Japanese with Hikari's Blog

Have you ever wanted to talk about something that happened just a moment ago in Japanese?
Maybe you just finished lunch, just got home, or just saw something surprising, and you want to say, “It happened just now!”

That’s when さっき (sakki) becomes you...

Have you ever wanted to say “I’ll try it!” in Japanese?
Maybe you spot a seasonal sweet at your favorite cafe, find a cute outfit, discover an unfamiliar Japanese snack while traveling, or come across a beautiful hiking trail, and you’re thinking, “I’...

Have you ever wanted to say something like, “If you do this, then that will happen” in Japanese?

Maybe you’re giving advice, talking about habits, or imagining a possible future,
“If you study every day, you’ll improve.”
“If it rains, the event will b...

Have you ever noticed that some people always react strongly to certain things?

Like someone who immediately shivers the moment the AC turns on…
or a friend who refuses to watch horror movies because even the trailer is too scary…
or that person who f...

Have you ever been chatting with a friend who’s dealing with a small problem… and you want to give a gentle suggestion?

Maybe they say something like:
“I’ve been so tired from work lately…”
And in English, you might respond:
“Why don’t you take a break...

Have you ever wanted to say “if…” or “when/after…” in Japanese?

Maybe you’re talking with someone and want to say,
“When I get home, I’ll call you.”

Or after pushing through a big project, you’re thinking,
“When this project is finished, I’m taking p...

Have you ever smelled something delicious while walking past a bakery…
or heard a strange noise at night and thought, “Wait, what was that?”

In Japanese, we have a super useful expression for describing these “I sense something!” moments がする (ga suru...

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 ...

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...

Imagine you’re in Japan and you want to take a photo at a beautiful shrine.
You see someone nearby and want to ask politely, not too direct, not too casual.

That’s when you use ていただけませんか(te itadakemasen ka), one of the most polite ways to say “Could...

Have you ever fallen asleep with the lights still on… or left your house still wearing your pajamas?
Or maybe, at a class reunion, you saw your first love again, and they smiled with the same warm smile as back then, unchanged by time.

In Japanese, ...

Imagine this, you’re walking down a street in Japan, and suddenly you stop in front of a cake shop.

Your friend’s eyes start sparkling, their mouth drops open, and they can’t look away from the strawberry shortcake in the window…

You can feel it, r...

Imagine your friend is struggling to carry heavy bags, so you say,
“I’ll help you!”, and you actually do it.

Or picture this, it’s right before a big test.
You feel confident, but your friend looks on the verge of tears because they don’t understand s...

Have you ever walked out of your house and suddenly thought,
“Oh no… I forgot my phone!”

That exact moment, when you realize something, is what we describe in Japanese using に気がつく (にきがつく / ni ki ga tsuku).

It means “to notice,” “to realize,” or “to ...

Have you ever been in a situation where you needed to ask,
“Can I pay by card?”
“Can I take a photo here?”
or “Can you speak English?”

In Japanese, when you want to ask or say what someone can or is able to do, we use ことができる (koto ga dekiru).
It’s an ...

Have you ever made a plan or schedule and wanted to say it naturally in Japanese?
Like, “I plan to travel to Japan next month,” or “The meeting is scheduled for Friday”?

When you come to Japan, locals might even ask you,
“What are you planning to do o...

Have you ever been stuck in a long line that just wouldn’t move?
You wait and wait, but… “It’s just not moving!”

In Japanese, we use なかなか〜ない (nakanaka ~ nai) to express this kind of feeling,
when something doesn’t happen easily, or takes longer than e...

Have you ever wanted to describe frequency in Japanese, like saying “every three days,” “every two weeks,” or “every other seat”?

For example, maybe you go jogging every other day, or take your medicine every six hours because timing really matters....

Have you ever talked to yourself in your head, like…

“I wonder if it’s going to rain today.”
or “Maybe I should study… or maybe take a nap first.”

In Japanese, we have a perfect little word for those soft, inner thoughts, かな (kana).
It’s an N4 gramm...

“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...

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...