Self Taught Japanese: Grammar and more!

I had been keeping up with my podcast about Japanese grammar, Japanese Grammar and More, until late October 2024 at which point I took a break to persue other stuff (for example writing books). However after getting several emails from people asking for more episodes, I finally decided to jump back into things. But wow, it’s hard to believe that was around two years ago, it feels like half of that.

After going through the summary of the existing episodes, I realized that I had missed one pretty important basic topic: Na-adjectives. So I decided to cover that in this episode including a bunch of vocab words and sample sentences. I also briefly compare na-adjectives to i-adjectives since the grammar around them is significantly different.

To finish things off I also discuss a few greetings used when someone leaves or returns home (“tada ima”, etc.)

I hope you enjoy it! As always, please feel free if you have content ideas you can comment here or email me at selftaughtjapanese (at) gmail.com

Besides below, you can also hear this episode on Spotify here (along with other episodes). 

I have a few other topics planned, hopefully I can make another episode in the near future.

In episode 16 I talk about a recent trip to Osaka, Japan, using a recording that I made in my hotel room the 2nd day of my trip. I talk about things such as an experience at the airport, in a Japanese taxi, and my encounter with a surprisingly long shopping arcade.

You can also hear this episode on Spotify here (along with other episodes). 

I’m always open to feedback and requests for things to cover. You can email me at “selftaughtjapanese [at] gmail.com”.

(Note: after finishing everything I realized that I accidentally said “Episode 15” at the beginning of the recording, but it’s the proper episode. You can tell it isn’t episode 15 since the music is different.)

In episode 15 I go over the important word “you” that is a common way to compare one thing to another, as well as a more casual variant of it. I give several example sentences, and have a mini quiz at the end to test your knowledge.

Finally, I mention a useful phrase about making a wish or prayer.

You can also hear this episode on Spotify here (along with other episodes). 

I’m always open to feedback and requests for things to cover. You can email me at “selftaughtjapanese [at] gmail.com”.

(I recorded a short intro/outro on my newly purchased Yamaha grand piano, which you can find more info about here)

In episode 14 I go over the potential tense (“to be able to”), including the conjugation for each verb category and a more verbose way to express the same thing. I also talk about the negative potential form, and ask a few questions involving using the potential form to make basic sentences, as well as listening comprehension with simple sentences using that form.

I also go over a casual expression that can be used to ask “really?”, and some related phrases.

You can also hear this episode on Spotify here (along with other episodes). 

I’m always open to feedback and requests for things to cover. You can email me at “selftaughtjapanese [at] gmail.com”.

If you are interested in my new podcast about Japanese culture, titled “Japanese: Musings on All Things Japanese”, which covers topics like calligraphy and Aikido, you can check it out on here.

In episode 13 of my new podcast for beginner/intermediate students of Japanese I decided to take a break from grammar and talk about the advantages and disadvantages of studying Japanese as a foreign language, something I’ve seen much discussion about online. While I want to get back to grammar in the next episode, please let me know if you want more episodes like this talking about non-grammar topics.

At the end I also talk about a few ways to ask someone to wait for you.

You can also hear this episode on Spotify here (along with the previous episodes). 

I’m always open to feedback and requests for things to cover. You can email me at “selftaughtjapanese [at] gmail.com”.

In episode 12 of my new podcast for beginner/intermediate students of Japanese I go over the following:

• An introduction to “ne”, a particle that imparts a sense of friendliness and connection with another person
• Introduction of a few new words and mini-quizzes to test your knowledge
• A few ways to say goodbye

You can also hear this episode on Spotify here (along with the previous episodes). 

I’m always open to feedback and requests for things to cover. You can email me at “selftaughtjapanese [at] gmail.com”.

• Introduction to the “te” form (one of the most important forms in the language)
  • Conjugation rules for each verb type
  • A few ways the “te” form can be used (including to make a polite request)
• Four expressions for apologizing (in various levels of politeness)

You can also hear this episode on Spotify here (along with the previous episodes). 

I’m always open to feedback and requests for things to cover. You can email me at “selftaughtjapanese [at] gmail.com”.

• Introduction to i-adjectives (how to use them in a sentence, and conjugation)
• Learn a few i-adjectives (small, large, etc.)
• An expression for saying you hope something happens (which can be a mild suggestion).

You can also hear this episode on Spotify here (along with the previous episodes). 

I’m always open to feedback and requests for things to cover. You can email me at “selftaughtjapanese [at] gmail.com”.

• The “mo” particle (and some particle combinations)
• Words for languages (Japanese, Spanish, etc.) and the “go” prefix
• Words for relative days (Today, tomorrow, etc.)
• How to ask someone if they are OK

(This episode also includes a newly-recorded intro and ending theme on piano, by yours truly.)

You can also hear this episode on Spotify here (along with the previous episodes). 

I’m always open to feedback and requests for things to cover. You can email me at “selftaughtjapanese [at] gmail.com”.

In the 8th episode of my new Podcast about learning Japanese for beginners, I cover the following topics:

• The past tense (including conjugation rules for different verb types)
• A few new vocabulary words and short questions to test your knowledge
• A useful expression to make a suggestion

You can also hear this episode on Spotify here (along with the previous episodes). 

I’m always open to feedback and requests for things to cover. You can email me at “selftaughtjapanese [at] gmail.com”.