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Nienke's avatar

We visit Japan regularly, but really mastering the language is hard for us, with two small children along. But just being able to say, thank you, so tasty, excuse me! and know some simple words like beer, water, meat, veggies.. it makes all the difference. And the smiles when you understand each other with little words is beautiful! thank you!

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Dr Miki from Japan's avatar

Thank you for sharing this—it really warmed my heart. You're so right, even a few simple words can go such a long way in Japan. Locals really do light up when they see the effort, no matter how small. And traveling with little ones is already a full-time job, so the fact that you're picking up these phrases is honestly impressive. Wishing you many more smile-filled trips!

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Lee Anne Collver-Richards's avatar

Thank you!

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Dr Miki from Japan's avatar

Thank you for your comment too!!

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AJ's avatar

I have been meaning to restart my Japanese learning for ages... this is the perfect prompt! Thanks Miki... will download the app and let you know how I go!

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Dr Miki from Japan's avatar

Yes! I thought this app was great because it guides you step by step, and the features are super helpful for learning practical Japanese you can actually use. Would love to hear how it goes for you!

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P. Morse's avatar

🙏

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Dr Miki from Japan's avatar

Thank you!

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Mark Kennedy's avatar

Thank you for sharing this useful suggestion! I just installed the app and will give it a try! I like that it doesn't list romaji.

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Dr Miki from Japan's avatar

Thank you for your comment! I agree—while romaji can be helpful in the beginning, it sometimes feels like a shortcut, especially since you won’t see it in real-life situations in Japan. I like that the app doesn’t rely on it by default, but still gives you the option to reveal it if you need. That balance makes it a great learning tool. Let me know how you find it after trying it out!

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Mark Kennedy's avatar

While I only tried it for about 20 minutes today, I liked it. More importantly, I learned something! Now to make it a daily habit...

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Dr Miki from Japan's avatar

That’s great to hear! I remember when I started learning Hungarian on Duolingo—it felt really hard at the beginning. But once I got into the habit during my commute, it became much easier and even fun. Wishing you the same with Japanese!

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Allen Kwon's avatar

I’ve been on and off with Japanese for years, but this makes me want to start fresh. It’s wild how much connection you can create just by saying a few simple words. Thank you for the reminder — and the app rec!

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