Have you ever wondered if the Japanese second-person pronoun, あなた (anata), is rude or polite?

This is the first episode of our Japanese second-person pronoun series. In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Cameron and Kanae, try to clear the myth of あなた being rude or being polite. They also discuss how and where people actually use あなた.

Second-Person Pronouns: あなた

Although んだ (nda) and んです(ndesu) are very common ways of ending Japanese sentences, they can be challenging for English speakers to understand because there's no equivalent to these in English.

In this episode, Kanae and Rachel discuss what these sentence enders really are (I mean, what the heck is the ん anyway, right?), and how they are used.

After (or even before) listening to this episode, check out our grammar page about んだ and んです for more in-depth information: [https://www.tofugu.com/japanese-grammar/explanatory-nda-ndesu-noda-nodesu/](https://www.tofugu.com/japanese-grammar/explanatory-nda-ndesu-noda-nodesu/)

んだ and んです: What the Heck Is the ん?!

もったいない (mottainai) is a unique Japanese word that articulates the sense of regret, guilt, and sorrow you feel for wasting all sorts of things — food, physical objects, time, opportunities, and potential.

In this episode, Kanae and Jenny (big fans of mottainai) talk about the nuances of the word, as well as Japan's cultural and religious views that have deeply influenced it or been influenced by it.

For more information about もったいない, check out Kanae's article: https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/mottainai/

もったいない: Learn About "Mottainai" Because It's Mottainai If You Don't

Put your hands up if you agree that は and が are up there with the most confusing aspects of Japanese grammar. Part of the confusion is that they're often conflated as being more or less the same thing. And while that's intuitive in lots of situations, it can be confusing if you come up against an example where they add a different nuance, or where using one of them sounds just plain weird.

If you've ever been confused about は and が, join us for this three-part mini-series on the two trickiest particles in Japanese. In this first episode, Kanae and Jenny discuss particles in general, then shift their focus onto は and が, answering a listener's question and trying not to get too confused themselves as they pick apart different examples.

For more details about は and が, check out Jenny's article: https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/wa-and-ga/

は and が: Part 1

The MEXT Research Scholarship is Japan's government-funded program that will let you do a free master's *and* cover living expenses to boot.

...Sounds too good to be true? Well, Emily is living proof that it's not.

In this episode, Kanae and Rachel welcome Tofugu’s new writer Emily as a co-host and talk about her experience with the scholarship program she just finished in Nagoya a few months ago. Anyone who’s curious about MEXT will find some insight into the application process in this chat, as well as a few words of support if you decide to go for it.

For more detailed information about the MEXT Research Scholarship, check out Emily's article on the Tofugu blog: https://www.tofugu.com/japan/mext-monbukagakusho-scholarship/

MEXT Research Scholarship: Get a Master’s Degree in Japan for Free

In this episode, David Honeycutt, a Japanese resource review writer at Tofugu and an enthusiastic Japanese learner of over a decade, discusses all kinds of things he wishes he knew when he was a beginner Japanese learner. 

David covers topics like:

- How to follow some sort of curriculum even if you’re a self-learner
- The power of SRS (Spaced Repetition System)
- Using a built-in dictionary on computers or phones
- Setting tangible goals with deadlines

and more.

Make sure to give it a listen for David’s Japanese learning wisdom!

Things I Wish I Knew When I Was A Beginner Japanese Learner, Feat. David Honeycutt

In this episode, Ian Battaglia, a Japanese resource review writer at Tofugu and an enthusiastic Japanese learner who’s still actively working his way to the advanced level, discusses all kinds of things he wishes he knew when he was a beginner Japanese learner. 

Ian covers topics like:

- Learning Japanese is not a race! Go at your own “sustainable” pace
- A recommended learning order for self-learners to have the foundation for immersion
- Reading practice is surprisingly beneficial in general
- Focus more on practice, not process
- Be okay with not understanding everything in Japanese

and more.

Make sure to give it a listen for Ian’s Japanese learning wisdom!

Things I Wish I Knew When I Was A Beginner Japanese Learner, Feat. Ian Battaglia

In this episode, Emily Suvannasankha, a Japan category writer at Tofugu and an enthusiastic Japanese learner of over a decade, discusses all kinds of things she wishes she knew when she was a beginner Japanese learner. Even more, she also shares tips and advice that she got from interviewing her friends who study Japanese.

Emily covers topics like:

- A little a day adds up to a LOT — make Japanese learning a daily habit
- Don’t let shame keep you from getting back into a groove after a hiatus
- Hiragana, katakana, and some simple kanji are surprisingly easy
- Learn a good chunk of vocabulary before starting to study grammar
- Kanji writing ability is not as important as you think

and more. 

Make sure to give it a listen for some Japanese learning wisdom from Emily and her friends!

Things I Wish I Knew When I Was A Beginner Japanese Learner, Feat. Emily Suvannasankha

In this episode, Emily and Kanae discuss “yuri,” the Japanese genre of women-loving women (wlw) romantic relationships.

Check out this episode to learn a brief history of yuri, famous examples of yuri, and Emily’s yuri/LGBTQ+ recommendations, such as:

    少女革命ウテナ (Revolutionary Girl Utena)
    やがて君になる (Bloom Into You)
    しまなみ誰そ彼 (Our Dreams at Dusk)

… and more!

"Yuri" — Japanese Queer Women Love Stories

よつばと！ (Yotsuba&!) is a Japanese slice-of-life comedy manga series that's become very popular in the Japanese learning community.

In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Kanae and Ian talk about how much they love Yotsuba&! and why it's such a great manga series to pick up for Japanese learners, especially beginners.

After listening to this episode, check out Ian's review article about "Yotsuba&!": https://www.tofugu.com/reviews/yotsubato/

Why Is Everyone Raving about "Yotsuba&!"?

In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Kanae and David discuss why e-books can be great materials for Japanese learners, all their tips for buying Japanese e-books, and their favorite Japanese e-book stores.

After listening to the episode, check out: https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/how-to-buy-japanese-ebooks/

How and Where to Buy Japanese E-Books

Language exchange is a fun and free way to improve your Japanese. But to do it successfully, you should consider a few things.

In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Kanae and Ian discuss tips and practical expressions you can use for language exchange sessions.

For more details, check out: https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/language-exchange/

How To Language Exchange Successfully

In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Kanae and Nick, discuss how "but" in Japanese, けど (kedo), is often used at the end of sentences in real-life conversations.

For more details, check out Kanae's article: https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/kedo/

けど: Why Are Japanese Speakers Always Ending Their Sentences with "But"?

Learn more about Tsujigiri: https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/tsujigiri/

Tsujigiri is a Japanese word that describes some grisly samurai tomfoolery. Find out what this word means, where it came from, and what happened to people who did tsujigiri as a pastime (sick monsters!).

We also made a video about Tsujigiri: https://tfg.li/tsujigirivid

iTunes:https://tfg.li/tofugu-podcast
Google Play: https://tfg.li/tofugu-gplay

The Tofugu Podcast: Episode 1

Tsujigiri, the Japanese Word for "Cutting Someone Down to Test a New Sword"

Get more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRty

Beep boop. We are transmitting from the future, where all restaurants have become Robot Restaurant. Sure, Japan's Robot Restaurant is a fantastic show filled with music, lights, dancing, and robots, but the food is terrible. And since it's become every restaurant on earth, we are living a food nightmare (albeit an incredibly entertaining food nightmare).

Come with us on a journey, as young Koichi and Michael recount their first experiences with the famous Robot Restaurant.

iTunes:https://tfg.li/tofugu-podcast
Google Play: https://tfg.li/tofugu-gplay

Robot Restaurant, the Second Greatest Show on Earth

We talk to Tofugu translator Kristen about the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs. This concept trips up a lot of Japanese learners. Even people who think they know how transitivity pairs work in Japanese, they don't really. Kristen helps you understand transitive/intransitive verbs once and for all.

iTunes:https://tfg.li/tofugu-podcast
Google Play: https://tfg.li/tofugu-gplay

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in Japanese feat. Kristen

Get more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRty

In this episode, Michael and Koichi talk to Kanae the intern about the incredible gambling expertise she amassed from the one game of Hanafuda she played against her grandpa. They discuss the history of gambling in Japan, all the various Japanese chance games, and the future of gambling under PM Abe's new gambling law.

Take a chance on us. You won't regret it. Unless you lose. Which you won't. Because you're listening to us.

iTunes:https://tfg.li/tofugu-podcast
Google Play: https://tfg.li/tofugu-gplay

Getting your Gambling on in Japan

Get more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRty

The whole gang gets together this week to discuss learning Japanese in a classroom. Everyone on the show has had different experiences learning Japanese, so it's an especially interesting look into the process. If you're currently in or considering taking a Japanese class, this is an essential listen.

You'll hear a range of perspectives from:
- Kristen's traditional route
- Koichi's mixed educational experiences
- Michael's self-taught journey
- Kanae's native Japanese classes

Is Japanese Class the Best Way to Learn Japanese?

Get more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRty

There's a good chance that you're using a Japanese resource that's merely tricking you into thinking you're being efficient. These companies make more money, and you get a false sense of "feeling good" and "feeling like you're making progress." In actuality, you aren't learning nearly as effectively as you could be, not to mention efficiently!

In this episode, Michael and Koichi argue that actual efficiency has more to do with "creating the right kind of suffering" in your Japanese studies. They also talk about which popular Japanese learning tools actually help you to be efficient, versus the ones that trick you into thinking you're being efficient. And, of course, because this episode is about efficiency, they also show why (and how) you should spend less time so you can learn more Japanese. Sounds like it doesn't make sense, but if you listen, you'll understand why this is important.

By the way, we also write about learning Japanese:

http://tofugu.com/japanese/

iTunes:https://tfg.li/tofugu-podcast
Google Play: https://tfg.li/tofugu-gplay

The Efficiency Myth (and How Japanese Resources Fake Efficiency)

Read the article: https://tfg.li/2wMOjkR

This is maybe the most frustrating aspect of studying kanji. You start learning 山 as やま. Cool, one kanji memorized. Wait... it can also be read as さん. 

Wait. All your other kanji have 2 or 4 extra readings too! Some are on'yomi. Some are kun'yomi.

Why does this have to be so complicated?!

It may seem confusing at first, but if you learn the difference between on'yomi/kun'yomi readings, where they came from, and how they work, we promise it will make learning kanji a lot easier.

Listen to this kanji-tastic episode where Kristen explains all this and more. When you're breezing through kanji like a pro, you'll be glad you did.

iTunes:https://tfg.li/tofugu-podcast
Google Play: https://tfg.li/tofugu-gplay

What's the Difference Between On'yomi and Kun'yomi Kanji?

We’ve been doing this Tofugu Podcast thing for 50 episodes now (hooray!) so we decided to celebrate by answering listener questions. 

We asked you for your most burning questions and you sent us a ton! We picked the 50 best and sat down to answer them all in one fantastic podcast episode.

I’m sure after this, all your questions about Japan, Japanese language, and Tofugu will be answered forever. Sure, this means the end of the Tofugu Podcast, but that’s a small price to pay for unlimited knowledge, right? 

Just kidding. We’re never gonna stop this podcast train.

Tofugu Answers 50 of YOUR Questions: The Tofugu Podcast 50th Episode Special

In this episode we get into Japanese pronunciation.

Whether you are a beginner, advanced, or fluent, you'll find something in this episode that will help you to improve your pronunciation. 

To read more, check out our (really in-depth) guide:

https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/japanese-pronunciation/

Ways to Improve Your Japanese Pronunciation

Read more about ちょっと in our article:

http://www.tofugu.com/japanese/chotto/

We talk about ちょっと. At first it seems like a simple, little word. But, it actually has many meanings and ways to use it. We cover most of them, I think.

ちょっと, a Little Word That Means a Lot

Have you ever wondered why 人々 is ひとびと and not ひとひと, or even ひとぴと? Or why it’s てがみ instead of てかみ, or くさばな and not くさはな?

It’s all because of a little thing called rendaku, or “sequential voicing,” which we talk about in this episode. While most Japanese teachers will just say, “it’s a mystery,” we’ll teach you the rules that make things rendaku or not, and the exceptions in between.

Of course, we couldn’t explain EVERYTHING. For that, you’ll have to jump over to our very in-depth rendaku article on Tofugu: https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/rendaku

Rendaku: Why it's HITOBITO and not HITOHITO

In this, the first episode in our "First-Person Pronouns" series, we talk about わたし, わたくし and あたし. Despite all coming from the kanji 私, each of these three pronouns carries a different level of formality and gives a different impression.

We’ve included some exercises to practice things like which specific situations call for わたし and which call for わたくし.

After you’ve listened to this episode, check out our article on Japanese first-person pronouns:
https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/japanese-first-person-pronouns/

First-Person Pronouns: 私 (わたし/わたくし/あたし)

In this episode, the Tofugu research team answers questions about だ and です from our listeners, such as:

"Is it true that だ isn't just a less polite form of です?"

"What are the real differences between だ and です?"

After listening to this episode, check out our article on Tofugu.com for more info:
"だ and です : Venturing beyond Textbook Rules into Real-Life Use" (www.tofugu.com/japanese/da-vs-desu-in-real-life/)

だ and です: Part I

In this episode, Tofugu's research team answers questions about だ and です from our listeners, such as:

"What would be the best translation of です?"

"When and how does it make sense to switch between です to だ when meeting somebody new?"

After listening to this episode, go check out our article on Tofugu.com for more info: "だ and です : Venturing beyond Textbook Rules into Real-Life Use" (www.tofugu.com/japanese/da-vs-desu-in-real-life/)

だ and です: Part II

In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Kanae, Cameron, and Rachel discuss the word "senpai," its use in Japanese schools and society, and Kanae's lasting trauma surrounding white socks from her senpai experience.

After listening to the episode, check more details in our article: https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/senpai/

Senpai: The Japanese Word You Look up To

Put on your thinking caps, folks! In this episode, the Tofugu crew — Kanae, Cameron, Mami, and Rachel — discuss the differences between 考える and 思う, two Japanese words for "think."

After listening to the episode, check our article to do some more thinking about "thinking":
https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/omou-kangaeru/

思う VS 考える — Two Kinds of "Thinking"

In this episode, Mami, Cameron, and Kanae talk about two sentence-ending particles, よ (yo) and ね (ne). They dive deep into their different nuances and uses, with a lot of examples. Also make sure not to miss a special cameo appearance of a very special holiday guest! 

After listening to this episode, check out our article on Tofugu.com for more info:
"よ and ね: WHAT DO THESE PARTICLES REALLY MEAN TO JAPANESE SPEAKERS?" (https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/yo-vs-ne/)

よ VS ね — Two Particles with Lots of Attitude

For people who want to visit Japan, live in Japan, and learn Japanese. Please excuse the tangents.

Tofugu

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