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 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 of wor...
0 replies - Last post by ClaudiaR27 - March 21, 2022
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 own ...
9 replies - Last post by ClaudiaR27 - September 30, 2021
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 ?
2 replies - Last post by Abgueguen - May 29, 2021
I'm surprised that “shigoto o shimasu” is translated is lesson 4.8 as I work. I thought it was hatarakimasu
1 reply - Last post by Emma-Rocket-Japanese-Tutor - May 16, 2021
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 ther...
2 replies - Last post by JohnH197 - February 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.
0 replies - Last post by Tony-S10 - February 21, 2021
Does this stand really for “to go to vacation” or isn't it more “to go on travel” ?Thanks in advanceOlivier
2 replies - Last post by Emma-Rocket-Japanese-Tutor - February 21, 2021
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!!
2 replies - Last post by イ リ ニ - January 15, 2021
Good morningWhen 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 advanceOlivier
1 reply - Last post by Emma-Rocket-Japanese-Tutor - January 5, 2021
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 advanceOlivier
3 replies - Last post by Abgueguen - December 19, 2020
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 wh...
3 replies - Last post by Emma-Rocket-Japanese-Tutor - October 10, 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 something...
2 replies - Last post by Rocket-Languages - October 9, 2020
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 Olivier
4 replies - Last post by Abgueguen - August 26, 2020
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!!!
4 replies - Last post by AC747 - July 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?
30 replies - Last post by ClaudiaR27 - May 23, 2020
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...
6 replies - Last post by ClaudiaR27 - May 13, 2020
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 ...
2 replies - Last post by ClaudiaR27 - April 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...
2 replies - Last post by Erik933 - March 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...
10 replies - Last post by Tony-S10 - September 26, 2019
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...
13 replies - Last post by Tony-S10 - September 14, 2019
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?"
4 replies - Last post by Crystal-Rocket-Japanese-Tutor - June 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 ...
180 replies - Last post by ClaudiaR27 - June 2, 2019
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...
1 reply - Last post by Tony-S10 - May 22, 2019
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 speak" ...
7 replies - Last post by ClaudiaR27 - April 11, 2019
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.
3 replies - Last post by Barry-S22 - April 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? I...
3 replies - Last post by ClaudiaR27 - March 28, 2019
How do you know when to use あい（相）vs. いっしょ(一緒)?
4 replies - Last post by teacup - January 31, 2019
can you learn japanese with anime
Watching anime is good for vocabulary, but it doesn't help learn proper Japanese :)
5 replies - Last post by Nick Hoyt - January 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:on, English on the fro...
1 reply - Last post by Tony-S10 - January 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...
5 replies - Last post by ClaudiaR27 - December 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 some...
2 replies - Last post by Kevin2067 - September 11, 2018
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 ever...
9 replies - Last post by ClaudiaR27 - July 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 b...
6 replies - Last post by Crystal-Rocket-Japanese-Tutor - June 22, 2018
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 t...
3 replies - Last post by Mike_UK - June 9, 2018
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...
1 reply - Last post by Nick Hoyt - November 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 focus...
3 replies - Last post by Tony-S10 - September 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 informal ...
3 replies - Last post by Crystal-Rocket-Japanese-Tutor - April 17, 2017
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...
4 replies - Last post by Stefan-Minehan - March 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。(please ...
1 reply - Last post by BengalCatLady - January 11, 2017
は ha ? wa? confusing to this phrase . It should be ha , but sometimes written in wa in a sentence ?????
2 replies - Last post by Tony-S10 - March 8, 2016
i always choose the wrong on'yomi reading between にん ＆ じん。 how can i keep them separate in my mind?
1 reply - Last post by Shirakawa-T - December 29, 2015
How would you spell 今夕 in hiragana?
It seems that it could be spelled either こんゆう or こにゅう, which might depend on how it's pronounced. Is there a more correct choice, or is it situational? Or does it not make any difference, since it'd generally be written in kanji anyway?
2 replies - Last post by 悪寄贈 神聞 - November 8, 2015
I'm guessing that you don't use "っ" for representing a double "n" since Sonnani is spelled そんあに？
2 replies - Last post by Shirakawa-T - November 4, 2015
I always see people with japanese characters on their screen... how so? A second question I have is, how do you spell my name in Katakana... It's Daryan by the way. I think I know...but I don't know how to type in Japanese. Thank You!! >w<
16 replies - Last post by Stefan-Minehan - May 29, 2015
what does kaisha wo tsukurimashita mean.
daigaku wo sotsugyous suru maeni kaisha wo tsukurimashita. Does this mean "before I graduated from college I made a company". It doesn't sound right.
1 reply - Last post by keiko-rocket-japanese-tutor - May 4, 2015
Why is shimasu used in this sentence?
A flashcard stated Kore wa ii nioi ga shimasu This is a nice smell. Why is shimasu used here with ga also. I thought shimasu was a kind of 'doing' word? Thanks
2 replies - Last post by Stefan-Minehan - April 30, 2015
May I know how to say it in Japanese for the following phrase: “Thank you all for your birthday wishes!” Thank you in advance!
0 replies - Last post by wilson-k2 - December 19, 2014
When to use hotto vs. atatakai?
Are both these words synonyms or is atatakai used in some instances vs. hotto?
7 replies - Last post by risa-rocket-japanese-tutor - May 20, 2014
Dictionary Japanese-English Romanji
Hello, I'm looking for a dictionary, any suggestions on which one should I get?, my major interest are the verbs. Thanks.
5 replies - Last post by Liz-W10 - April 9, 2014