In this episode, the Tofugu research team answers questions about だ and です from our listeners, such as:

"Is it true that だ isn't just a less polite form of です?"

"What are the real differences between だ and です?"

After listening to this episode, check out our article on Tofugu.com for more info:
"だ and です : Venturing beyond Textbook Rules into Real-Life Use" (www.tofugu.com/japanese/da-vs-desu-in-real-life/)

だ and です: Part I

For people who want to visit Japan, live in Japan, and learn Japanese. Please excuse the tangents.

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Kanae and Nick, discuss how "but" in Japanese, けど (kedo), is often used at the end of sentences in real-life conversations.

For more details, check out Kanae's article: https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/kedo/

けど: Why Are Japanese Speakers Always Ending Their Sentences with "But"?

Language exchange is a fun and free way to improve your Japanese. But to do it successfully, you should consider a few things.

In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Kanae and Ian discuss tips and practical expressions you can use for language exchange sessions.

For more details, check out: https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/language-exchange/

How To Language Exchange Successfully

In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Kanae and David discuss why e-books can be great materials for Japanese learners, all their tips for buying Japanese e-books, and their favorite Japanese e-book stores.

After listening to the episode, check out: https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/how-to-buy-japanese-ebooks/

How and Where to Buy Japanese E-Books

よつばと！ (Yotsuba&!) is a Japanese slice-of-life comedy manga series that's become very popular in the Japanese learning community.

In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Kanae and Ian talk about how much they love Yotsuba&! and why it's such a great manga series to pick up for Japanese learners, especially beginners.

After listening to this episode, check out Ian's review article about "Yotsuba&!": https://www.tofugu.com/reviews/yotsubato/

Why Is Everyone Raving about "Yotsuba&!"?

In this episode, Emily and Kanae discuss “yuri,” the Japanese genre of women-loving women (wlw) romantic relationships.

Check out this episode to learn a brief history of yuri, famous examples of yuri, and Emily’s yuri/LGBTQ+ recommendations, such as:

    少女革命ウテナ (Revolutionary Girl Utena)
    やがて君になる (Bloom Into You)
    しまなみ誰そ彼 (Our Dreams at Dusk)

… and more!

だ and です: Part I

Download our free app to listen on your phone