How to Speak Japanese for Beginners: 50 Basic Japanese Phrases
Hi everyone, Fumito here! Welcome back to reading-japanese.com. Almost every beginner I meet tells me the same thing: “I’ve studied some Japanese, but when the moment comes, nothing comes out of my mouth.” I understand this completely.…
Japanese Vocabulary QuickStudy Guide Review
こんにちは。My name is Fumito Emi, a Japanese teacher and the writer behind Reading-Japanese.com. When students ask me for a small, practical vocabulary reference they can keep beside their notebook, I often suggest looking at laminated guides—not as a…
Japanese Adjective Sentences: Takai, Yasui, Ii & Arimasu (Lesson 3 Apartment Search)
This is Lesson 3 of the beginner Japanese series — and it’s actually a really significant milestone. Up until now you’ve been working with two types of Japanese sentences: verb sentences (wakarimasu, ikimasu) and noun sentences (desu,…
1000 Most Common Japanese Words Anki Deck (Core) – Free PDF Download
If you’re using Anki to learn Japanese, you already know the secret: spaced repetition is the fastest, most scientifically proven method to build a lasting vocabulary. But the deck you study matters just as much as how you study it. This guide…
Japanese Past Tense -Mashita: Kinou Tsukurimashita, Benkyou Shimashita & Drills
One of the most satisfying moments in learning Japanese is when you realise how regular and predictable the verb forms are. In this lesson we take the masu / masen pattern you already know and extend it into the past tense — which turns out to be just as…
Japanese Particle Kore Sore Are Dore For Beginners
Once you’ve got Japanese verbs down in their basic masu / masen form, the next big step is learning how to point at things and talk about them — and how to connect ideas in the same sentence. That’s exactly what this lesson covers.…
How Japanese Masu Masen Verbs Work for Beginners?
One of the biggest “aha” moments in learning Japanese is when you realise how simple and regular the basic verb structure is. Unlike English where verbs change in all kinds of unpredictable ways, Japanese verbs in their formal form follow a…
Japanese Long Vowels, Pitch Accent and Basic Verbs for Beginners (zenzen wakarimasen meaning)
千里の道も一歩から Senri no michi mo ippo kara — “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” If you’ve been learning Japanese for a little while and you notice that some words sound longer than others, or that the pitch of a word…
1000 Most Common Japanese Words for Daily Conversation [With Examples & PDF]
Want to hold a real Japanese conversation — at a café, with a local, or on your next trip to Japan? Then mastering the 1000 most common Japanese words for daily conversation is your fastest path forward. Studies in language acquisition consistently show…
1000 Most Common Japanese Words 2026 (With Meaning, Romaji & Example Sentences)
Are you trying to learn Japanese fast? Then you’ve come to the right place. Learning the 1000 most common Japanese words is the single most powerful step you can take toward fluency. Research shows that knowing just 1,000 words covers over 85% of…