English has formal word choices; Japanese has whole polite/humble verb systems (keigo). いらっしゃる (honorific “be/come/go”), いたします (humble “do”), ございます. You don’t need to produce these yet — but shopkeepers and bosses use them constantly, so today’s goal is simply to recognize them in the wild.
Today's words
時々
sometimes; occasionally
表
surface
Write today's kanji — tap to replay
時
表
See it in real sentences
背筋を伸ばして歩きなさい。
Carry your head high.
痛くないようにしてください。
Please be gentle.
誕生日おめでとうございます。
Many happy returns of the day!
早く帰ってきなさい。
Don't be long.
早くお風呂に入りなさい。
Why don't you have your bath now?
全部食べなさい。
Eat everything.
Practice
Spaced review — recall from earlier days (tap to flip)
neighbourhood
近所
1d ago
to be broken
壊れる
1d ago
temple
堂
3d ago
to pick up
拾う
3d ago
afternoon
午後
16d ago
opposition
反対
16d ago
Recall
Which word means “sometimes”?
Which word means “surface”?
Listen and choose
What did you hear?
What did you hear?
What did you hear?
Your turn — say it, then check
Say: “Carry your head high.”
背筋を伸ばして歩きなさい。
Say: “Please be gentle.”
痛くないようにしてください。
👀 Today’s input · ~20 min — where fluency actually comes from
Immersion — the real thing
Install the Yomitan pop-up dictionary, put on an anime you actually like with *Japanese* subtitles, and read along — look up only what blocks understanding. From here, this is the engine; the course was just the on-ramp.