Nihongo con Teppei (Beginner) - Ep14: スタジオジブリについて

Felix's Learner Note:

Episode 14 of Nihongo con Teppei is the natural follow-up to the manga episode, where Teppei promised to talk more about Ghibli. He opens with his usual warm check-in — how's everyone, I'm great — then lands on today's topic: スタジオジブリについて (about Studio Ghibli).

From there it's a guided tour of the Ghibli filmography: Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Nausicaä, Laputa, Princess Mononoke, Ponyo, and Spirited Away. He gives a clean definition of 監督 (director) and notes that in Japanese it's "Ghibli," not the English "Jiburi." Then comes his core teaching point: Ghibli films use realistic, everyday Japanese — お父さん, お母さん, family talk — unlike shōnen adventure manga like One Piece, which is why they're excellent for learners.

For shadowing, this episode packs everyday vocabulary (family words, film titles) and the opinion/reason frame 〜と思います / 〜ので. You'll hear 〜について (about), 〜だといい (I hope ~), 〜というのは (which means ~), and the conditional 〜ば, all at relaxed beginner speed. If you want Japanese that sounds like real life, Ghibli is Teppei's pick — and this episode tells you why.

Display:

Japanese English

Privacy First: Your mic audio is processed locally on your device. We never upload or save your voice. Recordings vanish when you close the tab.

💡 Pro Tip: Click any sentence to jump and play. Double-click to pause the audio.

📚 Grammar Breakdown

1. ～だといいですね（願い・希望）
Meaning: I hope ~ / It'd be good if ~ (wish)
In Text: 皆さんが元気だといいですね (I hope you're all well).
Note: 〜だといい expresses a wish or hope for someone else's state. The plain だ (after a noun/na-adjective) + といい. Teppei uses it warmly toward his listeners — a gentle, very common beginner phrase for "I hope you're ~." Shadow the soft ですね ending.

2. ～というのは～です（定義・言い換え）
Meaning: ~ is what we call ~ / ~ means ~ (definition)
In Text: 監督というのは movie director、ダイレクターのことですね (a "kantoku" is a movie director, it's the director).
Note: 〜というのは introduces a term and defines or rephrases it. It's N4 and the standard "in other words" tool. Teppei uses it to explain 監督 via the English loanword, a perfect model of how bilingual Japanese speakers define words for learners. Listen for というのは as the "which means" signal.

3. ～ば（条件形・「～すれば」）
Meaning: If ~ / As long as ~ (conditional)
In Text: 勉強していてくれればいいと思います (as long as you keep studying, that's good).
Note: The 〜ば form is the dictionary conditional ("if"). Here it's the continuous 〜ていれば (keep ~ing) softened into 〜くれれば with the helper くれる. For beginners, just catch the 〜ば / 〜れば ending as the "if / as long as" cue. Teppei uses it to say "as long as you study, I'm happy."

4. ～ので（理由・説明）
Meaning: Because ~ / Since ~ (reason)
In Text: 多いので、あの、ぜひ見てみてください (since there are many, please do watch them).
Note: 〜ので gives a reason or explanation, softer and more objective than から. Teppei uses it to justify his recommendation: because there are so many good films, you should watch them. It's N5 and one of the most frequent connectors in spoken Japanese — shadow the ので as the "because" bridge between a fact and a suggestion.