Notes (Self Study)

8/4/2019 Notes (Self Study)

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- Kanji - Hiragana Romaji(English Letters) English Meaning

watashi I (formal for males, normal for females) boku I (normal for males) kare he kanojo she anata you (singular/normal) kore this (the object itself) koko here kono this (ex. this pen) sore that (the object itself) soko there sono that (ex. that pen) hito person inu dog neko cat ie house

arigatou Thank you. (normal)

arigatou gozaimasu Thank you. (formal) douitashimashite You're welcome. (normal) ohayou

(sounds like "Ohio") Good morning. (informal) ohayou gozaimasu Good morning.

(normal and formal)

konnichiwa Hello. (normal) konbanwa Good evening. (normal)

sayonara

Goodbye. (normal)


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Basic Japanese Grammar -

Japanese grammar is quite simple and straight forward but very different from English grammar so most English speakers find it rather confusing.

For instance, the verb always comes at the end. The best thing you can do when learning Japanese grammar is to learn it from the bottom up andnot compare it to English grammar.

Japanese grammar uses what we will refer to as particles to mark the various parts of the sentence. The main particles are: (These particles willbe described in more detail below)

wa(as mentioned in lesson 1, the Hiragana "ha" ispronounced "wa" when it immediately follows the topic) topic marker

ga subject marker wo

(pronounced "o") direct object marker ni direction marker, time marker, indirect

object marker

e

(as mentioned in lesson 1, the Hiragana "he" is

pronounced "e" when it immediately follows a place ordirection) direction marker

The particles "wa" () and "ga" (): The particle "wa" marks the topic of the sentence and the particle "ga" marks the subject of the sentence.In the example, "I know where you live" (watashi wa anata ga doko ni sunde iru ka shitte iru), "I" would be the topic while "you" would be thesubject.

Not all sentences have both a topic and subject and, in many cases, the topic is implied in Japanese (for example, the "I" (watashi wa) would beleft out of this sentence because it is implied that since I am talking I am the one that knows where you live). Many Japanese books and teachers

teach that "wa" and "ga" are the same thing and it doesn't matter which you use when. This is not the case but I wouldn't worry too much aboutkeeping them straight at first.

The particle "wo" (): The particle "wo" (or "o") marks the direct object of the sentence. In the example, "I'm going to take her home" (watashiwa kanojo wo ie ni okuru), "her" would be the direct object.

The particle "ni" (): The particle "ni" can be used to mark the direction, time, or the indirect object of a sentence.


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An example of a direction marker can be seen in the previous example "I'm going to take her home" (watashi wa kanojo wo ie ni okuru). In this

case, the "ni" acts like a "to" - "I'm going to take her 'to' home". The particle "e" () can be used in this way as well but usually implies more of a

general direction as opposed to a specific place.

The particle "ni" is also used to mark time in a sentence. For example, "I'm leaving at 3 o'clock" (watashi wa sanji ni hanareru).

The final use for the particle "ni" is that of indirect ob ject marker. In the example, "I was taken home by him" (watashi wa kare ni ie madeokurareta), "him" is the indirect object.

Note: The "watashi wa" in all of the example sentenced used above would normally be left out as it is implied.


ichi one ni two san three shi (yon after 10) four go five roku six shichi (nana after 10) seven hachi eight kyuu nine juu ten hyaku hundred

Numbers after 10 are a piece of cake once you know 1 through 10. 11 is simply ten with a one after it, (, juuichi), 12 -

juuni, 13 - juusan, 14 - juuyon, etc. 20 is simply (, nijuu), 21 - nijuuichi, and so forth.

Put these numbers in front of the character for time and you've got the time of the day.


ichiji one o'clock niji two o'clock


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nijihan two thirty (means half) nijiyonjuugofun 2:45 ( means minute)

...etc.

Now just put the character for moon after a number and you've got a month.


ichigatsu January nigatsu February sangatsu March shigatsu April

...etc.Days of the week don't follow such an easy pattern but here they are anyway along with some other time-related words.


nichiyoubi Sunday ( - sun/day) getsuyoubi Monday ( - moon) kayoubi Tuesday ( - fire) suiyoubi Wednesday ( - water) mokuyoubi Thursday ( - tree/wood) kinyoubi Friday ( - gold) doyoubi Saturday ( - dirt) kyou Today ashita Tomorrow kinou Yesterday


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ototoi the day before yesterday asatte the day after tomorrow (a small "tsu" ()

makes a double consonant) kesa this morning konban this evening ima now

Godan Verbs -

Now, before you can start making up sentences of your own, you need to learn how to conjugate verbs. Verbs are the most important part of theJapanese sentence. Often times Japanese people will leave out everything but the verb.

They are very big on leaving out the obvious and sometimes not so obvious which can get confusing at times. There are only 3 types of verbs inthe Japanese language and they each follow a pattern that is very simple and very rarely has any exceptions. Most Japanese verbs fall into the

first group, the Godan () verbs. These verbs always conjugate the same way with only one exception. These verbs have five changes thatfollow the order of the Japanese vowels, hence the name Godan (meaning 5 levels or steps), and then the "te" and "ta" forms that are common toall verbs. Here's an example:

- Kanji - Hiragana Romaji(English Letters) Verb Base hanasu (to speak) hanasa Base 1 hanashi Base 2 hanasu Base 3 hanase Base 4 hanasou Base 5 hanashite Base "te" hanashita Base "ta"

Base 1: Base 1 can not be used by itselfbut becomes the plain form negative simply by adding -nai. (ex. hanasanai - I won't say anything.) If the

verb ends in (u) then the end for Base 1 becomes (wa). (ex. au (Base 1) -> awa)

(Plain form is what people use when talking to a friend. It would not be proper to use in a business environment. We will go over the polite form in


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asobu to play nomu to drink shinu to die aruku to walk oyogu to swim kesu to erase, turn off iku to go(Remember the exception for

Bases "te"and "ta")

Ichidan Verbs -

The second group of verbs are called Ichidan () verbs. It is usually an Ichidan verb if it ends with the sound "iru" or "eru". Some well usedverbs which appear to be Ichidan but are really Godan are listed here. Ichidan verbs also follow a simple conjugation pattern that is somewhat

similar to that of the Godan verbs. Here's an example:

- Kanji - HiraganaRomaji

(English Letters) Verb Base taberu (to eat) tabe Base 1 tabe Base 2 taberu Base 3 tabere Base 4 tabeyou Base 5 tabete Base "te" tabeta Base "ta"

Base 1 and Base 2:As you can see, Base 1 and 2 are the same. Just like with the Godan verbs, a negative can be made by adding -nai (ex.tabenai - I will not eat.) and this base, or root form, is also used for the formal form of the verb.


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Base 3: Base 3 is the same as with Godan verbs.

Base 4: Base 4, however, can not be used by itself like with Godan verbs. It is only used for "if verb" by adding -ba. (ex. tabereba - If I eat it...) It is

not the low command form for Ichidan verbs. The low command form for Ichidan verbs is Base 1 + (ro).

Base 5: Base 5 is the same as with Godan verbs.

Base "te" and Base "ta": The Base "te" and "ta" forms for Ichidan verbs are a lot easier than with Godan verbs. Simply take off the "ru" and add

a "te" for Base "te" and a "ta" for Base "ta". These have the same functions as with Godan verbs.


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Here are some Ichidan verbs. Try conjugating them on a piece of paper using what you have just learned. Click here for the answers.


iru to exist (animate), to besomewhere

miru to see neru to sleep kiru to wear, put on dekiru can do oboeru to remember

Irregular Verbs

The last type of verbs are the Irregular verbs but there are only 2 of them in the entire language so just memorize their charts below. The first oneis suru (to do something). Many nouns can be used as a verb simply by putting "suru" right after them. It is probably the most used of all Japaneseverbs. The second Irregular verb is kuru (to come).

- Kanji - Hiragana Romaji(English Letters) Verb Base suru (to do) shi Base 1 shi Base 2 suru Base 3 sure Base 4 shiyou Base 5 shite Base "te" shita Base "ta"


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The functions for these bases are the same as for the Godan verbs except that Base 4 can only be used as the "if verb".The rude command form is "Shiro".

- Kanji - Hiragana Romaji(English Letters) Verb Base

kuru (to come)

ko Base 1 ki Base 2 kuru Base 3 kure Base 4 koyou Base 5 kite Base "te" kita Base "ta"

The functions for these bases are the same as for the Godan verbs except that Base 4 can only be used as the "if verb".The rude command form is "Koi" and really should only be used on animals.


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Using Verb Bases

- Hiragana Romaji(English Letters) English Meaning

Base 1 + Base 1 + nai plain form negative (will not verb)

Base 1 + Base 1 + nakatta plain form past negative (did not verb)Base 2 + Base 2 + masu polite form present/future tense

Base 2 + Base 2 + mashita polite form past tenseBase 2 + Base 2 + masen polite form negative (will not verb)

Base 2 + Base 2 + masen deshita polite form past negative (did not verb)Base 2 + Base 2 + tai want to verb (add (desu) to make it polite)

Base 3 Base 3 plain form present/future tenseBase 4 + Base 4 + ba if verbBase 4 + Base 4 + ru plain form can verb (Godan verbs only)

(verb now becomes an Ichidan verb)Base 4 + Base 4 + masu polite form can verb (can be changed like above)

Base 5 + Base 5 + to suru try to verb(this suru is the same verb learned in lesson 7 (to do something))

Base "te" + Base "te" + hoshii want someone else to verb(hoshii is an adjective which will be covered in the next lesson)

Base "te" Base "te" plain form commandBase "te" + Base "te" + kudasai polite form commandBase "te" + Base "te" + iru

plain form presently verbing(this iru is the same verb learned in lesson 7 (to exist (animate))

Base "te" + Base "te" + imasu polite form presently verbing (can be changed like above)Base "ta" Base "ta" plain form past tense

Base "ta" + Base "ta" + ra if and when I verb (similar to Base 4 + ba)Base "ta" + Base "ta" + ri suru do such things as...

(this suru is also the same verb learned in lesson 7 (to do something))


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Adjectives and Adverbs

There are two different types of words that can be used to modify nouns and verbs. One group is much like what we would call an adjective but

they can also modify verbs as well. We will refer to these as "dv". The other group can, in most cases, stand alone like a noun but can also be

used to modify nouns and verbs. We will refer to these as "dn". All words in the "dv" group always end with (i). No exceptions. This is placed in

front of a noun in order to modify it. For example:


akai kuruma red carThese words can be conjugated to form different tenses, modify verbs, etc. Here is how that is done:

- Hiragana Romaji(English Letters) English Meaning

drop the and add drop the "i" and add "ku" modifies a verb (akaku natta -> became red)(naru is the verb "to become")

drop the and add drop the "i" and add "kunai" present tense negative (akakunai -> is not red)drop the and add drop the "i" and add "katta" past tense (akakatta -> was red)

drop the and add drop the "i" and add "kunakatta" past tense negative (akakunakatta -> was not red)(This one might take a little practice saying.)

It's not as easy to recognize a "dn" but I will point them out in the vocabulary lists. Sometimes you'll even find a "dn" that ends in (i) (ex. kirei -

pretty). As mentioned before, these words can, in most cases, be used by themselves like a noun (ex. shizen - nature). By adding a (na) to the

end of these words they can be used to modify a noun (ex. shizen na kankyou -> a natural environment). And by adding a (ni) to the end ofthese words they can be used to modify a verb as an adverb (ex. shizen ni aruku -> to walk naturally).


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Here's a list of some commonly used "dv" and "dn":


akai (dv) red kiiroi (dv) yellow aoi (dv) blue kuroi (dv) black shiroi (dv) white omoshiroi (dv) interesting, funny atsui (dv) hot samui (dv) cold ookii (dv) big chiisai (dv) small shizen (dn) nature kirei (dn) pretty, clean shitsurei (dn) rude shizuka (dn) quiet tokubetsu (dn) special genki (dn) in good spirits hen (dn) weird, strange jouzu (dn) skillful shinsetsu (dn) kind, nice suteki (dn) "cool", good looking


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Meeting Someone New

We are often asked by our students learning Japanese how to introduce oneself to someone new. The interaction is normally very formal and filled

with a few bows. Below is a typical Japanese conversation between two people meeting for the first time:

Japanese(In Kanji, Hiragana, and Romaji) English Meaning

Person 1:

Konnichi wa. Hajimemashite.

Hello. Nice to meet you.

Person 2:

Hajimemashite. O-genki desu ka?

Nice to meet you.How are you?

Person 1:

Hai, genki desu.

I am fine.

Person 1:

______

______

Watashi wa ______to moushimasu. Anata no o-namae wa?

My name is ______.What is your name?

Person 2:

______

______

Watashi wa ______to iimasu. Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu.

My name is ______.Pleased to make youracquaintance.

Person 1:

Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu.

Pleased to make your

acquaintance.

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

saying "Please treat me well". It can be used in other situations as well - such as when asking for a favor.


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Other Common Phrases

We are often asked how to say "I love you" in Japanese. This would be "Anata o ai shite imasu" BUT be advised that the Japanese typically don't

use the word for love ( - - ai) when talking about their feelings for someone else (not even a boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, child, parent, etc.).They would typically say "Anata no koto ga suki desu" or "Anata ga daisuki desu". "Suki" means "like" and "daisuki" means "favorite". This mayseem strange but this is just what they say for "I love you".


tanjoubi omedetou

gozaimasu

Happy Birthday!

akemashite omedetougozaimasu Happy New Year! omedetou gozaimasu Congratulations!

oyasuminasai

Good night.

(used when someone is going to

bed)

gomennasai I'm sorry. sumimasen Excuse me.

toire wa doko desu ka

Where is the bathroom? onaka ga suite imasu I am hungry.

("My stomach is empty.")

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Notes (Self Study)