Fashion, fast and slow: Discussing shopping ethics in Japanese
Whether it’s a trendy top from a chain store in Shibuya or a vintage piece from the backstreets of Kichijoji, know how to shop with a mind to sustainability in Japanese.
Grammar for grumps: When you just don’t feel all that genki
We can't feel "super genki" all the time, even if that's the prevailing mood that Japanese textbooks try to encourage. Here are some ways to express your dissatisfaction.
How can you fight climate change in Japan? Learn how to talk about it.
A good approach to speaking about hot-button topics in Japanese is to use so-called softeners so that your don't come off as too direct with your opinions.
Using Japanese to discuss victory and defeat at the Tokyo Olympics
It's not accurate to say that anyone who doesn't medal at the Olympics is a loser, but the language of winning and losing is very much a part of Japanese.
The ‘wake’ structures that you can use to expand on your reasoning
The terms "wake da," "wake dewa nai," "wake ga nai" and "wake ni wa ikanai" help with giving reasons … like maybe reasons why you don't want to cancel a major international event?
You should know there's nothing better than 'ni koshita koto wa nai'
The "koto da" and "ni koshita koto wa nai" structures express strong certainties that you should do something.
The possibilities only 'naradewa' can offer
The structures 'naradewa' and 'ni kagiru' point out the singularity of something that's usually rather good.
Apart from 'bestu ni shite,' the 'tomokaku' structure is useful for making exceptions
The "tomokaku" structure helps when you want to take one element of what you're talking about out of the conversation.
You ought to know how 'beki' can help your Japanese
The negative "bekarazu" structure may be old, but you can still find it in written Japanese with a strong prohibitive nuance attached to it.
You'd be surprised how far 'naka-naka' can take you in Japanese
The adverb "naka-naka" can be used to comment on a surprising result, just don't use it when discussing the results your boss gets.
When it comes to Japanese, 'mamire' and 'darake' have you covered
While "darake" and "mamire" both have different nuances, the one thing they have in common is that they always refer to something bad.
Take the time to study 'narubeku' and 'dekiru dake' if possible
"Narubeku" conveys the idea of "as … as possible," while "deikru dake" conveys the same idea with stronger intent.
