We talk about the counters that count living things (頭, 匹, 人, and 羽) and how they overlap with each other. We also answer the hard Japanese counter questions like: can you count a robot with 人? What about a cyborg? How big can a 匹 animal be? What counter is worthy of the King of the Monsters?After you're done listening to this, learn way, way m ...…

We talk about the counters 〜個 and 〜つ, the two counters that can count just about... anything! But, there are always going to be better counters out there for more specific things so we talk about those too. Consider this an overview on how to counter.

Find and watch the Big in Japan documentary here:http://www.biginjapandoc.comWe interviewed David Elliot-Jones, the writer/producer of the Big in Japan documentary. He tells us why he went to Japan with two of his friends (Lachlan Mcleod: Director, Louis Dai: Editor) to "do anything he could to become famous." Everybody thinks they can become f ...…

For more, check out our article on ganbaru: https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/ganbaru/"Do your best!" "Hang in there!" "FIGHT!" The Japanese verb 頑張る has a wide variety of English translations, and that's because it's such a nuanced word. Depending on how you say it and who you say it to, it could be an encouragement or a real downer.The Tofugu t ...…

You may already know that, in Japanese, you add a polite little something at the end of someone’s name: ~san, ~sama, ~chan, ~kun… actually, there are lot more honorific name enders than that. And there are a lot of rules for using them correctly, too.The Tofugu team discusses seven common names enders and how to use them, not to mention nine hi ...…

Have you ever wondered why 人々 is ひとびと and not ひとひと, or even ひとぴと? Or why it’s てがみ instead of てかみ, or くさばな and not くさはな?It’s all because of a little thing called rendaku, or “sequential voicing,” which we talk about in this episode. While most Japanese teachers will just say, “it’s a mystery,” we’ll teach you the rules that make things rendaku o ...…

Hi, it's me, Sensei Jeff. I'm here to teach all you white belts how to count in Japanese. Punch! Punch! Punch!(Actually, we teach you how to count from zero to uh... a mysterious number. And, we teach you how to count in the Japanese style, rather than the Chinese style that's more common. It's a pretty neat episode, despite sounding so basic. ...…

Get Brian's Book, Japanese Whisky: The Ultimate Guide to the World's Most Desirable Spirit → https://amzn.to/2NAEqPRMichael and Koichi interview Brian Ashcraft–author of several Japan-related books–about his latest book, Japanese Whisky: The Ultimate Guide to the World's Most Desirable Spirit. He tells us what makes Japanese whisky "Japanese" a ...…

Read more about Genki:http://www.tofugu.com/japanese/genki-meaning/Everyone learns "o genki desu ka" when they begin their Japanese language education. But the truth is real people don't say it that much. So, how do you ACTUALLY use genki? We cover genki's use cases, its history, etymology, and more.…

Read more about ちょっと in our article:http://www.tofugu.com/japanese/chotto/We talk about ちょっと. At first it seems like a simple, little word. But, it actually has many meanings and ways to use it. We cover most of them, I think.

In this episode we get into Japanese pronunciation.Whether you are a beginner, advanced, or fluent, you'll find something in this episode that will help you to improve your pronunciation. To read more, check out our (really in-depth) guide:https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/japanese-pronunciation/

Prefer reading instead? We wrote a whole article about this (even more example sentences included!)https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/komu-compound-verbsHave you ever seen the Japanese verb 込む? On its own, it means "to be packed" or "to be crowded." But, this verb is also used in compound verbs... 255+ of them, in fact! You may have seen examples ...…

The Tofugu Podcast is taking a break for a couple of weeks while we prepare Season 2 of our prolific podcast and interview a special guest that is near and dear to our hearts!

Traveling around Japan in a large group (10 or more) may seem impossible. But let me tell you, friends, it is very possible.In fact, the Tofugu team recently went on a trip to Japan organized and led by our very own Koichi. In this episode, he tells you how he planned an weeklong international trip for 15 people. He got everything together, led ...…

Valentine's Day 2: PAYBACK!That should be the name of "White Day," Japan's sequel to Valentine's Day, which is exactly one month later, on March 14.But what does one do on White Day, exactly? All the gifts has been given. All the love received. What's left?Boy howdy, to understand what's going on, Koichi, Kanae, and Michael discuss how Japan's ...…

Friend of the podcast, Alex O Smith returns! After two decades translating video games (including many Final Fantasies), Alex has accumulated quite a few stories from inside the Japanese video game industry. Some of his excellent tales include:- The incredibly insane task of voicing every line of dialogue in Final Fantasy X.- How he basically d ...…

It's tough making friends in a new place. Different people have different ways of going about it. Throw in a culture and language barrier and it can be downright frustrating. For these reasons and more, visitors and new residents to Japan often worry about making friends. That's why the Tofugu Team got together with returning co-host Kanae (she ...…

Read the series: https://tfg.li/2oM5rYr---After a year of collecting the best Japanese learning resources every month and delivering them straight to your eyeballs, Tofugu sits down to discuss which study tools are the best of the best.We divided all the resources into six categories. Then each host (Koichi, Michael, and Kristen) picked their f ...…

If you want to find your way into the Japanese video game industry, there's no better example we can point to than Ben Judd, a Capcom veteran responsible for giving Phoenix Wright his English voice.But we'll do you one better than just "pointing to him." We TALKED with him for over an hour about his experience breaking into Japanese work cultur ...…

Learn how to ace the JET Program interview with our complete guide: https://tfg.li/2dgr4vm---If you want to live and work in Japan, the JET Program is one of the best ways to do it. But it's a competitive program that requires you pass a high-stress, high stakes interview with three people grilling you for thirty minutes.That's why we talked wi ...…

"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he'll stop emailing you about free fish." - Koichi (probably)Learning Japanese on your own can be challenging. Especially when you need clarification about abstract concepts, how to pronounce kanji, and how native speakers use certain words. We're here to show you that you ...…

Running a record label that brings Japanese rock music to the US is not easy. But if anyone can do it, it’s Robby Takac, the bassist for the Goo Goo Dolls. He knows the ins-and-outs of the music industry pretty well; his band has double and triple platinum records and a globetrotting tour schedule.We talked to Robby about his record label, Good ...…

YouTuber Loretta "Kemushichan" has been making videos about Japan and the Japanese language for over 10 years now. And because of her expertise, we asked her to write an article for us (which you can read here: https://tfg.li/2C46DcV) and invited her on the Tofugu Podcast to drop some knowledge bombs.Knowledge bombs liiiiiiike...- The secrets s ...…

Resources for learning Japanese we talk about in this episode:- Using SRS to Learn Japanese: https://tfg.li/2ila3Q1- How to Study Japanese with Sentences: https://tfg.li/2iOtnc6- Language Shadowing: https://tfg.li/2AMWZgW==="You can learn Japanese from anime!"You’ve probably seen promises like these floating around the Internet. Maybe you’ve se ...…

There’s a clothing brand here in Portland that Koichi is a big fan of. It’s called Kiriko.What makes Kiriko special? The company makes clothing out of reclaimed Japanese fabric, some of it over 100 years old. But more important, they promote taking time to appreciate simplicity and quality. That’s why they sell more than just clothing; ceramics ...…

When visiting or living in Japan, you may be worried about making mistakes: speaking informally to a superior, using chopsticks awkwardly, or bowing at the wrong degree. Things like this cause a lot of anxiety for foreigners in Japan. But we’re here to tell you about foreigner forgiveness.Basically, don’t worry so much. But on the other hand, d ...…

We’ve been doing this Tofugu Podcast thing for 50 episodes now (hooray!) so we decided to celebrate by answering listener questions. We asked you for your most burning questions and you sent us a ton! We picked the 50 best and sat down to answer them all in one fantastic podcast episode.I’m sure after this, all your questions about Japan, Japan ...…

Read more about Japanese festivals here: https://tfg.li/2hb8FijThere’s nothing better than a Japanese festival. Drums, mikoshi, dancing, food. It’s a magical experience.But Japanese festivals don’t just "happen." They take a lot of hard work and equipment. And some of the best festival equipment comes from a 150 year old shop in Tokyo called Mi ...…

Read more: https://tfg.li/2A1ph47Yokai is Japan’s category for monsters, ghosts, demons, and pretty much any spooky or fantastic creature you can think of. And there are hundreds upon hundreds of fun yokai to learn about.With Halloween on the way, Michael and Kristen discuss their eight favorite Japanese ghouls; some terrifying, some creepy, an ...…

Since March, we’ve been publishing articles in a series called "What I Use to Study Japanese" (you can read them all here: https://tfg.li/2h3u8Kr). In each article, a Japanese language learner tells us what they use to study and the methods they followed to get the language ability they have today.Over the past seven articles, we’ve seen patter ...…

Read the article: https://tfg.li/2yrOp3KWhen living in or visiting Japan, there’s one simple thing you can do to make good relationships with Japanese people: omiyage.This art of gift-giving is steeped in tradition and has lots of rules to follow. Get it right and you’ll get off on the right foot with your host family and smooth over relations ...…

Read the article: https://tfg.li/2fRsA52Memorizing Japanese vocabulary takes a lot of time and energy, and there's so much to memorize! This alone makes people give up before they even get started.But what if there was a way to alleviate this burden by making memories of Japanese words stick in your head almost instantly? You might not have to ...…

Get more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRtyWhy are Japanese classes disappearing from your school? Demand for Japanese classes at universities isn't decreasing. In fact, more people want to learn Japanese than ever before! Then why are Japanese teachers losing their jobs?Recently, Koichi met with a group of professional Japanese teachers to dis ...…

Read the article: https://tfg.li/2wMOjkRThis is maybe the most frustrating aspect of studying kanji. You start learning 山 as やま. Cool, one kanji memorized. Wait... it can also be read as さん. Wait. All your other kanji have 2 or 4 extra readings too! Some are on'yomi. Some are kun'yomi.Why does this have to be so complicated?!It may seem confusi ...…

Get your ideal day itinerary here: https://tfg.li/2fbRsb4Oh no! The Tofugu Team has been kidnapped by Elon Musk and flown in his spaceship to Japan. He doesn't know how to have fun as a human, so he's forcing Koichi, Kanae, and Michael to show him what they would do with one day in Tokyo.If you're in Tokyo for a short visit, you can get some sw ...…

In Japan last year, we rented a homeless person. Now, before you get angry at us for doing something terrible, listen to the podcast. It's not as ominous as it sounds.We wrote about this experience, too. If you want to read Homeless Kotani's story, you can do it here:http://www.tofugu.com/interviews/homeless-rental-kotani/Be sure to subscribe t ...…

Get more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRtyIf you've ever had beer in Japan, you probably know that there are only four of them: Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo, and Yebisu. But, there is a beer movement going on. Japanese craft beers are making a comeback in a big way. We talked to Beer Tengoku, a duo of professional Japanese craft beer drinkers (hey gu ...…

Get more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRtyA lot of world famous martial arts started in Japan: Karate, Judo, Kendo, Jujutsu, and especially Aikido. But if you really want to study one of these fighting arts properly, like for real, you have to move to Japan and practice it there.Right? Maybe not.This week, we talked to Guillame Erard who has b ...…

Get more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRtyIt’s totally possible for you, a foreigner, to move to Japan and become a TV star. That’s exactly what happened to our guest this week, Matt Chozick, who has appeared weekly on one of Japan’s biggest variety shows for the past five years.But he gets to be where he is because of all the Japanese practic ...…

Get more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRtyIf you want to translate video games and anime, you’ll probably have to work freelance. That means no 9–5, no benefits. You’ll be working weekends and rushing work to your clients.That’s been the experience of our guest this week, Nora Stevens Heath, and she's loving every minute of it. Nora has transl ...…

Get more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRtyIf you're having a hard time planning your trip to Japan, then don't! You can avoid all that stress of fitting everything into your schedule and trying to see the best spots by simply avoiding the planning. Taking the road less traveled can yield a more authentic experience and is a sure cure for the i ...…

In January 2017, Tofugu started collecting the best, newest Japanese learning resources each month and reviewing them in a series (which you can read here: https://tfg.li/jlr2017).It's been six months since we started, and we've collected 32 new resources. Now it's time to reveal the best of the best! In this episode, Kristen tells you her 5 ab ...…

Get more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRtyThe JET Program recruits hundreds of new English teachers every year to live and work in Japan. You could be one of them.But before you apply, there are some things to consider. What is the salary like? What are the benefits? Do you get any support? And most importantly, what is living in Japan REALLY ...…

To learn more about Japanese black companies, check out our article on Tofugu: https://tfg.li/2v0V0jv---Do you want to work in Japan? Sure, we all do. But before you take that sweet new job with the Tokyo semiconductor conglomerate, maybe you should do some research to find out if it's a...BLACK COMPANY! (dun dun dun)"Black company" is the name ...…

Get more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRtyThis week, Michael and Koichi discuss career opportunities in Japanese Studies with Shinpai Deshou blog founder, Paula Curtis. Paula is well acquainted with the academic and professional aspects of Japanese Studies and dedicates her time in assisting others to further their careers along with contribut ...…

Get more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRtyWhat if you were forced to live using ONLY Japanese vending products for one whole year?Impossible, right? Maybe not.Koichi, Kanae, and Michael answer this question as they live through the scenario, step-by-step. Follow their journey from naked in Narita airport to living like royalty on the bounty of ...…

Get more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRtyFor the first time ever, members of the Tofugu staff sit around and answer your Japanese language, living, and visiting questions. We answer questions like: - Are the Yakuza dangerous? - How old do you have to be to be an ALT through JET? - Should you go to a nomikai even if you don't drink alcohol? - ...…

Get more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRtyHotels are easy, comfortable, and consistent. But did you know that there are other--sometimes odd--places that you can spend the night? Michael and Koichi talk about their experiences staying in love hotels, capsule hotels, manga cafes, business hotels, ryokans, hostels, and more. Be sure to stay in o ...…

Get more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRtyThere's a good chance that you're using a Japanese resource that's merely tricking you into thinking you're being efficient. These companies make more money, and you get a false sense of "feeling good" and "feeling like you're making progress." In actuality, you aren't learning nearly as effectively as ...…

Get more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRtyVisiting Japan and don't know what to eat? Sushi and ramen are great, but you don't want to spend your vacation eating the same things every day. That's why Michael and Kanae discuss their favorite Japanese foods (and where to find them), so you can step off the plane ready to eat.Whether you're a pick ...…