This month in the newsletter I wrote about 確認 (kakunin), a really useful word in so many different ways. Give the podcast version a listen here: While writing the newsletter, I realized that 確認 can absolutely be used as an … Continue reading
I’ve talked about how Airbag Expressions can be used to ask for something and also how they can be used to breach a topic. I also wrote about emailing with Japanese people and how stating your name is almost like … Continue reading
While I only remember two from the class, I’ve been collecting my own エアバッグ表現 ever since I learned the term. I would put the following two terms in the same category: 〜ですが and 〜の件ですが. Both serve as a warning that … Continue reading
It’s easy to lose focus during language classes, especially once you’ve reached that level where the class is conducted exclusively in the target language. If you don’t maintain your concentration consistently, you’ll start to miss words here and there, the … Continue reading
This one is pretty easy to break down. 復 means “multiple” and can be seen in such useful compounds as 複数 (ふくすう, “multiple numbers” → plural) and 複雑 (ふくざつ, “multiple miscellaneous” → difficult, complicated). 習 you should recognize from your … Continue reading
A short follow up to last week’s post on 助かりました. The present tense of this verb is also incredibly useful. The key is to remember that the present tense (助かる or 助かります) is the same thing as the future tense. … Continue reading
Japanese, like all languages, is all about figuring out secret codes. How to use language to communicate information, effect change, and create action. One of the pieces of code that has been useful for me recently is 幸いです (saiwai desu). … Continue reading
The new guy at work is a loud talker, and he often powwows with the guy in the office next to mine, which has been a huge boon for my I Heard That strategy. It’s difficult to tell exactly what … Continue reading
I have to thank my senior year Japanese teacher for this one. I can’t remember exactly what lesson she was teaching when she mentioned this phenomenon (perhaps it was job-hunting related since several of us were going to graduate soon), … Continue reading