Easy Japanese Chapter 9

Easy Japanese Chapter 9

[Sentences to Memorize]

1. A. らいねんハワイへ行きたいですか?
Rainen hawai e ikitai desu ka?
Do you want to go to Hawaii next year?

B. はい、行きたいです。
Hai, ikitai desu.
Yes, I do.

- or -

C. いいえ、行きたくありません。
Iie, ikitaku arimasen.
No, I don't.

2. A. あした何をしたいですか?
Ashita nani o shitai desu ka?
What do you want to do tomorrow?

B. テニスをしたいです。
Tenisu o shitai desu.
I want to play tennis.

3. ここでいっしょに本をよみましょう。
Koko de issho ni hon o yomimashō.
Let's read a book here together.

4. A. あさってパーティーをしましょうか?
Asatte paatii o shimashō ka?
Shall we have a party the day after tomorrow?

B. ええ、そうしましょう。
Ee, sō shimashō.
Yes, let's (do so).

5. A. てつだいましょうか?
Tetsudaimashō ka?
Shall I help you?

B. はい、おねがいします。
Hai, onegaishimasu. -
Yes, please.

- or -

C. いいえ、けっこうです。
Iie, kekko desu.
No, thank you.

6. どうぞこのりょうりをたべてください。
Dōzo kono ryōri o tabete kudasai.
Please eat this dish.

7. もうすこしゆっくりはなしてください。
Mō sukoshi yukkuri hanashite kudasai.
Please speak a little more slowly.

[Words For This Lesson]

あける - akeru - To open
しめる - shimeru - To close (Not used for books)
しらべる - shiraberu - To check, to investigate
おしえる - oshieru - To teach, tell
いう - iu - To say, tell
うる - uru - To sell
まつ - matsu - To wait
てつだう - tetsudau - To help, give a hand (Does not mean "to rescue")
りょこう - ryokō - To travel, tour (-o suru = To take a trip)
パーティー - paatii - Party (-o suru = To have a party)
(お)べんとう - (o)bentō - Packed/boxed/bagged lunch or dinner
あさ - asa - Morning
ひる - hiru - Noon/lunch time; day (time)
ごご - gogo - Afternoon; p.m. (ごぜん - gozen = a.m.)
ばん - ban - Evening (こんばん - konban = This evening)
ごはん - gohan - Meal, cooked rice (あさごはん - asagohan = Breakfast)
ことば - kotoba - word, language
いみ - imi - Meaning
やすみ - yasumi - off day, break (ふゆやすみ - fuyu yasumi = Winter vacation)
きょねん - kyonen - Last year (きょねんのはる - kyonen no haru = Last (year's) spring)
ことし - kotoshi - This year (ことしのなつ - kotoshi no natsu = This summer)
らいねん - rainen - Next year (らいねんのあき - rainen no aki = Next (years) autumn)
ドア - doa - Door
がいこく - gaikoku - Foreign country
がいこく人/がい人 - gaikokujin/gaijin - Foreigner
かわいい - kawaii - Cute (Be careful for "kowai" which means "scary")
いそがしい - ishogashii - Busy
ちょっと - chotto - A little bit, a moment, kind of
どうぞ - dōzo - Please (Can mean "Please come in" or "Go ahead")
もうすこし - mō sukoshi - A little more
ゆっくり - yukkuri - Slowly, leisurely
おねがいします - onegaishimasu - I'd appreciate it (Used to accept an offer or service)

1.) Saying "I want to..."

When you change "-masu" to "-tai desu" with a verb, the sentence now means "want to do...".

Examples:

いつ日本へ行きたいですか?
Itsu nihon e ikitai desu ka?
When do you want to go to Japan?

ほんださんはおちゃをのみたいです。
Honda-san wa ocha o nomitai desu.
Mrs. Honda wants to drink green tea.

私はこれをうるたくありません。
Watashi wa kore o urutaku arimasen.
I don't want to sell this.

2.) Let's do.../-mashō/－ましょう

When you change "-masu" to "-mashō", it means "Let's...". If you add "ka" at the end, it means "Let's/Shall we...?". Each context determines "I" or "We".

Examples:

いっしょにこうえんへ行きましょう。
Issho ni kōen e ikimashō.
Let's go to the park together.

あそこでダンスをしましょうか?
Asoko de dansu o shimashō ka?
Shall we dance over there?

3.) "Please do..." (-te kudasai / -てください)

Every Japanese verb has a て/te-form and this is used very often in many structures. Memorizing the following rules would be one of the most challenging and rewarding things in Japanese grammar. When "kudasai/ください" is added after it, it means "Please do...". To make it more emphatic, "dōzo" can be added in front of this expression.

I. Ru-Verbs (-eru/-iru endings): Change "ru" to "te"
Ex. Taberu → Tabete Oboeru → Oboete Miru → Mite

II. U-Verbs:

1. U-verbs ending in -Tsu, -Ru, or -U change to "-tte"
Ex. Matsu → Matte Uru → Utte Noru → Notte Iu → Itte

2. U-verbs ending in -Ku, -Gu or -Su change to -ite/-ide (For -su, change "u" to "shi")
Ex. Kaku → Kaite Kiku → Kiite Oyogu → Oyoide Hanasu → Hanashite

3. U-verbs ending in -mu or -bu change to "-nde"
Ex. Yomu → Yonde Nomu → Nonde Asobu → Asonde

III. Irregular Verbs
Suru → Shite (To do) Kuru → Kite (To come) Iku → Itte (To go)

____________________________

Examples:

ともだちのけいこさんにあさってください。
Tomodachi no keiko-san ni asatte kudasai.
Please meet my friend Keiko.

どうぞまたここに来てください。
Dōzo mata koko ni kite kudasai.
Please come here again.

4.) Informal -te form

This form is only to be used between close friends/people or family. It's just like what I described above, except you don't add "kudasai" at the end.

Example:

このえをみて。
Kono e o mite.
Look at this drawing.

Special Lesson: Comparing Things

これはＡですが、それはＢです。
Kore wa A desu ga, sore wa B desu.
This is A, but this is B.

[Words For This Lesson]

1. 高い - takai - Expensive
安い - yasui - Inexpensive, cheap

2. あたらしい - atarashii - New
ふるい - furui - Old

3. つめたい - tsumetai - Cold
あつい - atsui - Hot

4. 雪だるま - yukidaruma - Snowman
大きい - ookii - Big
小さい - chiisai - Small

5. ながい - nagai - Long
みじかい - mijikai - Short

6. べんり - benri - Convenient
ふべん - fuben - Inconvenient

7. かんたん - kantan - Easy
むずかしい - muzukashii - Difficult

8. 好き - suki - Like
きらい - kirai - Dislike

9. さむい - samui - Cold
あつい - atsui - Hot

10. すずしい - suzushii - Cool
あたたかい - atatakai - Warm

Using the words above, make sentences desribing each picture using the sentence structure I mentioned above. I'll do the first picture for you as an example:

1. これは高いですが、それは安いです。
Kore wa takai desu ga, sore wa yasui desu.
This is expensive, but that is cheap.

Easy Japanese Chapter 8

Easy Japanese Chapter 8

[Sentences to Memorize]

1. メアリーさんはりょうりがじょうず。
Mearii-san wa ryōri ga jōzu.
Mary is good at cooking.

2. A. トムくんはふゆがすきですか?
Tomu-kun wa fuyu ga suki desu ka?
Do you like winter, Tom?

B. ええ、だいすきです。
Ee, daisuki desu.
Yes, I love it.

3. A. もう日本ごのれんしゅうをしましたか?
Mō nihongo no renshuu o shimashita ka?
Have you already practiced Japanese?

B. はい、しました。(いいえ、またです。)
Hai, sō desu (Iie, mata desu)
Yes, I have. (No, not yet.)

4. A. 私はピアノがじょうずじゃありません。
Watashi wa piano ga jōzu ja arimasen.
I'm not good at the piano.

B. 私もです。
Watashi mo desu.
I'm not either.

5. きのうすずきさんにもでんわをしましたか?
Kinō suzuki-san ni mo denwa o shimashita ka?
Did you call Suzuki-san yesterday, too?

6. 私はスキーはすきですが、スケートはきらいです。
Watashi wa sukii wa suki desu ga, sukēto wa kirai desu.
I like skiing, but I dislike skating.

7. けいこさんにはあいましたが、あきらくんにはあいませんでした。
Keiko-san ni wa aimashita ga, akira-kun ni wa aimasen deshita.
I met Keiko, but I did not meet Akira.

8. あの人は本をよむのがすきですねえ。
Ano hito wa hon o yomu no ga suki desu nē.
That person over there likes to read books, doesn't he?!

[Words For This Lesson]

じょうず - jōzu - Skillful, good at
へた - heta - Unskillful, not good at
すき - suki - Like, fond of, favorite (Not a verb)
きらい - kirai - Dislike (Not a verb)
ふべん - fuben - Inconvenient (object only)
ながい - nagai - Long
みじかい - mijikai - Short (Not for height)
たのしい - tanoshii - Enjoyable, joyful, fun
ちいさい - chiisai - Small
おおきい - ōkii - Big, large
としょかん - toshokan - Library
うた - uta - Song
ピアノ - piano - Piano; playing the piano
テニス - tenisu - Tennis (-o suru = To play tennis)
フットボール - futtobōru - Football (-o suru = To play football)
ダンス - dansu - Dance (Non-Japanese)(-o suru = To dance)
おどり - odori - Japanese dance
すいえい - suiei - Swimming (as a sport) (-o suru = To swim)
うんてん - unten - Driving (-o suru = To drive) (Can not be use for: Ex. "I drove to...")
うたう - utau - To sing (Uta o utau = To sing a song)
ひく - hiku - To play a stringed instrument (guitar, piano, etc.); pull
ええ - ee - Yes (More colloquial and less formal than "hai")
まだ - mada - Still, not yet
また - mata - Again
もう - mō - Already (Mō sugu = Very soon)
も - mo - Also, too
だい - dai - very (Only before "suki" (like) or "kirai" (dislike).)
人- じん - jin - Person (Used after a county name to show nationality. Ex. Amerikajin = American)
が - ga - But (Used after a phrase)
ねえ - nē - Isn't it?!


1.) I like/I dislike, Good at/Bad at

First I'll explain how to show like/dislike for something. The basic sentence structure for this is "Somebody wa something ga suki/kirai desu". To show you really like or really dislike something, just add "dai-" before suki/kirai.

Examples:

あきらくんはおちゃがすきです。
Akira-kun wa ocha ga suki desu.
Akira likes green tea.

すずきさんはうんてんがだいきらいです。
Suzuki-san wa unten ga daikirai desu.
Suzuki-san hates driving.

Now to say you/someone is good or bad at something, you use the same sentence structure I mentioned above, but instead of suki/kirai, you use jōzu/heta. Adding "totemo" right before jōzu/heta means changes the meaning to "really good/really bad".

Examples:

とむくんはすいえいがとてもじょうずです。
Tomu-kun wa suiei ga totemo jōzu desu.
Tom is very good at swimming

私はフランス語がへたです。
Watashi wa furansugo ga heta desu.
I'm not good at French.

2.) Somebody/Something has already done/happened

The word "mō - もう" means "already". When used with a past-tense verb, it has a similar function to showing that something has already been done. So this pretty much shows that the action/verb has been completed. When asked in a question form, you can answer "Iie, mada desu" which means "No, not yet".

Examples:

Q: けいこさんはもうがっこうへ行きましたか。
Keiko-san wa mō gakkō e ikimashita ka?
Has Keiko already gone to school?

A: はい、行きました。
Hai, ikimashita.
Yes, she has.

-or-

A: いいえ、まだです。
Iie, mada desu.
No, not yet.

3.) Saying Also/Too

The particle "mo - も" means "also" or "too". When added to a sentence, it replaces "wa/は", "ga/が" and "o/を", but is added to "e/へ", "de/で", "ni/に" and "kara/から". "A mo B mo - AもBも" means "Both A and B".

Examples:

私もとしょかんへ行きます。
Watashi to toshokan e ikimasu.
I'm going to the library, too. (Among other people)

私はとしょかんへも行きます。
Watashi wa toshokan e mo ikimasu.
I'm going to the library, too. (Among other places)

せんせいにもがくせいにもあいましたか?
Sensei ni mo gakusei ni mo aimashita ka?
Did you meet both the teachers and the students?

4.) A is B, but C is D - A wa B desu ga, C wa D desu

If you want to say something like "This is a book, but that is a dictionary" you write each sentence as normal (using the A is B structure), but add "ga - が" after the first sentence which has the same meaning as "but". So each sentence alone in Japanese is "Kore wa hon desu." and "Sore wa jisho desu". So when you add "ga/が" after the first sentence, you get "Kore wa hon desu ga, sore wa jisho desu". Remember to add a comma after "ga/が".

Example:

これはいいですが、あれはよくありません。
Kore wa ii desu ga, are wa yoku arimasen.
This is good, but that over there isn't.

5.) Sentence + Nē (ねえ) = Isn't it!?, Don't you?!

This "nē/ねえ" is similar to the "ne/ね" you learned about last chapter, but this "nē" shows much more surprise by the speaker from what they've just seen/heard/felt, etc.

Example:

今日はさむいですねえ。
Kyō wa samui desu nē.
Today is cold, isn't it!?

6.) Verbs + No (の)

When you add "no" after the dictionary form of a verb, you turn that phrase into a noun.
Examples:

日本人はうたうのがだいすきです。
Nihonjin wa utau no ga daisuki desu.
The Japanese love to sing.

はしをつかうのはかんたんですか?
Hashi o tsukau no wa kantan desu ka?
Is it easy to use chopsticks?

Special Lesson: Countries of the World

何語をはなしますか?
Nanigo o hanashimasu ka?
What language do you speak?

[Words For This Lesson]

せかいちず - sekai chizu - World map (sekai = world, chizu = map)
イギリス- igirisu - England
えい語 - eigo - English
フランス - furansu - France
フランス語 - furansugo - French
スペイン - supein - Spain
スペイン語 - supeingo - Spanish
イタリア - itaria - Italy
イタリア語 - itariago - Italian
ドイツ - doitsu - Germany
ドイツ語 - doitsugo - German
ロシア - roshia - Russia
ロシア語 - roshiago - Russian
かんこく - kankoku - Korea
かんこく語- kankokugo - Korean
日本 - nihon - Japan
日本語 - nihongo - Japanese
ちゅうごく - chuugoku - China
ちゅうごく語 - chuugokugo - Chinese
オーストラリア - ōsutoraria - Australia
カナダ - kanada - Canada
アメリカ - amerika - America
メキシコ - mekishiko - Mexico


For this lesson, all I want you to do is to answer the question "Nanigo o hanashimasu ka?" or "What language do you speak?". So:



Q: 何語をはなしますか?
Nanigo o hanashimasu ka?


A : _____をはなします。
_____ o hanashimasu.



(If you want to know the name of a country or language I did not list, please ask!)

Easy Japanese Chapter 7

Beginner's Japanese Chapter 7

[Sentences to Memorize]

1. A: みずうみは今日きれいでしたか?
Mizuumi wa kyō kirei deshita ka?
Was the lake pretty today?

B: いいえ、あまりきれいじゃありませんでした。
Iie, amari kirei ja arimasen deshita.
No, it wasn't too pretty.

2. A: きのうのしけんはむずかしかったですか?
Kinō no shiken wa muzukashikatta desu ka?
Was yesterday's exam difficult?

B: いいえ、むずかしくありませんでした。
Iie, muzukashiku arimasen deshita.
No, it wasn't.

3. おとといはとてもさむかったです。
Ototoi wa totemo samukatta desu.
It was very cold the day before yesterday.

4. きのうあそこですずきさんにあいました。
Kinō asoko de suzuki-san ni aimashita.
Did you meet Suzuki-san over there yesterday?

5. けいこさんはいつ日本から来ます。
Keiko-san wa itsu nihon kara kimasu.
When will Keiko come over from Japan?

7. このカメラはとてもべんりですね。
Kono kamera wa totemo benri desu ne.
This camera is very convenient, isn't it?

8. A: あれはあなたの車ですね。
Are wa anata no kuruma desu ne.
That one is your car, isn't it?

B: はい、そうです。
Hai, sō desu.
Yes, it is.

9. このえいがはとてもよかったですね。
Kono eiga wa totemo yokatta desu ne.
That was a very good movie, wasn't it?


[Words For This Lesson]

あたらしい - atarashii - New
ふるい - furui - Old (for things); old-fashioned (for person)
さむい - samui - Cold (for air)
つめたい - tsumetai - Cold (for things, heart)
すずしい - suzushii - Cool (for air, breeze, etc.)
あたたかい - atatakai - Warm
あつい - atsui - Hot (for air or things)
むずかしい - muzukashii - Difficult
かんたん - kantan - Easy, Simple
べんり - benri - Convenient
たいせつ - taisetsu - Important
おととい - ototoi - The day before yesterday
あさって - asatte - The day after tomorrow
今 - いま - ima - Now (ima sugu = right now)
(お)てんき - (o)tenki - Weather
ふゆ - fuyu - Winter (Dec, Jan, Feb)
はる - haru - Spring (Mar, Apr, May)
なつ - natsu - Summer (Jun, Jul, Aug)
あき - aki - Autumn, fall (Sep, Oct, Nov)
すもう - sumō - Sumo wrestling (- o suru = to do sumo wrestling)
しけん - shiken - Exam (Synonym of: テスト - tesuto - Test) ( - o suru = to give a exam)
でんわ - denwa - Phone ("Someone" ni denwa o suru = To call "someone")
あう - au - To meet, see a person ("Someone" ni au = To meet/see "someone")
つく - tsuku - To arrive ("Place" ni tsuku = To arrive at/in "place")
のる - noru - To ride, get on, get in (a car, vehicle)
おりる - oriru - To get off
に - ni - (Goal point marker)
から - kara - (Origin marker)
ね - ne - Used at end of a sentence. (Usage will be explained in this chapter)
わかりました。- wakarimashita - I see, okay (Literally "I understand".)

1.) Past Tense

Here I will explain how to change a sentence into past tense and negative past tense. For a noun or Na-Adjective, you change "desu" to "deshita". For negative past tense, you change "ja/dewa arimasen" to "ja/dewa arimasen deshita".

Examples:

[Present Tense]

すずきさんはこのがっこうのせんせいです。
Suzuki-san wa kono gakkō no sensei desu.
Suzuki-san is a teacher at this school.

[Past Tense]

すずきさんはこのがっこうのせんせいでした。
Suzuki-san wa kono gakkō no sensei deshita.
Suzuki-san was a teacher at this school.

For an i-adjective, you change the last "-i" into "-katta desu". For negative past, you change the last "-i" to "-ku arimasen deshita".

Examples:

[Present Tense]

けいこさんのてがみはおもしろいです。
Keiko-san no tegami wa omoshiroi desu.
Keiko-san's letter is interesting.

[Past Tense]

けいこさんのてがみはおもしろいかったです。
Keiko-san no tegami wa omoshirokatta desu.
Keiko-san's letter was interesting.

2.) Using Time with Weather

For the expressions of temperature, the "A=B" structure is normally used. Time or place expressions are followed by wa (は).

Examples:

きのうはとてもさむかったです。
Kinō wa totemo samukatta desu.
It was very cold yesterday.

日本は今とてもいいてんきですよ。
Nihon wa ima totemo ii tenki desu yo!
It's very nice weather in Japan now!

3. Place/Person Ni/に + Goal-Oriented Verbs

The particle ni (に) indicates a place or person as a goal-point of the verb.

Examples:

あきらくんはすぐバスにのります。
Akira-kun wa sugu basu ni norimasu.
Akira-kun will soon get on the bus.

きのうけいこさんにでんわしましたか?
Kinou Keiko-san ni denwa shimashita ka?
Did you call Keiko yesterday?

私はときどきノートにえをかきます。
Watashi wa tokidoki nōto ni e o kakimasu.
I sometimes draw in my notebook.

せんせいにききましたか?
Sensei ni kikimashita ka?
Did you ask the teacher?

4.) Place/Person kara (から) + Origin-Oriented Verbs

The particle kara (から) indicates a place or person as an origin of the verb. The English equivalent is "from".

Examples:

どこでバスからおりましたか?
Doko de basu kara orimashita ka?
Where did you get off the bus?

だれからこのじてんしゃをかいましたか?
Dare kara kono jitensha o kaimashita ka?
From whom did you buy this bicycle?

5.) Using "ne" (ね)

"Ne" at the end of a sentence, depending on the context, can mean "isn't it?", "isn't he/she", "aren't they", etc. It shows the speaker's feeling of wanting to share the statement. If there is a slight rising intonation with "ne", the speaker is asking for light confirmation. If there is a big rising intonation, this means the speaker is clearly asking for a yes or no confirmation.

Examples:

このざっしはあたらしくありませんね。
Kono zasshi wa atarashiku arimasen ne?
This magazine is not new, is it?

トムくんは日本語をはなしますね。
Tomu-kun wa nihongo o hanashimasu ne?
Tom speaks Japanese, doesn't he?

Kanji For Lessons 4-6

Kanji For Lessons 4-6

These are the kanji for lessons 4 through 6. Is this entry, you will be learning a total of 15 kanji. From now on I am going to use these kanji in the place of the hiragana. So make sure to study and memorize these!

1. [山]
[On] - サン - san
[Kun] - やま - yama
[Meaning] Mountain

2. [木]
[On] - モク/ボク - moku/boku
[Kun] - き - ki
[Meaning] Tree, wood

3. [川]
[On] - セン - sen
[Kun] - かわ - kawa
[Meaning] River

4. [水]
[On] - スイ - sui
[Kun] - みず - mizu
[Meaning] Water

5. [雨]
[On] - ウ - u
[Kun] - あめ - ame
[Meaning] Rain

6. [雪]
[On] - セツ -setsu
[Kun] - ゆき - yuki
[Meaning] Snow

7. [林]
[On] - リン - rin
[Kun] - はやし - hayashi
[Meaning] Grove

8. [森]
[On] - シン - shin
[Kun] - もり - mori
[Meaning] Forest

9. [東]
[On] - トウ - tou
[Kun] - ひがし - higashi
[Meaning] East

10. [京]
[On] - きょう - kyou
[Kun] - None
[Meaning] Day, sun

11. [行]
[On] - コウ - kou
[Kun] - い(く) - i(ku) = 行く
[Meaning] Go, to go

12. [来]
[On] - ライ - rai
[Kun] - く(る) - ku(ru) = 来る
[Meaning] Come, to come

13. [男]
[On] - ダン - dan
[Kun] - おとこ - otoko
[Meaning] Man

14. [女]
[On] - ジョ - jo
[Kun] - おんな - onna
[Meaning] Woman

15. [子]
[On] - シshi
[Kun] - こども - ko(domo) = 子ども
[Meaning] Child


Here are some examples of some things you can now write with these kanji:

水車 - すいしゃ - suisha - Mill
川の水 - かわのみず - kawa no mizu - River water
東京 - とうきょう - tōkyō - Tokyo
男の人 - おとこのひと - otoko no hito - Man
男の子 - おとこのこ - otoko no ko - Boy
女の人 - おんなのひと - onna no hito - Woman
女の子 - おんなのこ - onna no ko - Girl
子どもの日 - こどものひ - kodomo no hi - Children's Day
東京へ行きます - とうきょうへいきます - tōkyō e ikimasu - I go to Tokyo.
東京へ来ます - とうきょうへきます - tōkyō e kimasu - I come to Tokyo.

Easy Japanese Chapter 6

Easy Japanese Chapter 6

[Sentences to Memorize]

1. メアリーさんはさっき日本語をはなします。
Mearii-san wa sakki nihongo o hanashimasu.
Mary spoke Japanese a little while ago.

2. あきらくんはきのうべんきょうをしませんでした。
Akira-kun wa kinou benkyou o shimasen deshita.
Akira didn't study yesterday.

3. 私はあまりタイプライターをつかいません。
Watashi wa amari taipuraitaa o tsukaimasen.
I don't use a typewriter very much (often).

4. トムくんははしでてんぷらをたべます。
Tomu-kun wa hashi de tempura o tabemasu.
Tom ate tempura with chopsticks.

5. A: きのうゆきがふりましたか?
Kinou yuki ga furimashita ka?
Did it snow yesterday?

B: はい、たくさんふるました。
Hai, furimashita.
Yes, it did.

6. A: すずきさんといっしょにみずうみへいきませんか?
Suzuki-san to issho ni mizuumi e ikimasen ka?
Would you like to go to the lake with Suzuki-san?

B: はい、いいですよ。Hai, ii desu yo. - Yes, sure!

7. A: コーラをすこしのみませんか?
Kōra o sukoshi nomimasen ka?
Would you like to drink some cola?

B: いいえ、けっこうです。Iie, kekkou desu. - No, thank you.

[Words For This Lesson]

あめ - ame - Rain
ゆき - yuki - Snow
みず - mizu - Water (cold only)
おゆ - oyu - Hot water
うみ - umi - Sea, ocean
みずうみ - mizuumi - Lake (first "u" has higher pitch.)
けさ - kesa - This morning
じてんしゃ - jitensha - Bicycle, bike (watch out for baiku (バイク) which means "motorcycle")
はし - hashi - Chopsticks
フォーク - fōku - Fork
スキー - sukii - Ski (-o suru = to ski)
スケート - sukēto - Skating (-o suru = to skate)
かいもの - kaimono - Shopping (-o suru = to shop)
おぼえる - oboeru - To memorize
つかう - tsukau - To use
ふる - furu - To fall (only for rain, snow, hail, etc.) (Furu is a "u-verb"!)
いつも - itsumo - Always
きのう - kinou - Yesterday
さっき - sakki - A little while ago
あまり - amari - (not) much, many, often (Used only in a sentence with negative ending)
たくさん - takusan - a lot, much, often (Comes before a verb)
そして - soshite - And (Used only at beginning of a sentence)
でも - demo - But (Used only at the beginning of a sentence)
ところで - tokorode - By the way
みんなで - minna de - With everyone
みんな - minna - All (of us, you, them)
いいえ、けっこうです。- iie, kekkou desu - No, thank you. (For an offer)
はい、いただきます。- hai, itadakimasu - Yes, thank you. (For an offer)
と(いっしょに) - to (issho ni) - Together (with somebody)
で - de - Means marker, by means of
よ - yo - Added at end of sentence to add emphasis. Implicating that your telling the person something they don't know.

1.) Past Forms of Verbs

To change a verb to past tense, change -masu (-ます) to -mashita (-ました). For negative past, change -masen (-ません) to -masen deshita (-ませんでした).

Ex.

きのうかいものをしましたか。- Kinou kaimono o shimashita ka? - Did you go shopping yesterday? いいえ、しませんでした。- Iie, shimasen deshita. - No, I didn't.

2.) Using "amari" (あまり)

In order to express partial negation to a sentence, you use amari (あまり).

Ex.

けいこさんはにくをたべません。- Keiko-san wa niku o tabemasen. - Keiko doesn't eat meat.
- compared to -
けいこさんはあまりにくをたべません。- Keiko-san wa amari niku o tabemasen. - Keiko doesn't eat much meat.

この車は高くありません。- Kono kuruma wa takaku arimasen. - This car isn't expensive.
- compared to -
この車はあまり高くありません。- Kono kuruma wa amari takaku arimasen. - This car isn't too expensive.

3.) Something+de (で)

The form of de (で) you'll be learning about in this chapter means "by" or "with". It's placed after a noun.

Ex. メアリーさんはバスでここへきました。- Mearii-san wa basu de koko e kimashita. - Mary came here by bus.

4.) あめがふりました。(Ame ga furimashita.) It rained.

The subject maker ga (が) is normally used instead of wa (は) after ame (あめ) and yuki (ゆき) since they are a natural phenomina and you are not talking about THE rain, but the rain in general. Also, if your talking to someone about it, they may not know the exact rain/snow fall you're talking about.

5.) Togther - といっしょに (to issho ni)

When put after either your's or someone else's name, it means "with this person/me/you, etc". When using this expression, you can usually omit "watashi to" (私と) (with me) from the beginning of the sentence. In that case, you can just use "issho ni". You can also abbreviate "to issho ni" (といっしょに) to just "to" (と).

Ex. トムくんはあきらくんといっしょに日本語のべんきょうをしました。- Tomu-kun wa akira-kun to (issho ni) nihongo no benkyou o shimashita. - Tom studied Japanese with Akira.

6.) Would you like to...?

To ask someone "Would you like to...", you change the verb to end in -masen ka? (-ませんか). This is literally like asking "Won't you...?" or "Wouldn't you...?". This form is a polite invitation for an action and also a food offer. Don't start this form with "anata wa..." (あなたは...).

Ex. プールで(私と)いっしょにおよぎませんか。- Puuru de (watashi to) issho ni oyogimasen ka? - Would you like to swim with me in the pool?

7.) Using "yo"

No, not "yo" as in the English American slang term, but the Japanese ending marker "yo" よ which shows the speaker's strong feeling of wanting to say the sentence. It can also be kind of like an exclamation at the end of a sentence. The expression "Ii desu yo!" いいですよ (Fine or sure!) is often used to accept an invitation to show willingness. (Though, if offered food or drinks, respond "Hai, ittadakimasu - はい、いっただきます。" or "Iie, kekkou desu - いいえ、けっこうです。".)

Ex.

あのへやはとてもしずかです。- Ano heya wa totemo shizuka desu. -- That room is very quiet.

- compared to -

あのへやはとてもしずかですよ。- Ano heya wa totemo shizuka desu yo. -- That room is very quiet!

Easy Japanese Chapter 5

Easy Japanese Chapter 5

[Sentences to Memorize]

1. トムくんはよくこうえんであそびます。

Tomu-kun wa yoku kouen de asobimasu.

Tom often plays at the park.

2. メアリーさんは今日プールでおよぎますか?

Mearii-san wa kyou puuru de oyogimasu ka?

Mary, are you going to swim in the pool today?

3. 私はまい日がっこうへいきます。

Watashi wa mainichi gakkou e ikimasu.

I go to school everyday.

4. あきらくんはときどきうちへきます。

Akira-kun wa tokidoki uchi e kimasu.

Akira sometimes comes to my home.

5. A:ふつうどこでべんきょうをしますか?

Futsuu doko de benkyou o shimasu ka?

Where do you usually study?

B: うちでします。- Uchi de shimasu. - At home.

6. A: いつ本やへいきますか?

Itsu honya e ikimasu ka?

When are you going to go to a bookstore?

B: すぐいきます。Sugu ikimasu. - I'm going right away.

7. A: いつどこで日本語のれんしゅうをしますか?

Itsu doko de nihongo no renshuu o shimasu ka?

When and where do you practice Japanese?

B: まい日ともだちのうちでします。

Mainichi tomodachi no uchi de shimasu.

I do it everyday at my friend's house.

[Words For This Lesson]

きく - kiku - To listen, hear
およぐ - oyogu - To swim
よむ - yomu - To read
あそぶ - asobu - To play (with something, in a park, etc); have a good time
いく - iku - To go
くる - kuru - To come (over)
する - suru - To do
べんきょう - benkyou - Studying
べんきょうをする - benkyou (o) suru - To study
れんしゅう - renshuu - Practicing
れんしゅうをする - renshuu o suru - To practice
おりがみ - origami - Origami, paper-folding
プール - puuru - swimming pool
こうえん - kouen - Park
きっさてん - kissaten - Coffeehouse
うち - uchi - Home (Usually "watashi no" is omitted) (Not used with "iku" to mean "go home")
ざっし - zasshi - Magazine
しんぶん - shinbun - Newspaper
トム - tomu - Tom
メアリー - mearii - Mary
ピザ - piza - Pizza
ここ - koko - This place, here
そこ - soko - That place, there
あそこ - asoko - That place over there, over there
どこ - doko - Where, which place (Usually followed by "de" or "e")
いつ - itsu - When
すぐ - sugu - Right away, soon ("Sugu soko no (object)" = Nearby (object))
よく - yoku - Often; well (Not used for future actions)
ふつう - futsuu - Usually (Futsuu no - Ordinary)
で - de - (Area marker for activities and events)
へ - e - (Direction marker)
や- ya - -Store, -shop (Name of product proceeds "ya" to show type of shop. Ex. Honya = bookstore)

1.) (Place) de + Action Verb/To do something at/in Place

The particle "de/で" indicates an area in which an action or event is going to take place. It always comes after a place noun.

Ex. ときどき きっさてん で コーヒー を のみますか。- Tokidoki kissaten de kōhii o nomimasu ka? - Do you sometimes drink coffee at a coffeehouse?

2.) Go to/Come to

(Place) へ いく/e iku (direction is only outward →) : Go to (place)
(Place) へ くる/e kuru (direction is only inward ←) : Come to (place)

The particle "e/へ" (pronounced "e" not "he" when used as a directional marker) has a similar function to the English "to". This particle comes after a place noun/pronoun.

Ex. トムさんはよくこのプールへいきます。- Tomu-san wa yoku kono puuru e ikimasu. - Tom often comes to this swimming pool.

3.) Here, There and Over There

The words "here", "there" and "over there" in Japanese are koko (ここ), soko (そこ) and asoko (あそこ). They have similar meanings to kore (これ), sore (それ) and are (あれ). You can use wa (は) after these. To ask the question "where", you use doko (どこ). You cannot use wa (は) after doko, but you can use ga (が).

Ex.

あなたのがっこうはどこですか。- Anata no gakkou wa doko desu ka? - Where is your school?

どこがあなたのがっこうですか。- Doko ga anata no gakkou desu ka? - Where is your school?

4.) Using suru (する)

Suru essentially means "to do". It can sometimes be added to a noun to mean "to do...(something)".

Ex.

れんしゅうをする - Renshuu o suru -- To practice
おりがみをする - Origami o suru -- To do origami
りょうりをする - Ryouri o suru -- To cook

For "renshuu (れんしゅう)" and "benkyou (べんきょう)", it is optional to add "o" (を) before "suru" (する). So "renshuu suru - れんしゅうする" and "benkyou suru - べんきょうする" are also correct.

Ex.

どこで日本語をべんきょうしますか。- Doko de nihongo o benkyou shimasu ka? - Where do you study Japanese?

- compared to -

どこで日本語をべんきょうをしますか。- Doko de nihongo o benkyou o shimasu ka? - Where do you study Japanese?

5.) When - Itsu (いつ)

The question word itsu (いつ) means "when". In a sentence, it is normally used after the focus of the sentence.

Ex.

すずきさんはいつオートバイをかいますか。- Suzuki-san wa itsu ōtobai o kaimasu ka? - When is Suzuki-san going to buy a motorcycle.

だれがいつそこへいきますか。- Dare ga itsu soko e ikimasu ka? - Who will go there and when?

6.) -Store (-や)

To say a type of store, just put ya (や) after the object the store is selling.

Ex.

本や - honya - Bookstore
にくや - nikuya - Butcher
カメラや - kameraya - Camera store
はなや - hanaya - Flower shop, florist

Katakana Intro

Before I start off chapter 4, I'm going to introduce you to katakana. I was going to include it along with chapter 4, but I realized that would make it ridiculously long! lol So I decided to make it a separate entry. Katakana nowadays is mostly used for foreign words or names.

Katakana - カタカナ

[KA] -- [KI] -- [KU] -- [KE] -- [KO]
[カ] --- [キ] --- [ク] ---- [ケ] --- [コ]

[SA] -- [SHI] -- [SU] -- [SE] -- [SO]
[サ] ---- [シ] --- [ス] --- [セ] --- [ソ]

[TA] -- [CHI] -- [TSU] -- [TE] -- [TO]
[タ] ----- [チ] ---- [ツ] --- [テ] ---- [ト]

[NA] -- [NI] -- [NU] -- [NE] -- [NO]
[ナ] ---- [ニ] --- [ヌ] --- [ネ] ---- [ノ]

[HA] -- [HI] -- [FU] -- [HE] -- [HO]
[ハ] --- [ヒ] --- [フ] --- [ヘ] ----- [ホ]

[MA] -- [MI] -- [MU] -- [ME] -- [MO]
[マ] ----- [ミ] --- [ム] ---- [メ] ----- [モ]

[YA] -- [YU] -- [YO]
[ヤ] ---- [ユ] --- [ヨ]

[RA] -- [RI] -- [RU] -- [RE] -- [RO]
[ラ] ---- [リ] ---- [ル] --- [レ] ---- [ロ]

[WA] -- [O]
[ワ] ---- [ヲ]*

[N]
[ン]

*This is special "o" (also written as "wo") that is only used as a particle.


There are some katakana characters that look similar to each other. They are "シ - shi" and "ツ - tsu", and "ソ- so" " リ- ri" and "ン - n". Make sure to study these to make sure you don't confuse them with each other. As with hiragana, if you add the 'tenten', it changes the sound of the character.

For example:

[KA] [KI] [KU] [KE] [KO] ---becomes---> [GA] [GI] [GU] [GE] [GO]
[カ] [キ] [ク] [ケ] [コ] ----------------------- [ガ] [ギ] [グ] [ゲ] [ゴ]

[SA] [SHI] [SU] [SE] [SO] ---becomes---> [ZA] [JI] [ZU] [ZE] [ZO]
[サ] [シ] [ス] [セ] [ソ] ----------------------- [ザ] [ジ] [ズ] [ゼ] [ゾ]

[TA] [CHI] [TSU] [TE] [TO] ---becomes---> [DA] [JI] [ZU] [DE] [DO]
[タ] [チ] [ツ] [テ] [ト] ------------------------- [ダ] [ヂ] [ヅ] [デ] [ド]

[HA] [HI] [FU] [HE] [HO] ---becomes---> [BA] [BI] [BU] [BE] [BO]
[ハ] [ヒ] [フ] [ヘ] [ホ] ----------------------- [バ] [ビ] [ブ] [ベ] [ボ]

It's also the same for 'maru' for changing the sound for 'h' characters.

[HA] [HI] [FU] [HE] [HO] ---becomes---> [PA] [PI] [PU] [PE] [PO]
[ハ] [ヒ] [フ] [ヘ] [ホ] ------------------- [パ] [ピ] [プ] [ペ] [ポ]

Small ya (ヤ), yu (ユ) and yo (ヨ):

[KYA] [KYU] [KYO] ------> [GYA] [GYU] [GYO]
[キャ] [キュ] [キョ] ------- [ギャ] [ギュ] [ギョ]

[SHA] [SHU] [SHO] ------> [JA] [JU] [JO]
[シャ] [シュ] [ショ] ----- [ジャ] [ジュ] [ジョ]

[CHA] [CHU] [CHO]
[チャ] [チュ] [チョ]

[NYA] [NYU] [NYO]
[ニャ] [ニュ] [ニョ]

[HYA] [HYU] [HYO]
[ヒャ] [ヒュ] [ヒョ]

[BYA] [BYU] [BYO]
[ビャ] [ビュ] [ビョ]

[PYA] [PYU] [PYO]
[ピャ] [ピュ] [ピョ]

[MYA] [MYU] [MYO]
[ミャ] [ミュ] [ミョ]

[RYA] [RYU] [RYO]
[リャ] [リュ] [リョ]

For a long vowel with katakana, you use "ー" instead a vowel character.

Topic Study

Here are 20 new words for you to memorize that used katakana. These words are called がいらいご(gairaigo) which means "foreign origin words".

1. アメリカ - amerika - America
2. テレビ - terebi - Television
3. ステレオ - sutereo - Stereo
4. ラジオ - rajio - Radio
5. カメラ - kamera - Camera
6. ペン - pen - Pen
7. ノート - nōto - Notebook
8. コーラ - kōra - Cola
9. ジュース - juusu - Juice
10. コーヒー - kōhii - Coffee
11. パン - pan - Bread
12. ハンバーガー - hanbaagaa - Hamburger
13. ホットドッグ - hottodoggu - Hot dog
14. ポップコーン - poppukōn - Popcorn
15. チョコレート - chokoretto - Chocolate
16. アイスクリーム - aisukuriimu - Ice cream
17. スクールバス - sukuurubasu - School bus
18. オートバイ/バイク - ōtobai/baiku - motorcycle
19. タイプライター - taipuraitaa - Typewriter
20. コンピューター - konpyuutaa - Computer

Katakana are sometimes used for Japanese words to add emphasis to them. One example of this could be:

これは何ですか。- Kore wa nan desu ka? - What is this?

-- compared to --

コレは何ですか。- Kore wa nan desu ka? - What is this?!

Kanji for Lessons 1-3

Kanji For Lessons 1-3

These are the kanji for lessons 1 through 3. You will be learning a total of 12 kanji in this lesson. From now on I am going to use these kanji in the place of the hiragana. So make sure to study and memorize these!

The Japanese language has three character sets. They are hiragana, katakana (which you'll learn in Ch. 4) and kanji. Kanji first came to Japan from China in the 4th to 6th century and because of this there are two readings for each kanji. The first one is the "on" reading or "オン". The "on" reading is based on the sound of the original chinese word the kanji was taken from. The "on" reading is usually used when attached to another word or kanji. The second reading of a kanji is called the "kun" reading, or "くん". "Kun" readings of kanji are based on the Japanese sound for that kanji and is usually the sound used when the kanji is by itself. I will give you the "on" and "kun" reading for each kanji.

1. [私]
[On] - シ
[Kun] - わたし - watashi
[Meaning] I, myself

2. [何]
[On] - There is no "on" reading of this kanji.
[Kun] - なに/なん - nani/nan
[Meaning] What

3. [本]
[On] - ホン - hon
[Kun] - もと - moto
[Meaning] Book, source, origin

4.[人]
[On] - ジン/ニン - jin/nin
[Kun] - ひと - hito
[Meaning] Person

5. [車]
[On] - シャ - sha
[Kun] - くるま - kuruma
[Meaning] Car

6. [高]
[On] - コウ -kou
[Kun] - たかい (高い) - takai
[Meaning] Tall, high, expensive

7. [安]
[On] - アン - an
[Kun] - やすい (安い) - yasui
[Meaning] Inexpensive, safe, peaceful

8. [名]
[On] - メイ - mei
[Kun] - な - na
[Meaning] Name

9. [前]
[On] - ゼン - zen
[Kun] - まえ - mae
[Meaning] front, before

10. [日]
[On] - ニチ - nichi
[Kun] - ひ/び - hi/bi
[Meaning] Day, sun

11. [今]
[On] - コン - kon
[Kun] - いま - ima
[Meaning] Now

12. [語]
[On] - There is no "on" reading of this kanji.
[Kun] - ご - go
[Meaning] Word


Here are some words you can write now using the 12 kanji learned:

今日は - こんにちは - konnichiwa - Good afternoon (Though it's usually always written in hiragana.)

今日 - きょう - kyou - Today

(お)名前 - (お)なまえ - (o)namae - Name

日本 - にほん/にっぽん - nihon/nippon - Japan

日本車 - にほんしゃ - nihonsha - Japanese car

日本人 - にほんじん - nihonjin - Japanese (person)

日本語 - にほんご - nihongo - Japanese language

高い車 - たかいくるま - takai kuruma - Expensive car

安い本 - やすいほん - yasui hon - Inexpensive book

Easy Japanese Chapters 2-3 Review

Here are practice drills for Japanese Lessons, Chapters 2 and 3. Answers are at the bottom of the page. Do your best! :D

-----
Chapter 2 Review
-----

1. Answer these questions in Japanese.

A.これはじしょですか。Kore wa jisho desu ka?
You: (Yes, it is.)

B.あれはじしょですか。Are wa jisho desu ka?
You: (No, it isn't)

C. あなたはがくせいですか。Anata wa gakusei desu ka?
You: (Answer based on yourself.)

2. Match the questions with the correct answer.

A.それはなんですか。Sore wa nan desu ka? (book)
B.これはなんですか。Kore wa nan desu ka? (comic)
C.あれはなんですか。Are wa nan desu ka? (school)

a. まんが (manga)
b. ほん (hon)
c. がっこう (gakkou)

3. Translate these sentences into English.

A. これとそれはじしょですか。(Kore to sore wa jisho desu ka?)

B. ほんださんとすずきさんはともだちですか。(Honda-san to Suzuki-san wa tomodachi desu ka?)

4. Translate these sentenses to Japanese

A. a: What's that over there?
b:It's a dictionary.

B. a: Is Keiko a student?
b:No, she isn't.

C. a: Are you and Akira high school students?
b: Yes, we are.

D. a: Excuse me, but what is this?
b: I'm sorry, but I don't know.

5. Conversation
(Please say these out loud, and if you can, practice with a friend.)

Conversation 1: (Looking at a photograph.)

A: これはびょういんですか。Kore wa byouinn desu ka? - Is this a hospital.
B: いいえ､ちがいます。Iie, chigaimasu. - No, it isn't.
A: じゃあ、なんですか。Jaa, nan desu ka? - Then, what is it?
B: がっこうです。Gakkou desu. - A school.

Conversation 2:

A: こんにちは。Konnichi wa - Hello.
B: こんにちは。Konnichi wa - Hello.
A: あなたはだいがくせいですか。Anata wa daigakusei desu ka? - Are you a college student?
B: はい、そうです。あなたは。Hai, sou desu. Anata wa? (Go up in pitch) - Yes, I am. How about you?
A: こうこうせいです。Koukousei desu. - I'm a high school student.

-----
Chapter 3 Review
-----

1. Change into Negative.

a. えいごはおもしろいです。Eigo wa omoshiroi desu. (This movie is interesting.)

b. そのはなはきれいです。Sono hana wa kirei desu. (That flower is pretty.)

c. このりょうりはおいしいです。Kono ryouri wa oishii desu. (This dish is delicious.)

d. あのおんがくはしずかです。Ano ongaku wa shizuka desu. (That music over there is quiet.)

e. このえいがはいいです。Kono eiga wa ii desu. (This movie is good.)

2. Translate from English to Japanese.

a. This dictionary is wonderful.

b. Is that person your teacher?

c. Which one is an inexpensive car?

d. Excuse me, but what's you name?

e. (My name is) Keiko.

3. Conversation
(Practice with a friend if you can.)

Conversation 1:

A: それはなんですか。 Sore wa nan desu ka? (What is that?)
B:これはにほんごのほんです。Kore wa nihongo no hon desu. (This is a Japanese book.)
A:にほんごはおもしろいですか。Nihongo wa omoshiroi desu ka? (Is Japanese interesting?)
B:はい、とてもおもしろいです。Hai, totemo omoshiroi desu. (Yes, very interesting.)

2. Conversation 2: (Looking at a photo)

A:あなたのともだちはどのひとですか。Anata no tomodachi wa dono hito desu ka? (Which person is your friend?)
B:このひとです。Kono hito desu. (This person.)
A:なまえはなんですか。Namae wa nan desu ka? (What is his name?)
B:あきらくんです。Akira-kun desu. (Akira.)

3. Conversation 3: (At a bookstore)

A: そのじしょはいいですか。Sono jisho wa ii desu ka? (Is that a good dictionary?)
B:いいえ、よくありません。Iie, yoku arimasen. (No it isn't.) [[Looking at another one]] これはとてもいいです。Kore wa totemo ii desu. (This one is very good.)
A:どれですか。Dore desu ka? (Which one is it?)
B:これです。Kore desu. (This one.)

4. Fill in the Blanks

a. そ＿はじしょ＿＿ありません。 So_ _ wa jisho _ _ arimasen.

b. このくるま＿とてもたかい＿＿。 Kono kuruma _ _ totemo takai _ _ _ _.

c. あ＿せんす＿やす＿ありません。 A _ _ sensu* _ _ yasu_ _ arimasen. *folding fan

d. ともだち＿けいこさん＿がくせい＿＿ありません。 Tomodachi _ _ Keiko-san _ _ gakusei _ _ arimasen.

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◆◇◆◇◆◇◆ ANSWERS ◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
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Chapter 2 Review:

1.A. はい、そうです。Hai, sou desu.
B. いいえ、ちがいます。Iie, chigaimasu.
C. はい、そうです。 (Hai, sou desu.) or いいえ、ちがいます。(Iie, chigaimasu.)

2. A- b
B - a
C - c

3. A. Is this and that a dictionary -or- Are these and those dictionaries?
B. Are Honda-san and Suzuki-san friends?

4. A. a: あれはなんですか。- Are wa nan desu ka?
b: じしょです。- Jisho desu.
B. a: けいこさんはがくせいですか。- Keiko-san wa gakusei desu ka?
b: いいえ、ちがいます。Iie, chigaimasu.
C. a: あなたとあきらさん (くん) はこうこうせいですか。 Anata to Akira-san (or -kun) wa koukousei desu ka.
b: はい、そうです。Hai, sou desu.
D. a: しつれいですが、これはなんですか。Shitsurei desu ga, kore wa nan desu ka?
b: すみませんが、わかりません。Sumimasen ga, wakarimasen.

Chapter 3 Review:

1. a. えいごはおもしろくありません。Eigo wa omoshiroku arimasen. (This movie is not interesting.)b. そのはなはきれいじゃありません。Sono hana wa kirei ja arimasen. (That flower is not pretty.) c. このりょうりはおいしくありません。Kono ryouri wa oishiku arimasen. (This dish is not delicious.)d. あのおんがくはしずかじゃありません。Ano ongaku wa shizuka ja arimasen. (That music over there is not quiet.)
e. このえいがはよくありません。Kono eiga wa yoku arimasen. (This movie is not good.)

2.a. このじしょはすばらしいです。(Kono jisho wa subarashii desu.)
b. あのひとはあなたのせんせいですか。(Ano hito wa anata no sensei desu ka?)
c. やすいくるまはどれですか。(Yasui kuruma wa dore desu ka?)
d. しつれいですが、(あなたの)おなまえはなんですか。(Shitsurei desu ga, (anata no) onamae wa nan desu ka?)
e. (わたしのなまえは)けいこです。(Watashi no namae wa) Keiko desu.)

3.a. それはじしょじゃありません。 SoRE wa jisho JAA arimasen.
b. このくるまはとてもたかいです。 Kono kuruma WA totemo takai DESU.
c. あのせんすはやすくありません。ANO sensu WA yasuKU arimasen.
d. ともだちのけいこさんはがくせいじゃありません。 Tomodachi NO Keiko-san WA gakusei JAA arimasen.

Easy Japanese Chapter 1 - Japanese Greetings

Easy Japanese Chapter 1: Japanese Greetings

Let's Greet in Japanese!
Nihongo De Aisatsu O Shimashou!
にほんご で あいさつ を しましょう!

[Common Greetings]

(Remember to say these with a bow!)

おはよう ございます

Ohayō gozaimasu

Good Morning (Informal: ohayō-おはよう)

こんにちは

Konnichi wa

Hello, good afternoon (when used around 12-4pm)

こんばんは

Konban wa

Good evening (Used when meeting someone, not when leaving)

おげんきですか?

Ogenki desu ka?

How are you?

(Don't say this to people that you see everyday. Use this either when seeing someone for first time or when seeing someone again that you haven't seen in a while.)

はじめまして

Hajimemashite

How do you do? (Used only when meeting for first time)

さようなら

Sayōnara

Good-bye, farewell (Casual way is "さよなら - Sayonara")

(どうも) ありがとう ございます

(Dōmo) arigatō gozaimasu

Thank you (very much)

どういたしまして

Dou itashimashite

You're welcome (One funny way of remembering this word is thinking of it as "Don't touch my mustache.")

(どうも) すみません

(Dōmo) Sumimasen

I'm sorry (Can also mean "Thank you" in the sense of "I'm sorry for all the trouble")

じゃあ、また (あとで)

Jaa, mata (atode)

Well then, see you again (later)

じゃあ、また あした (らいしゅう)

Jaa, mata ashita (raushuu)

Well, see you again tomorrow (next week)


[Common Classroom Expressions]


じゃあ、はじめましょうか?

Jaa, hajimemashō ka?

Well then, shall we begin? (Don't go up at end like it's a question.)

もういちどう いって ください

Mōichidō itte kudasai.

Please say it once more.

みんな で いって ください

Minna de itte kudasai.

Please everyone say it together.

よんで (かいて) ください

Yonde (kaite) kudasai.

Please read (write) it.

いいですか?

Ii desu ka?

Are you ready? (or Is it OK/correct?)

ちょっと まって ください

Chotto matte kudasai.

Please wait a moment.

わかりますか?

Wakarimasu ka?

Do you understand?/Do you know?

はい、わかります

Hai, wakarimasu.

Yes, I do (understand).

いいえ、わかりません

Iie, wakarimasen.

No, I don't (understand).

Japanese Characters and Pronunciation

Japanese Characters and Pronunciation

Welcome to Kantan Nihongo (Easy Japanese), a blog for learning Japanese! To start things off, I will be teaching you Japanese characters and their pronunciations. Through out these lessons, I will be writing in both Japanese and roman characters. You don't have to learn to write Japanese to learn from this blog, but I'd highly recommend it.


Hiragana

In Japanese, there are 5 vowels. They are:

あ /a/ - 'a' as in father
い /i/ - like the 'i' in ink
う /u/ - 'oo' like in boot
え /e/ - 'e' like in bet or egg
お /o/ - like the 'o' in open

Consonants

[tsu] - Pronouced like [ts] in 'pets' or 'cats'.
[g] - Like g in 'go' If it comes either in middle or end of word, depending on the region, it can be pronouced like 'ng' like in 'song'. Either way is fine.
[w] - as in 'want'. Try not to round your lips.
[f] - in Japanese [fu]. It is prounced with a slight amount of friction between your upper and lower lips. Like if you about to blow out a candle, or whistle. Don't pronouce like English [f]!
[r] - This is nothing like English [r]. This sound is made by slightly lightly tapping the tip of your tounge just behind the teeth. About the same place your tounge hits when saying English [l]. Somewhat similar to Spanish rolling [r].

When pronouncing the vowels [ei - えい] and [ou - おう], pronouce them like long [e] and long [o].
In Japanese, you will run into words spelt with a small [tsu - っ] character. This will produce double consonants (Ex. pp, sshi, tt, kk, etc.) Like [issai - いっさい], [ippai -いっぱい ] or [nikkou -にっこう]. It is said like a quick pause in the word. Unless it is double 's'. Like [sesshou - せっしょう], where instead if a pause, there is a 's' sound.

Here are the rest of the hiragana characters:

[KA] -- [KI] -- [KU] -- [KE] -- [KO]
[か] --- [き] ---- [く] --- [け] --- [こ]

[SA] -- [SHI] -- [SU] -- [SE] -- [SO]
[さ] ---- [し] ---- [す] --- [せ] --- [そ]

[TA] -- [CHI] -- [TSU] -- [TE] -- [TO]
[た] ---- [ち] --- [つ] ----- [て] --- [と]

[NA] -- [NI] -- [NU] -- [NE] -- [NO]
[な] ---- [に] --- [ぬ] --- [ね] ---- [の]

[HA] -- [HI] -- [FU] -- [HE] -- [HO]
[は] --- [ひ] --- [ふ] --- [へ] --- [ほ]

[MA] -- [MI] -- [MU] -- [ME] -- [MO]
[ま] ----- [み] --- [む] ---- [め] ---- [も]

[YA] -- [YU] -- [YO]
[や] ---- [ゆ] --- [よ]

[RA] -- [RI] -- [RU] -- [RE] -- [RO]
[ら] ---- [り] ---- [る] --- [れ] ---- [ろ]

[WA] -- [O]
[わ] ---- [を]*

[N]
[ん]

*This is special "o" (also writen as "wo") that is only used as a particle.


Use of "dakuten" and "handakuten"

If you add two small dashes in the upper right part of the character, which I call 'tenten' (also called "dakuten"), it changes the sound of the character. For example:

[KA] [KI] [KU] [KE] [KO] ---becomes---> [GA] [GI] [GU] [GE] [GO]
[か] [き] [く] [け] [こ] ----------------------- [が] [ぎ] [ぐ] [げ] [ご]

[SA] [SHI] [SU] [SE] [SO] ---becomes---> [ZA] [JI] [ZU] [ZE] [ZO]
[さ] [し] [す] [せ] [そ] ----------------------- [ざ] [じ] [ず] [ぜ] [ぞ]

[TA] [CHI] [TSU] [TE] [TO] ---becomes---> [DA] [JI] [ZU] [DE] [DO]
[た] [ち] [つ] [て] [と] -------------------------- [だ] [ぢ] [づ] [で] [ど]

[Note]: The characters ぢ and づ are rarely used becuase the are pretty much the same as じ and ず . One example of when you would use ぢ and not じ would be for the word 'hanaji' (はなぢ ) which means 'nose bleed'. Hana(はな ) means nose and chi (ち) means blood. When put together, chi (ち) turns to ji (ぢ).

[HA] [HI] [FU] [HE] [HO] ---becomes---> [BA] [BI] [BU] [BE] [BO]
[は] [ひ] [ふ] [へ] [ほ] --------------------- [ば] [び] [ぶ] [べ] [ぼ]

There is another symbol, which I just call 'maru' (also called "handakuten"), that changes the sound for 'h' characters.

[HA] [HI] [FU] [HE] [HO] ---becomes---> [PA] [PI] [PU] [PE] [PO]
[は] [ひ] [ふ] [へ] [ほ] --------------------- [ぱ] [ぴ] [ぷ] [ぺ] [ぽ]

Use of small ya (や), yu (ゆ) and yo (よ):

[KYA] [KYU] [KYO] ------> [GYA] [GYU] [GYO]
[きゃ] [きゅ] [きょ] ----------- [ぎゃ] [ぎゅ] [ぎょ]

[SHA] [SHU] [SHO] ------> [JA] [JU] [JO]
[しゃ] [しゅ] [しょ] --------- [じゃ] [じゅ] [じょ]

[CHA] [CHU] [CHO]
[ちゃ] [ちゅ] [ちょ]

[NYA] [NYU] [NYO]
[にゃ] [にゅ] [にょ]

[HYA] [HYU] [HYO]
[ひゃ] [ひゅ] [ひょ]

[BYA] [BYU] [BYO]
[びゃ] [びゅ] [びょ]

[PYA] [PYU] [PYO]
[ぴゃ] [ぴゅ] [ぴょ]

[MYA] [MYU] [MYO]
[みゃ] [みゅ] [みょ]

[RYA] [RYU] [RYO]
[りゃ] [りゅ] [りょ]

Long Vowels and Short Vowels

Unlike in English, Japanese is sensitive about the length of vowels. Making a vowel too long or too short can change the entire meaning of the word.

Some examples are:
いえ -/ie/ - House
いいえ - /iie/ - No
おばさん - /obasan/ - Aunt, middle-aged woman
おばあさん - /obaasan/ - Grandma, old lady
ちず - /chizu/ - Map
チーズ - /chiizu/ - Cheese

Whispered Vowels

There are sometime vowels that are whispered in Japanese. They are 'i' and 'u'. They are usually silent when they are before p, t, k, s, sh, etc.

Some examples of this are:

わたくし -/watakushi/- I, myself - pronunced as 'watakshi'
すきやき - /sukiyaki/ - sukiyaki - pronunced as 'skiyaki'
がくせい - /gakusei/ - student - pronunced as 'gaksei'

Pitch Accent

Unlike in English, different pitches can mean different words in Japanese. An example of this is the word あめ (ame). あめ (ame) with a downward pitch means 'rain', where as あめ (ame) with an upward pitch means 'candy'. Don't worry though, Japanese will still understand you if you get the pitch wrong. In some dialects of Japan, the tone used for words is reversed.