Why Korean and Japanese Share Grammar
Are Korean and Japanese related languages? While they feel incredibly similar to learners, the answer from linguists is "no." This uncanny resemblance isn't due to a shared family tree, but…
Japanese
The Top 5 Mistakes All Japanese Learners Make
Learning Japanese is a thrilling journey, but it's riddled with common pitfalls. From mixing up crucial particles like は and が to using the wrong politeness level in conversations, these…
The Honorifics Maze: -san, -chan, -kun, and -sama
Calling your boss 'Tanaka-chan' could get you fired. In Japan, the small suffix you add to a name isn't just a linguistic tic—it's a critical social signal that can make…
The Surprising Story Behind Katakana
To the budding Japanese learner, the existence of three separate writing systems can feel like a cruel joke. While Hiragana and Kanji have clear roles, the sharp, angular script of…
How to Use ‘Desu’ and ‘Masu’ (And When to Drop Them)
The polite endings '-desu' and '-masu' are keystones of beginner Japanese, but true fluency comes from knowing when to drop them. This guide explains the difference between polite speech (teineigo)…
Japanese vs. Chinese: Are They Even Related?
At a glance, Japanese and Chinese look incredibly similar due to their shared characters, leading many to believe they are from the same language family. But is this a sign…
Counting in Japanese Is Weird: A Guide to Counters
You’ve diligently memorized 'ichi, ni, san', but ordering 'two beers' in Tokyo isn't as simple as 'biiru ni'. Welcome to the wild, weird, and wonderful world of Japanese counters, a…
Is Japanese Hard? The 3 ‘Scary’ Parts Debunked
Is Japanese truly the impossible mountain it's made out to be? We tackle the three biggest fears for aspiring learners—Kanji, grammar, and politeness levels—and show you why each 'scary' part…
Japan’s 3 ‘Alphabets’: Why You Need All Three
Ever looked at a Japanese sentence and felt overwhelmed by the mix of characters? You're not alone. This guide demystifies Japan's three essential writing systems—Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji—showing you not…
You’re Already Speaking Japanese! 15 Loanwords
** Did you know that when you talk about a business 'tycoon' or ask for 'just a skosh' more, you're actually speaking Japanese? The English language is filled with surprising…
The Sailor Who Mistook a Word for an Island
Explore the strange case of "I-da-no", a phantom island that appeared on Japanese maps for decades. This wasn't a sailor's mirage but a fascinating linguistic error, born from a simple…
Japan’s ‘Hentaigana’: The Lost Characters
Before Japanese script was standardized in 1900, writers used a vast and beautiful array of variant cursive characters known as 'hentaigana'. Born from the simplification of multiple Chinese characters for…
The Japanese Crossword Puzzle
How do you build a crossword in a language with three writing systems and no spaces? This piece explores the fascinating structure of Japanese crosswords, which must cleverly integrate hiragana,…
Korean vs. Japanese: Which is Easier?
Korean and Japanese share similar grammar, but their writing systems and pronunciation offer very different challenges. Korean's alphabet is famously easy to learn, giving beginners a fast start, while Japanese…
Crash, Sparkle, Grumble: Japan’s Sound Words
Go beyond textbook grammar and discover the soul of the Japanese language: onomatopoeia. This guide breaks down the essential "sound" (giongo) and "feeling" (gitaigo) words that describe everything from the…
Why We Call It Japan, Not Nippon
Why do we call the "Land of the Rising Sun" Japan instead of its native Nippon? This linguistic puzzle opens up a fascinating world of endonyms (what locals call their…
Counting People in Japanese: The ‘Nin’ Counter
Learning to count in Japanese means mastering counters, and the one for people holds a fascinating secret. While most numbers use the 'nin' counter, the words for one person ('hitori')…
The Pitch-Accent Puzzle of Japanese
In Japanese, a single word like `hashi` can mean 'bridge' or 'chopsticks' based on a subtle change in melody. This isn't about stress or tones like in Mandarin; it's the…
The Grammar of Haiku: More Than Just 5-7-5
Many writers know the 5-7-5 syllable count of haiku, but this is merely the surface. The true grammar of the form lies in two crucial linguistic elements: *kigo* (season words)…
The Dutch Door: Japan’s Hidden Language Bridge
For over two centuries, Japan was sealed from the world. Yet, on the tiny island of Dejima, a single language—Dutch—became a secret bridge, funneling Western science and ideas into the…