How I memorized 40 Japanese words in 15 minutes (And You Can Too Any Foreign Language!)

Hello, Beautiful People!

I hope everyone is doing well today!

The method I’m about to share with you is so effective and simple that you can learn any new language in a matter of days or weeks rather than months or years. Foreign language often sounds unfamiliar and feels very hard to remember, but with this technique you can learn and memorize foreign words by just reading once and at an accelerated rate of minimum 50 words per 30 minutes. That means you can learn any new language in just a week.

Technique

The secret sauce is Imagination and Location. Our brain loves stories, pictures, and places. If you connect a weird word with a funny story, you can remember it super easily. To store a large vocabulary, we need a place where everything can be organized and accessed quickly and effortlessly. By combining imaginative stories with specific locations, we create a mental map that makes recalling words both efficient and enjoyable.

I have chosen Japanese as an example to show how we can easily remember 50 words. First, I decided on specific locations to organize the words. For example, I placed all verbs (like “run,” “jump,” and others) in a sports complex. Questions or interrogative sentences are placed in a courtroom, while common gestures are linked to a school. However, to remember the names of places, you don’t need to assign them to any specific location.

Let’s Learn Japanese Place Names

A Few Tips:

When learning new words, the first associations that come to mind are often the best. Don’t worry if the words feel strange or don’t perfectly match the original—they’re meant to be unique! Weird or organic imaginations tend to stick better. Even if your associations aren’t an exact match for the pronunciation or spelling, that’s okay—you can refine them later.

Let’s understand with an example:

1. Train Station in Japanese is Eki.

To help me remember the word Eki, my key images are the letter “A” and “Key.”

Here’s how I remember Eki:

I imagine this: As I arrive at the station (pretty excited to ride the bullet train), I’m shocked—the gates are locked! Just then, a station worker runs in, holding a bunch of keys. Each key has an English letter on it—A, B, C, and so on. Finally, he pulls out the key with the letter “A” and unlocks the gate.

That’s how I remember the word Eki—it’s like “A Key” for the station!

2. Hospital in Japanese is Byouin.

To remember the word Byouin. Firstly I break that word into two words “Byou” and “in”.

For me, Byou sounds more like “Bro” or “Boy” and ‘in’ sounds like “ink”. (You can always tweaks the words and use the words which you are familiar with).

Here’s how I remember this word “Byouin”

I imagine I am in a Japanese hospital, looking through the window. Suddenly, I see an ambulance arriving, and on a stretcher I see a Boy whose all face and shirt is covered in Blue Ink. That’s how I remember the word Byouin

3. Money Exchange in Japanese is Ryougae.

The word “Ryougae” (money exchange) sounds like “Yo Guy.”

To help me remember, I imagine going to a money exchange counter to convert some dollars into yen. I expect to see a middle-aged person sitting behind the counter, but instead, I’m greeted by a Gen Z worker wearing a colorful hat and an anime jacket. With a big smile, he say, “Yo Guy!”.

4. Bank in Japanes is Ginkou.

I break it into two parts: “Gin” and “Kou”.

When I hear “Gin”, I think of Ginny Weasley from Harry Potter, and “Kou” sounds like Coke.

I imagine I’m in a Japanese bank, counting my yens, when suddenly, Ginny Weasley appears. She waves her magic stick and turns the cash into Coke! The Japanese people around me are amazed, and they all think it’s the next vending machine. That’s how I remember ginkou—Ginny turning cash into Coke at the bank!

5. School in Japanese is Gakko

I break it into two parts: “Ga” and “Kko”.

When I hear the word “Ga” I think of Lady Gaga and “Kko” sounds like Coke. I imagine Lady Gaga singing in school but instead of mic she is holding a coke

6. Police Station in Japanese is Keisatsusho

The word “Kei” sounds like the letter K, and “susho” sounds like “show”—which is perfect because it reminds me of K Sat Show. When I hear the word “K”, I think of K-Pop music, Sat stands for Saturday, and Show reminds me of a Music Show.

I imagine myself at a police station, ready to file a report about my lost phone in the subway. But when I walk in, the officers tell me, “Sorry, it’s Saturday. We’re heading to a K-Pop concert!” and I say to myself “K Sat Show”.

7.Post office in Japanese is Yubinkyoku

The word “Yubinkyoku” sounds like “You Bin Que K”

I imagine accidentally falling inside a big Bin pilled with letters and as I am trying to get out if it I see a long que with Kite to post.

This is how I reme,ber YouBinQueK

8. Convenience store is Konbini

The word “Konbini” can be broken into three parts: Cone, Bee, and Knee. Here’s how I remember it:

I imagine being in a convenience store, and I see a little boy holding a cone of ice cream. He’s carrying a bag with wings, making it look like a buzzing bee. Suddenly, he notices his shoelace is untied, so he bends down on one knee to fix it. As he does, the ice cream cone topples off, splattering on the floor.

That’s how I remember Konbini, the Japanese word for convenience store—Cone, Bee, Knee!

9. Airport is Kuukou

The word “Kuko” sounds like “Que Coke”, which makes it easy to remember. Here’s how I picture it:

I imagine standing in an airport, expecting a long queue for luggage. But to my surprise, it’s actually a queue for Coke!

10. Shrine is Jinja

This one is easy. The word “Jinja” reminds me of “Ninja.” I imagine Jin from Aladdin wearing a ninja uniform and praying at a shrine.

11.Temple is Otera

The word “Tera” reminds me of Tera Patrick, an actress who was well-known in the adult film industry.

I imagine that after spending many years in a not-so-sacred industry, she decides to visit a temple to purify her soul and seek peace.

12. Town is Machi

The word “Maa Cheek” sounds a lot like “Maa” (which means mother in India) and “Cheek.”

To help me remember the Japanese word, I imagine entering a Japanese town and being greeted by a surprising sight: all the mothers there have chubby, cute cheeks! It’s such an adorable and funny image that it sticks with me, helping me recall the word “Maa Cheek” every time.

Now, Let’s Learn Some Japanese Verbs

To remember essential verbs, I use a sports complex as the location and store all my Japanese verbs there. You can expand your sports complex to include even more words if you wish.

Here are a few examples to show you how I remember them:

13. To eat is Taberu

I couldn’t easily associate any English words with its sound. Instead, I focused on its spelling, which resembles the short form of Table Rule.

To remember it, I imagine visiting a table tennis court during lunchtime. The players are using the tables as dining tables to eat their lunch. However, they strictly follow rules like not dropping food on the court or speaking while eating.

The keywords Table and Rules make it easy to remember Taberu.

14. To drink is Nomu

For me, it sounds like Nom. When I hear that word, I associate it with Nomad. For those unfamiliar, Nomads are people who move from place to place rather than settling in one area, and they always carry a big bag that contains everything they need to sustain.

To remember it, I imagine a group of Nomads playing badminton. During the drinks break, they drink water from a nomadic bag, not from a badminton bag.

15. To listen, hear is Kiku

It sounds like kick.

To remember it, I imagine a football ground where all the players are blindfolded. The coach instructs them to listen carefully to the sound of a kick and use it to recognize where the ball is.

Now You Get the Point

From now on, I’ll just share the associate word and location, and you can create the story yourself.

Verbs and Associations

16. To go (Iku)

• Associate Word: E-Cook
• Location: Lawn Tennis Court

17. To read (Yomu)

• Associate Word: Yo Man
• Location: Skateboard Area

18. To see, look, or watch (Miru)

• Associate Word: Mirror
• Location: Squash Area

19. To sleep (Neru)

• Associate Word: Near
• Location: Chess Room

20. To wake up (Okiru)

• Associate Words: Walkie-Talkie and Rule
• Location: Rugby Ground

21. To talk, speak (Hanasu)

• Associate Words: Hanaha and Sucks
• Location: Closing Ceremony

22. To swim (Oyogu)

• Associate Word: Yog
• Location: Swimming Pool

23. To play (Asobu)

• Associate Words: Soup and Bubble
• Location: Gymnastics Stand

24. To ride (Noru)

• Associate Word: No Rule
• Location: Formula One Track

25. To buy (Kau)

• Associate Word: Cow
• Location: Ticket Counter

26. To meet (Au)

• Story: He presses your hand so hard that you say, “Au!”

27. To write (Kaku)

• Story: Kaka is giving his autobiography.

28. To wait (Matsu)

• Story: Because the mat sucks.

29. To take (Toru)

• Associate Words: Toe Rule
• Location: Opening Ceremony

30. Now Lets remember some Japanes Common Gestures

To Remember Greetings or Common Gestures, I Use School as a Location

I use my school as the central location to store and associate Japanese greetings and common gestures. Here are some examples of how I remember them:

31. Good Morning is Ohayoo

This phrase is used in Japanese to greet someone before 11 a.m. If you want to say it casually, you can simply say “Ohayo” and drop the formal “gozaimasu.”

Sounds like: “Ohio”

I imagine I’m going to Japanese school early in the morning and see that all students are learning about the U.S. state Ohio, which feels weird to me.

32. Good Afternoon is Kon’nichiwa

Often mistaken to mean “Hello,” this Japanese phrase actually means “Good afternoon.” So, make sure you use it only during the daytime.

Sounds like: “Cone Lichi Wow”

Story: In the afternoon during lunch break, I see students eating ice cream cones with a lychee
flavor instead of their lunch boxes. They are all saying, “Wow!”

33. Good Evening is Konbanwa

This greeting is used from late afternoon (around 5 p.m.) into the evening hours.

Sounds like: “Cone Bun Wow”

Strangely, in the evening, the students are still eating ice cream. This time it’s cones and buns, and
they are saying, “Wow!”

34. Thank You is Arigatoo

If you want to say “Thank you” more casually, you can simply say “Arigato” by dropping the formal expression “gozaimasu.”

Sounds like: “Ariana got toe”

In school, I saw everyone cleaning their classroom. When I helped them, I see one girl coming towards me she looked like Ariana Grande but she was not able to walk properly so I looked down and saw big Toe that helped me remember Arigatoo

35. Excuse Me/I’m Sorry is Sumimasen

It sounds like “Sumi mason”

I imagine Masen as a brick mason. I was passing by a classroom where students were building houses with bricks and cement. I accidentally bumped into a brick mason whose hairstyle resembled that of a sumo wrestler, which helped me remember “Sumimasen.”

36. Please is Onegaishimasu

This word can be vividly recalled using the “One Nice Guy Shares Masks” method:

O = One
Imagine a single shiny coin lying on a table, symbolizing the beginning of your polite request.

Ne = Nice
A nice person approaches and offers you help with a kind smile.

Gai = Guy
The helpful guy hands you something precious—a small, magical box.

Shi = Shares
The guy shares what’s inside the box: a collection of colorful, glowing items.

Mas = Masks
To your surprise, the box contains masks that grant special powers when worn. You thank the nice guy profusely, saying, “Please, I owe you one!”

Now, Let’s Learn Some Japanese Questions

To remember questions in Japanese, I have placed all questions related translation in Court Room.

37. The question “What is this?” in Japanese is Kore wa nan desu ka?

I break down the sentence as follows:

• Kore sounds like Korea.
• Nan sounds like Nun.
• Des ka sounds like Desk.

I imagine I’m in a judge’s chamber, and he asks me, “What is this?”, pointing to something in my pocket. As I look at him to answer, I notice strange details: the judge has a Korean flag proudly displayed on his table, and instead of the usual black coat, he is dressed like a Nun. He’s sitting at his desk, making the entire scene unforgettable.

38. “How much?” in Japanese is Ikura?

Ikura des ka sounds like anime character Hikaru without the “H”.

I imagine I am in Cafeteria and I am standing in line for order but there is one person how is asking price of everything. He looked just like an anime character Hikaru.

39. To remember questions related to “Where is…” with the keyword Doko

The keyword Doko sounds like Duck.

For example:

• Where is the bathroom? → Toire wa doko desu ka?
• Where is the train station? → Eki wa doko desu ka?
• Where is the airport? → Kuukou wa doko desu ka?
• Where is the shrine? → Jinja wa doko desu ka?

Now, whenever I want to ask a “Where” related question, I imagine myself standing in the prosecutor’s stand. I see a lawyer wearing a duck hat, angrily asking me tough questions like, “Where did you see the criminal?” and so on. But I can’t focus on the questions because I’m too busy laughing at the duck hat!

40. Can I get this one? / I will take this one is Kore kudasai ?

I break down the phrase as follows:

• Kore sounds like Korean.
• Ku sounds like Queue.
• Dasai is a cool gadget (please do google for images)

Location: Judge Bench

41. Can I place an order? is Chumon onegaishimasu?

I break down the phrase as follows:

• Chu sounds like Chew.
• Mo sounds like Momo (peach).

Location : Jury Bench

42. Can I get the check/bill, please (in a restaurant)? is Okaikee onegaishimasu?

I break down the phrase as follows:

• O sounds like Water.
• Kai sounds like Kite.
• Kee sounds like Cake.

Location: People Sitting Area in Court

I hope you enjoyed this blog and found it helpful in making the process of acquiring a large vocabulary more fun and efficient. Remember, language learning doesn’t have to be tedious—with the right techniques, it can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

Now it’s your turn—what language are you excited to learn first? Share your thoughts below