The first time I walked into a コンビニ (こんびに) — convenience store in Japan, I was greeted with an enthusiastic いらっしゃいませ！, a phrase that I assumed must mean “hello.”
I began repeating the word back to cashiers when I entered …
Author Archive | Sami Nicholas
Learn Japanese by Reading: 20+ Guided Reading Suggestions for Eager Students
Struggling to begin reading in Japanese? So did I.
In fact, my first attempt at reading a real book was a complete failure.
I’d gone out to eat Ramen with a friend after class. We stopped at a bookstore on …
The Etiquette and Format of Japanese Email Writing
“… I think that your Japanese is good enough to understand how you should address a professor. Please reword this email before I forward it to the department head.”
This is the last sentence of an email I received after …
Let’s Dance: Using the Volitional Form of Japanese to Make Suggestions
I’m about to explain the Japanese volitional form to you and once I’ve finished this post let’s reward ourselves by going out to eat 石狩鍋 (いしかり なべ) — Ishikara Nabe, a super delicious hotpot dish from Hokkaido.
Actually, I’m …
