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Rhys Maroney's Japanese Lessons - Furigana Notice

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:54:00 +0000

Please note that I am editing all of the Japanese lessons so their is Furigana (hiragana above the Kanji) to help in learning pronunciation. All Kanji within tables are not going to have Furigana as they have their pronunciations in rōmaji next to them, and it will mess up the table codings.

All Internet Explorer Uses will have no problem viewing this, but if you use Mozilla Firefox, or a Firefox based Browser (Such as Flock), you will need to downlaod the following XHTML Ruby Support plugin to view the Furigana properly.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1935

Rhys Maroney's Japanese Lessons - Japanese Test

Wed, 27 May 2009 12:25:00 +0000

Okay, I have made 7 lessons so far on Japanese Language. They have covered a wide range of basic and more advanced language. Now you need to test yourself to make sure that you are processing the information that you have been learning. There are a few rules that should be mentioned first for when you attempt this test:

Intructions

� Do not refer back to the previous lessons, this defies the point of testing yourself.
� Do not use an automatic translation service such as Google, they are inaccurate and it is easy to spot if it has been used.
� All vocabulary will be provided for you.
� Whenever Kanji and Kana are used, rōmaji will also be given to aid those who cannot read it.
� Sections B and A will not have rōmaji when Kanji and Kana are used.
� There are 5 tiers of grading; A, B, C, D and E.
� Questions will start from Grade E and will increase in difficulty.
� There are 3 questions in Grades E and D, 4 in Grades C and B, and 3 in Grade A.
� There is a total of 17 Questions in this test. There are no aural questions in this exam.
� Each tier section will be marked so you know where you are in the exam.
� The more difficult a question, the more marks it is worth.
� Each question will have the marks available for that question in squared brackets.
� The test lasts for 45 minutes at maximum. You should use a stopwatch to time yourself. If you finish within the allotted time, check through your answers to correct any mistakes.
� When the time limit has been reached, cease all work on the exam. Though there will be no invigilators, I hope that you will not cheat as you will never learn this way.
� If you do not pass that exam, or you wish to get a better mark, you can take it again at any time.
� Write your answers in a PM to isaacsol (a button before the start of the exam which opens the PM window will be provided).
� When you write your answers, write the grade tier before each section of answers, then write the Question number followed by your answer (depending on the question, it will be a letter(s) or a piece of text).

Helpful Advice

� Do not take the test until you feel you are ready to take it.
� Revise over the previous lessons if you feel as if you are not ready.
� Do not stress yourself over this exam, it will not affect you badly in life.
� If you finish early, and you have checked your work and are sure that you have got everything right to the best of your abilities, feel free to send the answers to be marked.
� Good luck, and hopefully you will do well.

Japanese Exam

Grade Tier - E

1. Which of the following sentences it correct? (1)
Translated Sentence: Good Afternoon, Mr. Tanaka.

(A.) おはようございます、田中さん。 (Ohayō Gozaimasu, Tanaka-san.)
(B.) こんにちは、田中ちゃん。 (Kon'nichi-wa, Tanaka-chan.)
(C.) こんにちは、田中さん。 (Kon'nichi-wa, Tanaka-san.)

2. Which of the following sentences is correct? (1)
Translated Sentence: How are you?

(A.) 元気だ (Genki-da)
(B.)　元気だな (Genki-dana)
(C.) お元気ですか (Ogenki desu-ka)

3. Which of the following is a correct response to the following question? (1)
Question: はじめまして、私は田中です。どうぞよろしく。お前は。 (Hajimemashite, watashi-wa Tanaka-desu. Dōzo yoroshiku. Omae-wa?)

(A.) はじめまして、田中さん。私は____です。どうぞよろしく。 (Hajimemashite, Tanaka-san. Watashi-wa ____ desu. Dōzo yoroshiku.
(B.)　どうぞよろしく。　(Dōzo yoroshiku)
(C.) どうぞ。 (Dōzo)

Total Marks for Section: 3

Grade Tier - D

4. Which of the following words fits within the gap? (2)
私は日本___です。
Watashi-wa Nihon___ desu.

(A.) 人 = Jin
(B.)　人 = Nin
(C.) 人 = Hito
(D.) 者 = Mono

5. Which of the following words fits within the gaps? [Pick 2 Answers here] (2)
私は_を_んだ
Watashi-wa ___-wo ___nda.

(A.) 本 = Hon
(B.)　言 = I(u)
(C.) 飲み物 = Nomimono
(D.) 読 = Yo(mu)

6. Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct? (3)

(A.) 私はすしを食べた (Watashi-wa Sushi-wo tabeta)
(B.)　すしは私を食べた (Sushi-wa watashi-wo tabeta)
(C.) 食べたは私をすし (Tabeta-wa watashi-wo Sushi)
(D.) 食べたをすしは私 (Tabeta-wo Sushi-wa Watashi)

Total Marks for Section: 7

Grade Tier - C

7. Read the following conversation then answer the following true or false question. (2)

恩：すみません、今何時ですか？
(Megumi: Sumimasen, ima nanji desu-ka?)
通行人: 今�　四時二十六分午後です。
(Tsūkōnin: Ima... Yoji nijūroppun gogo desu.)
恩：そうか？
(Megumi: Sou-ka?)
通行人：はい。
(Tsūkōnin: Hai.)
恩：ありがとう
(Megumi: Arigatō)

New Word

The word 通行人 (Tsūkōnin) means Passer-by, as in a general person that will pass you on the street.

The Passer-by told Megumi that the time was 4:26 AM. True or False?

8. Read the following conversation, then answer the following true or false question. (3)

スミス：ごめんなさい、田中さん。もう一度言ってください。
(Sumisu: Gomen nasai, Tanaka-san. Mōichido itte kudasai.)
田中：はい、ミーティングは金曜日です。
(Tanaka: Hai, Mītingu-wa Kinyōbi desu.)
スミス：何時ですか？
(Sumisu: Nanji desu-ka?)
田中：一時半です。
(Tanaka: Ichiji-han desu.)
スミス：私はそれが記すて。
(Sumisu: Watashi-wa sore-ga kisute.)

New Word

金曜日 (Kinyōbi) means Friday (lit. Gold/Money Day). The word 記すて (Kisute) is the request form of the verb 記する (Kiseru) meaning 'to note'.

Mr. Tanaka and Mr. Smith are having a meeting at 1 O'Clock. True or False?

9. Read the following sentence, then answer the following true or false question. (2)

恩：すみません、お名前は？
(Megumi: Sumimasen, o-namae-wa?

Megumi is asking the person their name. True or False?

10. Read the following sentence, then answer the following true or false question. (3)

通行人：あの�次の右に曲がってください。それからまっすぐいってください。銀行は駅の向かい側です。
(Tsūkōnin: Ano... Tsugi no migi ni magatte kudasai. Sorekara massugu iite kudasai. Ginkō-wa eki no mukaigawa desu.)

The Passer-by is giving directions to the train station. True or False?

Total Marks for Section: 10

Grade Tier - B

11. Read the following sentence, write an apt reply either in Rōmaji or Kana and Kanji. (5)

私は山本花子です。私は日本が住んでいました、しかし、今な私は英国が住んでいます。君は？

12. Translate the following sentence, using the most appropriate words. (5)

Hanako: Take the first left, follow that road and turn right at the intersection. The Bank is opposite the Hotel.

13. Read the following sentence, write an apt reply in English. (5)

花子：ああ、スミスさん助けて。君は私のノートがありますか？
(Agree to this and say where they are)

14. Translate the following sentence into English. (5)

私は田中シンジです。私は大阪に生まれました、でも、私は東京に住んでいます。いつか私は大阪に返します。

Total Marks for Section: 20

Grade Tier - A

15. Read the menu below, and fill in the order for the waiter. (4)

メニュー

食べ物	飲み物
パン	コーヒー
チキン・スープ	アイスコーヒー
サンドイッチ	ティ
アイス・クリーム	アイスティ
フルーツ・サラダ	レモネード

ウェーター：いっらしゃいませ、お前は何を令ですか？
あなた：____________
ウェーター：はい、ありがとう。

16. Re-arrange the following two sentences to make them grammatically correct. Write your answer in Rōmaji or Kana and Kanji. (4)

(A.) wa nihon watashi sundeimashita ni, watashi demo sundeimasu ima-na eikoku ni.
(B.) san sumimasen Tanaka, nanji mītingu doko ka to desu.

17. Re-arrange the following sentence to make it grammatically correct. (2)

シンジ：わかります　は　君　か　ちゃん、　が　返事　恩？

Total Marks for Section: 10

Total Marks for Paper: 50

Rhys Maroney's Japanese Lessons - Japanese Lesson 7 - Conjugating Verbs

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 22:19:00 +0000

Today's lesson will be on how to conjugate verbs. I thank David McGimpsey for his explanation which I think is good, and which I will be referring to in this lesson.

Forms:

Now, there are a few different forms that you can use, and they are:

Dictionary Form: The form a verb appears within a dictionary. It is not conjugated and is normally used between friends.
-masu Form: Polite form, generally used when talking to a superior or a boss or someone you have just met.
-te Form: This is the request form. It is used when you are requesting something from someone or when you are requesting someone to do something.

Tenses:

In English, there are 3 different tenses; Past, Present and Future. For example:

English Conjugation

Infinitive	Past	Present	Future
To Run	Ran	Run	Will Run
To Sit	Sat	Sit	Will Sit
To Speak	Spoke	Speak	Will Speak
To Write	Wrote	Write	Will Write

You must be confident with tenses in English before you can learn them in another language.

Japanese is similar to English except for the fact it has no difference between Future and Present tense. in a way this is slightly easier, as it means you have less to learn.

Here are the basic rules for present tense in Japanese (Polite).

If a verb end in 'u' then you replace it with 'imasu'.
If a verb end in 'ru' then you replace it with 'masu'.
If a verb end in 'su' then you replace it with 'shimasu'.

Any others will be added at a later point.

Past Tense Rules

Rule 1: If the verb ends with 'iru' or 'eru' the remove the 'ru' and add 'ta'. For example, mieru 「見える」 (to be able to see), becomes mieta　「見えた」 (was able to be seen). Called GROUP 2 Verbs.

Rule 2: If the verb ends with 'gu' remove 'gu' and add 'ida'. For example, oyogu 「泳ぐ」 (to swim), becomes oyoida　「泳いだ」 (swam). Called GROUP 1 Verbs.

Rule 3: If the verb ends with 'u, ru' or 'tsu' remove 'u, ru' or 'tsu' and add 'tta'. For example, kau 「買う」　(to buy), becomes katta　「買った」 (bought). Called GROUP 1 Verbs.

Rule 4: If the verb ends with 'ku' remove 'ku' and replace it with 'ita'. For example kaku　「書く」 (to write), becomes kaita　「書いた」 (wrote). Called GROUP 1 Verbs.

Rule 5: If the verb ends with 'su' remove 'su' and replace it with 'shita'. For example, kaesu　「返す」 (to return something) becomes kaeshita 「返した」　(something was returned). Called GROUP 1 Verbs.

Rule 6: If the verbs ends with 'nu, bu' or 'mu' remove 'nu, bu' or 'mu' and add 'nda'. For example, nomu 「飲む」 (to drink), becomes nonda　「飲んだ」 (drank). Called GROUP 1 Verbs.

Now we need to know how to conjugate the past form verbs above into the request form. Here is quite a good explanation by David McGimpsey:

QUOTE (David McGimpsey)

For example, let�s say we have a verb like Yomu (to read).

If we want to ask someone to read something, we first convert the verb to past tense.

Yomu ends with mu so we remove it and add nda (see rule 6).

So now we have the past tense of read which is Yonda.

Now simply by conjugating this Japanese verb by dropping the �a� at the end and adding �e� we get the request form, i.e. Yonde.

So if we want someone to read something, we can say "Yonde kudasai."

There are also two mainly used verbs which are irregular and do not follow the normal conjugation rules:

QUOTE (David McGimpsey)

Finally, I have two major exceptions for you (major because they�re used a lot, not because they�re difficult).

These Japanese verb exceptions have no rules and just need to be memorized. Called GROUP 3 Verbs.

Kuru (to come) past tense: kita, request: kite, polite: kimasu
Suru (to do) past tense: shita, request: shite, polite: shimasu

That is pretty much it for now. The next post will be a test to make sure that you are doing well, and to let me know what areas people are weak at so I can build newer lessons, and to improve the existing ones. People who pass the next test will be given special privileges to see the Japanese Slang section. Until next time,

Sayōnara.

Rhys Maroney's Japanese Lessons - Japanese Lesson 6 - Kanji 1

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:34:00 +0000

Okay, this lesson will be the first of a few on Kanji. In this lesson I will show you some of the Kanji that will show up in the Japanese Language Proficiency Test - Level 4. I will show you its Kunyomi and Onyomi, and a few of its compounds. Let's get started.

一
Meaning: One, One Radical

Onyomi: ひと-, ひと.つ
Kunyomi: イチ, イツ
Compounds:

一 (ひと) one (numeric, prefix, suffix)
一 (ひとつ) one, for one thing, only, even (n, n-adv)
一握り (ひとにぎり) handful, small handful (n, adj-no)
一員 (いちいん) person, member (n)
一円 (いちえん) whole district, one yen, throughout (adv, n)

七
Meaning: Seven

Onyomi: なな, なな.つ, なの
Kunyomi: シチ
Compounds:

七 (なな) seven (numeric)

万
Meaning; Ten thousand

Onyomi: よろず
Kunyomi: マン, バン
Compounds:

万一 (まんいつ) by some chance, by some possibility, 10,000 to 1 odds (adv, n)
万引き (まんびき) shoplifting, shoplifter (n, vs)
万事 (ばんじ) all, everything (n)
万年筆 (まんねんひつ) fountain pen (n)
万人 (まんにん) all people, everybody, ten thousand people (n)

三
Meaning: Three

Onyomi: み, み.つ, みっ.つ
Kunyomi: サン, ゾウ
Compunds:

再三 (さいさん) again and again, repeatedly (adv, n)
三角 (さんかく) triangle, triangular (n)
三日月 (みかずき) new moon, crescent moon (n)
三流 (さんりゅう) 3rd rate (n)
三 (み) three (numeric)

上
Meaning: Above, Up

Onyomi: うえ, -うえ, うわ-, かみ, あ.げる, -あ.げる, あ.がる, -あ.がる, あ.がり, -あ.がり, のぼ.る, のぼ.り, のぼ.せる, のぼ.す, よ.す
Kunyomi: ジョウ, ショウ, シャン
Compounds:

已上 (いじょう) not less than, ... and more, beyond (n-adv, n-t)
屋上 (おくじょう) rooftop (n)
海上 (かいじょう) (by, at, on) sea, maritime, marine (adj-no)
見上げる (みあげる) to look up at, to raise one's eyes, to admire (Ichidan verb, vt)
向上 (こうじょう) elevation, rise, improvement, advancement, progress (n, vs)

下
Meaning: Below, Down, Descend, Give, Low, Inferior

Onyomi: した, しも, もと, さ.げる, さ.がる, くだ.る, くだ.り, くだ.す, -くだ.す, くだ.さる, お.ろす, お.りる
Kunyomi: カ, ゲ
Compounds:

已下 (いげ) not exceeding, and downward (n)
下る (さがる) to hang down, to abate, to retire, to fall, to step back (v5r, intransitive verb)
下げる (さげる) to hang, to lower, to move back, to wear, to dismiss, to grant (Ichidan verb, vt)
下さる (くださる) to give, to confer (Godan verb - -aru special class)
下り (くだり) down-train (going away from Tokyo) (n, n-suf)

I think that is enough for now, in the next Kanji lesson, I will post more than this, but I think it would be best for you to get used to learning these first then do the rest.

Rhys Maroney's Japanese Lessons - Japanese Lesson 5 - Asking Time and Direction

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 22:55:00 +0000

Now, one of the most important things in any language to gain information, is to ask questions. You have come across some questions in previous lessons, such as asking how someone is feeling. In this lesson, I will be going over some questions, including some important questions, such as asking where the toilet is.

First, we need to learn more vocabulary (Yay, more words to learn!). You may be getting tired with all the new words getting thrown your way, but you can't learn a language without them. The following vocabulary consists of different question words.

Question Words

English Eigo 英語	Rōmaji	Kanji 漢字/Kana 仮名
What	Nani (Nan when prefix)	何
Where	Doko	どこ
When	Itsu	いつ
Who	Dare	誰
Why	Naze	なぜ
Why	Dōshite	どうして
How	Dō	どう

Asking the Time

In Japanese, asking for the time is quite easy. This is the basic sentence:

今(いま)何(なん)時(じ)ですか。
Ima nanji desu-ka.
What time is it?

This sentence, though is translated as 'What time is it?' literally means 'What time is it now?'. This is because without the word 'Ima 今', it would make the sentence 'What time?' which would be used in making arrangements. Answering this question is no easy task. You would say the hour, followed by 'Ji 時''. The only exception is that the number nine uses the 'kū' pronunciation. The minutes in Japanese are quite hard. and I will explain them after a quick sentence answering the above question.

今(いま)十(じゅう)一(いち)時(じ)五(ご)分(ふん)です。
Ima Jūichi-ji Gofun desu.
Now it is 11:05.

Minutes in Japanese are pretty much the number, followed by 'fun 分' or 'bun 分'. However, there are some exceptions to this rule, such as one minute, which is 'ippun 一分'. The following table shows the minuted in Japanese.

Minutes

English Eigo 英語	Rōmaji	Kanji 漢字/Kana 仮名
1 minute	Ippun	一分
2 minutes	Nifun	二分
3 Minutes	Sanpun	三分
4 Minutes	Yonpun	四分
5 Minutes	Gofun	五分
6 Minutes	Roppun	六分
7 Minutes	Nanafun	七分
8 Minutes	Happun	八分
9 Minutes	Kyūfun	九分
10 Minutes	Jūppun	十分

If you wish to say 11 minutes, you say ten, then add 1 minute after it. This is the same for all numbers up to sixty, 20 would be 'nijuppun' etc. If you wish to say it is half past the hour, simply add 'han 半' after the hour + ji as 'han' literally means half. If you wish to say whether it is AM or PM, you must add the following after you have said the hour and minutes:

Gozen 午(ご)前(ぜん): Japanese for AM. The Kanji literally mean Before Midday.

Gogo 午(ご)後(ご): Japanese for PM. The Kanji literally mean After Midday.

Time for another example:

今(いま)九(く)時(じ)五(ご)十(じゅう)六(ろ)分(っぷん)午(ご)前(ぜん)です。
Ima kuji sanjūippun gozen desu.
It is now 9:31AM.

今(いま)三(さん)時(じ)五(ご)十(じゅう)六(ろ)分(っぷん)午(ご)後(ご)です。
Ima sanji gojūroppun gogo desu.
It is now 3:56PM.

This is probably all you need to know (and want to) about time at this point. I suggest revising the section a lot as it is a tricky section.

Asking for Directions

One of the most important tools in anyone's arsenal when learning a language is asking for directions. If you ever get lost in Japan, you do not want to not know how to ask for and understand directions.

You have already learned a very important word for directions above, that word is 'doko' which means where. Look at the following example:

便(ベン)所(じょ)はどこですか。
Benjo-wa doko desu-ka.
Where is the toilet?

This is slightly vague, so we need to ask:

最(も)寄(よ)り便便(ベン)所(じょ)どこですか。
Moyori benjo-wa doko desu-ka.
Where is the nearest toilet?

Also, if you are asking a stranger where it is, it is always best to say excuse me (sumimasen) prior to asking the question:

すみません、最(も)寄(よ)り便便(ベン)所(じょ)はどこですか。
Sumimasen, Moyori benjo-wa doko desu-ka.
Excuse Me/Sorry, Where is the nearest toilet?

Now that you have asked the question, you may or may not be given an answer. Quite commonly in Japan, even if you ask in Japanese, the stranger may feel as if they should answer in English, if so they may reply with:

ああ、すみません、私は英(えい)語(ご)ができません。
Aa, sumimasen, watashi-wa eigo-ga dekimasen.
Oh, sorry, I can't speak English.

Before I explain different responses, it would best for you to see the vocabulary that you will need (yes, another table).

To go straight on

English Eigo 英語	Rōmaji	Kanji 漢字/Kana 仮名
(please) go...	... itte kudasai	... いってください
Straight on	Massugu	まっすぐ
Little (way)	Chotto	ちょっと
Please go straight on.	Massugu itte kudasai	まっすぐいってください。
Please go a little way.	Chotto itte kudasai.	ちょっといってください。

To turn

English Eigo 英語	Rōmaji	Kanji 漢字/Kana 仮名
(Please) turn	... magatte kudasai	曲がってください。
Right	Migi	右
Left	Hidari	左
Please turn (to the) right.	Migi ni magatte kudasai.	右に曲がってください。
Please turn (to the) left.	Hidari ni magatte kudasai.	左に曲がってください。

Orientation Points

English Eigo 英語	Rōmaji	Kanji 漢字/Kana 仮名
Traffic Lights	Shingō	信号
Intersection	Kōsaten	交差点
Corner	Kado	角
Road	Michi	道
The next...	Tsugi no...	次の
The next traffic lights.	Tsugi no shingō.	次の信号。
The second..	Nibanme no...	二番目の
The second intersection	Nibanme no kōsaten	二番目の交差点。

Exact Places

English Eigo 英語	Rōmaji	Kanji 漢字/Kana 仮名
Next to	Tonari	隣
Near to	Chikaku	近く
The nearest	Ichiban chikai	一番近い
Opposite (side)	Mukaigawa	向かい側
In front of	Mae	前
Left-hand side	Hidarigawa	左側
Right-hand side	Migigawa	右側
Next to the...	... no tonari	の隣
Next to the bank	Ginkō no tonari	銀行の隣。

Okay, this is a new tactic that will prove useful, Dialogue. I will compose a dialogue between a Japanese person, and a foreign tourist. Here we go:

エリザベス：　すみません、新(しん)幹(かん)線(せん)駅(えき)はどこですか。

通行人：　ああ、ごめんなさい、私は英(えい)語(ご)ができません。

エリザベス：　ええ、すみません、新(しん)幹(かん)線(せん)駅(えき)はどこですか。

通行人：新(しん)幹(かん)線(せん)駅(えき)はですか。ええと、この道(みち)をまっすごいって、次(つぎ)の信(しん)号(ご)を左(ひだり)に�　ああ、すみません、次(つぎ)の信(しん)号(ご)を右(みぎ)に曲(つま)がって

ください。それから、二(に)番(ばん)目(め)の交(こう)差(さ)点(てん)を左(ひだり)に曲(つま)がってください。新(しん)幹(かん)線(せん)駅(えき)は東(とう)京(きょう)金(ぎん)行(こう)の向(む)かい側(がわ)です。

エリザベス： すみません、この道(みち)をまっすぐいって�　それから。もう一(いち)度(ど)ください。

通行人： それから、次(つぎ)の信(しん)号(ご)を右(みぎ)に曲(つま)がってください。

エリザベス：　わかりました。そして、二(に)番(ばん)目(め)の交(こう)差(さ)点(てん)を左(ひだり)に曲(つま)がって�

通行人：　はい、そうです。日(に)本(ほん)語(ご)が上(じょう)手(ず)ですね！

エリザベス：　いいえ、まだまだです。どうもありがとうございました。

Erizabasu: Sumimasen, Shinkansen eki-wa doko desu-ka.
Tsūkōnin: Ā, Gomen nasai, Watashi-wa eigo-ga dekimasen.
Erizabesu: Ē, sumimasen, Shinkansen eki-wa doko desu-ka.
Tsūkōnin: Shinkansen eki-wa desu-ka. Ēto, kono michi-wo magatte itte, tsugi no shingō-wo hidari ni... Ā, sumimasen, tsugi no shingō-wo migi ni magatte kudasai. Sorekara, nibanme no kōsaten-wo hidari-ni magatte kudasai. Shinkansen eki-wa Tōkyō Ginkō no mukaigawa desu.
Erizabesu: Sumimasen, kono michi-wo massugu itte... sorekawa. Mou ichido kudasai.
Tsūkōnin: Sorekawa, tsugi no shingō-wo migi ni magatte kudasai.
Erizabesu: Wakarimashita. Shikashi, nibanme no kōsaten-wo hidari ni magatte...
Tsūkōnin: Hai, sō desu. Nihongo-ga jōzu desu ne!
Erizabesu: Iie, mada mada desu. Dōmo arigatō gozaimashita.

Elizabeth: Excuse me, Where is the Bullet Train Station?
Passer-by: Ah, sorry, I cannot speak English.
Elizabeth: Ah, excuse me, Where is the Bullet Train Station?
Passer-by: The Bullet Train Station? Urm, Go straight down this road, turn left at the next traffic lights.. Ah, sorry, please turn right at the next traffic lights. After that, turn left at the second intersection. The Bullet Train Station is opposite the Tokyo Bank.
Elizabeth: Sorry, go straight down this road... after that. Could you say that once more please?
Passer-by: After that, turn right at the next traffic lights.
Elizabeth: I understand. And, I turn left at the second intersection?
Passer-by: Yes, that's right. Your Japanese is very good!
Elizabeth: No, it is not that good. Thank you very much (lit. Thank you very much for what you have done).

The following table contains some vocabulary that will be useful. Anything else that you are unfamiliar with, you can reference on Denshi Jisho (Link in Lesson 3). Some words though, will become more important in other lessons

New Key Vocabulary

English Eigo 英語	Rōmaji	Kanji 漢字/Kana 仮名
No	Iie	いいえ
Yes	Hai	はい
It is not that good	Mada mada desu.	まだまだです
Bullet Train	Shinkansen	新幹線
Station (Train)	Eki	駅

Okay, this is as far as I will go today, another time I will go more in-depth probably in the next few lessons. If I write any more it will probably become a bit too much and I would rather teach you in small sections.

Rhys Maroney's Japanese Lessons - Japanese Lesson 4 - Hiragana and Katakana

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:50:00 +0000

Okay, throughout these lessons I have been writing the conversations in both Kana, Rōmaji and English. Kana being the Japanese characters, Rōmaji being the Japanese sentences in Latin characters.

In Japanese, there are 3 main writing forms (4 if you want to be technical and count Rōmaji). These are:

Kanji: The Chinese characters which represent words, not sounds.
Hiragana: Japanese symbols derived from Kanji, each is assigned to a sound. Hiragana is used for Japanese words (When kanji is not used). It is also used after Kanji on certain words, such as verbs.
Katakana: Katakana is similar to Hiragana, but the symbols are more geometrical instead of rounded like Hiragana. Like Hiragana, they all represent a sound and are used for foreign 'loan words'. It is also used to emphasise words, similar to the use of bold in English.

Before I write show the Hiragana and Katakana tables, you need to be able to pronounce the sounds. This will be very helpful in speaking later on.

Vowels

A = Similar to the expression 'Ah!'
I = Similar to the pronunciation of the vowel E.
E = Similar to the expression 'Eh?'
U = Similar to the sound 'Ooh' but shorter.
O = Similar to the 'o' in 'got'.

Remember that all the vowels above are short unless elongated. In Hiragana, this is done by adding a 'u' symbol after the end of a symbol that ends in the 'o' or 'u' sound (apart from the 'n' symbol) and in Katakana, this is done by using the elongation line (ー). For other Hiragana sounds, it is done with the same letter, an 'a' sound will have an 'a' after it, and this applies to 'e' and 'i' ('aa' 'ii' and 'ee'). The elogation symbol in Katakana is used instead of another letter in Katakana..

Double Consonants
In Japanese, there are times when words have double consonants within them. this is written with normal characters, but before the symbol which starts with a double consonant, a small 'tsu' symbol is written. When pronouncing this, all you have to do is pause slightly when you get to the consonant. So the English word Button would be said as "Bah-(brief pause)-ton". This will become easier the more you practice speaking.

Hiragana - 平仮名 - ひらがな

Hiragana Table

あ a	い i	う u	え e	お o	(ya)	(yu)	(yo)
か ka	き ki	く ku	け ke	こ ko	きゃ kya	きゅ kyu	きょ kyo
さ sa	し shi	す su	せ se	そ so	しゃ sha	しゅ shu	しょ sho
た ta	ち chi	つ tsu	て te	と to	ちゃ cha	ちゅ chu	ちょ cho
な na	に ni	ぬ nu	ね ne	の no	にゃ nya	にゅ nyu	にょ nyo
は ha	ひ hi	ふ fu	へ he	ほ ho	ひゃ hya	ひゅ hyu	ひょ hyo
ま ma	み mi	む mu	め me	も mo	みゃ mya	みゅ myu	みょ myo
や ya		ゆ yu		よ yo
ら ra	り ri	る ru	れ re	ろ ro	りゃ rya	りゅ ryu	りょ ryo
わ wa				を wo
			ん n
が ga	ぎ gi	ぐ gu	げ ge	ご go	ぎゃ gya	ぎゅ gyu	ぎょ gyo
ざ za	じ ji	ず zu	ぜ ze	ぞ zo	しゃ ja	しゅ ju	しょ jo
だ da	ぢ (ji)	づ (zu)	で de	ど do	ぢゃ (ja)	ぢゅ (ju)	ぢょ (jo)
ば ba	び bi	ぶ bu	べ be	ぼ bo	びゃ bya	びゅ byu	びょ byo
ぱ pa	ぴ pi	ぷ pu	ぺ pe	ご po	ぴゃ pya	ぴゅ pyu	ぴょ pyo

Katakana - 片仮名 - カタカナ

Katakana Table

ア a	イ i	ウ u	エ e	オ o	(ya)	(yu)	(yo)
カ ka	キ ki	ク ku	ケ ke	コ ko	キャ kya	キュ kyu	キョ kyo
サ sa	シ shi	ス su	セ se	ソ so	シャ sha	シュ shu	ショ sho
タ ta	チ chi	ツ tsu	テ te	ト to	チャ cha	チュ chu	チョ cho
ナ na	ニ ni	ヌ nu	ネ ne	ノ no	ニャ nya	ニュ nyu	ニョ nyo
ハ ha	ヒ hi	フ fu	ヘ he	ホ ho	ヒャ hya	ヒュ hyu	ヒョ hyo
マ ma	ミ mi	ム mu	メ me	モ mo	ミャ mya	ミュ myu	ミョ myo
ヤ ya		ユ yu		ヨ yo
ラ ra	リ ri	ル ru	レ re	ロ ro	リャ rya	リュ ryu	リョ ryo
ワ wa				ヲ wo
			ン n
ガ ga	ギ gi	グ gu	ゲ ge	ゴ go	ギャ gya	ギュ gyu	ギョ gyo
ザ za	ジ ji	ズ zu	ゼ ze	ゾ zo	ジャ ja	ジュ ju	ジョ jo
ダ da	ヂ (ji)	ヅ (zu)	デ de	ド do	ヂャ (ja)	ヂュ (ju)	ヂョ (jo)
バ ba	ビ bi	ブ bu	ベ be	ボ bo	ビャ bya	ビュ byu	ビョ byo
パ pa	ピ pi	プ pu	ペ pe	ポ po	ピャ pya	プュ pyu	ピョ pyo
ヴァ va	ヴィ vi	ヴ vu	ヴェ ve	ヴォ vo	ヴャ vya	ヴュ vyu	ヴョ vyo
			シェ she
			ジェ je
			チェ che
	スィ si				スャ sya	スュ syu	スョ syo
	ズィ zi				ズャ zya	ズュ zyu	ズョ zyo
	ティ ti	トゥ tu			テャ tya	テュ tyu	テョ tyo
	ディ di	ドゥ du			デャ dya	デュ dyu	デョ dyo
ツァ tsa	ツィ tsi		ツェ tse	ツォ tso
ファ fa	フィ fi	ホゥ hu	フェ fe	フォ fo	フャ fya	フュ fyu	フョ fyo
			リェ rye
ウァ wa	ウィ wi		ウェ we	ウォ wo	ウャ wya	ウュ wyu	ウョ wyo
グァ gwa	ゲィ gwi	グゥ gwu	ゲェ gwe	ゲォ gwo

Phew, this post took AGES to do. So I think I will leave it here for today. Look at the tables above and learn as much as you can. The more you know, the more it helps.

Rhys Maroney's Japanese Lessons - Japanese Lesson 3 - Base Grammar

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:17:00 +0000

Welcome to the third lesson. In this lesson I will be showing you how to formulate basic sentences in Japanese, which really is not difficult. However, you will need to know some vocabulary to start you off, here are some that will prove useful with the Kanji/Kana. Please note that they have not been conjugated, but any words used will be conjugated in the lesson.

Vocabulary

English 英語　(Eigo)	Rōmaji	Kanji　漢字/Kana 仮名
I (Polite, Formal)	Watashi	私
I (Informal, Male Speech)	Boku	ぼく
You (Slightly less formal)	Anata	あなた
You (Informal, Male Speech)	Omae	お前
To Speak	Hanasu	話す
To Eat	Tabe(ru)	食べる
To Sell	U(ru)	売る
To Write	Kak(u)	書く
To Drink	Nom(u)	飲む
To Listen	Kik(u)	聞く
To Look	Mi(ru)	見る
To Say	I(u)	言う
To Rest	Kyūsu	休す
To Buy	Ka(u)	買う
To Leave	De(ru)	出る
To Read	Yom(u)	読む
To Enter	Hai(ru)	入る

Now, they are basic words and verbs that you will need to know. I will introduce new words with their kanji and pronunciation. Now to the basic grammar.

In Japanese, the main part of the sentence, is said first, then rest is said in reverse. If that does not make sense, here is an example sentence:

私は本を読(よ)みました。
Watashi-wa Hon-wo Yomimashita.
I Book Read
I read a book

Yomimashita is the past form of 'Yomimasu' and it is a conjugation of the verb 'Yomu' which means 'to read'. As you can see, the main subject in the sentence (in this case, the speaker) comes first. After that, comes the object, or other subject in the sentence, then the rest of the sentence is added onto the end, in reverse.

When you add description (adjective) to the object, you add that before the object, similar to in English. Here is an example of this, based on the previous example.

私は古(ふる)い本(ほん)を読(よ)みました。
Watashi-wa Furui Hon-wo Yomimashita.
I Old Book Read
I read an old book

This grammar method is known as SOV which stands for Subject, Object Verb. That is another way to remember some base Japanese grammar.

This basic rule applies to basic sentences, and does not deviate much. Now, you must be thinking how you conjugate verbs in Japanese, here is the lowdown:

If the word ends in 'u' , drop the 'u' and add 'imasu' in present and 'imashita' in the past.
If the word ends in 'ru', drop the 'ru' and add 'masu' in the present and 'mashita' in the past.
There is a verb that ends in 'su', the verb 'to rest'. I will not add the way to conjugate that now as it is a bit harder then the others, stick with the above rules first.

I will add more rules at a later point, but this is all you really need to know for now until you learn more complex sentences.

テスト
Tesuto
Test

Please write all of your answers in a PM, and send them to the link below as well as saying them out loud for practice.

Lesson 1

1. Count from 1-10 using the Kunyomi.
2. Form the first and second number in each ten series, i.e. 20,21, 30,31 etc...

Lesson 2

1. Give a brief description of the particles "wa, wo, ga, no, ni, yo, ka", do not copy the lesson explanations, reiterate in your own words.
2. Give a brief description of each honourific, do not copy the lesson explanations, reiterate in your own words.
3. Introduce yourself to me (Maroni-sensei), and say that you are pleased to meet me (you do not have to say your name if you do not know what it is in Japanese, just say your name in English).
4. Reply to this sentence, O-genki desu, arigatō gozaimasu. ______-wa
5. Say goodbye, formally, and informally (choose any informal one you desire) and do not forget to mention the listener's (myself) name, as a sign of respect with the formal salutation.

Lesson 3

Write 5 basic sentences (if you can), using the verbs above. If you want to find some nouns (objects), look on (Denshi = Electronic, Jisho = Dictionary).

PM your answers, numbers by question and categorised by lesson. Use this link (you need to be a forum member to PM me):

Rhys Maroney's Japanese Lessons - Japanese Lesson 2 - Greetings and Particles

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:21:00 +0000

Now, advancing from numbers, I will teach you how to greet someone. I will show you how to greet someone you have just met to someone you see regularly like a friend. Now, on to the vocabulary.

Greetings and Salutations

English 英語　(Eigo)	Rōmaji	Kanji　漢字/Kana 仮名
Good Morning	Ohayō Gozaimasu	おはようございます
Good Afternoon	Konnichi-wa	こんにちは
Good Evening	Konban-wa	こんばんは
Good Night	Oyasumi Nasai	おやすみなさい
Hello lit: How do you do	Hajimemashite	はじめまして
Hello (on the phone)	Moshi Moshi	もしもし
Goodbye	Sayōnara	さようなら
Bye	Ja, Ja ne	じゃ　、　じゃね
Later	Ja Mata, Ja Mata Ne	じゃまた　、　じゃまたね

Now for some particles.

Particles

Particle	Kana 仮名	Meaning
Wa	は	When a particle, it is pronouced wa not ha. It is the subject or topic marker of a sentence.
Ga	が	Subject marker of a verb.
Wo/O	を	Object marker of a verb.
De	で	With, by. Place where an action is taking place.
Ka	か	Used at the end of a sentence to indicate a question.
Na	な	Adds emphasis to a word. Goes in between a Noun and a quasi-adjective (When a noun is like an adjective(Adjectival Noun)).
Ni	に	To (Direction). At, on (After time). At, in, on (Place/Position).
He/E	へ	Indicates the direction or destination of travel
No	の	Indicated Possession. Links a noun with it's position.
Mo	も	Also, too.
To	と	And (between nouns). With (Accompanied by). Often translated as "with". Joins nouns in a finite list
Ya	や	Joins nouns in a list which is incomplete
Kara	から	Indicates the time or place where an action starts. Often translated as "from".
Made	まで	Indicates the time or place where an action finshes. Often translated as "until".
Madeni	までに	Indicates the time by which an action must be completed. Often translated as "by".
Yori	より	Indicates the starting point for a comparison. Often translated as "than".
Ne	ね	When added to the end of a statement, it forms a tag question. Often translated as ", right?".
Yo	よ	Added to the end of a statement for emphasis. Can be transliterated as ", I am telling you.".

When you first meet someone, you would use the word 'Hajimemashite' which literally means 'Hello for the first time'. When pronounced, you do not say the 'i' in 'shi', so you say it as 'Hajimemashte'. When you say your name, you would use formal language to someone you have never met before. This would be an appropriate sentence to introduce yourself (Substitute the underline with your name, I will show you have to translate your name into Japanese in another lesson):

はじめまして、私(わたし)の名(な)前(まえ)は______。
Hajimemashite, Watashi-no Namae-wa ______.
Hello (How do you do), My name is ______.

Another phrase to add to make your sentence even more polite, which is generally added in any language is 'Pleased to meet you', which in Japanese is Dōzo Yoroshiku. If you add that you now, you get:

はじめまして、私(わたし)の名(な)前(まえ)は______。どうぞよろしく。
Hajimemashite, Watashi-no Namae-wa ______. Dōzo yoroshiku.
Hello (How do you do), My name is ______. Pleased to meet you.

Normally when you talk to someone, especially when you have only just met them, you add their name after you greet them. In this lesson, we will use the name Hiroto Tanaka. In Japan, they had what is known as an honourific to the end of a person's name. They have no Kanji, so are written in Kana. Here are a few common honourifics.

Honourifics

Honourific	General Use
-san	Used for any man or woman
-sama	Used for a man or woman of a higher social status then yourself
-sensei (先生)	Used for a man or woman that is a teacher, and it can be used for a doctor, but not often. The kanji means teacher.
-kun	Used for young boys. Also used for men who are familiar with each other.
-chan	Used for young boys or girls, generally for girls though. Also used by older people when refering to children.

Now back to the main lesson, now, when you add Hiroto Tanaka's name, you do not add his first name. This is because in Japanese, your last or family name is the most important, then your first name, then your title. After that , we will add the honourific -san. If you know that the person is of a higher social status, use -sama, if it is a teacher, use -sensei. This is what we get.

はじめまして田(た)中(なか)さん、私(わたし)の名(な)前(まえ)は______。どうぞよろしく。
Hajimemashite Tanaka-san, Watashi-no Namae-wa ______. Dōzo yoroshiku.
Hello (How do you do) Mr. Tanaka, My name is ______. Pleased to meet you.

This is the basic greeting to someone you have never met. Now, you need to know how to greet people you have met before, but formally.

When you greet someone in Japanese formally, you state the period of day, then their name or vice versa. Then you will state 'How are you?'. To ask someone how they are, you use the following phrase: 'O-genki desu-ka'. Remember with words that end in 'su' you do not pronounce the 'u', this goes for words like 'desu' and 'arimasu'.Here is a basic sentence.

こんにちは田(た)中(なか)さん。お元(げん)気(き)ですか。
Konnichi-wa Tanaka-san. O-genki desu-ka.
Good Afternoon Mr. Tanaka. How are you?

Or if you would prefer to use the extremely polite version:

こんいちは田(た)中(なか)さん。お元(げん)気(き)でお過(すご)しでしょうか。
Konnichi-wa Tanaka-san. O-genki de o-sugoshi deshō-ka.
Good Afternoon Mr. Tanaka. How are you?

If someone asks you how you are feeling, you just say the same phrase to ask how you are, but drop the -ka. It is also customary to thank the person for asking if you a feeling fine, to say 'Thank you' you use 'Arigatō gozaimasu'. For example, here is Tanaka's response:

ああ、______さん、お元(げん)気(き)です、ありがとうございます。______は
Aa, ______-san, o-genki desu, arigatō gozaimasu. ______-wa
Ah, Mr./Mrs. ______, I'm fine, thank you. You?

There are words for 'You' in Japanese, but they are generally used in informal language. If you notice, instead of -ka, -wa is used to ask 'You?', this is because they are saying your name, then making it the main part of the sentence, therefore, the particle- ka is not needed. Now, when replying, you could just repeat 'O-genki desu', or you could use an even better response, this is it:

私も元(げん)気(き)です、ありがとうございます
Watashi-mo genki desu, arigatō gozaimasu.
I am also fine, thank you.

Now, for saying goodbye.

When you say goodbye, you would use the formal 'Sayōnara' then the person's name and honourific if you want. If you wish to say goodbye informally, say to a friend or someone you know well, you can use the following.

じゃまたね
Ja Mata Ne
See you later

じゃまた
Ja Mata
Later

じゃね
Ja ne
See you

じゃ
Ja
Bye

When talking to a friend, you can be more informal. All you have to do is state the time of day then the person's name and honourific, their name and honourific then the time of day.

For example:

田(た)中(なか)さん、おはよう
Tanaka-san, Ohayō.
Mr. Tanaka, Morning.

おはよう、田(た)中(なか)さん
Ohayō, Tanaka-san
Morning, Mr. Tanaka

That is all you really need to know for now without going too in-depth. I will set a small test in the next lesson for you to test how you have been doing so far. Until next time, Ja ne!

Rhys Maroney's Japanese Lessons - Japanese Lesson 1 - Numbers

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:57:00 +0000

Okay, in this first lesson, we will learn the numbers 1-99. You might be thinking that it is a bit much to learn in one lesson, but once you learn the first ten numbers, you can learn the rest easily. First of all, because I will be using Kana and Kanji in these lessons, you will need ton install and enable Japanese Language Packs. Please search on Google on how to do this if you do not know.

Here are the numbers 1-10 in Japanese, along with their Kunyomi and Onyomi.

Numbers 1-10

English 英語　(Eigo)	Kunyomi 訓読み	Onyomi 音読み	Kanji　漢字
One (Number)	Ichi	Hito(tsu)	一
Two	Ni	Futa(tsu)	二
Three	San	Mit(tsu)	三
Four	Shi	Yon,Yo,Yo(tsu)	四
Five	Go	Itsu(tsu)	五
Six	Roku	Mut(tsu)	六
Seven	Shichi	Nana(tsu)	七
Eight	Hachi	Yat(tsu)	八
Nine	Ku,Kyū	Kokono (tsu)	九
Ten	Jū	Tō	十

Now, you might be thinking to yourself, 'What the hell are Kunyomi and Onyomi?'. Well, in Japanese, there are 2 types of pronunciations for words, there are Kunyomi and Onyomi.

Kunyomi (訓読み) means Japanese Reading. It is generally used for Kanji that are used on their own and are not in compound words. The only exception to this rule are last names, which are written in Kunyomi instead of Onyomi, even if they are compound names.

Onyomi (音読み) means Chinese Reading. They are Japanese versions of the Chinese sounds of the words and are generally used for compound words. Surnames, though normally compound words, are written in Kunyomi instead of Onyomi.

When you look in a Kanji dictionary, when romanised, Onyomi are generally written in block capitals, while Kunyomi are written in lowercase letters. In these lessons, I will separate Kunyomi and Onyomi into different columns for you.

Now back to the main lesson, numbers. When you write numbers above ten, you use the number ten, then state how many units are after it. Look at this table to see what they are:

Numbers 10+

English 英語　(Eigo)	Rōmaji	Kanji　漢字
Eleven	Jūichi	十一
Twelve	Jūni	十二
Twenty	Nijū	二十
Twenty-one	Nijūichi	二十一
Thirty	Sanjū	三十
Thirty-one	Sanjūichi	三十一
Forty	Yonjū	四十
Forty-one	Yonjūichi	四十一
Fifty	Gojū	五十
Fifty-one	Gojūichi	五十一
Sixty	Rokujū	六十
Sixty-one	Rokujūichi	六十一
Seventy	Nanajū	七十
Seventy-one	Nanajūichi	七十一
Eighty	Hachijū	八十
Eighty-one	Hachijūichi	八十一
Ninety	Kujū	九十
Ninety-one	Kujūichi	九十一

That is how basic numbers from 1-99 and beyond are formed. I will talk more about larger numbers in a later lesson. If you have any problems with those, feel free to contact me.