Japanese with Hikari's Blog

Do you ever catch yourself doing the same little bad habits over and over again?
Like forgetting your keys (again!), showing up just a bit late, or catching colds whenever the weather changes?

In Japanese, there’s a perfect word for those “oops, I d...

Have you ever wanted to say “That’s true” or “You’re right about that” in Japanese?

That’s where 確かに（たしかに / tashika ni) comes in.
It means “surely,” “certainly,” or “indeed,” and it’s used when you want to recognize something as true or undeniable.

Have you ever had moments when no matter what you do, nothing seems to change?

Like when you study Japanese for hours, but kanji still slip away from your memory...
Or when you explain something again and again, but your friend still doesn’t get it.

Have you ever had a moment where someone says one thing… but does the complete opposite?

Like a coworker who never contributes to the team but always complains,
or someone who pretends to know everything even though it’s obvious they don’t.

In Japan...

When you were a kid, have you ever been told,
“Hey, you left the lights on again!”

Or maybe now you’re the one saying that every single day to your kids. (Parents, I see you! )

In Japanese, there’s a grammar pattern for exactly this kind of situatio...

If you have a friend who worries too much, but you know it’s really not a big deal, you might want to say kindly…
“Don’t worry, the worst thing you’re imagining will never happen.”

Or maybe your classmate is panicking like “I’ll definitely fail this ...

These days, we live in an information-rich world, you can look up anything online before you try it.
But still, there are so many things you only truly understand after experiencing them yourself.

For example, it”s like…
“I didn’t realize how beautif...

Have you ever wanted to say something like:

“For a beginner, your Japanese is really good!”
“It’s pretty warm for February.”
Or even… “For a cheap ramen shop, this place is surprisingly delicious!”

In Japanese, the phrase for this is にしては (ni shite w...

Ever opened an attic that hasn’t seen the light of day in years?
Or walked into your room and thought, “Ugh, everything’s covered in dust…”?
Maybe you’ve glanced at a test paper and sighed, “Wow… it’s just mistake after mistake.”

In Japanese, the go-t...

Life is full of “even if” moments, right?

Even if it rains, we still go out.
Even if you fail once, you can try again.
Even if it takes a lot of time and money, I want to study abroad in Japan.

In Japanese, the phrase for this is たとえ〜ても (tatoe ~ temo...

When you explain something, it’s tough to make it clear without giving examples, right?
If I had to write a blog without using “for example,” I’d be stuck… and I bet you’d agree with me!

That’s where the magic word 例えば (tatoeba) comes in.

It usually...

Sometimes in life, we just don’t have a choice.

Maybe your train is delayed and you have to walk.
Maybe the restaurant is full, so you can only wait in line.
Or maybe your teacher gave you homework, so… you just have to do it!

In Japanese, the perf...

Have you ever thought, “Ahh, I should have done that…” or “It would have been better if I hadn’t done this…”?

Like when you eat too much dessert:
“I shouldn’t have had that extra cake…” 

Or when you forget your passport before going on an overseas t...

Have you ever been asked, “Why do you like Japan so much?”
And you wanted to give a clear reason, something like:

“Because the food is delicious!” 
“Because I like their culture!” 
“Because the people are kind!” 

In Japanese, when you want to clearly ...

Sometimes in life, things go well not just because of your own effort, but also thanks to someone or something else.

For example:
Thanks to my teammates, we achieved outstanding results.
Because of the beautiful weather, we had a romantic picnic date!...

Have you ever been chatting with a friend, suddenly remembered something you wanted to ask for a while, and felt like changing the topic?

Or maybe at work, you’re talking with a colleague and you think, “Oh, right, didn’t he say he was traveling thi...