Learn Japan in 30-second reels
Real phrases for the konbini, the restaurant, the train — each with romaji and English, ready to use the second you land.
All videos
Survival
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It Is Thirty Five Degrees and Your Nose Will Not Stop Running. You Did Not Catch a Cold in Japan.
kafunshou desu. · I have hay fever.
Survival
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The Beach Was Packed Last Week. Today One Small Sign Is Keeping Everyone Out of the Water.
kurage chuui · caution: jellyfish
Survival
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Japan Just Made a New Word for Hot Official. It Starts at Forty Degrees.
kokushobi · a brutally hot day, forty degrees and up
Survival
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Seven Bites on One Ankle. The Word That Fixes It Is Not Mosquito.
mushi ni sasaremashita · I got bitten by an insect.
Survival
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Your Tokyo Hotel AC Is Running and the Room Is Still Thirty Degrees. Read One Word on the Remote.
reibō · cooling mode
Beginner
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The Konbini Sells Fireworks All August. Where You Can Light Them Is the Catch.
koko de hanabi o shite mo ii desu ka? · Is it okay to do fireworks here?
Survival
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The Fireworks Are Tonight. So Is the Typhoon.
sumimasen, chuushi desu ka? · Excuse me, is it cancelled?
Survival
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It Was Cloudless an Hour Ago. Japan Has a Word for the Wall of Water Now Coming Down.
gerira gouu · sudden localized downpour
Intermediate
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On August Seventh Japan's Calendar Says It Is Autumn. Then You Step Outside.
zansho ga kibishii desu ne · The lingering heat is brutal, isn't it.
Beginner
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You Just Bought 3,000 Yen of Kyoto Sweets. It Is 36 Degrees. Ask for This at the Register.
horeizai o irete moraemasu ka? · Could you put in an ice pack?
Survival
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It Is Not Raining in Tokyo. So Why Is Everyone Walking Under an Umbrella?
higasa · sun parasol
Intermediate
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Every Train in Japan Is Packed in Mid-August. The Country Is Going Home to See the Dead.
obon · Obon, the summer season honoring ancestors
Survival
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At Japanese Fireworks, the Whole Crowd Shouts a Long-Gone Shop's Name
tamaya~! · Tamaya! (the fireworks cheer)
Survival
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38C and Suddenly Dizzy in Japan? Say This Before It Gets Worse.
netchūshō kamo shiremasen · I might have heatstroke
Beginner
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Summer Killed Your Appetite but Not the Rice Bowl. One Word Fixes It.
gohan sukuname de onegai shimasu · smaller rice portion, please
Beginner
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Japan's Summer Mosquitoes Are Ruthless. Learn This Drugstore Phrase.
mushiyoke wa arimasu ka? · Do you have bug spray?
Beginner
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Tokyo Taxi Feels Like a Sauna? The Polite Way to Ask for AC.
eakon o tsukete kudasai · Please turn on the AC.
Survival
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Locals Keep Saying This Word to You All July in Japan.
mushiatsui desu ne · It's so humid, isn't it.
Survival
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Three Melting Ice Cubes in Your Drink? Ask for More Like This.
kōri o onegai shimasu · Ice, please.
Beginner
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Sunburned in Kyoto? The One Phrase That Finds You Sunscreen.
hiyakedome wa arimasu ka? · Do you have sunscreen?
Beginner
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35C at a Japanese Festival? This 3-Word Order Saves You
kakigōri kudasai · Shaved ice, please.
Survival
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Feeling Sick in the Japan Heat? The One Phrase That Gets You Help Fast
kibun ga warui desu · I feel unwell
Beginner
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Locals Eat THIS to Survive Japan's Summer (Not Just Water)
shio-ame · salt candy
Intermediate
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The Summer Sign That Means 'Order This Now' in Japan
Hiyashi-chūka, kudasai. · Hiyashi-chūka, please. (cold summer noodles)
Intermediate
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The Word Locals Say to You All Summer in Japan
Atsui desu ne. · It's hot, isn't it.
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