エピソード

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

    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 the blog for links to the reviews and to the one I wrote.

    Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com.

    You can also follow How to Japanese on Substack, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

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    1 時間 15 分
  • Episode 56 - 伺う
    2024/10/21

    In the newsletter this month, I looked at 伺う (ukagau) a broadly useful "humble" keigo verb, and on the blog 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 howtojapanese@gmail.com.

    You can also follow How to Japanese on Substack, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

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    41 分
  • Episode 55 - 確か・確かに
    2024/09/23

    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 the newsletter, and check out the blog 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 howtojapanese@gmail.com.

    You can also follow How to Japanese on Substack, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

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    37 分
  • Episode 54 - 確認
    2024/08/05

    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 the newsletter for the prefixes/suffixes it connects with and how it's an extremely effective tool in work chats. On the blog, 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 howtojapanese@gmail.com.

    You can also follow How to Japanese on Substack, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

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    30 分
  • Episode 53 - 日記
    2024/07/21

    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 the newsletter for the details and the blog 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 howtojapanese@gmail.com.

    You can also follow How to Japanese on Substack, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

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    27 分
  • Episode 52 - 聖地巡礼
    2024/06/22

    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 the newsletter I look at how having an 推し is good for language study, and on the blog 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 howtojapanese@gmail.com.

    You can also follow How to Japanese on Substack, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

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

    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 newsletter and the blog.

    Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com.

    You can also follow How to Japanese on Substack, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

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    29 分
  • Episode 50 - Sentence Diagramming
    2024/04/19

    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 the newsletter. Plus, I provide a great way to increase your exposure to trending news articles in Japan. Read more over at the blog.

    Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com.

    You can also follow How to Japanese on Substack, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

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    37 分