Nihongo to English
Nihongo To English blends language learning and stand-up humor as comedians Michelle MaliZaki and Michael Allen CPA (GoatVsFish) explore the quirks of Japanese and English—words that don’t translate, culture shocks, and why politeness can melt you faster than ice cream. Each episode moves freely between the two languages, revealing how funny and human bilingual life can be.
You’ll learn phrases, hear authentic conversation, and laugh about everything from Japanese idols and snacks to Ken-son humility and mistranslated signs.
Perfect for fans of Japanese culture, bilingual comedy, or learning Japanese the fun way.
Nihongo to English
Hi vs Pi vs Bi: Japanese Pronunciation Shifts (Yamu/Yameru + Ne/Yo) EP 14
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Episode 14 starts with a very LA problem: “It doesn’t rain enough to casually say ame ga yamu.” From there, Michael Allen and Michelle MaliZaki jump into Genki-style grammar and nuance—yamu vs yameru, tomaru vs tomeru, and what changes when the “stopping” happens by itself vs when you stop something (Superman stops the Shinkansen, obviously).
Then we go full language-nerd with a pronunciation breakdown of why Hi / Pi / Bi (ひ・ぴ・び) are in the same family—voicing, airflow, and how those sound shifts show up in real Japanese (hello, sanbyaku / roppyaku / happyaku / sanzen / hassen). We also cover sentence-ending particles ね / よ / よね, polite request phrases (~をください / ~をお願いします / ~をどうぞ), a sentimental Mt. Aso onsen-sake story, and a quick plug: we made a Twitch channel.
Hosts: Michael Allen, CPA + Michelle MaliZaki
Theme Jingle by Michelle MaliZaki
エピソード紹介(日本語・追記版)
第14回は「LAは雨が少なすぎて 雨がやむ を言う機会がない!」からスタート。Genkiの文法で やむ/やめる、とまる/とめる(自動詞・他動詞)を整理しつつ、文末の ね/よ/よね のニュアンスもチェック。
さらに今回は発音オタク回!ひ/ぴ/び(Hi / Pi / Bi) の関係を、息・声帯(有声音/無声音)からわかりやすく解説。数字の音変化 さんびゃく/ろっぴゃく/はっぴゃく/さんぜん/はっせん にもつながります。阿蘇(熊本)の温泉水で造られたお酒の思い出話、そして Twitch 開設のお知らせも。
ホスト: Michael Allen, CPA / Michelle MaliZaki
Theme Jingle by Michelle MaliZaki
🎙️ Nihongo to English — a bilingual comedy podcast by Michelle MaliZaki and Michael Allen (GoatVsFish).
No homework. Just bilingual chaos—and somehow you learn.
💌 Got a language or culture question? Email us at nihongotoenglishnosho@gmail.com
🔴 Watch us live on Twitch: twitch.tv/nihongotoenglish
🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music
📱 Follow the show on Instagram @NihongoToEnglishPodcast for new episodes on the 2nd, 12th, and 22nd of each month.
👥 Follow the hosts: Michael Allen CPA @michaelallencpa and Michelle MaliZaki @MichelleMaliZaki
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