All work and no play is no way to live your life.  While you are studying up on your Japanese, why not learn a few Japanese love phrases to help you flirt a little, talk to that special someone, or even impress your significant other back home?

Learn to to Flirt in Japanese

Here is a little vocabulary that will help you when dealing with matters of the heart:

ai – love
suki – like
daisuki – like a lot

It is important to note that Japanese people do not like to use the word “love” lightly.  In English we say things like “I love my job,” “I love sleeping in on weekends,” or “I love hotdogs.”  However, in Japanese culture, people would not say that.  The Japanese word for love, “ai” is not something that is just thrown around so easily.  It represents a deep and significant devotion.

If you don’t feel this kind of love, then don’t use “ai.”  Instead use “suki” or “daisuki.”

Here are a few extra terms that may come in handy with Japanese love phrases:

koibito – lover
(used for both men and women)

kareshi – boyfriend (serious relationship)

kanojo – girlfriend (serious relationship)

bōifurendo – boyfriend (casual relationship)

gārufurendo – girlfriend (casual relationship)

Now here are some Japanese love phrases to help you communicate your feelings.  I can’t make any promises though.  Try these at your own risk.

Anata wa gārufurendo ga imasuka.
Do you have a girlfriend?
(replace “gārufurendo” with any words above as needed)

Watashi wa anata ga suiki desu
I love you
(This literally means “I like you.”  In Japanese to say that you love someone is a very serious thing.  Most Japanese people would rather express love through actions than words)

Antata o ai shiteimasu
I love you
(This is the formal and serious form of “I love you.”  Don’t throw this around lightly.)

Anata wa utsukushii desu
You are beautiful.
(Use this when complimenting a woman)

Anata wa kakoii desu
You are good-looking.
(Use this when complimenting a man)

Tsukiatte kudasai
Please go out with me

Kinyoubi no yoru wa hima desuka
Are you free on Friday night?
(See the Japanese days of the week to customize this for any specific day)

Anata ga inai to sabishii desu
I miss you
(literally “You are not here so I am lonely”)

Take a few moments and memorize a few of these Japanese love phrases.  Then you will be all ready to go out and have some fun this weekend.

Also don’t forget that body language is probably the best way there is to flirt or tell someone that you like them.  You can memorize all the Japanese love phrases out there, but if your body isn’t sending the right message, then your “smooth moves” may not work out very well.

Try out some of these phrases and you’ll surly have some fun and maybe make a new “friend.”  Just be sure not to make anyone cry…

Have Some Fun And Learn How to Flirt in Japanese

Many English-speakers may think that it is strange to conjugate adjectives.  I will admit that the concept is difficult to wrap your mind around at first, but when you accept it and start conjugating adjectives in your everyday Japanese sentences, you will get the hang of it quickly and it will seem like second nature to you.

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Adjectives in Japanese are conjugated when they are the predicate of the sentence and not when they are describing an object.  or example:

Kouhii wa oishii desu
Coffee is delicious.

Here the verb oishii (delicous) is the predicate of the sentence.  This adjective will need to conjugated if the tense of the sentence changes.

where as:

Kore wa oishii koukii desu.
This is delicious coffee.

Here the adjective oishii comes before the word coffee and is directly describing it.  In this case, the adjective oishii does not need to be conjugated if the sentence tense were to change.  Only the verb needs to be conjugated.

In Japanese there are two types of adjectives:  adjective ending in -i and adjectives ending in -na.  We will be taking a look at each type separately.

Japanese Conjugation of Adjectives Ending in -i

As is the case with your Japanese verbs, the adjectives can be conjugated into the present tense and past tense.  Additionally the adjectives will have a positive and negative tense as well, making for a total of 4 different forms of the adjective.

Past tense:

Remove the -i from the end of the adjective and replace it with -katta.

oishii – i = oishi
oishi + katta = oishikatta

Kouhii wa oishikatta desu
The coffee was delicious.

Present negative tense:

Here there are two options.  You change the -i to -ku and then you either add -nai desu or -arimasen to the end.

oishii – i = oishi
oishi + ku = oishiku
oishiku + nai desu = oishiku nai desu
oishiku + arimasen = oishiku arimasen

Kouhii wa oishiku arimasen
The coffee is not delicious.

Past negative tense:

Here there are also two options.  You change the -i to -ku and then either add -nakatta desu or -arimasen deshita.

oishii – i = oishi
oishi + ku = oishiku
oishiku + nakatta desu = oishiku nakatta desu
oishiku + arimasen deshita = oishiku arimasen deshita

Kouhii wa oishiku arimasen deshita
The coffee was not delcious.

Japanese Conjugation of Adjectives Ending in -na

Past tense:

Drop -na and add -deshita

kireina – na = kirei
kirei + deshita = kirei deshita

Present negative tense

Drop -na and add -dewa arimasen

kireina – na = kirei
kirei + dewa arimasen = kirei dewa arimasen

Past negative tense

Drop -na and add -dewa arimasen deshita

kireina – na = kirei
kirei + dewa arimasen deshita = kerei dewa arimasen deshita

These are the basics of Japanese conjugation of adjectives.  Practice these and make sure you memorize which adjectives are -i and -na adjectives.  Get in the habit of conjugating your adjectives and pretty soon this strange grammatical rule will seem completely natural to you.

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There are three types of verbs in the Japanese language:  verbs ending in -u, verbs ending in -iru or -eru, and irregular verbs.

Most Japanese conversations consist of talking about the present and the past tense.  It should be noted that there is not future tense of verbs.  Instead Japanese uses the present tense verb to talk about either the present or the future.  Use the context of the sentence to determine if it refers to future or present action.

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Japanese Conjugation of Verbs Ending in -u

When there is a -u verb, you can take the dictionary form of the verb and change the last syllable from -u to -i.  Then add -masu.  This will create the -masu form of the verb.

For example, using the verb yomu (to read),

yomu – mu = yo
yo + mi = yomi
yomi + masu = yomimasu

This is a present tense form that is used for polite or general use.  If in doubt, use the -masu form when talking in the present tense.

To make the verb negative, simply change -masu to -masen

yomimasu – masu = yomi
yomi + masen = yomimasen

For the past tense, take -masu and change it to -mashita.

yomimasu – masu = yomi
yomi + mashita = yomimashita

And then for the past tense negative, add -deshita after the present tense negative form of the verb

yomimasen + deshita = yomimasen deshita

Japanese Conjugation of Verbs Ending in -iru or -eru

When conjugating -iru and -eru verbs, remove the -ru and relplace it with -masu to make the -masu (present tense) form of the verb.
For example, using the verb taberu (to eat):

taberu – ru = tabe
tabe + masu = tabemasu

From here the rest of the conjugation is exactly the same as the -u verbs.

The present negative:

tabemasu – masu = tabe
tabe + masen = tabemasen

The past tense:

tabemasu – masu = tabe
tabe + mashita = tabemashita

The past tense negative:

tabemasen + deshita = tabemasen deshita

Japanese Conjugation of Irregular Verbs

Since kuru (to arrive) and suru (to do) are the only irregular verbs in Japanese, here is how you conjugate them into the -masu form:

kuru – uru = k
k + imasu = kimasu

suru – uru = s
s + himasu = shimasu

for the present negative tense:

kimasu – masu = ki
ki + masen = kimasen

shimasu – masu = shi
shi + masen = shimasen

for the past tense:

kimasu – masu = ki
ki + mashita = kimashita

shimasu – masu = shi
shi + mashita = shimashita

And for the past negative tense:

kimasen + deshita = kimasen deshita

shimasen + deshita = shimasen deshita

Japanese conjugation of verbs is actually fairly easy compared to other languages (including English).  Practice these conjugation patterns and you will be able to form just about every sentence you will need to get your message across in Japanese.

Take a look at the Japanese conjugation lesson on adjectives as well.  If you’ve studied other languages, it may seem a little strange to conjugate adjectives, but like the Japanese verbs, adjectives are straightforward and nothing to get worried over.

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This Japanese Proficiency Power review takes a look at Nicholas Kemp’s system that will give you the best advantage possible for passing the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT).

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Japanese Proficiency Power Review – My Take

This isn’t for Japanese “newbies.”  This is a highly targeted program that is meant for people that know a bit of Japanese and they are preparing to take the JLPT exam.

I’ve taken plenty of high-stakes tests in my life, and let me tell you the JLPT ranks among the highest on that list.  This test is not easy.  It’s written entirely in Japanese, with very tight time limits on the sections, and questions that are designed to confuse you.  Not exactly an ideal situation.

However, with Japanese Proficiency Power, you will be prepared for this test.  They take you by the hand and walk you through the JLPT exam, explaining each question to you and giving you invaluable strategies that will give you a strong advantage when you take the test.

Japanese Proficiency Power Review – What You Get

You can get this as either preparation specifically for the JLPT 5 or 4 exam.

Japanese Proficiency Power comes with over 30 videos, study aids that cover vocabulary and Kanji, 3 practice tests, and a detailed walkthrough of over 200 actual JLPT questions.

Japanese Proficiency Power Review – What You Learn

This program comes with a lot of stuff.  In these 30 videos and 200 questions, you will get to watch over Nicholas Kemp’s shoulder as he literally takes the exam right in front of you.  He explains all the most effective strategies to passing the test.

You will learn common pitfalls and mistakes, words and Kanji that you need to memorize for each test, and a proven and highly effective strategy to approach and correctly answer every conceivable type of question that you will find on the JLPT exam.

In short, you’ll learn exactly how to answer every question that can be thrown at you.

Japanese Proficiency Power Review – Bottom Line

This program isn’t for beginners.  It’s for people that are taking the JLPT exam.

This is the whole package here.  I know it can be hard to find the right study material to help you with the JLPT.  If you go through this material, you will be completely prepared for every sneaky curve ball that they try to throw at you.  You can use this program to easily pass this test now and move on with your life, instead of waiting for next December to come so you can try again.

If you are worried about the JLPT, do yourself a favor and get Japanese Proficiency Power.

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When you first learn that you have 50 – 90 minutes for the JLPT grammar and reading test, you think that this is going to be easy.  However, let me tell you, that this time just flies by.  Many people even complain that they didn’t even have enough time to finish the section.

As an English-speaker, you are going into the test at a disadvantage. This test was written with Chinese and Korean people in mind, who have been reading Chinese characters their entire life.

Get an Advantage on the JLPT Exam

Even if the deck is stacked against you, that doesn’t mean that hope is lost.  Here are some tips that you can use to make the most of your very limited time with the JLPT grammar and reading test.

The grammar questions are probably going to be much easier for you, so give yourself a set amount of time to blast through them.  About 15 or 20 minutes should be enough.  The grammar questions are worth much less than the reading questions, so don’t get caught up on any one question.  The strategy here is to just go for the low-hanging fruit and earn some quick and easy points.

Then shift over the the reading part.  Again, time is of the essence here so you don’t want to waste a single second.  Read the question before you read the passage.  This is a huge time-saving tip here.  If you know exactly what you need to answer the question, it helps you sort out what is truly essential while you are reading the passage.  Once you are certain you have the answer, move on to the next question.  You don’t want to waste any time with the JLPT grammar and reading section.

If there are words or Kanji that you don’t know, try to use the surrounding words to figure out what the word means or what sort of context it is in.  Again, do this only if it helps you answer questions that would otherwise go unanswered.  Don’t do this if it just slows you down.  You want to make sure that you keep moving fast here.

If you don’t know the answers to a question, you can come back to it later.  However, due to the time constraints, you probably won’t have the time to come back to more than two or three questions.  Pick your battles carefully.  For the rest of the questions you can’t answer, just make a guess and move on.

The JLPT grammar and reading test is probably the most difficult portion of the JLPT exam.  Don’t become frustrated or panic, though.  Take some time every now and then to just take a deep breath and calm yourself down.  Start studying early and study until you have a solid grasp on the material.  Remember, plenty of people have passed the JLPT grammar test, and with a little dedication and a solid plan of attack, you can too.

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For a lot of people, the JLPT listening section can be the most intimidating part of the test.  To look at something written down and figure out what it means is one thing, but to listen to actual spoken Japanese can be quite a challenge.

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The majority of the questions are structured like so:

You are told that there are two people having a conversation.  Then they will ask you the question.  You will then hear the short conversation.  Finally, you will be asked the question a second time.

Make sure you pay attention to the question when it is asked before the conversation.  If you know what you are listening for, you’ll get the answers much more easily.

Here are some more tips for the JLPT Listening part of the test:

First, just answer the question as best you can and move on.  A lot of people I’ve spoken to about the JLPT test tell me that they really suffered in the listening section because they were too caught up wondering if they answered the last question correctly that they weren’t listening to the current question.  You have around 10 seconds to answer each question, so make sure you’re on your toes and ready for rapid-fire answering.

Secondly, before you go in and take the test, it helps to “shift gears” in your mind and get yourself into Japanese mode.  Load up your iPod or MP3 player with a bunch of Japanese podcasts or audio and listen to it before you take the JLPT listening test.  This gets your ears used to hearing Japanese and you’ll understand the Japanese a lot better too.

There are some questions that involve graphs and charts too.  These can be challenging if you’re not prepared.  Look at the graph and try to notice the basic trends and jot down any important numbers.  This will save you time later on while you are listening to the audio.

Make sure you get really good at listening to the order that things happen in too.  There was an infamous question on the JLPT listening test for several years about various things that a new employee was supposed to do on his first day of work.  They listed out all of the steps, then at the very end they said “Oh you’re new, so wait here after filling out some paperwork first and I’ll explain everything.”  Make sure you know this very well.  There are often tricky questions like this.

To make sure that you do well on the JLPT listening test, start studying early.  Hopefully month before your test.  Listen to audio of spoken Japanese as much as you can.  If possible listen to actual conversational Japanese, not instructional audio, which is often much slower than actual spoken Japanese.  Go over it several times and really get accustomed to listening to the Japanese language.  Take note of where your weakness are and put in the effort to improving those areas and you will do fine.

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Are you getting ready for the JLPT test?  The test is only given twice a year (and only once outside of Asia), so I can understand if you are a little nervous.

The JLPT vocabulary test is the first section that you will take.  This section covers Kanji and vocabulary.  How much vocabulary will you need to know?  Well, that depends on which level of the test you are taking.

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As a general rule, the first two tests, level 5 and 4, are essentially a vocabulary and Kanji test.  Of course you will have to know some grammar, but I’ve noticed that people with a large vocabulary tend to do better even if they don’t have their grammar mastered.  People with a smaller vocabulary that really know their grammar, on the other hand, seem to really struggle.  So make sure you memorize those JLPT vocabulary words and all those Kanji.

For the JLPT vocabulary and Kanji test, take the following tips to heart and you should do well:

• Take your time to read the questions twice.  Make sure you understand what each sentence says.  Many people often make mistakes simply because they are nervous and misunderstood the question.
• Be careful with long and short vowel sounds.  Take care to make sure you know which words have a long sound like こう and which have a short sound like こ.
• Likewise, be sure to check the HIragana and Katakana characters so that you don’t miss the “dakuten” that make the difference between similar ones like ひ and び.
• Eliminate the questions that you know are wrong.  In most cases, there are two answers that are obviously incorrect.  If you have to guess, you’ll have a much better chance of guessing correctly if you can narrow the possibilities down to two choices.
• If you have been studying intently, don’t doubt yourself.  Often times your first instinct is correct.  Nothing is worse than finding out that you marked the correct answer only to second-guess yourself and change your answer at the last minute.
• Approach the questions from a tactical point of view.  Ask yourself what the main point of the question is?  Are you looking for a verb, noun or adjective?  Is the sentence in present or past tense?  Is the subject a person or inanimate object (imasu / arimasu)?

Try to translate the sentence into English and ask yourself how you would answer the question in English.  This can often shed new light onto the question and make the answer more obvious for you.

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Learning Japanese greetings is a very important thing to learn if you plan on going to Japan for business, travel, school, or anything in between.  You will need to know at least a few basic Japanese greetings to be able to introduce yourself to your new business contacts, friends, or classmates.

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Let’s get started with the basic Japanese greetings that people will frequently use throughout the day.

お早うございます
おはようございます
Ohayo gozaimasu
Good morning

今日は
こんにちは
Konnichiwa
Good Day

今晩は
こんばんは
Konbanwa
Good Evening

お休みなさい
おやすみなさい
Oyasuminasai
Good night (used before going to sleep)

左様なら
さようなら
Sayounara
Good bye

では、また
Dewa mata
See you later

失礼します
しつれいします
Shitsurei shimasu
I am leaving (very polite)

These are simple saying that you would say to greet someone or start a simple conversation.  To build on the conversation and move from Japanese greetings to introducing yourself and making a new friend, the following phrases will be useful.

お名前は何ですか
おなまえはなんですか
Onamae wa nan desuka
What is your name?

私は_______です
わたしは_______です
Watashi wa ______ desu
I am _______.

よろしくお願いします
よろしくおねがいします
Yoroshiku onegaishimasu

or sometimes:

始めまして どうぞ よろしく
はじめまして どうぞ よろしく
Hajimemashite douzo yoroshiku
Nice to meet you (literally “for the first time, please be nice to me”)

お元気ですか
おげんきですか
Ogenki desuka
How are you? (literally “are you healthy?”)

元気です
げんきです
Genki desu
I’m well (literally “I am healthy”)

まあ まあ です
Maa maa desu
I am so-so.

良いです
いいです
Ii desu
I am good.

So, an example of Japanese greetings used to introduce yourself would be:

Leslie:  Konnichiwa.
Toru:  Konnichiwa.  Yamada Toru desu.  Onamae wa nan desuka.
Leslie:  Watashi wa Leslie Smith desu.
Toru:  Smith-san, hajimemashite douzo yoroshiku.  Ogenki desuka.
Leslie:  Genki desu.

You should take note that in Japanese culture, people will tell you their last name (or family name) first and then their first name (or given name).  So for example, Toru Yamada would introduce himself by saying “Watashi wa Yamada Toru desu.”  Don’t worry about reversing your name though.  Japanese people know that western people say their first name then their last name so they will understand.

It should also be noted that in Japan, if someone gives you their business card, it is rude to just shove it in your pocket or to write on it.  Instead, take a second or two and look at it before putting it away.

Take the time to practice these simple Japanese greetings and memorize these simple words.  You are almost certain to put them to good use when you travel to Japan and start making new friends.

Learn to Speak Fluent Japanese and Make New Friends in Japan

If you want to learn to speak Japanese fluently, you’ve probably heard that it will take ten or twenty years of study to get to this level or that it is just flat-out impossible.  I can’t begin to tell you how wrong all of this is.  It is possible for you learn to speak Japanese fluently.

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I’ve seen plenty of Japanese beginners learn to speak Japanese and I can usually almost instantly tell if someone will pick up the language quickly or if they are going stumble and struggle.

Firstly, people will have a hard time if they are too “stuck” on their native language. As long as you keep trying to learn Japanese from an English-speaking point of view, you will have trouble.  People that are stuck on English try to pronounce Japanese words as if they were English words.  They just can’t let go of the English pronunciation rules and try out the much more straightforward Japanese pronunciation.  The best way to do this, it to distance yourself from English as soon as you possibly can.  Learn Japanese characters like Hiragana and Katakana to help you study the language from a more Japanese point of view instead of relying on Romaji (English letters), which will only confuse your brain into thinking that you are dealing with the same pronunciation rules that come with English.

I’ve also noticed that people tend to struggle when they try to learn a language on a word-by-word basis. Basically, they just try to remember, watashi = I, suki = like, and inu = dogs.  Therefore they just try to say “I like dogs” as “watashi suki inu” by directly replacing each word.  Sure, this kind of thinking might work just fine for memorizing nouns, but that’s as far as it will take you.  The grammar used in Japanese is so different from English that it will be very hard to get your point across.  Instead try to adopt a more flexible way of thinking about the Japanese language.  In order to learn to speak fluent Japanese, study your Japanese grammar lessons learn how to use verbs, particles, and everything else as a tool to convey a message.  Before long you’ll be able know exactly why you should instead say “watashi wa inu ga suki desu.”

A third reason why many people can’t seem to learn to speak Japanese fluently is because they aren’t fully dedicated to it. If Japanese is something that you only work on once or twice a week, then it will be very hard for you to bring yourself up to a fluent level.  I understand that you are probably very busy, but in order to really become fluent in Japanese you must surround yourself with the Japanese language and listen to native speakers every day, if possible.

This is one of the main reasons why people that go live overseas in Japan can pick up the language so quickly.  They are literally surrounded by the language 24 hours a day.  Their English isn’t going to get them very far, so they are forced to learn Japanese.

I know that going to live in Japan may not be practical for many people.  Even so, try to watch some Japanese movies, spend time with Japanese-speaking friends, or listen to Japanese podcasts as a way to expose yourself to as much Japanese culture as you can and learn to speak Japanese fluently.

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When you learn the Japanese days of the week, you get this charming sense of nature and that stirs your imagination makes you think of simpler times.  Things seem so far and distant from they hyper-efficient and technologically sophisticated culture you would find in a place like Tokyo today.

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Below is a list of the Japanese Days of the week:

The Kanji characters “曜日” can be translated to mean “days of the week” with “曜” meaning “sunlight” and “日” meaning day.

Much of the meaning in the Japanese days of the week comes from Chinese culture, from which much of Japanese culture was influenced by.

The Japanese days of the week for Sunday and Monday (日曜日 and 月曜日) can be tied back to the ancient Chinese notions of yin and yang.  Opposing forces that made up the entire univese (male/female, day/night, warm/cold, etc.).  The other five Japanese days of the week relate to the five elements of nature in Chinese culture: fire, water, wood, earth, and metal (gold in this case).

But, when you think about it, this really isn’t so much different than our own English days of the week.  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday all come from European religions and traditions.  When you examine the root of these words, you can see that they actually refer to “Moon Day,” “Tiw’s Day” (Norse god), “Odin’s Day” (another Norse god), “Thor’s Day” (yet another Norse god), “Freyr’s Day” (one last Norse god), “Saturn Day” (Roman god), and “Sun Day.”

Additionally, here are the nationally recognized holidays in Japan:

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