Japanese with Hikari's Blog

Have you ever wanted to talk about the weight of your luggage, the height of a mountain, or the importance of learning Japanese?

In English, we often add endings like “-ness” or “-ity” to adjectives to turn them into nouns.
In Japanese, we have a sup...

Have you ever watched a video of Shinjuku Station and thought,
“Why is everyone lining up so perfectly even though it’s so crowded?”

Or maybe you’ve seen travel vlogs showing a vending machine standing alone in the middle of nature and wondered “Why ...

Have you ever felt like you’ve reached your limit?
Or maybe you’ve already finished your tasks for the day and you’re ready to relax.

That’s where the super versatile word もう (mou) comes in.

It is one of the most common words you will hear in Japan....

Have you ever encountered a rule that was so strict it did not care about your excuses?
Or maybe you have seen a job posting that says, “We hire the best talent, no matter where you are from!”

That feeling of “regardless of X, the result is always Y”...

Have you ever come home after a long day of hiking and realized you are covered in mud from head to toe?
Or maybe you have been working hard in a garage and noticed your clothes are completely soaked in oil and sweat?

In Japanese, when something usu...

Have you ever been explaining something step by step and wanted to say,
“And then, as a result…” or “If we do that, then…”?

Maybe you’re giving directions, explaining a process, or reacting logically to what someone just said.
You need a smooth way to...

Have you ever been sharing a story or giving some information, and then suddenly thought, “Oh, I should also mention this little extra detail”?

Maybe you’re telling a friend about a great restaurant you found during your trip to Japan. You want to a...

Have you ever had one of those days where you’re so exhausted that you feel like a melting ice cream cone?
You think, “There are so many things I could do… but honestly, a long hot bath is the only answer!”

Or imagine it’s a scorching summer day in ...

Have you ever found yourself making a little excuse or trying to justify your actions to a friend?

Imagine you are on a dream trip to Japan. You went to Don Quijote or a pharmacy “just to look,” but you came out with bags full of matcha snacks, ten ...

Have you ever seen a Japanese anime where a kind grandmother or a wise teacher gently encourages someone by saying “Try it out” or “Look at that,” but it sounds much softer and warmer than a strict command?

Maybe you want to encourage a younger frie...

Have you ever stared out the window and let your imagination run wild?
Maybe you’ve thought, “What if I won a billion yen tomorrow?” or “What if I could fly like a bird?”

In Japanese, we have the word もし (moshi) for “if.”
But when you want to add dra...

Have you ever been reading a manual or listening to an announcement in Japan and thought…“Wait… what should I do if something goes wrong?”

Maybe you are worried about losing your passport, or wondering whether your picnic will be canceled if it rain...

What does kashira (かしら) mean in Japanese?

Kashira (かしら) means “I wonder” in Japanese. It goes at the end of a sentence and gives a soft, thoughtful tone. It’s traditionally used more by women, and you’ll hear it often in anime.

1. “I wonder…”:
   明日
...

Have you ever tried to explain your daily routine and felt like you were just listing random actions?

“I wash my hands. I eat dinner. I watch anime.”

It sounds a bit like a robot, right?
In Japanese, when we want to show a clear sequence that actio...

Have you ever wanted to get to know someone better by asking about their preferences?
For example, you might want to ask a friend what kind of food they like, or what kind of movies or anime they enjoy watching.

Or maybe you are chatting with someone...

Have you ever noticed how some things in life change together?
For example, as you practice Japanese more, your confidence grows.
Or as the sun goes down, the air slowly gets cooler.

That feeling of “as one thing changes, another thing changes too” i...

Have you ever run out of milk and had to use soy milk instead?
Or maybe your boss was sick, and you ended up attending a very important meeting in their place.

In Japanese, when you want to say “instead of,” “in place of,” or “in exchange for,” we us...

Have you ever looked back and realized you can do something now that felt impossible just a few months ago?

When you first started studying Japanese, kanji probably looked like mysterious symbols. But little by little, you started recognizing them, ...

Have you ever had one of those “This is the new me!” moments?

Maybe it’s the start of a brand new year, or maybe you just booked your flight for a dream study abroad trip to Japan next year.
Suddenly, you feel motivated to change your daily habits, a...

Have you ever shared some exciting news with a friend, only to feel like your sentence ended a bit too… flat?

Maybe you wanted to say, “The train is coming!” or “This cake is amazing!!!”
But instead, it sounded more like a robotic fact than a friendl...

Have you ever found yourself in a heated debate with a friend about the most important questions in life?
Like… are cats cuter than dogs? Or is ramen definitely better than pasta?

When you want to compare two things and say that one is “more” than th...

Have you ever been a staff member restocking freshly baked bread, only to see it disappear the moment you put it on the shelf?
No matter how many times you refill it, customers keep taking it right away.

Or maybe you’ve experienced this while studyi...

Have you ever felt like the weight of the world was on your shoulders?
Or maybe you’ve realized that the success of a big plan rests entirely on one single person or action?

That’s exactly the feeling of にかかっている (ni kakatteiru).

It’s a powerful N1 e...

Have you ever walked into a restaurant, paid a single price, and felt like a king because you could eat everything in sight?
Or maybe you’ve had a friend who just won't stop talking, saying whatever they want without thinking about others?

Whether i...