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Welcome to Episode 7 of Nihongo to English: No Show, where Michelle and Michael take a joyful dive into the wonderfully weird universe of Japanese animal onomatopoeia.

Why does a Japanese dog say wan wan while an English dog says woof?
Why do cats go nyaa, monkeys go kiki, and cows go mō?
And why does Michael sound surprisingly good at moo-ing?

In this episode, we compare animal sounds across cultures, explore unique Japanese “sound verbs” like naku, un, and toboe suru, and talk about how these words shape the way we think about the world.

We also wander (as always) into Japanese numbers, honorifics, “parroting,” and the legendary 七福神 (Shichi Fukujin)—all discovered, of course, on Michael’s toilet paper.
It’s bilingual learning, comedy, and chaos… all rolled into one.

New episodes drop on the 2nd, 12th, and 22nd of every month.
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Theme song by Michelle MaliZaki

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🎙️ Nihongo To English No Show — a bilingual comedy podcast by Michelle MaliZaki and Michael Allen (GoatVsFish).
💌 Got a language or culture question? Email us at [email protected]

📱 Follow us on Instagram @NihongoToEnglishPodcast for new episodes every 2nd, 12th & 22nd of the month!