I almost gave up studying or even caring about Japanese about 13 years ago. It was a low point for me, not just for language but for life. But something told me not to give up and some words I had learnt came to me: 七転び八起き (Nanakorobi yaoki) (Fall seven times, rise eight) One of the beautiful parts of the Japanese language is its long history of proverbs and the power they convey. Those words lifted me up and kept me going. 七転び八起き (Nanakorobi yaoki) (Fall seven times, rise eight) This old Japanese proverb reminds us that the real test isn’t how often you stumble — it’s how often you get back up. Language learning is just like this: you’ll forget words, mix up particles or freeze in conversation. But every time you come back and try again, you’re building strength and fluency. 七転び八起き This old Japanese proverb reminds us that the real test isn’t how often you stumble — it’s how often you get back up. Language learning is just like this: you’ll forget words, mix up particles or freeze in conversation. But every time you come back and try again, you’re building strength and fluency. In my own teaching I’ve seen that the students who progress the fastest aren’t the ones who never make mistakes; they’re the ones who keep showing up, practising a little every day and letting mistakes be stepping stones. If you would like me to continue posting Japanese proverbs, let me know. Post RISE below!

Today let’s look at one of the most important pairs in Japanese: 👉 です = is / am / are 👉 ではありません = is not / am not / are not (polite negative) These are used with nouns and adjectives to make simple sentences. --- ✅ 1. です = is / am / are We use です to make a positive statement. Examples: これは本です。 Kore wa hon desu. → This is a book. 私は先生です。 Watashi wa sensei desu. → I am a teacher. 日本はきれいです。 Nihon wa kirei desu. → Japan is beautiful. --- ❌ 2. ではありません = is not / am not / are not This is the polite negative form of です. Examples: これは本ではありません。 Kore wa hon dewa arimasen. → This is not a book. 私は先生ではありません。 Watashi wa sensei dewa arimasen. → I am not a teacher. 日本は安くではありません。 Nihon wa yasuku dewa arimasen. → Japan is not cheap. --- 🔍 Small Tip: You may also hear: じゃないです (casual polite) じゃありません (polite but softer) But in beginners’ Japanese, ではありません is the safest and most correct polite form. --- 📝 Practice Patterns Try making your own: Positive > A は B です。 A wa B desu. Negative > A は B ではありません。 A wa B dewa arimasen. --- 🫵 Your Turn! Write 1–2 sentences using: ✔ です ✔ ではありません Post them below and I’ll correct them for you! I hope this is helpful Karin san! @Karin Ware

どこから来ましたか。 (Doko kara kimashita ka.) Where are you from? 💬 “Write: わたしは＿＿＿からきました (Watashi wa ___ kara kimashita).”

We all run into little challenges when travelling. While I was in Japan, I once got caught in a sudden downpour. I was completely drenched, standing among a crowd of commuters with umbrellas. I felt embarrassed and miserable. Then, out of nowhere, a kind lady stepped forward and handed me a small towel to dry myself. I was so moved by her kind gesture. I said thank you very much and she insisted I keep the towel. That’s the kind of considerate kindness you’ll often find in Japan. But even with that kindness, you’ll still need a few key phrases to survive and get around smoothly. Here are my Top 5 Travel Phrases: --- 1. すみません (Sumimasen) This single phrase covers excuse me, sorry and thank you. You’ll use it everywhere: when calling a waiter in a restaurant, when trying to get past someone on a crowded train or when apologising for bumping into someone. What isn't mentioned often is that Japanese people even say sumimasen for thank you, especially when receiving gifts. --- 2. これはいくらですか (Kore wa ikura desu ka?) “How much is this?” Essential for shopping in local markets, souvenir stores, or even small cafés where prices aren’t always clear. Just point to the item and ask — it’s polite and effective. Learning the numbers so you understand the answer would be the next step. :) --- 3. 駅はどこですか (Eki wa doko desu ka?) “Where is the station?” Train stations are everywhere, but they’re not always obvious, especially in big cities. You can replace 駅 (eki, station) with other places: コンビニ (konbini, convenience store), トイレ (toire, toilet), ホテル (hoteru, hotel). --- 4. 英語のメニューはありますか (Eigo no menyū wa arimasu ka?) “Do you have an English menu?” Many restaurants will, especially in tourist spots, but not always. Asking politely with this phrase can make the experience smoother — and sometimes they’ll even walk you through the menu kindly if no English version exists. These days however most restaurants have picture or touch screen menus making it even easier.

Focus: Verbs and Negative Verbs This week in Ocha & Chat, we will practise using simple Japanese verbs — and how to make them negative. Ocha & Chat is our weekly live call in which we talk about Japan, Japanese culture and practise speaking Japanese. It is on Sunday at 10 am Sydney time. Even if you can't make it, if you read this information and shadow with the audio, you will progress your Japanese greatly!! In Japanese, many polite verbs end in ます. For example: 食べますたべます tabemasu to eat 飲みますのみます nomimasu to drink 行きますいきます ikimasu to go To make these negative, we often change ます to ません. 食べます → 食べません tabemasu → tabemasen eat → do not eat 飲みます → 飲みません nomimasu → nomimasen drink → do not drink 行きます → 行きません ikimasu → ikimasen go → do not go Shadowing Script Try reading this out loud. Then listen, repeat, and copy the rhythm. Japanese こんにちは。私はケンです。毎日、水を飲みます。コーヒーも飲みます。でも、お酒は飲みません。 朝ごはんを食べます。パンを食べます。でも、魚は食べません。 学校に行きます。図書館にも行きます。でも、今日はスーパーに行きません。 テレビを見ます。YouTubeも見ます。でも、夜はあまり見ません。 日本語を勉強します。毎日、少し勉強します。でも、長い時間は勉強しません。 Romaji Konnichiwa. Watashi wa Ken desu. Mainichi, mizu o nomimasu. Koohii mo nomimasu. Demo, osake wa nomimasen. Asagohan o tabemasu. Pan o tabemasu. Demo, sakana wa tabemasen. Gakkou ni ikimasu. Toshokan ni mo ikimasu. Demo, kyou wa suupaa ni ikimasen. Terebi o mimasu. Youtube mo mimasu. Demo, yoru wa amari mimasen. Nihongo o benkyou shimasu. Mainichi, sukoshi benkyou shimasu. Demo, nagai jikan wa benkyou shimasen. English Hello.I’m Ken. Every day, I drink water. I also drink coffee. But I don’t drink alcohol. I eat breakfast. I eat bread. But I don’t eat fish. I go to school. I also go to the library. But today, I’m not going to the supermarket. I watch TV. I also watch YouTube. But at night, I don’t watch much. I study Japanese. Every day, I study a little. But I don’t study for a long time. Key Pattern Verbます = do something Verbません = do not do something Examples: 食べます — I eat 食べません — I don’t eat 飲みます — I drink 飲みません — I don’t drink 見ます — I watch / see 見ません — I don’t watch / see