The Nihongo Master Blog
Learn interesting topics about Japanese language, entertainment, culture and more.
-
Kūki wo Yomu: How to "read the room" in Japanese
When you’ve spent quite a bit of time in Japan, you soon realise that it’s easier to say no in Japan than in most Western countries. But here’s the catch: it’s much more difficult to ask for an explanation or reason. If someone asks you out...
-
9 Essential Japanese Phrases with 気 (Ki)
The word “ki” (気) is pretty strong in the Japanese language — it refers to the spirit, mind, nature, air, or all of the above. Regardless of what language we’re speaking in, our inner being, our soul, brings up a lot of opportunities for c...
-
The crazy popular Japanese fashion souvenir: the Sukajan
This style of outerwear has been blowing up the streets and Instagram feeds. And when fashion enthusiasts (and even those who are not) find themselves in Japan, snagging a Japanese bomber jacket is basically senseless — it’s the perfect fas...
-
How to use the Japanese Sentence Endings desu & da!
One of the first things you learn about the Japanese language is “desu” (です). In fact, even those who don’t know Japanese know generally how to use this copula. Just stick it at the end of the sentence and you’re good to go, right? And fo...
-
Senpai: What it means and how to use it in Japanese!
So you’ve watched a few episodes of anime or Japanese drama and heard the word “senpai” (先輩) more than a couple of times. I think it might have been the first few Japanese words that I’ve learned. I bet even your friends who don’t know Ja...
-
16 Best Sites to Stream Anime in 2021
All the anime lovers out there, this one’s for you! The Japanese animation is great and all, until it’s hard to find a platform that streams it. If you’re getting into this magical world of anime and don’t know where to start streaming, you...
-
Let's Purikura! All you want to know about Japanese Photo Booths!
I don’t know about you but I’ve noticed how popular those photo booth stickers are at the moment. When I first came to Japan, I was surprised at how popular they are in Japan, too. Introducing “purikura”, the Japanese word for that exact th...
-
Top 10 Best Things to Do in Nara, Japan!
Nara is one of the top cities to visit when travelling to Japan. A simple Google search is enough proof of that. This city is even older than its neighbour counterpart, Kyoto, which is the country’s ancient capital city. You already can gue...
-
How to Bow: Degrees of Japanese Bowing
I don’t think I ever bowed before coming to Japan, but it’s such a huge thing in Japan. I mean, it’s one of the biggest aspects of the Japanese culture. Because there’s so much emphasis on respect, bowing is one of the main ways to convey t...
-
15 Amazing Japanese Words That Can’t Be Translated
The Japanese language is beautiful. There are tons of words that can’t fully be explained in English, let alone have an English word equivalent. In just one word, it can describe a whole scenario. And sometimes, just from the sound of it, i...