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Picture this: you’re rushing to catch a train, but it pulls away just as you reach the platform. Or maybe your big plans for the weekend get canceled because of a sudden storm. Frustrating, right? In Japan, there’s a little phrase that people lean on in moments like these: shoganai …

When you’re learning a new language, it’s often the small, everyday words that trip you up—or make conversations feel truly alive. If you’ve ever watched a Japanese anime, chatted with friends in Tokyo, or scrolled through social media posts from Japan, you might have heard the word “nanka” popping up …

Have you ever felt that bubbly rush of anticipation before a big event, like waiting for a concert to start or unwrapping a surprise gift? In Japanese, there’s a perfect word for that: wakuwaku (ワクワク). This fun, onomatopoeic term captures the essence of excitement and thrill, mimicking the sound of …