Episode 71 - 育休
How to Japanese Podcast
I'm taking December off to prep for parental leave, so I went back through some of my favorite writing from the past 18 years. Give it a listen, and don't forget the and the . Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on the , , , , and .
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Episode 70 - 当日
How to Japanese Podcast
当日 is an extremely efficient little word that can refer to any specific day in the past or the future. Tune in to learn how to incorporate it into your active Japanese instead of trying to use grammar from your native language translated into Japanese. For more, check out the and the . Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on the , , , , and .
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Episode 69 - 謎
How to Japanese Podcast
謎です。 This is all you need to get a laugh in Japanese, given the right situation. Listen to learn more about how to use this funny phrase, and to dig into the career of comedian Katagiri Jin who acted in a comedy short that went viral on the internet outside of Japan in the late 2000s. See more on the and . Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on the , , , , and .
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Episode 68 - いただき
How to Japanese Podcast
Re-orient yourself in receiver-oriented expressions of thanks! If that sounds complicated, it's not, I promise. Essentially, I show you how to replace your くださって with an いただき and take a look at some interesting language trends that I hope actual linguists are looking into. I've also got a beer recommendation and a way for you to get rid of stuff for free in Japan. See more on the and the . Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on the , , , , and .
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Episode 67 - ということです
How to Japanese Podcast
This month I wrote about one of the very first topics I ever covered on the blog: How do you convey reported information in Japanese? And how does it differ from conveying information in English? ということです is a super convenient way to do so, as long as you do the work of setting up clear context. Take a look on the or on the , which is now at newsletter.howtojapanese.com. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on the , , , , and .
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Episode 66 - 奇数・偶数
How to Japanese Podcast
This month I'm taking a look at another set of "impossible pairs." Except this time, they aren't homophones. I've also got soup recommendations, details on the Osaka Expo, and some rambling about 商店街 (shōtengai) shopping arcades. Head to the and for more. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and .
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Episode 65 - なんです
How to Japanese Podcast
なんです！ What is it? What does it mean? How do I use it? Listen in to learn a couple simple patterns that will make your spoken Japanese more natural by adding in this small little piece of language at the end of your clauses. Check out the and as well. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and .
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Ep 64 - 五月雨式
How to Japanese Podcast
This month I wrote about the word 五月雨式 which has a really interesting history. Unless you already know the word, I bet you don't know how it's pronounced. It's a very useful word in business situations, so add these example sentences into your list of sentences to review regularly. I've also got tourist recs, and there are still spots open in the USJETAA Japanese Coaching sessions I'm helping with. Check out the and as well. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and .
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Episode 63 - 例文
How to Japanese Podcast
This month I wrote about how to authenticate new Japanese phrases/words that you've never encountered before by doing a search for 例文 (reibun, example sentences). Stick around for Kyoto recommendations this month, and I also talk about the volunteering I'm doing for USJETAA: We're offering Japanese coaching sessions four times a year for anyone who needs advice on how to proceed with their studies. Check out the and as well. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and .
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Episode 62 - 筋
How to Japanese Podcast
This month I wrote about the word 筋 (suji), which has a huge range of literal and figurative meanings. One of these is closely related to Osaka geography. Stay to the end to hear me give Osaka travel recs and tell a funny story about my wedding this month. Full Osaka recs on , and more about 筋 on . Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , , and .
info_outlineThis month I talk about the importance of giving up! (What!?) I also examine a sentence from a very difficult essay and talk about 修飾 (shūshoku, description/modification) and 主題 (shudai, topics). At the end I go over a few additional reviews of the English translation of Murakami's latest novel and discuss a usage of 伺う (ukagau, to ask/to hear/to visit) that I neglected to include in last month's episode. Check out the blog and newsletter as well.
Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com.
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