Chihiro Hanami

Author

Reviewer: Chihiro Hanami
Japanese native and language educator with about 10 years of experience teaching and developing courses and materials.
She studied and taught in 5 different countries. Her most recent teaching role was at University of Pennsylvania in the U.S.
Other than teaching all levels of Japanese in various settings from personal tutoring to college courses, she also has experience writing articles about Japanese language and culture and teaching English.
Education: M.A. in Japanese pedagogy, Purdue University. B.A from the school of Japanese language and culture, Tsukuba University.

level2 (N4)

V-stem + にくい: Beginner’s Guide to Saying “Hard to Do” in Japanese

by gokigen japanese, Chihiro Hanami August 17, 2025

Introduction Want to say “These sneakers are hard to put on” or “That company was hard to work at”? Use V-stem + にくい, a handy pattern that describes... Read more.

level2 (N4)

V-stem + やすい: Beginner’s Guide to Saying “Easy to Do” in Japanese

by gokigen japanese, Chihiro Hanami August 16, 2025

Introduction Want to say “This phone is easy to use” or “The teacher was easy to talk to”? Use V-stem + やすい, a super-handy pattern that describes how... Read more.

level2 (N4)

V-stem + nagara (〜ながら): Beginner’s Guide to Saying “While ~ing” in Japanese

by gokigen japanese, Chihiro Hanami August 14, 2025

Introduction Want to say “I study while listening to music” or “Kenta is cooking while singing”?Use V-stem + ながら. This pattern links two actions that... Read more.

level2 (N4)

V-nai de (～ないで): Beginner’s Guide to Saying “Without ~ing” in Japanese

by gokigen japanese, Chihiro Hanami August 11, 2025

Introduction Want to say “I went out without an umbrella” or “He sleeps without turning off the lights”? The core beginner pattern is V-ないで. It attaches... Read more.

level2 (N4)

short-present + と: Beginner’s Guide to “Whenever A Happens, B Happens” in Japanese

by gokigen japanese, Chihiro Hanami July 30, 2025

Introduction Want to say “Whenever I drink coffee, I can’t sleep” or “When spring comes, cherry blossoms bloom”? Japanese uses Event A (short form, present)... Read more.

level2 (N4)

toki (時): Beginner’s Guide to Saying “When (Sentence 1), Sentence 2” in Japanese

by gokigen japanese, Chihiro Hanami July 28, 2025

Introduction Need to say “When I study, I listen to music” or “When I went to Japan, I skied”? Use the clause pattern (Sentence 1) + 時(とき), (Sentence... Read more.

level2 (N4)

V-ta bakari (V-たばかり): Beginner’s Guide to Saying “Have Just …” in Japanese

by gokigen japanese, Chihiro Hanami July 23, 2025

Introduction Need to tell someone you just arrived, just ate, or just started a new job? The grammar you want is V-た + ばかり. It means “have just done …,”... Read more.

level2 (N4)

V-tokoro (V + ところ): Beginner’s Guide to Saying “About to / In the Middle of / Have Just …” in Japanese

by gokigen japanese, Chihiro Hanami July 21, 2025

Introduction Want to say “I’m about to leave,” “I’m in the middle of cooking,” or “I’ve just finished homework” in Japanese? All three ideas use... Read more.

level2 (N4)

itadaku, sashiageru, ukagau: Special Humble Expressions (Kenjougo) in Japanese

by gokigen japanese, Chihiro Hanami July 20, 2025

Introduction You already know you can humble your own actions with お + verb-stem + します.But three everyday actions—receiving, giving, and visiting / asking—have... Read more.

level2 (N4)

o-verb-stem-suru (お〜する): Kenjougo Humble Pattern for Polite Japanese

by gokigen japanese, Chihiro Hanami July 5, 2025

Introduction Need to say “I’ll call the client” or “Let me show you the document” without sounding pushy? In Japanese, when your action is directed towards... Read more.