Learn Japanese Pod

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 and the rules for writing foreign words in this script. We also answered listener questions including how to improver your Japanese listening skills. The guest on this week’s show is Tomo Akiyama, a corporate communications specialist and linguist. He is a gourmet, advocate of Japan and expert in destroying cultural stereotypes and myths. He’s an absolutely fascinating individual full of mind-blowing facts about the Japanese language and the culture of Japan. You can follow him on Twitter here @tomoakiyama

The hosts discuss their favorite Japanese TV shows, including classic shows like 'Mito Kormung' and the popular shows 'Tokugawa Mitsu kuni' and 'Tamori Krabbe'. They also talk about misheard lines from foreign songs on a Japanese TV show and recommend watching it on YouTube for a good laugh.

Learn how to express opinions in Japanese using the verb 'omou'. Explore different phrases and sentence structures for expressing opinions, including discussing the iPhone and someone's appearance. Learn about word order and negative form usage. Also, learn about expressing opinions with different levels of politeness and the usage of adjectives in conversation. The hosts express gratitude for positive reviews and read out feedback from listeners.

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 example: 彼女どう思う？ Kanojo wa dō omou What do you think of her? 彼どう思う？ Kare wa dō omou What do you think of him? Then to answer you could say your opinion plus と思う which means I think so and so. So, for example you can say 可愛いと思うよ Kawaii to omou yo which means I think she’s cute or カッコイイと思うよ Kakko ii to omou which means I think he’s cool. Here are the example conversations in the podcast:   Dialog 01 A: 君のなはってどう思う？ Kimi no na wa dō omou? What do you think of “Kimi no na wa”? B: 面白いと思うよ。 Omoshiroi to omou yo. I think it’s interesting. A: なんでそう思うの？ Nande sō omou no? Why do you think so? B: ストーリーがロマンチックだからね。 Sutoorii ga romanchikku da kara ne. Because the story is romantic. Dialog 02 A: ねぇ、iPhoneってどう思う？ Nee, iPhone te dō omou? What do you think of the iPhone? B: まあまあだと思うよ。 Maamaa da to omou yo. It’s so so. A: なんでそう思うの？ Nande sō omou no? Why do you think so? B: 便利だけど高いからね。 Benri dakedo taki kara ne. Because it’s useful but expensive.   Dialog 03 A: ねぇ、この髪型ってどう思う？ Nee, kono kamigata dō omou? What do you think of my hairstyle? B: 似合うと思うよ。 Niau to omou yo. It suits you. A: なんでそう思うの？ Nande sō omou no? Why do you think so? B: 君は顔が小さいからね。 Kimi wa kao ga chiisai kara ne. Because you have a small face.   Dialog 04 A: ねぇ、彼女ってどう思う？ Nee, kanojo te dō omou? What do you think of her? B: 可愛いと思うよ。 Kawaii to omou yo. She’s cute. A: なんでそう思うの？ Nande sō omou no? Why do you think so? B: おっちょこちょいだからね。 Occhokochou dakara ne. Because she’s so clumsy. Dialog 05 A: ねぇ、彼ってどう思う？ Nee, kare te dō omou? What do you think of him? B: いい人じゃないと思うよ。 Ii hito ja nai to omou yo. I don’t think he’s a good person. A: なんでそう思うの？ Nande sō omou no? Why do you think so? B: 浮気ばかりしてるからね。 Uwaki bakari dakara ne. Because he’s always cheating (on girls).   Dialog 06 A: ねぇ、このレストランってどう思う？ Nee, kono restoran te dō omou? What do you think of this restaurant? B: イマイチだと思うよ。 IImaichi da to omou yo. It’s a little disappointing. A: なんでそう思うの？ Nande sō omou no? Why do you think so? B: 食べ物は美味しいけどサービスが悪いからね。 Tabemono wa oishii kedo saabisu ga warui kara ne. Because although the food is good the service is bad.   Extra Grammar Notes Casual and polite ways to say “I think…” Casual Polite どう思う？ Dō omou?What do you think? どう思いますか Dō omoimasu ka?What do you think? …と思う。…to omouI think… …と思います。…to omoimasu.I think …   Random Phrase of the Week A: 最近どう？ Saikin dō? How have you been recently? B: 相変わらずだよ Aikawarazu da yo Same old, same old…

Alex interviews Niko of Nihongo Shark who discusses the features of Nihon Washag, incorrect information on Japanese Yahoo, the Dunning-Kruger effect, English education in Japan, job interviews in Japan, creating Nihongo Shark and publishing a book, and future collaborations.

Learn Japanese Pod discusses what to do if you lose your wallet in Japan. They share personal stories, explore phrases for lost items, and discuss the honesty of Japanese people. They also introduce the phrase 'Atamaga-mashiro' meaning 'My head is white'.

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 it and ask if it has been found. If you lose something on the train it’s best to go to the station master’s office and ask there. If you drop something in the street then you should go to a Koban or police box. This lesson focuses on how to call the last place you were at to ask the staff if they found you things. Study the vocabulary list and dialogs below to learn how to do it. Vocabulary featured in the podcast もしもし Moshi moshi Hello (On the phone) 一番寿司でございます Ichibanzushi de gozaimasu This is Ichiban Sushi すみません Sumimasen Excuse me 昨日 Kinō Yesterday そちら Sochira There (Polite) 財布 Saifu Wallet カバン Kaban Bag 携帯電話 Keitai denwa Mobile phone 忘れた Wasureta Forgot 何色 Nani iro What colour 少々お待ちください Shōshō omachi kudasai One moment please 届いてますよ Todoitemasu yo It is here (Someone found it) ありがとうございます Arigtō gozaimasu Thank you Dialog 01 A: もしもし幕張メッセでございます。 Moshi moshi, Makuhari Messe de gozaimasu. Hello, this is Makuhari Messe. B: すみません、昨日そちらで財布を忘れたのですが。 Sumimasen, Kinō sochira de saifu o wasureta no desu ga. Excuse me, I left a wallet there yesterday. A: 何色のお財布ですか。 Nani iro no osaifu desu ka What colour is the wallet? B: 黒い革の財布です。 Kuroi kawa no saifu desu It is a black leather wallet. A: 少々お待ちください。届いていますよ。 Shōshō omachi kudasai. Todoite imasu yo. One moment please. We have it. B: ありがとうございます。 Arigatō gozaimasu. Thank you very much. Dialog 02 A: もしもし一番寿司でございます。 Moshi moshi, Ichibanzushi de gozaimasu. Hello, this is Ichiban Sushi. B: すみません、昨日そちらでカバンを忘れたのですが。 Sumimasen, Kinō sochira de kaban o wasureta no desu ga. Excuse me, I left a bag there yesterday. A: 何色のおカバンですか。 Nani iro no okaban desu ka What colour is the bag? B: 赤い革のカバンです。 Akai kawa no kaban desu It is a red leather bag. A: 少々お待ちください。届いていますよ。 Shōshō omachi kudasai. Todoite imasu yo. One moment please. We have it. B: ありがとうございます。 Arigatō gozaimasu. Thank you very much. Dialog 03 A: もしもし六本木ヒルズでございます。 Moshi moshi, Roppongi Hiruzu de gozaimasu. Hello, this is Roppongi Hills. B: すみません、昨日そちらで携帯電話を忘れたのですが。 Sumimasen, Kinō sochira de keitaidenwa o wasureta no desu ga. Excuse me, I left a mobile phone there yesterday. A: 携帯電話の機種はなんですか。 Keitaidenwa no kishu wa nan desu ka. What type of phone is it? B: iPhone8です。 iPhone hachi desu. It’s an iPhone 8. A: 少々お待ちください。届いていますよ。 Shōshō omachi kudasai. Todoite imasu yo. One moment please. We have it. B: ありがとうございます。 Arigatō gozaimasu. Thank you very much. Extra Phrases Let’s study some other phrases related to lost items: 1) 申し訳ありませんが財布は届いてないようです。 Mōshi wake arimasen ga saifu wa todoite inai yō desu. I’m very sorry but it seems your wallet hasn’t been handed in. 2) 連絡先を教えていただけたら見つかり次第ご連絡します。 Renrakusaki o oshiete itadaketara mitsukari shidai gorenraku shimasu. If you give me your contact details we’ll contact you the moment it is found. 3) 忘れ物 Wasuremono Lost items 4) 紛失届け Fun shitsu todoke A form to fill out at the police station for lost items Cultural Points The Japanese are generally quite law abiding and honest. Most times, if found, your lost items  will be returned. If you lose something on the train go to the nearest 駅長室 Eki Chō shitsu – Station master’s office and tell them what you lost and on which train it was on. They’ll ring ahead to the next station or terminal station to see if they can locate your items. You can also go to any 交番 Koban police box to report lost or stolen items. For lost items you would write out a form called a 紛失届け Fun shitsu todoke Random Phrase Of The Week あたまが真っ白 Atama ga masshiro When you mind goes completely blank or you are lost for words.   留守番電話を残す時いつもあたまが真っ白 Rusuban denwa o nokosu toki ni atama ga masshiro When I leave a message on an answering machine my mind goes completely blank

In this podcast, Tomo Akiyama, a fascinating expert linguist and well known Twitter user from Japan, discusses the difficulties of learning Japanese, common mistakes non-native speakers make, the importance of learning Japanese phrases, the connotations of 'nerd' and 'geek' in Japanese, the declining birth rate in Japan, the importance of speaking Japanese and setting goals for language learning, the limitations of Google Translate, the significance of katakanaization in Japanese, and the controversy of whitewashing in movies.

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: どうだった？面白かった？ Dō datta. Omoshirokatta? How was it? Was it interesting? B: うん、すごく面白かったよ。 Un, omoshirokatta yo. Uh huh, it was interesting. A: 私も見ようかな？ Watashi mo miyō kana I guess I should go and see it. B: うん、すごくおすすめだよ。 Un, sugoku osusume da yo. Yeah, I highly recommend it   Dialog 02 Japanese Pronunciation English A: 「ミニオンズ」見た？ “Minions” mita? Did you see “Minions”? B: 見たよ！ Mita yo! I saw it! A: どうだった？面白かった？ Dō datta. Omoshirokatta? How was it? Was it interesting? B: 面白かったけど、声優がイマイチだった。 Omoshirokatta kedo seiyuu ga imaichi datta. It was interesting but the voice actors weren’t so good. A: 私も見ようかな？ Watashi mo miyō kana I guess I should go and see it. B: そうだね、もし週末時間があったら見に行ってみればいいよ。 Sō da ne, moshi shuumatsu jikan ga attara mi ni itte mireba ii yo. Well, if you have time at the weekend, you should go and see it.   Dialog 03 Japanese Pronunciation English A: 「スターウォーズ」見た？ Sutaauozu mita? Did you see Star Wars? B: 見たよ！ Mita yo! I saw it! A: どうだった？面白かった？ Dō datta. Omoshirokatta? How was it? Was it interesting? B: 全然面白くなかった。ストーリーがつまらなかった。 Zenzen omoshirokunakatta. Sutōrii ga tsumaranakatta. It wasn’t interesting at all. The story was boring. A: 私も見ようかな？ Watashi mo miyō kana I guess I should go and see it. B: 止めた方がいいよ。 Yameta hō ga ii yo. You shouldn’t.