Understanding Japanese addresses
Learn how Japanese addresses move from prefecture to ward and numbered areas, and how postal codes and room numbers fit in.
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Travel and checkpoints in Edo Japan
Read about Edo-period journeys in Japanese, from travel permits and checkpoint inspections to rest at post towns.
Read and practiseOccupations in Edo-period Japan
Learn Japanese names for merchants, carpenters and fishmongers through everyday scenes from the Edo period.
Read and practiseKabuki and Edo performance vocabulary
Learn Japanese words for actors, stages, audiences and costumes through the world of Edo-period kabuki.
Read and practiseUkiyo-e and woodblock printing
Learn Japanese words for ukiyo-e, carved blocks, pigments and printing, and follow the making of an Edo-period print.
Read and practiseRice trade and merchant terms in Edo Japan
Learn Japanese words for rice, merchants, prices and ledgers through examples set in Edo-period trade.
Read and practiseEdo waterways and river transport
Learn Japanese words for canals, boats and cargo while exploring how waterways supported transport in Edo towns.
Read and practiseCastle-town officials and their titles
Learn Japanese titles for Edo-period castle-town government, from the daimyo to senior retainers and town magistrates.
Read and practiseLanguage and roles in a modern workplace
Learn Japanese for workplace roles, sharing documents, reporting progress and consulting colleagues in polite conversations.
Read and practiseJapanese school events: useful N3 vocabulary
Learn Japanese words for school ceremonies, sports days, cultural festivals and trips, with examples and practice.
Read and practiseRegional food in Japanese
Discuss Japanese regional dishes, local ingredients and differences in seasoning with useful N3 expressions.
Read and practiseNeighborhood associations and local notices
Learn to read Japanese neighborhood association notices about cleanups, circulars, meeting changes and contact details.
Read and practiseJapanese calendars and era names
Learn to read Japanese era years alongside Gregorian dates, including the change from Heisei to Reiwa and the meaning of gannen.
Read and practiseRegister in public notices
Read Japanese public notices by distinguishing compact prohibitions, polite requests and factual announcements in everyday places.
Read and practiseService phrases in Japanese
Recognise common Japanese service phrases for welcoming customers, asking them to wait and confirming an order in shops and restaurants.
Read and practiseUrban life in Edo Japan
Read about Edo’s row houses, shared wells, street commerce and fire risks while practising N2 reading in Japanese.
Read and practiseReading historical sources
Learn to read modern Japanese descriptions of historical documents, distinguish evidence from interpretation, and identify uncertainty.
Read and practiseDiscussing regional variation respectfully
Learn to discuss regional differences in Japanese with careful qualifiers, individual perspectives and questions that avoid stereotypes.
Read and practiseSocial relationships and shifts in Japanese register
Explore how Japanese speakers adjust polite, honorific and casual forms to their relationship, audience and setting.
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Standard Japanese and regional varieties
Recognise a few labelled Kansai expressions and use standard polite Japanese with people from different regions.
Read and practiseAn introduction to Kansai varieties
Kansai includes several regional ways of speaking, not one uniform dialect. Read examples and practise with explanations for each answer.
Read and practiseKansai おおきに and standard thanks
In some Kansai speech, おおきに expresses thanks and corresponds to standard ありがとう. Read examples and practise with explanations for each answer.
Read and practiseKansai negative へん and standard Japanese
Recognise informal Kansai verb negatives and compare them with standard Japanese. Read examples and practise with explained answers.
Read and practiseKansai や and standard Japanese だ
Compare the Kansai copula や with standard だ after nouns and な-adjectives, using examples and practice.
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