食べる and 召し上がる: eating with respect
Learn when to use neutral 食べる and respectful 召し上がる for eating or drinking, with examples and practice.
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Easily confused Japanese expressions
Distinguish similar Japanese expressions such as “go” and “come” with examples in context.
Adventure journal
Easily confused Japanese expressions
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持つ and 持っている: carrying and having
Learn when Japanese 持つ describes taking or carrying something and when 持っている expresses holding or possession, with examples and practice.
Read and practiseあげる and 差し上げる: giving politely
Learn when to use あげる or the humble 差し上げる for giving, and avoid suggesting a favor to a superior.
Read and practiseもらう and いただく: receiving politely
Learn how もらう and humble いただく describe receiving things and favours, and choose the right form for the relationship.
Read and practise言う and おっしゃる: saying respectfully
Choose between 言う and おっしゃる when reporting speech, and practise respectful forms for teachers and customers.
Read and practise行く and 参る: going humbly
Learn when to use ordinary 行く and humble 参る, how to speak about a customer’s visit, and how 参る can also mean coming.
Read and practise怒る and 叱る: anger and reprimand
Learn when 怒る expresses anger and when 叱る means reprimanding someone, with examples and practice.
Read and practise思う and 考える: opinion or consideration?
Learn how Japanese 思う expresses an opinion or feeling while 考える focuses on considering a question or solution.
Read and practise探す and 見つける: looking for and finding
Learn how 探す describes searching and 見つける expresses finding, with examples of lost objects, jobs and discoveries.
Read and practise直す and 直る: fixing and being fixed
Learn how 直す and 直る describe fixing something and its return to working order, with particles and practical examples.
Read and practise伝える and 知らせる: convey or inform
Learn when Japanese uses 伝える to convey a message or feeling and 知らせる to make a fact known, with examples and practice.
Read and practise大切 and 大事: important or precious
Learn how 大切 and 大事 overlap, how they express importance and care, and how to use their common fixed phrases.
Read and practiseちょっと and 少し: quantity and softening
Compare ちょっと and 少し for small amounts, polite requests and indirect refusals, with practical Japanese examples.
Read and practiseまだ and もう: still, yet and already
Learn how まだ and もう express continuing states, unfinished or completed actions, and changes in Japanese.
Read and practiseとき and 場合: time and case
Learn to distinguish Japanese とき for a time from 場合 for a conditional case, and choose the right form before each.
Read and practiseけれど and のに: two kinds of contrast
Compare けれど and のに in Japanese, from neutral contrast to an outcome that defies expectations, with forms and practice.
Read and practiseよう and らしい: inference and hearsay
Compare Japanese よう and らしい to express inference from evidence or information heard from others, with examples and practice.
Read and practiseによって and にとって: means and viewpoint
Distinguish Japanese によって for means or variation from にとって for a person’s viewpoint, with examples and practice.
Read and practise本当 and 実は: truth and disclosure
Learn how 本当 states or emphasizes truth while 実は introduces a disclosure, with Japanese examples and practice.
Read and practiseよう, みたい and らしい: evidence and register
Distinguish Japanese よう, みたい and らしい by evidence and register, and practise choosing a natural form in context.
Read and practiseしかし and ただし: contrast and qualification
Learn when しかし introduces an unexpected contrast and when ただし adds a condition or exception to a Japanese statement.
Read and practise必ず and きっと: certainty and expectation
Learn when 必ず expresses a promise, requirement or regular result, and when きっと conveys a confident expectation.
Read and practiseわずか and 少し: a small amount
Compare わずか and 少し to express small amounts in Japanese, and learn how register and grammar shape your choice.
Read and practiseRelation and perspective: に対して and にとって
Learn how に対して marks a target or contrast, while にとって frames a judgment from someone’s perspective.
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