Home Podcasts NIHONGO CANDY: Learn Japanese for Beginners & JLPT N5-N3
NIHONGO CANDY: Learn Japanese for Beginners & JLPT N5-N3

NIHONGO CANDY: Learn Japanese for Beginners & JLPT N5-N3

Miki Sensei | NIHONGO CANDY 157 Episodes Oct 5, 2026

NIHONGO CANDY is a podcast hosted by Miki-sensei, a certified Japanese language teacher, designed for learners at JLPT N5-N3 levels. It offers bite-sized audio lessons to improve spoken Japanese, listening comprehension, and speaking reflexes for daily life, travel, and work. The podcast bridges the gap between textbook learning and real-world communication.

Episodes

#168 Battle Tactics: Spears, Signals and Guns — Learn Japanese Through History
#168 Battle Tactics: Spears, Signals and Guns — Learn Japanese Through History Oct 5, 2026 00:08:37 One hero, one sword, one duel — that's the battle you know from anime and games. In this episode, we step onto a real Warring States battlefield.This is Episode 9 of our mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll meet the ashigaru (足軽), the foot soldiers who were the real main players, and see how flags, drums, and the horagai (法螺貝) moved
#167 Ninja: Legend and Truth — Learn Japanese Through History (N5–N3)
#167 Ninja: Legend and Truth — Learn Japanese Through History (N5–N3) Sep 21, 2026 00:06:59 Black clothes, throwing stars, secret techniques — that's the ninja you know from anime and games. In this episode we look at what the ninja of the Warring States period were really like.This is Episode 8 of our mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll learn that a ninja's real job was gathering information (情報 / jōhō / jouhou), why
#166 Japanese Castles — Learn Japanese Through History (N5–N3)
#166 Japanese Castles — Learn Japanese Through History (N5–N3) Sep 7, 2026 00:05:58 Ever walked through a Japanese castle, or seen one in an anime or game? In this episode we look at how the castles of the samurai were built, and why so few of the original ones still stand.This is Episode 7 of our mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll learn the two key parts of a castle — the tenshu (天守 / tenshu), the tall tower, and the ish
#165 Date Masamune & Sanada Yukimura — Learn Japanese Through History (N5–N3)
#165 Date Masamune & Sanada Yukimura — Learn Japanese Through History (N5–N3) Aug 24, 2026 00:08:08 Meet two of the most popular heroes of the Sengoku period — the ones you may already know from anime and games. Date Masamune (伊達政宗 / date masamune), the "one-eyed dragon," and Sanada Yukimura (真田幸村 / sanada yukimura), the "greatest warrior in Japan."This is Episode 6 of our mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll learn
#164 Takeda Shingen vs Uesugi Kenshin — Learn Japanese Through History (N5–N3)
#164 Takeda Shingen vs Uesugi Kenshin — Learn Japanese Through History (N5–N3) Aug 17, 2026 00:07:16 Takeda Shingen (武田信玄 / takeda shingen) and Uesugi Kenshin (上杉謙信 / uesugi kenshin) were destined rivals who clashed again and again — and yet respected each other deeply.This is Episode 5 of our mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll meet the "Tiger of Kai" and the "Dragon of Echigo," follow their Battles of Kawanakajima
#163 Who Was Tokugawa Ieyasu? — Learn Japanese Through History (N5–N3)
#163 Who Was Tokugawa Ieyasu? — Learn Japanese Through History (N5–N3) Aug 3, 2026 00:06:51 Who was Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康 / tokugawa ieyasu), the man who waited and finally won all of Japan?This is Episode 4 of our mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll follow Ieyasu from his long years as a hostage (人質) to his victory at the Battle of Sekigahara (関ヶ原の戦い, 1600), and see how he opened the Edo shogunate (江戸幕府, 1603) and began about
#162 Who Was Toyotomi Hideyoshi? — Learn Japanese Through History (N5–N3)
#162 Who Was Toyotomi Hideyoshi? — Learn Japanese Through History (N5–N3) Jul 27, 2026 00:07:34 Who was Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉 / toyotomi hideyoshi), the man who was born a farmer's son and ended up ruling all of Japan?This is Episode 3 of our mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll follow Hideyoshi from his first job carrying his lord's sandals, to the moment he took over after Nobunaga's death, to the unification of Ja
#161 Who Was Oda Nobunaga? — Learn Japanese Through History (N5–N3)
#161 Who Was Oda Nobunaga? — Learn Japanese Through History (N5–N3) Jul 20, 2026 00:08:07 Who was Oda Nobunaga (織田信長 / oda nobunaga), the revolutionary who changed the Sengoku period?This is Episode 2 of our mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll follow Nobunaga from the Battle of Okehazama (桶狭間の戦い, 1560) — where a young lord once called a "fool" defeated a huge army — to his revolutionary policies, his dream of tenka
#160 What Was the Sengoku Period? — Learn Japanese Through History (N5–N3)
#160 What Was the Sengoku Period? — Learn Japanese Through History (N5–N3) Jul 13, 2026 00:07:19 What was Japan's Sengoku period (戦国時代 / sengoku jidai), and why does it appear in so many anime, manga, and games?This is Episode 1 of our new mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll learn what the Warring States period was, when it began (the Ōnin War of 1467), and the key idea behind it — gekokujō (下剋上), the lower overthrowing those a
How to Talk About Your Trip in Japanese! 旅行の感想 (ryoko no kanso) Vocabulary | NIHONGO CANDY #159
How to Talk About Your Trip in Japanese! 旅行の感想 (ryoko no kanso) Vocabulary | NIHONGO CANDY #159 Jul 6, 2026 00:04:08 Want to ask a friend or coworker how their trip was — and share your own travel stories in Japanese? Learn the essential Japanese vocabulary for asking about and talking about a recent trip — including どうだった (do datta / how was it?), 一番 (ichiban / the most, number one), 最高 (saiko / the best, amazing), 景色 (keshiki / scenery, view), 感動する (kando suru / to be moved, touched), and おすすめ (osusume / a rec
How to Describe Numbers in Japanese! 数字を説明する (suuji o setsumei suru) Vocabulary | NIHONGO CANDY #158
How to Describe Numbers in Japanese! 数字を説明する (suuji o setsumei suru) Vocabulary | NIHONGO CANDY #158 Jun 29, 2026 00:03:56 Need to explain sales figures, trends, or data in a Japanese meeting or presentation? Learn the essential Japanese vocabulary for describing how numbers change — including 上がる (agaru / to go up), 下がる (sagaru / to go down), 増える (fueru / to increase), 減る (heru / to decrease), 横ばい (yokobai / flat, unchanged), 大きく (ookiku / greatly), わずかに (wazuka ni / slightly), and ほぼ (hobo / almost) — so you can con
How to Sell Used Items in Japanese! 中古を売る (chuuko o uru) Mercari Vocabulary | NIHONGO CANDY #157
How to Sell Used Items in Japanese! 中古を売る (chuuko o uru) Mercari Vocabulary | NIHONGO CANDY #157 Jun 22, 2026 00:03:56 Want to sell your used clothes, books, or electronics in Japan? Learn the essential Japanese vocabulary for selling secondhand items on flea market apps like Mercari (メルカリ) — including 出品する (shuppin suru / to list an item), 状態 (joutai / condition), and 送料込み (souryou komi / shipping included) — so you can confidently list and sell your things online.🚀 NEXT STEPS FOR YOUR JAPANESE 💻Systematic Learni

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