let's learn about Japanese Language and Culture
Merry Christmas! Christmas in Japan is considered more of a romantic holiday than a family one! Japanese people use the word クリぼっち(kuribocchi) meaning “alone for Christmas”, if you don’t have a Christmas date. You can read more on Japanese Christmas traditions here. Whoever you decide …
One of the most important Japanese holidays of the year is New Years. In Japan, it’s not as common to spend the last night of the year partying or going out with friends. Families spend time together being cozy around a kotatsu (heated table). There …
If you don’t know any Japanese, here are Tanuki’s 12 survival phrases for travelling Japan. This list covers everything from how to greet, express thanks, get directions, get help, and more. Japan is a country where there are few English speakers. You’ll definitely want to …
Whether you’re a tourist or someone who’s just moved to Japan, one of the first things you’ll want to do is order food at a restaurant in Japanese! Japan has so much delicious food to offer that you won’t want to miss out. Although many …
Many Japanese language beginners first learn the word さようなら (sayouonara) as the word for “goodbye”. However, in reality, Japanese people don’t really use this word as often as you might expect. There are numerous other ways to say “goodbye” in Japanese and it will open …
In Japanese culture, it’s a sign of politeness to be humble! This is why Japanese people tend to apologize frequently in daily life, even if they haven’t done anything “wrong”. There are a wide variety of ways and words on how to say sorry in …
What is Aizuchi? Aizuchi (相槌) is a unique technique in Japanese conversations! They are interjections that are used to show that you’re listening to the other person. In English, we might say “I see” or “really?” to respond to what someone is saying. In Japanese, …
Filler words in Japanese are words that can be placed in the pauses of conversations. If you’re just starting to learn Japanese, you might notice that you mix in the English “um” or “uh” in your Japanese speaking. Try replacing those English filler words with …
お辞儀 (Ojigi) or bowing your head in Japan is an important part of the social culture that is used to communicate different levels of respect. You can convey deep gratitude, apologies, or a simple hello from the way you bow. It’s important to master this …
Nice to meet you, my name is Tanuki (for those confused about what is a Tanuki click here)! For this first blog post on Japanese language learning, we’ll be going over how to introduce yourself in Japanese. Even if you don’t have much Japanese knowledge, …