Japanese Daily News

After almost twenty-five years, the penguin on Japan's Suica transit card is retiring, and the public gets to vote on its successor. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.

Grammar in this episode:

• 〜てくる — has been ~ing (up to now)
• 受身形「〜（ら）れる」 — passive: is done; is held
• 〜予定です — is planned to; is scheduled to

Free grammar notes, practice questions and Anki decks for JLPT N5–N1: jpnotes.dev

Japan just changed a big traffic rule. On the narrow streets where people live, cars must now drive much more slowly. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N5-N4.

Grammar in this episode:

• 〜なければなりません — must ~; have to ~
• 〜と — if ~; when ~ (natural result)
• 〜てください — please do ~

Free grammar notes, practice questions and Anki decks for JLPT N5–N1: jpnotes.dev

Japan's fifteen-year-olds just topped every OECD country in the world's biggest school survey — but there is a catch in the results. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.

Grammar in this episode:

• 〜を対象に（した） — targeting ~; aimed at ~
• 〜一方（で） — on the other hand; while ~
• 〜として — citing ~ (as a reason); on the grounds that ~

Free grammar notes, practice questions and Anki decks for JLPT N5–N1: jpnotes.dev

It's autumn fruit season in Japan, and one big green grape is the star of the markets right now. This year it's sweeter than usual — and cheaper, too. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N5-N4.

Grammar in this episode:

• 〜ので — because ~; since ~
• 〜より — than ~ (comparison)
• 〜ことができる — can ~; be able to ~

Free grammar notes, practice questions and Anki decks for JLPT N5–N1: jpnotes.dev

Asia's biggest sports festival opens in Japan later this month, and athletes are already arriving. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.

Grammar in this episode:

• 〜を前に — ahead of ~ / just before ~
• 〜予定だ — be scheduled to ~ / plan to ~
• 〜ため — because ~ / due to ~

Free grammar notes, practice questions and Anki decks for JLPT N5–N1: jpnotes.dev

Japan's economy may have just made history: the current expansion could now be the longest since the end of the war. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.

Grammar in this episode:

• 〜ぶり — for the first time in ~ (after a gap of ~)
• 〜場合 — in the case that ~ / if ~
• 〜と言われている — it is said that ~

Free grammar notes, practice questions and Anki decks for JLPT N5–N1: jpnotes.dev

Prince Hisahito, a young member of Japan's imperial family, has just turned twenty. Today we hear about his birthday and his life as a university student. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N5-N4.

Grammar in this episode:

• 〜ころから — since the time of ~
• 〜を使って — using ~; by means of ~
• 〜として — as ~; in the role of ~

Free grammar notes, practice questions and Anki decks for JLPT N5–N1: jpnotes.dev

Ten years ago this week, the anime movie Your Name opened in theaters across Japan. Now the director and fans are celebrating its birthday. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N5-N4.

Grammar in this episode:

• 〜という + noun — a ~ called ...
• 〜になる — to become ~
• 〜と伝える／〜と話す — to say / tell that ~ (quotation)

Free grammar notes, practice questions and Anki decks for JLPT N5–N1: jpnotes.dev

Yayoi Kusama, the artist loved around the world for her polka dots and pumpkin sculptures, has died at the age of ninety-seven. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.

Grammar in this episode:

• 〜で知られる — known for ~
• 〜を中心に — mainly; centering on ~
• 〜として — as ~; in the role of ~
• 〜ほど（の） — so much that ~; to the extent that ~
• 〜ず（に） — without doing ~

Free grammar notes, practice questions and Anki decks for JLPT N5–N1: jpnotes.dev

At a big safari park in western Japan, a baby elephant has been born — the first one there in thirty-five years. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N5-N4.

Grammar in this episode:

• 〜という + noun — a ~ called ...
• 〜とき — when ~
• 〜ぶり — for the first time in ~ (a period of time)

Free grammar notes, practice questions and Anki decks for JLPT N5–N1: jpnotes.dev