Japanese word for not

When learning a language, negation is an essential part of grammar that should be mastered as early on as possible. This skill allows us to answer “no” to questions and form negative sentences, which in turn improves our communication with others. 

Japanese negation is not very complicated, but there are some points to note. 

As is often said, a language reflects the culture surrounding it. In Japanese culture, where people are expected to be polite and respect others, saying “no” directly is often considered to be rough and rude as it may offend others’ feelings. In order to avoid conflict and maintain 和 (wa), or “harmony,” Japanese people have particular ways of saying “no.”

In this article, we’ll introduce the Japanese negative forms and show you how to answer “no.” You’ll learn frequently used phrases that make polite impressions, in addition to other Japanese negating words and double negative expressions.

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Negation is an essential topic to master when learning a new language.

Table of Contents

1. Negate a Statement
2. Giving a Negative Response to a Question
3. Other Japanese Negating Words and Phrases
4. Double Negatives
5. Conclusion

1. Negate a Statement

In order to make a sentence or phrase negative, you must negate the verb. There are two types of expressions used for Japanese verb negation: Informal (Plain / Casual) and Formal (Polite). In the following sections, we’ll show you how to conjugate verbs to the negative form for both informal and formal expressions, as well as in both present tense and past tense.

Before learning verb conjugations in the negative form, however, you first need to know the classification of Japanese verbs. All Japanese verbs are categorized into three classes: 

• Ru-verbs
• U-verbs
• Irregular verbs 

Note that there are only two irregular verbs in the positive form (する [suru] – “do” // くる [kuru] – “come”) and three for the negative form (the previous two, with the addition of ある [aru] – “be” for the existence of non-living things). 

While Ru-verbs end in る (ru), U-verbs can end in various Hiragana with u-vowel sounds. These include る (ru), う (u), く (ku), す (su), つ (tsu), む (mu), る (ru), ぶ (bu), etc. 

Please check the Japanese Alphabet page on our website as well as our Japanese Verb Conjugation article for more details.

1. Informal Negative Form (Present Tense)

For the informal/plain negative form in the present tense, verbs in different classes conjugate in the following ways. 

• Ru-verbs

Add ない (nai) instead of る (ru) after the verb stem. Let’s look at the Japanese verb for “to eat” as an example:

食べる (taberu) → 食べない  (tabenai)

Here, 食べ/ たべ (tabe) is the verb stem. 

English	Verb(Informal/Plain)	Hiragana	Reading	Negative Form(Informal/Plain)	Reading
see / look / watch	見る	みる	miru	見ない	mi-nai
eat	食べる	たべる	taberu	食べない	tabe-nai
sleep	寝る	ねる	neru	寝ない	ne-nai
change	変える	かえる	kaeru	変えない	kae-nai
think	考える	かんがえる	kangaeru	考えない	kangae-nai

Examples:

私は朝ごはんを食べない。

Watashi wa asagohan o tabenai.

“I don’t eat breakfast.”

かな子は夜テレビを見ない。

Kanako wa yoru terebi o minai.

“Kanako does not watch TV at night.”

彼はよく考えない。

Kare wa yoku kangaenai.

“He does not think well.”

• U-verbs

To conjugate U-verbs in the informal negative form, conjugate the Hiragana after the verb stem into あ段 (a-dan), which is the line in the Hiragana chart with vowel sound “a,” and add ない (nai).

Let’s look at an example using the Japanese verb for “talk” or “speak.”

話す (hanasu) → 話さない (hanasa nai)

As you can see, はな (hana) is the verb stem, and we changed the す(su) into さ (sa). 

English	Verb(Informal/Plain)	Hiragana	Reading	Negative Form(Informal/Plain)	Reading
talk / speak	話す	はなす	hanasu	話さない	hana-sa–nai
go	行く	いく	iku	行かない	i-ka–nai
wait	待つ	まつ	matsu	待たない	ma-ta–nai
buy	買う	かう	kau	買わない	ka-wa–nai
listen / hear	聞く	きく	kiku	聞かない	ki-ka–nai

*For U-verbs that end in う (u), replace う (u) with わ (wa).

Examples:

夏休みの間、子供たちは学校へ行かない。

Natsuyasumi no aida, kodomo-tachi wa gakkō e ikanai.

“Children don’t go to school during the summer vacation.”

彼は親の言うことを聞かない。

Kare wa oya no iu koto o kikanai.

“He does not listen to what his parents say.”

彼女は安い服を買わない。

Kanojo wa yasui fuku o kawanai.

“She does not buy cheap clothes.”

• Irregular Verbs

There are only three exceptions to the conjugation rules above, as shown in this table: 

English	Verb(Informal/Plain)	Hiragana	Reading	Negative Form(Informal/Plain)	Reading
do	する	する	suru	しない	shi-nai
come	来る	くる	kuru	来ない	ko-nai
be(existence of non-living thing)	ある	ある	aru	ない	nai

Examples:

私は休日に何もしない。

Watashi wa kyūjitsu ni nani mo shinai.

“I don’t do anything on a day off.”

バスが時間通りに来ない。

Basu ga jikandōri ni konai.

“The bus does not come on time.”

銀行口座にお金がない。

Ginkō kōza ni o-kane ga nai.

“There is no money in the bank account.”

2. Formal Negative Form (Present Tense)

• Ru-verbs

For Ru-verbs, change ない (nai) to ません (masen).

So, for the verb “to eat,” this would look like:

食べない (tabe-nai)  → 食べません (tabe-masen)

Negative Form    (Formal / Polite)	Reading
見ません	mi-masen
食べません	tabe-masen
寝ません	ne-masen
変えません	kae-masen
考えません	kangae-masen

Examples:

私は朝ごはんを食べません。

Watashi wa asagohan o tabemasen.

“I don’t eat breakfast.”

かな子は夜テレビを見ません。

Kanako wa yoru terebi o mimasen.

“Kanako does not watch TV at night.”

彼はよく考えません。

Kare wa yoku kangaemasen.

“He does not think well.”

• U-verbs

Conjugate the Hiragana after the verb stem into い段 (i-dan), which is the line in the Hiragana chart with vowel sound “i,” and add ません (masen):

話さない (hanasa nai) →  話しません (hana shi masen)

As you can see, we changed さ (sa) into し (shi). 

Negative Form    (Formal / Polite)	Reading
話しません	hana-shi–masen
行きません	i-ki–masen
待ちません	ma-chi–masen
買いません	ka-i–masen
聞きません	ki-ki–masen

Examples:

夏休みの間、子供たちは学校へ行きません。

Natsuyasumi no aida, kodomo-tachi wa gakkō e ikimasen.

“Children don’t go to school during the summer vacation.”

彼は親の言うことを聞きません。

Kare wa oya no iu koto o kikimasen.

“He does not listen to what his parents say.”

彼女は安い服を買いません。

Kanojo wa yasui fuku o kaimasen.

“She does not buy cheap clothes.”

• Irregular Verbs

In the formal negative form, irregular verbs change as follows:

Negative Form    (Formal / Polite)	Reading
しません	shi-masen
来ません	ki-masen
ありません	ari-masen

Examples:

私は休日に何もしません。

Watashi wa kyūjitsu ni nani mo shimasen.

“I don’t do anything on a day off.”

バスが時間通りに来ません。

Basu ga jikandōri ni kimasen.

“The bus does not come on time.”

銀行口座にお金がありません。

Ginkō kōza ni o-kane ga arimasen.

“There is no money in the bank account.”

3. Informal Negative Form (Past Tense)

In the past tense of the informal/plain negative form, change the ない (nai) of the present tense informal/plain form to なかった (nakatta). This is done for all Ru-verbs, U-verbs, and irregular verbs.

• Ru-Verbs

Negative Form    (Informal / Past)	Reading
見なかった	mi-nakatta
食べなかった	tabe-nakatta
寝なかった	ne-nakatta
変えなかった	kae-nakatta
考えなかった	kangae-nakatta

Examples:

私は朝ごはんを食べなかった。

Watashi wa asagohan o tabenakatta.

“I didn’t eat breakfast.”

かな子は夜テレビを見なかった。

Kanako wa yoru terebi o minakatta.

“Kanako did not watch TV at night.”

彼はよく考えなかった。

Kare wa yoku kangaenakatta.

“He did not think well.”

• U-Verbs

Negative Form              (Informal / Past)	Reading
話さなかった	hana-sa-nakatta
行かなかった	i-ka-nakatta
待たなかった	ma-ta-nakatta
買わなかった	ka-wa-nakatta
聞かなかった	ki-ka-nakatta

Examples:

夏休みの間、子供たちは学校へ行かなかった。

Natsuyasumi no aida, kodomo-tachi wa gakkō e ikanakatta.

“Children didn’t go to school during the summer vacation.”

彼は親の言うことを聞かなかった。

Kare wa oya no iu koto o kikanakatta.

“He did not listen to what his parents said.”

彼女は安い服を買わなかった。

Kanojo wa yasui fuku o kawanakatta.

“She did not buy cheap clothes.”

• Irregular Verbs

Negative Form    (Informal / Past)	Reading
しなかった	shi-nakatta
来なかった	ko-nakatta
なかった	nakatta

Examples:

私は休日に何もしなかった。

Watashi wa kyūjitsu ni nani mo shinakatta.

“I didn’t do anything on a day off.”

バスが時間通りに来なかった。

Basu ga jikandōri ni konakatta.

“The bus did not come on time.”

銀行口座にお金がなかった。

Ginkō kōza ni o-kane ga nakatta.

“There was no money in the bank account.”

4. Formal Negative Form (Past Tense)

In the past tense of the formal/polite negative form, add the expression でした (deshita) after the present tense formal/polite form for all Ru-verbs, U-verbs, and irregular verbs.

• Ru-Verbs

Negative Form    (Formal / Past)	Reading
見ませんでした	mi-masen deshita
食べませんでした	tabe-masen deshita
寝ませんでした	ne-masen deshita
変えませんでした	kae-masen deshita
考えませんでした	kangae-masen deshita

Examples:

私は朝ごはんを食べませんでした。

Watashi wa asagohan o tabemasen deshita.

“I didn’t eat breakfast.”

かな子は夜テレビを見ませんでした。

Kanako wa yoru terebi o mimasen deshita.

“Kanako did not watch TV at night.”

彼はよく考えませんでした。

Kare wa yoku kangaemasen deshita.

“He did not think well.”

• U-Verbs

Negative Form    (Formal / Past)	Reading
話しませんでした	hana-shi-masen deshita
行きませんでした	i-ki-masen deshita
待ちませんでした	ma-chi-masen deshita
買いませんでした	ka-i-masen deshita
聞きませんでした	ki-ki-masen deshita

Examples:

夏休みの間、子供たちは学校へ行きませんでした。

Natsuyasumi no aida, kodomo-tachi wa gakkō e ikimasen deshita.

“Children didn’t go to school during the summer vacation.”

彼は親の言うことを聞きませんでした。

Kare wa oya no iu koto o kikimasen deshita.

“He did not listen to what his parents said.”

彼女は安い服を買いませんでした。

Kanojo wa yasui fuku o kaimasen deshita.

“She did not buy cheap clothes.”

• Irregular Verbs

Negative Form    (Formal / Past)	Reading
しませんでした	shi-masen deshita
来ませんでした	ki-masen deshita
ありませんでした	ari-masen deshita

Examples:

私は休日に何もしませんでした。

Watashi wa kyūjitsu ni nani mo shimasen deshita.

“I didn’t do anything on a day off.”

バスが時間通りに来ませんでした。

Basu ga jikandōri ni kimasen deshita.

“The bus did not come on time.”

銀行口座にお金がありませんでした。

Ginkō kōza ni o-kane ga arimasen deshita.

“There was no money in the bank account.”

彼は肉を食べません。でも、魚は食べます。

Kare wa niku o tabemasen. Demo, sakana wa tabemasu.

“He does not eat meat. However, he eats fish.”

2. Giving a Negative Response to a Question

There are a few different Japanese negative forms and set phrases used to answer questions in the negative. Remember that saying “no” directly is often considered impolite, so this is reflected in how Japanese speakers give negative responses as well.

1. How to Say “No” to a Question

When you’re asked a yes-or-no question and want to reply “no,” typical answers are as follows:

With verb:

    いいえ (iie) – “no” 、+  — Negative Form 

Without verb:

では (de wa) can be substituted with じゃ (ja), which is typically used in spoken conversations.

Examples:

[With verb]

Q: お肉を食べますか。(O-niku o tabemasu ka.) – “Do you eat meat?”

A: いいえ、食べません。(Iie, tabemasen.) – “No, I don’t eat it.”

Q: 普段運動をしますか。(Fudan undō o shimasu ka.) – “Do you usually do exercise?”

A: いいえ、日常的な運動はしません。(Iie, nichijōteki na undō wa Iie.) – “No, I don’t do daily exercise.”

[Without verb]

Q: この本はあなたのですか。(Kono hon wa anata no desu ka.) – “Is this book yours?”

A: いいえ、それは私の本ではありせん。(Iie, sore wa watashi no hon de wa arimasen.) – “No, it’s not my book.”

Q: 映画館の入り口はここですか。(Eigakan no iriguchi wa koko desu ka.) – “Is the entrance to the cinema here?”

A: いいえ、入り口はここではありません。(Iie, iriguchi wa koko de wa arimasen.) – “No, the entrance is not here.”

→ To learn more about Japanese questions and answers, please visit our article The 10 Most Useful Japanese Questions and Answers.

いいえ、お肉は食べません。

Iie, o-niku wa tabemasen.

“No, I don’t eat meat.”

2. Polite Expressions for Saying No in Japanese

Japanese people are expected to be polite and respectful to others, and they tend to avoid saying “no” directly because it sounds rough and rude. In order to say “no” without sounding rude, we often use クッション言葉 (kusshon kotoba), literally “cushion words,” or words to soften awkward topics, when rejecting an unwanted offer or invitation.

Following is a list of frequently used kusshon kotoba for saying “no” politely.

3. 残念ですが ___。(Zannen desu ga ___.)  – “I’m afraid but ___.”

Example:

A:

ビールをどうぞ。

Bīru o dōzo.

“Please have a beer.”

B:

残念ですが、私はお酒を飲めません。

Zannen desu ga, watashi wa o-sake o nomemasen.

“I’m afraid but I cannot drink alcohol.”

4. せっかくですが ___。 (Sekkaku desu ga ___.) – “Unfortunately ___.”

Example:

A:

無料券があるので、明日一緒に映画を見に行きませんか。

Muryōken ga aru node, ashita issho ni eiga o mi ni ikimasen ka.

“I have a free ticket, would you like to go see a movie together tomorrow?”

B:

せっかくですが、明日は予定があるのでご一緒できません。

Sekkaku desu ga, ashita wa yotei ga aru node go-issho dekimasen.

“Unfortunately I have a plan tomorrow and we can’t go together.”

5. 申し訳ないのですが ___。(Mōshiwake nai no desu ga ___.) – “I’m so sorry but ___.”

Example:

A:

来週末にホームパーティをやるので来ませんか。

Raishūmatsu ni hōmu pātī o yaru node kimasen ka.

“I will have a home party next weekend and would you like to come?”

B:

申し訳ないのですが、来週末は兄の結婚式があるので行けません。

Mōshiwake nai no desu ga, raishūmatsu wa ani no kekkonshiki ga aru node ikemasen.

“I’m so sorry, but I can’t go because there’s my brother’s wedding on that weekend.”

6. お気持ちは嬉しいのですが ___。(O-kimochi wa ureshii no desu ga ___.) – “I’m glad for your thoughtfulness but ___.”

Example:

A:

クッキーをたくさん焼いたので食べませんか。

Kukkī o takusan yaita node tabemasen ka.

“I baked a lot of cookies, would you like to have some?”

B:

お気持ちは嬉しいのですが、小麦アレルギーなので食べられません。

O-kimochi wa ureshii no desu ga, komugi arerugī na node taberaremasen.

“I’m glad for your kindness, but I’m allergic to wheat and I can’t eat them.”

Saying “no” directly sounds a bit too strong, or even rude, in Japanese.

3. Other Japanese Negating Words and Phrases

The basic Japanese negation forms are ない (nai) [Informal / Plain] and ません (masen) [Formal / Polite]. However, there are other negation expressions, such as those for partial negation, emphatic negation, and the imperative form.

Negation in Japanese can take the following forms:

Partial Negation   決して (kesshite)   ほとんど (hotondo)   これ以上 (kore ijō)	[Verb] (ない [nai] / ません [masen])
[Noun] + ではない (de wa nai)
[な na-adjective] + ではない (de wa nai)
[い i-adjective] + いくない (kunai)

1. 決して ___ない (kesshite ___nai) – “never ___”

Examples:

同じ日は決して来ない。 

Onaji hi wa kesshite konai.

“The same day will never come.”

彼は決して嘘をつきません。 

Kare wa kesshite uso o tsukimasen.

“He never lies.”

その部屋へ防護服なしに決して入ってはいけません。

Sono heya e bōgofuku nashi ni kesshite haitte wa ikemasen.

“Never enter that room without protective suits.”

2. ほとんど ___ない (hotondo ___nai) – “barely/hardly ___”

Examples:

この公園にはほとんど人がいない。 

Kono kōen ni wa hotondo hito ga inai

“There are barely even a few people in this park.”

Mサイズはほとんど残っていません。 

Emu saizu wa hotondo nokotte imasen.

“There is hardly/almost no M size left.”

商店街のお店はほとんど開いていません。

Shōtengai no o-mise wa hotondo hiraite imasen.

“Most of the shops in the shopping district are not open.”

3. これ以上 ___ない (kore ijō ___nai) – “no more/no longer/anymore ___”

Examples:

その子は怖くて、これ以上目を開けていられない。

Sono ko wa kowakute, kore ijō me o akete irarenai.

“The kid is scared and can’t open his eyes anymore.”

これ以上の幸せはありません。 

Kore ijō no shiawase wa arimasen.

“There is no more happiness than this.”

今日はこれ以上勉強したくない。

Kyō wa kore ijō benkyō shitakunai.

“I don’t want to study anymore today.”

4. 誰もいない (dare mo inai) – “nobody”

Examples:

ここには誰もいない。 

Koko ni wa dare mo inai.

“There is nobody here.”

この映画を見たい人は誰もいません。 

Kono eiga o mitai hito wa dare mo imasen.

“There is no one who wants to watch this movie.”

その試験に合格した人は誰もいませんでした。

Sono shiken ni gōkaku shita hito wa dare mo imasen deshita.

“There is no one who passed the exam.”

5. どこにもない (doko ni mo nai) – “nowhere”

Examples:

完全に自由になれる場所はどこにもない。 

Kanzen ni jiyū ni nareru basho wa doko ni mo nai.

“There is nowhere you can be completely free.”

靴下の片方がどこにも見つからない。 

Kutsushita no katahō ga doko ni mo mitsukaranai.

“I can’t find one of my socks anywhere.”

金のなる木はどこにもありません。

Kane no naru ki wa doko ni mo arimasen.

“There is no tree that money grows on anywhere.”

6. どちらも ___ない (dochira mo ___nai) – “neither ___ nor ___”

Examples:

りんごもみかんも、どちらも食べたくない。 

Ringo mo mikan mo, dochira mo tabetakunai.

“I don’t want to eat either apples or oranges.”

桜もひまわりも、どちらも咲いていません。 
Sakura mo himawari mo, dochira mo saite imasen.
“Neither cherry blossoms nor sunflowers are in bloom.”

どちらも大したことはありません。

Dochira mo taishita koto wa arimasen.

“Neither of them is a big deal.”

7. [Imperative Form] (“Do not ___.”)

 [casual/strong] ___(する)な              ___(suru) na 

 [polite/mild] 　 ___ないでください   ___naide kudasai 

Examples:

壁に落書きするな。 

Kabe ni rakugaki suru na.

“Don’t scribble / do graffiti on the wall.”

ここで子供を遊ばせないでください。 

Koko de kodomo o asobasenaide kudasai.

“Please don’t let children play here.”

この危険区域に立ち入らないでください。

Kono kiken kuiki ni tachiiranaide kudasai.

“Please do not enter this dangerous area.”

私は決してお酒を飲みません。

Watashi wa kesshite o-sake o nomimasen.

“I never drink Sake/alcohol.”

4. Double Negatives

When negative forms are used twice in the same sentence, it’s called a double negative. While some double negative expressions intensify the negation, most double negatives cancel each other out and produce a positive. 

Keep in mind that when a double negative constructs a positive meaning, the nuance is not the same as that of a normal positive sentence. Rather, its meaning is closer to that of a negative sentence. Such expressions often lose their nuance when translated into English.

There are various double negative expressions in Japanese, but it’s recommended not to use them often (especially in business contexts), because using double negatives is not straight to the point and is a bit difficult to understand.

1. ___ないはずがない (___nai hazu ga nai) – “can’t be ___”

Examples:

彼がお酒を飲まないはずがない。 

Kare ga o-sake o nomanai hazu ga nai.

“It can’t be true that he doesn’t drink.”

[He definitely drinks.]

ここに置いた財布がないはずがない。 

Koko ni oita saifu ga nai hazu ga nai.

“The wallet I put here can’t be gone.”

[The wallet I put here should be here.]

天気予報によると、明日は晴れないはずがない。 

Tenki yohō ni yoru to, ashita wa harenai hazu ga nai.

“According to the weather, it can’t be not sunny tomorrow.”

[It must be sunny tomorrow.]

2. ___ないとも限らない (___nai to mo kagiranai) – “may possibly ___” / “perhaps it might be ___”

Examples:

いつも上手くいくからといって、次は失敗しないとも限らない。 

Itsumo umaku iku kara to itte, tsugi wa shippai shinai to mo kagiranai.

“Just because it always works well doesn’t mean it won’t fail next time.”

[It may possibly fail.]

その件について親が反対しないとも限らない。 

Sono ken ni tsuite oya ga hantai shinai to mo kagiranai.

“It is not always the case that parents do not object to the matter.”

[Parents may possibly object.]

努力すれば必ず夢が叶うわけではないが、叶わないとも限らない。 

Doryoku sureba kanarazu yume ga kanau wake de wa nai ga, kanawanai to mo kagiranai.

“Although making efforts does not mean a dream will definitely come true, it may not be the case that the dream won’t come true.”

[The dream may possibly come true.]

3. ___ ないことはない (___ nai koto wa nai) – “There is nothing ___ not do.”

Examples:

期限内に完了できないことはない。 

Kigennai ni kanryō dekinai koto wa nai.

“There is nothing I cannot complete within the deadline.”

[I am probably able to complete everything within the deadline.”

彼が知らないことは何もない。 

Kare ga shiranai koto wa nani mo nai.

“There is nothing at all that he doesn’t know.”

[He knows everything.]

強い意志と努力があれば、あなたは難関試験に合格できないことはない。

Tsuyoi ishi to doryoku ga areba, anata wa nankan shiken ni gōkaku dekinai koto wa nai.

“With a strong will and effort, there is no way you cannot pass the difficult exam.”

[You may be able to pass the difficult exam.]

4 ___なしには ___ない (___nashi ni wa ___nai) – “There is no / can’t ___ without ___.”

Examples:

この話は、涙なしには語れない。 

Kono hanashi wa namida nashi ni wa katarenai.

“(I) can’t tell this story without tears.”

ここは許可なしには通れません。 

Koko wa kyoka nashi ni wa tōremasen.

“You cannot pass here without permission.”

バナナケーキはバターなしには美味しく作れません。 

Banana kēki wa batā nashi ni wa oishiku tsukuremasen.

“Banana cakes cannot be made delicious without butter.”

今日は雨が降らないとも限らない。

Kyō wa ame ga furanai to mo kagiranai.

(“It might rain today.” / “It wouldn’t be that it won’t rain today.”)

5. Conclusion

In this article, we introduced Japanese negation and discussed a number of relevant topics: 

• negative expressions for answering “no” to questions 
• being polite when rejecting an invitation
• using partial negation
• double negatives

Although Japanese has informal and formal forms to remember, Japanese negation is easy to handle once you learn the patterns! 

If you would like to learn more about the Japanese language and other useful Japanese phrases for any situation, you’ll find more helpful content on JapanesePod101.com. We provide a variety of free lessons to help you improve your Japanese language skills. 

To learn more about Japanese grammar and syntax, check out the following blog posts: 

• The 10 Most Useful Japanese Sentence Patterns
• Japanese Sentence Structure & Word Order

And there’s so much more! Learn Japanese faster and truly enjoy studying the language at JapanesePod101.com!

Before you go, let us know in the comments if there are any Japanese grammatical rules you still want to know! We’d be glad to help, and we look forward to hearing from you!

Saying no in Japanese is a tricky subject. The people in Japan will rarely give a direct “no” as an answer, preferring instead to give an indirect answer that conveys the message of no.
Giving someone a direct no is too disruptive in a society that values keeping the harmony at all costs. As a result, the Japanese will usually choose their words carefully, especially in business-related situations.

How to Say No in Japanese?

The exact word for no in Japanese is “いいえ (iie)”, but the Japanese actually use a wide range of expressions to avoid having to use a strong no.
For example, they could say chotto that convey the “difficulty” to answer the request.
A:「明日一緒に飲みませんか?」
B: 「ごめんなさい、明日はちょっと用事があって・・・」
A: Ashita, isshyo ni nomimasen ka?
B: Gomennasai, ashita ha chotto youji ga atte…
A: Why don’t we drink together tomorrow?
B: I am sorry, tomorrow I have some errands…
Perhaps the best way to interpret no in Japanese is to understand the different levels. We have divided them into 4 groups, starting from definite expression to the grey area of the ambiguous no in Japanese.

Learn to say more than just “no” in Japanese with our classes! Find out more about our school by filling out the form below.

You’d think that saying No in Japanese would be as simple as remembering a single phrase. But as Japanese has a bunch of formalities, it makes it a little more complicated.

How you say No in Japanese can change depending on who you’re speaking to. On top of that, the Japanese are very polite people, which means that they don’t often say No directly as often as you might think!

This means that there are a bunch of ways you can say No in Japanese, No politely in Japanese, or no thank you.

It’s in the Japanese culture to be polite when declining an invitation or saying no to something.

When Japanese people want to say No to something, being indirect in their response can be quite common.

For instance, if someone invites you to a party and you’re not too keen on going, in English you might say something like “No thank you, I don’t feel like going today.” And that would be that.

In Japanese however, you would say something like “Hmmm, I’m not too sure, I think that maybe… Today is no good for me. I’m sorry to be a nuisance.”

In Japanese culture, there is a great emphasis placed on considering the face of others when saying no to them.

There are plenty of ways that you can say No in Japanese. Let’s take a look so you’ll have a suitable response for when you want to say no in Japanese.

While this article is a comprehensive resource for learning all of the different ways to say “no” in Japanese, LingoDeer is a fantastic language learning app for beginner and intermediate learners to master sentence structures and expressions.

LingoDeer boasts diverse lesson styles, professional audio quality voiced by native speakers (the best I’ve encountered on any language app so far), and an engaging story component that tests your reading AND listening skills.

Let’s get started with the most literal way to say No in Japanese.

• No.
  いいえ。
  iie.

//thelanguagequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/いいえ.mp3

If you’re looking for a direct, and literal translation of how to say No in Japanese, いいえ (iie) would do the job.

This phrase will show up as the No in Yes/No options on a confirmation screen of some kind.

For example, if you’re playing a video game and it asks you: “Are you sure you want to save?” You would then select いいえ if you didn’t intend to save the game.

In terms of using this phrase, you should be careful it can give off the wrong impression if you just use this phrase on its own.

If you’re looking for a way to say no to decline an invitation or refuse something, for instance, this would be the wrong phrase to use. Instead, you should use it to correct an assumption or statement.

If someone asks you if you can speak Spanish (assuming you can’t), you would say something like “No I can’t speak Spanish” in English right? It’s the same in Japanese, you would use the word いいえ, followed by a phrase such as スペイン語が喋れないです, which would translate to “No I can’t speak Spanish.”

Formality: The level of formality that you may need to use in Japanese, depends on who you’re speaking to. Sometimes, words/phrases should be completely avoided if you’re speaking to someone politely, such as a manager, teacher, or stranger.

In this case, いいえ is a polite way of saying No in Japanese, so you can use this phrase for purposes where formality is necessary.

Saying No Casually

So, how can you say No in Japanese when you’re speaking to your friends or family? There are a few phrases you can use to do this, they mirror the uses of いいえ (see above). Let’s jump in!

• No.
  ううん。
  uun.

//thelanguagequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ううん.mp3

Casual variants of Yes and No in Japanese are particularly interesting, as they are almost not like actual words at all. Think of how we say “Uh” in English when we’re thinking.

If you take that sound and add the soft N sound to the end of it, you get something like this: uh-n. This is how you can say Yes in Japanese casually: うん (un).

Noticed the similarities yet? That’s right: No in Japanese casually is the same as Yes, but the “uh” sound is extended for a slightly longer duration.

Note that you don’t make the “uh” sound twice, but rather you just extend the duration you’re saying it a little.

When Japanese people say ううん in Japanese, they dip in tone when they reach the middle part of the words’ pronunciation, then rise again towards the end. Have a listen to the comparisons here for clarity.

Yes and No Pronunciation Difference

ううん (no) Pronunciation:

//thelanguagequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/pronunciation_ja_ううん.mp3

うん (Yes) Pronunciation:

//thelanguagequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/pronunciation_ja_うん.mp3

The difference in tone makes it much easier to learn and distinguish between the two phrases. Just imagine what it would be like without the tones! Intonation and pitch accent is important in Japanese, but the number of existing tones doesn’t quite match that of the Chinese language at least!

Just like its formal counterpart いいえ (above), this phrase should be avoided when refusing things from other people.

Instead, you can use it to correct things people have said.

For example, if someone asks you if you’re a Japanese person (assuming you’re not actually one), in English you’d reply with something like “no I’m not.” In Japanese, it’s the same. You’d reply first with ううん, followed by a phrase such as 日本人じゃない, which means: “I’m not a Japanese person”.

• ううん、日本人じゃない。
  uun, nihonjin janai.
  No, I’m not a Japanese person.

Formality: As this is a casual way of saying No in Japanese, you should avoid using it with managers and teachers. you’ll find that when speaking with friends, this phrase is used a lot.

Nope in Japanese

• Nope.
  いや。
  iya.

//thelanguagequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/いや.mp3

いや (iya) is a very casual way of saying “Nope” in Japanese.

When speaking this word, you pronounce it somewhat quickly. Its use is similar to how Nope is used in English.

Imagine if someone asks you if you had eaten the last bit of birthday cake they’d been saving, and they say something like: “Hey, was it you who ate my cake last night?” Your response in English might be something like “Nope, it wasn’t me.”

Japanese uses a similar pattern to this, and a reply might be something like いや、食べてないよ, which translates to “Nope, I didn’t eat it.”

• いや、食べてないよ。
  iya, tabetemai yo.
  Nope, I didn’t eat your cake.

You can also use the word いやだ which is a very casual way of saying “Nope, I don’t want to.”  Imagine a reluctant child being told to go to bed by their parents.

• いやだ。寝たくない。
  iyada. netakunai.
  No! I don’t wanna sleep.

Formality: As this is a very casual phrase, it’s best used with close family members or friends. If you were to use this phrase with your manager, you’d probably get fired quite quickly as it’s very informal.

How to say No Politely in Japanese

• It’s a little bit…
  ちょっと。
  chotto.

//thelanguagequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ちょっと.mp3

ちょっと (chotto) is used very often in the Japanese language. It’s a super common phrase that you can use to turn down requests, or refuse something.

ちょっと (chotto) is a very indirect phrase, so it’s perfect for saying No politely in Japanese.

As mentioned earlier, it’s in the Japanese culture to be polite when turning down requests, offers or invitations, etc. Because of this, no matter the reason, Japanese people use this phrase to tell people “No,” indirectly.

In English, imagine if everyone’s response in declining your invitation to attend an event was “Ah, Uhmmm, Hmmm, today is kind of…Maybe… Yeah… I’m not too sure, if…”. Okay, maybe I exaggerated a little bit there, but by simply just saying ちょっと (chotto) you convey all of those hesitations at once.

Essentially, when you say ちょっと (chotto) to say no in Japanese, you convey an “I’m not too sure if I can make it” kind of meaning to the requester. It’s used in Japanese to help preserve face.

Formality: This phrase can actually be used in both formal and casual settings. When you want to speak politely, just be sure to add the です (desu), to the end of the sentence if it’s a noun, or use the ます ending for a verb.

Using this phrase on its own, however, will typically convey the message of No to the requester.

I Wonder in Japanese

• I wonder…
  かな。
  kana.

//thelanguagequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/かな.mp3

Continuing from the phrase ちょっと (chotto), as explained above, you can often combine it with かな (kana). The literal translation of かな is “I wonder…” and when used in the same sentence as ちょっと, you exaggerate the sense of indirectness, and convey an “I’m not sure…” meaning.

かな is used after a verb, whereas ちょっと will come before it. Let’s take a look at an example sentence.

ちょっと…行かないかな

Remember the declining an invitation example with ちょっと earlier?  The sentence above shows an example of how you could use it. If you know that 行かない means “won’t go”, the meaning of the sentence becomes clear!

Umm… I’m not sure if I will go.

By using かな (kana) at the end of the sentence and ちょっと (chott0) at the beginning, you really emphasise the fact you don’t really want to go. Use かな (kana) when you want to say No indirectly in Japanese without hurting the other persons’ feelings.

Saying No Directly

So, what if you’re thinking that you just want to tell someone straight-up No in Japanese. Well, there are ways you can achieve this, and I’ll show you how!

• No, impossible!
  むり。
  muri.

//thelanguagequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/むり.mp3

You can use むり (muri) when you want to up-right refuse someone. A direct translation to English would be “impossible,” and you can use it in Japanese the same way you do in English.

For instance, if someone asks you: “Hey, wanna come to my party tonight?” Muri. “Want to go out on a date with me?” Muri. “Fancy watching a movie with me later?” Muri. It’s a fantastic way you can say “no” to someone directly. Or perhaps you want to be even more direct, and tell someone “no” and to “go away” in Japanese.

Formality: I mean, you can up the formality by adding です (desu) to the end of the phrase, making it むりです (muri desu). But I’d still advise using it in formal situations, and here is why.

Imagine your manager asks you to do them a favour, and you respond with: “No, that’s impossible.” I’d expect that it probably wouldn’t go down well with most managers… So this phrase is best of being reserved for casual situations only.

No Good in Japanese

• No good.
  だめ。
  dame.

//thelanguagequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/だめ.mp3

Similarly to the above むり (muri), you can use だめ (dame) to refuse invitations.

Let’s say that you’ve ordered a pizza, and you’re really hungry and really looking forward to it. You pick up the pizza and taste the first bite, and you think: “Um, this flavour is kind of disappointing…” A very unfortunate situation indeed, a situation where one might describe the pizza as だめ (dame), meaning “no good”.

If you’re busy on a day when someone has invited you out, you could also reply with:

• 今日はだめ。
  kyou ha dame.
  Today is no good.

You may have also seen in movies or anime, where characters might scream the phrase だめ (dame). In this scenario, だめ translates to “No, stop!” or “No, that’s not allowed.”

Formality: This phrase is also a noun, so you can add です(desu) to the end of the word making it だめです (dame desu) to make it more formal.

No That’s Not It in Japanese

• No, that’s not it!/ It’s different.
  違う。
  chigau.

//thelanguagequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/違う.mp3

違う (chigau) is used very often to say No in Japanese. You should use it in the same way as you would use いいえ (iie) and ううん (uun).

This means that you’re best off using the phrase when you’re wanting to correct someone in regards to if something is true or not. For instance, if one of your flatmates accuses you of eating their cake, you could respond with 違う！(chigau), meaning “No, that’s not it!”

• 違う、私じゃないもん。
  chigau, watashi janai mon.
  No, it wasn’t me.

You could also use this as a response to questions such as: Are you’re a native Japanese speaker?

• 違います、日本人のネイティブではありません。
  chigaimasu. nihonjin no neiteibu deha arimasen.
  That’s not right, I’m not a native Japanese speaker.

Formality: This phrase can be used in both casual, and formal situations. To make this phrase formal, you can change it to its ます form. It would become 違います (chigaimasu).

I Don’t Think So in Japanese

• No, I don’t think so.
  そう思わない。
  sou omowanai.

//thelanguagequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/そう思わない.mp3

This phrase directly translates to “I don’t think so” in English. You can also use it the same way as you would in English to state your opinion about a matter.

For example, if someone is gossiping about someone else, and they say to you “Hey, that girl, she’s super rude, don’t you think?” in Japanese, you could reply with a simple そう思わない (souomowanai) which would the same as saying “No, I don’t think that.”

• そう思わない。優しいと思う。
  sou omowanai. yasashii to omou.
  I don’t think so. I think she’s friendly.

Formality: This phrase is a verb, so it will need to be changed into ます (masu) form. In ます (masu) form, it becomes そう思いません (souomoimasen) which is perfect for those situations that require formality.

I Don’t Have

• No, I don’t.
  ない。
  nai.

//thelanguagequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ない.mp3

When someone asks you if you have something in Japanese, you’re going to need to use a specific phrase to tell them you don’t have the item. This phrase is a verb, and you can use it to tell someone that you don’t have possession of said item.

For instance, your friend asks you if you have a pen that they can borrow.  So, being the amazing friend you are, you dive into your pencil case to find a pen, only to realise that you don’t have a spare. In this case, you could respond with ない (nai). It’s the same as telling your friend “I don’t have one” in English.

• ペンがない。ごめんね。
  pen ga nai. gomen ne.
  I don’t have a pen. Sorry.

Formality; This phrase is currently in its casual form, but to up the level of politeness, you can add です (desu) to the end of the phrase.

No Thank You in Japanese Politely

Let’s take a look at some ways that you can say No Thank You in Japanese politely.

• No Thank You
  結構です。
  kekkou desu..

//thelanguagequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/結構です.mp3

This phrase is a very formal phrase in which you should use with your managers and teachers, or with strangers.

結構です (kekkou desu) is an expression that you can use to say no thank you formally. Perhaps when you go into the store, and the merchant asks if you would like to purchase any additional items, you can reply with 結構です (kekkou desu) to politely decline.

Formality: This phrase is a formal expression that you can use to politely decline something in Japanese.

No Thanks

• No Thanks.
  大丈夫。
  daijoubu.

//thelanguagequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/大丈夫.mp3

You can use 大丈夫 (daijoubu) to convey something very similar to 結構です (above) but much softer. For instance, when someone asks you if you’d like/need something and you want to decline them, you can say 大丈夫 (daijoubu) which conveys a kind of no thanks.

I personally often use this expression as it comes across much warmer when refusing someone.

It is very similar to “no thanks” in English and can be used the same way. Perhaps someone asks if you want to eat some of their cake, and (assuming you don’t want any cake) you could reply 大丈夫！meaning, “no that’s alright, thanks anyway”.

This is truly a fantastic phrase to use, and I catch myself using it all the time.

Formality: Just like the previous phrases, to increase its formality you can add です (desu) to the end, making it 大丈夫です (daijoubu desu).

No Thank you in Japanese Casually

• Nah thanks.
  いらない。
  iranai.

//thelanguagequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/いらない.mp3

When you’re speaking to friends, there are other phrases you can say apart from 大丈夫 (above) to say No Thanks. いらない (iranai) is a super casual phrase that you can use to say “Nah” in Japanese. When someone asks if you’d like something and you want to tell them kindly that you don’t, you can say いらない (iranai).

What’s interesting about いらない (iranai) though, is that it is actually the negative form of いる (iru), meaning “need”. This means that when you say いらない (iranai) you’re literally saying “I don’t need it”. Imagine saying you don’t need cake in English!

• ケーキを食べる？。
  ke-ki wo taberu?.
  Want some cake?

As a reply:

• ケーキをいらない。
  ke-ki wo iranai.
  Nah thanks.

Now for some dialect for you! In Kansai, they say いらん (iran) as opposed to いらない. Super casual!

• 酒いらん。
  sake iran.
  I’ll pass on the alcohol.

Formality: This is a very casual phrase that should be avoided when speaking to managers, teachers, or strangers.

No Problem in Japanese

We have our own detailed article on how to say no problem in Japanese here!

Oh No in Japanese

There are a few ways you can Oh No in Japanese, some being a little more informal than others. In this section, let’s take a look at some of the phrases!

• Oh no/Oh crap.
  しまった。
  shimatta.

//thelanguagequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/しまった.mp3

This phrase is something you can blurt out when you make a mistake, very similar to “Oh no” or “Oh Crap” in English. For instance, if you miss your train, you could say しまった (shimatta). It’s the same as English!

• Oh Shoot.
  やばい・やばー。
  yabai/yaba-.

//thelanguagequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/やばい.mp3

やばい (yabai) has many, many uses. You can use it to describe something as either crazy, sick, delicious, terrible, and many more. This phrase is incredibly informal, so it should be avoided during formal situations. It is has a very similar use to “Oh Shoot” or “Oh S**t” in English. Some Japanese people will say やばー which means the same thing, just a little more informal.

• Oops!
  うわっ！
  uw-a!

//thelanguagequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/うわっ.mp3

You can use うわっー (uw-a) during situations where you make a mistake and are surprised. For instance, if you’re holding a glass, and you suddenly drop it, you might say うわっ！ (uw-a) in Japanese, or “Oops” in English.

That’s it from us today! As there are many ways to say No in Japanese, it can be difficult to select the right phrase to decline or refuse something. I hope you enjoyed your read and found some useful phrases and expressions here!

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The Japanese are known for their politeness, but because of their polite nature, it can be hard to say no in a straightforward way. That’s why there are many ways to say no in Japanese!

The most direct way to say ‘no’ in Japanese is iie (いいえ). But just like in English, there are many different words and phrases you can use to turn something down.

There are words for declining invitations, offers, and even disagreeing with someone else’s ideas or opinions. Each of them has different levels of formality depending on the situation or the person you are speaking to.

You will notice that words for ‘no’ are softened through adding explanations or apologies, such as sumimasen (すみません), daijoubu (大丈夫 / だいじょうぶ), and many more! 

To learn how to say no in Japanese, you can try out some of the examples below!

Iie

いいえ

No (formal)

While iie is the first Japanese word for no that is taught to us, using it might come off as cold or rude. You can use other words to soften your refusal instead of sticking with iie.

Iie is useful when correcting someone. For example:

Nihonjin desu ka? (Are you Japanese? / 日本人ですか / にほんじん です か)

Iie, igirisu jin desu. (No, I’m British / いいえ、イギリス人です).

Another way to soften iie, especially among friends and family, is to use iya (いや) instead.

Uun

ううん

No (casual)

Uun is an utterance, rather than a word. This is used mostly in casual settings, like among family and friends. You can check its intonation and some examples here! Its counterpart is un (うん), meaning yes. 

When using this in written form, it’s spelled ううん, but when spoken, it just sounds like you’re extending an ‘n’ sound while the ‘u’ is silent. Uun is also more commonly used by children and women.

Iranai

いらない

I don’t need it / No thank you

Iranai can be used among friends. The word iranai comes from iru (要る / いる) meaning ‘to be needed’. Transforming iru into its -nai form makes the verb negative, so it becomes ‘do not need’. 

Kekkou desu

結構です

No thank you

This is a Japanese phrase for no or refusal in formal settings. It can be used with service staff such as at the supermarket check-out. However, kekkou desu is also seen as cold or rude in a normal conversation!

A warmer, more common way to refuse is the next word, daijoubu desu.

Iie / Iya, daijoubu desu

いいえ / いや、大丈夫です

I’m fine, thank you

One of the most common ways to say no in Japanese is the use of daijoubu desu. In this context, this phrase can be used to refuse (or accept) offers.

It’s common to add iie or iya at the beginning to make it clear that you’re refusing, and hai when accepting. But when someone omits either, you can observe their body language to tell if they are saying yes or no.

Dekinai

出来ない

I cannot

Dekinai is used when expressing regret that you cannot fulfill someone’s request. This is usually followed by an explanation. This expression is common among friends or colleagues. 

However, to make this phrase more formal, you can use it in its negative polite form: dekimasen (出来ません / できません)!

Muri

無理 

Impossible

This is another straightforward way to say no in Japanese. Muri is a very strong expression, however.

Among friends, you can use muri in a sarcastic way. For example, a friend may predict that you won the lottery. You can use muri to say that the situation is impossible.

Dame

ダメ

Not good

Dame is more commonly used in unfortunate situations, or when you’re stopping someone from doing an action. For example, when a child is about to make a mess in the house, their parents can say ‘Dame!‘ to stop them.

This is usually written in katakana (ダメ) and is one of the words you usually hear in anime. This phrase is informal, and when not used carefully, it may come off as rude! 

Sou wa omowanai

そうは思わない

I don’t think so

This phrase is used to refuse somebody’s ideas rather than offers. Picture this: your friend thinks that the movie you just watched together was terrible. You can say sou wa omowanai to reject their idea.

The word omowanai (思わない / おもわない) comes from the verb omou (思う / おもう), which means ‘to think’. Omowanai is the short negative form of this verb.

Chigau

違う

It’s not true

While its literal translation means ‘to differ (from)’, chigau can also be used to correct someone when they are wrong.

This is a common way to say no in either casual or formal situations but to make it formal, you can use the masu form, chigaimasu (違います / ちがいます). 

Chotto…

ちょっと

(It’s) a little…

Chotto is one of the most commonly used ways to decline an offer. You might hear people use this with an adjective to explain their reason or just simply trail off.

For example:

A little busy = Chotto isogashii (ちょっと忙しい / ちょっと いそがしい)

A little difficult = Chotto muzukashii (ちょっと難しい / ちょっと むずかしい）

However, when someone uses ‘Sorry, it’s a little…’ or sumimasen, chotto… (すみません、ちょっと), it’s usually a sign that they are declining. This is said to save face and the other person’s ego by avoiding outright declining them!

As you can see, just like in English, there are lots of different ways to say no. The expression you pick will depend on who you’re talking to, formality level, and how gently you want to let them down!

We hope this post will help you choose the best way to say no in Japanese.

Don’t forget to check out our related post on How to Say Yes in Japanese.

More essential Japanese phrases:

• How to Say Hello in Japanese: 19 Different Ways 
• How to Say Goodbye in Japanese: 16 Useful Ways
• How to Say Sorry in Japanese: Apologize Like You Mean it
• How to Say Yes in Japanese: ‘Hai’ and Beyond!
• How to Say Thank You in Japanese
• How to Say Please in Japanese

The particle の “no” is extremely versatile. It’s used as the Japanese possessive particle, showing ownership, and more generally, as way to turn any noun into a modifier.

Recommended background:

The Copula “Desu”

Nouns, Pronouns, and Plurals

“No” as a Possessive

As a possessive, no comes between two nouns, after the “possessor” and before the “possessee”.

やまぐち	の	かばん
Yamaguchi	no	kaban
Yamaguchi	‘s	bag

In this case it works essentially like possesive [‘s] in English, and this is a good way to think of it. Basically, the no is attached to the preceding noun and turns it into a modifier. Here are a few more examples.

きむらさんの　くるま	Kimura-san no kuruma	Kimura’s car
おとこの　せいかく	otoko no seikaku	the man’s personality
こどもの　おかあさん	kodomo no okaasan	the kid’s mother
ねこの　みみ	neko no mimi	cats’ ears

So, “Kimura-san no kuruma” is a kuruma, “otoko no seikaku” is seikaku, and “neko no mimi” are mimi. This is extremely important – unlike in English, the last noun is always what the entire noun phrase “is”. When we get to more difficult cases below, always thinking of no as [‘s] will help you interpret them correctly.

Possessive pronouns are created in exactly the same way as other possessives.

わたしの	watashi no	my
あなたの	anata no	your
わたしたちの	watashi-tachi no	our

Again, you generally should not use anata no for “your”. Instead, use [the person’s name] + [name suffix] + no. So if you’re talking to Tanaka about her book, it’s “Tanaka-san no hon”.

Next, question words can also be used with no.

だれのくるまですか。

Dare no kuruma desu ka?

Whose car is it?

And as in English, you can omit the actual item that is possessed.

だれのですか。	Dare no desu ka?	Whose is it?
わたしのです。	Watashi no desu.	It’s mine.
いしかわのです。	Ishikawa no desu.	It’s Ishikawa’s.

This [noun]+no pair can also be used as a subject or topic.

きむらさんの　くるまは　あかです。	Kimura-san no kuruma wa aka desu.	Kimura’s car is red.
わたしのは　あおです。	Watashi no wa ao desu.	Mine is blue.

It’s worth noting that there are also verbs that are possesive in nature, just like “to have” or “to own” in English. There are several ways to say “I have” in Japanese, which you’ll learn about when we get to verbs.

“No” as a General Modifier

In general, the particle no can turn any noun into a modifier, whether or not the thing in question actually “owns” anything. So its possessive quality is really only one of several related uses.

In many cases, no substitutes for English prepositions like “of”, for adjectival forms of nouns, and where you would simply stick two nouns together in English. Let’s look at some examples.

きんの　ゆびわ	kin no yubiwa	a gold ring (ring of gold)
にほんごの　せんせい	Nihongo no sensei	a Japanese teacher (teacher of Japanese)

In this first usage, no is often translated as “of”, but while “of” does indeed translate to no in Japanese, this is a confusing way to think of the particle because the order is exactly the opposite of English. When you have multiple no modifiers in a row (which we’ll look at below), it’s best not to assume that each no is a reverse “of”, because all to often, the English equivalent doesn’t use the preposition. Here’s another example:

Japanese	English
[A] no [B]	[A] [B]
yakyuu no shiai	a baseball game

So Japanese uses no where English uses unchanged nouns as modifiers. You would generally only say “game of baseball” in English in the sense of “the game of baseball” (as opposed to “the game of basketball”), which has a very different meaning. And often, the English equivalent of [A] isn’t even a noun.

まほうの　とびら

mahou no tobira

a magical door

Mahou (magic) is a noun, but it’s being used like the adjective magical, which doesn’t exist in Japanese. And while “mahou no hon” could be “a book of magic” (filled with spells) or “a magic book” (itself enchanted), the “of” interpretation for no does not exist in every case. So while “of” is a possible translation of no, it’s not always the best translation.

In other cases, no takes the place of different English prepositions.

にほんの　くるま	Nihon no kuruma	a Japanese car (car from Japan)
アメリカ（あめりか）の　だいがく	Amerika no daigaku	American universities (universities in the U.S.)
バス（ばす）の　きっぷ	basu no kippu	a bus ticket (ticket for the bus)

Although again, the most general English translation does not include a preposition. But if you were to translate such prepositions into Japanese, they would often, but not always become no. For example, “in” overlaps with no when we use “in the U.S.” as a modifier, but not when we say “the university is in the U.S.”(Daigaku wa Amerika ni arimasu).

This is why we focus on understanding Japanese to English translation: Japanese and English each distinguish different parts of a spectrum of meaning, but while you intuitively know the nuances in English, you need to learn what the Japanese nuances are before you can correctly translate English to Japanese.

One last use of no that we’ll look at here is where it is used to show one’s relationship to a particular person.

ともだちの　トム（とむ）さん	tomodachi no Tomu-san	my friend Tom (Tom, who is my friend)
あねの　リサ（りさ）	ane no Lisa	my older sister Lisa (Lisa, who is my older sister)

This is equivalent to the English appositive, where one noun is immediately redefined or modified by the following noun.

Multiple “No” Modifiers

There’s no limit to the number of no‘s you can have in a single noun phrase.

わたしの	ともだちの	だいがくの	にほんごの	せんせいの	にほんの	くるま
watashi no	tomodachi no	daigaku no	Nihongo no	sensei no	Nihon no	kuruma
my	friend’s	college	Japanese	professor’s	Japanese	car

And if you wanted to use any adjectives in there, you certainly could.

Translating “No”

That particular string of no‘s was easy because there were no “of”s in the English translation, but what if there were? Translating such phrases can be tricky, but here’s a reliable way to go about it.

For the first step, keep the word order intact. Modifier always comes before modified in Japanese, and this order makes sense in English too, so translate each individual item into English to interpret the phrase as is. Each no could be an [‘s], or might just be erased. So at this point, “blade of grass” will be “grass’s blade” or “grass blade”, but the meaning is still obvious.

Then, once know the meaning of the phrase, add any adjective-forming suffixes and if necessary, add prepositions and correct the word order to get the proper English version.

Other Uses of “No”

You’ll soon see no used in other places: after verbs and adjectives, before desu, and even as a sentence ending particle. These are really not the same no at all, but rather separate particles, homonyms with this one. These other no‘s will be covered separately.

What Next?

Questions and Negation

Hiragana 1 #4 · 2020-09-10 ^

Welcome to the Japanese course!

While many consider Japanese to be very difficult to learn for native English speakers, this is only partially true. Many aspects of the Japanese language are quite simple, such as the sound system, and yes, even most of the grammar.

Writing Systems

Japanese uses three different writing systems, hiragana, katakana, and kanji.

Hiragana is the most basic Japanese syllabary. It’s like an alphabet that uses syllables instead of individual sounds.

Katakana is the syllabary used to write foreign words and some noises. Although it’s different from hiragana, it represents the exact same syllables.

Kanji are Chinese characters used in the Japanese language to write individual nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Kanji are not phonetic, meaning you need to memorize each pronunciation individually. In this course, we introduce kanji gradually and methodically.

Hiragana Pronunciation

Below are the most basic forms of Japanese hiragana. We’ll be introducing some more later as well.

As the only solitary consonant in hiragana, ん is especially notable because it is only found at the end of another syllable. In other words, you will never read a Japanese word that begins with ん。

Enjoy the course!

Basics #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Welcome to the Japanese course!

While many consider Japanese to be very difficult to learn for native English speakers, this is only partially true. Many aspects of the Japanese language are quite simple, such as the sound system, and yes, even most of the grammar.

Writing Systems

Japanese uses three different writing systems, hiragana, katakana, and kanji.

Hiragana is the most basic Japanese syllabary. It’s like an alphabet that uses syllables instead of individual sounds.

Katakana is the syllabary used to write foreign words and some noises. Although it’s different from hiragana, it represents the exact same syllables.

Kanji are Chinese characters used in the Japanese language to write individual nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Kanji are not phonetic, meaning you need to memorize each pronunciation individually. In this course, we introduce kanji gradually and methodically.

Basics 1

In Basics 1, we’ll start introducing the hiragana writing system through six simple words.

• すし or «sushi,» the famous Japanese rice dish. す is the character for «su» and し is the character for «shi.»

• みず or «mizu,» meaning «water.» み is the character for «mi» and ず is the character for «zu.» The two dashes on the upper-right side of ず change its pronunciation from «su» to «zu.»

• にく or «niku,» meaning «meat.» に is the character for «ni» and く is the character for «ku.»

• もち or «mochi,» a soft Japanese rice cake. も is the character for «mo» and ち is the character for «chi.»

• そば or «soba,» Japanese buckwheat noodles. そ is the character for «so» and ば is the character for «ba.» The two dashes on the upper-right side of ば change its pronunciation from «ha» to «ba.»

• おちゃ or «ocha,» meaning «green tea.» お is the character for «o» and ちゃ is the set of characters for «cha.» The regular-sized ちや would be pronounced with two syllables, «chi-ya.» The small ゃ in ちゃ changes the pronunciation from «chi-ya» to «cha.»

Basics 1 #2 · 2020-12-16 ^

Welcome to the Japanese course!

While many consider Japanese to be very difficult to learn for native English speakers, this is only partially true. Many aspects of the Japanese language are quite simple, such as the sound system, and yes, even most of the grammar.

Writing Systems

Japanese uses three different writing systems, hiragana, katakana, and kanji.

Hiragana is the most basic Japanese syllabary. It’s like an alphabet that uses syllables instead of individual sounds.

Katakana is the syllabary used to write foreign words and some noises. Although it’s different from hiragana, it represents the exact same syllables.

Kanji are Chinese characters used in the Japanese language to write individual nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Kanji are not phonetic, meaning you need to memorize each pronunciation individually. In this course, we introduce kanji gradually and methodically.

Basics 1

In Basics 1, we’ll start introducing the hiragana writing system through six simple words.

• すし or «sushi,» the famous Japanese rice dish. す is the character for «su» and し is the character for «shi.»

• みず or «mizu,» meaning «water.» み is the character for «mi» and ず is the character for «zu.» The two dashes on the upper-right side of ず change its pronunciation from «su» to «zu.»

• にく or «niku,» meaning «meat.» に is the character for «ni» and く is the character for «ku.»

• もち or «mochi,» a soft Japanese rice cake. も is the character for «mo» and ち is the character for «chi.»

• そば or «soba,» Japanese buckwheat noodles. そ is the character for «so» and ば is the character for «ba.» The two dashes on the upper-right side of ば change its pronunciation from «ha» to «ba.»

• おちゃ or «ocha,» meaning «green tea.» お is the character for «o» and ちゃ is the set of characters for «cha.» The regular-sized ちや would be pronounced with two syllables, «chi-ya.» The small ゃ in ちゃ changes the pronunciation from «chi-ya» to «cha.»

Basics 2 #2 · 2020-12-16 ^

Basics 2

In Basics 2, we’ll continue introducing the hiragana writing system through an additional six words.

• たかい or «takai,» meaning «expensive.» た is the character for «ta,» か is the character for «ka,» and い is the character for «i.»

• ごはん or «gohan,» meaning «rice.» ご is the character for «go,» は is the character for «ha,» and ん is the character for «n.» The two dashes on the upper-right side of ご change its pronunciation from «ko» to «go.»

• おいしい or «oishii,» meaning «tasty.» お is the character for «o,» い is the character for «i,» and し is the character for «shi.»

• と or «to,» meaning «and.» Keep in mind that と can only be used to connect nouns, not full sentences.

• はし or «hashi,» meaning «chopsticks.» は is the character for «ha» and し is the character for «shi.»

• しろい or «shiroi,» meaning «white.» し is the character for «shi,» ろ is the character for «ro,» and い is the character for «i.» Notice that many adjectives in Japanese end in the い or «i» character.

Hiragana 2 #3 · 2020-09-10 ^

Hiragana Pronunciation

Below are the most basic forms of Japanese hiragana. We’ll be introducing some more later as well.

As the only solitary consonant in hiragana, ん is especially notable because it is only found at the end of another syllable. In other words, you will never read a Japanese word that begins with ん。

Numbers 1 #3 · 2020-12-16 ^

Numbers 1

In Numbers 1, we’ll continue introducing the hiragana writing system through the Japanese numbers one through six.

• いち or «ichi,» meaning «one.» い is the character for «i» and ち is the character for «chi.»

• に or «ni,» meaning «two.»

• さん or «san,» meaning «three.» さ is the character for «sa» and ん is the character for «n.»

• よん or «yon,» meaning «four.» よ is the character for «yo» and ん is the character for «n.» Note that another word for «four» is し or «shi,» but this is less common than よん。

• ご or «go,» meaning «five.» The two dashes on the upper-right side of ご change its pronunciation from «ko» to «go.»

• ろく or «roku,» meaning «six.» ろ is the character for «ro» and く is the character for «ku.»

Greetings #6 · 2022-06-23 ^

Saying Thank You

The phrase «thank you» in Japanese is dependent on the situation. Below is a table of the most common forms, from least to most formal. Note that the formality increases with the length of the phrase.

Saying Thank You for a Past Action

If you’d like to thank someone for something they did in the past, you change the ございます ending to ございました。

Cafe #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Snack Time

This skill introduces two very important words in Japanese, これ and それ。

Keep in mind that これ is used to describe things that are close to the speaker, just like the English «this one.» それ is used to describe things that are close to the listener, just like the English «that one.»

In Town 1 #2 · 2020-12-16 ^

In Town 1

In this skill, we’ll continue introducing the hiragana writing system through six additional words.

• です or «desu,» meaning «is,» «are,» or «am.» で is the character for «de» and す is the character for «su.» The two dashes on the upper-right side of で change its pronunciation from «te» to «de.» Notice how the final «u» sound of です is usually dropped. Most often, です is pronounced closer to «des.»

• みせ or «mise,» meaning «store» or «shop.» み is the character for «mi» and せ is the character for «se.» Note how there are no words for «the» or «a» in Japanese. There’s also no way to express that there’s more than one of something. Therefore, みせ can mean «a store,» «the store,» «stores,» or «the stores.»

• やすい or «yasui,» meaning «cheap» or «inexpensive.» や is the character for «ya,» す is the character for «su,» and い is the character for «i.» Much like in English, Japanese adjectives come before the nouns they modify.

• えき or «eki,» meaning «train station.» え is the character for «e» and き is the character for «ki.»

• まち or «machi,» meaning «town.» ま is the character for «ma» and ち is the character for «chi.»

• ちいさい or «chiisai,» meaning «small.» ち is the character for «chi,» い is the character for «i,» and さ is the character for «sa.»

Hiragana 3 #3 · 2020-09-10 ^

Hiragana Pronunciation

Below are the most basic forms of Japanese hiragana. We’ll be introducing some more later as well.

As the only solitary consonant in hiragana, ん is especially notable because it is only found at the end of another syllable. In other words, you will never read a Japanese word that begins with ん。

Hiragana 4 #3 · 2018-10-25 ^

In the following skill, we introduce a few more elements to basic hiragana.

Hiragana Part II: Dakuten

Putting two little dashes or dakuten at the upper right corner of a hiragana syllable voices the consonant. It changes the pronunciation of the hiragana in the following way:

Putting a little circle or handakuten at the upper right corner changes the pronunciation of the は-ひ-ふ-へ-ほ hiragana in the following way:

Hiragana Part III: Small っ

Putting a っ (small tsu) between two hiragana syllables doubles the letter right after っ and introduces a short pause between two sounds. See some examples below:

Hiragana Part IV: Big and Small Characters

Lastly, this skill introduces the big and small versions of three sounds in hiragana. A small や、ゆ、or よ changes the pronunciation of a word in the following way:

The small character changes the two-syllable construction into a one-syllable construction. Sometimes, the difference can lead to a real change in meaning, as shown below:

Questions #4 · 2020-12-16 ^

Questions

In this skill, you’ll learn how to form basic questions in Japanese.

To turn a polite statement into a question, all you need to do is add the particle か or «ka» at the end of the sentence.

We use か for all question types, regardless of whether we’re talking about adjectives or nouns.

In this skill, you’ll also learn the Japanese words for «yes» and «no.»

Saying Hi #4 · 2020-12-16 ^

Saying Hi

Below are some useful phrases for interacting with other people.

In Japanese, you can use the suffix さん or «san» at the end of someone’s name to show them respect. You can use さん at the end of their given name or family name.

In Japanese, we never use the さん suffix after our own name.

Animals 1 #5 · 2020-12-16 ^

Animals 1

Keep in mind that there are no words for a or the in Japanese. There’s also no way to show if something is singular or plural. We can usually understand what someone means through context. Therefore, a Japanese word usually has several possible translations in English, as shown below.

This skill introduces the names of three animals and three adjectives for describing them.

Nouns

Adjectives

Snack Time #5 · 2020-12-16 ^

Snack Time

This skill introduces two very important words in Japanese, これ and それ。

Keep in mind that これ is used to describe things that are close to the speaker, just like the English «this one.» それ is used to describe things that are close to the listener, just like the English «that one.»

Katakana 3 #4 · 2020-02-08 ^

More Katakana

People 1 #2 · 2021-02-15 ^

People 1

Japanese verbs, including the copula です、can be used as they are with any subject, regardless of gender or number. This means that Japanese sentences often have many possible English equivalents.

This skill introduces several words that describe people. You can reference them below.

Time #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Kanji from this Skill

Below is a table of the six kanji that are introduced in this skill, complete with possible readings.

Time 1 #4 · 2018-10-25 ^

Kanji from this Skill

Below is a table of the six kanji that are introduced in this skill, complete with possible readings.

In Town #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

In Town 1

In this skill, we’ll continue introducing the hiragana writing system through six additional words.

• です or «desu,» meaning «is,» «are,» or «am.» で is the character for «de» and す is the character for «su.» The two dashes on the upper-right side of で change its pronunciation from «te» to «de.» Notice how the final «u» sound of です is usually dropped. Most often, です is pronounced closer to «des.»

• みせ or «mise,» meaning «store» or «shop.» み is the character for «mi» and せ is the character for «se.» Note how there are no words for «the» or «a» in Japanese. There’s also no way to express that there’s more than one of something. Therefore, みせ can mean «a store,» «the store,» «stores,» or «the stores.»

• やすい or «yasui,» meaning «cheap» or «inexpensive.» や is the character for «ya,» す is the character for «su,» and い is the character for «i.» Much like in English, Japanese adjectives come before the nouns they modify.

• えき or «eki,» meaning «train station.» え is the character for «e» and き is the character for «ki.»

• まち or «machi,» meaning «town.» ま is the character for «ma» and ち is the character for «chi.»

• ちいさい or «chiisai,» meaning «small.» ち is the character for «chi,» い is the character for «i,» and さ is the character for «sa.»

Time 3 #3 · 2019-02-06 ^

Directional Particle

The particle へ indicates a direction towards which something or someone moves. This movement is the direction away from the current location. When used as a particle, へ is pronounced as [e].　

Location and Time Particle

The particle に with a time expression indicates a specific point in time. に can also express times on a clock, days of the week, or years.

Kanji from this Skill

Below is a table of the four kanji that are introduced in this skill, complete with possible readings.

Numbers #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

Only

There are two ways to express the idea of “only” or “just” in Japanese. One of them is with the word だけ, which is used with affirmative sentences.

Another way you can express this idea is with the word しか, which has the same meaning but is used with negative sentences in Japanese, although the meaning of the sentence is not translated in the negative.

Several

数〜 (すう〜) is a prefix that can be added to some words to mean “several….” or “a few…” Some examples are below.

In order to…

The phrase のに has many different uses in Japanese. One of the meanings is “in order to (perform an action).” In this construction “AのにB” would be “I did B in order to A,” in which のに follows a verb in the short form. Some examples are listed below.

Katakana 1 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Katakana

This lesson will begin introducing katakana. Like hiragana, katakana is a Japanese phonetic writing system. It’s used for several things, but one of the most common uses is for foreign words.

Katakana with Dakuten

If you sound out the words below using katakana characters, you might find some familiar words! Some of the pronunciation is a little different than its English equivalent, though.

Just be careful — not all words written in katakana were taken from English!

Not all foreign loan words in Japanese are directly equivalent to their English counterparts! For instance, in Japanese アメリカ (Amerika) isn’t commonly used to refer to all of North America or to both North and South America — it’s used almost exclusively to mean «the United States.» However, イギリス (Igirisu) can be used to refer to both «the UK» and «England.»

Home #6 · 2019-02-06 ^

The Verbs あります and います

あります and います are very special verbs in Japanese that refer to something’s existence. They’re often translated into English as «there is» or «there are.» Even though they’re often translated identically, they describe different objects:

• あります is used for inanimate objects, like books, rooms, televisions, and apples.
• います is used for animate objects, like people, cats, dogs, and other animals.

Japanese Counting Words

The Japanese language uses special counting words to count things, actions, and events. You use these words when you want to mention a specific number of a certain noun. Below is how they are typically formed.

• 鳥が二羽います means «there are two birds.»

In Japanese, you also have the option of placing the number and counter before the noun, but this is less common and typically involves an additional particle.

• 二羽の鳥がいます also means «there are two birds.»

Below is a table for 羽、the counting word introduced in this lesson. 羽 is a counter used just for birds and rabbits.

Kanji from this Skill

Below you will find the kanji for all of the vocabulary words in this skill.

Introduction #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Introduction to Kanji

This lesson introduces the non-phonetic writing system of Japanese, kanji. Kanji literally means «Chinese characters,» and they’re used to build content words like nouns, verbs, and adjectives.

Kanji Readings

So how do you read kanji? Most kanji have at least two possible readings. Typically, one reading is derived from a native Japanese word, and one reading is derived from a Chinese loanword. These are called «kunyomi» («meaning reading») and «onyomi» («sound reading») respectively.

Let’s take the kanji for «country,» 国。On its own, we use the Japanese «kunyomi» reading, くに。In Japanese, くに means «country.» However, in compounds, we use the «onyomi» reading of こく。Therefore, China, 中国 or «middle country,» is read as ちゅうごく。

Rendaku

So why isn’t it ちゅうこく？This is due to a phenomenon known as «rendaku» or «sequential voicing.» Syllables that come later in a word are sometimes voiced and marked with a dakuten. This is often rather unpredictable, so rendaku words should be memorized individually.

Example Kanji

Below is a table of the six kanji that are introduced in this lesson, complete with possible readings.

You may have noticed that the word Japan, or 日本 is composed of the kanji meaning «sun» and «origin.» This word was first adopted by the Chinese, and to them, Japan was off to the east, the place where the sun rose or «originated.»

Katakana Pronunciation

This lesson also introduces katakana, the phonetic Japanese writing system used for foreign words. See their pronunciation below.

Basic Katakana

Katakana with Dakuten

Katakana 2 #6 · 2022-06-23 ^

More Katakana

Introduction 2 #5 · 2022-06-23 ^

Basic Grammar

One thing that makes Japanese very different from English is the Japanese tendency to drop the subject of the sentence when the meaning is clear from context. Statements usually refer to oneself, while questions usually address the person you’re speaking with.

The Question Marker

Adding question marker か at the end will make the affirmative (positive) sentence into question. If the sentences end in ～です, it’s easy to formulate questions by using ～ですか。

Pronouns

Pronouns are relatively rare in Japanese, but they are sometimes used to explicitly specify the subject or topic of a sentence. Below are some of the most common ones.

Kanji from this Skill

Below is a table of the eight kanji that are introduced in this lesson, complete with possible readings.

Family #4 · 2018-10-25 ^

Familial Terms

Japanese uses a number of terms for family members. Some use the honorific form, which is typically reserved for someone else’s family members, while others use a shorter, more casual form, reserved for your own family members.

Still, these rules are not hard and fast. You will still hear children use the honorific form to address their own mother or father.

Arriving and Departing Phrases

This skill also teaches a special set of Japanese phrases when someone enters or exits a home. These are in widespread use throughout Japan.

One makes the statement when one either departs from or arrives in a home, and one makes the response upon hearing the corresponding statement.

Restaurant #2 · 2019-02-06 ^

Determiners

Just like in English, determiners in Japanese come before a noun and signify both its location and relationship with the speaker. Japanese also has two words for «that» depending on whether or not the listener is close to the noun or not.

• この本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) です means «this book is expensive» when the book in question is close to you but farther from the person you’re speaking to.

• その本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) です means «that book is expensive» when the book in question is far from you but near the person you’re speaking to.

• あの本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) です means «that book is expensive» when the book in question is far away from both you and the person you’re speaking to.

• どの本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) ですか？ means «which book is expensive?» no matter where the book in question happens to be.

Place Marker

The particle で usually shows the location of action or event, such as «at» «in» or «on» in English. で also indicates «with» «by» or «using» to show a language or tools being used.

Adjectives

This lesson also introduces Japanese adjectives, which are divided into い-adjectives and な-adjectives.

い-Adjectives

い-adjectives are true adjectives that have been in the Japanese language since the very beginning. All of them end in い、although not all adjectives that end in い are in fact い-adjectives. See how they operate using the example い-adjective おいしい、meaning «delicious.»

Note that all い-adjectives can drop the です ending in casual speech. This is grammatical as well.

When placed before a noun, there’s no change to the spelling of an い-adjective.

We will be introducing the other major category of Japanese adjectives later in the course.

Large Numbers

Japanese has certain conventions for writing large numbers. Below are the kanji and readings for a few of them that will be introduced in this lesson.

百 and 千 can be used in isolation to mean 100 and 1,000.

It would sound unnatural in Japanese to write 一百 or 一千 when you have 100 or 1,000 of something. However, 万 functions with the opposite convention; when you have 10,000 of something, it is customary to put 一 in front of it.

Food 1 #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

Object Particle

The marker を is attached to things or people, and means that they are the target of the verb. Subjects are often omitted in Japanese sentences. Unlike English, the location of the verbs are usually at the end of the sentence. を was once pronounced wo, but now it’s the [o] sound.

General Pronouns

This lesson also introduces the general pronouns これ、それ、あれ、and どれ、which translate to «this,» «that,» «that (over there),» and «which (one),» respectively.

Kanji from this Skill

Below is a table of the two kanji that are introduced in this skill, complete with possible readings.

Time 2 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Kanji from this Skill

Below is a table of the eight kanji that are introduced in this skill, complete with possible readings.

Routines #3 · 2022-06-23 ^

Directional Particle

The particle へ indicates a direction towards which something or someone moves. This movement is the direction away from the current location. When used as a particle, へ is pronounced as [e].　

Location and Time Particle

The particle に with a time expression indicates a specific point in time. に can also express times on a clock, days of the week, or years.

Kanji from this Skill

Below is a table of the four kanji that are introduced in this skill, complete with possible readings.

Transportation #3 · 2018-10-25 ^

Negative い-Adjectives

When い-adjectives are switched from positive to negative, they undergo a spelling change. The characteristic い-ending switches to a く、and the phrase meaning «not» is added to the end. The final result is an ending such as くないです。See the example below.

Just like with positive い-adjectives, all negative い-adjectives can drop the です ending in casual speech.

To make the speech more formal, one can change the ending from くないです to くありません。

Home 1 #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

The Verbs あります and います

あります and います are very special verbs in Japanese that refer to something’s existence. They’re often translated into English as «there is» or «there are.» Even though they’re often translated identically, they describe different objects:

• あります is used for inanimate objects, like books, rooms, televisions, and apples.
• います is used for animate objects, like people, cats, dogs, and other animals.

Japanese Counting Words

The Japanese language uses special counting words to count things, actions, and events. You use these words when you want to mention a specific number of a certain noun. Below is how they are typically formed.

• 鳥が二羽います means «there are two birds.»

In Japanese, you also have the option of placing the number and counter before the noun, but this is less common and typically involves an additional particle.

• 二羽の鳥がいます also means «there are two birds.»

Below is a table for 羽、the counting word introduced in this lesson. 羽 is a counter used just for birds and rabbits.

Kanji from this Skill

Below you will find the kanji for all of the vocabulary words in this skill.

Introduction 3 #5 · 2022-06-23 ^

Sentence-Ending Particles

This lesson introduces two of the most common sentence-ending particles, ね and よ。Used exclusively in conversation, they communicate intention rather than concrete meaning, and as such, they are difficult to translate directly.

ね is used to seek passive agreement from the person being spoken to, much like «… right?» or «… correct?» in English.

• いい天気 (てんき) ですね means «nice weather, isn’t it?» and is a common expression on mild, sunny days.

よ is used to express certainty in a matter of uncertainty, as if to emphasize the truth of the words that come before it. This sense of emphasis mirrors the use of the word «does» in the English sentence «She (actually) does enjoy tennis.»

• お元気 (げんき) ですか？means «are you doing well?» and a valid response would be as follows.

• 元気 (げんき) ですよ means «I am doing well (you know)» and communicates that perhaps the answerer’s health was actually poor recently and they intend to underline their present healthiness.

Family 2 #4 · 2022-09-07 ^

Familial Terms

Japanese uses a number of terms for family members. Some use the honorific form, which is typically reserved for someone else’s family members, while others use a shorter, more casual form, reserved for your own family members.

Still, these rules are not hard and fast. You will still hear children use the honorific form to address their own mother or father.

Not your uncle but your grandfather!

Sometimes, changing just one character can entirely change the meaning of a word. Japanese learners often make this mistake with the words for uncle/grandfather and aunt/grandmother. Please double-check the length of your vowel!

Arriving and Departing Phrases

This skill also teaches a special set of Japanese phrases when someone enters or exits a home. These are in widespread use throughout Japan.

One makes the statement when one either departs from or arrives in a home, and one makes the response upon hearing the corresponding statement.

Counting #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

Japanese Counting Words

The Japanese language uses special counting words to count things, actions, and events. Below is a table for つ and 個、the counting words introduced in this lesson. つ is a counter that can be used for anything, while 個 is restricted to physical objects that are relatively small and round.

Clothes #4 · 2018-10-25 ^

Wearing Clothing

Japanese has many translations for the English words «to wear» or «to put on,» depending on where on the body the clothes are worn. Below are some examples taught in this lesson.

Family 1 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Familial Terms

Japanese uses a number of terms for family members. Some use the honorific form, which is typically reserved for someone else’s family members, while others use a shorter, more casual form, reserved for your own family members.

Still, these rules are not hard and fast. You will still hear children use the honorific form to address their own mother or father.

Restaurant 1 #5 · 2022-06-23 ^

Determiners

Just like in English, determiners in Japanese come before a noun and signify both its location and relationship with the speaker. Japanese also has two words for «that» depending on whether or not the listener is close to the noun or not.

• この本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) です means «this book is expensive» when the book in question is close to you but farther from the person you’re speaking to.

• その本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) です means «that book is expensive» when the book in question is far from you but near the person you’re speaking to.

• あの本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) です means «that book is expensive» when the book in question is far away from both you and the person you’re speaking to.

• どの本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) ですか？ means «which book is expensive?» no matter where the book in question happens to be.

Place Marker

The particle で usually shows the location of action or event, such as «at» «in» or «on» in English. で also indicates «with» «by» or «using» to show a language or tools being used.

Adjectives

This lesson also introduces Japanese adjectives, which are divided into い-adjectives and な-adjectives.

い-Adjectives

い-adjectives are true adjectives that have been in the Japanese language since the very beginning. All of them end in い、although not all adjectives that end in い are in fact い-adjectives. See how they operate using the example い-adjective おいしい、meaning «delicious.»

Note that all い-adjectives can drop the です ending in casual speech. This is grammatical as well.

When placed before a noun, there’s no change to the spelling of an い-adjective.

We will be introducing the other major category of Japanese adjectives later in the course.

Large Numbers

Japanese has certain conventions for writing large numbers. Below are the kanji and readings for a few of them that will be introduced in this lesson.

百 and 千 can be used in isolation to mean 100 and 1,000.

It would sound unnatural in Japanese to write 一百 or 一千 when you have 100 or 1,000 of something. However, 万 functions with the opposite convention; when you have 10,000 of something, it is customary to put 一 in front of it.

Activity 1 #3 · 2022-06-23 ^

Past Tense

This lesson introduces the past tense of verbs. In Japanese, there are other varieties of tense, but we will cover those in later lessons. Changing a verb from the present/future tense to the past tense is rather simple.

• パンを食 (た) べます means either «I will eat bread» or «I eat bread.»
• パンを食 (た) べました means «I ate bread.»

Instead of changing the negative ending 〜ません to make a negative past tense verb («did not eat»), we simply add the word でした to the end.

• パンを食 (た) べません means either «I will not eat bread» or «I do not eat bread.»
• パンを食 (た) べませんでした means «I did not eat bread.»

The endings above apply to all verbs that end with 〜ます。

Position #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

Expressing Position

As noted in an earlier lesson, Japanese has two special verbs that mean «be» or «exist» depending on the animateness of the subject. います is used for living things, while あります is used for inanimate objects. We use these verbs to describe someone or something’s position relative to something else.

• 猫は机の上にいます means «the cat is on the desk.»

• 本は机の上にあります means «the book is on the desk.»

Notice how the verb changes depending on whether or not the topic is animate.

Activity 2 #5 · 2022-06-23 ^

て-Form

The て-form or で-form of a verb is a very important grammatical construct in Japanese that is used in several contexts.

Requests

～て / 〜で + ください is used for requests. It means «please + [verb]»

• よんでください means «please read.»

You can also attach nouns to these requests to get more specific.

• 本をよんでください means «please read the book.»

Hobby 1 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Counting People

Counting people in Japanese is relatively easy, but there are a couple irregular forms. Please reference the following table to learn how to count people.

You will also see another counter, 枚 (まい), which is used to count flat things. Thankfully, 枚 has no irregular forms, and so it’s read the same way regardless of the number that comes before it.

Not Much

あまり is a word you can use with negative sentences to express ideas like “not much,” “not often” or “not many.” Below are a few examples of its usage.

People #5 · 2019-12-18 ^

Not your uncle but your grandfather!

Sometimes, changing just one character can entirely change the meaning of a word. Japanese learners often make this mistake with the words for uncle/grandfather and aunt/grandmother. Please double-check the length of your vowel!

女 and 男

In this skill, you’ll encounter words about men and women and boys and girls, and you’ll see some different expressions you might use to talk about them. The word for woman is 女 (おんな) and the word for man is 男 (おとこ), but it is more polite to use the expressions 女の人 (おんなのひと) and 男の人 (おとこのひと) instead. There are also the expressions 女の子 (おんなのこ) and 男の子 (おとこのこ) which mean “girl” and “boy” respectively. Did you notice that the polite expressions for “man” and “woman” use the character for «person» — 人 (ひと) – while the expressions for “boy” and “girl” use the character for “child” — 子 (こ)?

Death

Much like English, Japanese has more than one way to talk about death. The different words have different connotations, similar to the English language expressions “died” and “passed away.”

Family 2 #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

Familial Terms

Japanese uses a number of terms for family members. Some use the honorific form, which is typically reserved for someone else’s family members, while others use a shorter, more casual form, reserved for your own family members.

Still, these rules are not hard and fast. You will still hear children use the honorific form to address their own mother or father.

Not your uncle but your grandfather!

Sometimes, changing just one character can entirely change the meaning of a word. Japanese learners often make this mistake with the words for uncle/grandfather and aunt/grandmother. Please double-check the length of your vowel!

Arriving and Departing Phrases

This skill also teaches a special set of Japanese phrases when someone enters or exits a home. These are in widespread use throughout Japan.

One makes the statement when one either departs from or arrives in a home, and one makes the response upon hearing the corresponding statement.

Transportation 1 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Negative い-Adjectives

When い-adjectives are switched from positive to negative, they undergo a spelling change. The characteristic い-ending switches to a く、and the phrase meaning «not» is added to the end. The final result is an ending such as くないです。See the example below.

Just like with positive い-adjectives, all negative い-adjectives can drop the です ending in casual speech.

To make the speech more formal, one can change the ending from くないです to くありません。

Direction 1 #4 · 2021-02-15 ^

Big and Small

There a few adjectives that have both an -い and a -な adjective form. With these adjectives, it is common to use the -な adjective form when the adjective comes before the noun it is modifying. «Big» and «small» are two such adjectives.

Big or Wide?

The word 広い (ひろい) means «wide» and 狭い (せまい) means «narrow,» but these words are often used in Japanese in situations in which we’d use the words «big» or «small» in English. For instance, when you’re describing the internal area of a room as «large,» you usually use the word 広い rather than 大きい . 広い is sometimes also translated as «spacious.»

Where?

Japanese has different levels of formality, and sometimes there are different words with the same meaning that differ by formality level. You’ll encounter some of them in this skill.

Clothes 1 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Wearing Clothing

Japanese has many translations for the English words «to wear» or «to put on,» depending on where on the body the clothes are worn. Below are some examples taught in this lesson.

Feeling #5 · 2018-10-25 ^

Past-Tense い-Adjectives

To turn an い-adjective from the present to the past tense, you remove the い-ending and replace with かった. Adding a です at the end will turn it into the polite form. See the example below.

Just like with the other forms of the い-adjectives, you’re allowed to drop the です ending in casual conversation.

Hobby 2 #5 · 2022-06-23 ^

Together!

In Japanese, there are different ways to ask someone to do something with you. Your verb ending can subtly change the nature of your request or suggestion.

Weeks and Months

Japanese has specific words for ideas like «last week,» «next week» and «this week.» There is even a word for «the week after next»! Maybe you’ll notice a pattern with how these words are formed!

Playing an Instrument

Japanese uses different verbs to talk about playing different kinds of musical instruments. In this skill, you will encounter the verb used for playing a string instrument — 弾きます (ひきます). Don’t forget that the piano is included as a string instrument!

Weather 1 #3 · 2022-06-23 ^

Isn’t it?

In Japanese, it is common to ask a question in the negative form in order to solicit agreement. These sentences are commonly translated as «Isn’t it…?» in English.

Did you notice the difference? When the question is asked with a regular adjective form, the English meaning is «Is it…?» When it is asked with an adjective in the negative form, the English translation changes to «Isn’t it…?«

Adverbs

In Japanese, you can change an -い adjective to an adverb by dropping the -い and replacing it with -く. Adverbs are usually words that end in -ly in English and describe how something happens.

Here are some examples of how these different forms are used.

Food 2 #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

Very, quite, or not at all!

In this skill, you will encounter words that can modify the severity of your sentences. 

全然 (ぜんぜん) and  全く (まったく) can both be used with negative sentences to mean «not at all.»

とても and  大変 (たいへん) can both be used in affirmative sentences to mean «very.»

結構 (けっこう) can be used in affirmative sentences to mean «quite.»

A Small Amount

少ない (すくない) is an adjective that means “few” or “not much.” Be careful – although the word ends in -ない, it isn’t the negative form of the adjective! The negative form of 少ない is actually 少なくない (すくなくない). That’s a mouthful!

Direction 2 #3 · 2022-06-23 ^

Big and Small

There a few adjectives that have both an -い and a -な adjective form. With these adjectives, it is common to use the -な adjective form when the adjective comes before the noun it is modifying. «Big» and «small» are two such adjectives.

Big or Wide?

The word 広い (ひろい) means «wide» and 狭い (せまい) means «narrow,» but these words are often used in Japanese in situations in which we’d use the words «big» or «small» in English. For instance, when you’re describing the internal area of a room as «large,» you usually use the word 広い rather than 大きい . 広い is sometimes also translated as «spacious.»

Where?

Japanese has different levels of formality, and sometimes there are different words with the same meaning that differ by formality level. You’ll encounter some of them in this skill.

Food 3 #5 · 2022-06-23 ^

An Empty Stomach

In Japanese, when you ask someone if they are hungry, the expression is お腹がすきましたか？ (おなかがすきましたか？)

Although the Japanese expression is written in past tense, its understood meaning would be equivalent to the English expression “Are you hungry?” It literally translates to something like, “Has your stomach been emptied?” – because if your stomach has become empty, that means that you’re hungry now!

Dates #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

Japanese Counting Words

The Japanese language uses special counting words to count things, actions, and events. Below is a table for 日、the counting word introduced in this lesson. 日 is the counter for days.

Shopping 1 #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

な-Adjectives

This lesson teaches the first な-adjective in the course, きれい、meaning «pretty» or «clean.» Although it looks like an い-adjective, it belongs to the な-adjective category.

な-adjectives are nominal adjectives that have been imported from other countries over centuries, mainly from China. There is no pattern as to what they look like, aside from the fact they’re not likely to end in an い。Remember that きれい is an exception. See how they operate using the example of きれい below.

Note that な-adjectives typically do not drop the です ending in a construction like the one above.

When placed before a noun, a な-adjective adds a characteristic な between the adjective and the noun that follows.

Health #4 · 2018-10-25 ^

The Short Past Form

The short past form is made by taking the て-form of the verb and replacing with た or だ.

People 2 #5 · 2022-06-23 ^

女 and 男

In this skill, you’ll encounter words about men and women and boys and girls, and you’ll see some different expressions you might use to talk about them. The word for woman is 女 (おんな) and the word for man is 男 (おとこ), but it is more polite to use the expressions 女の人 (おんなのひと) and 男の人 (おとこのひと) instead. There are also the expressions 女の子 (おんなのこ) and 男の子 (おとこのこ) which mean “girl” and “boy” respectively. Did you notice that the polite expressions for “man” and “woman” use the character for «person» — 人 (ひと) – while the expressions for “boy” and “girl” use the character for “child” — 子 (こ)?

Death

Much like English, Japanese has more than one way to talk about death. The different words have different connotations, similar to the English language expressions “died” and “passed away.”

Clothes 2 #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

Counting Words for Clothing

Below is a table for 足、組 and 着、the counting words introduced in this lesson. 足 is a counter that counts pairs of things you put on your feet, while 組 counts other kinds of pairs, such as pairs of gloves. 着 is a counter for suits, jackets, and kimono.

Nature 1 #3 · 2022-06-23 ^

What was happening?

～て / 〜で + います can be used to describe continuing action in the present, but did you know that you can use the -て form of the verb to describe continuing action in the past, too? Instead of  〜います, you would use 〜いました after the -て form of a verb to describe an ongoing action that occurred in the past. Look at how the verb endings can change the meaning of a sentence.

Counting Small Animals

Japanese has a lot of counter words that change depending on the object or creature being counted. Sometimes, the counter word even depends on the size of the thing being counted! For instance, the counter word 〜匹 (ひき) is used to count small animals. However, the reading of the word 〜匹 changes depending on the number that comes before it.

The Water Radical

Kanji characters are made up of different component parts called radicals. Did you know that a kanji’s radicals can sometimes give you a hint about the kanji’s meaning? For instance, kanji containing the radical 氵often have something to do with water. If you look at the words below, you can see that they all contain the radical 氵 on the left side of the kanji character, and all of them involve water. You might have noticed this radical in other kanji you’ve already seen, too!

Classroom #5 · 2022-06-23 ^

て-Form

We will now take a look at three more purposes for the て-form of verbs.

Ongoing Actions

～て / 〜で + います is used for actions in progress.

• よんでいます means «I am reading.»

We also use this construction for ongoing actions that would ordinarily use the present perfect construction in English.

• 映画ははじまっています means «The movie has begun.»

～て / 〜で + いません is the corresponding negative construction.

• よんでいません means «I am not reading.»

Prohibitions

～て + は + いけません is used when telling someone that they must not or should not do something.

• よんではいけません means «you must not read.»

• あの本をよんではいけません means «you must not read that book.»

Linking Sentences

We already learned the words と and や that mean «and» when combining nouns. Instead of those words, we use the て-form to link verbs together in Japanese sentences.

• ドアを閉めて窓を開きます means » I will close the door and open the window.»

• りんごを食べて水を飲みました means «I ate the apple and drank the water.»

For the examples above, notice how the て-form is used for the first verb regardless of the tense of the overall sentence. Only the final verb indicates the tense in this construction.

Direction 3 #7 · 2020-12-16 ^

This skill introduces three important suffixes in the Japanese language. The words that use them are called indefinite, negative, and inclusive word ranges. See how they work below.

Keep in mind that for most of the words in the negative word range, Japanese uses a double negative for full sentences.

• ここにはだれもいません。
• Here, no one is not. (There is no one here.)

Japanese Subculture #4 · 2020-01-03 ^

Maid Cafes?

There are many things you can find in Japan that aren’t common in other countries. Want to dress up as your favorite anime character and get your photo taken on the street? Visit a cafe where the waitresses all dress like maids? You can find all that and more in Japan!

Tokyo!

There are a lot of interesting and trendy areas in Tokyo, so it can be helpful to know their names if you ever choose to visit.

Harajuku and Shibuya are both known for their fashion — Harajuku for street fashion and Shibuya for having many large department stores for shopping! Harajuku is a great place to go if you like to cosplay. Akihabara and Ikebukuro are interesting places for an otaku — you can buy video games, anime and manga, computer parts, and all kinds of other things!

Classroom 2 #6 · 2022-06-23 ^

He said, she said!

When you are quoting what someone said or telling someone what something is called, you would use the particle 〜と. You can think of 〜と kind of like quotation marks in English, with the phrase coming before 〜と being the phrase that would be in quotes. Since there’s no opening quotation mark like there would be with a quote in English, though, you sometimes have to figure out from context which words are being quoted.

Be careful, because using the wrong particle can sometimes greatly change the meaning of your sentence.

Counting Long Things

〜本 (ほん) is another Japanese counter word, and it is used to count long, cylindrical things like pens and pencils. Be careful, because the pronunciation of 〜本 also changes depending on the number before it!

Feelings 1 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Past-Tense い-Adjectives

To turn an い-adjective from the present to the past tense, you remove the い-ending and replace with かった. Adding a です at the end will turn it into the polite form. See the example below.

Just like with the other forms of the い-adjectives, you’re allowed to drop the です ending in casual conversation.

Ability #1 · 2020-06-12 ^

There are several ways of expressing one’s ability to do something in Japanese.

Potential Form

The first and more casual way is the potential form of the verb, which changes the usual verb ending into a form that rhymes with 〜える or 〜えます。Notice how the potential form ending changes in accordance with the original ending.

When using this form, you may notice that the particle が plays a major role in describing what would normally be the object of a sentence marked with を。This is because the potential form often translates better to «is able to be» than «can.»

Using できる

The second and more formal to express ability is with the verb できる、sometimes spelled 出来る。Ordinarily, the short form of a verb attaches to the word ことができる to signify someone’s ability to do something.

する Verbs

For verbs that end in 〜する or 〜します、one has no choice but to express ability with できる。The more casual way to do this is with できる by itself.

To make the form more formal, you can add することができる to the end of the verb instead.

Direction 4 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

This skill introduces three important suffixes in the Japanese language. The words that use them are called indefinite, negative, and inclusive word ranges. See how they work below.

Keep in mind that for most of the words in the negative word range, Japanese uses a double negative for full sentences.

• ここにはだれもいません。
• Here, no one is not. (There is no one here.)

Object #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Thin and Thick

Just like counter words, different adjectives are sometimes used depending on the objects being described. When you are talking about something being «thin,» you would use a different adjective depending on the shape of the object being described.

There are also multiple words meaning «thick,» and their usage differs based on the shape of the object being described, too.

Is it thick or is it hot?

Remember, kanji matters! Although the three words below have the same reading, the meaning completely changes if you select the wrong kanji!

Shopping 2 #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

This lesson introduces the very fundamentals of 敬語・けいご、also known as «respect language,» as applied to verbs. Believe it or not, you’ve already learned some respect language, such as in the phrases «お元気ですか？» or «おねがいします！» Just like those phrases, the extra-polite constructions we introduce in this chapter also begin with お。

We learned from earlier lessons that the most common way of asking someone to do something is with the て-form, often followed by ください。

To make the request extremely humble and polite, we take the stem of the verb from its 〜ます form and add an お〜 prefix. It’s as simple as that. Although you are unlikely to use this form on a brief trip to Japan, you are certain to hear it from shopkeepers and restaurant employees.

Clothes 3 #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

Counting Words for Clothing

Below is a table for 足、組 and 着、the counting words introduced in this lesson. 足 is a counter that counts pairs of things you put on your feet, while 組 counts other kinds of pairs, such as pairs of gloves. 着 is a counter for suits, jackets, and kimono.

Hobby 3 #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

The Plain Form

We use the «plain,» «short» or «dictionary» form first and foremost to express the present or future tense in a casual conversation, such as between friends. We also use it to express these tenses in certain other situations before the end of a sentence.

Without exception, all plain form verbs end in a [u] sound. In the examples below, see how the plain form endings correlate with the construction of the て-form.

Nominalizing Verbs with the Plain Form + の

You can use the construction ～のがすきです to talk about things you like doing. In the example below, およぐ (swim) is the plain form of verb およぎます。When you add の to the plain form, the translation becomes either “to swim” or “swimming”. The sentence ends with ～がすきです、which means «I like.»

• Therefore, およぐのが好きです means «I like swimming» or «I like to swim.»

Remember that you can add additional information to any sentence to provide more context.

• For example, うみでおよぐのが好きです means «I like swimming in the ocean.»

Below is a table of sample sentences that model this construction.

• はしるのがはやいです means «My running is fast» or «I run fast.»
• およぐのが上手です means «Your swimming is skilled» or «you are good at swimming.»
• テニスをするのが下手です means «My tennis playing is poor» or «I am bad at playing tennis.»
• アニメを見るのが好きです means «I like watching anime» or «I like to watch anime.»

Ecology #2 · 2020-01-03 ^

Counting Large Animals

Remember, the counter word 〜匹 (ひき) is used to count small animals. Have you wondered how you would count large animals? You would use the counter word 〜頭 (とう) instead! Thankfully, the kanji is read the same way (とう) regardless of the number of large animals you are counting!

Hardly Any

ほとんど is a word that can be used in a negative sentence to mean “hardly any” or “hardly (at all)” or “almost no…” Below are a few examples of its usage.

Classroom 3 #5 · 2022-06-23 ^

て form: Negative Request

～ないでください is a negative request with the て-form (て becomes で). The first two types are called Godan (u-verbs), which you change the /u/ sound ending into /a/ sound + nai to make the negative form.

u-verbs: ならぶ (-u) → ならばない (-anai)

ru-verbs: みる (ru) → みない (nai)

Health 1 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

The Plain Past Form

We use the «plain past» form or «short past» form first and foremost to express the past tense in a casual conversation, such as between friends. We also use it to express the past tense in certain other situations.

This form is constructed by taking the て-form of a verb and replacing with た (if it ends in て) or だ (if it ends in で).

Just like when we create the て-form, verbs that end in くor ぐ in the plain form have irregular endings.

Vacation #3 · 2022-06-23 ^

Desire

Desiring Objects

Earlier in this course, you learned how to express that you want a certain object using the adjective 欲しい。欲しい literally means «desirable,» but it’s used like «want» or «want to have» in English. Because it behaves like other Japanese い-adjectives, however, you are free to add です on the end of the adjective to make the sentence more polite.

Desiring Actions

This lesson introduces how to express that you want to perform a certain action. This is done with a form of the 〜たい ending, which turns any verb into an adjective. You take the 〜ます form of the verb, add the 〜たい or 〜たいです ending, and you can express that you want to do something.

Keep in mind that since both 欲しい and 〜たい are adjectives, they behave like adjectives in other ways, including in the formation of the negative tense, past tense, and negative-past tense.

Remember, just like with other い-adjectives, one can attach the です copula to any of the four sentences above to make the statement more polite.

Memories 1 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

The Plain Past Form

We use the «plain past» form or «short past» form first and foremost to express the past tense in a casual conversation, such as between friends. We also use it to express the past tense in certain other situations.

This form is constructed by taking the て-form of a verb and replacing with た (if it ends in て) or だ (if it ends in で).

Just like when we create the て-form, verbs that end in くor ぐ in the plain form have irregular endings.

Emergency #4 · 2020-01-03 ^

Transitive and Intransitive Verb Pairs

Remember, transitive verbs are verbs that take a direct object, while intransitive verbs are verbs that do not take a direct object. Transitive and intransitive verbs often occur in pairs, and their meaning and usage differs.

Remember that the particle を is used to mark the direct object of a sentence, so you would always use it with a transitive verb.

Post Office #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

I would like…

NOUN+が欲しい and VERB STEM+〜たい are two ways to express that you want something. However, Japanese speakers often desire to be less direct, which is considered more polite. You can do that by adding 〜のですが or 〜んですが to the end of a request to make it less blunt. In English, you can translate sentences containing this ending as «I would like…»

The City #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Maid Cafes?

There are many things you can find in Japan that aren’t common in other countries. Want to dress up as your favorite anime character and get your photo taken on the street? Visit a cafe where the waitresses all dress like maids? You can find all that and more in Japan!

Ride the Yamanote Line!

There are a lot of interesting and trendy areas in Tokyo, so it can be helpful to know their names if you ever choose to visit.

Harajuku and Shibuya are both known for their fashion — Harajuku for street fashion and Shibuya for having many large department stores for shopping! Harajuku is a great place to go if you like to cosplay. Akihabara and Ikebukuro are interesting places for an otaku — you can buy video games, anime and manga, computer parts, and all kinds of other things! And Shinjuku is well-known for its exciting nightlife.

The 山手線 (やまのてせん) or «Yamanote Line» is a train line in Tokyo that goes in a circle, and it makes stops in all the areas listed above. It might be better to avoid riding the train at rush hour, though — otherwise you might run into lots of サラリーマン (office workers) going to and from work, and the train might be too packed for you to get on!

Olympic Games #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

The Olympics!

Are you looking forward to the Olympics? If you are, you can tell people that you are looking forward to something by using the phrase 楽しみにしている — or 楽しみにしています if you want to be more polite. What Olympic sport are you looking forward to the most? Who do you hope will win the 金メダル (gold medal)?

Desires #5 · 2019-05-15 ^

Sentence-Ending Particles な and なあ

Oftentimes when you want to express your positive emotions in Japanese, you end the sentence with either な or なあ、with the latter expressing an even deeper sense of longing for something. This particle does not translate directly into English, but it often acts similarly to the previously-introduced particle ね、which establishes a «harmony of understanding» between the speaker and listener.

Volitional Form

This course introduced the polite phrase 〜ましょう relatively early on. This usually translates to «let’s … » but not always. If the speaker is referring to an action that is intended to be done alone, it translates better as «I will,» a kind of definitive affirmation of one’s desire to do something.

This lesson introduces the casual form of 〜ましょう, which is some iteration of 〜おう or 〜よう depending on the ending of the verb in question.

Ability 1 #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

There are several ways of expressing one’s ability to do something in Japanese.

Potential Form

The first and more casual way is the potential form of the verb, which changes the usual verb ending into a form that rhymes with 〜える or 〜えます。Notice how the potential form ending changes in accordance with the original ending.

When using this form, you may notice that the particle が plays a major role in describing what would normally be the object of a sentence marked with を。This is because the potential form often translates better to «is able to be» than «can.»

Using できる

The second and more formal to express ability is with the verb できる、sometimes spelled 出来る。Ordinarily, the short form of a verb attaches to the word ことができる to signify someone’s ability to do something.

する Verbs

For verbs that end in 〜する or 〜します、one has no choice but to express ability with できる。The more casual way to do this is with できる by itself.

To make the form more formal, you can add することができる to the end of the verb instead.

Favors #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Expressing favors in Japanese makes frequent use of the て-form in coordination with a set of special verbs for giving and receiving.

あげる

We use あげる when we ourselves do a favor for someone else. We also use it when the interaction involves only other people.

やる

We use やる when we ourselves do a favor for someone of a lower social status, such as a child or a pet. This also applies when the interaction involves only other people.

くれる

We use くれる when someone else does a favor for us.

もらう

We use もらう when the topic of the sentence is the one to receive the favor, as «もらう» literally means «receive.» This is often translated as «had (someone) do (something).»

いただく

You may recognize the verb いただく from the phrase いただきます、which is said before eating. いただく is a polite form of もらう、usually used when asking for a favor. In addition to いただく、one can use the verb くれる for a more casual tone.

Thoughts #4 · 2020-01-04 ^

Talking and Thinking About Something

N+について is a phrase used in Japanese to discuss a topic being talked or thought about. It can be translated as “regarding….” or “about…”

As Expected

〜通り (とおり) is a phrase used in Japanese to express that something is “as expected.” It can be used following a verb (usually in the short form past tense) or a noun. Directly following a noun, the pronunciation sometimes changes to どおり, such as in the phrase 約束通り (やくそくどおり), which means “as promised.”

Nature 2 #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

Onomatopoeia

The Japanese language features many words that are known as onomatopoeia — a word that is named by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it. One of these words is きらきら, which means «sparkling.» It is meant to mimic the sound one might imagine a glittering diamond or star might make. きらきら can be used as a -する verb (きらきらする) or paired with the verb 光る (きらきら光る) to further emphasize the sparkle.

In Japanese, onomatopoeia can be commonly written in either hiragana (きらきら) or (キラキラ), depending on what you prefer stylistically.

Possibilities 1 #7 · 2020-12-16 ^

In Japanese, there are four different expressions that translate to the English word «if.»

と — Natural Consequence

We use the word と when something is a natural, inevitable, and predictable consequence of something else. This cannot be a personal intention. It is often used when describing facts and operations, instructions, and habitual actions.

なら — Future Speculation

We use なら when expressing that something will take effect in a certain context. This is often a personal intention about the future based on a given assumption about what will happen.

ば — Conditional Focus

We can use the ば form of a verb to express a conditional sentence in almost any context. However, it is ungrammatical to use this construction when the subject is the same in both parts of the sentence and the sentence expresses a desire or prohibition. It places a special focus on what comes before it, and the outcome is usually good. The ば form sounds rather formal, so it’s often used for writing and polite speech.

たら・だら — Consequence Focus

The use of たら or だら to end a past-tense verb presents the fewest restrictions and greatest freedom for expressing a conditional sentence in Japanese. It is often used for hypotheticals and speculations that have yet to be proven, much like the construction «if … would …» in English. It places a special focus on what comes after it. This is the only construction that is grammatical for a past event, or when the subject is the same in both parts of the sentence and the sentence expresses a desire or prohibition. Please refer to the example sentences below.

When in doubt about which form of «if» to use, たら or だら is usually a safe bet.

もし — Conditional Warning

The word もし cannot express «if» by itself. Rather, it is a supplemental word generally used at the beginning of a sentence to express that a conditional is coming. It generates a backdrop of uncertainty about the information ahead.

Nature 3 #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

Counting Large Animals

Remember, the counter word 〜匹 (ひき) is used to count small animals. Have you wondered how you would count large animals? You would use the counter word 〜頭 (とう) instead! Thankfully, the kanji is read the same way (とう) regardless of the number of large animals you are counting!

Hardly Any

ほとんど is a word that can be used in a negative sentence to mean “hardly any” or “hardly (at all)” or “almost no…” Below are a few examples of its usage.

Condition #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Appearance

When expressing appearance in Japanese, one can choose from several grammatical expressions.

よう

Using the noun よう is the most basic way of expressing something’s outward appearance.

みたい

The noun みたい is used almost exactly like よう、only it has a more casual tone. Be careful not to treat it as a verb or an adjective, although it might look like one.

そう

The noun そう is used to express how something seems or appears to be based on one’s observation. It’s more of an educated guess and less of a certainty than よう or みたい。

そう is also used to describe hearsay gathered from other people. In this instance, the grammar of the word changes slightly. Verbs, for example, change from the stem form for appearance to the short form for hearsay.

らしい

With respect to hearsay, らしい is used in similar contexts as そう、only it acts like any other い-adjective would.

Degree

This lesson also introduces the concept of nouns formed from adjectives, much like how «sweet» becomes «sweetness» in English with an additional ending. The ability or inability to measure such nouns in Japanese plays an important role in how they are formed.

〜さ

If a quality can be measured objectively, its nominal form will end in さ。This is also the case for all な-adjectives, regardless of one’s ability to measure them.

〜み

If, however, a quality cannot be measured objectively, its nominal form will almost always end in み、especially if it is a feeling or flavor.

Possibilities #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

In Japanese, there are four different expressions that translate to the English word «if.»

と — Natural Consequence

We use the word と when something is a natural, inevitable, and predictable consequence of something else. This cannot be a personal intention. It is often used when describing facts and operations, instructions, and habitual actions.

なら — Future Speculation

We use なら when expressing that something will take effect in a certain context. This is often a personal intention about the future based on a given assumption about what will happen.

ば — Conditional Focus

We can use the ば form of a verb to express a conditional sentence in almost any context. However, it is ungrammatical to use this construction when the subject is the same in both parts of the sentence and the sentence expresses a desire or prohibition. It places a special focus on what comes before it, and the outcome is usually good. The ば form sounds rather formal, so it’s often used for writing and polite speech.

たら・だら — Consequence Focus

The use of たら or だら to end a past-tense verb presents the fewest restrictions and greatest freedom for expressing a conditional sentence in Japanese. It is often used for hypotheticals and speculations that have yet to be proven, much like the construction «if … would …» in English. It places a special focus on what comes after it. This is the only construction that is grammatical for a past event, or when the subject is the same in both parts of the sentence and the sentence expresses a desire or prohibition. Please refer to the example sentences below.

When in doubt about which form of «if» to use, たら or だら is usually a safe bet.

もし — Conditional Warning

The word もし cannot express «if» by itself. Rather, it is a supplemental word generally used at the beginning of a sentence to express that a conditional is coming. It generates a backdrop of uncertainty about the information ahead.

Science 1 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

How to measure?

In Japanese, similar words often use different kanji characters in order to express different nuance. For instance, the character for “to measure” differs depending on the thing you’re measuring! All the words below are read はかる and all of them mean “to measure,” but the situations in which you would use each are different.

〜さ

If a quality can be measured objectively, its nominal form will end in さ。This is also the case for all な-adjectives, regardless of one’s ability to measure them.

Memories #3 · 2019-05-15 ^

Passive Voice

The passive voice in Japanese is a verb form that is unique to each verb ending, yet it is always some iteration of 〜あれる or 〜あれます。

Remember that the topic or subject of a passive sentence is the recipient of the given action, and as such, it takes the は or が particle instead of を。

When the passive sentence includes a causative agent, this person or thing is marked with に。

Weather 2 #4 · 2020-01-07 ^

Stating sources

When you’re giving information from another source, you can use the phrase 〜によると to state your source. It’s used when telling others information that you learned from the news or from another person. We commonly translate the phrase as “according to…”

Numbers 3 #4 · 2020-12-16 ^

Only

There are two ways to express the idea of “only” or “just” in Japanese. One of them is with the word だけ, which is used with affirmative sentences.

Another way you can express this idea is with the word しか, which has the same meaning but is used with negative sentences in Japanese, although the meaning of the sentence is not translated in the negative.

Several

数〜 (すう〜) is a prefix that can be added to some words to mean “several….” or “a few…” Some examples are below.

In order to…

The phrase のに has many different uses in Japanese. One of the meanings is “in order to (perform an action).” In this construction “AのにB” would be “I did B in order to A,” in which のに follows a verb in the short form. Some examples are listed below.

Emergency 1 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Transitive and Intransitive Verb Pairs

Remember, transitive verbs are verbs that take a direct object, while intransitive verbs are verbs that do not take a direct object. Transitive and intransitive verbs often occur in pairs, and their meaning and usage differs.

Remember that the particle を is used to mark the direct object of a sentence, so you would always use it with a transitive verb.

Law #2 · 2020-01-07 ^

It just happened!

When you are describing an event that just occurred, you can use the phrase 〜ところ. The phrase follows directly after a verb in the short form. If the verb is in the non-past tense, it describes an action that is just about to happen. If the verb is in the past tense, it describes an event that just happened.

Transportation 2 #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

As….as possible

できるだけ is a phrase meaning “as much as possible” or “as much as one can.” Depending on the subject of the sentence, the exact translation of the phrase can change, however.

Education #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Only

There are two ways to express the idea of “only” or “just” in Japanese. One of them is with the word だけ, which is used with affirmative sentences.

Another way you can express this idea is with the word しか, which has the same meaning but is used with negative sentences in Japanese, although the meaning of the sentence is not translated in the negative.

Several

数〜 (すう〜) is a prefix that can be added to some words to mean “several….” or “a few…” Some examples are below.

Work 1 #3 · 2022-06-23 ^

Transitive and Intransitive Verb Pairs

The English language has certain sets of verbs that are related to each other but behave differently in a sentence. Transitive verbs like «raise» or «lay» always take a grammatical object. However, intransitive verbs like «rise» or «lie» never do. The same principle works in Japanese, with the examples below.

Transitive Verbs (take an object)

Intransitive Verbs (no object)

So how do you know if and when a verb is transitive or intransitive in Japanese? Aside from noticing which verbs do and do not take grammatical objects, there are a few spelling patterns that can act as clues.

• Transitive verbs often end in え-sounds or す、like the verbs 始める (はじめる)、決める (きめる)、or 出す (だす)。
• Their intransitive pairings often end in あ-sounds, like the verbs 始まる (はじまる) or 決まる (きまる)。

Greetings at Work

Greetings and set phrases are an extremely important part of Japanese work culture. Below is a sampling of some of the most important points.

Numbers 2 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Only

There are two ways to express the idea of “only” or “just” in Japanese. One of them is with the word だけ, which is used with affirmative sentences.

Another way you can express this idea is with the word しか, which has the same meaning but is used with negative sentences in Japanese, although the meaning of the sentence is not translated in the negative.

Several

数〜 (すう〜) is a prefix that can be added to some words to mean “several….” or “a few…” Some examples are below.

In order to…

The phrase のに has many different uses in Japanese. One of the meanings is “in order to (perform an action).” In this construction “AのにB” would be “I did B in order to A,” in which のに follows a verb in the short form. Some examples are listed below.

Obligations #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

Obligations

Two grammatical elements in Japanese are especially important when describing responsibility and expectation.

〜はず

The noun はず describes the way something is expected to be.

〜べき

The noun べき、however, describes responsibilities and obligations with a more moralistic bent.

Because べき can come across as harsh, it is most often used to describe one’s own obligations. For talking about other people, «ほうがいい» is often used instead.

Causative Form

The causative form is used to express the fact when someone lets or forces someone to do something. It is created by adding a form of 〜あせる or 〜あせます to the end of a verb stem. When the person who is requested to perform the action is followed by に、this usually translates to «let someone do something.»

When this person is followed by を、however, this usually implies that the person had no choice in the matter.

This distinction is not a hard-and-fast rule, however, and the context of the sentence is usually enough to determine the difference. Either English translation is possible for either of the Japanese sentences above.

Hotel #3 · 2020-01-08 ^

An Overnight Stay

When you’re staying overnight somewhere, you would use the counter word 泊 (はく) to count the number of nights you stay somewhere. Please take note that some of the readings are irregular!

Below are some example sentences.

In a certain place…

You can use the word ある before a noun to specify that you’re talking about a certain thing without going into specifics about it.

Desires 1 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Sentence-Ending Particles な and なあ

Oftentimes when you want to express your positive emotions in Japanese, you end the sentence with either な or なあ、with the latter expressing an even deeper sense of longing for something. This particle does not translate directly into English, but it often acts similarly to the previously-introduced particle ね、which establishes a «harmony of understanding» between the speaker and listener.

Volitional Form

This course introduced the polite phrase 〜ましょう relatively early on. This usually translates to «let’s … » but not always. If the speaker is referring to an action that is intended to be done alone, it translates better as «I will,» a kind of definitive affirmation of one’s desire to do something.

This lesson introduces the casual form of 〜ましょう, which is some iteration of 〜おう or 〜よう depending on the ending of the verb in question.

Honorifics #5 · 2019-05-15 ^

Formal Language

This lesson showcases some of the most common instances of formal language for use in business situations.

Nouns

To make a noun extra formal, one places an お〜 prefix before a word of Japanese origin (typically a word with a single kanji) and a ご〜 prefix before a word of Chinese origin (typically a word with two kanji). We already learned a few examples earlier in the course.

Sometimes a noun will change completely in the transition from ordinary to formal language, often reflecting a parallel change in another part of speech, such as a verb.

Adjectives

Adjectives typically do not change grammatical form in formal speech, but they are replaced with more formal varieties.

Verbs

For verbs, there is a mixed system. As introduced in an earlier lesson, some verbs adopt an お〜 prefix and may adopt the use of the copula です。

Meanwhile, some verbs are replaced with more formal variants.

Remember that formal language uses the polite 〜ます form at the end of each sentence. Ending a formal sentence with the plain form, だ or だろう sounds odd and incongruous with the context.

Technology #4 · 2020-01-14 ^

I didn’t mean to!

When you’ve done something unintentionally, you can use the word つい to emphasize the fact that it was an accident. It’s often paired with the V+てしまう form, and it’s generally used to express regret over having done something you know you shouldn’t have done.

This sentence has a connotation of something like, “I wind up looking at my smartphone (even though I know that I shouldn’t).”

You can also use the word うっかり to express that you’ve done something carelessly or accidentally.

Transportation 3 #4 · 2020-01-13 ^

Stop!

Don’t forget about transitive and intransitive verbs! Transitive verbs are verbs that take a direct object, while intransitive verbs are verbs that do not take a direct object. Transitive and intransitive verbs often occur in pairs, and even though the dictionary definition for both words is sometimes the same, their usage differs.

Remember that the particle を is used to mark the direct object of a sentence, so you would use it with a transitive verb.

Society #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Cities and Prefectures

Japan is divided into different areas, which are known as “prefectures.” Most of these areas will be identified by adding the character 県 (けん) to the end of the area’s name. For instance, if you lived in Yamaguchi prefecture, you would tell people you live in 山口県 (やまぐちけん).

If you’re talking about a city, you would usually add the character 市 (し) to the end of the place name. So if you lived in Chiba City, you would tell people you live in 千葉市 (ちばし).

Did you know that sometimes a prefecture will contain a city of the same name? So if you live in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, you would live in both 千葉県(ちばけん) and 千葉市 (ちばし)!

As a….

When discussing someone’s role, you can use the word として in Japanese. The word として comes after the noun or “role” that is being discussed. In English, it’s often translated to the word “as.”

Colloquial #3 · 2019-05-15 ^

Colloquial Language

Welcome to the final skill in the Japanese course! The reason that colloquial language is listed as the final skill is that we wanted you to understand the importance of politeness when speaking with strangers or coworkers.

When you speak with friends in casual settings or watch anime, you may hear a lot of expressions that you have yet to be introduced to.

Pronouns

There are two male pronouns reserved for casual settings, 俺 (おれ), meaning «I» or «me,» and お前 (おまえ) meaning «you.» In formal settings, use of these pronouns is considered confrontational and impolite. Both 俺 and お前 sound extremely rough and masculine, which is why typically they are reserved for boys or men who are teenagers or older.

In addition, you may hear women and girls use the pronoun あたし (sometimes written 私) to refer to themselves. This is not considered as polite as わたし、but considerably more so than 俺。

Particle Dropping

In polite and written Japanese, grammatical particles that mark parts of speech, such as は and が、see heavy use. However, in more casual settings, they are often dropped when the meaning is clear without them. In Japanese just as in English, formality and sentence length go hand-in-hand.

Memories 2 #3 · 2022-06-23 ^

Passive Voice

The passive voice in Japanese is a verb form that is unique to each verb ending, yet it is always some iteration of 〜あれる or 〜あれます。

Remember that the topic or subject of a passive sentence is the recipient of the given action, and as such, it takes the は or が particle instead of を。

When the passive sentence includes a causative agent, this person or thing is marked with に。

Law 1 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

It just happened!

When you are describing an event that just occurred, you can use the phrase 〜ところ. The phrase follows directly after a verb in the short form. If the verb is in the non-past tense, it describes an action that is just about to happen. If the verb is in the past tense, it describes an event that just happened.

Weather 3 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Stating Sources

When you’re giving information from another source, you can use the phrase 〜によると to state your source. It’s used when telling others information that you learned from the news or from another person. We commonly translate the phrase as “according to…”

Honorifics 1 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Formal Language

This lesson showcases some of the most common instances of formal language for use in business situations.

Nouns

To make a noun extra formal, one places an お〜 prefix before a word of Japanese origin (typically a word with a single kanji) and a ご〜 prefix before a word of Chinese origin (typically a word with two kanji). We already learned a few examples earlier in the course.

Sometimes a noun will change completely in the transition from ordinary to formal language, often reflecting a parallel change in another part of speech, such as a verb.

Adjectives

Adjectives typically do not change grammatical form in formal speech, but they are replaced with more formal varieties.

Verbs

For verbs, there is a mixed system. As introduced in an earlier lesson, some verbs adopt an お〜 prefix and may adopt the use of the copula です。

Meanwhile, some verbs are replaced with more formal variants.

Remember that formal language uses the polite 〜ます form at the end of each sentence. Ending a formal sentence with the plain form, だ or だろう sounds odd and incongruous with the context.

The Hotel #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

An Overnight Stay

When you’re staying overnight somewhere, you would use the counter word 泊 (はく) to count the number of nights you stay somewhere. Please take note that some of the readings are irregular!

Below are some example sentences.

In a certain place…

You can use the word ある before a noun to specify that you’re talking about a certain thing without going into specifics about it.

Transportation 4 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Stop!

Don’t forget about transitive and intransitive verbs! Transitive verbs are verbs that take a direct object, while intransitive verbs are verbs that do not take a direct object. Transitive and intransitive verbs often occur in pairs, and even though the dictionary definition for both words is sometimes the same, their usage differs.

Remember that the particle を is used to mark the direct object of a sentence, so you would use it with a transitive verb.

Casual 1 #2 · 2022-06-23 ^

Casual Language

Welcome to the casual language in the Japanese course! The reason that colloquial language is listed late in the tree is that we wanted you to understand the importance of politeness when speaking with strangers or coworkers.

When you speak with friends in casual settings or watch anime, you may hear a lot of expressions that you have yet to be introduced to.

Pronouns

There are two male pronouns reserved for casual settings, 俺 (おれ), meaning «I» or «me,» and お前 (おまえ) meaning «you.» In formal settings, use of these pronouns is considered confrontational and impolite. Both 俺 and お前 sound extremely rough and masculine, which is why typically they are reserved for boys or men who are teenagers or older.

In addition, you may hear women and girls use the pronoun あたし (sometimes written 私) to refer to themselves. This is not considered as polite as わたし、but considerably more so than 俺。

Particle Dropping

In polite and written Japanese, grammatical particles that mark parts of speech, such as は and が、see heavy use. However, in more casual settings, they are often dropped when the meaning is clear without them. In Japanese just as in English, formality and sentence length go hand-in-hand.

Tech 2 #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

I didn’t mean to!

When you’ve done something unintentionally, you can use the word つい to emphasize the fact that it was an accident. It’s often paired with the V+てしまう form, and it’s generally used to express regret over having done something you know you shouldn’t have done.

This sentence has a connotation of something like, “I wind up looking at my smartphone (even though I know that I shouldn’t).”

You can also use the word うっかり to express that you’ve done something carelessly or accidentally.

Four Seasons #4 · 2022-06-23 ^

Did you know that Japan has four seasons?

Many who have visited Japan have been asked this question, and for good reason. Unlike in many parts of the world, the four seasons in Japan are quite distinct and a core part of Japanese culture. The cyclical nature of the year has been celebrated on the archipelago for millennia with festivals, rituals, and seasonal food.

Spring is the traditional start of the year, a time of new beginnings, a new school year, and a new year on the business calendar. Cherry blossoms bloom throughout Japan to mark the transition into spring. Families and friends gather underneath the blossoming trees and have picnics with rice dumplings (団子・だんご) and various beverages.

Summer is remarkably hot and humid throughout Japan, especially in areas away from the mountains or the sea. Summer festivals offer a respite from the heat with flavored shaved ice (かき氷・かきごおり) and cool drinks. Near the end of summer, many in Japan return to their hometowns to celebrate the Bon Festival, a holiday to commemorate the spirits of one’s ancestors.

Autumn is the season when the maple leaves turn a colorful spectrum of red, orange, and gold. The weather cools down, and the true bounty of the harvest takes the form of the many delicacies available at this time, including baked sweet potato and a warming, broth-based stew (おでん).

Winter is the season for heavy snow in the mountains of central Japan and throughout the north and northwest of the country. On New Years, Japanese people traditionally eat long buckwheat noodles (そば) as a wish for future health and longevity. Department stores celebrate the new year with mystery grab bags. Sapporo holds its annual snow festival in February, complete with enormous sculptures that attract visitors from around the world.

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