Rush Hour Japanese

Welcome to the third lesson everyone! This time we're going to look at five kanjis (有, 給, 休, 暇) with the theme of "Work/ Holidays/ Vacation". All of these five kanjis are very common and often used in daily life conversations. If you prefer to watch the video lesson, it is available on the RHJ channel: First, we'll look at an important word: 有給休暇 (ゆうきゅうきゅうか) meaning "paid holiday". Why did we choose such a complicated word for today? Because of the combination of kanjis of course! Each of these four kanjis is extremely common, a must learn for intermediate Japanese study. So, let's look at the first kanji 有 which means "to have" or "to exist". 有 - kun: ある - on: ユウ、ウ 有る - ある - to exist, to be 有名な - ゆうめいな - famous (adj.) 有毒ガス - ゆうどくガス - toxic gas 有機 - ゆうき - organic 有無 - うむ - with or without So, it's clear that 有 is a very common kanji that that means the existence of something. For example, 毒 (どく) means "poison/...

Alright, it's time for the second lesson! In our first lesson, we just discussed some of the useful methods for studying kanji. This time we're going to make the "network of kanjis" so that we can remember them better. The video lesson is available on the RHJ channel too: First, we'll take a kanji from the previous lesson: 作業 meaning "work". Let's take a deeper look into 作 and see where else it shows up. 作 - kun: つく、－づく - on: サク、サ 作る - つくる - to make something 物作り - ものづくり - craftsmanship, to make something by hands 作成 - さくせい - to create something 作曲 - さっきょく - to compose music 作戦 - さくせん - strategy So, 作 is a very common, very versatile kanji that imparts the meaning of "creation". Let's look at some example sentences to understand better: 明日の試験のためにこの作戦を作りました あしたのしけん の ため にこのさくせんをつくりました I made this strategy for tomorrow's exam. 今月のレポートは作成中です こんげつのレポートはさくせいちゅうです This month's report is being drafted/prepared. 今日は...

Hi everyone! This is the first lesson and so we're going to keep it simple. The idea of this website is to keep all the notes of the video lessons together, so that they are easier to find and reference later. If you prefer watching the video lessons rather than reading these notes, feel free to check out the lesson at the YouTube channel: Alright then, let's discuss the strategies for learning Japanese (or any other language for that matter) effectively. Please understand that there are many different approaches to learn something new, and it can vary widely from person to person. As an engineering student studying in Japan, who managed to pass the N2 level of JLPT  within 3 years of arriving in Japan (shameless self-promotion haha), I can share the techniques that I found to be most useful. And I hope you'll find some points to take away from these notes as well. Sounds good? If yes, then let's dive into our first and most important strategy, which is: ...