How to Japanese Podcast

Everyone learning Japanese needs a senpai - this podcast is your digital senpai. Join Daniel from HowToJapanese.com and guests to learn what strategies have been effective for them as they study, live, and work in Japan and using Japanese.

Ep 64 - 五月雨式 05/18/2025

Ep 64 - 五月雨式 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 . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/36612440

Episode 63 - 例文 04/25/2025

Episode 63 - 例文 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 . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/36319405

Episode 62 - 筋 03/24/2025

Episode 62 - 筋 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 . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/35834390

Episode 61 - あとになってわかったこと 02/10/2025

Episode 61 - あとになってわかったこと This month is all about acquisition. Specifically the appraisal and acquisition of new Japanese. I argue that a "collector's mindset" can help benefit students. It's how I recently acquired the new phrase あとになってわかったこと. Listen in to learn about what it means. And check out the blog , and the here this month. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/35219300

Episode 60 - 状態・状況 01/14/2025

Episode 60 - 状態・状況 This month I introduce another "Impossible Pair," which I first wrote about back in September 2024. The pair I introduce: the words 状態 (jōtai) and 状況 (jōkyō). One way to differentiate these is size, but the other is a time element. I think I've hit on an interesting way to think about these. Check out for more, and for how 状態 gets used with Pokemon. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/34848545

Episode 59 - のです 12/16/2024

Episode 59 - のです This month I look at three paragraphs from an essay by Kakuta Mitsuyo. These three paragraphs have an interesting combination of 常体 (jōtai, direct style) and 敬体 (keitai, distal style), which gives me another opportunity to talk about written and spoken Japanese. And I also address のだ (no da)/のです (no desu), the little bit of language that comes at the end of clauses and sentences. Check out the and for links to some of the essays I wrote about, including the review of drinkable mayonnaise. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/34466435

Episode 58 - 修飾 11/25/2024

Episode 58 - 修飾 This 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 and as well. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/34135166

Ep 57 - The City and Its Uncertain Walls - Review Redux 11/13/2024

Ep 57 - The City and Its Uncertain Walls - Review Redux Special Emergency Episode: The English translation of Murakami's The City and Its Uncertain Walls will be published on November 19, so I'm re-running my review episode of the Japanese version that I posted last year. I'm adding 20 minutes of additional content as an introduction to discuss a couple of the reviews that have already been published. Check out for links to the reviews and to the one I wrote. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/33913022

Episode 56 - 伺う 10/21/2024

Episode 56 - 伺う In this month, I looked at 伺う (ukagau) a broadly useful "humble" keigo verb, and on I looked at the other kanji that help ukagau expand its meanings. On the podcast, I talked about keigo more broadly. It's often overcomplicated and intimidating. Students need an easy way in, and I think there's a way to create a simple binary for many keigo verbs. Give the episode a listen and let me know what your own keigo experience has been like! Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/33545637

Episode 55 - 確か・確かに 09/23/2024

Episode 55 - 確か・確かに確か (tashika) and 確かに (tashika ni) seemed impenetrable to me when I first started studying; somehow they're nearly identical but meant the exact opposite? I found that I was able to crack the code by "brute forcing" this an other impossible pairs. Read more in , and check out for a link to the Kakuta Mitsuyo reading I mentioned and to find a link to my Japanese reading group. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/33165842

Episode 54 - 確認 08/05/2024

Episode 54 - 確認確認 (kakunin, confirm/check) is one of the most flexible words in the language. This month I go over all the different usages. Check out for the prefixes/suffixes it connects with and how it's an extremely effective tool in work chats. On , I've got more in depth discussion of 確認 and how it can set a template for conversations. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/32439902

Episode 53 - 日記 07/21/2024

Episode 53 - 日記 It's been three years since I restarted my kanji study, and unfortunately it's languished over the past year. I take a look at the recommendations I made last year to see if they still hold up and provide an alternate method of creating your own manual spaced-repetition system. Check out for the details and for a look at how much a draft of Norwegian Wood might have weighed. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/32228657

Episode 52 - 聖地巡礼 06/22/2024

Episode 52 - 聖地巡礼 Do you have an 推し? Do you do 推し活? Have you been on a 聖地巡礼 as part of this? Do any of the words I just wrote make any sense at all? If not, tune in for details on how the language of fandom is mutating into more mainstream topics. In I look at how having an 推し is good for language study, and on check out a very funny use of 推し活 in marketing. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/31846407

Episode 51 - 文壇 (The Japanese Literary World) 05/18/2024

Episode 51 - 文壇 (The Japanese Literary World) This month I looked at the 文壇 (bundan, literary world) and 文芸誌 (bungeishi, literary journals) thanks to the 120th anniversary issue of Shinchō. Murakami Haruki has a short story, but the real reason to pick up the issue is the 随筆 (zuihitsu, nonfiction essays/miscellaneous writing). Tune in to learn why, and don't forget to check out the and the . Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/31363597

Episode 50 - Sentence Diagramming 04/19/2024

Episode 50 - Sentence Diagramming How do you improve your ability to understand Japanese sentences on your own? And to craft structurally sound Japanese sentences? I have a theory that sentence diagramming is a great step along the way, and I wrote about it this month in . Plus, I provide a great way to increase your exposure to trending news articles in Japan. Read more over at . Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/30898558

Episode 49 - 角ハイ 03/16/2024

Episode 49 - 角ハイ The word 角ハイ (kakuhai) kind of formed in my mind without me even consciously realizing what it was, so I explored that for and the podcast this month. Turns out, it's related to Suntory, Japan's whiskey history, and the booming highball market since 2008. Check out as well, where I look at お湯割り (oyuwari, cut with hot water). And at the end I include a grab-bag of いろいろ content, including a Mercari recommendation for all my fellow used book sickos! Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/30397103

Episode 48 - The 1,000-yen Haircut and まとめる 02/12/2024

Episode 48 - The 1,000-yen Haircut and まとめる This month I continue the conversation about value in Japan with a close comparison of the 1,000-yen men's haircut and the 2,000-yen men's haircut. The former has terrible value, while the latter has great value. I also get into some good haircut vocab and talk about the interesting customs of men's barbers, which I expanded on over at . For , I wrote about the verb まとめる (matomeru, bring things together). Give it a read! Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/29900643

Episode 47 - Murakami and 見積もり 01/11/2024

Episode 47 - Murakami and 見積もり明けましておめでとうございます！ New Year, New Murakami. We're getting a Jay Rubin translation of Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World in September. I talk about the market for used Birnbaum translations and go over some of the details that Rubin revealed about the translation in a talk at Wellesley last April. I also talk about the 見積もり (mitsumori, quotes) involved in moving apartments. Check out more on Murakami over at , and details on quotes/estimates and shopping for appliances at . Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/29440033

Episode 46 - そうこうしているうちに 12/21/2023

Episode 46 - そうこうしているうちに We made it! 2023 is a wrap. Life sometimes seems busy and overwhelming, but we can have it all--including our language goals. This month I take a look at Japanese recipe creators that you can rely on for simple meals while studying the language. I also do an assessment of the state of Japanese social media platforms and their use as corpora of language usage examples. Check out for a deeper dive on the phrase I'm looking at this month, そうこうしているうちに, and for some いろいろ. See you in 2024! Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/29182088

Episode 45 - コロケーション 11/27/2023

Episode 45 - コロケーション This month I analyze the subtitle translation for the latest John Wick movie, which came out in Japan in September. The episode includes one spoiler, but I frontloaded additional content and provide a spoiler warning if you'd like to skip. The core part of the podcast addresses collocations, what they are, how they work, and how we as students of the language can take advantage of them in our study. As always, check out and for additional content. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/28803583

Episode 44 - スミマセン 10/29/2023

Episode 44 - スミマセン This month I talk about 非外来語のカタカナ表記 (non-gairaigo katakana notation). When and why do Japanese users choose to write kanji and hiragana words using katakana. As always, check out and for additional content. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/28450934

Episode 43 - それが 09/23/2023

Episode 43 - それが This month I take a look at the really excellent little conjunction それが and how it can be used to efficiently express subversion of expectations. I also follow up on Anki and writing kanji based on some interesting tweets and potentially even give myself a new Japanese project. Ask me in a year if I've kept up with it. Check out and for additional content. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/28119740

Episode 42 - のだ 08/27/2023

Episode 42 - のだのだ is one of the subtler, more difficult-to-use Japanese grammar patterns, but employing it in your spoken Japanese is a quick way to sound more natural. This month in the podcast and newsletter, I look at how to use it in written Japanese. I also have a follow-up on kanji from last month and a (mostly) spoiler-free review of 君たちはどう生きるか (The Boy and the Heron) at the end. Check out the newsletter and for additional content. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/27858036

Episode 41 – Kanji 07/17/2023

Episode 41 – Kanji The podcast is back as a monthly accompaniment to my newsletter. This month I'm talking about kanji study and how to use SRS (spaced repetition software) to optimize your passive recognition and active production of Japanese. Check out the newsletter and for additional content. And I'd love to hear from listeners/readers: What has worked well for you? Do you have any decks that have been helpful? Strategies for deck creation? Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/27484692

S03E10 – Review of The City and Its Uncertain Walls 06/29/2023

S03E10 – Review of The City and Its Uncertain Walls It took me two months, but I read the book (in 25 days) and then spent the rest of the time playing Zelda and trying to write my review. Here are some of my thoughts. The first few minutes are spoiler free, so feel free to drop in and then check out. Head over to for links to my review on Medium and some additional thoughts on Substack. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/27321906

S03E09 – Immediate Reactions to Murakami’s New Novel 04/12/2023

S03E09 – Immediate Reactions to Murakami’s New Novel Haruki Murakami's new novel is out in Japan! I've read the first two chapters and give my immediate impressions divided into three sections: spoiler free, loose suggestions about content, and spoiler-palooza. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/26521818

S03E08 – Predictions for Murakami's New Novel 04/11/2023

S03E08 – Predictions for Murakami's New Novel We're 24 hours away from the publication of Murakami's latest novel! In this episode, I go through a laundry list of vocabulary that ties together Murakami's fiction over the years, run through a set of predictions I made (both prior to and after the title announcement), and then dig deep into spoiler territory about how exactly the new novel might be connected to Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. Check out the links I mention . Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/26507538

S03E07 – Murakami Bibliography – 2006-2023 04/10/2023

S03E07 – Murakami Bibliography – 2006-2023 This week I go through all the books--fiction, nonfiction, and translations--that Murakami Haruki published from 2006 to 2023. Take a look at for all the links I mentioned, and follow along during the podcast using the Google Sheets spreadsheet I created with all Murakami's publications: Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/26493663

S03E06 – Murakami Bibliography – 1988-2005 04/05/2023

S03E06 – Murakami Bibliography – 1988-2005 This week I go through all the books--fiction, nonfiction, and translations--that Murakami Haruki published from 1988 to 2005. Take a look at for all the links I mentioned, and follow along during the podcast using the Google Sheets spreadsheet I created with all Murakami's publications: Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/26449854

S03E05 – Murakami Bibliography – 1979-1987 03/29/2023

S03E05 – Murakami Bibliography – 1979-1987 This week I go through all the books--fiction, nonfiction, and translations--that Murakami Haruki published from 1979 to 1987. Take a look at for all the links I mentioned, and follow along during the podcast using the Google Sheets spreadsheet I created with all Murakami's publications: Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to . You can also follow on , , , , and . /episode/index/show/howtojapanese/id/26377443

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