8/31/25 I have slowed down on reviews because it turns out that visiting the forums was part of the habit.. a reward for doing the work. Lately, I have been leaving the late night reviews for the next morning. Should level up tomorrow or the next day.
I don’t always read the details because I’d have to look up a lot of the words, but I’ll generally try to at least read through the lesson plans, etc. depending on how quickly I’m running through the forums.
I read most of it as inspiration to see what’s ahead. I’m especially interested in seeing the overlap between Duolingo and WaniKani as you progress further with both apps.
-When you call １１９ばん, the operator will ask you whether you are calling because of a fire (かじ) or a medical emergency (きゅうきゅう). Give them a short, clear answer as in かじです (It’s a fire) or きゅうきゅうです (It’s a medical emergency)
-じけん can mean a significant event or matter in general, or a criminal affair, incident, or case in particular. When used in the latter sense, じけん can be さぎ (fraud), どろぼう (theft), すり (pickpocketing), ごうとう (robbery), purse snatcher ひったくり , けんか (fight), or any other criminal activity.
-When we suspect that something might be possible, we can use the "plain-form plus かもしれない"Please note that the probability indicated by かもしれない is lower than that of でしょう
Culture Note
Besides the Richter scale that uses マグニチュード (magnitude), Japanese people use しんど to describe the intensity of earthquakes. While マグニチュード is used for the intensity of an earthquake itself, しんど describes the intensity of tremors people experience at a certain location. There are ten levels: 0 to 7 with both 5 and 6 having two levels (lower and upper). For example, at しんど５じゃく (level 5 lower), some plates and books on shelves might fall. At しんど６きょう (level 6 upper), many wooden buildings that are not earthquake-proofed might collapse, and large-scale landslides might occur.
These sentences gave me trouble or overlapped with my WK level. Somehow the formatting got lost and I can’t be bothered to fix it now.
Context
Where is the classroom for the Japanese class? Another correct solution: 日本語の授業はどこの教室ですか？ 日本語の授業の教室はどこですか
The savoriness of this dish will come out if you leave it for a day．この料理は一日置くとうまみ出ます。
I want to increase the time I spend with my family. もっと家族と過ごす時間を増やしたいです。 もっと時間を過ごすと家族増やしたいです．＝If I had more time, I would like to have a larger family.
Please take your dishes to the return station. 食器は返却口までお願い致します。
She was in Tokyo at the time. 当時彼女は東京にいた。
The painting expresses social anxiety in an abstract way. この絵画は社会の不安を抽象的に表現している。
He is quite different from who he was. 彼は 昔 の彼とはかなり違う。
He took power through a revolution. 彼は革命で政権を奪った。
War often produces advances in scientific technology. 戦争が科学技術の進歩を生み出すことが多い。
I poured myself another cup of coffee. 自分のためにもう一杯コーヒーを注いだ。（私はもう一杯コーヒーを注いだ。）
Vocabulary
DUO
WK
EN
KANJI
KANA
NOTES
6.27
HISTORY
44
ninja
忍者
に ん じゃ
once, used to be
か つ て
also か っ て, former, ex-
invention
発明
は つ め い
often
しばしば
(blinking) repeatedly, 屡々again and again,
create
生み出す
う み だ す
to bring forth, to produce, to invent
no longer
もはや
最早 usually written using kana alone with negative verb
souvenir
記念
き ね ん
honoring the memory of (taking the aux. verb する)
of that time
当時
と う じ
in those days
6.28
FOOD AND DRINK
35
to get drunk
酔っ払う
よ っ ぱ ら う
godan intransitive verb
35
to get drunk
酔う
よ う
to become nauseated godan intransitive verb
37
hangover
二日酔い
ふ つ か よ い
starving
ペコペコ
growling (stomach)
side dish
お か ず
お菜 usually written using kana alone
40
noodles
麺
め ん
31
Chinese food
中華
ちゅ う か
abbreviation 中華料理
38
return of something
返却
へ ん きゃ く
repayment
tray return station
へんきゃくぐち
return slot (for coins in a vending machine)
tipsy
一杯機嫌 (い っ ぱ い き げ ん)
陶然 (と う ぜ ん)
生酔い (な ま よ い )
ほろ酔い (ほ ろ よ い)
Duo used the verb for “tipsy” but the dictionary gave me multiple other versions (nouns and adjectives) which I have included here. I have no idea which is most common.
びよういん (beauty salon) or a りはつてん (barber shop which is sometimes called とこや, さんぱつや, or りよういん). びよういん caters to females who need perms, coloring, and other beauty services, while a りはつてん provides haircuts and shaves for male customers. They can get a みみそうじ (earwax removal) with their さんぱつ (haircut).
Most accept とびこみ (walk- ins) if there are openings in their schedules.
other beauty services? facial (フェイシャル), waxing (だつもう), herbal massage (アロマセラピー), or manicure (ネイル), try a エステサロン (aesthetic salon)!
unwanted facial hair?Japanese women found their solution not in waxing but in professional かおそり (facial shaving). makes their skin so smooth that their makeup sits much better after the shave. A would- be- bride should appreciate ブライダルシェービング (literally, “bridal shaving”), which takes care of all the うぶげ (fluff) on the nape, shoulders, and upper back so that she will look absolutely perfect in her wedding gown. Please note that only those who have a barber’s license can give shavings to customers.
Putting on a きもの (kimono) in the right way is an epic task. Call a びよういん and make an appointment for a きつけ (dressing aid)! they usually offer a package–きつけ, セット (hair styling), メイク (makeup), and ネイル (manicure).
Once called でんぱつ（電髪）, literally “electric hair,” the パーマ (perm) has evolved so much that the menu options at a びよういん can blow your mind! Let’s have a peek: クリープパーマ, デジタルパーマ, エアウェーブ, ポイントパーマ, ストレートパーマ, ピンパーマ, ツイストパーマ, スパイラルパーマ, アイロンパーマ… How many of them can you guess what they mean??
Here are more words for hair troubles! Some people complain about their soft, thin ねこげ (literally, “cat hair”), while others may hate their かたいかみ (stiff hair). Many want their hair nice and curly, but those with くせげ (naturally wavy hair) or ちぢれげ (frizzy hair) spend their fortunes on しゅくもうきょうせい (frizzy hair remedy) or a ストレートパーマ (straight perm). Depending on their constitution, some people’s hair may feel あぶらっぽい (oily) instead of ぱさつく (feeling dry). Then one day, some people may be gazing at their しらが (white hair) or ぬけげ (fallen hair) and ponder how far they have come in their life’s journey. Just as the かんじ for かみ（髪） aptly expresses, our hair is our long- time friend!
Grammar Note
For negative conjectures (as in “it doesn’t seem that ~”), we can use the “ます- form plus そうにない (or そうもない)” pattern. For the polite form, we can use either 〜そうにありません or 〜そうにないです.
それでおねがいします is one of those expressions that are extremely useful in Japanese but hard to translate in English. We can use it when we agree with someone’s proposal or suggestion and are willing to allow them to carry out the proposal/suggestion. Depending on a given situation, it works like “Please go ahead with that,” “I’d like that,” or “That’ll do.”
いただく is a humble version of the verb もらう (to receive or to get). Just as もらう can be used as a helping verb along with the て- form, we can also use the “て- form plus いただく” structure to express our gratitude for having something done for ourselves or our family.
いたす is a humble version of the verb する (to do). Like other humble expressions, we only use いたす to refer to our own actions as well as the actions of “inner group” members-- that is, our family, close friends, coworkers, and even bosses-- when talking to “outside” people. When we are ready, we’ll call your name. よういができましたら、おなまえをおよびいたします。
We can use the phrase ～にする (to turn into ~) in various situations, and its English translation can vary. When we are talking about a haircut, for example, the phrase can mean “to cut (the hair) in (a certain style)” or "to make (the hair) into ~
We can also use the verb する along with an adjective to mean “to make (something) ~.” In the case of an い- adjective like みじかい (short), we need to drop い and add く instead before する, as in みじかくする (to make short). In a case of a な- adjective such as はで (showy), we add に after the dictionary form of the adjective, as in はでにする (to make showy).
When we want to express that it is easy to do something, we can use the “ます- form plus やすいです” structure. ～やすい functions as a helping word that means “to be easy to ~,” “to tend to ~,” or “to be liable to ~,” but it conjugates just like the い- adjective やすい (inexpensive). I get split ends easily. (lit. It is easy to turn into split ends. ) えだげになりやすいです。 When we want to say the opposite thing-- that is, the difficulty of doing something-- we can use the “ます- form plus にくいです” structure. It means “is difficult to ~,” “is not prone to ~,” or “doesn’t ~ easily.” Note that the helping word にくい also conjugates just like an い- adjective.
Please note that when the て- form structure is used to indicate a reason or a cause, it’s commonly followed by a phrase for emotions, such as うれしいです (I’m glad), かなしいです (I’m sad), or こまっています (“I’m puzzled” or “I’m in trouble”). I get split ends easily, so I’m in trouble. えだげになりやすくて、こまっています。
I admittedly hadn’t heard of any of these, but you made me google some of these terms, and I know more about hair now. I had no concept of what a digital perm might possibly be.
Through the game Like a Dragon and some yakuza-related media, I was only familiar with the men’s hairstyle the パンチパーマ.
I had no idea about this association. It looks good IMHO. In the US it was popular as a longer wetter style called ]heri curl (remember Michael Jackson).
Digital perms sound risky on multiple levels.
They might inspire some fool to make a joke like “Analog or GTFO”. But I don’t know any such fools… oh, crap, that’s me.
Hope the longer post means you’ve got an appropriate device setup again! I just need to download a patch to life 1.3.1 that adds two more hours so I can keep up.
How long before we get cyborg perms? What would that even look like?
As for the devices… I am bumbling along with my phone for short posts and s. For this log, I use trusted public or loaner lap/desktops. That’s why the long form is even longer and only once a week.
IMHO updates do more harm than good… with 2 more hours, someone would find a way to fill the time for you. May your sleeps be long and deep.
おとこことば (literally, “man language”) and おんなことば (literally, “woman language”) in colloquial Japanese are not grammatical requirements but social conventions
あなた (as “Honey”) is a stereotypical way of addressing a husband by a wife in Japanese dramas and anime, but the actual number of women using the term in daily life is said to be shrinking.
while both male and female speakers can say ちょっといい？ (Do you have a minute?), male speakers may also use ちょっといいかい？ with the particle い attached after the particle か to soften the tone of the question.
Male speakers may use なんだい？ instead of なに？
Polite -Do you have a minute?
ちょっといいですか。
Plain-Do you have a minute?
ちょっといい？
Male Plain- Do you have a minute?
ちょっといいかい？
The plain form of the sentence ending でしょう？ is だろう？ In a very casual conversation, it can be shortened to だろ？ Please note that the sentence spoken with だろう？ sounds a little rough and is often used by male speakers when they talk with close friends, family members, or younger people. Female speakers often use でしょ？-- a shortened form of でしょう？-- to convey the same nuance.
To review, we use the sentence ending ～んです and its plain version ～んだ after the plain form of a verb or an い- adjective (as in たべるんです or たのしいんだ), while we use ～なんです and ～なんだ after the plain form of a な- adjective, a noun, or an adverb (as in たいへんなんだ or いいところなんだ). Please note that though both male and female speakers can use ～んだ and ～なんだ, female speakers can opt for more feminine sounding versions, ～の for ～んだ and ～なの for ～なんだ.
From a femalePlain
As a matter of fact, I’m watching a good part right now, you know. You can wait, right?
いま、いいところなのよ。あとでいいでしょ？
…but those who have been raised with the mentality of the old teaching だんしちゅうぼうにはいらず (Men shouldn’t enter the kitchen) still seem to resist the idea of かじぶんぎょう (housework sharing).
Grammar Note
We have so far used the “て- form plus もらえますか” structure to issue a polite request, as in “Can I ask you to ~?” or “Could you please ~?” in English. We can also ask someone to do something for us by using the “て- form plus くれますか” structure, as in だしてきてくれますか or “Will you go and take it out (for me)?” Please note that ～てくれますか sounds a little more direct than ～てもらえますか, though it’s still less direct (and thus more polite) than ～てください.
してくれない？ is the plain form of してくれませんか (literally, “Won’t you do it?”). Since it takes a negative question form, it sounds more roundabout and thus more polite than してくれる？ The English equivalent would be “Would you mind doing ~?” though the Japanese version sounds more casual and is used among friends and family.
We can also add かな to a sentence to indicate our wishes in a roundabout manner. For example, してくれないかな means something like “I wish you’d do it (for me)” or “I’m wondering if you would mind doing it (for me)”
The adjective わるい (bad) can be used to express your regret or apology toward someone, as in “(feeling) sorry” or “I’m sorry” in English. わるいけど is a casual version of すみませんが (I’m sorry, but).
Sunday September 28, 2025
This week has been one of minimal effort for Japanese learning. I’m basically still where I was last week. What an ideal time to do my third quarter wrap up and end of year plans.
2025 GOALS
WK: reach level 32 from level 9 including vocabulary
Conjugation drills:
Duolingo: finish unit 4 keeping notes on new vocabulary and grammar.
Marugoto: reach B2 from halfway through A2-3
A2-4 has 4 units @ 40 hours
A2-B1 has 5 units @ 40 hours
A2B1-2 has 4 units @ 32 hours
Extensive reading
finish all levels of tadoku free stories
move back to the 25 stories library e-book with the goal of finishing it within one borrowing time of 21 days
then rummage through my kindle library for books I have been downloading randomly.
Intensive reading: graduate from short stories to a novella
Mango: finish all 41 chapters starting from #9 as a form of passive listening
Fourth Quarter Plan
WK: I set this goal with a month of grace for holidays and life stuff. Finishing early was made possible by a combination of using other resources for vocabulary and generous use of the reload page strategy. Let’s see how far I get by December with this method.
Conjugation drill: abandoned very early in the year; not sorry
Duolingo: This goal got wonky due to the app update. I was artificially graduated to near the end of the course (unit 6 overnight) and have no idea where I am relative to before the update.
The notetaking (analog and digital) has become invaluable for retaining vocab which will soon appear on WK. The “new” vocab is now mostly compounds of familiar kanji. Parsing the sentences for grammar is now my major focus. If I finish the course before end of year, I will go back and mine for grammar weak points.
Marugoto: one more level to complete. The last one was a struggle and I am not looking forward to resuming. 32 hours over three months is do-able though.
Extensive Reading: finished the level 4 section during the last read-a-thon and it was more fun than before. I could see the difference in my skill level which made it less tedious. The stories continue to be boring. I will finish level 5 in October then consider my options.
Intensive Reading: too ambitious in my choices for novels; will continue web pages; may start a Weekly Reader post; abandon Convenience Store Woman.; keep Diary of a Void on the shelf for future me.
Mango: one more main chapter to go; there are two very short bonus chapters (loan words and mimic words). This has become more than passive learning. Plan to go back and take all the quizzes for listening and reading.
That’s huge. でっかい
彼らはでかい家を建ててる。 They are building a huge house.
あいつは態度がでかい。 That guy acts like a big shot
ママチャリを買うぞ！ Let’s buy granny bikes.
ぞ adds force or indicates command male term
彼女はもう来たかい？
かい yes?; no?; isn’t it?; is it?
My cousin is a bit of a delinquent.
俺 の いとこ って ちょっと ヤンキー だ
って casual quoting particle or equiv. of は topic marker; I’m guessing it’s the latter in this case.
Where is it again? どこだっけ？
How much was it again? それ は いくら だったっけ?
け is a sentence ending particle in Japanese that is used to convey when the speaker is trying to either remember, or confirm information that they have forgotten. In this way, it is very similar to the ‘again’ in ‘what is (A) again?’
It made me laugh out loud. それ草生える くさはえる
I want to have bubble tea. タピりたい
Don’t take it seriously. のんきにするなよう
Who on earth told you something like that? 一体誰が君にそんなことは一積んだ
The day that the test results would be announced had come at last.
合格発表の日がついにだた。
If possible, I would like to stay here. なるべくならここにいiたいです。
I had encountered it at some point, but then totally forgot that drinking bubble tea had been turned into it’s own verb.
Other 外来語 (foreign loan words) get the same verb-ification treatment. Like パニクる for “to panic.” And the one I run into most in the things I watch is ミスる for making a mistake.
As a result of taking a week off of lessons, there are a whopping 88 level 32 vocabulary words to do before actually leveling up; Level 33 unlocked 7/7 R, 25/32 K, 28/109 V. Finding this information took a few extra steps to find due to the new dashboard and whole site updates.
Overall the changes are a push for me: I have eliminated all the information that I never looked at, but the information I used regularly is hidden behind clicks and scrolls. Who did the final quality control check before releasing this update? Even the staff notes that things look weird or have removed functionality/accessibility…. Seems rushed … unnecessarily IMO.
Some comments from Koichi make me wonder if the team is being hypocritical or deceptive in their advertising.
There are 60 levels and 52 weeks in a year. That means one level per week to “finish” (getting to level 60) in 13.8 months. If the company philosophy is so strong against speed-running, why push the one year goal?
my mistakes are underlined.
The philosopher defined man as a political animal. 哲学者は人間を政治的動物と定義した。哲学者は政治的動物と人間を定義した。
That is how she is different from other people.そのが他人と異なるところだ。そのが異なると他人だ。
歴史は繰り返す。History repeats itself.
ごまかされなかった。I was not deceived.
日本語には丁寧さを表す言い方が多いです。 Japanese has a lot of ways to express politeness.
異なった考え方の大切さを理解している。 I understand the importance of different viewpoints.
彼の主張は我が国の将来を謝るものだ。 His proposal would be a mistake for the future of our country.
I had the same dream repeatedly for a week. 一週間同じ夢を繰り返し見た。
Try looking in the mirror. 鏡を見てご覧。Not sure where the try part comes in.
これは一言も言わずに部屋から出た。 He left the room without saying anything.
I passed the exam without studying. 勉強せずに試験に合格した。
Please remember to sign your name. 忘れずに署名をしてください。（Don’t forget to sign it） 忘れにとってに署名をしてください。
Fortunately, the store was open. ありがたいことに点が開けいていた。
ここにいたとはあなたは幸いでした。 It was fortunate that you were here.
I am truly sorry. 誠に申し訳ありません。
6.34
He tried to hide his Spanish accent. 彼はスパインごなまりを隠そうとした。
Please turn this noun into a verb. この動詞を名詞化してください。この動詞を名詞に化してください。
Would you mind repeating that last part one more time? 今のところをもう一度繰り返して言ってくれませんか？
今のところ = い ま の と こ ろ expression adverb at present, currently, so far, for now, for the time being
(Could you please repeat what you just said? ) 今のところはもう一度を繰り返して言ってくれませんか？
この分は二通りに解訳が可能だ。 This sentence can be interpreted in two ways.
言語の学習では繰り返しが重要な働きをする。 Repetition plays a vital role in language learning.
I am just stating the obvious. 当たり前のことを言っているだけだ。当たり前だけを言っている。
I am looking for a fitting adjective to describe m little sister’s peculiarities. 妹の特徴を表すのにぴったりした形容詞を探している。
I increased my vocabulary by reading books. 本を読んで語彙を増やした。I read books and expanded my vocabulary.
Thus the main course ended without fanfare. I have started the two short bonus sections and will update log next week.
NOTES- Events and Schedules
Grammar Note
Did you remember that we can turn a whole sentence into a noun phrase by changing the sentence into the plain form and adding の at the end, as in ちょうないかいのあつまりがあるの (that we have a neighborhood association meeting)? We could use こと instead of の to do the same, but as you recall, we tend to use こと to refer to abstract ideas. Since we are talking about the concrete action of having a meeting, の is a better choice in this case.
Grammar Note
Here is how you can express your emotional reactions with just a vowel or two. あ registers a nonchalant recognition as in あ、わたしのです (Oh, that’s mine). あっ! signals an epiphany or a pure surprise of seeing an unexpected, as in あっ! スーパーマンだ! (Oh! There’s Superman!). Then, あーっ! indicates some disaster, like suddenly remembering at the dinner table that today is your wedding anniversary (Ah, oh…). Now, え? conveys that you couldn’t catch what was said, like “Huh?” えっ! shows your surprise but with a certain amount of incredulity, like えっ! まじで?! (What! Seriously?!) Then, えーっ?! carries a mixed load of protest and disappointment, as in えーっ?! プレゼントないの?? (Whaaat?! Didn’t you get me a present??)
Grammar Note
When we want to express our own conviction about something, we can use the “plain form plus はずです” structure. The English equivalents can be “should ~,” “ought to ~,” “I expect that ~,” “I’m sure that ~,” or “I’m fairly certain that ~.” Please note that はず itself is a noun that means “reason” or “being reasonable or just.” So, if the word that comes before はずです is a な- adjective, we need to replace だ with な, as in げんきなはずです (I’m sure he is fine). Also, if the word is a noun, we need to add the particle の before はずです, as in ５かいのはずです (It should be on the 5th floor).
Grammar Note
When we want to indicate that we are trying to recall some information or when we have doubts about the soundness of our own memory, we can end our sentence with the particle っけ. Please note that we can only use っけ after the た- form of a verb, as in そうだったっけ (Was it?), or だ (the plain form of です), as in そうだっけ (Is it?)
Grammar Note
When we are talking about a plan or schedule, ～はずです (or its plain form ～はずだ) can mean “is supposed to ~,” “is due to ~,” “is to ~,” or “is expected to ~.”
It was supposed to be this Saturday. こんしゅうのどようびのはずでした。
Grammar Note
We have already used the expression かいてあります to mean “it says” or “it is written,” right? Now, let’s look at the structure “て- form plus ある,” which expresses the “continuing” state. For example, someone wrote a message on a sign in the past and, as the result, the sign still conveys the message. It’s similar to the “て- form plus いる” structure, but while ～ている presents the state as if it’s a “natural” phenomenon, ～てある indicates that the state has been brought about by a willful act. For this reason, the ～てある structure is always used with transitive verbs!
Grammar Note
Do you remember that we can use the “て- form plus おく” structure to describe an action performed in preparation for something? to go ahead and phone (someone) でんわしておく
In very casual conversations, we can use ～とく, the shortened form of ～ておく, as in でんわしとく (I’ll go ahead and phone her)
Please note that though “home page” in English means the front (or starting) page of a website, ホームページ in Japanese often means the website itself,
Grammar Note
The form of verbs that conveys one’s volition is called the volitional form. We can use it on its own in the plain style of speech to express our will to ourselves as in もうかえろう ([I think] I’m going home now), or we can use it in various sentence structures. Here is how to form the volitional form for Group I verbs such as よぶ (to invite). First, replace the last character of the dictionary form with the character in the お- line of the same row in the ひらがな chart and then add う. For example, the verb よぶ (to invite) ends with ぶ. The お- line of the same row is ぼ. So, the volitional form of the verb よぶ will be よぼう. I’m thinking about inviting よぼうとおもっています
Grammar Note
Forming the volitional form for Group II verbs is easy! All we have to do is to attach よう to the ます- form. For example, the ます- form of the Group II verb でる (to attend) is で, so its volitional form will be でよう.
I’m thinking about attending でようとおもっています
Grammar Note
For the irregular verbs (くる and する), we simply must memorize each conjugated form, right? The volitional form for the verb くる (to come) is こよう.
as a matter of fact, I’m thinking about going (and coming back) いってこようとおもってるの
Grammar Note
To review, while we usually say “I don’t think that ~” to express our negative thought in English, it sounds more natural in Japanese to use the “negative plain form plus とおもいます” structure, as in じかんどおりにいかなくてもいいとおもいます (I think that we don’t have to be there on time).
Grammar Note
べつのひにすれば literally means “if you decide on another day,” but when the phrase is said with a rising intonation as in べつのひにすれば？, it works as a suggestion in the casual style, as in “Why don’t you pick another day?” It’s a short form of べつのひにすれば、どう？ (How about if you pick another day?)
Normally, I would have spent the day reading. I chose to deep clean the kitchen while listening to mix tapes from the mid 2000s.
This post was inspiring and informative.
I wish they wouldn’t push this as a goal as it can make those who aren’t on the “level up in a week” treadmill feel like failures. There’s all sorts of reasons why levelling up every week isn’t possible for everyone, and lots of reasons for taking the scenic route…if they didn’t push this as some kind of norm, a lot of more people would get to Level 60 (or at least to a useful level of kanji acquisition). There’ll always be people who want to go places fast and they’ll always find a way, but why set that as a norm?
I have slowed down on reviews because it turns out that visiting the forums was part of the habit.. a reward for doing the work. Lately, I have been leaving the late night reviews for the next morning. Should level up tomorrow or the next day.
s. For this log, I use trusted public or loaner lap/desktops. That’s why the long form is even longer and only once a week.
you slay me
