Japanese grammar guide written by Tim Takamatsu and available at his website http://www.timwerx.net/home/index.htm
It covers japanese: -sounds -kana -verbs -adjectives -phrasal verbs -particles -prepositions -"bikkuri" adverbs -numbers and counting -time related nouns
recommend using with Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar guide http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar
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Home » A Bit of the Language
A Bit of the Language
Contents
IntroductionVowel Pronunciation GuideConsonantsAlphabetsJapanese Onomatopoeias and Mimetic WordsWhat the Animals SayFractured English
Introduction
As the title suggests, this is not an in-depth look at all the complexities of theJapanese language. I simply intend to provide a brief look at the language in order tointroduce some of the fun and quirks that budding students of Japanese can lookforward to. (And also so they'll have a little idea of what they're in for....)
Japanese vowels are easy. If you have taken Spanish, you'll quickly see that they'rethe same. Unlike crazy English, vowels in Japanese are always pronounced the same,so once you've got them down you'll be well on your way to correct-soundingJapanese. (And then you can attack the consonants.)
Here are the five basic Japanese vowels, in Japanese alphabetical order:
a - pronounced "ah"
i - pronounced "ee"
u - pronounced "oo"
e - pronounced "eh"
o - pronounced "oh"
Let's look at the word "house." In Japanese it's ie. Just say "ee-eh." Now a little faster.Got it?
The next important thing you must remember about vowels is to elongate double
vowels, giving each one its own "time." Again, "house" in Japanese is ie. The word for
"no" is iie. It's not as hard as it looks. Said slowly, "house" is "ee-eh," and "no" is
"ee-ee-eh." Said at natural speed, the "ee" in iie should sound about twice as long as
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the "ee" in ie.
While we're at it, let's look at two more that foreign speakers seem to have a tough
time with: obasan and obaasan. Obasan (aunt) is pronounced "oh-bah-san," and
obaasan (grandmother) is "oh-bah-ah-san." Just remember to give each vowel equaltime and you'll be all right.
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Consonants
The consonants used in Japanese are k, g, s, z, t, d, n, h, f, b, p, m, y, r, and w; andthey are pronounced the same as you would in English, except for the following:
r - this is like the Spanish r, so ri should sound like a lightly pronounced dee
d - because r sounds like a light d, d has a more distinct d sound
Japanese consonants are not thought of as having their own sound, except for n. Allof the others always appear combined with a vowel, with the vowel coming after the
consonant, like ka, for example. This combination of one consonant and one vowel
makes only one "letter" in the Japanese alphabet, and to the Japanese mind
represents only one sound. This is a very important point to remember when studyingJapanese.
There are also a few letters which have combined consonants like shi, chi, and tsu.Again, each of these look like 3 letters to us, but they are each viewed as one inJapanese.
As with vowels, consonants also have doubles. Doubled consonants are found in
compound words like ippun, which means "one minute." The difficulty in pronouncingthe double consonant is that there's nothing to pronounce; it's just the trick of"holding" the pronunciation so that the "time value" of the double is recognized, just
like with the vowels. When pronouncing ippun, you should be giving equal time to the
4 syllables: i-p-pu-n, with the second syllable being just a silent rest and preparationto pronounce the third. This will be barely noticed during normal speech, but it isimportant. Doubles not pronounced correctly will be noticed by native listeners. When
said correctly, ippun will be heard as "eep-poon," not "ee-poon."
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Alphabets
| Hiragana | Katakana | Kanji | Romaji |
There are 4 alphabets used in Japan today: hiragana, katakana, kanji, and romaji.Here they are in a nutshell:
Hiragana
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Hiragana is the first system you want to learn, as they are phonetic symbols or
"pronunciation guides" for kanji, and have an extensive role in Japanese grammar.
Hiragana is the first alphabet that children learn, and, at any age, is the "default"
alphabet used when a particular kanji is unknown or forgotten.
Here are the basic 46 hiragana with their readings:
The nice thing about Japanese is that once you can read and say these, you can readand say longer words, which are simply combinations of the individual letters. Let's trysome:
Easy, right? Now let's move on to the modified hiragana.
There are 4 groups of hiragana that are modified by two small quote-like marks added
just above and/or to the right of the letter. They are the ka, sa, ta, and ha groups. The
ha group alone has an additional mode of modification which is made by adding a
small degree-like circle. Here are the modified hiragana with their readings:
It will be noticed that two ji 's and two zu 's are created, but the ones in the sa groupare used most of the time. Accurate knowledge concerning differentiation and use of
these is not important until the student is well into the study of kanji.
Let's try these:
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Next up are the combined hiragana, which are made by adding a small ya, yu, or yo to
letters in the second line, namely ki through ri, including the modified ones mentioned
above. For example, ki + ya = kya; chi + yu = chu; and so on. Here they all are:
The ri group is usually the hardest for foreign speakers to master, but that's because
they're still trying to pronounce the r like the English r. If you just pronounce them
dya, dyu, dyo, with just a light d, they'll sound fine.
Try these:
The last thing that needs to be mentioned about hiragana at this time is the small tsu,
which indicates double consonants. As one becomes familiar with kanji, this willbecome easier to understand. Here are some good examples. Remember to hold thedouble as mentioned in consonants.
This should be enough about hiragana for the time being. All the examples used here
are words that are usually written in kanji, but are shown in hiragana to show whatthey look like and how they work together.
Hiragana also play an important role in Japanese grammar as subject and objectindicators, prepositions, and other particles.
You can learn or review hiragana using my Hiragana Driller.
Katakana
For every hiragana there is a corresponding katakana, which are more angular. Herethey are:
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Katakana are used to write foreign words and names, and the names of someJapanese companies. They are also often seen expressing the sounds of variousnoises in comic books.
Most of the rules that apply to hiragana also apply to katakana. One exception is when
a vowel sound is elongated: katakana vowels are not doubled, but use a dash (—) toshow an extended vowel sound.
Here are a few that are often seen:
The worst thing about katakana is that they are sometimes used as a phonetic guide
for pronouncing English words. Tiny katakana can sometimes be seen running aboveor below English sentences in textbooks — books that I would never recommend.
While it is true that katakana will give Japanese students of English an idea of how a
word is pronounced, those who rely on katakana to learn English form bad habits inpronunciation that become very difficult to overcome in the future.
You can learn or review katakana using my Katakana Driller.
Kanji
Kanji are characters which were originally adopted from the Chinese. Though
similarities still exist, Japanese kanji have evolved and changed differently than their
Chinese counterparts, and now have forms and readings all their own. Kanji are usedfor the core parts of a sentence: nouns and the root forms of verbs and adjectives.
Hiragana are used as the "cement" between the kanji to indicate their relationship toeach other, and to conjugate verbs.
You need to know around 2,200 kanji to read a Japanese newspaper. The study of
kanji can be fascinating, however, and the more you study them the more sense theymake (excepting the exceptions), making it easier to learn more.
This just barely scratches the surface, but here are a few of the easiest kanji of the 76taught to first graders in elementary school:
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Romaji
Romaji are simply the ABC's we all know and love, but the Japanese like to use them,too. Large, international companies usually have logos and emblems with their nameswritten in the Roman letters. Internationally known organizations and other names andtitles like OPEC, FBI, NASA, AIDS, and VIP are left as-is.
Finally, there is a certain "fashion appeal" in using foreign words on products andproduct packaging, and it is practically impossible to buy something here that doesn'thave some silly message written in English. It may be in poor English but
comprehensible, or it may have no clear meaning at all. It's for fashion only, I've beentold. English letters, words and phrases may be combined just as an artist doing an
abstract will combine colors together. In this way, romaji become an enemy to the
serious student of English in pretty much the same way as katakana do, as mentionedabove. The successful student will always keep "fashion English" and correct English
completely separate.1
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Japanese Onomatopoeias and Mimetic Words
Students of Japanese often find the Japanese giseigo and gitaigo amusing and fun touse. These words are made up of 2 Japanese syllables said twice in succession, for a
total of 4. The giseigo are onomatopoeias: words used to describe a sound. Gitaigoare mimetic words which describe a certain feeling or condition.
Here are some that are often heard in everyday conversation, arranged in Japanesealphabetical order. Remember to pronounce those vowels correctly!
This list is only a sample of the hundreds that are actually used. Some are dialectaland will be heard only in specific regions. Some will have meanings which overlap
with others, with some being both giseigo and gitaigo. Also, some will have a dialectalusage that has evolved from its original one. For example, according to the dictionary
bishobisho is used for "it drizzles," but people in the area where I live use it todescribe their clothes after they come in from the rain without an umbrella: "soaked tothe skin."
Giseigo
karikari: crispy
garigari: crunchy
gyugyu: squeak; creak
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guigui: gulp down
kusukusu: giggle; snicker
guzuguzu: complain; grumble
korokoro: rolling over and over
zakuzaku: walking on gravel or similar surface
jabujabu: splash and play in water
janjan: clang-clang; a jangling sound
dondon: beating (drums); heavy rainfall
batabata: flap; to bustle about
bishobisho: drizzle; soaked
pichapicha: water lapping against a shore or object
berabera: chatter; jabber
potsupotsu: (rain) falling in drops
Gitaigo
iraira: to be impatient
gyugyu: to squeeze; pack
guragura: loose, as in a loose tooth
gungun: steadily
sakusaku: a light crispness
sarasara: light; smooth; dry
zarazara: rough, like dry skin or sandpaper
sansan: to shine brilliantly
jimejime: damp; wet; moist
soyosoyo: gently; softly
sowasowa: to be restless
tsuntsun: to be stuck-up; stiff-mannered
dokidoki: nervousness; a fast heartbeat
nukunuku: warmly; snugly; comfortably
hakihaki: quick; smart; brisk
harahara: to be in suspense; thrilling
bishibishi: severely; rigorously
pichipichi: lively
pyonpyon: hop; skip along
hirahira: flutter
hirihiri: smart; tingle; burn
piripiri: to be on edge; testy
furafura: to feel dizzy or light-headed
fuwafuwa: light; soft
betabeta: to feel sticky
perapera: fluently
hokahoka: warm
botsubotsu: gradually
hodohodo: in moderation
mukamuka: to feel sick; be disgusted
meramera: go up in flames
meromero: to be terribly upset
wakuwaku: to be excited
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What the Animals Say
These are just some of the sounds that animals make, according to the Japanese. It isinteresting to note that there are some that do not exist in English, like the elephant's
paoon. (I verified this with the people at Webster's, just to make sure.) These are
written in romaji (Romanized Japanese), so please remember to pronounce them
correctly. For example, the horse's hi-hiin is pronounced "hee-heen," etc. If necessary,go back and review vowel pronunciation.
cat - nyaao ; (purring) gorogoro
dog - wan-wan ; (growling) uuuu
mouse - chuu-chuu
horse - hi-hiin
cow - moo
sheep - mee-mee
pig - buu-buu
chicken - (clucking) kokkokko
rooster crowing - kokekokkoo
duck - gaa-gaa
sparrow - chun-chun
owl - hoo-hoo
fox - kon-kon
elephant - paoon
monkey - kyakkyaa
A real kick, right? These are great to memorize and bring out at boring parties.
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Fractured English
When I first began working in Japan there was a strange word that I would hear
several times a day. It was pasokon, and it didn't sound like Japanese to me. That'sbecause it wasn't, and isn't; but in a way it is. It has to be, because it's not English,
nor any other language for that matter. In fact, it's only one of the thousands of wasei
eigo words (Japanized English) that are used all the time here, with more and morecoming in every year.
The paso in pasokon is the Japanese pronunciation of the first part of the word
"personal," and the kon is short for "computer." So when you hear pasokon in Japanyou know that someone is talking about personal computers. Yes, it would be much
easier to say "PC," but that's not used very often; pasokon or konpyuuta is preferred.
There are thousands and thousands of these, from simple ones like keeki (cake) to
ones a bit more complex like puranetariumu (planetarium). When the English is made
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up of two words, the Japanese will usually be a compound made from the beginnings
of both, like rimokon (remote control), eakon (air conditioning), dejikame (digital
camera), and pasokon mention above. And there are oddballs like baito, which comes
from arbeit, the German for "work"; but in Japanese it means only a "part-time job."
Here are a few more:
sooseeji: sausage
suteeki: steak
orenji: orange
shatsu: shirt
masukomi: mass communication
fuakkusu: fax
marason: marathon
sofuto: software
hoteru: hotel
shinpojiumu: symposium
kurejitto kaado: credit card
chokoreeto: chocolate
rasshu awaa: rush hour
intaanetto: internet
Notes
1 For many more examples showing the strange and interesting ways English is used(and abused), please visit Engrish.com.
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Phrasal verbs can sometimes be challenging and hard to findin English-Japanese dictionaries, if they are listed at all. Hereyou should be able to find most of the common ones usedevery day.
Each phrasal verb will be followed by vi (intransitive verb, not
taking a direct object) or vt (transitive verb, taking a directobject), a short definition for clarification if needed, theJapanese equivalent, and an example sentence inJapanese along with its English translation.
Please keep in mind that this is not meant to becomprehensive. In many cases there are other Japanesewords which can be used instead. However, the ones listedhere are those which I feel are the most preferred. Pleasecross-reference using other dictionaries in order to get a goodfeel for the total scope of each word or phrase. Also, pleaseremember that not all English verb forms will translate into aJapanese verb form. Sometimes the commonly usedJapanese equivalent will be an auxiliary or something elseentirely.
Example sentences will use a wide variety of verb
conjugations. Please use my Japanese Verbs as a guide forthese. While I have taken care to choose examples whichtranslate over in a straightforward manner, there are some thatare not a perfectly literal match. They will be, however, closeenough to convey the meaning shown while being commonlyused in both languages. Even though Japanese tends toprefer passive structures much more than English, I have keptsome active simply to keep the structure true to the English inorder to be more easily understood. If further clarification isnecessary, or if there are others which you would like to seeincluded here, please feel free to contact me.
| be l blow | call | catch | cheer | come | cut | drop | fill | get | go
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| hang | keep | look | make | put | show | take | tell | turn | wear| work | write |
be about to 1 vt (to be on the verge of doing) ...tokoro: Ima
kara yuushoku o taberu tokoro. (I'm just about to eat dinner.)
be up to 1 vt (to be doing) shite iru: Kimiko wa nani o shite iru
ka na? (I wonder what Kimiko is up to.) 2 vt (to be planning to
do, often something devious) takuramu: Ano futari wa kitto
nanika takurande iru. (Those two are surely up to something.)
3 vt (to feel like doing) ...ki ga aru: Kouen made aruku ki ga
aru? (Are you up to a walk to the park?)
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blow away 1 vt fukitobasu: Kaze wa kare no boushi o
fukitobashita. (The wind blew his hat away.) 2 vt
(to surprise) odorokasu: Sore o itte mina odorokashita. (I saidthat and blew everyone away.)
blow out 1 vt (to extinguish) fukikesu: rousoku o fukikeshite
ne. (Blow out the candles, okay?) 2 vi (for a tire to blow
out) panku suru: Jitensha no tire ga panku shita yo. (Thebicycle tire blew out.)
Panku is borrowed from the English "puncture."
blow over 1 vt fukitaosu: Kaze wa sanbon no denchuu o
fukitaoshita. (The wind blew over three telephone poles.) 2 vi
(to die away) toorisugiru: Kono arashi ga toorisugiru made
matsu shika nai. (All we can do is wait for this storm to blowover.)
blow up 1 vi (to explode) bakuhatsu suru: Kyonen, kouba no
tanku ga bakuhatsu shimashita. (A tank at the factory blew uplast year.)
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call off 1 vt (to cancel) chuushi suru: Asu ame ga futtara,
yama e no haikingu o chuushi suru. (If it rains tomorrow I’mgoing to call off the hike in the mountains.)
call on 1 vt (to visit) houmon suru: Kurashiki ni itta toki yuujin o
houmon shita. (I called on a friend when I went to Kurashiki.)
call out 1 vt yobidasu: O-namae o yobidashitara, kountaa ni
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kite kudasai. (When I call out your name please come to thecounter.)
call up 1 vt denwa suru: Karen ni denwa shita no? (Did youcall up Karen?)
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catch it 1 vi (to be scolded) shikarareru: Yameta hou ga ii.
Shikarareru yo. (You better not do it. You’ll catch it.)
catch on 1 vi (to understand) rikai suru: Sono uchi rikai suru.(You’ll catch on in time.)
catch up 1 vi oitsuku: Saki ni itte. Oitsuku kara. (Go ahead. I’llcatch up.)
As in the last example above, there are words used inJapanese simply for “colloquial smoothing,” which wouldusually not be used in the English counterpart. The literal
translation of oitsuku kara would be “because I’ll catch up,”
but that would sound unnatural in English. Oitsuku alone
would sound equally as odd in Japanese; kara would naturally
be added. Kara, ga, ne, and yo are just some of the Japanesewords that are often added for feeling but do not have asimple counterpart in English.
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cheer up 1 vi (to show renewed spirit or energy) genki o dasu:
Genki o dashite ne. (Cheer up, okay?) 2 vt (to cause someone
to show renewed spirit or energy) genki zukeru: Kanojo wa
shibaraku no aida kare ni hanashite genji zukete kureta. (She
was nice enough to talk to him for a while and cheer him up.)
cheer on 1 vt ouen suru: Ouen shimasu yo. (I’ll be cheeringyou on.)
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come across 1 vi (to give an impression) inshou o ataeru:
Kare wa totemo majime na hito da to iu inshou o ataeru. (Hecomes across as being a very sober person.) 2 vt (to find)
mitsukeru: Souko no naka ni totemo furui hon o mitsuketa. (Icame across a very old book in the storage shed.)
When something is found which was intentionally searched
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for, the intransitive verb mitsukaru is usually used: Mitsukatta!(I found it!)
come after 1 vt (to follow) (no ato ni kuru: Daitai tsuyoi kaze
ga ame no ato ni kuru. (Usually strong winds come after the
rain.) 2 vt (to come to get) tori ni kuru: Kanojo wa mou sugu
kasa o tori ni kuru deshou. (She will surely come after herumbrella soon.)
come again 1 vi mata kuru: Mata kite kudasai. (Please comeagain.)
come along 1 vi (to accompany) tsuite kuru: Yokereba tsuite
kite. (Come along with me if you like.) 2 vi (to progress)
susumu: Yoku susunde imasu ne. (It’s coming along quitenicely, isn’t it?)
come and go 1 vi ittari kitari suru: Benchi ni suwatte, hito ga
ittari kitari suru koto o miru no ga suki. (I like sitting on a benchand watching the people come and go.)
come apart 1 vi barabara ni naru: Denwaki ga katte ni
barabara ni natta. (The telephone came apart on its own.)
come around 1 vi mawatte kuru: Maitoshi kono jiki ni tsubame
ga mawatte kuru. (Every year about this time the swallowscome around.)
come back 1 vi (to return) kaette kuru: Nanji goro kaette kuru
deshou? (About what time will you come back?) 2 vt (to be
Sewa o suru is very flexible, and can be used for just aboutanything from a simple task to the full-time chore of caring for
children or the elderly. The set phrase O-sewa ni narimasu!(You help me!) is often used as a greeting, even to the point of
becoming meaningless. Another expression, mendou o miru,
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which has the same meaning, is not quite as flexible, beingusually reserved for real acts of caring: children, animals, etc.
look all over 1 vi achikochi sagasu: Are o achikochi sagashite
ita yo. (I tell you, I looked all over for that.)
look as if 1 vt (you ni mieru: Komatte iru you ni mieru. (Youlook as if you're confused.)
look back 1 vi furikaette miru: John wa arukinagara nankai mo
furikaette mita. (John looked back again and again as hewalked.)
look for 1 vt sagasu: Tebukuro o sagashita kedo,
mitsukaranakatta. (I looked for the gloves, but couldn't findthem.)
look forward to 1 vt tanoshimi ni suru: Kondo no Hawaii no
tabi o tanoshimi ni shite iru. (I'm looking forward to myupcoming trip to Hawaii.)
look into 1 vt (to look inside) naka o miru: Neko wa heya no
naka o mite iru. (The cat is looking into the room.) 2 vt (to
examine or verify) shiraberu: Ato de shirabete ageru. (I'll lookinto it for you later.)
look like 1 vt ...no you ni mieru: Kanojo wa watashi no itoko no
you ni mieru. (She looks like my cousin.)
look out 1 vi chuui suru: Chuui shinasai! (Look out!)
look through 1 vt (to search or check) me o toosu: Honyaku
ga dekiagarimashita node, jikan ga areba me o tooshite
kudasai. (I've finished the translation, so please look through itwhen you have time.)
look up 1 vt (to search for something in reference books or on
the internet, etc.) shiraberu: Ano kotoba o jisho de
shirabemashou. (Let's look up that word in our dictionaries.) 2
vt (search for and visit a person) sagashite tazuneru: London ni
iru aida, Jones-san o sagashite tazuneta. (While in London, Ilooked up Mr. Jones.)
look up to 1 vt (to respect) sonkei suru: Boku no nihongo no
sensei o hontou ni sonkei shite imasu. (I really look up to myJapanese language teacher.)
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make do 1 vi ma ni au you ni suru: Tanonda kazu dewa nai ga,
ma ni au you ni shimasu. (There aren’t as many as I asked for,but I’ll make do.)
make do without (see go without)
make it 1 vi (to get by) dounika yatte iku: Saisho wa
kibishikatta kedo, dounika yatte itta. (At first it was tough, but I
made it.) 2 vi (to be on time) ma ni au: Okureru ka to shinpai
shita ga, ma ni atta. (I was afraid that I would be late, but Imade it.)
make out 1 vt (to see; to discern) mieru: Bouenkyou de mitara,
getsumen no kureetaa ga mieru. (If you look through atelescope, you can make out the moon’s craters.) 2 vt (to
understand) rikai suru: Sensei no itte iru koto o rikai suru koto
ga dekinai. (I can’t make out what the teacher is saying.)
make up 1 vt (to compensate) tsugunau: Kabin o watta koto o
tsugunau tame ni, kare wa atarashii kabin to ooki na hanataba
o katte kureta. (To make up for breaking the vase, he bought a
new one and a big bouquet of flowers.) 2 vt (to lie) uso o
tsuku: Jody wa shigoto ni tsuite uso o tsuita. (Jody made up
what she said about her job.) 3 vt (to create) sakusei suru:
Rainen no jugyou no tame ni atarashii kyouzai o sakusei
shinakereba naranai. (I’ve got to make up new teachingmaterials for next year’s classes.) 4 vi (to be reconciled)
nakanaori suru: Ano futari wa senshuu oogenka shita ga, sono
ato sugu nakanaori shita. (Those two had a big fight last week,but made up soon afterwards.)
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put aside 1 vt (to stop doing for the time being) waki ni oku:
Jisho o waki ni oite, kyoukasho o dashinasai. (Put aside yourdictionary and take out your textbook.)
put away 1 vt (to clear things away) katazukeru: Kono shokki o
katazukemashou. (Let’s put away these dishes.) 2 vt (to save
money) chokin suru: Dekiru dake chokin shinasai. (Put awayas much money as you can.)
put back 1 vt (to return) modosu: Ima sugu modoshinasai.(Put that back right now!)
put down 1 vt (to set down) orosu: Sore o koko ni oroshite
kudasai. (Please put that down here.)
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put in 1 vt (to place inside) ireru: Hako ni hon o irete kudasai.(Please put the books in the box.) 2 vt (to spend time or
money on) tsukau: Anata wa kore ni takusan no jikan o
tsukatta deshou. (I’ll bet you put a lot of time into this.)
put off 1 vt (to reschedule for a later date) enki suru: Ryokou
wa aki made enki shimashita. (We put off the trip until fall.) 2
vt (to make wait) mataseru: Matasenaide kudasai. (Pleasedon’t put me off.)
put on 1 vt (to wear) kiru: Chotto samui. Jaketto o kita hou ga
ii. (It’s a little cold. You had better put on a jacket.) 2 vt (to
gain weight) futoru: Futoru no wa itsudemo kantan da. (Putting
on weight is always easy.) 3 vt (to deceive) damasu: Uso
yarou. Damashite wa ikenai yo. (Come on. Don’t put me on.) 4
vt (to play music) kakeru: Kono atarashii jazu CD o kakete ne.(Put on this new jazz CD, okay?) 5 vt (to put over heat to cook)
(hi ni) kakeru: Kono jagaimo o hi ni kakemashou. (Let’s putthese potatoes on.)
To put on clothing requires various different verbs in
Japanese: boushi o kaburu (to put on a hat); nekkutai o
shimeru (to put on a tie); kutsushita o haku (to put on socks);
megane o kakeru (to put on glasses); yubiwa o hameru (to puton a ring).
put out 1 vt (to place outside) dasu: Inu o dashite choudai.
(Please put the dog out.) 2 vt (to extinguish) kesu: Hi o
keshite, hai ni suna o kakenasai. (Put the fire out, then cover
the ashes with sand.) 3 vt (to annoy) meiwaku o kakeru:
Go-meiwaku o kakete, gomen nasai. (I’m sorry for putting you
out.) 4 vt (to make efforts) doryoku suru: Karera wa hontou ni
doryoku shita koto o shitte iru yo. (I know they put out their
best efforts.) 5 vt (to produce) seisan suru: Ano kouba wa
mainichi yaku gohyaku nijuu dai no jidousha o seisan shite iru.(That factory puts out around 520 cars per day.)
Meiwaku o kakeru is a very polite set phrase and is usually
used with the honorific go prefix added to meiwaku.
put through 1 vt (to cause to endure) keiken saseru: Kyonen
kare wa kanojo ni iroiro keiken saseta. (He really put herthrough a lot last year.)
put together 1 vt (to assemble) kumitateru: Bill wa gareeji no
naka de jitensha o kumitatete imasu. (Bill’s in the garageputting together his bicycle.)
put up 1 vt (to fix in a relatively high location; to attach to a
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wall or ceiling) kakeru: Ano tokei o kabe ni kakete kudasai.(Please put that clock up on the wall.) 2 vt (to build a
structure) tateru: Atarashii shoppingu sentaa wa ni san ka
getsu dake de taterareta. (The new shopping center was put
up in just a few months.) 3 vi (to stay at) tomaru: Satogaeri
shitara oya no ie de tomaru. (When I go back to my hometown, I’ll put up at my parents’ house.) 4 vt (to provide a place
to stay) tomeru: Asobi ni koretara tomete ageru yo. (If you canvisit, I’ll put you up.)
There are various Japanese verbs used to convey “to set /
put up”: Kurisumasu tsurii o kazaru (to put up a Christmas
tree); tento o haru (to put up a tent); kasa o sasu (to put up anumbrella), etc.
put up with 1 vt (to endure) gaman suru: Ureshii! Ano furui
reizouko o mou gaman shinakutemo ii kara. (I’m so happybecause I won’t have to put up with that old refrigeratoranymore!)
Top
show off 1 vi / vt misebirakasu: Kenta wa itsumo
misebirakashite iru ne. (Kenta is always showing off, isn’t he?)
show around 1 vi / vt annai suru: Takamatsu ni kitara annai
shite ageru yo. (When you come to Takamatsu I’ll show youaround.)
show up 1 vt (to embarrass) hazukashii omoi o saseru: Kare
wa itsumo douryou ni hazukashii omoi o saseyou to shite iru.(He is always trying to show up his colleagues.)
Top
take after 1 vt (resemble) niru: Kare wa kare no ojii-san ni nitte
iru. (He takes after his grandfather.)
take apart 1 vt bunkai suru: Kore o bunkai shite katazukete
kudasai. (Please take it apart and put it away.)
take away 1 vt torisaru: Kare wa senshuu no shuumatsu, sore
zenbu torisatta. (He took it all away last weekend.)
take back 1 vt torimodosu: Kanojo wa zasshi o torimodoshita.(She took the magazine back.) 2 vt (to apologize for
something said) torikesu: Gomen! Yutta koto o torikesu. Honki
de nai yo! (I'm sorry! I take back what I said. I really didn't
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mean it!)
take down 1 vt (to lower something) orosu: Kanojo wa
nichibotsu mae ni kokki o oroshita. (She took down the flag
before sunset.) 2 vt (to write down) kakitomeru: Shizu wa
sensei no yutta koto no subete o kakitometa. (Shizu took downeverything the teacher said.)
take it easy 1 vi kiraku ni suru: Kiraku ni shite kudasai. (Pleasetake it easy.)
take it out on 1 vt yatsuatari suru: Kare wa itsumo jibun no
shippai o boku ni yatsuatari suru. (He always takes out hisfailures on me.)
take off 1 vt (to remove clothing or accessories) nugu: Boushi
o nuide kudasai. (Please take off your hat.) 2 vi (to leave) deru:
Rokuji han goro demashou, ne. (Let’s take off around 6:30,
okay?) 3 vi (for an aircraft to leave the ground) ririku suru:
Hikouki wa hachiji juugo fun ni ririku shita. (The plane took offat 8:15.)
take on 1 vt (to accept as an assignment) hikiukeru: Ima
watashi wa atarashii shigoto o hikiukerenai. (I cannot take onany new projects now.)
take out 1 vt dasu: Gomi o dashite kureru? (Would you pleasetake out the trash?)
take over 1 vi / vt (to carry on a responsibility in place of
someone else) hikitsugu: Iketani wa boku no kawari ni kono
shigoto o hikitsuide kureru. (Iketani will take over this job forme.)
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tell apart 1 vt shikibetsu suru: Kono nidai no pasukon wa onaji
moderu da to omou. Shikibetsu suru koto ga dekimasu ka. (Ithink that both of these computers are the same model. Canyou tell them apart?)
tell off 1 vt (to scold) shikaru: Kare wa amarinimo shitsurei
datta node, kanojo ga shikatta. (She told him off for being sorude.)
tell on 1 vt tsugeguchi suru: Kanojo wa boku no koto o itsumo
tsugeguchi shite iru. (She is always telling on me.)
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Top
turn around 1 vi mawaru: Skeeto o shite iru onna no ko wa
kurukuru mawatte iru. (The girl skating is turning around and
around.) 2 vt mawasu: Sono tsukue o mawashite kudasai.(Please turn that desk around.)
turn down 1 vt (to decrease the volume of sound) oto o
chiisaku suru: Terebi no oto o chiisaku shite ne. (Turn downthe TV, okay?) 2 vt (to decrease the flow of water, etc.; to
decrease the amount of heat or air conditioning) yowaku
suru: Mizu no de o yowaku shite kureru? (Would you turn
down the water?) 3 vt (to reject a person or thing) kotowaru:
Boku no teian o kotowaranaide kudasai. (Please don't turndown my suggestion.)
turn in 1 vt (to hand in) teishutsu suru: Shorui o kinyuu shi,
suiyoubi made ni teishutsu shinasai. (Fill out the documentsand turn them in by Wednesday.)
turn inside out 1 vt uragaesu: Mite. Kono boushi o uragaesu
koto ga dekiru yo. (Look. You can turn this hat inside out.)
turn loose 1 vt (to release) hanasu: Kouen de inu o hanashite
wa ikenai. (Don't turn your dog loose in the park.)
turn off 1 vt kesu: Heya no denki o keshita? (Did you turn offthe lights in the room?)
turn on 1 vt tsukeru: Terebi o tsukenaide kudasai. (Pleasedon't turn on the TV.)
turn out 1 vi (to result in becoming) ...to naru: Kanojo wa rippa
na sensei to naru deshou. (I'm sure she'll turn out to be a fine
teacher.) 2 vt (to produce) seisan suru: Yaku hyaku nen kan
jidousha o seisan shite kita. (They’ve been turning out cars foralmost 100 years.)
turn over 1 vt hikkurikaesu: Hotto keeki o hikkurikaeshite
kureru? (Would you turn over the pancakes?) 2 vi hikkurikaeru:
Katte ni hikkurikaetta. (It turned over on its own.) 3 vi (to turn
over in one's sleep) negaeri o utsu: Toshi o toru to, dandan
negaeri o utanakunaru. (As we grow older, we turn over in oursleep less.)
turn up 1 vt (to increase the volume of sound) oto o ookiku
suru: Ongaku no oto o ookiku shite kureru? (Would you please
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turn up the music?) 2 vt (to increase the flow of water, etc.; to
increase the amount of heat or air conditioning) tsuyoku suru:
Danbou o tsuyoku shinaide kudasai. (Please don't turn up the
heater.) 3 vi (for something to be found) dete kuru: Shinpai
shinaide. Dete kuru deshou. (Don’t worry. It’ll turn up.)
Top
wear off 1 vi shidai ni nakunaru: Chotto nemuke ga sasu kamo
shiremasen ga, shidai ni nakunaru. (You may feel drowsy, butit will wear off.)
Nakunaru alone means "to cease to exist." Shidai ni orequivalent is necessary to convey the fact that it will begradual.
wear out / wear down 1 vt (to wear something out) tsukai
furusu: Kyonen katta jitensha o mou tsukai furushita. (I’vealready worn out the bicycle I bought last year.) 2 vt (to wear
someone out) tsukaresaseru: Kim o haikingu ni tsurete itte,
tsukaresasemashita. (I took Kim hiking and wore her out.)
Tsukai furusu is mainly for things besides clothing: tools,appliances, etc. For clothing, since there are several differentverbs for "to wear on the body," the correct one will have to be
used with furusu: ki furusu (to wear out a shirt, jacket, suit,
etc.); haki furusu (to wear out pants, shoes, etc.), etc.
wear well 1 vi mochi ga ii: Kono kutsu wa mochi ga ii. (Theseshoes wear well.)
Top
work loose 1 vi yurumu: Kono neji ga itsumo yurumu. (This
screw is always working loose.) 2 vt yurumeru
work off 1 vt (to gradually decrease) torinozoku: Kono zeiniku
o dandan torinozokanakucha. (I’ve got to work off this flab.) 2 vt
(to work in order to pay back a loan) hataraite( kaesu:
Juugatsu no getsumatsu made ni hataraite, kono shakin o
kaesu tsumori da. (I plan to work off this loan by the end ofOctober.)
There really isn't a simple word to convey the gradual
"working off" of something in Japanese. Torinozoku actuallymeans "to remove" and can be used concerning something tobe removed instantly. To convey the fact that it will take time,
something for "gradually" will be needed, like dandan, sukoshi
zutsu, shidai ni, etc.
-nakucha is an informal contraction for nakereba naranai.
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work on 1 vt (to focus on solving a specific problem) torikumu:
Ohiru o tabetara ano mondai o torikumu yotei. (I plan to workon that problem after lunch.)
work out 1 vi (to exercise) undou suru: Mainichi undou suru no
ga daiji. (It’s important to work out every day.) 2 vt (to solve a
problem) kaiketsu suru: Sono mondai o yatto kaiketsu shita.(We finally worked out that problem.)
work over 1 vt (to give someone a hard time) hidoi me ni
awaseru: Kanojo wa hontou ni kare ni hidoi me ni awaseta, ne.(She really worked him over, didn’t she?)
work toward 1 vt (ni mukete doryoku suru: Tom wa Nihongo
Nouryoku Shiken Ni Kyuu ni mukete doryoku shite imasu. (Tomis working toward passing Level 2 of the Japanese LanguageProficiency Test.)
Top
write back 1 vi henji o kaku: Bob oji-san ni henji o kaku. (I’llwrite back to Uncle Bob.)
write down 1 vt kakitomeru: Kono jusho o kakitomenasai.(Write down this address.)
write in 1 vt (to write on a line or designated space) kakikomu:
Douzo, koko ni onamae o kakikonde kudasai. (Please write inyour name here.)
write out 1 vt (to write in detail) kuwashiku kaku: Onamae,
jusho, denwa bangou o kuwashiku kaite kudasai. (Please writeout your name, address, and telephone number.)
Top
English Phrasal Verbs to Japanese Dictionary http://www.timwerx.net/language/phrasal_verbs.htm
The simple, standard numbers from one to ten in Japaneseare:
1 ichi
2 ni
3 san
4 shi
5 go
6 roku
7 shichi
8 hachi
9 kyuu
10 juu
Above these, yon is preferred for "four" and nana for "seven."
(There are a few exceptions, but shi is avoided because it isalso the word for "death." Due to relevant superstitions,buildings can be found without a fourth floor, room numberswith no fours, etc.)
11 juu ichi (This is literally "ten, one.")
12 juu ni
13 juu san
14 juu yon
15 juu go
16 juu roku
17 juu nana
18 juu hachi
19 juu kyuu
20 ni juu (This is literally "two, ten." Think of it as "two tens.")
21 ni juu ichi
22 ni juu ni
23 ni juu san
The pattern should now be easy to see. Accordingly:
27 ni juu nana
35 san juu go
48 yon juu hachi
56 go juu roku
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63 roku juu san
72 nana juu ni
89 hachi juu kyuu
94 kyuu juu yon
100 hyaku
111 hyaku juu ichi
135 hyaku san juu go
167 hyaku roku juu nana
200 ni hyaku
208 ni hyaku hachi
242 ni hyaku yon juu ni
290 ni hyaku kyuu juu
300 san byaku
350 san byaku go juu
385 san byaku hachi juu go
400 yon hyaku
423 yon hyaku ni juu san
500 go hyaku
600 roppyaku
700 nana hyaku
800 happyaku
900 kyuu hyaku
1,000 sen (or issen)
1,200 sen ni hyaku
1,632 sen roppyaku san juu ni
2,000 ni sen
2,800 ni sen happyaku
3,000 san zen
4,000 yon sen
5,000 go sen
6,000 roku sen
7,000 nana sen
8,000 hassen
9,000 kyuu sen
10,000 ichi man (Not juu sen. Man is the Japanese for units of
10,000. Unlike hyaku and sen, ichi always precedes man fornumbers 10,000 to 19,999.)
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17,000 ichi man nana sen
18,570 ichi man hassen go hyaku nana juu
20,000 ni man
25,000 ni man go sen
30,000 san man
50,000 go man
100,000 juu man
200,000 ni juu man
250,000 ni juu go man
1,000,000 hyaku man
2,000,000 ni hyaku man
5,000,000 go hyaku man
10,000,000 issen man
100,000,000 ichi oku (Oku is the next major unit jump when
reaching ichi man man, or "ten thousand ten thousands.")
0 zero or rei
Special Numbers
Fractions & Decimals
A half is hanbun.
A quarter (1/4) is yon bun no ichi, literally "one of four parts."
Three-fourths (3/4) is yon bun no san, or "three of four parts."
Two-thirds (2/3) is san bun no ni, and so on.
A decimal point is called ten, so:
1.5 itten go (ichi and ten are contracted)
2.5 ni ten go
4.78 yon ten nana hachi
11.36 juu ichi ten san roku
Days of the Month
The days of the month are in a group all their own. Someare similar to other numbers or counters, while some are
completely unique. The final ka or nichi means "day." Pleasekeep in mind that these are not ordinal numbers in the Englishsense, and cannot be used to express the order of otherthings in a series. Take note of each one; there are somesurprises.
The first day of the month: tsuitachi (some people use ippi)
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The second: futsuka
The third: mikka
4th yokka
5th itsuka
6th muika (some people use miuka)
7th nanoka
8th youka
9th kokonoka
10th touka
11th juu ichi nichi
12th juu ni nichi
13th juu san nichi
14th juu yokka
15th juu go nichi
16th juu roku nichi
17th juu nana nichi (some people use juu shichi nichi)
18th juu hachi nichi
19th juu ku nichi
20th hatsuka
21st ni juu ichi nichi
22nd ni juu ni nichi
23rd ni juu san nichi
24th ni juu yokka
25th ni juu go nichi
26th ni juu roku nichi
27th ni juu nana nichi (or ni juu shichi nichi)
28th ni juu hachi nichi
29th ni juu ku nichi
30th san juu nichi
31st san juu ichi nichi
Months of the Year
Sadly, the ancient Japanese names for the months are nolonger used except in poems and other special literature. Indaily writing and conversation the number of the month with
the Japanese for month (gatsu) is used instead:
January ichi gatsu
February ni gatsu
March san gatsu
April shi gatsu (never yon gatsu)
May go gatsu
June roku gatsu
July shichi gatsu
August hachi gatsu
September ku gatsu
October juu gatsu
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November juu ichi gatsu
December juu ni gatsu
Years
Years are expressed in either seireki, the western
reckoning, or wareki, which follows the Japanese eras of thereign of the emperors. In either reckoning, the word for "year"
(nen) follows the year. Years in seireki are expressed the sameas any other number; there are no special abbreviations. This
year, 2008, is ni sen hachi nen; 1996 would be sen kyuu hyaku
kyuu juu roku nen; 1872 is sen happyaku nana juu ni nen, andso on.
In the wareki reckoning, this year is the 20th year of thepresent emperor, and his era has been named Heisei. In
Japanese it is called Heisei ni juu nen. If you were born in1975, you were born in the 50th year of the Showa Era, or, in
Japanese, Shouwa go juu nen. For year conversions see my
Handy Tables of Japanese Years.
If you need to express B.C., use kigen zen before the number:
723 B.C. is kigen zen nana hyaku ni juu san nen.
Room Numbers & Floor Numbers
Room numbers are usually read one number at a time.
Interestingly, zeroes are usually read maru, which means"circle":
310 san ichi maru
407 yon maru nana
1227 ichi ni ni nana
1502 ichi go maru ni
The floors of a building use kai:
first floor: ikkai
second floor: ni kai
third floor: san gai
fourth floor: yon kai
fifth floor: go kai
Telephone Numbers
Telephone numbers are also often read one number at a time.A very clever invention the Japanese have, however, is saying
no where hyphens usually are. This makes listening to a longnumber easier. For example, 067-892-7813 would be read:
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zero roku nana no hachi kyuu ni no nana hachi ichi san.
Flight Numbers
Flight numbers use bin:
Flight 26: ni juu roku bin
Flight 183: hyaku hachi juu san bin
Trains and buses use gou after their numbers, not bin.
Counting
There is a set of what could be loosely called "ordinalnumbers" which are sometimes used for counting up to tenitems. Similarities will be found between these and the days ofthe months introduced above:
1 hitotsu
2 futatsu
3 mittsu
4 yottsu
5 itsutsu
6 muttsu
7 nanatsu
8 yattsu
9 kokonotsu
10 tou
These are used mainly by small children to count things orsay how old they are. Adults will sometimes use these in short
requests or replies:
A: Yobi no denchi aru? (Are there any spare batteries?)
B: Hai. Mittsu aru yo. (Yes. There are three.)
However, it will sometimes be preferable to use the correct
counter when counting things, especially in formal settings.The counter for batteries and similar irregularly-shaped,
relatively small objects is ko. Counters are used with the basicnumbers which were introduced at the top of this page. Hereis the previous conversation made a bit more formal:
A: Yobi no denchi arimasu ka? (Are there any sparebatteries?)
B: Hai. San ko arimasu. (Yes. There are three.)
There are many of these counters — many more than are
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mentioned on this page. These should be considered theabsolutely essential ones that you need to learn and masterfirst. The more counters you memorize and use correctly, themore literate and fluent you will sound.
ko
Ko was just mentioned. It is used to count things like apples,oranges, blocks, boxes, and many other things which arepretty much the same size in all dimensions. People often use
ko in place of other counters. If you use ko to count bananas
instead of the technically correct hon, it's no big deal, butusing it to count cars or animals would really show a lack ofknowledge.
hon
Use hon for relatively long and narrow things: pens, pencils,rulers, sticks, bottles, etc. Take note how the pronunciationchanges according to the number:
1 ippon
2 ni hon
3 san bon
4 yon hon
5 go hon
6 roppon
7 nana hon
8 happon
9 kyuu hon
10 juppon
Boku wa enpitsu ni hon motte iru kara, ippon kashite
ageru. (I have two pencils so I'll lend you one.)
Note how the number of an item retains its counter even whenthe name of the item is known and omitted.
Please keep in mind that this is a general guide and there willbe people who use other expressions. For example, there are
people who will say hachi hon instead of happon. This appliesto everything on this page.
hai
Hai is for cups or glasses filled with a drink: ippai, ni hai, san
bai:
O-cha ni hai kudasai. (Two cups of tea, please.)
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satsu, mai, dai
For the number of books use satsu: issatsu, ni satsu, san
satsu, etc.For flat things like sheets of paper, photographs, and tiles use
mai: ichi mai, ni mai, san mai, etc.
For cars, bikes, and other machines use dai: ichi dai, ni dai,
san dai, etc.
Animals & People
Small animals up to dogs use hiki: ippiki, ni hiki, san biki, yon
hiki, go hiki
Larger animals from sheep on up use tou: ittou, ni tou, san tou
Birds use wa: ichi wa, ni wa, san wa
Fish use bi: ichi bi, ni bi, san bi
Watashi no itoko wa inu san biki, neko happiki to niwatori
go wa o katte imasu. (My cousin has three dogs, eightcats, and five chickens.)
For people use hitori for one person, futari for two people, and
then the counter nin for three or more:
3 people: san nin
7 people: nana nin
12 people: juu ni nin
65 people: roku juu go nin
Futari no ane to san nin no otouto ga imasu. (I have twobig sisters and three little brothers.)
Telling Time
For time, add ji after the hour and fun/pun after the minutes:
1:25 ichi ji ni juu go fun
3:51 san ji go juu ippun
11:47 juu ichi ji yon juu nana fun
Four o'clock is yoji, not yonji. Also, han (meaning "half") isoften used for 30 minutes:
4:30 yoji han
Periods of Time
Although omitted in some cases, add kan to indicate a periodof time:
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years: ichi nen kan, ni nen kan, san nen kan, etc.
months: ikka getsu kan, ni ka getsu kan, san ka getsu kan, etc.
weeks: isshuu kan, ni shuu kan, san shuu kan, etc.
days: ichi nichi (kan is usually omitted), futsuka kan, mikka
kan, etc., following their names as days of the month.
hours: ichi jikan, ni jikan, san jikan, etc.
minutes: ippun kan, ni fun kan, san pun kan, etc.
seconds: ichi byou, ni byou, san byou, etc.
Kare wa juu ni nen kan doitsu ni sunda. (He lived inGermany for 12 years.)
Chiisai koro, natsu yasumi wa san ka getsu kan datta.(When I was little our summer vacations were threemonths long.)
Sono shigoto wa ni jikan han kakarimashita. (That jobtook two and a half hours to do.)
Times & Attempts
Use kai to express the number of times something isexperienced, tried, or done:
Ni kai toukyou ni ikimashita. (I've been to Tokyo twice.)
Mou ikkai kanojo ni denwa shite miru. (I'll try calling her
one more time.)
Kai is also used to show frequencies:
every other day: futsuka ni ikkai
once every three days: mikka ni ikkai
twice a week: shuu ni ni kai
once every two weeks: ni shuu kan ni ikkai
once every three months: san ka getsu ni ikkai
three times a year: nen ni san kai
Bokutachi wa ni ka getsu ni ikkai bouringu o yaru. (We gobowling every two months.)
Watashi wa nen ni ni kai amerika ni iku. (I go to Americatwice a year.)
Rankings & Placings
Rankings within a group or placings for contest winners use i:
first place: ichi i
second place: ni i
third place: san i
Numbers in Succession
Japanese Numbers and Counting http://www.timwerx.net/language/numbers.htm
9 of 10 4/13/2010 8:48 PM
Use ban to show the number of something in a succession:
number one (or "the best"): ichi ban
number two: ni ban
number three: san ban
Ban is also sometimes used instead of i to show rankings.
A Specific Number in a Series
To specifically point out the number of something in a series,
add me:
the second person: futari me
the third day: mikka me
the fifth machine: go dai me
Imouto wa migi kara san ban me desu. (My sister is thethird one from the right.)
Vague Numbers
a few dogs: inu ni, san biki
4 or 5 students: shi, go nin no gakusei (not yon, go)
around 25 people: ni juu go nin gurai
50 or more: go juu ijou
several years: suu nen kan
hundreds of birds: suu hyaku wa no tori (or nan byaku wa no
tori)
thousands of liters: suu sen litoru (or nan zen litoru)
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Japanese Numbers and Counting http://www.timwerx.net/language/numbers.htm
10 of 10 4/13/2010 8:48 PM
« Home
Handy Tables of Japanese Years
The Heisei Era (1989 to
2010)
The Showa Era (1926 to
1988)
The Taisho Era (1912 to
1925)
The Heisei Era
Year A.D. Heisei Year Year of the
2010 22 Tiger
2009 21 Ox
2008 20 Rat
2007 19 Boar
2006 18 Dog
2005 17 Chicken
2004 16 Monkey
2003 15 Sheep
2002 14 Horse
2001 13 Snake
2000 12 Dragon
1999 11 Rabbit
1998 10 Tiger
1997 9 Ox
1996 8 Rat
1995 7 Boar
1994 6 Dog
1993 5 Chicken
1992 4 Monkey
1991 3 Sheep
Tim's Takamatsu - Tables of Japanese Years http://www.timwerx.net/misc/years.htm
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1990 2 Horse
1989 1 Snake
The Showa Era
Year A.D. Showa Year Year of the
1988 63 Dragon
1987 62 Rabbit
1986 61 Tiger
1985 60 Ox
1984 59 Rat
1983 58 Boar
1982 57 Dog
1981 56 Chicken
1980 55 Monkey
1979 54 Sheep
1978 53 Horse
1977 52 Snake
1976 51 Dragon
1975 50 Rabbit
1974 49 Tiger
1973 48 Ox
1972 47 Rat
1971 46 Boar
1970 45 Dog
1969 44 Chicken
1968 43 Monkey
1967 42 Sheep
1966 41 Horse
Tim's Takamatsu - Tables of Japanese Years http://www.timwerx.net/misc/years.htm
2 of 5 4/13/2010 8:49 PM
1965 40 Snake
1964 39 Dragon
1963 38 Rabbit
1962 37 Tiger
1961 36 Ox
1960 35 Rat
1959 34 Boar
1958 33 Dog
1957 32 Chicken
1956 31 Monkey
1955 30 Sheep
1954 29 Horse
1953 28 Snake
1952 27 Dragon
1951 26 Rabbit
1950 25 Tiger
1949 24 Ox
1948 23 Rat
1947 22 Boar
1946 21 Dog
1945 20 Chicken
1944 19 Monkey
1943 18 Sheep
1942 17 Horse
1941 16 Snake
1940 15 Dragon
1939 14 Rabbit
1938 13 Tiger
1937 12 Ox
Tim's Takamatsu - Tables of Japanese Years http://www.timwerx.net/misc/years.htm
3 of 5 4/13/2010 8:49 PM
1936 11 Rat
1935 10 Boar
1934 9 Dog
1933 8 Chicken
1932 7 Monkey
1931 6 Sheep
1930 5 Horse
1929 4 Snake
1928 3 Dragon
1927 2 Rabbit
1926 1 Tiger
The Taisho Era
Year A.D. Taisho Year Year of the
1925 14 Ox
1924 13 Rat
1923 12 Boar
1922 11 Dog
1921 10 Chicken
1920 9 Monkey
1919 8 Sheep
1918 7 Horse
1917 6 Snake
1916 5 Dragon
1915 4 Rabbit
1914 3 Tiger
1913 2 Ox
1912 1 Rat
Tim's Takamatsu - Tables of Japanese Years http://www.timwerx.net/misc/years.htm
4 of 5 4/13/2010 8:49 PM
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Tim's Takamatsu - Tables of Japanese Years http://www.timwerx.net/misc/years.htm
5 of 5 4/13/2010 8:49 PM
Home » Time Related Nouns and Expressions
Time Related Nouns and
Expressions
Present
the present: genzai
now: ima
today: kyou
this morning: kesa
this afternoon: kyou no gogo
this evening: konban
tonight: konya; kyou no yoru
this week: konshuu
this month: kongetsu
this year: kotoshi
Past
the past: kako
yesterday: kinou
yesterday morning: kinou no asa
yesterday afternoon: kinou no gogo
yesterday evening: kinou no ban
last night: sakuya; sakuban
the day before yesterday: ototoi; ototsui
two days ago: futsuka mae
three days ago: mikka mae
a few days ago: ni, san nichi mae
the other day: senjitsu
last week: senshuu
the week before last: sensenshuu
one week ago: isshuu kan mae
two weeks ago: ni shuu kan mae
three weeks ago: san shuu kan mae
a few weeks ago: ni, san shuu kan mae
last month: sengetsu
one month ago: ikka getsu mae
two months ago: ni ka getsu mae
three months ago: san ka getsu mae
a few months ago: ni, san ka getsu mae
last year: kyonen
Time Related Nouns and Expressions http://www.timwerx.net/language/time.htm
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August of last year: kyonen no hachigatsu
spring of last year: kyonen no haru
one year ago: ichi nen mae
two years ago: ni nen mae
three years ago: san nen mae
four or five years ago: shi, go nen mae
hundreds of years ago: suu hyaku nen mae
millions of years ago: nanbyaku man nen mae
Future
the future: (near future; a person's future) shourai; (far-off
future; science fiction type of future) mirai
tomorrow: ashita; asu
tomorrow morning: ashita no asa
tomorrow afternoon: ashita no gogo
tomorrow evening: ashita no ban
tomorrow night: ashita no yoru
the day after tomorrow: asatte
the day after the day after tomorrow: shiasatte
two days from now: futsuka go
three days from now: mikka go
a few days from now: ni, san nichi go
next week: raishuu
the week after next: saraishuu
one week from now: isshuu kan go
two weeks from now: ni shuu kan go
three weeks from now: san shuu kan go
a few weeks from now: ni, san shuu kan go
next month: raigetsu
the month after next: saraigetsu
one month from now: ikka getsu go
two months from now: ni ka getsu go
three months from now: san ka getsu go
a few months from now: ni, san ka getsu go
next year: rainen
the year after next: sarainen
April of next year: rainen no shigatsu
summer of next year: rainen no natsu
one year from now: ichi nen go
two years from now: ni nen go
three years from now: san nen go
four or five years from now: shi, go nen go
hundreds of years from now: suu hyaku nen go
millions of years from now: nanbyaku man nen go
Time Related Nouns and Expressions http://www.timwerx.net/language/time.htm
2 of 3 4/13/2010 8:52 PM
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3 of 3 4/13/2010 8:52 PM
Home » Japanese Particles
Japanese Particles
Particles in Japanese act like the "cement" of a structure,holding the major components together and serving asindicators for the words they follow or are stuck between.There are even times when they have their own meaning,usually as prepositions. They can be friendly at times andpesky at others, and some can even be omitted in familiarconversation.
This is a general guide for using the particles. I trust that it willserve nicely for daily conversation and writing, but I really
must emphasize general here because of the many exceptionsand surprises that do exist. In fact, there are some exceptionsthat defy all reason. While some particles more or less followcertain rules regarding use, others do not and must belearned "case by case" and remembered as such. I havespent hours with native speakers trying to get straight, logicalanswers concerning the strange behavior of some of theparticles, but I often just get blank stares and the "case bycase" answer. I will do my best to point these out, but it will beimpossible to cover everything here.
One thing that is nice about Japanese is that it's not as"grammatically fussy" as English. If you happen to omit ormake a mistake concerning particles, you won't sound asridiculous or illiterate speaking this "broken Japanese" as youwould if you did the same thing in English. (That's not meantto be an excuse; it's just to assure you that it's okay to makemistakes along the way.)
Japanese Particles http://www.timwerx.net/language/particles.htm
1 of 11 4/13/2010 8:57 PM
Question maker ka
Emphasizer yo
Terribly overused ne
Quasi-adjective indicator na
Subject indicators wa and ga
Wa and ga indicate subjects by coming after them. You could
say that wa is the "standard" subject indicator. It indicates thegeneral topic and, if anything, emphasizes what comes after it:
Nihon no natsu wa atsui desu. (Summers in Japan arehot.)
In this example, wa tells us that the topic of conversation is
summers in Japan, and that the important thing about them is
the fact that they are hot.
Kimiko wa mainichi eigo o benkyou shite imasu. (Kimikostudies English every day.)
Here we are talking about Kimiko, and want her diligenceconcerning English studies to be made known.
Ga points to "active" subjects, emphasized subjects, andsubjects within a larger topic:
John ga suru shigoto wa muzukashii desu. (The job thatJohn does is difficult.)
In this one, wa tells us that we're talking about a job, and that
it's a difficult one, and ga tells us that it's not just any jobwe're talking about, but the job that John does.
Ima Seiko ga shite imasu. (Seiko is doing it now.)
This one, which is a reply to someone's question, needs to
point to Seiko as the person doing whatever, so ga is used.The thing she is doing is already known, so it needs noemphasis.
Ga is used with simple question subjects in many cases:
Dare ga kono gyuunyuu o koboshita? (Who spilled thismilk?)
Nani ga tabetai no? (What do you want to eat?)
Itsu ga ii? (When is a good time?)
Japanese Particles http://www.timwerx.net/language/particles.htm
2 of 11 4/13/2010 8:57 PM
And ga is used to emphasize the answers to those questions:
Tommy ga yatta. (Tommy did it.)
Gyouza ga tabetai. (I want to eat gyouza.)
Sanji ga ii. (Three o'clock's good.)
...unless there's something still indefinite about it:
Gyouza o tabemashou ka. (Shall we have gyouza?)
Gyouza wa dou desu ka. (How about some gyouza?)
Rokuji wa dou? (How about six o'clock?)
As you can see, it can really get confusing. More than trying toremember set rules, I've found that memorizing "set phrases"is the safest way to go, even though it does take some time.Here's where learning "case by case" becomes necessary,because the particle used will sometimes change dependingon what is being emphasized, as well as the verb tense andconjugation used.
Ga sometimes indicates "but":
Watashitachi wa pikuniku o tanoshimi ni shite ita ga, ame
ga futta. (We looked forward to the picnic, but it rained.)
Notice how the three ga's are used here:
Keeki ga tabetakatta ga, onaka ga ippai datta. (I wantedto have some cake, but I was too full.)
Wa could replace the third ga here.
As a strange particle quirk, subject indicator wa is always
written using the hiragana for ha. For reference, please see
my hiragana table here.
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Direct object indicator o
You could call o a "limited use" particle. Its only job is to showus what the direct object is:
Jisho o kashite kureru? (Would you please loan me yourdictionary?)
Atarashii kamera o katta. (I bought a new camera.)
Pizza o tabemashou ka. (Shall we get a pizza?)
Japanese Particles http://www.timwerx.net/language/particles.htm
3 of 11 4/13/2010 8:57 PM
However, ga is usually preferred when using the -tai ending:
Ramen ga tabetai. (I want to eat ramen.)
Also, use ga, not o, before the verbs iru (to be present; to
exist), iru (to need), aru, wakaru, dekiru, and the weird quasi-
verb/adjectives suki, kirai and hoshii:
Bob no heya ni tokage ga iru. (There's a lizard in Bob'sroom.)
Boku wa atarashii kasa ga iranai. (I don't need a newumbrella.)
Shizu wa jitensha ga arimasu ka. (Does Shizu have abicycle?)
Kenji no itte iru koto ga wakaranai. (I don't understandwhat Kenji's saying.)
Emiko wa ryouri ga dekiru? (Can Emiko cook?)
Chuuka ryouri ga suki desu ka. (Do you like Chinesefood?)
Tom wa hikouki ga kirai. (Tom hates airplanes.)
Ano nuigurumi ga hoshii! (I want that stuffed animal!)
It is sometimes easy to confuse the particle o with the o- prefixwhich is used as an honorific indicator for some selectednouns, so be careful. Some of these are:
o-tenki: the weather
o-cha: tea
o-mizu: water
o-niku: meat
o-naka: stomach
o-kuruma: car
These can be very interesting. Some use the o- prefix only insome instances and not in others. For example, when talkingabout your own car or cars in general, you would never use
the o- prefix. You will probably only hear it when salespeopleor servicepeople are talking about the car you are going to buy
or have bought from them. Some, like o-tenki and o-cha, arealmost always used with the honorific prefix.
I might as well mention here that there is a verb conjugation
that uses this honorific prefix. It's o- + Base 2, and has severalendings. Here are examples of two:
Douzo, o-cha o o-nomi kudasai. (Please, have some tea.)
O-niku wa o-tabe ni narimashita ka. (Did you have somemeat?)
Japanese Particles http://www.timwerx.net/language/particles.htm
4 of 11 4/13/2010 8:57 PM
These are very polite constructions. Can you sense the honorand respect oozing from them?
Although this particle is usually written o in romaji these days,
in older documents it may be seen written wo. It's the sameparticle with the same role, but with an alternate spelling in
romaji. You may also hear some Japanese pronounce it more
like wo than o.
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Indirect object indicator ni
Ni shows us what the indirect object is — who or what anaction is directed to:
John ni jisho o kashite kureru? (Would you please loanJohn your dictionary?)
Susan ni atarashii kamera o ageta. (I gave Susan a newcamera.)
Inu ni esa o yarinasai. (Feed the dog.)
Ni is also a preposition which indicates destinations, places,dates and times:
Nihon ni kono hako o okuritai desu. (I want to send thisbox to Japan.)
John wa Okayama ni ikimashita. (John went toOkayama.)
Neko wa isu no shita ni iru. (The cat is under the chair.)
Kare wa suiyoubi ni kuru. (He'll come on Wednesday.)
Kaigi wa shichi gatsu touka ni arimasu. (The meeting willbe on July 10.)
Bob wa rokuji han ni tsuku. (Bob will arrive at six thirty.)
Ni, not o, is used with the verbs noru (to ride) and noboru (toclimb):
Hayaku! Densha ni notte! (Hurry! Get on the train!)
Kenji wa jitensha ni noru koto ga dekiru. (Kenji can ride abicycle.)
Ki ni noborimashou. (Let's climb up the tree.)
Kinou kodomotachi wa yama ni nobotta. (The kidsclimbed the mountain yesterday.)
Ni is often combined with wa to show that something exists oris included in the subject:
Japanese Particles http://www.timwerx.net/language/particles.htm
5 of 11 4/13/2010 8:57 PM
Nihon niwa chiisai shima ga takusan arimasu. (There aremany small islands in Japan.)
Suzuki-san niwa san nin no kodomo ga imasu. (Mrs.Suzuki has three children.)
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Destination indicator e
While not as flexible as ni, e is sometimes used in place of itto emphasize a destination:
Soto e ikitai. (I want to go outside.)
Kyou wa doko e? (Where are you going today?) (Yes, theverb can be omitted here.)
Ashita bijutsukan e ikimasu. (We're going to the artmuseum tomorrow.)
As another strange particle quirk, destination indicator e is
always written using the hiragana for he. For reference, please
see my hiragana table here.
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Action indicator de
Particle de is a preposition that shows us where an actiontakes place:
Kyou ie de taberu. (I'll eat at home today.)
Kodomotachi wa kouen de asonde imasu. (The kids areplaying in the park.)
Some exceptions are: Use ni when the verb shows attachment
to an object or place, and o when the action passes a place orintentionally covers a wide area:
Kana wa ano isu ni suwatte iru. (Kana is sitting in thatchair over there.)
Bill wa Nagoya ni sunde imasu. (Bill lives in Nagoya.)
Futatsu me no kado o magatte kudasai. (Please turn atthe second corner.)
Kouen o sanpo shimashou. (Let's take a walk in thepark.)
De is used for "among":
Japanese Particles http://www.timwerx.net/language/particles.htm
6 of 11 4/13/2010 8:57 PM
Watashi no yuujin de, piano o hikeru hito ga inai. (Thereis no one among my friends that can play the piano.)
De also indicates a method:
Onamae wa pen de kaite kudasai. (Please write yourname with a pen.)
Genkin de haraimashou. (Let's pay with cash.)
Eigo de hanashite kureru? (Would you please speakEnglish?)
De is sometimes used before ii to say that something is goodor sufficient as it is:
Kore de ii. (This is okay. [It's good enough.])
Ashita de ii. (Tomorrow will be okay.)
De is sometimes combined with wa to show that something isdone within the subject:
Tokushima dewa maitoshi yuumei na matsuri ga
okonawareru. (A famous festival is held in Tokushimaevery year.)
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Possession indicator no
This one also has many roles in Japanese grammar. It showspossession:
Sore wa Keiko no kasa desu. (That's Keiko's umbrella.)
Jack no inu no namae wa Aki desu. (Jack's dog's nameis Aki.)
It can sometimes replace ga, and is used especially in clausesthat modify a noun:
Hontou ni mondai no nai tabi deshita. (It really was atrouble-free trip.)
Watashi no oshieru gakusei wa, eigo no dekinai ko
bakari desu. (None of the kids that I teach can speakEnglish.)
It comes after some adjectives:
Kyoto no matsuri ni takusan no hito ga ita. (Many peoplewere at the festival in Kyoto.)
Japanese Particles http://www.timwerx.net/language/particles.htm
7 of 11 4/13/2010 8:57 PM
Kumi wa midori no fuusen ga hoshii. (Kumi wants agreen balloon.)
It makes informal questions:
Yuushoku wa tabenai no? (Aren't you going to eatdinner?)
Nanji ni kuru no? (What time will you come?)
And it is also used between prepositions and nouns to makethe noun the object of the preposition. Compare the followingsentences:
Kono tegami wa Yuuko kara kita. (This letter came fromYuuko.)
Kore wa Yuuko kara no tegami desu. (This is a letterfrom Yuuko.)
And these:
Kono tegami o Yuuko ni okuru. (I'm going to send thisletter to Yuuko.)
Kore wa Yuuko e no tegami desu. (This is a letter toYuuko.)
Note: Ni is not used with no in this way.
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Connectors to and ya
These work like "and" in English. Use to to include only what
is actually mentioned, and ya to include other things whichare not mentioned but may be relevant or supposed:
Ashita boushi to undou gutsu o motte kite kudasai. (Bringa hat and athletic shoes tomorrow.)
Gakkou ga hajimattara, pen ya nooto ya jisho ga hitsuyo
desu. (When school starts, you'll need things like a pen,a notebook, and a dictionary.)
To also indicates quotes and thoughts, whether they are director indirect:
Jane wa konban gaishoku shitai to itta. (Jane said shewants to eat out tonight.)
Sore wa totemo ii keikaku da to omoimasu. (I think that'sa very good plan.)
Japanese Particles http://www.timwerx.net/language/particles.htm
8 of 11 4/13/2010 8:57 PM
Some oddball adverbs use to optionally:
Ken wa hakkiri (to) kotowatta. (Ken flatly refused.)
Motto yukkuri (to) hanashite kureru? (Would you pleasespeak more slowly?)
Sometimes to is used to mean "with":
Dare to kouen ni iku? (Who are you going with to thepark?)
Kimiko wa Sally to issho ni kaimono ni ikimashita.(Kimiko went shopping with Sally.)
Note: Issho (ni) means "together (with)" and is often used after
to. Use it when there's a chance that to alone might not beclearly understood.
After verbs, to often means "if" or "when":
Massugu iku to Ritsurin Kouen ga miemasu. (If you gostraight you'll see Ritsurin Park.)
Watashi wa soba o taberu to byouki ni naru. (I get sickwhenever I eat buckwheat noodles.)
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Includer mo
Forgive me for making up my own English, but "includer" just
works perfectly here because mo includes things, the way"also" and "too" do:
Watashi mo ikitai! (I want to go, too!)
Yasuko mo atarashii pasokon o katta. (Yasuko alsobought a new computer.)
Mo is also used to emphasize "any," sometimes beingcombined with other particles:
Ima watashi wa nani mo taberenai. (I can't eat anythingnow.)
Kare wa doko nimo ikitakunai. (He doesn't want to goanywhere.)
Paul wa nan demo dekimasu. (Paul can do anything.)
Note: There are also elongated mou's that have totallydifferent usages. One is used to mean "already," and anotheris used for whining about something:
Japanese Particles http://www.timwerx.net/language/particles.htm
9 of 11 4/13/2010 8:57 PM
Watashi mou shimashita. (I already did it.)
Mou, anata itsumo osoi! (Oh, you're always slow!)
By the way, mou is what Japanese cows say.
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Question maker ka
Ka makes questions, both plain and polite:
Kodomotachi wa mou tabemashita ka. (Have the kidsalready eaten?)
Jennie no kasa o karita ka. (Did you borrow Jennie'sumbrella?)
When it comes to making questions, there are both written
and unwritten rules that will keep you wondering. While ka
can be used in most instances, there are times when no ispreferred. These can be interchangeable in some cases, but
not in others. Both of them — no ka — are even usedtogether sometimes.
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Emphasizer yo
Yo is usually used at the end of a short phrase or sentence.Its nuances are not easy to define, but it generally has twopurposes: to emphasize an action, or to brag about one:
Heya o souji shimashita yo. (I DID clean the room.)
Eigo no shiken, goukaku shita yo. ([Of course] I passedthe English exam.)
Note: As in English, to correctly use the "brag" version youhave to keep a straight, matter-of-fact, "no big deal" face.
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Terribly overused ne
The correct place for ne is at the end of a sentence, where it isused to check or request the agreement of the listener:
Ashita watashitachi to issho ni ikimasu ne. (You're going
Japanese Particles http://www.timwerx.net/language/particles.htm
10 of 11 4/13/2010 8:57 PM
with us tomorrow, right?)
Ii otenki desu ne. (Nice weather, isn't it. [with a fallingintonation])
However, like "y'know" in English, too many people have the
habit of grossly overusing ne. I've even heard speeches whereit was put between almost every word. Be careful not tooverdo it.
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Quasi-adjective indicator na
In the world of Japanese adjectives, there are "true" and"quasi" types. When a "quasi-adjective" modifies a noun in a
straightforward manner, na goes in between:
Sono mise wa benri na basho ni aru. (That store's in aconvenient place.)
Ooki na inu desu ne. (That's a big dog, isn't it. [with afalling intonation])
Changing na to ni converts quasi-adjectives to adverbs:
Dare demo kantan ni dekimasu yo. (Anyone can do iteasily.)
See my Japanese Adjectives for more.
Na may sometimes be heard here and there in familiar
situations as a substitute for ne. This is considered impolite atbest, and should be avoided.
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Japanese Particles http://www.timwerx.net/language/particles.htm
11 of 11 4/13/2010 8:57 PM
Home » Japanese Prepositions
Japanese Prepositions
Due to several recent requests, I have put together thisoverview of Japanese prepositions. This should cover the mainones, but please contact me if you can think of any not listedhere. Be sure to see my page on particles, because many ofthem also have "prepositional attributes," and it will helpexplain the difference between the particles used on this
Neko wa hako no naka ni iru. (The cat is in the box.)
Keeki wa sono fukuro no naka ni aru. (The cake is insidethat bag.)
Hasami wa hikidashi no naka ni aru. (The scissors are inthe drawer.)
When a large room or building is referred to, the no naka isusually omitted:
Bob wa toshokan ni iru. (Bob's in the library.)
Bideo dekki wa san maru nana kyoushitsu ni aru. (TheVCR is in Room 307.)
Naka is also used for among:
Yamamoto Sensei wa gakusei no naka de ninkimono
desu. (Mr. Yamamoto is popular among the students.)
Kono kasa no naka kara erande kudasai. (Please choosefrom among these umbrellas.)
Soto is used for the outside of things or places:
Kodomotachi wa soto de asonde iru. (The kids areplaying outside.)
Neko o soto ni dashite kureru? (Would you let the catout?)
Ayako wa taiikukan no soto de taberu no ga suki. (Ayakolikes eating outside the gym.)
Ue is for things sitting on things, the top of things, as well as
Japanese Prepositions http://www.timwerx.net/language/prepositions.htm
1 of 4 4/13/2010 8:58 PM
above things:
Jisho wa tsukue no ue ni aru. (The dictionary is on thedesk.)
Tokei wa tsukue no ue ni kakemashou. (Let's hang theclock [on the wall] above the desk.)
Ki no ue made nobotta. (We climbed to the top of thetree.)
Shita is the opposite of ue:
Inu wa teeburu no shita ni iru. (The dog is under thetable.)
Ano hon no shita ni sen en satsu ga aru. (There's athousand-yen bill under that book.)
Mae is used for in front of:
Eki no mae de matte ne. (Wait in front of the station,okay?)
Jitensha wa ie no mae ni oite kudasai. (Please park yourbicycle in front of the house.)
Ushiro or ura is used for behind:
Kuruma wa ie no ura ni aru. (The car is behind thehouse.)
Hako no ushiro ni nezumi ga iru. (There's a mousebehind the box.)
Soba, yoko, and tonari are used for next to:
Shako wa ie no soba ni aru. (The garage is next to thehouse.)
Miki wa tonari no ie ni sunde imasu. (Miki lives in thehouse next door.)
Gakkou no yoko ni kouba ga aru. (There's a factory nextto the school.)
Aida shows that something is between two other things:
Yuubinkyoku wa toshokan to eigakan no aida ni aru. (Thepost office is between the library and the movie theater.)
Watashi no kasa wa reizouko to kabe no aida ni atta. (Myumbrella was between the refrigerator and the wall.)
Mawari is used for around a thing or area:
Kare no ie no mawari ni tambo ga aru. (There are ricepaddies around his house.)
Japanese Prepositions http://www.timwerx.net/language/prepositions.htm
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Bokutachi wa Takamatsu no mawari o doraibu shita. (Wedrove around Takamatsu.)
Please note that in the second example above mawari doesnot mean "around the perimeter of Takamatsu" only, but "inand around," just the same as the English equivalent.
Ni shows motion directed towards something:
Kouen ni ikimashou. (Let's go to the park.)
Sono okane wa fuutou no naka ni irete ne. (Put thatmoney in the envelope, okay?)
Ashita Osaka ni iku. (I'm going to Osaka tomorrow.)
Ni is also used for in, on, at specific times, days, dates,seasons, etc:
Rokuji ni kite ne. (Come at 6:00, okay?)
Senshuu no kayoubi ni tsuita. (I arrived last Tuesday.)
Sen kyuuhyaku hachijuu ichi nen ni nihon ni kita. (I cameto Japan in 1981.)
Kara shows motion from something:
Kono hon o amerika kara motte kita. (I brought this bookfrom America.)
Ano hako kara ringo o totte kudasai. (Please take anapple from that box.)
Chikai or chikaku ni is used for near:
Kuukou wa chikai. (The airport is nearby.)
Watashitachi no ie no chikaku ni takusan no mise ga
aru. (Near our house are many stores.)
Tooi (pronounced like "toy") or tooku ni is used for far:
Eki wa koko kara tooi. (The train station is far from here.)
Kare wa tooku ni sunde imasu. (He lives far away.)
Mukai is used for opposite something:
Honya wa kouen no mukai ni aru. (The bookstore isopposite the park.)
Kanojo wa gakkou no mukai ni sunde imasu. (She livesacross from the school.)
While mukou is used for beyond:
Minato wa hoteru no mukou ni aru. (The harbor is
Japanese Prepositions http://www.timwerx.net/language/prepositions.htm
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beyond the hotel.)
Shokudou wa kaigishitsu no mukou ni arimasu. (Thecafeteria is on the other side of the conference room.)
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Home » Japanese "Bikkuri Adverbs"
Japanese "Bikkuri Adverbs"
In Japanese there is an interesting set of adverbs which are all
made up of four hiragana, the second of which is the small
tsu, which "doubles" the following consonant, and the fourth
of which is ri. I have asked a few Japanese if there is a namefor this set of words, but have received only negative replies,which is surprising to me because there are so many of them.Since I feel that they need a name, and since it is surprising tome that they don't have one, I have decided to call them
"bikkuri adverbs" because bikkuri means "surprise" and isitself a good example of one.
As with most points of grammar, there are exceptions. I callthese adverbs because of the role they play in most Japaneseconstructions. Some of these are seen or heard as adjectives;
some are combined with the verb suru (usually as shite iru or
shita) to create adjectives. Some are "specialized" and onlyappear with a certain verb as a set phrase. Some of these are
followed by to when used by some people. (The optional todoes not change the meaning.) Some don't sound right
unless they are followed by to.
There are a couple in here that are not adverbs, but I includedthem because they fit the pattern.
I have create three groups. Group 1 is what I would call the"everyday group": the ones which are used the most and soshould be learned first. The ones in Group 2 should betackled next. They are also used often enough, but not asoften as the ones in Group 1. I would call Group 3 the"obscure group." I personally have rarely or never heard theseused, but they are in the dictionary. The words are arranged inJapanese alphabetical order within each group, followed byan example sentence or two.
The "groupings" have been done totally from my ownexperience. Your experience with the language will most likelybe different to a certain degree. Good luck!
Sappari shita hito ga suki. (I like frank, uncomplicatedpeople.)
Ofuro ni haitte sappari shita. (I took a bath and now feelrefreshed.)
Tanaka-san no iu koto wa sappari wakaranai. (I can'tunderstand a word Mr. Tanaka says.)
shakkuri: (noun) hiccup (hiccough)
Japanese "Bikkuri Adverbs" http://www.timwerx.net/language/sp_adverbs.htm
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sukkari: completely, all
Aa! Sukkari wasureta! (Oh, no! I completely forgot aboutit!)
Kanojo wa sukkari kawatte shimaimashita yo. (I tell you,she has completely changed.)
sukkiri: neat, clear, refreshed
Sachiko no heya wa sukkiri shite iru. (Sachiko's room isneat and tidy.)
Kare no iu kotoba niwa itsumo sukkiri shinai tokoro ga
aru. (There's always something unclear in everything hesays.)
tappuri: full; plenty of...
Tabemono ga tappuri aru yo. (There is plenty to eat.)
Jikan tappuri aru. (We have lots of time.)
battari: suddenly; with a thud; to run into someoneunexpectedly
Kouen de Suzuki-san ni battari atta. (I ran into Mrs.Suzuki in the park.)
Kare wa battari taoreta. (He suddenly fell over.)
bisshori: get wet, soaked
Kasa o wasureta node, bisshori nureta. (We forgot ourumbrellas, so we got soaking wet.)
yuttari: easy; comfortable; relaxed
Kore wa hontou ni yuttari shita heya desu. (This really isa comfortable room.)
Group 3
uttori: entranced, fascinated
Mina wa kanojo no subarashii ensou ni uttori shimashita.(Everyone was entranced by her wonderfulperformance.)
ottori: gentle, quiet, calm
Bob wa ottori shite imasu. (Bob is an easy-going guy.)
Japanese "Bikkuri Adverbs" http://www.timwerx.net/language/sp_adverbs.htm
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kakkiri: prompt, sharp; exactly (same as kitchiri)
Kono jitensha wa kakkiri san man en deshita. (Thisbicycle cost exactly 30,000 yen.)
Watashi no hikouki wa goji kakkiri ni touchaku
shimashita. (My plane arrived right at five o'clock.)
gakkuri: collapse; break down
Shiken no kekka de Kenji wa gakkuri kita. (Kenjicollapsed in shock after finding out about the examresults.)
gasshiri: stout, strong, solid (same as shikkari)
Kono furui isu wa totemo gasshiri dekite imasu. (This oldchair is very sturdy.)
gatchiri: firmly, securely (usually used in connection withbeing tightfisted in money matters)
Ichirou oji-san wa saifu o gatchiri nigitte iru. (UncleIchirou is tight with his money.)
kikkari: exactly, punctually (same as kakkiri)
Hachiji kikkari ni demashou. (Let's leave right at eighto'clock.)
kippari: definitely, positively; (refuse) flatly
Bob no teian wa kippari kotowarareta. (Bob's suggestionwas flatly refused.)
Kanojo wa kippari to henji shimashita. (She gave adefinite answer.)
kukkiri: distinctly, clearly
Kyou wa Fuji-san ga kukkiri to mieru. (Today Mt. Fujistands out clearly.)
guttari: be dead tired
Mou guttari da. (I'm dead tired.)
Kare wa guttari to beddo ni taoreta. (He collapsedexhausted onto his bed.)
kokkuri: nod; doze (Kokkuri is usually doubled when used. Itconveys the motion of "nodding off.")
Japanese "Bikkuri Adverbs" http://www.timwerx.net/language/sp_adverbs.htm
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Ano gakusei wa jugyouchuu kokkuri kokkuri shite ita.(That student was dozing off during class.)
gossori: all, entirely
Houseki ten ni dorobou ga hairi, houseki o gossori
nusunde ita. (A thief broke into a jewelry store and stoleeverything.)
kotteri: thick, heavy, rich (opposite of assari)
Bataa o tsukatta ryouri wa kotteri shite iru. (Food madewith butter is rich.)
zakkuri: thick and rough
Kare wa zakkuri shita fuku ga suki. (He likes roughlymade clothes.)
shikkuri: exactly (usually used negatively)
Bokutachi wa shikkuri shinai. (We don't get along well.)
jikkuri: closely; without hurry
Jisho o tsukatte, jikkuri shiraberu no ga taisetsu. (Usingyour dictionary and studying carefully without hurry isimportant.)
shittori: gentle, graceful; moist, damp
Watashitachi wa shittori shita funiki de hanashita. (Wespoke together in a quiet way.)
Shibafu wa ame de shittori nurete iru. (The lawn is wetfrom the rain.)
suppari: flatly; once and for all
Kare wa tabako o suppari yameta. (He quit smokingcompletely.)
suppori: cover one's head completely
Kimiko wa suppori zukin o kabutte ita. (Kimiko coveredher head completely with a hood.)
chakkari: nervy, cheeky
Kanojo niwa chakkari shita tokoro ga aru. (There issomething shrewd and cheeky about her.)
Japanese "Bikkuri Adverbs" http://www.timwerx.net/language/sp_adverbs.htm
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choppiri: a little bit (slang for chotto)
Obaa-chan wa ame o choppiri kureta. (Grandma gave mejust a little candy.)
tekkiri: surely, beyond doubt
Tekkiri Bob wa issho ni iku to omotta. (I was certain thatBob would go with us.)
deppuri: portly, plump
Sore wa deppuri futotta neko desu ne. (That's a fat cat,isn't it?)
dosshiri: composed; dignified
Kare wa itsumo dosshiri shite iru. (He is alwayscomposed.)
nikkori: smile at; beam at
Kanojo wa nikkori shite aisatsu shimashita. (She greetedus with a smile.)
nettori: sticky; clammy
Kare no te wa nettori shite kimochi warukatta. (His handswere clammy and felt gross.)
nossori: heavily; sluggishly
John wa nossori okiagatta. (John got up sluggishly.)
pattari: abruptly, suddenly
Kare wa kanojo to pattari tsukiawanakunatta. (Hesuddenly stopped seeing her.)
patchiri: having bright eyes or eyes wide open
Yumiko wa me o patchiri aketa. (Yumiko opened hereyes wide.)
hissori: quiet, silent
Machi wa kurakute hissori shite ita. (The town was darkand quiet.)
hyokkori: by chance (like battari); unexpectedly
Japanese "Bikkuri Adverbs" http://www.timwerx.net/language/sp_adverbs.htm
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Kinou kaimono shinagara hyokkori Nagao-san ni atta.(Yesterday I ran into Mr. Nagao while shopping.)
Kenji wa hyokkuri boku no ie ni kita. (Kenji came to myplace unexpectedly.)
puttsuri: entirely; utterly
Kanojo kara no renraku wa puttsuri nakunatta. (Allcommunication from her totally ended.)
bettari: sticky; thick
Ano futari wa itsumo bettari shite iru. (Those two arealways together.)
bettori: soaked; covered with
Kare no shatsu wa bettori penki ga tsuite ita. (His shirtwas covered with paint.)
pokkiri: only; no more than
Watashi wa gohyaku en pokkiri shika motte inai. (I'veonly got 500 yen with me.)
pokkuri: to die suddenly
Kare wa pokkuri shinimashita. (He died suddenly.)
hossori: slim; slender
Kanojo wa hossori shite imasu ne. (She's slim, isn't she?)
potteri: plump; chubby (opposite of hossori, same as deppuri)
Potteri shita inu desu ne. (That's a chubby dog, isn't it?)
misshiri: hard, earnestly, severely
Sensei wa gakusei ni eigo o misshiri oshieta. (Theteacher earnestly taught the students English.)
mitchiri: hard, earnestly, severely (same as misshiri above)
mukkuri: get up suddenly (opposite of nossori)
Neko ga mukkuri okiagatta. (The cat got up suddenly.)
mutchiri: portly, plump (same as deppuri and potteri)
Japanese "Bikkuri Adverbs" http://www.timwerx.net/language/sp_adverbs.htm
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muttsuri: glum; sulky
Kare wa kanojo no kotoba o kiitara, muttsuri damatte
shimatta. (After listening to her, he became moody andsilent).
mekkiri: considerably; remarkably
Saikin mekkiri samukunatta. (It has recently becomequite cold.)
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9 of 9 4/13/2010 8:58 PM
Home » Modern Japanese
A Very Short Study in Modern
Japanese
As each year goes by, we see more and more English beingadopted into the language, and true Japanese disappearing.It's a sad fact of life. Besides tackling the grammar,vocabulary, and writing systems, students of Japanese must
become familiar with the ways foreign words, especially wasei
eigo (Japanized English), are used, because they really areused a lot. An excellent example of this is a label I foundrecently on a bread product.
This is from a small bread roll,a "Milk France" bread roll. Iwouldn't call it french bread,because it doesn't look, feel, ortaste like french bread. In fact,it's a cream-filled snack roll —pretty good, but definitely notlike any french bread I've evertasted.
Anyway, take a look at thewriting at the bottom of the
label. Directly under FRANCE it
simply says, in white katakana1, the same thing that's written
above: MILK FRANCE.2 And under that is the followingsentence:
The amazing thing about this sentence is that there's very littleJapanese in it. To illustrate this I have colored the English orEnglish-based words blue, the Japanese red, and the oneword which is neither green. In Roman letters this sentencewould look like this:
Sofuto na furansu pan ni, miruku fuumi no kuriimu o sandoshimashita.
Though the English words in blue are probably
A Very Short Study in Modern Japanese http://www.timwerx.net/language/modjp/index.htm
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unrecognizable to beginners, they are soft, france, milk,
cream, and sandwich, but are written in romaji 3, which showpretty much how they are pronounced in Japanese or by the
Japanese.4 The Japanese have the tendency to shortenlonger English words to suit their fancy, which is why
"sandwich" becomes sando.5 The only Japanese word here is
fuumi, which means "flavor," and the overall structure is
Japanese, making necessary the use of particles na, ni, no,
and o, which indicate adjectives and objects.6 Shimashita at
the end simply indicates past tense. The word pan means"bread," which Japan borrowed from the Portuguese.
Now, if we convert all this to English while keeping theJapanese order and colored elements, it would look like this:
Soft france bread in, milk flavor cream sandwiched.
A very interesting and often convenient point about theJapanese language is that a sentence can have its subjectomitted and still be correct. This sentence is a good example.
Finally, starting with the implied subject we, let's nowcomplete the translation into English while retaining the colorcoding:
We sandwiched milk-flavored cream inside soft french bread.
We sandwiched milk-flavored cream inside soft french
bread. Sentences like this on food packages are very common
here — lots of "katakana English" and very wordy.
I believe this is a great example of how Japanese works.Though a simple sentence, it shows concisely and accurately
the roles and association of kanji, hiragana, and katakana, the
three Japanese writing systems. Kanji are used to write thecore words, when they are not replaced with English or other
foreign vocabulary; katakana are used to write those foreign
words when they are used; and hiragana act as "grammaticalcement," indicating the role of the core words and giving verbs
their conjugations.7
As we can see, six of the seven core words here are not
Japanese, which is why there are many more katakana than
kanji. But this is the direction that Japanese is going, for betteror worse. You used to hear that one needs to know around
2,200 kanji in order to read a Japanese newspaper, but if thepopularity of foreign words continues to increase, we may seethat number shrink.
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Students of the language need to not only learn the writingsystems, words, and how to put them together, they also haveto re-learn their own language in order to successfully make itwork as a vital element of modern Japanese.
Notes
Katakana is the Japanese alphabet used mainly to writeforeign words and names. For more click here.
1.
Almost all consumer goods in Japan have the productname written in both English and Japanese on thepackage. The English shows that they are making someeffort towards "internationalization," and since mostpeople ignore or can't read the English, Japanese isnecessary in order to maintain product identity.
2.
Roman letters. For more click here.3.
Sadly, too many Japanese think that this is how Englishis really pronounced, creating problems when attemptingconversation with native speakers. To be fair, though,this is a two-way problem: most native English speakers
don't pronounce Pokemon or karaoke correctly, either.
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Home » About You and Name Suffixes
About You and Name Suffixes
In Lesson 9 of my Japanese Verbs anata is introduced in thelast example sentence as meaning "you." Actually, the word"you" is not used in Japanese as often as in English,especially when talking to an individual. Once a person'sname is known, it is usually used in place of "you" (as a nativeEnglish speaker would consider it) when speaking to thatperson, which may sound a bit childish until you get used to it.For example, an English speaker usually wouldn't turn to hisfriend Bob and ask, "What does Bob want to eat for lunch?"but in Japanese that is exactly what you do.
Additionally, names are usually not used alone. "Namesuffixes" are attached depending on the person and situation.
The ones you'll hear the most are san, sama, chan, and kun.
Generally speaking, san is the "default" suffix for a personwhen none of the others are suitable. You will most likely want
to use san with neighbors and business associates that you
see regularly but perhaps not every day. San denotesfriendliness and perhaps even familiarity while still including atleast a touch of respectful distance.
Sama is an "honorific" suffix which is attached to the names ofsuperiors or people you want to show special respect to, realor pretended. Customers who go into new car dealerships will
have the luxury of hearing sama added to their names — for awhile, at any rate. After the sale is made, time passes, and thecar is brought in for routine checks or service, the customer
will find that he or she is no longer a "sama," but is now a
"san." This is normal and good, however, because san showsthat a closer, more familiar (and, hopefully, a more trusting)relationship has been created between customer and serviceprovider.
Among close friends and family members chan is usually
heard. Parents add chan to their children's names, andchildren add it to the words for father, mother, grandfather,grandmother, older brother or sister (but not younger), aunt,
uncle, etc. Customarily, within families chan is added to thefirst names of those younger than yourself and to the namesof cousins, but to the title of those older. Also, names are
often shortened before adding chan. For example, a girl
named Emiko would probably be called Emiko-chan or
About You and Name Suffixes http://www.timwerx.net/language/namesuffixes.htm
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Emi-chan by older family members, cousins, and playmates,as well as classmates and co-workers later in life. A boy
named Hiroki might go by Hiro-chan unless he's going by
Hiroki-kun or Hiro-kun. For those older, these are commonlyused:
otou-chan (dad)
okaa-chan (mom)
ojii-chan (grandpa)
obaa-chan (grandma)
onii-chan (elder brother, older neighbor boy)
onee-chan (elder sister, older neighbor girl)
oji-chan (uncle, adult male neighbor, friend's father)
Chan is also used with the names of pets, and evensometimes with special possessions and things like dolls,toys, bicycles, cars, etc.
Among male friends kun is used as the name suffix, unless an
individual prefers chan. Teachers add kun to the names of
male students, chan to female students. Bosses add these to
the names of subordinates sometimes, though san is probablymore common for females. Family customs, company size andtype, and personal preferences all come into play whenchoosing these suffixes.
As a safe rule, use san with colleagues' names and older girls,
kun with boys, and chan with younger girls. You most likely
won't use sama unless you meet a company president or
owner. Even then, their title, such as shachou (companypresident) will normally be used instead of a generic suffix.Being observant and attentive will be the best guide formastering name suffixes for the people you work with or know.And, you can always ask.
Now, let's get back to you. Again, "you" normally wouldn't beused when speaking to an individual when his or her name isknown. If I wanted to ask my student Hiroki if he did hishomework, the literal translation of the English sentence
"Hiroki, did you do your homework?" would be: "Hiroki, anata
wa anata no shukudai o shimashita ka", where anata is usedfor "you." This Japanese would be understood, of course, butwould also sound very stiff, formal, and very odd. A nativeJapanese speaker would never use this kind of construction.
The natural Japanese would be:"Hiroki-kun wa shukudai o
shimashita ka," where the name of the person is used in place
of the subject you. So, even though I used anata in Lesson 9
of Japanese Verbs, it is seldom actually used in daily
About You and Name Suffixes http://www.timwerx.net/language/namesuffixes.htm
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conversational Japanese.
It's when speaking to groups that "you" becomes useful.
Anatatachi could be used, but it conveys a certain distance,even displeasure: a teacher reprimanding a class might use
this. So, the one left would be kimitachi, which showsfamiliarity, even some affection, toward the group concerned.There may be a certain feeling of "being talked down to" when
kimi or kimitachi is used, but as long as the situation and therelationship between speaker and listener(s) warrants it andmakes it sound natural, there's no problem. When I first cameto Japan and was only several years older than my students, I
really didn't feel comfortable using kimitachi, but now that I'mold enough to be their father it feels very natural and fitting. Iwould not use this with a class of people my age or older, I'd
probably use mina-san (everyone), which is the best choicewhen talking to large, mixed groups.
Japan, for better or worse, puts a lot of emphasis on a "vertical
society" — knowing whether or not a person is above (me-ue)
or below (me-shita) yourself. Much more could be saidconcerning all the various words and "levels" used whenaddressing others, but this should suffice for most students ofJapanese for the first year or so.
About You and Name Suffixes http://www.timwerx.net/language/namesuffixes.htm
3 of 3 4/13/2010 9:04 PM
Home » Japanese National Holidays
Japanese National Holidays
January 1 New Year's Day
January 15 Coming of Age Day
February 11 National Founding Day
March 21Vernal Equinox Day (first day ofspring)
April 29Showa Day (the Showa EraEmperor's birthday)
May 3 Constitution Day
May 4 Green Day
May 5 Children's Day
July 20 Sea Day
September 15 Respect for the Aged Day
September 23 Autumnal Equinox Day
October 10 Health Day
November 3 Culture Day
November 23 Labor Thanksgiving Day
December 23 The Emperor's Birthday
Please note:
1. The 15 holidays listed here are the ones signified by a rednumber on Japanese calendars. Schools and most companies
are closed on these days. (Holidays that count, as I like to putit.) There are, however, a few other special traditional daysbesides these which are recognized throughout the year, such
as setsubun and o-bon.
2. Holidays that fall on a Sunday are recognized on thefollowing Monday. However, holidays which fall on a Saturday
are not changed to Friday. (They sadly go uncounted.)
3. The dates shown above are the traditional dates of theseholidays. Some are now observed on the nearest Monday forthe sake of business convenience.
4. The span of days from April 29 to May 5 is called "GoldenWeek" in Japan because of the cluster of holidays. Since half
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of the population think they have to go somewhere, many ofthe roads and trains are jammed during this period. If you'resmart you stay close to home.
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