Japanese with Hikari's Blog

Have you ever had a moment where something almost happened… like right on the edge… but luckily didn’t?

Maybe you were having dinner with friends, laughing and talking so much that time completely slipped away… and you almost missed the last train h...

Have you ever had that moment when you suddenly realize…“Wow, I haven’t done this in ages!”

Maybe you finally message a friend you haven’t talked to in months and think, “This is the first time we’ve chatted in half a year.”

Or you go back to your ...

Have you ever seen the little kanji 中 in Japanese and thought…
“Wait, how do I read this? chuu? juu? And why does it mean different things depending on the situation?”

Maybe you’re checking a restaurant’s door and see a sign that says “〜中”…
and you wo...

Have you ever felt like someone was exaggerating a little, or that a situation wasn’t as extreme as they made it sound?
Or maybe you’ve been surprised by how strongly someone reacted to something?

In Japanese, one very natural way to express this sen...

Have you ever wanted to say “I’m right in the middle of doing something” in Japanese?

Maybe someone calls you and says,
“Hey, are you free? Want to hang out this weekend?”
…right when you’re trying not to burn your dinner on the stove.

Or maybe your ...

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...

Have you ever had a moment when someone’s behavior felt a little childish, or a message sounded almost threatening, or someone’s tone seemed weirdly preachy…
but not enough to say it directly?

Japanese has a perfect expression for describing that “ki...

Have you ever had a feeling that stays with you for years, something so strong that it never fades no matter where you are?

Maybe you’ve wished for someone’s happiness for many years, and that feeling has never faded.
Maybe a far-away country has cap...

Have you ever heard news like “Japan released this before any other country,” or “This company was the first to introduce a new technology”?

In Japanese, we use に先駆けて (にさきがけて / ni sakigakete) to describe this exact idea, doing something ahead of oth...

Have you ever gone somewhere or done something… but actually had two purposes at the same time?

Like when you say you’re “going out for a walk to stay healthy,” but in reality you’re also “going to pick up a little treat you’ve been craving.”
(Yes, Y...

Have you ever experienced a moment when something felt exactly right, like, “Ahh yes… this is just as expected”?

For example, when you try a famous patisserie’s macaron and think:
“Yep. As expected from a shop that’s always packed with people.”

Or w...

Have you ever experienced a moment when two things happened at exactly the same time, and you weren’t sure how to describe it in Japanese?

Maybe you opened your front door at the very same moment your phone started ringing.
Or your friend told a hila...

Have you ever had a day so chaotic that you didn’t even have time for coffee?
Like… not even one sip?

Or maybe you were so tired that you couldn’t even open your eyes in the morning…
(Yes, I’ve been there. Seven alarms and still no movement. )

In Jap...

You’re sitting in a cozy Japanese restaurant, the smell of grilled fish and miso soup fills the air.
The waiter brings you a cup of sake, and you take a sip.
“Mmm… this is delicious! I wonder what it’s made from?”

Then, you spot a small dish of tofu ...

Have you ever wanted to ask for permission in a polite, natural way in Japanese?
Maybe you want to take a photo, try a task, use a room, or join an activity,
but you need to say, “Please let me do it.”

That’s when させてください (sasete kudasai) becomes your...

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...

Have you ever wanted to express just how much effort, emotion, or difficulty something involved, but in a more elegant, formal way?

That’s where いかに (ikani) comes in.

It’s a refined N1 expression that means “how,” “in what way,” or “how much.”
You’l...

Have you ever had a moment that changed the flow of your life, like moving to a new city and setting up your cozy new apartment, getting married and starting a new chapter, or landing a new job and meeting inspiring people?

That kind of moment, when...

Have you ever promised yourself not to eat snacks at night… and then suddenly realized you finished a whole bag of potato chips?

Or maybe you told yourself not to check your phone before bed, but before you know it, you’re scrolling through social m...

Have you ever found yourself walking toward something, not just physically, but emotionally too?
Maybe you’re heading toward a new city for a fresh start, walking toward someone you’ve missed, or working hard toward a long-held dream.

In Japanese, wh...

Have you ever noticed how some changes happen so gradually that you only realize them after they’ve been happening for a while?
Maybe the days are getting a little longer, the air is getting warmer, or your Japanese is improving without you even noti...