Many Japanese textbooks teach a very simple rule: 🔹living things → imasu, 🔹non-living things → arimasu. Clear and easy, right? But let’s test it. What about a tree 🌲? A tree is alive. So… Ki ga imasu (There is a tree)? That sounds strange. In Japanese, we say: Ki ga arimasu. Wait… why? So the rule “living vs non-living” is not enough. Let’s try another idea. What about movement? 🔹People and animals move → imasu. 🔹Objects and plants don’t → arimasu. That seems to work. So

Japanese learners often learn these three expressions as “after doing something” or “and then.” ・きのうは、レストランで ご飯(はん)を 食(た)べて、映画(えいが) を 見(み)ました。 ⇨ Yesterday, I ate at a restaurant and watched a movie. ・きのうは、レストランで ご飯(はん)を 食(た)べてから、映画(えいが) を 見(み)ました。 ⇨ Yesterday, after eating at a restaurant, I watched a movie. ・きのうは、レストランで ご飯(はん)を 食(た)べたあとで、映画(えいが) を 見(み)ました。 ⇨ Yesterday, I watched a movie after eating at a restaurant. All three sentences are grammatically correct, but the nuan

You’ve probably heard this simple idea before: Katakana words are just English words in Japanese. Easy, RIGHT? So when you learn words like ペン (pen) for pen or コーヒー (koohii) for coffee, it feels reassuring. “Great, I already know these!”💡 But then something strange happens. If we say “salaryman” to an English speaker… and they look confused.😵‍💫 Or if we mention a “one-piece” for a dress… and it doesn’t quite land.🤦 And what about “juice” or “Viking”? Those should be easy…