✏︎ English→日本語→中文 English The JLPT registration deadline has passed. Or the test date doesn't work for your schedule. Or you want more frequent progress checks than twice a year. Whatever the reason — you're looking for alternatives. This article introduces the main options, explains who each one suits, and gives you a rough sense of how each test maps to JLPT levels so you can communicate your proficiency clearly. A note before we begin Some people need a specific qualificat

スーパーの食品表示を読み解く——知っていた方がいい日本語ラベルの基礎知識 ✏️ English→日本語→中文 English Japanese supermarkets are efficient, beautifully organized, and full of things you want to buy. They're also full of labels written entirely in Japanese, with rules and conventions that differ significantly from what you're used to. This guide will get you through the essentials — from expiry dates to allergens to the art of the half-price sticker. Part 1: The two expiry date systems Japan uses two completely diff

窓口で本当に使う日本語——銀行・郵便局の実践フレーズ ✏️English→日本語→中文 English Textbooks teach you how to ask for directions and order food. They don't teach you how to set up a bank transfer, explain a passbook to a teller, or figure out what to do with the delivery slip left in your mailbox. This article does. Part 1: The vocabulary you actually need at a Japanese bank Before the phrases, the words. These are the terms that appear on ATM screens, teller windows, and bank forms — and that no one think

挫折しないシャドーイングの技術——10分でも、30分でも ✏️English→日本語→中文 *この記事はプロモーションを含みます。 English You've heard that shadowing is one of the best ways to improve your Japanese. You tried it once, felt completely lost, and gave up after ten minutes. Sound familiar? The problem usually isn't you — it's that nobody told you how to do it properly. What shadowing actually is Shadowing means listening to spoken audio and speaking along with it simultaneously — not after it, but at the same time, like a sha

「ペラペラ」「ワクワク」——オノマトペは日本語の隠し味 **本ページはプロモーションを含みます。 ✏️ English→日本語→中文 English You can conjugate verbs. You know your keigo. You study every day. But something about your Japanese still sounds a little flat. There's a good chance you're missing one of the most expressive layers of the language: onomatopoeia. Japanese onomatopoeia is unlike anything else Every language has onomatopoeia — words that sound like what they describe. English has "buzz," "splash," "crunch." But Japanese

JLPTのメリット・デメリットと、試験と実戦会話のバランス ✏️English→日本語→中文 You've seen it on job postings. You've heard other learners talk about it. Maybe you're already studying for it. But is the JLPT actually the best use of your time — and what does passing it really prove? What the JLPT is (and isn't) The Japanese Language Proficiency Test is the world's most widely recognized Japanese certification. It has five levels — N5 (beginner) to N1 (advanced) — and tests reading, vocabulary, and listening

命を守るための日本語——災害時に必ず出てくる言葉 **本ページはプロモーションが含まれています ✏️English→日本語→中文 🇬🇧 English An alert appears on your phone. The train display shows an unfamiliar message. The news anchor is speaking quickly. In a disaster situation in Japan, understanding a few key words can make a real difference. This article is a reference you can save and come back to. Part 1: Understanding disaster alerts Japan's disaster alert system uses a 5-level warning scale. Knowing which level means what could

「正しいと思っていた」その日本語、実は不自然かもしれません ✏️ English→日本語→中文 English Your sentences are grammatically correct. Your teacher said "good job." But something still sounds a little off. The problem might not be what you're getting wrong — it's what you don't know you're getting wrong. The mistake that feels like progress There's a specific kind of mistake that's hard to catch: the ones that are technically correct, but sound unnatural to a native speaker. When you're a beginner, you get feedb

教科書の日本語とリアルな日本語のギャップ ✏️English→日本語→中文 🇬🇧 English You studied Japanese for months. You passed a grammar test. Then you watched an anime — and understood almost nothing. What's going on? The gap nobody warns you about There are two kinds of Japanese. The first kind lives in textbooks, classrooms, and JLPT tests. It's clean, structured, and polite. The second kind lives in anime, variety shows, izakayas, and real conversations. It's fast, contracted, and full of sounds that do

教科書では教えてくれない、丁寧語の本当の「距離感」 ✏️English→にほんご→中文 🇬🇧 English You learned です and ます. You use them faithfully. And yet — something feels off. Native speakers sense a wall. Here's what your textbook never told you. The textbook lie (sort of) Every beginner learns the rule: use plain form with friends, polite form with strangers and superiors. Clean. Simple. Teachable. But here's the problem: Japanese social life doesn't run on two gears. Real politeness is a continuous dial, and です/

日本語の単語は、覚えるのがむずかしいですね。 覚えたのに、すぐ忘れる いつ復習すればいいか、分からない こんなことで困っている人は多いと思います。 そんな人におすすめなのが、 フラッシュカードアプリ「Anki（アンキ）」 です。 Ankiは、単語や漢字を くり返し練習するためのアプリ です。 特にヨーロッパやアメリカ出身の日本語学習者にも、よく使われています。 この記事では、 日本語学習でのAnkiの使い方・気をつけること・効果を高くする方法 を紹介します。 Ankiとは？ Ankiは、 忘れそうなときに、自動で復習が出てくるアプリ です。 アプリが、 今、覚えている もう少し練習が必要 を考えて、復習のタイミングを決めてくれます。 日本語では、 単語 漢字 表現 文型 を何度も見て、少しずつ覚えます。そのため、Ankiは日本語学習にとても合っています。 日本語学習でのAnkiの使い方 ① カードに情報を入れすぎない 1枚のカードには、 1つだけ 覚えたいことを書きましょう。 おすすめの形： 表：日本語の単語 裏：意味＋短い例文 たくさん書くと、