Don't just study Japanese, use it!
I previously wrote a very, very long article all about study resources and tips for beginners looking to learn Japanese. But there s not really anything like this for intermediate learners. Intermediate Japanese study is sightly differently from beginners. When you re a beginner you re focusing on getting basics down, but can t do much with the language. [ ] The post Boosting Your Japanese:…
告白 (Kokuhaku) by 湊かなえ (Kanae Minato) Author: 湊かなえ (Kanae Minato) Japanese Level: High-Intermediate (N2) Genre: Thriller, horror, mystery Pages: 226 Bookwalker Japan: 告白 Japanese Summary 「愛美は死にました。しかし事故ではありません。このクラスの生徒に殺されたのです」我が子を校内で亡くした中学校の女性教師によるホームルームでの告白から、この物語は始まる。語り手が「級友」「犯人」「犯人の家族」と次々と変わり、次第に事件の全体像が浮き彫りにされていく。衝撃的なラストを巡り物議を醸した、デビュー作にして、第6回本屋大賞受賞のベストセラー。 English Summary (translation by…
This week marks twenty years since I first started learning Japanese. Twenty years!!! I started this journey the week before my 17th birthday by learning from a private teacher. I never expected it to go anywhere, just another hobby that I’d drop after a few months, but I fell in love with the language, the [ ] The post What 20 Years of Learning Japanese Has Taught Me appeared first on Japanese…
７７７ トリプルセブン (777 Triple Seven) by 伊坂 幸太郎 (Kotaro Isaka) Author: 伊坂 幸太郎 (Kotaro Isaka) Japanese Level: High-Intermediate (N2) Genre: Action Pages: 334 Bookwalker Japan: ７７７ トリプルセブン Japanese Summary 殺し屋シリーズ最新作。世界で最も不運な殺し屋、ふたたび！！ あの世界で一番不運な殺し屋が、また騒動に巻き込まれる――。『マリアビートル』では新幹線から降りられなかったが、今度は東京の超高級ホテルから出られない……！？ 伊坂幸太郎、２年ぶりの完全書き下ろし。殺し屋シリーズ最新作。 English Summary (translation by Japanese Talk Online) The…
I started learning Korean recently—okay, that’s a lie, I actually started learning Korean about three years ago but was struggling to get beyond beginner level. I even went to Korea and the moment I had to talk to someone I froze up. Everything I had studied vanished into the ether. I just couldn’t speak the [ ] The post A Simple Trick to Improve Speaking Japanese as a Beginner appeared first on…
早朝始発の殺風景 (Souchou Shihatsu no Sappukei) by 青崎 有五 (Yugo Aosaki) Author: 青崎 有五 (Yugo Aosaki) Japanese Level: Intermediate (N3-N2) Genre: Cozy mystery, short stories, slice of life Pages: 228 Bookwalker Japan: 早朝始発の殺風景 Japanese Summary…
italki, like so many great services for language learners, is dead. Well, not dead dead, but it’s heading that way. italki was a great service that connected language learners with amateur and professional teachers from around the world. Now it’s a mess that underpays teachers to fund its useless AI. The Degradation of italki Back [ ] The post italki is Dead to Me appeared first on Japanese Talk .
2025 was not a good reading year for me. I was insanely busy at work (yay Japanese corporate life) and the nine to eleven hours of hyper-focusing in two languages completely drained me. Although I didn’t hit my target of reading at least 12 books in Japanese, I was able to ready 7. So this [ ] The post Best and Worst Japanese Books I Read in 2025 appeared first on Japanese Talk .
Having a goal is key to long-term language study. Progressing towards that goal keeps you motivated and gives you something to strive for and measure your progress. Common goals amongst Japanese learners include reading manga or light novels, messaging friends online, and speaking with natives when visiting Japan. But how do you work towards achieving [ ] The post Japanese Study Techniques to…
六人の嘘つきな大学生 (Roku-nin no Uso-tsukina Daigakusei) by 浅倉 秋成 (Akinari Asakura) Author: 浅倉 秋成 (Akinari Asakura) Japanese Level: Advanced (JLPT N1) Genre: Mystery, work drama Pages: 368 Bookwalker Japan: 六人の嘘つきな大学生 Japanese Summary 成長著しいIT企業「スピラリンクス」が初めて行う新卒採用。最終選考に残った六人の就活生に与えられた課題は、一カ月後までにチームを作り上げ、ディスカッションをするというものだった。…