TCJ Blog

This time, we will introduce some simple Japanese phrases that can be used when asking for directions, when shopping, and when eating out.

Matsuri (Japanese festivals) take place throughout Japan all year round. During festival seasons, towns are filled with the sounds of taiko drums and flutes as people gather in a joyful atmosphere. Matsuri have a long history and deep cultural meaning, and this article explores Japanese festival culture.

Explore the three different types of characters in Japanese: hiragana, katakana, and kanji. This article explains why these three writing systems exist, how they are used differently, and how they function together. How many kanji exist, and how many are commonly used in daily life by Japanese people? As a foreign learner, how many kanji should you know? Is it true that each kanji has two different types of readings? This article answers all your questions about the Japanese writing system.

In the process of learning Japanese, learners often encounter kanji that appear familiar but are read differently, or seem to carry an entirely different meaning. In Japanese, a single kanji—or a combination of kanji—can have multiple readings and meanings. A change in reading alone may shift the reference from a concrete object to an abstract evaluation, or from a general concept to a specific description of a state or condition. In this article, we focus on four commonly confusing words—銀杏, 上手, 人気, and 流石—which learners often struggle with despite encountering them frequently in daily life. We will examine their different readings and meanings, the contexts in which each is used, and how native Japanese speakers determine the appropriate reading.

There are some words that Japanese people often use but the nuance is subtle and it is hard to use. However, if you can use them well, your friends and Japanese people will be surprised. This time, we will show you seven phrases and explain them with example sentences.