Officially/technically, the only difference between 林 and 森 is that 林 is man-made while 森 is natural.

But many native speakers' impression is that:

林 is smaller than 森, more like a grove.
森 is a forest, and denser than 林.
森林 is a large forest, but not used much on its own and feels more like a technical term.

Source: r/Japanese, StackExchange

When I enter the forest I always repeat メメントモリ(Memento mori).

There's a memorial (もり) in this forest

木 trees spread unevenly 森 are common in wild woods

There are more leaves (MOre RIves - morí) in a forest than on a single tree.

Basically pronounced "o" in this context

Person を Event に 誘う→To invite a person to an event

Eg: ジョンさんはマリさんを映画に誘いました。→John invited Mary to the movies.

Pronounced as 'O', not as 'Wo'. The sound is actually extremely close to that of お.
But to write を on a Japanese keyboard based on the English layout you will need to type 'wo'.

A bit about the "indicates an area traversed" (sense 3) use of を: Here it marks the space you move through / along — usually with motion verbs like 歩く, 走る, 通る, 渡る, etc.

公園を歩く = walk through the park
森を走った = ran through the forest

"O" is for "Object".

Pronounced as O, (apparently), but think of it as a man on a surfboard!
"WOw!! I can surf!!!!"

A long time ago in a land far, far away (Nara period, which wasn't that long ago) (in Japan, which isn't particularly far because plane), this was once pronounced /wo/, similar to わ. Over many (actually just nine) centuries, this slowly merged with /o/ (お) to become the を we know today around the Edo period.

It's still を when used as a particle, though every case that was once /wo/ was replaced with お when Japan decided to standardize kana.

Sometimes if I nuke (ぬける）something in the microwave, all the food falls out all over! Better pull it out to avoid the splatter.

NUKE(ru) - (to) fall out

after the NUKEru , many ingredients became omitted from burgers and all The color for my clothes started to fade

If I nuke Eric's ぬける base, I'm sure he'll come out but he won't escape the fallout (fall out)

you need to make a *new* habit of taking *care* of your teeth, or they will DISCOLOR and FALL OUT!

Do avoid confusing it with 脱げる, which only pertains to clothes.

Used both in fiction and real life. Real life examples: タイ王国 (the Kingdom of Thailand) | スペイン王国 (the Kingdom of Spain).
Pretty much any sovereign state you know is a "Kingdom" is likely an 王国.

PS: If you see 連合王国, that's referring to the UK.

A kingdom is a king's (王) country (国).

へ is more poetic than に (think “journey to X” rather than “go to X”)

Although it's hiragana he, as a particle is pronounced as e.
It indicates he direction were it is going to, not necessarily the destination, different from particle に, which indicates destination. For example:

北へ行く、山に行く。

In this example, particle へ indicates the direction, which is north, meanwhile, particle に indicates destination, which is the mountain.

It looks like an arrow pointing off into a direction. It's just missing one line.

Just for information, へ / に are used to MARK location. They are locations where the action is GOING. Whereas で is used where the action is HAPPENING/TAKING PLACE.

To quote Cure Dolly: 'anything contained in the は particle only 'flags' what the sentence is talking about, and is never part of the grammatical structure as a whole.'

[youtu.be]

Can be used like “Xは?: As for X?” Usually used when asking for opinion of someone or when a customer is asked what they would like. Very contextual can be used in many senses like “Where?” “What?” Or even complex sentences.

Other particles like も can be used similarly, but this particle directly uses the information from the conversation to ask about another thing/situation. Similar to “What about” in “Mom is at home.” “What about Dad?”.

Pronounced as "wa" (not "ha") when used as the topic-marking particle.

行う is basically similar to する but 行う sounds more formal and stiff.
The more formal the situation is, the more likely 行う is chosen.
It can also be used in sentences where it usually sounds grandiose.
It can also appear in casual conversations.
There is also a verb 執り行う which sounds even stiffer and is only used with big ceremonies such as wedding ceremonies.

Ok now, start performing.

Oh c'mon now, of course I can perform/do that!

I'll PERFORM my hit song "OKO" NOW (おこなう).

As the other note explains, this is less common than する. But here is an everyday expression where it used, the Japanese version of "easier said than done":

言うは易く行うは難し

Both の and こと turn verbs into nouns, but they feel different:
————————

こと is more conceptual and abstract. It treats the action as a general idea and sounds more detached. It's often used for information, ideas, or facts.

の feels more direct and personal. It points to the actual action as it happens. It sounds more immediate, and it's commonly used for things you directly see, hear, feel, or control.
————————

→ 私は死ぬことが怖い = "I'm afraid of death"
Here, the action is treated as a general concept.

→ 私は死ぬのが怖い = "I'm afraid of dying"
This feels more immediate and personal, as if you're afraid of dying rather than death as an abstract idea.
————————

The difference becomes clearer with direct perception. When you directly witness something, you usually use の.

→ 私は子どもが泣いているのを見た = "I saw a child crying"
What you saw wasn't the concept of a child crying—you saw the action itself.

The same contrast appears with hearing, especially when comparing direct perception and reported information.

→ 火山が噴火したことを聞いた = What you heard was the news of the volcano erupting.
Here, you received information about the event.

→ 火山が噴火したのを聞いた = You were there when the volcano erupted. You directly heard it.
In this case, you experienced the sound itself.
————————

Finally, when talking about actions you can directly control, の is usually preferred.
→ 酒を飲むのをやめた = "I quit drinking"

Here, the action feels concrete and personally managed rather than abstract.
————————

Quick rule of thumb:

Directly experienced / immediate / personal → の
Abstract / conceptual / informational → こと

Source: part of this video: [www.youtube.com]

Used in casual situations to make question more soft and friendly; more often used by male speakers.

かい is used instead of か to soften a question. This is usually yes or no questions, "do you want some?"

だい is used in a similar way but NEVER for yes or no questions. These are slightly more complicated answers, such as "where did you put it?" or "who is your friend?".

Both are extremely casual and unsuitable outside of talking with close friends.

Also, both of these tend to me masculine speech - Japanese women tend to use の, but raise the pitch like an English speaker would when asking a question.

Ending a sentence with ~かい creates a casual question (with a more casual, friendly tone), similar to (ん)だい .

Grammar usages:
(Verb) (の) かい？
(い Adjective) (の) かい？
(な Adjective) なのかい？
(Noun) なのかい？

なの is required to attach nouns (with な acting as a connective copula) with かい since かい only attaches to a complete logical clause (which, with nouns, would ordinarily end with だ or connect with other nous via な).

See also ~ だい (aka だ + かい), which is the form of かい used in sentences ending with the copula だ/です.

To become aware of= to adhere to(付) the mood(気) of the situation

気がつく と 気づく はほとんど同じです。
ただ、気づくは、内面的なもの、あるいは気がついてもそれを表に出さないようなときに使われると思います。

They are pretty much the same. Except for 気づく, which can be used for internal things or something you don't want to surface.

Source: [ja.hinative.com]

I noticed the keys to go (Kizu) to the treasure

It's easy to NOTICE (KIZUKU) when someone is HURT (KIZUKI), whether physically or emotionally.

Conversational contraction. しているんだ。ー＞　してんだ。

re: sense 3

Confusingly, ん after the negative stem of a verb can be both a contraction of the negative ない / ぬ ending, or of the archaic volitional む ending -- which have completely opposite meanings.

Fortunately the volitional ん verb ending (which is a different dictionary entry, flagged as an archaism) is rather uncommon in modern speech and mostly restricted to specific grammar patterns or intentionally formal/stylistic use of archaic language, so you don't often have to guess whether what looks like a negative is actually a positive.

For the first meaning, ん is most likely not a contraction of いる after the て form but rather a contraction of る.
In the case of ～ている, the contraction is done in two step:
～ている -> ～てる -> ～てん

And that last る -> ん contraction can also be use with verb ending in る like:
する->すん
来る->来ん
It's particularly common when combined with the particle な (the "not" one) for comical effects in casual conversation between friends. As in:
すんな (DON'T do that!)
来んな (DON'T come here!)
One of my favorite example is:
"話しかけてくんな"
Which is quite rude but gives a "Don't you dare come to talk to me!" vibes between friends. That the kind of feeling it can creates (so be careful with that).
Other than that, the ら->ん contraction is also possible as in:
分からない -> 分かんない
Which is relatively common too in casual speech between friends.

I tried to search for some formal explanation but couldn’t find anything that could give me a final answer. Apparently, it could be either some kind of dialect or a general kind of contraction where the entire ラ行 (the ら, れ, る, り, ろ sounds) and な行 (the な, に, ぬ, の, ねsounds) can be replaced with ん. At that point, I gave up because both feel correct and I couldn’t access to more information (nor can I still read research level article… for now). I pretty sure some of those ん contraction are really common mainly because of the kansai dialect combined with manzai comedy for example. But at the same time, I also feel like native used that contraction a bit randomly trough Japanese history. Hence why you have that damn ん which can mean either る、ら、に、の、ぬ、etc. I got traumatized by that ん when I first started to talk with some japanese friends and also when watching youtube. Hope that explanation will help you at least a bit for that (Also now, it’s fun and ん contraction + kansai ben + manzai → best way to make Japaneses laugh)

PS : Just remembered another one but I’m not redoing the entire explanation for that, so I will just leave that here :
やるのか？→ やんのか？ (“wanna fight ?” with a fake yankee vibe kinda, very common between friends)
So, that る → ん contraction can theoretically be applied to any verb with a る ending but in practice, it’s not used everywhere. Like, it’s not common in standard written Japanese, it’s not really “grammatical” either but it’s still extremely common in casual spoken Japanese (especially in those expression). So yeah, don’t know if that explanation is useful or confusing anymore but at least, you will be aware of them if you encounter those expression in the wild x)

In casual speech, だ is often dropped, but だ is not dropped in だよ and だね. (Genki II)

Used after Nouns and な-adjectives. Not used after a verb or い-adjective.

だっけ come from だ and っけ
っけ (also written as け) is similar to the particle か but with a nuance of doubt

途中 emphasizes the action or event occurring during the journey or process, while 通り掛け emphasizes the incidental nature of the action or encounter while passing by or doing something else.

途中 focuses on being half-way/midway between a time or place, or being en route or along the way

中途 focuses on something being halfway done, on the completion state

途中 and 途上 have similar meanings, but 途上 is more formal and restricted in its usage.

途上 often means on the way towards a higher level (e.g., on the way of progress, improvement or development). It is often used when talking about developing countries.

途中 on the other hand can be used in pretty much any situation.

I’m on my way TOCHUU (to you)

I tochuu (taught you) on the way

I already TO(ld) CHU, I'm on the way!

On the way to the train, I stubbed my TOE と which made me late... I heard the CHOO-choo ちゅう of the train pulling away while I cried

OMG, the rugbyman is ON HIS WAY for a touch とちゅう down

Can also function as the word 'because' when it is put at the end of the first, or last clause, that provides the reason or explanation to the other clause.
Example:
肉の産物を売りすぎていくから、あの食料品店にもう買い物して行かない。
or
あの食料品店にもう買い物して行かないのは、肉の産物を売りすぎていくから。
"I don't shop at that grocery store anymore because they started to sell too many meat products there."

Punctuation when used as ‘because’:
cause から、result。
result。cause から。

から and ので / なので both mean "because". However:

から attaches to subjective explanations (i.e. personal desires, intentions, and opinions). Also, with nouns/adjectival nouns (な-adjectives), you need to use the connector だ --> (noun/な-adjective) + だから.

ので attaches to objective explanations (i.e. generally accepted facts/info). Also, with nouns/adjectival nouns (な-adjectives), you need to use the connector な --> (noun/な-adjective) + なので.
E.g. It would be inappropriate to say "日本に行くので日本語を勉強した" since "日本に行く" expresses a personal desire/intention.

where are you from? KARAfornia!

Kara is from k(c)anada

This word is actually two words, the copula だ followed by けど.
So you are more likely to see this variant in NOUN is NOUN sentences
小さい部屋だけど、(It's a small room, but...)
Than you are in NOUN does VERB ones (or NOUN is いADJECTIVE ones)
雨が降っているけど、(it's raining, but...)
大きいけど弱い。(big but weak.)

Shares the same meaning as けど (but).

However, だけど is only used after a complete sentence or a complete logical clause. The だ acts as a copula alongside an invisible __が subject (directly preceding the だ) to effectively state "(It) being (the case), however, ... (contrasting statement)".

He said there's a DA-k (Dock)... KE-pt a DO-g there... BUT there's no boat

しかし Standard way to start a sentence with "However" in essays or news.

だけど or でも Casual. Used at the start of a sentence in daily conversation.

けど or けれど Connective. These join two clauses in one sentence (e.g., "I like it, but it's expensive").

ですが polite version of けど. Used at the end to soften the sentence.

Agreement seeker particle.

Basically the same as "isn't it" in English, or "innit" if you're Bri'ish.

This particle goes always at the end of the sentence. It can ask for a confirmation or it can be used when you are being rethorical. Examples:

今日の天気は良いですね。
Today's weather is good, isn't it? (being rethorical).

これはカオちゃんの本ですね？
This is kao chan's book, right? (asking for a confirmation)

This particle can also be used with particle よ, this is kind of similar to being rethorical, but with more emphasis.

> 聞き取る means to catch or comprehend spoken sounds or words; not just hear them, but successfully understand them.
> The nuance focuses on the process or ability of extracting meaning from the speech (often when it's fast, muffled or if in a foreign language).

聞く : Neutral = You listen to or hear something. Emphasis is on the action of listening.
Ex : 私はラジオを聞く。(I listen to the radio.)

聞こえる : Intransitive = It's about sound reaching you and doesn't imply understanding.
Ex : 外で音楽が聞こえる。(I can hear the music outside.)

聞き取る : Transitive = It implies successful comprehension of spoken words.
Ex : 彼の英語は速くて聞き取れなかった。(His english was fast and I couldn't catch/understand it.)

Some more examples :
> 留学生は最初、日本語の会話を聞き取るのが大変だ。
(At first, foreign students find it hard to catch Japanese conversations.)
> 会議の内容が早口で、半分しか聞き取れなかった。
(The meeting was spoken fast, I could only catch half of it.)

>> Use 聞き取る when you want to emphasize comprehension of spoken language, especially under difficult conditions (noise, speed or even accent).

Xを聞く: Listen to X
Xに聞く: Ask to X

目 (め) で 見る (みる、1)
耳 (みみ) で 聞く、聴く (きく、0)
鼻 (はな) で 嗅ぐ (かぐ、0)
口 (くち) で 話す (はなす、2)
手 (て) で 触る (さわる、0)

聞く is a general purpose verb that means to hear, to listen.
It also has a more specific homophone: 聴く, meaning to listen paying attention (for example to music, to a teacher etc).
However using 聞く is always correct.

The honorific version (尊敬語) of 聞く is お聞きになる.
Note that you conjugate なる. E.g. お聞きになりました.

As with all 尊敬語, it's used to elevate another person's actions, never your own.

Listen or I kicku you!

You listen to the beat of the kick (kiku) drum in a song.

What do you do when someone speak-u? Kiku!

I like to listen to Kikuo! (vocaloid producer)

Sound passes through the gate of the ear (referring to the gate radical of the kanji)

Kanji looks like earbuds (for listening)

きki's hearing is so good that she has to unconjugate herself。

For the Germans: höre wie der Hahn "kiku"reki macht!

If gently asking 聞く / 聴く him to listen 聞く / 聴く isn’t effective 効く , there’s still one method that works well 利く : kick きく him.

(don't do it!)

Can also be used as 'together' in the context of specifically two people doing something or going or being somewhere.

There’s too much food in this pantry for one person to take inventory - I need TWO PEOPLE to do a FOOD TALLY!

Futari wa Pretty Cure features two Pretty Cure as the main characters.

Who's tardy? the couple, of course

See those two stripes? Those are two ふた-ons, and there are two people 二人 in them. They're not very り-ch, so they live in a tent.

話： A talk
話す： To talk
話をする: To have a talk

The difference between the last two is the first means the action while the second is the conversation specifically; the emphasis is on a particular topic.
Basically talk have a chat or conversation about something.

90% of the time they are interchangeable. In some cases like speaking IN a language using the later would mean speaking about it.

You know Hana? She (hanashi) talks a lot.

はなし - A talk/ speech
はなす - TO talk/ speak

はな - flower
はなし - flower fairytale/story

Hana, she (はなし) gave a great speech on flowers.

Hana, shhhh! (Silence) you speak too much!

Hana, she talks too much

Akane-Banashi except without the effect of rendaku making the ha voiced

Lets talk はなし about flowers はな

It’s the stem form of 話す/はなす (to talk).

案の定 means “sure enough / just as expected,” used when something turns out exactly as predicted, often with a negative or troublesome nuance (案の定、渋滞に巻き込まれた).

さすが expresses admiration that someone or something lives up to expectations, meaning “as expected of…” or “that’s impressive” (さすがプロだ).

確かに means “indeed / certainly,” confirming that something is true or reasonable, often when partially agreeing or acknowledging a point (確かに、それは難しいですね).

やはり or やっぱり (colloquial) means “as I thought / after all,” expressing that an outcome or realization matches one’s feelings or intuition, often with a personal or emotional tone (やっぱり雨が降ってきた).

In both senses of the word やっぱり means that some idea (whether it's the speaker's or a shared understanding) remains true ("as expected"), even if it was put into question at some point ("after all").

やっぱり is a more emphatic form of やはり, and can be further clipped to やっぱ (informal).

Equivalent to "I knew it!" when used on its own

YEAH PARIS was amazing, nontheless i love my own town best.

YEAH, PARIS was as expected when all was said and done.

AS I THOUGHT - he's a やっぱり (YAPPER)! NEVERTHELESS he is an engaging speaker - but ON SECOND THOUGHT I can never get a word in edgewise...

Your party やっぱり was lame as expected.

As expected you yelled "YAtta" when PARI/parrying too

YA appear, as I expected

Run along the river so(sou) you can reach the sea.

Pitch accent: そ＼う or flat.