The Difference Between だけ (dake) vs しか (shika) ｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Joy stating a fact [Dake] vs. Joy complaining about lack [Shika]) “I have only 10 minutes.” (Fact) “I have nothing but 10 minutes.” (Not enough!) In Japanese, だけ (Dake) is neutral, but...
The Difference betweenまで (made) vs までに (made ni)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
Joy studying until 5:00 [Made] vs. Joy submitting by 5:00 [Made ni]) “I will wait until 5:00.” “I will finish by 5:00.” In Japanese, just adding “ni” changes the meaning completely. 「まで...
The Difference Between のに (noni) vs けれども (keredomo)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
] (Joy complaining about rain [Noni] vs. Joy describing a dress calmly [Keredomo]) “I studied hard, but I failed!” (Complaint) “I studied hard, but the test was difficult.” (Fact) In Japanese, のに...
The Difference Between ParticleParticle 「が」 (ga) vs 「を」 (o)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Door opening by itself [Ga] vs. Joy pushing the door [O]) “I ate the pizza.” (Piza o tabemashita) “The pizza is here.” (Piza ga arimasu) Particles are tricky! が (Ga) marks the...
The Difference Between Particle 「と」 (to) vs 「や」 (ya)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Joy checking a complete list [To] vs. Joy gesturing ‘etc.’ [Ya]) “I ate sushi and ramen.” (Did you eat anything else?) In Japanese, the particle you choose tells the listener if that...
The Difference Between「を」 (o) vs 「で」 (de)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Joy walking THROUGH the park [O] vs. Joy eating AT the park [De]) “I walk in the park.” (Kouen de? Kouen o?) Usually, を (O) marks the Object (Coffee o nomu). But...
The Difference Between「に」 (ni) vs 「へ」 (he)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Joy arriving at a spot [Ni] vs. Joy heading towards a place [He]) “I go to Japan.” (Nihon ni ikimasu) “I go to Japan.” (Nihon he ikimasu) For verbs like “Go”, both...
The Difference Betweenにぎやか (nigiyaka) vs さわがしい (sawagashii)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Joy enjoying a lively festival [Nigiyaka] vs. Joy annoyed by noise [Sawagashii]) “This street is lively.” (Nigiyaka) “This street is noisy.” (Sawagashii) Both words describe a place with lots of sound and...
The Difference Between やさしい (yasashii) vs かんたん (kantan)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Alt Text: Joy meeting a kind person [Yasashii] vs. Joy solving a simple problem [Kantan]) “This test was easy.” “He is an easy (kind) person.” In Japanese, やさしい (Yasashii) and かんたん (Kantan)...
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うれしい (ureshii) vs たのしい (tanoshii)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Joy crying with joy [Ureshii] vs. Joy dancing having fun [Tanoshii]) “I passed the test! I am Happy!” “This party is Happy!” In English, both can be “Happy.” But in Japanese, we...
The Difference Between「うれしい」と「たのしい」の違いJapanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Joy crying with joy [Ureshii] vs. Joy dancing having fun [Tanoshii]) “I passed the test! I am Happy!” “This party is Happy!” In English, both can be translated as “Happy.” But in...
The Difference Between入る (hairu) vs 入れる (ireru)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Joy entering a room [Hairu] vs. Joy putting a book in a bag [Ireru]) “I enter the room.” vs. “I put the book in the bag.” They use the same Kanji (入),...
The Difference Betweenうれしい (ureshii) vs たのしい (tanoshii)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Joy crying with joy [Ureshii] vs. Joy dancing having fun [Tanoshii]) “I passed the test! I am Happy!” “This party is Happy!” In English, both can be translated as “Happy.” But in...
The Difference Betweenよい (yoi) vs いい (ii)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Joy saying “Ii!” casually vs. Joy writing “Yoi” formally) “Today is a good day.” (Kyou wa ii tenki desu.) “Yesterday was a good day.” (Kinou wa ikatta… wait, yokatta?) Both よい (Yoi)...
The Difference Between きれい (kirei) vs 美しい (utsukushii)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Joy cleaning a room [Kirei] vs. Joy admiring a sunset [Utsukushii]) “This room is clean.” “The sunset is beautiful.” In Japanese, きれい (Kirei) is used for both “Pretty” and “Clean”. On the...
The Difference Between すごい (sugoi) vs すばらしい (subarashii)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Joy shouting “Sugoi!” casually vs. Joy saying “Subarashii” politely) “Wow! That’s amazing!” “That is a splendid idea.” In Japanese, すごい (Sugoi) is casual and energetic. すばらしい (Subarashii) is polite and refined. Using...
The Difference Between 静か (shizuka) vs しずかな (shizuka na)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Joy in a library [Shizuka desu] vs. Joy pointing to a quiet house [Shizuka na ie]) “This room is quiet.” (Kono heya wa shizuka desu.) “This is a quiet room.” (Kore wa...
The Difference Between うるさい (urusai) vs にぎやか (nigiyaka)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Joy annoyed by noise [Urusai] vs. Joy enjoying a lively street [Nigiyaka]) “Shut up!” vs. “What a lively party!” In Japanese, describing sound and people is tricky. うるさい (Urusai) means “Noisy/Annoying” (Negative)....
The Difference Between 分かる (wakaru) vs 理解する (rikai suru)｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)
(Joy having an idea [Wakaru] vs. Joy analyzing data [Rikai suru]) “I get it!” vs. “I comprehend the theory.” In Japanese, 分かる (Wakaru) is intuitive and emotional. 理解する (Rikai suru) is logical...