translation

What is "jibun" in Japanese? "Jibun" is a pronoun in the Japanese language. Native speakers use it mainly in the three different ways: referring to the speaker, referring to the speaker-self, and referring to the listener. First, I will explain this pronoun in detail based on its kanji expression. And then, I …

[Read more...] about Jibun has the three different meanings in Japanese: “I”, “myself”, and “you”

How to say "white" in Japanese? Native speakers say "shiro" or "shiroi" to mean 'white' in Japanese. The first one is a noun; the second one is an adjective. In this blog post, I will explain these two words and how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand …

[Read more...] about Shiro vs. Shiroi: which should we use to say “white” in Japanese?

What does "gomennasai" mean in Japanese? Native speakers say "gomennasai" to mean 'I'm sorry' or such in Japanese. It is one of the very basic Japanese phrases and thus quite often used in daily conversations. So, many Japanese learners know this phrase, I think. Interestingly, however, many of them don't know its …

[Read more...] about Does gomennasai really mean “I’m sorry” in Japanese?

What does "ittekimasu" mean in Japanese? Japanese people say "ittekimasu" when they are about to leave their homes to announce their departures. This phrase is often translated into English as "I'm going", "I've gotta go", "see you later", or such. English, however, doesn't have a phrase which has exactly the same …

[Read more...] about Ittekimasu: a Japanese phrase to announce the departure from home

What does "tadaima" mean in Japanese? I know that a lot of Japanese learners understand "tadaima" as a Japanese phrase for 'I'm home'. This understanding is correct. Native speakers often say "tadaima" to mean 'I'm home' in Japanese. Interestingly, however, it literally means 'just now' and doesn't even contain any …

[Read more...] about Does tadaima really mean “I’m home” in Japanese?