LLearn Japanese

Daily Thread: for simple questions, minor posts & newcomers [contains useful links!] (August 20, 2025)

  • August 20, 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.

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7 comments

  1. What is the difference between contrastive は and exhaustive listing が?

  3. I had to change my main browser to firefox, which means I need to set up yomitan all over again but I forgot how. I know there’s a guide at learnjapanesemoe, but it was nothing like I remembered (specifically the dictionaries they used). It’s different than the guide I followed which was at Xelieu github. However that github page seems to have vanished. Is there an archive somewhere, or a backup page somewhere?

  4. Hi there.

    I’ve decided to properly learn Japanese a few days ago.
    I’ve lived there for a year, 15 years ago, as a student, and have been there again in summer 2024 with my wife. She/we loved it (even if Tokyo have changed a lot). We plan to go again in 2026.
    Learning japanese would be an intellectual hobby. I don’t plan to live there again or to use it for work. But it’s better to do that than scrolling Instagram, right?
    And as I like challenges, I’ll probably try to get N5 in the next session, in December 2025. It’s OK if I fail.

    I’m using Wanikani & Bunpro (for grammar), and it seems to fit well with me.
    I’ll also do some JLPT test along the way, to understand how far / close I am.
    I’ll probably add the “Bunpro reading & listening” training, as I like it.

    **So my questions for you, みなさん: is it enough?**
    I’m getting exposed in Bunpro grammar & JLPT tests to vocab that I think is very far in Wanikani if you want to learn the kanji. And I don’t want to learn the Kanji yet, right? But I’m wondering if I need to learn more vocabs (for the N5) in Kana only.

    For instance, I’ve encountered ねこ which I knew was cat. I will learn the Kanji along with the vocab in level 15 of WK. I don’t want to rush to be there. So what do you think:

    1. I wait for level 15 in WK, as I don’t really need that much vocab anyway to pass N5. Maybe understanding the meaning of ねこis not that important to answer the questions.
    2. I should only learn the vocab I’m exposed to in Bunpro grammar, but not in Kanji.
    3. WK won’t be enough, I need to add a real N5 vocab deck (I understand the one in Bunpro also expose you to kanji, which I don’t want).

    Thanks all.
    Sorry if that seems a really stupid question.

  5. How would I say “I’m curious, do you…”? 「きょうみがあるけど、。。。」って正しいの？

  6. I can’t seem to find many posts/articles discussing the difference between the **particle で** and **を通して(とおして)/を通じて(つうじて)** so I was wondering if it was just me who feels like its similar. To clarify my understanding of the differences:

    * で has a more general use in specifying/delineating the context in which something is done i.e. How something is done, where something is done, the category of something etc. The closest english equivalent would be “With/Within”

    * を通して(とおして)/を通じて(つうじて) specifically specifies that something was an intermediary through which another thing was accomplished. Compared to で, its more specific. The closest equivalent in English is “Through/Via”. It can also be used in the literal sense like “Through or throughout.”

    Is there anything I missed regarding the nuance and difference?

  7. Does the average Japanese know the words 長月、如月 and so on? Just wondering because it’s new vocab in my textbook lol.

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