YAHHO! First Japanese with Kimi

Practice real Japanese with Kimi! 🇯🇵

Today’s episode is a short one!

It’s been a busy weekend with my kids, so I didn’t have time to make a longer episode.

But I still wanted to share a quick Japanese tip with you!

Today, we’re talking about the difference between “drive” and the Japanese word “doraibu.”

Even though doraibu comes from the English word drive, Japanese people use it a little differently.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

🚗 unten suru = to drive a car

🚗 doraibu ni iku = to go for a drive for fun

It’s a small difference, but it’s a very natural expression that Japanese people use all the time.

I hope this quick tip helps you sound more natural in Japanese!

If you’d like to practice real Japanese conversation with me, I also teach private Japanese lessons on italki.

You’re always welcome!

👉  ⁠Book a lesson on italki

Thank you so much for listening!

See you in the next episode! 🌸

#LearnJapanese #JapanesePodcast #JapaneseVocabulary #Katakana #Doraibu #UntenSuru #JapaneseConversation #StudyJapanese #JapaneseForBeginners #italki

Today, we’re doing something a little different.

It’s a Japanese Katakana Quiz!

Katakana is one of the three Japanese writing systems:

hiragana, katakana, and kanji.

Katakana is often used for words that come from other languages, especially English.

But…

Even if you speak English, katakana words are not always easy to understand!

Many Japanese words originally came from English, but the pronunciation and rhythm changed when they became Japanese.

In this episode, I’ll say 10 Japanese katakana words.

Can you guess the original English words?

Try to guess before I give you the answers!

How many did you get?

Did any of them surprise you?

Katakana can be tricky, but the more Japanese you listen to, the easier it becomes.

Let’s have fun learning Japanese together!

Katakana Quiz Answers

1. プロフィール → profile
2. マネージャー → manager
3. ツイッター → Twitter
4. ボリューム → volume
5. スマートフォン → smartphone
6. ビタミン → vitamin
7. ボタン → button
8. マーガリン → margarine
9. アレルギー → allergy
10. ウイルス → virus

If you’d like to practice Japanese conversation with me, I also teach private Japanese lessons on italki.

You’re always welcome!

👉  ⁠Book a lesson on italki

https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/6340545?lv=1

Thank you so much for listening!

See you in the next episode! 🌸

#LearnJapanese #JapanesePodcast #Katakana #KatakanaQuiz #JapaneseVocabulary #JapaneseForBeginners #SpeakJapanese #StudyJapanese #JapaneseConversation #italki

Does pitch accent really matter when learning Japanese?

Should beginners focus on pronunciation, or is grammar and vocabulary more important?

In this episode, I share my personal thoughts as both a Japanese teacher and an English learner.

We talk about:

🎙 What pitch accent is

🎙 Why many learners can understand Japanese but still sound a little unnatural

🎙 Why changing pronunciation later is much harder than learning it correctly from the beginning

🎙 How your Japanese learning goals can change what you should focus on

I also share my own experience learning English and why I wish I had paid more attention to pronunciation from day one.

Whether you’re learning Japanese for travel, conversation, or living in Japan, I hope this episode helps you decide where to focus your time and energy.

If you’d like to practice Japanese pronunciation and conversation with me, I also teach private Japanese lessons on italki.

You’re always welcome!

👉  ⁠Book a lesson on italki

Thank you so much for listening!

See you in the next episode! 🌸

#LearnJapanese #JapanesePodcast #PitchAccent #JapanesePronunciation #SpeakJapanese #JapaneseConversation #JapaneseForBeginners #StudyJapanese #LanguageLearning #italki

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Practice Japanese with Kimi!

This is the practice episode for Episode 64.

Today we’ll practice how to answer one of the most useful Japanese conversation patterns:

”…ta koto ga arimasu ka?”

(“Have you ever…?”)

In this episode, you’ll practice natural replies like:

✅ hai, itta koto ga arimasu.

(Yes, I have.)

✅ iya, itta koto ga arimasen.

(No, I haven’t.)

✅ demo, itsuka itte mitai desu.

(But I’d like to go there someday.)

You’ll practice answering questions such as:

• nihon ni itta koto ga arimasu ka?

• okonomiyaki o tabeta koto ga arimasu ka?

• panda o mita koto ga arimasu ka?

• saafin o shita koto ga arimasu ka?

This episode includes:

🎧 Round 1: Listen and repeat.

🎧 Round 2: Answer before I do!

Speaking out loud is one of the fastest ways to improve your Japanese, so don’t be afraid to pause the episode and practice with me.

I’d love to help you improve your Japanese even more!

If you’d like private one-on-one Japanese lessons, you’re always welcome to join me on italki.

👉  ⁠Book a lesson on italki

https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/6340545?lv=1

Thank you so much for practicing with me!

See you in the next episode! 🌸

#LearnJapanese #JapanesePodcast #JapanesePractice #SpeakJapanese #JapaneseConversation #JapaneseForBeginners #JLPT #italki #StudyJapanese #RealJapanese

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In this episode, you’ll learn how to answer one of the most useful Japanese conversation patterns:

”…ta koto ga arimasu ka?”

(“Have you ever…?”)

Instead of answering with only yes or no, you’ll learn how Japanese people naturally keep the conversation going.

You’ll practice useful replies like:

• hai, itta koto ga arimasu.

(Yes, I have.)

• iya, itta koto ga arimasen.

(No, I haven’t.)

• demo, itsuka itte mitai desu.

(But I’d like to go someday.)

You’ll also learn how to answer questions like:

• okonomiyaki o tabeta koto ga arimasu ka?

• panda o mita koto ga arimasu ka?

• saafin o shita koto ga arimasu ka?

You’ll discover a natural Japanese expression that native speakers use all the time:

”…te mitai desu.”

Instead of simply saying ikitai desu (“I want to go”), Japanese people often say itte mitai desu, which means “I’d like to try going.”

It’s a small difference, but it makes your Japanese sound much more natural.

If you’d like to practice real Japanese conversation with me, I also teach private Japanese lessons on italki.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or already speaking Japanese, you’re always welcome!

Thank you so much for listening.

See you in the next episode! 🌸

This is the practice episode for Episode 62.

In this episode, we’ll practice one of the most useful Japanese conversation patterns:

”…ta koto ga arimasu ka?”

It means:

“Have you ever…?”

You’ll repeat after me in Round 1, then test yourself in Round 2 by answering before I do.

Today’s practice includes questions like:

• kyouto ni itta koto ga arimasu ka?

(Have you ever been to Kyoto?)

• nihon ni itta koto ga arimasu ka?

(Have you ever been to Japan?)

• takoyaki o tabeta koto ga arimasu ka?

(Have you ever eaten takoyaki?)

• sukiyaki o tabeta koto ga arimasu ka?

(Have you ever eaten sukiyaki?)

• fujisan o mita koto ga arimasu ka?

(Have you ever seen Mt. Fuji?)

• yoga o shita koto ga arimasu ka?

(Have you ever done yoga?)

• nihonshu o nonda koto ga arimasu ka?

(Have you ever tried sake?)

• nattou o tabeta koto ga arimasu ka?

(Have you ever eaten natto?)

This pattern is perfect for meeting new people, making small talk, and having natural conversations with Japanese people.

The more you say these sentences out loud, the more natural they’ll become.

If you’d like even more speaking practice, I’d love to help you!

I teach private Japanese lessons on italki, where we practice real Japanese conversation in a fun and relaxed way.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or already speaking Japanese, you’re always welcome!

Thank you so much for practicing with me.

See you in the next episode! 🌸

In this episode, you’ll learn one of the most useful conversation patterns in Japanese:

”…ta koto ga arimasu ka?”

It means:

“Have you ever…?”

Japanese people use this pattern all the time when they first meet someone or want to get to know someone better.

It’s perfect for small talk, traveling in Japan, and everyday conversations.

In this episode, you’ll learn useful examples like:

• kyouto ni itta koto ga arimasu ka?

(Have you ever been to Kyoto?)

• nihon ni itta koto ga arimasu ka?

(Have you ever been to Japan?)

• takoyaki o tabeta koto ga arimasu ka?

(Have you ever eaten takoyaki?)

• sukiyaki o tabeta koto ga arimasu ka?

(Have you ever eaten sukiyaki?)

• fujisan o mita koto ga arimasu ka?

(Have you ever seen Mt. Fuji?)

• yoga o shita koto ga arimasu ka?

(Have you ever done yoga?)

• nihonshu o nonda koto ga arimasu ka?

(Have you ever tried sake?)

Don’t worry if this pattern feels a little difficult at first.

Just learn it as one useful expression, and you’ll start hearing it everywhere in real conversations.

In the next episode, we’ll practice these sentences together!

If you’d like to practice Japanese conversation with me, I also teach private lessons on italki.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or already speaking Japanese, I’d love to help you improve your Japanese through personalized one-on-one lessons.

Thank you so much for listening!

See you in the next episode! 🎉

Practice Japanese with Kimi!

This is the practice episode for Episode 60.

In this episode, we’ll practice useful Japanese expressions for talking about hot, cold, and warm.

You’ll repeat after me, then challenge yourself by answering before I do!

Today’s practice includes:

☀️ atsui – hot (weather)

❄️ samui – cold (weather)

🧊 tsumetai – cold (things you touch)

☕ attakai – warm

You’ll also practice useful everyday phrases like:

• kyou wa atsui desu ne.

• kono heya wa samui desu ne.

• kore wa tsumetai mizu desu.

• tsumetai ocha o kudasai.

• attakai koohii o kudasai.

• atsu!

• tsumeta!

Repeating out loud is one of the best ways to build natural Japanese speaking skills, so don’t be shy—say each sentence with me!

A quick tip!

Remember:

samui is for the weather.

tsumetai is for things you touch, like water, ice, or a cold drink.

This is one of the most common mistakes Japanese learners make, so keep practicing and you’ll sound much more natural.

If you’d like to practice Japanese conversation with me, I also teach private lessons on italki.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or already speaking Japanese, I’d love to help you improve your Japanese through personalized one-on-one lessons.

Thank you so much for practicing with me.

See you in the next episode!

Welcome back to YAHOO! First Japanese with Kimi!

🎉 Episode 60! Yay!

Thank you so much for listening and learning Japanese with me.

I can’t believe we have already reached 60 episodes!

Every time I see people listening to my podcast, it gives me motivation to keep creating new episodes.

Thank you for being part of this Japanese learning journey!

Today’s topic is:

Hot, Cold & Warm in Japanese

In English, we use simple words like “hot,” “cold,” and “warm,” but Japanese has different words depending on the situation.

In this episode, you will learn:

☀️ atsui — hot (weather)
❄️ samui — cold (weather)
🧊 tsumetai — cold (things you touch)
☕ atatakai / attakai — warm

You’ll also learn natural Japanese expressions that Japanese people use every day:

atsui na~
(“It’s so hot…”)

tsumeta!
(“It’s cold!”)

Small differences like these will help you sound more natural when speaking Japanese.

If you want to practice Japanese conversation with me, you can book a lesson on italki.

I’d love to help you improve your Japanese through personalized lessons!

Thank you for listening!

Practice useful Japanese phrases that you can use in online lessons!

In this episode, you’ll review practical expressions like:

• もういちど おねがいします (One more time, please.)
• わかりました (I understand.)
• それは わかります (I already know that.)
• わかりません (I don’t understand.)
• ゆっくり はなして もらえますか (Could you speak more slowly?)
• これは にほんごで なんと いいますか (How do you say this in Japanese?)
• きこえますか (Can you hear me?)
• みえますか (Can you see me?)
• なるほど (I see.)
• だいじょうぶです (That’s OK.)

First, repeat after me.

Then, challenge yourself with real-life situations and answer before I do!

This episode is perfect for beginners studying Japanese or anyone taking online Japanese lessons.

✨ Want to practice real conversations with me?

Book a lesson here:
https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/6340545?lv=1

🎙️ New episodes every week!
Please follow the podcast and subscribe on YouTube if you’re enjoying these lessons.

#LearnJapanese #JapanesePodcast #BeginnerJapanese #OnlineJapanese #JapanesePractice #JLPTN5 #TravelJapanese #JapaneseLessons