Hi there!
Want to learn some positive Japanese words and phrases? Yes!
You got it. Here’s an extra bonus. You’ll also master a Japanese grammar rule because most of these phrases have one thing in common. A majority of the verbs here are in the volitional form. In the volitional form, you decide or choose to do an action, or a “verb.” It’s kind of like “Let’s do this” or “From now on, I’ll go the gym every day” or “Get ready!” The verbs end in “ou.”
Audio Lesson
Also, if you honestly want to learn Japanese, here’s a free audio lesson from JapanesePod101.com (click here to visit). It’s a bit unrelated but if you’re BRAND NEW to Japanese, you will like it. You will learn how to say hello in Japanese here.
- “Absolute Beginner S1 #1 – Say Hello in Japanese No Matter the Time of Day
If you want more fast, easy lessons and a complete learning program, I recommend JapanesePod101 because they have 2,000+ audio/video lessons and tons of study tools.
38 Positive Japanese Words, Phrases & Sayings
1. Get addicted to bettering yourself.
- 自己を向上させることにはまろう。
- Jiko wo koujou saseru koto ni hamarou
Let’s break this Japanese sentence down. If you’re wondering about the romaji, just refer back to the line above.
- 自己 – self
- 向上 – improvement
- はまる – to get into
2. Do what scares you.
- 怖くなることをやろう。
- Kowaku naru koto wo yarou.
Does learning Japanese scare you? Or, does learning with “advanced Japanese-only lessons that you don’t understand”scare you? If so, it’s time to take these challenges on! Don’t be scared to get some Japanese learning programs and lessons.
- 怖い – Scary
- やる – to do
3. Face reality.
- 現実に立ち向かおう。
- Genjitsu ni tachimukaou.
How would you face reality when learning Japanese? Well, you can take a look and see if your efforts have created any results. Has reviewing words once a day not worked for you? If so, face reality and review twice a day.
- 現実 – reality
- 立ち向かう – to fight against, to face
4. Go even further.
- もっと先に行こう。
- Motto saki ni ikou.
Learned five Japanese words today? Go even further and learn six. Learning is like going to the gym. Once you’re used to lifting 20 pound (or kilogram) dumbbells, try 25 or 30.
- もっと – more
- 先に – ahead, beyond
- 行く – to go
5. Overcome doubt.
- 疑いを乗り越えよう。
- Utagai wo norikoeyou.
Who says you can’t learn Japanese? Look, there are some Japanese words above and below. Read them out loud. Boom, you learned some Japanese.
- 疑い – doubt
- 乗り越える – to climb over
6. Choose where to go.
- 行き先を決めよう。
- Ikisaki wo kimeyou.
What’s your Japanese learning goal? Make a specific one like “I want to speak 1 minute of conversation” or “I want to learn all 38 phrases in this article.” It’s very easy to reach goals that have a number attached. Why? Because at some point, you will reach that number.
- 行き先 – destination
- 決める – to decide
7. Get to the point.
- 核心をつこう。
- Kakushin wo tsukou.
Instead of reading about learning Japanese, it’s better to get to the point and actually learn Japanese.
- 核心 – core
- つく – to ascend, to commence
8. Invest time wisely.
- 賢く時間を投資しよう。
- Kashikoku jikan wo toushi shiyou.
I say, if you’re investing time into mastering these words and bettering yourself, you’re spending your time wisely.
- 賢い – clever, wise
- 時間 – time
- 投資する – to invest
9. Train your mind.
- 精神を鍛えよう。
- Seishin wo kitaeyou.
Do you know what’s a great way to train your mind? Learn a language. Sit and focus on something for an hour. Boost your concentration.
Since you’re already here and reading, you’re already training your mind.
- 精神 – mind
- 鍛える – to drill, to train
10. Love unconditionally.
- 無条件に愛そう。
- Mujouken ni aisou.
If we’re doing a lesson on positive Japanese words and phrases, then love has to be on here too.
- 無条件 – unconditional
- 愛す (aisu) – to love
11. Feel the vibe.
- 雰囲気を感じよう。
- Fuinki wo kanjiyou.
How would you say vibe in Japanese? It’s “fuinki” which means atmosphere. The pronunciation is “fwinky.”
- 雰囲気 – atmosphere
- 感じる – to feel
12. Shed your past.
- 過去を捨て去ろう。
- Kako wo sutesarou.
Stop thinking about what you’ve done. Start thinking about what you can do now, in the the next 10 minutes. Then, think about how to continue that in the future. That’s how you learn and master Japanese.
- 過去 – past
- 捨て去る – to abandon
13. Take one more step.
- もう一歩進もう。
- Mou ippo susumou.
Oh, did you learn 100 Japanese words? You know what will make you even better? That 101st word. Pushing yourself a little every time will help you go further. If you disagree with me, just ask any gym rat about lifting heavier weights.
- 一歩 – step
- 進む – to advance
14. Burn with curiosity.
- 興味津々になろう。
- Kyoumishinshin ni narou.
You know what will help you have a curious appetite? Free time. And the decision to cut off all other things. That way, you can devote your time to curiosity and learn more.
Burdened minds aren’t curious. They’re too busy worrying.
- 興味津々 – immensely curious, very interesting
15. Be fearless.
- 大胆不敵になろう。
- Daitanfuteki ni narou.
There’s one complicated word here and it’s “Daitanfuteki.”
- 大胆不敵 – audacity, daring, daredevil (attitude)
16. Promote yourself.
- 自分自身を売り込もう。
- Jibun jishin wo urikomou.
Life is all about selling. Otherwise, people won’t care. We’re all busy with our own things, our own worries and our own needs, right? Then, some ding-dong emails me and tells me about his new language app with no benefit to me. He does no selling. I’m tired from work and have more interest in writing articles like this. So, what do I do? I delete the email because somebody doesn’t care to promote themselves.
So, you better promote yourself to make yourself known.
- 自分自身 – myself, oneself
- 売り込む – to sell, to become well known, to create a market for
17. Know what drives you.
- 自分を動かすものを知ろう。
- Jibun wo ugokasu mono wo shirou.
What drives you? What motivates you to learn Japanese? Leave a comment and let me know. Now, let’s translate these positive Japanese words.
- 自分 – myself, yourself
- 動かす – to move
- 知る – to know
18. Survive. No matter what.
- 何が何でも生き延びよう。
- Naniganandemo ikinobiyou.
This phrase also has some interesting words that you may not know. Take a look:
- 何が何でも – by all means, at any cost
- 生き延びる – to survive, to live long
19. Be likable.
- 好感を与えよう。
- Koukan wo ataeyou.
Let’s break these inspirational, positive Japanese words down.
- 好感 – good feeling, favorable impression
- 与える – to give, to present
20. Strive relentlessly to be better.
- 容赦せずに、より良くなろう。
- Yousha sezuni, yori yoku narou.
Literally, this phrase means, “without going easy, become better.”
- 容赦 – “going easy” (on something/one)
21. Allow your creativity to run wild.
- 創造力を解き放て。
- Souzouryoku wo tokihanate.
Think to yourself. How can you learn all the positive Japanese words here? Let’s get creative. You can repeat them 10 times. You can write them down in your notebook. You can re-write them 10 times. You can record yourself saying them.
You can save the images and turn them into flashcards.
Or, print out this article and read through it every day.
Learning Japanese isn’t that hard if you can think up some ideas.
- 創造力 – creative power
- 解き放つ – to release
22. Act like a victor.
- 勝利者のようにふるまおう。
- Shourisha no you ni furumaou.
Let’s break this phrase down.
- 勝利者 – winner, conqueror
- ふるまう – to behave
23. Love yourself.
- 自分自身を愛そう。
- Jibun jishin wo aisou.
If you don’t, who will? Others won’t. It’s hard to love someone who doesn’t love themselves! Ah, don’t think too much here. This is just another one of those positive Japanese words to learn.
- 自分自身 – myself, oneself
- 愛す (aisu) – to love
24. Imagine & create.
- 想像して創造しよう。
- Souzou shite, souzou shiyou.
Did you notice? The words sound exactly the same but are written with different Kanji. How can you tell the two apart in speech? Ah, context, I guess. But, good luck!
- 想像する – to imagine
- 創造する – to create
25. Time over Money.
- 時間はお金よりも大事。
- Jikan wa okane yori mo daiji.
Some people look for free ways to learn Japanese online and don’t want to pay a dime. Why? Why not invest in your passion or goal? If you spent a dollar and earned 2 dollars back, isn’t that a good reward?
If you spent 10 dollars and learned 10 Japanese conversations, isn’t that good value too?
If you value time over money, then I think you’re going about life the wrong way.
- 時間 – time
- お金 – money
- 大事 – important
26. Make it simple.
- シンプルにしよう。
- Shinpuru ni shiyou.
This is another one of my favorite positive Japanese words.
Is learning Japanese too hard? Well, what do you want to do? You want to speak, right? Well, let’s make it simple with a simple, specific goal: introduce yourself in Japanese in 3 lines.
Now, isn’t that more realistic?
- シンプル – simple
27. Learn and practice.
- 学び、実践しよう。
- Manabi, jissen shiyou.
First you learn a Japanese word or grammar rule, then you practice it. Write it out ten times. Say it out loud ten times. Whatever you do, you must practice because practice is what gets things STUCK in your brain.
- 学び – learning, study
- 実践 – practice
28. Show, fail, then adjust.
- 見せて、失敗して、調整しよう。
- Misete, shippai shite, chousei shiyou.
There is honor in making mistakes. If you know what they are, you never get a chance to improve them. You can’t adjust.
- 見せる – to show
- 失敗 – fail
- 調整 – adjustment, modification
29. Never stop creating.
- 創造することを決して止めない。
- Souzou suru koto wo keshite tomenai.
How can you create as a Japanese learner? Easy. Open up a notebook and “create.” Start writing words, letters, phrases, sentences or even a story. Write about yourself. What else can you do? Speak Japanese. Record yourself with audio or video and post it up.
This will definitely improve your Japanese.
- 創造 – create
- 決して – never
- 止める – to stop
30. Make your own way.
- 自分自身の道を切り開こう。
- Jibun jishin no michi wo kirihirakou.
You’ve made your own way when you decided to learn Japanese. Now, just keep going. This is one of those positive Japanese phrases that has some uncommon words. So, be sure to review them below.
- 自分自身 – myself, oneself
- 道 – path, way
- 切り開く – clear, cut through, open way
31. Fear not.
- 心配しなくていい。
- Shinpai shinakute ii.
Another translation of this is, “it’s okay not to worry.” But, “fear not” works just as well and sounds even better.
- Shinpai – worry
32. See the light.
- 光明を見い出そう。
- Koumyou wi midasou.
This positive Japanese phrase has some uncommon, high-level words. Be sure to review them.
- 光明 – bright future, hope
- 見い出す – to find, discover, to notice
33. Stand out.
- 人目に付こう。
- Jinmoku ni tsukou.
As a language learner, you’ll definitely stand out. I know you’re shocked but not many people care to learn a new language and speak it.
- 人目 – public gaze
34. Stop waiting for luck.
- 幸運を待つのは止めよう。
- Kouun wo matsu no wa tomeyou.
If you remember any positive Japanese words from here, let them be these. Stop waiting (unless you have to), and start doing. Invest in your Japanese learning, invest in your goals and most importantly, invest time and ACTION.
- 幸運 – good luck, fortune
- 待つ – wait
- 止める – to stop
35. Be sure you know enough.
- 十分に知ろう。
- Juubun ni shirou.
Do you know enough Japanese? By the way, “juubun” is a good word to remember. You will hear and use it a lot in Japanese.
- 十分 – enough
36. Be silent.
- 静かにしよう。
- Shizuka ni shiyou.
Sometimes, it’s better to stay quiet, observe and listen. Especially with Japanese. If you practice your listening skills, you’ll understand fluent Japanese in no time.
- 静か – quiet
37. Be what you are.
- 自分でいよう。
- Jibun de iyou.
In other words, be who you are and embrace yourself!
自分 – myself, yourself
38. Make good use of your time.
- 時間をうまく使おう。
- Jikan wo umaku tsukaou.
You know, if you spend some time and review this article, I’d say it’s a good use of your time. You’re learning Japanese. Let’s break these positive Japanese words down.
- 時間 – jikan
- うまい – skillful, well
- 使う to use
Now you know a whole TON of positive Japanese words and phrases. Which ones are your favorites? What other phrases would you like to see on here?
Also, if you honestly want to master these words, print this lesson out. Print it out, staple the pages together, and stick into a notebook. That way, you can review again and again, without having to come back to my site and you probably won’t.
And, if you honestly want to learn Japanese, check out these links:
- Learn Japanese Online Here
- For Beginners: The 7 Best Japanese Textbooks & Dictionaries
- Free Japanese Grammar & Vocabulary PDF Lessons
– The Main Junkie
P.S. I recommend this for Japanese learners. If you REALLY want to learn Japanese with effective lessons by real teachers – Sign up for free at JapanesePod101— and start learning!
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