TCJ Blog

Counting animals in Japanese has some special rules. We’ll introduce some of the most common counters used for animals—“hiki”, “tou”, “wa”, and “bi”—in an easy-to-understand way. Imagine the illustrations as you learn, and have fun exploring these counters. After reading, you’ll probably want to try counting the animals around you yourself!

If you’ve ever studied Japanese even a little, you’ve probably come across the words “お父さん otōsan” and “お母さん okāsan”, which are used to address parents. However, you might have wondered: “I just learned ‘父 chichi’ and ‘母 haha’ in my class, but in the movie I watched last week, they said ‘親父 oyaji’ and ‘おふくろ ofukuro’. Which one is correct?” Today, we’ll dive into the fascinating world of how people in Japan address their parents in various ways.

There are people who find loanwords “difficult” and others who find them “easy to understand.” Why is that? By understanding the characteristics of loanwords, I encourage you to learn them and give them a try.

If you’re a learner of Japanese, I assume you’ve heard of the word “yabai.” We’ll explore how it’s actually used by young people today.

When communicating through text messages, 顔文字(kaomoji): Emoticons are frequently used in Japanese. They are a useful tool for expressing feelings and nuances that words alone cannot convey. Today, we’ll explore different types of kaomoji that are actually used by Japanese people, appropriate situations to use them, and practical tips for using them naturally—along with some examples. Enrich your Japanese communication skills by mastering kaomoji!