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こんにちは

'Hello' in Japanese

Photo by Su San Lee

Language

Japanese

Japonic Family

Left to Right Script

Romanization Enabled

Non-Gendered Language

Japanese, a Japonic language, is spoken by about 125 million native speakers, primarily in Japan. It uses three writing systems: hiragana, katakana (for phonetic syllabaries), and kanji (Chinese characters). Japanese is known for its pitch-accent system and unique phonetic structure. Its grammar is agglutinative, with particles marking sentence structure, no grammatical gender, and complex verb conjugations that reflect politeness levels. Vocabulary includes native terms and loanwords from Chinese, English, and other languages. As Japan’s official language, Japanese is central to its culture, technology, and global influence in media, cuisine, and art. Romanization is enabled for Japanese on this platform in addition to the original script. Romanization is the representation of a non-Latin script language in the Latin alphabet to aid pronunciation and understanding for those unfamiliar with the original script.

Flashcards

swim

JPN Verb 3162

およぐ

oyogu

swim

To move through water by using the arms and legs.

education

JPN Noun 423

教育

kyōiku

education

The process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university.

mom

JPN Noun 612

おかあさん

okāsan

mom

One's mother.

lead

JPN Verb 348

みちびく

michibiku

lead

To guide or direct (a person or group).

Stories

After the Rain, Before the Bell

A university student rushes into a seminar on academic freedom after a morning rain, navigates a heated debate, endur...

Advanced 12 sentences

Letter Before the Holiday Rain

On the eve of Respect for the Aged Day in Japan, a young person decides to handwrite a letter to their grandmother in...

Intermediate 10 sentences

A Rainy Day at the Art Museum

On a rainy Sunday, the narrator visits an art museum with a friend, looks at paintings, and shares favorites. They bu...

Beginner 14 sentences

Furigana and Cardamom at the Library

In a quiet Tokyo ward library, the narrator helps a newcomer from Iran make a library card, and the two connect over ...

Advanced 11 sentences

Browse All Stories

Agents

Satoshi

Japanese

Satoshi

Studying Japanese linguistics

Male

20

Tokyo, Japan

Student

Introverted

gaming, reading, biking

Hiroshi

Japanese

Hiroshi

Debugging code late night

Male

31

Tokyo, Japan

Programmer

Focused

anime, gardening, karate

Aiko

Japanese

Aiko

Teaching Japanese online

Female

34

Tokyo, Japan

Language teacher

Serene

gardening, reading, yoga

View All Agents

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