Easy Japanese for Work (2019)
Accelerate your Japanese language skills! Learn practical, effective workplace expressions, understand business culture and improve your kanji.
With 30 Day Free Trial!
Easy Japanese for Work
2019Seasons & Episode
This episode is about expressing thanks. Tuan-san, who is from Vietnam, moved to Japan 4 years ago and works at an IT company. Although his Japanese is improving, he still isn't used to the Japanese that is spoken in business meetings. He wants to thank his superiors, who always kindly help him when he has trouble. By role-playing and receiving guidance from experts, he'll learn a way to say thanks from the heart.
This episode is about asking someone to repeat something. Putri-san, from Indonesia, learned Japanese in university. She has been working in the real estate field for 4 years in Japan. Putri-san works entirely in Japanese, but finds some katakana words difficult. By role-playing and receiving guidance from experts, she'll learn how to politely ask someone to repeat something.
This episode is about expressing an opinion concisely. Tomanik, from Poland, got serious about studying Japanese and then he fell in love with Japanese pop culture. Although he can explain himself in meetings in Japanese just fine, he tends to make very long explanations. By role-playing and receiving guidance from experts, he'll learn how to express himself more directly.
This episode is about using materials to express oneself in a way that's easy to understand. Nu Nu Aung, from Myanmar, moved to Japan 9 months ago and works at a property management company. Every day, she receives training in Japanese and learns more about real estate. In one week's time, Nu Nu Aung will make a presentation in Japanese about areas of Tokyo. To prepare, she will role-play and learn from experts about how to make explanations using photos and other materials.
This episode is about responding when you've been asked to do too many things. Chu Van Hung, from Vietnam, was hired 3 months ago to work at a manufacturing company. He works as a design assistant, using specialized software to make machine parts. After coming to Japan in 2015, he studied for a year at a language school and for 2 years at a trade school before landing his current job. Hardworking Chu-san will tackle a roleplay challenge where he is given more work than he can handle. How will he decide which tasks to take on?
This episode is about handling difficult negotiations over the phone. Liu Yang, from China, works in sales administration at a Japanese adhesive company. She has been in Japan for 4 years but joined her company not long ago, in April 2019. Now, she is learning the ins and outs of sales administration. Although Liu-san has mastered essential business phrases, she finds it difficult to negotiate in Japanese. She will tackle a roleplay challenge to help her learn how to negotiate over the phone.
Wu Fei, from China, works as a co-manager of a Yakiniku restaurant in Tokyo. After graduating university, she moved to Japan in 2010 and began studying Japanese. She began working at this Yakiniku restaurant last year. Besides waitressing, she's responsible for store operations and training new staff members. Her Japanese is great, but sometimes she finds it hard to deal with ambiguous complaints from customers. She tackles a roleplay challenge to help her improve her customer service skills.
Andre Marcal Kanashiro, from Brazil, works as a driver at a taxi company in Tokyo. He's a third-generation Japanese Brazilian who moved to Tokyo in 2017. As Japan's society ages, there's a shortage of taxi drivers, leading companies to hire foreign employees. Andre-san is great at Japanese, and at getting passengers where they need to go. But he has trouble dealing with passengers who are in a hurry. He takes on a roleplay challenge and gets advice from business Japanese experts.
Kim Yeon-gyeong, from the Republic of Korea, works at a company that's helping a ramen chain spread throughout Japan. Her bright and bubbly personality is an asset as she promotes customer service training for staff at ramen shops. She's great at speaking frankly with people that she knows, but when it comes to people she is meeting for the first time, she isn't quite as confident. In a roleplay challenge, she has to relay a request from the head office to a franchise manager.
Today: identifying your chance to speak at a meeting. Timothy James Mahrt, from the United States, works at an IT firm in Tokyo. He helps develop software used for website translation. Though he has no trouble chatting in Japanese with colleagues over lunch, he sometimes finds it hard to follow meetings held in Japanese. For this reason, he has difficulty finding the right time to speak up. To improve, he takes on a roleplay challenge and gets advice from business Japanese experts.
Today: explaining when there's been a misunderstanding. Bima Aji Nugroho, from Indonesia, works at a metalworking company in Saitama Prefecture. He makes parts that are used in cars and construction equipment. He first came to Japan in 2015. Now, he's returned on a visa for highly skilled workers, and is striving to level up his Japanese. Yet he worries about problems due to miscommunication. To improve, he takes on a roleplay challenge and gets advice from business Japanese experts.
Today: adjusting a schedule with a client. Lan Cheng, from China, works in Gunma Prefecture at a company that makes pizza ovens. His bright and positive personality is an asset as he learns all about pizza oven maintenance. He's also working on developing a system to improve the safety of the ovens. Though his technical knowledge is excellent, he'd like to learn how to better communicate with customers. To help, he'll take on a roleplay challenge and get advice from business Japanese experts.
Today: cheering up a junior employee who is feeling down. Nyamjav Baljinnyam, or Baabii-san, from Mongolia, works in Chiba Prefecture. His company sells used luxury cars, and also performs maintenance. Baabii-san has admired Japanese cars ever since he was a child in Ulaanbaatar. He moved to Japan at age 20 and studied at an automotive school for 2 years. Now in his third year at his company, he's being asked to take on more responsibilities. To improve, he'll take on a roleplay challenge where he must cheer up a junior employee who is feeling down about a mistake.
Today: checking that others have understood instructions. Shang Yan, from China, works as a train cleaner in Tokyo. Her company, which is responsible for cleaning trains and station buildings, employs 220 foreign workers. Shang Yan-san leads a team of 5 cleaners. She joined her current company out of a desire to keep Tokyo sparkling clean. Now that she's a leader, she needs to be able to check that others have understood instructions. To help improve, she tackles a roleplay challenge.
Today: reporting to a superior that a coworker is ill. Tran Dinh Thang, from Vietnam, is a technical intern who works at a construction firm in Kanagawa Prefecture. He builds scaffolding, and often works high off the ground. It's a physically demanding job, so keeping in good health is of vital importance. And if someone gets ill or hurt on the job, it's crucial to let a superior know. Thang-san will take on a roleplay challenge where he must report to a superior that a coworker is suddenly not well.
Today: turning down a request for support politely. Wang Chihsun, from Taiwan, works as a pastry chef at an upscale American restaurant in Tokyo. He moved to Japan in 2015. Fascinated with Japanese sweets, he began studying to be a pastry chef. His dream is to one day open his own café in Taiwan. At his current job, he wants to learn how to communicate better with coworkers. To help, he'll take on a roleplay challenge where he must turn down a busy coworker's request for support.
Today: dealing with a complaint from a neighbor. Luu Van Chien, from Vietnam, works as a carpenter at a home construction company. He joined this company around 8 years ago, starting as a technical intern. Although he struggled at first, he worked hard to improve his skills as carpenter. Now, he's one of the top workers at the company and he's been tasked with supervising other employees. In a roleplay challenge, he must deal with a complaint from a neighbor living near a construction site.
Today: explaining that you can't make a decision on the spot. Astriana Faradillah, from Indonesia, works in sales at a company that makes devices used in incineration. She moved to Japan 5 years ago and studied at a university in Tokyo before joining her current company. She can prepare quotes on her own and is mastering other basic skills. But she says she lacks confidence when it comes to sales. She'll take on a roleplay challenge where she must deal with clients who request an on-the-spot discount.
Today: taking over someone's work without hurting their feelings. Aung Zin Phyo, from Myanmar, works for a firm that makes architectural 3DCG images. These images are used in various types of presentations. He joined this company last year. He supervises his colleagues who work in Vietnam. Since both parties are communicating in Japanese rather than their native languages, he aims to take care with how he expresses himself. He'll tackle a roleplay challenge, in which he must help out a coworker who is struggling with their workload.
Today: explaining a need for staffing adjustment. Kaung Htet Paing, from Myanmar, works behind the scenes at Narita Airport. He is a technical intern who is learning all about tasks such as guiding aircraft as well as loading and unloading baggage. In a job where safety and punctuality are crucial, communication and teamwork are essential. He'll tackle a roleplay challenge where he must report to a supervisor that a coworker is not feeling well. How will he handle the situation?
Today: pointing out a senior coworker's mistake. Kyaw Swar Aung, from Myanmar, works behind the scenes at Narita Airport. He carries out tasks such as guiding aircraft as well as loading and unloading baggage. He's learned that both caution and precision are necessary to prevent accidents. He knows to report anything out of the ordinary, as well as any errors. He'll tackle a roleplay challenge in which he notices a senior worker's mistake. How will he handle the situation?
Today: fielding an urgent request on the phone. Dong Van Huu, from Vietnam, designs blueprints at an architecture company. He first became interested in Japanese architecture as a college student in Vietnam. In 2015, he came to Japan as a technical intern. Now, he works at the company where he formerly interned. His desire to improve means overcoming challenges including unfamiliar terms and detailed measurements. In a roleplay challenge, he deals with an urgent request on the phone about blueprints that are missing key information.
Today: determining what is worrying a client. Lin Zhipeng, from China, works at a real estate firm. He began studying Japanese after becoming interested in anime, and came to Japan 5 years ago. At his job, he's involved with property inspections and assisting clients. He had a bad experience once when a customer asked to change to a Japanese agent. He wants to regain his confidence. In a roleplay challenge, he must determine what is worrying his client.
Today: making a polite request to a superior. Jorge Andres Arevalos Ibarra, from Paraguay, works at a metalworking company. His nickname is Andy. The company employs many staff members from abroad. Andy joined it a year ago. These days he's involved in polishing, inspection and other quality-related checks. It's a casual workplace, but he wants to speak more politely with his superiors. In a roleplay challenge, he must make a request to a superior using polite language.
Today: asking someone to repeat and clarify. Do Cong Uan, from Vietnam, works at a metalworking company. He came to Japan 8 years ago with his wife. At his job, he helps to shape metal parts and he also mentors junior coworkers. Though he has no trouble with everyday Japanese, he says he struggles when he encounters unfamiliar words. In a roleplay challenge, he must politely ask a superior to repeat and clarify what they said.
The first in a special two-part EJW series. On Easy Japanese for Work, we've looked at many Japanese phrases that people use at work. Today, we'll review past phrases and learn Keego through some fun games. First, reviewing past key phrases. Past students and some of their coworkers join us to learn new phrases through a quiz. Today's students are from the Philippines and Vietnam. They must work together to come up with Japanese phrases. Next, at Keego Corporation, a fill-in-the-blank style quiz. How will our students do? Tune in to find out.
The second in a special two-part EJW series. On Easy Japanese for Work, we've looked at many Japanese phrases that people use at work. Today, we'll review past phrases and learn Keego through some fun games. First, reviewing past key phrases. Past students and some of their coworkers join us to learn new phrases through a quiz. Today's students are from the Philippines and Vietnam. They must work together to come up with Japanese phrases. Next, at Keego Corporation, a fill-in-the-blank style quiz. How will our students do? Tune in to find out.
Accelerate your Japanese language skills! Learn practical, effective workplace expressions, understand business culture and improve your kanji.
Watch Trailer
Free Trial Channels
