Written by:
May 7, 2020

Become a Japanese Cultural Insider with our Latest Japanese Language Expansion

Ready to master the Japanese language? Getting to know Japanese culture is one of the best ways to really get acquainted with the language. If you want to learn Japanese, going beyond learning how to say “hello” in Japanese or “how are you?” in Japanese will help you get an inside look, helping you become a better communicator in the language. Plus, you’ll feel more connected to the Japanese language and better immersed in Japanese culture. If you are curious how to learn Japanese in 6 easy steps, check out our blog post on the topic!

Why? Because languages and their cultures and the identities of those who speak them are inextricably connected. There’s power in words, and they can open doors to you beyond simple communication.

And to help open those doors for you, we’ve added several hundred new culturally-specific words to our Japanese content in Drops as a part of a whole new Japanese course available in the app. Here are just a few of the words you’ll learn. 


Learn Japanese Etiquette

いただきます (いただきます, itadakimasu) is an expression you use before meals in Japan to express your gratitude for the food you’re about to eat. It’s so ingrained in Japanese culture many even say it before meals they eat on their own. 

How to Talk About Japanese Food in Japanese

Do you love Japanese food as much as we do? We have several new topics that will help you learn how to talk about your favorite Japanese dishes, cooking, Japanese cuisine, noodles and sushi, teas and drinks, as well as popular Japanese sweets. Some of the words you’ll learn include わさび (wasabi, “wasabi”), 油揚げ (あぶらあげ, abura age, “deep-fried tofu”), and とんかつ (tonkatsu, “tonkatsu”).

Learn Japanese Measure Words

Measure words are crucial to being able to discuss “how many” or “how much” of something you have in Japanese. It’s one of the first things you need to learn to talk about basic things--how to talk about how many people are in your family or even how many of an item you’d like to buy.

Learn Words to Describe Japanese Culture

Want to talk about Japanese martial arts, traditional culture or even pop culture in Japan? You’ll find the words you need in Drops. With the Japanese content expansion you’ll learn everything from vocabulary for Japanese traditions like 茶道 (さどう, sadou, ”traditional tea ceremony”) and 温泉 (おんせん, onsen, “thermal spa”) as well as 宴会 (えんかい, enkai, “work party”) and コスプレ (kosupure, “cosplay”).

Get Ready to Travel Around Japan 

Learn the names of famous Japanese landmarks, notably in Tokyo and Kansai. Learn to travel your way around Korea in the language by knowing how to talk about landmarks such as 天龍寺 (てんりゅうじ, tenryuuji, Tenryū-ji Temple) and 奈良公園 (ならこうえん, narakouen, Nara Park).

Japanese Sounds

Japanese uses several onomatopoeic expressions in day-to-day conversations--arguably moreso than any other language. That’s we provide a topic to help you learn you some of the most common Japanese sounds. You’ll learn Japanese words like はらはら (“the sound of anticipation”, harahara) or even ぼさぼさ (bosabosa, “the sound of brushing tangled hair”).

Learn Japanese with Drops

Ready to immerse yourself in Japanese culture by learning the best Japanese words to get started? 

Start your Japanese language journey by mastering the basics writing systems, learn how to read and write hiragana, master katakana to confidentally navigate through any kind of Japanese content.

We invite you to learn these words and more with us at Drops


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