Japanese from Scratch with YUKO

Have you ever been to a restaurant or a shop in Japan and had trouble understanding what the staff were saying? In Japan, people working at restaurants, shops, and hotels often use very polite Japanese expressions. Today, we'll learn some common Japanese phrases you'll hear from staff in restaurants, shops, and other places in Japan.

Have you ever seen a Koban in Japan? Today, we're going to talk about a Koban, or a police box in Japan. A Koban is a small police station where you can go when you need help, even if it's not an emergency. In this episode, we'll learn what a Koban is and some useful Japanese phrases for when you lose something or find something that someone else has lost.

Today is Part 3, the final episode of our Emergency Calls in Japan series. Today, we'll learn how to report a fire by calling 119. We'll also learn some useful Japanese words and phrases you might hear during an emergency at a department store, train station, or hotel.

Today, we'll learn how to call the police in Japan. What should you say if you get into a traffic accident or have something stolen? And what kind of questions will the police ask you? Let's learn some useful Japanese phrases for these situations!

We're starting a new series about emergency calls in Japan! What would you do if you had an accident, got seriously sick, or needed help from the police while traveling in Japan? In this three-part series, we'll learn some useful Japanese phrases for these emergency situations. Today, in Part 1, we'll focus on how to call an ambulance in Japan.

Today is the third and final part of our taxi series! What can you say when you're getting close to your destination? How do you pay the fare? And what might the driver say when you get out of the taxi? Let’s learn some useful phrases!

Last time, we started our three-part series about taking a taxi in Japan. Today, we’ll move on to the second situation: getting in the taxi and starting your ride. What can you say when you have a suitcase? How do you tell the driver where you want to go? And what can you say if you want to use the expressway?

In this episode, we’ll talk about taking a taxi in Japan. This is Part 1 of our three-part taxi series! In this series, we’ll cover calling a taxi, getting in and starting your ride, and arriving at your destination and getting out. Today, we’ll start with how to call a taxi!

Today, we're going to talk about a very common Japanese expression: だいじょうぶです. You may already know that だいじょうぶです can mean “I’m okay” or “It’s okay.” But did you know that Japanese people use this expression in many different situations? Let's look at some common situations and learn how to use this useful expression naturally in Japanese!

This is the third episode of our “Common Japanese Mistakes” series. For this episode, I’m going to introduce three pairs of Japanese words that are easy to confuse. For example, しりません and わかりません can both be translated as “I don't know.” in English, but they are sometimes used differently in Japanese.

Last time, we introduced some common Japanese mistakes. We learned that English words and Japanese words that have the same meaning can sometimes be used in different ways. Today, we’re going to look at two Japanese adjectives that mean “tall” and “strong,” and three expressions that can be translated as “please.”

Today, I’m going to introduce some mistakes that I often hear from Japanese learners. Sometimes, a Japanese word has the same meaning as an English word, but we can’t always use the two words in the same way. In this episode, I will intoroduce 3 adjecitives that Japanese learners often get wrong.

Hooray! This is the 100th episode. Thank you so much for listening and learning Japanese with me. Today, we're going to learn the grammar pattern ～になります, which we use to talk about change. Let's learn how to say "My Japanese has improved!" in Japanese!

Today, I'll introduce some common expressions that Japanese people use in their daily lives such as シャワーをあびます、ひげをそります. Learning these natural verb-and-noun combinations(collocations) will help your Japanese sound much more natural.

Today, we're continuing our series on Japanese homophones. Last time, we learned words like ame, hashi, kami, and kumo. This week, we'll learn some more fun homophones like hana, sake, kaki, and ishi!

Today, we're going to learn about Japanese homophones. A homophone is a word that sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning. Japanese has many homophones. Sometimes, one sound can have two or even three different meanings!

Do you like soccer? Even if you're not a big soccer fan, I think you'll enjoy today's episode. Today’s episode is a little different. It's a special episode because the FIFA World Cup is happening now! By the end of this episode, you'll be able to cheer for Japan just like Japanese fans!

Today, we're continuing our series on transitive and intransitive verbs. Have you ever wondered about the difference between ireru and hairu , dasu and deru , or nakusu and nakunaru ? In this episode, we'll learn how to use these common verb pairs in everyday Japanese.

Today, we’re continuing our series on transitive and intransitive verbs. This time, we’ll look at another group of really useful verbs— like tomeru / tomaru, mawasu / mawaru, and hajimeru / hajimaru. These verbs are great for describing things that stop, start, or move—either by themselves or because someone makes them happen. Please enjoy listening!

Today, we’re starting a new series about something many Japanese learners find confusing: transitive and intransitive verbs. In Japanese, there are many verb pairs like akeru and aku, and choosing the right one can be tricky at first. In this first episode, we’ll focus on simple and practical verbs you can use when talking about doors and lights!

Today, we’re continuing our series Japanese Adjectives You Always Mix Up .In Part 3, we focus on temperature and feelings. You’ll learn the difference between words like atsui , atatakai , samui , suzushii , and tsumetai . Perfect for helping you avoid common mistakes and sound more natural in Japanese!

Today, we’re continuing our series on confusing Japanese adjectives. We’ll start with three words that many learners mix up: “ookii,” “ooi,” and “hiroi.” We’ll also learn how to say “busy” naturally in Japanese, and what “takai” really means. I hope you enjoy this episode and learn a lot!

Do you know the difference between むずかしい and たいへん? They both mean “difficult,” but they’re actually quite different. Today’s topic is confusing Japanese adjectives. In Japanese, there are many adjectives that seem similar, but actually have slightly different meanings depending on the situation. Learning these differences will help you sound more natural and confident in Japanese.

In today’s episode, we’ll talk about confusing words related to time. You’ll learn the difference between words like asa and gozen, hiru and gogo, and yoru and ban. And we’ll also look at an important difference between ichi-ji (one o’clock) and ichi-jikan (one hour). Let's get started!

Today, we’re going to focus similar nouns and pronouns used to talk about people. If you’ve ever been unsure about words like kare, kanojo, or when to say someone’s name instead of “he” or “she,” this episode is for you!