Japanese with Hikari's Blog

Everything in life has two sides, right?
Even chocolate, no matter how much we love it, if you eat too much, your skin might break out and you might gain some extra weight.

Or imagine moving into your dream big apartment. On one hand, you’ll finally...

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 ...

“Did you do your homework?”, “I’m busy(playing a game)! I’ll do it later.”
I think that’s a universal conversation in households all around the world, right? (lol)

And it’s not just homework, “I’ll call you later,” or “Let’s talk after this meeting.”...

Sometimes in life, it’s the little things that make us say,
“I’m glad that happened” or telling someone, “I’m glad for you.”

Like when you remembered to charge your phone before going out, or when your friend passed their driving test and you say, “I...

When you want to give someone a choice in English, you say “or”, like “coffee or tea?”

In Japanese, we use the particle か (ka) for the same purpose. Super simple, right?

Think about situations like..

“Do you want sushi or ramen?”
“Shall we go to ka...

Here we go again with another Japanese particle!
This time it’s all about から (kara). It’s got multiple super handy meanings, and it shows up everywhere in daily conversation.

Sometimes から marks the starting point of time or place, like “from” or “si...

When you start speaking Japanese, or imagine traveling to Japan, don’t you find yourself thinking, “I want to do this, I want to try that”?

Like…
“I want to see the brilliant autumn leaves!”
“I want to enjoy sweets and matcha at a local café (and of ...

Have you ever seen someone dressed all in one color, like black from head to toe, and thought, “Wow, that’s really all-out”?
You know, in movies or anime, there’s always that mysterious evil organization where everyone wears jet-black outfits... ring...

Have you ever had something happen all of a sudden, with no warning at all?
Like when your friend calls you at midnight, or your boss suddenly changes the deadline, or your cat jumps on your keyboard while you’re typing!

In Japanese, the word for thi...

Have you ever wanted to add one more punch to your sentence, like “not only that, but also!” or “and what’s more!”?

For example, you might say, “This ramen is super tasty, and on top of that, it’s cheap!” Or, “This smartphone’s battery lasts a long ...

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...

Have you ever wanted to take an action word, a verb, and turn it into a thing so you can talk about it?
In English, we do this all the time with -ing. This process is called a verb nominalizer, it changes a verb into a noun-like form.

Think about it...

You know that great feeling when you finally finish doing something?
Like when you finish your homework, or when you finally finish watching a long anime series.

In Japanese, we use the verb 終わる (owaru).

This verb actually has two main uses.

1. To ...

The particle へ (he) is another key particle in Japanese, and it has a very clear job: it marks direction or destination.
Basically, it answers the question “where to?”

Think about sentences like…

“I go to Australia.”
“I wrote a letter to my family.”
“...

You know those moments when you have two or more choices and you’re trying to decide which one is better?
Like, “Taking the train is better than driving,” or “Watching anime with subtitles is better than without.”

We also do this when we ask for advi...

Have you ever wanted to say “things like A and B” in Japanese?
That’s where the particle や (ya) comes in!

We use や to list a few examples from a longer list.
Unlike particle と (to), which lists everything specifically, や leaves the door open, there a...

The particle に (ni) is one of the most common and important particles in Japanese.
It marks destination, time, or location, basically, it answers questions like “where?” and “when?”

Think about sentences like:
“I live in Hokkaido.”
“I’ll come on Frida...

To keep a conversation fun and flowing, it’s important not only to share your own opinion, but also to listen to the other person’s and ask questions that draw out their thoughts!

When you want to suggest something or ask for an opinion in English, ...

If you've been studying Japanese from textbooks, you might be shocked the first time you hear real conversations from Japanese friends.

People don’t always speak like polite anime characters or JLPT examples. We use slang, shorten words.

Let’...

Winter in Japan is basically a warm hug served in a bowl 🫂 

If you’ve ever wondered what people eat to stay warm during those chilly months, you’re in for a treat. Let’s see if you have tried them all already!

🍲 Nabe

One of the stars of the season...

Starting something new is always exciting, right?

Like when you first dive into studying Japanese, start a new job or part-time gig, pick up a fun hobby, or even just hit play on a brand-new anime episode, there’s always that fresh energy at the beg...

Ready for another must-know particle?

If に(ni) shows where something exists or where you go, then で(de) shows where something happens or how it happens.

Think of situations like:
“I study at the library.”
“I came by train.”
“I wrote this with a pen....