i am japanese

The word for Japan in Japanese is Nihon. (Or Nippon) Ni means sun and hon means root. So,Nihon means "origin of the sun." Japan is also known as the "Land of the Rising Sun." There are several words for 'person' in Japanese. Hito is the noun 'person.' If you wanted to say "Who is that person?" you would say "Ano hito wa dare desu ka?" Ano means 'that over there.' (This will be discussed more in Lesson 4.) Likewise, one says onna no hito for 'woman' and otoko no hito for 'man.' These mean 'female person' and 'male person' and are much more polite than just sayingonna or otoko which sound insulting alone. The other two ways of indicating people are the suffixes -nin and -jin. Adding the suffix -jin to the name of a country makes the name of the nationality of that country. Nihon-jin means 'Japanese person.' We will discuss the use of -nin later. Similarly, one can add the suffix -go to the end of a country word and it becomes the language of the country. Note that there are exceptions to this as some countries share common languages.
Examples:
Japan	Country Nihon	People Nihonjin	Language Nihongo
The U.S.	Amerika	Amerikajin	Eigo
Germany	Doitsu	Doitsujin	Doitsugo
France	Furansu	Furansujin	Furansugo
Italy	Itaria	Itariajin	Itariago
Australia	Oosutoraria	Oosutorariajin	Eigo
Canada	Kanada	Kanadajin	Eigo/Furansugo
England	Igirisu	Igirisujin	Eigo
Mexico	Mekishiko	Mekishikojin	Supeingo
Spain	Supein	Supeinjin	Supeingo
Portugal	Porutogaru	Porutogarujin	Porutogarugo
Brazil	Burajiru	Burajirujin	Porutogarugo
Korea, S.	Kankoku	Kankokujin	Kankokugo

who is it ?

First, we should establish who you are. If you want to say "I am Sally." You would say: Watashi wa Sally desu. Watashi means 'I.' Wa is a particle which marks the subject of a sentence. It roughly means 'as for' so, the sentence translates to "As for me, I'm Sally." You can also just say "Sally desu." which just means 'I am Sally.' Men and boys can also use the form "Boku wa ___ desu." Boku also means I, but is used by males only.The word 'you' in Japanese is anata, but be careful not to use it unless you're very familiar with someone as it is slightly personal. It's better to just use the person's name when referring to them.
Watashi wa Hana desu. Watashi wa Smith desu. Hana desu. Smith desu. Watashi wa John desu. Boku wa John desu.	I am Hana. I am Mr./Ms Smith. I am Hana. I am Mr./Ms Smith. I am John. I am John.
If you want to ask someone's name, you say "Onamae wa nan desu ka?" Namae means 'name'. The 'o' is added to make it honorific (used only for other people, not yourself). Remember from lesson one that 'nan desu ka 'means what is it?' So the sentence literally means "As for your honorific name, what is it?" To tellsomeone your name, you can use the above replies or you can say 'Namae wa Hana desu.' or 'Watashi no namae wa hana desu.' The shorter form is usually used in less formal situations. The particle 'no' in this case is similar to the English " 's ". It indicates ownership. Watashi no namae means "my name". Anata no namae would be 'your name.'
Examples: Onamae wa nan desu ka? Watashi no namae wa Heather desu. Namae wa John desu. Inu no namae wa nan desu ka? Inu no namae wa Spike desu.	What's your name? My name is Heather. My name is John. What is the dog's name? The dog's name is Spike.
To ask "Who is it?" you say "Dare desu ka?" Dare means 'who.' To ask "Whose is it?" you say "Dare no desu ka?"
Dare desu ka? Dare no desu ka?	Who is it? Whose is it?
To indicate ownership of an object, the possessive 'no' particle is used.
Examples: Dare no inu desu ka? Watashi no inu desu. Dare no neko desu ka? Watashi no desu. Dare no neko desu ka? Susan-san no neko desu. Anata no desu ka? Iie, Mike-san no desu.	Whose dog is it? It's my dog. Whose cat is it? It's mine. Whose cat is it? It's Susan's cat. Is this yours? No, it's Mike's.

time

The suffix for hours or o'clock is -ji. Note that 4 o'clock is pronounced as yoji, not yonji.

1 o'clock ichiji
2 o'clock niji
3 o'clock sanji
4 o'clock yoji *
5 o'clock goji
6 o'clock rokuji
7 o'clock shichiji
8 o'clock hachiji
9 o'clock kuji
10 o'clock juuji
11 o'clock juuichiji
12 o'clock juuniji

For minutes attach -fun to the standard set of numbers.

:01	ippun	:16	juuroppun	:31	sanjuuippun	:46	yonjuuroppun
:02	nifun	:17	juunanafun	:32	sanjuunifun	:47	yonjuunanafun
:03	sanpun	:18	juuhappun	:33	sanjuusanpun	:48	yonjuuhappun
:04	yonpun	:19	juukyuufun	:34	sanjuuyonpun	:49	yonjuukyuufun
:05	gofun	:20	nijuppun	:35	sanjuugofun	:50	gojuppun
:06	roppun	:21	nijuuippun	:36	sanjuuroppun	:51	gojuuippun
:07	nanafun	:22	nijuunifun	:37	sanjuunanafun	:52	gojuunifun
:08	happun	:23	nijuusanpun	:38	sanjuuhappun	:53	gojuusanpun
:09	kyuufun	:24	nijuuyonpun	:39	sanjuukyuufun	:54	gojuuyonpun
:10	juppun	:25	nijuugofun	:40	yonjuppun	:55	gojuugofun
:11	juuippun	:26	nijuuroppun	:41	yonjuuippun	:56	gojuuroppun
:12	juunifun	:27	nijuunanafun	:42	yonjuunifun	:57	gojuunanafun
:13	juusanpun	:28	nijuuhappun	:43	yonjuusanpun	:58	gojuuhappun
:14	juuyonpun	:29	nijuukyuufun	:44	yonjuuyonpun	:59	gojuukyuufun
:15	juugofun	:30	sanjuppun	:45	yonjuugofun

To make a time of day combine the hour from above with the minute.

Examples:

yoji sanjunifun - 4:32
goji gojuuhappun - 5:58

One can also use the term han for half past the hour. Han literally means half.

Example:

hachiji han - 8:30

To distinguish between A.M. and P.M. use the terms gozen and gogo. A.M. is gozen and P.M. is gogo. Note that gozen and gogo should appear before the time, not after.

Examples:

gogo sanji - 3 P.M.
gozen niji juuippun - 2:11 A.M.

To ask what time it is now, the phrase Ima, nanji desu ka. can be used.

Family

English	Japanese
(polite) family	gokazoku
family	kazoku
(polite) mother	okaasan
mother	haha
(polite) father	otousan
father	chichi
(polite) older sister	oneesan
older sister	ane
(polite) older brother	oniisan
older brother	ani
(polite) younger sister	imoutosan
younger sister	imouto
(polite) younger brother	otoutosan
younger brother	otouto
daughter	musume
son	musuko
aunt	obasan
uncle	ojisan
niece	meisan
nephew	oisan
cousin	itoko
grandmother	obaasan
grandfather	ojiisan
granchild	mago
siblings	kyoudai

Notice that the first set of words has both a polite and a regular form. (The polite form is marked with (polite).) The polite form should be used when referring to others' families or when speaking to people in your own family. The other form should be used when referring to your family to members outside your family.

Basic Japanese Phrases

Start using the following short Japanese phrases at home. You may need your family's cooperation, but if you make it a habit, you'll be amazed at how quickly you pick up a bit of Japanese.

Domo (dohh-moh; Thank you or Hi!) le (eee-eh; No or Don't mention it.) Hai (hah-ee; Yes) Wakarimasen (wah-kah-ree-mah-sen; I don't understand.) Shiriiriasen (she-ree-mah-sen; I don't know the answer to that question.) Zenzen (zehn-zehn; Not at all or It was nothing.) Ii desu ne (ee-ee deh-soo neh; That's a great idea!) Yatta(yaht-tah; Yahoo! I did it.) Gambatte(gahm-baht-teh; Go for it! or Try your best!) Omedeto (oh-meh-deh-tohh; Congratulations!) Yokoso (yohh-koh-soh; Welcome!) Shinpai shinaide (sheen-pah-ee shee-nah-ee-deh; Don't worry!) Makasete (mah-kahTseh-teh; Count on me!) So, so (sohh, sohh; You're right, you're right!) Used when you agree with someone's statement. This phrase is similar to what you mean when you say "yeah" in the middle of an English conversation just to let the other person know that you're listening. Dame (dah-meh; You're not allowed to do that or That's bad!) Used when you want to stop someone from doing something or when you want to say that something is bad or impermissible. You'd never say this phrase to a superior or to someone older than you. You can say it to children, siblings, or very close friends. Enryo shinaide (Don't be shy) Japanese guests often refuse food or drink offers at least once. If you're the host, say enryo shinaide (ehn-ryoh shee-nah-ee-deh). Mottainai (What a Waste/It's too qood) Say mottainai (moht-tah-ee-nah-ee) to object to waste. You can also say it if someone lacks a true appreciation for something valuable. Osakini (Pardon me, but I'm ieavinq now) When you have to leave a gathering early, say osakini (oh-sah-kee-nee; literally means earlier) to display your thoughtfulness for others. Sasuga (I'm impressed by you, as usual) Sasuga (sah-soo-gah) literally means "as might have been expected," but it's commonly used as a compliment. If a friend wins a competition, say pasuga. Gambatte (Try your best!) The Japanese believe that the effort is more important than the result. If a friend's going to take an important exam, say gambatte (gahm-baht-teh) to her. Shoganai (There's no choice/There's nothing that can be done) When you're in a jam and none of the possible solutions will work well, choose one and say shoganai (shohh-gah-nah-ee), which shows that you've resigned yourself to the situation. Okage-sama de (Luckily/Thanks to you) If someone asks ogenki desu ka (oh-gehn-kee deh-soo kah; How are you?), answer with the modest okage-sama de (oh-kah-geh-sah-mah de) rather than genki desu (gehn-kee deh-soo; I'm fine). The original meaning is that your well-being is due to God and others, including the person you're talking to. Gokuro-sama (Thank you for your trouble) If you're the boss, say gokur5-sama (goh-koo-rohh-sah-mah) to each of your workers when they say good-bye to you at the end of the day. yoroshiku (Pleased to meet you/1 appreciate your helping me) You can say yoroshiku (yoh-roh-shee-koo) when you first meet someone, as in you're pleased to meet him. You can also say it after asking a favor of someone, in which case it means "I appreciate your helping me." Taihen desu ne (That's tough) Use this phrase to show sympathy, such as when your friend tells you about her difficulties.

Exploring Fun Places

I bet your town is full of opportunities for fun. Read the shinbun (sheen-boon; newspaper), pick up a few zasshi (zahs-shee; magazines), or surf the Intanetto (een-tahh-neht-toh; Internet) to find out what's going on. Visiting museums and galleries

Museums and galleries are great places to soak up culture. Here are some common museum-related words: hakubutsukan (hah-koo-boo-tsoo-kahn; museum) bijutsukan (bee-joo-tsoo-kahn; art museum) garo (gah-rohh; gallery) gejutsuhin (gehh-joo-tsoo-heen; work of art) You may want to ask these questions in a museum or gallery: Hakubutsukan wa nan-ji ni akimasu ka. (hah-koo-boo-tsoo-kahn wah nahn-jee nee ah-kee-mah-soo kah; What time does the museum open?) Nan-ji ni shimarimasu ka. (nahn-jee nee shee-mah-ree-mah-soo kah; What time does it close?) Nichiyobi wa oyasumi desu ka. (nee-chee-yohh-bee wah oh-yah-soo-mee deh-soo kah; Is it closed on Sundays?)

Nichiyobi wa oyasumi desu ka. (nee-chee-yohh-bee wah oh-yah-soo-mee deh-soo kah; Is it closed on Sundays?)

Conjugate the u-verbs aku (ah-koo; to open) and shi-maru (shee-mah-roo; to close).

Form	Pronunciation
aku	ah-koo
akanai	ah-kah-nah-ee
aki	ah-kee
aite	ah-ee-teh
shimaru	shee-mah-roo
shimaranai	shee-mah-rah-nah-ee
shimari	shee-mah-ree
shimatte	shee-maht-teh

Going to the theater Visiting gekijo (geh-kee-johh; theaters) really lets you feel the passion of the performers.

• gekijo (geh-kee-johh; theater)
• o-shibai (oh-shee-bah-ee; play)
• is eigakan (ehh-gah-kahn; movie theater)
• eiga (ehh-gah; movie)
• konsato (kohn-sahh-toh)

To see a movie or play, you have to buy a chiketto (chee-keht-toh; ticket). These phrases should cover your ticket-buying needs:

• Sumimasen. Konban no o-shibai wa nan-ji kara desu ka. (soo-mee-mah-sehn. kohn-bahn noh oh-shee-bah-ee wah nahn-jee kah-rah deh-soo kah; Excuse me. What time does today's play start?)
• Mada ii seki wa arimasu ka. (mah-dah eee seh-kee wah ah-ree-mah-soo kah; Do you still have good seats?)
• Ichiman-en no seki o ni-mai onegaishimasu.(ee-chee-mahn-ehn noh seh-kee oh nee-mah-ee h-neh-gah-ee-shee-mah-soo; Two for the 10,000-yen seats, please.)
• Otona futari onegaishimasu. (oh-toh-nah foo-tah-ree oh-neh-gah-ee-shee-mah-soo; Two adults, please.)
• Otona futari to kodomo hitori onegaishimasu.(oh-toh-nah foo-tah-ree toh koh-doh-moh hee-toh-ree oh-neh-gah-ee-shee-mah-soo; Two adults and one child, please.)
• Shinia hitori onegaishimasu. (shee-nee-ah hee-toh-ree oh-neh-gah-ee-shee-mah-soo; One senior citizen, please).

Words to Know
konban	kohn-bahn	tonight
chiketto	chee-keht-toh	ticket
otona	oh-toh-nah	adult
seki	seh-kee	seat

Going to bars and dubs

Where do you nomu (noh-moo; drink)? Having a drink at home is usually a lot cheaper than going to a bar, but sometimes going to these places for a drink in a festive or fancy atmosphere is fun:

• ba (bahh; bar)
• izakaya (ee-zah-kah-yah; casual Japanese-style bar)
• naitokurabu (nah-ee-toh-koo-rah-boo; nightclub)

O-sake (oh-sah-keh) refers to both Japanese rice wine and alcoholic beverages in general. Take a walk over to the bar and order your favorite o-sake:

• atsukan (ah-tsoo-kahn; hot Japanese rice wine) is biru (beee-roo; beer)
• burande (boo-rahn-dehh; brandy)
• chuhai (chooo-hah-ee; shochu and tonic)
• hiya (hee-yah; cold sake)
• jin Qeen; gin)
• kakuteru (kah-koo-teh-roo; cocktail)
• mizuwari (mee-zoo-wah-ree; whiskey and water)
• onzarokku (ohn-zah-rohk-koo; whiskey on the rocks)
• ramushu (rah-moo-shoo; rum)
• shochu (shohh-chooo; a Japanese liquor)
• sutoreto (soo-toh-rehh-toh; whiskey straight)
• uisuki (oo-ee-soo-keee; whiskey)
• wokka (wohk-kah; vodka)
• wain (wah-een; wine)

At a bar, these phrases come in handy:

• Nani nomu. (nah-nee noh-moo; What will you drink?)
• Kyo wa nani ga oishii. (kyohh wah nah-nee gah oh-ee-sheee; What's good today?)
• Ja, sore. (jahh soh-reh; Then I'll have that.)

Singing, like a star at a karaoke bar

Karaoke (kah-rah-oh-keh) started in Japan as a form of after-work entertainment. It was viewed as a great way of releasing the daily sutoresu (soo-toh-reh-soo; stress) related to shigoto (shee-goh-toh; work). Today, karaoke is a popular shumi (shoo-mee; hobby) with everyone - men and women, young and old.

If you go to Japan, visit a karaoke ba (bahh; bar) at least once. Check the index of kyoku (kyoh-koo; musical pieces) and ask for the song you want to utau (oo-tah-oo; sing). When it's your ban (bahn; turn), sing into the maiku (mah-ee-koo; microphone) as you watch the kashi (kah-shee; lyrics) scroll across the gamen (gah-mehn; monitor). Sing like a suta (soo-tahh; star), even if you're onchi (ohn-chee; tone deaf).

Forming Japanese Sentences

The basic word order in English is subject-verb-object. In Japanese, it's subject-object-verb. Instead of saying "I watched TV," for example, you say "I TV watched." Instead of saying "I ate sushi," you say "I sushi ate." Repeat after me: Put the verb at the end! Verb end!

Introducing particles

Subject-object-verb is the basic word order in Japanese, but object-subject-verb is also okay. As long as the verb is at the end of the sentence, Japanese grammar teachers are happy. For example, ii Mary invited John, you can say either "Mary John invited" or "John Mary invited" in Japanese.

A smart person like you may say, "Wait a minute! How do you know who invited whom?" The secret is that Japanese uses a tag called a particle after each noun phrase. The particle for the action performer (the subject) is ga (gah), and the particle for the action receiver (the direct object) is o (oh). So both the following sentences mean "Mary invited John".

• Mari ga Jon o sasotta. (mah-reee gah John oh sah-soht-tah)
• Jon o Mari ga sasotta. (John oh mah-reee gah sah-soht-tah)

Other Japanese particles include kara (kah-rah), made (mah-deh), ni (nee), de (deh), to (toh), and ka (kah).English words iike from, until, to, with, by, at, in, on, and, and or. But each particle is translated differently depending on the context. For example, the particle de corresponds to in, by, or with in English:

• Bosuton de benkyo sum. (boh-soo-tohn deh behn-kyohh soo-roo; I'll study in Boston.)
• TakushI de iku. (tah-koo-sheee deh ee-koo; I'll go by taxi.)
• Foku de taberu. (fohh-koo deh tah-beh-roo; I eat with a fork.)

Particles

Particle	Translation	General Function	Example
ga(gah)	No English equivalent	Specifies the subject of the sentence	Jon ga kita.(John gah kee-tah; John came.)
o(oh)	No English equivalent	Specifies the direct object of thesentence	Mari ga Jon o sasotta. (mah-reee gah John oh sah-soht-tah; Mary invited John.)
kara (kah-rah)	from	Specifies the starting point of the action	Ku-ji kara benkyo shita. (koo-jee kah-rah behn-kyohh shee-tah; I studied from 9:00.)
made (mah-deh)	until	Specifies the ending point of the action	San-ji made benkyo shita. (sahn-jee mah-deh behn-kyohh shee-tah; I studied until 3:00.)
ni (nee)	to, on, at	Specifies the target of the action	Nihon ni itta. (nee-hohn nee eet-tah; I went to Japan.) Tokyo ni tsuita. (tohh-kyohh nee tsoo-ee-tah; I arrived at Tokyo.)
ni(nee)	to, on, at	Specifies the time of the event San-ji ni tsuita.	(sahn-jee nee tsoo-ee-tah; I arrived at 3:00.)
e (eh)	to, toward	Specifies the direction of the action	Tokyo e itta. (tohh-kyohh eh eet-tah; 1 wentto Tokyo.)
de (deh)	in, by, with, at	Specifies how the action takes place; indicates the location,manner, or background condition of the action	Bosuton de benkyo shita. (boh-soo-tohn de behn-kyohh shee-tah; I studied in Boston.) TakushT de itta. (tah-koo sheee deh eet-tah; I wentthere by taxi.) Foku de tabeta. (fohh-koo deh tah-beh-tah; I ate with a fork.)
no(noh)	's	Creates a possessive phrase or modifier phrase	Marl no hon (mah-reee noh hohn; Mary's book) Nihongo no hon (nee-hon-goh noh hohn; A Japanese language book)
to (toh)	and	Lists items	Sushi to sashimi o tabeta. (soo-shee toh sah-shee-mee oh tah-beh-tah; 1 ate sushi and sashimi.)
to (toh)	with	Specifies an item with the same status as the subject	Jon ga Marl to utatta. (John gah mah-reee toh oo-taht-tah; John sang with Mary.)
ka(kah)	or	Lists choices	Sushi ka sashimi otaberu. (soo-shee kahsah-shee-mee oh tah-beh-roo; I will eat sushi or sashimi.)

You can have a bunch of particles in a sentence, as in these examples:

• Mari ga kuruma de Tokyo e itta. (mah-reee gah koo-roo-mah deh tohh-kyohh eh eet-tah; Mary went to Tokyo by car.)
• Jon no otosan kara biru to osake to wain o moratta. (john noh oh-tohh-sahn kah-rah beee-roo toh oh-sah-keh toh wah-een oh moh-raht-tah; I received beer, sake, and wine from John's dad.)

Japanese nouns need these particles, but they don't need articles like a and the in English. Furthermore, you don't need to specify singular or plural. Tamago (tah-mah-goh) means either "an egg" or "eggs."