Recent Posts
Visa Basics: Instructor Versus Specialist in Humanities and International Services
GaijinPot investigates two common types of visas for teachers in Japan that cause the most confusion.
By Matthew Coslett on June 19, 2018
Cheat Sheet: Moving up to Intermediate Japanese with a New Verb Ending
GaijinPot offers advice for moving from the ない (not) to the ず (not doing) suffix — and helps you ti answer trick test questions in the process.
By Matthew Coslett on June 14, 2018
Get Yourself Connected: A Quick Guide to Internet Setup in Japanese
At first the words for the internet can seem somewhat easy after all — a lot of them are English. However, once you try and get online, the words become increasingly difficult. GaijinPot investigates.
By Matthew Coslett on May 30, 2018
How the Simplest Kanji Can Often Trick Us
With the JLPT exams just around the corner, GaijinPot takes a look at some of the weird compounds using basic kanji that examiners can’t resist slipping into their tests.
By Matthew Coslett on May 21, 2018
The First 10 Sentences You Should Learn in Japanese
Gaijinpot presents a guide to the first ten sentences for beginner language learners that will make the scaffolding to all your later studies.
By Matthew Coslett on April 26, 2018
April Fools: How to Talk About Big or Little Lies in Japanese
Since April is the month of fibs and mistruths, Gaijinpot presents some vocabulary to discuss them.
By Matthew Coslett on April 12, 2018
Get it on Credit: Shopping Hard with your Charge Card
Here are some details about the information on your Japanese bank card to help you have a better online shopping experience.
By Matthew Coslett on March 29, 2018
The Roots: Obscure Origins of Unusual Katakana
Learners may know of “wasei eigo” (English words coined in Japan), but there is another weird subcategory of katakana terms: those whose meaning has been utterly altered from the original form.
By Matthew Coslett on March 21, 2018
The Ties That Bind: Fate and Love in Japanese
If a partner “has you wrapped around their little finger,” it may not be such a bad thing. When it comes to love in Japanese, this a sign of destiny!
By Matthew Coslett on March 1, 2018
What’s in a Name? Love By Any Other Word is Still as Sweet
While the feeling of love and romance is something that is impossible to describe, Japanese has a lot of words that try to capture its essence.
By Matthew Coslett on February 8, 2018
Landing in Japan: Moving Sleekly through Arrival, Immigration and Customs Procedures
You’ve just got off the plane, you’re jet-lagged and want to get to your bed as quickly as possible. For you weary travelers, Gaijinpot presents a guide to getting through passport control and customs as smoothly as possible.
By Matthew Coslett on January 31, 2018
Dharma Tongues: How Buddha Shaped the Japanese Language
Since Buddhism played an important role in creating Japanese culture, GaijinPot presents a primer on some of the ways that its influence has also changed the language itself.
By Matthew Coslett on January 10, 2018
Present Tense: Grammatically Correct Japanese Gift Giving
With the season of giving upon us, GaijinPot presents a guide to the different words for delivering presents.