Learn Japanese Pod

In this Fun Friday episode, Ami and I talk about our favorite Japanese TV shows. For more podcasts and free Japanese lessons go to http://learnjapanesepod.com

In this episode, Ami and I talk about our favorite Japanese TV shows. Watching Japanese TV shows regardless of you Japanese level is great way to improve your understanding of Japanese culture. It also gives you a common frame of reference to have more interesting conversations with Japanese people. Although Japanese TV is not so accessible outside of Japan, you can usually find extended clips on Youtube. You can also find some Japanese TV shows that have English subtitles. Here is a list of some of the shows we talked about in the podcast: Japanese TV Shows 1. 水戸黄門 Mito Kōmon This is a samurai drama set in the Edo period featuring the hero Tokugawa Mitsukuni who roams Japan fighting injustice. 2. 空耳アワーSora Mimi Awa Sora mimi awa is part of the Tamori Club TV show where listeners submit foreign songs that have sections that sound Japanese. 3. Smap x Smap Smap X Smap is the long running variety show featuring the boy band Smap. One of the most popular sections of the show was Smap Bistro where the members would compete to cook the most delicious dishes for famous visiting celebrities. 4. ダウンタウンのガキの使いやあらへんで Dauntaun no gaki no tsukai ya arahende “Dauntaun no gaki no tsukai ya arahende” A.K.A “Gaki Tsuka” is hosted by one of Japan’s most famous comedy duo “Downtown” who are  Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masatoshi Hamada. 5. 紅白歌合戦 Kōhaku Uta Gassen This is the famous singing contest held by NHK as Japan celebrates the new year. This show is perhaps one of the most watched programs on Japanese TV and features famous singers from across Japan. 6. ナイトスクープ Naito Sukuupu (Knight Scoop) Knight Scoop is a famous TV show from Kansai (Osaka) which features requests from viewers who need help with various random problems. The show is hosted by comedians and actors who visit viewers and try to help them out with their request. Invariably, hilarity ensues. 7. 関ジャニ-クロニクル Kanjani Kuronikuru This variety show features the boy band Kanjani and their funny exploits. One section is the Dengon game know as Chinese whispers in English. Native English speakers whisper phrases to the band who usually mess us the message leading to some pretty funny results. 8. アメトーク Ame Tōku Ame Talk is a weekly show that invites comedians to talk on various subjects.  

In this episode, Ami and I talk about our favorite Japanese TV shows. Watching Japanese TV shows regardless of you Japanese level is great way to improve your understanding of Japanese culture. It also gives you a common frame of reference to have more interesting conversations with Japanese people. Although Japanese TV is not so accessible outside of Japan, you can usually find extended clips on Youtube. You can also find some Japanese TV shows that have English subtitles. Here is a list of some of the shows we talked about in the podcast: Japanese TV Shows 1. 水戸黄門 Mito Kōmon This is a samurai drama set in the Edo period featuring the hero Tokugawa Mitsukuni who roams Japan fighting injustice. 2. 空耳アワーSora Mimi Awa Sora mimi awa is part of the Tamori Club TV show where listeners submit foreign songs that have sections that sound Japanese. 3. Smap x Smap Smap X Smap is the long running variety show featuring the boy band Smap. One of the most popular sections of the show was Smap Bistro where the members would compete to cook the most delicious dishes for famous visiting celebrities. 4. ダウンタウンのガキの使いやあらへんで Dauntaun no gaki no tsukai ya arahende “Dauntaun no gaki no tsukai ya arahende” A.K.A “Gaki Tsuka” is hosted by one of Japan’s most famous comedy duo “Downtown” who are  Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masatoshi Hamada. 5. 紅白歌合戦 Kōhaku Uta Gassen This is the famous singing contest held by NHK as Japan celebrates the new year. This show is perhaps one of the most watched programs on Japanese TV and features famous singers from across Japan. 6. ナイトスクープ Naito Sukuupu (Knight Scoop) Knight Scoop is a famous TV show from Kansai (Osaka) which features requests from viewers who need help with various random problems. The show is hosted by comedians and actors who visit viewers and try to help them out with their request. Invariably, hilarity ensues. 7. 関ジャニ-クロニクル Kanjani Kuronikuru This variety show features the boy band Kanjani and their funny exploits. One section is the Dengon game know as Chinese whispers in English. Native English speakers whisper phrases to the band who usually mess us the message leading to some pretty funny results. 8. アメトーク Ame Tōku Ame Talk is a weekly show that invites comedians to talk on various subjects.  

In this podcast Ami and Alex teach you how to express your opinion using the verb 思う Omou - to think something.  You can use this verb to give you opinion on just about any topic you want. Check out the podcast where we go through dialogs on a wide range of topics.  ENJOY! 

These are the dialogs for podcast 17

The show note PDFs for podcast 17

In this lesson Ami and I teach you how to ask and give your opinions on various topics using the verb 思う Omou – To think. This is usually used to say “I think that…”. 思う is a very useful phrase you use all the time in conversation in Japanese. The main grammatical structure we will be using is this: Something or someone…どう思う？Dō omou which means what do you think about so and so… For example: 彼女どう思う？ Kanojo wa dō omou What do you think of her? 彼どう思う？ Kare wa dō omou What do you think of him? Then to answer you could say your opinion plus と思う which means I think so and so. So, for example you can say 可愛いと思うよ Kawaii to omou yo which means I think she’s cute or カッコイイと思うよ Kakko ii to omou which means I think he’s cool.

In this lesson Ami and I teach you how to ask and give your opinions on various topics using the verb 思う Omou – To think. This is usually used to say “I think that…”. 思う is a very useful phrase you use all the time in conversation in Japanese. The main grammatical structure we will be using is this: Something or someone…どう思う？Dō omou which means what do you think about so and so… For example: 彼女どう思う？ Kanojo wa dō omou What do you think of her? 彼どう思う？ Kare wa dō omou What do you think of him? Then to answer you could say your opinion plus と思う which means I think so and so. So, for example you can say 可愛いと思うよ Kawaii to omou yo which means I think she’s cute or カッコイイと思うよ Kakko ii to omou which means I think he’s cool.

In this lesson Ami and I teach you how to ask and give your opinions on various topics using the verb 思う Omou – To think. This is usually used to say “I think that…”. 思う is a very useful phrase you use all the time in conversation in Japanese. The main grammatical structure we will be using is this: Something or someone…どう思う？Dō omou which means what do you think about so and so… For example: 彼女どう思う？ Kanojo wa dō omou What do you think of her? 彼どう思う？ Kare wa dō omou What do you think of him? Then to answer you could say your opinion plus と思う which means I think so and so. So, for example you can say 可愛いと思うよ Kawaii to omou yo which means I think she’s cute or カッコイイと思うよ Kakko ii to omou which means I think he’s cool. Here are the example conversations in the podcast:   Dialog 01 A: 君のなはってどう思う？ Kimi no na wa dō omou? What do you think of “Kimi no na wa”? B: 面白いと思うよ。 Omoshiroi to omou yo. I think it’s interesting. A: なんでそう思うの？ Nande sō omou no? Why do you think so? B: ストーリーがロマンチックだからね。 Sutoorii ga romanchikku da kara ne. Because the story is romantic. Dialog 02 A: ねぇ、iPhoneってどう思う？ Nee, iPhone te dō omou? What do you think of the iPhone? B: まあまあだと思うよ。 Maamaa da to omou yo. It’s so so. A: なんでそう思うの？ Nande sō omou no? Why do you think so? B: 便利だけど高いからね。 Benri dakedo taki kara ne. Because it’s useful but expensive.   Dialog 03 A: ねぇ、この髪型ってどう思う？ Nee, kono kamigata dō omou? What do you think of my hairstyle? B: 似合うと思うよ。 Niau to omou yo. It suits you. A: なんでそう思うの？ Nande sō omou no? Why do you think so? B: 君は顔が小さいからね。 Kimi wa kao ga chiisai kara ne. Because you have a small face.   Dialog 04 A: ねぇ、彼女ってどう思う？ Nee, kanojo te dō omou? What do you think of her? B: 可愛いと思うよ。 Kawaii to omou yo. She’s cute. A: なんでそう思うの？ Nande sō omou no? Why do you think so? B: おっちょこちょいだからね。 Occhokochou dakara ne. Because she’s so clumsy. Dialog 05 A: ねぇ、彼ってどう思う？ Nee, kare te dō omou? What do you think of him? B: いい人じゃないと思うよ。 Ii hito ja nai to omou yo. I don’t think he’s a good person. A: なんでそう思うの？ Nande sō omou no? Why do you think so? B: 浮気ばかりしてるからね。 Uwaki bakari dakara ne. Because he’s always cheating (on girls).   Dialog 06 A: ねぇ、このレストランってどう思う？ Nee, kono restoran te dō omou? What do you think of this restaurant? B: イマイチだと思うよ。 IImaichi da to omou yo. It’s a little disappointing. A: なんでそう思うの？ Nande sō omou no? Why do you think so? B: 食べ物は美味しいけどサービスが悪いからね。 Tabemono wa oishii kedo saabisu ga warui kara ne. Because although the food is good the service is bad.   Extra Grammar Notes Casual and polite ways to say “I think…” Casual Polite どう思う？ Dō omou?What do you think? どう思いますか Dō omoimasu ka?What do you think? …と思う。…to omouI think… …と思います。…to omoimasu.I think …

In this lesson Ami and I teach you how to ask and give your opinions on various topics using the verb 思う Omou – To think. This is usually used to say “I think that…”. 思う is a very useful phrase you use all the time in conversation in Japanese. The main grammatical structure we will be using is this: Something or someone…どう思う？Dō omou which means what do you think about so and so… For example: 彼女どう思う？ Kanojo wa dō omou What do you think of her? 彼どう思う？ Kare wa dō omou What do you think of him? Then to answer you could say your opinion plus と思う which means I think so and so. So, for example you can say 可愛いと思うよ Kawaii to omou yo which means I think she’s cute or カッコイイと思うよ Kakko ii to omou which means I think he’s cool. Here are the example conversations in the podcast:   Dialog 01 A: 君のなはってどう思う？ Kimi no na wa dō omou? What do you think of “Kimi no na wa”? B: 面白いと思うよ。 Omoshiroi to omou yo. I think it’s interesting. A: なんでそう思うの？ Nande sō omou no? Why do you think so? B: ストーリーがロマンチックだからね。 Sutoorii ga romanchikku da kara ne. Because the story is romantic. Dialog 02 A: ねぇ、iPhoneってどう思う？ Nee, iPhone te dō omou? What do you think of the iPhone? B: まあまあだと思うよ。 Maamaa da to omou yo. It’s so so. A: なんでそう思うの？ Nande sō omou no? Why do you think so? B: 便利だけど高いからね。 Benri dakedo taki kara ne. Because it’s useful but expensive.   Dialog 03 A: ねぇ、この髪型ってどう思う？ Nee, kono kamigata dō omou? What do you think of my hairstyle? B: 似合うと思うよ。 Niau to omou yo. It suits you. A: なんでそう思うの？ Nande sō omou no? Why do you think so? B: 君は顔が小さいからね。 Kimi wa kao ga chiisai kara ne. Because you have a small face.   Dialog 04 A: ねぇ、彼女ってどう思う？ Nee, kanojo te dō omou? What do you think of her? B: 可愛いと思うよ。 Kawaii to omou yo. She’s cute. A: なんでそう思うの？ Nande sō omou no? Why do you think so? B: おっちょこちょいだからね。 Occhokochou dakara ne. Because she’s so clumsy. Dialog 05 A: ねぇ、彼ってどう思う？ Nee, kare te dō omou? What do you think of him? B: いい人じゃないと思うよ。 Ii hito ja nai to omou yo. I don’t think he’s a good person. A: なんでそう思うの？ Nande sō omou no? Why do you think so? B: 浮気ばかりしてるからね。 Uwaki bakari dakara ne. Because he’s always cheating (on girls).   Dialog 06 A: ねぇ、このレストランってどう思う？ Nee, kono restoran te dō omou? What do you think of this restaurant? B: イマイチだと思うよ。 IImaichi da to omou yo. It’s a little disappointing. A: なんでそう思うの？ Nande sō omou no? Why do you think so? B: 食べ物は美味しいけどサービスが悪いからね。 Tabemono wa oishii kedo saabisu ga warui kara ne. Because although the food is good the service is bad.   Extra Grammar Notes Casual and polite ways to say “I think…” Casual Polite どう思う？ Dō omou?What do you think? どう思いますか Dō omoimasu ka?What do you think? …と思う。…to omouI think… …と思います。…to omoimasu.I think …

These are the PDF show notes for podcast #17 “How to express your opinion in Japanese”. For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

These are the PDF show notes for podcast #17 “How to express your opinion in Japanese”. For more podcasts visit http://learnjapanesepod.com

In this podcast I caught up with Niko who talked about his website Nihongo Shark, learning Japanese and the horrors of English education in Japan. Enjoy

I hung out with Niko, the creator of Nihongo Shark for my latest Fun Friday podcast. We talked about how he started Nihongo Shark which is a website crammed full of resources for students of Japanese which is well worth a look if you have’t seen it. We also talked about how to overcome feeling overwhelmed when learning Japanese, translation and the horrors of English education in Japan.

I hung out with Niko, the creator of Nihongo Shark for my latest Fun Friday podcast. We talked about how he started Nihongo Shark which is a website crammed full of resources for students of Japanese which is well worth a look if you have’t seen it. We also talked about how to overcome feeling overwhelmed when learning Japanese, translation and the horrors of English education in Japan.