Japanese Talk
@japanesetalk.bsky.social
Tips and tricks for learning Japanese language through novels, manga, anime, podcasts, etc.
(JLPT N1. Translator. Live in Osaka, Japan.)
Don't just study Japanese, use it!
勉強だけでなく日本語は、使えば使うほど上手になるんです。
🇯🇵 jtalkonline.com
☕️ https://ko-fi.com/G2G5AEBW
(JLPT N1. Translator. Live in Osaka, Japan.)
Don't just study Japanese, use it!
勉強だけでなく日本語は、使えば使うほど上手になるんです。
🇯🇵 jtalkonline.com
☕️ https://ko-fi.com/G2G5AEBW
Finished my first Japanese novel for a while and...auuggghhh.
汝、星のごとく (Nanji, Hoshi no Gotoku) is a beautifully written romance between two characters that spans decades. But despite the beautiful prose and great start, I can't say I liked it in the end.
High N2/N1 level - ★★★☆☆
汝、星のごとく (Nanji, Hoshi no Gotoku) is a beautifully written romance between two characters that spans decades. But despite the beautiful prose and great start, I can't say I liked it in the end.
High N2/N1 level - ★★★☆☆
September 15, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Finished my first Japanese novel for a while and...auuggghhh.
汝、星のごとく (Nanji, Hoshi no Gotoku) is a beautifully written romance between two characters that spans decades. But despite the beautiful prose and great start, I can't say I liked it in the end.
High N2/N1 level - ★★★☆☆
汝、星のごとく (Nanji, Hoshi no Gotoku) is a beautifully written romance between two characters that spans decades. But despite the beautiful prose and great start, I can't say I liked it in the end.
High N2/N1 level - ★★★☆☆
If you're struggling to stay focused on studying, might I recommend Focus Friend? It's a super cute focus timer app where you help a little bean knit while you focus on your own stuff.
It's also 100% human made with no ads and doesn't collect your data.
www.yourfocusfriend.com
It's also 100% human made with no ads and doesn't collect your data.
www.yourfocusfriend.com
August 19, 2025 at 11:09 PM
If you're struggling to stay focused on studying, might I recommend Focus Friend? It's a super cute focus timer app where you help a little bean knit while you focus on your own stuff.
It's also 100% human made with no ads and doesn't collect your data.
www.yourfocusfriend.com
It's also 100% human made with no ads and doesn't collect your data.
www.yourfocusfriend.com
Then once you're comfortable with reading and writing hiragana/katakana, I recommend you continue to study vocabulary and grammar, but also pick up Heisig's Remembering the Kanji (you only need the first book.)
August 18, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Then once you're comfortable with reading and writing hiragana/katakana, I recommend you continue to study vocabulary and grammar, but also pick up Heisig's Remembering the Kanji (you only need the first book.)
I would say take them one step at a time starting with hiragana, then katakana. Japanese Hiragana and Katakana a Workbook for Self-Study is a great resource. It teaches writing and reading with vocabulary.
Practicing kana with vocabulary is important because it can make studying kanji easier later.
Practicing kana with vocabulary is important because it can make studying kanji easier later.
August 18, 2025 at 3:08 PM
I would say take them one step at a time starting with hiragana, then katakana. Japanese Hiragana and Katakana a Workbook for Self-Study is a great resource. It teaches writing and reading with vocabulary.
Practicing kana with vocabulary is important because it can make studying kanji easier later.
Practicing kana with vocabulary is important because it can make studying kanji easier later.
I'm also trying to spend today catching up on some reading. (And totally not getting distracted by social media...)
August 16, 2025 at 2:34 AM
I'm also trying to spend today catching up on some reading. (And totally not getting distracted by social media...)
This is particularly really good advice!!!
August 12, 2025 at 2:00 PM
This is particularly really good advice!!!
Have you checked out "Speak Japanese in 90 Days: A Self Study Guide to Becoming Fluent" or
"Minna no Nihongo: Romanized Version"? One of those might suit you better?
"Minna no Nihongo: Romanized Version"? One of those might suit you better?
August 10, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Have you checked out "Speak Japanese in 90 Days: A Self Study Guide to Becoming Fluent" or
"Minna no Nihongo: Romanized Version"? One of those might suit you better?
"Minna no Nihongo: Romanized Version"? One of those might suit you better?
...and the Japanese reading is used when the kanji appears with hiragana (like おとうさん and おかあさん).
Like the kanji for "eat/food" 食 is read as たべる when it's the verb 食べる "to eat", and しょく when in a kanji compound like 食事 (しょくじ) "meal"
Like the kanji for "eat/food" 食 is read as たべる when it's the verb 食べる "to eat", and しょく when in a kanji compound like 食事 (しょくじ) "meal"
July 28, 2025 at 2:40 PM
...and the Japanese reading is used when the kanji appears with hiragana (like おとうさん and おかあさん).
Like the kanji for "eat/food" 食 is read as たべる when it's the verb 食べる "to eat", and しょく when in a kanji compound like 食事 (しょくじ) "meal"
Like the kanji for "eat/food" 食 is read as たべる when it's the verb 食べる "to eat", and しょく when in a kanji compound like 食事 (しょくじ) "meal"
You often just need to keep studying and practicing grammar and keeping note of what particles are used and how they're used.
If you're still confused by が/は, then I highly recommend the book "Making Sense of Japanese" by Jay Ruben.
If you're still confused by が/は, then I highly recommend the book "Making Sense of Japanese" by Jay Ruben.
July 27, 2025 at 9:27 PM
You often just need to keep studying and practicing grammar and keeping note of what particles are used and how they're used.
If you're still confused by が/は, then I highly recommend the book "Making Sense of Japanese" by Jay Ruben.
If you're still confused by が/は, then I highly recommend the book "Making Sense of Japanese" by Jay Ruben.
Watching the local news in the morning is great Japanese practice.
The most common words right now are 熱中症 and 熱中対策.
熱中症 (ねっちゅうしょう) heatstroke
対策 (たいさく) countermeasures
熱中対策 (ねっちゅうたいさく) ways to prevent heatstroke
In other news, I am going to die in this heat 😭
(35oC = 95oF)
The most common words right now are 熱中症 and 熱中対策.
熱中症 (ねっちゅうしょう) heatstroke
対策 (たいさく) countermeasures
熱中対策 (ねっちゅうたいさく) ways to prevent heatstroke
In other news, I am going to die in this heat 😭
(35oC = 95oF)
July 22, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Watching the local news in the morning is great Japanese practice.
The most common words right now are 熱中症 and 熱中対策.
熱中症 (ねっちゅうしょう) heatstroke
対策 (たいさく) countermeasures
熱中対策 (ねっちゅうたいさく) ways to prevent heatstroke
In other news, I am going to die in this heat 😭
(35oC = 95oF)
The most common words right now are 熱中症 and 熱中対策.
熱中症 (ねっちゅうしょう) heatstroke
対策 (たいさく) countermeasures
熱中対策 (ねっちゅうたいさく) ways to prevent heatstroke
In other news, I am going to die in this heat 😭
(35oC = 95oF)
If you have the SRS extension on Kanji Study, did you know you can refresh your backlog? This makes it easier to avoid burning yourself out because you're not constantly trying to play catch up. It also helps with memorization because you're not trying to rush through hundreds of flashcards at once.
July 15, 2025 at 8:25 AM
If you have the SRS extension on Kanji Study, did you know you can refresh your backlog? This makes it easier to avoid burning yourself out because you're not constantly trying to play catch up. It also helps with memorization because you're not trying to rush through hundreds of flashcards at once.
This does that. Colloquial Japanese is another form of grammar. This program even offers a setting to only focus on plain (casual) Japanese.
June 11, 2025 at 10:43 PM
This does that. Colloquial Japanese is another form of grammar. This program even offers a setting to only focus on plain (casual) Japanese.
Even though the CEO says they're "not going to replace their employees", they already have. Hundreds of linguists have been let go over the last year. It's already an AI slop app.
www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-ai-job...
www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-ai-job...
May 26, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Even though the CEO says they're "not going to replace their employees", they already have. Hundreds of linguists have been let go over the last year. It's already an AI slop app.
www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-ai-job...
www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-ai-job...
They have absolutely let people go.
www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-ai-job...
www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-ai-job...
May 19, 2025 at 10:35 PM
They have absolutely let people go.
www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-ai-job...
www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-ai-job...
Either one of these books. They both teach the alphabets through writing, listening, and vocabulary.
They do the same thing but the pink one is better suited to visual learners.
They do the same thing but the pink one is better suited to visual learners.
May 15, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Either one of these books. They both teach the alphabets through writing, listening, and vocabulary.
They do the same thing but the pink one is better suited to visual learners.
They do the same thing but the pink one is better suited to visual learners.
Went to a flea market over the weekend and picked up some books to add to the pile.
The novels for 新世界より (Shinsekai Yori), which I've heard a lot of good things about, and two random books; a collection of short stories about books and a mystery called 今夜、君に殺されたとしても (Even if You Killed Me Tonight).
The novels for 新世界より (Shinsekai Yori), which I've heard a lot of good things about, and two random books; a collection of short stories about books and a mystery called 今夜、君に殺されたとしても (Even if You Killed Me Tonight).
May 11, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Went to a flea market over the weekend and picked up some books to add to the pile.
The novels for 新世界より (Shinsekai Yori), which I've heard a lot of good things about, and two random books; a collection of short stories about books and a mystery called 今夜、君に殺されたとしても (Even if You Killed Me Tonight).
The novels for 新世界より (Shinsekai Yori), which I've heard a lot of good things about, and two random books; a collection of short stories about books and a mystery called 今夜、君に殺されたとしても (Even if You Killed Me Tonight).
本なら売るほど (I Could Sell Books) is a love letter for book lovers.
This manga is about about a man who runs a second hand bookstore, with each chapter looking at how books have impacted different people's lives.
It has lots of good book recs too!
Entertainment: ★★★★★
Japanese level: N2 (no furigana)
This manga is about about a man who runs a second hand bookstore, with each chapter looking at how books have impacted different people's lives.
It has lots of good book recs too!
Entertainment: ★★★★★
Japanese level: N2 (no furigana)
May 3, 2025 at 12:23 AM
本なら売るほど (I Could Sell Books) is a love letter for book lovers.
This manga is about about a man who runs a second hand bookstore, with each chapter looking at how books have impacted different people's lives.
It has lots of good book recs too!
Entertainment: ★★★★★
Japanese level: N2 (no furigana)
This manga is about about a man who runs a second hand bookstore, with each chapter looking at how books have impacted different people's lives.
It has lots of good book recs too!
Entertainment: ★★★★★
Japanese level: N2 (no furigana)
The book "Making Sense in Japanese" by Jay Rubin is great for this. It's short and sweet and mentions translation a lot, but there's a great chapter on が vs は.
April 28, 2025 at 5:54 PM
The book "Making Sense in Japanese" by Jay Rubin is great for this. It's short and sweet and mentions translation a lot, but there's a great chapter on が vs は.
"Classical Japanese: A Grammar" is a famous textbook for classical Japanese, although not sure how accessible it is for self learners.
April 15, 2025 at 11:16 PM
"Classical Japanese: A Grammar" is a famous textbook for classical Japanese, although not sure how accessible it is for self learners.
Back in Japan and one of the first things I do is go to the bookshop and buy two random books.
もう別れてもいいですか (Can We Break Up Now?) about a woman in her 50s who wants to divorce her husband but doesn't have the money to do so.
赤と青とエスキース (Red, Blue, and Esquisse) about a girl studying in Melbourne.
もう別れてもいいですか (Can We Break Up Now?) about a woman in her 50s who wants to divorce her husband but doesn't have the money to do so.
赤と青とエスキース (Red, Blue, and Esquisse) about a girl studying in Melbourne.
April 12, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Back in Japan and one of the first things I do is go to the bookshop and buy two random books.
もう別れてもいいですか (Can We Break Up Now?) about a woman in her 50s who wants to divorce her husband but doesn't have the money to do so.
赤と青とエスキース (Red, Blue, and Esquisse) about a girl studying in Melbourne.
もう別れてもいいですか (Can We Break Up Now?) about a woman in her 50s who wants to divorce her husband but doesn't have the money to do so.
赤と青とエスキース (Red, Blue, and Esquisse) about a girl studying in Melbourne.
Looks like whoever wrote this might have used machine translation and gotten the wrong information from Nintendo. You CAN change the language to Japanese with the international Switch 2.
April 2, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Looks like whoever wrote this might have used machine translation and gotten the wrong information from Nintendo. You CAN change the language to Japanese with the international Switch 2.
I would recommend "Japanese Hiragana & Katakana for Beginners: First Steps to Mastering the Japanese Writing System" as a start for learning the writing through pictures and vocabulary.
March 9, 2025 at 1:27 AM
I would recommend "Japanese Hiragana & Katakana for Beginners: First Steps to Mastering the Japanese Writing System" as a start for learning the writing through pictures and vocabulary.
New volume of「よつばと！」just dropped!!!
February 28, 2025 at 1:50 AM
New volume of「よつばと！」just dropped!!!
『天幕のジャードゥーガル』（A Witch's Life in Mongol）is a fantastic underrated manga great for advanced Japanese.
It follows Shitara, a slave who's bought by a family of academics in East Iran in the 13th century, who's brought up happy and educated but everything goes wrong when the Mongols attack.
★★★★★
It follows Shitara, a slave who's bought by a family of academics in East Iran in the 13th century, who's brought up happy and educated but everything goes wrong when the Mongols attack.
★★★★★
February 24, 2025 at 3:31 AM
『天幕のジャードゥーガル』（A Witch's Life in Mongol）is a fantastic underrated manga great for advanced Japanese.
It follows Shitara, a slave who's bought by a family of academics in East Iran in the 13th century, who's brought up happy and educated but everything goes wrong when the Mongols attack.
★★★★★
It follows Shitara, a slave who's bought by a family of academics in East Iran in the 13th century, who's brought up happy and educated but everything goes wrong when the Mongols attack.
★★★★★
Today's plan includes Green Lesbians.
気になっている人は男じゃなかった / "The Guy She Likes Isn't a Guy"
気になっている人は男じゃなかった / "The Guy She Likes Isn't a Guy"
February 22, 2025 at 1:52 AM
Today's plan includes Green Lesbians.
気になっている人は男じゃなかった / "The Guy She Likes Isn't a Guy"
気になっている人は男じゃなかった / "The Guy She Likes Isn't a Guy"