https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00ZSumi https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/yurei-yokai-gaikotsu-kanji/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Yurei (幽霊) is a ghost, a faint spirit. Yokai (妖怪) are the monsters of Japanese folklore. Gaikotsu (骸骨) is a skeleton: bones and bones. The kanji, explained.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/tsundoku-meaning/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Tsundoku (積ん読) is the pile of books you've bought and haven't read. 積 means pile up and 読 means read, and the word is an old pun. Here's how it works.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/tree-grove-forest-kanji/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

木 (ki) is a tree, 林 (hayashi) is two trees, a grove, and 森 (mori) is three trees, a forest. What each picture shows, and how hayashi and mori differ.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/sumimasen-meaning/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Sumimasen (すみません) is the polite negative of 済む, to be settled: "it isn't settled". Why one word means excuse me, I'm sorry and thank you.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/senpai-meaning/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Senpai (先輩) is 先, ahead, plus 輩, fellow: the companion ahead of you. What the kanji say, what kouhai means, and how senpai is really used in Japan.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/otsukaresama-meaning/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Otsukaresama (お疲れ様) is built on 疲, tired: a polite "you must be tired". What the kanji say, why offices say it all day, and when to use it.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/omoshiroi-kawaii-ichiban-daisuki-meaning/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Omoshiroi is "face + white", ichiban is "number one" and daisuki is "big like". Kawaii's kanji, "can + love", were borrowed later. What the four words say.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/momiji-koyo-autumn-leaves/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

紅葉, crimson plus leaf, means autumn leaves, and it has two readings: momiji and kouyou. What each one means, where momiji comes from, and how to use it.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/konnichiwa-ohayou-arigatou-meaning/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Konnichiwa is half a sentence, ohayou means "it's early" and arigatou means "hard to have". What Japan's everyday greetings literally say, and why.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/komorebi-meaning/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Komorebi (木漏れ日) is sunlight filtering through the leaves of trees: 木 tree, 漏 leak, 日 sun. What each kanji says, and why the readings change.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/kintsugi-meaning/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Kintsugi (金継ぎ) is 金, gold, plus 継ぎ, joining or patching: mending broken pottery with lacquer and gold. What the kanji say, and how 継ぐ is used.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/karaoke-meaning/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Karaoke (カラオケ) is 空 kara, empty, plus oke, short for orchestra: the music with the singer taken out. Where the word came from, and the kanji 空.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/kappa-meaning/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Kappa (河童) is written 河, river, plus 童, child: a river child. What the kanji say, how kawa-wappa became kappa, and why a cucumber roll is a kappamaki.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/kanpai-daijoubu-genki-sensei-meaning/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Kanpai is "dry the cup", daijoubu once meant "a great man", genki is "source energy" and sensei is "born before". The kanji in four everyday words.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/kanji-for-rain/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

The kanji for rain, 雨 (ame), is a cloud with four raindrops falling from it. How to read it, and how to spot the same rain on top of 雪 and 雷.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/kanji-for-love/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

恋 (koi) is falling in love, and 愛 (ai) is deeper, lasting love. The heart 心 inside each, the Japanese joke about where it sits, and how to use them.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/kanji-for-house/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

The kanji 家 (ie, house) is a roof with a pig under it. Why a pig, what scholars actually think, and the everyday words that use 家.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/kanji-for-friend/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

The kanji for friend, 友 (tomo), is two right hands: ナ and 又. What its oldest forms show, and how to use 友達, 友人 and 親友 in Japanese.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/kaizen-meaning/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Kaizen (改善) is 改, change, plus 善, good: change for the better. In Japanese it's the everyday word for improvement. What the kanji say and how it's used.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/kabocha-pumpkin-kanji/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Kabocha (南瓜), pumpkin, is written 南, south, plus 瓜, melon: a spelling borrowed from Chinese. The word itself comes from Cambodia, via Portuguese sailors.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/itadakimasu-gochisousama-meaning/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Itadakimasu (いただきます) comes from 頂, the top of the head; gochisousama (ごちそうさま) thanks someone for all the running around. What both really say.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/hiragana-came-from-kanji/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Every hiragana began as a kanji written fast: あ is 安, い is 以, う is 宇 and か is 加. How kana grew out of kanji, and where katakana カ came from.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/ganbatte-meaning/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Ganbatte (頑張って) is written with 頑, stubborn, and 張, stretch. What the kanji say, where the word really comes from, and how to use it without sounding odd.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/emoji-meaning-japanese/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Emoji (絵文字) is Japanese: 絵, picture, plus 文字, character. It only sounds like "emotion". What the kanji say, and where the first emoji came from.

https://getsumiapp.com/lessons/baka-meaning/ 2026-10-28T08:00:00Z2026-10-28T08:00:00Z

Baka (馬鹿), fool, is written 馬 horse + 鹿 deer. The kanji were chosen for their sound; here's the Chinese story behind them and where baka really comes from.