Japanese with Hikari's Blog

Have you ever been scrolling through Instagram or TikTok and suddenly saw a video of your quiet friend absolutely shredding a guitar solo?

Or maybe you saw a post with gorgeous, professional-looking sweets and thought they were from a high-end baker...

Have you ever tried to sing your heart out at karaoke, only to realize you’re hitting all the wrong notes?
Or maybe you tried to cook a fancy dinner, but it ended up looking like a science experiment gone wrong?

We’ve all been there!
Sometimes, we’re...

Have you ever heard this in Japan?

“Please don’t take photos here.”
“Please don’t enter.”
“Please don’t worry.”

Many people say they’re surprised by how many signs and notices there are when they come to Japan. It can feel like there are a lot of rul...

Have you ever wanted to say something like this in Japanese?

“How do you write this kanji?”
“How do you make this dish?”
“What’s the best way to study Japanese?”

In English, we often say how to or the way to do something.
In Japanese, there’s a super ...

Have you ever wanted to say something like this in Japanese?

“I think it will rain today.”
“This cake is good, right?”
“I told you already, didn’t I?”

In English, these all sound a bit different. But in Japanese, one very polite and flexible word can...

Have you ever wanted to say “very” in Japanese…
but weren’t sure if it sounds polite enough? Too strong? Too casual?

Good news! Japanese has a safe, friendly, and super reliable word for that:
とても (totemo) .

Whether you’re talking about the weather, ...

Have you ever wanted to ask “How do I do this?” in Japanese?

You’re in Japan.
You want to buy a Shinkansen ticket, and you’re standing in front of a ticket machine.
So many buttons… so many options… and you’re thinking,
“Okay… how do I buy this?”

Or m...

Have you ever had a conversation like this?

You’re talking with friends and someone asks “Which Japanese food do you like the most?”

Sushi? Ramen? Tempura? Karaage? Tamago-sando?
You like all of them… but you have to choose one.

Or maybe the quest...

Have you ever felt relieved when someone tells you,
“You don’t have to do that,” or “It’s okay if you don’t”?

In English, it feels like a gentle permission like…

“You don’t have to go,”
“You don’t need to finish it today,”
“It’s okay if you don’t eat ...

Have you ever had a moment when you had to make a choice like picking a drink, deciding dinner, or choosing today’s plan…and thought,
“Ahh! How do I say this in Japanese?”

That’s when にする (ni suru) becomes your best friend!

にする means “to choose,” “t...

Have you ever had a moment when someone asked you something like,
“Are you ready?” “Did you finish?” or “Has it started yet?”

And you thought…
“Hmm… not yet.” or “It’s still going on.”

That’s when まだ (mada) becomes your best friend!

まだ is a super ba...

You’ve probably heard that Japanese has many polite ways of speaking. And it’s true! Even small changes can make your words sound softer and more respectful.

One of the simplest examples is the little prefixes お (o) and ご (go).

Have you ever notice...

Imagine you’re with a friend and you want to say something like:

“Let’s go!”
“Let’s eat!”
“Let’s take a break!”

Or maybe you’re in class and the teacher says:
“Let’s begin.”

These everyday “let’s” moments appear all the time in Japanese. And the expr...

Have you ever wanted to say “only this!” or “as much as I want!” in Japanese?
Then today’s grammar is perfect for you…it’s だけ (dake)!

You’ve definitely seen だけ before. It shows up in conversations, textbooks, anime, everywhere.
But here’s the fun part...

Have you ever noticed how often Japanese people say ね (ne) at the end of a sentence?

You hear it in cafes, on the train, in anime, and even when people talk to their pets.
It’s just one small sound… but it plays a big role in making Japanese communic...

Have you ever wanted to talk about your day in a relaxed, natural way, like saying “I went shopping, watched a movie, and did a few other things”? Or maybe you want to describe your weekend plans without listing every single detail?

In Japanese, one...

Have you ever wanted to invite someone in a polite, friendly way, like asking a friend after school, “Do you want to go to karaoke?” or inviting a coworker, “Shall we grab a drink?”, without sounding pushy or rude?

In Japanese, one of the simplest a...

You step into your favorite lovely cafe in Tokyo.
Soft jazz is playing, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee tickles your nose. Then, wait, there’s a fluffy black cat outside the window. Another one is walking toward you...
You notice someone tryin...

Alright everyone, today’s grammar is one of the absolute basics!

We’re talking about だ／です (da / desu), the small but mighty words that mean “to be” (am, is, are) in Japanese.

You’ll hear です all the time, it’s the sentence-ending marker that pops up...

You studied really hard for your Japanese test, but still got a tricky question wrong.
Or maybe someone invited you to karaoke, but you were too shy to sing.

In English, you’d use “but” or “although”, and in Japanese, that’s けど (kedo)!
It’s one of th...

I’m sure many of you reading my blog have experienced this before...
Maybe you’ve watched a Japanese anime or movie, or tried ramen, or a sweet matcha dessert at a Japanese restaurant in your country.

In Japanese, when we talk about something we’ve ...

You’re walking down a street in Japan for the first time, everything feels new and exciting!

You spot a bright sign and gasp,
“Oh! There’s a konbini (convenience store)!”

You walk in and look around
“There’s an onigiri corner! There’s a sandwich cor...

Seasons change, people change, even your Japanese skills will change, and all of that can be expressed with one simple word: なる (naru)!

なる means “to become” and shows a change of state, when something or someone turns into a different condition or s...

Have you ever wanted to politely ask someone to do something in Japanese?
Not just in daily life, but especially when you visit Japan, you’ll find yourself in so many situations like… “Please wait a moment,” or “Please say it again”?

In Japanese, we ...