Who Wants to Learn Some Basic Japanese?

[Nico-Nico Friendo]

Konnichi'wa, minna-san! (Hello, everyone!)

Anyone interested in learning Japanese? Today I can provide you with survival words and phrases, just in case you decide to take a trip to Japan.

I'm sure I will teach differently from most people, and that some of my survival Japanese phases may seem humorous at first. BUT . . . I bet you will be happy to know them for when you need them. :)

I am not at an advanced level yet, but if you need to know some basic stuff. I am happy to teach.

Ready to begin?

Hajime! (Begin!)

[Nico-Nico Friendo]

LESSON #1

Survival Japanese . . .

Just in case you ever do go to Japan someday, it's good to know at least some of the language. The more you know, the more enjoyable your trip will be.

I have created a list of words and phrases that would be good to know, just in case you may need them. It could be a real life-saver. I wrote an approximate pronunciation of each word and phrase so you will know how to say them.

Some pronunciation notes:

Remember the vowel sounds: a (ah), i (ee), u (oo), e (eh), o (oh)

And their combinations: ai (like the word "eye"), ei ("ay" as in "day"), ou (oh - just said twice as long as "o"), ae ("ah-eh" try saying "ah" then "eh" one after the other, until they "blend" into a single-syllable), uo (sounds like "ooh-oh"), ie (sounds like "ee-yeh")

Remember "desu" is generally pronounced "dess," and "masu" as "mahss."

And, remember to pronounce the "r" as the "flap" in water and butter. Listen for that weird sound as you say the words. You don't say "wah-TER" or "BUT-er) but you roll the sound of the "t". You want to make that sound whenever you see a Japanese "r". Okay? Practice with the Japanese "r" in "Wakarimasen" ("I don't understand.") or "Toire" (toilet).

It's really not that hard, but it will take some practicing.

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HOW TO SURVIVE? . . .

トイレはどこですか。

Toire wa doko desu ka?

(toy-reh wah doh-koh dess kah)

Where is the toilet? [Yes, you will be happy to know this one. lol.]

指差してください。

Yubisashite kudasai.

(you-bee-sah-shtay koo-dah-sigh)

Please point it out.

分かりません。

Wakarimasen.

(wah-kah-ree-mahss-ehn)

I don't understand.

英語を話しますか？

Eigo o hanashimasu ka?

(ay-goh oh ha-nah-shee-mahss kah)

Do you speak English?

私は日本語を話しません。

Watashi wa Nihongo o hanashimasen.

(wah-tah-shee wah nee-hohn-goh oh ha-nah-shee-mahss-ehn)

I don't speak Japanese.

ここはどこですか？

Koko wa doko desu ka?

(koh-koh wah doh-koh dess kah)

Where is here? / Where am I?

ありがとう　（ございます）。

Arigatou [gozaimasu].

(ah-ree-gah-toe goh-zye-mahss)

Thank you [polite].

助けてください。

Tasukete kudasai.

(tah-sue-keh-tay koo-dah-sigh)

Please help.

助けて！！！

Tasukete!!!!

(tah-sue-keh-tay)

HELP! [emergencies, only]

＿＿＿＿はどこですか？

______ wa doko desu ka?*

レストラン Resutoran (ress-toh-rahn) - Restaurant

ホテル Hoteru (ho-teh-ru) - Hotel

駅 Eki (eh-kee) - train station

バス Basu (bah-sue) - bus

タクシー Takushii (tahk-shee) - taxi

電話 Denwa (den-wah) - telephone

病院 Byou-in (byoh-een) - hospital

医者 Isha (ee-shah) - doctor

歯医者 Haisha (ha-ee-shah) - dentist

警察 Keisatsu (kay-saht-sue) - police

交番 Kouban (koh-bahn) - police box (I may have to explain what this is to you.)

救急車 Kyuukyuusha (cue-cue-shah) - ambulance ("Kyuu" sounds like the first "cu" in "cucumber")

銀行 Ginkou (geen-koh) - bank ("g" is a hard "g" as in "get")

湯便局 Yubinkyoku (you-been-kyoh-koo) - post office

図書館 Toshokan (toe-show-kahn) - library

空港 Kuukou (koo-koh) - airport

公園 Kouen (koh-ehn) - park

動物園 Doubutsuen (doh-boot-sue-ehn) - zoo

食品店 Shokuhinten (show-koo-heen-ten) - grocery store

駐車場 Chuushajou (choo-shah-joe) - parking lot

*Where is a/the (restaurant/ hotel / train station/ bus/ taxi/ telephone/ hospital/ doctor/ dentist/ police/ police box/ ambulance/ bank/ post office/ library/ airport/ park/ zoo/ grocery store/ parking lot)?

＿＿＿＿を飛んでください。

______ o yonde kudasai.

(______ oh yohn-day koo-dah-sigh)

Please call a/the ______. (see list above for some ideas at to what to put in the blank, such as "doctor" or "police".)

何時ですか？

Nanji desu ka?

(nahn-jee dess kah)

What time is it?

時

Toki

(toh-kee)

time

一時　 ichi-ji (1:00)

二時　 ni-ji (2:00)

三時　 san-ji (3:00)

四時　 yon-ji (4:00)

五時　 go-ji (5:00)

六時　 roku-ji (6:00)

七時　 shichi-ji (7:00)

八時　 hachi-ji (8:00)

九時　 ku-ji (9:00)

十時　 juu-ji (10:00)

十一時　 juuichi-ji (11:00)

十二時　 juuni-ji (12:00)

私は病気です。

Watashi wa Byouki desu.

(wah-tah-shee wah byoh-kee dess)

I'm sick/ill.

私は気持ちが悪い。

Watashi wa kimochi ga warui.*

(wah-tah-shee wah kee-moh-chee gah wah-roo-ee)

I feel bad/sick.

(*Be careful, since I think "Kimochi ga warui"/ "Kimochi warui."/ and "Kimui" can also mean that you find someone or something disgusting, like, "You make me sick!" or "That's disgusting!")

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OTHER USEFUL WORDS AND PHRASES:

お早う(ございます)！

Ohayou [gozaimasu]!

(oh-ha-yoh goh-zye-mahss)

Good morning [polite]!

今日は。

Konnichi'wa

(koh-nee-chee-wah)

Hello./ Good afternoon.

お元気ですか？

O-genki desu ka?

(oh-gehn-kee dess kah)

How are you?

元気です。

Genki desu.

(gehn-kee dess)

I'm good/fine/well.

さよなら。

Sayonara.

(sigh-oh-nah-rah)

Farewell.

じゃまた。　・　じゃね。　・　またね。

Ja mata! / Ja ne! / Mata ne!

(jah mah-tah/ ja nay / mah-tah nay)

See you later!

明日ね。

Ashita ne.

(ah-shtah nay)

See you tomorrow.

今晩は。

Konban'wa.

(kohm-bahn-wah)

Good evening.

お休み（なさい）。

Oyasumi[-nasai]!

(oh-yah-sue-mee nah-sigh)

Good night [polite]!

お腹が空いた。　・　ペコペコ。

Onaka ga suita./ Peko-peko

(oh-nah-kah gah sue-ee-tah/ peh-koh peh-koh)

I'm hungry./ I'm hungry. [cute, I guess]

喉が渇いた。

Nodo ga kawaita.

(noh-doh gah kah-white-tah)

I'm thirsty.

眠いです。

Nemui desu.

(neh-moo-ee dess)

I'm sleepy.

疲れた。

Tsukareta.

(tsooh-kah-reh-tah)

I'm exhausted!

乾杯！

Kanpai!

(kahm-pie!)

Cheers!

痛い！

Itai!

(ee-tie)

Ouch! / It hurts!

＿＿＿が痛い。

______ ga itai.*

(gah ee-tie)

頭 Atama (ah-tah-mah) - head

喉 Nodo (noh-doh) - throat

背中 Senaka (seh-nah-kah) - back

腹 Hara (ha-rah)/　お腹　Onaka (oh-nah-kah) - stomach

足 Ashi (ah-shee) - foot

膝 Hiza (hee-zah) - knee

足首 Ashikubi (ahsh-koo-bee) - ankle

手首 Tekubi (teh-koo-bee) - wrist

肘 Hiji (hee-jee) - elbow

歯 Ha (ha) - tooth

目 Me (meh) - eye

耳 Mimi (mee-mee) - ear

胸 Mune (moo-neh) - chest (could also mean "breast")

*My____ hurts.

Well, that should be enough for now. Now you can all complain all about your aches and pains in Japanese. Hahaha!

Next time, I will post some more useful Japanese that will take you to the next level of understanding. Have fun!

P.S. If anyone notices any errors I have made, please inform me. My first language is English, so I may not catch my mistakes unless they are pointed out to me. Thank you.

[prettyeyes]

This is awesome! ^_^

[sakura_alice]

Wow, you posted an awesome little lesson, Lunamoth! This reminds me I need to ace the JLPT this December...yikes.

[Nico-Nico Friendo]

LESSON #2

Today I will talk a bit about Japanese grammar. Yeah, I know: BLEH!

But it's important.

In English, the word order of a sentence starts with the SUBJECT, then the VERB comes after, and then the OBJECT comes after that. So the sentence pattern is: S-V-O. In Japanese (as in a great many other languages), the word order of a sentence is SUBJECT --> OBJECT --> VERB.

. . . Or: S-O-V.

So the verb is always at the end of a Japanese sentence. Japanese is very strict about this rule. ALWAYS have the verb at the end! NEVER put a subject or object after a verb, Thankyouverymuch!!! lol

Okay . . . Now for an example of this basic sentence pattern:

これは本です。

Kore wa hon desu.

literally: "This [subject] book is."

Meaning: "This is a book."

You may wonder "What does that "wa" mean?" Well, it's called a particle, and it doesn't have a meaning on its own, BUT it does serve a function.

What "wa" does is point to the SUBJECT of the sentence. In the sentence above, the subject is "this" (kore) while the object is "book" (hon), and of course you can see the verb "is" (desu) at the end where it belongs.

I will talk more about particles later.

Let's just make some modifications to our model sentence (the one we used above) to give it different meanings.

First, let's add the particle "ka" to the end of the sentence. This will make the statement into a QUESTION . . .

これは本ですか？

Kore wa hon desu ka?

literally: "This [sub.] book is [ques.]?"

Meaning: "Is this a book?"

If you wanted to say "This is my book," you would say:

これは私の本です。

Kore wa watashi no hon desu.

Literally: "This [sub.] my book is."

"Watashi" means "Me / I"

[no] makes a posessive pronoun just like ['s] in English.

If you want to say "your book" you would say:

あなたの本

anata no hon

("Anata" of course means "you")

Then you can ask the question "Whose book is this?"

これは誰の本ですか？

Kore wa dare no hon desu ka?

literally: "This [sub.] whose book is [ques.]?"

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Okay, enough of the grammar for today . . .

行って買いましょう！

Itte kaimashou!

(eet-tay kye-mah-show)

Let's go shopping!

Let's see how much yen (　円　en　) we have . . .

一円　　ichi-en (1 yen)

五円 go-en (5 yen)

十円 juu-en (10 yen)

五十円 gojuu-en (50 yen)

百円 hyaku-en (100 yen)

五百円 gohyaku-en (500 yen)

千円 sen-en (1,000 yen)

五千円 gosen-en (5,000 yen)

一万円 ichiman-en (10,000 yen)

The first six on the list are 玉　dama (coins) the last three on the list are 札　satsu (bills).

If you are buying something, you will want to ask . . .

いくらですか？

Ikura desu ka?

(ee-koo-rah dess kah)

How much is it?

これはいくらですか？

Kore wa ikura desu ka?

(koh-ray wah ee-koo-rah dess kah)

How much is this?

それはいくらですか？

Sore wa ikura desu ka?

(so-ray ee-koo-rah dess kah)

How much is that?

And one more thing I will toss in . . .

＿＿＿＿がほしいですが。

_____ ga hoshii desu ga.

(gah ho-shee deh-sue gah)

I want [a/some] _____.

カメラがほしいですが。

Kamera ga hoshii desu ga.

(kah-meh-rah gah ho-shee deh-sue gah)

I want a camera.

I know, this shopping lesson isn't very extensive, but I'm thinking of going into conversational Japanese. I have a great book on it, and I would like to share the lessons with you. I think it will give you a better idea of Japanese grammar and such. If you like this idea, let me know. Thank you for being such enthusiastic students. :)

I will post every day I am able to conjure up a lesson. I have school, too, though. Please be patient, and practice, practice, practice!

がんばって！

[Nico-Nico Friendo]

LESSON #3

Here is a list of Japanese "Loan Words." These are words derived from English. Any of you who have trouble reading katakana, this is good practice.

Watch out how the words are pronounced. The double vowels (oo, aa, ii, ee) are pronounced like the short vowels (o, a, i, e) only you say them twice as long. Remember, in Japanese, these words are no longer English words but Japanese words, and so you must say them the Japanese way to be understood in their language . . .

A

アイロン　　airon - iron (to iron clothes with)

アイルランド　　Airurando - Ireland

アイスホッケー　　aisu hokkee - ice hockey

アイスクリーム　　aisu kuriimu - ice cream

アイススケート　　aisu sukeeto - ice skating

アクセント　　akusento - accent

アマチュア　　amachua - amateur

アメリカ　　Amerika - America

アナウンサー　　anaunsaa - annoucer

アパート　　apaato - apartment

アップルパイ　　appuru pai - apple pie

アルバム　　arubamu - album

アスパラガス　　asuparagasu - asparagus

B

バドミントン　　badominton - badminton

バナナ　　banana - banana

バレー　　baree - ballet

バス　　basu - bus

バスケットボール　　basukettobooru - basketball

バター　　bataa - butter

バッテリ　　batteri - battery

ベッド　　beddo - bed

ベーコン　　beekon - bacon

ベースボール　　beesubooru - baseball

ベル　　beru - bell

ビーフステーキ　　biifusuteeki - beef steak

ビール　　biiru - beer

ビジネスマン　　bijinesuman - buisinessman

ビタミン　 bitamin - vitamin

ボタン　　botan - button

ボート　　booto - rowboat

ブレーキ　　bureeki - brake

C

チャンネル　　channeru - channel

チェック　　chekku - check (verify)

チェス　　chesu - chess

チキン　　chikin - chicken (as food)

チーズ　　chiizu - cheese

チョコレート　　chokoreeto - chocolate

D

ダイヤモンド　　daiyamondo - diamond

ダンス　　dansu - dance

デコレーション　　dekoreeshon - decoration

デモ　　demo - demonstration

デパート　　depaato - department store

デザート　　dezaato - dessert

ヂレクター　　direkutaa - director

ドライクリーニング　　dorai kuriiningu - dry cleaning

ドラマ　　dorama - drama

ドル　　doru - dollar

デザイン　　dezain - design

E

エチケット　　echiketto - etiquette

エキス　　ekisu - extract

エクレア　　ekurea - eclair

エナメル　　enameru - enamel

エネルギー　　enerugii - energy

エンジン　　enjin - engine

エプロン　　epuron - apron

エレベーター　　erebeetaa - elevator

エスカレーター　　esukareetaa - escalator

エッチング　　etchingu - etching　("tchi" typed in katakana is actually "cchi")

F

ファイル　　fairu - file

ファックス　　fakkusu - fax

ファンタジー　　fantajii - fantasy

ファッション　　fasshon - fashion

フェミニスト　　feminisuto - feminist

フェンシング　fenshingu - fencing

フィルム　　firumu - film

フォーク　　fooku - fork

フランネル　　furanneru - flannel

フランス　　Furansu - France

フットボール　　futtobooru - [American] football

G

ガイド　　gaido - guide (traveler's)

ガソリン　　gasorin - gasoline

ガレージ　　gareeji - garage

ガーズ　　gaazu - gauze

ゲーム　　geemu - game

ゴム　　gomu - rubber, gum

ゴルフ　　gorufu - golf

グラム　　guramu - gram

グラス　　gurasu - glass

グループ　　guruupu - group

H

ハイヒール　　haihiiru - high heel

ハイキング　　haikingu - hiking

ハンバーガー　　hanbaagaa - hamburger

ハンドバッグ　　handobaggu - handbag

ハンドボール　　handobooru - handball

ハンカチ　　hankachi - handkerchief

ハンマー　　hanmaa - hammer

ヘリコプター　　herikoputaa - helicopter

ヒステリー　　hisuterii - hysteria, hyserics

ヒーター　　hiitaa - heater

ヒット　　hitto - hit

ホッケー　　hokkee - hockey

ホース　　hoosu - hose

ホームシック　　hoomushikku - homesick

ホステル　　hosuteru - hostel

ホテル　　hoteru - hotel

ホットドッグ　　hotto doggu - hot dog

ホットケーキ　　hotto keeki - hot cake

ホワイトソース　　howaito soosu - white sauce

I

イメージ　　imeeji - image

イミテーション　　imiteeshon - imitation

インチ　　inchi - inch

インフレ　　infure - inflation

インク　　inku - ink

インタビュー　　intabyuu - interview

インテリ　　interi - intelligentsia

イスラエル　　Isuraeru - Isreal　　

J

ジャケット　　jaketto - jacket

ジャム　　jamu - jam

ジャーナリスト　　jaanarisuto - journalist

ジャンガル　　jangaru - jungle

ジャズ　　jazu - jazz

ジェリー　　jerii - jelly

ジェット機　　jetto'ki - jet airplane

ジンガーエール　　jingaaeeru - ginger ale

ジープ　　jiipu - jeep

ジョーク　　jooku - joke

K

カーブ　　kaabu - curve

カーヂガン　　kaadigan - cardigan

カード　　kaado - card

カフェ　　kafe - cafe, coffeehouse

カフェテリア　　kafeteria - cafeteria

カーキー　　kaakii - khaki

カメラ　　kamera - camera

カナダ　　Kanada - Canada

カンバス　　kanbasu - canvas

カーネーション　　kaaneeshon - carnation

カンガルー　　kangaruu - kangaroo

カーニバル　　kaanibaru - carnival

カヌー　　kanuu - canoe

カーペット　　kaapetto - carpet

カップ　　kappu - cup (trophy or measuring)

カラー　　karaa - collar

カラット　　karatto - carat (gold weight)

カレー　　karee - curry

カレーライス　　karee raisu - curried rice

カレンダー　　karendaa - calendar

カリフラワー　　karifurawaa - cauliflower

カロリー　　karorii - calorie

カシミア　　kashimia - cashmere

カタログ　　katarogu - catalogue

カテゴリー　　kategorii - category

カーテン　　kaaten - curtain

カトリック　　Katorikku - Catholic

カット　　katto - cut

ケーブル　　keeburu - cable

ケーブルカー　　keeburukaa - cablecar

ケチャップ　　kechappu - ketchup

ケーキ　　keeki - cake

キー　　kii - key

キロ　　kiro - kilo, kilogram

コヒー　　kohii - coffee

コカコーラ　　Koka koora - Coca-Cola

コック　　kokku - cook

ココア　　kokoa - cocoa

コメヂアン　　komedian - comedian

コンマ　　konma - comma

コンビーフ　　konbiifu - corned beef

コンビネーション　　konbineeshon - combination

コンダキター　　kondakutaa - conductor

コネ　　kone - connection

コンクリート　　konkuriito - concrete

コンパクトカー　　konpakuto kaa - compact car

コンパス　　konpasu - compass

コンピューター　konpyuutaa - computer

コンサート　　konsaato - concert

コンソメ　　konsome - consomme

コーンスターチ　　koonsutaachi - cornstarch

コンタクトレンズ　　kontakuto renzu - contact lens

コンテナ　　kontena - container

コンタラスト　　kontarasuto - contrast

コントロール　　kontorooru - control

コピー　　kopii - copy

コップ　　koppu - drinking glass

コーラス　　koorasu　- chorus

コレクション　　korekushon - collection

コルク　　koruku - cork

コース　　koosu - course (class)

コスト　　kosuto - cost

コート　　kooto - coat

クッキー　　kukkii - cookie

クラス　　kurasu - class

M

マーチ　　maachi - march

マチネー　　machinee - matinee

マダム　　madamu - madam

マガジン　　magajin - magazine

マーガリン　　maagarin - margarine

マイクルホン　　maikurohon - microphone

マイナス　　mainasu - minus

マイル　　mairu - mile

マジック　　majikku - magic

マカロニ　　makaroni - macaroni

マーケット　　maaketto - market

マーク　　maaku - mark; label

マーマレード　　maamareedo - marmalade

マンドリン　　mandorin - mandolin

マネージャー　　maneejaa - manager

マネキン　　manekin - mannequin

マラソン　　marason - marathon

マレーシア　　Mareeshia - Malaysia

マルク　　maruku - mark

マッサジ　　massaaji - massage

マスコット　　masukotto - mascot

マスク　　masuku - mask

マスト　　masuto - mast

マッチ　　matchi - match, box of matches

マットレス　　mattoresu - mattress

マヨネーズ　　mayoneezu - mayonnaise

メダル　　medaru - medal

メード　　meedo - maid

メガホン　　megahon - megaphone

メモ　　memo - memo

メリークリスマス！　　Merii Kurisumasu! - Merry Christmas!

メリーゴーランド　　meriigoorando - merry-go-round

メロン　　meron - melon

メッセージ　　messeeji - message

メートル　　meetoru - meter

ミルク　　miruku - milk

ミシン　　mishin - sewing machine

モダン　　modan - modern

モデル　　moderu - model

モノレール　　monoreeru - monorail

モーター　　mootaa - motor

N

ナイフ　　naifu - knife

ナイロン　　nairon - nylon

ナプキン　　napukin - napkin

ナッツ　　nattsu - nut

ネッカチーフ　　nekkachiifu - neckerchief

ネックレス　　nekkuresu - necklace

ネクタイ　　nekutai - necktie

ネオン　　neon - neon

ネット　　netto - net

ノート　　nooto - note

ニュース　　nyuusu - news

ニュージーランド　　Nyuujiirando - New Zealand

O

オーバー　　oobaa - overcoat

オーバーシューズ　　oobaashuuzu - overshoes

オーダー　　oodaa - order

オフィス　　ofisu - office

オーケー　　ookee - okay, all right

オープン　　oopun - open

オレンジ　　orenji - orange

オルガン　　orugan - organ

オートバイ　　ootobai - motorbike

オートミール　　ootomiiru - oatmeal

オーケストラ　　ookesutora - orchestra

オムレツ　　omuretsu - omelette

オーナー　　oonaa - owner

オンス　　onsu - ounce

オペラ　　opera - opera

オーストラリア　　oosutoraria - Australia

P

パイ　　pai - pie

パイナップル　　painappuru - pineapple

パイプ　　paipu - pipe

パジャマ　　pajama - pajamas

パッキング　　pakkingu - packing

パンケーキ　　pankeeki - pancake

パンク　　panku - puncture

パノラマ　　panorama - panorama

パンツ　　pantsu - pants (I thought it was underwear.)

パパイア　　papaia - papaya

パーラー　　paaraa - parlor

パラシュート　　parashuuto - parachute

パラソル　　parasoru - parasol

パレード pareedo - parade

パーセント　　paasento - percent

パセリ　　paseri - parsley

パス　　pasu - pass, free ticket

パスポート　　pasupooto - passport

パステル　　pasuteru - pastel

パーティー　paatii - party

ページェント　　peejento - pageant

ペダル　　pedaru - pedal

ページ　　peeji - page

ペン　　pen - pen

ペニー　　penii - penny

ピアノ　　piano - piano

ピクニック　　pikunikku - picnic

ピン　　pin - pin

ポケット　　poketto - pocket

ポンド　　pondo - pound

ポンプ　　ponpu - pump

ポスター　　posutaa - poster

ポーター　　pootaa - porter

プヂング　　pudingu - pudding

プラス　　purasu - plus

プール　　puuru - pool

R

ラジオ　　rajio - radio

ラケット　　raketto - racket

ラッシュアワー　　rasshu　awaa - rush hour

ラウドスピーカー　　raudosupiikaa - loudspeaker

レフェリー　　referii - referee

レコード　　rekoodo - record

レモン　　remon - lemon

リボン　　ribon - ribbon

ロビー　　robii - lobby

ロボット robotto - robot

ロケット　　roketto - rocket

ルビー　　rubii - ruby

S

サービス　　saabisu - service

サイダー　　saidaa - cider

サイン　　sain - sign

サイレン　　sairen - siren

サッカリン　　sakkarin - saccharine

サンドイッチ　　sandoitchi - sandwich

サラダ　　sarada - salad

セメント　　semento - cement

シャンペン　　shanpen - champagne

シンホニー　　shinhonii - symphony

セーター　　seetaa - sweater

ソーダ　　sooda - soda

ソース　　soosu - sauce

スチュワーデス　　suchuwaadesu - stewardess

スケジュール　　sukejuuru - schedual

スキー　　sukii - ski

スクリーン　　sukuriin - screen

スポーツ　　supootsu - sports

スープ　　suupu - soup (Western style)

ステーキ　　suteeki - steak

T

タバコ　　tabako - tobacco, cigarettes

タイプ　　taipu - type

タイル　　tairu - tile

タイヤ　　taiya - tire

タクシー　　takushii - taxi

タンク　　tanku - tank

タオル　　taoru - towel

タール　　taaru - tar

テーブル　　teeburu - table

テニス　　tenisu - tennis

テント　　tento - tent

テープ　　teepu - tape

テレビ　　terebi - television

トマト　　tomato - tomato

トン　　ton - ton

トンネル　　tonneru - tunnel

トラック　　torakku - truck

トランク　　toranku - trunk

トロフィー　　torofii - trophy

トースター　　toosutaa - toaster

Now, SOME of these words also have Japanese-origin counterparts / synonyms, so don't expect someone to always use the loan word when referring to the same thing. Some examples of what I mean:

キー　　kii - key

かぎ　　kagi - key

マガジン　　magajin - magazine

雑誌　　zasshi - magazine

マスク　　masuku - mask

仮面　　kamen - mask

I may still add more to the "loan words" list later when I find more words.

[Nico-Nico Friendo]

GOOD LINKS:

For learning hiragana and katakana:

http://www.tokyowithkids.com/fyi/hiragana_chart.html

http://www.learn-japanese.info/katakana.html

http://www.learn-japanese.info/hiragana.html

[Nico-Nico Friendo]

LESSON #4

話す

HANASU

"to speak"

The dictionary form for "to speak" is "hanasu." The dictionary form of a Japanese verb is often used in informal speech and with certain verb endings that you can add to this form.

Let's conjugate the verb "hanasu" in some polite forms and see how the different verb endings change the meaning of the sentence　(notice how the "su" becomes "shi" before you attach a verb ending.) . . .

話します。　　Hanashimasu. I speak. / I will speak. (present or future)

話しました。　Hanashimashita. I spoke. / I have spoken. (past)

話しましょう。　　Hanashimashou. Let's talk. / I think I will talk. (tentative)

話しています。　　Hanashite imasu. I am talking. (present progressive)

話していました。　　Hanashite imashita. I was speaking. (past progressive)

話してください。　　Hanashite kudasai. Please speak. (polite request)

"Hanashimasu," has no pronoun at the beginning, so it can mean: I speak, you speak, you [plural] speak, he speaks, she speaks, it speaks, we speak, etc. Japanese rarely uses pronouns, so you have to know they meaning of a sentence by its context.

Let's try some negative endings . . .

話しません。　　Hanashimasen. I don't speak. / I will not speak. (negative present or future)

話しませんでした。　　Hanashimasen deshita. I didn't speak. (negative past)

話していません。　　Hanashite imasen. I am not speaking. (negative present progressive)*

話していませんでした。　　Hanashite imasen deshita. I wasn't speaking. (negative past progressive)

話さないでください。　　Hanasanaide kudasai. Please don't speak. (negative polite request)**

* Side-note: But you ARE speaking! LOL. :lol:

** With this verb ending you turn the "su" into "sa." I will talk more about the different kinds of verb endings some other time.

Well, that's it for today. I think this is a good grammar lesson. It will really give you a feel for the verbs. Next time, I will do something similar only with a different verb.

This is the beginning of conversational Japanese.

[Nico-Nico Friendo]

LESSON #5

Some Dialogue:

お名前はなんとおっしゃいますか？

O-namae wa nan to osshaimasu ka?

What is your name? [very polite]

お名前は何ですか？

O-namae wa nan desu ka?

What is your name?

山田雅夫と申します。

Yamada Masao to moushimasu.

I am called Masao Yamada.

山田です。

Yamada desu.

I am Yamada.

私の名前は山田です。

Wata[ku]shi no namae wa Yamada desu.

My name is Yamada.

（どうぞ）もう一度いってください。

[Douzo] mou ichido itte kudasai.

Please repeat/say that once more.

Using our verb "hanasu" from last time . . .

（どうぞ）ゆっくり話してください。

[Douzo] yukkuri hanashite kudasai.

Please speak slowly.

もっとゆっくり話してください。

Motto yukkuri hanashite kudasai.

Please speak more slowly.

はっきり話してください。

Hakkiri hanashite kudasai.

Please speak clearly.

もっとはっきり話してください。

Motto hakkiri hanashite kudasai.

Please speak more clearly.

-------

食べる

TABERU

"to eat"

The new verb we will be working with today is "taberu" (to eat). Yum!

食べます。　　Tabemasu. I eat. / I will eat.

食べています。　　Tabete imasu. I am eating.

食べました。　　Tabemashita. I ate.

食べていました。　　Tabete imashita. I was eating.

食べてください。　　Tabete kudasai. Please eat.

食べましょう。　　Tabemashou. Let's eat! (a favorite of mine to say.)

食べません。　　Tabemasen. I don't eat. / I will not eat.

食べていません。　　Tabete imasen. I am not eating.

食べませんでした。　　Tabemasen deshita. I didn't eat.

食べていませんでした。　　Tabete imasen deshita. I was not eating.

食べないでください。　　Tabenaide kudasai. Please don't eat.*

*You can add "mada" (yet) to "Tabenaide kudasai." (Please don't eat.) to make the more useful sentence:

まだ食べないでください。　　

Mada tabenaide kudasai.

Please don't eat yet.

Let's use this verb (taberu) in some other sentences . . .

どんな物を食べました。

Donna mono o tabemashita ka?

What sort of things did you eat?

すき焼きやてんぷらを食べました。

Sukiyaki ya tenpura o tabemashita.

We ate sukiyaki, tempura, and things like that.**

**Using "ya" (and) instead of "to" (and) shows that the list of things you are talking about is incomplete and that you are just giving some examples. It gives the effect of "X, y, and things like that," or "x, y, etc.".

[Nico-Nico Friendo]

It looks as if I have been neglecting to put up more lessons. Well, hopefully it gave you some time to catch up.

Someone just asked me an interesting question about particles. This person noticed that I write 'ha' は but transliterate the sound of it 'wa' (as if it is a わ) when it is used as a particle in a sentence.　So to clear up the confusion some of you may have regarding this . . .

'Ha' は　is pronounced 'wa' when used as a particle. That's why I transliterate it as 'wa.' Also: 'He' へ　is pronounced 'e' when used as a particle.

In any other usage 'ha' is pronounced 'ha' and 'he' is pronounced 'he.'

That also confused me at first when I began reading Japanese, but then I figured it out.

All the other particles are written as they sound (ni = に, no =　の, ga = が, etc.).

は　and へ　are the exceptions to the rule.

I hoped this little micro-lesson has been helpful regarding the matter. Thank you for your question. :)

[< retired >]

Now that you AVENites are fluent in Japanese, you can watch this excellent film in Japanese.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/woman_in_the_dunes/

I still need the subtitled version, despite LMs excellent lessons. :)

[------]

Ooo, wow. I'm still learning Hiragana but I shall definitely come back to this when I'm ready... So in twelve years' time.

[live wire]

Same here Jicragg, I'm working my way through the flash cards.

Another good flash-card-like resource would be http://www.realkana.com/ .

[Næt.]

It took me five straight hours to burn hiragana into my brain.

[------]

Same here Jicragg, I'm working my way through the flash cards.

Another good flash-card-like resource would be http://www.realkana.com/ .

Wow. Thanks. It looks really good.

It took me five straight hours to burn hiragana into my brain.

Now I just feel stupid. <_<

[erhldjkfhsljdh3544]

It took me five straight hours to burn hiragana into my brain.

About the same here. I spent one entire night in front of a chalkboard recreating the hiragana chart over and over. Been over a year and I still have trouble with katakana..hehe.