Learn Japanese | JapanesePod101.com (Audio)

Learn Japanese with JapanesePod101.com! Have you heard the Japanese tale of the Beckoning Cat? While many people know of the Japanese Beckoning Cat, and what it stands for, very few know the story behind it. In this lesson, Miki will tell us all about this interesting tale. Impress your Japanese friends when you share the [...]

Learn Japanese with JapanesePod101.com. Have you ever been irritated by indecisiveness? You ask a question only to get a vague response? In this lesson we ll learn how to extend invitations in Japanese, and how not to answer them when speaking with a potential mother-in-law. We ll also cover some Japanese cultural insight. The focal point of [...]

Learn Japanese with Japanese Idiomatic Phrases at JapanesePod101.com! To be able to think in Japanese is an important process in mastering Japanese and progressing faster. You ll probably be surprised to know that you ve done it many times before! There are many Japanese proverbs and idiomatic phrases that have entered the English language. Today we ll learn [...]

Learn Japanese with JapanesePod101.com! Have you heard the stories about the unbelievable size of apartments in Japan? In this Japanese lesson, we re going to find out if Japanese apartments are really as small as rumor leads many to believe. In addition, we ll learn what s in a typical Japanese apartment and how to talk about the [...]

Learn Japanese with JapanesePod101.com! Do you know the customs associated with moving into a new place in Japan? In this lesson we ll look at Japanese customs associated with moving. Moving in Japan can be quite challenging due to language and cultural challenges, but with the series on moving in Japan, we ll help make this potentially [...]

Best friends with a person you ve never met in real life? The arrival of social networks and e-mail enabled cellphones brought a new phenomenon to Japan, the merutomo (e-mail friend). People find new friends, but sometimes you can even find your soulmate! Find out what kind of friendship is developing in this story! We re learning [...]

Japan is world-famous for its delicious and unique cuisine. Today we ll talk about 2 types of Japanese cuisine that are famous for FUN. That s right, okonomi-yaki and monja-yaki are 2 regional foods that are perfect for social occasions. It s as fun to make as it is to eat! Miki-san will talk about the differences between [...]

Learn Japanese with JapanesePod101.com! Do you have trouble speaking on the phone in Japanese? This lesson focuses on talking on the phone, as speaking on the phone in a foreign language is one of the most challenging things. We ll also learn how to ask about someone s well-being in Japanese, and also, how to subtly refuse [...]

Learn Japanese with Japanese Idiomatic Phrases at JapanesePod101.com! To be able to think in Japanese is an important process in mastering Japanese and progressing faster. You ll probably be surprised to know that you ve done it many times before! There are many Japanese proverbs and idiomatic phrases that have entered the English language. Today we ll learn [...]

Want to eat something delicious in Tokyo? After today, you ll have no problem eating anywhere in Japan! In today s Japanese lesson, we ll learn how to order in a restaurant with limited Japanese. The useful phrases you ll learn today will open the doors of all delicious restaurants in Japan for you. 。 Premium Content Dialog Play Popup [...]

What do you like? Saying what you like and don t like is critical to your survival in a foreign country. Japan is no different. But did you know that we can use the same grammatical pattern to express things that you are good at and bad at doing? It s true. And it couldn t be [...]

Learn Japanese with Japanese Idiomatic Phrases at JapanesePod101.com! A life lesson from a Japanese idiomatic phrase. Imagine yourself a samurai on a journey in Japan to the ancient capital of Kyoto. You are traveling by foot, and crossing through a big open field. It s late, the sun is starting to set, and your stomach growls. [...]

What is that thing? It s an important question and today we re going to teach you how to ask it! We ll also learn how to use the Japanese sentence ending particles, ne and yo. You ll be seeing these in every Japanese conversation for the rest of your life, so it s best to master them now. We ll [...]

Are you ready to move apartments in Japan? What are the first things you have to prepare for? Today we ll learn how to get everything in order for the movers and make sure the day goes smoothly. We ll learn how to use ~kke, a particle very important in everyday conversational Japanese (as well as when talking to yourself!). [...]

Good bye Kanji! You were too difficult! Katakana is a simpler system, easy to write, and most English words are already written with it. It s the perfect system for simplifying Japanese for Japanese learners and the world. Right? Japanese would much easier to read, right? You would think so, but In this lesson, we re not going to look [...]

Good bye Kanji! You were too difficult! Katakana is a simpler system, easy to write, and most English words are already written with it. It s the perfect system for simplifying Japanese for Japanese learners and the world. Right? Japanese would much easier to read, right? You would think so, but In this lesson, we re not going to look [...]

Did you just insult your friend s grandmother? There are a lot of subtle manners associated with hashi (chopsticks). You definitely don t want make any of these mealtime no-no s. But have no fear, Miki s here to set the record straight and talk about some of the most important Japanese manners associated with chopsticks. After [...]

Your daughter chose the wrong guy. So what do you do? Ask a trusted friend if he has an available son, right? Well, that s exactly what s happening now. If you haven t been following this story so far, now is definitely the time to tune in. Of course, you re here to learn Japanese, so we re going to study an [...]

Learn Japanese with Japanese Idiomatic Phrases at JapanesePod101.com! So how do you go from communicating in basic Japanese, and to impressing listeners in sophisticated Japanese? Well, you can start with this lesson. Impress listeners with these 2 yojijukugo, 4 character kanji compounds. Both of these useful Japanese phrases will impress your friends and help you [...]

Meeting a Japanese person for the first time? Do you know what to say? Today we ll learn the basic greetings you should say when meeting a person. We ll also give you one of the most important and high frequency phrases in the Japanese language: yoroshiku onegai shimasu. We ll also learn how to make [...]

A match made in heaven? A Japanese idol and pro-golfer have just announced that they got married. Of course, the Japanese press has a lot of questions for the newlyweds. But one reporter in particular has a photograph that might cause some trouble for the lovebirds. We ve got some high-level grammar in this episode. [...]

Going to a　hot spring or public bath? You ll need to know the proper etiquette if you want to be comfortable and get the most of your time there. In this series we ll walk you through step by step, so you can bathe like a pro and impress everyone with your knowledge of Japanese [...]

Sign on the dotted line without a pen? It s not a digital signature, it s a personal stamp. The long tradition of using a personal stamp is very much alive. If you re opening a bank account, buying a car or signing an official document, the preferred way of signing is using a [...]

First impressions are important! Especially when you re meeting your fiancée s father for the first time! You don t want to make the same mistake Haruya makes in today s episode. We ll learn how to say what we want or want to do in Japanese. Using the construction naninani ga hoshii is a useful Japanese phrase [...]

Ever feel like you make progress only to find yourself back where you started? Or worse? Today we re going to learn how to say that in Japanese! The word is isshin ittai, but it requires a little more explanation than that. Next we ll learn icchō ittan, which can be used describe all [...]

Ever feel like you make progress only to find yourself back where you started? Or worse? Today we re going to learn how to say that in Japanese! The word is isshin ittai, but it requires a little more explanation than that. Next we ll learn icchō ittan, which can be used describe all [...]

Introducing YOU! But wait! How can you introduce yourself when making new Japanese friends? Well, it s easier than you think! Today we ll learn some basic Japanese self-introductions that will help you make friends. Don t want to talk about yourself the whole time? Don t worry, because we ll also learn how to ask basic questions using desu [...]

Need to get a new apartment in Japan? Do you know where to start? In this series, we re going to show you step by step how to rent an apartment in Japan. We ll give you all the tools you need to make the whole process as painless as possible. We ll look at some [...]

Going to a　hot spring or public bath? You ll need to know the proper etiquette if you want to be comfortable and get the most of your time there. In this series we ll walk you through step by step, so you can bathe like a pro and impress everyone with your knowledge of Japanese [...]

Have you ever gone off on a shop clerk? In Miki s town there is a guy who is famous for being rude to shop clerks. Want to know why he does it? Tune in to this unbelievable audio blog and see what Miki thinks about it. After listening, be sure to [...]