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

Easy Japanese Chapter 4

Easy Japanese Chapter 4

[Sentences to Memorize]

1. 私は今日えいがをみます。
Watashi wa kyou eiga o mimasu.
I am going to see a movie today.

2. A:(あなたは)あしたえをかきますか?
(Anata wa) ashita e o kakimasu ka?
Are you going to draw a picture tomorrow?

B: はい、かきます。
Hai, kakimasu.
Yes, I am.

3. A: (あなたは)まいにちぎゅうにゅうをもみますか?
(Anata wa) mainichi gyūnyū o nomimasu ka?
Do you drink milk everyday?

B: いいえ、のみません。
Iie, nomimasen.
No, I don't.

4. A:せんせいはまいにち日本語をはなしますか?
Sensei wa mainichi nihongo o hanashimasu ka?
Do you speak Japanese everyday, teacher?

B: はい、はなします。
Hai, hanashimasu.
Yes, I do.

5. A: あきらくんは今日何をたべますか?
Akira-kun wa kyou nani o tabemasu ka?
What are you going to eat today, Akira?

B: すきやきをたべます。
Sukiyaki o tabemasu.
I'm going to eat sukiyaki.

6. A: だれがあした車をかいますか?
Dare ga ashita kuruma o kaimasu ka?
Who is going to buy a car tomorrow?

B: すずきさんがかいます。
Suzuki-san ga kaimasu.
Suzuki-san is (going to buy one).

[Words For This Lesson]

たべる - taberu - To eat
みる - miru - To see
かう - kau - To buy
かく - kaku - To write, draw, paint
のむ - nomu - To drink; take medicine
はなす - hanasu - To speak, talk
今日 - きょう - kyou - Today
あした - ashita - Tomorrow
まいにち - mainichi - Everyday
ときどき - tokidoki - Sometimes
てがみ - tegami - Letter
え - e - Picture, drawing, painting (Not used for "photo" which is "shashin")
すきやき - sukiyaki - Sukiyaki
てんぷら - tempura - Tempura
やさい - yasai - Vegetables (Try not to confuse with "yasai")
にく - niku - Meat
さかな - sakana - Fish
おちゃ - ocha - Green Tea ("O" is rarely omitted)
おさけ - osake - Sake, rice wine (Becomes informal without "o")
ぎゅうにゅう - gyūnyū - Milk (From cow)
かぶき - kabuki - Kabuki
だれ - dare - Who
を - wo/o - Object marker (Shows what object the verb is for)
が - ga - Subject marker

1.) Using Verbs

There are two types of verbs in Japanese. There's -RU verbs and -U verbs. When in the dictionary form, any verb that ends with -eru or -iru is a -RU verb. Any verb that does not fit into these categories is called a U-verb. The -masu form of a verb is the most commonly used in daily conversation. This form shows either present or future tense. From the time expression used, one can tell which tense is meant very easily. Here I'll show you how to change the dictionary form of the verb into the -masu form.

[For -RU verbs, change -RU to -MASU]

Ex. tabeRU --> tabeMASU

[For -U verbs, change -U to -IMASU]

Ex. nomu ----> nomIMASU

The verb "hanasu" (to talk/speak), following this rule would become "hanasimasu", but since Japanese does not have "si", it becomes "shi".

2.) Question Form of Verbs

To ask a question using verbs, just add "ka" at the end. To answer "yes" to verb question, use with "hai" and the -masu form of the verb. To say "no", say "iie" and change -masu to -masen.

Ex. さかなをたべますか。- Sakana o tabemasu ka? - Do you eat fish?

-- はい、たべます。- Hai, tabemasu. - Yes, I do.
-- いいえ、たべません。- Iie, tabemasen. - No, I don't.

For -imasu verbs, change -imasu to -imasen.

Ex. おちゃをのみますか。Ocha o nomimasu ka? Do you drink green tea?

-- はい、のみます。- Hai, nomimasu. - Yes, I do.
-- いいえ、のみません。- Iie, nomimasen. -- No, I don't.

3.) Using Objects with Verbs

In English, a verb usually comes before the object. In Japanese, it usually comes at the end. For this, you need to attached the the object marker "o" after the object associated with the verb.

Ex. けいこさんはまいにちにくをたべますか。- Keiko-san wa mainichi niku o tabemasu ka? - Do you eat meat everyday Keiko?

So the verb of this sentence is "tabemasu" or "eat". What is the object in this sentense associated with "eat"? "Niku" or "meat". Because "niku" is the object associated with the verb, you add "o" after it.

Ex. 今日何をみますか。Kyou nani o mimasu ka? -- What are you going to see today?

4.) Basic Japanese Sentence Structure

The basic sentence structure for a Japanese sentence is:

Focus は Time Object を Verb-ます
Focus wa Time Object o Verb-masu

Ex.

Honda-san wa ashita tempura o tabemasu.
Mrs. Honda is going to eat tempura tomorrow.

5. Using Dare (だれ)

The question word dare (だれ) is always followed by the marker ga (が). The reason being is that you don't know who the person in question is, so you can't focus on a specific person.

Ex.

だれが日本語をはなしますか。- Dare ga nihongo o hanashimasu ka? - Who speaks Japanese?
ほんださんがはなします。- Honda-san ga hanashimasu. - Honda-san does.

6. You/Me (Anata wa/Watashi wa)

"Anata wa" in a "Do/Are you...?" type question is often omitted since it is usually clear in the context. However, using "Name/Title wa" instead of "anata wa" is very natural and recommended. You do not have to say "watashi wa" when answering a question.

Ex.

けいこさんは...? - Keiko-san wa...? - Keiko, do you...?
せんせいは...? - Sensei wa...? - Teacher, do you...?

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.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆ ANSWERS ◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

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 3

Easy Japanese Chapter 3

[Sentences to Memorize]

1. あれはたかいです。

Are wa takai desu.

That over there is expensive.

2. それはきれいです。

Sore wa kirei desu.

That is pretty.

3. これはすばらしいほんです。

Kore wa subarashii hon desu.

This is a wonderful book.

4. すずきさんはおもしろいひとです。

Suzuki-san wa omoshiroi hito desu.

Suzuki-san is an interesting person.

5. けいこさんはしずかなひとです。

Keiko-san wa shizuka na hito desu.

Keiko is a quiet person.

6. これはたかくありません。

Kore wa takaku arimasen.

This is not expensive.

7. あれはきれいじゃありません。

Are wa kirei ja arimasen.

That over there is not pretty.

8. それはじしょじゃありません。

Sore wa jisho ja arimasen.

That is not a dictionary.

9. このくるまはすこしやすいです。

Kono kuruma wa sukoshi yasui desu.

This car is a bit (a little) inexpensive.

10. あのひとのりょうりはとてもおいしいです。

Ano hito no ryouri wa totemo oishii desu.

That person's dishes are very delicious.

[Important Words]

おいしい - oishii - Delicious
おもしろい - omoshiroi - Interesting
うつくしい - utsukushii - Beautiful
すばらしい - subarashii - Wonderful
たかい - takai - Expensive, high (as in a mountain or building, etc.)
やすい - yasui - Inexpensive, cheap (Does not have negative connotation like English's cheap)
いい - Ii - Good (Used before desu or a noun.)
よい - yoi - Good (Use will be explained later in this chapter)
きれい - kirei - Pretty, clean, tidy (This is not an i-adjective.)
しずか - shizuka - Quiet
(お)なまえ - (o) namae - Name ('お' or 'O' is added to show respect.)
にほんご - nihongo - Japanese language (にほん - "Nihon" means Japan.)
えいご - eigo - English language
ひと - hito - Person
きもの - kimono - Kimono, traditional Japanese clothes in general
えいが - eiga - Movie (えいがかん - eigakan - Movie theater)
おんがく - ongaku - Music
りょうり - Ryouri - Cooking, dish (food)
くるま - kuruma - Car
へや - heya - Room
すこし - sukoshi - Small, a little bit
とても - totemo - Very
ぼく - boku - I (used by young (and some old) men)
この - kono - This
その - sono - That
あの - ano - That over there
どの - dono - Which (If there's more than two things to choose, use どちら - dochira.)
じゃ - ja - Used before negating a noun with ありません - arimasen.
では - dewa is it's formal equivalent.

1.) Using Adjectives

There are two types of adjective in Japanese. There's i-adjectives and na-adjectives. When using an i-adjective, all you need to do is add the adjective to the front of a noun. For a na-adjective though, you need to add (な) na after the adjective.

[I-Adjective] or [い-Adjective]

うつくしいきもの - utsukushii kimono - A beautiful kimono.

おいしいりょうり - oishii ryouri - A delicious dish.

[Na-Adjective] or [な-Adjective]

きれいなひと - kirei na hito - A pretty person.

しずかなへや - shizuka na heya - A quiet room.

2.) Changing a Sentence from Affirmative to Negative

In order to get a negative form of an adjective, change the final "-i" to "-ku" and add "arimasen". One exception to this rule is the word for "good", or "ii". In these cases, you use "yoi", so when used in a negative sentence, you get "yoku arimasen" not "iku arimasen". If it is for a noun or a "na" adjective, just add "ja arimasen" at the end.

[Affirmative]

[Noun] これはじしょです。Kore wa jisho desu. (This is a dictionary.)

[Na-Adjective] これはきれいです。Kore wa kirei desu. (This is clean.)

[I-Adjective] これはやすいです。Kore wa yasui desu.


[Negative]

[Noun] これはじしょじゃありません。Kore wa jisho ja arimasen. (This is not a dictionary.)

[Na-Adjective] これはきれいじゃありません。Kore wa kirei ja arimasen. (This is not clean.)

[I-Adjective] これはやすくありません。Kore wa yasuku arimasen. (This is not inexpensive.)

3.) This, That and That Over There, etc.

Kono, sono, ano and dono mean "This, that, that over there and which". Are these the same as the earlier "kore, sore, are and dore"? Yes they are, but these are the forms who use when placed before a noun.

Examples:

このほんです。- Kono hon desu. - This book.

そのまんがです。- Sono manga desu. - That manga.

あのしずかなひとです。- Ano shizuka na hito desu. - That quiet person over there.

どのじしょですか。- Dono jisho desu ka? - Which dictionary is it?