dog but has yet to belly up to a counter and order one. He has gone all-in on a couple of pizzas and marveled at the portion sizes, the thought occurring to him that pizza could help him keep his weight up throughout the long grind of a season.

“I’ve definitely noticed the fact that I’m a lot shorter than a lot of players here, but [at least] if I do gain weight, they’re not going to notice much,” he cracked.

And as some dogged reporters have sniffed out, Imanaga runs on Dunkin’. He stops for an iced latte on the way to the ballpark partly to practice English but also because that little bit of a routine helps him feel like he actually lives here.

“And also,” he added with a smile, “I really like coffee.”

As he’ll discover sooner or later, nothing goes better with a cup than a nice hot dog. Although a sparkling ERA that’s already screaming for All-Star votes sure comes close.

The Cubs pitcher is off to a blisteringly good start with a minuscule earned-run average. Here’s a game-by-game look at his first few starts.

Three-dot dash

• Watching reliever Aroldis Chapman mow down three good hitters — Mike Tauchman (strikeout), Seiya Suzuki (strikeout) and Cody Bellinger (lazy fly to left) — in the eighth inning Sunday at Wrigley brought back memories of 2016. Trying to stay awake as the Cubs were outhit 36-18 while losing three of four to the under-.500 Pirates most definitely did not. … • Despite being on the business end of a three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium , Chicago’s other team was outhit by a more respectable count of 28-20. Or as the White Sox call it: exciting progress. …

• Yet another tip of the beer helmet to Northwestern’s women’s lacrosse team , which is back in the national semifinals. The defending champs will play Florida on Friday in Cary, North Carolina. … • The Sky blocked 13 shots Saturday against the Wings in their first victory of the season. They also had 19 offensive rebounds, more than they had in any game in 2023. And they did those things without injured rookie Kamilla Cardoso. It won’t be pleasant at all to have to face this team when the 6-7 Cardoso gets back out there — hopefully in June — and starts throwing her size around. … • After taking a 2-0 series lead on the Pacers, Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks just couldn’t hold on and were eliminated on their home floor in Game 7 on Sunday. For the ex-Bulls coach, it’s the 11th straight season coming up short of the conference finals, proving once again that he’s nothing without Keith Bogans and Ronnie Brewer.... … • No offense to the PGA Championship or the fine folks at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, but when scores reach 20-under, as they did in the final round Sunday, it has to be said: That’s not a major; it’s the Grand Prize Game on “Bozo’s Circus.”