Japanese is a language deeply rooted in politeness, manners, and respect for hierarchy. Anyone who has worked for a Japanese company, done business with one, or even just has an interest in Japanese language and culture probably already knows that. Among these cultural aspects, keigo —honorific, humble, and polite forms—is especially important in business, whether in customer service or B2B interactions. But here’s a fun fact: most Japanese people never really learn keigo pro

100,000,000.Can you read this number instantly? In Japanese, it’s read as ichi-oku . In English, it’s one hundred million . Here’s the surprising part: As a native Japanese speaker, I cannot read this number instantly. In fact, among my Japanese friends, family members, and even former colleagues, I’ve rarely met anyone who can (Unless their job involves dealing with large amounts of money or a high number of orders on a regular basis). You may have also come across moments

Ever since I was working at a Japanese school up to now, all of my students have always called me “Asami-sensei.” And in return, I naturally call them “OO-san” (student's first name + san) with respect. In Japan, keeping a comfortable distance in relationships is considered polite. One way we maintain that distance is through how we address each other — especially with “〜san.” For people you’ve just met, classmates you aren’t close to yet, colleagues, or anyone in a work se