The Difference Between 「〜てみる」と「〜ためす」｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
Joy testing a machine [Tamesu] vs. Joy trying a cake [Te-miru]) “I want to try this cake!” “I want to test this microphone.” In Japanese, both are translated as “try,” but we...
The Difference Between「〜やすい」と「〜にくい」の違い
Joy reading easily [Yasui] vs. Joy struggling to read [Nikui] “This pen is easy to write with.” “This meat is hard to eat.” In Japanese, you can combine verbs with 〜やすい (Yasui)...
The Difference Between〜はず (hazu) vs 〜べき (beki)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
Joy expecting a train [Hazu] vs. Joy teaching a rule [Beki] “The train should arrive now.” vs. “You should study more.” In English, both are “Should.” But in Japanese, we use 〜はず...
The Difference Between〜ことにする (koto ni suru) vs 〜ことになる (koto ni naru)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
Joy making a decision [Suru] vs. Joy receiving a notice [Naru] “I decided to go to Japan.” vs “It was decided that I go to Japan.” In Japanese, we distinguish between decisions...
The Difference Between〜ながら (nagara) vs 〜つつ (tsutsu)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
Joy relaxing [Nagara] vs. Joy working [Tsutsu] Do you multitask? “I eat while watching TV.” “I walk while thinking.” In Japanese, we have two words for “while”: 〜ながら (Nagara) and 〜つつ...
The Difference Between〜ように (yō ni) vs 〜ために (tame ni)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
Alt Text: Joy making a decision [Suru] vs. Joy receiving a notice [Naru] “I decided to go to Japan.” vs “It was decided that I go to Japan.” In Japanese, we distinguish...
The Difference Between 〜てしまいました vs 〜ちゃいました｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
Formal (Left) vs. Casual (Right) Have you ever eaten a whole cake by mistake? Or finished your homework completely? In Japanese, we use the grammar form 〜てしまいました (~te shimaimashita) for these situations....
The Difference Between について (ni tsuite) vs に対して (ni taishite)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
Joy studying a topic [Ni tsuite] vs. Joy acting towards a person [Ni taishite] “I study about Japan.” vs “I am kind to customers.” In Japanese, “About” and “Towards” are different grammar...
The Difference Between として (toshite) vs にして (nishite) ｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
Joy acting as a representative [To shite] vs. Joy having dual roles [Ni shite] “I work as a teacher.” vs “He is a teacher and also a writer.” In Japanese, 〜として (To...
The Difference Between 暑い vs 熱い vs 厚い (Atsui) ｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
Joy sweating [暑い], Joy holding hot coffee [熱い], Joy holding a thick book [厚い] “Today is Atsui.” “This coffee is Atsui.” “This book is Atsui.” They are all pronounced the same, but...
The Difference Between だけ (dake) vs しか (shika) ｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Joy with 3 apples [Dake] vs. Joy with only 1 apple looking sad [Shika]) “I have only 1000 yen.” Does this mean “1000 yen is enough”? Or “1000 yen is NOT...
The Difference betweenまで (made) vs までに (made ni)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Joy studying continuously [Made] vs. Joy submitting homework [Made ni]) “I study until 5:00.” vs. “I will finish the report by 5:00.” In Japanese, adding 「に」 (ni) changes the meaning completely! 〜まで...
The Difference Between のに (noni) vs けれども (keredomo)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
“I studied hard, but I failed.” In Japanese, how do you say “but”? You might know けれども (keredomo). But there is another important word: のに (noni). 勉強（べんきょう）したけれども、できませんでした。(Neutral fact) 勉強（べんきょう）したのに、できませんでした。(Emotion: “Why?!”) One is...
The Difference Between ParticleParticle 「が」 (ga) vs 「を」 (o)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
“Rain falls.” (雨が降る) “I drop the pen.” (ペンを落とす) Why do we use が (ga) in the first sentence and を (o) in the second? This is the most important rule for understanding...
The Difference Between Particle 「と」 (to) vs 「や」 (ya)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
“I bought an apple and a banana.” How do you say “and” in Japanese? You have two choices: と (to) and や (ya). Both translate to “and,” but the meaning changes. りんご...
The Difference Between「を」 (o) vs 「で」 (de)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
“I eat at the restaurant.” “I walk in the park.” In English, both sentences use prepositions like “at” or “in” to mark the place. But in Japanese, we use different particles: レストランで...
The Difference Between「に」 (ni) vs 「へ」 (he)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
“I go to Japan.” In Japanese, you can say this in two ways: 日本に行きます。(Nihon ni ikimasu.) 日本へ行きます。(Nihon e ikimasu.) Both sentences are correct. Both mean “to.” But what is the difference? And...
The Difference Betweenにぎやか (nigiyaka) vs さわがしい (sawagashii)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
Imagine a restaurant full of people. Is it にぎやか (nigiyaka) or さわがしい (sawagashii)?Both words describe a place with many people and sounds. However, one is positive (“Lively/Fun”), and the other is negative...
The Difference Between やさしい (yasashii) vs かんたん (kantan)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
If you want to say “This test is easy,” you can say 「やさしい (yasashii)」 or 「かんたん (kantan)」. Both are correct. But if you want to say “He is a kind person,” you...
The Difference Between 暑い vs 熱い vs 厚い (Atsui)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
In Japanese, the word “hot” can be written in three different ways: 暑い, 熱い, and 厚い. They are all pronounced “atsui” and they are all i-adjectives. However, their meanings are completely different!...