LLearn Japanese

Daily Thread: for simple questions, minor posts & newcomers [contains useful links!] (July 29, 2025)

This thread is for all the simple questions (what does that mean?) and minor posts that don't need their own thread, as well as for first-time posters who can't create new threads yet. Feel free to share anything on your mind.

The daily thread updates every day at 9am JST, or 0am UTC.

↓ Welcome to r/LearnJapanese! ↓

  • New to Japanese? Read the Starter's Guide and FAQ.

  • New to the subreddit? Read the rules.

  • Read also the pinned comment below for proper question etiquette & answers to common questions!

Please make sure to check the wiki and search for old posts before asking your question, to see if it's already been addressed. Don't forget about Google or sites like Stack Exchange either!

This subreddit is also loosely partnered with this language exchange Discord, which you can likewise join to look for resources, discuss study methods in the #japanese_study channel, ask questions in #japanese_questions, or do language exchange(!) and chat with the Japanese people in the server.

Past Threads

You can find past iterations of this thread by using the search function. Consider browsing the previous day or two for unanswered questions.

by AutoModerator

8 comments

  4. Just started playing pokemon black in japanese, and I am confused with なる here: では、私が「探検の心得」なる本を読んであげよう！
    What am I missing here? 🫠

  5. Got a question about this dialogue from tokini andy quartet video

    けれど、やっぱりじいちゃん、ばあちゃんみたいな寛容な人になれるように、なんとかしたいと思っていた。でも今は、お金がなくて、心も狭い、欲張りな俺が居なくなればいいんじゃないかとも、正直思っている。

    1. confused with the かとも near the end of second sentence. Ive seen かと思う before but never seen かとも. Does the も mean “also” here? he translates 2nd sentence like this: “But, as for now, to be honest i also think that i, a person with no money, narrow minded, and greedy would be better off dead”, meanwhile i understand the sentence like this: But now, i honestly also think（とも正直思っている？）wouldnt it be nice・fine（いいんじゃないか） if the greedy me that has no money and is also narrow minded was gone?”.

    2. if im understanding this かとも well, does that mean i could use とも思います to say “i also think”?

  6. Is there a sentence analyzer kind of thing which can properly analyze japanese sentences?

  7. I’m currently reviewing the Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar (via Anki), and have a question about this example from p274.

    > A:今日は働かなくてもいいんですか。
    > B:いいえ、働かなければなりません。

    The book’s translation (which I’m sure is correct, and which I’d probably understand if I heard it in context) is

    > A: Don’t you have work today?
    > B: Yes, I have work.

    However, my initial translation of that short dialog was quite different (to the extent that I feel the need to double check).

    > A: Is it okay if I don’t work today?
    > B: No, you have to work.

    Obviously, the reference work’s translation must be correct. But is my reading also plausible? Or if not, what did I fail to notice?

  8. Hi!

    I am trying to listen to Nihon con teppei daily now, and noticed that I tend to struggle quite a bit. If I had to guess, I understand about 30-60% of what he says depending on the episode.

    How should I approach it?

    Some context: My daily practice includes Wanikani (level 14, mostly doing just reviews at the moment to free up time for other things), Genki grammar and vocab in anki (starting chapter 12 soon), Satori reader story, episode of Nihon con Teppei. I passed the N5 last December.

    I try to be okay with not understanding it too much, looking up a word or two after, and letting it be. Is this a good way to approach this, or will this not do anything for me?

Leave a Reply