So You Want to Learn Japanese?

Lesson Five - Bamen Go: Ongaku Ga Suki Desu Ka.

2004-11-23T08:26:00.000-08:00

[By now, you should be able to correctly pronounce Japanese words, so I'm going to stop writing out the pronunciation for each word, except in special cases where I think it may be needed.]

Lesson 5 Vocabulary

ongaku - music

yo - Word added to the end of a sentence to give it emphasis, rather like an exclamation mark or italics in English.

Ongaku desu yo - "It is music!"

rokku - Rock music.

suki desu - I like (it). Note that the -u- is hardly sounded, and the pronunciation is rather like s'ki.

dai-suki desu - I like (it) very much.

Ii desu, ii desu! - That's enough, it's okay!

kirai desu - I dislike (it).

dai-kirai desu - I dislike (it) very much.

sensei wa, ongaku ga kirai desu ka - "Do you dislike music, teacher?" Note that the thing liked or disliked is usualy followed by ga, another little word which, like wa, does not have any meaning in itself, but which is a pointer to the word or phrase it follows. Sentences about liking or disliking something usually follow the pattern (Person) wa (thing) ga suki/kirai desu.

ja - well, in that case.

ongaku wa nani ga suki desu ka - "What music do you like?" Literally: As for music, what is liked (by you)?

kurashikku - Classical music.

jazu - Jazz

opera - Opera.

rokku wa suki ja arimasen - "I don't like rock music." In negative sentences, the subject is followed by wa, rather than ga.

supootsu - Sport. Note that there are no separate forms for singular and plural nouns in Japanese, so supootsu can mean both "a sport," and "sports."

tenisu - Tennis.

gorufu - Golf.

sakkaa - Soccer.

basukettobooru - Basketball.

jogingu - Jogging.

supootsuman - Sportsman.

amari - (not) very much. Always followed by a negative verb.

sumoo - Sumo wrestling. The traditional sport of Japan.

hito - Person.

otoko no hito - Man, male person.

Otoko no hito no supootsu - A man's sport.

kyoo - Today.

-pun - Minute.

ni-ji jup-pun - 2:10, ten minutes past two.

jup-pun - Ten minutes.

ni-jup-pun - Twenty minutes.

san-jup-pun - Thirty minutes.

yon-jup-pun - Forty minutes.

go-jup-pun - Fifty minutes.

Lesson Five Dialogue

Sensei: Harison san, sore wa nan desu ka.
Harrison: Ongaku desu. Doozo, sensei, kiite kudasai. Ii desu ne. Kore wa ii ongaku desu ne.
Sensei: Ongaku? Sore wa ongaku ja arimasen yo.
Harrison: Ongaku desu yo. Amerika no rokku desu. Suki desu. Dai-suki desu.
Sensei: Ii desu, ii desu! Rokku wa ongaku ja arimasen yo. Dai-kirai desu.
Harrison: Kirai desu ka. Sensei wa, ongaku ga kirai desu ka.
Sensei: Chigaimasu, Harison san. Watashi wa ongaku ga suki desu. Demo sore wa ongaku ja arimasen.
Harrison: Soo desu ka. Ja, ongaku wa, nani ga suki desu ka.
Sensei: Soo desu ne. Kurashikku ga skui desu. Jazu ga suki desu. Opera mo suki desu. Demo rokku wa suki ja arimsen ne. Kirai desu.

Sensei: Hiru san wa supootsu ga suki desu ka.
Hill: Hai, sui desu.
Sensei: Nani ga suki desu ka. Tenisu?
Hill: Hai, tenisu ga dai-suki desu. Basukettobooru mo suki desu. Jogingu mo suki desu ne.
Sensei: Soo desu ka. Supoostuman desu ne.
Hill: Sensei wa?
Sensei: Watashi wa supootsu ga amari suki ja arimasen. Harison san wa?
Harrison: Soo desu ne. Watashi mo amari suki ja arimasen.
Sensei: Ja, Pasukaru san wa?
Pascal: Watashi? Watashi wa, sumoo ga suki desu. Dai-suki desu.
Hill: Ee? Sumoo?

Hill: Pasukaru san wa sumoo ga skui desu ka.
Pascal: Hai, soo desu. Sumoo ga dai-suki desu.
Harrison: Demo sumoo wa, otoko no hito no supootsu desu ne.
Pascal: Soo desu yo. Watashi wa otoko no hito mo suki desu.
Harrison: Nani? Otoko no hito?
Pascal: Hai, otoko no hito ga skui desu yo.
Sensei: Hai, juu-ji han desu yo, Harison san. Daigaku no kurasu no jikan desu ne. Daigaku no kurasu wa ju-ji han kara desu ne.
Harrison: Iie, kyoo wa chigaimasu, sensei. Kyoo no kurasu wa ni-ji jup-pun kara desu.
Sensei: Soo desu ka. Ni-ji jup-pun kara desu ka.

End of Lesson Five

Lesson Four - Bamen Yon: Shigoto no Hanashi Desu.

2004-10-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

Lesson Four Vocabulary

shigoto (shee-goh-toh) - Work, job.

hanashi (hah-nah-shee) - A talk, conversation.

shigoto no hanashi - Conversation about work.

shigoto wa nan desu ka - What do you do? Literally: Regarding your job, what is it?

repootaa (ree-pooh-taah) - Reporter.

shinbun (sheen-boon) - Newspaper.

enjinia (ayn-jeen-ee-ah) - Engineer.

demo (day-moh) - But, however.

daigakusei (die-gah-koo-say) - University student.

gakusei (gah-koo-say) - Student, pupil.

kaisha (kie-sha) - Company, corporation.

arimasu (ah-ree-mahss) - Be, exist, be located.

ni (nee) - In, at. Always comes after the name of the place to which it refers, e.g. Tookyoo ni - In Tokyo.

doko ni arimasu ka - Where is it?

Yokohama (yoh-koh-hah-mah) - One of the largest cities in Japan; now joined to Tokyo.

Kawasaki (kah-wah-sah-kee) - A city near Tokyo.

daigaku (die-gah-koo) - University

mo (moh) - Both ... and ... [This definition is confusing, see note below at the point in the lesson where mo appears.]

tesuto (tay-soo-toh) - Test.

muzukasii (moo-zoo-kah-sheee) - Difficult.

kantan (kahn-tahn) - Easy, simple.

Piramiddo (Pee-rah-meed-doh) - The Pyramids. Hold the sound for an extra beat on the -dd- sound, as in "a hard day."

Ejiputo (ay-jee-poo-toh) - Egypt.

Temuzu-gawa (tay-moo-zoo-gah-wah) - The River Thames. The word for "river" is kawa, but it changes to -gawa when it is used as a suffix in proper names.

Koroshiamu (koh-roh-shee-ah-moo) - The Colisseum.

Girisha (gee-ree-sha) - Greece.

arimasen (ah-ree-mah-sin) - Isn't/Aren't located. Doesn't/Don't exist. The negative form of arimasu. The -masen ending always shows a negative verb.

Taji Mahaaru (tah-jee mah-haah-roo) - Taj Mahal.

Pakisutan (pah-kee-soo-tahn) - Pakistan.

Indo (een-doh) - India.

Madoriddo (mah-do-reed-doh) - Madrid.

Nairu-gawa (nie-roo-gah-wah) - River Nile.

Burajiru (boo-rah-jee-roo) - Brazil.

han (hahn) - Half, half past.

shitsurei shimasu (shee-tsoo-ray shee-mahss) - Excuse me. Often used to mean "goodbye" when parting. Note that the pronunciation of the first word is almost sh'tsurei.

Lesson Four Dialogue

Sensei: Mina san, shigoto no hanashi desu. Watashi wa sensei desu ne. Nihongo no sensei desu. Hiru san wa? Shigoto wa nan desu ka?
Hill: Repootaa desu. Shinbun no repootaa desu.
Sensei: Soo desu ka. Shinbun no repootaa desu ka. Ii desu ne. Pasukaru san? Pasukaru san no shigoto wa nan desu ka.
Pascal: Enjinia desu. Watashi wa enjinia desu.
Harrison: Ee? Enjinia? Demo... [As if he doesn't believe that she's an engineer. Perhaps a Dilbert-esque reference to the fact that there are not very many female engineers?]
Pascal: Hai, enjinia desu! Watashi wa enjinia desu.
Harrison: Hai, hai, sumimasen ne.
Sensei: Harison san no shigoto wa nan desu ka.
Harison: Watashi wa daigakusei desu.
Sensei: Aa, daigakusei desu ka.

Sensei: Hiru san wa shinbun no repootaa desu ne.
Hill: Hai, soo desu.
Sensei: Kaisha wa? Kaisha wa doko ni arimasu ka.
Hill: Yokohama ni arimasu. Kaisha wa Yokohama ni arimasu.
Sensei: Soo desu ka. Pasukaru san wa? Pasukaru san no kaisha wa doko ni arimasu ka.
Pascal: Kawasaki ni arimasu.
Sensei: Soo desu ka. Kawasaki desu ka. Sa, Harison san wa? Daigaku wa doko ni arimasu ka.
Harrison: Watashi no daigaku mo Kawasaki ni arimasu.
Sensei: Soo desu ka. Pasukaru san no kaisha mo, Harison san no daigaku mo, Kawasaki ni arimasu ne.
[Okay, if I'm understanding the mo correctly, this last sentence would bascially mean: "Is that so? Both Pascal's company, and Harrison's University, are located in Kawasaki, aren't they?"]

Sensei: Hai, tsugi wa tesuto desu.
All: Tesuto?
Hill: Muzukasii desu ka.
Sensei: Iie, iie, kantan desu. Kantan desu. Hai, shitsumon ichi. Piramiddo wa doko ni arimasu ka. Pasukaru san?
Pascal: Piramiddo wa... Ejiputo ni arimasu ne.
Sensei: Hai, ii desu. Shitsumon ni. Temuzu-gawa wa doko ni arimasu ka.
Harrison: Hai, hai sensei!
Sensei: Harison san?
Harrison: Temuzu-gawa wa Rondon ni arimasu.
Pascal: Kantan desu ne!
Sensei: Hai. Shitsumon san. Koroshiamu wa doko ni arimasu ka.
Harrison: Girisha ni arimasu.
Hill: Iie, Girisha ni arimasen. Itaria ni arimasu.
Sensei: Soo desu. Itaria ni arimasu ne. Shitsumon yon. Taji Mahaaru wa doko ni arimasu ka.
Harrison: Aa, muzukashii. Muzukashii shitsumon desu ne. Pakisutan?
Pascal: Pakisutan ni arimasen. Indo desu. Taji Mahaaru wa Indo ni arimasu.

Harrison: Sensei, sumimasen ga, ima nan-ji desu ka.
Sensei: Juu-ji han desu. Ima juu-ji han desu.
Harrison: Ee? Juu-jii han? Daigaku no kurasu wa juu-ji han kara desu. Mina san, shitsurei shimasu. Shitsurei shimasu!

[Poor Harrison. He can't do anything right, and no one likes him. The writers of these lessons must've been sadistic, they love to pick on Harrison.]

End of Lesson Four.

Gadget Helps Bathroom-Bashful Women

2004-10-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

Gadget Helps Bathroom-Bashful Women - EarthLink - Strange News: "

TOKYO - When Naoko Ito uses a public bathroom, she cringes in embarrassment at the thought that other patrons can hear the sounds coming from her stall. That's when she turns to the 'Sound Princess.'

"Ito, like a rapidly growing number of Japanese women, presses a device installed in public toilets to simulate the sound of water flushing - and mask the cruder noises of nature..."

Lesson Three - Bamen San: Ohayoo Gozaimasu!

2004-09-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

Lesson Three Vocabulary

asa (ah-sah) - Morning.

asa juu-ji (ah-sah jooo-jee) - Ten o'clock in the morning.

ohayoo gozaimasu (oh-hi-yooh go-zie-mass) - Good morning.

mada (mah-dah) - Not yet, still not.

mada desu ka (mah-dah dess kah) - Isn't he (here) yet?

ii desu, ii desu (eee dess eee dess) - It's okay, don't worry!

yoru (yoh-roo) - Evening, night.

Konbanwa (cone-bahn-wah) - Good evening. You may also sometimes see it spelled Kombanwa. I don't know why.

mata (mah-tah) - Again, once more.

sore (soh-ray) - That thing

kore (koh-ray) - This thing.

are (ah-ray) - That thing over there. In English, things are divided only into the two groups of "this" and "that," but Japanese has three groups: kore - this thing near me, sore - that thing there, near you, and are - that thing over there, away from both of us.

kamera (kah-may-rah) - Camera.

kore wa kamera desu - This is a camera.

chiisai (cheee-sie) - Small.

Pasukaru san no kamera - Ms. Pascal's camera. No is used like the english 's to show possession.

watashi no (wah-tah-shee noh) - My.

mo (moh) - Too, also.

Takushii (tah-koo-sheee) - Taxi.

ja arimasen (jah ah-ree-mah-sin) - Isn't, aren't. Although it looks completely unrelated, this is in fact the negative form of desu.

Doko no kamera desu ka - Where is the camera from? Literally: A where camera?

Furansu no kamera - A French camera.

ii desu ka (eee dess kah) - May I? Is it okay? Harrison is using the sentence in this lesson in the sense of "Is it okay if I look at the camera?"

nani (nah-nee) - What? An alternative way of pronouncing nan.

ara (ah-rah) - Oh!

Lesson Three Dialogue

Sensei: Mina san, ohayoo gozaimasu.
Hill/Pascal: Ohayoo gozaimasu, sensei.
Sensei: Harison san wa? Mada desu ka.
Hill: Hai, soo desu. Mada desu.
Harrison: Sumimasen, sensei! Juu-ji desu ka.
Sensei: Iie, mada desu. Ii desu, ii desu. Ohayoo gozaimasu, Harison san.
Harrison: Ohayoo gozaimasu.
Sensei: Aa, ima juu-ji desu ne. Sa, Nihongo no jikan desu.

Sensei: Nan desu ka. Sore wa nan desu ka.
Pascal: Kamera desu. Kore wa kamera desu.
Sensei: Ee? Sore wa kamera desu ka. Chiisai desu ne.
Pascal: Soo desu ne. Chiisai desu ne.
Harrison: Doko? Doko desu ka. Kamera wa doko desu ka. Ee? Sore wa kamera desu ka. Chiisai desu ne!
Sensei: Pasukaru san no kamera desu ka.
Pascal: Hai, soo desu. Watashi no kamera desu.

Harrison: Kore wa sensei no kamera desu ka? Ii desu ne!
Sensei: Iie, chigaimasu, Harison san. Watashi no kamera ja arimasen. Pasukaru san no kamera desu.
Harrison: Soo desu ka. Pasukaru san no kamera desu ka. Doko no kamera desu ka, pasukaru san. Furansu no kamera?
Pascal: Iie, iie. Furansu no kamera ja arimasen. Nihon no kamera desu.
Harrison: Soo desu ka. Nihon no kamera desu ka.

Harrison: Ii kamera desu ne. Pasukaru san, ii desu ka.
Pascal: Hai, doozo, doozo.
Harrison: Chiisai desu ne. Aa! Nani?
Pascal: Ara! Kamera! Watashi no kamera!
Harrison: Pasukaru san, sumimasen ne!

[Yes, Harrison broke her camera, but you all saw that coming, didn't you?]

End of Lesson Three.

So You Want to Learn Japanese...

2004-09-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

This is another site that has the same name as mine. There are several listed on Google, maybe I should change the name of this site?

Anyway, I hate to say it, but everything this guy says about the Japanese language is true. But, as he also says at the end, if you really want to learn Japanese, you shouldn't let this stop you. Just be ready for a lot of pain.

So you want to learn Japanese...

Lesson Two - Bamen Ni: Ima nan-ji desu ka

2004-09-06T14:18:00.000-07:00

Lesson Two- Vocabulary

nan-ji (nahn-jee) - What time?

ima (ee-mah) - Now.

Ima nan-ji desu ka - What time is it now?

ichi-ji (ee-chee-jee) - One o'clock. Ichi means "one," and the suffix -ji added to a number means "o'clock."

ni (nee) - Two.

san (sahn) - Three.

yon (yohn) - Four. There is also another form, shi (shee), but yon/yo is used when telling time.

yo-ji (yoh-jee) - Four o'clock. The word for four is yon, but it drops the final -n when telling the time.

go (goh) - Five.

roku (roh-koo) - Six.

shichi (shee-chee) - Seven. You may also come across the alternative form, nana (nah-nah).

hachi (hah-chee) - Eight.

ku (koo) - Nine. Also has an alternative form, kyuu (kyooo), but ku is used when telling the time.

juu (jooo) - Ten.

juu-ichi (jooo-ee-chee) - Eleven. Literally: ten-one. All the numbers up to nineteen are formed in this way, i.e. juu-ni, juu-san, juu-yon, juu-go, juu-roku, juu-shichi, juu-hachi, juu-ku.

ne (nay) - isn't it? This can be used for all the many different tags which come at the end of English sentences, such as, "don't they?," "aren't you?," "wasn't she?," "didn't he?" etc.

konnichiwa (kohn-nee-chee-wah) - Hello, good day.

jikan (jee-kahn) - Hour, time.

ee (Aay) - Eh? What?

ii (eee) - Good, fine.

ii desu ne (eee dess nay) - As used in the below lesson: "You're doing well, aren't you!" Literally "It's good, isn't it."

tsugi (tsue-gee) - Next.

sumimasen (sue-mee-mah-sin) - I'm sorry, excuse me.

geemu (gaay-moo) Game. All Japanese words end with a vowel, or n, so when foreign words are said in Japanese, a vowel sound is added to theend if they don't already have one.

kiite kudasai (keee-tay koo-dah-sigh) - Please listen.

nan (nahn) - What? The alternative form nani is used in some situations.

kuruma (koo-roo-mah) - Car.

tokei (toh-kaye) - Watch, clock.

denwa (den-wah) - Telephone.

rajio (rah-jee-oh) - Radio. From the English.

terebi (tay-ray-bee) - Television. This is a shortened form of terebijon (tay-ray-bee-jone), the Japanese pronunciation of "television."

konpyuutaa (kone-pyoo-taah) - Computer.

teepu rekoodaa (taay-poo re-kooh-daah) - Tape recorder.

soo desu ne (soh dess nay) - So it is, you're right.

moshi moshi (moe-shee moe-shee) Hello? Only used to answer the telephone.

Miitingu (meee-teen-goo) - Meeting.

Lesson Two Dialogue

Pascal: Konnichiwa, Hiru san.
Hill: Aa, Pasukaru san, konnichiwa. Aa, ni-ji desu. Nihongo no kurasu wa ni-ji kara desu ne.
Pascal: Hai, soo desu. Aa, sensei desu.
Sensei: Mina san, konnichiwa.
Pascal/Hill: Konnichiwa.
Sensei: Sa, ni-ji desu ne. Nihongo no kurasu no jikan desu. Ee? Harison san wa doko desu ka?

Sensei: Hiru san, ima [Harrison enters the room] ...Harison san!
Harrison: Sumimasen, sensei!
Sensei: Harisonsan, ima nan-ji desu ka.
Harrison: San-ji desu.
Sensei: Hai, san-ji desu ne. Kurasu wa nan-ji kara desu ka.
Harrison: Ni-ji kara desu.
Sensei: Soo desu ne. Ni-ji kara desu.
Harrison: Sumimasen.
Sensei: Sa, doozo.

Sensei: Mina san, geemu desu. Kiite kudasai. [recording of car noises plays] Nan desu ka.
Hill: Kuruma?
Sensei: Hai, soo desu. Kuruma desu ne. Hai, tsugi. [ticking sounds] Nan desu ka.
Pascal: Tokei desu.
Sensei: Hai, tokei desu. Tsugi. [telephone ringing] Nan desu ka.
Hill: Denwa desu ne.
Sensei: Hai, soo desu. Denwa desu. Hai, tsugi. [clacking noises, like buttons being pressed] Nan desu ka.
Harrison: Rajio desu ka.
Sensei: Iie, chigaimasu.
Harrison: Terebi desu ka.
Sensei: Chigaimasu.
Harrison: Konpyuutaa desu ka.
Sensei: Chigaimasu, chigaimasu! Hiru san?
Hill: Teepu rekoodaa desu ka.
Sensei: Hai, soo desu. Teepu rekoodaa desu. Arigatoo.

[Phone rings]
Harrison: Denwa desu.
Sensei: Hai, soo desu. Denwa desu.
Harrison: Iie, iie! Sensei, doozo, denwa desu.
Sensei: Aa, soo desu ne, sumimasen! Hai, moshi moshi?... Aa, Yamada san, konnichiwa. ... Miitingu desu ka. Hai. Nan-ji? ... Yo-ji? Sumimasen. Ima Nihongo no kurasu desu. Kurasu no owari wa yo-ji desu. ... Go-ji? Hai, go-ji desu ne. Doko? ... Hai, hai. Arigatoo.

End of Lesson Two

Interesting Japan, vol. 1

2004-09-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

Between lessons, there will often be fun extras, such as fun Japanese words or interesting facts about Japan...

Even simple concepts like "you" and "I" are complicated in Japanese. The basic word for "I" is watashi (also pronounced "watakushi"). Girls get a cute version of this word -- atashi -- and good boys are supposed to use boku to refer to themselves. Rough and tough boys, and men who want to project their manliness, will use the men's word ore (oh-rey) to refer to themselves. For "you," the formal word is anata, but kimi (a familiar word for use among friends) and another rough man's word, omae (oh-MAH-eh), are used depending on the situation. A person's choice of what words he uses for "I" and "you" reveals much about their personality and self-image. A cute little girl will use the term atashi or watashi and play with dolls; a girl who is a rebellious tomboy might use the boy's word boku; and young boys may act tough by using the word ore.

Onsen = Hot Springs. The Japanese love baths, and have a highly developed sense of what makes a good bath, and public baths in hot springs are popular. There are many kinds of hot springs, some in small establishments that have only one spring, and others in larger hotels which may have a dozen or more, including beautifully designed outdoor baths. Some hot springs are "fake," they use boilers to heat the water, but they're just as good, and convenient to go to. In Japanese hot springs and public baths, you bathe in large baths used by everyone, with just a small towel to cover yourself. Before you get into a bath, you wash yourself thoroughly, often by sitting on a little stool or bucket, and washing yourself with soap and water. Although Japan is famous for men and women bathing together in these baths, mixed baths are in reality almost impossible to find. For those of you who are embarrassed by the idea of bathing in front of strange women, keep in mind that this does not mean there will not be any women in the area, even if it is the men's bath. There may be cleaning women working around the baths. And also, for those of you who may be embarrased by the idea of public bathing, you may not have much choice. Small apartments in Japan sometimes do not even have bathing facilites, and you may be forced to use the nearest public baths.

Lesson One - Bamen Ichi: Mina san, konnichiwa.

2004-08-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

(Note: I've decided to give credit where credit is due. This lesson, and all that follow this format, are taken from the Berlitz Basic Japanese book. I do recommend, if you are serious about learning Japanese, you go out and actually buy this book, as it provides much more than this site will, such as audiotapes of the lessons, and test questions at the end of each lesson.)

Lesson One Vocabulary:

Kurasu (koo-rah-sue) - Class. A word which has been borrowed from English, and given a Japanese pronunciation.

desu (dess) - is/are. Japanese verbs do not change with the tense, so desu can mean "I am, you are, she/he/it is, we are, they are." Although pronouns such as "I, you, we," etc, exist in Japanese, they are not normally used unless the meaning of the sentence would be unclear without them. Japanese verbs always come at the end of the sentence. The final -u is almost completely silent, just barely vocalize it.

Nihon (nee-hone) - Japan. No, they don't call themselves Japan. Another alternative form is Nippon (neep-pone).

Nihongo (nee-hone-go) - The Japanese language. The suffix -go can be added to the name of any country to give that country's language, e.g. Furansugo (Foo-rahn-sue-go) - French language. An exception is the English language, which is called Eigo (eh-ee-go).

Nihon-jin (nee-hone-jeen) - A Japanese person. The suffix -jin is added to a place name to form the word for a person from that place.

no (no) - Links two nouns where the first describes the second, e.g. Nihongo no Kurasu - a Japanese class.

sensei (sen-say) - Teacher

san (sahn) - Mr, Mrs, Ms. It comes after the name, and can be used with first names as well as family names. San is a term of respect used when talking about other people, so don't use it on your own name.

hai (hi) - Yes

doozo (dooh-zoe) - If you please. This is one of the many words that means "please" in Japanese, but this one is used only in the sense of "please go first," "please continue," or "after you." (Remember the pronunciation lesson on Long Vowels? This is one, so don't forget to extend the first o sound.) Used in the lesson dialogue as in "Please, have a seat."

sa (sah) - Well, right, ok.

to (toe) - And.

Kudasai (koo-dah-sie) - Please. This word for "please" is almost never used by itself. Rather, it normall follows the command form of verbs, as in phrases like "please eat." It is also used with nouns to convey the meaning of "please bring me (something)."

wa (wah) - This word does not have any meaning itself, but is used to point out the main topic of the sentence by following directly after it.

ka (kah) - Adding ka to the end of a sentence changes it into a question. Because the final ka always indicates a question, it is not necessary to use a question mark after it.

soo Desu (sooh dess) - That's right, that's so, etc.

arigatoo (ah-ree-gah-tooh) - Thank you.

Aa (aah) - Ah, oh, an interjection.

iie (eee-ay) - No.

chigaimasu (chee-guy-mahss) - I'm not, that's wrong, etc. Literally, "it's different," or "You're mistaken." Often used with iie.

watashi (wah-tah-shee) - I, me. Pronouns are not often used in Japanese, unless the meaning of the sentence would be unclear without it, or sometimes just for emphasis.

mina (mee-nah) - All, everyone, everything. When using it to refer to people, add san after it, e.g. Mina san, konnichiwa - Hello, everyone.

kara (kah-rah) - From. Unlike in English, kara always comes after the placename, e.g. Amerika kara - from America.

soo desu ka (sooh dess kah) - I see, or, is that so?

owari (oh-wah-ree) - The end, or, finish, e.g. Kurasu wa owari desu - It's the end of the class.

Names and Placenames used in this and other lessons:

Jeemuzu Hiru (Jaay-moo-zoo Hee-roo) - The Japanese pronunciation of James Hill.

Mari Pasukaru (Mah-ree Pah-sue-kah-roo) - Marie Pascal.

Piitaa Harison (Peee-taah Hah-ree-soohn) - Peter Harrison.

Nihon (Nee-hone) - Japan.

Furansu (Foo-rahn-sue) - France.

Itaria (ee-tah-ree-ah) - Italy.

Amerika (ah-may-ree-kah) - America.

Igirisu (ee-gee-ree-sue) - England.

Doitsu (Doh-ee-tsue) - Germany. (Note: The Japanese -ts as in tsu is another sound that is difficult for English speakers to pronounce. The tongue should be in the t sound position at the beginning of the s sound. It's like a sharp s noise.)

Kanada (kah-nah-dah) - Canada.

Nyuu Yooku (nyoo yooh-koo) - New York.

Pari (pah-ree) - Paris.

Rondon (rohn-dohn) - London.

Ribapuuru (ree-bah-pooo-roo) - Liverpool.

San Furanshisuko (sahn foo-rahn-shee-sue-koh) - San Francisco. Often shortened to Sanfuran (sahn-foo-rahn). There is no si sound in Japanese, so shi is used where necessary to say foreign words.

Lesson One, Dialogue:

Sensei: Hiru san?
Hill: Hai, Hiru desu. Jeemuzu Hiru.
Sensei: Hai, Hiru san, doozo. Pasukaru san?
Pascal: Hai, Pasukaru desu. Mari Pasukaru.
Sensei: Doozo, Pasukaru san. Harison san... Harison san... Harison san?
Harrison: Hai, Harison desu. Piitaa Harison desu.
Sensei: Hai, doozo, Harison san. Sa, Hiru san to Paksukaru san to Harison san. Nihongo no kurasu desu.

Sensei: Hiru san?
Hill: Hai.
Sensei: Hiru san wa Amerika-jin desu ka.
Hill: Hai, soo desu. Amerika-jin desu.

Sensei: Arigatoo. Pasukaru san?
Pascal: Hai.
Sensei: Pasukaru san wa Furansu-jin desu ka.
Pascal: Hai, soo desu. Furansu-jin desu.
Sensei: Arigatoo, Pasukaru san. Harison san? Harison san?
Harrison: Aa, hai.
Sensei: Amerika-jin desu ka.
Harrison: Iie, chigaimasu. Igirisu-jin desu.
Sensei: Aa, Igirisu-jin desu ka. Nihongo no kurasu wa Amerika-jin to Furansu-jin to Igirisu-jin desu.
Harrison: Chigaimasu, sensei. Amerika-jin to Furansu-jin to Igirisu-jin to Nihon-jin desu. Sensei wa Nihon-jin desu.
Sensei: Hai, watashi wa Nihon-jin desu. Mina san, arigatoo.

Sensei: Hiru san.
Hill: Hai.
Sensei: Nyuu Yooku kara desu ka.
Hill: Hai, soo desu. Nyuu Yooku kara desu.
Sensei: Pasukaru san.
Pascal: Hai.
Sensei: Pari kara desu ka.
Pascal: Hai, Pari kara desu.
Sensei: Harison san. Harison san?
Harrison: Aa, hai, sensei.
Sensei: Harison san wa Rondon kara desu ka.
Harrison: Iie, chigaimasu. Ribapuuru kara desu.
Sensei: Soo, desu ka. Ribapuuru kara desu ka. Mina san, arigatoo.

Sensei: Hai, mina san, arigatoo. Owari desu. Kurasu wa owari desu.
All: Arigatoo, sensei.

End of Lesson One.

Delays / Mini-Lesson

2004-08-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry, but it appears there may be some delays in getting the first lesson up, as I figure out how exactly I'm going to structure these lessons, and while trying not to seriously violate any copyrights.

In the meantime, here is a simple lesson, without pronunciation keys or examples. Just a list of vocabulary, concerning greetings and a few other useful phrases. Refer to the previously posted pronunciation guide, and you should be able to pronounce these fine.

Ohayoo gozaimasu - Good morning. This is a formal or polite greeting used in the morning. In informal situations simply ohayoo may be used. The Japanese can be somewhat specific on when greetings can or can't be used, and this expression should not be used later than 10 or 11 A.M. Also, with most Japanese words ending with -masu, the final u is silent.

Konnichi wa - Hello, or good afternoon. This expression may be used in the afternoon, roughly from 10 or 11 A.M. to 5 or 6 P.M.

Konban wa, also sometimes Komban wa - Good evening. This expression may be used after it gets dark. This phrase, along with konnichi wa are greetings, and should not be used when leaving.

Sayoonara - Good-bye. It is also sometimes contracted to Sayonara.

Oyasumi nasai - Good night. The literal meaning is "go to sleep." You use this expression when you leave if it is late enough to go to sleep at nightm or if you are going to sleep, or if someone is going to sleep in the daytime. The contracted, informal form is Oyasumi.

Doomo arigatoo gozaimasu - Thank you very much. This is a formal expression of thanks. Depending upon the degree of politeness warranted, some parts of this expression may be omitted. Here are expressions of thanks listed from most formal to least formal:
Doomo arigatoo gozaimasu
Arigatoo gozaimasu
Doomo arigatoo
Arigatoo
Doomo

Sumimasen - Pardon me, excuse me, or sorry. Also, thank you very much. Originally used as a form of apology, it is now common practice to use it as an expression of gratitude. There is also a more formal version, commonly used when the expression is used as a form of thanks, doomo sumimasen.

Doo itashmashite - Don't mention it, or, not at all. A formal reply to expressions of gratitude or apology. The shite in this, and many other Japanese words, is pronounced "shtay," the i is silent.

Hai - Yes.

Iie - No.

Pronunciation

2004-08-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

Japanese can be an extremely difficult language to learn, but luckily the pronunciation is easy.

All words in Japanese are made up of distinct syllables, normally of two or three letters each. Most common are the two letter syllables, consisting of a consonant and a vowel. However there are also three letter syllables, such as "chi" and "ryu," but even these will always end in vowels. In Japanese, syllables end with a vowel, or the letter "N." Never with any other consonants. (Actually, as with everything, there are a few exceptions to every rule, see the section on "double consonants" below.)

Concerning the Vowels:

Unlike English, the vowels in Japanese have only one sound, compared to the two, three, or more ways they can be pronounced in English (such as the "i" in "machine," and "knit"). The Japanese vowels are pronunced thusly:

A = ah, as in "hah" or "law"
I = ee, as in "free" or "machine"
U = oo, as in "boo" or "moo"
E = eh, as in "met"
O = oh, as in "so" or "mow"

(Note: I'm having something of a dilemma on how to describe the "e" sound. All the books say "e is pronounced eh, as in met or pet," but then when they go on to describe how to pronounce words the "e" is always pronounced more as "ay," as in "day." I've noticed even Japanese people pronounce it more as "ay.")

When consonants are added to these vowel sounds, syllables are created which follow the same sound pattern (with only a few exceptions to the rule, noted later): Ka (kah), Ki (kee), Ku (koo), Ke (kay), Ko (koh). If you simply pronounce all the syllables in a Japanese word according to these rules, it will come out sounding "Japanese."

Also, in Japanese, there are long and short vowels, but these aren't the same as English long and short vowels, which alter the pronunciation. Japanese long and short vowels don't alter the pronunciation, instead, you just say the vowel sound for longer. You must be careful with these, as it also completely changes the meaning of the words. For Example:

Obasan = "Aunt"; Obaasan = "Grandmother," or "old woman."
Biru = "building"; Biiru = "beer"
Soko ni arimasu = "It's there."; Sooko ni arimasu = "It's in the warehouse."

There are two different ways to write these long vowels, and you will see different ways used in different books. One way to indicate a long vowel in by putting a line over the one vowel, which I don't know how to code, so I will be using the other method, spelling it out and actually putting both vowels, as in the above examples.

Concerning the Consonants:

Most of the consonants are pronounced as expected, with only a few needing clarification. The "H" sound is always pronounced as in the word "how," and the "G" sound is pronounced as in the word "go." There are no true "L" or "V" sounds in Japanese, when a Japanese person tries to pronounce these sounds in English words, the "L" comes out as "R" and the "V" comes out as a "B." For example, when converting my name, Kevin, to Japanese, it becomes Kebin (Kay-been).

And now, for "R." One of the hardest parts of pronouncing Japanese is getting the hang of the "R" sound. There were many in my class at college that never could get it down correctly. The Japanese "R" sound is not the same as the English "R" sound. It is sort of halfway between the "L" and the "R" sound in English. In English, when making an "L" sound, you touch your tongue to the back of your teeth, and when making the "R" sound you keep your tongue towards the back of your mouth. When making the Japanese "R" sound you should touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth, like with an "L," but further back, about at the point where the roof of your mouth suddenly slopes upward, a little ways behind your teeth. It also requires a slight trilling, almost like the Mexican "R," but not such a pronounced trill. If you do it correctly, the sound will come out sounding like a combination of "L" and "R." It also sounds slightly "D" like. The whole process is pretty difficult to explain, but that's how my Japanese teacher explained it to us. On a side note, I was the best in class at making the "R" sound.

There are also sometimes double consonants, which, of course, is when two consonants are in a word without a vowel in between them. These can also be difficult for English speakers to learn to correctly pronounce and differentiate between. When confronted by a double consonant, make sure you pronounce the consonant twice, like the double "K" in the english word "bookkeeper." The tongue position for the pronunciation of the first consonant is held for one syllable beat before the tongue starts to move to produce the second consonant. Like double vowels, double consonants can completely change the meanings of words, as in these examples:

saka = "slope"; sakka = "writer"
keshi = "poppy"; kesshi = "'do or die' spirit"

Okay, I think this is everything you need to know for Pronunciation, other than a few small side-rules and exceptions that will be noted as they come up. I will try to get Lesson 1 up in a day or two.

Introduction

2004-08-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the "So You Want to Learn Japanese?" Blog. Long-time readers of my main blog, Strange Things are Afoot at the Circle K, will no doubt know of my love and fascination for Anime, Manga, and, in fact, pretty much anything having to do with Japan. I've had this fascination for many years, and I took a Japanese class (nihongo no kurasu) in my short time at college, and did well in it. However, for reasons I won't go into on this blog, I dropped out of college before completing the class. Also, having no reason to speak Japanese, I quickly forgot what I learned, and now I only remember how to count to 19, and a few words. Also, most of the Japanese I do currently know isn't stuff from the class I took, but words and phrases I've picked up from manga and other various places in my pursuit of knowledge about Japan.

And so, we come to the purpose for this blog. I am currently going to begin learning Japanese again. I'm not taking a class, but I have many books over the subject, and will be learning from these. As I learn it, I will also be posting, once or twice a week, Lessons in Japanese, made up mostly of the lessons I am currently learning from my books. As an additional treat, this information will be occasionally supplemented by fun little facts about life in Japan. Most of the lessons I will be posting, especially in the beginning, will be the lessons from a book by a popular language course book company, whose name I will not mention right now, because I'm afraid of getting sued.

I will leave commenting enabled, so you will be able to comment on the posts. If there is something you do not understand, or wish me to explain, simply leave a comment below that post, and I will do my best to answer any questions. You can also email me at SubSpecies23@gmail.com

I think that's enough introduction, now it's time to start learning Japanese. But first, before you can start learning the words themselves, we have to set down the basics, starting with Pronunciation...