We call the verbs that end with MASU "the MASU-form of verbs." We use the MASU-form, when we speak politely. To make it a negative, we change MASU to MASEN. So, YOMIMASU (to read) becomes YOMIMASEN.

The publication of textbooks for NHK’s radio lessons started in 1925, the same year radio broadcasting commenced. Taking the opportunity of the centennial of Japanese broadcasting, the NHK ...

In Japanese, "the first day" of a month is TSUITACHI. Originally, it meant the day when the moon rises. From the second to the tenth day, we say as follows: As I explained in Lesson 7, these words are ...

This series reviews the textbooks of NHK radio lessons published before World War II and examines the history of educational and cultural programs through them. Following the previous installment in ...