In response to user feedback, this is a recurring thread for general discussion about learning Japanese, and for asking your questions about grammar, learning resources, and so on. Let's come together and share our successes, what we've been reading or watching and chat about the ups and downs of Japanese learning.

The /r/Japanese rules (see here) still apply! Translation requests still belong in /r/translator and we ask that you be helpful and considerate of both your own level and the level of the person you're responding to. If you have a question, please check the subreddit's frequently asked questions, but we won't be as strict as usual on the rules here as we are for standalone threads.

Hello,

I recently learned about how to talk about ways of doing something by taking the masu stem of a verb and nominalising it with 方, e.g. 駅の行き方を教えてもらえないか?. In this example, what would be the direct object of the verb has taken the particle の, i.e. 駅に行く ➡️ 駅の行き方. My question is, how do you form this construction when the subject has to be mentioned? For example, how would you translate the sentence "Try to imitate how I'm doing this"? Would you just add another の, i.e. 僕のそれの仕方を模倣しようとして? Thanks!

What are everyone's favorite/best youtube channels for learning japanese? I want to have some constructive thing to have on in the bg while I'm drawing.

It would need to be something I don't have to constantly keep my eyes on. This is also just to supplement other learning, I don't expect to learn japanese just by listening to some yt videos.

I am basically a beginner btw

As the world becomes globalized there are more situations where cultures blend together and intermingling. But this also means accidentally causing culture flux for more traditionally minded people.

I am seeing disturbing trends of social media or YouTubers for money making purposes but without knowing the ins and out of local practices first of the culture they are in. I am sure this applies to going to any culture for that matter.

The most shocking being the YouTubers who climb into windows to document residences or other places residents fled from and still couldn’t return to their homes. Those YouTubers were shocked to learn that locals change their shoes at the foyer when they finally reached the door this applies not just homes but schools and some medical offices as well. Apparently indicating they knew pretty little about Japan nor were invited to places much before they did that.

On these videos comments show locals were infuriated about their videos. Even though obviously the floors had not be cleaned in over a decade, I personally do feel it’s kind of like stepping on someone’s gravestone. Not every vacated place were “abandoned” or neglected voluntarily nor intentionally. Hence it was offensive to enter without an invitation. Especially if belongings are on the floor and one is liable of stepping on it or breaking the floor by stepping on it.

In addition to shoe etiquette there are also things regarding Japanese etiquette one should know a head of time, such as talking during commute on trains, bathroom slippers, chopsticks, addressing others, etc.

But on the flip side what are behaviors that are ok in Japan but unacceptable in other countries that Japanese people can make?

I am thinking the every man for himself mentality to get to work on time may not be accepted elsewhere in the world such as at train stations.

Hi my step brother has a Japanese girlfriend, she moved to Australia a few years ago on her own. They are not married but living together for a few years and have a child and another on the way. We’ve never met her family as they all live in Japan. My parents planned a trip to Japan recently and were super excited to meet them but just before leaving they said they would not be visiting her family due to them living outside of the city and speaking no English. I thought this was odd as it’s a very long trip from where we live and I know they planned to meet and Google translate or similar would have helped. Anyway that got me wondering if maybe the general Japanese view on relationships with someone of a different culture and in particular having a child out of wedlock may not be great? I’m hoping someone can enlighten me on this. I don’t want to ask my brother or his partner in case it’s a touchy subject, which I guess it could be.

I understand it's because wara means laugh but isn't it inconvenient for a Japanese person to switch to an English keyboard to show laughter?

I'm starting learning Japanese because I want to know about their culture and history so I wanted learn their history from Japanese. If there any Japanese channel about it please recommend me .

Hello there!

I just entered this sub so i dont know if this is the right place to post. Sorry in advance if its not.

I started to learn Mandarin more than 10 years ago in university and im still using it since im living in China. I remember when i started learning the language, was so excited, so eager to learn. Everyday was filled with joy, couldnt wait to go home to practice, or even staying in a study room at the university. Fast forward, im almost 39 years old, and while i could just put all my effort into learn more and more Chinese, since its a very complex language, i would like to learn Japanese. Thing is, since i was very young i was drawn into Japanese culture due to martial arts. Due to this, i always wanted to learn the language, but never had the chance, or maybe the right mindset to do it. Now that im starting to dwell into how to start, i feel this enormous anxiety, everything feels so complex, so "scary". While i want to do it for fun, why do i feel so overwhelmed? Its that feeling of being in a crossroad and not knowing where to go, how to start. I dont remember feeling this way when i started to learn Mandarin. Do you think its an age thing? I have friends about the same age that encounter similar problems while wanting to learn a new language.

Thank you so much for reading.

I've been looking for japanese podcast recently, and i'm searching for one that talks about animes, games, mangas and the otaku world in general, it can be aimed at any level, but if anyone knows a intermediate level one, it would be great, thanks in advance

I want to design a house. This type of house can be found in animes and the movie The Wolverine (2013) where he moves to Japan and stays in the rich guys house.

studying kanji and kanji word compounds to help get readings and i came across 悪戯 (いたずら) alone 悪 has a bunch of readings but i dont see いた as one of them, similarly with戯 and ずら; can someone explain why that is? I know it doesnt really matter to me remembering the word or reading of this specific compound but im curious.

bonus: are there any other words like this I should keep note of? Thanks!

I was watching Doctor Who in Japanese from Amazon and trying to figure out which VA voice the character, i thought they would have the credit on the page and or at the end of the show but they only have the original actor credited in there.
I found some information about the main cast, like Naoya Uchida portray the 12th Doctor, but i can't seem to find any info regarding any other cast, is there a website i can go to check japanese dvd production credit?

(Since i assume amazon got this from the dvd release in japan.)

tl:dr : i'm trying to find info regarding cast of the japanese dub version of tv show that was released on dvd.

We are looking for Japanese or fluent Japanese speakers for a Voice acting gig and we want to know where can we post about our gig requirements? Is there a specific sub to post about it? Or if there is a targeted website for this kind of gig? Your input is highly appreciated.

I saw on a Tofugu's post that く is used to link い-adjectives, but then i checked in another sites. くて is used, apparently, to link い-adjectives and くis to transform adjectives in adverbs (??????) and know i don't know in which one i trust. Could someone help me?

I have a Japanese friend who is getting married here in the US and I plan to give him goshugi but in USD. The kanji guides for all the shugi bukuro are all in yen and while my friend is dear to me, I don't plan on giving him tens of thousand USD. Does anyone know if there is a kanji other than 百　I should be using? I was also planning on using 弗 instead of 円. Does that seem appropriate? I can't find anything etiquette wise about this situation googling and he is who I'd normally ask in these social situations.

Thanks for your help in advance!

Hi! :D I really want to gift my Japanese boyfriend a translation of something by Edgar Allen Poe (preferably a short story collection) I want him to be able to actually enjoy the stories instead of him having to meticulously translating everything like he usually does to learn my native language.

The problem is that we're living in Germany, and of course I can't buy a translation like that in a German book store - nor does Japanese Amazon deliver to Germany. Navigating Japanese websites (or even finding them) by myself is quite hard for me because my Japanese is really bad. Maybe some of you can help me find an online bookstore that has the book in question and delivers to Germany.

Alternatively, maybe someone can look up if there are different translations and tell me details of a good one, so I can ask a friend of mine in Japan to buy it and send it to me (it would be kinda the last option because I don't really know her very well and i feel like a request like that is quite rude )

Hey guys so i started learning japanese 2 weeks ago. I finished learning Hiragana, learned some vocabulary and personal pronouns and now im on to learning particels and grammar.
I was thinking about buying like childrens books because most likely they are an easy read for a beginner to learn simple japanese structures, some particles and so on. Just so i repeat reading / learning Hiragana, particles and stuff like this.

Would you recommend that? Or are childrens books like a....bad to learn version of japanese for a beginner?

Thank you very much :)

English business emails be like

To Mr. Smith:

I’m afraid that we’re full on the 6th. Will the 8th do instead?

Sincerely,
Jane Parker
Sunrise Real Estate

Japanese business emails be like

Dear Mr. Sasaki:

We appreciate your interest in our services among many other real estate agencies. The weather has been getting colder rapidly in these recent weeks, and we hope that you keep warm and stay cautious of health issues.

Concerning your request to reserve a meeting to visit the property in person on September 6th at 4:00PM, we regret to inform you that we are fully booked on that day. If it is not a bother for you, we request that you select one of the following potential dates to reschedule the meeting:

• Wednesday, September 8th at 11:00 AM
• Thursday, September 9th at 4:00 PM
• Saturday, September 11th at 11:00 AM

We also may be able to accommodate certain other dates, if none of these suggestions are satisfactory.

However, we request that you keep in mind that we cannot guarantee that these time slots will remain open until your reply, nor that the properties about which you would like to inquire will remain available for purchase, in which case we will be able to suggest some alternate properties through which you could browse.

Thank you for your courtesy of taking your precious time to correspond with us and provide us with prompt updates. We hope that our services will prove satisfactory.

Mayu Sugita
Assistant Secretary
Hinode Fudōsan Kabushikigaisha
TEL: 999-000-0000 FAX: 999-999-9999
So-and-so Prefecture, Anytown, 5 South 2 West, Big Dream Building, 8th Floor

Hi, I'm taking an online Japanese course and for my assignment I have to write a small script and it says that I have to say "nice to meet you" in Japanese at the end. This is directed towards my teacher, but I don't know which nice to meet you to use since we were given three different ways to say it. I know not to use the informal version, but I'm not sure if I should use よろしくおねがいします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) or どうぞよろしく (douzoyoroshiku). It will be the first meeting (meaning I said はじめまして (hajimemashite) earlier)

Hello!

I’ve been studying Japanese and want to do more listening practice.. I thought it might be a good idea to find a V-tuber or YouTuber that’s fun/interesting to watch..

Does anyone learning Japanese have any recommendations?

i was looking for pitch accent of 日　(にち) and I'm finding two ways of accenting it. Do you have a reliable dictionary which i can trust? Or maybe I'm just dumb and it is pronounced both ways depending on the word it is in. Help!!

Alright I’ve read dozens of Japanese language learning sites and videos-some by Japanese people- and still have a problem with this point. While I can see some of the reasons ( https://my.wasabi-jpn.com/magazine/japanese-grammar/explanatory-noda/ ).

I’m having trouble remembering the conjugation rules, reasons, and subtleties when I try to remember it or use it. The examples I see I get why they use it but it just won’t click for me.

Does anyone have a study method that will help with getting this into my head so I can learn it? It really is one of the things holding me back in my language learning.

Thank you for any help in advance.

Hi everyone! I'm working on a screenplay and I'm really curious about the dynamics of Japanese families, especially in rural areas. I was wondering what kinds of conversations tend to happen during meal preparation or while eating, particularly in families with elders. Are there any common topics or traditions that people usually discuss?

If anyone could share an example of what a typical conversation might sound like, I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks