You may know the word "sensei." But there is another Japanese word for teacher — one you can only use looking backward, for the teacher who shaped who you became. Inside that word sits 恩 (on): a kind of gratitude English can circle but never quite touch.
In this episode, Dr Asuka unpacks this key word of Japanese thinking. She follows it from a beloved graduation song into an eight-hundred-year-old speech that saved Japan's first samurai government, into the sumo ring, and into a quiet press-room moment at the 2026 World Cup.
Along the way, she explains the delicate rule of who may speak of 恩 (on) and who may not, why a giver's silence is a virtue, and why the deepest repayment is not to keep bowing, but to grow until you stand beside the person who lifted you. As an equal.
By the end, you may find yourself looking back at your own life — and seeing the quiet threads of on running through it.Free seminar for adult Japanese learners:
https://shop.funjapaneselearning.com/2609smj-pod/
Japanese is more than words and grammar. It is a way of seeing and relating to the world.
You can watch the video version of this episode [here]
Learn travel-themed Japanese (with audio and e-flash cards) for your next Japan trip!
Japanese Language Learning Guide for Travelers
Are you interested in learning Kanji?
Japanese Kanji for Beginners
For Hiragana and Katakana learning
Complete Japanese Hiragana
Complete Japanese Katakana
🎓Who is Asuka sensei?
Asuka sensei, Dr Asuka Tsuchiya, is an award-winning psychologist, a qualified Japanese educator, an Amazon UK, US, and Japan #1 best-selling author, and a mother with two adorable kids.
She studied linguistics and education at the University of Tokyo, earning a Master's degree, and later obtained a PhD in psychology from Nara Women's University. While in Japan, she worked as a psychotherapist, supporting individuals in their personal growth and well-being.
After she moved to the UK, she dedicated herself to Japanese education by pursuing Japan's official qualification for professional Japanese teachers and taught Japanese to adult learners in the Lifelong Learning Department at the University of Southampton for nearly 10 years.
Now she runs an online Japanese school specifically for busy adults who want to feel the depth and richness of Japanese culture through language learning.
