Learn Japanese w/ Manga Sensei

Learn Japanese: Soshite そして

Today we talk about an important (I use that word way too much) conjunction. This is often translated to as "and then" or "after that." Make sure that you know what situation or otherwise that you will be using it in, because this can get kinda tricky.

Learn Japanese: Back To school

Sorry about yesterday my city lost power. I couldn't even check my mail because my phone died. However, I am back today with a podcast about going back to school and learning Japanese.

Learn Japanese: Passives Review

I thought that it might be good to do a quick overview of all the different ways that the Rareru or passive form can be used. Cheers, John

Learn Japanese: Passives pt.4

Honorific language is another function of the Rareru form. Make sure that you don't miss this amazing episode and raise your diction a little too. Also make sure to follow me on Instagram @themangasensei

Learn Japanese: Passive pt.3

Today we continue to talk about the RARERU or RERU form and how it actually makes Japanese easier. This episode was a lot of fun to record because I had to do it 7 times, so I hope you find it helpful.

Learn Japanese: Passives pt.2

Today we continue talking about Passives. This is because people really seem to get hung up on this and I am a super nice and understanding guy. Oh, and I really really struggled with this when I first started learning Japanese. So there is that...

Learn Japanese: Passive Sentences

This is today's highly requested podcast is the first of many in a series of important podcasts. As passives tend to be quite difficult we will be talking about them all week long. If you have any questions, comments or otherwise please follow me @themangasensei on twitter and manga-sensei.com for updates and other fun things. -John

Learn Japanese: Sunday Q&A

Every once and a while I like to answer questions about Japanese that I get at my website manga-sensei.com You should visit and tell me what you think. Because I also answer all the time via email, so please connect with me there. -John Sensei

Learn Japanese: E vs Ni へ対に

This long-standing question gets answered today by the world's best-beared grammarian John Sensei. In today's show we also talk about how to use particles, the uses of Ni, lying hiragana and make you day just that much better! Make mistakes!

Learn Japanese: (With) To Issho Ni と一緒に

So Sorry! I thought my podcasts we uploading and I noticed they weren't! I will upload every missing day now! I hope you like today's episode! Today we talk about with. Not with and in I had peas with carrots, but I went to the mall with my little sister with. We also talk about why you should get married with someone that to someone. Cheers, John Sensei

Learn Japanese: Base Ta Usage

This is something I keep coming across, so I figured this might be something others might have questions about. Hence this off the wall podcast. Enjoy

Learn Japanese: Kesshite 決して

NEVER WILL THERE BE A BETTER EPISODE! Or Never will we talk about never. Never say never. Kesshite (決して) is a conjunction that expresses "never" in a sentence. However, it has to be used in the Negative form. Which we talk all about on today's 5 minute Japanese Lesson!

Learn Japanese: Naruhodo なるほど

Naruhodo was the Kuchiguse (口癖) that my old roommate in Japan had. I think learning how to use it, as well as the fluid nature of this word will help you sound alot more fluid.

Learn Japanese: About Motivation

So... Being a very goal oriented person I figured this might be an odd way to talk about Japanese and language learning, but I figured ya'll would like it. If not, or you have any other questions feel freet o connect with me on Twitter. @themangasensei

Learn Japanese: Hora ほら

This episode is dedicated to my friend Evan, because he loves this word. Hi Shortboob. This week we are talking about words that you may not find in the dictionary, or that are better heard in a spoken context. Also, make sure to check out our comic! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themangasensei/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themangasensei/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/themangasensei Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFyhPCVFsM_0D0YtoFFlkWw Website: manga-sensei.co...

Learn Japanese: Are?! あれ

This week we are talking a lot about things that you won't find in a dictionary or textbook. Today is the peak of that idea. Today we are learning how Japanese people say: What?! or What the heck? which is something I don't think you are going to find in Genki. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themangasensei/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themangasensei/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/themangasensei Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFyhPCVFsM_0D0YtoFFlkWw Website: mang...

Learn Japanese: Plain Form

I often hear new speakers get stuck in this dangerous "masu" trap. So I decided to quickly talk about it. I kinda went off the walls. Maybe I was a little tired when I posted this, so I'm sorry. -John Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themangasensei/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themangasensei/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/themangasensei Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFyhPCVFsM_0D0YtoFFlkWw Website: manga-sensei.com Music by Gizmo

Learn Japanese: Slang 102

Continuing the talk about Japanese adjectives, here is a detailed and kinda crazy lesson about another spoken anomaly in Japanese that can make you sounds more... colorful in your way of speaking. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themangasensei/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themangasensei/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/themangasensei Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFyhPCVFsM_0D0YtoFFlkWw Website: manga-sensei.com Music by Gizmo

Learn Japanese: Slang 101

Manga Sensei, teaching people how to ay inappropriate and crude things. That's me. But really, this lesson is all about learning to conjugate words into expletives. Because that is what a real Sensei does, teach useful stuff.

Learn Japanese: Shadowing

Shadowing, and other language learning methods are great tools that can give you a leg up. Today I break down how to use this method to improve speaking fluidity.

Learn Japanese: Naa なあ

This episode and grammar point is so people and differentiate between the basic な and なあ. Which, despite their similarity in phonology has very different meanings. Today we also review the concept of area of information and what you shouldn't say.

Learn Japanese: Made Mo Nai までもない

This is an advanced grammar point. Heads up. までもない (made mo nai) is an expression used to indicate that the speaker feels that it is not necessary to go as far as doing something, either because it is pointless or inappropriate to do so. It has a meaning that is similar to the English phrase “no need to”, “no need to go as far as” and “don’t bother to”. There is an idiomatic version of tis phrase いうまでもなく (iu mademo naku) that means basically “it goes without saying that…”

Learn Japanese: Nai De ないで

Learn Japanese: Na な

な (na) is used when the speaker orders an inferior not to do something. This is very harsh and informal, so it’s inappropriate to use な on someone who deserves respect such as coworkers, parents, bosses, or anyone with similar or higher social positions. な just gets tacked onto the plain form of whatever verb you don’t want someone to do.

Learn Japanese: Summary of Onomatopoeia

Giseigo 擬声語 Animal and human sounds. Giongo 擬音語 Actual sounds made by inanimate objects and nature. Gitaigo 擬態語 Describe conditions and states. Giyougo 擬容語 Describe movements and motions. Gijougo 擬情語 Describe feelings. -John

Learn Japanese: For Markus

Hey Markus, Here is the answer to your email and question. -John

Learn Japanese: Iraira いらいら

Today is the last day of this installment of the Onomatopoeia series. I hope you have found it helpful. We will be doing this again soon, but until then, I hope this week has helped you improve your fluency and increased your fluidity.

Learn Japanese: Nakanaka なかなか

While many onomatopoeia are indeed sound-words like, animal sounds and sound effects, many of these words also have powerful intrinsic meanings. This episode explores that a little bit and also goes into a common example of this: NakaNaka

Learn Japanese: Emphatic Onomatopoeia

This episode was really fun to record because Onomatopoeia are extremely interesting and silly. I really enjoyed this podcast and I ope you do too. -John https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/japanese-onomatopoeia/

Learn Japanese: Guzen 偶然

Continuing our talk about Japanese onomatopoeia and how they are created and used. Being able to understand the form and function of the individual parts of Japanese phonology and sentence structure will be a great help to all learners, at least that’s what I think.

Learn Japanese: TamaTama 偶々

Tamatama is a Japanese onomatopoeic phrase used to express chance. This week we will be talking quite a bit about the special power of onomatopoeia and their unique function and form in the world's BEST language. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themangasensei/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themangasensei/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/themangasensei Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFyhPCVFsM_0D0YtoFFlkWw Website: manga-sensei.com Music by Gizmo

Learn Japanese: How to use this podcast

How do you use the Manga Sensei podcast? MAybe framing it like this might help: How in the **** do I even learn this language?! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themangasensei/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themangasensei/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/themangasensei Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFyhPCVFsM_0D0YtoFFlkWw Website: manga-sensei.com Music by Gizmo

Learn Japanese: Base Te Adjectives

In case you are listening to over 300 episodes in a row, you may want to know what Bate Te is. Learn more via the Manga Sensei challenge. @ manga-sensei.com You got this.

Learn Japanese: Base Expanded

If you are not familiar with the verb bases check out my 30 day Japanese Challenge: manga-sensei.com/30days Today we will be talking about the history, form and funtion of the light command form of the Te Base. Sounds fancy don't it? Don;t worry it's actually really chill.

Learn Japanese: Stacking adjectives

She is pretty and cute, He is strong and clever, they are nice and cool. When using adjectives sometimes one is not enough. Which is why you need to learn how to stack them. Enjoy!

Learn Japanese: Tai / B2 + たい

Base 2 plus Tai is a way to express wanting to verb. Remember however that is turns the verb into an adjective and is conjugated justly. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themangasensei/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themangasensei/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/themangasensei Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFyhPCVFsM_0D0YtoFFlkWw Website: manga-sensei.com Music by Gizmo

Learn Japanese: B1 + Naku Naru なくなる

This phrase expresses the situation where something stops happening, or a state ceases to occur anymore. It is important to note that in order to use -なくなる something had to be taking place at some point. This phonetically is also the same phrase that is used to express someone passing away. However、 the Kanji used in this case is slightly different. The usage for that is 亡くなる. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themangasensei/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themangasensei/ Twitte...

Learn Japanese: Don't Lie To Yourself

This episode is not to make anyone feel bad. This episode is meant to help you learn Japanese. Really. Be honest about your Japanese ability. If listening to the news is so difficult that you are not learning anything from it, then do something that will actually help you. Study what is useful and what is helpful, not what is showy and a lie. You can do this, but studying Japanese in a way that limits your ability will only hurt you in the long run.

Learn Japanese: Manga Sensei meets Shota Sensei

Today I talk to my friend and fellow Japanese teaching entrepreneur: Shota Sensei. This dude is a polyglot, language teacher, world traveler and all are genius of a guy. I think this interview will not only help your listening but get you alot to think about. Also, sorry about all my mistakes I may have don this interview on 3 hours of sleep. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themangasensei/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themangasensei/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/themangasen...

Learn Japanese: Useful Fillers

Umm... Well... Like... Etc. This works are important if you want to transfer your thoughts and personality to your Japanese. Today we talk about three types: Well - Jya Umm - Eto and Nanka Hey - Annone

Learn Japanese: Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu よろしくお願いします

After more than 300 episodes I have avoided this word because of the various meanings. Today we are going to keep it simple and talk about Yoroshiku in regards to introducing yourself. Just rememnber to bow.

Learn Japanese: Introductions cont.

Raising your diction and improving your ability to be polite to higher member of society is very important in Japanese linguistics and culture. Today’s grammar points reflect that shift.

Learn Japanese: Improving 自己紹介

When introducing yourself in a foreign language it is very easy to become rigid and overly structured when it comes to introducing yourself. Today's podcast is all about making yourself sound more fluent and fluid, and improving your conversational skills.

Learn Japanese: An Intro to John-Sensei

Self-introductions. The first thing we ever really learn in Japanese, that it becomes something wrote and kinda corny sounding if we are not careful. Which is why John-Sensei takes this opportunity to say his in English and prepare your for tomorrow where we help you sound a lot more natural when introducing yourself in Japanese. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themangasensei/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themangasensei/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/themangasensei Youtube: h...

Learn Japanese: How to learn Kanji

This is taken from our livestream on how to start learning Japanese Kanji.

Learn Japanese: Zara wo enai ざるを得ない

ざるを得ない (zaru wo enai) expresses that even though something is undesirable you have no choice but to do it. ざるを得ない is more of a written or formal style and isn’t commonly used in informal speech. It usually correlates with the English “no choice but to”, “nothing to do but”, “can’t help but ”, and “have to”. The more common informal form is しかない. [verb BI ざるを得ない]

Extra: Our Comic

I try not to brag a whole bunch, but we are really stoked about his new version of our comic. Manga-sensei.com/comic

Learn Japanese: Ni Chigainai に違いない

に違いない (ni chigainai) is a phrase that is derived from the verb 違う (chigau), “to be different” or “to vary.” 違いない is a negative form of 違う that means the opposite, to be “sure,” “unmistaken,” or “certain.” に違いない at the end of the sentence conveys the feeling of the English “certainly,” “definitely,” and “surely.

Learn Japanese: Yaru やる

[verb] やる (yaru) can be considered another way to say する. The main difference is やる is used exclusively for physical action . Another difference is that する can take the word directly in front of it without the を (like 勉強する), but やる always needs the を. やる can pop up in English as just plain old “do”, but also as “play” or even “send”. One of the other ways やる is used is similar to [ageru] and [kureru] to give. やる is used when someone gives something to someone or allows someone to do someth...

Learn Japanese: Ni Suru にする

にする (ni suru) is used to indicate that something has decided upon something. This can work with nouns and nominalized (words and phrases that have been converted into a noun) phrases. However, it is important to note that this grammar point can only be used when the thing that is being decided upon is under the subject or speaker’s control.