Learn Japanese FAQ

Along with Valentine’s Day, the other big event in February is Setsubun where you throw beans at demons to keep them out!  Oh yes, I kid you not!

Enjoy the calendar.  If you’d like more, please like or share it at Facebook!

Q: Which is more used in common Japanese out of these two?  Hiragana or Katakana? – Schnoo

A: Hi Schnoo.

I think I get asked this question more than any other.  (Well except for “What does my name mean in Japanese?“!)

Hiragana might have the slight edge (e.g. if you counted on a random page there would probably be hiragana characters than katakana)  But really you use them both all the time every day – so they are just as common as each other!

Does that help?

明けましておめでとうございます – Happy New Year!

If you want to see girls dressed in beautiful kimono then January is the time to visit Japan.

On New Year’s day the department stores and shopping centers will be packed with girls dressed in kimono spending the money they received for New Year.  And then you have Coming of Age day where 20 year olds dress in their kimono again.

Enjoy the calendar!

And if you like these, have a look at my learn Japanese “Kimono” Download Pack for many more!

I bet this isn’t the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Japanese tofu.  But just feast your eyes on the all the glorious desserts!

Q:  Hi!   I, like so many other, are grateful to have genkijapan.net to turn to for my japanese practice.  I really enjoy your live videos too.  I love seeing “everyday” Japan, not just the tourist shots you can see elsewhere online.  I’m looking for a song that teaches the japanese 1-10 counting (hitotsu, futatsu…).  do you have one?  I get soooooo  confused between yōtsu and yattsu, and motsu and mittsu.  I thought a song would help me to remember. – Pez

A: Ah, good idea! I don’t actually have one at the moment, all I have is one for people counters: http://www.genkienglish.net/genkijapan/japanesecountersforpeople.htm

I’ll see what I can do!

If it’s any consolation then the general counters don’t tend to be used much above 4つ as you’d usually use the more specific one that that specific item e.g. 6個 or 8枚  So there’s not much need to worry about them.

Hope that helps a little!

Be genki,

Richard

Here is Shoko’s Japan Photo of the Month, this time showing the Fukuoka Tower all lit up for Christmas!

If you’d like to see more, please like it on Facebook!

Just check out this video, a ラムネ温泉 – ramune onsen – a lemonade hot spring!

What else could you want from Japan?

Be genki,

Richard

Q: Hey richard! your website it awesome. My question is, how do you say ‘I dislike/hate’ something? e.g. I dislike spiders.  -Ali

A:  Thanks Ali!

To hate in Japanese is 嫌い – kirai.  So to say you hate spiders you’d say　クモが嫌い – kumo ga kirai！

You also hear obnoxious kids saying it all the time around town.

And over dramatic girls on TV are always saying “大嫌い” – dai kirai – I hate you with all the passion of a bug  being crushed by a herd of elephants.

But just as in English “嫌い” is quite a strong word, so you also say “dislike” in Japanese with  好きではありません – suki de wa arimasen or a little less formal is 好きじゃない – suki jya nai

Then again in Japan everyone is * really * polite so if someone asks you “これが好き？” – kore ga suki – do you like this? – you can also say ちょっと – chotto – in a hesitant voice which means “well, I don’t really like it …..  sort of …. ”  which is a polite way of saying  you don’t!

Politeness is always the best way to go!

Here’s your December calendar.   Kids don’t get presents over here, but there is Christmas, complete with Christmas dinner – from KFC!  I kid you not, and you have to book way in advance if you want your special Christmas Eve chicken!

Enjoy the calendar!

P.S.  If you want more of my Japan posters, today is the last day before my Learn Japanese “Ninja” Download Pack goes up in price again.  If you haven’t already, get yours today!

A big “reason” I hear for not learning Japanese is “I’ve got no time.”  Even in Japan you hear the same thing,  ”時間がない！ – jikan ga nai!” , all the time!

It’s not so much that we don’t actually have time, after all we all only have 24 hours each day, it’s just that most of us have never been taught how to manage our time.

So I made this quick video with my 2 top tips – one learnt from the Thai Prime Minister – on how to get more time than you ever imagined.  And just think what that could do for your Japanese!

What do you think?

P.S.  It’s time to put the price up on my learn Japanese download pack again.  I thought you’d appreciate the heads up, so if you want a fun crash course in Japanese, check it out before Sunday as that’s when the price goes up!