Japanese Game

How to Order in Japanese: Kudasai vs Onegaishimasu vs Ni Shimasu

Use ください or お願いします to simply request an item, and switch to にします when you're announcing the choice you've just settled o...
Japanese Game

Japanese Greetings: Ohayou, Konnichiwa, Konbanwa — When to Use Each

Japanese greetings aren't one-size-fits-all like English "hi." They shift with the time of day — おはよう, こんにちは, こんばんは — an...
Japanese Game

How to Say Dates in Japanese: Months, Days, and the Irregular Readings

Months in Japanese are mostly just number + 月 (with two exceptions, 四月 and 九月), but calendar days from the 1st–10th (plu...
Japanese Game

Telling Time in Japanese: Ji, Fun, Han — and the に Rule Nobody Explains

Build the time with 時 for the hour and 分 for the minute, and watch for sound changes like じゅっぷん. Use 半 for "half past." ...
Japanese Game

What Does Sumimasen Mean? 4 Uses Beyond “Sorry”

すみません flexibly covers "excuse me," "sorry," "thanks for the trouble," and even a polite cushion before asking a favor. W...
Japanese Game

Desu/Masu vs Plain Form: When to Use Polite or Casual Japanese

Use です/ます with anyone outside your inner circle, like bosses, teachers, strangers, or new coworkers. Use plain form with...
Japanese Game

Ageru, Kureru, Morau: Japanese Giving and Receiving Verbs Explained

Use あげる when the gift leaves you (or anyone) toward someone else, くれる when it arrives at you or your in-group, and もらう w...
Japanese Game

Doushite vs Nande vs Naze: How to Say “Why” in Japanese

なんで is casual, どうして is the safe neutral default, and なぜ is for formal writing or objective reasoning. All three mean "wh...
Japanese Game

Japanese Question Words: Nani, Dare, Doko, Itsu, Dou (N5 Guide)

Japanese question words stay exactly where the answer noun would sit, keeping the same particle that noun would use. In ...
Japanese Game

Koko, Soko, Asoko: How to Say “Here” and “There” in Japanese

ここ is near the speaker, そこ is near the listener (or a place just mentioned), and あそこ is far from both of you. That one r...