Tools to carry around on your hip are really helpful.

- A Japanese year/day planner with pages about diet, travel, and other common everyday things.

- Smart phone apps for learning Japanese. I highly recommend "Kanji Flip" for iPhone/iPod Touch. I also set all my gadgets to Japanese language, to force me to learn what the prompts and menus say.

- Japanese learning games... for example this famous one for DS: "Zaidan Houjin Nihon Kanji Nouryoku Kentei Kyoukai Kounin Kanken DS" - 財団法人日本漢字能力検定協会公認 漢検DS My DSi LL here is the Japanese version that I picked up in Osaka... as such all of the menus are only in Japanese (forcing me to learn more) and it also came with a built in dictionary in Japanese.

- and, duh, a simple memo pad for you to write or sketch down notes in.

If you're struggling, or are a very visual learner try getting some Japanese language books that are accompanied by lots of photos or images.

If you are practicing reading, and can associate those words and meanings with a picture, it can help those who are more visual.

I'm a fan of touting manga for this reason as well, but not everyone is going to want to look at manga all the time; so I suggest other types of visual examples. Some examples from my own shelf:

- Interior design magazine

- How to make doll houses and items for doll's houses

- Sewing pattern books

- Cook books, how to make bentou

One of my music theory teachers did this in my theory books. It works well for studying Japanese as well. Photo by Rukia13.

This is an impression of my core "tool kit" for learning Japanese when I was a teen (after I had memorized hiragana and katakana... before that my tool kit was simply a Japanese manga volume and the kana charts).

- Japanese to English dictionary (NO ROMAJI DICTIONARIES!! I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH, learn all your kana first)

- Japanese language manga

- English+Japanese bilingual manga (this particular bilingual manga [pictured] was my very first brush with kansai-ben/osaka-ben)... a lot of collecting and learning includes cases of simple serendipity.

- Low level Japanese school books.

- Massive Japanese Kanji dictionary.

寿司 (sushi): 寿司 means “sushi.” In Japanese, there is another kanji that means “sushi.” Do you know which kanji it is?

寿司 is a pair of kanji that are the phonetic equivalent of the word “sushi.” But another kanji, 鮨, is the real kanji meaning sushi. It is said 寿司 came to be used to mean “sushi” for good luck because 寿 has the meaning of longevity.

寿司 (sushi) = sushi

● 寿 (su) = longevity

● 司 (shi) = director

Extra:

赤坂 (Akasaka) = Akasaka (place name)

● 赤 (aka) = red

● 坂 (saka) = hill

むらまつ is the name of the restaurant.

Sample Sentence:　

私は、大学に合格したお祝いに寿司を食べた。

Watashi wa, daigaku ni gōkaku shita o-iwai ni sushi o tabeta.

I ate sushi to celebrate getting into university.

風量 (fūryō) = air volume, air capacity

This is the button you press to adjust the amount of air that comes out. On this particular air conditioner/heater, there are 5 different levels. This word combines the kanji for “wind” (風/fū) with the kanji for “amount” (量/ryō).

風量 (fūryō) = air volume, air capacity

● 風 (fū) = wind

● 量 (ryō) = amount

Sample Sentence:

暑いので、冷房の風量は「強」でお願いします！！

Atsui no de, reibō no fūryō wa “kyō” de o-negai shimasu!!

It’s quite hot, so please set the air conditioner to “high”!

If you're a Japanese learner who loves to game, you are in luck! Handhelds such as Gameboy Color, Nintendo DS, and Play Station Portable are completely region free.

I HIGHLY suggest buying one of your favorite games in Japanese to further your learning. If you are not ready for a text-heavy RPG game in Japanese, start off with something simpler such as a kid's game or rhythm game that doesn't require a heavy story line to follow.

PLEASE NOTE: I only know that Game Boys and PSPs are region free. Console games (like for Playstation 2 or the Wii) are NOT region free, please check the platform and game before you buy a Japanese game. If you really want a console game that is not region free, you will have to also get a hold of the Japanese version of the console.

I have been using this log check sheet from musiciansway.com to keep track of my Japanese studies. Photo by Rukia13.

運転 (unten) means “operation” and 停止 (teishi) means “stop”, so the yellow button is basically your ON/OFF button for the remote control.

The button to the left of that has the words 運転 (unten) and 切替 (kirikae). This is the button you press to switch between the different modes of operation. Among the choices are 冷房 (reibō, air conditioning), 暖房 (danbō, heater), 送風 (sōfū, which works like a fan), ドライ (dry, which dries up excess moisture in the room), etc.

運転 (unten) = operation

● 運 (un) = carry

● 転 (ten) = revolve

停止 (teishi) = stop

● 停 (tei) = stop

● 止 (shi) = halt

切換 (kirikae) = to switch

● 切 (kiri) = cut

● 換 (kae) = interchange

Sample Sentence:

この工場では、朝の6時から機械が運転しはじめます。

Kono kōjō de wa, asa no roku-ji kara kikai ga unten shihajimemasu.

”The machines at this factory start operating from six in the morning.”

焼きたてのパン (yakitate no pan): 焼 is a kanji that means “to bake.” Can you tell what kind of shop this is from the picture and the kanji?

焼きたて means “fresh from the oven” and パン means “bread.” As you may have guessed, this shop is a bakery! You’ll often see the word 焼きたて at a bakery.

焼きたて (yakitate) = fresh from the oven

● 焼 (ya-ki) = to bake

Extra:

たて (tate) - attaches to the masu stem of a verb and means that the action has just been completed

Sample Sentence:

ピザは、焼きたてがおいしい。

Piza wa, yakitate ga oishii.

Pizza fresh from the oven is delicious.

As I matured so did my tool kit. This is what my most current tool kit looks like.

- That very same Japanese-English dictionary from before.

- What I call the "little rainbow trio of awesome" "Making Sense of Japanese", "How to tell the Difference Between Japanese Particles" and "All About Particles" Oh yes. <3

- Colloquial Kansai Japanese, once you're comfortable (and especially if you are into Japanese media and culture in general, like me) it's good to get a handle on this dialect as well as your "proper japanese."

- A higher level Japanese school book.

- Here we have a book I JUST bought today because my friend Ku had it, and it looked interesting. Not sure how it is yet. It is a book to encourage one to keep a daily diary in Japanese.

- and the very same Kanji dictionary as before.

These buttons are used for setting up the timer on the air conditioner/heater. The first button, タイマー切換 (taimā kirikae), allows you to switch between different timer modes. The buttons 戻る (modoru) and 進む (susumu) mean “back” and “forward”, respectively, and are used to set the clock of the timer.

切換 (kirikae) = to switch

● 切 (kiri) = cut

● 換 (kae) = interchange

戻る (modoru) = to go back

● 戻 (modo(ru)) = go back

進む (susumu) = to go forward

● 進 (susu(mu)) = go forward

Sample Sentence:

もう一歩前に進んでください。

Mō ippo mae ni susunde kudasai.

”Please go forward one step.”

Some people learn by DOING... so get a Japanese language book on a hobby that you enjoy, and try to read it and follow the visual steps.

Doing what it says in Japanese with your own hands may help you to learn the words of the sentence, and make them stick in your memory.

一皿 一三〇円均一 (hitosara hyakusanjū-en kin’itsu): You can tell this is a sushi shop from the pictures. But, what kind of sushi place is it?

皿 (sara) means “plate” and 均一 (kin’itsu) means “flat fee.” You can see this kind of sign at a conveyor-belt sushi place (kaiten zushi). This means that any plate is 130 yen.

一皿 (hito sara) = one plate

● 一 (hito) = one

● 皿 (sara) = plate

130 yen

一 = 1

三 = 3

〇 = 0

円 = en

均一 (kin’itsu) = flat fee

● 均・kin = level

● 一・itsu = one

Sample Sentence:

一皿、130円均一だから、何を食べてもいいよ。

Hito-sara, hyaku-san-jū-en kin’itsu da kara, nani o tabete mo ii yo.

You can eat anything you want, because everything is 130 yen.

出国審査・税関 (shukkoku shinsa/zeikan)：Anyone who has ever gone on a flight to a foreign country has experienced going through these two areas. Based on the kanji, can you guess what they are?

出国審査 (shukkoku shinsa) refers to immigration (for leaving the country). It is made up of the words 出国 (shukkoku), which is “departure of the country”, and 審査 (shinsa), which means “inspection”. These two words together mean “immigration” (for leaving the country). When referring to immigration procedures when entering a country, 入国審査 (nyūkoku shinsa) is used.

税関 (zeikan) is made up of the characters for “tax” and “connection”, and refers to customs.

出国審査 (shukkoku shinsa) = immigration (for leaving the country)

● 出 (shu) = to leave

● 国 (koku) = country

● 審 (shin) = judge

● 査 (sa) = investigate

税関 (zeikan) = customs

● 税 (zei) = tax

● 関 (kan) = connection

Sample Sentence:

無事に出国審査と税関を通過しました。

Buji ni shukkoku shinsa to zeikan o tsūka shimashita.

I made it through immigration and customs with no problems.

横断禁止 (ōdan kinshi): This sign means “No crossing.” Do you remember the meaning of 禁止,which we saw in Everyday Kanji #2?

横断 (ōdan) = crossing

● 横 (ō) = horizontal

● 断 (dan) = cutting

禁止 (kinshi) = prohibition

● 禁 (kin) = prohibition

● 止 (shi) = stop

Sample Sentence:　

この道路は、横断禁止です。

Kono dōro wa, ōdan kinshi desu.

Crossing this road is prohibited.

These buttons are for controlling the direction that the air comes out. The word 上下 (jōge) contains the characters for up (上/jō) and down (下/ge), so you press this button to make the fan inside go up and down. The word 左右 (sayū) contains the characters for left (左/sa) and right (右/yū), so you press this button to make the fan move left to right. The word 風向 (fūkō) combines the characters for wind (風/fū) and direction (向/kō) and means “wind direction”.

上下風向 (jōge fūkō) = up-down wind direction

● 上 (jō/ue) = up

● 下 (ge/shita) = down

● 風 (fū) = wind

● 向 (kō) = direction

左右風向 (sayū fūkō) = left-right wind direction (air conditioner blows air from side to side)

● 左 (sa) = left

● 右 (yū) = right

● 風 (fū) = wind

● 向 (kō) = direction

Sample Sentence:

このエアコンの風向は上下に調整できるが、左右には調整できません。

Kono eakon no fūkō wa jōge ni chōsei dekiru ga, sayū ni wa chōsei dekimasen.

”On this air conditioner, you can set the wind direction to go up and down, but not left to right.”

温度 (ondo) = temperature

This is the button used to adjust the temperature! This word, 温度 (ondo), combines the kanji for “warm” (温/on) and “degree” (度/do).

温度 (ondo) = temperature

● 温 (on) = warm

● 度 (do) = degree

Sample Sentence:

この部屋の温度は高いので、眠くなります。

Kono heya no ondo wa takai no de, nemuku narimasu.

“The temperature in this room is really warm, so I easily get sleepy.”

牛乳 (gyūnyū) is the word for milk. The characters for 牛乳 are the words “cow” and “milk”. You can also see the second character in the word 豆乳 (tōnyū), meaning “soy milk”.

牛乳 (gyūnyū) = milk

● 牛 (gyū) = cow

● 乳 (nyū) = milk

Sample Sentence:

牛乳を買いに行ってくれる？

Gyūnyū o kai ni itte kureru?

Could you go get some milk at the store?

のりこし精算 (norikoshi seisan) = fare adjustment

To get from point A to point B on the train, you need to buy a ticket, right? But what happens when you decide you need to get off at a station before or after point B? Your fare might be different than what you initially paid. That’s where this handy machine comes in. If your fare needs to be adjusted in any way, find the machine that says のりこし精算(機) (norikoshi seisan(ki)). If you are using a prepaid card, this is also the machine you use if you don’t have enough money on it to cover your fare.

のりこし精算 (norikoshi seisan) = fare adjustment

精算 (seisan) = adjustment

● 精 (sei) = refined

● 算 (san) = calculate

Extra:

のりこし would be 乗り越し in kanji, and comes from the verb 乗り越す.

乗り越す (norikosu) = to ride past one’s destination

Sample Sentence:

もし新宿で下りるなら、乗り越し精算機で、精算しなければなりません。

Moshi Shinjuku de oriru nara, norikoshi seisanki de, seisan shinakereba narimasen.

If you’re going to get off at Shinjuku station, you need to adjust the fare using the fare adjustment machine.

さば塩焼き定食 (saba shioyaki teishoku): 定食(teishoku) means a set meal that has a main dish and a side dish, plus rice and miso soup. What is the main dish for this menu?

定食 (teishoku) offer a typical type of Japanese food, and you’ll often find this kind of set in Japanese food restaurant. In this case, the main dish is さば塩焼き (saba shioyaki). 塩焼き means “grilled with salt” and さば is “mackerel.” So, さば塩焼き means “salted grilled mackerel.”

さば塩焼き定食 (saba shioyaki teishoku) = a set meal with salted grilled mackerel

● 塩 (shio) = salt

● 焼き (ya-ki) = grilled

● 定 (tei) = set, fixed

● 食 (shoku) = food

煮物付 (nimono tsuki) = comes with boiled food

● 煮 (ni) = boil

● 物 (mono) = thing

● 付 (tsuki) = attach, comes with

定食 are known for being relatively cheap, and this one costs 600 yen.

六 = 6

〇 = 0

〇 = 0

円 = yen

Sample Sentence:

さば塩焼き定食は、いくらですか。

Saba shioyaki teishoku wa, ikura desu ka.

How much is a set meal with salted grilled mackerel?

As you can see, I've tried to work through my Japanese workbook several times. Photo by Rukia13.

お願い (onegai): お願い means “request.” This is a request at a ramen shop. Can you tell what kind of request it is from the picture?

大きな音 means “loud noise,” 鼻 means “nose” and 鼻をかまないで means “don’t blow your nose.” So, this signs means “don’t blow your nose loudly.”

お願い (o-negai) = request

● 願 (nega-i) = request

大きな音 (ōkina oto) = loud noise

● 大 (ō) = big

● 音 (oto) = sound

鼻 (hana) = nose

Sample Sentence:

これは、わたしからのお願いです。

Kore wa, watashi kara no o-negai desu.

This is my request.

忘年会 (bōnenkai) = End of the year party

A 忘年会 is a party that is held at the end of the year to celebrate the end of the year. It combines the kanji for “forget” (忘/bō), “year” (年/nen), and “party” (会/kai), so it literally means a “party to forget about the year”. 忘年会 are usually held in December.

忘年会 (bōnenkai) = End of the year party

● 忘 (bō) = forget

● 年 (nen) = year

● 会 (kai) = party, meeting

Sample Sentence:

今年の忘年会は3つだけで済みました。。。

Kotoshi no bōnenkai wa mittsu dake de sumimashita…

”I was able to get away with attending only 3 year-end parties this year…”

定期券 (teikiken) = commuter pass

A 定期券 (teikiken) is a special type of 券 (ticket) used on the trains. 定期 means “fixed”, and refers to the fact that this pass is used for a fixed amount of time for a fixed route – in other words, a commuter pass. You pay in advance for the fare of your daily commute. A fixed pass used by students is called a 通学定期券 (tsūgaku teikiken).

定期券 (teikiken) = commuter pass

● 定 (tei) = fixed

● 期 (ki) = period

● 券 (ken) = ticket

Sample Sentence:

定期券が切れてしまったので、更新しなければなりません。

Teikiken ga kirete shimatta no de, kōshin shinakereba narimasen.

My commuter pass has expired, so I need to renew it.

喪中はがき(mochū hagaki) = postcard notifying others of someone’s death

A 喪中はがき is a postcard sent to family and friends notifying them of someone’s death. These postcards are usually sent in the beginning of December every year in place of 年賀状 (New Year’s greeting cards). So if there was a death in the family that year, that family would send out 喪中はがき instead of 年賀状.

喪中 (mochū) = mourning

● 喪 (mo) = mourning

● 中 (chū) = inside

Sample Sentence:

祖母が無くなったので、12月の始めに喪中はがきを送りました。

Sobo ga naku natta no de, jūni-gatsu no hajime ni mochū hagaki o okurimashita.

”My grandmother passed away, so in early December I sent a postcard notifying others of her passing.”

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おいしい納豆 (oishii nattō) = delicious natto

Delicious natto... is there such a thing?? Just kidding =P Poor natto has such a bad reputation but once you get used to it, it's actually quite good!

納豆 (nattō) = fermented soy beans

● 納 (na) = supply

● 豆 (tō) = bean

Extra:

極小粒 (gokushō tsubu) = extra small size

● 極 (goku) = extreme

● 小 (shō) = small

● 粒 (tsubu) = grain, bead

Sample Sentence:

私は毎朝納豆を食べます。

Watashi wa maiasa nattō o tabemasu.

I eat natto every morning.

お歳暮ギフト (o-seibo gifuto) = Year-End Gift

お歳暮ギフト are gifts given at the end of the year to people who have helped you in some way (teachers, clients, boss, etc).

お歳暮 (o-seibo) = Year-end gift

● 歳 (sei) = year-end

● 暮 (bo) = livelihood

Sample Sentence:

お歳暮でビールが届いたので、とてもうれしいです。

O-seibo de bīru ga todoita node, totemo ureshii desu.

“I’m really happy because I received beer as an o-seibo gift.”

お年玉 (o-toshidama) = New Year’s gift of money

The word お年玉 refers to a gift of money given to children and young adults on New Year’s. Typically, this money is put in a small envelope called an お年玉袋 (“o-toshidama bukuro”, o-toshidama + bag). The お年玉袋 in the picture has a tiger (虎, tora) because 2010 is the Year of the Tiger.

お年玉 (o-toshidama)

● 年 (toshi) = year

● 玉 (tama) = ball

Sample Sentence:

ボーナスが無かったので、お正月、甥にお年玉をあげなかった。

Bōnasu ga nakatta node, o-shōgatsu, oi ni o-toshidama o agenakatta.

I didn’t give an o-toshidama to my nephew on New Year’s because I didn’t get a bonusthis year.

年賀状 (nengajō) = New Years Greeting card

年賀状 are greeting postcards sent on New Years day. Japanese people often send to them to all of their friends and family, which means many people end up sending a huge amount of 年賀状. Post offices often set up a special 年賀状 box where people can drop in all of the cards they will send. The post offices collect them all and deliver them collectively on New Years Day. 年賀状 are never sent before New Years Day.

年賀状 (nengajō) = New Years Greeting card

● 年 (nen) = year

● 賀 (ga) = congratulations

● 状 (jō) = form

Sample Sentence:

毎年年賀状を100通くらい書きます。

Maitoshi nengajō o hyaku-tsū kurai kakimasu.

”I write around 100 New Years greeting cards every year.”

全部入り (zenbu iri): 全部 (zenbu) means “all” and 入り (iri) means “contains”. So what all does this ramen have in it?

The various toppings are listed on the menu. So, 全部入り means “contains all toppings”, which refers to toppings such as egg, meat or cod roe.

全部入り (zenbu iri) = all included

● 全 (zen) = whole

● 部 (bu) = section

● 入 (iri) = enter

Extra (possible toppings):

味玉子 (aji tamago) = seasoned boiled egg

● 味 (aji) = taste

● 玉 (tama) = ball

● 子 (go) = child

角肉 (kakuniku) = a cube shaped boiled meat

● 角 (kaku) = cube

● 肉 (niku) = meat

めんたいこ = a kind of salted cod roe

Sample Sentence:　

わたしは、全部入りください。

Watashi wa, zenbu iri kudasai.

I’d like ramen with all of the toppings please.

★Please click the ALL SIZES button to see a bigger version of this picture.

お引き出し (o-hikidashi) = withdrawal

This is the form to fill out when you want to make a withdrawal at the bank. The verb 引き出します (hikidashimasu) means to take out, so the word for withdrawal is simply the masu stem of this verb (the verb without masu) with the honorific prefix お added at the beginning.

お引き出し (o-hikidashi) = withdrawal

●引 (hi(ki)) = to pull

●出 (da(shi)) = to take out

Extra:

金額 (kingaku) = amount of money

● 金 (kin) = gold, money

● 額 (gaku) = amount, sum

● 様 (sama) = name polite suffix (especially used towards customers)

Sample Sentence:

時間外のお金の引き出しは、手数料がかかる。

Jikangai no o-kane no hikidashi wa, tesūryō ga kakaru.

There is a handling fee for withdrawals made after hours.

★Please click the ALL SIZES button to see a bigger version of this picture.

両替依頼書 (ryōgae iraisho) = money exchange form

This is the form to fill out when you want to exchange money at the bank. The word 両替 (ryōgae) is “exchanging money”, the word 依頼 (irai) means “request”, and the kanji　書 means “form” here.

両替依頼書 (ryōgae iraisho) = money exchange form

両替 (ryōgae) = exchange money

● 両 (ryō) = both

● 替 (gae) = change

依頼 (irai) = request

● 依 (i) = depend on

● 頼 (rai) = request

書 (sho) = form

● 書 (sho) = form

Extra:

紙幣 (shihei) = paper bills

● 紙 (shi) = paper

● 幣 (hei) = cash

硬貨 (kōka) = coins

硬 (kō) = hard

貨 (ka) = treasure

Sample Sentence:

空港で、アメリカドルから日本円に両替をお願いした。

Kūkō de, amerika doru kara nihon en ni ryōgae o o-negai shita.

I requested to have American dollars exchanged into Japanese yen at the airport.

乗車券 (jōshaken) = ticket (usually refers to a train or bus ticket)

乗車券 (jōshaken) is a ticket used to ride a train or a bus. In this picture you can see the vending machine where you buy tickets for the subway. This word is includes the word 乗車 (jōsha, boarding) plus the word for ticket, 券.

乗車券 (jōshaken) = ticket (usually refers to a train ticket)

● 乗 (jō) = ride

● 車 (sha) = car

● 券 (ken) = ticket

Sample Sentence:

窓口で乗車券を購入した。

Madoguchi de jōshaken o kōnyū shita.

I bought a ticket at the ticket counter.

These are my non-electronic tools. I also use Rosetta Stone and the internet, About.com has a great Japanese section. I really like Kanji Land. Coscom.co.jp has a great free kana writing workbook