In the last post I talked about the importance of frequency of study when learning Japanese. The more often you study, the quicker you will learn Japanese. The easier it is for you to study, and to get at your study materials, the more likely it is that you will actually sit down and study. Below are a few tips to keep your Japanese study materials handy and make...

We’ve all met them. The people that seem to speak Japanese easily and read and write kanji. They handle daily activities like making important phone calls easily and don’t seem to get nervous about making mistakes. The student in your class who just seems to “get it” quicker than everyone else. Obviously, they must know something that you...

For those who don’t know, the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) is a test offered by the Japanese government. Many companies here in Japan will also require that you have passed JLPT 2 (business level) or JLPT 1 (native speaker)  in order to consider someone for a position who’s first language isn’t Japanese. If this is what the Japanese...

In the last post, Common Japanese Words I discussed why choosing the right materials  is crucial in learning Japanese. I also discussed why it’s important to study certain Japanese words in priority over others. In this post I will talk about how to study Japanese words in ways that will help you learn more words and know when to use them. These tips should...