This site will be taken down March 31st, 2026.

This was not an easy decision to make. For the last couple years, I have been struggling to find motivation for this site and to keep up with basic maintenance and security updates. With the rise of AI and more sophisticated tools, the usefulness of sites like this is questionable and traffic has nose-dived. I just don't have it in me to keep doing this. Thank you all for 10 years of support!

Zach

よい手紙を書く秘訣は、話しているように書くことです。

Sentence Analyzer

よい 手紙 書く 秘訣 話している ように 書く こと です

English Translation

The true secret of writing a good letter is to write as if you were talking.

Furigana

よい手紙(てがみ)()秘訣(ひけつ)は、(はな)しているように()くことです。

Romanji

Yoi tegami o kaku hiketsu wa, hanashiteiru yōni kaku koto desu.

Words

良い (よい)
good; excellent; fine; nice; pleasant; agreeable; sufficient (can be used to turn down an offer); ready; prepared; profitable (e.g. deal, business offer, etc.); beneficial; OK
手紙 (てがみ)
letter
()
indicates direct object of action; indicates subject of causative expression; indicates an area traversed; indicates time (period) over which action takes place; indicates point of departure or separation of action; indicates object of desire, like, hate, etc.
書く (かく)
to write; to compose; to pen; to draw; to paint
秘訣 (ひけつ)
secret (method, trick, etc.); mysteries (of an art, trade, etc.); key (e.g. to success); recipe
()
topic marker particle; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
話す (はなす)
to talk; to speak; to converse; to chat; to tell; to explain; to narrate; to mention; to describe; to discuss; to speak (a language)
様に (ように)
in order to (e.g. meet goal); so that; take care (so as); hoping or wishing for something
(こと、こん)
thing; matter; incident; occurrence; event; something serious; trouble; crisis; circumstances; situation; state of affairs; work; business; affair; after an inflectable word, creates a noun phrase indicating something the speaker does not feel close to; nominalizing suffix; pretending to ...; playing make-believe ...; alias; aka; nickname; alternative name; also known as
です (です)
be; is

Kanji

Readings: シュ、 ズ、 て、 て-、 -て、 た-
Meaning: hand
Readings: シ、 かみ
Meaning: paper
Readings: ショ、 か.く、 -が.き、 -がき
Meaning: write
Readings: ヒ、 ひ.める、 ひそ.か、 かく.す
Meanings: secret, conceal
Readings: ケツ、 わかれ、 わかれ.る
Meanings: separation, part, secret
Readings: ワ、 はな.す、 はなし
Meanings: tale, talk