Japanese Hobby

NTR - Meaning

<div>NTR is an abbreviation of <a></a><a></a> 
 
 
Turns out people came up with not one, but two different ways to abbreviate netorare and netori: 
<ol>
<li>NTR is netorare, and netori is NTL.</li>
<li>NTR is netori, and netorare is NTRR.</li>
</ol>
 
I'd like to ask the reader for a moment of silence to appreciate the train-wreck. 
 
On top of those, NTRS would be the abbreviation of <a></a>
The wordis an abbreviation of <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/01/netorare-meaning.html">netorare 寝取られ</a> .or of <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/01/netorare-meaning.html#netori-vs-netorare">netori 寝取り</a> Turns out people came up with not one, but two different ways to abbreviateandI'd like to ask the reader for a moment of silence to appreciate the train-wreck.On top of those,would be the abbreviation of <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/01/netorare-meaning.html#netorase-meaning">netorase 寝取らせ</a> </div>

NTR - Meaning

NTR is an abbreviation of Turns out people came up with not one, but two different ways to abbreviate netorare and netori : NTR is n...

Did Kanna Really Say Cuckold in Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon?

<div><a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/01/netorare-meaning.html">netorare</a> (written as <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/01/ntr-meaning.html">NTR</a> in the manga). Some subtitles have turned their eyes away, putting something completely unrelated in place, others left it untranslated, while some translated the phrase as "cuckold." 
 
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNURvvFDz4e-osKuSIjAqsqb50XU_vUp4wHuzlcUzWdNdsyfQCWTuEDHFFQY4yqz5AkxHCiPdl7U7A8-wagLF0pYOvh37kEJGZu1LAr17m3gwZzdjfypgxI_EUiq2RqRtRNCGDDYkmww/s1600/cuckold-kanna-netorare.png"><img alt="Kanna saying "cuckold" or "netorare" in the manga and anime Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNURvvFDz4e-osKuSIjAqsqb50XU_vUp4wHuzlcUzWdNdsyfQCWTuEDHFFQY4yqz5AkxHCiPdl7U7A8-wagLF0pYOvh37kEJGZu1LAr17m3gwZzdjfypgxI_EUiq2RqRtRNCGDDYkmww/s1600/cuckold-kanna-netorare.png" title="What did you just say?!!?"></a> In Kobayashi-san Chi no Maidragon there was scene where Kanna literally says(written asin the manga). Some subtitles have turned their eyes away, putting something completely unrelated in place, others left it untranslated, while some translated the phrase as "cuckold."
Now, the watchers who were paying attention probably found this translation a bit odd. After all, everything indicates Kanna showed up because she thought Kobayashi took Tohru away from her. So, if anything, Kanna is in the role of "cuckold" here, not Kobayashi. Why'd she call Kobayashi a "cuckold" when Kobayashi got the girl (Tohru)?
 
<a></a>netorare: it comes from the verb netoru 寝取る. If you're a guy, and there's this other guy, and you take his girl, you can say you netoru'd the girl (the girl, not the guy). In passive voice, the girl is netorareru'd by you. And the act of netorareru'ing is the noun netorare.<a></a><a name="more"></a> To understand this, let's go back to the origin of: it comes from the verb寝取る. If you're a guy, and there's this other guy, and you take his girl, you can say you'd the girl (the girl, not the guy). In passive voice, the girl is'd by you. And the act of'ing is the noun
 
netorare, she isn't calling Kobayashi a "cuckold," if anything, Kanna is calling Kobayashi a "homewrecker," a woman who sleeps with another woman's husband, consequently wrecking their marriage. 
 
More literally, Tohru would be saying "homewrecking," but only if the word <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/01/netorare-meaning.html#netori-vs-netorare">netori</a> was used. Since it was netorare, the passive version of netori, what she was saying was more like  "cheating." 
 
Of course, this doesn't make a whole lot of sense in English, but basically she was just implying the act took place, the same way you'd scream "it's robbery!" or "it's a murder!" instead of saying "it's a robber!" or "it's a murderer!" 
 
To have a better idea, a comparison of phrases:So when Kanna says, she isn't calling Kobayashi a "cuckold," if anything, Kanna is calling Kobayashi a "homewrecker," a woman who sleeps with another woman's husband, consequently wrecking their marriage.More literally, Tohru would be saying "homewrecking," but only if the wordwas used. Since it was, the passive version of, what she was saying was more like "cheating."Of course, this doesn't make a whole lot of sense in English, but basically she was just implying the act took place, the same way you'd scream "it's robbery!" or "it's a murder!" instead of saying "it's a robber!" or "it's a murderer!"To have a better idea, a comparison of phrases:<ul>
<li>Tooru ga Kobayashi ni yuukai sareta トールが小林に誘拐された 
Tohru was kidnapped by Kobayashi.</li>
<li>Tooru ga Kobayashi ni netorareta トールが小林に寝取られた 
Tohru was "taken" by Kobayashi. (Tohru "cheated with"Kobayashi.)</li>
<li>Tooru no yuukai トールの誘拐 
Tohru's kidnapping. The kidnapping of Tohru.</li>
<li>Tooru no netorare トールの寝取られ 
Tohru's "taking." The "taking" of Tohru. Tohru's "cheating." The "cheating" of Tohru.</li>
</ul>

</div>

Did Kanna Really Say Cuckold in Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon?

netorare (written as NTR in the manga). Some subtitles have turned their eyes away, putting something completely unrelated in place, other...

Netorare - Meaning in Japanese | 寝取られ

<div>netorare 寝取られ. Having been loaned from that exactly Japanese word, its meaning eludes many new fans who have no fucking idea what the hell everybody is talking about and why the thread derailed so hard. After all, what is netorare? 
 
<a name="more"></a><h2 id="netorare-definition">
Definition</h2>

Basically, netorare means "cuckolding," which means "being cheated on by your partner." For example, a guy's girlfriend cheating on him with another guy is netorare. Likewise, a girl's boyfriend cheating on her with another girl is also netorare. It can also be just a romantic partner, love interest, wife, husband, and it doesn't even have to be heterosexual.

 
netorare is used as a "cuckoldry" tag to tag works of fiction (primarily pornographic <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/09/hentai-meaning.html">hentai</a>) featuring this sort of cheating. You'll also find it in anime-related forums when something of the kind shows up in an episode or chapter.For most part,is used as a "cuckoldry" tag to tag works of fiction (primarily pornographic) featuring this sort of cheating. You'll also find it in anime-related forums when something of the kind shows up in an episode or chapter.
 
netorare is sometimes abbreviated to <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/01/ntr-meaning.html">NTR</a>.The wordis sometimes abbreviated to<h3>
Usage in Japanese</h3>
<a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/08/ecchi-meaning.html">ecchi</a> and <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/01/waifu-meaning.html">waifu</a>, which <a></a>netorare and its abbreviation NTR are, indeed, used in Japanese with the same meaning they have in English. 
 
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBmnZ0g1KXqJBa_BxPzLDpR9wtgA8V6QH2w9ycTXft20JipT2Hf8AiY3j8iZ-JtLCJKL4ovA6YE4OefejFqza2lV0qSGjl-p16MEcWGVYtA0ZvOztIxbBn67HKIGp9zL9vmudMvuF1lU/s1600/netorare-katsura-gintama.png"><img alt="Katsura from the manga Gintama 銀魂 saying he likes netorare (NTR)" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBmnZ0g1KXqJBa_BxPzLDpR9wtgA8V6QH2w9ycTXft20JipT2Hf8AiY3j8iZ-JtLCJKL4ovA6YE4OefejFqza2lV0qSGjl-p16MEcWGVYtA0ZvOztIxbBn67HKIGp9zL9vmudMvuF1lU/s1600/netorare-katsura-gintama.png" title="HITODZUMA JANAI, NETORARE DA!!"></a>Unlike the wordsand, which <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/eisei-wago-meaning.html">mean something in English but not in Japanese</a> , the wordand its abbreviationare, indeed, used in Japanese with the same meaning they have in English.<h2 id="netorare-kanji">
 Kanji</h2>
netorare <a></a>The word <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/words-written-with-kanji.html">written with kanji</a> is 寝取られ.
 

 

So what does netorare mean in Japanese, if not "to take sleep"? Is it just "cuckold" or "cuckolding"? Well, no, netorare doesn't mean that. To understand it, we have to go to the origin of netorare: the verb netoru 寝取る.
<h2 id="netoru-meaning">
Netoru 寝取る</h2>

The verb netoru means "to sleep with a girl (or guy) that's already sleeping with someone else." Of course, we don't need to be so literal, we're clearly talking about "cheating" here. But the point is netoru is not "to cheate with" or "to be cheated on by." It's from the viewpoint of the third-party, the outsider.

 

In English, the most literal translation of netoru I could find, albeit obscure, would be "to homewreck." Because a "homewrecker" is a woman who sleeps with somebody's husband, therefore "wrecking their home." Again: it doesn't need to a woman, and it doesn't to be a husband. So it's not a very exact translation, but it gives you a good idea of what it means.

 

As for why it means that and not "to take sleep" as you might have guessed, it's because the "to sleep," neru 寝る, also means "to sleep with [someone]," as in, "to have sex with [someone]," or "to lie with [someone]." So:
<ol>
<li>Person A was sleeping with person B</li>
<li>Person C slept with B</li>
<li>C took the "sleeping with B" away from A.</li>
</ol>

 
That's why netoru means that.

 

Here's some example phrases. Note how the unfaithful partner is the object of the action marked by the wo を particle.
<ul>
<li>tanin no tsuma wo netoru 他人の妻を寝取る 
To sleep with other people's wives.</li>
<li>tomodachi no kareshi wo netotta 友達の彼氏を寝取った 
[I] slept with my friend's boyfriend.</li>
<li>tsuma wo netotta otoko wo koroshita 妻を寝取った男を殺した 
[He] killed the man who slept with [his] wife.</li>
</ul>

 

So now we know how netoru works, but how do we get to netorare from netoru? First we need its passive form: netorareru.
<h2 id="netorareru-meaning">
Netorareru 寝取られる</h2>

The verb netorareru 寝取られる is the passive form of netoru 寝取る. English doesn't have passive forms like Japanese. In English we achieve the same effect by the use of prepositions. But I think it's easy enough to understand what it does:
<ul>
<li>neko ga nezumi wo taberu 猫が鼠を食べる 
The cat eats the rat. (active)</li>
<li>nezumi ga neko ni taberareru 鼠が猫に食べられる 
The rat is eaten by the cat. (passive)</li>
<li>yuujin ga kanojo wo netoru 友人が彼女を寝取る 
The friend netoru's the girlfriend. (active)</li>
<li>kanojo ga yuujin ni netorareru 彼女が友人に寝取られる 
The girlfriend is netoru'd by the friend. (passive)</li>
</ul>

 
<a></a>(note: <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2016/10/kare-kareshi-kanojo-meaning.html">kanojo 彼女</a> means both "girlfriend" and the third-person pronoun "she")
 

In Japanese, conjugations of verbs can be conjugated again. So from the passive form we can get netorareta 寝取られた which'd be the past, "was netoru'd."
<ul>
<li>netorareta tsuma 寝取られた妻 
Netoru'd wife. Wife someone else slept with.</li>
<li>netorareta kanojo 寝取られた彼女 
Netoru'd girlfriend. Girlfriend someone else slept with.</li>
</ul>

 
netorare, which would mean the act of netorareru'ing. In other words, netorare means something like "cheating with." 
 
So, even thought a lot of people think this, <a></a>Finally, we can also conjugate it to the word, which would mean the act of'ing. In other words,means something like "cheating with."So, even thought a lot of people think this, <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/01/did-kanna-say-cuckold-to-kobayashi.html">if a character says netorare they don't mean "cuckold,"</a> they're referring to the act. Like saying "it's robbery!" instead of "it's a robber!"<h2 id="netori-vs-netorare">
Netori vs. Netorare</h2>

A word related to netorare is netori 寝取り, which is similar, but different.

 

Basically, the noun netori comes from the verb netoru, while the noun netorare comes from the verb netorareru, the passive form of netoru. So netori is active while netorare is passive. In other words, netori means "stealing someone else's partner" or "homewrecking," while netorare means "cheating with."

 

Here's a diagram: 
 

Technically, what is going on is pretty much the same thing, but the point of view changes. From the girl being taken (netorare) to the guy taking the girl (netori). So if it was a story about someone's girl who ends up with multiple guys, it'd be netorare, but if it's a story about a guy who goes around sleeping with other guys' girls, it'd be netori. 
<h3>
NTR, NTL, NTRR</h3>


Factoring netori into the equation, some people came up with not one, but two ways to disambiguate the NTR abbreviation:
<ol>
<li>netorare is NTR, netori is NTL.</li>
<li>netorare is NTRR, netori is NTR.</li>
</ol>

 
...no comment......no comment...<h3>
Netorareri?</h3>

One weird thing about netori and netorare is that they're both the same type of form, only being conjugated different verbs, netoru and netorareru, respectively.

 

This might sound weird if you know something about Japanese because to get netorare you remove ru from netorareru, but to get netori you change the u at the end of netoru to i. How are they the same conjugation? If they were the same wouldn't the word be netorareri 寝取られり instead?

 

Well, this happens because in Japanese there are two classes of ru-ending verbs, called ichidan and godan. The verb toru 取る, and consequently netoru 寝取る, are godan verbs. But the passive conjugation -rareru ～られる is treated as an ichidan verb. The conjugation of ichidan and godan verbs are different. For example:
<ul>
<li>kiru, kiru. 着る、 切る (ichidan, godan) 
To wear. To cut.</li>
<li>kigaeru, kirikaeru 着替える、 切り替える 
To change clothes, to switch over.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="netorase-meaning">
Netorase 寝取らせ</h2>

As if netorare and netori weren't enough, netorase 寝取らせ also exists.

 

The difference between netorase, netori, and netorare, is that netorase is the causative form of netoru. That is: it means to cause, or let, someone netoru someone. Mainly, netorase would be about the cuckold letting (or forcing) someone else to have their way with their partner.

 

For example, in English, a "cuckquean" is a woman who enjoys letting another woman (dubbed cuckcake?) have her way with his husband/boyfriend. So the cuckquean netoraseta her partner to the cuckcake. (I think I have seen something like this in Blade Runner 2049...)

 

The abbreviation of this word would be NTRS.
<ul></ul>

One term used around English-speaking anime communities and forums is the infamous寝取られ. Having been loaned from that exactly Japanese word, its meaning eludes many new fans who have no fucking idea what the hell everybody is talking about and why the thread derailed so hard. After all, what is</div>

Netorare - Meaning in Japanese | 寝取られ

netorare 寝取られ. Having been loaned from that exactly Japanese word, its meaning eludes many new fans who have no fucking idea what the hell ...

Waifu - Meaning in Japanese | ワイフ

<div>waifu ワイフ. And it's no wonder you'd ask yourself: what is a waifu? And what does the word waifu mean in Japanese? The answer is a bit complicated. 
 
<a name="more"></a><h2 id="waifu-definition">
Definition</h2>

Basically, a waifu is a girl character a fan of anime likes the most, that is, if you were to marry a character, you'd marry your waifu. Your waifu is your 2D wife. Saying stuff like "she's my waifu" or "X is my waifu" is how you'd declare that.

 
waifu is usually one of the cutest girls in anime, the most <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/11/moe-meaning.html">moe</a> one, or one that has the most attractive personality, or one that has literally no personality at all, or whatever. It depends entirely on the fan's taste so it could be anything. 
<h2 id="is-waifu-a-joke">
Is Waifu a Joke?</h2>
For this reason, ais usually one of the cutest girls in anime, the mostone, or one that has the most attractive personality, or one that has literally no personality at all, or whatever. It depends entirely on the fan's taste so it could be anything.waifu a joke? A meme? Something doing ironically, sarcastically? Or do people seriously and unironically have waifus? Is it something people only do on the internet, anonymously, or is the waifu thing for real? 
 
The answer is: yes. 
<h3>
Ironic Waifu</h3>
For most people, it's a joke. Just a meme. They see people talking about their waifu on the internet and they just mimic it. They'll lazily pick the trashiest character as their waifu, or the worst moeblob, and just use her to fit in among the misfits. 
 
The degree of commitment people have to the joke varies. They can be simply bandwagon'ing by parroting phrases such as "your waifu is trash" when such response is expected, or they can be feigning a serious relationship to creep out everyone around. 
 
And then there are people who actually seriously and unironically do have waifus. 
<h3>
Serious Waifu</h3>
In this case, we're talking about people who have fallen in love with fictional characters. Now, you can say this is some absurd stupid nonsense. But I'm sure you know at least one person who has once said they fell in love with someone, out of nowhere, all of sudden, without good reason, and they turned out to be an utter trash of a person and much regret was had. If these people can just "fall in love" with any one 3D person, why'd you not be allowed to fall in love with a 2D character? 
 
And so, some people do fall in love with 2D characters. And they do end up committing to a serious relationship with a 2D girl. And they do end up doing things that look extremely creepy, like having a copious number of pictures of the characters, dolls, action figures of the character, wallpapers of the character, body pillows of the character, computer and phone wallpapers of the character, and so on. Sure, if your room was decorated with all this paraphernalia featuring the image of a real woman, you'd definitely be considered a stalker. But someone with a 3D wife can just meet her in real person if they want, someone with a 2D waifu can only meet her image. So hoarding her image is kinda justifiable. 
 
Of course, whether we're talking about a mentally healthy individual who has a waifu or a mentally sick individual who has a waifu is uncertain. That's something for a psychiatrist to know about. I just write about words. 
 
In manga and anime, however, when a guy has a waifu and a bunch of merchandise splattered in his room, there's a 99.99% chance he's portrayed as a delusional <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2016/10/neet-meaning.html">neet</a> <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2016/07/hikikomori-meaning.html">hikikomori</a> <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2016/07/otaku-otome-meaning.html">otaku</a> with disturbing mental problems. 
<h2 id="waifu-is-not-real">
A Waifu is Not Real</h2>
A common question people ask is: isa joke? A meme? Something doing ironically, sarcastically? Or do people seriously and unironically haves? Is it something people only do on the internet, anonymously, or is thething for real?The answer is: yes.For most people, it's a joke. Just a meme. They see people talking about theiron the internet and they just mimic it. They'll lazily pick the trashiest character as their, or the worst moeblob, and just use her to fit in among the misfits.The degree of commitment people have to the joke varies. They can be simply bandwagon'ing by parroting phrases such as "youris trash" when such response is expected, or they can be feigning a serious relationship to creep out everyone around.And then there are people who actually seriously and unironically do haves.In this case, we're talking about people who have fallen in love with fictional characters. Now, you can say this is some absurd stupid nonsense. But I'm sure you know at least one person who has once said they fell in love with someone, out of nowhere, all of sudden, without good reason, and they turned out to be an utter trash of a person and much regret was had. If these people can just "fall in love" with any one 3D person, why'd you not be allowed to fall in love with a 2D character?And so, some people do fall in love with 2D characters. And they do end up committing to a serious relationship with a 2D girl. And they do end up doing things that look extremely creepy, like having a copious number of pictures of the characters, dolls, action figures of the character, wallpapers of the character, body pillows of the character, computer and phone wallpapers of the character, and so on. Sure, if your room was decorated with all this paraphernalia featuring the image of a real woman, you'd definitely be considered a stalker. But someone with a 3D wife can just meet her in real person if they want, someone with a 2Dcan only meet her image. So hoarding her image is kinda justifiable.Of course, whether we're talking about a mentally healthy individual who has aor a mentally sick individual who has ais uncertain. That's something for a psychiatrist to know about. I just write about words.In manga and anime, however, when a guy has aand a bunch of merchandise splattered in his room, there's a 99.99% chance he's portrayed as a delusionalwith disturbing mental problems.
Evidently, a waifu is not real. She's a fictional 2D character whom you'll never really be with. She was probably drawn by a bunch of underpaid animators, probably male and in their 30's, and voiced by multiple random women across the globe. That's not a whole lot of identity, is it?

 

But that doesn't stop you from loving her, and that's what matters. People are aware, but they don't care. As long as the love is real the rest is of little significance.
<h2 id="waifu-vs-best-girl">
Waifu vs. Best Girl</h2>

Regardless of how you've chosen your waifu, or how serious you're about committing to your relationship, declaring a waifu infers a degree of unique and special treatment. This is different from simply choosing a best girl in a show, a season, or a year.

 

For example, imagine there was a beauty contest in your city based on votes. Just because you voted for a girl, that doesn't mean you're going to marry her, but, on the other side, if you r wife entered the content, you're probably going to vote for her. 
 
Likewise, fans do vote for their waifu on best girl polls if they're participating, but just because they voted for someone that doesn't mean that girl is their waifu.
<h2 id="multiple-waifus">
Having Multiple Waifus</h2>

The act of having multiple waifus is absolutely disgusting extremely frowned upon. After all, it's beyond discussion that a decent human being would only have one waifu. Having multiple waifus is something savages do. Peasants. Polywaifu has no place in a civilized society.

 

Just like in romance stories the main character falls in love with one girl, and in romantic comedies there's often a love-triangle (on in Gamers, a devil summoning love pentagram) and the plot issues from the difficult choice of choosing one love interest over the other (a choice Chihaya can't fucking make even after 50 goddamn episodes!), and in visual novels you're supposed to pick one route and set the correct flags to make it to the good end with one girl, and in Harvest Moon you can only have a family with one girl (or guy in the girl's version), and in a harem anime the girl characters fight over to be that one girl the guy chooses, and in real life in most countries you can only marry one person at a time and polygamy is forbidden for multiple reasons, and how the idiom is about meeting your other half and definitely not about meeting your other thirds, etc. you should only have one waifu.

 

It's immoral to have more than one waifu. Your waifu can be bitchiest character, the one with vacuum for personality, the one that's not even of legal age, the one that's actually a guy, the one that's actually a demon, the one that's actually a cat and not a person, the one that's trash, or even the one that's all of this at once, but you only get to have one. That's where we draw the line. Your waifu has to be the most important girl in your (lack of) life, so you can't possibly have two of them.
<h2 id="seasonal-waifus">
Seasonal Waifus</h2>

Also frowned upon, albeit not as much as having multiple waifus, is the act of keeping just one waifu at a time, but switching waifus seasonally, or infrequently, one for another. This may happen for various reasons.
<ol>
<li>The fan got tired of his current waifu and wants a new one.</li>
<li>The fan watched a new show airing this season and there's a girl he thinks would make a better waifu than his current waifu.</li>
<li>The fan watched a continuation or spin-off airing this season featuring his waifu where she does something that made him want divorce.</li>
</ol>

 

Regardless of reason, it's obvious this so-called "fan" doesn't love his waifu enough. As legends romanticize: love is eternal and unconditional. You can't just treat your waifu like an old sock that you just replace for a new one when you feel like. If you don't think you can stay together until death do you apart, don't make her your waifu.

 
waifu with a 3D girl (TL note: 3D girl means a real girlfriend) is equally disgusting and tantamount to <a></a>Furthermore, some people claim the practice of replacing awith a 3D girl (TL note: 3D girl means a real girlfriend) is equally disgusting and tantamount to <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/01/netorare-meaning.html">cheating</a> <h2 id="your-waifu-is-trash">
Your Waifu is Trash</h2>

Everybody knows my opinion is the only one that matters, everybody else is wrong. My taste in anime is objectively good, and other people have shit taste. So it's only logical to conclude that my waifu is the best, and your waifu is trash.

 

However, for some reason I can't honestly grasp, these other people, on the internet, keep telling me that my waifu is trash. They're wrong, obviously. The trash is theirs. But the irony doesn't stop them from spouting such unhinged nonsense. No matter how many times I say: your waifu is trash, they won't listen, won't believe it, and they just keep fighting back.
<h2 id="waifu-word-origin">
Origin of The Word</h2>
Now here's the part of that really matter: where does the word waifu come from? 
 
It comes from Japanese. Obviously. 
 
Specifically, the word waifu comes from the Hepburn of ワイフ, which isn't exactly a Japanese word, but a <a></a><a></a><a></a>waihu ワイフ. 
 
By the way, if you're wondering how to write waifu <a></a><a></a><a></a> 
 
But where did people get the idea of starting their 2D wives by the word waifu? Well, it's often said it was because of Azumanga Daioh. 
<h3>
Azumanga Daioh</h3>
Once upon a time, not so long, long ago. Wait. Were you born before or after 2002? I realize now that was 15 years ago, so if you're are 14 or 13 or whatever it was even before you were born. 
 
Anyway, in 2002 there was an anime called Azumanga Daioh (or Azumanga Daiou あずまんが大王, meaning "Great King Azumanga."), based on an <a></a>romaji and mix Hepburn with English. It's used mainly in names of towns and people on passports, and turns, for example, the name Satou into Satoh.) 
 
Anyway again, in this manga, there was a strip (Volume 2, Chapter "January," page 10), featuring a character called Kimura-sensei that has literally said he became a teacher because he liked high-school girls (a.k.a.: he's a pedophile). In the strip, he's in class when a photo drops from his pocket (I think?) and one of the girls picks it up, meaning to return it to him but before asking who is the woman in the photo. He answers: mai waifu マイワイフ, the katakanization of the English phrase "my wife," leaving the whole class in shock. After all, everybody assumed he was only after underage girls, how'd he get married with an adult woman?! 
 
 
Now, this manga strip was actually published in 2000. But people who read it then either read it in Japanese and didn't see anything special about the phrase, or read it translated and then it was probably translated as just "my wife," and not left as "mai waifu." So the phrase probably didn't get noticed in the manga, it's more likely people noticed it watching the 2002 anime adaptation. 
 


 
After this, people started using the word waifu to refer to their 2D wives and it spread like the plague a meme. 
<h2 id="is-waifu-a-japanese-word">
Is Waifu a Japanese Word?</h2>
So the word waifu comes from Japanese, therefore it's a Japanese word, right? 
 
OR IS IT?!?!?!?!?! 
 
As it turns out, that's debatable. I mean, literally. I debated it over the internet with a random stranger, once. I said waifu wasn't actually a Japanese word. He said it was. I was unconvinced, so was he. IMHO, it isn't. And here I'll explain why. 
<h3>
Why-fu</h3>
First off, in Japanese, waifu ワイフ comes from the English word "wife." This is the word loaned as-is, that is, waifu means "wife" in Japanese because "wife" in English means "wife." It's literally the same thing. 
 
In other words, waifu ワイフ is not a <a></a>sukinshippu スキンシップ comes from "skinship," but "skinship" doesn't mean anything in English. This isn't the case with waifu "wife.") 
 
But if you look at it from the other side, "waifu" IN ENGLISH doesn't mean "wife." If you see someone saying "she is my wife" and someone saying "she is my waifu," you'd be certain that they are saying different things. 
 
If "waifu" isn't the same as "wife," but "wife" is the same as waifu ワイフ, then English "waifu" and Japanese waifu ワイフ are different words. Saying "waifu" in English doesn't have the same meaning as saying waifu ワイフ in Japanese! That means "waifu" is an <a></a><a></a><a></a> 
 
As proof of this, just look back at where "waifu" came from: a character talking about his "wife." Not his 2D "waifu," his 3D "wife." I mean, his wife that was as 3D as him... uh... you know what I mean! 
 
Added proof: a Japanese website about English slangs explaining what "waifu" means in English to people who speak Japanese: <a></a> 
 
On top of that, if you wanted to say "waifu" in Japanese to mean a 2D "waifu," you wouldn't use the word waifu ワイフ, because then nobody would understand you. You would use another word instead. 
<h2 id="waifu-in-japanese">
How to Say "Waifu" in Japanese</h2>
So, to say "waifu" in Japanese you don't use the word waifu ワイフ, you use something else, but what? 
 
Remember how "waifu" in English came from the phrase mai waifu マイワイフ? Well, it's the same thing. Except in Japanese. I mean... literally. 
 
The word "waifu" in Japanese becomes the phrase ore no yome 俺の嫁. In a way, this means "my wife," but a more correct translation would be "my bride," but a correct-er translation would be "my daughter-in-law," but, wait, "daughter-in-law" doesn't mean "wife"? What's going on here? 
<h3>
Meaning of Yome 嫁</h3>
Well, technically, the word for "wife" in Japanese is tsuma 妻. Originally yome 嫁 was used only for your "son's wife," musuko no tsuma 息子の妻, which is equivalent to your "daughter-in-law." However, people (in Japan) started using yome to refer to their own brides instead of their son's, and next to their wives instead of their brides. 
 
So it's a bit confusing, but ore no yome historically meant "my daughter-in-law," people probably prefer to use it to say "my bride" right now, and you could translate it as "my wife" if you wanted to. 
<h3>
Extra Notes</h3>
If you say ore no yome in a Japanese anime-related forum, people will normally get the reference. Saying just yome 嫁, "bride," may also suffice in certain cases. 
 
Furthermore, the term ore no yome isn't used only toward female characters, it may also be used toward male characters, giant robots, etc. Of course, whether it's used as a joke or not depends. 
<h2 id="male-waifu">
Male Waifu</h2>

The profound world of waifuism isn't limited to the male sex. If you're female, and have a male character you like, he, too, can be your waifu, except you'd used a different word in English for "male waifu."
<h2 id="husbando-meaning">
Husbando</h2>

A "husbando" is a male waifu. So if waifu is wife, husbando is husband. 
 
Note that husbando doesn't even come from the romaji of the Japanese katakanization of "husband" like "waifu." If that was the case, then "husbando "would be hazubando ハズバンド instead. The word probably just came from someone trying to make "husband" look more like a katakanization. 
<h3>
Husbando in Japanese</h3>

ore no yome 俺の嫁 may also be used by women (and men?) to refer to their husbandos. This is despite the pronoun <a></a>yome 嫁 meaning a "(female) bride" and not a "(male) groom."Term俺の嫁 may also be used by women (and men?) to refer to their husbandos. This is despite the pronoun <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2016/08/watashi-boku-ore-meaning.html">ore 俺</a> being mostly used by men and despite嫁 meaning a "(female) bride" and not a "(male) groom."
 

A slightly more fitting ore no muko 俺の婿, "my groom" also means "husbando" in Japanese. The term watashi no muko 私の婿 also exists, also meaning "my groom," but using the more neutral pronoun watashi 私. 
 
According to Pixiv, however, ore no muko is more common than watashi no muko, despite ore being considered a male pronoun, so you'd think it's a guy talking about his groom, and not a girl talking about her groom. This is probably because ore no muko at least sounds like ore no yome, while watashi no yome may be just too far from the original term.
<h2 id="trap-waifu-or-husbando">
Is a Trap a Waifu or a Husbando?</h2>
 
I... I don't know? Try asking them? 
<h2 id="daughteru-meaning">
Daughteru</h2>

Another fake Japanese word made-up by English-speaking fans is "daughteru." 
 
Calm down! This is not what you're thinking! This doesn't mean a daughter you have with your waifu. It also doesn't mean you're marrying your daughter. It just means a 2D girl you love as if it were your daughter rather than your wife.

 

The proper katakanization of the word "daughter" would be dootaa ドーター. 
<h3>
Daughteru in Japanese</h3>


The word for "daughteru" in Japanese would be ore no musume 俺の娘, literally "my daughter."
<h2 id="sonfu-meaning">
Sonfu</h2>
fu of waifu to the word son, the proper katakanization of "son" would be just san サン. 
<h3>
Soneru</h3>

A soneru is another term for a male daugheru. The only difference between soneru and sonfu is that one comes from son plus eru of daughteru while the other from son plus fu of waifu. I think sonfu is used more frequently, so if I had one I'd probably go with that, even though it sounds weird.
<h3>
Sonfu in Japanese</h3>
A sonfu is a male daughteru, a character you love as if it were your son. This is also obviously fake Japanese, someone just affixed theofto the word son, the proper katakanization of "son" would be justサン.
Going by logic and rational thought, following the evidences presented in this post, connecting the dots and extrapolating the pattern, the word "sonfu" in Japanese would be ore no musuko 俺の息子, literally "my son," HOWEVER, consider two things before uttering it:
<ol>
<li>Sonfu is an extremely rare word in English. If you go by hits on Google hits, waifu has 10 million results, husbando 1 million, daughteru 100 thousand, and sonfu just 5 thousand. Basically, female characters are more popular and nobody wants 2D children, so a male 2D child has almost no demand, therefore the word gets no usage. The same applies in Japanese. The chance of someone understand what you mean by "sonfu" is about the same of someone getting ore no musuko means a 2D son. It'd only get understood in certain circles and even then just maybe.</li>
<li>Also ore no musuko means "my penis" in Japanese. Yep, musuko is an euphemism. Normally, it means "son," but if you go to an online Japanese forum Powered by Cynism™ where everybody is talking about their waifus and say something that can be understood like that, it's probably going to be understood like that. So I'd avoid using it if I were you.</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="more-waifu-stuff">
More Waifu Stuff</h2>

For further reference:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/waifuism/">/r/waifuism/</a> 
A subreddit dedicated to people who have a waifu. Claims to be serious. May or may not be.</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/nagadomi/waifu2x">waifu2x</a> 
Not satisfied with the size of your waifu? Enlarge your waifu with these few simple steps! A software created specifically to resize anime images to higher resolutions while maintaining a semblance of quality. You know, CSI-style.</li>
<li><a href="https://mywaifulist.moe/">MyWaifuList</a> 
A website dedicated to deciding whose waifu is the trashiest waifu through user votes. It also lets users votes on the best waifu, like a popularity contest, like the <a href="https://www.internationalsaimoe.com/">International SaiMoe</a>. And there's even a way to declare your one true waifu.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2017-10-12/fans-mourn-the-death-of-grape-kun-a-true-kemono-friend/">RIP Grape-Kun</a> 
Grape-kun was an inspiration to all. Truly a follower of the no waifu no laifu dogma.</li>
</ul>

If you've spent, like, ten seconds, in any anime community, forum, chat, or anything, there's one hundred percent chance you've seen this word somehow:ワイフ. And it's no wonder you'd ask yourself: what is a? And what does the wordmean in Japanese? The answer is a bit complicated.Now here's the part of that really matter: where does the wordcome from?It comes from Japanese. Obviously.Specifically, the wordcomes from the Hepburnof ワイフ, which isn't exactly a Japanese word, but a <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/katakanization-meaning.html">katakanization</a> of the English word "waifu." Note that <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/different-romaji-same-word.html#fu-vs-hu-romaji">another romaji for fu フ is hu フ</a> , so if the <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/romaji-systems-hepburn-nihon-kunrei.html">romaji system</a> used was Nihon-siki instead of Hepburn, the word would beワイフ.By the way, if you're wondering how to write <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/words-written-with-kanji.html">with kanji</a> , know that you can't, because <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/words-without-kanji.html">that word doesn't have kanji</a> , just like most <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/gairaigo-meaning.html">words loaned from English</a> do not.But where did people get the idea of starting their 2D wives by the word? Well, it's often said it was because of Azumanga Daioh.Once upon a time, not so long, long ago. Wait. Were you born before or after 2002? I realize now that was 15 years ago, so if you're are 14 or 13 or whatever it was even before you were born.Anyway, in 2002 there was an anime called Azumanga Daioh (orあずまんが大王, meaning "Great King Azumanga."), based on an <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/08/yonkoma-meaning.html">4-koma</a> manga of same name. (It was a cute-girls-doing-cute-things series later known for actually being funny compared to the ones made after it.) (By the way, the "oh" comes from official Japanese romanization rules, which produce slightly differentand mix Hepburn with English. It's used mainly in names of towns and people on passports, and turns, for example, the name Satou into Satoh.)Anyway again, in this manga, there was a strip (Volume 2, Chapter "January," page 10), featuring a character called Kimura-sensei that has literally said he became a teacher because he liked high-school girls (a.k.a.: he's a pedophile). In the strip, he's in class when a photo drops from his pocket (I think?) and one of the girls picks it up, meaning to return it to him but before asking who is the woman in the photo. He answers:マイワイフ, the katakanization of the English phrase "my wife," leaving the whole class in shock. After all, everybody assumed he was only after underage girls, how'd he get married with an adult woman?!Now, this manga strip was actually published in 2000. But people who read it then either read it in Japanese and didn't see anything special about the phrase, or read it translated and then it was probably translated as just "my wife," and not left as "mai waifu." So the phrase probably didn't get noticed in the manga, it's more likely people noticed it watching the 2002 anime adaptation.After this, people started using the wordto refer to their 2D wives and it spread likea meme.So the wordcomes from Japanese, therefore it's a Japanese word, right?OR IS IT?!?!?!?!?!As it turns out, that's debatable. I mean, literally. I debated it over the internet with a random stranger, once. I saidwasn't actually a Japanese word. He said it was. I was unconvinced, so was he. IMHO, it isn't. And here I'll explain why.First off, in Japanese,ワイフ comes from the English word "wife." This is the word loaned as-is, that is,means "wife" in Japanese because "wife" in English means "wife." It's literally the same thing.In other words,ワイフ is not a <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/wasei-eigo-meaning.html">wasei-eigo 和製英語</a> word, a Japanese word made up from English but that doesn't have the same meaning in English. (For example:スキンシップ comes from "skinship," but "skinship" doesn't mean anything in English. This isn't the case with"wife.")But if you look at it from the other side, "waifu"doesn't mean "wife." If you see someone saying "she is my wife" and someone saying "she is my waifu," you'd be certain that they are sayingIf "waifu" isn't the same as "wife," but "wife" is the same asワイフ, then English "waifu" and Japaneseワイフ are different words. Saying "waifu" in English doesn't have the same meaning as sayingワイフ in Japanese! That means "waifu" is an <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/eisei-wago-meaning.html">eisei-wago 和製英語</a> word, an English word made up from a Japanese word, like <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/09/hentai-meaning.html">"hentai"</a> and <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/08/ecchi-meaning.html">"ecchi."</a> As proof of this, just look back at where "waifu" came from: a character talking about his "wife." Not his 2D "waifu," his 3D "wife." I mean, his wife that was as 3D as him... uh... you know what I mean!Added proof: a Japanese website about English slangs explaining what "waifu" means in English to people who speak Japanese: <a href="http://eigoslang.com/waifu/">http://eigoslang.com/waifu/</a> If the word "waifu" meant the same thing in both languages, such article wouldn't exist.On top of that, if you wanted to say "waifu" in Japanese to mean a 2D "waifu," you wouldn't use the wordワイフ, because then nobody would understand you. You would use another word instead.So, to say "waifu" in Japanese you don't use the wordワイフ, you use something else, but what?Remember how "waifu" in English came from the phraseマイワイフ? Well, it's the same thing. Except in Japanese. I mean... literally.The word "waifu" in Japanese becomes the phrase俺の嫁. In a way, this means "my wife," but a more correct translation would be "my bride," but a correct-er translation would be "my daughter-in-law," but, wait, "daughter-in-law" doesn't mean "wife"? What's going on here?Well, technically, the word for "wife" in Japanese is妻. Originally嫁 was used only for your "son's wife,"息子の妻, which is equivalent to your "daughter-in-law." However, people (in Japan) started usingto refer to their own brides instead of their son's, and next to their wives instead of their brides.So it's a bit confusing, buthistorically meant "my daughter-in-law," people probably prefer to use it to say "my bride" right now, and you could translate it as "my wife" if you wanted to.If you sayin a Japanese anime-related forum, people will normally get the reference. Saying just嫁, "bride," may also suffice in certain cases.Furthermore, the termisn't used only toward female characters, it may also be used toward male characters, giant robots, etc. Of course, whether it's used as a joke or not depends.I... I don't know? Try asking them?</div>

Waifu - Meaning in Japanese | ワイフ

waifu ワイフ. And it's no wonder you'd ask yourself: what is a waifu ? And what does the word waifu mean in Japanese? The answer is a...

do-S - Meaning in Japanese + do-M |ドS,ドM

<div>Before anything else, let's talk about S and M, or, rather,エス andエム, the katakanization of those letters.
In Japanese, the letter "S," esu エス, normally means "sadist," while "M," emu エム, means "masochist." I repeat: it's sadist and masochist, not sadism and masochism. That's because when one of these letters is used it's often talking about the preferences of a person, not the concept itself. For example:<ul>
<li>watashi wa esu desu 私はSです 
I'm an S. 
I'm a sadist.</li>
<li>watashi wa emu desu 私はMです 
I'm an M. 
I'm a masochist.</li>
</ul>

 
Generally speaking, it works like the above. If you say you're "an S," you're saying you're "a sadist." If you say you're "an M," you're saying you're "a masochist."
<h3>
Letters be Letters</h3>
<a></a>Note, however, that that's not not necessarily true. There are no <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/08/definite-indefinite-articles.html">definite and indefinite articles in the Japanese language</a> , no words for "a," "an," and "the." So "I'm an S,""I'm the S" and "I'm S" are all the same phrase in Japanese. For example:<ul>
<li>watashi wa eru desu 私はLです 
I'm L.</li>
</ul>

 
Above we have a phrase that could say "I'm L," as in "my name is L," or it could be everyone is being assigned a letter of the alphabet and mine was the letter L. You are letter J? "I'm L." That sort of ambiguity exists.
<h3>
Not Affiliated With BDSM</h3>

As far as I'm aware, English-speakers who are into BDSM don't go around calling themselves letters. Nobody says "I'm an S" in "I'm an M" in English, unless they watch too much anime. Normally you'd say "I'm a sadist" or "I'm a masochist." Or, not exactly, but similar: "I'm a dominant" or "I'm a submissive." And those can indeed be abbreviated: "I'm a dom" and "I'm a sub."

 

On top of that, saying you're an S or an M in Japanese, or getting called that, doesn't necessarily have BDSM connotations. It means, literally, just sadist and masochist. 
 
That is to say that in Japanese these words are often used to talk about the personality of the characters (and people) and not about their sexual preferences. Consequently, they get used in Japanese more than they get used in English.

 

A character can get called sadist, for example, for being too bossy, specially if they're a manager or teacher. And they can get called masochist for staying friends with someone who is bossy. And, just like in English, if you keep doing something that sounds like suffering and people would rather not do, like grinding a character is an ineffective way in an MMORPG, you may get called a masochist for that.

 

Conversely, sometimes the S and M characters do have something to do with BDSM. For example, S characters often find themselves using a whip as a weapon. Because that's the weapon of choice of all sadists, apparently. On the other hand, M characters frequently and mysteriously find themselves in bound by rope, specially in gag mang... comedy manga.
<h2 id="do-s-meaning">
Do-S ドS</h2>

Alright, so now we know that S alone means "sadist," and that can be used in a number of ways in Japanese, as one would expected. But then what does do-S ドS means? What does do of do-S do?

 
<a></a>do-S written in Japanese is どS, ドS, or 弩S, depending on whether you want to write it with hiragana, katakana or kanji.Basically, the <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/01/do-prefix-meaning.html">do ド prefix</a> means "very" or "super" or some emphatic adjective like that. It can be three different ways, by the way, sowritten in Japanese is どS, ドS, or 弩S, depending on whether you want to write it withor
 

It can also be written as do-esu ドエス if you use katakana instead of the S.

 

So do-S means "super sadist" if you were to simply translate it. But you could say it means "fucking sadist" or "damn sadist" if you want to use an expletive instead. It's not that do ド is a bad word, it just adds emphasis, but sometimes in English emphasis is better added with an expletive.
<h3>
Situations</h3>

Often, when someone calls someone a do-S, they are doing one of the following:
<ol>
<li>Complaining that guy keeps bossing everyone around. 
That "damn sadist" won't let me take the day off!</li>
<li>Warning that someone is troublesome. 
Stay away from him, he's a "fucking sadist."</li>
</ol>

 

Then there's the time a character calls themselves do-S. Then it'd be like they saying "I'm a fucking sadist."

 

Now, I'm pretty sure you can imagine characters saying those phrases. But sometimes it just doesn't suit, does it? Sometimes "super sadist" makes more sense in English than an expletive. So the translation of do ド varies. 
 
Also, saying "super sadist" often involves an exaggeration of some sort. Either you're exaggerating how much of a sadist the person is, or the author has exaggerated how sadistic the character is. Characters which are designed as do-S don't act like normal people, they act like caricatures. They speak in verbal abuse. Call people "dog" or "gorilla.". They look down at people taller than them. It's weird.
<h2 id="do-m-meaning">
Do-M ドM</h2>

The word do-M means "super masochist" or "damn masochist" or "fucking masochist," pretty much the same way as do-S works.

 

Likewise, do-M can be written in three different ways: どM, ドM or 弩M. And do-emu ドエム if you replace the M with katakana.

 

(ironically, if you remove the hyphen from the romaji you turn do-M into doM, or dom, which'd be the abbreviation of dominant, which is practically the antonym of masochist.)

 

Like do-S characters, do-M characters are often exaggerated, the kind you'd find in a comedy manga. They'll go around begging people to tie them up and other stuff like that, plus tons of blushing over verbal and physical abuse every single time. In worst cases, a do-M character in a fantasy world will end up fantasizing about getting attacked by monsters. That sounds like suicide, but some consider it a joke. 
<h2 id="do-m-hoihoi-meaning">
Do-M Hoihoi ドMホイホイ</h2>


The term Do-M Hoihoi ドMホイホイ is mostly a tag found on a number of websites used to tag drawings, stories, videos, etc. that appeal the "super masochists." It's a kind of weird tag because it doesn't describe the fictional content, it advertises the post to real masochist users.

 

The word hoihoi ホイホイ would mean to indulge something unguarded. That is, to accept something from someone or do something for someone without reservations. In this case, that tag means it's something a do-M would gladly accept without further thought.
<h2 id="vocabulary">
Vocabulary</h2>

For reference, some related terms:
<ul>
<li>sadhisuto サディスト 
Sadist..</li>
<li>sadhizumu サディズム 
Sadism.</li>
<li>sado サド 
(either of the above)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>mazohisuto マゾヒスト 
Masochist.</li>
<li>mazohizumu マゾヒズム 
Masochism.</li>
<li>mazo マゾ 
(either of the above)</li>
</ul>

 
Pretty much all sadist/masochist words can be used as na adjectives and sometimes just glued together to other words:
<ul>
<li>do-S onna ドS女 
do-S na onna ドSな女 
Sadistic woman.</li>
<li>do-M otoko ドM男 
do-M na otoko ドMな男 
Masochistic man.</li>
</ul>
 
The missing B/D, plus native Japanese counterparts: 
<ul>
<li>bondeeji ボンデージ 
Bondage. (BDSM lingo only) 
(in English, "bondage" also means to be owned as slave by someone, for example, "bondage in Egypt" may refer to the slaves who built the pyramids. This meaning isn't shared by the Japanese katakanization)</li>
<li>kousoku 拘束 
sokubaku 束縛 
Restraints. (used to bind people)</li>
<li>shibari 縛り 
The "tying up" of something. (from the verb shibaru 縛る, "to tie up.")</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>dhishipurin ディシプリン 
Discipline. (again, BDSM lingo)</li>
<li>fukujuu 服従 
Submission. Obedience.</li>
<li>shihai 支配 
Domination. Rule. Control. </li>
</ul>
The missing B/D, plus native Japanese counterparts:
 
And the staple vocabulary known by practically every S/M character ever in manga:
</div>

do-S - Meaning in Japanese + do-M |ドS,ドM

Before anything else, let's talk about S and M, or, rather,エス andエム, the katakanization of those letters. In Japanese, the letter "...

do ド Prefix - Meaning

<div>do ド is added before a word in Japanese. For example do-inaka ド田舎, do-mannaka ド真ん中, do-heta ド下手, and so on. But what does the prefix do mean in Japanese? 
 
Basically, it just adds emphasis. You can translate it as "very" or "super" or "hyper" or "mega" or "ultra" or "master" or "blaster," etc. However, note that do ド prefix isn't used the same way as "very" in English, that is, you don't (normally) say "very happy" by saying do-ureshii ド嬉しい. 
 
do ド prefix is found mostly in certain specific words. For example, inaka 田舎 means "countryside," so do-inaka ド田舎 would mean "super countryside." But that sounds stupid in English, so it'd probably be translated like the "boondocks" or whatever makes sense. 
 
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFfnsKmg6KtTWCwztie1pCgGmHVTRWFTEvlaZ71YjrS0T73xHUd532L87a7klN5EP4dAcQhIQeSKnTtyZr0zWsa17jVhiMGYxCghZFfEXSjsQmWSC7n9nWc0iYyscSyP_3b6RHnUoaEs/s1600/do-inaka-drifters.png"><img alt="doinaka ド田舎 written in the manga Drifters ドリフターズ in a map to Kyushu's Shimadzu" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFfnsKmg6KtTWCwztie1pCgGmHVTRWFTEvlaZ71YjrS0T73xHUd532L87a7klN5EP4dAcQhIQeSKnTtyZr0zWsa17jVhiMGYxCghZFfEXSjsQmWSC7n9nWc0iYyscSyP_3b6RHnUoaEs/s1600/do-inaka-drifters.png" title="Then Hokkaido is what?!"></a><a name="more"></a> 
Another example: heta 下手 means "unskilled" (written with <a></a><a></a>heta, and do-heta ド下手 would be "super-bad" or "awful" or "shit" or "you picking up a paintbrush desecrates the memory of the old masters" or "very bad," etc. 
 
If mannaka 真ん中 means "center," then do-mannaka ド真ん中 means at "the very center" or "right in the middle," etc. How you'd translate it doesn't matter The important thing is that it adds emphasis to the meaning. 
 
Note that while do ド is <a></a><a></a><a></a>do-heta ど下手. 
<h2>
Dirty Words</h2>
For certain words, a translation with an expletive in place of do ド often makes sense, even thought do ド isn't an expletive. For example: 
<ul>
<li>do-<a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/09/hentai-meaning.html">hentai</a> ド変態 
Fucking pervert.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/01/do-s-meaning.html">do-S ドS</a> 
Damn sadist.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/01/do-s-meaning.html">do-M ドM</a> 
Damn masochist.</li>
<li>do-sukebeドスケベ 
LIBERTINE!!!</li>
</ul>
<h2>
弩 Kanji</h2>
Instead, theド prefix is found mostly in certain specific words. For example,田舎 means "countryside," soド田舎 would mean "super countryside." But that sounds stupid in English, so it'd probably be translated like the "boondocks" or whatever makes sense.Another example:下手 means "unskilled" (written with <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/kanji-for-word.html">the kanji for</a> <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/03/directions-japanese-up-down-left-right-.html">"down"</a> and "hand") or something done "poorly (in skill)." So if someone draws "bad," you could say, andド下手 would be "super-bad" or "awful" or "shit" or "you picking up a paintbrush desecrates the memory of the old masters" or "very bad," etc.If真ん中 means "center," thenド真ん中 means at "the very center" or "right in the middle," etc. How you'd translate it doesn't matter The important thing is that it adds emphasis to the meaning.Note that whileド is <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/words-written-with-katakana.html">normally written with katakana</a> , and <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/words-without-kanji.html">does not have kanji</a> , it can sometimes be <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/words-written-with-hiragana.html">written with hiragana</a> instead:ど下手.For certain words, a translation with an expletive in place ofド often makes sense, even thoughtド isn't an expletive. For example:
It's not common, but sometimes, maybe because of aesthetics, the prefix do ド may be written with the kanji, like this: do 弩.

 

The meaning of the kanji is associated with bow-like weapons that sling projectiles at stuff. A reading of it is ishiyumi 弩, meaning "crossbow" or "slingshot."
<h3>
Origin</h3>
<a></a>do ド prefix is written with that kanji is a weird one.According to the Pixiv dictionary (entry: <a href="https://dic.pixiv.net/a/%E8%B6%85%E3%83%89%E7%B4%9A">超ド級</a> ), the reason why theド prefix is written with that kanji is a weird one.<h4>
A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far Far away</h4>
<a></a>doreddonooto ドレッドノート, is used instead.It starts in the 20th century, when the United Kingdom came with a new kind of battleship of its Royal Navy: the "Dreadnought." Obviously, dreadnought is not a Japanese word, it's an English one (I assume), so to write it in Japanese, its <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/katakanization-meaning.html">katakanization</a> ドレッドノート, is used instead.
 

Now, if you've ever played an online game or watched a movie that's set in space with space battles and stuff, I'm pretty sure you'll have realized by now that Dreadnought ship kind of got its name famous. Because a lot of other battleships (even sci-fi spaceships) started being called Dreadnoughts too. That's because of how impressive the Dreadnought was.

 

So ships that looked like the first Dreadnought got called Dreadnought in English, and doreddonooto-kyuuドレッドノート級 , Dreadnought-class," in Japanese.

 

Of course, since technology is always moving forward, it didn't take long for "Super-Dreadnoughts" to appears, or in Japanese: chou-doreddonooto-kyuu 超ドレッドノート級, "Super-Dreadnought-class."

 

Since both names are kind of long, they're normally abbreviated to do-kyuu ド級 and chou-do-kyuu 超ド級.
<h4>
More Kanji, Please</h4>
<a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/katakana-meaning.html">katakana</a> do ド sticks out like a sore thumb next to the <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/kanji-meaning.html">kanji</a>, it'd be better to write the whole word with kanji, but do ド is the abbreviation of a <a></a>kanji of its own. What do?In the abbreviations above, theド sticks out like a sore thumb next to the, it'd be better to write the whole word with, butド is the abbreviation of a <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/loan-words.html">loan-word</a> , so it doesn't have anyof its own. What do?
 
<a></a>kanji was do 弩. So it doesn't matter a whole lot that this kanji means "crossbow" or "slingshot," because it wasn't chosen by its meaning.The solution to this was just <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/ateji-meaning.html">picking a random kanji which could be read like that without caring much for the kanji's meaning</a> , and thatwas弩. So it doesn't matter a whole lot that thismeans "crossbow" or "slingshot," because it wasn't chosen by its meaning.
 

With this you could write the words as dokyuu 弩級, "Dreadnought," and choudokyuu 超弩級, "Super-dreadnought."
<h4>
These Two Things Have Basically Nothing To Do With Each Other</h4>

Now you might be thinking that maybe the prefix do ド we've been talking about came from the English word "Dreadnought" because do ド means "very" and Dreadnoughts were considered to be "impressive." But that'd be wrong.

 

Literally the only relation one thing has to the other is that someone saw that dokyuu ド級 could be written as dokyuu 弩級 and figured: why not write do-esu ドS as do-esu 弩S then?!

 

That's just it. They are not the same thing at all. The do ド prefix even existed in Japanese words before 1900, so it's not possible that it cam from the word Dreadnought of the battleships created in 1900.

Sometimes, the syllableド is added before a word in Japanese. For exampleド田舎,ド真ん中,ド下手, and so on. But what does the prefixmean in Japanese?Basically, it just adds emphasis. You can translate it as "very" or "super" or "hyper" or "mega" or "ultra"etc. However, note thatド prefix isn't used the same way as "very" in English, that is, you don't (normally) say "very happy" by sayingド嬉しい.</div>

do ド Prefix - Meaning

do ド is added before a word in Japanese. For example do-inaka ド田舎, do-mannaka ド真ん中, do-heta ド下手, and so on. But what does the prefix do ...

Types of Otaku

<div><a></a><a></a><a></a>ota オタ, refer not only to anime enthusiasts but also pretty much every sort of enthusiast, hobbyist, nerd, or pretty much any weirdo with some sort of odd interest, knowledge and passion about anything. 
 
Thus, here's a list of types of otaku in Japanese and their respective meanings in English: 
<a name="more"></a><h2>
Entertainment Otaku</h2>
<h3>
Media</h3>
anime otaku アニメオタク 
anime wotaku アニメヲタク 
anime-ota アニメオタ 
anime-wota アニメヲタ 
aniota アニオタ 
aniwota アニヲタ 
"Anime otaku." Likes anime. 
(note: you can replace otaku with wotaku, ota, or wota in basically all words below, but I'm not going to write all of them like I did here because it's too repetitive.) 
 
manga otaku 漫画オタク 
"Manga otaku." Likes manga. 
 
komikku otaku コミックオタク 
"Comics otaku." Same thing as manga otaku. 
 
anime kyara otaku アニメキャラオタク 
"Anime character otaku." Likes anime characters. 
 

geemu otaku ゲームオタク 
"Game otaku." A gamer. Who plays games. As in, computer games. Video-games. Console games. Handheld games. There's literally an anime about this called Gamers. 
 
dorama otaku ドラマオタク 
"Drama otaku." Who enjoys dramas. 
(this is the kind that likes TV series, not the kind that is an attention whore)
<h3>
Merch</h3>
figyua otaku フィギュアオタク 
"Figure otaku." A figurine otaku. Collects dolls *cough* action figures. 
 
meka otaku メカオタク 
"Mecha otaku." Likes mechas. Probably has a bunch of robot toys. 
<h3>
People</h3>
kosupure otaku コスプレオタク 
"Cosplay otaku." Likes to dress up as the characters. 
 
seiyuu otaku 声優オタク 
"Voice-actor otaku." Fan of the actors voicing the characters. Has a couple of favorites. Watches anime because of the voice actors. Posts on episode threads about how much they like someone's voice. Unlike most otaku, these actually know the voice actors' names. 
 
aidoru otaku アイドルオタク 
"Idol otaku." Likes idols (mostly singers worshiped by fanatical cults of otaku). 
 
eekeebii otaku AKBオタク 
"AKB otaku." Likes AKB48, a certain idol group. 
<h3>
Not Actually Otaku</h3>
<a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2016/08/fujoshi-meaning.html">fujoshi 腐女子</a> 
"Rotten girl" A girl with <a></a> fantasies. Not necessarily an otaku, but often is. 
<h3>
Regional</h3>
nihon otaku 日本オタク 
"Japan otaku." An otaku who is... NOT ACTUALLY JAPANESE. This word means weaboo in Japanese. Seriously. Weeb. An otaku for Japan stuff. Kimono-donning, katana-wielding, sushi-eating, yakisoba-slurping, anime-watching, desu-speaking <a></a> 
(also called nihon-kabure 日本かぶれ) 
 
oubei otaku 欧米オタク 
"Europe and America otaku." Europe and America is usually synonymous with the "west," so "west otaku." In other words, it means westaboo in Japanese. 
(also called oubei-kabure 欧米かぶれ) 
 
disunii otaku ディズニーオタク 
"Disney otaku." Likes Mickey Mouse and other Disney stuff. 
<h2>
Virtually Everything Else</h2>
日本オタク"Japan otaku." An otaku who is... NOT ACTUALLY JAPANESE. This word means weaboo in Japanese. Seriously. Weeb. An otaku for Japan stuff. Kimono-donning, katana-wielding, sushi-eating, yakisoba-slurping, anime-watching,-speaking <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/11/gaijin-meaning.html">gaijin</a> (also called日本かぶれ)欧米オタク"Europe and America otaku." Europe and America is usually synonymous with the "west," so "west otaku." In other words, it means westaboo in Japanese.(also called欧米かぶれ)ディズニーオタク"Disney otaku." Likes Mickey Mouse and other Disney stuff.<h3>
Appearance</h3>
kimo-ota キモオタ 
kimo-wota キモヲタ 
"Disgusting otaku." Stereotypical kimochiwarui 気持ち悪い otaku. Typically the hikikomori neet dakimakura-owner basement-dweller drooling over their figurine collection watching anime 24/7 communicating only to 4chan 2chan trolls subsisting on ramen noodles and peeing inside pet bottles type of otaku. Or something like that. 
 
onna otaku 女オタク 
"Female otaku." Literally any otaku who is also a woman. 
 
megane otaku メガネオタク 
"Glasses otaku." The nerdiest stereotype that transcends the barrier of the language. 
<h3>
Knowledge</h3>

tetsudou otaku 鉄道オタク

tetsu-ota 鉄オタ 
tetsu wota 鉄ヲタ 
"Railway otaku." Likes railways and probably trains too. 
 
densha otaku 電車オタク 
"Electric train otaku." Likes trains. 
 
kuruma otaku 車オタク 
"Car otaku." Likes cars. 
 
juu otaku 銃オタク 
"Gun otaku." Likes guns.
 
rekishi otaku 歴史オタク 
"History otaku." Likes history. 
 
sangokushi otaku 三国志オタク 
"Three Kingdoms otaku." Likes... the Three Kingdoms. A piece of Chinese history. A time when China was divided into three states, ruled by three kings emperors, there weren't actually any kings. And there generals and stuff. 
 
pasokon otaku パサコンオタク 
compyuuta otaku コンピュータオタク 
"PC otaku." "Computer otaku." Likes computers. Probably works in IT. Probably has to fix their family and friends computers for free. 
<h3>
Activities</h3>

yakyuu otaku 野球オタク 
"Baseball otaku." Likes baseball. 
(knows about baseball, baseball fan, doesn't necessarily plays it, though probably does) 
 
kamera otaku カメラオタク 
"Camera otaku." Likes taking photos (with an actual camera, not with their phone). 

 
ongaku otaku 音楽オタク 
"Music otaku." Likes music.

 
baiku otaku バイクオタク 
"Bike otaku." Likes biking. Seriously. 
 
tozan otaku 登山オタク 
"Mountain-climbing otaku." TAKE A GUESS.カメラオタク"Camera otaku." Likes taking photos (with an actual camera, not with their phone).バイクオタク"Bike otaku." Likes biking. Seriously.登山オタク"Mountain-climbing otaku." TAKE A GUESS.<h3>
Lifestyle</h3>
kankyou otaku 環境オタク 
"Environment otaku." Likes the environment (nature). Knows facts and figures about pollution. Recycles. Etc. 
 
kenkou otaku 健康オタク 
"Health otaku." Likes... health? Probably has a healthy diet. Doesn't smoke. Exercises. 
 
kintore otaku 筋トレオタク 
"Muscle-training otaku." Likes... muscle-training. Probably lives in the gym. Talks about gains. 
<h3>
Other</h3>
neko otaku 猫オタク 
"Cat otaku." Seriously? Cat otaku? This is it. You can just put literally anything before otaku and it turns into a type of otaku.歴史オタク"History otaku." Likes history.三国志オタク"Three Kingdoms otaku." Likes... the Three Kingdoms. A piece of Chinese history. A time when China was divided into three states, ruled by threeemperors, there weren't actually any kings. And there generals and stuff.パサコンオタクコンピュータオタク"PC otaku." "Computer otaku." Likes computers. Probably works in IT. Probably has to fix their family and friends computers for free.環境オタク"Environment otaku." Likes the environment (nature). Knows facts and figures about pollution. Recycles. Etc.健康オタク"Health otaku." Likes... health? Probably has a healthy diet. Doesn't smoke. Exercises.筋トレオタク"Muscle-training otaku." Likes... muscle-training. Probably lives in the gym. Talks about gains.猫オタク"Cat otaku." Seriously? Cat otaku? This is it. You can just put literally anything before otaku and it turns into a type of otaku.キモオタキモヲタ"Disgusting otaku." Stereotypical気持ち悪い. Typically the hikikomori neet dakimakura-owner basement-dweller drooling over their figurine collection watching anime 24/7 communicating only to2chan trolls subsisting on ramen noodles and peeing inside pet bottles type of. Or something like that.女オタク"Female otaku." Literally any otaku who is also a woman.メガネオタク"Glasses otaku." The nerdiest stereotype that transcends the barrier of the language.
In Japanese, the term <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2016/07/otaku-otome-meaning.html">otaku オタク</a> <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/01/wotaku-meaning.html">wotaku ヲタク</a> , and the abbreviations <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/01/wota-meaning.html">wota ヲタ</a> andオタ, refer not only to anime enthusiasts but also pretty much every sort of enthusiast, hobbyist, nerd, or pretty much any weirdo with some sort of odd interest, knowledge and passion about anything.Thus, here's a list of types ofin Japanese and their respective meanings in English:アニメオタクアニメヲタクアニメオタアニメヲタアニオタアニヲタ"Anime otaku." Likes anime.(note: you can replacewith, orin basically all words below, but I'm not going to write all of them like I did here because it's too repetitive.)漫画オタク"Manga otaku." Likes manga.コミックオタク"Comics otaku." Same thing as manga otaku.アニメキャラオタク"Anime character otaku." Likes anime characters.フィギュアオタク"Figure otaku." A figurine otaku. Collects*cough* action figures.メカオタク"Mecha otaku." Likes mechas. Probably has a bunch of robot toys.コスプレオタク"Cosplay otaku." Likes to dress up as the characters.声優オタク"Voice-actor otaku." Fan of the actors voicing the characters. Has a couple of favorites. Watches anime because of the voice actors. Posts on episode threads about how much they like someone's voice. Unlike most otaku, these actually know the voice actors' names.アイドルオタク"Idol otaku." Likes idols (mostly singers worshiped by fanatical cults of otaku).AKBオタク"AKB otaku." Likes AKB48, a certain idol group."Rotten girl" A girl with <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/09/BL-meaning.html">BL</a> fantasies. Not necessarily an otaku, but often is.</div>

Types of Otaku

ota オタ, refer not only to anime enthusiasts but also pretty much every sort of enthusiast, hobbyist, nerd, or pretty much any weirdo with s...

Guide: Where to buy Japanese Manga and Books

<div> 
 If you’re living in Europe, it may seem difficult to buy Japanese manga and books. You don’t have any shops that sell the stuff you want and when they do, it’s so overpriced that you decide not to buy anything after all. But you really would love to do so because Japanese books and manga are just plain awesome.
Want to order clothing and other goods from Japan?  – <a href="http://japanesetease.net/ultimate-guide-buying-japan/">Check my guide</a> with more awesome resources for everything that is not printed on paper.
You’re still reading, which means that we’re on the same page here. We both love Japanese stuff and just need a valid source with reasonable prices to buy all the printed goodness we ever wanted. Here comes the ultimate solution:
<h3>Cdjapan – English friendly with Japanese prices</h3>
Many readers did complain that honto didn’t accept their credit cards (mainly problems with Visa) or just canceled their order. I recently discovered <a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/8U21aEwn3lw/4756/A148868/?_xbid=CDJapan+General+Banner">cdjapan.co.jp</a> again, a very reliable shop for Japanese books, video games, cds & dvds. Their prices on books are exactly the same as on honto.jp and you don’t have to pay the Japanese taxes when shipping outside of Japan which is extra sweet. They also have a nice points system which rewards you for being being a loyal customer. You can even pay with payal for all the people who don’t own a credit card (or for me who loves it for the simplicity).
But what’s most important is that everything is in English, the shipping options are vast (including cheap SAL) and you can even add a Japanese video game or CD to your order. The only thing I always missed at honto, not being able to sneak in a game with my book order.
Shipping to Europe, Germany takes around 2 weeks via SAL.
I started using <a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/8U21aEwn3lw/4756/A148868/?_xbid=CDJapan+General+Banner%22%20target=%22_blank">cdjapan</a> again because you can check the shipping rates at checkout and sneak in a video game to your order. Another important factor is that magazines and limited edition manga (which contain some extra goods like Drama Cds or a Dvd) are sold out fast at honto.jp. In most cases cdjapan still has some in stock.
If you want to support Japanese Tease click on the button below or the links above. These are affiliate links and will earn the site a small percentage from your order. Thanks a lot for this, it really helps to support the site.
<a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/8U21aEwn3lw/4756/A148868/index.html?_xbid=logo234x60" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img alt="1_General CDJapan" border="0" src="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/banners/1_General/logo234x60.gif"></a>
13.05.2017 Update:
Even more than three years after updating this article and nearly four years after writing it, CDjapan is still the way to go for ordering books and magazines from Japan. I’ve used them countless times over the years and was never disappointed. Because many readers asked this over Twitter, Mail and in the comments: Shipping to Germany takes around two weeks give or take using SAL. I’ve yet to get into trouble with customs but so far none of my orders was fished out and I’ve nearly always ordered well above the magical 100€ mark for books.
For my German readers (might be the same for all European readers): There is only 7% tax on printed matters and you only have to pay taxes after reaching a tax total of 5€ (give or take here as well) fr your order. So – happy book shopping from Japan.
07.03.2014 Update:
I’ve ordered quite a lot of stuff from cdjapan over the past months. Be it the <a href="http://japanesetease.net/yotsuba-calendar-2014/">よつばとcalendar</a> or my latest shipment with <a href="http://japanesetease.net/ollie-mag-bape-2014-ss-emook-nail-venus/">some Japanese magazines</a>. The stuff was always perfectly wrapped and securely shipped. Shipping times with SAL were the same as with honto and even their service is on par. Here are two pictures how the stuff is packed by cdjapan. Manga get bundled (many 4/5) and then wrapped as a whole in bubble wrap.
<img alt="nigo pharrell ollie magazine" border="0" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4246" height="800" src="http://japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/nigo-pharrell-ollie-magazine.jpg" width="1200">
<img alt="nigo pharrell ollie magazine-2" border="0" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4233" height="800" src="http://japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/nigo-pharrell-ollie-magazine-2.jpg" width="1200">

<h3>Honto.jp ships internationally as well</h3>
With a little trick which I’ll explain in a wiffy. The good thing about honto is their fst selection in general and their option to <a href="http://japanesetease.net/download-digital-manga-japanese/">download Japanese manga and books digitally</a>. Shipping costs which will be determinded after! ordering. You can choose which shipping speed to use and you will get an Email with the total you’re charged when the package is ready for dispatch. I always use SAL which is best explained by the Japanese Post itself. It results in something like 2 weeks for the delivery from Japan to Germany and probably Europe in general. Until now, I made 9 orders in total and none came in later than 2 weeks after dispatch.
Concering shipping costs. A rough estimate is: 4 volumes of よつばと！,or any other medium sized manga, costs 1300¥. Not a bad deal, if you ask me. But don’t worry too much about shipping costs. Like I said, I already ordered acouple of books there. Mostly kinda big packages and for none I was charged more than 3000¥. And one was a big order with several (heavy) fashion books for my girlfriend.
<h3>How to signup for honto.jp?</h3>
I thought about doing a guide myself but there is already <a href="http://kaizora.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/how-to-signup-for-honto/">a perfect one</a> out there which explains everything in great detail. It will make the registering process a breeze for you. You will need a Credit Card but that shouldn’t be a problem. If you don’t have one – get one. You can save a lot when ordering directly from Japanese shops, avoiding the middleman. But you will nearly always need a CC for this.
<h3>What are these points for and how can I use them?</h3>
Like nearly every Japanese store, honto.jp is offering a frequent customer model. Depending on the value of your purchase you get a certain amount of points (or 得点) when your order is shipped. Each point equals 1 ¥. You can decide to use your points when you checkout your order but this is well explained in the guide as well.
<img alt="banner_tsukaitaoshi_m" border="0" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3286" height="130" src="http://japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/banner_tsukaitaoshi_m.jpg" width="520">
Normally you’ll only get a few points for each book but honto is nearly always hosting a special event which will double your points or give you 1000 points for a 10,000¥ order. Each event is announced with a big banner on the starting page so you can’t miss it.
<h3>Which manga and books should I pick up and how do I know how they look in reality?</h3>
That’s a tough one. I love browsing through book-stores. It’s just great to check out which selection of books are on display, to check the paper and binding and everything that makes a good book so special. I tried to recreate the feeling with my small section of <a href="http://japanesetease.net/category/books/">Japanese books</a> but I’ve been slacking the last few weeks. You sure know where to find some <a href="http://japanesetease.net/easy-to-read-manga-for-japanese-beginners-vol-01/">easy Japanese manga</a> and pictures of them but if you want to check out the more recent stuff (especially 少年) then head over to Reading Japanese Manga (defunct). A nice blog from a guy about his (frequent) manga orders.
Update: I made a nice searcheable list with all manga titles I featured on this site. It’s conveniently called <a href="http://japanesetease.net/manga-index/">Japanese Manga Index</a>.
<a href="http://japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/20130808-094714.jpg"><img alt="20130808-094714.jpg" border="0" class="alignnone size-full" src="http://japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/20130808-094714.jpg"></a>
Sorry for the bad picture but it was the only one I was able to find. That’s how honto ships small orders. It doesn’t really look like it but the books are very well protected in there. Never experienced anything like this and I order a lot of stuff from abroad. I will do some proper pictures when my next order arrives.

Hope my post was helpful to you. Please drop a line in the comments and let me know how it went with the singup. Don’t be shy and share what you put in your first order.
 
 </div>

Guide: Where to buy Japanese Manga and Books

If you’re living in Europe, it may seem difficult to buy Japanese manga and books. You don’t have any shop...

My guide to self-studying Japanese

<div> 
 It’s time to contribute my little share to all the websites out there telling you how to learn Japanese, which textbooks to buy and which resources to use. I’m just a beginner myself but tried a lot of stuff, gave up twice and then started again with a different approach. There are a couple of things I want to make clear from the beginning which really got on my nerves reading different blogs trying to teach you how to learn Japanese – There are multiple ways to achieve your goal – There are many different sources which offer great ways to learn Japanese – If you like something, stick with it – I’m nowhere near the point where I would say that the stuff I’m doing and using for my Japanese studies is the perfect way to go. But it’s the right stuff for me and maybe for you too. Just some friendly tips from one Nerd to another which may save you a lot of time and money!
Revisited: 24.12.2013 I thought the time was right to update this page a little. Since then the ways and tools which I use to learn Japanese have changed and why not share the good stuff with you.
Revisited: 20.08.2014 It’s a time again for a little update. Included <a href="http://japanesetease.net/japanesepod101-give-your-listening-comprehension-a-boost/">Japanesepod101</a> and <a id="amznPsBmLink_1381747" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" href="http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Manga-Way-Illustrated-Structure/dp/1880656906/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=japateas-20&linkId=a09240294b374e622247841960fc6d20&linkCode=ktl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Japanese the manga way</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_1381747" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=japateas-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=a09240294b374e622247841960fc6d20&_cb=1431563027679" width="0">. Will re-structure the article and give you my personal laid out plan how I would start learning Japanese.
Revisited: 13.02.2015 Small update to the layout. Added my favorite Japanese dictionary App.
Revisited: 29.09.2015 Added a section on productivity and how to stay motivated for long term learning (and with this, success).
Revisited: 16.08.2017 Added a study routine.
If you buy the books through my links, I’ll get a small referral fee which will be used to buy even more awesome books for review.
In the beginning it’s always comfortable when you have a list you can go through. A numerical one at best with all the steps you should take in an orderly fashion. The tips in this posts aren’t random but for a beginner it may be a little confusing with what to start nonetheless. That’s why I decided to break my Japanese learning process down. Let’s begin:
<h4>1. Learn Hiragana and Katakana</h4>
The two Japanese syllabaries are essential for every book and tool in this list. Hiragana is used for everything that’s not written in  Kanji (the complex Chinese characters), Katakana on the other hand is used for “imported” English words or when Japanese want to stylise a word. I found the <a href="http://drmoku.com/">Dr. Moku Apps</a> the absolute best for this purpose. It’s available for iOS, Android and on your Desktop so there should be a way for everyone to learn from the Doctor. If you prefer a physical version you should <a id="amznPsBmLink_5816315" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" href="http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Kanji-Flashcards-Series-Edition/dp/0984334904/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=japateas-20&linkId=3e17b0f5e4552076c80a1373927d0181&linkCode=ktl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">check out these here</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5816315" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=japateas-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=3e17b0f5e4552076c80a1373927d0181&_cb=1439903701776" width="0">.

<h4>2. Get a textbook. My favorite: Genki (second edition with a lovely MP3 CD)</h4>
Awesome textbook which teaches you the basics of Japanese grammar in two volumes and 25 lessons . Everything is very well explained with lots of example sentences, recurring characters who take part in various short stories and the exact right amount of vocabulary for each section. The MP3 Cd contains the text and vocabulary read out loud which is crucial to work on your listening comprehension in an early stage. It won’t get more easy when you wait with this step, trust me. There is also a corresponding workbook available but there is more than enough stuff to practice within the main book itself.
Still, I got both <a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/PytJTGW7Lok/4756/A148868/product%2FNEOBK-929369">workbooks</a> and went through them as well. Each one is accompanied with an MP3 Cd (in the same manner like the main textbook) which contains all the text and dialogue spoken by a native speaker. If you got both down and the main books, basic Japanese grammar shouldn’t be a hurdle for you anymore. To sum it up, you don’t need the workbooks but some extra practice never hurts, right. Your call.
Forget <a href="http://japanesetease.net/review-minna-no-nihongo/">Minna no nihongo</a> and all the other books which are just crappy for self learners. Genki is the real deal. Don’t forget to buy the answer key which contains every answer for both work- and textbook for Genki I & II in one single volume.
Buy the book: <a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/PytJTGW7Lok/4756/A148868/product%2FNEOBK-929367">Genki I </a>& <a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/PytJTGW7Lok/4756/A148868/product%2FNEOBK-1030715">Genki II</a> // <a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/PytJTGW7Lok/4756/A148868/product%2FNEOBK-1030710">Answer Key</a> (crucial!)// <a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/PytJTGW7Lok/4756/A148868/product%2FNEOBK-929369">Workbook I</a> & <a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/PytJTGW7Lok/4756/A148868/product%2FNEOBK-1030691">Workbook II</a> 
<a href="http://shop.whiterabbitjapan.com/products/genki-i-an-integrated-course-in-elementary-japanese-a-second-edition?rfsn=27572.9913d">WRJ</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_6619873" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=japateas-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=efc26a85a8501896a94500a0aea2a15c&_cb=1443540352847" width="0"><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3182810" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=japateas-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=d37ab9e68f3a05e830231acc0c1740c4&_cb=1439903662165" width="0"> has it also in store. If you include the shipping costs from Japan, it’s not such a bad deal even if it’s more expensive. And I got the feeling you might want to get the textbooks as fast as possible.
There is also a pretty <a href="http://www.japanesetease.net/trouble-find-right-tense-genki-conjugation-cards-app-will-help/">neat iOS App</a> available which let’s you train conjugations. Trust me on this one – just get it while studying the mighty Genki textbooks.
<img alt="Genki Volume 1&2" border="0" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2904" height="800" src="http://japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Genki-Volume-12.jpg" width="1200">
<img alt="how to learn japanese-2" border="0" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4206" height="800" src="http://japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/how-to-learn-japanese-2.jpg" width="1200">
<h4>3. Get this dictionary for Japanese grammar</h4>
There will come the situation when you’re reading something and can’t make sense of a grammatical term. You’re trying to look it up in Genki but with no success. Tae Kim can’t give you a solid explanation either. But fear not, there is a great tool to help you in these moments. The dictionaries of Japanese grammar. It’s a series of three books published by the Japan Times (like Genki) with a beautiful layout and really well written explanations with lots of example sentences. There is a reason why these three books are used by Japanese teaching universities all around the globe.
I’ve already written a more in-depth post about the first <a title="dictionary of basic Japanese grammar" href="http://japanesetease.net/dictionary-basic-japanese-grammar/">dictionary of basic Japanese grammar</a> with a couple of pictures. Just have a look and decide for yourself if you could need one of these. For me it’s the best thing that happened to me after Genki and a steady partner on my night table.
<ul>
<li>Buy A dictionary of basic Japanese grammar from <a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/PytJTGW7Lok/4756/A148868/product%2FNEOBK-1331589">CDjapan</a></li>
</ul>
<img alt="dictionary of basic japanese grammar japan times" border="0" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-7138" height="800" src="http://japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/dictionary-of-basic-japanese-grammar-japan-times.jpg" width="1200">
<img alt="20131215-DSC_0103" border="0" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5435" height="800" src="http://japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/20131215-DSC_0103.jpg" width="1200">
<h4>4. Give your listening comprehension a boost and learn some sentence structures with Japanesepod101</h4>
When I signed up for TextFugu a long while back I also got a coupon for <a href="http://www.japanesepod101.com/member/go.php?r=571147&amp">Japanesepod101</a>. Heard a lot about the program before but never really considered subscribing because the whole site looked a bit “sketchy” to me. They just tried a little too hard to sell their stuff. But I thought to myself “if the tofugu team recommends something, it has to be good”. And it was the right decision.
Before Japanesepod I even struggled with the most basic sentences in Japanese. My listening comprehension was really crap. But thanks to this little podcast it got a lot better. It’s even incredibly useful to learn some grammar on the way with example sentences and explanations right away. Every episode has a little story up front which contains a specific grammar point. After that a native speaker and the host Peter Gallante are talking about the story, make some jokes, explain and just have a very well thought out discussion. Honestly, I’m always amazed how they make their episodes so poignant and casually at the same time. Kudos.
I really love listening to Podcasts on the go and if you do so as well you may know the feeling you get over time. Like you really know these people who you’re listening to regularly. Just like a bunch of old friends you like to hang out with and chat. I get that feeling when listening to Japanesepod as well which should tell you how much I enjoy the cast.
When I first started with Japanese I completely neglected any listening comprehension. Which was a big mistake. You’ll never be able to really understand a language if you’re not used to the “flow”, the rhythm of that language. At least it was an immense game changer for me.
Just head to their <a href="http://www.japanesepod101.com/member/go.php?r=571147&amp">website</a> and give it a try or read my more in-depth <a href="http://japanesetease.net/japanesepod101-give-your-listening-comprehension-a-boost/">review of Japanesepod101</a> if you want to learn more about their service first.
Japanesepod is sending me some coupons from time to time and I thought it would be a good idea to update the post with the new ones.
Coupon Codes August 2017 (links attached) 
<a href="https://www.japanesepod101.com/member/go.php?r=571147&l=uggcf%3A%2F%2Fjjj.wncnarfrcbq101.pbz%2Fzrzore%2Fzrzore_hcarjncv.cuc%3Fpbhcba%3D750ZVYYVBA_CYHF">30% OFF Premium PLUS</a> 
<a href="https://www.japanesepod101.com/member/go.php?r=571147&l=uggcf%3A%2F%2Fjjj.wncnarfrcbq101.pbz%2Fzrzore%2Fzrzore_hcarjncv.cuc%3Fpbhcba%3D750ZVYYVBA_C">25% OFF Premium</a> 
<a href="https://www.japanesepod101.com/member/go.php?r=571147&l=uggcf%3A%2F%2Fjjj.wncnarfrcbq101.pbz%2Fzrzore%2Fzrzore_hcarjncv.cuc%3Fpbhcba%3D750ZVYYVBA_O">15% OFF Basic</a>
<ul>
<li>Subscribe <a href="https://www.japanesepod101.com/member/go.php?r=571147&l=uggcf%3A%2F%2Fjjj.wncnarfrcbq101.pbz%2Fzrzore%2Fzrzore_hcarjncv.cuc%3Fpbhcba%3D750ZVYYVBA_CYHF">here</a> (coupon code already applied!)</li>
</ul>
<img alt="_-3" border="0" class="aligncenter wp-image-5340 size-full" height="800" src="http://japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/3.jpg" width="1200">
<h3>Recommended study routine: </h3>
<ul>
<li>After learning Hiragana & Katakana start with Genki I. I don’t think its the best idea to write your own flashcards for vocab so I would opt for a different route right away: <a href="http://japanesetease.net/learn-tons-new-japanese-words-context-iknow-jp/">iKnow</a>. You train your reading ability and learn Japanese words in context. There is no better way (at least for me).</li>
</ul>
The program itself is not included in this list and that’s for a reason. I had to decide between two time consuming SRS programs. Wanikani (just look below for a detailed explanation) and iKnow. The latter one is great for vocab but not essential so I opted for WK instead. 
<ul>
<li>Join Japanesepod101 and start with Newbie Season 1. Use it alongside Genki but don’t try to find the same grammar points in both the podcast and the book. Just let it flow and learn from both. The beauty of this method is that you’ll eventually encounter already learned grammar points again, get a second explanation and make them really stick.</li>
</ul>
<h3>You want to read manga in Japanese? Get this book.</h3>
Not really a necessity but – If you like to read manga in Japanese or want to get to that level where you can enjoy your favorite series in Japanese – buy this book. It’s really the best thing you can buy. Don’t confuse it with Japanese in Mangaland. This one here teaches real written Japanese using different scenes from popular manga as examples. A little like the column which once ran in the now defunct <a href="http://japanesetease.net/wanna-read-manga-japanese-try-mangajin/">Mangajin magazine</a> if some of you remember. You’ll learn a lot of useful grammatical stuff you really don’t get teached in regular textbooks. If you want to read manga – tries this book here. It helped me immensely in understanding some of the more obscure sentence enders and terms.
If you work through this book I guarantee you that you’ll at least have the grammatical foundation to comfortably read manga in Japanese. Yes, it’s that awesome. Japanese Tease reader Chris recommended it to me on twitter a while ago and I’m really glad he did. Worked my way through the book and reading Japanese got a lot more easy for me afterwards. All these strange sentence enders and variations I couldn’t place anywhere were described in this book. Or at least a good part of em’. Even when <a href="http://japanesetease.net/learn-japanese-anime/">watching Anime to learn Japanese</a> you’ll notice that this book here is essential. The slang remains the same not matter if you watch the shows or read the manga.
Buy Japanese the manga way at <a id="amznPsBmLink_2087765" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" href="http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Manga-Way-Illustrated-Structure/dp/1880656906/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=japateas-20&linkId=4249f26cc89fcac0a8a2b86021eb24c6&linkCode=ktl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Amazon.com</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_2087765" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=japateas-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=4249f26cc89fcac0a8a2b86021eb24c6&_cb=1431563067243" width="0">
<img alt="japanese the manga way" border="0" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5036" height="800" src="http://japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/japanese-the-manga-way.jpg" width="1200">
<img alt="japanese the manga way-4" border="0" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5032" height="800" src="http://japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/japanese-the-manga-way-4.jpg" width="1200">
<img alt="japanese the manga way-5" border="0" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5033" height="800" src="http://japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/japanese-the-manga-way-5.jpg" width="1200">
<h4>5. Start learning the Kanji and tons of vocab with WaniKani</h4>
I’ve already written a post about <a href="http://japanesetease.net/getting-back-learning-japanese-wanikani/">getting back to learning Japanese with WaniKani</a> but it just had to be included here. I always wanted to write a blog where article that matter were updated when the time was right and that’s exactly what I’m doing now. WaniKani is great. Even if you’re just making your first steps in trying to learn Japanese, learn hiragana & katakana and make yourself a <a href="http://www.wanikani.com">WaniKani</a> account. It starts from scratch and is a great alternativ to Heisig. It’s actually the one I prefer nowadays. JT reader <a href="https://twitter.com/Kendawg_McRad">NinKenDo</a> pointed out that he is actually using WaniKani in conjunction with Heisig. So that’s also an alternative. If you want to know more about WaniKani and it’s immense benefits, just read the above linked post to the original article. But in short: You’ll learn the Kanji, learn tons of vocabulary and meet great people in the community. The best thing I did for my Japanese studies was signing up with WK. Hands down.
To make studying with WaniKani even more easy  I compiled <a href="http://japanesetease.net/favorite-wanikani-extensions-sites-really-use/">a list with the extensions</a> I use with the site to make things a little faster and more efficient. Safari is normally my go to browser but specifically for WK I switch to Chrome just for the sake of using all these little helpers.
<a id="amznPsBmLink_9109968" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" href="http://www.amazon.com/Remembering-Kanji-Complete-Japanese-Characters/dp/0824835921/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=japateas-20&linkId=355d7575560607db40a28ed05d45d597&linkCode=ktl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Heisig: Remembering the Kanji</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_9109968" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=japateas-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=355d7575560607db40a28ed05d45d597&_cb=1440768870545" width="0"> – Before WaniKani came around this was the ultimate way to learn the Kanji. The key was to brake down the Chinese characters in small parts called primitives. Out of these you make up a story that will help you memorize the meaning of each Kanji. If you got a meaning down for each Kanji you can advance to learning the different meanings.
<img alt="how to learn japanese-4" border="0" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4208" height="800" src="http://japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/how-to-learn-japanese-4.jpg" width="1200">

When someone asked me how he should start to learn Japanese as a self learner these were the tips I would give him. But there is a lot of other stuff out there which is great as well. Let’s start with a classics. The infamous online Japanese textbook.
<h4>Tae Kim’s Grammar Guide</h4>
If you want another shot at Japanese grammar or want to read more about a certain topic<a href="http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/"> Tae Kim’s grammar guide</a> is my go to place. It’s free, it’s awesome and very well explained. Good stuff for beginners who like a more casual and natural approach towards grammar and always a great complement to Genki. Some are even using solely Tae Kim for their grammar needs but I wouldn’t recommend that. Not because his site isn’t great (it is) I just think that it’s a little confusing at the beginning and a little vague with his explanations sometimes as well. If you already have a foundation in Japanese you’ll greatly profit from the many example sentences and small grammatical nuances Tae Kim explains so well. If you don’t have a certain background you’ll probably feel the same I felt back then. Not being able to see the forest among all the trees.
There is a also a <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/learning-japanese/id377785100?mt=8">free IOS Version</a> of the guide which is really well made – and free. A no brainer if you have a fitting device. I actually bought the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1495238962/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1495238962&linkCode=as2&tag=japateas-20&linkId=WYWMUJJ55TG65J7Z">printed version</a> as well but am not that keen about it. Maybe because the App is just too good to be true. And free, did I mention that?
<h4>Get a Japanese dictionary for you mobile phone and tablet.</h4>
No matter if you’re using Android or iOS there are many different Japanese dictionary Apps available and they are more or less all offering the same. At least they’re all referring to the same database of words. So in the end it’s a matter of preference which one you like to use. Or rather a matter of style. I tried out a couple of different ones but stuck with <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/de/app/midori-japanese-dictionary/id385231773?mt=8">Midori</a> and am using it now for a couple of years. I really like that the App is already searching for the word while I’m typing. Makes finding words where you only know the Kanji and you’re not quite sure about the exact reading a lot more easy. There are a lot more bells and whistles to this App but I’m using none of them. Built in list to which you can add your words, Kanji and vocab after JLPT and so on. In this regard all the dictionary Apps are more or less the same and in the end (again) it’s just  comes down to which interface you like best.
<a href="http://www.imiwaapp.com">Imiwa</a> has been mentioned in the comments and I tried it myself. Nothing wrong with this App either. There is even the functionality to change the language to German or French or Spanish. But not all Japanese words included in the dictionary are available in all translations and some may still be shown with an English translation. It’s free and a great alternative to Midori (which costs a hefty 10$). Download it and try it for yourself.

<h3>Reading material</h3>
Learning Japanese is a journey that never seems to end. At least for me it doesn’t. Luckily there is a vast market of neat books and programs out there which make studying the language a joy to do so. I’ve written some articles about nearly all the books I’ve used up to now and always aim to give you a personal feel for the books with the pictures I’m taking. Hope that works. Some stuff which I love to recommend to nearly all stages of learners are the <a href="http://japanesetease.net/japanese-graded-readers/">Japanese Graded Readers</a> books. Available from super easy to intermediate. They come in attractive little boxes, each story in a separate booklet, but have a look yourself.
<a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/PytJTGW7Lok/4756/A148868/products?term.media_format=&q=japanese+graded+readers%22%20target=%22_blank">Japanese Graded Readers</a> – When native material is still far too difficult and frustrating these are an excellent way to start finally putting your newly learnt Japanese to some use. You can choose a set from grade 0 to 3 with rising difficulty in grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure. Each story gets is printed on a different booklet and they accompanying MP3 Cd has every little story read by a native.
<a href="http://japanesetease.net/easy-to-read-manga-for-japanese-beginners-vol-01/">Read manga in Japanese</a> – I made a total of five posts with manga recommendations for Japanese beginners. You should always keep in mind though that every one of these manga is aimed at a native Japanese audience and thus it can be quite a harsh entry if it’s really the first thing you read in Japanese. But it’ll get better over time (like always) and the above mentioned book Japanese the manga way will help you out a great deal.
<a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/PytJTGW7Lok/4756/A148868/product%2FNEOBK-922339" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nihongo Notes</a> – When learning and trying to understand and speak Japanese you’ll always face to difficulty that you just express yourself a lot different in Japanese than you would do in a European language. Nihongo Notes is collecting all the essays from the colum with the same name which run in the newspaper The Japan Times. In fun little stories covering everyday situations in Japan you’ll learn a lot about how to use different phrases correctly and more importantly about their heritage and true meaning. If you want to slip inside of a Japanese and make sense of all the seemingly random dos and don’ts in Japan these two books are your best bet. – <a href="http://japanesetease.net/nihongo-notes-review/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read the full review</a>.

<h3>Productivity</h3>
<a href="https://habitica.com/static/front">Habitica</a> – If you want to tackle your daily tasks and to-do-lists like they were missions in an RPG this is the website for you. You earn some in-game money and experience points for every task you finished which will level up your character and even allows you to be some neat gear. Join the Japanese Tease guild and let’s tackle some monsters together through learning more Japanese.
<a id="amznPsBmLink_4248917" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" href="http://www.amazon.com/Moleskine-2015-2016-Weekly-Notebook-Pocket/dp/B00O80WBYQ/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=japateas-20&linkId=4f1da7920811b738b143ca7917e2b0d0&linkCode=ktl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Moleskine Notebook</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_4248917" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=japateas-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=4f1da7920811b738b143ca7917e2b0d0&_cb=1440834954707" width="0"> – Tracking you learning progress is essential to keep you on plan and motivated as well. A technique that works very well for me is just to write down with a few keywords what I learned each day. Or if I have to work through a big bunch of pages in a textbook I’ll write down where I started and finished that day. I personally love the little Moleskine weekly planers, but of course even the note function or calendar on your mobile is up for this task.

Defunct. The section for all the stuff I don’t use anymore but once have. Loved these tools at one point but don’t use them at my current state anymore.
<h4>Anki</h4>
If you don’t know about <a href="http://ankisrs.net">Anki</a> yet here us a short description of the best program/<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/de/app/ankimobile-flashcards/id373493387?mt=8">app</a> I own. Or at least the most useful to me. It’s a program to make digital vocabulary cards but instead of just having to sides you can do the wildest things with Anki. The Ultimate Japanese Vocab Packs by Tofugu support Anki as well and are really well made. With sound files and different forms. Just download Anki and get these Vocab packs. There is no better introduction to Anki out there. A nice feature of Anki is that you can download ao called “decks” by other people directly within the program. So if you decide to tackle the Heisig method fo learning all the Joyu Kanji, just search for a deck. Maybe someone else was kind enough to upload his own Anki-deck which can safe you a lot of time. And the good part is: You alwas have the opportunity to customise these decks. Well done Anki!
<img alt="how to learn japanese-5" border="0" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4209" height="800" src="http://japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/how-to-learn-japanese-5.jpg" width="1200">
<h4>Make your own vocabulary-decks</h4>
When you finished the essential packs you will have some basic Japanese vocabulary knowledge which will come in quite handy reading stuff like <a href="http://japanesetease.net/easy-to-read-manga-for-japanese-beginners-vol-01/">Yotsubato! and Shirokuma Café</a>. But because Japanese is damn complex you need to learn more vocab and I mean: Lots more. I just expanded the Tofugu decks and made additions to them whenever I stumbled across an unknown word. I would advice you to do the same because the tofugu vocab “template” is really well made with the ability to learn the different froms and kanji reading in a breeze. Little tip: Add a field for the te-form within the Verbs template, which will make things much easier for you in the long run.
<h4>Where do I pick up my vocab?</h4>
When reading a manga I try to put all unknown words into Anki. Sometimes I skip a few. There is really no need to learn ancient Japanese words when you’re still trying to figure out the basics. You can rather spend the time on the more useful stuff first which you will actually use and com back for fancy vocab a couple of months (or years) later when you have a decent knowledge of Japanese. Of course there are some places with more useful vocab to pick up than others. Manga may not be such a great choice all in all because of all the slang and sometimes fanatsy lanagueg (always depending on what you rerad of course). But Yotsuba with its everyday anecdotes really is a good way to start. I compiled a list with <a href="http://japanesetease.net/easy-to-read-manga-for-japanese-beginners-vol-01/">beginner friendly manga in Japanese</a> which should give you plenty of suggestions.
 
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My guide to self-studying Japanese

It’s time to contribute my little share to all the websites out there telling you how to learn Japanese, w...