Honne are our honest thoughts and feelings and tatemae is what we are supposed to say in any given situation. (本音(ほんね)は、人が正直に思ったり感じたりしていること、建前(たてまえ)は、たとえ思っていたことでも、言わないほうがいいと思われることをいいます。)
Japanese people often avoid saying their honest feelings in order to keep harmony in their communities and society as a while. (日本人は、しばし共同体や社会の調和を保つために、本心をいうことをさける傾向があります。)
However, this culture causes misunderstandings between Japanese and foreigners, who may find these attitudes dishonest.(しかしながら、このような日本の文化は、それを不正直だと捉える外国人との間に、誤解をもたらしたりします。)
Since 1996, Japanese-Online has been provided as a free service from PSPinc with the purpose of providing resources to individuals interested in learning about the Japanese Language and culture.
Japanese-Online has content suited to varying levels of study, including lessons for beginners as well as lessons tailored for those who need grammar and writing resources. Lessons are best suited to those who have basic understanding of hiragana and katakana alphabets before moving on to the more advanced grammar and particle lessons. Grammar lessons focus on learning about writing and creating more complex sentences and most lessons will not use romaji (Japanese sounds written with roman letters). Kanji is used in the lessons with hiragana and English translations provided.