Elaina Robbins

Japanese

Write Japanese Characters and Kana with Proper Stroke Order

When writing by hand, do you write the vertical line or the loop of the letter “D” first? What about the vertical lines or the horizontal line in the letter “H”? While I personally think it would be pretty odd to start with the horizontal line in “H,” it doesn’

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Remembering the Kanji Stroke Order for Handwriting Japanese Letters

Ah, kanji. You need to know 2,136 of them to read the newspaper, but it’s not enough to just learn them. Remembering the kanji stroke order for handwriting Japanese letters is critical to getting these complex little characters just right. I introduced the concept of stroke order for

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Learn the Japanese Alphabet: Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji

Is the alphabet really as easy as ABC? When you learned the alphabet in English, you actually had to learn two sets of characters: one for uppercase letters and one for lowercase. Then, later, you may have learned a totally different set of characters for the same letters in the

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The Top Kansai Dialect Phrases to Use in Kyoto Japan

If you have the opportunity to visit Kyoto Japan, you want to make the most of it! With its unique history and beautifully blossoming narrow streets, Kyoto Japan is one of the most sought-after travel destinations out there. As a Japanese language learner, being able to spark little conversations with

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The Top 5 Trickiest Topics in Japanese Language Classes

I’ve always thought one of the most annoying things about English is how groups of animals are counted. A smack of jellyfish? A murder of crows? A pod of dolphins? What’s going on here? If these idiosyncrasies annoy you as an English speaker, just wait until you start

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The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Particles

Learning a new language is like starting over. It’s almost like learning to speak again, like a baby. This can be a daunting task, especially if you’re a native English speaker tackling Japanese. Unlike what many overly optimistic “Free Learn Japanese” websites will tell you, Japanese isn’t

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Top 6 Apps to Learn Japanese Writing with Flashcards

Trying to master Japanese kanji characters, vocabulary, and pronunciation might seem like a never-ending quest. With 2,100 characters to learn to be considered fluent, it’s no wonder! Don’t worry, though; there are plenty of apps to learn Japanese out there to help. Especially combined with a Japanese

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The Best Japanese Classes Online for Intermediate Japanese Students

While learning any language, including Japanese, the intermediate phase is a huge accomplishment. It is that phase where you can now engage in casual greetings with close Japanese friends or order from your favorite sushi palace, but you can't watch your favorite anime without subtitles. Getting stuck at the intermediate

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5 Best Japanese Online Learning Tools For Japanese Classes

After years of hard work, you’re gaining a real mastery over the Japanese language. Thanks to Japanese online learning tools or in-person Japanese classes, you can now watch some of your favorite anime without subtitles and engage in small talk with that lovely sushi chef. However, we know that

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Is the Best Way to Study Japanese Symbols on Paper or Online?

I’ve recently been attempting to augment my own knowledge of kanji, or Japanese symbols (the journey never ends when there are 50,000 kanji to learn!). I learned Japanese as a kid and still speak well, but as I never went to school in Japan, my writing skills are

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How to Use Raw Manga Readers to Learn Japanese Characters

Have you ever read a comic book? If so, you know they’re full of action-packed stories and engaging characters. Raw manga, or Japanese comic books written using Japanese characters, have likewise been a prevalent source of convenient entertainment in Japan for decades. And, if you’re here to learn

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Learn Japanese Misconceptions about Americans before You Travel to Japan

You history buffs out there may know that Japan was entirely isolated from other countries until 1846, when the US military forced its way in. As such, in historical terms, it really hasn’t been open to visitors for long. Therefore, it’s understandable that the Japanese people have some

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The Best Way to Learn Japanese From Zero

When you visit Japan, you can’t help but be captivated by its culture and food—I mean, that ramen and those onigiri (rice triangles) are addictive! It’s understandable why you might want to go all in and learn Japanese. So, whether you are an enthusiastic anime watcher or

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Learn Japanese Culture Differences before You Travel to Japan

A hodophile (someone who loves traveling) cruising from New York to Washington D.C would notice some differences between the cities. They’d have to make a smooth transition from the celebrity/entertainment lifestyle to the politician/government atmosphere, from tank tops and miniskirts to suits. The truth is, everything

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Five Japanese Dialects to Listen for When You Travel to Japan

Languages are like ice cream flavors: you might want to try them all! We learn our native tongue predominantly when we can hardly make rational decisions for ourselves, and we don’t get to choose what it is. Some of us want to cross mental borders and communicate with individuals

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Learn Japanese Music Lyrics to Supplement Your Japanese Language Course

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: a great way to learn Japanese outside of a Japanese language course is to listen to Japanese music! No, you can’t replace a regimented Japanese language course or self-study with music (that could give you a skewed idea

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The Best Japanese Karaoke Songs for Learning Japanese

Sometimes you need a brain break from studying. But what if your brain break could be part of studying? That’s where karaoke comes in! Singing along to the best karaoke songs is not only fun, but helps you learn Japanese. Karaoke is a very popular social activity in Japan,

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How To Improve Your Japanese Pronunciation With Tongue Twisters

Tongue twisters are a fun and memorable way to challenge your language skills. In English, tongue twisters like, “she sells seashells at the seashore” can provide a laugh-out-loud hilarious challenge for a group of people. But can these wordplays be employed as a language learning tool? In fact, are tongue

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The Best Kids' Shows on YouTube to Help You Learn Japanese

Learning Japanese can be difficult, and sometimes you need a brain break. But instead of zoning out in front of Netflix, why not take advantage of all the available shows on YouTube to help you learn Japanese? With so many shows on YouTube nowadays, you can find Japanese videos at

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A Beginner’s Guide to Engrish Loanwords When Learning Japanese

If you’ve ever prepared for a trip abroad, you probably know that you need to brush up on some essential foreign language skills to get around. If you’re learning Japanese, that means familiarizing yourself with the concept of Engrish, or English loanwords borrowed from English and transformed into

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A Beginner’s Guide to Counting in Japanese and Learning Japanese Numbers

Whether you’re giving the correct address to a taxi driver or ordering the correct amount of ビール (beers) at a bar, knowing how to count and use numbers is essential to learning Japanese. First, here’s the good news: Japanese numbers themselves are no more complicated than English ones,

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The Best Way to Learn Japanese If You’re Busy

You’ve got a full day ahead: work, school, errands, chores, social obligations, family time. And in the midst of all of this, you’re trying to learn Japanese! What is the best way to get a Japanese lesson into that packed schedule? The best way to learn Japanese if

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The Best Way to Learn Japanese Onyomi and Kunyomi

If you want to learn Japanese, you're going to be spending a lot of time with kanji. Kanji have multiple ways of being read depending on the context, falling into two different categories—onyomi and kunyomi. Kanji are an integral part of learning Japanese, and their sheer number (thousands!) can

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Top 10 Classic Japanese Books for Learning Japanese at All Levels

It’s more fun—and probably more memorable—to read classic Japanese books containing fables, folktales, and legends when learning Japanese than it is to stick strictly with textbooks. Let’s step away from those workbooks for a while and add some of these Japanese books containing well-known folktales to

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Learn Japanese for Free Online with the Top 10 Apps

Today’s technology connects us to vast amounts of information all the time. So, as you begin to study Japanese, you probably have the necessary tools right in your pocket! You can learn Japanese for free by tapping into online sources and apps that come in all levels for any