Katakana - カタカナAs mentioned in Lesson 1, Katakana (as seen in the chart below) is mainly used for foreign words such as foreign names and words that have been borrowed from other languages such as コンピューター (kompyu-ta- = computer). Katakana is the least frequently used of the three character sets in Japanese. The Japanese language does not have as many sounds as the English language so, when creating a name in Katakana, for instance, the name must be sound out to the closest Japanese equivalent. Katakana, Hiragana, and Furigana (when Hiragana is written small next to a Kanji character to show how that character is read) are collectively known as Kana. Don't worry too much about Katakana (beyond maybe learning your name) for now. There are some special Katakana characters that exist only for foreign names (such as シェ (she) or ティ (ti)). These special characters are not in the chart below (which contains only the standard set of Katakana characters) but can be seen in our Names in Japanese lesson. There are also the characters ヰ (wi) and ヱ (we) which were deemed obsolete in 1946. ア a イ i ウ u エ e オ o Combinations カ ka キ ki ク ku ケ ke コ ko キャ kya キュ kyu キョ kyo ガ ga ギ gi グ gu ゲ ge ゴ go ギャ gya ギュ gyu ギョ gyo サ sa シ shi ス su セ se ソ so シャ sha シュ shu ショ sho ザ za ジ ji ズ zu ゼ ze ゾ zo ジャ ja ジュ ju ジョ jo タ ta チ chi ツ tsu テ te ト to チャ cha チュ chu チョ cho ダ da ヂ ji ヅ zu デ de ド do ニャ nya ニュ nyu ニョ nyo ナ na ニ ni ヌ nu ネ ne ノ no ヒャ hya ヒュ hyu ヒョ hyo ハ ha ヒ hi フ fu ヘ he ホ ho ビャ bya ビュ byu ビョ byo バ ba ビ bi ブ bu ベ be ボ bo ピャ pya ピュ pyu ピョ pyo パ pa ピ pi プ pu ペ pe ポ po ミャ mya ミュ myu ミョ myo マ ma ミ mi ム mu メ me モ mo リャ rya リュ ryu リョ ryo ヤ ya ユ yu ヨ yo ラ ra リ ri ル ru レ re ロ ro ワ wa ヲ wo ン n/m Vocabulary - 単語 Now that you've at least started learning the Japanese alphabets, let's learn some basic vocabulary words and simple Japanese phrases. I will list the Kanji, Hiragana, Romaji (the word sounded out using English letters), and the English meaning for each Japanese word or phrase. Most Japanese words have Kanji for them but I will only include the Kanji if that word is typically written that way. Keep in mind that the Japanese language has different levels of politeness that change based on who you are talking to. I will refer to these as "ultra-formal", "formal" (or "polite form"), "normal" (or "plain form"), "informal", and "rude" (we won't be covering too much of the rude form, however). 漢字 - Kanji 私 僕 彼 彼女 あなた これ ここ この それ そこ その 人 犬 猫 家 ありがとう ありがとう ございます どういたしまして ひらがな Hiragana わたし ぼく かれ かのじょ あなた これ ここ この それ そこ その ひと いぬ ねこ いえ ありがとう ありがとう ございます どういたしまして Romaji (English Letters) watashi boku kare kanojo anata kore koko kono sore soko sono hito inu neko ie arigatou arigatou gozaimasu douitashimashite English Meaning I (formal for males, normal for females) I (normal for males) he she you (singular/normal) this (noun) here this (descriptive - ex. this pen) that (noun) there that (descriptive - ex. that pen) person dog cat house Thank you. (normal) Thank you. (formal) You're welcome. (normal) おはよう おはよう ohayou (sounds like "Ohio") ohayou gozaimasu konnichiwa konbanwa sayonara gambatte kudasai (can also be written "ganbatte kudasai") ki o tsukete kudasai (can also be written "ki wo tsukete kudasai") Good morning. (informal) Good morning. (normal and formal) Hello. (normal) Good evening. (normal) Goodbye. (normal) Hang in there おはようございます おはようございます こんにちは こんばんは さよなら こんにちは こんばんは さよなら 頑張ってください がんばってください 気をつけてください きをつけてください Be careful, Take care Basic Japanese Grammar - 文法 Japanese grammar is quite simple and straight forward but very different from English grammar so most English speakers find it rather confusing. For instance, in Japanese the verb always comes at the end. The best thing you can do when learning Japanese is to learn it from the bottom up and not compare it to English grammar. The Japanese language uses what we will refer to as particles to mark the various parts of the sentence. The main particles are: (These particles will be described in more detail below) wa (as mentioned in Lesson 1, the Hiragana "ha" is pronounced "wa" when it immediately follows the topic) ga wo (pronounced "o") ni e (as mentioned in Lesson 1, the Hiragana "he" is pronounced "e" when it immediately follows a place or direction) は が を に topic marker subject marker direct object marker direction marker, time marker, indirect object marker direction marker へ The particles "wa" (は) and "ga" (が): The particle "wa" marks the topic of the sentence and the particle "ga" marks the subject of the sentence. In the example, "I know where you live" (watashi wa anata ga doko ni sunde iru ka shitte iru), "I" would be the topic while "you" would be the subject. Not all Japanese sentences have both a topic and subject and, in many cases, the topic is implied in Japanese (for example, the "I" (watashi wa) would be left out of this sentence because it is implied that since I am talking I am the one that knows where you live). Many Japanese books and teachers teach that "wa" and "ga" are the same thing and it doesn't matter which you use when. This is not the case but I wouldn't worry too much about keeping them straight at first - it will come with time. The particle "wo" (を): The particle "wo" (or "o") marks the direct object of a Japanese sentence. In the example, "I'm going to take her home" (watashi wa kanojo wo ie ni okuru), "her" would be the direct object. The particle "ni" (に): The particle "ni" can be used to mark the direction, time, or the indirect object of a Japanese sentence. An example of a direction marker can be seen in the previous example "I'm going to take her home" (watashi wa kanojo wo ie ni okuru). In this case, the "ni" acts like a "to" - "I'm going to take her 'to' home". The particle "e" (へ) can be used in this way as well but usually implies more of a general direction as opposed to a specific place. The particle "ni" is also used to mark time in a Japanese sentence. For example, "I'm leaving at 3 o'clock" (watashi wa sanji ni hanareru). The final use for the particle "ni" in Japanese grammar is that of indirect object marker. In the example, "I was taken home by him" (watashi wa kare ni ie made okurareta), "him" is the indirect object. Note: The "watashi wa" in all of the example sentences used above would normally be left out as it is implied. Numbers, Time, and Days of the Week Before we get too much further into Japanese grammar and verb conjugation, I thought it would be a good idea to teach Japanese numbers, time, days of the week, etc. 漢字 - Kanji 一 二 三 四 五 六 七 八 九 十 百 ひらがな - Hiragana いち に さん し、 よん ご ろく しち、 なな はち きゅう じゅう ひゃく Romaji (English Letters) ichi ni san shi (yon after 10) go roku shichi (nana after 10) hachi kyuu juu hyaku English Meaning one two three four five six seven eight nine ten hundred Numbers after 10 are a piece of cake once you know 1 through 10. 11 is simply ten with a one after it, 十一 (じゅういち, juuichi), 12 - juuni, 13 - juusan, 14 - juuyon, etc. 20 is simply 二十 (にじゅう, nijuu), 21 nijuuichi, and so forth. Put these numbers in front of the character for time 時 and you've got the time of the day. 漢字 - Kanji 一時 二時 二時半 二時四十五分 ひらがな - Hiragana いちじ にじ にじはん にじよんじゅうごふん ...etc. Now just put the character for moon 月 after a number and you've got a month. 漢字 - Kanji 一月 二月 三月 四月 ひらがな - Hiragana いちがつ にがつ さんがつ しがつ ...etc. Japanese days of the week don't follow such an easy pattern but here they are anyway along with some other time-related words. 漢字 - Kanji 日曜日 月曜日 火曜日 水曜日 木曜日 金曜日 土曜日 今日 明日 昨日 一昨日 明後日 ひらがな - Hiragana にちようび げつようび かようび すいようび もくようび きんようび どようび きょう あした きのう おととい あさって Romaji (English Letters) nichiyoubi getsuyoubi kayoubi suiyoubi mokuyoubi kinyoubi doyoubi kyou ashita kinou ototoi asatte English Meaning Sunday (日 - sun/day) Monday (月 - moon) Tuesday (火 - fire) Wednesday (水 - water) Thursday (木 - tree/wood) Friday (金 - gold) Saturday (土 - dirt) Today Tomorrow Yesterday the day before yesterday the day after tomorrow (a small "tsu" (っ) makes a double consonant) Romaji (English Letters) ichigatsu nigatsu sangatsu shigatsu English Meaning January February March April Romaji (English Letters) ichiji niji nijihan nijiyonjuugofun English Meaning one o'clock two o'clock two thirty (半 means half) 2:45 (分 means minute) These verbs have five changes that follow the order of the Japanese vowels (i. There are only 3 types of verbs in the Japanese language and they each follow a pattern that is very simple and very rarely has any exceptions. (ex. These verbs always conjugate the same way with only one exception. you need to learn how to conjugate Japanese verbs. before you can start making up sentences of your own. Often times Japanese people will leave out everything but the verb. and then the "te" and "ta" forms that are common to all verbs.) If the verb ends in う (u) then the end for Base 1 becomes わ (wa). Base 3: Base 3 is the main form (the one that would be found in the dictionary) and is also the plain form present/future tense.I won't say anything. the characters for that section of the hiragana chart). (ex. We will go over the polite form in lesson 8. hanasanai .五段動詞 Now. a noun when used by itself but is primarily used with the polite form of the verb.If he'd just say something.Hiragana はなす はなさ はなし はなす はなせ はなそう はなして はなした Romaji (English Letters) hanasu (to speak) hanasa hanashi hanasu hanase hanasou hanashite hanashita Base 1 Base 2 Base 3 Base 4 Base 5 Base "te" Base "ta" Verb Base Base 1: Base 1 can not be used by itself but becomes the plain form negative simply by adding -nai.e. Most Japanese verbs fall into the first group.) It can also be used by itself as a command form but it is extremely rude and I recommend not using it at all. Base 4: Base 4 is most often used as "if verb" by adding -ba. au (Base 1) -> awa) (Plain form is what people use when talking to a friend. the Godan (五段) verbs.Kanji 話す 話さ 話し 話す 話せ 話そう 話して 話した ひらがな . hanaseba . . hence the name Godan (meaning 5 levels or steps). (ex. They are very big on leaving out the obvious and sometimes not so obvious which can get confusing at times.今朝 今晩 今 けさ こんばん いま kesa konban ima this morning this evening now Godan Verbs . in most cases. Verbs are the most important part of the Japanese sentence. The chart below shows how to conjugate Japanese Godan verbs: 漢字 . It would not be proper to use in a business environment.) Base 2: Base 2 is. (ex. (ex. It is not rude but should only be used with close friends and children. or る (ru) becomes って (tte) in the "te" form and った (tta) in the "ta" form. (ex. for all Godan verbs ending in う (u).)) For all Godan verbs ending in す (su). oyogu (to swim) -> oyoide (Swim!).)) Here are some Godan verbs. いった (itte/itta). or ぬ (nu) becomes んで (nde) in the "te" form and んだ (nda) in the "ta" form. Notice: There is one thing that you'll need to learn in order to conjugate the "te" and "ta" forms correctly. the ぶ (bu).)) For all Godan verbs ending in く (ku).) We will get into other ways it's used in later lessons. the う (u). hanashita . Try conjugating them on a piece of paper using what you have just learned.Kanji 会う 勝つ 売る 遊ぶ 飲む 死ぬ 歩く 泳ぐ 消す 行く ひらがな .Base 5: Base 5 is used by itself as the "let's" form. or る (ru). It is mainly used by itself as the plain form past tense. む (mu). (ex. Base "te" can also be used in other ways that we will get into in later lessons. yomu (to read -> yonde (Read it. 漢字 . Base "te": Base "te" can be used by itself as a plain form command. Base "ta": Base "ta" is merely Base "te" with an "a" sound on the end instead of an "e" sound. hanasu (to talk) -> hanashite (Say something!). hanashita (I talked (to him). つ (tsu). hanasou . yonda (I read it. (ex. the す (su) becomes して (shite) in the "te" form and した (shita) in the "ta" form. For all Godan verbs ending in ぐ (gu). turn off to go (Remember the exception for Bases "te"and "ta") . つ (tsu). (ex. katta (We won!)) For all Godan verbs ending in ぶ (bu). By adding kudasai it becomes the polite form command. aruita (I walked here.) We will get into other ways it's used in later lessons. the く (ku) becomes いて (ite) in the "te" form and いた (ita) in the "ta" form.Hiragana あう かつ うる あそぶ のむ しぬ あるく およぐ けす いく Romaji (English Letters) au katsu uru asobu nomu shinu aruku oyogu kesu iku English Meaning to meet to win to sell to play to drink to die to walk to swim to erase. the ぐ (gu) becomes いで (ide) in the "te" form and いだ (ida) in the "ta" form.Let's talk. Basically.I talked.)) The only exception to this rule is for the verb iku (to go) which becomes いって. katsu (to win) -> katte (Win!). aruku (to walk) -> aruite (Walk!). oyoida (I swam. む (mu).). (ex. or ぬ (nu). Click here for the answers. These have the same functions as with Godan verbs. It is only used for "if verb" by adding -ba. can not be used by itself like with Godan verbs. Below is a verb conjugation chart for Japanese Ichidan verbs: 漢字 . Base 3: Base 3 is the same as with Godan verbs. to be somewhere to see to sleep to wear. Some well used Japanese verbs which appear to be Ichidan but are really Godan are listed here. The low command form for Ichidan verbs is Base 1 + ろ (ro). tabereba . Base 1 and 2 are the same.一段動詞 The second group of Japanese verbs are called Ichidan ( 一段) verbs.Kanji いる 見る 寝る 着る ひらがな . Here are some Ichidan verbs. Base "te" and Base "ta": The Base "te" and "ta" forms for Ichidan verbs are a lot easier than with Godan verbs.If I eat it. is also used for the formal form of the verb. Just like with the Godan verbs. 漢字 . Try conjugating them on a piece of paper using what you have just learned.. Click here for the answers.Hiragana たべる たべ たべ たべる たべれ たべよう たべて たべた Romaji (English Letters) taberu (to eat) tabe tabe taberu tabere tabeyou tabete tabeta Base 1 Base 2 Base 3 Base 4 Base 5 Base "te" Base "ta" Verb Base Base 1 and Base 2: As you can see. (ex.) and this base.. put on . however. Ichidan verbs also follow a simple conjugation pattern that is somewhat similar to that of the Godan verbs. a negative can be made by adding -nai (ex.) It is not the low command form for Ichidan verbs.Ichidan Verbs .Kanji 食べる 食べ 食べ 食べる 食べれ 食べよう 食べて 食べた ひらがな . or root form. Simply take off the "ru" and add a "te" for Base "te" and a "ta" for Base "ta". Base 5: Base 5 is the same as with Godan verbs. Base 4: Base 4. tabenai . It is usually an Ichidan verb if it ends with the sound "iru" or "eru".I will not eat.Hiragana いる みる ねる きる Romaji (English Letters) iru miru neru kiru English Meaning to exist (animate). Hiragana くる こ き くる くれ こよう きて きた Romaji (English Letters) kuru (to come) ko ki kuru kure koyou kite kita Base 1 Base 2 Base 3 Base 4 Base 5 Base "te" Base "ta" Verb Base The functions for these bases are the same as for the Godan verbs except that Base 4 can only be used as the "if verb". It is probably the most used of all Japanese verbs. 漢字 . 漢字 . The second Irregular verb is kuru (to come). .Kanji 来る 来 来 来る 来れ 来よう 来て 来た ひらがな . The rude command form is "Koi" and really should only be used on animals.Hiragana する し し する すれ しよう して した Romaji (English Letters) suru (to do) shi shi suru sure shiyou shite shita Base 1 Base 2 Base 3 Base 4 Base 5 Base "te" Base "ta" Verb Base The functions for these bases are the same as for the Godan verbs except that Base 4 can only be used as the "if verb".Kanji する し し する すれ しよう して した ひらがな .出来る 覚える できる おぼえる dekiru oboeru can do to remember Irregular Verbs The last type of verbs are the Irregular verbs but there are only 2 of them in the entire language so just memorize their charts below. Many nouns can be used as a verb simply by putting "suru" right after them. The rude command form is "Shiro". The first one is suru (to do something). The following chart applies to all Japanese verbs unless otherwise noted.Hiragana Base 1 + ない Base 1 + なかった Base 2 + ます Base 2 + ました Base 2 + ません Base 2 + ませんでした Base 2 + たい Base 3 Base 4 + ば Base 4 + る Base 4 + ます Base 5 + とする Romaji (English Letters) Base 1 + nai Base 1 + nakatta Base 2 + masu Base 2 + mashita Base 2 + masen Base 2 + masen deshita Base 2 + tai Base 3 Base 4 + ba Base 4 + ru Base 4 + masu Base 5 + to suru English Meaning plain form negative (will not verb) plain form past negative (did not verb) polite form present/future tense polite form past tense polite form negative (will not verb) polite form past negative (did not verb) want to verb (add です (desu) to make it polite) plain form present/future tense if verb plain form can verb (Godan verbs only) (verb now becomes an Ichidan verb) polite form can verb (can be changed like above) try to verb (this suru is the same verb learned in lesson 7 (to do something)) want someone else to verb (hoshii is an adjective which will be covered in the next lesson) plain form command polite form command plain form presently verbing (this iru is the same verb learned in lesson 7 (to exist (animate)) polite form presently verbing (can be changed like above) plain form past tense if and when I verb (similar to Base 4 + ba) do such things as. ひらがな . (this suru is also the same verb learned in lesson 7 (to do something)) Base "te" + 欲しい Base "te" Base "te" + 下さい Base "te" + いる Base "te" + います Base "ta" Base "ta" + ら Base "ta" + りする Base "te" + hoshii Base "te" Base "te" + kudasai Base "te" + iru Base "te" + imasu Base "ta" Base "ta" + ra Base "ta" + ri suru ... You may want to regularly refer to Lesson 6 andLesson 7 while learning these. I'll show you what you can do with those verb bases.Using Verb Bases Now that you know about 30 Japanese verbs and can conjugate them. Hiragana あかい きいろい あおい くろい Romaji (English Letters) akai (dv) kiiroi (dv) aoi (dv) kuroi (dv) English Meaning red yellow blue black . By adding a な (na) to the end of these words they can be used to modify a noun (ex. These are placed in front of a noun in order to modify it. these words can. The other group can. Sometimes you'll even find a "dn" that ends in い (i) (ex.Adjectives and Adverbs There are two different types of Japanese words that can be used to modify nouns (adjectives) and verbs (adverbs). For example: 漢字 . These are often referred to as "quasi adjectives" or "na-adjectives".) It's not as easy to recognize "dn" adjectives but I will point them out in the vocabulary lists. Here's a list of some commonly used "dv" and "dn" adjectives: 漢字 . One group is much like what we would call an adjective but they can also be conjugated to modify verbs as well. shizen . All adjectives in the "dv" group always end with い (i). turned into adverbs (modify verbs). shizen ni aruku -> to walk naturally).pretty). No exceptions. etc. We will refer to these as "dv" (for "descriptive verb"). shizen na kankyou -> a natural environment). be used by themselves like a noun (ex. We will refer to these as "dn" (for "descriptive noun"). As mentioned before. in most cases.Hiragana drop the い and add く drop the い and add くない drop the い and add かった drop the い and add くなかった Romaji (English Letters) drop the "i" and add "ku" drop the "i" and add "kunai" drop the "i" and add "katta" drop the "i" and add "kunakatta" English Meaning modifies a verb (adverb form) (akaku natta -> became red) (naru is the verb "to become") present tense negative (akakunai -> is not red) (becomes a new "dv") past tense (akakatta -> was red) past tense negative (akakunakatta -> was not red) (This one might take a little practice saying. And by adding a に (ni) to the end of these words they can be used to modify a verb as an adverb (ex. kirei . The conjugation rules for "true" Japanese adjectives are as follows: ひらがな .Hiragana あかいくるま Romaji (English Letters) akai kuruma English Meaning red car These adjectives can be conjugated to form different tenses.Kanji 赤い車 ひらがな . in most cases. These are often referred to as "true adjectives" or "i-adjectives".Kanji 赤い 黄色い 青い 黒い ひらがな .nature). stand alone like a noun but can also be used to modify nouns and verbs. 白い 面白い 暑い 寒い 大きい 小さい 自然 綺麗 失礼 静か 特別 元気 変 上手 親切 素敵 しろい おもしろい あつい さむい おおきい ちいさい しぜん きれい しつれい しずか とくべつ げんき へん じょうず しんせつ すてき shiroi (dv) omoshiroi (dv) atsui (dv) samui (dv) ookii (dv) chiisai (dv) shizen (dn) kirei (dn) shitsurei (dn) shizuka (dn) tokubetsu (dn) genki (dn) hen (dn) jouzu (dn) shinsetsu (dn) suteki (dn) white interesting. Below is a typical Japanese conversation/introduction between two people meeting for the first time: Japanese (In Kanji. Nice to meet you. 始めまして。お元気ですか。 Person 2: はじめまして。おげんきですか。 Hajimemashite. What is your name? My name is ______. good looking Meeting Someone New We are often asked by our students learning Japanese how to introduce yourself to a Japanese person. Anata no o-namae wa? 私は______と言います。宜しくお願いします。 Person 2: わたしは______といいます。よろしくおねがいします。 Watashi wa ______ to iimasu. strange skillful kind. Hajimemashite. clean rude quiet special in good spirits weird. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Hiragana. O-genki desu ka? はい、元気です。 Person 1: はい、げんきです。 Hai. My name is ______. funny hot cold big small nature pretty. and Romaji) こんにちは。始めまして。 Person 1: こんにちは。はじめまして。 Konnichi wa. Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu. This interaction is normally very formal and filled with a few bows. genki desu. 私は______と申します。あなたのお名前は？ Person 1: わたしは______ともうします。あなたのおなまえは？ Watashi wa ______ to moushimasu. How are you? I am fine. . Nice to meet you. nice "cool". English Meaning Hello. ") See Lesson 3 for other common Japanese phrases.宜しくお願いします。 Person 1: よろしくおねがいします。 Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu. Other Common Japanese Phrases We are often asked how to say "I love you" in Japanese. .ai) when talking about their feelings for someone else (not even a boyfriend.such as when asking for a favor. Both people are literally saying "I am said/called _____". (used when someone is going to bed) I'm sorry. child.Kanji ひらがな . etc. This may seem strange but this is just what they say for "I love you". Explanation: "Hajimemashite" literally means "it is a beginning" but would be the equivalent of "Nice to meet you" in English. It is basically like saying "Please treat me well". girlfriend. I am in good spirits". "O-genki desu ka" is literally asking "Are you in good spirits?". They would typically say "Anata no koto ga suki desu" or "Anata ga daisuki desu". This is not done when talking about yourself.). The other person responds "Yes. parent. Pleased to make your acquaintance. "Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu" literally means "I request/wish kindly of you". This is the most common way of asking "How are you?" in Japanese. Excuse me. It would only be used the first time meeting someone. As learned in Lesson 9. "Mousu" is the ultra polite form of the verb "iu" (to say). "genki" means "in good spirits".あい . It can be used in other situations as well . Romaji (English Letters) tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu akemashite omedetou gozaimasu omedetou gozaimasu oyasuminasai gomennasai sumimasen toire wa doko desu ka English Meaning Happy Birthday! Happy New Year! Congratulations! Good night. An "o" is added in front of it (and other words throughout this exchange) to show respect. spouse. "Namae" is the word for "name". This would be "Anata o ai shite imasu" BUT be advised that the Japanese typically don't use the word for love (愛 . "Yoroshii" means "good/fine" and "negai" is a wish or request. Where is the bathroom? 漢字 . "Suki" is Japanese for "like" and "daisuki" means "favorite". onaka ga suite ("My stomach is imasu empty.Hiragana 誕生日おめでとうございます たんじょうびおめでとうございます 明けましておめでとうございます あけましておめでとうございます おめでとうございます おめでとうございます お休みなさい 御免なさい すみません トイレは何処ですか お腹が空いています おやすみなさい ごめんなさい すみません トイレはどこですか おなかがすいています I am hungry. 元気です。/ まあまあです。 Arigatou! *2 ありがとう！ Dou itashi mashite. *1 やあ。 Ohayou gozaimasu. Arigato! わたしは元気です。ありが Anatawa? あなたは？ Genki desu. どういたしまして。 Samishi katta desu. Thank you (very much)! You're welcome! (for "thank you") I missed you so much! What's new? Nothing much Good night! See you later! Good bye! Asking for Help and Directions Japanese Greetings: Yaa. おやすみなさい。 Mata atode aimashou! またあとで会いましょう！ Sayonara! さようなら！ . / maa-maa desu. おはようございます。 Konbanw こんばんは。 Youkoso irasshai mashita.English Phrases Japanese Phrases English Greetings Hi! Good morning! Good evening! Welcome! (to greet someone) How are you? I'm fine. ようこそいらっしゃいました。 Ogenki desuka? お元気ですか？ Watashi wa genki desu. *3 さみしかったです。 Saikin dou desuka? 最近どうですか？ Kawari nai desu. thanks! And you? Good/ So-So. 変わりないです。 Oyasumi nasai. English Phrases I'm lost Can I help you? Can you help me? Where is the (bathroom/ pharmacy)? Go straight! then turn left/ right! I'm looking for john. 迷ってしまいました。 Otetsudai shimashouka? お手伝いしましょうか？ Tetsudatte kuremasuka? *4 手伝ってくれますか？ (Toire/yakkyoku) wa doko desuka? (トイレ/薬局) はどこで Massugu itte kudasai. 私といっしょに来てくださ To Save this Page Press (CTRL D) or E-mail this Page! ۩ Free Translation How to Introduce Yourself Do you speak (English/ Japanese)? Just a little.! (to ask for something) Excuse me! ( to pass by) Come with me! Japanese Phrases Mayotte shimai mashita. Anata wa eigo/nihongo wo hanashimasu ka? あなたは（英語／日本語）を話しますか？ Sukoshi dake. Johnを探しています。 Chotto matte kudasai. ちょっと待ってください。 Kore wa ikura desuka? これはいくらですか？ Sumimasen! すみません！ Sumimasen! すみません！ Watashi to issho ni kite kudasai. ちょっと待ってください。 Chotto matte kudasai. Soshite. One moment please! Hold on please! (phone) How much is this? Excuse me .. hidari / migi ni magatte ku まっすぐ行ってください。そして、 左／右にまがってください John wo sagashite imasu. 少しだけ。 .. . 私はアメリカ人です。 Doko ni sun de imasu ka? どこに住んでいますか？ Watashi wa amerika / nihon ni sundeimasu. *6 はじめまして！／お会いできてうれしいです！ Anata wa totemo shinsetsu desu. それはいいですね。 Toshi wa ikutsu desu ka? 年はいくつですか？ . あなたはとてもしんせつです。 Doko no shusshin desu ka? どこの出身ですか？ Amerika/Nihon kara desu. アメリカ／日本からです。 Watashi wa Amerika jin desu.…/ Miss… Nice to meet you! You're very kind! Where are you from? I'm from (the U.S/ Japan) I'm (American) Where do you live? I live in (the U.. 私はアメリカ／日本に住んでいます。 Kokowa suki ni narimashita ka? ここは好きになりましたか？ Nihon ha subarashii kuni desu./ Mrs. 私は日本語が好きです。 Watashi wa nihongo wo ichikagetu narrate imasu. 日本は素晴らしい国です。 Osigoto wa nandesu ka? お仕事は何ですか？ Osigoto wa nandesu ka? ほんやく／会社員として働いています。 Watashi wa nihongo ga suki desu..S/ Japan) Did you like it here? Japan is a wonderful country What do you do for a living? I work as a (translator/ businessman) I like Japanese I've been learning Japanese for 1 month Oh! That's good! How old are you? Namae wa nandesu ka? 名前は何ですか？ Watashi no namae wa …. ・・・さん Hajimemashite! or Oai dekite ureshii desu. Mr.. 私は日本語を一ヶ月習っています。 Sorewa iidesu ne. 私の名前は・・・ *5 “san” is adequate for all.How to Introduce Yourself What's your name? My name is .. あけましておめでとうございます。 Merii Kurisumasu! *8 メリークリスマス！ Omedetou! おめでとう！ (noun. 30) sai desu...) years old.. etc) wo tanoshinde kudasai.. I have to go I will be right back! Wish Someone Something Good luck! Happy birthday! Happy new year! Merry Christmas! Congratulations! Enjoy! (for meals. すぐ戻ります。 Tanjyoubi omedetou gozaimasu! 誕生日おめでとうございます！ Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu. thirty.) I'd like to visit Japan one day Say hi to John for me Bless you (when sneezing) Good night and sweet dreams! Solving a Misunderstanding I'm Sorry! (if you don't hear something) Sorry (for a mistake) No Problem! Sumimasen. すみません。 Gomenasai. ( ) を楽しんでください。 Ituka nihon wo otozure tai. 大丈夫です。 Ganbatte ne! *7 がんばってね！ Watshi wa (20. 行かなくてはなりません。 Sugu modori masu.How to Introduce Yourself I'm (twenty. いつか日本を訪れたい。 John ni yoroshiku to tsutaete kudasai. おやすみなさい。 . ごめんなさい。 Daijyoubu desu. Johnによろしくと伝えてください。 Odaiji ni. お大事に。 Oyasumi nasai. 私は（２０，３０）才です。 Ikanakutewa narimasen. わかりません。 Arewa nihongo de nanto iimasu ka? あれは日本語で何といいますか？ “Omedeto” wa eigo de douiu imi desu ka? Omedeto は英語でどういう意味ですか？ “Please” wa nihongo de nanto iimasu ka? “Please” は日本語で何と言いますか？ Korewa nandesu ka? これは何ですか？ Watashi no nihongo wa heta desu. 日本語を練習する必要があります。 Goshinpai naku. 私の日本語はへたです。 Nihonn go wo renshu suru hitsuyou ga arimasu. 書いてください。 Wakarimasen. わかりません。 Shirimasen. Big/ Small Today/ Now Yoi / Warui / maa-maa よい／悪い／まあまあ Ookii/Chiisai 大きい／小さい Kyou / Ima 今日／今 .How to Introduce Yourself Can You Say It Again? Can You Speak Slowly? Write It Down Please! I Don't Understand! I Don't Know! I Have No Idea. What's That Called In Japanese? Mouichido itte kuremasuka? もういちど言ってくれますか？ Yukkuri shabette kuremasuka? ゆっくりしゃべってくれますか？ Kaite kudasai. ご心配なく。 What Does "gato" Mean In English? How Do You Say "Please" In Japanese? What Is This? My Japanese is bad. I need to practice my Japanese Don't worry! Japanese Expressions and Words Good/ Bad/ So-So. 知りません。 Wakarimasen. / Nodo ga kawaki mashita. *9 大好きです。/あなたを愛しています。 Choshi ga warui desu. yuugata ni. This/ That. 調子が悪いです。 . おなかが空きました。／のどがかわきました。 Asa ni. douzo! はい、どうぞ。 Suki desu ka? 好きですか？ Honto ni suki desu. Ashita / Kinou 明日／昨日 Hai / iie はい／いいえ Hai. yoru ni 朝に／夕方に／夜に Kore / Are Koko / Asoko これ／あれ ここ／あそこ Watashi / anata Kare / Kanojyo 私／あなた 彼／彼女 Honto! ほんと！ Mite！ 見て！ Isoide! 急いで！ Nani? Doko? 何？ どこ？ Nanji desu ka? 何時ですか？ Jyuji desu. Here/There Me/ You. Him/ Her. ほんとに好きです。 Onaka ga suki masita. 十時です。午後７時３０分です。 Kore wo kudasai! これをください。 Daisuki desu. In The Morning/ Evening/ At Night./ Anata wo aishite imasu. 07:30pm. Gogo hichi ji sanjyu pun desu. Give me this! I love you! I feel sick. Really! Look! Hurry up! What? Where? What time is it? It's 10 o'clock.How to Introduce Yourself Tomorrow/ Yesterday Yes/ No Here you go! (when giving something) Do you like it? I really like it! I'm hungry/ thirsty. 病院に行きたい。 Nana (shichi) hachi. *9 This is one of the Japanese language mysteries. Nine. *7 Direct translation is Kouun wo inorimasu. If you meet person for the first time.How to Introduce Yourself I need a doctor One. *6 This sentence can directly be Oai dekite ureshii desu. expressions and words. *8 Christmas is not really celebrated by the Japanese and therefore Merry Christmas is not a common greeting you would hear. jyuu なな（ひち）、はち、きゅう、じ *1 This may be a kind of literary/writing expression… and it’s seldom used in conversation. Eight. Read more: http://www.san is a very normal way. *5 . you can say Hajimemashite. *4 Usually we just say “Excuse me/ Sumimasen”.. go. Make sure to memorize them to be able to use them in your daily conversation. “Arigato gozaimasu” is more polite. But basically it’s seldom used. ni. Three Four. go to Language Test. There’s no big difference between them.com/english_japanese. san いち、に、さん Byouin ni ikitai. kyuu. Six Seven. Five. and that you learned some Japanese phrases. But never is unnatural. Two. If you want to practice what you have learnt here. *3 (Anata ga inakute) Samishi katta desu : Abbreviated Anata ga inakute. Daisuki desu is used casually. Instead. roku よん、ご、ろく Ichi. Ten Yon.. *2 Arigato and Arigato gozaimasu.htm#ixzz2hbglkYrZ .linguanaut. I hope the content of this page was useful to you. and “Can you help me” is included in this “Sumimasen”. I love you is expressed in progressive aspect like “I am loving you”. Add after both first and family name like Koizumi san or Jyunichiro san. . anata wa?) お蔭様で元気です (o kagesama de genki desu) 久しぶり (hisashiburi) お久しぶりですね (o hisashiburi desu ne) お名前はなんですか? (o-namae wa nan desu ka) .English Welcome 日本語 (Japanese) ようこそ (yōkoso) 今日は (konnichiwa) おっす (ossu) . Where are you from? I'm from ...frm （私は）～出身です ((watashi wa) ...on phone お元気ですか？ (o genki desu ka) はい、元気です。あなたは？ (hai. da) (inf) ... genki desu.used between close male friends もしもし (moshi moshi) . thanks.です (. And you? Long time no see What's your name? My name is . だ (.... Pleased to meet you Good morning Good afternoon Good evening Good night ... shusshin desu) 初めまして (hajimemashite) 初めまして。どうぞ宜しく (hajimemashite.. desu) (frm) 出身はどこですか？ (Shusshin wa doko desu ka?) どちらからですか (Dochira kara desu ka?) . dōzo yoroshiku) reply お会いできて嬉しいです (oaidekite ureshii desu) お早うございます / おはようございます (ohayō gozaimasu) お早う / おはよう (ohayō) 今日は / こんにちは (konnichiwa) 今晩は / こんばんは (konbanwa) おやすみなさい (oyasumi nasai) おやすみ (oyasumi) Hello How are you? I'm fine.. see you later ご幸運を祈ります! (gokoūn o inorimasu) .Goodbye さようなら (sayōnara) いって来ます (ittekimasu) .inf 良い一日を (Yoi ichinichi o) よい旅行を (yoi ryokō o) ごきげんよう！ (gokigen yō .Goodbye / Good luck) いってらっしゃい (itte irasshai .'I'll be back' .I wish you a smooth road (old fashioned) すみません! (sumimasen) いくらですか (ikura desu ka?) ごめんなさい! (gomen nasai) どうも (dōmo) ありがとう (arigatō) ありがとうございます (arigatō gozaimasu) どうもありがとう (dōmo arigatō) どうもありがとうございます (dōmo arigatō gozaimasu) どう致しましてどういたしまして (dō itashimashite) 便所はどこですか (benjo wa doko desu ka?) トイレはどこですか (toire wa doko desu ka?) 手洗いはどこですか (tearai wa doko desu ka?) この人が全部払います (konohito ga zembu haraimasu) 一緒に踊りませんか Good luck Have a nice day Bon voyage (Have a good journey) Excuse me How much is this? Sorry Thank you Response Where's the toilet? This gentleman/lady will pay for everything Would you like to .you are staying じゃあまたね (jā mata ne) .frm 頑張ってね (gambatte ne) .you are leaving いってらっしゃい (itterasshai) .Go and come back) 一路平安を祈る (ichiroheian o inoru) .'come back soon' . itte kudasai) 日本語を話しますか (Nihongo o hanashimasu ka?) 日本語は話せますか (Nihongo wa hanasemasu ka?) 日本語はできますか (Nihongo wa dekimasu ka?) はい、話します (Hai.dance with me? (isshoni odorimasenka?) 好きです (suki desu) 好きだ (suki da) 好きだよ (suki dayo) 好きよ (suki yo) f 大好きです (daisuki desu) 愛してるよ (aishiteru yo) 愛してるわ (aishiteru wa) >f お大事に (odaiji ni) I love you Get well soon Language difficulties Do you understand? I understand 分かりますか (wakarimasu ka?) .inf 分かりました (wakarimashta) .frm ゆっくり話してください (yukkuri hanashite kudasai) ゆっくり言ってください (yukkuri itte kudasai) 書いてください (kaite kudasai) 書いて、頂けますか (kaite itadakemasu ka) もう一度、言ってください (mō ichido. hanasemasu) はい、出来ます (Hai...frm わからない (wakaranai) . dekimasu) .frm わかります (wakarimasu) わかる (wakaru) inf わかりません (wakarimasen) . . hanashimasu) はい、話せます (Hai.. は日本語でなんと言いますか。 I don't understand I understood Please speak more slowly Please write it down Please say that again Do you speak Japanese? Yes. a little How do you say .. . eigo ga hanasemasu ka?) すみません。分かりませんでした (sumimasen.in Japanese? I don't speak Japanese Do you speak English? (. wa nihongo de nanto īmasu ka?) 日本語を話せません (Nihongo o hanasemasen) 英語はできますか (Eigo wa dekimasu ka?) 英語の話せる人はいませんか (Eigo no hanaseru hito wa imasen ka) 誰か、英語が話せますか (dare ka.. wakarimasen deshita) なんて言いましたか (nan te iimashita ka?) 訳してください (yakushite kudasai) これはどういう意味ですか (kore wa dōiu imi desu ka) これはどんな風に発音しますか (kore wa donna fū ni hatsuon shimasu ka) Does anyone speak English? Sorry. I didn't understand that What did you say? Can you translate it for me? What does this mean? How do you pronounce that? In the hotel There's a problem in the room There's no hot water 部屋の設備が壊れていて困っています (heya no setsubi ga kowarete ite komatteimasu) お湯がありません (oyu ga arimasen) 蛇口が漏れています (jaguchi ga moreteimasu) 排水溝が詰まっています (haisuikō ga tsumatteimasu) エアコンがうるさすぎます The tap/faucet is leaking The drain is blocked The air conditioner . is too noisy Can I have another room? When should I vacate the room? I'd like to check out I'd check out on this date Could you call a taxi please? May I see the bill please? How much is the total bill? Can I have an itemised bill? I think there's a mistake on this bill (eakon ga urusasugimasu) 他の部屋へ移れますか (hoka no heya e utsuremasu ka?) いつ、部屋を出なくてはなりませんか (itsu. heya o denakute wa narimasen ka?) チェックアウトしたいのですが (chekkuauto shitai no desu ga) この日にチェックアウトしたいのですが (kono hi ni chekkuauto shitai no desu ga) タクシーを呼んで下さい (takusī o yonde kudasi?) 請求書を見せて頂けますか (seikyūsho o misete itadakemasu ka?) 請求書の合計額は、いくらですか (seikyūsho no gōkei wa ikura desu ka?) 明細書を見せて頂けますか (meisaisho o misete itadakemasu ka?) この請求書に間違いがあるように思うのですが (kono seikyūsho ni machigai ga aruyō ni omō no desu ka?) Eating out Is there a restaurant near here? I'd like to reserve a table 近くにレストランはありますか (chikaku ni resutoran wa arimasu ka?) テーブルの予約を取りたいのですが (tēburu no yoyaku o toritai no desu ga) 既に予約をとっています (sudeni yoyaku o totte imasu) 英語のメ二ューはありますか We have a reservation Do you have . 'Western' style 新年おめでとうございます (shinnen omedetō gozaimasu) New Year greetings (used before New Year) 良いお年を (yoi otoshi o) . not before) 明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetō gozaimasu) 旧年中大変お世話になりました Happy New Year .inf 良いお年をお迎え下さい (yoi otoshi o omukae kudasai) . "dry glass" I am a vegetarian Bon appetit (Have a good meal) Cheers/Good health! Emergencies Leave me alone! Help! Fire! Call the police! ほっといて! (hottoite!) 助けて! (tasukete!) 火事だ! (kaji da!) 警察を呼んでください! (keisatsu o yonde kudasai!) Special occasions Merry Christmas メリークリスマス (merī kurisumasu) New Year greeting .said before a meal by those eating it ご馳走さまでした (gochisōsama deshita) .an English menu? Can I see the wine list? (eigo no menyu wa arimasu ka?) ワインのリストを見せて頂けませんか (wain no risuto o misete itadakemasen ka?) 私は菜食主義者です (watashi wa saishokushugisha desu) どうぞめしあがれ (douzo meshiagare) = 'enjoy your meal' .said after a meal by those who have eaten it 乾杯 (kanpai) lit.said by the cook/chef いただきます (itadakimasu) .frm New Year greetings (used at New Year. ) My hovercraft is full of eels .(kyūnenjū taihen osewa ni narimashita) 今年もよろしくお願いします (kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu) 復活祭おめでとうございます (fukkatsu-sai omedetō gozaimasu) イースターおめでとうございます (īsutā omedetō gozaimasu) お誕生日おめでとうございます (otanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu) Happy Easter Happy Birthday Other phrases One language is never enough 言語を一つは決して足りない (gengo o hitotsu wa kesshite tarinai) 言語は一つだけでは足りない (gengo hitotsu dake de wa tarinai) 私のホバークラフトは鰻でいっぱいです (Watashi no hobākurafuto wa unagi de ippai desu. Don't wait to move on until you have all Hiragana characters memorized . which is mainly used for foreign words." or "I am a gymnasium. It can be either your first name." could also mean "I am a business. contains characters and. This is particularly a problem with names that have the same sound as actual words in the Japanese language. and (o) .whatever you want them to call you by. technically." Unless the Japanese person you are introducing yourself to is familiar with your name (which isn't always too likely) they won't know that you are telling them your name. (e) .Now." but this has a problem: "watashi wa ______ desu. (a) . There are 5 vowels in Japanese. which we will get into later." and makes it very clear that the "______" is your name. with the exception of (n) . Katakana . and "l"." means both "I am ______. at least. Katakana will be covered in the Katakana lesson. The Japanese alphabet does not contain letters but. they are not alphabets but character sets. あ a い i う u え e お o Combinations きゃ kya きゅ kyu きょ kyo か ka き ki く ku け ke こ ko ぎゃ ぎゅ ぎょ ." means "I am called ______. pronounced like "e" in "eat". how do you introduce yourself using your name? Many places teach "watashi wa ______ desu. The only "consonant" that does not resemble that of English is the Japanese "r"." and "I am a ______. pronounced like "oo" in "soon". or nickname . Or. "jimu" (Jim) means "business" and "gym/gymnasium" in Japanese (depending on the context) so "watashi wa jimu desu. (u) . pronounced "oh". last name. to learn the sounds that exist in the language.learn them as you continue to go through the other lessons. Hiragana is the main alphabet or character set for Japanese. Click on the image next to each Hiragana character to hear how they are pronounced." So what is the better way to introduce yourself? "watashi wa ______ to iimasu. The characters in the chart below are called Hiragana . "r". For instance. and another alphabet/character set. The first step to learning the Japanese language is to learn the alphabet. pronounced "ahh". There are absolutely no "tones" in Japanese like in many other asian languages and there are only 2 exceptions within the alphabet which will be explained later. All Hiragana characters end with one of these vowels. instead. It is slightly "rolled" as if it were a combination of a "d". (i) . Japanese also consists of two other character sets Kanji (Chinese characters). pronounced like "e" in "elk". が ga ぎ gi ぐ gu げ ge ご go gya gyu gyo しゃ sha しゅ shu しょ sho さ sa し shi す su せ se そ so じゃ ja じゅ ju じょ jo ざ za じ ji ず zu ぜ ze ぞ zo ちゃ cha ちゅ chu ちょ cho た ta ち chi つ tsu て te と to にゃ nya にゅ nyu にょ nyo だ da ぢ ji づ zu で de ど do ひゃ hya ひゅ hyu ひょ hyo な na に ni ぬ nu ね ne の no びゃ bya びゅ byu びょ byo は ha ひ hi ふ fu へ he ほ ho ぴゃ pya ぴゅ pyu ぴょ pyo ば ba び bi ぶ bu べ be ぼ bo みゃ mya みゅ myu みょ myo ぱ pa ぴ pi ぷ pu ぺ pe ぽ po りゃ rya りゅ ryu りょ ryo ま ma み mi む mu め me も mo や ya ゆ yu よ yo ら ra り ri る ru れ re ろ ro わ wa を wo ん n/m Here is a Printable Hiragana Chart (PDF . .get Adobe Acrobat Reader). The main particles are: (These particles will be described in more detail below) wa (as mentioned in the Hiragana lesson. The Japanese language uses what we will refer to as particles to mark the various parts of the sentence. Click here if you'd like to know why these two exceptions exist. This character is usually only pronounced "ha" when it is part of a word.to continue) or when a is paired at the end with (Chinese character) that has a reading which starts with つ (tsu) another character changing the つ (tsu) to a づ (zu) . There aren't characters for "yi". "ye".文法 Japanese grammar is quite simple and straight forward but very different from English grammar so most English speakers find it rather confusing. Note: You probably noticed in the chart above that there are 2 characters pronounced "zu" and 2 characters pronounced "ji" . or "wu". the Hiragana "ha" is pronounced "wa" when it immediately follows the topic) ga wo (pronounced "o") は topic marker が を subject marker direct object marker direction marker. The best thing you can do when learning Japanese is to learn it from the bottom up and not compare it to English grammar. The Hiragana は (ha) is pronounced "wa" when it immediately follows the topic of the sentence. Some people wonder why "yi". in Japanese the verb always comes at the end. The Hiragana へ (he) is pronounced "e" when it immediately follows a place or direction. づ (zu) only occurs when there is a つ (tsu) Kanji in front of it like in つづく (tsuzuku . and "we" are missing. "wu". indirect object marker に ni へ e (as mentioned in the Hiragana lesson. I will let you know whenever we come upon a word in which they are used. The characters づ (zu) and ぢ (ji) are very rarely used. "ye". The same applies for the Hiragana ぢ (ji) . the Hiragana "he" is pronounced "e" when it immediately follows a direction marker . "wi". For instance.Exceptions: 1. time marker. 2. Since they are used so rarely I wouldn't worry about them too much. Both of these are very simple to detect. Basic Japanese Grammar . There is a ゐ (wi) and a ゑ (we) but these were deemed obsolete in 1946 and were replaced by い (i) and え (e) respectively. Hiragana Romaji Verb Base . time. the "I" (watashi wa) would be left out of this sentence because it is implied that since I am talking I am the one that knows where you live). In the example. This is not the case but I wouldn't worry too much about keeping them straight at first . Godan Verbs . "I'm leaving at 3 o'clock" (watashi wa sanji ni hanareru). "her" would be the direct object. and then the "te" and "ta" forms that are common to all verbs. These verbs have five changes that follow the order of the Japanese vowels (i. before you can start making up sentences of your own. the Godan (五段) verbs. Many Japanese books and teachers teach that "wa" and "ga" are the same thing and it doesn't matter which you use when. "I'm going to take her home" (watashi wa kanojo wo ie ni okuru). you need to learn how to conjugate Japanese verbs. The particle "wo" (を): The particle "wo" (or "o") marks the direct object of a Japanese sentence. in many cases."I'm going to take her 'to' home". "I know where you live" (watashi wa anata ga doko ni sunde iru ka shitte iru).it will come with time. the "ni" acts like a "to" . Often times Japanese people will leave out everything but the verb. In the example.place or direction) The particles "wa" (は) and "ga" (が): The particle "wa" marks the topic of the sentence and the particle "ga" marks the subject of the sentence. hence the name Godan (meaning 5 levels or steps). the topic is implied in Japanese (for example.Kanji ひらがな . The particle "e" (へ) can be used in this way as well but usually implies more of a general direction as opposed to a specific place.e. or the indirect object of a Japanese sentence. In this case. "I" would be the topic while "you" would be the subject. "I was taken home by him" (watashi wa kare ni ie made okurareta). the characters for that section of the hiragana chart). The final use for the particle "ni" in Japanese grammar is that of indirect object marker. These verbs always conjugate the same way with only one exception. The particle "ni" is also used to mark time in a Japanese sentence. In the example. Most Japanese verbs fall into the first group. The particle "ni" (に): The particle "ni" can be used to mark the direction. Verbs are the most important part of the Japanese sentence. For example. "him" is the indirect object. There are only 3 types of verbs in the Japanese language and they each follow a pattern that is very simple and very rarely has any exceptions. They are very big on leaving out the obvious and sometimes not so obvious which can get confusing at times. Not all Japanese sentences have both a topic and subject and. An example of a direction marker can be seen in the previous example "I'm going to take her home" (watashi wa kanojo wo ie ni okuru). The chart below shows how to conjugate Japanese Godan verbs: 漢字 .五段動詞 Now. Note: The "watashi wa" in all of the example sentences used above would normally be left out as it is implied. Basically. or る (ru). Base 4: Base 4 is most often used as "if verb" by adding -ba. Base "te" can also be used in other ways that we will get into in later lessons.Part 1. the う (u). au (Base 1) -> awa) (Plain form is what people use when talking to a friend. Notice: There is one thing that you'll need to learn in order to conjugate the "te" and "ta" forms correctly. (ex. つ (tsu).) It can also be used by itself as a command form but it is extremely rude and I recommend not using it at all. hanaseba . (ex. katsu (to win) -> katte (Win!). It would not be proper to use in a business environment. katta (We won!)) . for all Godan verbs ending in う (u).) We will get into other ways it's used in later lessons.Let's talk. Base "te": Base "te" can be used by itself as a plain form command. Base 5: Base 5 is used by itself as the "let's" form.) Base 2: Base 2 is. We will go over the polite form in Using the Verb Bases . (ex.) If the verb ends in う (u) then the end for Base 1 becomes わ (wa). hanasanai .If he'd just say something.) We will get into other ways it's used in later lessons. By adding kudasai it becomes the polite form command. hanashita . Base 3: Base 3 is the main form (the one that would be found in the dictionary) and is also the plain form present/future tense. a noun when used by itself but is primarily used with the polite form of the verb. It is mainly used by itself as the plain form past tense. in most cases. It is not rude but should only be used with close friends and children. hanasou .(English Letters) 話す 話さ 話し 話す 話せ 話そう 話して 話した はなす はなさ はなし はなす はなせ はなそう はなして はなした hanasu (to speak) hanasa hanashi hanasu hanase hanasou hanashite hanashita Base 1 Base 2 Base 3 Base 4 Base 5 Base "te" Base "ta" Base 1: Base 1 can not be used by itself but becomes the plain form negative simply by adding -nai. (ex. (ex. Base "ta": Base "ta" is merely Base "te" with an "a" sound on the end instead of an "e" sound. つ (tsu). (ex. or る (ru) becomes って (tte) in the "te" form and った (tta) in the "ta" form.I talked.I won't say anything. (ex. (ex. いった (itte/itta). Clickhere for the answers. aruku (to walk) -> aruite (Walk!).)) The only exception to this rule is for the verb iku (to go) which becomes いって. hanashita (I talked (to him). turn off to go (Remember the exception for Bases "te"and "ta") 行く いく iku Ichidan Verbs . the ぶ (bu). 漢字 . or ぬ (nu) becomes んで (nde) in the "te" form and んだ (nda) in the "ta" form.). oyogu (to swim) -> oyoide (Swim!). yonda (I read it. the く (ku) becomes いて (ite) in the "te" form and いた (ita) in the "ta" form. hanasu (to talk) -> hanashite (Say something!).Hiragana あう かつ うる あそぶ のむ しぬ あるく およぐ けす Romaji (English Letters) au katsu uru asobu nomu shinu aruku oyogu kesu English Meaning to meet to win to sell to play to drink to die to walk to swim to erase. む (mu). or ぬ (nu). the す (su) becomes して (shite) in the "te" form and した (shita) in the "ta" form. yomu (to read -> yonde (Read it. oyoida (I swam.Kanji 会う 勝つ 売る 遊ぶ 飲む 死ぬ 歩く 泳ぐ 消す ひらがな . Try conjugating them on a piece of paper using what you have just learned. む (mu). (ex.一段動詞 .)) For all Godan verbs ending in す (su).For all Godan verbs ending in ぶ (bu). aruita (I walked here.)) Here are some Godan verbs. For all Godan verbs ending in ぐ (gu).)) For all Godan verbs ending in く (ku). the ぐ (gu) becomes いで (ide) in the "te" form and いだ (ida) in the "ta" form. (ex. a negative can be made by adding -nai (ex. It is usually an Ichidan verb if it ends with the sound "iru" or "eru". These have the same functions as with Godan verbs. Some well used Japanese verbs which appear to be Ichidan but are really Godan are listed here.I will not eat. (ex.Hiragana いる Romaji (English Letters) iru English Meaning to exist (animate). Here are some Ichidan verbs. The low command form for Ichidan verbs is Base 1 + ろ (ro).. tabenai . Base 1 and 2 are the same. to be . Try conjugating them on a piece of paper using what you have just learned. can not be used by itself like with Godan verbs.If I eat it. Base 5: Base 5 is the same as with Godan verbs. or root form. Base 4: Base 4.The second group of Japanese verbs are called Ichidan ( 一段) verbs. Clickhere for the answers.Hiragana たべる たべ たべ たべる たべれ たべよう たべて たべた Romaji (English Letters) taberu (to eat) tabe tabe taberu tabere tabeyou tabete tabeta Base 1 Base 2 Base 3 Base 4 Base 5 Base "te" Base "ta" Verb Base Base 1 and Base 2: As you can see.) It is not the low command form for Ichidan verbs.) and this base. however.. Simply take off the "ru" and add a "te" for Base "te" and a "ta" for Base "ta". It is only used for "if verb" by adding -ba. tabereba . Ichidan verbs also follow a simple conjugation pattern that is somewhat similar to that of the Godan verbs. Just like with the Godan verbs. is also used for the formal form of the verb. Below is a verb conjugation chart for Japanese Ichidan verbs: 漢字 . 漢字 . Base 3: Base 3 is the same as with Godan verbs.Kanji 食べる 食べ 食べ 食べる 食べれ 食べよう 食べて 食べた ひらがな .Kanji いる ひらがな . Base "te" and Base "ta": The Base "te" and "ta" forms for Ichidan verbs are a lot easier than with Godan verbs. The first one is suru (to do something).Hiragana する し し する すれ しよう して した Romaji (English Letters) suru (to do) shi shi suru sure shiyou shite shita Base 1 Base 2 Base 3 Base 4 Base 5 Base "te" Base "ta" Verb Base The functions for these bases are the same as for the Godan verbs except that Base 4 can only be used as the "if verb". The rude command form is "Shiro". Many nouns can be used as a verb simply by putting "suru" right after them. It is probably the most used of all Japanese verbs.somewhere 見る 寝る 着る 出来る 覚える みる ねる きる できる おぼえる miru neru kiru dekiru oboeru to see to sleep to wear. put on can do to remember Irregular Verbs The last type of verbs are the Irregular verbs but there are only 2 of them in the entire language so just memorize their charts below. The second Irregular verb is kuru (to come). .Kanji する し し する すれ しよう して した ひらがな . 漢字 . Using Verb Bases Now that you know about 30 Japanese verbs and can conjugate them. The rude command form is "Koi" and really should only be used on animals. ひらがな Hiragana Base 1 + ない Romaji (English Letters) Base 1 + nai English Meaning plain form negative (will not verb) plain form past negative (did not verb) polite form present/future tense polite form past tense polite form negative (will not verb) Base 1 + なかった Base 1 + nakatta Base 2 + ます Base 2 + masu Base 2 + ました Base 2 + mashita Base 2 + ません Base 2 + masen .Hiragana くる こ き くる くれ こよう きて きた Romaji (English Letters) kuru (to come) ko ki kuru kure koyou kite kita Verb Base Base 1 Base 2 Base 3 Base 4 Base 5 Base "te" Base "ta" The functions for these bases are the same as for the Godan verbs except that Base 4 can only be used as the "if verb". The following chart applies to all Japanese verbs unless otherwise noted.漢字 . You may want to regularly refer to Verb Conjugation (Godan) and Verb Conjugation (Ichidan and Irregular) while learning these. I'll show you what you can do with those verb bases.Kanji 来る 来 来 来る 来れ 来よう 来て 来た ひらがな . ..Base 2 + ませんでした Base 2 + たい Base 3 Base 4 + ば Base 4 + る Base 4 + ます Base 2 + masen deshita Base 2 + tai Base 3 Base 4 + ba polite form past negative (did not verb) want to verb (add です (desu) to make it polite) plain form present/future tense if verb plain form can verb (Godan verbs only) (verb now becomes an Ichidan verb) polite form can verb (can be changed like above) Base 4 + ru Base 4 + masu Base 5 + とする try to verb Base 5 + to suru (this suru is the same verb learned in Verb Conjugation (Ichidan and Irregular) (to do something)) Base "te" + hoshii Base "te" Base "te" + kudasai want someone else to verb (hoshii is an adjective which will be covered in the Descriptive Words . (this suru is also the same verb learned in Verb Conjugation (Ichidan and Irregular) (to do something)) Base "te" + 欲しい Base "te" Base "te" + 下さい Base "te" + いる Base "te" + iru Base "te" + います Base "ta" Base "ta" + ら Base "te" + imasu Base "ta" Base "ta" + ra Base "ta" + りする Base "ta" + ri suru Meeting Someone New .Part 1 lesson) plain form command polite form command plain form presently verbing (this iru is the same verb learned in Verb Conjugation (Ichidan and Irregular) (to exist (animate)) polite form presently verbing (can be changed like above) plain form past tense if and when I verb (similar to Base 4 + ba) do such things as. "O-genki desu ka" is literally asking "Are you in good spirits?". Nice to meet you. English Meaning Hello. An "o" is added in front of it (and other words throughout this exchange) to show respect. "genki" means "in good spirits". This interaction is normally very formal and filled with a few bows. They would . This is the most common way of asking "How are you?" in Japanese. It is basically like saying "Please treat me well".such as when asking for a favor. Explanation: "Hajimemashite" literally means "it is a beginning" but would be the equivalent of "Nice to meet you" in English. etc. O-genki desu ka? はい、元気です。 Person 1: はい、げんきです。 Hai. Below is a typical Japanese conversation/introduction between two people meeting for the first time: Japanese (In Kanji. As learned in Descriptive Words . 宜しくお願いします。 Person 1: よろしくおねがいします。 Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu. Pleased to make your acquaintance. How are you? I am fine. "Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu" literally means "I request/wish kindly of you". and Romaji) こんにちは。始めまして。 Person 1: こんにちは。はじめまして。 Konnichi wa. It can be used in other situations as well . Hiragana. This is not done when talking about yourself.あい . 私は______と申します。あなたのお名前は？ Person 1: わたしは______ともうします。あなたのおなまえは？ Watashi wa ______ to moushimasu. Other Common Japanese Phrases We are often asked how to say "I love you" in Japanese. "Mousu" is the ultra polite form of the verb "iu" (to say).).Part 1. Hajimemashite. I am in good spirits". Pleased to make your acquaintance. Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu. "Namae" is the word for "name". 始めまして。お元気ですか。 Person 2: はじめまして。おげんきですか。 Hajimemashite. Nice to meet you. child. My name is ______. "Yoroshii" means "good/fine" and "negai" is a wish or request. Both people are literally saying "I am said/called _____". parent. The other person responds "Yes. girlfriend.ai) when talking about their feelings for someone else (not even a boyfriend. spouse. What is your name? My name is ______. It would only be used the first time meeting someone. This would be "Anata o ai shite imasu" BUT be advised that the Japanese typically don't use the word for love (愛 . Anata no o-namae wa? 私は______と言います。宜しくお願いします。 Person 2: わたしは______といいます。よろしくおねがいします。 Watashi wa ______ to iimasu. genki desu.We are often asked by our students learning Japanese how to introduce yourself to a Japanese person. Where is the bathroom? お休みなさい おやすみなさい oyasuminasai 御免なさい すみません トイレは何処ですか ごめんなさい すみません トイレはどこですか gomennasai sumimasen toire wa doko desu ka お腹が空いています おなかがすいています I am hungry. 漢字 . (used when someone is going to bed) I'm sorry. "Suki" is Japanese for "like" and "daisuki" means "favorite". Romaji (English Letters) tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu akemashite omedetou gozaimasu omedetou gozaimasu 漢字 .Kanji common/useful phrases in the Japanese language and a ひらがな . onaka ga suite ("My stomach is imasu empty. This may seem strange but this is just what they say for "I love you".Hiragana English Meaning 誕生日おめでとうございます たんじょうびおめでとうございます Happy Birthday! 明けましておめでとうございます あけましておめでとうございます Happy New Year! おめでとうございます おめでとうございます Congratulations! Good night.Kanji ひらがな . Excuse me.Part 1 of 4 Below are 25 of the most breakdown/explanation of each.") 100 Most Useful Phrases .typically say "Anata no koto ga suki desu" or "Anata ga daisuki desu".Hiragana Romaji (English Letters) English Meaning . It is probably closer to "Good day" but used similar to how "Hello" is used in English. 今日は こんにちは konnichiwa Hello Explanation: "konnichiwa" is made up of the Kanji for "now". It is a farewell and implies that the person you're saying it to will soon go to sleep. ご馳走様でした ごちそうさまでした gochisousama deshita said after meals Explanation: . Putting these two together. the Kanji for "day/sun". It can be shortened further to "ohayo" which is less polite than "ohayou" and more on the informal side. "ohayou" comes from the adjective 早い (hayai) which means "early". "konban" by itself means "this evening". to rest. お休みなさい おやすみなさい oyasuminasai Good night Explanation: "oyasuminasai" is derived from the verb 休む (yasumu) which means "to be absent (from work or school).お早うございます おはようございます ohayou gozaimasu Good morning Explanation: "ohayou gozaimsu" can be used both formally and informally. in Kanji but not typically written as such due to the complexity of the Kanji) elevates it to polite form. to go to bed". and the topic marker "wa" (the Hiragana "ha"). It can also be shortened to simply "ohayou" which is less polite but in no way rude. "yasuminasai" by itself would simply mean "Take a break!" 頂きます いただきます expression of gratitude before meals itadakimasu Explanation: "itadakimasu" is commonly said just before eating a meal.to receive/accept). "gozaru" (which becomes "gozaimasu" in polite form) is the honorific version of "aru" (to exist (inanimate)). an honorific prefix. and the topic marker "wa" (the Hiragana "ha"). It expresses gratitude for the meal and is the polite form of the verb 頂く (itadaku . "ohayou gozaimasu" literally means "it honorably exists early". the Kanji for "evening". It appears similar to base 2 + nasai which is a very informal (rude in most situations) command form but the "o" at the beginning (which is 御.to humbly receive/accept). "itadaku" is the humble version of 貰う (morau . 今晩は こんばんは konbanwa Good evening Explanation: "konbanwa" is made up of the Kanji for "now". The different words for "Thank you" from most polite to least polite are as follows: doumo arigatou gozaimasu arigatou gozaimasu doumo arigatou arigatou doumo 御免なさい ごめんなさい gomen nasai I beg your pardon."shitsurei shimashita". 馳走 (chisou) means "banquet. どうも (doumo . It is similar to "oyasuminasai" in that it kind of sounds like a command but it is not. It is often used when one is about to hang up the phone to end a conversation or a way to ask for forgiveness for something one is about to do (like squeeze past someone on a train). 免 (men) means "dismissal" so "gomen nasai" literally means "I request your honorable dismissal". feast" even though the Kanji are for "hurry" and "run/race"."gochisousama deshita" is commonly said just after eating a meal. . arigatou gozaimasu 有難うございます ありがとうございます Thank you Explanation: "arigatou" is made up of the Kanji for "aru" (to exist (inanimate)) and 難しい (muzukashii .a more informal way of saying "Thank you") could be added to the beginning of "arigatou gozaimasu" to make it even more polite. to end. use the humble version of "suru". It literally means "difficulty exists" or "it is difficult". A very similar phrase would be the previous phrase in past tense . The "go" at the beginning would be written in Kanji with the same honorific prefix that we saw on "oyasuminasai" ( 御) but it is read "go" instead of "o" in this case. "sumimasen" literally means "it will not be ended". another way of saying "Excuse me" or "I'm sorry" すみません すみません sumimasen Explanation: The verb behind "sumimasen" is 済む (sumu) which means "to finish. The shorter and less polite version is "gomen" by itself. 様 (sama) is the same as the honorific suffix that could be used after a person's name. I'm sorry Explanation: You probably recognize the honorific prefix at the beginning of "gomen nasai". 失礼します しつれいします shitsurei shimasu a way of saying "Excuse me" Explanation: 失礼 (shitsurei) is a "dn" (descriptive noun) that means "rude/rudeness". 致す (itasu) and say "shitsurei itashimasu" instead. to be completed". It is a common way of asking for forgiveness for troubling someone. 失礼する (shitsurei suru ("shimasu" in polite form)) means "to be rude or impolite" so this literally means "I'm going to be rude".difficult). To be more polite. it is a way to ask permission to enter someone's residence.entranceway) into the residence (leaving their shoes behind. The first part is exactly the same but the second part uses an abbreviated form of the verb いらっしゃる (irassharu) which is the honorific version of "kuru". 今、何時ですか いま、なんじですか ima. etc.行って来ます いってきます itte kimasu a way of saying "See you later" Explanation: "itte kimasu" combines the verbs 行く (iku . 唯今 ただいま tadaima I'm home! Explanation: "tadaima" is the opposite of "itte kimasu" and is said by the person upon their return. It is often said by the father as he leaves for work.to come). . It is derived from the verb 帰る (kaeru) which means "to return home" and is very similar to how "oyasuminasai" is structured.to go) and 来る (kuru . It is typically written in Hiragana but the Kanji mean "only. お帰りなさい おかえりなさい okaerinasai Welcome home Explanation: "okaerinasai" is the response for "tadaima". It literally means "presently" or "just now" and can be used this way as part of a longer sentence. just" and "now". 御免下さい ごめんください a way of saying "May I come in?" gomen kudasai Explanation: "gomen kudasai" is very similar to "gomen nasai" but. instead of a way to ask for forgiveness. it is read "ima" and means "now". A verb in base "te" form (as "iku" is here) can be used to continue a sentence or phrase (like using "and" in English). "itte kimasu" literally means "I will go and come back". The more polite version. 行ってらっしゃい いってらっしゃい a different way of saying "See you later" itte rasshai Explanation: "itte rasshai" is the response to "itte kimasu". "irasshai" is often said by itself to welcome someone. In the form "irasshai" (unabbreviated) is it kind of like a command so this is literally "go and honorably come back!". By itself. of course). nanji desu ka What time is it (now)? Explanation: 今 is a Kanji we've seen in a number of the greetings above. "rasshai" can only be used with another verb in base "te" right before it. children as they leave for school. "irasshaimase" is often said by those working in a shop to welcome customers. It is often said by visitors as they step up from the 玄関 (genkan . The verb 空く (suku) means "to become less crowded."nanji" means "what time". 幾らですか いくらですか ikura desu ka How much? Explanation: "kore wa" could be added to the beginning to make this "how much is this?" or "sore wa" could be added to the beginning to make this "how much is that?". 風呂 (furo) is "bathtub" (standardly prefixed with the honorific "o") and the verb 入る (hairu . to be replaced". 何処 (doko .which happens to be a . to take turns. お代わり下さい おかわりください a request for second helpings okawari kudasai Explanation: The verb 代わる (kawaru) means "to take the place of. alternate" but can also mean "second helping".commonly written in Hiragana) means "where". Another way to say "I'm hungry" is "onaka ga peko peko desu" (see Sound Words). to be substituted for. Like with most polite form statements. it becomes "onaka" (stomach). お風呂に入ります おふろにはいります ofuro ni hairimasu I'm going to take a bath Explanation: Taking baths is big in Japan. This is usually done after taking a shower to clean yourself. お手洗いは何処ですか おてあらいはどこですか otearai wa doko desu ka Where is the bathroom/restroom? Explanation: 手 (te) means "hand(s)" and the verb 洗う (arau) means "to wash" so "otearai" literally means "the honorable hand washing place". to be exchanged. to change places with. this can be turned into a question by adding "ka" on the end. stomach". to thin out. お釣りは幾らですか おつりはいくらですか otsuri wa ikura desu ka How much is the change? Explanation: This is kind of an interesting phrase since 釣り (tsuri) means "fishing" but this is how you would ask how much change is coming back to you from a purchase. to get empty" so "onaka ga suite imasu" means "my stomach is empty". onaka ga suite imasu お腹が空いています おなかがすいています I'm hungry Explanation: 腹 by itself is read "hara" and means "abdomen. Especially when it is prefixed with the honorific "o". The noun form "kawari" typically means "substitute. belly. With the honorific "o" at the beginning. "okawari kudasai" is like "may I please have seconds?" in English but it is not a question. proxy. or "I'm going to eat lunch now". The Kanji is 嗽 but it is typically written in Hiragana due to the complexity. 100 Most Useful Phrases .godan verb that sounds like an ichidan verb) means "to enter". etc. this can be turned into a question by adding "ka" on the end.to wash) that we saw above.Kanji ひらがな . It could also be turned into a command by changing the verb to "te" form ("kudasai" could be added to the end to make it more polite).Hiragana (English Letters) gohan o tabemasu English Meaning ご飯を食べます ごはんをたべます I'm going to eat (a meal) Explanation: This sentence could work for "I'm going to eat dinner now".Part 2 of 4 If you are unable to hear the audio. . click here for the alternate audio method. To some extent. Romaji 漢字 . うがいをします うがいをします ugai o shimasu I'm going to gargle Explanation: "ugai" means "gargling". The "now" is implied and which meal is also implied based on the time of day. 顔を洗います かおをあらいます kao o araimasu I'm going to wash my face Explanation: 顔 (kao) means "face" and this is the same 洗う (arau . Below are 25 of the most common/useful phrases in the Japanese language and a breakdown/explanation of each. 歯を磨きます はをみがきます ha o migakimasu I'm going to brush my teeth Explanation: 歯 (ha) means "tooth/teeth" and the verb 磨く (migaku) means "to polish. this lesson assumes that you have already gone through Part 1. to shine". Like with most polite form statements. "ranchi" would be the closest pronunciation of the English word "lunch". Like with many verbs. base 2 by itself can be a noun. on the other hand. "totemo" means "very. to be extravagant.お昼ご飯は何処で食べたいですか おひるごはんはどこでたべたいですか ohirugoha Where n wa doko would you de tabetai like to eat desu lunch? ka Explanation: You generally shouldn't state that someone other than yourself wants to do something (using base 2 + "tai") but it's fine to ask. "nani ni shimasu ka" by itself means "What would you like to do?" and is used quite frequently. using English words (especially in pop songs) is very "cool". In Japanese. one should never assume to know what someone else does or doesn't want. ohiru wa nani ni shimasu ka お昼は何にしますか おひるはなににしますか What shall we do for lunch? Explanation: "nani" means "what". exceedingly" and "oishii" means "delicious."kare wa soko de tabetai to omoimasu". to live luxuriously". tasty" (the kanji are for "beautiful" and "taste"). If you wanted to turn this into a statement then it needs to be followed by "to omoimasu" ("omou" means "to think") instead of "desu" . It's my kyou wa treat watashi no today/The ogori meal is on desu me 今日は私のおごりです きょうはわたしのおごりです Explanation: "ogori" comes from the verb 奢る (ogoru ) which means "to give (someone) a treat. is a borrowed word (from "restaurant") and the typical Japanese word for "restaurant". The lunch kono at this resutoran restaurant このれすとらんのらんちはとてもおいし no ranchi is great wa totemo いです (very oishii delicious/ta desu sty) このレストランのランチはとても美 味しいです Explanation: While Japanese has it's own word for "lunch". "resutoran". . It is typically written in hiragana because the kanji isn't widely known. The word "ramen" could be replaced to request or order (in a restaurant) anything. It can be used right after introducing yourself to someone (in which case it has more of a "pleased to make your acquaintance" vibe). or as part of a farewell. "itadaku" is in base 4 + "ru" (can verb) form. 一杯 (ippai can mean "a lot". お湯 (oyu . It is basically "please be my friend" or "please treat me well".which could also be written 御湯 if you prefer to use the kanji for the honorific) is the word for "hot water" and rarely has the "o" left off. fine. very well". to request. or "cupful". when you see someone again after a period of time. 喉 (nodo means "throat" and 渇く (kawaku ) means "to be thirsty". ) so listen for that 喉が渇いています のどがかわいています nodo ga kawaite imasu I'm thirsty Explanation: This sentence is very similar to "onaka ga suite imasu" (learned in part 1). to wish. to implore". This sentence could mean both "may I please have a lot of water?" or "may I please have a cupful (glass) of water?" but the second makes more sense. The primary "kawaku" (乾く) means "to get dry" so (although it uses a different kanji) "nodo ga kawaite imasu" has origins in "my throat is dry". It is essentially the honorific form of "ii/yoi". May I please have a glass of water? 御水を一杯頂けますか おみずをいっぱいいただけますか omizu o ippai itadakema su ka Explanation: "mizu" (cold water) is often prefixed with the honorific "o". yoroshiku no real onegai shimasu equivalent in English 宜しくお願いします よろしくおねがいします Explanation: "yoroshiku onegai shimasu" is one of the most commonly spoken phrases in Japanese but it doesn't really have an equivalent in English. to hope. "full". "yoroshii" means "good. With . It is literally "I humbly request ramen". The word for "order" is 注文 (chuumon when you are in a Japanese restaurant. Using base 2 of a verb with the honorific "o" on the front and "shimasu" on the end essentially creates the humble form of the verb. to beg. OK.ラーメンをお願いします らーめんをおねがいします ramen o onegai shimasu Ramen please Explanation: 願う (negau ) is a verb which means "to desire. all right. . sanpo ni itte kimasu I'm going to take a walk/stroll 散歩に行って来ます さんぽにいってきます Explanation: While "itte kimasu" by itself is a common farewell for someone leaving the house. ichiban chikai eki wa doko desu ka Where is the closest/ne arest train station? 一番近い駅は何処ですか いちばんちかいえきはどこですか Explanation: Trains are a very common form of transportation in Japan and the train station is called an "eki". nearest in this case). These words could be written in kanji as 此処 (koko). kyuukei shimasu I'm going to take a break 休憩します きゅうけいします Explanation: 休憩 (kyuukei ) means "rest. somewhat". it is also often used with a specific "destination" to indicate that they are going somewhere and then coming back. 此れ (kore). break" and "kyuukei suru" means "to rest. It means "just a minute. While "walk/stroll" [n] is not a destination and "I'm going to a stroll" sounds weird in English. "koko" means "here" and is very closely related to "kore" (this) and "kono" (this descriptive). and 此の (kono) but they are typically written in hiragana. to take a break".the last "i" dropped and a "ku" added.") are often used in Japanese in places where we might say "I need to. it is in adverb form so "yoroshiku onegai shimasu" literally means "I request/beg goodly from you". While "ichiban" can mean "number 1" or "the best" it can also be used with adjectives (such as "chikai" (close. chotto I'm going koko de to rest hitoyasumi here for a shimasu bit ちょっとここで一休みします ちょっとここでひとやすみします Explanation: "chotto" is a great and very regularly used Japanese word. The word "hitoyasumi" is a combination of the character for "one" and the character for "rest" (which you might recognize from "kyuukei" and "yasumu"). Statements such as this ("I'm going to.." in English so this could also be translated as "I need to take a break".. near) in this case) to mean ____est (closest. just a little.. this is a very common sort of thing in Japanese. . short time. to arrange to meet" and is a compound verb made up from the verbs 待つ(matsu to allow) . to see off (a person)" and is the same verb that could be used for sending a package. "machiawase" is the noun form (base 2) of the verb 待ち合わせる (machiawaseru "to wait") and 合う (au ) which means "to rendezvous. It's kind of like "that thing that we talked about before". The particle "made" means "until" . to unite. その電車は何時に離れますか sono What time densha wa does that . "basu" is another borrowed word from the English word "bus". 送る (okuru ) means "to send (a thing).合わせる (awaseru . ano eki de machiawa Let's meet se at that train shimashou station あの駅で待ち合わせしましょう あのえきでまちあわせしましょう Explanation: "ano" is related to "kono" (this . そのでんしゃはなんじにはなれますか . to take or escort (a person somewhere). to combine"). 止まる (tomaru ) means "to stop."to come together. Japanese stop signs are red upside down triangles which have 止まれ ("Stop!!!") written on them."to join together.Part 2. to despatch. to dispatch. for instance.descriptive) and essentially means "that over there". to meet at a prearranged place and time. to meet") in a causitive form (to force. When used as a question it is a very polite way to ask for someone to do something for you.see the lesson More Particles for more information on this and the particle "de". to come to a halt". Could you kuruma de please eki made take me to okutte the train kuremasu station (in ka your car)? 車で駅まで送ってくれますか くるまでえきまでおくってくれますか Explanation: As taught in Using Verb Bases . to merge.descriptive) and "sono" (that . to unite.このバスは何処で止まりますか このばすはどこでとまりますか kono basu wa doko Where de does this tomarimas bus stop? u ka Explanation: This is basically the Japanese equivalent of "where does this bus go?". Base 2 + "mashou" is the polite form equivalent of base 5 (let's verb). Just because a particular verb is used in one language to express a particular idea does not mean the same verb might be used in another language. base "te" + "kureru" ("kuremasu" in polite form) means that someone else verbs for you or another person. more specifically. Time. an electric train.) and 線 is the kanji for "line. takushi.for more information see Numbers. 番 is the kanji for "number" (like "number 1 (#1)". to summon (a doctor. 行 ("to go").airplane). 出発する (shuppatsu suru . The verb 呼ぶ (yobu out (to). it is read "yuki" and means "going to ____" as a compound noun.o Could you yonde please call kuremasu me a taxi? ka タクシーを呼んでくれますか たくしーをよんでくれますか Explanation: "takushi-" is also a borrowed word from the English word "taxi". You can see the same kanji 行 as the middle kanji for 飛行機 (hikouki ("machine"). wire. "number 2 (#2)".)". and Dates. ) means "to get on. 離れる (hanareru ) means "to be separated from. to leave. 二番線の八時の電車に乗ります nibansen I will be no hachiji taking the にばんせんのはちじのでんしゃにのりま no densha 8 o'clock ni す norimasu train from platform 2 Explanation: "___bansen" is how you would say which track/platform your train will be on. The kanji are 飛 ("to fly"). The verb 乗る (noru to ride". etc. "___ji" indicates the time . etc. and 機 ) means "to depart". When in base 2 and combined with another noun. アメリカ行きの飛行機はいつ出発し ますか amerika yuki no hikouki wa あめりかゆきのひこうきはいつしゅっぱ itsu つしますか shuppatsu shimasu ka When does the plane to America depart? Explanation: While 行く is generally read "iku" it can also be read "yuku". to go away". 電 is the kanji for "electricity" and 車 is the kanji for "wheel" or "car". ) means "to call .nanji ni hanarema su ka train leave? Explanation: "densha" means "train" but. beam". one time" but when paired with "mou" (which means "more. In Japanese. ____ wa. further. dou iu imi desu ka" technically means "____. again". what sort of meaning is it?". the verb "to make" isn't used but the verb "dekiru" (can do) can be used instead. The verb 言う (iu ) means "to say". the verb 分かる (wakaru . Can I hoteru no make a yoyaku ga reservation dekimasu (for this ka hotel)? ホテルの予約ができますか ほてるのよやくができますか Explanation: 予約 (yoyaku ) means "reservation". again" in this case) it means "once more. Once again we have a borrowed word "hoteru" that comes from the English word "hotel".. mouichido Could you itte please say kuremasu that again? ka もう一度言ってくれますか もういちどいってくれますか Explanation: 一度 ("ichido") by itself means "once. eigo ga wakarimas u ka Explanation: In Japanese.."to understand") is used instead of the verb "to speak". . dou iu imi What does ____ desu ka mean? Do you speak English? 英語が分かりますか えいごがわかりますか ____は、どういう意味ですか ____は、どういう意味ですか Explanation: 意味 ("imi") means "meaning" (noun) so "____ wa.空港に近いホテルは何処ですか くうこうにちかいほてるはどこですか kuukou ni Where is a chikai hotel close hoteru wa to the doko desu airport? ka Explanation: 空港 (kuukou ) means "airport" and is made up of the kanji 空 ("sky") and 港 ("harbor"). other. We will display the "Kun" reading(s) in Hiragana and separate the reading from the trailing Hiragana (the Hiragana which follows the Kanji and causes it to have that reading) by a "・". Note: Examples will be written out in Hiragana regardless of which reading they are displaying. These are not split up by grade and we will cover 60 Kanji per lesson.Introduction to Kanji Kanji are Chinese characters and a core part of the Japanese writing system. For instance. We will display the "On" reading(s) in Katakana. The "On" reading is typically the one used when the Kanji is combined with another (we will try to point out exceptions to this rule in the examples). Most Kanji have only one "On" reading but some have two or three. A typical Japanese sentence will contain both Kanji and Hiragana with the occasional Katakana mixed in. . which is covered in Grade 3 Kanji . Also note that many Japanese nouns can be made into a verb simply by adding "suru" (to do). Once we have covered all of the 1. the noun 勉強 (benkyou .000 regularly used Kanji so it can take quite a while to learn them all. There are over 2. There are over 2. We will teach the Kanji by the grade in which the Japanese learn them and will start with 40 Kanji at a time so that it doesn't become overwhelming. A typical Japanese sentence will contain both Kanji and Hiragana with the occasional Katakana mixed in. we will teach all of the readings for a particular Kanji that you need to know in order to learn how to read Japanese fluently.000 regularly used Kanji so it can take quite a while to learn them all."study"). can be turned into "to study" by adding "suru" thereby making it 勉強する (benkyou suru . In these lessons.Part 1 of 5. We will teach the Kanji by the grade in which the Japanese learn them and will start with 40 Kanji at a time so that it doesn't become overwhelming. "Kun" Reading: The "Kun" reading is typically used when the Kanji is by itself. One Kanji can have a number of different "Kun" readings depending on how it is used although most Kanji only have one. Most of these should be pretty easy to identify by the English translation (especially if it ends in "ing"). Introduction to Kanji Kanji are Chinese characters and a core part of the Japanese writing system. "On" Reading: The "On" reading was borrowed from Chinese and then modified to fit within the sounds of the Japanese language."to study"). Kanji have 2 categories of readings "On" (音 ) and "Kun" (訓). One common exception to this rule is when the Kanji does not have a "Kun" reading without trailing Hiragana.100+ Kanji taught in Secondary School (Junior High School and High School). In these lessons. It is also the reading used in verbs that begin with that Kanji. We will also provide at least one vocabulary example for each necessary reading. We will also provide at least one vocabulary example for each necessary reading.000+ Kanji taught in Elementary School (grades 1-6). we will teach all of the readings for a particular Kanji that you need to know in order to learn how to read Japanese fluently. we will move into the 1. It is also the reading used in verbs that begin with that Kanji.Part 1 of 5. One Kanji can have a number of different "Kun" readings depending on how it is used although most Kanji only have one. we will move into the 1. can be turned into "to study" by adding "suru" thereby making it 勉強する (benkyou suru . Kanji have 2 categories of readings "On" (音 ) and "Kun" (訓). We will display the "Kun" reading(s) in Hiragana and separate the reading from the trailing Hiragana (the Hiragana which follows the Kanji and causes it to have that reading) by a "・".000+ Kanji taught in Elementary School (grades 1-6). Also note that many Japanese nouns can be made into a verb simply by adding "suru" (to do). We will display the "On" reading(s) in Katakana. For instance. "On" Reading: The "On" reading was borrowed from Chinese and then modified to fit within the sounds of the Japanese language. Note: Examples will be written out in Hiragana regardless of which reading they are displaying."study").Once we have covered all of the 1. the noun 勉強 (benkyou . The "On" reading is typically the one used when the Kanji is combined with another (we will try to point out exceptions to this rule in the examples). These are not split up by grade and we will cover 60 Kanji per lesson."to study"). Most Kanji have only one "On" reading but some have two or three. Most of these should be pretty easy to identify by the English translation (especially if it ends in "ing"). .100+ Kanji taught in Secondary School (Junior High School and High School). which is covered in Grade 3 Kanji . "Kun" Reading: The "Kun" reading is typically used when the Kanji is by itself. One common exception to this rule is when the Kanji does not have a "Kun" reading without trailing Hiragana.