Japanese Vocab
Not sure of the correct Japanese word to use? Want another example of how to use a Japanese expression in context? Perhaps you would like to know more about regional differences. This is the place for you! You can browse the topics, do a search in the top right corner of this page, or start a new conversation. Don’t be shy!- i and na adjectives Just like in English, we can describe things in Japanese by placing an adjective before them. Japanese has two types of adjectives: i adjectives and na adjectives. Without getting into too much detail, an i adjective ends in the character i, and a na ad...5 replies • Last post by Bird-lover • Jun 5, 2026
- use and meaning of "tenten" In the introduction to level 3, 15.1, Taro is giving reasons for why he enjoys working for Rocket Japanese. He says: “Shinto wa jubun ni au shigoto o sagashite tenten to shite imasu.” I haven't been able to figure out what “tenten” means. It's not in t...2 replies • Last post by Emma-Rocket-Languages-Tutor • Apr 29, 2025
- writing accents what is the rule for writing accents in Hiragana? why is the u character written for an accented o, when every other vowel seems to use its own character? thanks くうこう kūkō5 replies • Last post by Paolo-xy6b • Jul 3, 2024
- Learning from a teacher Hello! Can anyone help me with how to interpret this phrase? Iroiro naraimashita. 色々習いました。It was used after working with a teacher. Thank you3 replies • Last post by Heru- • Feb 25, 2024
- Successes in Japanese I was wondering what people have seen as big successes in their Japanese study. For example, when I first started studying Japanese, I bought the easiest level of graded readers. Of course, at that time, I couldn't do more than pick out a couple o...10 replies • Last post by ClaudiaR27 • Jan 22, 2024
- JLPT - Vocab vs Kanji Hey everyone. When looking up JLPT information, people say you need to know such-and-such vocabulary and such-and-such kanji. What exactly is the difference in the sense that much of the vocabulary has kanji in it, yet more and many different kanji than...5 replies • Last post by Tony-S10 • Dec 31, 2023
- two different meanings for okimasu. in lession 2.8……using ni to show destination, okimasu translates as put / place. in using ni to mark time, okimasu translates as wake up / get up. thank you.2 replies • Last post by Emma-Rocket-Languages-Tutor • Oct 23, 2023
- Hands-free audio vocabulary review Good morning! While I love Rocket Japanese, there is one thing I can't find: a hands-free audio vocabulary section. Something I can use while washing dishes or running, etc. I've had it in other languages years ago. Basically, audio files that: ...3 replies • Last post by Alexander979 • Aug 10, 2023
- じゃあね jā ne Mata aimashita ne! So, here I have じゃあね jā ne . This suggests that ja = じ and ne = ゃ. I believe I see ne in my hirigana book, however じ seems to be reserved for ji. What am I missing here? Much gratitude for any help!3 replies • Last post by Heru- • Jul 17, 2023
- Pen and Hiragana Konnichiwa! I'm working on writing and I understand Pen is ペ for pe, but what is ン? I don't see this symbol in my book and can't find Hiragana for “n”. Domo!2 replies • Last post by Emma-Rocket-Languages-Tutor • Jul 16, 2023
- Nihyakugoju breakdown Nihao everyone! I'm trying to understand the breakdown of Nihyakugoju. I know Ni=2 , Hyaku=100, Go=5 but what is Ju? Arigato gozaimashita3 replies • Last post by Heru- • Jul 12, 2023
- Hiragana は Wa vs Ha Mata aimashita ne! So, in my Hiragana writing book, Wa is listed as わ , whereas Ha is listed as は. In Rocket Japanese, Wa is は. A little confused as to what is correct. Any help is appreciated! Arigato3 replies • Last post by Heru- • Jul 12, 2023
- What are the proper family member titles? Hello all. In the new Lesson 1.7, お兄さん is used for “older brother." In the line that follows, the statement given is お兄さんは車が好きです, with the translation, “(My) older brother likes cars.” From what I've seen, Japanese has separate titles/words for one's...10 replies • Last post by ClaudiaR27 • Sep 30, 2021
- Yamada-san wa omoshirosugiru In lesson 6.8 Yamada-san wa omoshirosugiru is tranlated by Yamada san is too funny. I would rather say Yamada-san wa tanoshisugiru. First sentence means more for me “ he is too interesting”. Am I right ?3 replies • Last post by Abgueguen • May 29, 2021
- Shigoto o shimasu I'm surprised that “shigoto o shimasu” is translated is lesson 4.8 as I work. I thought it was hatarakimasu2 replies • Last post by Emma-Rocket-Languages-Tutor • May 16, 2021
- 置って vs 載せて More than a little confused here. In lesson 2.8 (Where are you from?) 置きます was introduced with a definition of put/place. This morning I got a Rocket Fuel email which had a new word of the week - 載せて - which they also defined as put/place. Certainly t...3 replies • Last post by JohnH197 • Feb 26, 2021
- Releasing My custom Flashcards I have been recently adding some N4 to N3 level flashcards to the system. They are progressively being added. This is stuff not included in the course. If anyone is interested please have a look at them and give any feedback about them.1 replies • Last post by Tony-S10 • Feb 21, 2021
- Ryokō ni iku Does this stand really for “to go to vacation” or isn't it more “to go on travel” ? Thanks in advance Olivier3 replies • Last post by Emma-Rocket-Languages-Tutor • Feb 21, 2021
- Opposite: ぎゃく vs. はんたい Hello, Could someone please help me understand when to use ぎゃく vs. はんたい . In researching this online, there seems to be contradictory explanations. Thanks very much!!3 replies • Last post by イ リ ニ • Jan 15, 2021
- Bulk import for flash cards Good morning When I do bulk import, I get error and I don't know why. Is it because of sign at the beginning, to many characters or other reasons? Could you give more specific rules for bulk import to create flashcard ? Thanks in advance Olivier2 replies • Last post by Emma-Rocket-Languages-Tutor • Jan 5, 2021
- Neru/Nemuru I can see in lesson 6.5 that you translate Neru as to sleep. Isn't it more “to go to bed” when nemuru is “to sleep”? Thanks in advance Olivier4 replies • Last post by Abgueguen • Dec 19, 2020
- rounaji n level 2 lessn study flashcards i MUST get the rōmaji off these lesson flashcards i NEVER used it before, but at level 2 ??? In some parts off a lesson, it can turned ff, as can English. Why English cannot be turned off n the Extra study sectins BAFFLES me ... am i missing som...3 replies • Last post by Rocket-Languages • Oct 9, 2020
- Ni-Eru-Dī-Kē Hello In the Japanese "around the house" lesson, there is Ni-Eru-Dī-Kē and it seems Eru mean in this case, area. May you confirm this ? Why Eru is positionned there ? Thank you Olivier5 replies • Last post by Abgueguen • Aug 26, 2020
- I just finished RTK1 Just wrote my story for the last kanji in RTK1. Had to tell someone (anyone) who would appreciate what that means and not just give me a blank stare. What am I going to do with all the spare time? Whee!!!5 replies • Last post by AC747 • Jul 13, 2020
- What's the newest Japanese word you have learned from a non-Rocket source? I just subscribed to TV Japan and am learning lots of new words. The two latest are: 問い, question, query and 戦線, war front. What words have you learned from somewhere other than Rocket Japanese?31 replies • Last post by ClaudiaR27 • May 23, 2020
- kanji? so i am early on in the Japanese courses, im on 1.5-1.9 and im getting quiz questions about what certain kanji characters mean. is there a way for me to study this? up to this point i have no knowledge on kanji so i have just been getting them wrong. am i...7 replies • Last post by ClaudiaR27 • May 13, 2020
- What are you reading? What are you reading in Japanese? I just received two new books of Japanese folk tales from the "Learn Japanese with Stories" series. These are easy stories with just a few sentences on each page and notes on Vocabulary and Grammar for the sentences on ...3 replies • Last post by ClaudiaR27 • Apr 2, 2020
- Is the vocabulary taught culturally accurate? I have just begun studying Japanese, but I have access to native speakers. I tried to to use what I learn. "Anata wa" is not used much and is basically considered rude. The first lesson teaches "O genki desu ka?" to ask if the person is doing well. I lear...3 replies • Last post by Erik933 • Mar 27, 2020
- Printable's to help with Kanji? I know this is a weird question, but I suppose it never hurts to ask. I'm just getting started with the Rocket program and I was wondering if there are any printable sheets of the vocabulary words in Konji to help with writing them? I hope that makes sens...11 replies • Last post by Tony-S10 • Sep 26, 2019
- Kanji practice apps for iOS Looking for recommendations for good Kanji practice apps for iOS. I like KanjiDraw because it lets me practice drawing the Kanji on my iPhone or iPad, will give me a customizable level of hints when drawing the Kanji, will provide lists of words using the...14 replies • Last post by Tony-S10 • Sep 14, 2019
- どれ ぐらい dore gurai In lesson 1.4 どれ ぐらい ( dore gurai ) is translated as "how long" and refers to a length of time. "How long have you been studying Japanese?" Would I also use that phrase to refer to a distance? Example: "How long is that piece of pipe?"5 replies • Last post by Crystal-Rocket-Japanese-Tutor • Jun 19, 2019
- Want to play shiritori / しりとり? In Module 3.13, Matsuura-さん talks about the children's game しりとり. One person says a word to start, and then the next person must think of a word that starts with the last syllable of that word. It sounds tailor made for a forum and a great way to learn ...181 replies • Last post by ClaudiaR27 • Jun 2, 2019
- うくろう シユロわたりのまき？ There is a Japanese children's book called うくろう しゅろ わたり の まき by Matsuzaki Naotoshi, currently free for Kindle on Amazon (US). It's entirely Japanese, kana-only which is great for beginner reading practice but I am confused about a translation for the tit...2 replies • Last post by Tony-S10 • May 22, 2019
- japanese http://www.jisho.org/2 replies • Last post by ClaudiaR27 • May 7, 2019
- Hanasemasu / Anata wa Hello everyone, I have two questions about the survival phrases that I'm stumped on: 1. I'm a little confused as to how I should understand "hanasemasu" If "hanasemasu" means "I can speak / I speak" Then why doesn't "hanasemasu ka" mean "can I ...8 replies • Last post by ClaudiaR27 • Apr 11, 2019
- Strange letterin in Japanese course: e - ( "Tokyō e ikimasu" translates as �I�m going to Tokyo� ) made kara - ( "Tokyō kara ikimasu" translates as �I�m going from Tokyo� ) dake - ( "Tokyō dake ikimasu" roughly translates as �I�m going only Have you got a fix for the strange lettering in the testing area of the Japanese course in Lesson 2.8? It is a recent change, I would say. I never noticed it before and I am now revising.4 replies • Last post by Barry-S22 • Apr 7, 2019
- かっこいい？ かっこういい？ (Module 4.4 Sporting Conversation 2nd half) The word for "good looking" 「かっこいい」 is used to describe a soccer player in the dialogue for module 4.4. However, in the vocabulary section the word for "good looking" is written as 「かっこういい」 Is there any rule regarding which to use in a given situation...4 replies • Last post by ClaudiaR27 • Mar 28, 2019
- あい（相）vs. いっしょ(一緒) 「together」 How do you know when to use あい（相）vs. いっしょ(一緒)?5 replies • Last post by teacup • Jan 31, 2019
- can you learn japanese with anime Watching anime is good for vocabulary, but it doesn't help learn proper Japanese :)6 replies • Last post by Nick Hoyt • Jan 24, 2019
- Best suggested setup for flashcards? Just wondering how others studying Japanese set up their flashcards in Rocket… Sound On/Off ? Front of FlashCard: Kana? Kanji? Romaji? English? Back of FlashCard: Kana? Kanji? Romaji? English? Initially I chose Sound:...2 replies • Last post by Tony-S10 • Jan 1, 2019
- Dialect or a completely different word? I have been watching TV Japan and am constantly hearing a word that sounds like "sukoshi". The difference is that the long o sound in --koshi sounds like a short o sound, --kawshi. Would that be just a dialectic pronunciation or a completely different w...6 replies • Last post by ClaudiaR27 • Dec 27, 2018
- How to ask for a box of matches Hi, I'm going hiking in Japan and whilst I know how to ask for camping gas, I do not know how to ask for a box of matches. Google translate seems to get a bit confused with this one. Matchi no bokkusu is about it's best guess. Anyone care to suggest...3 replies • Last post by Kevin2067 • Sep 11, 2018
- Labels!? Hi Everyone In an effort to "think" in Japanese I thought it would be a good idea to label the heck out of all of the everyday items I come into contact wish. So I was wondering if anyone knew where I might find pre made labels that I can stick to ev...10 replies • Last post by ClaudiaR27 • Jul 13, 2018
- Pronunciation of certain words ending with a u In lesson 1.9 I've noticed that different recordings pronounce the same word differently, specifically words that end with a silent u. For example, the word hanashimasu is initially pronounced with the u being silent, but a later recording has the word...7 replies • Last post by Crystal-Rocket-Japanese-Tutor • Jun 22, 2018
- Kanji for hayai 速い or 早い In lesson 3.6 the sentence "Bullet trains are faster than cars" and "Bullet trains are fast" both use 速い for はやい. Another book I used taught me that the kanji for はやい (fast) is 早い . When I use Google translate, 新幹線は車より速いです and 新幹線は車より早いです both translate...4 replies • Last post by Mike_UK • Jun 9, 2018
- Japanese Manga for Study So, I already know of BookWalker for some manga (even some free volumes on occasion!), but it doesn't have all of the series I'd like to read in Japanese. I'm just curious if anyone knows any other non-pirating ways of obtaining Japanese manga, preferabl...2 replies • Last post by Nick Hoyt • Nov 29, 2017
- Is there a book out there related to kanji's used for daily life? My current knowledge of kanji is from the genki books... I started from basic and finished until intermediate.. Now, I'm trying my way to expand my knowledge both on tango before I focus more on grammar patterns. So, I want to find a good book that foc...4 replies • Last post by Tony-S10 • Sep 22, 2017
- How many ways can you say "yes" in Japanese? Hey everyone, in English there are lots of ways to basically say "yes" like "yeah, yep, yes, mhmm" etc. How many ways are there to say "yes" in Japanese? I know you can say はい (hai) as the formal yes, and I just learned about ええ (ee) for a more informa...4 replies • Last post by Crystal-Rocket-Japanese-Tutor • Apr 17, 2017
- あい、あえ、おう Difficulties I'm having a really hard time figuring out if a word ends with い or え when it's preceded by an あ sound, なまえ for example sounds like なまい to me. I also can't tell when an お sound is supposed to be lengthened with a う. Is this something that gets easier to d...5 replies • Last post by Stefan-Minehan • Mar 2, 2017
- Visualizing and acting it out. When I do the "Play it!" part of the testing at the end of the lesson, I like to pretend that I am actually there in the room having the conversation with Sayaka or Kenny. For Example: In lesson 5.1 At the Dinner Table when I say "どうぞ、召し上がって下さい。(ple...2 replies • Last post by BengalCatLady • Jan 11, 2017
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