Cafetalk 讲师专栏

日付の読み方：「日」のルール｜JP/EN/繁中

日付の読み方を確認してみましょう！1日〜10日と14日・20日・24日は特別な読み方があります。 1日（ついたち）2日（ふつか）3日（みっか）4日（よっか）5日（いつか）6日（むいか）7日（なのか）...

時間の読み方：「時」と「分」のルール｜JP/EN/繁中

時間の読み方には、ちょっとしたルールがあります。一緒に確認してみましょう！時：数字の後に「時」をつけますが、4時と9時は数字の読み方に注意が必要です。分：前の数字によって「ふん」または「ぷん」と読み...

Speak Better English: A Wheel-y Good Fantasy Series!

Speak Better English: A Wheel-y Good Fantasy Series! Reading for pleasure • Useful vocabulary •...

When a Word Sounds Negative: A Quick Look at English Sound Symbolism

In a lesson last night, one of my students and I were discussing whether words themselves can be “g...

Why do people eat chocolate bunnies during Easter?

Photo: Chocolate bunnies at SOMA Chocolatemaker in TorontoAnother Easter holiday has come and gone ...

Hans Christian Andersen’s Complete Fairy Tales: My Favorite Book!

Hans Christian Andersen’s tales are so famous that they’re part of our collective memory; who doesn...

お金の読み方：百・千・万のルール｜JP/EN/繁中

お金の読み方を確認してみましょう！1円（いちえん） 10円（じゅうえん） 100円（ひゃくえん） 1,000円（せんえん） 10,000円（いちまんえん）10,000は（いちまん）と読みます。1,0...

Who is 'Uchi'?（「うち」ってだれ？）

  日本語で「わたし」を言ういろいろな言い方 ある日、町で高校生の女の子の会話が聞こえました。 One day, I heard some high school girls talking in ...

Small Choices...Big Impact

 Taking a moment to reflect on our actions can be one of the most powerful steps toward creating a ...

Why confidence comes after speaking, not before

At some point, when you’re learning a language, this thought usually comes up:   “I’ll speak when I...

月の読み方：1月〜12月のルール｜JP/EN/繁中

月の読み方を確認してみましょう。4月と9月の読み方は注意しましょう！1月（いちがつ）2月（にがつ）3月（さんがつ）4月（しがつ）5月（ごがつ）6月（ろくがつ）7月（しちがつ）8月（はちがつ）9月（く...

Travel Smart, Speak Confidently at Hotels

Have you ever felt nervous speaking English when checking into a hotel? Or unsure what to sa...

“I Can Pronounce the Words… But People Still Don’t Understand Me” Why Pronunciation Practice Alone Doesn’t Lead to Clear Speech

  You can pronounce the words. You’ve practiced the sounds. You’ve repeated sentences. You’ve worke...

Why Vietnamese Final Sounds Are a Nightmare – And How I Help Students Master Them in Just Three Lessons

Inspired by a Japanese student struggling with Vietnamese final sounds, I developed a self-created,...

Speak Better English: Embarrassing Stories #004

Speak Better English: Embarrassing Stories #004 Work / Introductions / Social Norms “I’m a fres...

Business English Lesson: Telephone conversation

image credit: https://pixabay.com/users/corysal-17115153/ Have you ever spoken on the phone in a fo...

汤圆还是元宵？圆圆的元宵节

汤圆还是元宵？圆圆的元宵节 湯円それとも元宵？丸い元宵節 什么是元宵节？ 元宵節（げんしょうせつ）とは？ 中国春节的最后一天是正月十五。这一天也叫做元宵节。 “元”指的是农历新年的第一个月，“宵”指...

私がビジネス日本語を教える理由｜JP/EN/繁中

今日は、なぜ私がビジネス日本語のレッスンをしているのか、少しお話しします。 私はこれまで、Morgan Stanleyなどの外資系企業で、外国籍社員を含むチームをサポートする仕事をしてきました。そ...

Looking Up

For 28 years, I worked as cabin crew, flying across the world. My focus was always on where I was ...

New season, New goals; What are you learning this Spring?

Happy Spring to all my students in Japan. This season is all about fresh starts. While many of you ...

数える時の読み方：本・匹・杯のルール｜JP/EN/繁中

前の数字によって読み方が変わる数え方を一緒に確認しましょう！   本（ほん／ぼん／ぽん）for long objects (hon / bon / pon) 1本（いっぽん）2本（にほん）3本（さん...

English Idioms Challenge - Week 10

Hey all! Welcome back to a column dedicated to English idioms!    This is the tenth English learnin...

Learning Something New This Spring

Spring is the perfect season for growth, not only in nature, but also in our learning. This year, I...

Learning something new… when you don’t have time

“If you really want it, you’ll find time.” I think we've all heard that sentence. And... I’ve never...

A Cute Chinese Poem Every Child Knows: 咏鹅

When Chinese children first start learning classical poetry, one of the very first poems they...

How Cooking Teaches Learning: Vegan Food Science and the Way We Use English

This spring, I’ve been spending the time between my lessons in the kitchen—not only cooking, but le...

The Walking Notebook Method: Powerful Learning for the Spring!

Hello everyone! It’s Crista here.   As the weather warms up and the cherry blossoms bloom, spring a...

清明節（せいめいせつ）

清明节清明节是中国的传统节日，一般在每年的四月初。 这一天，人们会纪念去世的家人和祖先。 关于清明节的由来，有一个故事。很久以前，有一个人叫介子推。他非常忠诚，也很善良。后来他去世了，人们为了纪念他...

How to Get Band 7+ in IELTS Writing Task 2

  First and foremost, many students struggle because they do not understand the question properly.F...

这个春天，开始一件新事吧！

“一年之计在于春，一日之计在于晨。” 对于每一个学习中文的朋友来说，这两句谚语一定不陌生。 如果你还在犹豫这个春天要做点什么，不妨听听我的几个建议，让你的中文水平和生活状态在这个季节里一起“发芽”...