Learn Japanese Pod

These are the show notes for podcast #19 “How to eat Takoyaki”. For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

In this podcast, Ami and Alex teach you various ways to say ‘must’ in Japanese. For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

In this lesson you are going to learn how to say “must” in Japanese. Here’s the problem. There are a confusing number of ways to say it. Just look at this list of phrases which all mean the same thing: しなければなりません Shinakereba narimasen しなければいけません Shinakereba ikemasen しなくてはいけません Shinakute wa ikemasen しなくちゃいけません Shinakucha ikemasen しなきゃいけません Shinakya i...

These are the PDF show notes for podcast #18 “How to say ‘must’ in Japanese” For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

In the latest Fun Friday podcast  Tomo Akiyama  is back by popular demand. We mostly talked about various aspects of Japanese culture including the question “Why do Japanese people wear masks?”. This discussion came up through the questions people most commonly ask about Japan on Google. Therefore we took a stab at answering this popular query. We also talked about how Katakana is used in Japanese...

In this episode, Ami and I talk about our favorite Japanese TV shows. Watching Japanese TV shows regardless of you Japanese level is great way to improve your understanding of Japanese culture. It also gives you a common frame of reference to have more interesting conversations with Japanese people. Although Japanese TV is not so accessible outside of Japan, you can usually find extended clips on...

In this lesson Ami and I teach you how to ask and give your opinions on various topics using the verb 思う Omou – To think. This is usually used to say “I think that…”. 思う is a very useful phrase you use all the time in conversation in Japanese. The main grammatical structure we will be using is this: Something or someone…どう思う？ Dō omou  which means what do you think about so and so… For exa...

In this lesson Ami and I teach you how to ask and give your opinions on various topics using the verb 思う Omou – To think. This is usually used to say “I think that…”. 思う is a very useful phrase you use all the time in conversation in Japanese. The main grammatical structure we will be using is this: Something or someone…どう思う？ Dō omou  which means what do you think about so and so… For exa...

These are the PDF show notes for podcast #17 “How to express your opinion in Japanese”. For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

I hung out with Niko, the creator of  Nihongo Shark  for my latest Fun Friday podcast. We talked about how he started  Nihongo Shark  which is a website crammed full of resources for students of Japanese which is well worth a look if you have’t seen it. We also talked about how to overcome feeling overwhelmed when learning Japanese, translation and the horrors of English education in Japan.

In this podcast Ami and I talk about what to do if you lose your wallet or other personal items when in Japan. The good news is that Japanese people are generally very law abiding and honest. Therefore, if someone finds your lost item, there is a good chance they will hand it in to the police and you will get it back. If you do lose something, the best idea is to ring the place you think you left...

In this podcast Ami and I talk about what to do if you lose your wallet or other personal items when in Japan. The good news is that Japanese people are generally very law abiding and honest. Therefore, if someone finds your lost item, there is a good chance they will hand it in to the police and you will get it back. If you do lose something, the best idea is to ring the place you think you left...

These are the PDF show notes for podcast “What to do when you lose your wallet in Japan” For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

In this Fun Friday edition of the Learn Japanese Pod podcast, I interviewed Tomo Akiyama who is a fascinating expert linguist and well known Twitter user from Japan. We discussed a wide range of topics including the difficulties of learning Japanese and common mistakes non-native speakers make. We also talked about common English phrases Japanese people use, the words they say and they real meanin...

In this podcast, Ami and I (Alex) teach you how to talk about your favorite movies in Japanese. Listen to the podcasts and read the dialogs below to get an idea of what these phrases and dialogs mean. You can also download the PDFs too! Enjoy!

In this podcast, Ami and I (Alex) teach you how to talk about your favorite movies in Japanese. Listen to the podcasts and read the dialogs below to get an idea of what these phrases and dialogs mean. You can also download the PDFs too! Enjoy! Dialog 01 Japanese Pronunciation English A: 「君の名は」見た？ “Kimi no na wa” mita? Did you see “Kimi no na wa”? B: 見たよ！ Mita yo! I saw it! A: どうだっ...

These are the PDF show notes for podcast #15 “Talking about your favorite movies in Japanese” For more podcasts go to http://learnjapanesepod.com

In this podcast, Ami and I, teach you some fun conversations you can have with your friends in Japanese.  The first thing you need to know when speaking on the phone in Japanese is the word  Moshi moshi  which is hello but used exclusively for the phone. You can use this for both casual and polite conversations. For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

In this podcast, Ami and I, teach you some fun conversations you can have with your friends in Japanese.  The first thing you need to know when speaking on the phone in Japanese is the word  Moshi moshi  which is hello but used exclusively for the phone. You can use this for both casual and polite conversations. Listen to the podcast and read the dialogs below to get a better idea of how to have a...

These are the PDF show notes for podcast #14 “Talking on the phone in Japanese” For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

In this podcast, I talk to Andy, a great friend of mine whom I have known for over 10 years here in Japan. As we are both long term residents of Tokyo, we wanted to record a podcast outlining the best and the worst of life here in the capital city of Japan. We decided to look at the good, the bad and the ugly to give an honest and balanced discussion of what it is really like to live here. If you ...

In this podcast Ami and Alex discuss in detail everything you need to know about becoming fluent in Japanese. For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

Everything You Need to Know to Speak Japanese Fluently My speaking fluent Japanese…sort of… One of the most common questions I get at Learn Japanese Pod is “How do I learn to speak Japanese fluently?”. The usual problem I hear is that although students study lots of vocabulary and grammar, they can’t seem to put it together to hold even a simple conversation. Fluency seems out of the question. Wel...

These are the show notes for podcast #13 “Everything you need to know to speak Japanese Fluently” For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com  

Learn Japanese Pod Fun Friday: Our Favourite Japanese Bands In our latest Fun Friday Podcast, Ami and I talked about our favourite Japanese bands and other recent news that has been happening in our lives Welcome to Learn Japanese Pod and the Fun Friday episode where we temporarily put down our Japanese textbooks and talk about Japanese culture and anything else to do with Japan that floats into o...