BAHASA JEPUN

Meeting Someone New

2010-11-04T01:32:00.000-07:00

Meeting Someone New

We are often asked by our students learning Japanese how to introduce oneself to someone new. The interaction is normally very formal and filled with a few bows. Below is a typical Japanese conversation between two people meeting for the first time:
Japanese
(In Kanji, Hiragana, and Romaji) English Meaning
Person 1: こんにちは。始めまして。こんにちは。はじめまして。
Konnichi wa. Hajimemashite. Hello. Nice to meet you.

Person 2: 始めまして。お元気ですか。はじめまして。おげんきですか。
Hajimemashite. O-genki desu ka? Nice to meet you.
How are you?

Person 1: はい、元気です。はい、げんきです。
Hai, genki desu. I am fine.

Person 1: 私は______と申します。あなたのお名前は？
わたしは______ともうします。あなたのおなまえは？
Watashi wa ______ to moushimasu. Anata no o-namae wa? My name is ______.
What is your name?

Person 2: 私は______と言います。宜しくお願いします。
わたしは______といいます。よろしくおねがいします。
Watashi wa ______ to iimasu. Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu. My name is ______.
Pleased to make your
acquaintance.

Person 1: 宜しくお願いします。よろしくおねがいします。
Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu. Pleased to make your
acquaintance.

Explanation: "Hajimemashite" literally means "it is a beginning" but would be the equivalent of "Nice to meet you" in English. It would only be used the first time meeting someone. As learned in Lesson 9, "genki" means "in good spirits". "O-genki desu ka" is literally asking "Are you in good spirits?". This is the most common way of asking "How are you?" in Japanese. The other person responds "Yes, I am in good spirits". "Mousu" is the ultra polite form of the verb "iu" (to say). Both people are literally saying "I am said/called _____". "Namae" is the word for "name". An "o" is added in front of it (and other words throughout this exchange) to show respect. This is not done when talking about yourself. "Yoroshii" means "good/fine" and "negai" is a wish or request. "Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu" literally means "I request/wish kindly of you". It is basically like saying "Please treat me well". It can be used in other situations as well - such as when asking for a favor.

Other Common Phrases

We are often asked how to say "I love you" in Japanese. This would be "Anata o ai shite imasu" BUT be advised that the Japanese typically don't use the word for love(愛 - あい - ai) when talking about their feelings for someone else (not even a boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, child, parent, etc.). They would typically say "Anata no koto ga suki desu" or "Anata ga daisuki desu". "Suki" means "like" and "daisuki" means "favorite". This may seem strange but this is just what they say for "I love you".
漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Romaji
(English Letters) 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 tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu
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 akemashite omedetou gozaimasu
Happy New Year!

おめでとうございますおめでとうございます omedetou gozaimasu Congratulations!
お休みなさいおやすみなさい oyasuminasai Good night.
(used when someone is going to bed)

御免なさいごめんなさい gomennasai I'm sorry.
すみませんすみません sumimasen Excuse me.

トイレは何処ですかトイレはどこですか toire wa doko desu ka Where is the
bathroom?

お腹が空いていますおなかがすいています onaka ga suite imasu I am hungry.
("My stomach is empty.")

Japanese Verb

2010-05-21T18:37:00.000-07:00

Japanese verbs are roughly divided into three groups according to their dictionary form (basic form). The basic form of 'Group 1' verbs end with "~ u". The basic form of 'Group 2' verbs end with either "~iru" or "~ eru". 'Group 3' verbs are irregular verbs. There are only two irregular verbs, kuru (to come) and suru (to do).

Group 1

aruku （歩く） --- to walk　

asobu （遊ぶ） --- to play　
au （会う） --- to meet　
hairu （入る） --- to enter　
hajimaru （始まる） --- to begin　
iku （行く） --- to go　
kaeru （帰る） --- to return　
kakaru （かかる） --- to take

kaku （書く） --- to write

kau （買う） --- to buy　
kiku （聞く） --- to listen　
matsu （待つ） --- to wait　
motsu （持つ） --- to have
narau （習う） --- to learn
nomu （飲む） --- to drink
okuru （送る） --- to send
omou （思う） --- to think
oyogu （泳ぐ） --- to swim
shiru （知る） --- to know　
suwaru （座る） --- to sit　
tatsu （立つ） --- to stand　
tomaru （止まる） --- to stop　
tsuku （着く） --- to arrive　
uru （売る） --- to sell
utau （歌う） --- to sing
wakaru （分かる） --- to understand
warau （笑う） --- to laugh　
yomu （読む） --- to read　

Group 2

kangaeru （考える） --- to think
miru （見る） --- to see; to look
neru （寝る） --- to sleep
oshieru （教える） --- to teach
taberu （食べる） ---　to eat

Group 3

kuru （来る） --- to come　
suru （する） --- to do

Introducing People: At a Party

2010-02-10T18:36:00.000-08:00

Tanaka: Konnichiwa.
Kimura: Konnichiwa.
Tanaka: Kimura-san, kochira wa watashi no tomodachi desu. Yamada Hiroko-san desu.
Yamada: Hajimemashite. Yamada Hiroko desu. Douzo yoroshiku.
Kimura: Kimura Ichirou desu. Douzo yoroshiku.
Yamada: Gakusei desu ka.
Kimura: Hai, gakusei desu.
Yamada: Go-senmon wa.
Kimura: Keizai desu. Anata mo gakusei desu ka.
Yamada: Iie, hisho desu.
Kimura: Sou desu ka.

Dialogue in Japanese

田中: こんにちは。
木村: こんにちは。
田中: 木村さん、こちらは私の友達です。山田ひろ子さんです。
山田：はじめまして。山田ひろ子です。どうぞよろしく。
木村: 木村一郎です。どうぞよろしく。
山田: 学生ですか。
木村: はい、学生です。
山田: ご専門は。
木村: 経済です。あなたも学生ですか。
山田: いいえ、秘書です。
木村: そうですか。

Vocabulary and Expressions

Konnichiwa.　こんにちは。 Hello, Good afternoon
kochira　こちら this person (It is used when introducing someone.)
watashi　私 I (Learn more about personal pronouns.)
tomodachi　友達 friend

Hajimemashite.　はじめまして。 How do you do? (It is used when meeting for the first time.)
Douzo yoroshiku.　どうぞよろしく。 Nice to meet you.
gakusei　学生 student
hai　はい yes (Learn more about "hai.")
go-senmon　ご専門 someone else's field of study ("Go" is for politeness.)
keizai　経済 economics
anata　あなた you
iie no
hisho　秘書 secretary

Sou desu ka.　そうですか。 I see. (It is pronounced with falling intonation. With rising intonation, it becomes a question.)

Japanese Zodiac - TheTwelve Zodiac Signs

2010-01-26T19:07:00.000-08:00

Japanese Zodiac - TheTwelve Zodiac Signs
By Namiko Abe, About.com Guide

These are the result of zoning time and direction into twelve blocks, each block being given a name of an animal based on the ancient Chinese concept that all time shifts based on these twelve units. In Japan, zoning of the twelve-year cycle, with a different animal in each zone is fairly common.

Those individuals born during a particular year were said to inherit some of the personalities of that year's animal.

Rat (nezumi)

Born 2008, 1996, 1984, 1972, 1960, 1948, 1936, 1924, 1912. People born in the year of the Rat are charming, honest, ambitious, and have a tremendous capacity for pursing a course to its end. They will work hard for their goals. They are easily angered but maintain an outward show of control.

Ox (ushi)

Born 2009, 1997, 1985, 1973, 1961, 1949, 1937, 1925, 1913. People born in the year of the Ox are patient, mentally alert and when required to speak are skillful. They have a gift for inspiring confidence in others. This allows them to achieve a great deal of success.

Tiger (tora)

Born 1998, 1986, 1974, 1962, 1950, 1938, 1926, 1914. People born in the year of the Tiger are sensitive, stubborn, short-tempered, courageous, selfish and slightly mean ... yet they are deep thinkers and are capable of great sympathy for those they are close to and love.

Rabbit (usagi)

Born 1999, 1987, 1975, 1963, 1951, 1939, 1927, 1915. People born in the year of the Rabbit are the most fortunate. They are smooth talkers, talented, ambitious, virtuous and reserved. They have exceedingly fine taste and regarded with admiration and trust.

Dragon (tatsu)

Born 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964, 1952, 1940, 1928, 1916. People born in the year of the Dragon are healthy, energetic, excitable, short-tempered and stubborn. However, they are honest, sensitive, brave and can inspire trust in most anyone. They are the most peculiar of the 12 signs of the Zodiac cycle.

Snake (hebi)

Born 2001, 1989, 1977, 1965, 1953, 1941, 1929, 1917. People born in the year of the Snake are deep thinkers, speak very little and possess tremendous wisdom. They are fortunate in money matters and will always be able to obtain it. They are determined in what they do and hate to fail.

Horse (uma)

Born 2002, 1990, 1978, 1966, 1954, 1942, 1930, 1918, 1906. People born in the year of the Horse are skillful in paying compliments and talk too much. They are skillful with money and handle finances well. They are quick thinkers, wise and talented. Horse people anger easily and are very impatient.

Sheep (hitsuji)

Born 2003, 1991, 1979, 1967, 1955, 1943, 1931, 1919, 1907. People born in the year of the Sheep are elegant, highly accomplished in the arts, passionate about nature. At first glance, they seem to be better off than the people born in other years. They are deeply religious and passionate in whatever they do and believe in.

Monkey (saru)

Born 2004, 1992, 1980, 1968, 1956, 1944, 1932, 1920, 1908. People born in the year of the Monkey are the erratic geniuses of the Zodiac cycle. They are clever and skillful in grand-scale operations and are smart when making financial deals. They are inventive, original and are able to solve the most difficult problems with ease.

Rooster (tori)

Born 2005, 1981, 1969, 1957, 1945, 1933, 1921, 1909. People born in the year of the Rooster are deep thinkers and are always busy and devoted to their work. They always want to do more than they are able, and if they undertake a task beyond their abilities, they are disappointed. Rooster people have a habit of speaking out directly whenever they have something on their minds.

Dog (inu)

Born 2006, 1982, 1970, 1958, 1946, 1934, 1922, 1910. People born in the year of the Dog have all the fine qualities of human nature. They have a sense of duty and loyalty, they are extremely honest and always do their best in their relationship with other people. Dog people inspire confidence in others and know how to keep secrets.

Boar (inoshishi)

Born 2007, 1983, 1971, 1959, 1947, 1935, 1923, 1911. People born in the year of the Boar are brave. They have tremendous inner strength which no one can overcome. They display great honesty. They are short-tempered, yet hate to quarrel or have arguments. They are affectionate and kind to their loved ones.

About Japanese

2009-10-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

About Japanese
Japanese writing traditionally uses a combination of three different scripts, or moji.

Kanji

The Japanese adopted these Chinese-style characters around the fifth century A.D. Each kanji character conveys a particular meaning and, depending upon the context, can have various pronunciations. While the characters at first appear similar to Chinese, many have evolved in sound and style, and the meaning can actually be quite different in Japanese.

Hiragana

A flowing, cursive style originally used by women where each character represents a syllable. For example, Karate would be written with three characters: KA-RA-TE. On their own Hiragana characters do not represent any meaning, just the sounds.

Katakana

Originally considered men's writing, Katakana script has more angular strokes. Like Hiragana, the characters represent only sounds and individually do not convey meaning. These days Katakana is mainly used to write foreign words and names.

Total Eclipse in Japan

2009-08-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

日本での皆既日食

７月２２日に日本で皆既日食が見られました。皆既日食となったのは、南方諸島だけだったのですが、部分日食は日本全国でも観察されました。日本では４６年ぶりの皆既日食で、次に見られるのは２６年後です。最大食となる地域では、皆既日食が６分３９秒続きました。母が言うには、日食が始まる少し前に、うるさく鳴いていたせみ（日本の夏の象徴ともいえる虫です。）が一斉に鳴き止んだそうです。急に訪れた静けさに、不思議な気分になったと言っていました。残念ながら、私は皆既日食を見たことはありません。一生のうち、いつかは見てみたいものです。きっと、とても美しく壮観なことでしょう。

Romaji Translation

7-gatsu 22-nichi ni nihon de kaiki-nisshoku ga miraremashita. Kaiki-nisshoku to natta nowa, nanpou shotou dake datta no desu ga, bubun-nisshoku wa nihon zenkoku demo kansatsu saremashita. Nihon dewa 46-nen buri no kaiki-nisshoku de, tsugi ni mirareru nowa 26-nen go desu. Saidaishoku to naru chiiki dewa, kaiki-nisshoku ga 6-pun 39-byou tsuzukimashita. Haha ga iu niwa, nisshoku ga hajimaru sukoshi mae ni, urusaku naiteita semi (nihon no natsu no shouchou to mo ieru mushi desu.) ga issei ni nakiyanda sou desu. Kyuu ni otozureta shizukesa ni, fushigina kibun ni natta to itte imashita. Zannen nagara, watashi wa kaiki-nisshoku o mita koto wa arimasen. Isshou no uchi, itsuka wa mite mitai mono desu. Kitto, totemo utsukushiku soukanna koto deshou.

Total Eclipse in Japan

A total solar eclipse was observed on July 22, 2009 in Japan. Although it was only the southern islands that observed the total eclipse, all of the Japan was able to observe a partial eclipse. It has been 46 years since the last total eclipse in Japan, and the next one will be in 26 years. It lasted as long as 6 minutes 39 seconds at the maximum spot. My mom told me that just before the eclipse started the noisy cicada (a common insect in Japanese summer) stopped crying. She felt strange about the silence. Unfortunately, I’ve never seen a total eclipse. I would love to see it sometime in my life. It must be very beautiful and spectacular.

Japanese Translation

日本での皆既日食

７月２２日に日本で皆既日食が見られました。皆既日食となったのは、南方諸島だけだったのですが、部分日食は日本全国でも観察されました。日本では４６年ぶりの皆既日食で、次に見られるのは２６年後です。最大食となる地域では、皆既日食が６分３９秒続きました。母が言うには、日食が始まる少し前に、うるさく鳴いていたせみ（日本の夏の象徴ともいえる虫です。）が一斉に鳴き止んだそうです。急に訪れた静けさに、不思議な気分になったと言っていました。残念ながら、私は皆既日食を見たことはありません。一生のうち、いつかは見てみたいものです。きっと、とても美しく壮観なことでしょう。

Romaji Translation

7-gatsu 22-nichi ni nihon de kaiki-nisshoku ga miraremashita. Kaiki-nisshoku to natta nowa, nanpou shotou dake datta no desu ga, bubun-nisshoku wa nihon zenkoku demo kansatsu saremashita. Nihon dewa 46-nen buri no kaiki-nisshoku de, tsugi ni mirareru nowa 26-nen go desu. Saidaishoku to naru chiiki dewa, kaiki-nisshoku ga 6-pun 39-byou tsuzukimashita. Haha ga iu niwa, nisshoku ga hajimaru sukoshi mae ni, urusaku naiteita semi (nihon no natsu no shouchou to mo ieru mushi desu.) ga issei ni nakiyanda sou desu. Kyuu ni otozureta shizukesa ni, fushigina kibun ni natta to itte imashita. Zannen nagara, watashi wa kaiki-nisshoku o mita koto wa arimasen. Isshou no uchi, itsuka wa mite mitai mono desu. Kitto, totemo utsukushiku soukanna koto deshou.

Note: The translation is not always literal.

Beginner's Phrases

Unfortunately, I’ve never seen a total eclipse.

* Zannen nagara, watashi wa kaiki-nisshoku o mita koto wa arimasen.

* ざんねんながら、　わたしは　かいきにっしょくを　みたことは　ありません。

* 残念ながら、私は皆既日食を見たことはありません。

Characteristics of Japanese Grammar

2009-07-30T01:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some characteristics of Japanese grammar.

1. Japanese nouns have no gender (languages such as French or Spanish do) or number (there is no singular or plural).

* Senshuu watashi wa hon o san-satsu yonda.
（先週私は本を三冊読んだ。）
--- I read three books last week.
* Tsukue no ue ni hon ga arimasu.　
（机の上に本があります。）
--- There is a book on the table.
* Watashi wa inu o ni-hiki katte imasu.　
（私は犬を二匹買っています。）
--- I have two dogs.
* Tonari no inu wa yoku hoeru.　
（隣の犬はよくほえる。）
--- The neighbor’s dog often barks.

2. Verb conjugation is not affected by the gender or number.

* Watashi wa nihon-jin desu. （私は日本人です。）
--- I am Japanese.
* Kanojo wa amerika-jin desu.　（彼女はアメリカ人です。）
--- She is American.
* Kare wa asu nihon ni ikimasu.　（彼は明日日本に行きます。）
--- He goes to Japan tomorrow.
* Karera wa asu nihon ni ikimasu. 　（彼らは明日日本に行きます。）
--- They go to Japan tomorrow.

3. Japanese verbs have only two tenses: the present and the past.

* Watashi wa maiasa shichi-ji ni okimasu. （私は毎朝七時に起きます。）
--- I get up at seven every morning.
* Otouto wa hachi-ji ni okimashita.　（弟は八時に起きました。）
--- My brother got up at eight.

grammer

2009-05-19T03:25:00.000-07:00

Basic Conjugations

い-Adjective

Negative root おもしろく ( ありません / ない)
Verbal conjunction root おもしろく (なります or other verbs in any form)
Dictionaryform おもしろい (です)
Plain form おもしろい
Nominal conjunction root おもしろい (もの or other nouns)
Conditional root おもしろけれ (ば)

て form おもしろくて
Plain Past root おもしろかった

な-Adjective

Negative root げんきじゃ (ありません / ない)
Verbal conjunction root げんきに (なります or other verbs in any form)
Dictionary form げんき (げんきです)
Plain form げんきだ
Nominal conjunction root げんきな (もの or other nouns)
Conditional root げんきなら (ば)

て form げんきで
Plain Past root げんきだった

Noun

Negative root いしゃじゃ (ありません / ない)
Verbal conjunction root いしゃに (なります or other verbs in any form)
Dictionary form いしゃ (げんきです)
Plain form いしゃだ
Nominal conjunction root いしゃの (もの or other nouns)
Conditional root いしゃなら (ば)

て form いしゃで
Plain Past root いしゃだった

Tense and Aspect of Adjectives

い-adjective

FORMS STEM 　　 ROOT 　 ENGLISH

plain おもしろい is interesting
plain past おもしろかった was interesng
polite おもしろいです is interesting (pole)
polite past おもしろかったです was interesng (pole)
plain negative おもしろくない is not interesing
plain negative past おもしろくなかった was not interesing
polite negative おもしろくありません is not interesing
(pole)
polite negative past おもしろくありませんでした was not interesing
(pole)
(polite negative past option) おもしろくなかったです was not
interesing (pole)

な-adjective

FORMS STEM 　　 ROOT 　 ENGLISH
plain べんりだ is convenient
plain past べんりだった was convenient
polite べんりです is convenient (pole)
polite past べんりでした was convenient (pole)
(polite past option) べんりだったです was convenient (pole)
plain negative べんりじゃない is not convenient
plain negative past べんりじゃなかった was not convenient
polite negative べんりじゃありません is not convenient (polite)
polite negative past べんりじゃありませんでした was not convenient (polite)
(polite negative past option) べんりじゃなかったです was not convenient (polite)

Japanese Grammar

2009-05-05T03:00:00.000-07:00

Certain aspects of Japanese grammar are highly controversial. Japanese grammar can be characterized by the following prominent features:

The basic sentence structure of a Japanese sentence is topic-comment. For example, consider the sentence "kochira wa, Sanga san desu". Kochira is the topic of the sentence, indicated by the particle wa; this means "as for this person". The verb is desu ("be"). As a phrase, Sanga san desu is the comment. This sentence loosely translates to "As for this person, (it) is Mr Sanger". So Japanese, like Korean and somewhat like Chinese, is often called a topic-prominent language, which means it marks topic separately from subject, and the two do not always coincide.

Japanese nouns in general have neither number nor gender. Thus hon (book) can be used for the singular or plural. However, in the case of a small number of native words (of proto-Japanese rather than Chinese origin) plurality may be indicated by reduplication. For example, hito means "person" while hitobito means "people"; ware is a form of "I" while wareware means "we" (although the kun'yomi "ware" may also be of Chinese origin, just more ancient than the Chinese on'yomi readings). Sometimes suffixes may also indicate plurality. Examples include the suffixes -tachi and -ra: watashi, a form of "I", becomes watashitachi, meaning "we", and kare (him) becomes karera (them).

With some exceptions Japanese is SOV (with the verb at the end of the sentence.) It also has an unmarked phrase order of Time Manner Place (the reverse of English order).

Verbs are conjugated to show tenses, of which there are two: past and present (also called non-past tense, since the same form is used for the present and the future). The present tense in Japanese serves the function of the simple present and the future tense, while the past tense (or perfect tense) in Japanese serves the function of the simple past tense. The distinction is between actions which are completed (perfect) or are not yet completed (imperfect). The present perfect, present continuous, present perfect continuous, future perfect, future continuous, and future perfect continuous are usually expressed as a gerund (-te form) plus the auxiliary form imasu/iru. Similarly, the past perfect, past continuous, and past perfect continuous are usually expressed with the gerund plus the past tense of imasu/iru. For some verbs, that represent an ongoing process, the -te iru form regularly indicates a continuous (or progressive) tense. For others, that represent a change of state, the -te iru form regularly indicates a perfect tense. For example, kite imasu regularly means "I have come", and not "I am coming", but tabete imasu regularly means "I am eating", and not "I have eaten". Note that in this form the initial i of imasu/iru is often not voiced, especially in casual speech and the speech of young people. The exact meaning is determined from the context, as Japanese tenses do not always map one-to-one to English tenses. In addition, Japanese verbs are also conjugated to show various moods.

There are three types of words that correspond to adjectives in English: stative verbs (also called i-adjectives), copular nouns (na-adjectives), and the limited set of true adjectives in Japanese. Both copular nouns and stative verbs may predicate sentences, and both inflect, though they do not show the full range of conjugation found in other verbs. There is a regular way to turn the stative verbs into adverbs. The true adjectives are limited to modifying nouns.

The grammatical function of nouns is indicated by postpositions. These include possession (no), subject (ga), direct object (o), indirect object (ni) and others. The topic is also marked by a postposed particle (wa). These particles play an extremely important function in Japanese.

Japanese has many ways to express different levels of politeness, including a different conjugation for verbs, special verbs and pronouns, verbs indicating relative status, use of different nouns, etc., as shown above.

The verb desu/da is the copula verb, though it doesn't play all the roles of the English "to be" and often takes on other roles. In the sentences above, it has played the copulative function of equality, that is: A = B. However a separate function of "to be" is to indicate existence, for which the verbs arimasu/aru and imasu/iru are used for inanimate and animate things respectively.

Strictly speaking, desu is a contraction of -de, the particle indicating subject complement, (see copula) and su, an elision of gozaimasu (a polite copula). So an alternative, more accurate (though seldom seen) parsing of Kochira-wa, Sumisu-san desu is Kochira-wa, Sumisu-san-de su:

Kochira-wa This person, subject
Sumisu-san-de Mr Smith, subject complement
su (=gozaimasu) is, (animate)

The verb "to do" (suru, polite form shimasu) is often used to make verbs from nouns of action and state (aisuru "to love", benkyosuru "to study", etc.). Japanese also employs regular compounding of verbs (e. g. tobidasu "to fly out, to flee" from tobu "to fly, to jump" + dasu "to go out").

There are many derivative forms of words that may turn one part of speech into another. Nouns can be made into verbs, adjectives into nouns, gerunds, and other forms, and so on. Verbs, in addition to other derived forms, have one (the -tai form) which is an adjective meaning "want(ing) to do X"; e.g., tabetai desu means "I want to eat".

Japanese has a lot of pronouns for use in different occasions, and different pronouns for men and women, younger or older, etc. These pronouns are not used all the time, but often elided when the reference has been established and is obvious from context. Japanese is therefore called a pro-drop language. For example, instead of saying "Watashi wa byoki desu" ("I am sick"), one would simply say "Byoki desu" ("Am sick"). A single verb can often constitute a complete sentence.

Phrases in Japanese

2009-05-05T02:47:00.000-07:00

In the street

Thank you: Arigato
Thank you very much: Arigato gozaimasu
You're welcome: Douitashimashite
Please: Douzo
Excuse me: sumimasen, shitsurei shimasu
Good morning: O hayou gozaimasu
Good afternoon: Kon-nichiwa
Good evening: Konbanwa
Good night: Oyasuminasai

I do not understand: Wakarimasen
What time is it?: Nanji desuka.
How do you say this in [English]?: Kore wa [nihongo] de nan to iimasuka?
Do you speak ...?: Anata wa ...go wo hanasemasuka

English: Eigo
French: Furansugo
German: Doitsugo
Spanish: Supeingo
Chinese: Chuugokugo

Introducing yourself

Hello: Kon-nichiwa
Goodbye: Sayounara
What is your name?: Anata no namae wa nan to iimasu ka?
Nice to meet you: O-ai dekite ureshii desu.
How are you?: O-genki desu ka
Shopping
How much does this cost?: Korewa ikura desuka.
What is this?: korewa nan desuka.
I'll buy it: Sore wo kaimasu.
I would like to buy...: Sore wo kaitai nodesu.
Do you have ...?: ... wa arimasuka.
Do you accept credit cards?: Kurejiti to kahdo de kaemasuka.
Travels & directions
Where is ...?: ... wa doko desuka.
How much is the fare?: Unchin wa ikura desuka.
One ticket to ..., please: Kippu wo ichimai onegaishimasu.
Where are you going?: Dokoe ikimasuka.
Where do you live?: Dokoni sunde imasuka.
Are there any vacancies for tonight?: Aita heyaga arimasuka.

furusato no masuri

converse using Verbs

2009-04-10T01:21:00.000-07:00

Today, I will show you how to converse using Verbs

Conversation 1/Perbualan 1

Q : Is the window closed? - Mado o shimemashita ka? Adakah Tingkap itu tutup.
A : Yes, the window and curtain are closed - Hai, Mado mo ka-ten mo shimemashita (the curtain is an aditional info to the question, that’s why “mo” is used) OR
A : Yes, it’s closed - Hai, shimemashita
Ya!tingkap dan langsir itu tutup.

Conversation 2/Perbualan 2

Q : Have you rented a house? - Uchi o karimashita ka? Adakah anda menyewa rumah tersebut?
A : No, I did not rent a house but rented an Apartment - Iie, uchi wa karimasen deshita, apa-to o karimashita Tidak,Saya tidak menyewa rumah tetapi apartment.

Q : I see. Where is the Apartment located? - Sou desu ka. Sono apa-to wa doko ni arimasu ka? Ye ke Dimanakah letaknya apartment tersebut?

A : It’s near the train station. - Eki no soba ni arimasu. Dekat dengan perhentian kereta api.

Conversation 3/Perbualan 3

Waiter : Welcome - Irasshaimase selamat datang
Tony : What do you want to drink - Nani o nomimasu ka? Awak nak minum apa?
Jenny : Coffee for me. Kofi untuk saya, Bagaimana dengan awak? How about you? - Watashi wa ko-hi- desu. Anata wa?
Tony : Me too and order me a cake please - Watashi mo. Sorekara ke-ki mo onegai shimasu Saya juga tolong berikan saya sekeping kek.

Meaning : Mado (Window)Pintu, Shimemashita (Closed)Tutup, Ka-ten (Curtain),Langsir Uchi (House)Rumah, Karimashita (Rented)Sewa, Apa-to (Apartment)aparment, Doko (Where)Mana, Iwasshaimase (Welcome)selamat datang, Nomimasu (Drink)minum, Ko-hi (Coffee)kofi, Ke-ki (Cake)kek, Onegai Shimasu (Please)tolong

“E” & “Ni” represent directions

2009-04-10T01:18:00.000-07:00

“E” & “Ni” represent directions

Q : Are you going to office? - Kaisha e / ni ikimasu ka?
A : Yes, I am going to office - Hai, kaisha e / ni ikimasu
Q : Are you going to school - Gakkou e ikimasu ka?
A : No, I am not going to school - Iie, Gakkou e wa / ni wa ikimasen

Q : Where do you go? - Doko e ikimasu ka?
A : I am going to office - Kaisha e ikimasu

Q : Yesterday, where have you gone? - Kinou, doko e ikimashita ka?
A : I went to Ginza.How about you? - Ginza e ikimashita. Anata wa?
Q : I went to Shinjuku but my brother went to Ginza. - Watashi wa Shinjuku e ikimashita ga, Ani wa Ginza e ikimashita.

Q : Is Tony in? - Tony-san, imasu ka?
A : No, he is not in at the moment - Iie, ima, imasen
Q : Where is he? - Doko ni imasu ka?
A : He is in the cofeeshop infront of the train station. He will be back soon. - Eki no mae no kissaten ni imasu. Sugu kimasu.

De (By / With / At)

2009-04-09T23:50:00.001-07:00

oday I will show you how to use “de” (by / with / at)

Eat with chopstick - O hashi de tabemasu
Cut with scissors - Hasami de kirimasu
Write with pencil - Enpitsu de kakimasu
Speak in English - Eigo de hanashimasu

Go by car - Kuruma de ikimasu

Swim at the sea - Umi de Oyogimasu
Play inside the house - Uchi no naka de asobimasu

Meaning : Hashi (Chopstick / Bridge), Hasami (Scissors), Eigo (English), Umi (Sea), Oyogimasu (Swim), Asobimasu (Play)

Q : You come by what? - Nani de kimasu ka?
A : I come by car - Kuruma de kimasu

For negative use “de wa”. Example : Hasami de wa kirimasen

The combination of “de” and “e”
Go to school by train - Densha de Gakkou e ikimasu
Isn’t going to school by train - Densha de wa gakkou e ikimasen

Japanese Pronunciation

2009-04-09T23:43:00.001-07:00

Japanese Pronunciation uses its own set of characters which they called Hiragana & Katakana. Whether it is written in Kanji (Chinese Character), it still pronounce using Hiragana & Katakana. Hiragana & Katakana are having the same pronunciation except the way of writting.

Kanji and Hiragana is normally use for all japanese words except Katakana is use for english word with japanese pronunciation. Example : Check - “Chekku” written in Katakana as （チェック） and America - “Amerika” written in Katakana as　（アメリカ）

Romaji (in alphabet), Hiragana & Katakana (Bold)
a （あ）（ア）- read as “are”
i （い）（イ）- read as “ee”
u （う）（ウ）- read as “ooh”
e （え）（エ）- read as “a” (alphabet A)
o （お）（オ）- read as “all”

then follow by …
ka, ki, ku, ke, ko　（か、き、く、け、こ）　（カ、キ、ク、ケ、コ）
sa, shi, su, se, so　（さ、し、す、せ、そ）　（サ、シ、ス、セ、ソ）
ta, chi, tsu, te, to (”tsu” pronounce as “zu”)　（た、ち、つ、て、と）　（タ、チ、ツ、テ、ト）
ha, hi, hu/fu, he, ho　（は、ひ、ふ、へ、ほ）　（ハ、ヒ、フ、ヘ、ホ）
ma, mi, mu, me, mo　（ま、み、む、め、も）　（マ、ミ、ム、メ、モ）
na, ni, nu, ne, no　（な、に、ぬ、ね、の）　（ナ、ニ、ヌ、ネ、ノ）
ya, yu, yo　（や、ゆ、よ）　（ヤ、ユ、ヨ）
ra, ri, ru, re, ro　（ら、り、る、れ、ろ）　（ラ、リ、ル、レ、ロ）
wa, o, n (”n” pronounce as “earn”)　（わ、を、ん）　（ワ、ヲ、ン）

ga, gi, gu, ge, go　（が、ぎ、ぐ、げ、ご）　（ガ、ギ、グ、ゲ、ゴ）
za, zi/ji, zu, ze, zo　（ざ、じ、ず、ぜ、ぞ）　（ザ、ジ、ズ、ゼ、ゾ）
da, ji, zu, de, do　（だ、じ、づ、で、ど）　（ダ、ヂ、ジ、デ、ド）
ba, bi, bu, be, bo　（ば、び、ぶ、べ、ぼ）　（バ、ビ、ブ、ベ、ボ）
pa, pi, pu, pe, po　（ぱ、ぴ、ぷ、ぺ、ぽ）　（パ、ピ、プ、ペ、ポ）

kya, kyu, kyo　（きゃ、きゅ、きょ）　（キャ、キュ、キョ）
gya, gyu, gyo　（ぎゃ、ぎゅ、ぎょ）　（ギャ、ギュ、ギョ）
sha, shu, sho　（しゃ、しゅ、しょ）　（シャ、シュ、ショ）
ja, ju, jo　（じゃ、じゅ、じょ）　（ジャ、ジュ、ジョ）
cha, chu, cho　（ちゃ、ちゅ、ちょ）　（チャ、チュ、チョ）
hya, hyu, hyo　（ひゃ、ひゅ、ひょ）　（ヒャ、ヒュ、ヒョ）
nya, nyu, nyo　（にゃ、にゅ、にょ）　（ニャ、ニュ、ニョ）
bya, byu, byo　（びゃ、びゅ、びょ）　（ビャ、ビュ、ビョ）
pya, pyu, pyo　（ぴゃ、ぴゅ、ぴょ）　（ピャ、ピュ、ピョ）
mya, myu, myo　（みゃ、みゅ、みょ）　（ミャ、ミュ、ミョ）
rya, ryu, ryo　（りゃ、りゅ、りょ）　（リャ、リュ、リョ）

There are 2 special characters that pronounce differently from it’s ususal pronunciation depending on how it uses :

“ha（は）” should be read as “wa” when it is use individually
Example : kore ha nan desu ka?　（これはなんですか？） (What is this?) - we should read this as “kore wa nan desu ka?

Same goes to “he（へ）”, we should use “e” when it is used individually.

Daily Use Sentences

2009-04-09T23:25:00.000-07:00

Japanese are very dicipline where they will wish everyone whenever they meet in the morning, afternoon and night.

Good Morning - Ohayo Gozaimasu　（おはよございます）
Good Afternoon - Konichiwa　（こにちは）
Good Evening - Konbanwa　（こんばんは）
Good Night - Oyasumi Nasai　（おやすみなさい）

There is another type of wishes where Japanese family will normally say :
When you are going out from home, dormitory, office, etc
You should say : Itte Kimasu （いってきます）- I’m going out
They should reply : Itte Rasshai （いってらっしゃい）- Take care yourself

When you return home, office, dormitory, etc
You should say : Tadaima （ただいま）- I’m Home
They should reply : O Kaeri Nasai （おかえりなさい）- Welcome Back

Based on the above, you may notice that some word has a double character like “itte” & “rasshai”. This will happen whenever there is a small “tsu”.
Example : itte （いって）and rasshai （らっしゃい）

JAPANESSE AND ENGLISH CONVERSATION

2009-04-09T23:07:00.000-07:00

Jenny: Nani, kekkon tekireiki tte?
Jenny: Huh, what is “kekkon tekireiki”?

Kobayashi : Onna no hito nara 25 sai gurai made ni, otoko no hito nara 30 sai gurai made ni, kekkon suru no ga ippanteki nan da, Nihon dewa. Dakara, kono toshi ni nattara, mada kekkon shinai no ka tte urusain da
Kobayashi: It is common for a female to marry at age 25 and a male at age 30 in Japan. That’s why many people will concern if they have not marry at this age.

Kobayashi: Ore ima, 29 darō. Dakara miai no hanashi ga ookute ne. Oya wa miai shashin mite, kono hito ni shitara, nante katte ni kimete shimau shi.
Kobayashi: I’m 29 already. That’s why we always think about love matching. My dad looks at the photo from love matching and tried to pick one for me.

Jenny: Sore de, miai shinai de senbu kotowatta shimau no, anata wa?
Jenny: So, you objected to love matching?

Kobayashi: Maa ne. Dekitara renai kekkon shitain da. Ore, romanchisuto de ne. Jibun de sagashitain da yo. Jibun no oyomesan wa
Kobayashi: Well, if possible I would like to have real love marriage. Am I romantic. I wish to find one myself. Will be my future wife, isn’t it.

Jenny: Donna hito ga risō no josei na no?
Jenny: What type of ideal girl you are looking for?

Kobayashi: Mazu nihon teki de yasashii hito. Ryōri no jōzu na hito. Sore kara, bijin de, kaiwa ga omoshirokute, issho ni ite tanoshii hito, shakō teki na hito da na.
Kobayashi: First, a kind person & typically Japanese. Must be good in cooking. Then, pretty, likes to joke, happy going and sociable person.

Jenny: Sō. Sore dake sorotte iru hito o mitsukeru no wa, naka naka taihen ne. Demo kekkon ga kimattara, shōkai shite ne. Anata no oyome san ni, zehi atte mitai wa
Jenny: I see. It is not easy to get one with these characteristics. But, introduce me once you have decided to get marry. I certainly wish to meet your wife.

Part 1: "I love you" in Japanese

2009-04-02T21:04:00.000-07:00

One of the most popular phrases in any language is probably "I love you." In Japanese, "love" is "ai （愛）," and the verb form "to love" is "aisuru （愛する）." "I love you" can be literally translated as "aishite imasu （愛しています）". "Aishiteru （愛してる）," "aishiteru yo （愛してるよ）" or "aishiteru wa (愛してるわ, female speech)" is normally used in conversation. However, the Japanese don't say "I love you" as often as Western people do, because of cultural differences. I am not surprised if some Japanese say that they have never used these expressions in their life.
zSB(3,3)
The Japanese generally don't express their love openly. They believe that love can be expressed by manners. When they put their feelings into words, it is preferred to use the phrase "suki desu （好きです）". It literally means, "to like." "Suki da （好きだ）," "suki dayo" (好きだよ, male speech) or "suki yo (好きよ, female speech)" are more colloquial expressions. There are many variations of this phrase, including regional dialects (hogen). "Suki yanen （好きやねん）" is one of the versions in Kansai-ben (the Kansai dialect). Since the phrase can also mean "I love it,"

CONTOH PENGGUNAAN ICHI

2009-04-01T04:04:00.000-07:00

一からやり直す
いちからやりなおす
ichi kara yarinaosu
membuat semula dari awal
一から十まで
いちからじゅうまで
ichi kara jū made
(harf. dari satu hingga sepuluh)
semuanya, tanpa pengecualian; dari A ke Z
一か八か
いちかばちか
ichi ka bachi ka
ini ialah satu pertaruhan; hidup mati
一も二も無く
いちもにもなく
ichi mo ni mo naku
tanpa teragak-agak

KANJI : SATU , ICHI ,ONE

2009-04-01T03:56:00.000-07:00

Kata nama

一 (hiragana いち, romaji ichi)

satu, 1
permulaan

一 (kanji gred 1)

Bila Kita Baca

On: いち (ichi), いつ (itsu)
Kun: ひと (hito), ひとつ (一つ, hitotsu)
Nanori: い (i), いっ (it), いる (iru), おさむ (osamu), かつ (katsu), かず (kazu), かづ (kazu), すすむ (susumu), てん (ten), はじめ (hajime), ひ (hi), ひとつ (hitotsu), まこと (makoto)

Kata majmuk

kata hubung

2009-03-20T04:21:00.000-07:00

mari kita tinjau cara menggunakan kata hubung "wo (を)". Kata hubung "Wo" (を) di gunakan untuk menggambarkan objek bagi kata kerja di dalam ayat. Ianya di letakkan di belakang perkataan yang mana adalah objek bagi kata kerja. Contoh penggunaannya adalah seperti berikut:-
Kata nama - wo (を) kata kerja.

Contoh Ayat

Sakana-wo taberu
Makan ikan

Orenjijuusu-wo nomu
Minum jus oren

Nihongo-wo benkyousuru
Belajar bahasa jepun

Shinbun-wo yomu
Membaca suratkhabar

watashi cohi wo nomu
saya minum kopi

Perkataan Baru

Sakana = Ikan
Orenjijuusu = Jus oren
Shinbun = Suratkhabar

Kategori : Kata Hubung

PENGGUNAAN PENJODOH BILANGAN

2009-03-14T02:16:00.000-07:00

Di dalam bahasa jepun penjodoh bilangan bagi buku dan juga majalah adalah "satsu". Tulisan kanji bagi satsu adalah "冊"

Cara penggunaannya adalah seperti berikut

_______satsu = _______biji
is-satsu = se-biji
ni-satsu = dua biji
san-satsu = tiga biji
yon-satsu = empat biji
go-satsu = lima biji
roku-satsu = enam biji
nana-satsu = tujuh biji
has-satsu = lapan biji
kyuu-satsu = sembilan biji
jus-satsu = sepuluh biji

nan-satsu = Berapa biji

Contoh Ayat

Watashi-ga ima-made yonde-kita hon-no-kazu-wa jus-satsu desu
Sampai sekarang jumlah buku yang telah saya baca adalah 10 biji

Tsukue-no-ue-ni is-satsu-no-nooto-ga arimasu
Terdapat sebiji buku nota di atas meja

MONDAI : LATIHAN

1. Di dalam beg saya ada 3 buah buku cerita , 5 buah majalah pc dan senaskah suratkhabar.

Perkataan Baru

Yomu = Baca
Tsukue = Meja
Ue = Atas
Nooto = Buku nota
Arimasu = Ada (Untuk benda tidak hidup)
beg= kaban
buku cerita= mangga
suratkhabar=shinbun

KATA NAMA ; ESOK , LUSA

2009-03-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

Esok, lusa

mari kita belajar bagaimana untuk menyebut perkataan "kelmarin, semalam, hari ini, esok dan lusa" di dalam bahasa jepun.
Kelmarin = Ototoi
Semalam = Kinou
Hari ini = Kyou
Esok = Ashita
Lusa = Asatte

Contoh Ayat

Ototoi, watashi-wa tomodachi-no-ie-ni ikimashita
Kelmarin, saya pergi ke rumah kawan

Kinou, MACHIKO-san to aimashita
Saya telah berjumpa dengan machiko semalam

Kyou, byouin-ni ikimasu
Saya pergi ke hospital hari ini

Ashita-kara, shiken-ga hajimarimasu
Peperiksaan akan bermula esok

Watashi-wa, asatte jikka-ni kaerimasu
Saya akan balik ke kampung lusa

Perkataan Baru

Aimasu = Jumpa (polite form)
Byouin = Hospital
Shiken = Peperiksaan
Hajimarimasu = Bermula (polite form)
Kaerimasu = Balik (polite form)
syarikat = kaisya
baru = atarashi
bekerja = shigoto

MONDAI : LATIHAN; tukarkan dalam bahasa Jepun/bahasa Melayu

1. Saya akan mula bekerja di syarikat baru esok.
2. John san wa, asatte okinawa ni kimasu

Kategori : Kata Nama

may be / tabun/ mungkin

2009-03-11T20:45:00.000-07:00

Mina-san konichiwa, selamat tengah hari semua. Hari ini mari kita tinjau satu lagi pelajaran baru di dalam kategori idiom. Jom kita cuba-cuba pakai perkataan "tabun" di dalam bahasa jepun. "Tabun" bermaksud "mungkin". Ianya di guna pakai untuk menunjukkan sesuatu perkara yang mungkin akan berlaku.
Contoh Ayat
Ashita-no tenki-wa tabun ii-deshou
Cuaca untuk hari esok mungkin baik

Ano-hito-wa tabun nihon-jin-deshou
Orang itu mungkin orang jepun

Kare-wa tabun kaze-deshou
Mungkin dia demam

MONDAI ATAU LATIHAN : tukarkan dalam bahasa Jepun atau bahasa melayu

1. Orang itu mungkin orang India.
2. kore wa tabun tokei desu

Perkataan Baru
Tenki = Cuaca
Ano-hito = Orang itu
Nihon-jin = Orang jepun
Kaze = Demam
indo-jin= orang India
tokei= jam

Kategori : Idiom

KATAKANA

2008-01-30T04:28:00.000-08:00

Katakana digunakan untuk mengantikan perkataan asing selain daripada Jepun seperti perkataan dalam bahasa Melayu, bahasa Inggeris dan sebagainya.

Langkah pertama untuk mempelajari bahasa Jepun. Anda perlu menghafal bentul tulisan hiragana dan katakana berserta dengan bunyi atau sebutannya sekali. Selamat mencuba.Gambatte ne.

SEBUTAN ON'YOMI ATAU

2008-01-29T07:57:00.000-08:00

On'yomi (Bacaan berdasarkan Bahasa Cina)

On'yomi (音読み,On'yomi?), iaitu bacaan Cina-Jepun, merupakan anggaran Jepun terhadap sebutan bahasa Cina sesuatu aksara sewaktu diperkenalkan kepada orang Jepun. Sesetengah aksara kanji diperkenalkan dari tempat-tempat berbeza di China pada masa-masa yang berlainan, maka mempunyai banyak sebutan on'yomi dan selalunya pelbagai maksud. Kanji yang dicipta di Jepun biasanya tidak mempunyai on'yomi, kecuali aksara 働 "bekerja", yang disebut dalam kun'yomi sebagai hataraku dan on'yominya dō,serta aksara 腺 kelenjar", yang hanya disebut dalam on'yomi iaitu sen.

Kun'yomi (sebutan Bahasa Jepun)Kun'yomi (訓読み,Kun'yomi?)

merupakan bacaan berdasarkan perkataan bahasa Jepun yang asli, atau yamatokotoba (大和言葉,yamatokotoba?), yang menganggarkan maksud aksara Cina dengan setepat mungkin sewaktu diperkenalkan kepada orang Jepun. Sepertilah on'yomi, adanya kes pelbagai sebutan kun bagi satu kanji yang sama, dan sesetengah kanji langsung tiada kun'yomi.

Contohnya, aksara kanji bagi timur, 東,disebut secara on sebagai tō. Namun, bahasa Jepun juga ada dua perkataan bagi "timur": higashi dan azuma. Maka aksara
kanji 東 disebut dalam kun'yomi sebagai higashi atau azmuma. Lain pula bagi kanji 寸,
iaitu suatu unit ukuran Cina (sedikit lebih seinci), oleh sebab tiadanya persamaan dalam bahasa Jepun, maka cuma ada on'yomi iaitu sun. Kun'yomi disifatkan melalui struktur sukukata (C)V yamatokotoba yang ketat. Kebanyakan kun'yomi kata nama atau adjektif panjangnya dua atau tiga sukukata, manakala kun'yomi kata kerja selalunya satu atau dua sukukata panjangnya (tanpa mengira hiragana ekoran bergelar okurigana,
itupun dianggap sebahagian daripada bacaan).