Welcome To Learn Japanese

  • Writing Japanese on a Computer 1

    The use of word processing software to construct digital texts rather than hand-written ones can help your progress towards Japanese language proficiency. Of course, there is much to be said for writing Japanese by hand; having a good knowledge of the stroke order required to write kanji is not only necessary for writing in many tasks in daily life in Japan, but is also helpful for reading texts quickly and differentiating between similar characters. Indeed, many Japanese lament the deterioration of their ability to write some of the more obscure kanji that has resulted from increased use of computers and mobile phones for text creation. However, for non-native Japanese learners, choosing to

  • Tokyo Metro Station Names

    If you’ve ever been to Tokyo, you’ll no doubt be familiar with the map of the city’s rapid transit system, the Tokyo Metro (東京メトロ). At first, this colourful and highly intricate web of interconnecting lines can seem somewhat daunting, but it shouldn’t take too long to get used to. Most of the names of its many stations (駅,

  • New Year in Japan

    Happy New Years from Kyoto! I'm exploring the ancient city with my family who is here for the first time and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to teach you a bunch of words and concepts relating to New Years. Anyone studying Japanese will find these words extremely useful for understanding the culture of Japan. Prepping for the new Y

  • Getting what you want part 2 – The direct way

    Last time we looked at some ways to use the magic word (or words) to get what we want. But you can't always have what you want. Sometimes we don't need to request anything, we just want to tell someone what it is we want and don't expect them to do anything about it. When you tell your friend "I want a new car", you don't usually expect them to

  • Japanese Study Tips

    *A new contributor to Learn Japanese, Louis Constant, shares her two cents on effective study techniques* The Internet, and sites like this one, have made self-study of foreign languages to high levels of proficiency a very real and attainable goal. But the most important thing is to keep it fun, because as soon as it becomes boring, your progre

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Contributors to LearnJapanese.com

  • Jason Tomes

    Jason Tomes I am a writer, translator, and Japanese intercultural consultant. I hold Level 1 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and have lived and worked in Japan for over 14 years.

  • Zachary Lebowitz

    Zachary Lebowitz I am an American living in Tokyo and experiencing all different aspects of Japanese culture. While my main income these 3 years came from an English teaching position in Saitama (public elementary, middle and high schools), I have been simultaneously digging my way through the depths of the music and arts culture of west Tokyo.

  • Kris Hartrum

    Kris Hartrum I'm a 28 year old American who has been living and working in Tokyo, Japan for the past 3 years. I have a passion for Japanese culture and writing, as well as scraping the underbelly of the Shinjuku area of the big, bad city.

  • Tom Buckle

    Tom Buckle I am a UK citizen residing in Japan for three and a half years while workings as an editor of academic papers. I am an avid student of Japanese with experience in various approaches to language learning such as: internet lessons; conversation cafes, kanji flash cards; Japanese podcasts; memorizing word lists; and a plethora of textbooks targeting Japanese learners.

  • Kay Morisada Salera

    Kay Morisada Salera I am a native speaker of Japanese. I have a master's degree in Teaching English as a Second Language and have been teaching Japanese for over 6 years in US, Japan and online. With strong passion in photography, I have traveled to numerous famous places in and out of Japan.

  • Louis Constant