In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Kanae and Nick, discuss how "but" in Japanese, けど (kedo), is often used at the end of sentences in real-life conversations.For more details, check out Kanae's article: https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/ke...

Language exchange is a fun and free way to improve your Japanese. But to do it successfully, you should consider a few things.In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Kanae and Ian discuss tips and practical expressions you can use for language...

In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Kanae and David discuss why e-books can be great materials for Japanese learners, all their tips for buying Japanese e-books, and their favorite Japanese e-book stores.After listening to the episode, che...

よつばと！ (Yotsuba&!) is a Japanese slice-of-life comedy manga series that's become very popular in the Japanese learning community.In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Kanae and Ian talk about how much they love Yotsuba&! and why it's ...

In this episode, Emily and Kanae discuss “yuri,” the Japanese genre of women-loving women (wlw) romantic relationships.Check out this episode to learn a brief history of yuri, famous examples of yuri, and Emily’s yuri/LGBTQ+ recommendati...

In this episode, Ian Battaglia, a Japanese resource review writer at Tofugu and an enthusiastic Japanese learner who’s still actively working his way to the advanced level, discusses all kinds of things he wishes he knew when he was a beginner ...

In this episode, Emily Suvannasankha, a Japan category writer at Tofugu and an enthusiastic Japanese learner of over a decade, discusses all kinds of things she wishes she knew when she was a beginner Japanese learner. Even more, she also shar...

In this episode, David Honeycutt, a Japanese resource review writer at Tofugu and an enthusiastic Japanese learner of over a decade, discusses all kinds of things he wishes he knew when he was a beginner Japanese learner.David covers to...

The MEXT Research Scholarship is Japan's government-funded program that will let you do a free master's and cover living expenses to boot....Sounds too good to be true? Well, Emily is living proof that it's not.In this ep...

This is the third and final episode in our three-part mini-series on the Japanese particles は and が. In this episode, Kanae and Jenny turn their attention to the particle が, including the effects of switching it out with は in cases like すしが好き a...

This is the second episode in our three-part mini-series on the ins and outs of the Japanese particles は and が. In this episode, Kanae and Jenny focus particularly on the particle は, and answer some more questions from listeners, getting only a...

Put your hands up if you agree that は and が are up there with the most confusing aspects of Japanese grammar. Part of the confusion is that they're often conflated as being more or less the same thing. And while that's intuitive in lots of situ...

彼 (kare) and 彼女 (kanojo) are Japanese third-person pronouns, meaning "he" and "she." Even though they're the equivalents of these essential English words, Japanese speakers don't really use 彼 and 彼女 in conversation.In this episode, the T...

もったいない (mottainai) is a unique Japanese word that articulates the sense of regret, guilt, and sorrow you feel for wasting all sorts of things — food, physical objects, time, opportunities, and potential.In this episode, Kanae and Jenny (...

Although んだ (nda) and んです (ndesu) are very common ways of ending Japanese sentences, they can be challenging for English speakers to understand because there's no equivalent to these in English.In this episode, Kanae and Rachel discuss w...

The particles に (Ni) and で (De) can both be used to specify locations, but each serves a different purpose. If you ever wondered how they're different, or you've been using them without knowing the difference, this episode is for you!In ...

A Japanese second-person pronoun, お前 (omae) has different sides of personality just like other personal pronouns.This is the third episode of our Japanese second-person pronoun series. In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Kanae, Mam...

A Japanese second-person pronoun, 君 (kimi) carries different nuances. It could be friendly, poetic, endearing, or even condescending (!).This is the second episode of our Japanese second-person pronoun series. In this episode, the Tofug...

Have you ever wondered if the Japanese second-person pronoun, あなた (anata), is rude or polite?This is the first episode of our Japanese second-person pronoun series. In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Cameron and Kanae, try to clear the m...

This is the fourth episode of our What Should I Call "You"? series.In Japanese, pronouns for "others" (which includes everything besides "I" — "you" "they" / "she" / "he" ) are not generally used in conversation. In this series, the Tofu...

This is the third episode of our What Should I Call "You"? series.In Japanese, pronouns for "others" (which includes everything besides "I" — "you" "they" / "she" / "he" ) are not generally used in conversation. In this series, the Tofug...

This is the second episode of our "What Should I Call 'You'?" series.In Japanese, pronouns for "others" (which includes everything besides "I" — "you" "they" / "she" / "he" ) are not generally used in conversation. In this series, the To...

This is the first episode of our What Should I Call "You"? series.In Japanese, pronouns for "others" (such as everything besides "I" — "you" "they" / "she" / "he" ) are not generally used in conversations. In this series, the Tofugu crew...

In this episode, Mami, Cameron, and Kanae talk about two sentence-ending particles, よ (yo) and ね (ne). They dive deep into their different nuances and uses, with a lot of examples. Also make sure not to miss a special cameo appearance of a...

This is the second episode in our two-part さすが miniseries. The Tofugu crew — Kanae, Jenny and Mami — discuss the "other," overshadowed use of さすが, which is not for compliments. This discussion led to the discovery of Kanae's weird and controver...