Namiko Abe Japanese Language Expert Education B.A., Kwansei Gakuin University Introduction Japanese teacher and translatorCertified to teach Japanese calligraphyFreelance writer with two decades of experience Experience Namiko Abe is a former writer for ThoughtCo who spent more than two years writing stories about Japanese culture and the Japanese language. She was born and raised in Japan. In addition to being a native Japanese speaker, she has taught Japanese to children, high school students, and college students (Japanese levels I and II). Abe has also worked as a translator for law firms. She is certified to teach Japanese calligraphy. She has also worked as a freelance writer for nearly 20 years. Education Abe graduated from Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan. She holds the rank of yon-dan (fourth degree) from the Nihon Shuji (The Japan Calligraphy Education Foundation) and is qualified to teach Japanese calligraphy. ThoughtCo and Dotdash Meredith ThoughtCo, a Dotdash Meredith brand, is an award-winning reference site offering education content created by experts. ThoughtCo reaches 13 million readers each month. Learn more about us and our editorial guidelines. Read more from Namiko Abe Learn How to Conjugate the Japanese Verb "Suru" Learn Basic Counting and Numbers in Japanese What Were the Old Names for the Months in Japanese? How to Use "San," "Kun" and "Chan" Correctly When Speaking Japanese Learn How to Conjugate Japanese Verbs Useful Japanese Phrases to Know Expressions of Ability and Potential Verbs in Japanese All About Japanese Adjectives All About the Japanese Particles Wa and Ga Frequently Asked Questions in Introductory Japanese What Is "Kedo" in Japanese? Using the Japanese Particles "Wa" and "Ga" Correctly How to Express Your Thoughts in Japanese How to Use the Particle Ni in Japanese Conversation Openers and Fillers in Japanese Japanese Particle: To Free Japanese Audio Files Can I use "ee" instead of "hai"? Aisuru The Difference Between "Kudasai" and "Onegaishimasu" in Japanese How to Say the Months, Days, and Seasons in Japanese Japanese Audio Dictionary - A Japanese Lessons: Grammar, Vocabulary, Culture Basic Japanese: Ordering at a Restaurant