Learning Japanese from English
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While many consider Japanese to be very difficult to learn for native English speakers, this is only partially true. Many aspects of the Japanese language are quite simple, such as the sound system, and yes, even most of the grammar.
Japanese uses three different writing systems, hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
Hiragana is the most basic Japanese syllabary. It's like an alphabet that uses syllables instead of individual sounds.
Katakana is the syllabary used to write foreign words and some noises. Although it's different from hiragana, it represents the exact same syllables.
Kanji are Chinese characters used in the Japanese language to write individual nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Kanji are not phonetic, meaning you need to memorize each pronunciation individually. In this course, we introduce kanji gradually and methodically.
In Basics 1, we'll start introducing the hiragana writing system through six simple words.
すし or "sushi," the famous Japanese rice dish. す is the character for "su" and し is the character for "shi."
みず or "mizu," meaning "water." み is the character for "mi" and ず is the character for "zu." The two dashes on the upper-right side of ず change its pronunciation from "su" to "zu."
にく or "niku," meaning "meat." に is the character for "ni" and く is the character for "ku."
もち or "mochi," a soft Japanese rice cake. も is the character for "mo" and ち is the character for "chi."
そば or "soba," Japanese buckwheat noodles. そ is the character for "so" and ば is the character for "ba." The two dashes on the upper-right side of ば change its pronunciation from "ha" to "ba."
おちゃ or "ocha," meaning "green tea." お is the character for "o" and ちゃ is the set of characters for "cha." The regular-sized ちや would be pronounced with two syllables, "chi-ya." The small ゃ in ちゃ changes the pronunciation from "chi-ya" to "cha."
In Basics 2, we'll continue introducing the hiragana writing system through an additional six words.
たかい or "takai," meaning "expensive." た is the character for "ta," か is the character for "ka," and い is the character for "i."
ごはん or "gohan," meaning "rice." ご is the character for "go," は is the character for "ha," and ん is the character for "n." The two dashes on the upper-right side of ご change its pronunciation from "ko" to "go."
おいしい or "oishii," meaning "tasty." お is the character for "o," い is the character for "i," and し is the character for "shi."
と or "to," meaning "and." Keep in mind that と can only be used to connect nouns, not full sentences.
はし or "hashi," meaning "chopsticks." は is the character for "ha" and し is the character for "shi."
しろい or "shiroi," meaning "white." し is the character for "shi," ろ is the character for "ro," and い is the character for "i." Notice that many adjectives in Japanese end in the い or "i" character.
In Numbers 1, we'll continue introducing the hiragana writing system through the Japanese numbers one through six.
いち or "ichi," meaning "one." い is the character for "i" and ち is the character for "chi."
に or "ni," meaning "two."
さん or "san," meaning "three." さ is the character for "sa" and ん is the character for "n."
よん or "yon," meaning "four." よ is the character for "yo" and ん is the character for "n." Note that another word for "four" is し or "shi," but this is less common than よん。
ご or "go," meaning "five." The two dashes on the upper-right side of ご change its pronunciation from "ko" to "go."
ろく or "roku," meaning "six." ろ is the character for "ro" and く is the character for "ku."
In this skill, we'll continue introducing the hiragana writing system through six additional words.
です or "desu," meaning "is," "are," or "am." で is the character for "de" and す is the character for "su." The two dashes on the upper-right side of で change its pronunciation from "te" to "de." Notice how the final "u" sound of です is usually dropped. Most often, です is pronounced closer to "des."
みせ or "mise," meaning "store" or "shop." み is the character for "mi" and せ is the character for "se." Note how there are no words for "the" or "a" in Japanese. There's also no way to express that there's more than one of something. Therefore, みせ can mean "a store," "the store," "stores," or "the stores."
やすい or "yasui," meaning "cheap" or "inexpensive." や is the character for "ya," す is the character for "su," and い is the character for "i." Much like in English, Japanese adjectives come before the nouns they modify.
えき or "eki," meaning "train station." え is the character for "e" and き is the character for "ki."
まち or "machi," meaning "town." ま is the character for "ma" and ち is the character for "chi."
ちいさい or "chiisai," meaning "small." ち is the character for "chi," い is the character for "i," and さ is the character for "sa."
There are two ways to express the idea of “only” or “just” in Japanese. One of them is with the word だけ, which is used with affirmative sentences.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 百円だけあげます。 | I will give you only a hundred yen. |
| 見ているだけです。 | I am just looking. |
Another way you can express this idea is with the word しか, which has the same meaning but is used with negative sentences in Japanese, although the meaning of the sentence is not translated in the negative.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| この部屋には田中さんしかいません。 | Only Mrs. Tanaka is in this room. |
| 日本語の辞書を一冊しか持っていない。 | I have only one Japanese dictionary. |
数〜 (すう〜) is a prefix that can be added to some words to mean “several….” or “a few…” Some examples are below.
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 数人 | すうにん | a few people, several people |
| 数年 | すうねん | a few years, several years |
| 数回 | すうかい | a few times, several times |
The phrase のに has many different uses in Japanese. One of the meanings is “in order to (perform an action).” In this construction “AのにB” would be “I did B in order to A,” in which のに follows a verb in the short form. Some examples are listed below.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 父は新聞を読むのに眼鏡を掛けました。 | My father put on his glasses in order to read the newspaper. |
| この島へ来るのに飛行機を二回乗り換えた。 | I transferred planes twice to come to this island. |
In this skill, you'll learn how to form basic questions in Japanese.
To turn a polite statement into a question, all you need to do is add the particle か or "ka" at the end of the sentence.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| いいです。"ii desu." | It's good. |
| いいですか？"ii desu-ka?" | Is it good? |
We use か for all question types, regardless of whether we're talking about adjectives or nouns.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| かさです。"kasa desu." | It's an umbrella. |
| かさですか？"kasa desu-ka?" | Is it an umbrella? |
In this skill, you'll also learn the Japanese words for "yes" and "no."
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| はい "hai" | yes |
| いいえ "iie" | no |
Below are some useful phrases for interacting with other people.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| すみません "sumimasen" | excuse me |
| こんにちは "konnichiwa" | hello |
| ありがとう "arigatou" | thank you |
In Japanese, you can use the suffix さん or "san" at the end of someone's name to show them respect. You can use さん at the end of their given name or family name.
| Japanese Name | Japanese Name with さん |
|---|---|
| はな "Hana" | はなさん "Hana-san" |
| けん "Ken" | けんさん "Ken-san" |
| たなか "Tanaka" | たなかさん "Tanaka-san" |
In Japanese, we never use the さん suffix after our own name.
Keep in mind that there are no words for a or the in Japanese. There's also no way to show if something is singular or plural. We can usually understand what someone means through context. Therefore, a Japanese word usually has several possible translations in English, as shown below.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| いぬ "inu" | a dog |
| いぬ "inu" | the dog |
| いぬ "inu" | dogs |
| いぬ "inu" | the dogs |
This skill introduces the names of three animals and three adjectives for describing them.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| いぬ "inu" | dog |
| ねこ "neko" | cat |
| とり "tori" | bird |
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| くろい "kuroi" | black |
| おおきい "ookii" | big |
| かわいい "kawaii" | cute |
This skill introduces two very important words in Japanese, これ and それ。
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| これ "kore" | this, this one |
| それ "sore" | that, that one |
Keep in mind that これ is used to describe things that are close to the speaker, just like the English "this one." それ is used to describe things that are close to the listener, just like the English "that one."
まだ
1 words
Japanese verbs, including the copula です、can be used as they are with any subject, regardless of gender or number. This means that Japanese sentences often have many possible English equivalents.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| がくせいです。 | He's a student. |
| がくせいです。 | She's a student. |
| がくせいです。 | They're students. |
This skill introduces several words that describe people. You can reference them below.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| がくせい "gakusei" | student |
| ともだち "tomodachi" | friend |
| いしゃ "isha" | doctor |
| せんせい "sensei" | teacher |
おねがいします · おはよう · おやすみなさい · けん · こちらこそ · こんにちは · こんばんは · ございます · ごめんなさい · さようなら · さん · じゃ · じゃあ · じゃあね · です · です · どういたしまして · どうぞ · どうぞよろしく · どうぞよろしく · どうも · なおみ · はな · またあした · またね · よろしく
26 words
The phrase "thank you" in Japanese is dependent on the situation. Below is a table of the most common forms, from least to most formal. Note that the formality increases with the length of the phrase.
| Japanese | Explanation |
|---|---|
| どうも | Thanks, used with friends. |
| ありがとう | Thank you, used with friends. |
| どうもありがとう | Thank you very much, used with friends. |
| ありがとうございます | Thank you, used with strangers, teachers, and bosses. |
| どうもありがとうございます | Thank you very much, used with strangers, teachers, and bosses. |
If you'd like to thank someone for something they did in the past, you change the ございます ending to ございました。
| Japanese | Explanation |
|---|---|
| ありがとうございました | Thank you for what you did, used with strangers, teachers, and bosses. |
| どうもありがとうございました | Thank you very much for what you did, used with strangers, teachers, and bosses. |
カメラ
1 words
This lesson will begin introducing katakana. Like hiragana, katakana is a Japanese phonetic writing system. It's used for several things, but one of the most common uses is for foreign words.
| Japanese | IPA, Notes |
|---|---|
| ア | [a] |
| エ | [e] |
| オ | [o] |
| イ | [i] |
| リ | [ɾi] |
| ラ | [ɾa], like the t in the American pronunciation of butter |
| カ | [ka] |
| メ | [me] |
| キ | [ki] |
| フ | [ɸɯ], roughly between a short "hoo" and "foo" |
| コ | [ko] |
| マ | [ma] |
| シ | [ɕi], like the shee in sheep |
| ン | [n] or [ŋ], like the n in pink, producing a [m] when combined with a bilabial stop, hence "tempura" and not "tenpura" |
| ス | [sɯ], although it can shorten to more of a [s] at the end of a word |
| タ | [ta] |
| ロ | [ɾo] |
| ヨ | [jo] |
| ー | long vowel mark, used to extend the vowel sound that precedes it |
| Japanese | IPA, Notes |
|---|---|
| ギ | [gi] |
| ジ | [dʑi], like the jee in jeep |
| パ | [pa] |
| ピ | [pi] |
If you sound out the words below using katakana characters, you might find some familiar words! Some of the pronunciation is a little different than its English equivalent, though.
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| カメラ | kamera | camera |
| アメリカ | Amerika | the US |
| マリア | Maria | Maria (female given name) |
| アフリカ | Afurika | Africa |
| メキシコ | Mekishiko | Mexico |
| フランス | Furansu | France |
| エリカ | Erika | Erika (female given name) |
| マリオ | Mario | Mario (male given name) |
Just be careful - not all words written in katakana were taken from English!
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| イギリス | Igirisu | the UK |
| イタリア | Itaria | Italy |
| ローマ | Rōma | Rome |
Not all foreign loan words in Japanese are directly equivalent to their English counterparts! For instance, in Japanese アメリカ (Amerika) isn't commonly used to refer to all of North America or to both North and South America - it's used almost exclusively to mean "the United States." However, イギリス (Igirisu) can be used to refer to both "the UK" and "England."
しゅっしん · といいます · と言います · はじめまして · アメリカ · ジョン · マリア · 中国 · 人 · 出身 · 日本 · 本田
12 words
This lesson introduces the non-phonetic writing system of Japanese, kanji. Kanji literally means "Chinese characters," and they're used to build content words like nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
So how do you read kanji? Most kanji have at least two possible readings. Typically, one reading is derived from a native Japanese word, and one reading is derived from a Chinese loanword. These are called "kunyomi" ("meaning reading") and "onyomi" ("sound reading") respectively.
Let's take the kanji for "country," 国。On its own, we use the Japanese "kunyomi" reading, くに。In Japanese, くに means "country." However, in compounds, we use the "onyomi" reading of こく。Therefore, China, 中国 or "middle country," is read as ちゅうごく。
So why isn't it ちゅうこく？This is due to a phenomenon known as "rendaku" or "sequential voicing." Syllables that come later in a word are sometimes voiced and marked with a dakuten. This is often rather unpredictable, so rendaku words should be memorized individually.
Below is a table of the six kanji that are introduced in this lesson, complete with possible readings.
| Kanji | Meaning | Kunyomi Reading | Onyomi Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 人 | Person | ひと | じん、にん |
| 中 | Middle | なか | ちゅう |
| 国 | Country | くに | こく |
| 日 | Sun, Day | ひ | にち、じつ |
| 本 | Origin, Book | もと | ほん |
| 田 | Rice Paddy | た | でん |
You may have noticed that the word Japan, or 日本 is composed of the kanji meaning "sun" and "origin." This word was first adopted by the Chinese, and to them, Japan was off to the east, the place where the sun rose or "originated."
This lesson also introduces katakana, the phonetic Japanese writing system used for foreign words. See their pronunciation below.
| Japanese | IPA, Notes |
|---|---|
| ア | [a] |
| イ | [i] |
| ウ | [ɯ], like the oo in food |
| エ | [e] |
| オ | [o] |
| カ | [ka] |
| キ | [ki] |
| ク | [kɯ] |
| ケ | [ke] |
| コ | [ko] |
| サ | [sa] |
| シ | [ɕi], like the shee in sheep |
| ス | [sɯ], although it can shorten to more of a [s] at the end of a word |
| セ | [se] |
| ソ | [so] |
| タ | [ta] |
| チ | [tɕi], like the tch in itchy |
| ツ | [tsɯ], like the ts in cats |
| テ | [te] |
| ト | [to] |
| ナ | [na] |
| ニ | [ni] |
| ヌ | [nɯ] |
| ネ | [ne] |
| ノ | [no] |
| ハ | [ha] |
| ヒ | [çi], like the h in human |
| フ | [ɸɯ], roughly between a short "hoo" and "foo" |
| ヘ | [he] |
| ホ | [ho] |
| マ | [ma] |
| ミ | [mi] |
| ム | [mɯ] |
| メ | [me] |
| モ | [mo] |
| ヤ | [ja] |
| ユ | [jɯ] |
| ヨ | [jo] |
| ラ | [ɾa], like the t in the American pronunciation of butter |
| リ | [ɾi] |
| ル | [ɾɯ] |
| レ | [ɾe] |
| ロ | [ɾo] |
| ワ | [ɰa] |
| ヲ | [wo] or [o], although it's used very rarely |
| ン | [n] or [ŋ], like the n in pink, producing a [m] when combined with a bilabial stop, hence "tempura" and not "tenpura" |
| ー | long vowel mark, used to extend the vowel sound that precedes it |
| Japanese | IPA, Notes |
|---|---|
| ガ | [ga] |
| ギ | [gi] |
| グ | [gɯ] |
| ゲ | [ge] |
| ゴ | [go] |
| ザ | [za] |
| ジ | [dʑi], like the jee in jeep |
| ズ | [zɯ] |
| ゼ | [ze] |
| ゾ | [zo] |
| ダ | [da] |
| ヂ | [dʑi], like the jee in jeep |
| ヅ | [zɯ] |
| デ | [de] |
| ド | [do] |
| バ | [ba] |
| ビ | [bi] |
| ブ | [bɯ] |
| ベ | [be] |
| ボ | [bo] |
| パ | [pa] |
| ピ | [pi] |
| プ | [pɯ] |
| ペ | [pe] |
| ポ | [po] |
| Japanese | IPA, Notes |
|---|---|
| ド | [do] |
| ペ | [pe] |
| ツ | [tsɯ], like the ts in cats |
| ナ | [na] |
| ダ | [da] |
| ブ | [bɯ] |
| ル | [ɾɯ] |
| ベ | [be] |
| ム | [mɯ] |
| ネ | [ne] |
| ト | [to] |
| ヤ | [ja] |
| ポ | [po] |
| ガ | [ga] |
| ウ | [ɯ], like the oo in food |
| ノ | [no] |
| ワ | [ɰa] |
| デ | [de] |
ええ · が · げんき · さくら · ではありません · はなせ · も · もちろん · わたし · イギリス · 何 · 元気 · 名前 · 茂 · 話せ
15 words
One thing that makes Japanese very different from English is the Japanese tendency to drop the subject of the sentence when the meaning is clear from context. Statements usually refer to oneself, while questions usually address the person you're speaking with.
Adding question marker か at the end will make the affirmative (positive) sentence into question. If the sentences end in ～です, it’s easy to formulate questions by using ～ですか。
| Positive | Question |
|---|---|
| アメリカ人です。(I’m American.) | アメリカ人ですか。(Are you American?) |
| がくせいです。(I’m a student.) | がくせいですか。(Are you a student?) |
Pronouns are relatively rare in Japanese, but they are sometimes used to explicitly specify the subject or topic of a sentence. Below are some of the most common ones.
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| First | 私・わたし is used in polite settings by women and men, used by women in most other settings. 僕・ぼく is used by men in informal settings. | 私たち・わたしたち is most common. 我々・われわれ sounds rather stiff and business-like. |
| Second | あなた is used in polite settings, however, if you know someone's name, it's best to call them by their name, typically followed by さん or せんせい。君・きみ is used by men in informal settings, specifically to those on or beneath one's social level. | あなたたち is used in formal settings, and 君たち・きみたち is used in informal settings, especially to subordinates. |
| Third - Male | 彼・かれ | 彼ら・かれら is also used for a mixed-gendered group |
| Third - Female | 彼女・かのじょ | 彼女たち・かのじょたち |
Below is a table of the eight kanji that are introduced in this lesson, complete with possible readings.
| Kanji | Meaning | Kunyomi Reading | Onyomi Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 学 | Education | まな•ぶ | がく |
| 生 | Born, Raw | なま、い•きる | せい |
| 先 | Previous | さき | せん |
| 英 | English | えい | |
| 語 | Language | かた•る | ご |
| 何 | What | なに | |
| 名 | Name | な | めい、みょう |
| 前 | Before | まえ | ぜん |
あれ · おちゃ · ごはん · さかな · にく · のみ · やさい · を · パン · 水 · 魚
11 words
The marker を is attached to things or people, and means that they are the target of the verb. Subjects are often omitted in Japanese sentences. Unlike English, the location of the verbs are usually at the end of the sentence. を was once pronounced wo, but now it’s the [o] sound.
| Object | を | Verb | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| みず | を | のみます。 | I drink water. |
| さかな | を | たべます。 | I eat fish. |
This lesson also introduces the general pronouns これ、それ、あれ、and どれ、which translate to "this," "that," "that (over there)," and "which (one)," respectively.
| こ | そ | あ | ど | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | これ | それ | あれ | どれ |
| English | this | that | that (over there) | which |
| Notes | closer to the speaker | closer to the listener | far from both the speaker and listener | question |
Below is a table of the two kanji that are introduced in this skill, complete with possible readings.
| Kanji | Meaning | Kunyomi Reading | Onyomi Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 水 | Water | みず | すい |
| 食 | Eat | た•べる | しょく |
いち · ごろ · さん · すみません · に · 一 · 七 · 三 · 二 · 五 · 六 · 四
12 words
Below is a table of the six kanji that are introduced in this skill, complete with possible readings.
| Kanji | Meaning | Kunyomi Reading | Onyomi Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | One | ひと•つ | いち |
| 二 | Two | ふた•つ | に |
| 三 | Three | みっ•つ | さん |
| 時 | Time | とき | じ |
| 今 | Now | いま | こん |
| 分 | Minute, Part | わ•かる | ふん、ぶん |
に
1 words
The particle へ indicates a direction towards which something or someone moves. This movement is the direction away from the current location. When used as a particle, へ is pronounced as [e].
The particle に with a time expression indicates a specific point in time. に can also express times on a clock, days of the week, or years.
| Direction | English | Location or Time | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 会社・かいしゃへ | to the office | ３時・じに | at 3 o’clock |
| 学校・がっこうへ | to school | 月曜日・げつようびに | on Monday |
| 日本・にほんへ | to Japan | ５月・がつに | in May |
| アメリカへ | to America | ２０１６年・ねんに | in 2016 |
Below is a table of the four kanji that are introduced in this skill, complete with possible readings.
| Kanji | Meaning | Kunyomi Reading | Onyomi Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 行 | Go | い•く | こう |
| 校 | School | こう | |
| 午 | Noon | ご | |
| 後 | After | あと、うし•ろ | ご |
あそこ · あの · あり · い · お風呂 · テーブル · トイレ · プール · ペット · 台所 · 子犬 · 子猫 · 家 · 寝室 · 庭 · 机 · 椅子 · 犬 · 猫 · 窓 · 羽 · 部屋 · 鳥
23 words
あります and います are very special verbs in Japanese that refer to something's existence. They're often translated into English as "there is" or "there are." Even though they're often translated identically, they describe different objects:
The Japanese language uses special counting words to count things, actions, and events. You use these words when you want to mention a specific number of a certain noun. Below is how they are typically formed.
| Noun | Particle | Number + Counter | Verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鳥・とり | が | 二羽・にわ | います |
In Japanese, you also have the option of placing the number and counter before the noun, but this is less common and typically involves an additional particle.
| Number + Counter | の | Noun | Particle | Verb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 二羽・にわ | の | 鳥・とり | が | います |
Below is a table for 羽、the counting word introduced in this lesson. 羽 is a counter used just for birds and rabbits.
| Number | Form of 羽 |
|---|---|
| １・一・いち | 一羽・いちわ |
| ２・二・に | 二羽・にわ |
| ３・三・さん | 三羽・さんわ |
| ４・四・よん | 四羽・よんわ |
| ５・五・ご | 五羽・ごわ |
| ６・六・ろく | 六羽・ろくわ |
| ７・七・なな | 七羽・しちわ or ななわ |
| ８・八・はち | 八羽・はちわ |
| ９・九・きゅう | 九羽・きゅうわ |
| １０・十・じゅう | 十羽・じゅうわ |
Below you will find the kanji for all of the vocabulary words in this skill.
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning | Components |
|---|---|---|---|
| 台所 | だいどころ | kitchen | pedestal + place |
| 部屋 | へや | room | division + dwelling |
| 風呂 | ふろ | bath | wind + spine |
| 庭 | にわ | yard, garden | |
| 家 | いえ | house | |
| 窓 | まど | window | |
| 猫 | ねこ | cat | |
| 犬 | いぬ | dog | |
| 鳥 | とり | bird | |
| 椅子 | いす | chair | chair + small thing |
| 机 | つくえ | desk |
います · いません · おおさか · きょうと · さい · すんで · そう · たち · ちがい · とうきょう · ね · もうし · よ · りゅうがく生 · 中学 · 京都 · 住んで · 外国人 · 大学 · 大阪 · 小学 · 年生 · 東京 · 歳 · 生 · 申し · 留学生 · 違い · 高校
29 words
This lesson introduces two of the most common sentence-ending particles, ね and よ。Used exclusively in conversation, they communicate intention rather than concrete meaning, and as such, they are difficult to translate directly.
ね is used to seek passive agreement from the person being spoken to, much like "... right?" or "... correct?" in English.
よ is used to express certainty in a matter of uncertainty, as if to emphasize the truth of the words that come before it. This sense of emphasis mirrors the use of the word "does" in the English sentence "She (actually) does enjoy tennis."
お元気 (げんき) ですか？means "are you doing well?" and a valid response would be as follows.
元気 (げんき) ですよ means "I am doing well (you know)" and communicates that perhaps the answerer's health was actually poor recently and they intend to underline their present healthiness.
いくつ · たまご · 一つ · 一個 · 七つ · 三つ · 九つ · 二つ · 二個 · 五つ · 個 · 八つ · 六つ · 卵 · 四つ
15 words
お母さん · お父さん · 母 · 父
4 words
Japanese uses a number of terms for family members. Some use the honorific form, which is typically reserved for someone else's family members, while others use a shorter, more casual form, reserved for your own family members.
Still, these rules are not hard and fast. You will still hear children use the honorific form to address their own mother or father.
| Family Member | Honorific Form | Personal Form |
|---|---|---|
| Older Brother | お兄さん (おにいさん) | 兄 (あに) |
| Older Sister | お姉さん (おねえさん) | 姉 (あね) |
| Younger Brother | 弟さん (おとうとさん) | 弟 (おとうと) |
| Younger Sister | 妹さん (いもうとさん) | 妹 (いもうと) |
| Child | お子さん (おこさん) | 子供 (こども) |
| Parents | ご両親 (ごりょうしん) | 両親 (りょうしん) |
| Father | お父さん (おとうさん) | 父 (ちち) |
| Mother | お母さん (おかあさん) | 母 (はは) |
| Grandfather | お祖父さん (おじいさん) | 祖父 (そふ) |
| Grandmother | お祖母さん (おばあさん) | 祖母 (そぼ) |
| Uncle Older than Parent | 伯父さん (おじさん) | 伯父 (おじ) |
| Aunt Older than Parent | 伯母さん (おばさん) | 伯母 (おば) |
| Uncle Younger than Parent | 叔父さん (おじさん) | 叔父 (おじ) |
| Aunt Younger than Parent | 叔母さん (おばさん) | 叔母 (おば) |
| Husband | ご主人 (ごしゅじん) | 夫 (おっと) |
| Wife | 奥さん (おくさん) | 妻 (つま) |
からい · じゃない · まずい · メニュー · 万 · 円 · 千 · 好き · 百
9 words
Just like in English, determiners in Japanese come before a noun and signify both its location and relationship with the speaker. Japanese also has two words for "that" depending on whether or not the listener is close to the noun or not.
この本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) です means "this book is expensive" when the book in question is close to you but farther from the person you're speaking to.
その本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) です means "that book is expensive" when the book in question is far from you but near the person you're speaking to.
あの本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) です means "that book is expensive" when the book in question is far away from both you and the person you're speaking to.
どの本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) ですか？ means "which book is expensive?" no matter where the book in question happens to be.
The particle で usually shows the location of action or event, such as "at" "in" or "on" in English. で also indicates "with" "by" or "using" to show a language or tools being used.
This lesson also introduces Japanese adjectives, which are divided into い-adjectives and な-adjectives.
い-adjectives are true adjectives that have been in the Japanese language since the very beginning. All of them end in い、although not all adjectives that end in い are in fact い-adjectives. See how they operate using the example い-adjective おいしい、meaning "delicious."
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしいです。 | This is delicious. |
Note that all い-adjectives can drop the です ending in casual speech. This is grammatical as well.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしい。 | This is delicious. |
When placed before a noun, there's no change to the spelling of an い-adjective.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| おいしいすしです。 | It is delicious sushi. |
We will be introducing the other major category of Japanese adjectives later in the course.
Japanese has certain conventions for writing large numbers. Below are the kanji and readings for a few of them that will be introduced in this lesson.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 百 (ひゃく) | one hundred |
| 千 (せん) | one thousand |
| 万 (まん) | ten thousand |
百 and 千 can be used in isolation to mean 100 and 1,000.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 百円 (ひゃくえん) | 100 yen |
| 千円 (せんえん) | 1,000 yen |
It would sound unnatural in Japanese to write 一百 or 一千 when you have 100 or 1,000 of something. However, 万 functions with the opposite convention; when you have 10,000 of something, it is customary to put 一 in front of it.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 一万円 (いちまんえん) | 10,000 yen |
あさって · あした · あした · いそがしい · いつ · かい · から · きのう · し · しごと · でした · と · はたらき · はなし · へいじつ · べんきょう · ました · まで · よう日 · パーティー · 今日 · 仕事 · 働き · 勉強 · 友だち · 友達 · 土 · 忙しい · 日 · 明後日 · 明日 · 昨日 · 時間 · 木 · 来 · 水 · 火 · 話し · 買い · 週まつ · 金
41 words
This lesson introduces the past tense of verbs. In Japanese, there are other varieties of tense, but we will cover those in later lessons. Changing a verb from the present/future tense to the past tense is rather simple.
| Verb Tense | Positive Ending |
|---|---|
| Present | 〜ます |
| Future | 〜ます |
| Past | 〜ました |
Instead of changing the negative ending 〜ません to make a negative past tense verb ("did not eat"), we simply add the word でした to the end.
| Verb Tense | Negative Ending |
|---|---|
| Present | 〜ません |
| Future | 〜ません |
| Past | 〜ませんでした |
The endings above apply to all verbs that end with 〜ます。
あたらしい · うち · さつ · たくさん · ちょっと · となり · ひくい · ふるい · みじかい · よこ · れいぞうこ · テレビ · ベッド · 一人 · 上 · 下 · 中 · 冊 · 冷蔵庫 · 前 · 右 · 外 · 大きい · 小さい · 左 · 布団 · 後ろ · 本 · 本だな · 鏡 · 長い · 間 · 隣
33 words
As noted in an earlier lesson, Japanese has two special verbs that mean "be" or "exist" depending on the animateness of the subject. います is used for living things, while あります is used for inanimate objects. We use these verbs to describe someone or something's position relative to something else.
| Topic | Location | の | Directional | Verb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 猫・ねこ・は | 机・つくえ | の | 上・うえ・に | います |
| Topic | Location | の | Directional | Verb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 本・ほん・は | 机・つくえ | の | 上・うえ・に | あります |
Notice how the verb changes depending on whether or not the topic is animate.
いつも · ようこそ
2 words
きちんと · じゅうたん · だらけ · ぬいぐるみ · ほこり · マンション · 余分 · 天井 · 家賃 · 居間 · 屋根 · 歯ブラシ · 歯磨き粉 · 毛布 · 炊飯器 · 畳 · 納豆 · 車庫 · 香りhttps://d1btvuu4dwu627.cloudfront.net/bbc5b4806fd07a831f2445a3b037da58/4f06e6df3d2ab54d0558babee62d3752/web/5/1.json
19 words
あけ · あけて · あび · あびて · おととい · かえって · かえり · けいたい · して · しめ · しめて · すぐに · すわって · すわり · せんたく · そうじ · それから · たち · たって · つけ · つけて · つとめ · つとめて · のんで · まち · まって · もって · ゆっくり · シャワー · 台 · 平日 · 持って · 掃除 · 携帯 · 書いて · 洗濯 · 話 · 読んで · 週末 · 電気 · 食べて · 飲んで
42 words
The て-form or で-form of a verb is a very important grammatical construct in Japanese that is used in several contexts.
～て / 〜で + ください is used for requests. It means "please + [verb]"
You can also attach nouns to these requests to get more specific.
| English | Short Form | Polite Form | Request |
|---|---|---|---|
| do | する | します | してください |
| read | よむ | よみます | よんでください |
| turn on | つける | つけます | つけてください |
| close | しめる | しめます | しめてください |
| open | あける | あけます | あけてください |
あそび · あまり · うた · うたい · え · えいが · およぎ · おんがく · かき · さんぽ · しゃしん · てがみ · ときどき · とり · ならい · はしり · まい · よく · りょこう · 二人 · 写真 · 手紙 · 描き · 撮り · 散歩 · 旅行 · 映画 · 書き · 枚 · 歌 · 歌い · 泳ぎ · 絵 · 習い · 聞き · 見 · 読み · 走り · 遊び · 音楽
40 words
Counting people in Japanese is relatively easy, but there are a couple irregular forms. Please reference the following table to learn how to count people.
| Number | Form of 人 |
|---|---|
| １・一・いち | 一人・ひとり |
| ２・二・に | 二人・ふたり |
| ３・三・さん | 三人・さんにん |
| ４・四・よん | 四人・よにん |
| ５・五・ご | 五人・ごにん |
| ６・六・ろく | 六人・ろくにん |
| ７・七・なな | 七人・しちにん |
| ８・八・はち | 八人・はちにん |
| ９・九・きゅう | 九人・きゅうにん |
| １０・十・じゅう | 十人・じゅうにん |
You will also see another counter, 枚 (まい), which is used to count flat things. Thankfully, 枚 has no irregular forms, and so it's read the same way regardless of the number that comes before it.
あまり is a word you can use with negative sentences to express ideas like “not much,” “not often” or “not many.” Below are a few examples of its usage.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 映画はあまり見ません。 | I do not watch a lot of movies. |
| 散歩はあまりしません。 | I do not go on walks very often. |
おじさん · おばさん · こちら
3 words
Japanese uses a number of terms for family members. Some use the honorific form, which is typically reserved for someone else's family members, while others use a shorter, more casual form, reserved for your own family members.
Still, these rules are not hard and fast. You will still hear children use the honorific form to address their own mother or father.
| Family Member | Honorific Form | Personal Form |
|---|---|---|
| Husband | ご主人 (ごしゅじん) | 夫 (おっと) |
| Wife | 奥さん (おくさん) | 妻 (つま) |
| Child | お子さん (おこさん) | 子供 (こども) |
| Grandfather | お祖父さん (おじいさん) | 祖父 (そふ) |
| Grandmother | お祖母さん (おばあさん) | 祖母 (そぼ) |
Sometimes, changing just one character can entirely change the meaning of a word. Japanese learners often make this mistake with the words for uncle/grandfather and aunt/grandmother. Please double-check the length of your vowel!
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| おじさん | uncle |
| おじいさん | grandfather |
| おばさん | aunt |
| おばあさん | grandmother |
This skill also teaches a special set of Japanese phrases when someone enters or exits a home. These are in widespread use throughout Japan.
One makes the statement when one either departs from or arrives in a home, and one makes the response upon hearing the corresponding statement.
| Statement | Response | |
|---|---|---|
| When Departing | いってきます | いってらっしゃい |
| Translation | "I'm leaving!" | "Take care!" |
| When Returning | ただいま | おかえりなさい |
| Translation | "I'm home!" | "Welcome back!" |
かかり · くらい · ない · タクシー · バス · 乗り · 使い · 地下鉄 · 地図 · 歩き · 空港 · 自転車 · 車 · 近く · 速く · 遅く · 遠く · 電車 · 飛行機 · 駅
20 words
When い-adjectives are switched from positive to negative, they undergo a spelling change. The characteristic い-ending switches to a く、and the phrase meaning "not" is added to the end. The final result is an ending such as くないです。See the example below.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしいです。 | This is delicious. |
| これはおいしくないです。 | This is not delicious. |
Just like with positive い-adjectives, all negative い-adjectives can drop the です ending in casual speech.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしくない。 | This is not delicious. |
To make the speech more formal, one can change the ending from くないです to くありません。
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしくありません。 | This is not delicious. |
かぶり · オレンジ色 · シャツ · スカート · ズボン · セーター · パンツ · ピンク色 · 冬 · 古く · 夏 · 安く · 履き · 帽子 · 新しく · 春 · 服 · 欲しい · 欲しく · 洗い · 白い · 着 · 秋 · 脱ぎ · 長く · 青い · 靴 · 高く
28 words
Japanese has many translations for the English words "to wear" or "to put on," depending on where on the body the clothes are worn. Below are some examples taught in this lesson.
| Japanese | Notes |
|---|---|
| 着ます・きます | wear, on the whole body or upper body |
| 被ります・かぶります | wear, on the head |
| 履きます・はきます | wear, on the lower body |
ありません · いそがしく · いっしょ · えいがかん · おしえ · かけ · こうえん · さあ · さ来週 · つくり · ばんごう · ひき · ましょう · ましょうか · ませんか · また · りょうり · れんしゅう · カメラ · ギター · スポーツ · パソコン · ピアノ · プール · 今月 · 今週 · 会い · 作り · 先月 · 先週 · 公園 · 再来週 · 大じょうぶ · 大丈夫 · 弾き · 忙しく · 教え · 料理 · 新聞 · 映画館 · 来月 · 来週 · 番号 · 練習 · 電話
45 words
In Japanese, there are different ways to ask someone to do something with you. Your verb ending can subtly change the nature of your request or suggestion.
| Verb Ending | Meaning in English |
|---|---|
| ~ませんか | "Would you like to...?" / "Do you want to...?" |
| ~ましょう | "Let's..." |
| ~ましょうか？ | "Shall we...?" / "Should we...?" |
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| プールで泳ぎませんか？ | Would you like to swim at the pool? |
| プールで泳ぎましょう。 | Let's swim at the pool. |
| プールで泳ぎましょうか？ | Shall we swim at the pool? |
Japanese has specific words for ideas like "last week," "next week" and "this week." There is even a word for "the week after next"! Maybe you'll notice a pattern with how these words are formed!
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 今月 | こんげつ | this month |
| 来月 | らいげつ | next month |
| 先月 | せんげつ | last month |
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 今週 | こんしゅう | this week |
| 来週 | らいしゅう | next week |
| 先週 | せんしゅう | last week |
| 再来週 | さらいしゅう | the week after next |
Japanese uses different verbs to talk about playing different kinds of musical instruments. In this skill, you will encounter the verb used for playing a string instrument - 弾きます (ひきます). Don't forget that the piano is included as a string instrument!
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| ピアノを弾きます。 | I play the piano. |
| ギターを弾きます。 | I play the guitar. |
いい · くもり · でも · ふき · また · よく · 今夜 · 今晩 · 今朝 · 夕べ · 夕方 · 夜 · 天気 · 明るい · 明るく · 昼間 · 晴れ · 朝 · 空 · 降り · 雪 · 風
22 words
In Japanese, it is common to ask a question in the negative form in order to solicit agreement. These sentences are commonly translated as "Isn't it...?" in English.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 暗いですか？ | Is it dark? |
| 暗くないですか？ | Isn't it dark? |
Did you notice the difference? When the question is asked with a regular adjective form, the English meaning is "Is it...?" When it is asked with an adjective in the negative form, the English translation changes to "Isn't it...?"
In Japanese, you can change an -い adjective to an adverb by dropping the -い and replacing it with -く. Adverbs are usually words that end in -ly in English and describe how something happens.
| Adjective | Meaning | Adverb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 強い (つよい) | strong | 強く (つよく) | strongly |
| 弱い (よわい) | weak | 弱く (よわく) | weakly |
Here are some examples of how these different forms are used.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 風が強いです。 | The wind is strong. |
| 強い風がふきます。 | A strong wind blows. |
| 風が強くふきます。 | The wind blows strongly. |
いかが · おいしく · おおい · おおく · おさけ · おさら · おなか · おはし · おべんとう · ぎゅうにゅう · くだもの · けっこう · こうちゃ · さとう · しお · しょうゆ · すくない · すくなく · すし · ぜんぜん · ぜんぶ · たいへん · ちゃわん · とても · のみもの · ほんとう · まったく · ゆうはん · カフェ · コーヒー · ジュース · ミント · 全然 · 全部 · 塩 · 夕飯 · 多く · 果物 · 牛乳 · 紅茶 · 結構 · 食べもの · 食べ物 · 飲み物
44 words
In this skill, you will encounter words that can modify the severity of your sentences.
全然 (ぜんぜん) and 全く (まったく) can both be used with negative sentences to mean "not at all."
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| この野菜は全然おいしくないです。 | These vegetables are not delicious at all. |
| 牛乳はまったく多くないです。 | There is not much milk at all. |
とても and 大変 (たいへん) can both be used in affirmative sentences to mean "very."
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| このラーメンはとてもおいしいです。 | This ramen is very tasty. |
| 大変おいしいです。 | It is very tasty. |
結構 (けっこう) can be used in affirmative sentences to mean "quite."
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 塩が結構多いですね。 | There is quite a lot of salt, isn't there? |
少ない (すくない) is an adjective that means “few” or “not much.” Be careful – although the word ends in -ない, it isn’t the negative form of the adjective! The negative form of 少ない is actually 少なくない (すくなくない). That’s a mouthful!
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| カレーが少ないです。 | There is not much curry. |
おり · かど · ぎんこう · こうさてん · すすみ · せまい · たてもの · つぎ · とおり · ひろい · びょういん · まがり · みせ · みち · むこう · 入り口 · 向こう · 店 · 建物 · 曲がり · 次 · 狭い · 病院 · 角 · 通り · 進み · 道 · 銀行
28 words
お腹 · すき · ぶどう · グラス · コップ · スプーン · スープ · ナイフ · ビール · フォーク · レモン · 半分 · 好物 · 茶碗
14 words
In Japanese, when you ask someone if they are hungry, the expression is お腹がすきましたか？ (おなかがすきましたか？)
Although the Japanese expression is written in past tense, its understood meaning would be equivalent to the English expression “Are you hungry?” It literally translates to something like, “Has your stomach been emptied?” – because if your stomach has become empty, that means that you’re hungry now!
おととし · おめでとう · きょ年 · さ来年 · たんじょう日 · ヶ月 · 一日 · 一昨年 · 七日 · 三日 · 九日 · 二十日 · 二日 · 五日 · 今年 · 休み · 八日 · 六日 · 再来年 · 出かけ · 十日 · 去年 · 四日 · 年 · 日 · 曜日 · 月 · 来年 · 毎あさ · 毎ばん · 毎年 · 毎晩 · 毎月 · 毎朝 · 毎週 · 週間
36 words
The Japanese language uses special counting words to count things, actions, and events. Below is a table for 日、the counting word introduced in this lesson. 日 is the counter for days.
| Number | Form of 日 |
|---|---|
| １・一・いち | 一日・ついたち |
| ２・二・に | 二日・ふつか |
| ３・三・さん | 三日・みっか |
| ４・四・よん | 四日・よっか |
| ５・五・ご | 五日・いつか |
| ６・六・ろく | 六日・むいか |
| ７・七・なな | 七日・なのか |
| ８・八・はち | 八日・ようか |
| ９・九・きゅう | 九日・ここのか |
| １０・十・じゅう | 十日・とおか |
| ２０・二十・にじゅう | 二十日・はつか |
あげ · いり · いろ · いろいろ · うでどけい · うり · おなじ · おもい · おもく · お金 · かいもの · かるい · かるく · かわいい · かわいく · きたない · きたなく · きれい · こんな · さいふ · じょうぶ · たいせつ · ちがう · とけい · どんな · な · にとって · にもつ · ほか · もち · もの · もらい · カバン · 丈夫 · 入れ · 出し · 同じ · 売り · 大切 · 大好き · 屋 · 持ち · 時計 · 腕時計 · 色 · 花 · 荷物 · 要り · 財布 · 買い物 · 違う
51 words
This lesson teaches the first な-adjective in the course, きれい、meaning "pretty" or "clean." Although it looks like an い-adjective, it belongs to the な-adjective category.
な-adjectives are nominal adjectives that have been imported from other countries over centuries, mainly from China. There is no pattern as to what they look like, aside from the fact they're not likely to end in an い。Remember that きれい is an exception. See how they operate using the example of きれい below.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはきれいです。 | This is pretty. |
Note that な-adjectives typically do not drop the です ending in a construction like the one above.
When placed before a noun, a な-adjective adds a characteristic な between the adjective and the noun that follows.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| きれいな花です。 | It is a pretty flower. |
どなた · デート · 人 · 女 · 女の人 · 女の子 · 方 · 生まれ · 男 · 男の人 · 男の子 · 赤ちゃん
12 words
In this skill, you’ll encounter words about men and women and boys and girls, and you’ll see some different expressions you might use to talk about them. The word for woman is 女 (おんな) and the word for man is 男 (おとこ), but it is more polite to use the expressions 女の人 (おんなのひと) and 男の人 (おとこのひと) instead. There are also the expressions 女の子 (おんなのこ) and 男の子 (おとこのこ) which mean “girl” and “boy” respectively. Did you notice that the polite expressions for “man” and “woman” use the character for "person" - 人 (ひと) – while the expressions for “boy” and “girl” use the character for “child” - 子 (こ)?
| Japanese | Reading | English |
|---|---|---|
| 女 | おんな | woman |
| 男 | おとこ | man |
| 女の人 | おんなのひと | woman (more polite) |
| 男の人 | おとこのひと | man (more polite) |
| 女の子 | おんなのこ | girl |
| 男の子 | おとこのこ | boy |
Much like English, Japanese has more than one way to talk about death. The different words have different connotations, similar to the English language expressions “died” and “passed away.”
| Japanese | Reading | English |
|---|---|---|
| 死にました | しにました | died |
| 亡くなりました | なくなりました | passed away |
しかし · によると · 乾燥 · 予報 · 台風 · 地域 · 季節 · 嵐 · 急 · 気候 · 気温 · 温度 · 温度計 · 温暖 · 猛烈 · 現象 · 雷
17 words
あいて · あき · あちら · あぶない · あぶなかった · うんてんしゅ · おてあらい · か · かいだん · きっぷ · げんかん · こうばん · しまって · しまり · しんかんせん · じどうしゃ · そちら · そば · ちかく · でも · と · ところ · としょかん · とまって · とまり · どうやって · どちら · はし · はじめに · まち · むら · もん · ゆうびんきょく · ろう下 · アパート · エレベーター · 入り · 出 · 出口 · 切符 · 北 · 南 · 図書館 · 大きな · 小さな · 廊下 · 戸 · 村 · 東 · 橋 · 玄関 · 自動車 · 西 · 近く · 運転手 · 門 · 階 · 階段
58 words
There a few adjectives that have both an -い and a -な adjective form. With these adjectives, it is common to use the -な adjective form when the adjective comes before the noun it is modifying. "Big" and "small" are two such adjectives.
| -い adjective | -な adjective | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大きい (おおきい) | 大きな (おおきな) | big, large |
| 小さい (ちいさい) | 小さな (ちいさな) | small |
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| その銀行は大きいです。 | That bank is big. |
| それは大きな銀行です。 | That is a big bank. |
The word 広い (ひろい) means "wide" and 狭い (せまい) means "narrow," but these words are often used in Japanese in situations in which we'd use the words "big" or "small" in English. For instance, when you're describing the internal area of a room as "large," you usually use the word 広い rather than 大きい . 広い is sometimes also translated as "spacious."
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| この病院は広いです。 | This hospital is spacious. (large inside) |
| この部屋は狭いです。 | This room is small. (narrow inside) |
Japanese has different levels of formality, and sometimes there are different words with the same meaning that differ by formality level. You'll encounter some of them in this skill.
| Casual | Formal | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| こっち | こちら | here, this way (close to the speaker) |
| そっち | そちら | there, that way (close to the listener) |
| あっち | あちら | over there, over that way (far from both the listener and the speaker) |
| どっち | どちら | where?, which direction? |
ジャケット · ドレス · ハンドバッグ · ベルト · 制服 · 半袖 · 帯 · 手袋 · 浴衣 · 着 · 着物 · 組 · 足 · 長袖 · 革 · 靴下
16 words
Below is a table for 足、組 and 着、the counting words introduced in this lesson. 足 is a counter that counts pairs of things you put on your feet, while 組 counts other kinds of pairs, such as pairs of gloves. 着 is a counter for suits, jackets, and kimono.
| Number | Form of 足 | Form of 組 | Form of 着 |
|---|---|---|---|
| １・一・いち | 一足・いっそく | 一組・ひとくみ | 一着・いっちゃく |
| ２・二・に | 二足・にそく | 二組・ふたくみ | 二着・にちゃく |
| ３・三・さん | 三足・さんぞく | 三組・さんくみ | 三着・さんちゃく |
| ４・四・よん | 四足・よんそく | 四組・よんくみ | 四着・よんちゃく |
| ５・五・ご | 五足・ごそく | 五組・ごくみ | 五着・ごちゃく |
| ６・六・ろく | 六足・ろくそく | 六組・ろっくみ | 六着・ろっちゃく |
| ７・七・なな | 七足・ななそく | 七組・ななくみ | 七着・ななちゃく |
| ８・八・はち | 八足・はっそく | 八組・はっくみ | 八着・はっちゃく |
| ９・九・きゅう | 九足・きゅうそく | 九組・きゅうくみ | 九着・きゅうちゃく |
| １０・十・じゅう | 十足・じゅっそく | 十組・じゅっくみ | 十着・じゅっちゃく |
ドアhttps://d1btvuu4dwu627.cloudfront.net/bbc5b4806fd07a831f2445a3b037da58/d9e269f52fab899d37c867f5ab92924f/web/5/1.json
1 words
うるさい · くもって · さいて · さき · にぎやか · 上野 · 傘 · 動物 · 動物園 · 匹 · 声 · 山 · 川 · 晴れて · 池 · 泳いで · 海 · 花瓶 · 降って · 雲 · 静か · 飛び · 飛んで · 鳴いて · 鳴き
25 words
～て / 〜で + います can be used to describe continuing action in the present, but did you know that you can use the -て form of the verb to describe continuing action in the past, too? Instead of 〜います, you would use 〜いました after the -て form of a verb to describe an ongoing action that occurred in the past. Look at how the verb endings can change the meaning of a sentence.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 雨が降ります | It rains |
| 雨が降っています | It is raining |
| 雨が降りました | It rained |
| 雨が降っていました | It was raining |
Japanese has a lot of counter words that change depending on the object or creature being counted. Sometimes, the counter word even depends on the size of the thing being counted! For instance, the counter word 〜匹 (ひき) is used to count small animals. However, the reading of the word 〜匹 changes depending on the number that comes before it.
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一匹 | いっぴき (ippiki) | one (small animal) |
| 二匹 | にひき (nihiki) | two (small animals) |
| 三匹 | さんびき (sanbiki) | three (small animals) |
| 四匹 | よんひき (yonhiki) | four (small animals) |
| 五匹 | ごひき (gohiki) | five (small animals) |
| 六匹 | ろっぴき (roppiki) | six (small animals) |
| 七匹 | ななひき (nanahiki) | seven (small animals) |
| 八匹 | はっぴき (happiki) | eight (small animals) |
| 九匹 | きゅうひき (kyuuhiki) | nine (small animals) |
| 十匹 | じゅっぴき (juppiki) | ten (small animals) |
Kanji characters are made up of different component parts called radicals. Did you know that a kanji's radicals can sometimes give you a hint about the kanji's meaning? For instance, kanji containing the radical 氵often have something to do with water. If you look at the words below, you can see that they all contain the radical 氵 on the left side of the kanji character, and all of them involve water. You might have noticed this radical in other kanji you've already seen, too!
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 海 | うみ | sea |
| 池 | いけ | pond |
| 泳ぎます | およぎます | swim |
いけ · いみ · いろえんぴつ · えんぴつ · おぼえ · おぼえて · おわって · おわり · かんじ · かんたん · きょうかしょ · きょうしつ · こたえ · こたえて · ことば · さあ · しって · しつもん · しゅくだい · しり · じしょ · じゅぎょう · はじまって · はじまり · ひいて · ひき · むずかしい · むずかしく · もう · もんだい · やさしい · やさしく · テスト · 宿題 · 意味 · 授業 · 教科書 · 漢字 · 見て · 言葉 · 辞書
41 words
We will now take a look at three more purposes for the て-form of verbs.
～て / 〜で + います is used for actions in progress.
We also use this construction for ongoing actions that would ordinarily use the present perfect construction in English.
～て / 〜で + いません is the corresponding negative construction.
| English | Short Form | Polite Form | Ongoing Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| do | する | します | しています |
| read | よむ | よみます | よんでいます |
| eat | たべる | たべます | たべています |
| drink | のむ | のみます | のんでいます |
～て + は + いけません is used when telling someone that they must not or should not do something.
よんではいけません means "you must not read."
あの本をよんではいけません means "you must not read that book."
| English | Short Form | Polite Form | Prohibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| do | する | します | してはいけません |
| read | よむ | よみます | よんではいけません |
| eat | たべる | たべます | たべてはいけません |
| drink | のむ | のみます | のんではいけません |
We already learned the words と and や that mean "and" when combining nouns. Instead of those words, we use the て-form to link verbs together in Japanese sentences.
ドアを閉めて窓を開きます means " I will close the door and open the window."
りんごを食べて水を飲みました means "I ate the apple and drank the water."
For the examples above, notice how the て-form is used for the first verb regardless of the tense of the overall sentence. Only the final verb indicates the tense in this construction.
かえさないで · かえし · かえして · かえす · かさないで · かし · かして · かす · かり · かりて · かりないで · かりる · さくぶん · ざっし · じょうぎ · と · とらないで · とる · ならばないで · ならび · ぶんしょう · わたし · クラス · ペン · 問題 · 教室 · 本 · 知って · 知り · 答え · 答えて · 簡単 · 見せ · 見せて · 言い · 言って · 質問 · 鉛筆
38 words
When you are quoting what someone said or telling someone what something is called, you would use the particle 〜と. You can think of 〜と kind of like quotation marks in English, with the phrase coming before 〜と being the phrase that would be in quotes. Since there's no opening quotation mark like there would be with a quote in English, though, you sometimes have to figure out from context which words are being quoted.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 彼はいいえと言いました。 | He said "No." |
Be careful, because using the wrong particle can sometimes greatly change the meaning of your sentence.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| ジョンと呼んでください。 | Please call me "John." |
| ジョンを呼んでください。 | Please call John. |
〜本 (ほん) is another Japanese counter word, and it is used to count long, cylindrical things like pens and pencils. Be careful, because the pronunciation of 〜本 also changes depending on the number before it!
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一本 | いっぽん (ippon) | one (long, cylindrical thing) |
| 二本 | にほん (nihon) | two (long, cylindrical things) |
| 三本 | さんぼん (sanbon) | three (long, cylindrical things) |
| 四本 | よんほん (yonhon) | four (long, cylindrical things) |
| 五本 | ごほん (gohon) | five (long, cylindrical things) |
| 六本 | ろっぽん (roppon) | six (long, cylindrical things) |
| 七本 | ななほん (nanahon) | seven (long, cylindrical things) |
| 八本 | はっぽん (happon) | eight (long, cylindrical things) |
| 九本 | きゅうほん (kyuuhon) | nine (long, cylindrical things) |
| 十本 | じゅっぽん (juppon) | ten (long, cylindrical things) |
かった · から · つまらない · つまらなかった · どうして · なかった · なぜ · んです · 大変 · 嫌 · 愛 · 暇 · 楽しかった
13 words
To turn an い-adjective from the present to the past tense, you remove the い-ending and replace with かった. Adding a です at the end will turn it into the polite form. See the example below.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしいです。 | This is delicious. |
| これはおいしかったです。 | This was delicious. |
Just like with the other forms of the い-adjectives, you're allowed to drop the です ending in casual conversation.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしかった。 | This was delicious. |
あっち · こっち · そっち · どっち · まっすぐ
5 words
あつい · あつく · うすい · うすく · おいて · おき · おし · おして · かみ · きって · きって · きり · すい · すって · せっけん · つかって · なくし · はこ · はって · はり · ふうとう · ふとい · ほそい · まるい · わすれ · カギ · カップ · タバコ · ハガキ · ボタン · ポケット · 使って · 石鹸 · 箱 · 紙
35 words
Just like counter words, different adjectives are sometimes used depending on the objects being described. When you are talking about something being "thin," you would use a different adjective depending on the shape of the object being described.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 細い (ほそい) | thin (for long, cylindrical things) |
| 薄い (うすい) | thin (for flat things) |
There are also multiple words meaning "thick," and their usage differs based on the shape of the object being described, too.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 太い (ふとい) | thick (for long, cylindrical things) |
| 厚い (あつい) | thick (for flat things) |
Remember, kanji matters! Although the three words below have the same reading, the meaning completely changes if you select the wrong kanji!
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 厚い (あつい) | thick (for flat things) |
| 暑い (あつい) | hot (weather) |
| 熱い (あつい) | hot (object) |
あめ · いちばん · うわぎ · おかし · かなり · きて · ぎゅうにく · しめ · しめて · せびろ · とりにく · の · はらい · はらって · ぶたにく · ほう · もっと · や · ようふく · より · キロ · グラム · ダイヤモンド · ネクタイ · ハンカチ · バター · 上着 · 少々 · 洋服 · 牛肉 · 着て · 背広 · 袋 · 豚肉 · 鶏肉
35 words
This lesson introduces the very fundamentals of 敬語・けいご、also known as "respect language," as applied to verbs. Believe it or not, you've already learned some respect language, such as in the phrases "お元気ですか？" or "おねがいします！" Just like those phrases, the extra-polite constructions we introduce in this chapter also begin with お。
We learned from earlier lessons that the most common way of asking someone to do something is with the て-form, often followed by ください。
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 待ってください。 | Please wait. (ordinary form) |
To make the request extremely humble and polite, we take the stem of the verb from its 〜ます form and add an お〜 prefix. It's as simple as that. Although you are unlikely to use this form on a brief trip to Japan, you are certain to hear it from shopkeepers and restaurant employees.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| お待ちください。 | Please wait. (ultra-polite form) |
ブラウス · ワイシャツ
2 words
うたう · およぐ · じょうず · する · たのみ · たぶん · だ · とる · はしる · ひく · へた · やきゅう · アニメ · カラオケ · サッカー · テニス · ボール · マンガ · 上手 · 下手 · 多分 · 字 · 思い · 来る · 歌う · 泳ぐ · 行く · 見る · 読む · 走る · 野球 · 頼み
32 words
We use the "plain," "short" or "dictionary" form first and foremost to express the present or future tense in a casual conversation, such as between friends. We also use it to express these tenses in certain other situations before the end of a sentence.
Without exception, all plain form verbs end in a [u] sound. In the examples below, see how the plain form endings correlate with the construction of the て-form.
| English | Kanji | Plain Form | て-Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| eat | 食べる | たべる | たべて |
| give | - | あげる | あげて |
| read | 読む | よむ | よんで |
| fly | 飛ぶ | とぶ | とんで |
| buy | 買う | かう | かって |
| use | 使う | つかう | つかって |
You can use the construction ～のがすきです to talk about things you like doing. In the example below, およぐ (swim) is the plain form of verb およぎます。When you add の to the plain form, the translation becomes either “to swim” or “swimming”. The sentence ends with ～がすきです、which means "I like."
Remember that you can add additional information to any sentence to provide more context.
Below is a table of sample sentences that model this construction.
| Object | Verb | の | が | Adverb | です |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| はしる | の | が | はやい | です | |
| およぐ | の | が | 上手 | です | |
| テニスを | する | の | が | 下手 | です |
| アニメを | 見る | の | が | 好き | です |
ある · いない · いる · しないで · なの · の · やって · やめ · やめて · やめないで · やめる · やらないで · やり · やる · る · カレンダー · コピー · ニュース · ノート · ページ · 作文 · 借りないで · 借りる · 取らないで · 書く · 来て · 歩く · 行かないで · 見ないで · 買う · 買って · 貸さないで · 貸す · 雑誌
34 words
て form: Negative Request
～ないでください is a negative request with the て-form (て becomes で). The first two types are called Godan (u-verbs), which you change the /u/ sound ending into /a/ sound + nai to make the negative form.
u-verbs: ならぶ (-u) → ならばない (-anai)
ru-verbs: みる (ru) → みない (nai)
| Type | Verb | Plain | Negative | Negative Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Godan | line up | ならぶ | ならばない | ならばないでください。 |
| Godan | go | いく | いかない | いかないでください。 |
| Ichidan | look | みる | みない | みないでください。 |
| Ichidan | quit | やめる | やめない | やめないでください。 |
| Irregular | come | くる | こない | こないでください |
| Irregular | do | する | しない | しないでください。 |
あった · した · た · だった · なった · ので · やせて · ん · 休んだ · 体 · 医者 · 口 · 太って · 帰った · 手 · 歯 · 病気 · 目 · 耳 · 背 · 背中 · 薬 · 足 · 運動 · 頭 · 顔 · 風邪 · 髪 · 鼻
29 words
We use the "plain past" form or "short past" form first and foremost to express the past tense in a casual conversation, such as between friends. We also use it to express the past tense in certain other situations.
This form is constructed by taking the て-form of a verb and replacing with た (if it ends in て) or だ (if it ends in で).
| English | Kanji | Plain Form | て-Form | Plain Past |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| eat | 食べる | たべる | たべて | たべた |
| buy | 買う | かう | かって | かった |
| read | 読む | よむ | よんで | よんだ |
Just like when we create the て-form, verbs that end in くor ぐ in the plain form have irregular endings.
| English | Kanji | Plain Form | て-Form | Plain Past |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| write | 書く | かく | かいて | かいた |
| swim | 泳ぐ | およぐ | およいで | およいだ |
We use the "plain past" form or "short past" form first and foremost to express the past tense in a casual conversation, such as between friends. We also use it to express the past tense in certain other situations.
This form is constructed by taking the て-form of a verb and replacing with た (if it ends in て) or だ (if it ends in で).
| English | Kanji | Plain Form | て-Form | Plain Past |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| eat | 食べる | たべる | たべて | たべた |
| buy | 買う | かう | かって | かった |
| read | 読む | よむ | よんで | よんだ |
Just like when we create the て-form, verbs that end in くor ぐ in the plain form have irregular endings.
| English | Kanji | Plain Form | て-Form | Plain Past |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| write | 書く | かく | かいて | かいた |
| swim | 泳ぐ | およぐ | およいで | およいだ |
お宅 · が · ポスト · 中身 · 切手 · 変更 · 封筒 · 船便 · 通知 · 郵便 · 郵便局
11 words
NOUN+が欲しい and VERB STEM+〜たい are two ways to express that you want something. However, Japanese speakers often desire to be less direct, which is considered more polite. You can do that by adding 〜のですが or 〜んですが to the end of a request to make it less blunt. In English, you can translate sentences containing this ending as "I would like..."
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 葉書を送りたいです。 | I want to send a postcard. |
| 葉書を送りたいのですが。 | I would like to send a postcard. |
| タクシーを呼んで欲しいです。 | I want you to call a taxi. |
| タクシーを呼んで欲しいんですが。 | I would like you to call a taxi. |
There are many things you can find in Japan that aren't common in other countries. Want to dress up as your favorite anime character and get your photo taken on the street? Visit a cafe where the waitresses all dress like maids? You can find all that and more in Japan!
| Japanese | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| メードカフェ | Maid Cafe | In maid cafes, the servers dress up like maids! |
| オタク | Otaku | The word "otaku" is usually used in English to refer to someone who is obsessed with anime and manga, but the word is used for many other things in Japan. For instance, did you know that a 電車オタク is someone who is obsessed with trains? |
| コスプレ | Cosplay | "Cosplay" refers to dressing up as characters, usually from anime, manga, or video games. It is short for "costume play." |
There are a lot of interesting and trendy areas in Tokyo, so it can be helpful to know their names if you ever choose to visit.
| Japanese | Reading |
|---|---|
| 原宿 | はらじゅく |
| 渋谷 | しぶや |
| 秋葉原 | あきはばら |
| 池袋 | いけぶくろ |
| 新宿 | しんじゅく |
Harajuku and Shibuya are both known for their fashion - Harajuku for street fashion and Shibuya for having many large department stores for shopping! Harajuku is a great place to go if you like to cosplay. Akihabara and Ikebukuro are interesting places for an otaku - you can buy video games, anime and manga, computer parts, and all kinds of other things! And Shinjuku is well-known for its exciting nightlife.
The 山手線 (やまのてせん) or "Yamanote Line" is a train line in Tokyo that goes in a circle, and it makes stops in all the areas listed above. It might be better to avoid riding the train at rush hour, though - otherwise you might run into lots of サラリーマン (office workers) going to and from work, and the train might be too packed for you to get on!
できて · オリンピック · ゴルフ · スキー · チーム · バスケットボール · メダル · 会場 · 体操 · 卓球 · 柔道 · 楽しみ · 水泳 · 種目 · 空手 · 選手 · 金 · 金属 · 銀 · 銅 · 陸上
21 words
Are you looking forward to the Olympics? If you are, you can tell people that you are looking forward to something by using the phrase 楽しみにしている - or 楽しみにしています if you want to be more polite. What Olympic sport are you looking forward to the most? Who do you hope will win the 金メダル (gold medal)?
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 私はオリンピックを楽しみにしている! | I am looking forward to the Olympics! |
There are several ways of expressing one's ability to do something in Japanese.
The first and more casual way is the potential form of the verb, which changes the usual verb ending into a form that rhymes with 〜える or 〜えます。Notice how the potential form ending changes in accordance with the original ending.
| Regular Forms | Potential "Can-Do" Forms |
|---|---|
| 見る・見ます | 見える・見えます |
| 行く・行きます | 行ける・行けます |
| 作る・作ります | 作れる・作れます |
| 飛ぶ・飛びます | 飛べる・飛べます |
When using this form, you may notice that the particle が plays a major role in describing what would normally be the object of a sentence marked with を。This is because the potential form often translates better to "is able to be" than "can."
| Regular Examples | Potential "Can-Do" Examples |
|---|---|
| 本を見る・look at a book | 本が見える・see a book |
| 音楽を聞く・listen to music | 音楽が聞こえる・hear music |
The second and more formal to express ability is with the verb できる、sometimes spelled 出来る。Ordinarily, the short form of a verb attaches to the word ことができる to signify someone's ability to do something.
| Regular Examples | ことができる Examples |
|---|---|
| 踊る・dance | 踊ることができる・can dance |
| 逃げる・escape | 逃げることができる・can escape |
For verbs that end in 〜する or 〜します、one has no choice but to express ability with できる。The more casual way to do this is with できる by itself.
| Regular Examples | 〜できる Examples |
|---|---|
| 勉強する・study | 勉強できる・can study |
| 運動する・exercise | 運動できる・can exercise |
To make the form more formal, you can add することができる to the end of the verb instead.
| Regular Examples | することができる Examples |
|---|---|
| 勉強する・study | 勉強することができる・can study |
| 運動する・exercise | 運動するごとができる・can exercise |
あんな · おかげ · か · か · くれて · けど · それで · それとも · そんな · ため · サービス · プレゼント · 君 · 夫 · 奥さん · 妻 · 必要 · 有料 · 無料 · 発音 · 行かなくて · 行き方 · 読まなくて · 買わなくて
24 words
Expressing favors in Japanese makes frequent use of the て-form in coordination with a set of special verbs for giving and receiving.
We use あげる when we ourselves do a favor for someone else. We also use it when the interaction involves only other people.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 私はあなたに花を買ってあげた。 | I bought flowers for you. |
| 本田は田中に花を買ってあげた。 | Honda bought flowers for Tanaka. |
We use やる when we ourselves do a favor for someone of a lower social status, such as a child or a pet. This also applies when the interaction involves only other people.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 私は娘に花を買ってやった。 | I bought flowers for my daughter. |
| 本田は娘に花を買ってやった。 | Honda bought flowers for his daughter. |
We use くれる when someone else does a favor for us.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 彼は私に花を買ってくれた。 | He bought flowers for me. |
We use もらう when the topic of the sentence is the one to receive the favor, as "もらう" literally means "receive." This is often translated as "had (someone) do (something)."
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 私は母に花を買ってもらった。 | I had my mother buy (me) flowers. |
| 彼女は彼氏に花を買ってもらった。 | She had her boyfriend buy (her) flowers. |
You may recognize the verb いただく from the phrase いただきます、which is said before eating. いただく is a polite form of もらう、usually used when asking for a favor. In addition to いただく、one can use the verb くれる for a more casual tone.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 花を買っていただけませんか？ | Would you please buy me flowers? |
| 花を買ってくれませんか？ | Would you mind buying me flowers? |
光 · 太陽 · 宇宙 · 富士山 · 島 · 惑星 · 星 · 景色 · 月 · 林 · 枝 · 森 · 波 · 湖 · 火 · 火星 · 生き物 · 田舎 · 石 · 空気 · 草 · 葉
22 words
The Japanese language features many words that are known as onomatopoeia - a word that is named by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it. One of these words is きらきら, which means "sparkling." It is meant to mimic the sound one might imagine a glittering diamond or star might make. きらきら can be used as a -する verb (きらきらする) or paired with the verb 光る (きらきら光る) to further emphasize the sparkle.
In Japanese, onomatopoeia can be commonly written in either hiragana (きらきら) or (キラキラ), depending on what you prefer stylistically.
いっぱい · うどん · おかず · ごちそう · そば · なし · におい · アレルギー · ステーキ · ベジタリアン · 別々 · 味 · 味噌 · 和食 · 外食 · 様 · 氷 · 汁 · 現金 · 質 · 量 · 食事
22 words
パンダ · 双子 · 固体 · 巣 · 気体 · 洪水 · 液体 · 無色 · 煙 · 煙突 · 状態 · 穴 · 網 · 罠 · 雄 · 雌
16 words
Remember, the counter word 〜匹 (ひき) is used to count small animals. Have you wondered how you would count large animals? You would use the counter word 〜頭 (とう) instead! Thankfully, the kanji is read the same way (とう) regardless of the number of large animals you are counting!
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一頭 | いっとう (ittou) | one (large animal) |
| 二頭 | にとう (nitou) | two (large animals) |
| 三頭 | さんとう (santou) | three (large animals) |
| 四頭 | よんとう (yontou) | four (large animals) |
| 五頭 | ごとう (gotou) | five (large animals) |
| 六頭 | ろくとう (rokutou) | six (large animals) |
| 七頭 | ななとう (nanatou) | seven (large animals) |
| 八頭 | はっとう (hattou) | eight (large animals) |
| 九頭 | きゅうとう (kyuutou) | nine (large animals) |
| 十頭 | じゅっとう (juttou) or じっとう (jittou) | ten (large animals) |
ほとんど is a word that can be used in a negative sentence to mean “hardly any” or “hardly (at all)” or “almost no…” Below are a few examples of its usage.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| ほとんど信じられなかった。 | I could hardly believe it. |
| 日本にはほとんど石油がありません。 | There is almost no oil in Japan. |
うまみ · さ · そう · ほど · みたい · よう · ような · ように · 変 · 大きさ · 形 · 忙しそう · 悲しみ · 易しそう · 普通 · 最初 · 最後 · 最悪 · 最新 · 最近 · 最高 · 様子 · 甘み · 痛み · 重さ · 長さ · 難しそう · 高さ
28 words
When expressing appearance in Japanese, one can choose from several grammatical expressions.
Using the noun よう is the most basic way of expressing something's outward appearance.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 彼はいそがしいようだ。 | He looks busy. |
The noun みたい is used almost exactly like よう、only it has a more casual tone. Be careful not to treat it as a verb or an adjective, although it might look like one.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 古いみたいです。 | It looks old. |
The noun そう is used to express how something seems or appears to be based on one's observation. It's more of an educated guess and less of a certainty than よう or みたい。
そう is also used to describe hearsay gathered from other people. In this instance, the grammar of the word changes slightly. Verbs, for example, change from the stem form for appearance to the short form for hearsay.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 雨が降りそうです。 | It seems like it will rain. |
| 雨が降るそうです。 | I hear that it will rain. |
With respect to hearsay, らしい is used in similar contexts as そう、only it acts like any other い-adjective would.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| あの映画は楽しいらしい。 | I hear that movie is fun. |
This lesson also introduces the concept of nouns formed from adjectives, much like how "sweet" becomes "sweetness" in English with an additional ending. The ability or inability to measure such nouns in Japanese plays an important role in how they are formed.
If a quality can be measured objectively, its nominal form will end in さ。This is also the case for all な-adjectives, regardless of one's ability to measure them.
| Adjective | Noun |
|---|---|
| 大きい・big | 大きさ・size |
| 長い・long | 長さ・length |
| 高い・tall | 高さ・height |
| 重い・heavy | 重さ・weight |
| 便利・convenient | 便利さ・convenience |
| きれい・pretty | きれいさ・prettiness |
If, however, a quality cannot be measured objectively, its nominal form will almost always end in み、especially if it is a feeling or flavor.
| Adjective | Noun |
|---|---|
| 痛い・painful | 痛み・pain |
| 悲しい・sad | 悲しみ・sadness |
| 甘い・sweet | 甘み・sweetness |
| うまい・tasty | うまみ・tastiness |
In Japanese, there are four different expressions that translate to the English word "if."
We use the word と when something is a natural, inevitable, and predictable consequence of something else. This cannot be a personal intention. It is often used when describing facts and operations, instructions, and habitual actions.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| タイヤは古いと、危ないです。 | If tires are old, they are dangerous. |
We use なら when expressing that something will take effect in a certain context. This is often a personal intention about the future based on a given assumption about what will happen.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| みんなが行くなら、私も行く。 | If everyone is going, I will go as well. |
We can use the ば form of a verb to express a conditional sentence in almost any context. However, it is ungrammatical to use this construction when the subject is the same in both parts of the sentence and the sentence expresses a desire or prohibition. It places a special focus on what comes before it, and the outcome is usually good. The ば form sounds rather formal, so it's often used for writing and polite speech.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| この薬を飲めば、よくなりますよ。 | If you take this medicine, you will get better. |
The use of たら or だら to end a past-tense verb presents the fewest restrictions and greatest freedom for expressing a conditional sentence in Japanese. It is often used for hypotheticals and speculations that have yet to be proven, much like the construction "if ... would ..." in English. It places a special focus on what comes after it. This is the only construction that is grammatical for a past event, or when the subject is the same in both parts of the sentence and the sentence expresses a desire or prohibition. Please refer to the example sentences below.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 食べすぎたら、気持ち悪くなりました。 | I got sick when I ate too much. |
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| お酒を飲んだら、自転車に乗ってはいけません。 | You must not ride your bike if you drink alcohol. |
When in doubt about which form of "if" to use, たら or だら is usually a safe bet.
もし - Conditional Warning
The word もし cannot express "if" by itself. Rather, it is a supplemental word generally used at the beginning of a sentence to express that a conditional is coming. It generates a backdrop of uncertainty about the information ahead.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| もし時間がないなら、明日でもいい。 | Supposing you do not have time, tomorrow would also be alright. |
おにぎり · たまねぎ · にんじん · にんにく · ふた · やかん · オーブン · ソース · バナナ · パスタ · 八百屋 · 大豆 · 料理人 · 新鮮 · 材料 · 油 · 流し · 生 · 豆乳 · 豆腐 · 鍋
21 words
In Japanese, similar words often use different kanji characters in order to express different nuance. For instance, the character for “to measure” differs depending on the thing you’re measuring! All the words below are read はかる and all of them mean “to measure,” but the situations in which you would use each are different.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 量る | to measure (weight or volume) |
| 計る | to measure (quantities, time, temperature) |
| 測る | to measure (length, depth, width, speed) |
If a quality can be measured objectively, its nominal form will end in さ。This is also the case for all な-adjectives, regardless of one's ability to measure them.
| Adjective | Noun |
|---|---|
| 大きい・big | 大きさ・size |
| 長い・long | 長さ・length |
| 高い・tall | 高さ・height |
| 重い・heavy | 重さ・weight |
| 便利・convenient | 便利さ・convenience |
| きれい・pretty | きれいさ・prettiness |
Remember, transitive verbs are verbs that take a direct object, while intransitive verbs are verbs that do not take a direct object. Transitive and intransitive verbs often occur in pairs, and their meaning and usage differs.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 起こる (おころ) | take place, occur (intransitive) |
| 起こす (おこす) | cause (transitive) |
Remember that the particle を is used to mark the direct object of a sentence, so you would always use it with a transitive verb.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 事故は起こった。 | An accident occurred. |
| 事故を起こした。 | I caused an accident. |
エンジン · 乗り物 · 乗客 · 交差点 · 側 · 出発 · 別 · 到着 · 女性 · 専用 · 席 · 急行 · 新幹線 · 歩道 · 港 · 男性 · 終点 · 線 · 船 · 裏 · 車両 · 途中 · 駐車 · 駐車場
24 words
できるだけ is a phrase meaning “as much as possible” or “as much as one can.” Depending on the subject of the sentence, the exact translation of the phrase can change, however.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| できるだけ早くここへ来てください。 | Please come here as soon as you can. |
| 彼はできるだけ速く走りました。 | He ran as fast as he could. |
| 私はできるだけ多くの時間が必要です。 | I need as much time as possible. |
しか · だけ · ほんの · 入学 · 医学 · 合格 · 回 · 専攻 · 成績 · 教育 · 数 · 数学 · 文学 · 準備 · 生徒 · 科学 · 締め切り · 試験 · 講義
19 words
There are two ways to express the idea of “only” or “just” in Japanese. One of them is with the word だけ, which is used with affirmative sentences.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 百円だけあげます。 | I will give you only a hundred yen. |
| 見ているだけです。 | I am just looking. |
Another way you can express this idea is with the word しか, which has the same meaning but is used with negative sentences in Japanese, although the meaning of the sentence is not translated in the negative.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| この部屋には田中さんしかいません。 | Only Mrs. Tanaka is in this room. |
| 日本語の辞書を一冊しか持っていない。 | I have only one Japanese dictionary. |
数〜 (すう〜) is a prefix that can be added to some words to mean “several….” or “a few…” Some examples are below.
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 数人 | すうにん | a few people, several people |
| 数年 | すうねん | a few years, several years |
| 数回 | すうかい | a few times, several times |
お疲れ様 · そろそろ · はんこ · もしもし · ファイル · ファックス · メール · 上司 · 事務所 · 会議 · 値段 · 名刺 · 失礼 · 工場 · 成功 · 書類 · 残業 · 無理 · 相談 · 社長 · 給料 · 複雑 · 通訳
23 words
The English language has certain sets of verbs that are related to each other but behave differently in a sentence. Transitive verbs like "raise" or "lay" always take a grammatical object. However, intransitive verbs like "rise" or "lie" never do. The same principle works in Japanese, with the examples below.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 上げる・あげる | raise (something) |
| 下げる・さげる | lower (something) |
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 上がる・あがる | rise |
| 下がる・さがる | fall |
So how do you know if and when a verb is transitive or intransitive in Japanese? Aside from noticing which verbs do and do not take grammatical objects, there are a few spelling patterns that can act as clues.
Greetings and set phrases are an extremely important part of Japanese work culture. Below is a sampling of some of the most important points.
| Phrase | Occasion |
|---|---|
| おはようございます | A standard morning greeting, occasionally shorted to ございます、ます、or simply a loud hiss. |
| お疲れ様です・おつかれさまです | A mid-day greeting to acknowledge that someone is doing such a good job that they look tired from doing so. |
| 失礼します・しつれいします | A routine apology said when entering or leaving a room. |
| お先に失礼します・おさきにしつれいします | A routine apology said when leaving work before other people do so. |
| お疲れ様でした・おつかれさまでした | A routine response to "お先に失礼します", acknowledging that the coworker's hard work has been appreciated. |
There are two ways to express the idea of “only” or “just” in Japanese. One of them is with the word だけ, which is used with affirmative sentences.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 百円だけあげます。 | I will give you only a hundred yen. |
| 見ているだけです。 | I am just looking. |
Another way you can express this idea is with the word しか, which has the same meaning but is used with negative sentences in Japanese, although the meaning of the sentence is not translated in the negative.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| この部屋には田中さんしかいません。 | Only Mrs. Tanaka is in this room. |
| 日本語の辞書を一冊しか持っていない。 | I have only one Japanese dictionary. |
数〜 (すう〜) is a prefix that can be added to some words to mean “several….” or “a few…” Some examples are below.
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 数人 | すうにん | a few people, several people |
| 数年 | すうねん | a few years, several years |
| 数回 | すうかい | a few times, several times |
The phrase のに has many different uses in Japanese. One of the meanings is “in order to (perform an action).” In this construction “AのにB” would be “I did B in order to A,” in which のに follows a verb in the short form. Some examples are listed below.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 父は新聞を読むのに眼鏡を掛けました。 | My father put on his glasses in order to read the newspaper. |
| この島へ来るのに飛行機を二回乗り換えた。 | I transferred planes twice to come to this island. |
あなた · お兄さん · お姉さん · ご · だれ · 両親 · 兄 · 兄弟 · 妹 · 姉 · 姉妹 · 子ども · 家族 · 弟 · 彼 · 彼ら · 彼女 · 誰
18 words
Japanese uses a number of terms for family members. Some use the honorific form, which is typically reserved for someone else's family members, while others use a shorter, more casual form, reserved for your own family members.
Still, these rules are not hard and fast. You will still hear children use the honorific form to address their own mother or father.
| Family Member | Honorific Form | Personal Form |
|---|---|---|
| Older Brother | お兄さん (おにいさん) | 兄 (あに) |
| Older Sister | お姉さん (おねえさん) | 姉 (あね) |
| Younger Brother | 弟さん (おとうとさん) | 弟 (おとうと) |
| Younger Sister | 妹さん (いもうとさん) | 妹 (いもうと) |
| Child | お子さん (おこさん) | 子供 (こども) |
| Parents | ご両親 (ごりょうしん) | 両親 (りょうしん) |
| Father | お父さん (おとうさん) | 父 (ちち) |
| Mother | お母さん (おかあさん) | 母 (はは) |
| Grandfather | お祖父さん (おじいさん) | 祖父 (そふ) |
| Grandmother | お祖母さん (おばあさん) | 祖母 (そぼ) |
| Uncle Older than Parent | 伯父さん (おじさん) | 伯父 (おじ) |
| Aunt Older than Parent | 伯母さん (おばさん) | 伯母 (おば) |
| Uncle Younger than Parent | 叔父さん (おじさん) | 叔父 (おじ) |
| Aunt Younger than Parent | 叔母さん (おばさん) | 叔母 (おば) |
| Husband | ご主人 (ごしゅじん) | 夫 (おっと) |
| Wife | 奥さん (おくさん) | 妻 (つま) |
かどうか · ことに · なさい · はず · ほら · プラスチック · ペットボトル · リサイクル · 会話 · 倍 · 安全 · 確か · 禁止 · 禁煙 · 約束 · 責任
16 words
Two grammatical elements in Japanese are especially important when describing responsibility and expectation.
The noun はず describes the way something is expected to be.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 医者は医学を勉強するはずだ。 | Doctors are supposed to study medicine. |
The noun べき、however, describes responsibilities and obligations with a more moralistic bent.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 学校に行くべきです。 | I should go to school. |
Because べき can come across as harsh, it is most often used to describe one's own obligations. For talking about other people, "ほうがいい" is often used instead.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 学校に行ったほうがいい。 | You should go to school. |
The causative form is used to express the fact when someone lets or forces someone to do something. It is created by adding a form of 〜あせる or 〜あせます to the end of a verb stem. When the person who is requested to perform the action is followed by に、this usually translates to "let someone do something."
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 彼らは彼にアメリカへ行かせた。 | They let him go to the US. |
When this person is followed by を、however, this usually implies that the person had no choice in the matter.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 彼らは彼をアメリカへ行かせた。 | They made him go to the US. |
This distinction is not a hard-and-fast rule, however, and the context of the sentence is usually enough to determine the difference. Either English translation is possible for either of the Japanese sentences above.
Oftentimes when you want to express your positive emotions in Japanese, you end the sentence with either な or なあ、with the latter expressing an even deeper sense of longing for something. This particle does not translate directly into English, but it often acts similarly to the previously-introduced particle ね、which establishes a "harmony of understanding" between the speaker and listener.
| Example | Translation | Emotional Depth |
|---|---|---|
| いいね。 | Isn't that nice! | neutral |
| いいな。 | Isn't that nice! | medium |
| いいなあ。 | Isn't that nice! | high |
This course introduced the polite phrase 〜ましょう relatively early on. This usually translates to "let's ... " but not always. If the speaker is referring to an action that is intended to be done alone, it translates better as "I will," a kind of definitive affirmation of one's desire to do something.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 私は銀行に行きましょう。 | I will go to the bank. |
This lesson introduces the casual form of 〜ましょう, which is some iteration of 〜おう or 〜よう depending on the ending of the verb in question.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 私は銀行に行こう。 | I will go to the bank. |
| ピザを食べよう。 | Let's eat pizza. |
| 外であそぼう。 | Let's play outside. |
ああ · なるほど · メモ · 不可能 · 予習 · 具体的 · 分野 · 反応 · 学位 · 教師 · 文法 · 校長 · 欠席 · 理解 · 研究 · 科目
16 words
ひげ · 体重 · 健康 · 働き · 入院 · 具合 · 力 · 喉 · 心臓 · 指 · 歯医者 · 注射 · 熱 · 爪 · 看護師 · 肘 · 肩 · 脳 · 腕 · 膝 · 血 · 見舞い · 調子 · 身長 · 退院 · 首 · 骨
27 words
かっぱ · がり · たこ焼き · のり · 切れ · 回転 · 握り · 軍艦
8 words
として · 人口 · 千葉 · 受付 · 地元 · 場所 · 天皇 · 山口 · 広島 · 戦争 · 文化 · 物価 · 独立 · 生活 · 番組 · 県 · 計画 · 象徴 · 首都
19 words
Japan is divided into different areas, which are known as “prefectures.” Most of these areas will be identified by adding the character 県 (けん) to the end of the area’s name. For instance, if you lived in Yamaguchi prefecture, you would tell people you live in 山口県 (やまぐちけん).
If you’re talking about a city, you would usually add the character 市 (し) to the end of the place name. So if you lived in Chiba City, you would tell people you live in 千葉市 (ちばし).
Did you know that sometimes a prefecture will contain a city of the same name? So if you live in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, you would live in both 千葉県(ちばけん) and 千葉市 (ちばし)!
When discussing someone’s role, you can use the word として in Japanese. The word として comes after the noun or “role” that is being discussed. In English, it’s often translated to the word “as.”
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 友達として私は意見を言いました。 | I said my opinion as a friend. |
| 山口さんは地元の高校で先生として働いています。 | Mr. Yamaguchi is working as a teacher at a local high school. |
ビザ · 列車 · 延長 · 更新 · 標識 · 歩行者 · 渋滞 · 無視 · 白線 · 目 · 辺り · 通過 · 道路 · 遠足
14 words
とりあえず · パーセント · 失敗 · 情報 · 我々 · 挨拶 · 最大 · 産業 · 用事 · 紹介 · 義務 · 自己 · 貿易 · 輸入 · 輸出 · 連絡 · 遅刻
17 words
がっかり · やっと · 不安 · 人気 · 冗談 · 心配 · 恋 · 愛情 · 気分 · 気持ち · 胸 · 自信
12 words
The passive voice in Japanese is a verb form that is unique to each verb ending, yet it is always some iteration of 〜あれる or 〜あれます。
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| 食べる・食べます | 食べられる・食べられます |
| 言う・言います | 言われる・言われます |
| 読む・読みます | 読まれる・読まれます |
Remember that the topic or subject of a passive sentence is the recipient of the given action, and as such, it takes the は or が particle instead of を。
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| りんごは食べられた | The apple was eaten. |
When the passive sentence includes a causative agent, this person or thing is marked with に。
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| りんごは私に食べられた | The apple was eaten by me. |
When you are describing an event that just occurred, you can use the phrase 〜ところ. The phrase follows directly after a verb in the short form. If the verb is in the non-past tense, it describes an action that is just about to happen. If the verb is in the past tense, it describes an event that just happened.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 電車は出たところだ。 | The train just left. |
| 映画を見に行くところだった。 | I was about to go to the movies. |
When you’re giving information from another source, you can use the phrase 〜によると to state your source. It’s used when telling others information that you learned from the news or from another person. We commonly translate the phrase as “according to…”
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 予報によると、明日は雨だそうだ。 | According to the forecast, it will rain tomorrow. |
| 本田さんの話によると、あの映画は面白いらしい。 | According to my conversation with Mr. Honda, that movie is supposed to be interesting. |
お好み焼き · たっぷり · 不足 · 主 · 作物 · 保存 · 冷凍 · 冷凍庫 · 和菓子 · 地方 · 抹茶 · 白米 · 解凍 · 豊富 · 食欲
15 words
This lesson showcases some of the most common instances of formal language for use in business situations.
To make a noun extra formal, one places an お〜 prefix before a word of Japanese origin (typically a word with a single kanji) and a ご〜 prefix before a word of Chinese origin (typically a word with two kanji). We already learned a few examples earlier in the course.
| Ordinary | Formal |
|---|---|
| 水 (みず) | お水 |
| 箸 (はし) | お箸 |
| 両親 (りょうしん) | ご両親 |
| 主人 (しゅじん) | ご主人 |
| 迷惑 (めいわく) | ご迷惑 |
Sometimes a noun will change completely in the transition from ordinary to formal language, often reflecting a parallel change in another part of speech, such as a verb.
| Ordinary | Formal |
|---|---|
| 今日 (きょう) | 本日 (ほんじつ) |
| 言い訳 (いいわけ) | 申し訳 (もうしわけ) |
Adjectives typically do not change grammatical form in formal speech, but they are replaced with more formal varieties.
| Ordinary | Formal |
|---|---|
| 良い (いい・よい) | 宜しい (よろしい) |
For verbs, there is a mixed system. As introduced in an earlier lesson, some verbs adopt an お〜 prefix and may adopt the use of the copula です。
| Ordinary | Formal |
|---|---|
| 入りますか？ | お入りですか？ |
| 待ってください。 | お待ちください。 |
Meanwhile, some verbs are replaced with more formal variants.
| Ordinary | Formal |
|---|---|
| する | 致します (いたします) (one's own actions) |
| する | なさいます (someone else's actions) |
| ある | ございます |
| もらう | いただきます |
| くれる | くださいます |
| 行く・来る | いらっしゃいます |
| 言う | 申します (もうします) |
| だ・です | である (written form) |
| だ・です | でございます (spoken form) |
| 食べる | 召し上がります (めしあがります) |
Remember that formal language uses the polite 〜ます form at the end of each sentence. Ending a formal sentence with the plain form, だ or だろう sounds odd and incongruous with the context.
という · 会社員 · 公務員 · 利益 · 同僚 · 年金 · 店員 · 持ち主 · 調整 · 転勤 · 農家
11 words
くしゃみ · ストレス · 咳 · 患者 · 手首 · 汗 · 肌 · 肺 · 腹 · 舌 · 車椅子
11 words
When you’re staying overnight somewhere, you would use the counter word 泊 (はく) to count the number of nights you stay somewhere. Please take note that some of the readings are irregular!
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一泊 | いっぱく (ippaku) | one (night of a stay) |
| 二泊 | にはく (nihaku) | two (nights of a stay) |
| 三泊 | さんぱく (sanpaku) | three (nights of a stay) |
| 四泊 | よんはく (yonhaku) | four (nights of a stay) |
| 五泊 | ごはく (gohaku) | five (nights of a stay) |
| 六泊 | ろっぱく (roppaku) | six (nights of a stay) |
| 七泊 | ななはく (nanahaku) | seven (nights of a stay) |
| 八泊 | はっぱく (happaku) | eight (nights of a stay) |
| 九泊 | きゅうはく (kyuuhaku) | nine (nights of a stay) |
| 十泊 | じゅっぱく (juppaku) | ten (nights of a stay) |
Below are some example sentences.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 名古屋で三泊した。 | I spent three nights in Nagoya. |
| このホテルは一泊四万円です。 | This hotel is forty thousand yen for one night. |
You can use the word ある before a noun to specify that you’re talking about a certain thing without going into specifics about it.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 彼はあるホテルに泊まりました。 | He stayed at a certain hotel. |
| 私は貴重品をいつもある所にしまっている。 | I always keep my valuables in a certain place. |
Don’t forget about transitive and intransitive verbs! Transitive verbs are verbs that take a direct object, while intransitive verbs are verbs that do not take a direct object. Transitive and intransitive verbs often occur in pairs, and even though the dictionary definition for both words is sometimes the same, their usage differs.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 止める (とめる) | to stop (transitive) |
| 止まる (とまる) | to stop (intransitive) |
Remember that the particle を is used to mark the direct object of a sentence, so you would use it with a transitive verb.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 運転手は急に車を止めた。 | The driver suddenly stopped the car. |
| バスが急に止まった。 | The bus stopped suddenly. |
かんぱい · すてき · 二日酔い · 令和 · 出来事 · 国旗 · 居酒屋 · 平成 · 式 · 招待 · 日常 · 日本酒 · 昭和 · 祝日 · 花火 · 行事 · 贈り物 · 飲み会
18 words
なんて · わがまま · ショック · 一切 · 友人 · 大嫌い · 後悔 · 我慢 · 死 · 気 · 緊張 · 退屈
12 words
しろ · ただ · な · な · 先輩 · 後輩 · 態度 · 来い · 止まれ · 的 · 非難 · 頑張れ
12 words
Welcome to the casual language in the Japanese course! The reason that colloquial language is listed late in the tree is that we wanted you to understand the importance of politeness when speaking with strangers or coworkers.
When you speak with friends in casual settings or watch anime, you may hear a lot of expressions that you have yet to be introduced to.
There are two male pronouns reserved for casual settings, 俺 (おれ), meaning "I" or "me," and お前 (おまえ) meaning "you." In formal settings, use of these pronouns is considered confrontational and impolite. Both 俺 and お前 sound extremely rough and masculine, which is why typically they are reserved for boys or men who are teenagers or older.
In addition, you may hear women and girls use the pronoun あたし (sometimes written 私) to refer to themselves. This is not considered as polite as わたし、but considerably more so than 俺。
In polite and written Japanese, grammatical particles that mark parts of speech, such as は and が、see heavy use. However, in more casual settings, they are often dropped when the meaning is clear without them. In Japanese just as in English, formality and sentence length go hand-in-hand.
| Formal | Casual |
|---|---|
| あなたは今どこですか？ | 今、どこ？ |
| あの方はどなたですか？ | 彼、誰？ |
| それでは、行きましょう。 | よし、行こう。 |
When you’ve done something unintentionally, you can use the word つい to emphasize the fact that it was an accident. It’s often paired with the V+てしまう form, and it’s generally used to express regret over having done something you know you shouldn’t have done.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 友達と話していてもついスマホを見てしまう。 | Even when I am talking with my friends, I wind up looking at my smartphone unintentionally. |
This sentence has a connotation of something like, “I wind up looking at my smartphone (even though I know that I shouldn’t).”
You can also use the word うっかり to express that you’ve done something carelessly or accidentally.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| うっかりエアコンを消し忘れた。 | I carelessly forgot to turn off the air conditioner. |
Did you know that Japan has four seasons?
Many who have visited Japan have been asked this question, and for good reason. Unlike in many parts of the world, the four seasons in Japan are quite distinct and a core part of Japanese culture. The cyclical nature of the year has been celebrated on the archipelago for millennia with festivals, rituals, and seasonal food.
Spring is the traditional start of the year, a time of new beginnings, a new school year, and a new year on the business calendar. Cherry blossoms bloom throughout Japan to mark the transition into spring. Families and friends gather underneath the blossoming trees and have picnics with rice dumplings (団子・だんご) and various beverages.
Summer is remarkably hot and humid throughout Japan, especially in areas away from the mountains or the sea. Summer festivals offer a respite from the heat with flavored shaved ice (かき氷・かきごおり) and cool drinks. Near the end of summer, many in Japan return to their hometowns to celebrate the Bon Festival, a holiday to commemorate the spirits of one's ancestors.
Autumn is the season when the maple leaves turn a colorful spectrum of red, orange, and gold. The weather cools down, and the true bounty of the harvest takes the form of the many delicacies available at this time, including baked sweet potato and a warming, broth-based stew (おでん).
Winter is the season for heavy snow in the mountains of central Japan and throughout the north and northwest of the country. On New Years, Japanese people traditionally eat long buckwheat noodles (そば) as a wish for future health and longevity. Department stores celebrate the new year with mystery grab bags. Sapporo holds its annual snow festival in February, complete with enormous sculptures that attract visitors from around the world.
While many consider Japanese to be very difficult to learn for native English speakers, this is only partially true. Many aspects of the Japanese language are quite simple, such as the sound system, and yes, even most of the grammar.
Japanese uses three different writing systems, hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
Hiragana is the most basic Japanese syllabary. It's like an alphabet that uses syllables instead of individual sounds.
Katakana is the syllabary used to write foreign words and some noises. Although it's different from hiragana, it represents the exact same syllables.
Kanji are Chinese characters used in the Japanese language to write individual nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Kanji are not phonetic, meaning you need to memorize each pronunciation individually. In this course, we introduce kanji gradually and methodically.
Below are the most basic forms of Japanese hiragana. We'll be introducing some more later as well.
| Japanese | IPA, Notes |
|---|---|
| あ | [a] |
| い | [i] |
| う | [ɯ], like the oo in food |
| え | [e] |
| お | [o] |
| か | [ka] |
| き | [ki] |
| く | [kɯ] |
| け | [ke] |
| こ | [ko] |
| さ | [sa] |
| し | [ɕi], like the shee in sheep |
| す | [sɯ], although it can shorten to more of a [s] at the end of a word |
| せ | [se] |
| そ | [so] |
| た | [ta] |
| ち | [tɕi], like the tch in itchy |
| つ | [tsɯ], like the ts in cats |
| て | [te] |
| と | [to] |
| な | [na] |
| に | [ni] |
| ぬ | [nɯ] |
| ね | [ne] |
| の | [no] |
| は | [ha], although pronounced like [ɰa] or "wa" as a particle |
| ひ | [çi], like the h in human |
| ふ | [ɸɯ], roughly between a short "hoo" and "foo" |
| へ | [he], although pronounced like [e] or "eh" as a particle |
| ほ | [ho] |
| ま | [ma] |
| み | [mi] |
| む | [mɯ] |
| め | [me] |
| も | [mo] |
| や | [ja] |
| ゆ | [jɯ] |
| よ | [jo] |
| ら | [ɾa], like the t in the American pronunciation of butter |
| り | [ɾi] |
| る | [ɾɯ] |
| れ | [ɾe] |
| ろ | [ɾo] |
| わ | [ɰa] |
| を | [o], although it's most often romanized as "wo" |
| ん | [n] or [ŋ], like the n in pink, producing a [m] when combined with a bilabial stop, hence "tempura" and not "tenpura" |
As the only solitary consonant in hiragana, ん is especially notable because it is only found at the end of another syllable. In other words, you will never read a Japanese word that begins with ん。
Enjoy the course!
While many consider Japanese to be very difficult to learn for native English speakers, this is only partially true. Many aspects of the Japanese language are quite simple, such as the sound system, and yes, even most of the grammar.
Japanese uses three different writing systems, hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
Hiragana is the most basic Japanese syllabary. It's like an alphabet that uses syllables instead of individual sounds.
Katakana is the syllabary used to write foreign words and some noises. Although it's different from hiragana, it represents the exact same syllables.
Kanji are Chinese characters used in the Japanese language to write individual nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Kanji are not phonetic, meaning you need to memorize each pronunciation individually. In this course, we introduce kanji gradually and methodically.
In Basics 1, we'll start introducing the hiragana writing system through six simple words.
すし or "sushi," the famous Japanese rice dish. す is the character for "su" and し is the character for "shi."
みず or "mizu," meaning "water." み is the character for "mi" and ず is the character for "zu." The two dashes on the upper-right side of ず change its pronunciation from "su" to "zu."
にく or "niku," meaning "meat." に is the character for "ni" and く is the character for "ku."
もち or "mochi," a soft Japanese rice cake. も is the character for "mo" and ち is the character for "chi."
そば or "soba," Japanese buckwheat noodles. そ is the character for "so" and ば is the character for "ba." The two dashes on the upper-right side of ば change its pronunciation from "ha" to "ba."
おちゃ or "ocha," meaning "green tea." お is the character for "o" and ちゃ is the set of characters for "cha." The regular-sized ちや would be pronounced with two syllables, "chi-ya." The small ゃ in ちゃ changes the pronunciation from "chi-ya" to "cha."
While many consider Japanese to be very difficult to learn for native English speakers, this is only partially true. Many aspects of the Japanese language are quite simple, such as the sound system, and yes, even most of the grammar.
Japanese uses three different writing systems, hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
Hiragana is the most basic Japanese syllabary. It's like an alphabet that uses syllables instead of individual sounds.
Katakana is the syllabary used to write foreign words and some noises. Although it's different from hiragana, it represents the exact same syllables.
Kanji are Chinese characters used in the Japanese language to write individual nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Kanji are not phonetic, meaning you need to memorize each pronunciation individually. In this course, we introduce kanji gradually and methodically.
In Basics 1, we'll start introducing the hiragana writing system through six simple words.
すし or "sushi," the famous Japanese rice dish. す is the character for "su" and し is the character for "shi."
みず or "mizu," meaning "water." み is the character for "mi" and ず is the character for "zu." The two dashes on the upper-right side of ず change its pronunciation from "su" to "zu."
にく or "niku," meaning "meat." に is the character for "ni" and く is the character for "ku."
もち or "mochi," a soft Japanese rice cake. も is the character for "mo" and ち is the character for "chi."
そば or "soba," Japanese buckwheat noodles. そ is the character for "so" and ば is the character for "ba." The two dashes on the upper-right side of ば change its pronunciation from "ha" to "ba."
おちゃ or "ocha," meaning "green tea." お is the character for "o" and ちゃ is the set of characters for "cha." The regular-sized ちや would be pronounced with two syllables, "chi-ya." The small ゃ in ちゃ changes the pronunciation from "chi-ya" to "cha."
In Basics 2, we'll continue introducing the hiragana writing system through an additional six words.
たかい or "takai," meaning "expensive." た is the character for "ta," か is the character for "ka," and い is the character for "i."
ごはん or "gohan," meaning "rice." ご is the character for "go," は is the character for "ha," and ん is the character for "n." The two dashes on the upper-right side of ご change its pronunciation from "ko" to "go."
おいしい or "oishii," meaning "tasty." お is the character for "o," い is the character for "i," and し is the character for "shi."
と or "to," meaning "and." Keep in mind that と can only be used to connect nouns, not full sentences.
はし or "hashi," meaning "chopsticks." は is the character for "ha" and し is the character for "shi."
しろい or "shiroi," meaning "white." し is the character for "shi," ろ is the character for "ro," and い is the character for "i." Notice that many adjectives in Japanese end in the い or "i" character.
Below are the most basic forms of Japanese hiragana. We'll be introducing some more later as well.
| Japanese | IPA, Notes |
|---|---|
| あ | [a] |
| い | [i] |
| う | [ɯ], like the oo in food |
| え | [e] |
| お | [o] |
| か | [ka] |
| き | [ki] |
| く | [kɯ] |
| け | [ke] |
| こ | [ko] |
| さ | [sa] |
| し | [ɕi], like the shee in sheep |
| す | [sɯ], although it can shorten to more of a [s] at the end of a word |
| せ | [se] |
| そ | [so] |
| た | [ta] |
| ち | [tɕi], like the tch in itchy |
| つ | [tsɯ], like the ts in cats |
| て | [te] |
| と | [to] |
| な | [na] |
| に | [ni] |
| ぬ | [nɯ] |
| ね | [ne] |
| の | [no] |
| は | [ha], although pronounced like [ɰa] or "wa" as a particle |
| ひ | [çi], like the h in human |
| ふ | [ɸɯ], roughly between a short "hoo" and "foo" |
| へ | [he], although pronounced like [e] or "eh" as a particle |
| ほ | [ho] |
| ま | [ma] |
| み | [mi] |
| む | [mɯ] |
| め | [me] |
| も | [mo] |
| や | [ja] |
| ゆ | [jɯ] |
| よ | [jo] |
| ら | [ɾa], like the t in the American pronunciation of butter |
| り | [ɾi] |
| る | [ɾɯ] |
| れ | [ɾe] |
| ろ | [ɾo] |
| わ | [ɰa] |
| を | [o], although it's most often romanized as "wo" |
| ん | [n] or [ŋ], like the n in pink, producing a [m] when combined with a bilabial stop, hence "tempura" and not "tenpura" |
As the only solitary consonant in hiragana, ん is especially notable because it is only found at the end of another syllable. In other words, you will never read a Japanese word that begins with ん。
In Numbers 1, we'll continue introducing the hiragana writing system through the Japanese numbers one through six.
いち or "ichi," meaning "one." い is the character for "i" and ち is the character for "chi."
に or "ni," meaning "two."
さん or "san," meaning "three." さ is the character for "sa" and ん is the character for "n."
よん or "yon," meaning "four." よ is the character for "yo" and ん is the character for "n." Note that another word for "four" is し or "shi," but this is less common than よん。
ご or "go," meaning "five." The two dashes on the upper-right side of ご change its pronunciation from "ko" to "go."
ろく or "roku," meaning "six." ろ is the character for "ro" and く is the character for "ku."
The phrase "thank you" in Japanese is dependent on the situation. Below is a table of the most common forms, from least to most formal. Note that the formality increases with the length of the phrase.
| Japanese | Explanation |
|---|---|
| どうも | Thanks, used with friends. |
| ありがとう | Thank you, used with friends. |
| どうもありがとう | Thank you very much, used with friends. |
| ありがとうございます | Thank you, used with strangers, teachers, and bosses. |
| どうもありがとうございます | Thank you very much, used with strangers, teachers, and bosses. |
If you'd like to thank someone for something they did in the past, you change the ございます ending to ございました。
| Japanese | Explanation |
|---|---|
| ありがとうございました | Thank you for what you did, used with strangers, teachers, and bosses. |
| どうもありがとうございました | Thank you very much for what you did, used with strangers, teachers, and bosses. |
This skill introduces two very important words in Japanese, これ and それ。
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| これ "kore" | this, this one |
| それ "sore" | that, that one |
Keep in mind that これ is used to describe things that are close to the speaker, just like the English "this one." それ is used to describe things that are close to the listener, just like the English "that one."
In this skill, we'll continue introducing the hiragana writing system through six additional words.
です or "desu," meaning "is," "are," or "am." で is the character for "de" and す is the character for "su." The two dashes on the upper-right side of で change its pronunciation from "te" to "de." Notice how the final "u" sound of です is usually dropped. Most often, です is pronounced closer to "des."
みせ or "mise," meaning "store" or "shop." み is the character for "mi" and せ is the character for "se." Note how there are no words for "the" or "a" in Japanese. There's also no way to express that there's more than one of something. Therefore, みせ can mean "a store," "the store," "stores," or "the stores."
やすい or "yasui," meaning "cheap" or "inexpensive." や is the character for "ya," す is the character for "su," and い is the character for "i." Much like in English, Japanese adjectives come before the nouns they modify.
えき or "eki," meaning "train station." え is the character for "e" and き is the character for "ki."
まち or "machi," meaning "town." ま is the character for "ma" and ち is the character for "chi."
ちいさい or "chiisai," meaning "small." ち is the character for "chi," い is the character for "i," and さ is the character for "sa."
Below are the most basic forms of Japanese hiragana. We'll be introducing some more later as well.
| Japanese | IPA, Notes |
|---|---|
| あ | [a] |
| い | [i] |
| う | [ɯ], like the oo in food |
| え | [e] |
| お | [o] |
| か | [ka] |
| き | [ki] |
| く | [kɯ] |
| け | [ke] |
| こ | [ko] |
| さ | [sa] |
| し | [ɕi], like the shee in sheep |
| す | [sɯ], although it can shorten to more of a [s] at the end of a word |
| せ | [se] |
| そ | [so] |
| た | [ta] |
| ち | [tɕi], like the tch in itchy |
| つ | [tsɯ], like the ts in cats |
| て | [te] |
| と | [to] |
| な | [na] |
| に | [ni] |
| ぬ | [nɯ] |
| ね | [ne] |
| の | [no] |
| は | [ha], although pronounced like [ɰa] or "wa" as a particle |
| ひ | [çi], like the h in human |
| ふ | [ɸɯ], roughly between a short "hoo" and "foo" |
| へ | [he], although pronounced like [e] or "eh" as a particle |
| ほ | [ho] |
| ま | [ma] |
| み | [mi] |
| む | [mɯ] |
| め | [me] |
| も | [mo] |
| や | [ja] |
| ゆ | [jɯ] |
| よ | [jo] |
| ら | [ɾa], like the t in the American pronunciation of butter |
| り | [ɾi] |
| る | [ɾɯ] |
| れ | [ɾe] |
| ろ | [ɾo] |
| わ | [ɰa] |
| を | [o], although it's most often romanized as "wo" |
| ん | [n] or [ŋ], like the n in pink, producing a [m] when combined with a bilabial stop, hence "tempura" and not "tenpura" |
As the only solitary consonant in hiragana, ん is especially notable because it is only found at the end of another syllable. In other words, you will never read a Japanese word that begins with ん。
In the following skill, we introduce a few more elements to basic hiragana.
Putting two little dashes or dakuten at the upper right corner of a hiragana syllable voices the consonant. It changes the pronunciation of the hiragana in the following way:
| Sound | Sound with Dakuten | Example |
|---|---|---|
| k | g | か (ka) → が (ga) |
| s | z | さ (sa) → ざ (za), し (shi) → じ (ji)* |
| t | d | た (ta) → だ (da), つ (tsu) → づ (zu)* |
| h | b | は (ha) → ば (ba) |
Putting a little circle or handakuten at the upper right corner changes the pronunciation of the は-ひ-ふ-へ-ほ hiragana in the following way:
| Sound | Sound with Handakuten | Example |
|---|---|---|
| h | p | は (ha) → ぱ (pa) |
Putting a っ (small tsu) between two hiragana syllables doubles the letter right after っ and introduces a short pause between two sounds. See some examples below:
| Without っ | With っ |
|---|---|
| きて (kite) | きって (kitte) |
| もと (moto) | もっと (motto) |
| あさり (asari) | あっさり (assari) |
Lastly, this skill introduces the big and small versions of three sounds in hiragana. A small や、ゆ、or よ changes the pronunciation of a word in the following way:
| Big や-ゆ-よ | Small や-ゆ-よ |
|---|---|
| きや [ki-ya] | きゃ [kya] |
| きゆ [ki-yu] | きゅ [kyu] |
| きよ [ki-yo] | きょ [kyo] |
The small character changes the two-syllable construction into a one-syllable construction. Sometimes, the difference can lead to a real change in meaning, as shown below:
| Big よ | Small よ |
|---|---|
| びよういん [bi-yō-in] "beauty salon" | びょういん [byō-in] "hospital" |
In this skill, you'll learn how to form basic questions in Japanese.
To turn a polite statement into a question, all you need to do is add the particle か or "ka" at the end of the sentence.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| いいです。"ii desu." | It's good. |
| いいですか？"ii desu-ka?" | Is it good? |
We use か for all question types, regardless of whether we're talking about adjectives or nouns.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| かさです。"kasa desu." | It's an umbrella. |
| かさですか？"kasa desu-ka?" | Is it an umbrella? |
In this skill, you'll also learn the Japanese words for "yes" and "no."
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| はい "hai" | yes |
| いいえ "iie" | no |
Below are some useful phrases for interacting with other people.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| すみません "sumimasen" | excuse me |
| こんにちは "konnichiwa" | hello |
| ありがとう "arigatou" | thank you |
In Japanese, you can use the suffix さん or "san" at the end of someone's name to show them respect. You can use さん at the end of their given name or family name.
| Japanese Name | Japanese Name with さん |
|---|---|
| はな "Hana" | はなさん "Hana-san" |
| けん "Ken" | けんさん "Ken-san" |
| たなか "Tanaka" | たなかさん "Tanaka-san" |
In Japanese, we never use the さん suffix after our own name.
Keep in mind that there are no words for a or the in Japanese. There's also no way to show if something is singular or plural. We can usually understand what someone means through context. Therefore, a Japanese word usually has several possible translations in English, as shown below.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| いぬ "inu" | a dog |
| いぬ "inu" | the dog |
| いぬ "inu" | dogs |
| いぬ "inu" | the dogs |
This skill introduces the names of three animals and three adjectives for describing them.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| いぬ "inu" | dog |
| ねこ "neko" | cat |
| とり "tori" | bird |
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| くろい "kuroi" | black |
| おおきい "ookii" | big |
| かわいい "kawaii" | cute |
This skill introduces two very important words in Japanese, これ and それ。
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| これ "kore" | this, this one |
| それ "sore" | that, that one |
Keep in mind that これ is used to describe things that are close to the speaker, just like the English "this one." それ is used to describe things that are close to the listener, just like the English "that one."
| Japanese | IPA, Notes |
|---|---|
| ク | [kɯ] |
| ソ | [so] |
| テ | [te] |
| バ | [ba] |
| サ | [sa] |
| ゼ | [ze] |
| モ | [mo] |
| ボ | [bo] |
| ホ | [ho] |
| カ | [ka] |
| ニ | [ni] |
| ゴ | [go] |
| ユ | [jɯ] |
| ケ | [ke] |
| チ | [tɕi], like the tch in itchy |
| ヌ | [nɯ] |
| ビ | [bi] |
| レ | [ɾe] |
Japanese verbs, including the copula です、can be used as they are with any subject, regardless of gender or number. This means that Japanese sentences often have many possible English equivalents.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| がくせいです。 | He's a student. |
| がくせいです。 | She's a student. |
| がくせいです。 | They're students. |
This skill introduces several words that describe people. You can reference them below.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| がくせい "gakusei" | student |
| ともだち "tomodachi" | friend |
| いしゃ "isha" | doctor |
| せんせい "sensei" | teacher |
Below is a table of the six kanji that are introduced in this skill, complete with possible readings.
| Kanji | Meaning | Kunyomi Reading | Onyomi Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | One | ひと•つ | いち |
| 二 | Two | ふた•つ | に |
| 三 | Three | みっ•つ | さん |
| 時 | Time | とき | じ |
| 今 | Now | いま | こん |
| 分 | Minute, Part | わ•かる | ふん、ぶん |
Below is a table of the six kanji that are introduced in this skill, complete with possible readings.
| Kanji | Meaning | Kunyomi Reading | Onyomi Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | One | ひと•つ | いち |
| 二 | Two | ふた•つ | に |
| 三 | Three | みっ•つ | さん |
| 時 | Time | とき | じ |
| 今 | Now | いま | こん |
| 分 | Minute, Part | わ•かる | ふん、ぶん |
The particle へ indicates a direction towards which something or someone moves. This movement is the direction away from the current location. When used as a particle, へ is pronounced as [e].
The particle に with a time expression indicates a specific point in time. に can also express times on a clock, days of the week, or years.
| Direction | English | Location or Time | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 会社・かいしゃへ | to the office | ３時・じに | at 3 o’clock |
| 学校・がっこうへ | to school | 月曜日・げつようびに | on Monday |
| 日本・にほんへ | to Japan | ５月・がつに | in May |
| アメリカへ | to America | ２０１６年・ねんに | in 2016 |
Below is a table of the four kanji that are introduced in this skill, complete with possible readings.
| Kanji | Meaning | Kunyomi Reading | Onyomi Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 行 | Go | い•く | こう |
| 校 | School | こう | |
| 午 | Noon | ご | |
| 後 | After | あと、うし•ろ | ご |
There are two ways to express the idea of “only” or “just” in Japanese. One of them is with the word だけ, which is used with affirmative sentences.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 百円だけあげます。 | I will give you only a hundred yen. |
| 見ているだけです。 | I am just looking. |
Another way you can express this idea is with the word しか, which has the same meaning but is used with negative sentences in Japanese, although the meaning of the sentence is not translated in the negative.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| この部屋には田中さんしかいません。 | Only Mrs. Tanaka is in this room. |
| 日本語の辞書を一冊しか持っていない。 | I have only one Japanese dictionary. |
数〜 (すう〜) is a prefix that can be added to some words to mean “several….” or “a few…” Some examples are below.
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 数人 | すうにん | a few people, several people |
| 数年 | すうねん | a few years, several years |
| 数回 | すうかい | a few times, several times |
The phrase のに has many different uses in Japanese. One of the meanings is “in order to (perform an action).” In this construction “AのにB” would be “I did B in order to A,” in which のに follows a verb in the short form. Some examples are listed below.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 父は新聞を読むのに眼鏡を掛けました。 | My father put on his glasses in order to read the newspaper. |
| この島へ来るのに飛行機を二回乗り換えた。 | I transferred planes twice to come to this island. |
This lesson will begin introducing katakana. Like hiragana, katakana is a Japanese phonetic writing system. It's used for several things, but one of the most common uses is for foreign words.
| Japanese | IPA, Notes |
|---|---|
| ア | [a] |
| エ | [e] |
| オ | [o] |
| イ | [i] |
| リ | [ɾi] |
| ラ | [ɾa], like the t in the American pronunciation of butter |
| カ | [ka] |
| メ | [me] |
| キ | [ki] |
| フ | [ɸɯ], roughly between a short "hoo" and "foo" |
| コ | [ko] |
| マ | [ma] |
| シ | [ɕi], like the shee in sheep |
| ン | [n] or [ŋ], like the n in pink, producing a [m] when combined with a bilabial stop, hence "tempura" and not "tenpura" |
| ス | [sɯ], although it can shorten to more of a [s] at the end of a word |
| タ | [ta] |
| ロ | [ɾo] |
| ヨ | [jo] |
| ー | long vowel mark, used to extend the vowel sound that precedes it |
| Japanese | IPA, Notes |
|---|---|
| ギ | [gi] |
| ジ | [dʑi], like the jee in jeep |
| パ | [pa] |
| ピ | [pi] |
If you sound out the words below using katakana characters, you might find some familiar words! Some of the pronunciation is a little different than its English equivalent, though.
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| カメラ | kamera | camera |
| アメリカ | Amerika | the US |
| マリア | Maria | Maria (female given name) |
| アフリカ | Afurika | Africa |
| メキシコ | Mekishiko | Mexico |
| フランス | Furansu | France |
| エリカ | Erika | Erika (female given name) |
| マリオ | Mario | Mario (male given name) |
Just be careful - not all words written in katakana were taken from English!
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| イギリス | Igirisu | the UK |
| イタリア | Itaria | Italy |
| ローマ | Rōma | Rome |
Not all foreign loan words in Japanese are directly equivalent to their English counterparts! For instance, in Japanese アメリカ (Amerika) isn't commonly used to refer to all of North America or to both North and South America - it's used almost exclusively to mean "the United States." However, イギリス (Igirisu) can be used to refer to both "the UK" and "England."
あります and います are very special verbs in Japanese that refer to something's existence. They're often translated into English as "there is" or "there are." Even though they're often translated identically, they describe different objects:
The Japanese language uses special counting words to count things, actions, and events. You use these words when you want to mention a specific number of a certain noun. Below is how they are typically formed.
| Noun | Particle | Number + Counter | Verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鳥・とり | が | 二羽・にわ | います |
In Japanese, you also have the option of placing the number and counter before the noun, but this is less common and typically involves an additional particle.
| Number + Counter | の | Noun | Particle | Verb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 二羽・にわ | の | 鳥・とり | が | います |
Below is a table for 羽、the counting word introduced in this lesson. 羽 is a counter used just for birds and rabbits.
| Number | Form of 羽 |
|---|---|
| １・一・いち | 一羽・いちわ |
| ２・二・に | 二羽・にわ |
| ３・三・さん | 三羽・さんわ |
| ４・四・よん | 四羽・よんわ |
| ５・五・ご | 五羽・ごわ |
| ６・六・ろく | 六羽・ろくわ |
| ７・七・なな | 七羽・しちわ |
| ８・八・はち | 八羽・はちわ |
| ９・九・きゅう | 九羽・きゅうわ |
| １０・十・じゅう | 十羽・じゅうわ |
Below you will find the kanji for all of the vocabulary words in this skill.
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning | Components |
|---|---|---|---|
| 台所 | だいどころ | kitchen | pedestal + place |
| 部屋 | へや | room | division + dwelling |
| 風呂 | ふろ | bath | wind + spine |
| 庭 | にわ | yard, garden | |
| 家 | いえ | house | |
| 窓 | まど | window | |
| 猫 | ねこ | cat | |
| 犬 | いぬ | dog | |
| 鳥 | とり | bird | |
| 椅子 | いす | chair | chair + small thing |
| 机 | つくえ | desk |
This lesson introduces the non-phonetic writing system of Japanese, kanji. Kanji literally means "Chinese characters," and they're used to build content words like nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
So how do you read kanji? Most kanji have at least two possible readings. Typically, one reading is derived from a native Japanese word, and one reading is derived from a Chinese loanword. These are called "kunyomi" ("meaning reading") and "onyomi" ("sound reading") respectively.
Let's take the kanji for "country," 国。On its own, we use the Japanese "kunyomi" reading, くに。In Japanese, くに means "country." However, in compounds, we use the "onyomi" reading of こく。Therefore, China, 中国 or "middle country," is read as ちゅうごく。
So why isn't it ちゅうこく？This is due to a phenomenon known as "rendaku" or "sequential voicing." Syllables that come later in a word are sometimes voiced and marked with a dakuten. This is often rather unpredictable, so rendaku words should be memorized individually.
Below is a table of the six kanji that are introduced in this lesson, complete with possible readings.
| Kanji | Meaning | Kunyomi Reading | Onyomi Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 人 | Person | ひと | じん、にん |
| 中 | Middle | なか | ちゅう |
| 国 | Country | くに | こく |
| 日 | Sun, Day | ひ | にち、じつ |
| 本 | Origin, Book | もと | ほん |
| 田 | Rice Paddy | た | でん |
You may have noticed that the word Japan, or 日本 is composed of the kanji meaning "sun" and "origin." This word was first adopted by the Chinese, and to them, Japan was off to the east, the place where the sun rose or "originated."
This lesson also introduces katakana, the phonetic Japanese writing system used for foreign words. See their pronunciation below.
| Japanese | IPA, Notes |
|---|---|
| ア | [a] |
| イ | [i] |
| ウ | [ɯ], like the oo in food |
| エ | [e] |
| オ | [o] |
| カ | [ka] |
| キ | [ki] |
| ク | [kɯ] |
| ケ | [ke] |
| コ | [ko] |
| サ | [sa] |
| シ | [ɕi], like the shee in sheep |
| ス | [sɯ], although it can shorten to more of a [s] at the end of a word |
| セ | [se] |
| ソ | [so] |
| タ | [ta] |
| チ | [tɕi], like the tch in itchy |
| ツ | [tsɯ], like the ts in cats |
| テ | [te] |
| ト | [to] |
| ナ | [na] |
| ニ | [ni] |
| ヌ | [nɯ] |
| ネ | [ne] |
| ノ | [no] |
| ハ | [ha] |
| ヒ | [çi], like the h in human |
| フ | [ɸɯ], roughly between a short "hoo" and "foo" |
| ヘ | [he] |
| ホ | [ho] |
| マ | [ma] |
| ミ | [mi] |
| ム | [mɯ] |
| メ | [me] |
| モ | [mo] |
| ヤ | [ja] |
| ユ | [jɯ] |
| ヨ | [jo] |
| ラ | [ɾa], like the t in the American pronunciation of butter |
| リ | [ɾi] |
| ル | [ɾɯ] |
| レ | [ɾe] |
| ロ | [ɾo] |
| ワ | [ɰa] |
| ヲ | [wo] or [o], although it's used very rarely |
| ン | [n] or [ŋ], like the n in pink, producing a [m] when combined with a bilabial stop, hence "tempura" and not "tenpura" |
| ー | long vowel mark, used to extend the vowel sound that precedes it |
| Japanese | IPA, Notes |
|---|---|
| ガ | [ga] |
| ギ | [gi] |
| グ | [gɯ] |
| ゲ | [ge] |
| ゴ | [go] |
| ザ | [za] |
| ジ | [dʑi], like the jee in jeep |
| ズ | [zɯ] |
| ゼ | [ze] |
| ゾ | [zo] |
| ダ | [da] |
| ヂ | [dʑi], like the jee in jeep |
| ヅ | [zɯ] |
| デ | [de] |
| ド | [do] |
| バ | [ba] |
| ビ | [bi] |
| ブ | [bɯ] |
| ベ | [be] |
| ボ | [bo] |
| パ | [pa] |
| ピ | [pi] |
| プ | [pɯ] |
| ペ | [pe] |
| ポ | [po] |
| Japanese | IPA, Notes |
|---|---|
| ド | [do] |
| ペ | [pe] |
| ツ | [tsɯ], like the ts in cats |
| ナ | [na] |
| ダ | [da] |
| ブ | [bɯ] |
| ル | [ɾɯ] |
| ベ | [be] |
| ム | [mɯ] |
| ネ | [ne] |
| ト | [to] |
| ヤ | [ja] |
| ポ | [po] |
| ガ | [ga] |
| ウ | [ɯ], like the oo in food |
| ノ | [no] |
| ワ | [ɰa] |
| デ | [de] |
Japanese has many translations for the English words "to wear" or "to put on," depending on where on the body the clothes are worn. Below are some examples taught in this lesson.
| Japanese | Notes |
|---|---|
| 着ます (きます) | wear, on the whole body or upper body |
| 被ります (かぶります) | wear, on the head |
| 履きます (はきます) | wear, on the lower body |
Just like in English, determiners in Japanese come before a noun and signify both its location and relationship with the speaker. Japanese also has two words for "that" depending on whether or not the listener is close to the noun or not.
この本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) です means "this book is expensive" when the book in question is close to you but farther from the person you're speaking to.
その本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) です means "that book is expensive" when the book in question is far from you but near the person you're speaking to.
あの本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) です means "that book is expensive" when the book in question is far away from both you and the person you're speaking to.
どの本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) ですか？ means "which book is expensive?" no matter where the book in question happens to be.
The particle で usually shows the location of action or event, such as "at" "in" or "on" in English. で also indicates "with" "by" or "using" to show a language or tools being used.
This lesson also introduces Japanese adjectives, which are divided into い-adjectives and な-adjectives.
い-adjectives are true adjectives that have been in the Japanese language since the very beginning. All of them end in い、although not all adjectives that end in い are in fact い-adjectives. See how they operate using the example い-adjective おいしい、meaning "delicious."
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしいです。 | This is delicious. |
Note that all い-adjectives can drop the です ending in casual speech. This is grammatical as well.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしい。 | This is delicious. |
When placed before a noun, there's no change to the spelling of an い-adjective.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| おいしいすしです。 | It is delicious sushi. |
We will be introducing the other major category of Japanese adjectives later in the course.
Japanese has certain conventions for writing large numbers. Below are the kanji and readings for a few of them that will be introduced in this lesson.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 百 (ひゃく) | one hundred |
| 千 (せん) | one thousand |
| 万 (まん) | ten thousand |
百 and 千 can be used in isolation to mean 100 and 1,000.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 百円 (ひゃくえん) | 100 yen |
| 千円 (せんえん) | 1,000 yen |
It would sound unnatural in Japanese to write 一百 or 一千 when you have 100 or 1,000 of something. However, 万 functions with the opposite convention; when you have 10,000 of something, it is customary to put 一 in front of it.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 一万円 (いちまんえん) | 10,000 yen |
One thing that makes Japanese very different from English is the Japanese tendency to drop the subject of the sentence when the meaning is clear from context. Statements usually refer to oneself, while questions usually address the person you're speaking with.
Adding question marker か at the end will make the affirmative (positive) sentence into question. If the sentences end in ～です, it’s easy to formulate questions by using ～ですか。
| Positive | Question |
|---|---|
| アメリカ人です。(I’m American.) | アメリカ人ですか。(Are you American?) |
| がくせいです。(I’m a student.) | がくせいですか。(Are you a student?) |
Pronouns are relatively rare in Japanese, but they are sometimes used to explicitly specify the subject or topic of a sentence. Below are some of the most common ones.
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| First | 私・わたし is used in polite settings by women and men, used by women in most other settings. 僕・ぼく is used by men in informal settings. | 私たち・わたしたち is most common. 我々・われわれ sounds rather stiff and business-like. |
| Second | あなた is used in polite settings, however, if you know someone's name, it's best to call them by their name, typically followed by さん or せんせい。君・きみ is used by men in informal settings, specifically to those on or beneath one's social level. | あなたたち is used in formal settings, and 君たち・きみたち is used in informal settings, especially to subordinates. |
| Third - Male | 彼・かれ | 彼ら・かれら is also used for a mixed-gendered group |
| Third - Female | 彼女・かのじょ | 彼女たち・かのじょたち |
Below is a table of the eight kanji that are introduced in this lesson, complete with possible readings.
| Kanji | Meaning | Kunyomi Reading | Onyomi Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 学 | Education | まな•ぶ | がく |
| 生 | Born, Raw | なま、い•きる | せい |
| 先 | Previous | さき | せん |
| 英 | English | えい | |
| 語 | Language | かた•る | ご |
| 何 | What | なに | |
| 名 | Name | な | めい、みょう |
| 前 | Before | まえ | ぜん |
Japanese uses a number of terms for family members. Some use the honorific form, which is typically reserved for someone else's family members, while others use a shorter, more casual form, reserved for your own family members.
Still, these rules are not hard and fast. You will still hear children use the honorific form to address their own mother or father.
| Family Member | Honorific Form | Personal Form |
|---|---|---|
| Older Brother | お兄さん (おにいさん) | 兄 (あに) |
| Older Sister | お姉さん (おねえさん) | 姉 (あね) |
| Younger Brother | 弟さん (おとうとさん) | 弟 (おとうと) |
| Younger Sister | 妹さん (いもうとさん) | 妹 (いもうと) |
| Child | お子さん (おこさん) | 子供 (こども) |
| Parents | ご両親 (ごりょうしん) | 両親 (りょうしん) |
| Father | お父さん (おとうさん) | 父 (ちち) |
| Mother | お母さん (おかあさん) | 母 (はは) |
| Grandfather | お祖父さん (おじいさん) | 祖父 (そふ) |
| Grandmother | お祖母さん (おばあさん) | 祖母 (そぼ) |
| Uncle Older than Parent | 伯父さん (おじさん) | 伯父 (おじ) |
| Aunt Older than Parent | 伯母さん (おばさん) | 伯母 (おば) |
| Uncle Younger than Parent | 叔父さん (おじさん) | 叔父 (おじ) |
| Aunt Younger than Parent | 叔母さん (おばさん) | 叔母 (おば) |
| Husband | ご主人 (ごしゅじん) | 夫 (おっと) |
| Wife | 奥さん (おくさん) | 妻 (つま) |
This skill also teaches a special set of Japanese phrases when someone enters or exits a home. These are in widespread use throughout Japan.
One makes the statement when one either departs from or arrives in a home, and one makes the response upon hearing the corresponding statement.
| Statement | Response | |
|---|---|---|
| When Departing | いってきます | いってらっしゃい |
| Translation | "I'm leaving!" | "Take care!" |
| When Returning | ただいま | おかえりなさい |
| Translation | "I'm home!" | "Welcome back!" |
The marker を is attached to things or people, and means that they are the target of the verb. Subjects are often omitted in Japanese sentences. Unlike English, the location of the verbs are usually at the end of the sentence. を was once pronounced wo, but now it’s the [o] sound.
| Object | を | Verb | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| みず | を | のみます。 | I drink water. |
| さかな | を | たべます。 | I eat fish. |
This lesson also introduces the general pronouns これ、それ、あれ、and どれ、which translate to "this," "that," "that (over there)," and "which (one)," respectively.
| こ | そ | あ | ど | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | これ | それ | あれ | どれ |
| English | this | that | that (over there) | which |
| Notes | closer to the speaker | closer to the listener | far from both the speaker and listener | question |
Below is a table of the two kanji that are introduced in this skill, complete with possible readings.
| Kanji | Meaning | Kunyomi Reading | Onyomi Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 水 | Water | みず | すい |
| 食 | Eat | た•べる | しょく |
The particle へ indicates a direction towards which something or someone moves. This movement is the direction away from the current location. When used as a particle, へ is pronounced as [e].
The particle に with a time expression indicates a specific point in time. に can also express times on a clock, days of the week, or years.
| Direction | English | Location or Time | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 会社・かいしゃへ | to the office | ３時・じに | at 3 o’clock |
| 学校・がっこうへ | to school | 月曜日・げつようびに | on Monday |
| 日本・にほんへ | to Japan | ５月・がつに | in May |
| アメリカへ | to America | ２０１６年・ねんに | in 2016 |
Below is a table of the four kanji that are introduced in this skill, complete with possible readings.
| Kanji | Meaning | Kunyomi Reading | Onyomi Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 行 | Go | い•く | こう |
| 校 | School | こう | |
| 午 | Noon | ご | |
| 後 | After | あと、うし•ろ | ご |
When い-adjectives are switched from positive to negative, they undergo a spelling change. The characteristic い-ending switches to a く、and the phrase meaning "not" is added to the end. The final result is an ending such as くないです。See the example below.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしいです。 | This is delicious. |
| これはおいしくないです。 | This is not delicious. |
Just like with positive い-adjectives, all negative い-adjectives can drop the です ending in casual speech.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしくない。 | This is not delicious. |
To make the speech more formal, one can change the ending from くないです to くありません。
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしくありません。 | This is not delicious. |
Japanese uses a number of terms for family members. Some use the honorific form, which is typically reserved for someone else's family members, while others use a shorter, more casual form, reserved for your own family members.
Still, these rules are not hard and fast. You will still hear children use the honorific form to address their own mother or father.
| Family Member | Honorific Form | Personal Form |
|---|---|---|
| Older Brother | お兄さん (おにいさん) | 兄 (あに) |
| Older Sister | お姉さん (おねえさん) | 姉 (あね) |
| Younger Brother | 弟さん (おとうとさん) | 弟 (おとうと) |
| Younger Sister | 妹さん (いもうとさん) | 妹 (いもうと) |
| Child | お子さん (おこさん) | 子供 (こども) |
| Parents | ご両親 (ごりょうしん) | 両親 (りょうしん) |
| Father | お父さん (おとうさん) | 父 (ちち) |
| Mother | お母さん (おかあさん) | 母 (はは) |
| Grandfather | お祖父さん (おじいさん) | 祖父 (そふ) |
| Grandmother | お祖母さん (おばあさん) | 祖母 (そぼ) |
| Uncle Older than Parent | 伯父さん (おじさん) | 伯父 (おじ) |
| Aunt Older than Parent | 伯母さん (おばさん) | 伯母 (おば) |
| Uncle Younger than Parent | 叔父さん (おじさん) | 叔父 (おじ) |
| Aunt Younger than Parent | 叔母さん (おばさん) | 叔母 (おば) |
| Husband | ご主人 (ごしゅじん) | 夫 (おっと) |
| Wife | 奥さん (おくさん) | 妻 (つま) |
Remember, transitive verbs are verbs that take a direct object, while intransitive verbs are verbs that do not take a direct object. Transitive and intransitive verbs often occur in pairs, and their meaning and usage differs.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 起こる (おころ) | take place, occur (intransitive) |
| 起こす (おこす) | cause (transitive) |
Remember that the particle を is used to mark the direct object of a sentence, so you would always use it with a transitive verb.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 事故は起こった。 | An accident occurred. |
| 事故を起こした。 | I caused an accident. |
Japanese uses a number of terms for family members. Some use the honorific form, which is typically reserved for someone else's family members, while others use a shorter, more casual form, reserved for your own family members.
Still, these rules are not hard and fast. You will still hear children use the honorific form to address their own mother or father.
| Family Member | Honorific Form | Personal Form |
|---|---|---|
| Husband | ご主人 (ごしゅじん) | 夫 (おっと) |
| Wife | 奥さん (おくさん) | 妻 (つま) |
| Child | お子さん (おこさん) | 子供 (こども) |
| Grandfather | お祖父さん (おじいさん) | 祖父 (そふ) |
| Grandmother | お祖母さん (おばあさん) | 祖母 (そぼ) |
Sometimes, changing just one character can entirely change the meaning of a word. Japanese learners often make this mistake with the words for uncle/grandfather and aunt/grandmother. Please double-check the length of your vowel!
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| おじさん | uncle |
| おじいさん | grandfather |
| おばさん | aunt |
| おばあさん | grandmother |
This skill also teaches a special set of Japanese phrases when someone enters or exits a home. These are in widespread use throughout Japan.
One makes the statement when one either departs from or arrives in a home, and one makes the response upon hearing the corresponding statement.
| Statement | Response | |
|---|---|---|
| When Departing | いってきます | いってらっしゃい |
| Translation | "I'm leaving!" | "Take care!" |
| When Returning | ただいま | おかえりなさい |
| Translation | "I'm home!" | "Welcome back!" |
There a few adjectives that have both an -い and a -な adjective form. With these adjectives, it is common to use the -な adjective form when the adjective comes before the noun it is modifying. "Big" and "small" are two such adjectives.
| -い adjective | -な adjective | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大きい (おおきい) | 大きな (おおきな) | big, large |
| 小さい (ちいさい) | 小さな (ちいさな) | small |
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| その銀行は大きいです。 | That bank is big. |
| それは大きな銀行です。 | That is a big bank. |
The word 広い (ひろい) means "wide" and 狭い (せまい) means "narrow," but these words are often used in Japanese in situations in which we'd use the words "big" or "small" in English. For instance, when you're describing the internal area of a room as "large," you usually use the word 広い rather than 大きい . 広い is sometimes also translated as "spacious."
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| この病院は広いです。 | This hospital is spacious. (large inside) |
| この部屋は狭いです。 | This room is small. (narrow inside) |
Japanese has different levels of formality, and sometimes there are different words with the same meaning that differ by formality level. You'll encounter some of them in this skill.
| Casual | Formal | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| こっち | こちら | here, this way (close to the speaker) |
| そっち | そちら | there, that way (close to the listener) |
| あっち | あちら | over there, over that way (far from both the listener and the speaker) |
| どっち | どちら | where?, which direction? |
To turn an い-adjective from the present to the past tense, you remove the い-ending and replace with かった. Adding a です at the end will turn it into the polite form. See the example below.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしいです。 | This is delicious. |
| これはおいしかったです。 | This was delicious. |
Just like with the other forms of the い-adjectives, you're allowed to drop the です ending in casual conversation.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしかった。 | This was delicious. |
The short past form is made by taking the て-form of the verb and replacing with た or だ.
| Verb | Kanji | Plain Form | て-Form | Past |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| write | 書く | かく | かいて | かいた |
| swim | 泳ぐ | およぐ | およいで | およいだ |
| rest | 休む | やすむ | やすんで | やすんだ |
| play | 遊ぶ | あそぶ | あそんで | あそんだ |
| buy | 買う | かう | かって | かった |
Below is a table of the eight kanji that are introduced in this skill, complete with possible readings.
| Kanji | Meaning | Kunyomi Reading | Onyomi Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 四 | Four | よん、よっ•つ | し |
| 五 | Five | いつ•つ | ご |
| 六 | Six | むっ•つ | ろく |
| 七 | Seven | なな、なな•つ | しち |
| 八 | Eight | やっ•つ | はち |
| 九 | Nine | ここの•つ | きゅう、く |
| 十 | Ten | とお | じゅう |
| 半 | Half | なか•ば | はん |
This skill introduces three important suffixes in the Japanese language. The words that use them are called indefinite, negative, and inclusive word ranges. See how they work below.
| Question | Indefinite | Negative | Inclusive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Form | + か | + も | + でも |
| 誰 (だれ) who? | 誰か (だれか) someone | 誰も (だれも) no one | 誰でも (だれでも) anyone |
| 何 (なに) what? | 何か (なにか) something | 何も (なにも) nothing | 何でも (なんでも) anything |
| いつ when? | いつか some time | いつも always, never (with negative verbs) | いつでも at any time |
| どこ where? | どこか somewhere | どこも nowhere | どこでも anywhere |
| どう how? | どうか somehow | どうも in no way | どうでも anyhow |
Keep in mind that for most of the words in the negative word range, Japanese uses a double negative for full sentences.
There are many things you can find in Japan that aren't common in other countries. Want to dress up as your favorite anime character and get your photo taken on the street? Visit a cafe where the waitresses all dress like maids? You can find all that and more in Japan!
| Japanese | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| メードカフェ | Maid Cafe | In maid cafes, the servers dress up like maids! |
| オタク | Otaku | The word "otaku" is usually used in English to refer to someone who is obsessed with anime and manga, but the word is used for many other things in Japan. For instance, did you know that a 電車オタク is someone who is obsessed with trains? |
| コスプレ | Cosplay | "Cosplay" refers to dressing up as characters, usually from anime, manga, or video games. It is short for "costume play." |
There are a lot of interesting and trendy areas in Tokyo, so it can be helpful to know their names if you ever choose to visit.
| Japanese | Reading |
|---|---|
| 原宿 | はらじゅく |
| 渋谷 | しぶや |
| 秋葉原 | あきはばら |
| 池袋 | いけぶくろ |
Harajuku and Shibuya are both known for their fashion - Harajuku for street fashion and Shibuya for having many large department stores for shopping! Harajuku is a great place to go if you like to cosplay. Akihabara and Ikebukuro are interesting places for an otaku - you can buy video games, anime and manga, computer parts, and all kinds of other things!
The Japanese language uses special counting words to count things, actions, and events. Below is a table for つ and 個、the counting words introduced in this lesson. つ is a counter that can be used for anything, while 個 is restricted to physical objects that are relatively small and round.
| Number | Form of つ | Form of 個 |
|---|---|---|
| １・一・いち | 一つ・ひとつ | 一個・いっこ |
| ２・二・に | 二つ・ふたつ | 二個・にこ |
| ３・三・さん | 三つ・みっつ | 三個・さんこ |
| ４・四・よん | 四つ・よっつ | 四個・よんこ |
| ５・五・ご | 五つ・いつつ | 五個・ごこ |
| ６・六・ろく | 六つ・むっつ | 六個・ろっこ |
| ７・七・なな | 七つ・ななつ | 七個・ななこ |
| ８・八・はち | 八つ・やっつ | 八個・はっこ |
| ９・九・きゅう | 九つ・ここのつ | 九個・きゅうこ |
| １０・十・じゅう | 十・とお | 十個・じゅっこ |
There are several ways of expressing one's ability to do something in Japanese.
The first and more casual way is the potential form of the verb, which changes the usual verb ending into a form that rhymes with 〜える or 〜えます。Notice how the potential form ending changes in accordance with the original ending.
| Regular Forms | Potential "Can-Do" Forms |
|---|---|
| 見る・見ます | 見える・見えます |
| 行く・行きます | 行ける・行けます |
| 作る・作ります | 作れる・作れます |
| 飛ぶ・飛びます | 飛べる・飛べます |
When using this form, you may notice that the particle が plays a major role in describing what would normally be the object of a sentence marked with を。This is because the potential form often translates better to "is able to be" than "can."
| Regular Examples | Potential "Can-Do" Examples |
|---|---|
| 本を見る・look at a book | 本が見える・see a book |
| 音楽を聞く・listen to music | 音楽が聞こえる・hear music |
The second and more formal to express ability is with the verb できる、sometimes spelled 出来る。Ordinarily, the short form of a verb attaches to the word ことができる to signify someone's ability to do something.
| Regular Examples | ことができる Examples |
|---|---|
| 踊る・dance | 踊ることができる・can dance |
| 逃げる・escape | 逃げることができる・can escape |
For verbs that end in 〜する or 〜します、one has no choice but to express ability with できる。The more casual way to do this is with できる by itself.
| Regular Examples | 〜できる Examples |
|---|---|
| 勉強する・study | 勉強できる・can study |
| 運動する・exercise | 運動できる・can exercise |
To make the form more formal, you can add することができる to the end of the verb instead.
| Regular Examples | することができる Examples |
|---|---|
| 勉強する・study | 勉強することができる・can study |
| 運動する・exercise | 運動するごとができる・can exercise |
Remember, the counter word 〜匹 (ひき) is used to count small animals. Have you wondered how you would count large animals? You would use the counter word 〜頭 (とう) instead! Thankfully, the kanji is read the same way (とう) regardless of the number of large animals you are counting!
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一頭 | いっとう (ittou) | one (large animal) |
| 二頭 | にとう (nitou) | two (large animals) |
| 三頭 | さんとう (santou) | three (large animals) |
| 四頭 | よんとう (yontou) | four (large animals) |
| 五頭 | ごとう (gotou) | five (large animals) |
| 六頭 | ろくとう (rokutou) | six (large animals) |
| 七頭 | ななとう (nanatou) | seven (large animals) |
| 八頭 | はっとう (hattou) | eight (large animals) |
| 九頭 | きゅうとう (kyuutou) | nine (large animals) |
| 十頭 | じゅっとう (juttou) or じっとう (jittou) | ten (large animals) |
ほとんど is a word that can be used in a negative sentence to mean “hardly any” or “hardly (at all)” or “almost no…” Below are a few examples of its usage.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| ほとんど信じられなかった。 | I could hardly believe it. |
| 日本にはほとんど石油がありません。 | There is almost no oil in Japan. |
Below is a table for 足、組 and 着、the counting words introduced in this lesson. 足 is a counter that counts pairs of things you put on your feet, while 組 counts other kinds of pairs, such as pairs of gloves. 着 is a counter for suits, jackets, and kimono.
| Number | Form of 足 | Form of 組 | Form of 着 |
|---|---|---|---|
| １・一・いち | 一足・いっそく | 一組・ひとくみ | 一着・いっちゃく |
| ２・二・に | 二足・にそく | 二組・ふたくみ | 二着・にちゃく |
| ３・三・さん | 三足・さんぞく | 三組・さんくみ | 三着・さんちゃく |
| ４・四・よん | 四足・よんそく | 四組・よんくみ | 四着・よんちゃく |
| ５・五・ご | 五足・ごそく | 五組・ごくみ | 五着・ごちゃく |
| ６・六・ろく | 六足・ろくそく | 六組・ろっくみ | 六着・ろっちゃく |
| ７・七・なな | 七足・ななそく | 七組・ななくみ | 七着・ななちゃく |
| ８・八・はち | 八足・はっそく | 八組・はっくみ | 八着・はっちゃく |
| ９・九・きゅう | 九足・きゅうそく | 九組・きゅうくみ | 九着・きゅうちゃく |
| １０・十・じゅう | 十足・じゅっそく | 十組・じゅっくみ | 十着・じゅっちゃく |
Oftentimes when you want to express your positive emotions in Japanese, you end the sentence with either な or なあ、with the latter expressing an even deeper sense of longing for something. This particle does not translate directly into English, but it often acts similarly to the previously-introduced particle ね、which establishes a "harmony of understanding" between the speaker and listener.
| Example | Translation | Emotional Depth |
|---|---|---|
| いいね。 | Isn't that nice! | neutral |
| いいな。 | Isn't that nice! | medium |
| いいなあ。 | Isn't that nice! | high |
This course introduced the polite phrase 〜ましょう relatively early on. This usually translates to "let's ... " but not always. If the speaker is referring to an action that is intended to be done alone, it translates better as "I will," a kind of definitive affirmation of one's desire to do something.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 私は銀行に行きましょう。 | I will go to the bank. |
This lesson introduces the casual form of 〜ましょう, which is some iteration of 〜おう or 〜よう depending on the ending of the verb in question.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 私は銀行に行こう。 | I will go to the bank. |
| ピザを食べよう。 | Let's eat pizza. |
| 外であそぼう。 | Let's play outside. |
N+について is a phrase used in Japanese to discuss a topic being talked or thought about. It can be translated as “regarding....” or “about...”
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| この問題について話しました。 | I talked about this problem. |
| これについて考える必要がある。 | I need to think about this. |
〜通り (とおり) is a phrase used in Japanese to express that something is “as expected.” It can be used following a verb (usually in the short form past tense) or a noun. Directly following a noun, the pronunciation sometimes changes to どおり, such as in the phrase 約束通り (やくそくどおり), which means “as promised.”
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 教えた通りやりなさい。 | Do as I taught you. |
| 約束通りに宿題をした。 | I did my homework as promised. |
In Japanese, there are four different expressions that translate to the English word "if."
We use the word と when something is a natural, inevitable, and predictable consequence of something else. This cannot be a personal intention. It is often used when describing facts and operations, instructions, and habitual actions.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| タイヤは古いと、危ないです。 | If tires are old, they are dangerous. |
We use なら when expressing that something will take effect in a certain context. This is often a personal intention about the future based on a given assumption about what will happen.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| みんなが行くなら、私も行く。 | If everyone is going, I will go as well. |
We can use the ば form of a verb to express a conditional sentence in almost any context. However, it is ungrammatical to use this construction when the subject is the same in both parts of the sentence and the sentence expresses a desire or prohibition. It places a special focus on what comes before it, and the outcome is usually good. The ば form sounds rather formal, so it's often used for writing and polite speech.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| この薬を飲めば、よくなりますよ。 | If you take this medicine, you will get better. |
The use of たら or だら to end a past-tense verb presents the fewest restrictions and greatest freedom for expressing a conditional sentence in Japanese. It is often used for hypotheticals and speculations that have yet to be proven, much like the construction "if ... would ..." in English. It places a special focus on what comes after it. This is the only construction that is grammatical for a past event, or when the subject is the same in both parts of the sentence and the sentence expresses a desire or prohibition. Please refer to the example sentences below.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 食べすぎたら、気持ち悪くなりました。 | I got sick when I ate too much. |
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| お酒を飲んだら、自転車に乗ってはいけません。 | You must not ride your bike if you drink alcohol. |
When in doubt about which form of "if" to use, たら or だら is usually a safe bet.
もし - Conditional Warning
The word もし cannot express "if" by itself. Rather, it is a supplemental word generally used at the beginning of a sentence to express that a conditional is coming. It generates a backdrop of uncertainty about the information ahead.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| もし時間がないなら、明日でもいい。 | Supposing you do not have time, tomorrow would also be alright. |
The passive voice in Japanese is a verb form that is unique to each verb ending, yet it is always some iteration of 〜あれる or 〜あれます。
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| 食べる・食べます | 食べられる・食べられます |
| 言う・言います | 言われる・言われます |
| 読む・読みます | 読まれる・読まれます |
Remember that the topic or subject of a passive sentence is the recipient of the given action, and as such, it takes the は or が particle instead of を。
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| りんごは食べられた | The apple was eaten. |
When the passive sentence includes a causative agent, this person or thing is marked with に。
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| りんごは私に食べられた | The apple was eaten by me. |
There are two ways to express the idea of “only” or “just” in Japanese. One of them is with the word だけ, which is used with affirmative sentences.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 百円だけあげます。 | I will give you only a hundred yen. |
| 見ているだけです。 | I am just looking. |
Another way you can express this idea is with the word しか, which has the same meaning but is used with negative sentences in Japanese, although the meaning of the sentence is not translated in the negative.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| この部屋には田中さんしかいません。 | Only Mrs. Tanaka is in this room. |
| 日本語の辞書を一冊しか持っていない。 | I have only one Japanese dictionary. |
数〜 (すう〜) is a prefix that can be added to some words to mean “several….” or “a few…” Some examples are below.
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 数人 | すうにん | a few people, several people |
| 数年 | すうねん | a few years, several years |
| 数回 | すうかい | a few times, several times |
The phrase のに has many different uses in Japanese. One of the meanings is “in order to (perform an action).” In this construction “AのにB” would be “I did B in order to A,” in which のに follows a verb in the short form. Some examples are listed below.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 父は新聞を読むのに眼鏡を掛けました。 | My father put on his glasses in order to read the newspaper. |
| この島へ来るのに飛行機を二回乗り換えた。 | I transferred planes twice to come to this island. |
When you are describing an event that just occurred, you can use the phrase 〜ところ. The phrase follows directly after a verb in the short form. If the verb is in the non-past tense, it describes an action that is just about to happen. If the verb is in the past tense, it describes an event that just happened.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 電車は出たところだ。 | The train just left. |
| 映画を見に行くところだった。 | I was about to go to the movies. |
Two grammatical elements in Japanese are especially important when describing responsibility and expectation.
The noun はず describes the way something is expected to be.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 医者は医学を勉強するはずだ。 | Doctors are supposed to study medicine. |
The noun べき、however, describes responsibilities and obligations with a more moralistic bent.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 学校に行くべきです。 | I should go to school. |
Because べき can come across as harsh, it is most often used to describe one's own obligations. For talking about other people, "ほうがいい" is often used instead.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 学校に行ったほうがいい。 | You should go to school. |
The causative form is used to express the fact when someone lets or forces someone to do something. It is created by adding a form of 〜あせる or 〜あせます to the end of a verb stem. When the person who is requested to perform the action is followed by に、this usually translates to "let someone do something."
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 彼らは彼にアメリカへ行かせた。 | They let him go to the US. |
When this person is followed by を、however, this usually implies that the person had no choice in the matter.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 彼らは彼をアメリカへ行かせた。 | They made him go to the US. |
This distinction is not a hard-and-fast rule, however, and the context of the sentence is usually enough to determine the difference. Either English translation is possible for either of the Japanese sentences above.
When you’re staying overnight somewhere, you would use the counter word 泊 (はく) to count the number of nights you stay somewhere. Please take note that some of the readings are irregular!
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一泊 | いっぱく (ippaku) | one (night of a stay) |
| 二泊 | にはく (nihaku) | two (nights of a stay) |
| 三泊 | さんぱく (sanpaku) | three (nights of a stay) |
| 四泊 | よんはく (yonhaku) | four (nights of a stay) |
| 五泊 | ごはく (gohaku) | five (nights of a stay) |
| 六泊 | ろっぱく (roppaku) | six (nights of a stay) |
| 七泊 | ななはく (nanahaku) | seven (nights of a stay) |
| 八泊 | はっぱく (happaku) | eight (nights of a stay) |
| 九泊 | きゅうはく (kyuuhaku) | nine (nights of a stay) |
| 十泊 | じゅっぱく (juppaku) | ten (nights of a stay) |
Below are some example sentences.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 名古屋で三泊した。 | I spent three nights in Nagoya. |
| このホテルは一泊四万円です。 | This hotel is forty thousand yen for one night. |
You can use the word ある before a noun to specify that you’re talking about a certain thing without going into specifics about it.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 彼はあるホテルに泊まりました。 | He stayed at a certain hotel. |
| 私は貴重品をいつもある所にしまっている。 | I always keep my valuables in a certain place. |
This lesson showcases some of the most common instances of formal language for use in business situations.
To make a noun extra formal, one places an お〜 prefix before a word of Japanese origin (typically a word with a single kanji) and a ご〜 prefix before a word of Chinese origin (typically a word with two kanji). We already learned a few examples earlier in the course.
| Ordinary | Formal |
|---|---|
| 水 (みず) | お水 |
| 箸 (はし) | お箸 |
| 両親 (りょうしん) | ご両親 |
| 主人 (しゅじん) | ご主人 |
| 迷惑 (めいわく) | ご迷惑 |
Sometimes a noun will change completely in the transition from ordinary to formal language, often reflecting a parallel change in another part of speech, such as a verb.
| Ordinary | Formal |
|---|---|
| 今日 (きょう) | 本日 (ほんじつ) |
| 言い訳 (いいわけ) | 申し訳 (もうしわけ) |
Adjectives typically do not change grammatical form in formal speech, but they are replaced with more formal varieties.
| Ordinary | Formal |
|---|---|
| 良い (いい・よい) | 宜しい (よろしい) |
For verbs, there is a mixed system. As introduced in an earlier lesson, some verbs adopt an お〜 prefix and may adopt the use of the copula です。
| Ordinary | Formal |
|---|---|
| 入りますか？ | お入りですか？ |
| 待ってください。 | お待ちください。 |
Meanwhile, some verbs are replaced with more formal variants.
| Ordinary | Formal |
|---|---|
| する | 致します (いたします) (one's own actions) |
| する | なさいます (someone else's actions) |
| ある | ございます |
| もらう | いただきます |
| くれる | くださいます |
| 行く・来る | いらっしゃいます |
| 言う | 申します (もうします) |
| だ・です | である (written form) |
| だ・です | でございます (spoken form) |
| 食べる | 召し上がります (めしあがります) |
Remember that formal language uses the polite 〜ます form at the end of each sentence. Ending a formal sentence with the plain form, だ or だろう sounds odd and incongruous with the context.
When you’ve done something unintentionally, you can use the word つい to emphasize the fact that it was an accident. It’s often paired with the V+てしまう form, and it’s generally used to express regret over having done something you know you shouldn’t have done.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 友達と話していてもついスマホを見てしまう。 | Even when I am talking with my friends, I wind up looking at my smartphone unintentionally. |
This sentence has a connotation of something like, “I wind up looking at my smartphone (even though I know that I shouldn’t).”
You can also use the word うっかり to express that you’ve done something carelessly or accidentally.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| うっかりエアコンを消し忘れた。 | I carelessly forgot to turn off the air conditioner. |
Don’t forget about transitive and intransitive verbs! Transitive verbs are verbs that take a direct object, while intransitive verbs are verbs that do not take a direct object. Transitive and intransitive verbs often occur in pairs, and even though the dictionary definition for both words is sometimes the same, their usage differs.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 止める (とめる) | to stop (transitive) |
| 止まる (とまる) | to stop (intransitive) |
Remember that the particle を is used to mark the direct object of a sentence, so you would use it with a transitive verb.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 運転手は急に車を止めた。 | The driver suddenly stopped the car. |
| バスが急に止まった。 | The bus stopped suddenly. |
Welcome to the final skill in the Japanese course! The reason that colloquial language is listed as the final skill is that we wanted you to understand the importance of politeness when speaking with strangers or coworkers.
When you speak with friends in casual settings or watch anime, you may hear a lot of expressions that you have yet to be introduced to.
There are two male pronouns reserved for casual settings, 俺 (おれ), meaning "I" or "me," and お前 (おまえ) meaning "you." In formal settings, use of these pronouns is considered confrontational and impolite. Both 俺 and お前 sound extremely rough and masculine, which is why typically they are reserved for boys or men who are teenagers or older.
In addition, you may hear women and girls use the pronoun あたし (sometimes written 私) to refer to themselves. This is not considered as polite as わたし、but considerably more so than 俺。
In polite and written Japanese, grammatical particles that mark parts of speech, such as は and が、see heavy use. However, in more casual settings, they are often dropped when the meaning is clear without them. In Japanese just as in English, formality and sentence length go hand-in-hand.
| Formal | Casual |
|---|---|
| あなたは今どこですか？ | 今、どこ？ |
| あの方はどなたですか？ | 彼、誰？ |
| それでは、行きましょう。 | よし、行こう。 |
In this skill, we'll continue introducing the hiragana writing system through six additional words.
です or "desu," meaning "is," "are," or "am." で is the character for "de" and す is the character for "su." The two dashes on the upper-right side of で change its pronunciation from "te" to "de." Notice how the final "u" sound of です is usually dropped. Most often, です is pronounced closer to "des."
みせ or "mise," meaning "store" or "shop." み is the character for "mi" and せ is the character for "se." Note how there are no words for "the" or "a" in Japanese. There's also no way to express that there's more than one of something. Therefore, みせ can mean "a store," "the store," "stores," or "the stores."
やすい or "yasui," meaning "cheap" or "inexpensive." や is the character for "ya," す is the character for "su," and い is the character for "i." Much like in English, Japanese adjectives come before the nouns they modify.
えき or "eki," meaning "train station." え is the character for "e" and き is the character for "ki."
まち or "machi," meaning "town." ま is the character for "ma" and ち is the character for "chi."
ちいさい or "chiisai," meaning "small." ち is the character for "chi," い is the character for "i," and さ is the character for "sa."
When you’re staying overnight somewhere, you would use the counter word 泊 (はく) to count the number of nights you stay somewhere. Please take note that some of the readings are irregular!
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一泊 | いっぱく (ippaku) | one (night of a stay) |
| 二泊 | にはく (nihaku) | two (nights of a stay) |
| 三泊 | さんぱく (sanpaku) | three (nights of a stay) |
| 四泊 | よんはく (yonhaku) | four (nights of a stay) |
| 五泊 | ごはく (gohaku) | five (nights of a stay) |
| 六泊 | ろっぱく (roppaku) | six (nights of a stay) |
| 七泊 | ななはく (nanahaku) | seven (nights of a stay) |
| 八泊 | はっぱく (happaku) | eight (nights of a stay) |
| 九泊 | きゅうはく (kyuuhaku) | nine (nights of a stay) |
| 十泊 | じゅっぱく (juppaku) | ten (nights of a stay) |
Below are some example sentences.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 名古屋で三泊した。 | I spent three nights in Nagoya. |
| このホテルは一泊四万円です。 | This hotel is forty thousand yen for one night. |
You can use the word ある before a noun to specify that you’re talking about a certain thing without going into specifics about it.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 彼はあるホテルに泊まりました。 | He stayed at a certain hotel. |
| 私は貴重品をいつもある所にしまっている。 | I always keep my valuables in a certain place. |
あります and います are very special verbs in Japanese that refer to something's existence. They're often translated into English as "there is" or "there are." Even though they're often translated identically, they describe different objects:
The Japanese language uses special counting words to count things, actions, and events. You use these words when you want to mention a specific number of a certain noun. Below is how they are typically formed.
| Noun | Particle | Number + Counter | Verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鳥・とり | が | 二羽・にわ | います |
In Japanese, you also have the option of placing the number and counter before the noun, but this is less common and typically involves an additional particle.
| Number + Counter | の | Noun | Particle | Verb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 二羽・にわ | の | 鳥・とり | が | います |
Below is a table for 羽、the counting word introduced in this lesson. 羽 is a counter used just for birds and rabbits.
| Number | Form of 羽 |
|---|---|
| １・一・いち | 一羽・いちわ |
| ２・二・に | 二羽・にわ |
| ３・三・さん | 三羽・さんわ |
| ４・四・よん | 四羽・よんわ |
| ５・五・ご | 五羽・ごわ |
| ６・六・ろく | 六羽・ろくわ |
| ７・七・なな | 七羽・しちわ or ななわ |
| ８・八・はち | 八羽・はちわ |
| ９・九・きゅう | 九羽・きゅうわ |
| １０・十・じゅう | 十羽・じゅうわ |
Below you will find the kanji for all of the vocabulary words in this skill.
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning | Components |
|---|---|---|---|
| 台所 | だいどころ | kitchen | pedestal + place |
| 部屋 | へや | room | division + dwelling |
| 風呂 | ふろ | bath | wind + spine |
| 庭 | にわ | yard, garden | |
| 家 | いえ | house | |
| 窓 | まど | window | |
| 猫 | ねこ | cat | |
| 犬 | いぬ | dog | |
| 鳥 | とり | bird | |
| 椅子 | いす | chair | chair + small thing |
| 机 | つくえ | desk |
This lesson introduces two of the most common sentence-ending particles, ね and よ。Used exclusively in conversation, they communicate intention rather than concrete meaning, and as such, they are difficult to translate directly.
ね is used to seek passive agreement from the person being spoken to, much like "... right?" or "... correct?" in English.
よ is used to express certainty in a matter of uncertainty, as if to emphasize the truth of the words that come before it. This sense of emphasis mirrors the use of the word "does" in the English sentence "She (actually) does enjoy tennis."
お元気 (げんき) ですか？means "are you doing well?" and a valid response would be as follows.
元気 (げんき) ですよ means "I am doing well (you know)" and communicates that perhaps the answerer's health was actually poor recently and they intend to underline their present healthiness.
Japanese uses a number of terms for family members. Some use the honorific form, which is typically reserved for someone else's family members, while others use a shorter, more casual form, reserved for your own family members.
Still, these rules are not hard and fast. You will still hear children use the honorific form to address their own mother or father.
| Family Member | Honorific Form | Personal Form |
|---|---|---|
| Older Brother | お兄さん (おにいさん) | 兄 (あに) |
| Older Sister | お姉さん (おねえさん) | 姉 (あね) |
| Younger Brother | 弟さん (おとうとさん) | 弟 (おとうと) |
| Younger Sister | 妹さん (いもうとさん) | 妹 (いもうと) |
| Child | お子さん (おこさん) | 子供 (こども) |
| Parents | ご両親 (ごりょうしん) | 両親 (りょうしん) |
| Father | お父さん (おとうさん) | 父 (ちち) |
| Mother | お母さん (おかあさん) | 母 (はは) |
| Grandfather | お祖父さん (おじいさん) | 祖父 (そふ) |
| Grandmother | お祖母さん (おばあさん) | 祖母 (そぼ) |
| Uncle Older than Parent | 伯父さん (おじさん) | 伯父 (おじ) |
| Aunt Older than Parent | 伯母さん (おばさん) | 伯母 (おば) |
| Uncle Younger than Parent | 叔父さん (おじさん) | 叔父 (おじ) |
| Aunt Younger than Parent | 叔母さん (おばさん) | 叔母 (おば) |
| Husband | ご主人 (ごしゅじん) | 夫 (おっと) |
| Wife | 奥さん (おくさん) | 妻 (つま) |
Just like in English, determiners in Japanese come before a noun and signify both its location and relationship with the speaker. Japanese also has two words for "that" depending on whether or not the listener is close to the noun or not.
この本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) です means "this book is expensive" when the book in question is close to you but farther from the person you're speaking to.
その本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) です means "that book is expensive" when the book in question is far from you but near the person you're speaking to.
あの本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) です means "that book is expensive" when the book in question is far away from both you and the person you're speaking to.
どの本 (ほん) は高い (たかい) ですか？ means "which book is expensive?" no matter where the book in question happens to be.
The particle で usually shows the location of action or event, such as "at" "in" or "on" in English. で also indicates "with" "by" or "using" to show a language or tools being used.
This lesson also introduces Japanese adjectives, which are divided into い-adjectives and な-adjectives.
い-adjectives are true adjectives that have been in the Japanese language since the very beginning. All of them end in い、although not all adjectives that end in い are in fact い-adjectives. See how they operate using the example い-adjective おいしい、meaning "delicious."
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしいです。 | This is delicious. |
Note that all い-adjectives can drop the です ending in casual speech. This is grammatical as well.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしい。 | This is delicious. |
When placed before a noun, there's no change to the spelling of an い-adjective.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| おいしいすしです。 | It is delicious sushi. |
We will be introducing the other major category of Japanese adjectives later in the course.
Japanese has certain conventions for writing large numbers. Below are the kanji and readings for a few of them that will be introduced in this lesson.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 百 (ひゃく) | one hundred |
| 千 (せん) | one thousand |
| 万 (まん) | ten thousand |
百 and 千 can be used in isolation to mean 100 and 1,000.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 百円 (ひゃくえん) | 100 yen |
| 千円 (せんえん) | 1,000 yen |
It would sound unnatural in Japanese to write 一百 or 一千 when you have 100 or 1,000 of something. However, 万 functions with the opposite convention; when you have 10,000 of something, it is customary to put 一 in front of it.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 一万円 (いちまんえん) | 10,000 yen |
This lesson introduces the past tense of verbs. In Japanese, there are other varieties of tense, but we will cover those in later lessons. Changing a verb from the present/future tense to the past tense is rather simple.
| Verb Tense | Positive Ending |
|---|---|
| Present | 〜ます |
| Future | 〜ます |
| Past | 〜ました |
Instead of changing the negative ending 〜ません to make a negative past tense verb ("did not eat"), we simply add the word でした to the end.
| Verb Tense | Negative Ending |
|---|---|
| Present | 〜ません |
| Future | 〜ません |
| Past | 〜ませんでした |
The endings above apply to all verbs that end with 〜ます。
As noted in an earlier lesson, Japanese has two special verbs that mean "be" or "exist" depending on the animateness of the subject. います is used for living things, while あります is used for inanimate objects. We use these verbs to describe someone or something's position relative to something else.
| Topic | Location | の | Directional | Verb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 猫・ねこ・は | 机・つくえ | の | 上・うえ・に | います |
| Topic | Location | の | Directional | Verb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 本・ほん・は | 机・つくえ | の | 上・うえ・に | あります |
Notice how the verb changes depending on whether or not the topic is animate.
The て-form or で-form of a verb is a very important grammatical construct in Japanese that is used in several contexts.
～て / 〜で + ください is used for requests. It means "please + [verb]"
You can also attach nouns to these requests to get more specific.
| English | Short Form | Polite Form | Request |
|---|---|---|---|
| do | する | します | してください |
| read | よむ | よみます | よんでください |
| turn on | つける | つけます | つけてください |
| close | しめる | しめます | しめてください |
| open | あける | あけます | あけてください |
Counting people in Japanese is relatively easy, but there are a couple irregular forms. Please reference the following table to learn how to count people.
| Number | Form of 人 |
|---|---|
| １・一・いち | 一人・ひとり |
| ２・二・に | 二人・ふたり |
| ３・三・さん | 三人・さんにん |
| ４・四・よん | 四人・よにん |
| ５・五・ご | 五人・ごにん |
| ６・六・ろく | 六人・ろくにん |
| ７・七・なな | 七人・しちにん |
| ８・八・はち | 八人・はちにん |
| ９・九・きゅう | 九人・きゅうにん |
| １０・十・じゅう | 十人・じゅうにん |
You will also see another counter, 枚 (まい), which is used to count flat things. Thankfully, 枚 has no irregular forms, and so it's read the same way regardless of the number that comes before it.
あまり is a word you can use with negative sentences to express ideas like “not much,” “not often” or “not many.” Below are a few examples of its usage.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 映画はあまり見ません。 | I do not watch a lot of movies. |
| 散歩はあまりしません。 | I do not go on walks very often. |
Japanese uses a number of terms for family members. Some use the honorific form, which is typically reserved for someone else's family members, while others use a shorter, more casual form, reserved for your own family members.
Still, these rules are not hard and fast. You will still hear children use the honorific form to address their own mother or father.
| Family Member | Honorific Form | Personal Form |
|---|---|---|
| Husband | ご主人 (ごしゅじん) | 夫 (おっと) |
| Wife | 奥さん (おくさん) | 妻 (つま) |
| Child | お子さん (おこさん) | 子供 (こども) |
| Grandfather | お祖父さん (おじいさん) | 祖父 (そふ) |
| Grandmother | お祖母さん (おばあさん) | 祖母 (そぼ) |
Sometimes, changing just one character can entirely change the meaning of a word. Japanese learners often make this mistake with the words for uncle/grandfather and aunt/grandmother. Please double-check the length of your vowel!
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| おじさん | uncle |
| おじいさん | grandfather |
| おばさん | aunt |
| おばあさん | grandmother |
This skill also teaches a special set of Japanese phrases when someone enters or exits a home. These are in widespread use throughout Japan.
One makes the statement when one either departs from or arrives in a home, and one makes the response upon hearing the corresponding statement.
| Statement | Response | |
|---|---|---|
| When Departing | いってきます | いってらっしゃい |
| Translation | "I'm leaving!" | "Take care!" |
| When Returning | ただいま | おかえりなさい |
| Translation | "I'm home!" | "Welcome back!" |
When い-adjectives are switched from positive to negative, they undergo a spelling change. The characteristic い-ending switches to a く、and the phrase meaning "not" is added to the end. The final result is an ending such as くないです。See the example below.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしいです。 | This is delicious. |
| これはおいしくないです。 | This is not delicious. |
Just like with positive い-adjectives, all negative い-adjectives can drop the です ending in casual speech.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしくない。 | This is not delicious. |
To make the speech more formal, one can change the ending from くないです to くありません。
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしくありません。 | This is not delicious. |
Japanese has many translations for the English words "to wear" or "to put on," depending on where on the body the clothes are worn. Below are some examples taught in this lesson.
| Japanese | Notes |
|---|---|
| 着ます・きます | wear, on the whole body or upper body |
| 被ります・かぶります | wear, on the head |
| 履きます・はきます | wear, on the lower body |
In Japanese, there are different ways to ask someone to do something with you. Your verb ending can subtly change the nature of your request or suggestion.
| Verb Ending | Meaning in English |
|---|---|
| ~ませんか | "Would you like to...?" / "Do you want to...?" |
| ~ましょう | "Let's..." |
| ~ましょうか？ | "Shall we...?" / "Should we...?" |
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| プールで泳ぎませんか？ | Would you like to swim at the pool? |
| プールで泳ぎましょう。 | Let's swim at the pool. |
| プールで泳ぎましょうか？ | Shall we swim at the pool? |
Japanese has specific words for ideas like "last week," "next week" and "this week." There is even a word for "the week after next"! Maybe you'll notice a pattern with how these words are formed!
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 今月 | こんげつ | this month |
| 来月 | らいげつ | next month |
| 先月 | せんげつ | last month |
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 今週 | こんしゅう | this week |
| 来週 | らいしゅう | next week |
| 先週 | せんしゅう | last week |
| 再来週 | さらいしゅう | the week after next |
Japanese uses different verbs to talk about playing different kinds of musical instruments. In this skill, you will encounter the verb used for playing a string instrument - 弾きます (ひきます). Don't forget that the piano is included as a string instrument!
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| ピアノを弾きます。 | I play the piano. |
| ギターを弾きます。 | I play the guitar. |
In Japanese, it is common to ask a question in the negative form in order to solicit agreement. These sentences are commonly translated as "Isn't it...?" in English.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 暗いですか？ | Is it dark? |
| 暗くないですか？ | Isn't it dark? |
Did you notice the difference? When the question is asked with a regular adjective form, the English meaning is "Is it...?" When it is asked with an adjective in the negative form, the English translation changes to "Isn't it...?"
In Japanese, you can change an -い adjective to an adverb by dropping the -い and replacing it with -く. Adverbs are usually words that end in -ly in English and describe how something happens.
| Adjective | Meaning | Adverb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 強い (つよい) | strong | 強く (つよく) | strongly |
| 弱い (よわい) | weak | 弱く (よわく) | weakly |
Here are some examples of how these different forms are used.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 風が強いです。 | The wind is strong. |
| 強い風がふきます。 | A strong wind blows. |
| 風が強くふきます。 | The wind blows strongly. |
In this skill, you will encounter words that can modify the severity of your sentences.
全然 (ぜんぜん) and 全く (まったく) can both be used with negative sentences to mean "not at all."
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| この野菜は全然おいしくないです。 | These vegetables are not delicious at all. |
| 牛乳はまったく多くないです。 | There is not much milk at all. |
とても and 大変 (たいへん) can both be used in affirmative sentences to mean "very."
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| このラーメンはとてもおいしいです。 | This ramen is very tasty. |
| 大変おいしいです。 | It is very tasty. |
結構 (けっこう) can be used in affirmative sentences to mean "quite."
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 塩が結構多いですね。 | There is quite a lot of salt, isn't there? |
少ない (すくない) is an adjective that means “few” or “not much.” Be careful – although the word ends in -ない, it isn’t the negative form of the adjective! The negative form of 少ない is actually 少なくない (すくなくない). That’s a mouthful!
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| カレーが少ないです。 | There is not much curry. |
There a few adjectives that have both an -い and a -な adjective form. With these adjectives, it is common to use the -な adjective form when the adjective comes before the noun it is modifying. "Big" and "small" are two such adjectives.
| -い adjective | -な adjective | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大きい (おおきい) | 大きな (おおきな) | big, large |
| 小さい (ちいさい) | 小さな (ちいさな) | small |
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| その銀行は大きいです。 | That bank is big. |
| それは大きな銀行です。 | That is a big bank. |
The word 広い (ひろい) means "wide" and 狭い (せまい) means "narrow," but these words are often used in Japanese in situations in which we'd use the words "big" or "small" in English. For instance, when you're describing the internal area of a room as "large," you usually use the word 広い rather than 大きい . 広い is sometimes also translated as "spacious."
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| この病院は広いです。 | This hospital is spacious. (large inside) |
| この部屋は狭いです。 | This room is small. (narrow inside) |
Japanese has different levels of formality, and sometimes there are different words with the same meaning that differ by formality level. You'll encounter some of them in this skill.
| Casual | Formal | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| こっち | こちら | here, this way (close to the speaker) |
| そっち | そちら | there, that way (close to the listener) |
| あっち | あちら | over there, over that way (far from both the listener and the speaker) |
| どっち | どちら | where?, which direction? |
In Japanese, when you ask someone if they are hungry, the expression is お腹がすきましたか？ (おなかがすきましたか？)
Although the Japanese expression is written in past tense, its understood meaning would be equivalent to the English expression “Are you hungry?” It literally translates to something like, “Has your stomach been emptied?” – because if your stomach has become empty, that means that you’re hungry now!
The Japanese language uses special counting words to count things, actions, and events. Below is a table for 日、the counting word introduced in this lesson. 日 is the counter for days.
| Number | Form of 日 |
|---|---|
| １・一・いち | 一日・ついたち |
| ２・二・に | 二日・ふつか |
| ３・三・さん | 三日・みっか |
| ４・四・よん | 四日・よっか |
| ５・五・ご | 五日・いつか |
| ６・六・ろく | 六日・むいか |
| ７・七・なな | 七日・なのか |
| ８・八・はち | 八日・ようか |
| ９・九・きゅう | 九日・ここのか |
| １０・十・じゅう | 十日・とおか |
| ２０・二十・にじゅう | 二十日・はつか |
This lesson teaches the first な-adjective in the course, きれい、meaning "pretty" or "clean." Although it looks like an い-adjective, it belongs to the な-adjective category.
な-adjectives are nominal adjectives that have been imported from other countries over centuries, mainly from China. There is no pattern as to what they look like, aside from the fact they're not likely to end in an い。Remember that きれい is an exception. See how they operate using the example of きれい below.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはきれいです。 | This is pretty. |
Note that な-adjectives typically do not drop the です ending in a construction like the one above.
When placed before a noun, a な-adjective adds a characteristic な between the adjective and the noun that follows.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| きれいな花です。 | It is a pretty flower. |
In this skill, you’ll encounter words about men and women and boys and girls, and you’ll see some different expressions you might use to talk about them. The word for woman is 女 (おんな) and the word for man is 男 (おとこ), but it is more polite to use the expressions 女の人 (おんなのひと) and 男の人 (おとこのひと) instead. There are also the expressions 女の子 (おんなのこ) and 男の子 (おとこのこ) which mean “girl” and “boy” respectively. Did you notice that the polite expressions for “man” and “woman” use the character for "person" - 人 (ひと) – while the expressions for “boy” and “girl” use the character for “child” - 子 (こ)?
| Japanese | Reading | English |
|---|---|---|
| 女 | おんな | woman |
| 男 | おとこ | man |
| 女の人 | おんなのひと | woman (more polite) |
| 男の人 | おとこのひと | man (more polite) |
| 女の子 | おんなのこ | girl |
| 男の子 | おとこのこ | boy |
Much like English, Japanese has more than one way to talk about death. The different words have different connotations, similar to the English language expressions “died” and “passed away.”
| Japanese | Reading | English |
|---|---|---|
| 死にました | しにました | died |
| 亡くなりました | なくなりました | passed away |
～て / 〜で + います can be used to describe continuing action in the present, but did you know that you can use the -て form of the verb to describe continuing action in the past, too? Instead of 〜います, you would use 〜いました after the -て form of a verb to describe an ongoing action that occurred in the past. Look at how the verb endings can change the meaning of a sentence.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 雨が降ります | It rains |
| 雨が降っています | It is raining |
| 雨が降りました | It rained |
| 雨が降っていました | It was raining |
Japanese has a lot of counter words that change depending on the object or creature being counted. Sometimes, the counter word even depends on the size of the thing being counted! For instance, the counter word 〜匹 (ひき) is used to count small animals. However, the reading of the word 〜匹 changes depending on the number that comes before it.
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一匹 | いっぴき (ippiki) | one (small animal) |
| 二匹 | にひき (nihiki) | two (small animals) |
| 三匹 | さんびき (sanbiki) | three (small animals) |
| 四匹 | よんひき (yonhiki) | four (small animals) |
| 五匹 | ごひき (gohiki) | five (small animals) |
| 六匹 | ろっぴき (roppiki) | six (small animals) |
| 七匹 | ななひき (nanahiki) | seven (small animals) |
| 八匹 | はっぴき (happiki) | eight (small animals) |
| 九匹 | きゅうひき (kyuuhiki) | nine (small animals) |
| 十匹 | じゅっぴき (juppiki) | ten (small animals) |
Kanji characters are made up of different component parts called radicals. Did you know that a kanji's radicals can sometimes give you a hint about the kanji's meaning? For instance, kanji containing the radical 氵often have something to do with water. If you look at the words below, you can see that they all contain the radical 氵 on the left side of the kanji character, and all of them involve water. You might have noticed this radical in other kanji you've already seen, too!
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 海 | うみ | sea |
| 池 | いけ | pond |
| 泳ぎます | およぎます | swim |
We will now take a look at three more purposes for the て-form of verbs.
～て / 〜で + います is used for actions in progress.
We also use this construction for ongoing actions that would ordinarily use the present perfect construction in English.
～て / 〜で + いません is the corresponding negative construction.
| English | Short Form | Polite Form | Ongoing Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| do | する | します | しています |
| read | よむ | よみます | よんでいます |
| eat | たべる | たべます | たべています |
| drink | のむ | のみます | のんでいます |
～て + は + いけません is used when telling someone that they must not or should not do something.
よんではいけません means "you must not read."
あの本をよんではいけません means "you must not read that book."
| English | Short Form | Polite Form | Prohibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| do | する | します | してはいけません |
| read | よむ | よみます | よんではいけません |
| eat | たべる | たべます | たべてはいけません |
| drink | のむ | のみます | のんではいけません |
We already learned the words と and や that mean "and" when combining nouns. Instead of those words, we use the て-form to link verbs together in Japanese sentences.
ドアを閉めて窓を開きます means " I will close the door and open the window."
りんごを食べて水を飲みました means "I ate the apple and drank the water."
For the examples above, notice how the て-form is used for the first verb regardless of the tense of the overall sentence. Only the final verb indicates the tense in this construction.
When you are quoting what someone said or telling someone what something is called, you would use the particle 〜と. You can think of 〜と kind of like quotation marks in English, with the phrase coming before 〜と being the phrase that would be in quotes. Since there's no opening quotation mark like there would be with a quote in English, though, you sometimes have to figure out from context which words are being quoted.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 彼はいいえと言いました。 | He said "No." |
Be careful, because using the wrong particle can sometimes greatly change the meaning of your sentence.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| ジョンと呼んでください。 | Please call me "John." |
| ジョンを呼んでください。 | Please call John. |
〜本 (ほん) is another Japanese counter word, and it is used to count long, cylindrical things like pens and pencils. Be careful, because the pronunciation of 〜本 also changes depending on the number before it!
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一本 | いっぽん (ippon) | one (long, cylindrical thing) |
| 二本 | にほん (nihon) | two (long, cylindrical things) |
| 三本 | さんぼん (sanbon) | three (long, cylindrical things) |
| 四本 | よんほん (yonhon) | four (long, cylindrical things) |
| 五本 | ごほん (gohon) | five (long, cylindrical things) |
| 六本 | ろっぽん (roppon) | six (long, cylindrical things) |
| 七本 | ななほん (nanahon) | seven (long, cylindrical things) |
| 八本 | はっぽん (happon) | eight (long, cylindrical things) |
| 九本 | きゅうほん (kyuuhon) | nine (long, cylindrical things) |
| 十本 | じゅっぽん (juppon) | ten (long, cylindrical things) |
To turn an い-adjective from the present to the past tense, you remove the い-ending and replace with かった. Adding a です at the end will turn it into the polite form. See the example below.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしいです。 | This is delicious. |
| これはおいしかったです。 | This was delicious. |
Just like with the other forms of the い-adjectives, you're allowed to drop the です ending in casual conversation.
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| これはおいしかった。 | This was delicious. |
This skill introduces three important suffixes in the Japanese language. The words that use them are called indefinite, negative, and inclusive word ranges. See how they work below.
| Question | Indefinite | Negative | Inclusive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Form | + か | + も | + でも |
| 誰 (だれ) who? | 誰か (だれか) someone | 誰も (だれも) no one | 誰でも (だれでも) anyone |
| 何 (なに) what? | 何か (なにか) something | 何も (なにも) nothing | 何でも (なんでも) anything |
| いつ when? | いつか some time | いつも always, never (with negative verbs) | いつでも at any time |
| どこ where? | どこか somewhere | どこも nowhere | どこでも anywhere |
| どう how? | どうか somehow | どうも in no way | どうでも anyhow |
Keep in mind that for most of the words in the negative word range, Japanese uses a double negative for full sentences.
Just like counter words, different adjectives are sometimes used depending on the objects being described. When you are talking about something being "thin," you would use a different adjective depending on the shape of the object being described.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 細い (ほそい) | thin (for long, cylindrical things) |
| 薄い (うすい) | thin (for flat things) |
There are also multiple words meaning "thick," and their usage differs based on the shape of the object being described, too.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 太い (ふとい) | thick (for long, cylindrical things) |
| 厚い (あつい) | thick (for flat things) |
Remember, kanji matters! Although the three words below have the same reading, the meaning completely changes if you select the wrong kanji!
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 厚い (あつい) | thick (for flat things) |
| 暑い (あつい) | hot (weather) |
| 熱い (あつい) | hot (object) |
This lesson introduces the very fundamentals of 敬語・けいご、also known as "respect language," as applied to verbs. Believe it or not, you've already learned some respect language, such as in the phrases "お元気ですか？" or "おねがいします！" Just like those phrases, the extra-polite constructions we introduce in this chapter also begin with お。
We learned from earlier lessons that the most common way of asking someone to do something is with the て-form, often followed by ください。
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 待ってください。 | Please wait. (ordinary form) |
To make the request extremely humble and polite, we take the stem of the verb from its 〜ます form and add an お〜 prefix. It's as simple as that. Although you are unlikely to use this form on a brief trip to Japan, you are certain to hear it from shopkeepers and restaurant employees.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| お待ちください。 | Please wait. (ultra-polite form) |
Below is a table for 足、組 and 着、the counting words introduced in this lesson. 足 is a counter that counts pairs of things you put on your feet, while 組 counts other kinds of pairs, such as pairs of gloves. 着 is a counter for suits, jackets, and kimono.
| Number | Form of 足 | Form of 組 | Form of 着 |
|---|---|---|---|
| １・一・いち | 一足・いっそく | 一組・ひとくみ | 一着・いっちゃく |
| ２・二・に | 二足・にそく | 二組・ふたくみ | 二着・にちゃく |
| ３・三・さん | 三足・さんぞく | 三組・さんくみ | 三着・さんちゃく |
| ４・四・よん | 四足・よんそく | 四組・よんくみ | 四着・よんちゃく |
| ５・五・ご | 五足・ごそく | 五組・ごくみ | 五着・ごちゃく |
| ６・六・ろく | 六足・ろくそく | 六組・ろっくみ | 六着・ろっちゃく |
| ７・七・なな | 七足・ななそく | 七組・ななくみ | 七着・ななちゃく |
| ８・八・はち | 八足・はっそく | 八組・はっくみ | 八着・はっちゃく |
| ９・九・きゅう | 九足・きゅうそく | 九組・きゅうくみ | 九着・きゅうちゃく |
| １０・十・じゅう | 十足・じゅっそく | 十組・じゅっくみ | 十着・じゅっちゃく |
We use the "plain," "short" or "dictionary" form first and foremost to express the present or future tense in a casual conversation, such as between friends. We also use it to express these tenses in certain other situations before the end of a sentence.
Without exception, all plain form verbs end in a [u] sound. In the examples below, see how the plain form endings correlate with the construction of the て-form.
| English | Kanji | Plain Form | て-Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| eat | 食べる | たべる | たべて |
| give | - | あげる | あげて |
| read | 読む | よむ | よんで |
| fly | 飛ぶ | とぶ | とんで |
| buy | 買う | かう | かって |
| use | 使う | つかう | つかって |
You can use the construction ～のがすきです to talk about things you like doing. In the example below, およぐ (swim) is the plain form of verb およぎます。When you add の to the plain form, the translation becomes either “to swim” or “swimming”. The sentence ends with ～がすきです、which means "I like."
Remember that you can add additional information to any sentence to provide more context.
Below is a table of sample sentences that model this construction.
| Object | Verb | の | が | Adverb | です |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| はしる | の | が | はやい | です | |
| およぐ | の | が | 上手 | です | |
| テニスを | する | の | が | 下手 | です |
| アニメを | 見る | の | が | 好き | です |
て form: Negative Request
～ないでください is a negative request with the て-form (て becomes で). The first two types are called Godan (u-verbs), which you change the /u/ sound ending into /a/ sound + nai to make the negative form.
u-verbs: ならぶ (-u) → ならばない (-anai)
ru-verbs: みる (ru) → みない (nai)
| Type | Verb | Plain | Negative | Negative Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Godan | line up | ならぶ | ならばない | ならばないでください。 |
| Godan | go | いく | いかない | いかないでください。 |
| Ichidan | look | みる | みない | みないでください。 |
| Ichidan | quit | やめる | やめない | やめないでください。 |
| Irregular | come | くる | こない | こないでください |
| Irregular | do | する | しない | しないでください。 |
We use the "plain past" form or "short past" form first and foremost to express the past tense in a casual conversation, such as between friends. We also use it to express the past tense in certain other situations.
This form is constructed by taking the て-form of a verb and replacing with た (if it ends in て) or だ (if it ends in で).
| English | Kanji | Plain Form | て-Form | Plain Past |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| eat | 食べる | たべる | たべて | たべた |
| buy | 買う | かう | かって | かった |
| read | 読む | よむ | よんで | よんだ |
Just like when we create the て-form, verbs that end in くor ぐ in the plain form have irregular endings.
| English | Kanji | Plain Form | て-Form | Plain Past |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| write | 書く | かく | かいて | かいた |
| swim | 泳ぐ | およぐ | およいで | およいだ |
Earlier in this course, you learned how to express that you want a certain object using the adjective 欲しい。欲しい literally means "desirable," but it's used like "want" or "want to have" in English. Because it behaves like other Japanese い-adjectives, however, you are free to add です on the end of the adjective to make the sentence more polite.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| りんごが欲しい。 | I want an apple. |
| バナナが欲しいです。 | I want a banana. |
This lesson introduces how to express that you want to perform a certain action. This is done with a form of the 〜たい ending, which turns any verb into an adjective. You take the 〜ます form of the verb, add the 〜たい or 〜たいです ending, and you can express that you want to do something.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| りんごを買いたい。 | I want to buy an apple. |
| バナナを買いたいです。 | I want to buy a banana. |
Keep in mind that since both 欲しい and 〜たい are adjectives, they behave like adjectives in other ways, including in the formation of the negative tense, past tense, and negative-past tense.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| りんごを買いたい。 | I want to buy an apple. |
| りんごを買いたくない。 | I do not want to buy an apple. |
| りんごを買いたかった。 | I wanted to buy an apple. |
| りんごを買いたくなかった。 | I did not want to buy an apple. |
Remember, just like with other い-adjectives, one can attach the です copula to any of the four sentences above to make the statement more polite.
We use the "plain past" form or "short past" form first and foremost to express the past tense in a casual conversation, such as between friends. We also use it to express the past tense in certain other situations.
This form is constructed by taking the て-form of a verb and replacing with た (if it ends in て) or だ (if it ends in で).
| English | Kanji | Plain Form | て-Form | Plain Past |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| eat | 食べる | たべる | たべて | たべた |
| buy | 買う | かう | かって | かった |
| read | 読む | よむ | よんで | よんだ |
Just like when we create the て-form, verbs that end in くor ぐ in the plain form have irregular endings.
| English | Kanji | Plain Form | て-Form | Plain Past |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| write | 書く | かく | かいて | かいた |
| swim | 泳ぐ | およぐ | およいで | およいだ |
NOUN+が欲しい and VERB STEM+〜たい are two ways to express that you want something. However, Japanese speakers often desire to be less direct, which is considered more polite. You can do that by adding 〜のですが or 〜んですが to the end of a request to make it less blunt. In English, you can translate sentences containing this ending as "I would like..."
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 葉書を送りたいです。 | I want to send a postcard. |
| 葉書を送りたいのですが。 | I would like to send a postcard. |
| タクシーを呼んで欲しいです。 | I want you to call a taxi. |
| タクシーを呼んで欲しいんですが。 | I would like you to call a taxi. |
There are many things you can find in Japan that aren't common in other countries. Want to dress up as your favorite anime character and get your photo taken on the street? Visit a cafe where the waitresses all dress like maids? You can find all that and more in Japan!
| Japanese | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| メードカフェ | Maid Cafe | In maid cafes, the servers dress up like maids! |
| オタク | Otaku | The word "otaku" is usually used in English to refer to someone who is obsessed with anime and manga, but the word is used for many other things in Japan. For instance, did you know that a 電車オタク is someone who is obsessed with trains? |
| コスプレ | Cosplay | "Cosplay" refers to dressing up as characters, usually from anime, manga, or video games. It is short for "costume play." |
There are a lot of interesting and trendy areas in Tokyo, so it can be helpful to know their names if you ever choose to visit.
| Japanese | Reading |
|---|---|
| 原宿 | はらじゅく |
| 渋谷 | しぶや |
| 秋葉原 | あきはばら |
| 池袋 | いけぶくろ |
| 新宿 | しんじゅく |
Harajuku and Shibuya are both known for their fashion - Harajuku for street fashion and Shibuya for having many large department stores for shopping! Harajuku is a great place to go if you like to cosplay. Akihabara and Ikebukuro are interesting places for an otaku - you can buy video games, anime and manga, computer parts, and all kinds of other things! And Shinjuku is well-known for its exciting nightlife.
The 山手線 (やまのてせん) or "Yamanote Line" is a train line in Tokyo that goes in a circle, and it makes stops in all the areas listed above. It might be better to avoid riding the train at rush hour, though - otherwise you might run into lots of サラリーマン (office workers) going to and from work, and the train might be too packed for you to get on!
Are you looking forward to the Olympics? If you are, you can tell people that you are looking forward to something by using the phrase 楽しみにしている - or 楽しみにしています if you want to be more polite. What Olympic sport are you looking forward to the most? Who do you hope will win the 金メダル (gold medal)?
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 私はオリンピックを楽しみにしている! | I am looking forward to the Olympics! |
There are several ways of expressing one's ability to do something in Japanese.
The first and more casual way is the potential form of the verb, which changes the usual verb ending into a form that rhymes with 〜える or 〜えます。Notice how the potential form ending changes in accordance with the original ending.
| Regular Forms | Potential "Can-Do" Forms |
|---|---|
| 見る・見ます | 見える・見えます |
| 行く・行きます | 行ける・行けます |
| 作る・作ります | 作れる・作れます |
| 飛ぶ・飛びます | 飛べる・飛べます |
When using this form, you may notice that the particle が plays a major role in describing what would normally be the object of a sentence marked with を。This is because the potential form often translates better to "is able to be" than "can."
| Regular Examples | Potential "Can-Do" Examples |
|---|---|
| 本を見る・look at a book | 本が見える・see a book |
| 音楽を聞く・listen to music | 音楽が聞こえる・hear music |
The second and more formal to express ability is with the verb できる、sometimes spelled 出来る。Ordinarily, the short form of a verb attaches to the word ことができる to signify someone's ability to do something.
| Regular Examples | ことができる Examples |
|---|---|
| 踊る・dance | 踊ることができる・can dance |
| 逃げる・escape | 逃げることができる・can escape |
For verbs that end in 〜する or 〜します、one has no choice but to express ability with できる。The more casual way to do this is with できる by itself.
| Regular Examples | 〜できる Examples |
|---|---|
| 勉強する・study | 勉強できる・can study |
| 運動する・exercise | 運動できる・can exercise |
To make the form more formal, you can add することができる to the end of the verb instead.
| Regular Examples | することができる Examples |
|---|---|
| 勉強する・study | 勉強することができる・can study |
| 運動する・exercise | 運動するごとができる・can exercise |
Expressing favors in Japanese makes frequent use of the て-form in coordination with a set of special verbs for giving and receiving.
We use あげる when we ourselves do a favor for someone else. We also use it when the interaction involves only other people.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 私はあなたに花を買ってあげた。 | I bought flowers for you. |
| 本田は田中に花を買ってあげた。 | Honda bought flowers for Tanaka. |
We use やる when we ourselves do a favor for someone of a lower social status, such as a child or a pet. This also applies when the interaction involves only other people.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 私は娘に花を買ってやった。 | I bought flowers for my daughter. |
| 本田は娘に花を買ってやった。 | Honda bought flowers for his daughter. |
We use くれる when someone else does a favor for us.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 彼は私に花を買ってくれた。 | He bought flowers for me. |
We use もらう when the topic of the sentence is the one to receive the favor, as "もらう" literally means "receive." This is often translated as "had (someone) do (something)."
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 私は母に花を買ってもらった。 | I had my mother buy (me) flowers. |
| 彼女は彼氏に花を買ってもらった。 | She had her boyfriend buy (her) flowers. |
You may recognize the verb いただく from the phrase いただきます、which is said before eating. いただく is a polite form of もらう、usually used when asking for a favor. In addition to いただく、one can use the verb くれる for a more casual tone.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 花を買っていただけませんか？ | Would you please buy me flowers? |
| 花を買ってくれませんか？ | Would you mind buying me flowers? |
The Japanese language features many words that are known as onomatopoeia - a word that is named by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it. One of these words is きらきら, which means "sparkling." It is meant to mimic the sound one might imagine a glittering diamond or star might make. きらきら can be used as a -する verb (きらきらする) or paired with the verb 光る (きらきら光る) to further emphasize the sparkle.
In Japanese, onomatopoeia can be commonly written in either hiragana (きらきら) or (キラキラ), depending on what you prefer stylistically.
Remember, the counter word 〜匹 (ひき) is used to count small animals. Have you wondered how you would count large animals? You would use the counter word 〜頭 (とう) instead! Thankfully, the kanji is read the same way (とう) regardless of the number of large animals you are counting!
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一頭 | いっとう (ittou) | one (large animal) |
| 二頭 | にとう (nitou) | two (large animals) |
| 三頭 | さんとう (santou) | three (large animals) |
| 四頭 | よんとう (yontou) | four (large animals) |
| 五頭 | ごとう (gotou) | five (large animals) |
| 六頭 | ろくとう (rokutou) | six (large animals) |
| 七頭 | ななとう (nanatou) | seven (large animals) |
| 八頭 | はっとう (hattou) | eight (large animals) |
| 九頭 | きゅうとう (kyuutou) | nine (large animals) |
| 十頭 | じゅっとう (juttou) or じっとう (jittou) | ten (large animals) |
ほとんど is a word that can be used in a negative sentence to mean “hardly any” or “hardly (at all)” or “almost no…” Below are a few examples of its usage.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| ほとんど信じられなかった。 | I could hardly believe it. |
| 日本にはほとんど石油がありません。 | There is almost no oil in Japan. |
When expressing appearance in Japanese, one can choose from several grammatical expressions.
Using the noun よう is the most basic way of expressing something's outward appearance.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 彼はいそがしいようだ。 | He looks busy. |
The noun みたい is used almost exactly like よう、only it has a more casual tone. Be careful not to treat it as a verb or an adjective, although it might look like one.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 古いみたいです。 | It looks old. |
The noun そう is used to express how something seems or appears to be based on one's observation. It's more of an educated guess and less of a certainty than よう or みたい。
そう is also used to describe hearsay gathered from other people. In this instance, the grammar of the word changes slightly. Verbs, for example, change from the stem form for appearance to the short form for hearsay.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 雨が降りそうです。 | It seems like it will rain. |
| 雨が降るそうです。 | I hear that it will rain. |
With respect to hearsay, らしい is used in similar contexts as そう、only it acts like any other い-adjective would.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| あの映画は楽しいらしい。 | I hear that movie is fun. |
This lesson also introduces the concept of nouns formed from adjectives, much like how "sweet" becomes "sweetness" in English with an additional ending. The ability or inability to measure such nouns in Japanese plays an important role in how they are formed.
If a quality can be measured objectively, its nominal form will end in さ。This is also the case for all な-adjectives, regardless of one's ability to measure them.
| Adjective | Noun |
|---|---|
| 大きい・big | 大きさ・size |
| 長い・long | 長さ・length |
| 高い・tall | 高さ・height |
| 重い・heavy | 重さ・weight |
| 便利・convenient | 便利さ・convenience |
| きれい・pretty | きれいさ・prettiness |
If, however, a quality cannot be measured objectively, its nominal form will almost always end in み、especially if it is a feeling or flavor.
| Adjective | Noun |
|---|---|
| 痛い・painful | 痛み・pain |
| 悲しい・sad | 悲しみ・sadness |
| 甘い・sweet | 甘み・sweetness |
| うまい・tasty | うまみ・tastiness |
In Japanese, there are four different expressions that translate to the English word "if."
We use the word と when something is a natural, inevitable, and predictable consequence of something else. This cannot be a personal intention. It is often used when describing facts and operations, instructions, and habitual actions.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| タイヤは古いと、危ないです。 | If tires are old, they are dangerous. |
We use なら when expressing that something will take effect in a certain context. This is often a personal intention about the future based on a given assumption about what will happen.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| みんなが行くなら、私も行く。 | If everyone is going, I will go as well. |
We can use the ば form of a verb to express a conditional sentence in almost any context. However, it is ungrammatical to use this construction when the subject is the same in both parts of the sentence and the sentence expresses a desire or prohibition. It places a special focus on what comes before it, and the outcome is usually good. The ば form sounds rather formal, so it's often used for writing and polite speech.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| この薬を飲めば、よくなりますよ。 | If you take this medicine, you will get better. |
The use of たら or だら to end a past-tense verb presents the fewest restrictions and greatest freedom for expressing a conditional sentence in Japanese. It is often used for hypotheticals and speculations that have yet to be proven, much like the construction "if ... would ..." in English. It places a special focus on what comes after it. This is the only construction that is grammatical for a past event, or when the subject is the same in both parts of the sentence and the sentence expresses a desire or prohibition. Please refer to the example sentences below.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 食べすぎたら、気持ち悪くなりました。 | I got sick when I ate too much. |
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| お酒を飲んだら、自転車に乗ってはいけません。 | You must not ride your bike if you drink alcohol. |
When in doubt about which form of "if" to use, たら or だら is usually a safe bet.
もし - Conditional Warning
The word もし cannot express "if" by itself. Rather, it is a supplemental word generally used at the beginning of a sentence to express that a conditional is coming. It generates a backdrop of uncertainty about the information ahead.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| もし時間がないなら、明日でもいい。 | Supposing you do not have time, tomorrow would also be alright. |
In Japanese, similar words often use different kanji characters in order to express different nuance. For instance, the character for “to measure” differs depending on the thing you’re measuring! All the words below are read はかる and all of them mean “to measure,” but the situations in which you would use each are different.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 量る | to measure (weight or volume) |
| 計る | to measure (quantities, time, temperature) |
| 測る | to measure (length, depth, width, speed) |
If a quality can be measured objectively, its nominal form will end in さ。This is also the case for all な-adjectives, regardless of one's ability to measure them.
| Adjective | Noun |
|---|---|
| 大きい・big | 大きさ・size |
| 長い・long | 長さ・length |
| 高い・tall | 高さ・height |
| 重い・heavy | 重さ・weight |
| 便利・convenient | 便利さ・convenience |
| きれい・pretty | きれいさ・prettiness |
Remember, transitive verbs are verbs that take a direct object, while intransitive verbs are verbs that do not take a direct object. Transitive and intransitive verbs often occur in pairs, and their meaning and usage differs.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 起こる (おころ) | take place, occur (intransitive) |
| 起こす (おこす) | cause (transitive) |
Remember that the particle を is used to mark the direct object of a sentence, so you would always use it with a transitive verb.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 事故は起こった。 | An accident occurred. |
| 事故を起こした。 | I caused an accident. |
できるだけ is a phrase meaning “as much as possible” or “as much as one can.” Depending on the subject of the sentence, the exact translation of the phrase can change, however.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| できるだけ早くここへ来てください。 | Please come here as soon as you can. |
| 彼はできるだけ速く走りました。 | He ran as fast as he could. |
| 私はできるだけ多くの時間が必要です。 | I need as much time as possible. |
There are two ways to express the idea of “only” or “just” in Japanese. One of them is with the word だけ, which is used with affirmative sentences.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 百円だけあげます。 | I will give you only a hundred yen. |
| 見ているだけです。 | I am just looking. |
Another way you can express this idea is with the word しか, which has the same meaning but is used with negative sentences in Japanese, although the meaning of the sentence is not translated in the negative.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| この部屋には田中さんしかいません。 | Only Mrs. Tanaka is in this room. |
| 日本語の辞書を一冊しか持っていない。 | I have only one Japanese dictionary. |
数〜 (すう〜) is a prefix that can be added to some words to mean “several….” or “a few…” Some examples are below.
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 数人 | すうにん | a few people, several people |
| 数年 | すうねん | a few years, several years |
| 数回 | すうかい | a few times, several times |
The English language has certain sets of verbs that are related to each other but behave differently in a sentence. Transitive verbs like "raise" or "lay" always take a grammatical object. However, intransitive verbs like "rise" or "lie" never do. The same principle works in Japanese, with the examples below.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 上げる・あげる | raise (something) |
| 下げる・さげる | lower (something) |
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 上がる・あがる | rise |
| 下がる・さがる | fall |
So how do you know if and when a verb is transitive or intransitive in Japanese? Aside from noticing which verbs do and do not take grammatical objects, there are a few spelling patterns that can act as clues.
Greetings and set phrases are an extremely important part of Japanese work culture. Below is a sampling of some of the most important points.
| Phrase | Occasion |
|---|---|
| おはようございます | A standard morning greeting, occasionally shorted to ございます、ます、or simply a loud hiss. |
| お疲れ様です・おつかれさまです | A mid-day greeting to acknowledge that someone is doing such a good job that they look tired from doing so. |
| 失礼します・しつれいします | A routine apology said when entering or leaving a room. |
| お先に失礼します・おさきにしつれいします | A routine apology said when leaving work before other people do so. |
| お疲れ様でした・おつかれさまでした | A routine response to "お先に失礼します", acknowledging that the coworker's hard work has been appreciated. |
There are two ways to express the idea of “only” or “just” in Japanese. One of them is with the word だけ, which is used with affirmative sentences.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 百円だけあげます。 | I will give you only a hundred yen. |
| 見ているだけです。 | I am just looking. |
Another way you can express this idea is with the word しか, which has the same meaning but is used with negative sentences in Japanese, although the meaning of the sentence is not translated in the negative.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| この部屋には田中さんしかいません。 | Only Mrs. Tanaka is in this room. |
| 日本語の辞書を一冊しか持っていない。 | I have only one Japanese dictionary. |
数〜 (すう〜) is a prefix that can be added to some words to mean “several….” or “a few…” Some examples are below.
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 数人 | すうにん | a few people, several people |
| 数年 | すうねん | a few years, several years |
| 数回 | すうかい | a few times, several times |
The phrase のに has many different uses in Japanese. One of the meanings is “in order to (perform an action).” In this construction “AのにB” would be “I did B in order to A,” in which のに follows a verb in the short form. Some examples are listed below.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 父は新聞を読むのに眼鏡を掛けました。 | My father put on his glasses in order to read the newspaper. |
| この島へ来るのに飛行機を二回乗り換えた。 | I transferred planes twice to come to this island. |
Oftentimes when you want to express your positive emotions in Japanese, you end the sentence with either な or なあ、with the latter expressing an even deeper sense of longing for something. This particle does not translate directly into English, but it often acts similarly to the previously-introduced particle ね、which establishes a "harmony of understanding" between the speaker and listener.
| Example | Translation | Emotional Depth |
|---|---|---|
| いいね。 | Isn't that nice! | neutral |
| いいな。 | Isn't that nice! | medium |
| いいなあ。 | Isn't that nice! | high |
This course introduced the polite phrase 〜ましょう relatively early on. This usually translates to "let's ... " but not always. If the speaker is referring to an action that is intended to be done alone, it translates better as "I will," a kind of definitive affirmation of one's desire to do something.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 私は銀行に行きましょう。 | I will go to the bank. |
This lesson introduces the casual form of 〜ましょう, which is some iteration of 〜おう or 〜よう depending on the ending of the verb in question.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| 私は銀行に行こう。 | I will go to the bank. |
| ピザを食べよう。 | Let's eat pizza. |
| 外であそぼう。 | Let's play outside. |
Japan is divided into different areas, which are known as “prefectures.” Most of these areas will be identified by adding the character 県 (けん) to the end of the area’s name. For instance, if you lived in Yamaguchi prefecture, you would tell people you live in 山口県 (やまぐちけん).
If you’re talking about a city, you would usually add the character 市 (し) to the end of the place name. So if you lived in Chiba City, you would tell people you live in 千葉市 (ちばし).
Did you know that sometimes a prefecture will contain a city of the same name? So if you live in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, you would live in both 千葉県(ちばけん) and 千葉市 (ちばし)!
When discussing someone’s role, you can use the word として in Japanese. The word として comes after the noun or “role” that is being discussed. In English, it’s often translated to the word “as.”
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 友達として私は意見を言いました。 | I said my opinion as a friend. |
| 山口さんは地元の高校で先生として働いています。 | Mr. Yamaguchi is working as a teacher at a local high school. |
The passive voice in Japanese is a verb form that is unique to each verb ending, yet it is always some iteration of 〜あれる or 〜あれます。
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| 食べる・食べます | 食べられる・食べられます |
| 言う・言います | 言われる・言われます |
| 読む・読みます | 読まれる・読まれます |
Remember that the topic or subject of a passive sentence is the recipient of the given action, and as such, it takes the は or が particle instead of を。
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| りんごは食べられた | The apple was eaten. |
When the passive sentence includes a causative agent, this person or thing is marked with に。
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| りんごは私に食べられた | The apple was eaten by me. |
When you are describing an event that just occurred, you can use the phrase 〜ところ. The phrase follows directly after a verb in the short form. If the verb is in the non-past tense, it describes an action that is just about to happen. If the verb is in the past tense, it describes an event that just happened.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 電車は出たところだ。 | The train just left. |
| 映画を見に行くところだった。 | I was about to go to the movies. |
When you’re giving information from another source, you can use the phrase 〜によると to state your source. It’s used when telling others information that you learned from the news or from another person. We commonly translate the phrase as “according to…”
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 予報によると、明日は雨だそうだ。 | According to the forecast, it will rain tomorrow. |
| 本田さんの話によると、あの映画は面白いらしい。 | According to my conversation with Mr. Honda, that movie is supposed to be interesting. |
This lesson showcases some of the most common instances of formal language for use in business situations.
To make a noun extra formal, one places an お〜 prefix before a word of Japanese origin (typically a word with a single kanji) and a ご〜 prefix before a word of Chinese origin (typically a word with two kanji). We already learned a few examples earlier in the course.
| Ordinary | Formal |
|---|---|
| 水 (みず) | お水 |
| 箸 (はし) | お箸 |
| 両親 (りょうしん) | ご両親 |
| 主人 (しゅじん) | ご主人 |
| 迷惑 (めいわく) | ご迷惑 |
Sometimes a noun will change completely in the transition from ordinary to formal language, often reflecting a parallel change in another part of speech, such as a verb.
| Ordinary | Formal |
|---|---|
| 今日 (きょう) | 本日 (ほんじつ) |
| 言い訳 (いいわけ) | 申し訳 (もうしわけ) |
Adjectives typically do not change grammatical form in formal speech, but they are replaced with more formal varieties.
| Ordinary | Formal |
|---|---|
| 良い (いい・よい) | 宜しい (よろしい) |
For verbs, there is a mixed system. As introduced in an earlier lesson, some verbs adopt an お〜 prefix and may adopt the use of the copula です。
| Ordinary | Formal |
|---|---|
| 入りますか？ | お入りですか？ |
| 待ってください。 | お待ちください。 |
Meanwhile, some verbs are replaced with more formal variants.
| Ordinary | Formal |
|---|---|
| する | 致します (いたします) (one's own actions) |
| する | なさいます (someone else's actions) |
| ある | ございます |
| もらう | いただきます |
| くれる | くださいます |
| 行く・来る | いらっしゃいます |
| 言う | 申します (もうします) |
| だ・です | である (written form) |
| だ・です | でございます (spoken form) |
| 食べる | 召し上がります (めしあがります) |
Remember that formal language uses the polite 〜ます form at the end of each sentence. Ending a formal sentence with the plain form, だ or だろう sounds odd and incongruous with the context.
Don’t forget about transitive and intransitive verbs! Transitive verbs are verbs that take a direct object, while intransitive verbs are verbs that do not take a direct object. Transitive and intransitive verbs often occur in pairs, and even though the dictionary definition for both words is sometimes the same, their usage differs.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 止める (とめる) | to stop (transitive) |
| 止まる (とまる) | to stop (intransitive) |
Remember that the particle を is used to mark the direct object of a sentence, so you would use it with a transitive verb.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 運転手は急に車を止めた。 | The driver suddenly stopped the car. |
| バスが急に止まった。 | The bus stopped suddenly. |
Welcome to the casual language in the Japanese course! The reason that colloquial language is listed late in the tree is that we wanted you to understand the importance of politeness when speaking with strangers or coworkers.
When you speak with friends in casual settings or watch anime, you may hear a lot of expressions that you have yet to be introduced to.
There are two male pronouns reserved for casual settings, 俺 (おれ), meaning "I" or "me," and お前 (おまえ) meaning "you." In formal settings, use of these pronouns is considered confrontational and impolite. Both 俺 and お前 sound extremely rough and masculine, which is why typically they are reserved for boys or men who are teenagers or older.
In addition, you may hear women and girls use the pronoun あたし (sometimes written 私) to refer to themselves. This is not considered as polite as わたし、but considerably more so than 俺。
In polite and written Japanese, grammatical particles that mark parts of speech, such as は and が、see heavy use. However, in more casual settings, they are often dropped when the meaning is clear without them. In Japanese just as in English, formality and sentence length go hand-in-hand.
| Formal | Casual |
|---|---|
| あなたは今どこですか？ | 今、どこ？ |
| あの方はどなたですか？ | 彼、誰？ |
| それでは、行きましょう。 | よし、行こう。 |
When you’ve done something unintentionally, you can use the word つい to emphasize the fact that it was an accident. It’s often paired with the V+てしまう form, and it’s generally used to express regret over having done something you know you shouldn’t have done.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 友達と話していてもついスマホを見てしまう。 | Even when I am talking with my friends, I wind up looking at my smartphone unintentionally. |
This sentence has a connotation of something like, “I wind up looking at my smartphone (even though I know that I shouldn’t).”
You can also use the word うっかり to express that you’ve done something carelessly or accidentally.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| うっかりエアコンを消し忘れた。 | I carelessly forgot to turn off the air conditioner. |
Did you know that Japan has four seasons?
Many who have visited Japan have been asked this question, and for good reason. Unlike in many parts of the world, the four seasons in Japan are quite distinct and a core part of Japanese culture. The cyclical nature of the year has been celebrated on the archipelago for millennia with festivals, rituals, and seasonal food.
Spring is the traditional start of the year, a time of new beginnings, a new school year, and a new year on the business calendar. Cherry blossoms bloom throughout Japan to mark the transition into spring. Families and friends gather underneath the blossoming trees and have picnics with rice dumplings (団子・だんご) and various beverages.
Summer is remarkably hot and humid throughout Japan, especially in areas away from the mountains or the sea. Summer festivals offer a respite from the heat with flavored shaved ice (かき氷・かきごおり) and cool drinks. Near the end of summer, many in Japan return to their hometowns to celebrate the Bon Festival, a holiday to commemorate the spirits of one's ancestors.
Autumn is the season when the maple leaves turn a colorful spectrum of red, orange, and gold. The weather cools down, and the true bounty of the harvest takes the form of the many delicacies available at this time, including baked sweet potato and a warming, broth-based stew (おでん).
Winter is the season for heavy snow in the mountains of central Japan and throughout the north and northwest of the country. On New Years, Japanese people traditionally eat long buckwheat noodles (そば) as a wish for future health and longevity. Department stores celebrate the new year with mystery grab bags. Sapporo holds its annual snow festival in February, complete with enormous sculptures that attract visitors from around the world.