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 is a education podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 33 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Nihongo to English, a education show with 33 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #32

  12-String Guitar Talk, Japanese Months & Kaeru/Kawaru Explained | EP 32

  Aug 12, 202657 minS1

  Send us Fan Mail Michael Allen (CPA — Comedic Performance Actor) and Michelle MaliZaki are back with Episode 32 of Nihongo to English, the bilingual Japanese-English podcast that pairs real Genki grammar with real conversation. This episode kicks off with Michael's new 12-string guitar (used, $600, and worth every yen) and a detour into why so few comedians play guitar. From there the co-hosts dig into Japanese grammar: the tricky transitive/intransitive verb pair kaeru (変わる) vs. kaeru (変える) vs. kaeru (帰る) — change, change something, and return, all sounding nearly identical — plus frequency adverbs yoku, tokidoki, amari, and zenzen straight from Genki Lesson 6. Along the way: birthday math, the actual Japanese names for the months (ichigatsu through juunigatsu), a surprising fact-check on whether 7-Eleven and Lawson are American or Japanese companies, and why Japanese families celebrate milestone birthdays at the food court instead of a fancy restaurant. Perfect for Japanese language learners who want real bilingual conversation, cultural context, and grammar that actually sticks. No homework. Just bilingual chaos — and somehow you learn. Japanese description 日本語学習×バイリンガルポッドキャスト「Nihongo to English」第32回。マイケル・アレン(CPA=コメディック・パフォーマンス・アクター)とみしえる・まりザきが、今回はマイケルが購入した中古の12弦ギター(600ドル)の話からスタート。芸人はなぜギターを弾かないのか?という脱線トークも。そして本題は日本語文法。「変わる」「変える」「帰る」——発音がそっくりな自動詞・他動詞のペアを徹底解説し、Genki第6課の頻度を表す副詞、よく・ときどき・あまり・ぜんぜんも学びます。さらに誕生日トーク、一月から十二月までの日本語の月名、セブン-イレブンとローソンは本当はアメリカ発祥なのか?という豆知識、そして日本の家族が節目の誕生日をなぜ高級レストランではなくフードコートで祝うのかまで。日本語学習者はもちろん、バイリンガル会話や日米文化の違いに興味がある方にもおすすめの一本です。 宿題なし、ただのバイリンガル・カオス、それでも学べる。 Theme Jingle by Michelle MaliZaki Support the show ️ 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 Follow us on Instagram @NihongoToEnglishPodcast for new episodes on the 2nd, 12th, and 22nd of each month.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #31

  Masen Ka? Japanese Invitations, Niigata Sake & The Nostril-Haired Airport Scammer | EP 31"

  Aug 2, 202654 minS1

  Send us Fan Mail Learn Japanese with Genki on episode 31 of Nihongo to English! This episode dives into Japanese grammar with the ますか negative invitation form — masen ka, "won't you...?" — straight from Genki Lesson 3, covering verb conjugation, ni vs. de particles, and the iku vs. kuru distinction (why "come to my house" and "go to Kyoto" need different verbs). Michelle brings back souvenirs from a trip to Japan, including Niigata sake, Mount Fuji-themed dishware, and a Crayon Shin-chan snack, while Michael breaks down why McDonald's becomes "Maku" in Japanese and unpacks the cultural difference between nekojita (cat tongue) and the English "cat got your tongue." Plus: a bullet train ride to Nagoya, an on-the-rocks whiskey podcast preview, and a genuinely unsettling story about a scammer with nostril hair at Haneda Airport. No homework. Just bilingual chaos — and somehow you learn. Write to us at NihongoToEnglishNoShow@gmail.com Theme jingle by Michelle MaliZaki. 日本語学習×バイリンガルポッドキャスト「Nihongo to English」第31回!今回はGenki第3課の文法、「ませんか」を使った勧誘表現(Won't you...?)を中心に、動詞の活用、「に」と「で」の使い分け、そして「行く」と「来る」の違いを解説します。みしえるが日本旅行で買ってきた新潟の日本酒や富士山モチーフの食器、クレヨンしんちゃんのお菓子も登場。マイケルはマクドナルドがなぜ「マック」になるのか、そして「猫舌」と英語の"cat got your tongue"の文化的な違いについても語ります。新幹線での名古屋旅行、オンザロックのウイスキーポッドキャスト出演の話、そして羽田空港で遭遇した鼻毛が印象的な詐欺師のエピソードも必聴。宿題なし、バイリンガルカオスだけ ― それでも自然と学べる。 メールください！！NihongoToEnglishNoShow@gmail.com テーマソング:みしえる・まりザき Support the show ️ 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 Follow us on Instagram @NihongoToEnglishPodcast for new episodes on the 2nd, 12th, and 22nd of each month.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #30

  Tsukeru vs. Tsukau vs. Tsukuru, Cucumber Pickles & Flying Sumo Pillows | EP 30

  Jul 22, 202641 minS1

  Send us Fan Mail Learn Japanese with Genki on this episode of Nihongo to English! Hosts Michael Allen, CPA and Michelle MaliZaki tackle one of Japanese grammar's sneakiest mix-ups: tsukeru (to pickle), tsukau (to use), and tsukuru (to make) — three verbs that sound almost identical but mean very different things (ask Michael about his slightly vulgar mnemonic device). Along the way they make cucumber pickles (tsukemono), work through Genki Chapter 3's daily schedule practice with Yamashita-sensei — telling time, days of the week, and the particles に and か — and go down a sumo rabbit hole covering yokozuna rankings, sponsor flags, and the age-old tradition of throwing zabuton pillows when a champion loses. Plus: America's 250th birthday, a Kiss tribute concert, and a World Cup memory from Michelle's years living in Japan. This is also the first episode simultaneously recorded live on the Nihongo to English Twitch channel, with real questions from live chat. No homework. Just bilingual chaos — and somehow you learn. Write to us: NihongoToEnglishNoShow@gmail.com Theme jingle by Michelle MaliZaki 日本語学習×バイリンガルポッドキャスト「Nihongo to English」第30回! ホストのマイケル・アレン(CPA)とみしえる・まりザきが、日本語文法で紛らわしい三兄弟、つける(漬ける)・つかう(使う)・つくる(作る)の違いに挑戦します。きゅうりの漬物を実際に作りながら文法を整理し、Genki教科書第3課の「山下先生の一日」を使って時間の言い方、曜日、助詞「に」と「か」を練習します。さらに相撲トークでは横綱の格付け、懸賞旗、そして横綱が負けたときに観客が座布団を投げる伝統についても語ります。おまけに、アメリカ建国250周年、KISSトリビュートバンドのライブ、そしてみしえるが日本で見たワールドカップの思い出も。今回はNihongo to EnglishのTwitchチャンネルで初めて同時ライブ配信された記念すべき回で、視聴者からの質問にもリアルタイムで答えています。宿題なし。ただのバイリンガル・カオス — でもなぜか学べる。 メール送ってね！NihongoToEnglsihNoShow @gmail.com テーマジングル：Michelle MaliZaki Support the show ️ 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 Follow us on Instagram @NihongoToEnglishPodcast for new episodes on the 2nd, 12th, and 22nd of each month.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #29

  Japanese Verbs ~ますか Questions, Eucalyptus Candy from Spain & Weird Al's Gonna Die | EP 29

  Jul 12, 202642 minS1

  Send us Fan Mail Learn Japanese with Genki Chapter 3! In EP 29, Michelle MaliZaki and Michael Allen (CPA) tackle 〜ますか questions with verb practice straight from page 95 — 読みます, 飲みます, 見ます, します — and turn a textbook "guessing game" into a full-blown points competition. (Michael loses. There's a scoreboard now. Things are getting serious.) Before the Japanese grammar kicks in, we sample a mysterious eucalyptus-menthol candy souvenir from Spain, debate the world's best herbal tea (ginger turmeric supremacy?), and celebrate Michael's 100th Morning Motivational episode — powered by exactly 10 squats a day. Also in this episode: Japanese bean vocabulary (ひよこ豆 = chickpea = baby chick bean, you're welcome), an accidental anatomy lesson (心臓? 腎臓? 象??), how to play だるまさんがころんだ — Japan's answer to Red Light, Green Light — and Michael's review of a fringe show called "Weird Al's Gonna Die." (He's fine. Probably.) Plus: why is タコ both an octopus AND a kite? Japan, explain yourself. Questions, comments, or Daruma donations: NihongotoEnglishnoshow@gmail.com No homework. Just bilingual chaos — and somehow you learn. 日本語学習×バイリンガルポッドキャスト第29回!今回は『げんき』第3章、95ページの「〜ますか」の質問練習に挑戦。読みます・飲みます・見ます・します — 教科書の「当てっこゲーム」がいつの間にかガチの得点勝負に。(マイケル、負けました。) グラマーの前には、スペインのお土産・謎のユーカリ&メンソールキャンディを実食!最強ハーブティー論争(生姜ターメリック茶、優勝?)、そしてマイケルのMorning Motivational番組100回達成のお祝いも。毎日スクワット10回の力、恐るべし。 さらに:ひよこ豆の英語(chickpea = ひよこの豆!そのまま!)、なぜか始まる内臓の単語レッスン(心臓?腎臓?象??)、「だるまさんがころんだ」の遊び方講座、そしてマイケルが観た舞台『Weird Al's Gonna Die』のレビューも。(ウィアード・アルは元気です。たぶん。) おまけ:「タコ」はなぜ octopus でもあり kite でもあるのか。日本語、自由すぎる。 みしえる・まりザき&マイケル・アレン(米国公認会計士)がお届けする、英語と日本語がいきなり切り替わる番組です。 ご感想・メッセージはこちらまで:NihongotoEnglishnoshow@gmail.com 宿題なし。バイリンガルカオスだけ — なのに、なぜか身につく。 Theme Jingle by Michelle MaliZaki Support the show 🎙️ 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 📱 Follow us on Instagram @NihongoToEnglishPodcast for new episodes on the 2nd, 12th, and 22nd of each month.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #28

  Iku vs. Kuru, Barcelona Croquettes & The Daruma Gets an Eye – EP 28

  Jul 2, 202641 minS1

  Send us Fan Mail Episode 28 – Iku vs. Kuru, Barcelona Croquettes & The Daruma Gets an Eye Learn Japanese and discover Japanese culture with hosts Michael Allen (CPA) and Michelle MaliZaki in Episode 28 of Nihongo to English — the bilingual podcast where somehow, you always walk away knowing more Japanese than when you started. This week, Michelle is back from a family trip to Europe — Dublin, Barcelona, and the World Cup chaos in between. Tapas were eaten. Open mics were canceled. And a very important debate was settled: are Japanese croquettes (コロッケ) and Spanish croquettes the same thing? (They are not. And the panko situation is complicated.) Then it's back to Genki Lesson 3, page 93–94 for one of the most important — and most confusing — Japanese grammar topics for beginners: 行く (iku) vs. 来る (kuru) . When do you say "I'm going" vs. "I'm coming"? It all depends on where the speaker is standing, and Michael and Michelle break it down with real examples, Takkyubin scenarios, and a guy who is apparently the size of a building. They also practice masu and masen verb conjugations with full sentences across eight different verbs: taberu, kiku, nomu, hanasu, yomu, miru, suru, okiru, neru, and iku — because once you're in it, you're in it. Also on this episode: the World Cup takeover of Barcelona, the word darui (だるい — that "ugh, everything is too much" feeling), the invention of the Daruima (a bucket shaped like a Daruma with a to-do list inside), Japanese useless inventions, えー vs. うん as response words, chotto as the world's most polite "no," and the moment Michael drew an eye on Daruma-san live on air — setting the goal of 10,000 downloads . The Daruma has one eye. The rest is up to you. No homework. Just bilingual chaos — and somehow you learn. 📩 NihongotoEnglishnoshow@gmail.com 🎵 Theme Jingle by Michelle MaliZaki Japanese Description エピソード28 – 行く vs. 来る、バルセロナのコロッケ＆ダルマに目を入れた日 日本語学習中のあなたへ。バイリンガルポッドキャスト Nihongo to English のエピソード28へようこそ！ホストのマイケル・アレン（CPA）とみしえる・まりザきが、今週も笑いとカオスの中で日本語をお届けします。 今回、みしえる・まりザきはヨーロッパ家族旅行から帰還。ダブリン、バルセロナ、そしてワールドカップ一色の街並みを体験。オープンマイクは全滅。でもコロッケはおいしかった。日本のコロッケとスペインのコロッケ、実は全然違う？パン粉問題まで深掘りします。 そして今週のメイン： げんき Lesson 3（93〜94ページ） より、日本語学習の定番の壁、 「行く」と「来る」 を徹底解説！話し手がどこにいるかで使い方が変わるこの2つの動詞、宅急便シナリオや実例を使ってわかりやすく説明します。さらに、 ます形・ません形の動詞活用練習 として、食べる・聞く・飲む・話す・読む・見る・する・起きる・寝る・行く の8つ以上を文章で練習！ その他のトピック：ワールドカップに飲み込まれたバルセロナ、 「だるい」 という言葉の発見、ダルマをバケツにした謎の発明品 「ダルイマ」 、日本のユニークな発明文化、「えー」と「うん」の使い方、「ちょっと」が実は丁重な断りの言葉である理由、そして放送中に実際にダルマに目を入れた瞬間——目標は ダウンロード1万回 ！ ダルマに片目が入りました。あとはリスナーのみなさん次第です。 宿題なし。バイリンガルなカオスだけ——でもなぜか学べる。 📩 NihongotoEnglishnoshow@gmail.com 🎵 テーマジングル：みしえる・まりザき Support the show 🎙️ 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 📱 Follow us on Instagram @NihongoToEnglishPodcast for new episodes on the 2nd, 12th, and 22nd of each month.

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on Nihongo to English. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.