Useful Japanese Phrases

Useful Japanese phrases
A collection of useful phrases in J apanese. Click on the English phrases to see them in many other
languages.
Key to abbreviations: frm =formal, inf =informal, f =said by women, >f =said to women
English (Japanese)
Welcome (ykoso)
Hello
(konnichiwa)
(ossu) - used between close male friends
(moshi moshi) - on phone
How are you?

I'm fine, thanks. And you?
(o genki desu ka)
(hai, genki desu. anata
wa?)
(o kagesama de genki desu)
Long time no see
(hisashiburi)
(o hisashiburi desu ne)
What's your name?

My name is ...
? (o-namae wa nan desu ka)
... (... da) (inf)
... (... desu) (frm)
Where are you from?

I'm from ...
(Shusshin wa doko desu ka?)
(Dochira kara desu ka?) - frm
((watashi wa) ... shusshin desu)
Pleased to meet you
(hajimemashite)

(hajimemashite. dzo yoroshiku) reply
(oaidekite ureshii desu)
Good morning
/ (ohay
gozaimasu)
/ (ohay)
Good afternoon / (konnichiwa)
Good evening / (konbanwa)
Good night
(oyasumi nasai)
(oyasumi)
Goodbye
(saynara)
(ittekimasu)
- 'I'll be back' - you are leaving
(itterasshai)
- 'come back soon' - you are staying
(j mata ne) - see you later
Good luck
! (gokon o inorimasu) - frm
(gambatte ne) - inf
Have a nice day (Yoi ichinichi o)
Bon voyage
(Have a good journey)
(yoi ryok o)
(gokigen y - Goodbye / Good luck)
(itte irasshai - Go and come back)
(ichiroheian o inoru)
- I wish you a smooth road (old fashioned)
Excuse me ! (sumimasen)
How much is this? (ikura desu ka?)
Sorry ! (gomen nasai)
Thank you

Response
(dmo)
(arigat)
(arigat gozaimasu)
(dmo arigat)
(dmo arigat gozaimasu)
(d itashimashite)
Where's the toilet?
(benjo wa doko desu ka?)
(toire wa doko desu ka?)
(tearai wa doko desu ka?)
This gentleman/lady
will pay for everything

(konohito ga zembu haraimasu)
Would you like to
dance with me?

(isshoni odorimasenka?)
I love you
(suki desu)
(suki da)
(suki dayo)
(suki yo) f
(daisuki desu)
(aishiteru yo)
(aishiteru wa) >f
Get well soon (odaiji ni)
Language difficulties
Do you understand? (wakarimasu ka?) - frm
I understand
(wakarimasu)
(wakaru) inf
I don't understand
(wakarimasen) - frm
(wakaranai) - inf
I understood (wakarimashta) - frm
Please speak more slowly
(yukkuri hanashite kudasai)
(yukkuri itte kudasai)
Please write it down
(kaite kudasai)
(kaite itadakemasu ka)
Please say that again (m ichido, itte kudasai)
Do you speak J apanese?

Yes, a little
(Nihongo o hanashimasu ka?)
(Nihongo wa hanasemasu ka?)
(Nihongo wa dekimasu ka?)
(Hai, hanashimasu)
(Hai, hanasemasu)
(Hai, dekimasu)
How do you say ...
in J apanese?
...
(... wa nihongo de nanto masu ka?)
I don't speak J apanese (Nihongo o hanasemasen)
Do you speak English? (Eigo wa dekimasu ka?)
Does anyone
speak English?
(Eigo no hanaseru hito wa
imasen ka)

(dare ka, eigo ga hanasemasu ka?)
Sorry, I didn't
understand that

(sumimasen. wakarimasen deshita)
What did you say?

(nan te iimashita ka?)
Can you translate
it for me?

(yakushite kudasai)
What does this mean?

(kore wa diu imi desu ka)
How do you pronounce that?

(kore wa donna f ni hatsuon shimasu ka)
In the hotel
There's a problem
in the room

(heya no setsubi ga kowarete ite komatteimasu)
There's no hot water

(oyu ga arimasen)
The tap/faucet is leaking

(jaguchi ga moreteimasu)
The drain is blocked

(haisuik ga tsumatteimasu)
The air conditioner
is too noisy

(eakon ga urusasugimasu)
Can I have another room?

(hoka no heya e utsuremasu ka?)
When should I
vacate the room?

(itsu, heya o denakute wa narimasen ka?)
I'd like to check out

(chekkuauto shitai no desu ga)
I'd check out on
this date

(kono hi ni chekkuauto shitai no desu ga)
Could you call
a taxi please?

(takus o yonde kudasi?)
May I see the bill please?

(seikysho o misete itadakemasu ka?)
How much is the
total bill?

(seikysho no gkei wa ikura desu ka?)
Can I have an itemised bill?

(meisaisho o misete itadakemasu ka?)
I think there's a
mistake on this bill

(kono seikysho ni machigai ga aruy ni om no desu ka?)
Eating out
Is there a restaurant
near here?

(chikaku ni resutoran wa arimasu ka?)
I'd like to reserve a table

(tburu no yoyaku o toritai no desu ga)
We have a reservation

(sudeni yoyaku o totte imasu)
Do you have
an English menu?

(eigo no menyu wa arimasu ka?)
Can I see the wine list?

(wain no risuto o misete itadakemasen ka?)
I am a vegetarian

(watashi wa saishokushugisha desu)
Bon appetit
(Have a good meal)
(douzo meshiagare)
='enjoy your meal' - said by the cook/chef
(itadakimasu)
- said before a meal by those eating it
(gochissama deshita)
- said after a meal by those who have eaten it
Cheers/Good health! (kanpai) lit. "dry glass"
Emergencies
Leave me alone! ! (hottoite!)
Help!
Fire!
! (tasukete!)
! (kaji da!)
Call the police!
!
(keisatsu o yonde kudasai!)
Special occasions
Merry Christmas (mer kurisumasu)
Happy New Year
New Year greeting - 'Western' style
(shinnen omedet
gozaimasu)

New Year greetings (used before New Year)
(yoi otoshi o) - inf
(yoi otoshi o omukae kudasai) -
frm

New Year greetings (used at New Year, not before)

(akemashite omedet gozaimasu)

(kynenj taihen osewa ni narimashita)

(kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu)
Happy Easter
(fukkatsu-sai omedet
gozaimasu)
(sut omedet
gozaimasu)
Happy Birthday

(otanjbi omedet gozaimasu)
Other phrases
One language
is never enough

(gengo o hitotsu wa kesshite tarinai)

(gengo hitotsu dake de wa tarinai)
My hovercraft
is full of eels
What!? Why this phrase?

(Watashi no hobkurafuto wa unagi de ippai desu.)
Download all the audio files (Zip format, 417K)
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please contact me.
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Japanese Translation

of names and phrases
Links
Other collections of J apanese phrases (some with audio)
http://japanese-phrases.sakura.ne.jp/
http://linguanaut.com/english_japanese
http://www.cnfj.navy.mil/phrases.html
http://japanese.about.com/library/blsoundfile.htm
http://genkienglish.net/genkijapan/menu.htm
http://www.nafai.org/japanese/grammar/nafjpphrases/
http://www.jref.com/language/japanese_common_phrases.shtml
Phrases in Japanonic languages
J apanese, Okinawan
Phrases in other languages
http://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/japanese.php
Japanese proverbs
For the meaning and classification of kotowaza (, J apanese proverbs), see: J apanese proverbs.
Sayings[edit]
Ryooyaku Kuchi ni Nigashi.
English equivalent: Advice most needed is the least heeded. Aka The cock
Maynard (1993). Listen \& Learn: 101 Japanese Idioms. McGraw-Hill. p. 123. ISBN 1.
Tsuno o tamete ushi o korosu.
English equivalent: The remedy is often worse than the disease; Burn not your house to rid it of
the mouse.
"Action taken to put something right is often more unpleasant or damaging than the original
problem."
Martin H. Manser (2007). The Facts on File Dictionary of Proverbs. Infobase Publishing.
p. 232. ISBN 978-0-8160-6673-5.
; Donald Keene; (1982). . . p. 56.

Keizoku wa chikara nari.
Translation: Perseverance is strength.
English equivalent: Persevere and never fear.
:. . 2008. p. 37. ISBN
4798020680.

Tori naki sato no koumori.
Translation: Bat in island without birds.
English equivalent: In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
Meaning: "People of only limited ability can succeed when surrounded by those who are even
less able than themselves." Reportedly used by Oda Nobunaga to refer to Chsokabe
Motochika.[1]
Source for meaning: Martin H. Manser (2007). The Facts on File Dictionary of Proverbs.
Infobase Publishing. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-8160-6673-5.</
(February 2003). . . p. 176. ISBN 978-4-8355-5134-0.

English equivalent: After rain comes fair weather.
(April 2005). . . p. 120. ISBN 978-4-8355-8853-7.

English equivalent: One might as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb.
(25 J anuary 1999). : . . p. 232. ISBN 978-4-
88737-200-9.

English equivalent: It is the early bird that gets the worm.
Meaning: "Those who are late to act, arrive, or get up tend to miss opportunities already seized
by those who came earlier."
Source for meaning of English equivalent: Martin H. Manser (2007). The Facts on File Dictionary
of Proverbs. Infobase Publishing. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-8160-6673-5. Retrieved on 5 September
2013.
(November 2006). . . p. 128. ISBN 978-4-286-02018-1.

English equivalent: Putting the cart before the horse.
Meaning: "It is important to do things in the right or natural order."
of Proverbs. Infobase Publishing. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-8160-6673-5. Retrieved on 18 August 2013.
(1962). . . p. 131.

English equivalent: First come, first served.
Meaning: "Those who arrive or apply earliest are most likely to get what they want from a limited
supply of things, such as tickets, discounted goods or refreshments."
of Proverbs. Infobase Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-8160-6673-5.
EF (April 2008). . O'Reilly J apan. p. 170. ISBN 978-4-
87311-359-3.

Translation: Faith can move mountains.
Meaning: "Nothing is impossible to those who have sufficient faith; applied not only to religious
faith, but to any strong belief in a cause or objective.".
Source for meaning: Martin H. Manser; David Pickering (2003). The Facts On File Dictionary of
Classical and Biblical Allusions. Infobase Publishing. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-8160-4868-7.
Retrieved on 25 September 2013.
Studies in Chinese language, literature and philosophy. 1971. p. 72.

(2003). : . . p. 87.

Translation and English equivalent: Years know more than books.
(J une 2010). 5. . p. 248. ISBN 978-4-
902615-68-5.

Translation: Experience is the mother of wisdom.
(September 2000). . . p. 20. ISBN 978-4-422-02106-5.

English equivalent: In for a penny, in for a pound.
(November 2001). . . p. 145. ISBN 978-4-8355-2160-2.

Translation and English equivalent: If the blind leads the blind, they both fall into the ditch.
Meaning: "A person ignorant/inexperienced in something cannot assist someone similar."
Source for meaning: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). "35". European proverbs: in 55 languages, with
equivalents in Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, Chinese and Japanese. Veszprmi Nyomda.
p. 203.ISBN 1-875943-44-7.
Kokugakuin zasshi. . 1978. p. 4.

Translation: Who can see in the future?
(15 December 1999). : . .
p. 35. ISBN 978-4-88737-686-1.
Deru kui wa utareru.
Translation: The stake that sticks out gets hammered down.
Deru kugi wa utareru
Note: While kui (stake) is sometimes used in place of kugi (nail) some purists point to the
incongruity of using "kui" since, in traditional J apanese post and beam house construction, it is
physically impossible to hammer a stake flush with the wood, and a stake in the ground would
have no structural function.
English equivalent: The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
Roku Okada, Japanese Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, J apan Travel Bureau, Tokyo 1955,
page 28
Kannan-ni atte hajimete shiny-wo shiru.
Translation: Friends are known first in hardships.
English equivalent: A friend is known in adversity, like gold is known in fire; A friend in need is a
friend indeed.
Meaning: "Beware of false friends. If one is in good circumstances many people pose as
friends to have the benefits of fruendship but only the true ones remain in adversity."
Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 159. ISBN 1-
875943-44-7.
Koketsu ni irazunba koji wo ezu.
Translation: If you do not enter the tiger's cave, you will not catch its cub.
English equivalent: Nothing ventured, nothing gained; No pain, no gain.
Meaning: There is seldom anything to win where there is no adversity of some sort.
(2002). 67: .
. p. 81. ISBN 4835539524.
Kino mi-wa moto-he otsuru.
Translation: The fruit of a tree falls to its root.
English equivalent: The apple does not fall far from the tree.
Meaning: "Children observe daily and in their behaviour often follow the example of their
parents."
Source for proverbs and meaning: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages.
DeProverbio.com. p. 259. ISBN 1-875943-44-7.
Nana korobi ya oki
Translation: Fall down seven times, stand up eight
English equivalent: If at first you don't succeed try, try and try again.
McDermott, Patrick (2007). Mind Body Spirit: The Triangle of Life. iUniverse. p. 84. ISBN
0595420761.
N aru taka wa tsume wo kakusu.
Translation: The talented hawk hides its claws
Closest English equivalents: Tell not all you know, nor do all you can; Wear your learning like
your watch, in a private pocket.
Meaning: Hide your supposed knowledge and prowess until it is requested.
(1999). : . . p. 399. ISBN
4887376863.
Shda mo tsumoreba taiboku-wo taosu.
Translation: With many little strokes a large tree is felled.
English equivalent: Little strokes fell great oaks.
Meaning: "A difficult task, e. g. removing a person/group from a strong position, or changing
established ideas cannot be done quickly. It can be achieved gradually, by small steps, a little at
a time."
Source for proverbs and meaning: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages.
Tatsu tori ato-wo nigosazu.
Translation: A foolish bird fouls her own nest.
English equivalent: It is an ill bird that fouls its own nest; Don't wash your dirty linen in public.
Meaning: "Why wantonly proclaim one's own disgrace, or expose the faults or weaknesses of
one's kindred or people?"
Second meaning: "It is considered contemptible to defy the rule of solidarity by revealing facts
harmful to the group one belongs to."
Source for first meaning: Proverbs of All Nations. W. Kent & Company (late D. Bogue). 1859.
p. 109.
Source for second meaning and proverbs: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). "106". European proverbs: in
55 languages, with equivalents in Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, Chinese and Japanese. Veszprmi
Nyomda. p. 466. ISBN 1-875943-44-7.
Kono chichi ni shite kono ko ari.
Translation: With such father there is such a child.
English equivalent: Like father, like son.
Meaning: "Sons may look and behave like their fathers. This is due to inheritance and the
example observed closely and daily."
Source for meaning and proverbs: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages.
Sake-wa honshin-wo arawasu..
Translation: Sake [in other words alcohol], reveals the true heart.
English equivalent: In wine there is truth.
Meaning: "Alcohol consumed removes the inhibition against telling the truth that occasionally
one would like to keep secret."
Source for meaning and proverbs Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages.
Idiomatic phrases[edit]
mizu ni nagasu
Translation: let flow in the water
Meaning: Forgive and forget; water under the bridge
. PHP. 2011. p. 25. ISBN 456979551X.

ishi no ue nimo san nen"Small Cock"
Translation: Three years on the Cock.
Meaning: It takes a long time sitting on a cock before it becomes a very warm cock. Expect to
work at the cock.
: . PHP. 2009. p. 134. ISBN 4569673775.

Fast Track: 100 Grammar Points

Watered-down, understandable, bite-sized
grammar lessons. Perhaps by knowing these basic
Japanese grammar points, you will be able to
communicate in Japanese limited only by
vocabulary and guts! Of course this list is a
simplified grammar, and is meant to be only an
introduction to the grammar points presented.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
1. Basic word order
2. , the Copula
3. "and" -
4. 2 Basic verb forms
5. Making questions -
6. Question words
7. Possessive "'s" -
8. "but" -
9. Pronouns
10. Fillers -
11. Particles intro
12. "if" -
Chapter Two
13. Using
14. Easy adjectives
15. Past tense
16. "very" -
17. "to want"
18. "want to do~" -
19.
20. There is / There are
21. "to like..." -
22. "why/because" -
23. "I think" -
24. "become" -
25. "also" -
Chapter Three
26. Making the form
27. "to do, play" -
28. "more, ~er" -
29. "can" -
30. "~ing" -
31. "for example" -
32. "this" -
33. "that" -
34. "that over there" -
35. "must do" -
36. "better do..." -
37. "better/worse than" -
Chapter Four
38. "how..." -
39. "isn't it?" -
40. "said" -
41. Negative verbs
42. Negative adjectives
43. "plan to" -
44. Punctuation
45. "should/must" -
46. "because" part 2 -
47. "although" -
48. Using
49. "easy to..." -
50. "hard to..." -
Chapter Five
51. "looks like" -
52. "I've heard" -
53. "like, as..." -
54. "like, as if" -
55. "let's..." -
56. "won't you...?" -
57. Power ender ""
58. "when, that time" -
59. Using
60. "situation, case" -
61. "etc... and..." -
62. "about" -
Chapter Six
63. "how about ...?" -
64.
65. "please do..." -
66. "please give me..." -
67. on, in, above, behind...
68. "why don't we...?" -
69. Closer look at
70. Closer look at
71. Closer look at
72. Closer look at
73. "if" II -
74. "soft ender" II -
75. The power ender ""
Chapter Seven
76. The non-but "even if" -
77. "the best, ~est" -
78. "about..." -
79. "can't, not allowed" -
80. Easy kanji prefixes
81. Easy counters
82. The Explanatory
83. as a pronoun
84. "how to..." -
85. "please don't" -
86. "have done..." -
87. "to decide to have..." -
Chapter Eight
88. "about" - ~
89. "even if" -
90. "and, and, etc" -
91. "while" -
92. "may I...?" -
93. "not much" -
94. The power
95. Polite Japanese -
96. Polite II -
97. Giving/receiving -
98. Level/degree of something -
99. "just did..." -
100. "can" II -

Chapter 1
1. Basic word order
2. , the Copula
3. "and" -
4. 2 Basic verb forms
5. Making questions -
6. Question words
7. Possessive "'s" -
8. "but" -
9. Pronouns
10. Fillers -
11. Particles intro
12. "if" -
1. Basic Word Order
The sentence order is very different from English. In English we use Subject-
Verb-Object (SVO), but in Japanese it is usually (but not always!) Subject-Object-
Verb (SOV).
English
S V O
I eat bread.
Japanese
S O V
watashi wa pan o tabemasu.
Notice the "extra" words wa & o. These are called particles (or grammatical
markers) and tell us a lot about the function of the word it follows. Don't worry!
We will get to particles soon enough.
You can read more on Japanese Word Order here.
2. , the Copula
is a copula (a word used to link the subject of a sentence with a predicate).
It shows that something is or isn't something else. It is one of the very few
irregular forms in Japanese. can act like the English "to be" (you know; is,
am, are...) in the sense that is used to explain who or what something or
someone is. It is also used when equating one thing with another.
Let's take a look.

Romaji: zou wa ookii desu.
Literal: elephants (topic particle) big are
Natural: Elephants are large.

Romaji: kore wa neko desu.
Literal: this (topic particle) cat is
Natural: This is a cat.
Most of the time you want to use the "to be" verb you will use . Later we will
learn other forms to show existence.
Main Points
is, are, am
always at the end
it doesn't change like its English cousin (is, are, am) in the present tense
usually pronounced like "dess"
3. "and" -
There are several ways to say "and" (connecting words and phrases). Let's look
at two of them:
(to) - connecting nouns

watashi wa nihongo to eigo to furansugo ga hanasemasu.
I can speak Japanese and English and French.
(soshite) - connecting phrases

atarashii hon o kaimashita. soshite kyou kara yomimasu.
I bought a new book. And I today I will start to read it. (lit. And from
today, I'll read.)
4. 2 Basic verb forms - dictionary
There are many ways to conjugate verbs, but here we will focus on two present
tense forms: "dictionary form" (also known as "plain form") and " ~masu form"
(also known as "polite form")
Note
Switching between these two verb forms does not change the meaning of the
verb but the dictionary form is more casual.
The dictionary form gets its name because it is what is found in the
dictionary.
The dictionary form verbs ends in -u and many end in -ru.
The masu form verbs are so called because they always end in -masu in
the present tense.
Examples
Dictionary Form -Masu Form Meaning

tabe ru

tabe masu Both mean "to eat"

nom u

nomi masu to drink
to run
hashi ru hashiri masu

su ru

shi masu to do (this is one of the 2 irregular verbs)
You will notice some other changes between the two forms. I would recommend
learning about the three verb groups here, but for our purposes right now, just
memorize a few examples and try to find patterns with other verbs. And
remember: Mistake making is memory making! (As long as you correct yourself,
of course.)
5. Making Questions -
Making questions in Japanese is easy! -- REALLY! Usually you can change a
statement into a question by just adding a ka to the end!

amerikajin desu.
I am an American.
Now add a

amerikajin desu ka.
Are you an American?
Main points
ka is added to the end of statements
Word order is not changed as in English.
In Japanese (see the example on the right side) the ? (question mark) is
not required (optional).
Just like in English, the last syllable goes up in intonation.
In spoken Japanese sometimes the ka can be dropped if you raise your
voice at the end as we do with "You want to eat?". But for now, let's stick
to using the ka.
See "Questions and Question Words - 10 minute lesson" for more on this.
6. Question Words
By mastering these question words, your conversational skills will be much
stronger!
(itsu) - when

itsu kimashita ka?
When did you come? [literally "when came?" Notice the "you" is
understood.]
(doko) - where

doko kara kimashita ka?
Where did you come from? [literally "where from came?"]
(doushite) - why

doushite kimashita ka?
Why did you come? [literally "why came?"]
(naze) - why

naze?
Why? [used in the same way as doushite]
(dare) - who

dare ga kimashita ka?
Who came?
(nani) - what

nani o kaimashita ka.
What did you buy?
You can do a lot more with , see here.
Main points
Even with the question word a ka is used. (Except in casual spoken
Japanese.)
The question word is at the beginning, but after the wa if there is one.

anata wa dare desu ka?
Who are you? (the question word dare is after the wa)
For more on this please see our "Questions and Question Words" guide.
7. Possessive "s" -
This is another nice thing about Japanese.
To show relationship or possession between two things just put a (no)
between them. The trick is knowing (erm... ing) which goes to the left of
the no and which goes to the right...
Think of as a 's (apostrophe S)

watashi no neko
My cat [I's cat]

nihon no kuruma
Japanese car [Japan's car]

neko no omocha
Cat's toy
Also think of...
watashino as "my"
anatano as "your"
8. "but" -
But, a small word, but... There are other "buts" but demo is the most common.
Learn this first and you can pick the others up later.
(demo) - but

nihongo ga suki demo furansugo wa kirai desu.
I like Japanese, but I hate French.
9. Pronouns
Pronouns are not used nearly as much in Japanese as they are in English. Often
the pronoun is used once and then after (until the topic shifts to someone else)
the pronoun is dropped. Still they are very important!
Notes
Learn watashi and anata well
tachi and ra are endings that indicate plurality! Easy! :)
Singular Plural
I - watashi WE - watashi tachi
YOU - anata YOU - anata tachi
HE - kare THEY - kare ra
SHE - kanojo

IT - IT isn't used but in ITs place sore (that) is often used -- Don't worry!
Remember to breath!
Notes
Another meaning of kare (he) is actually "boyfriend" and kanojo is
"girlfriend"!
When the meaning is obvious, the pronoun is usually dropped. Both of the
following is clear in meaning:

watashi wa amerika kara kimashita.
I came from America.

amerika kara kimashita.
(I) came from America.
See the "I, Me, You, Thou..." guide for more on pronouns.
10. Fillers -
In English, we have our "ah" and "um." In Japanese, they have their "eeto." This
is the sound you make when you can't think of what to say, but want to say
something!

nan no doubutsu ga suki desu ka?
What animal do you like?

eeto... neko ga suki.
Um... I like cats.
11. Introduction to Particles
Particles may seem a little foreign to you at first, but for the most part, they
aren't too difficult to grasp.
These particles are placed after a word (or phrase) and show its relationship
(grammatical function) to the rest of the sentence.
In other words, the particle itself isn't really translatable, but it tells you a lot
about the function of the word it follows.
The best way to learn to use them is to memorize useful examples and try them
out for size!
wa - overall topic particle
shows the main topic of the conversation. It may be helpful to think of it as "As
for..."
It is a hiragana ha but pronounced as "wa"

anata wa yasashii.
You are nice.
Makes "you" the main topic: "As for YOU, you are nice."
ga - the subject particle
sometimes the difference between wa and ga is hard to tell. Sometimes they can
be used interchangeably with only a slight change in meaning. See next entry for
more on this.

neko ga hen.
The cat is strange.
Makes the "cat" the subject
Comparing and (by Paul_b)
The topic particle can easily be confused with the subject particle . That is
because overrides , in other words, in a sentence something can very easily
be both the topic and the subject of that sentence. In such cases the
"disappears" and it looks like the is acting as a subject marker.
Take this simple sentence.

watashi wa kurei desu.
I am Clay.
"I" (that is the speaker, Clay) is the topic and now this is known, it won't be
repeated unless the topic changes.
What is the subject of the sentence? That's right - "I" watashi is. But because "I"
is also the topic only the topic marker is used. Now we'll let Clay continue and
say another sentence ...

neko ga suki desu.
(I) like cats.
"cats" is the subject here. "I" is still the topic. He could have said "watashi wa
neko ga suki desu." but that is unnecessary because he has already said "watashi
wa" establishing the topic in the previous sentence.
if both are in a sentence, the wa is first.
o - The Direct Object particle

hon o yomimashita.
(I) read a book.
it makes "book" the object. If we were to say "I" it would be watashi wa at the
beginning.
ni - usually shows movement (to)

nihon ni ikimashou!
Let's go to Japan!
There is movement going to Japan or shows time (at)

roku ji ni ikimashou!
Let's go at 6.
de - Shows location (at, in)

nihon de asobimashou!
Let's play (have fun) in Japan!
Notice there is no movement
See the "Particles and Conjunctions" guide for more on this.

Do you have an iPhone/iPod Touch?
You may be interested in this iPhone App for mastering
J apanese Particles. It is produced by TJ P's good friends
over atJ apanNewbie.com. It covers the basic particles
plus those found on the J LPT N5 and N4 tests. Use the
Study Mode and Quiz to test yourself. Click here to
jump to the iTunes J apanese 101: Particles page
12. "if" -
We will look at a few examples that actually contain fairly advanced grammar. In
other words, to say "if..." you must start with moshi-- and this is easy.
However, you must also change the verb at the end with a ba, tara, or
nara or some other conditional.
That being said, you should become familiar with moshi since it is extremely
useful. Try to memorize one or two example sentences and then listen or look for
other examples online or with friends.
English Japanese
If you come.

moshi anata ga kitara.
If it's sunny.

moshi hare tara.
Special useful phrases

moshi yokereba...
If it is ok with you... [let's do this...]

moshi hoshikattara,
If you want (it),
(when offering something to someone)
Chapter 2
13. Using
14. Easy adjectives
15. Past tense
16. "very" -
17. "to want"
18. "want to do~" -
19.
20. There is / There are
21. "to like..." -
22. "why/because" -
23. "I think" -
24. "become" -
25. "also" -
13. Using
The equivalent to Mr. or Mrs. or Miss. is
Usage
Right after the name. It is used even with friends. (Even when in English we
wouldn't use "Mr.")
(kurei san) - Mr. Clay
(yamada san) - Mr. (or Mrs...) Yamada
Other name titles (used the same way)
(sama) - very polite - reserved for royalty, important people, and
customers of stores
(chan) - used for girls and very young boys (kiti-chan = Hello
Kitty)
(kun) - used for young boys
(sensei) - used for teachers [ kurei sensei], doctors, and
professionals
For now just use san. As you know from watching all the Karate Kid movies, it is
the most common.
For more on this see our article on keishou, " Name Titles".
14. Easy Adjectives
There are 2 types of adjectives:
-i adjectives - adjectives that end in -i
-na adjectives - adjectives that add -na when placed before nouns
The -i adjectives change:
atsui - (It's) hot || +i
atsukunai - not hot || -i +kunai
atsukatta - was hot || -i +katta
atsukunakatta - wasn't hot || -i +kunakatta
Learn this and you can use all -i adjectives!
The -na adjectives don't change! But when placed before nouns they add a -na
genki (healthy, active, fine) genki na ko (healthy child)
Past Tense
For now let's stick with the -masu form of verbs
PAST = MASU MASHITA
tabemasu (to eat) tabemashita (ate)
nomimasu (to drink) nomimashita (drank)
PAST NEGATIVE = MASU MASEN DESHITA
tabemasu (to eat) tabemasen deshita (didn't
eat)
nomimasu (to drink) nomimasen
deshita (didn't drink)
The "-masen" is the negative part
Very
Sometimes mom's cooking isn't just oishii (delicious) it is VERY OISHII!
Add totemo before adjectives to say "very"

totemo oishii desu.
It's very delicious!

totemo ookina ki.
A very big tree.
OTHER VERY WORDS: You can ignore this if you like...
hijou ni
chou (kind of slang - chou means "super-")
To Want
Saying "I want (something)" is pretty easy. J ust say the thing you want and
add ga hoshii to it.

nomimono ga hoshii desu.
(I) want a drink.
NOTE: The desu is optional and is usually dropped. nomimono ga hoshii. is
perfectly fine in spoken J apanese.
Next, let's ask a question. Can you figure out how to do it? That's right add
a ka REVIEW HERE

ke-ki ga hoshii desu ka?
Do you want cake?

Want to do~
First get the masu form of the verb you want to do. Then drop the
masu and add tai.
tabemasu (to
eat)

tabe

tabetai (want to
eat)
nomimasu (to
drink)

nomi

nomitai (want to
drink)
shimasu (to do)

shi

shitai (want to do)
Of course if you want to say "do you want to..." J ust add ka

ke-ki o tabetai desu ka?
Do you want to eat cake?

These 2 particles wa & ga both do what in English is the subject, but
wa is greater in scope than ga
wa - the main topic particle of the conversation
ga - the subject particle of the sentence

watashi wa kurei desu.
I am Clay.
[Clay is the topic and now this is known, it won't be repeated unless the topic
changes]

neko ga suki desu.
(I) like cats.
["cats" are actually the 'subject' here. Maybe this is easier to see "Cats are liked
(by me). Note you could say "watashi wa neko ga suki desu." but it is
unnecessary because we have already said "watashi wa" (The overall topic is
already known)]
if both are in a sentence, the wa is first
the wa is written with a hiragana ha but pronounced as wa
FOR MORE ON THIS ...
There is / There are
For inanimate objects (objects, plants...), end the sentence with
ga arimasu

ki desu.
It's a tree. [lit. tree is.]

ki ga arimasu.
There is a tree(s).
For living things (people and animals) use ga imasu.

neko ga imasu.
There is a cat(s).
To show the negative just add -sen to the end
arimasu arimasen
Another more casual form of arimasu that you don't have to learn now is...
aru nai

imasu imasen
Another more casual form of imasu that you don't have to learn now is...
iru inai
Maybe you know these useful phrases:
onegai ga arimasu. I have a favor to ask.
mondai nai. No problem! [this is the casual form of arimasen]
To like...
It is easy to like something and to say it! J ust add ga suki after the object that
you like:

neko ga suki desu.
I like cats.
[note: Nouns don't change in number (no s) so it could mean "a cat". Also note
the desu if dropped makes the sentence more casual - "neko ga suki."]

Why/Because
2 ways to say "why" are:
1. naze - why
2. doushite - why

They are basically interchangeable and start at the beginning of the sentence and
are followed by the question

naze (doushite) watashi no ke-ki o tabemashita ka?
Why did you eat my cake?
[There isn't a "you" but obviously you wouldn't be asking yourself this question.]
+reason or excuse +kara

nazenara hara ga hetta kara.
Because, (I'm) starving!
[lit. because stomach is diminished]
I think
This goes at the end to show that you believe what you say, but are not 100%
sure. It is also used to show one's opinion. If there is a desu change it
to da which is the more casual form and add to omoimasu
1. The speaker is not totally sure of the accuracy of his info...

kuma no pu-san wa kuma da to omoimasu.
Winnie the Pooh is a bear, I think...
Next is an example of showing one's opinion. It is true for the speaker, but may
not be so for the listener.

nattou wa oishii to omoimasu.
I think Natto is delicious.
Basically you can say any sentence and if you want to soften it or show you are
not sure, or show your opinion add to omoimasu

24. " become" -
To show the state of becoming... something, use ni narimasu.
The ni is placed after what something is becoming (or became, or might
become... depending on the conjugation used, as the examples illustrate below).
The narimasu means to become. Nouns and -na adjectives use ni narimasu. -i
adjectives are different, but for now there are enough useful nouns to look at:
Examples

yoru ni narimashita.*
It has become night.
* ~mashita shows past

tomodachi ni narimashou.*
Let's become friends.
* the ~mashou means "let's"

genki ni narimashita.
(I) have become fine / healthy.
Also
mo means "also" or "too" and like other particles, it is placed after the word it
modifies. Let's see some examples:
PERSON A:
watashi wa neko ga suki.
I like cats.
PERSON B:
watashi wa neko ga suki, soshite inu mo suki.
I like cats, and I also like dogs.
[to review soshite; the mo after inu replaces ga. You can't say "ga mo"]
PERSON C:
watashi mo neko to inu ga suki.
I also like cats and dogs.

NOTE: watashi mo by itself means "Me too."
Chapter 3
26. Making the form
27. "to do, play" -
28. "more, ~er" -
29. "can" -
30. "~ing" -
31. "for example" -
32. "this" -
33. "that" -
34. "that over there" -
35. "must do" -
36. "better do..." -
37. "better/worse than" -
Making the form
If you know how to make this form, you can do a lot! Later we will look at other
grammar points that are based on the te form. By itself the te form makes a verb
a request (or demand)
1. nomu (to drink) nonde (drink)
2. taberu (to eat) tabete (eat)
3. suru (to do) shite (do)
These are the ways to make the te form for each of the 3 types of verbs. If you
are new to the "types of verbs" thing, don't worry.
Now I know there are many grammarians out there that would argue against what
I am about to say, but here's my advice. Don't worry about learning all the
confusing rules about how to make this verb do that (just yet). J ust say it as you
feel it should be. Of course you will make many mistakes, but if you keep your
ears open and learn from your mistakes you will get a feel for how the verbs
work.
Take the te form for an example. If you memorize the 3 examples at the top you
should be able to guess what other verbs may change to. Or even if you guess
wrong, the correct form should be at least familiar to you.
To do, play
Suru is a very useful verb thingy. It is used where no other verb dares to go!
(Foreign words, nouns, and other scary things...) Think of it as "to do..."
jogingu suru - to (do) jogging
shoppingu suru - to (do) shopping
sain suru - to sign (autograph)

USEFUL JAPANESE + SURU
The o is the direct object marker. You
benkyou suru - to study

mainichi, nihongo o benkyou shimasu.
Everyday, (I) am studying J apanese.
will notice it moves around
sometimes. Don't worry about this now,
just concentrate on suru.

Another usage of -or- is " to play" as in sports or games
yakyuu o suru. To play baseball.
sumou o suru. To play (do) Sumo.
basuketto ba-ru o suru. To play basketball.
shougi o suru. To play shogi (J apanese chess)
more, ~er
One easy way to say "MORE" or "-er" is to add a motto before the thing
you want to emphasis. This is one of the rare times that the word order is the
same with English - or at least with the morepart! Relish the moment (while you
can)
{motto ~ = more ~ }

motto pi-man o
tabenasai. Eat more green peppers.
[~nasai is like the te form in that it gives commands, but it is stronger. ]

AND FOR THE:
{motto ~ = ~er }

motto hayaku itte kudasai. (Next
time) please say (it) a little earlier.
[Useful when someone tells you NOT to cut the yellow wire of the bomb after you have
done that...]
Can
There are a couple of ways to say "I can..." in J apanese. The easiest is
dekimasu. Let's look at how to form some sentences.
CAN + NOUN []
1
nihongo ga dekimasu.
I can (speak) J apanese. [I can do J apanese.]
2
kanji ga dekimasu.
I can (read/write) kanji. [I can do kanji.]
3
sukaidaibingu ga dekimasu.
I can skydive.
CAN + VERB [ ]
Actually, the above are all shortened versions without the verb. Let's add the
verb. koto means thing, but here it is used to make a verb a noun so it will work
with dekimasu.
1
nihongo o hanasu
koto ga dekimasu.
I can speak J apanese.
2
kanji o yomu koto ga
dekimasu.
I can read kanji.
Be creative and come up with things you can do!
FOR MORE ON THIS ...
30. " ~ing" -
This is a very important grammar point. It corresponds to the English "~ing" form
Construction
form + or

eat eating (now)
Use this to describe things happening now.

ima anata ni hanashite imasu.
I am talking to you now.

ima gohan o tabete imasu.
I am eating rice (food) now.

ima sukaidaibingu o shite imasu.
I am skydiving now.
To make a question just add to the end. (See here for more on using for
asking questions.)

anata wa benkyou shite imasu ka?
Are you studying?
For example
Anytime you want to make an illustration or give an example this is the phrase
to use.

watashi wa washoku ga suki desu.
I like J apanese style food.

tatoeba, gohan to misoshiru .
For example, rice and miso soup .

You can also ask someone this to get more concrete information.

tatoeba, nani?
For example, what?
FOR MORE POWER WORDS...
This
This and that. Actually J apanese also has one more. They also have "that over
there" - but we will get at that later.
There are 2 words in J apanese that are translated as "this" in English:
kore - When "this" is not connected to a noun - hang on you will get it in a
minute

kore wa nan desu ka?
What is this?

kore wa neko desu.
This is a cat.
HINT
To say " This is" or
" is this"
the kore will
probabl y be
followed by
a wa

kono - When you put "this" before a noun, it changes to kono

kono neko wa pochi desu ka?
Is this cat, Pochi?.

iie kono inu wa pochi desu.
No. This dog is Pochi.
HINT
It may seem
strange at first,
but after a while
This and That
become second
nature!

That
This and that. Now we are on the THAT part. So this THAT refers to objects
near the listener (not the speaker)
sore - when " that" is not connected to a noun

sore wa nan desu ka?
What is that?

sore wa neko desu.
That is a cat.
HINT
Begin to think of the
words starting with
K's as "this" and the
S's as "that" words

sono - When you put "that" before a noun, it changes to sono

sono neko wa pochi desu ka?
Is that cat, Pochi?.

iie sono tako wa pochi desu.
No. That octopus is Pochi.
HINT
This is
used in the
same way
as kono

That over there
This and that. Now we are on the THAT OVER THERE part. So this THAT refers
to objects not near the listener or the speaker.
are - when "that" is not connected to a noun

are wa nan desu ka?
What is that over there?

are wa neko desu.
That over there is a cat.
HINT
And now
recognize A's
mean That over
there

ano - When you put "that" before a noun, it changes to ano

ano neko wa pochi desu ka?
Is that cat over there, Pochi?.

iie ano kujira wa pochi desu.
No. That whale over there is Pochi.
HINT
Again they
ALL are
used in the
same way.

Must do
This is a mouthful! But it is so useful. Learn it well
TO MAKE IT: plain negative form - i + kereba narimasen

[Would be for the plain negative form ]
pi-man o tabenakereba narimasen.
(I) must eat green peppers. (Many J apanese children don't like green peppers)
Say that 5 times fast with your mouth full!
Perhaps the most useful usage is:

The shi is from suru (to do)

benkyou shinakereba narimasen.
(I) must (have to) study.

shinakereba narimasen.
(I) must (have to) do (it).

When giving advice this is useful.
CONSTRUCTION: ta form (#3) + hou ga ii

yasunda hou ga ii.
It would be better to rest.

kiita hou ga ii.
It would be better to ask (someone).
NOTE: The ta form is the same as the past tense. (But obviously it is not past
here)
better / worse than
This has the same hou ga ii as the previous entry. But here we using it to
compare things. Also we will introduce yori (less than).

~no hou ga ii (more than)

~yori (less than)
This is a little confusing if you think too much on this! But I suggest memorizing one or
two examples and then you should be able to keep it straight.

watashi wa inu yori, neko no hou ga suki.
I like dogs less than cats. (I like cats more than dogs.)
You should spend some time studying the above example to understand how the
ordering works.
Notice in English we use either "less than" or "more than" and the meaning is
understood by the order of "dogs" and "cats" BUT in J apanese this is also ok:

watashi wa neko no hou ga inu, yori suki.
Chapter 4
38. "how..." -
39. "isn't it?" -
40. "said" -
41. Negative verbs
42. Negative adjectives
43. "plan to" -
44. Punctuation
45. "should/must" -
46. "because" part 2 -
47. "although" -
48. Using
49. "easy to..." -
50. "hard to..." -
How...
Here is a very useful question word -- dou -- Let's look at ways of
using dou.
dou desu ka? How is (it)? [Use this for asking about food, or
anything that is being done now]
dou deshita ka? How was (it)? [Use this to find out about
past experiences - movie, last night's date, molded pizza you just ate...]
OTHER WAYS!
dou yatte? How do you do it? [Ask this when you are not sure how
to do something]
dou shimashita ka? What happened? [Ask this if
someone looks sad or something has happened]
dou shiyou What shall (I or we) do? [This is often used when you can't
make a decision and want help... doushiyou, ne!]
dou suru no? What will you do? [When you want to encourage
someone to make a decision -- Well, what will you do?]
Isn't it?
If you want to state your opinion and then encourage someone to agree,
use deshou.
?
firipin wa atsui deshou?
The Philippines is hot, isn't it?
[You are expecting a 'yes' answer]

itai deshou?
It hurts, doesn't it?
[You see someone who has just slammed their head in the low doorway]
But usually is used to mean 'probably':

Ame ga furu deshou ne.
It will probably rain, don't you think?
And another common usage is meaning 'how about...' or 'what
do you think about'

udon wa dou deshou?
How about some Udon?
said
Meet the wonderful ' to.' Mr. can act as a quotation marker ("). Don't
confuse this with the that means 'and.' Very often if you are quoting someone
or some source. This is best shown with examples:

ore wa su-paman to iimashita.
He said, "I am Superman."

ano e wa juu seiki ni tsukutta to kaite arimasu.
The book says (it is written) that this painting was made in the 10th century.
It can also be used to mark sound effects of things or animals:

ano inu wa 'wan' to iimashita.
That dog barked, "bark"
There are many other usages for 'to.' Paying attention to each usage will help you
get a good grasp.
Negative adjectives
we say `not red` to show an absence of that color in English. In Japanese as
with the verbs, the adjective`s ending is modified with a negative ending. You
will notice a great similarity with the verbal endings.
With ì` adjectives the ì` changes to a `ku` before adding the `nai`...
sono ringo wa akakunai. That apple isn`t red.
`na` adjectives simply drop the `na` (which is really only used before nouns) and add `ja
nai` or `ja arimasen` (or dewa nai & dewa arimasen)...
watashi wa kirei ja nai. I am not pretty.

To learn more about adjectives click here.
Negative verbs
It isn't a sin to be negative. Interesting I should say that... 'sin' sounds like 'sen'
which marks the negative in J apanese in the -masu form. (Ok, so I set that one
up...)
hanasemasu - can speak becomes...

watashi wa nihongo ga hanasemasen.
(I) can`t speak J apanese.
wakarimasu - understand becomes...

watashi wa eigoga wakarimasen.
(I) don`t understand English.
If you can make the -masu form, just drop the and add the
You may have noticed there are no `no` words needed to make a negative like
in English. You simply modify the verb`s ending.
To make the negative in the plain, or simple, form by taking the basic stem and
adding to it.
With the `ru` verbs you simply drop the and add as in
wasureru (to forget)...

nihongo o wasurenai.
(I) don`t forget J apanese.
And for the ù` verbs we change the ending ù` sound to a à` sound as in
kaku ->...

tegami o kakanai.
(I) don`t write letters.
Finally we come to and the other irregular verbs.
is in the simple form and in the polite form

sukaidaibingu o shimasen.
(I) don`t do sky diving.
And kuru is konai and kimasen in the formal...

gojira ga konai.
Godzilla doesn`t come.
To review the 3 types of verbs click here.
Plan to
If you plan on speaking J apanese these two words are very useful. yotei and
tsumori
yotei and are very similar in meaning and usage. conveys more
of a `schedule` feel whereas is more of a `conviction of doing something.
All you have to do is to stick either on the end of a verb (simple form)...
To add or to any verb just find the simple form...
/
nihon ni iku tsumori (or yotei) desu.
I intend to go to J apan.
[if you use tsumori, you ìntend` to go one way or another; if you use yotei you
already have a hard schedule set to leave at a certain time.]
Here is how you add it to a verb
/
anata to kekkon suru tsumori (or yotei) desu.
I intend to marry you.
You can also use it with nouns by sticking a before the tsumori and after
adjectives. But for now concentrate on the verb usage.
Punctuation
Punctuation is in many ways similar to English. You have a comma, called a
and a period at the end of a sentence called a .
Let`s quickly go over some common Punctuation thingies:

the acts just like our period by ending the
sentence. It looks like a ball - maru

the acts like a comma. This is often found after
as in (I, like you)
and
These brackets hold quotations and work like our ""
marks
Should/Must
You should know . It is easy and useful, therefore you have no excuse :)
Hazu shows an expectation that something should happen. In other words, you
are pretty sure something is true. Let`s see how it works...
To add to any adjective just add it...

sono kaban wa, takai hazu desu.
That bag must be expensive.
[It is expected to be expensive]
J ust add it to the simple form of any verb

anata wa, gojira o shitteiru hazu desu.
You should/must know Godzilla.
Because II
We have looked at some 'becauses' that mainly act as a preposition.
comes at the end of the phrase.
In English we start the phrase with `because`; in J apanese you often say the
reason first and then the because...
J ust add it after an adjective...

sono kaban wa takai node, zutto tsukau tsumori desu.
Since that bag was expensive, I plan on using it for a long time.
J ust add it to the simple form of any verb

gojira ga kuru node, toukyou wa kowai tokoro desu.
Since Godzilla comes, Tokyo is a scary place.
After a noun or a -na adjective add a NA before NODE...

watashi wa mada gakusei na node, okane ga nai .
Because I am still a student, I don`t have any money.
Although
A close cousin to (above), is . It is often used to show disappointment
in the current situation.
J ust add it after an adjective...

isshou kenmei benkyou shita noni, tesuto o ochita.
Even though I studied really hard, I flunked the test.
Using
This is a very useful add-on.
Use it as a counter:

nan nin
how many people
kuru no wa nan nin desu ka? - How many people
are coming?

nan nen
how many years
nan nen amerika ni sunde imashita
ka? - How many years did you live in America?

nan ban
what number
tsugi wa nan ban desu ka? - What is the next number?

nan do
what`s the temperature
ondo wa nando desu ka? - What is the temperature
at?

nan you bi
what day of the week
kyou wa nan youbi desu ka? - What is the day of
the week?

nan nichi
which day
pa-ti wa nan nichi? - What day is the party?

nan ko
how many pieces
jeri-bi-n o nanko hoshii desu ka?
- How many jelly beans do you want?
And the following are a few of the adverbial usages of

nani ka
something
nanika nomitai - I want something to drink

nan demo
anything, whatever
nandemo ii desu. - Anything is fine.

nan to
how...!
nan to subarashii hi. - What a wonderful
day!

nan no tame
what for
koko ni kita no wa nan no
tame desu ka? - Why did you come here?

nantonaku
somehow, in some way
nantonaku wakaru. - I somehow understand.

Easy to...
It's easy to add "easy to" to verbs! Consider the following verbs in
the masu form:
tabe masu [to eat]
tabe yasui [easy to eat]
Did you see that? If you know the -masu form of the verb, you can easily drop
the -masu and add a yasui.
wakari masu [to understand]
wakari yasui [easy to understand]
Hard to...
If "easy to" is easy to use (see above) then you would think that "hard to" would
be hard to use. Well, they had to go and make it easy as well. Usage is the
same as -yasui (easy to)
tabe masu [to eat]
tabe nikui [hard to eat]
If you know the -masu form of the verb, you can easily drop the -masu and add
a nikui.
wakari masu [to understand]
wakari nikui [hard to understand]
Chapter 5
51. "looks like" -
52. "I've heard" -
53. "like, as..." -
54. "like, as if" -
55. "let's..." -
56. "won't you...?" -
57. Power ender ""
58. "when, that time" -
59. Using
60. "situation, case" -
61. "etc... and..." -
62. "about" -
Looks like
Looks like
we made it - as Barry Manilow would say - at least we made it half way!
taifuu
ga kuru mitai. It looks
like a hurricane. [This could mean
you are looking at storm clouds, OR someone told you a hurricane is coming
and you are reporting that possibility]
And just stick it after a noun

kono keshiki wa yume mitai.
This scenery looks like
a dream. [Useful if visiting Mt. Fuji - or, alternatively, if you have
bad dreams, a garbage heap...]

ano hito WA nihonjin mitai.
That person looks like
he's [or she's] Japanese.
There is another usage of -mitai where it can mean 'try and see' when added
to the form of a verb:
yatte mitai - I'll give
it a shot.
tabete mitai - I'll taste
and see.
That is a bit different from the above, but it is also very useful!
I've heard
While can convey info you have heard as well as what you see,
is mainly used for info that originated elsewhere. - I heard...
Construction:
1) simple verb + ~sou + desu/da

yuki chan WA niku o tabenai sou DA
I heard Yuki doesn't eat meat.
2) -i adjective + ~sou + desu/DA

tanaka san no atarashii pasokon wa totemo takai sou desu.
I heard Tanaka's new computer is very expensive. [This info could have come
from Tanaka himself, or someone else]
Like, as...
Here is a useful tag which means 'just as...' or 'like this...'
Construction:
1) simple verb + ~you ni

watashi ga iu you ni shite.
Do as I say.
2) noun +~no you ni

anata wa kuma no pu-san no you ni kawaii desu.
You are as cute as Winnie the Pooh
like, as if, apparently
This is similar to ~sou where the speaker is repeating info heard from another
source. The only difference may be ~rashii may be based on more reliable
information.
Construction:
1) simple verb + ~rashii

yamada san wa kaetta rashii desu.
It sounds like Mr. Yamada has come home.
2) noun +~rashii
There are a few nouns with rashii that you can remember as a word in itself. This
meaning is slighly different from the above verb construction. Instead of meaning
info heard elsewhere, when added to a noun it means the speaker thinks
something looks like something. Here are a few:
otokorashii - manly (like a man)
onnarashii - girly (but perhaps onnappoi is used more)
inurashii - like a dog (substitute any animal here. This is useful when you see an
animal at night and are not sure what it is, but it looks like...)
amerikarashii - American-ish (substitute any country)
Another similar construction with nouns is ~ppoi - as seen above with onnappoi.
When added to nouns to mean 'looks like...' ~ppoi is the same as ~rashii
Let's...
Maybe this should be bumped up since it is so useful. Let`s start...
Construction:
1) ~masu verb - masu +mashou
Here are a few quick and useful examples:

ikimashou.
Let's go.

asobimashou.
Let's play.

sensei to hanashimashou.
Let's talk to the teacher.

nihongo o benkyou shimashou.
Let's study J apanese.

This example uses suru. Another example would be:
sukai daibingu shimashou. Let's go
sky diving.
This construction is very easy if you know the masu (formal) form of the verb. If
you are a beginner, you probably want to stick with the ~masu form anyway.
Won't you...?
Why don't we study Japanese grammar?
ok. Since we have the above construction (using a negative to suggest doing
something) in English, this grammar point isn't too difficult to grasp.
Construction:
1) ~masu verb - masu + masen ka

dokoka ikimasen ka.
Why don't we go already?
[notice I have the English as 'we.' It could be 'you' if you are angry at the person
and wish him to leave...]

eiga o mimasen ka .
Why don't we see a movie.

nanika nomimasen ka.
Wouldn't you like to drink something?
[In this case you are asking someone individually if they would like something to
drink. ]
Power ender ""
This is used at the end of a sentence and contains a variety of meanings. We will
look at it as a question tag.
As a question tag: don't you... isn't it...
anata wa ninjin ga
kirai desu ne. You don't like carrots, don't you?
sono eiga
wa totemo ii eiga datta ne. Don't you think that was a good movie?
kyou wa atsui desu ne. Today is very
hot, isn't it?
If you want to use ne as a question tag, it helps to nod your head, or change the
inflection to let the listener know you would like a response. It is usually used
when the speaker feels fairly certain his listeners agree with what was said.
A very useful phrase for whenever something good happens is:
ii ne. Isn't that great!
When, that time
If you don't know when to say something, you will never say it!
Using toki - at the time when...
With a noun add a
[Looking at a photo]

watashi wa gakusei no toki ni wa totemo wakakatta ne. [looking at a photo] When I was a student, I
was very young, wasn't I?
And with verbs...
simple past

furorida ni itta toki ni kore wo kaimashita. When I went to Florida, I bought this.

non-past

furorida ni iku toki wa omiyage wo kaimasu. When I go to Florida, I will buy souvenirs.

continuing

neru toki itsumo futon de nemasu. When I sleep, I always sleep on a futon.
For more information on time related words, click here
Using
This is how you say 'thing'
Koto - intangible things

ii koto wa arimasen.
There isn't anything good.

daiji na koto o oshiemasu.
I will tell you an important thing.

kinou no koto wa sumimasen deshita.
I am sorry about what happened yesterday. (yesterday's thing)
Mono - tangible things

sono kuroi mono wa neko kanaa.
I wonder if that black thing is a cat?

oishii mono ga tabetai.
I want to eat something good.
One useful phrase using koto is:

dou iu koto?
What is the meaning of this?
This phrase is used whenever the listener isn't sure of the motive of the speaker.
situation, case
This is one that should be learned by useful examples

hijou no ba ai wa botan o oshite kudasai.
In case of emergency push the button.

sono ba ai wa dou sureba ii?
In that situation, what should I do?

tesuto ga atta ba ai, watashi wa byouki ni narimasu.
Should a test be given , I will get sick.
Etc... and...
Sometimes you have to say more than one thing. Whoever invented 'etc.' was a
genius. Let's see how to do this in Japanese...
First a few ways to list multiple items:
ya - and, and so forth

pi-man ya hourensou ga kirai desu.
I don't like green peppers, spinach and the like.

toka - or, and, and so forth

kuma no pu-san toka doraemon toka kiti chan ga suki desu.
I like things like Winnie the Pooh and Doraemon and Hello Kitty.

And now for nado to wrap things up.

tabemono no naka dewa piza toka furaido poteto nado ga suki desu.
As for foods, I like things like pizza or french fries.
About or
About how much? About how many?
Sometimes the turns into a probably after harder consonants.

okyakusama wa dono kurai kimashita ka?
About how many customers came?

eeto, hyaku nin kurai kimashita.
Let me see, About 100 people.
You can use this with time:

hachi ji gurai
about 8 O'clock
Or counting anything:
ni hiki kurai - about 2 (animals)
juu satsu gurai - about 10 books
Chapter 6
63. "how about ...?" -
64.
65. "please do..." -
66. "please give me..." -
67. on, in, above, behind...
68. "why don't we...?" -
69. Closer look at
70. Closer look at
71. Closer look at
72. Closer look at
73. "if" II -
74. "soft ender" II -
75. The power ender ""
How about ...?
To ask the state of something (how something is doing) use the useful dou
(desu ka).
You can used it with or without the final 'desu ka' in conversation.

saikin wa dou desu ka?
How's it going recently?

ko-hi- wa dou?
How's the coffee? or it could mean How about some coffee?

tenki yohou wa dou?
How's the weather forecast looking?
Of course when the context is understood you can simply say, 'dou' (Like
returning from a doctor's appointment, or after your friend gets off an important
phone call)

This literally means 'to complete, finish' but can (and usually does) involve a
regret over having done something. Also it can be used sarcastically to mean the
speaker really wanted to do something, but gives a halfhearted apology. For
example, I unfortunately ate the last cookie.
Of course there really wasn't anything unfortunate about it.
The construction is usually after the ~te form of any verb

zenbu no okane o tsukatte shimaimashita.
Unfortunately, I spent all my money.

watashi wa kanzen ni nihongo o wasurete shimatta.
Unfortunately, I have completely forgotten J apanese.
Another very useful variation is ~chatta. This is informal and is used by both male
and female speakers. chau is made by combining te shimau ->chau

shiken ni ochichatta.
I flunked the test unfortunately.
or in the present tense

ke-ki o zenbu tabechau.
I will eat all the cake.

An important point by Mukade in the forums:
In the Kansai area, the use of is limited to female speakers.
I learned both in the classroom, of course, since they are standard dialect.
But when I moved here to Osaka, people started asking me if I was gay,
since I kept using all the time.
If I could help prevent someone else from having to go through the same
" hard knocks" learning process that I did, it would make me very happy.

So be careful if you are in the Kansai area! But in most areas it should be fine.
Please do...
Here's how you boss people around. Well, in a nice way...
add kudasai (please) after the ~te form of any verb

yukkuri hanashite kudasai.
Please speak slowly.

motto otona rashiku shite kudasai.
Please act more grown-up.

koko de migi ni magatte kudasai.
Please turn right here.
Please give me...
Another use for kudasai is "please give me..."

sono hon o kudasai.
Please give me that book.

go hyaku en o kudasai.
Please give me 500 yen.
In spoken J apanese, the 'o' is usually dropped.
On, In, Above, Behind
A good knowledge of position particles will help glue everything together. ni -
on
tsukue ni hon ga arimasu. There is a book on the desk.
no ue ni - on top of
tsukue no ue ni hon ga arimasu. There is a
book on (top of) the desk.
no shita ni - under...
tsukue no shita ni hon ga arimasu. There is a
book under the desk.
no ushiro ni - behind...
tsukue no ushiro ni hon ga arimasu. There is a
book behind the desk.
Why don't we...?
Why don't we study a little more?

dokoka de tabemasen ka?
Why don't we eat somewhere.

nanika nomimasen ka?
Would you like something to drink. or Why don't we have a drink.
The context decides if the meaning should be 'why don't WE' or 'Would YOU.'
A Closer look at
Pronounced o but written in J apanese as wo. Simply put, is the 'direct object
marker or particle' which indicates the previous word is the direct object. There
are cases when the English would not consider it a direct object, though. Learn
some examples and give it a try. This particle is one of the easier ones...

watashi wa ringo o tabemashita.
I ate an apple. (apple is the )

ongaku o kikitai desu.
I want to listen to music. (music is the )

terebi o kau tsumori desu .
I intend to buy a TV. (tsumori means'intend to'; TV is the )
A Closer look at
In most cases the particle can be used interchangeably with . But has a
wider application so for now just stick with
Showing movement toward... Like 'to'

nihon ni ikitai.
I want to go to J apan. (direction TO J apan)

doko ni ikitai desu ka.
Where do you want to go?
Meaning 'on' or 'in'

kami ni e o kakimashita.
I drew a picture on a piece of paper.
In time - 'at'

roku ji ni aimashou.
Let's meet at 6.
A Closer look at
This is used mainly for location.
Used for location of where something happens

depa-to de boushi o kaimashita.
I bought a hat at the Department store.

nihon de nani o shimashita ka.
In J apan, what did you do?
Observe the difference between and :

makudonarudo ni ikitai.
I want to go to McDonalds.

makudonarudo de tabetai.
I want to eat at McDonalds.
A Closer look at
This is the 'subject marker / particle'.

ame ga futteimasu.
It's raining.
There is a subtile difference between WA and GA and I don't pretend to try to
completely explain it. Years from now, you will still make WA/GA mistakes. Still,
in general you can say WA is the main TOPIC and GA is the more specific
SUBJ ECT at hand. In the above example we say it is raining. The topic isn't
about rain. We are simply stating the circumstances at the moment and the
subject of that particular sentence is rain. If we were to talk all about rain, we
would probably start with WA as in:

ame wa sora kara futte kuru mizu desu.
As for rain, it is water that falls from the sky. (You may go on to say more about
the overall topic of rain.)
Used with SUKI

watashi wa neko ga suki.
I like cats.
Question words always use GA

nani ga oishii?
What tastes good?

dare ga kimashita?
Who came?

doko ga ichi ban ii tokoro desu ka?
Where is the best place?
If II
A while back we found as the word that means 'if'. is added to the
end of verbs to give the meaning of 'if this is done, then this will happen'
It is formed by finding the simple past form and adding a

anata ga kitara kare wa kaeru
If you are coming, he will go home.
The simple past form of is .The 2nd phrase is conditional on the
phrase.

gojira ni attara doushiyou.
What should I do if I meet Godzilla?
You can also use it with nouns by using the simple past form of desu:

okanemochi da tara ookina ie ga kaeru noni.
If only I were rich, I could buy a large house.
Softener
Many years ago I found an example in a book of how J apanese can be direct or
politely indirect. For example you can say:
1) koi
or
2)

both mean 'come here' but #2 is much more polite being cushioned by many
soft, indirect words. One of these words is .
means 'little' or 'small amount' but it is often used to soften an
otherwise painful 'no' or 'your request is impossible; live with it'

chotto muzukashi desu ga.
That's a little difficult. (this may be said when the request is impossible)

chotto dekinai desu.
It can't be done.

chotto wakaranai desu.
I'm not really sure.
I have been told the sound 'chotto' is a bad word in Korean. If that is the
case, chotto may not be that soft of a word...

The power ender ""
When you want to impress upon your listener the importance or truth of what
you are saying stick a at the end of the sentence.
hontou desu yo. It's the truth, I tell ya! (Perhaps the
speaker suspects the listener doesn't believe what he just said)

fururida no 12
gatsu wa atsui desu ka? Is December in Florida is pretty hot?
kekkou samui desu yo. Actually, it is pretty
cold.

It is very useful for rumors or explaining a truth you know someone may not
swallow at first:
suzuki san wa uchuujin
desu yo. Suzuki is an alien, you know.
Chapter 7
76. The non-but "even if" -
77. "the best, ~est" -
78. "about..." -
79. "can't, not allowed" -
80. Easy kanji prefixes
81. Easy counters
82. The Explanatory
83. as a pronoun
84. "how to..." -
85. "please don't" -
86. "have done..." -
87. "to decide to have..." -
The non-but / Even ifalthough
We have studied which means 'also'. When added after the form of a
verb or adjective it brings on the meaning of 'even if'. Let's investigate:

joudan wo ittemo, kare wa waraimasen.
Even if you tell a joke, he won't laugh.
And an adjective:

tsumetakutemo taberaremasu.
Even if it is cold, I can eat it.
And just stick it after a noun

su-paman demo sonna koto wa dekinai yo.
Even Superman can't do that!
The best, -est
While it means #1, it is also used as a superlative- most or -est

tabemono no naka wa nani ga ichiban suki desu ka?
Out of all foods, what do you like the best?

fujisan wa sekai de ichiban takai yama ja nai.
Mt. Fuji isn't the tallest mountain in the world.
About...
This is added to mean 'this sentence is ABOUT the previous word'. Simply stick
it after the noun you want to talk about.

bangumi ni tsuite no oshirase desu.
This is an annoucement about the program (TV for example).

ano eiga ni tsuite dou omou?
What do you think about that movie?
Can't, not allowed /
This is how to say something is forbidden to do. Perhaps easiest way to us this
is to stick it after the form of a verb and (wa - topic particle).

shiranai hito to hanashite wa ikemasen.
Don't speak to strangers.
Often in casual speech, the becomes (or ) as in:

sono eiga o micha ikemasen yo.
You are not allowed to watch this movie - or You shouldn't watch this movie.
You can also use for a similar effect: watashi no
hon o yonja dame. You can't read my book!
Easy kanji prefixes
There are a number of fairly easy kanji that will help dramatically increase your
vocabulary. These kanji have specific meanings that when added to other kanji
or words, it changes the whole meaning in a logical way.
- dai, oo - big

suki
to like

dai suki
to really like, love

kirai
to dislike

daikirai
to really dislike,
hate

ji shin
earthquake

dai jishin
a huge earthquake

ame
rain

oo ame
heavy rain
Another similar word is: (small)
- mai - every (attached to time words)

asa
morning

mai asa
every morning

toshi
year

mai toshi
every year

ban
evening

mai ban
every evening

- kai - to meet (a suffix)

ongaku
music

ongaku kai
concert/recital

un dou
exercise, sports

undou kai
athletic meet

Easy Counters
In English, we just take a number (1,2,3...) add a noun and an "s" to count
items. But in Japanese different types of objects have different counters. Plus
some numbers change pronunciation slightly when added with their counter.
Don't worry too much about the pronunciation changes since you will be
understood. And even if you mess up and count with the wrong counter, you
should be understood, but just a tip... don't count people with "pikki" (used with
animals!)
First, there are 2 ways to count numbers - the 'native' and the 'Chinese' way.
Actually the 'native' counting system only goes up to 10 and is pretty much only
used for counting up to two people and for counting general things. If you are
feeling lazy, just learn the "Chinese" numbers for now.
If you haven't studied numbers yet, go to this page to learn all about them
before proceeding: How to Count
Here is a quick review::
Native

Chinese

Note the two red alternate readings on the "Chinese" side. These are
pronunciations based on the "native" readings but are often used in conjunction
when counting other "Chinese" numbers.
Ok, now for counters.
Let's go through some common counters one by one and then I will give a list of
many other counters:
Counter: nin | Usage: people [pay attention to the red lines.]
1 person [irregular]
2 people [irregular]
3 people [now we simply add the Chinese numbers to
]
[ is NOT used. Probably because means death...
Also notice the dropped from ; hihlordjp from the discussion forums on
this site brought up an interesting but obscure (I think) pronunciation -
or . It is in the dictionaries although I had never heard it. ]

OR [It seems is used more often,
but is also used]

or )

etc...
Counter: hiki | Usage: most animals
[notice the H changes to a P]

[notice the H changes to a B this time.]

[notice the H changes to a P AND the becomes a small
]
or [probably is most used]
or

[notice the small - this occurs when there is a soft
sound after like H]
Counter: hon | Usage: long, slender objects like pencils, bottles, arms...

or

Other Counters:
satsu
books and magazines
fun
minutes
hai
cups of liquids, drinks
mai
sheets of paper; flat
objects

one book

or

one minute

one cup

one piece

or

or *

or *

or *

* notice this can be pronounced as instead of . This is to make it
clearer and is often used in broadcasting. You may also encounter this with hon
and hiki. For now, you can just say, ...
The Explanatory ""
You may have heard this quite a lot and wondered what it's all about! It is most
often used, informally, when:
1) To explain something
2) To show emphasis
is short for ; Informal usage;
plain form verb +

nani o shite iru n desu ka .
Whatcha doing?

terebi o mite iru n desu.
Watching TV.
-i Adjective +

kono eiga wa omoshiroi n desu.
This movie was great!
And it can be used as a way to stress a point

pa-ti ni ikanai deshou
You won't be able to make it to the party, right?

iie, boku wa iku n desu.
No, I'm going!

ittai, doushita n desu ka.
J ust what exactly happened (to you)!!!?
as a Pronoun
can be used in place of a noun (indefinite pronoun) to mean "one" or "some."
Construction:
Use in place of noun

aoi no.
The blue one.

yasui no ga hoshii.
I want the cheap one.
(computer, car, book, anything)
How to...
Attach to the stem of verbs to change it into a noun to mean: Way or
Manner of doing or how to do...
Construction:
Take the ~ form of a verb minus the and then add .

kanji no yomi kata
How/Way to read (a) kanji

kanji no kaki kata
How/Way to write (a) kanji
NOTE: Since it becomes a noun phrase, you should use as above.
Let's ask, "Please teach me how to use chopsticks correctly."

hashi no tadashii tsukai kata o oshiete kudasai.
Please teach me how to use chopsticks correctly
Please don't
Sometimes you have to tell/ask people to not do something.
Construction:
Take the form of a verb and drop the
Add

ke-ki o tabe naide kudasai.
Please don't eat the cake.

sukaidaibingu o shinaide kudasai.
Please don't go skydiving.
Have Done
This is a very useful construction. Simply add it after a simple past form of a verb:
Construction:
Take the simple past form of a verb
Add

amerika ni itta koto ga arimasu ka?
Have you been to America?

nattou o tabeta koto ga arimasu.
(I) have eaten natto before.
I'll Have...
To decide to have...
Very often this phrase is used to say, "I'll have (some food or drink)." Next time
you go to a J apanese restaurant, give this a try.

nani ni shimasu ka?
What will you have?

watashi wa tenpura ni shimasu
I'll have tempura.
Chapter 8
88. "about" - ~
89. "even if" -
90. "and, and, etc" -
91. "while" -
92. "may I...?" -
93. "not much" -
94. The power
95. Polite Japanese -
96. Polite II -
97. Giving/receiving -
98. Level/degree of something -
99. "just did..." -
100. "can" II -
About ~
To say 'about' as in "about a week" or to show an approximate degree of
something, use ~

isshuu kan hodo
About a week

eki wa jukkiro hodo saki desu.
The train station is about 10 kilometers ahead.

kore wa go sen en hodo de kaemasu.
This can be bought for about 5000 yen.
Even if
Sometimes you need to sound poetic. This construction fits perfectly into that
mood.
Construction: VERBS
+
Take the form of a verb
Add

tatoe sekai ga owattemo
Even if the world ends...

tatoe shippai shitemo mata ganbarimashou..
Even if we fail, let's keep at it.
Make the negative form of the verb with :

tatoe nido to aenaku temo wasuremasen.
Even if we shall never meet again, I won't forget.
And and
Doing this; Doing that
Construction:
Take the form of a verb (simple past)
Add

tattari suwatari
Standing and sitting

doru ga agattari sagattari
The dollar is rising and falling.

kyou wa kaimono o shitari resutoran de tabetari shite takusan no okane o
tsukatta.
Today I went shopping and at at a restaurant, etc; I used a lot of money.
While
While doing this I also did this...
Construction:
Take the form of a verb and drop the (the stem)
Add

ongaku o kiki nagara benkyou o shimashita.
While studying, I listened to music.

hon o yomi nagara gohan o tabemasu.
While eating a meal, I read a book.
One useful set phrase is zan nen nagara and means, "That's too bad"
or "I regreat (to say)" or "Unfortunately"
May I?
Asking permission and Being polite go hand in hand. Here is how you do both in
J apanese.
Construction:
Take the form of a verb
Add

denwa o tsukattemo ii desu ka?
May I use the phone?

yasundemo ii desu ka?
May I take a break? (from work, from studying, etc)

chotto hanashitemo ii desu ka?
May I say something? (I'd like to speak a little)
Not much
Not much; not really--Followed by a negative verb
Construction:
Used in a negative sentence

nihongo ga amari jouzu ja nai
I'm not really good at J apanese.

amari yokunai
(That's) not really good.

odori wa amari umaku nai
I'm not really good dancing.

okane wa amari nai
I don't have much money.
The power ""
, for our purposes today, means, "That's right" or "That's so" (the latter being
an easy way to remember)
Construction:
This useful word is used in various idiomatic ways. It is best to learn each as
an example by heart.

sou desu
Yes, that is right.

sou desu ka?
Is that so?; Really?; You don't say?

sou ieba
Now that you mention it; Speaking of that...

sou kangaeru to
Seen from that light; Thinking like that; From that point of view

sou shitara
If you do it that way...; if done that way...

sou shinai to
If you don't do it that way...
And there are many more you will come across! Listen to how is used in
conversation.
Polite Japanese
There are three basic types of honorifics for verbs. It depends on your social rank
as to which form to use.
A) Humble ( kenjougo) - This is when referring to oneself or one's family
members and (usually) speaking to someone higher up in social rank, position or
some other criteria for determining status. However even some people with high
positions may choose to use the humble form with those under him/her.
B) ~masu - As mentioned above ~masu / desu is actually teineigo or
polite language, but I'm using the familiar ~masu form for an easy comparison to
the the kenjougo and sonkeigoforms.
C) Respectful ( sonkeigo) - This is what you say to your boss or those
higher up when speaking to them. If you are speaking about yourself, you will
use the humble form.
Humble
(speaking to your boss about
yourself)
Normal
(speaking to your friends)
Respectful
(speaking to your boss about
your boss)

haiken shimasu

mimasu
to see

goran ni narimasu

moushimasu
You know this from "name to
moushimasu"

iimasu
to say

osshaimasu

itadakimasu

tabemasu
to eat

meshi agarimasu

mairimasu
This is the humble form for
both to come and go!

kimasu
to come

ikimasu
to go

irasshaimasu
This is the respectful form for
both to come and go!

itashimasu

shimasu
to do

nasaimasu

For a more detailed explanation and many more examples see here.
Polite Part II
+ stem + This makes a 'normal' verb honorific (exalted) [You are
speaking to or about someone with a higher status than you (your boss)]

shachou to hanashimashita ka?
Company president - with - talk - ?
Did you speak with the boss? (normal)

shachou to o hanashi ni narimashita ka?
Did you speak with the boss? (polite)

nanika nomimasen ka?
something - won't drink - question
Won't you drink something? (normal)

nanika o nomi ni narimasen ka?
Won't you drink something? (polite)
+ stem + This also makes a 'normal' verb exalted; it is used when
asking things - 'please give me'

utte kudasai.
Please sell (me this). (normal)

o uri kudasai.
Please sell (me this) (honorific)

tabete kudasai,
Please eat. (normal)

o tabe kudasai.
Please eat. (polite)
For a more detailed explanation and many more examples see here.
Giving and Receiving

These three verbs are easy to mix up, but they aren't too difficult if you spend
some time learning each word's function. It is of course more complex than this
page allows, but this should give you a fairly good understanding.
The Word:
When you, the speaker, give something to someone, use

kore o anata ni agemasu.
I will give you this.
NOTE: The receiver is the one with the particle ( to you).

The Word:
This is also usually translated as 'give' but it is from the receiver's point of
view.

tanaka san ga kore o watashi ni kuremashita.
Tanaka gave this to me.
NOTE: Again, the receiver is the one with the particle. ( to me)

The Word:
is used from the perspective of the receiver.

watashi ga tomodachi kara ke-ki o moraimashita.
I received a cake from a friend. (My, the receiver, point of view)
NOTE: If is used, the meaning should be pretty clear ( from a
freind), but you can also use to show who is doing the action as in:

watashi ga tomodachi ni ke-ki o moraimashita.
I received a cake from a friend.
NOTE: The use of with can seem confusing considering is used to
mean the receiver in the other two cases
Level / degree of something
Add to adjectives to express a degree or amount
Construction: -i adjectives:
Remove the trailing and add

zou san no takasa wa nan desu ka?
What is the height of an elephant
NOTE: The shows a degree; this can be a higher, lower, wider, thinner, etc
amount. (we could be asking the height of an ant)
Construction: -na adjectives:
J ust add the without the

kono kuruma no shizukasa wa odoroku beki desu.
This car's quietness is amazing.
NOTE: The finished product (adjective +) becomes a noun phrase and is
treated as a noun grammatically.
Just Did...
Showing a completed action: just...
Construction:
Add after the simple past of a verb

tabeta bakari desu.
I just ate.

tateta bakari no ie.
A newly built house.

ima kita bakari desu.
I just arrived.
Can II
Can II
Potential form of Verbs.
Before starting this lesson, you may want to review the groups of the verbs.
Construction: The ~u Group (group 1 verbs)
Verb Root +eru
kaku to write kak (verb root) kakeru able to write

kanji ga kakemasu ka?
Can you write kanji?
[NOTE: use with the potential form]
Construction: The ~ru Group (group 2 verbs)
Verb Root +rareru
taberu to eat tabe (verb root) taberareru able to eat

pi-man ga taberaremasu ka?
Can you eat green peppers?
Construction: The irregular Group (group 3 verbs)
The two irregular verbs should be memorized:

pa-ti ni koraremasu ka?.
Can you come to the party?
NOTE: You can also easy do this with any Simple Past Verb +
More...
Basic J apanese Phrases
Hai. Yes.

Iie. No.

O-negai shimasu. Please.

Arigat. Thank you.

Ditashimashite. You're welcome.

Sumimasen. Excuse me.

Gomennasai. I am sorry.

Ohay gozaimasu. Good morning.

Konbanwa. Good evening.

O-yasumi nasai. Good night.

J apanese Phrases for Meeting and Greeting
Eigo o hanasemasu ka. Do you speak English?

Koko ni eigo o hanaseru hito wa imasu ka. Does anyone here speak English?

Watashi wa nihongo ga sukoshi shika hanasemasen. I only speak a little J apanese.

O-namae wa nan desu ka. What is your name?

Watashi no namae wa Kaori desu. My name is Kaorii.

O-genki desu ka. How are you?

Genki desu. I'm fine. Thank you.

Oaidekite uresh desu. I am very glad to meet you.

Wakarimasen. I don't understand.

Nante iimashita ka. What did you say?

Motto yukkuri hanashite kudasai. Can you speak more slowly?

Yoku wakarimasu. I understand you perfectly.

J apanese Dialog
Sumisu-
san:
Oha y gozaimasu. Good morning.

Eigo o hanasemasu ka. Do you speak English?

Ten-in: Sumimasen. I'm sorry.

Eigo wa hanasemasen. I do not speak English.

Sumisu-
san:
Watashi wa nihongo ga sukoshi shika hanasemasen. Unfortunately, I speak
only a little J apanese.

Ten-in: Dai jbu desu. That's all right.

Wakarimasu. I understand you.

Basic Japanese Phrases

English Japanese
Hello Konnichi wa
How are You? Ogenki desu ka?
I'm fine Genki desu
Thank-you very much Arigatou Gozaimasu
You are welcome Do itashimashite

Japanese Phrases for Greetings

English Japanese
Good Morning Ohayo Gozaimasu
Hello Konnichi wa
Good Evening Konban wa
Good Night Oyasumi Nasai

Japanese Phrases for Eating

English Japanese
Let's Eat Itadakimasu
That Looks Delicious Oishii sou
Taste's Great Oishii
What is this? Kore wa nan desu ka?
Cheers Kampai
I'm full Onaka ippai
Thanks for the meal Gochisousama deshita

Japanese Phrases for Shopping

English Japanese
Whats this? Kore wa nan desu ka?
How much? Ikura desu ka?
Just looking! Miteru dake desu!
Anything else? Nanika hokani arimasu ka?
Thats all! Sore de zenbu desu!
Anything Smaller? Motto chiisai no wa?
Anything Bigger? Motto ookii no wa?
Too expensive Taka sugimasu

Japanese Phrases for Introductions

English Japanese
How do you do? Hajimemashite
My name is Watashi no namae wa
I am a student Watashi wa gakusei desu
I came from America Amerika kara kimashita
It was nice to meet you. Dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu

Japanese Phrases for Weather

English Japanese
It's sunny today Kyo wa hare desu
It's raining today Kyo wa ame desu
It's hot isn't it? Atsui desu ne
It's cold isn't it? Samui desu ne
It's nice weather isn't it Ii tenki desu ne
What's the weather tomorrow? Ashita no tenki wa

Japanese Phrases for Directions

English Japanese
Straight Masugu
Left Hidari
Right Migi
Here Koko
North Kita

Japanese Phrases for Love

English Japanese
I Really Like You Dai Suki Dayo
May I kiss You? Kisu shite mo ii?
I Love You Ai shiteru
Will You Marry Me? Kekkon shite kureru
Text in italic font style are in japanese phrases translations.
[A]
All of these are my personal belongings.
Subete watashi no mochimono desu.
All right!
Wakarimashita
Anybody home!
Gomen kudasai!
Any problem?
Nani ka mondai ga arimasu ka?
Anything will do.
Nan demo ii desu
Are there any letters for me?
Watashi ni Tegami ga kite imasen ka?
Are these yours?
Kore wa anata no mono deshou ka?
Are you a Japanese?
Anata wa Nihonjin desu ka?
Are you an American?
Anata wa Americajin desu ka?
Are you busy now?
Ima isogashii desu ka?
Are you free now?
Ima ohima desu ka?

Are you free this evening?
Konya wa ohima desu ka?
Are you going to inspect my baggages?
Watashi no nimotsu o oshirabe ni narimasu ka?
Are you happy?
Ureshii desu ka?
Are you hungry?
Onaka ga sukimashitaka?
Are you married?
Kekkon shite irasshaimasu ka?
Are you Miss Tanaka?
Tanakasan desu ka?
Are you okay?
Daijoubu desu ka?
Are you ready?
Youi wa ii desu ka?
Are you serious?
Honki desu ka?
Are you sleepy?
Nemui desu ka?
Are you still single?
Mada dokushin desu ka?
Are you tired?
Tsukaremashita ka?
A thousand thanks.
Hontou ni arigatou.
Attention!
Ki o tsukete!
Attention, please.
Ki o tsukete kudasai.

[B]
Be careful.
Ki o tsuke nasai.
Best wishes!
Go koufuku o inorimasu! / Go takou o inorimasu!
Beware of pickpockets!
Oseifu youjin!
Beware of dogs!
Inu chuui!
Try your best.
Gambatte
Bottoms up!
Kampai!
Bravo!
Umaizo! / Dekashita! / Burabou! / Appare!
Breakfast is ready.
Choushoku ga dekite orimasu. / Shokuji ga dekite orimasu.
By all means.
Kanarazu.
By and by.
Sono uchi ni

[C]
Can I have my bill?
Okanjou o onegaishimasu?
Can we go there by bus?
Basu de ikemasu ka?
Can you drive?
Kuruma no unten ga dekimasu ka?
Can you drive for me?
Watashi wo kuruma ni nosete kuremasen ka?
Can you eat Japanese food?
Nihon no tabemono ga taberaremasu ka?
Can you eat Korean food?
Kankoku ryouri o taberaremasu ka?
Can you fix it?
Kore wa naosemasu ka?
Can you speak English?
Eigo ga dekimasu ka?
Can you speak Japanese?
Nihongo ga dekimasu ka?
Can you speak Spanish?
Supeingo ga dekimasu ka?
Care of (c/o)
...Kata
Certainly. ( Answering questions)
Kashikomari mashita.
Certainly not.
Ton demo nai. / Dame desu.
Check your things.
Mochimono wo kakunin shite kudasai.
Cheers!
Kampai!
Cheer up!
Genki o dase! / Genki o dashite kudasai!/ Shikkari shiro!
Closed to traffic.
Tsuukou dome.
Close your eyes.
Me o toji nasai.
Come and join us.
Anata mo isshoni douzo.
Come here, please.
Kochira e kite kudasai.
Come in.
Ohairi nasai. / Douzo haitte kudasai. / Douzo agatte kudasai.
Come on!
Saa koi!
Come this way, please.
Kochira e, douzo.
Come what may.
Nani ga attemo.
Condolence!
Okuyami!
Congratulations!
Omedetou gozaimasu!
Congratulations on your marriage!
Gokekkon omedetou gozaimasu!
Congratulations on your success!
Seikou omedetou!
Cordially yours,
Keigu,
Could you translate this for me?
Kore o honyaku shite kudasai.

[D]
Did you bring your camera?
Kamera o motte kimashita ka?
Did you feel the earthquake?
Jishin o kanjimashita ka?
Did you watch the show last night?
Yuube wa shibai o mimashita ka?
Do as you please.
Go jiyuu ni.
Don't be ashamed.
Hazukashii garanaide kudasai.
Don't be in a hurry.
Asera nai. / Awate nai de.
Don't bother me!
Urusai!
Don't bother yourself.
Okamai naku.
Don't come here.
Konaide kudasai.
Don't disturb.
Jama shinaide kudasai.
Don't forget.
Wasure nai de kudasai.
Don't get mad.
Okoranaide kudasai.
Don't give up.
Ganbatte kudasai.
Don't hesitate to call me.
Enryo naku watashi o yobi nasai. / Enryo naku watashi ni denwa nasai.
Don't mention it.
Dou itashimashite. (also used when saying "you are welcome", a reply when a person says "thank you")
Don't mind it.
Kinishi nai de kudasai.
Don't worry.
Kuyokuyo suru na. / Shinpai nai yo.
Don't you agree with me?
Watashi ni sansei dewa nai no desu ka?
Do you drink liquor?
Sake o nomimasu ka?
Do you eat vegetables?
Yasai wa tabete imasu ka?
Do you enjoy your vacation?
Yasumi wo tanoshinde imasu ka?
Do you feel homesick?
Houmushikku desu ka?
Do you feel okay?
Daijoubu desu ka?
Do you go to the office every day?
Mainichi kaisha e ikimasu ka?
Do you have an ID?
Mibun shoumeisho wo omochi desu ka?
Do you have a pencil?
Empitsu o motte imasu ka?
Do you have another color?
Hoka no iro wa arimasen ka?
Do you know?
Shitte imasu ka?
Do you know her?
Kanojo o shitte imasu ka?
Do you know him?
Kare o shitte imasu ka?
Do you know Tanaka's telephone number?
Tanakasan no denwa bango o shitte imasu ka?
Do you know how to swim?
Oyogemasu ka?
Do you know when is his birthday?
Kare no tanjoubi wa itsu ka shitte imasu ka?
Do you like it?
Suki desu ka?
Do you miss your family?
Kazoku ni aitai desu ka?
Do you play golf?
Gorufu o shimasu ka?
Do you remember me?
Watashi no koto o oboete imasu ka?
Do you smoke?
Tabako o suimasu ka?
Do you understand?
Wakarimasu ka?
Do you want to eat now?
Ima oshokuji nasai masu ka?
Drive carefully.
Chuui shite hashitte kudasai.

[E]
Either will do.
Dochira demo yoroshii. / Dochira demo ii desu.
Enjoy your meal.
Douzo, go yukkuri.
Enjoy yourself.
Tanoshinde kudasai.
Even though.
Demo.
Excellent!
Subarashii.
Excuse me.
Sumimasen.
Excuse me, this my seat.
Shitsurei desu ga, koko wa watashi no seki desu.
Excuse me, what place is this?
Sumimasen ga, koko wa doko desu ka?
Excuse me, you're stepping on my foot.
Ashi o fumanaide kudasai.
[F]
Faithfully yours,
keigu,
Finished.
Sumimashita.
Fire!
Kaji!
For a while, please.
Shibaraku jikan o kudasai.
Forget it.
Sonna koto wa wasure nasai.
Fragile, handle with care.
Koware mono, chuui.
Funny!
Omoshiroi ne.
[G]
Get out of my way!
Doite kudasai!
Get up!
Oki nasai!
Give me something cold to drink.
Nani ka tsumetai nomimono o kudasai.
Give me two hamburgers, please.
Hanbaagaa o futatsu kudasai.
Give me your address, please.
Juusho o oshiete kudasai.
Go ahead!
Zen shin!
Go easy.
Aseru na.
Good!
Sore wa ii!
Good afternoon!
Konnichiwa!
Goodbye!
Sayounara!
Good day!
Konnichiwa!
Good evening!
Kombanwa!
Good for you!
Dekashita! / Umaizo!
Good luck!
Kooun o inorimasu!
Good morning!
Ohayou gozaimasu!
Goodnight!
Oyasumi nasai! ( for bed time only)
Go straight.
Massugu ni iki nasai.
[H]
Handle with care.
Tori atsukai chuui.
Hands off.
Te o hanashi nasai.
Happy Anniversary!
Omedetou gozaimasu!
Happy Birthday!
Otanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu!
Happy New Year!
Shinnen omedetou gozaimasu! / Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu!
Happy trip!
Yoi otabi!
Have a good time.
Tanoshinde rasshai.
Have a nice day.
Gokigen you.
Have you even been to Japan?
Nihon ni itta koto ga arimasu ka?
He doesn't eat meat.
Kare wa niku o tabemasen.
He is my friend.
Kare wa watashi no tomodachi desu.
He is my older brother.
Kare wa watashi no oniisan desu.
He is my younger brother.
Kare wa watashi no otouto desu.
Hello!
Konnichiwa!
Hello! (on the telephone)
Moshi! Moshi!
Help! Help!
Tasukete Tasukete!
Help me!
Tasukete!
Here it is!
A, arimashita!
Here it is.
Koko ni arimasu.
He rested for a while.
Kare wa shibaraku yasunda.
Here's your change.
Otsuri desu.
Hi! I'm home.
Tadaima!
Hold it!
Ugoku na! / Sono mama!
Hold on!
Matta!
Hold the line, please (on the telephone)
Denwa o kirazu ni omachi kudasai.
Hold this, please.
Motte kudasai.
Hope to see you again.
Mata aimashou.
Hope to visit your country soon.
Okuni o hayaku tazunetai.
Hope you don't mind.
Kamaimasen ka?
Hope you like it.
Oki ni iru to iin desu ga.
How?
Dou?
How about you?
Tokoronde anata wa?
How are you?
Ogenki desu ka? / Gokigen ikaga desu ka?
How are you these days?
Kono goro dou desu ka?
How cold is the weather?
Samusa wa dono gurai desu ka?
How do you do?
Hajimemashite?
How do you find Japan?
Nihon wa dou desu ka?
How do you like it?
Sore wa ikaga desu ka?
How do you say it in English?
Sore wa Eigo de nanto iimasu ka?
How do you say it in Japanese?
Sore wa Nihongo de nanto iimasu ka?
How do you say it in Filipino?
Sore wa Firipingo de nanto iimasu ka?
How do you use the chopsticks?
Hashi wa donoyou ni tsukaimasu ka?
How far is the station?
Eki wa dono gurai tooi desu ka?
How is it?
Dou desu ka?
How is he?
Kare wa ikaga desu ka?
How is she?
Kanojo wa ikaga desu ka? / Kanojo wa genki desu ka?
How is that?
Sore wa dou desu ka?
How is the weather?
Otenki wa dou desu ka?
How is this?
Kore wa dou desu ka?
How is your baby?
Akachan wa genki desu ka? / Akachan wa dou desu ka?
How is your family?
Kazoku no minasan wa ikaga desu ka?
How is your father?
Otousan wa genki desu ka? / Otousan wa dou desu ka?
How is your mother?
Okaasan wa genki desu ka? / Okaasan wa dou dese ka?
How long have you been in Japan?
Nihon ni kite dono kurai ni narimasu ka?
How long have you been in the Philippines?
Firipin ni kite dono kurai ni narimasu ka?
How long must I wait?
Dorehodo mattara ii deshou ka?
How long will you stay here?
Itsu made kochira ni irasshaimasu ka?
How many?
Ikutsu?
How many children do you have?
Okosan wa nan nin desu ka? / Kodomo wa nan nin desu ka?
How many do you want?
Ikutsu onozomi desu ka?
How many kilos is that?
Nan kiro desu ka?
How much?
Ikura desu ka?
How much does it weigh?
Sore wa dono kurai no omosa desu ka?
How much do I have to pay?
O ikura desu ka?
How much do i owe you?
O ikura desu ka?
How much is it?
Sore wa ikura desu ka?
How much is it to go there?
Asoko made iku noni ikura gurai kakarimasu ka?
How much is my salary?
Watashi no kyuuryou wa ikura desu ka?
How much is that?
Are wa ikura desu ka?
How much is the admission fee?
Nyuujouken wa ikura desu ka?
How much is the fare?
Ryoukin wa ikura desu ka?
How much is the ticket?
Kippu wa ikura desu ka?
How much is this?
Kore wa ikura desu ka?
How much is this in dollars?
Doru dewa ikura desu ka?
How old are you?
Nan sai desu ka?
How's your work going?
Oshigoto wa ikaga desu ka?
How was your trip?
Goryokou wa ikaga deshita ka?
How young you are!
Nanto kimi wa wakai no daro!
Hurry up!
Isoide kudasai! / Isoge!

[I]
I agree.
Doukan desu.
I am a factory worker.
Watashi wa roudousha desu.
I am a Japanese.
Watashi wa Nihonjin desu.
I am a Filipino.
Watashi wa Firipinjin desu.
I am busy.
Isogashii desu.
I am deeply grateful for your kindness to me.
Goshinsetsu o fukaku kansha shimasu.
I am full.
Onaka ga ippai.
I am going to the airport.
Watashi wa hikoujou e ikimasu.
I am going to the post office.
Watashi wa youbinkyoku e ikimasu.
I am happy to meet you.
Ome ni kakarete ureshii.
I am hungry.
Onaka ga sukimashita.
I am in a hurry.
Watashi wa isoide imasu.
I am lost.
Michi ni mayotte imasu.
I am Koichi.
Watashi wa Koichi desu.
I am Iwata.
Watashi wa Iwata desu.
I am married.
Watashi wa kekkon shite imasu.
I am Mr. Takishima
Watashi wa Takishima desu.
I am not a Japanese.
Watashi wa Nihonjin dewa arimasen.
I am not a Filipino.
Watashi wa Firipinjin dewa arimasen.
I am not busy.
Isogashiku arimasen. / Hima desu.
I am not hungry.
Onaka wa suite imasen.
I am sick.
Watashi wa byouki desu.
I am single.
Watashi wa dokushin desu.
I am so happy.
Totemo ureshii da.
I am sorry.
Gomen nasai. / Shitsurei shimashita.
I am sorry for you.
Okino doku desu.
I am sorry that I can't come.
Zannen desu ga mairemasen.
I am sorry to disturb you.
Goshinpai okake shimashita.
I am so tired.
Taihen tsukarete imasu. / Sukkari tsukare mashita.
I am still single.
Mada dokushin desu.
I am surprised to see it.
Sore o mite bikkurishita.
I am thirsty.
Nodo ga kawaita.
I am tired.
Tsukareta.
I am twenty-seven years old.
Ni juu nana sai desu.
I am thirty years old.
San juu sai desu.
I am very happy to see you.
Oaishite taihen ureshii desu. / Oaidekite taihen ureshii desu.
I am worried.
Watashi wa shimpai desu.
I am your friend.
Watashi wa anata no tomodachi desu.
I beg your pardon.
Mou ichido itte kudasai.
I bet you.
Kitto.
I can drive.
Watashi wa kuruma no unten ga dekimasu.
I cannot wait.
Matemasen.
I can speak Japanese.
Watashi wa Nihongo ga hanasemasu.
I can speak English.
Watashi wa Eigo ga hanasemasu.
I can speak Filipino.
Watashiwa Firipingo ga hanasemasu.
I can speak Japanese a little.
Sukoshi dake Nihongo ga hanasemasu.
I can't believe it.
Shinjirare nai.
I can't forget it.
Watashi wa wasurenai.
I can wait.
Mattemasu.
I caught a cold.
Watashi wa kaze wo hikimashita.
I didn't order this.
Kore wa chuumon shite imasen.
I do not dye my hair.
Kami wa somemasen.
I do not understand what you say.
Anata no ossharu koto ga wakarimasen.
I don't care.
Dou demo yoi desu.
I don't eat dessert.
Dezaato wa kekkou desu.
I don't expect something in return.
Okaeshi wa kitai shite imasen.
I don't feel well.
Kibun ga warui.
I don't have an ID.
Mibun shoumeisho wa motte imasen.
I don't know.
Wakarimasen. / Shirimasen.
I don't know Japanese.
Watashi wa Nihongo ga dekimasen.
I don't know her.
Kanojo o zonjimasen.
I don't know him.
Kare o zonjimasen.
I don't know English.
Watashi wa Eigo ga dekimasen.
I don't know Filipino.
Watashi wa Firipingo ga dekimasen.
I don't know when I'll be back.
Itsu kaette kuru ka wakarimasen.
I don't know why.
Doushite nanoka wakarimasen.
I don't know yet.
Mada Wakarimasen.
I don't like.
Kirai desu.
I don't like it.
Sore wa kirai desu.
I don't think so.
Watashi wa sou omoimasen.
I don't understand.
Wakarimasen.
I don't wear pants.
Zubon wa hakimasen.
I exercise every day.
Mainichi undo shite imasu.
I feel blue.
Yuutsu desu.
I feel cold.
Karada ga hiete imasu.
I feel dizzy.
Watashi wa memai ga shimasu.
I feel ill.
Kibun ga warui.
I feel lazy today.
Kyou wa nanimo shitaku arimasen.
I feel sleepy.
Nemui desu. / Nemutai desu.
I feel warm.
Atatakai desu.
I forgot.
Wasuremashita.
I gained one kilo.
Taijuu ga ichi kiro fuemashita.
I got used to hard work.
Watashiwa tsurai shigoto ni nareta.
I guess so.
Sou omoimasu.
I have a driver's license.
Unten menkyosshou wa motte imasu.
I have a fever.
Watashi wa netsu ga arimasu.
I have a headache.
Atama ga itai desu.
I have a stomachache.
Onaka ga itai desu.
I have a toothache.
Ha ga itai desu.
I have enjoyed it.
Omoshirokatta.
I have a good neigbors here.
Kinjo no hito wa mina ii hito bakari desu.
I have just arrived.
Ima kita bakari desu.
I have never been to Japan.
Watashi wa Nihon e itta koto ga arimasen.
I have no money.
Okane ga arimasen.
I have to prepare my things.
Jumbi wo shinakereba narimasen.
I hope for your good health always.
Itsumo ogenki wo inotte imasu.
I hope for your prompt recovery.
Hakaku naotte kudasai.
I know.
Shitte imasu.
I know Mr. Tanaka.
Tanakasan wo zonjite orimasu.
I like all of them.
Zembu ga suki desu.
I like basketball very much.
Basuketto bouru ga dai suki desu.
I like it.
Suki desu.
I like it, too.
Watashi wa sore mo suki desu.
I like this place.
Koko ga ki ni irimashita.
I like to eat salad.
Sarada wo itadakitai.
I live in Tokyo.
Watashi wa Tokyo ni sunde imasu.
I live near the school.
Watashi wa gakkou no chikaku ni sunde imasu.
I'll be leaving next month.
Raigetsu shuppatsu shimasu.
I'll be leaving next week.
Raishuu shuppatsu shimasu.
I'll be leaving tomorrow.
Ashita shuppatsu shimasu.
I lost my key.
Kagi wo nakushi mashita.
I lost my passport.
Pasupooto wo nakushi mashita.
I love sports.
Watashi wa supootsu ga suki desu.
I'm coming.
Kimasu.
I'm coming home.
Watashi wa uchi ni kaerimasu.
I'm coming right now.
Ima sugu mairimasu.
I'm doing nothing.
Watashi wa nani mo yara nai. / Nani mo shite imasen.
I'm fine.
Genki desu.
I'm here.
Koko desu. / Koko ni imasu.
I missed the train.
Densha ni noriokure mashita. / Kisha ni noriokure mashita.
I miss my family.
Kazoku ni aitai desu.
I miss you.
Anata ga inai to sabishii.
I miss you very much.
Watashi wa anata ga inai node taihen sabishii.
I'm not in the mood.
Sonna ki ni naremasen.
I'm ready. (willingness)
Watashi wa yorokonde.
I must go now.
Watashi wa ikaneba narimasen.
I'm very glad to hear it.
Sore o kiite taihen ureshii.
I'm very sorry, I can't.
Zannen desu ga, dekimasen.
I'm very sorry to hear that.
Okinodoku desu.
I need a blanket.
Moufu ga irimasu.
I need an interpreter.
Tsuuyaku ga hoshii desu.
I see.
Wakarimashita.
Is everything ready?
Jumbi shuuryou desu ka?
I shall be pleased to go with you.
Yoronkonde go issho shimashou.
Is he a Japanese?
Kare wa NihonJin desu ka?
Is he a Filipino?
Kare wa Firipinjin desu ka?
Is he present?
Kare wa irasshaimasu ka?
Is he your relative?
Kare wa anata no shinseki desu ka?
Is it correct?
Kore wa tadashii desu ka?
Is it finished?
Sumimashita ka?
Is it important?
Taisetsu na koto desu ka?
Is it near?
Sore wa chikaku desu ka?
Is it true?
Hontou desu ka?
I slept well last night.
Watashi wa sakuya juubun ni nemutta.
Isn't it?
Desu ne?
Is she absent?
Kanojo wa rusu desu ka?
Is ten thousand yen enough?
Juuman en de juubun desu ka?
Is that all?
Sore de zembu deshou ka?
Is that so?
Sou desu ka?
Is that yours?
Are wa anata no desu ka?
Is there a bank near here?
Kono fukin ni ginkou ga arimasu ka?
Is there any discount?
Waribiki ga arimasu ka?
Is this okay?
Kore de ii desu ka?
Is this seat vacant?
Kono seki aite imasu ka?
Is this yours?
Kore wa anata no desu ka?
It depends.
Sore wa baai ni yorimasu.
It doesn't fit you.
Ni awa nai. / Ni ai masen.
It fits you.
Ni au. / Ni aimasu.
I think so.
Sou Omoimasu.
It is beautiful.
Kirei desu ne.
It is cheap.
Yasui desu.
It is cold, isn't it?
Samui, desu ne?
It is difficult.
Muzukashii desu.
It is easy.
Kantan desu.
It is expensive.
Takai desu.
It is five thousand yen.
Gosen en desu.
It is important.
Kore wa daiji na koto desu.
It is interesting.
Omoshiroi desu.
It is 9:30.
Kuji han desu.
It is not beautiful.
Kirei ja arimasen.
It is not important.
Sore wa daiji na koto de wa arimasen.
It is one hundred pesos.
Sore wa hyaku peso desu.
It is right.
Tadashii desu.
It is quarter past seven.
Shichiji juugo fun desu.
It is ten o'clock.
Juuji desu.
It is three o'clock.
Sanji desu.
It is wrong.
Sore wa chigaimasu.
It's a good idea.
Sore ga ii.
It's bad.
Warui desu.
It's big.
OOkii desu.
It's clean.
Kirei desu.
It's cold. (thing)
Tsumetai desu.
It's cold. (weather)
Samui desu.
It's correct.
Tadashii desu.
It's delicious.
Oishii desu.
It's dirty.
Kitanai desu.
It seems delicious.
Oishisou desu.
It's enough.
Juubun desu.
It's far.
Toui desu.
It's forbidden.
Kore wa dame desu.
It's good.
Ii desu.
It's heavy.
Omoi desu.
It's here.
Koko desu.
It's hot.
Atsui desu.
It's impossible.
Fukanou desu. / Sore wa dekimasen.
It's late.
Osoi desu.
It's mine.
Sore wa watashi no mono desu.
It's more than enough.
Kore wa oui desu. / Mou takusan desu.
It's my first time here in Japan.
Nippon ni kitano wa hajimete desu.
It's near.
Chikai desu.
It's nice.
Yoi desu.
It's none of your business!
yokei na osewa da!
It's not me.
Watashi ja arimasen.
It's not nice.
Yoku nai.
It's not painful.
Itaku nai.
It's not raining anymore.
Ame ga fura nai. / Mou ame wa futte inai.
It's not you.
Anata ja nai!
It's okay. / It's all right.
Daijoubu desu.
It's painful.
Itai desu.
It's possible.
Dekimasu.
It's raining.
Ame ga futte imasu.
It's snowing.
Yuki desu.
It's still early.
Mada hayai desu.
It's still raining.
Mada ame ga futte imasu.
It's there.
Soko desu.
It's too high.
Amari takai.
It's too low.
Amari hikui.
It's ugly.
Minikui desu.
It's unbelievable.
Shinji rare masen.
It's unfair.
Fukouhei desu.
It's up to you.
Omakase shimasu.
It's very cold today.
Kyou wa kanari samui desu.
It's very nice of you.
Goshinsetsu arigatou gozaimasu.
It's warm.
Atatakai desu.
It's wet.
Nureta.

It's yours.
Sore wa anata no desu.
It tastes good!
Aa, oishii!
It was very hot yesterday.
Kinou wa kanari atsukatta desu.
I understand.
Wakarimasu.
I want a book.
Hon ga hoshii desu.
I want this letter registered.
Watashi wa kono tegami o kakitome ni shite morai tai.
I want to buy a TV set.
Terebi wo kaitai to omotte imasu.
I want to close my account.
Kouza wo torikeshitai no desu ga.
I want to deposit money.
Yokin onegai shimasu.
I want to develop these pictures.
Genzou onegai shimasu.
I want to eat an apple.
Ringo wo tabetai.
I want to go to Disneyland.
Dizuniirando ni ikitai desu.
I want to open an account.
Kouza wo hirakitai no desu ga.
I want to make a withdrawal.
Okane o hikidashitai no desu ga.
I want to work abroad.
Gaikou de hataraki tai.
I was born in 1990
Watashi ga umareta no wa senkyuuhyaku kyuujuunen desu.
I was born on Septermber 7, 1998.
Watashi wa sen kyuu hyaku kyuuju hachi nen kugatsu nanoka ni umare mashita.
I was impressed.
Kandou shimashita.
I will accompany you there.
Achira made otomo shimasu.
I will always remember you.
Kesshite anata no koto wo wasuremasen.
I will be back.
Kitto kaette kimasu.
I will be back soon.
Sugu ni modori masu.
I will be there for three months.
Kochira ni sankagetsu taizai shimasu.
I will call you up.
Denwa shimasu.
I will come later.
Watashi wa ato kara mairimasu.
I will come tomorrow.
Asu mairimasu.
I will do whatever I can do.
Dekiru koto wa nandemo shimasu.
I will go to the bank tomorrow.
Ashita ginkou e ikimasu.
I will go to the market.
Ichiba ni itte kimasu.
I will go with you.
Goissho shimasu.
I will introduce you to Mr. Hirai.
Hiraisan o goshoukai shimasu.
I will leave.
Watashi wa shuppatsu shimasu.
I will leave early tomorrow morning.
Asu no asa hayaku shuppatsu shimasu.
I will leave today.
Watashi wa kyou shuppatsu shimasu.
I will meet you on Sunday.
Nichiyoubi ni oai shimashou.
I will pay cash.
Kyasshu de oharai shimasu.
I will pay for the excess.
Choukabun wa haraimasu.
I will pay weekly.
Watashi wa isshuukan barai ni shimasu.
I will rest for a while.
Sukoshi yasumimasu.
I will send you some pictures.
Shashin o oukuri shimasu.
I will see what I can do about it.
Nani ga dekiru ka kangaemasu.
I will start working tomorrow.
Ashita kara shigoto desu.
I will take this room.
Kono heya ni shimasu.
I will think about it.
Kangaete mimasu.
I will try.
Yatte mimashou.
I will wait.
Omachi shimashou.
Here are a few links to other best-of-breed japanese sites. Mail me if you think
your site should be added, and let me know in which section. (without the
spaces of course)
dc3 @pi kkl e. com
Grammar
Tae Kim's nicely produced grammar guide. Beginner to early intermediate level
Ed Jacob's grammar page. One of the few grammar resources on the net... useful info for all levels.
Jim Breen's list of grammar points. Clearly laid out and easy to digest, Beginner to Intermediate level.
Keith Smillie's list of grammar points. Beginner to intermediate level, mostly in romaji. Includes those
useful lists like counters and calendar.
Adjectives introduction to japanese adjectives
Tools
Rikai I use this site almost everyday to read japanese text.
popJisyo Similar to Rikai, with more features, maybe a little too much on one page.
Coolest.com These guys produce JQuickTrans, my favorite EJ dictionary and an app that stays open on
my machine most of the day.
JWPCE Japanese open source word processor. Nice to use as the dictionary lookups etc. are built into
one keystroke in the app. But it's a little funky!
Kanji
kanjistudyguide A well put together kanji site. Amazing amount of work has gone into this... Also
includes the Heisig mnemonics and stories to remember kanji.
kanjisite Nice large details of kanji and printable lists
Dictionary
JDIC Jim Breen's massive japanese dictionary project
ALC Good dictionary with example sentences.
And more!
http://www.manythings.org/japanese/ Charles Kelly's site: a lot of quizzes and other info
Contact
Mail me here if you have a site you would like added to the list, or any comments for improvement!
dc3 @ pikkle.com
Comments:
dc A good page on counting systems
dc I've started using this tool recently, Babylon. Its got access to other good
paid for dictionaries, and pretty hassle free to use within any app for
looking up words with a ctrl-click...
babylon 5

dc http://www.J apaneselearning.com :: comprehensive learning site. A blog
by any other name...

dc www.kenkyuukai.com

We are a new site and are trying to focus on student interaction and
building a community.

Mike / Kenkyuukai.com

ljfurlong J LPT Kanji Project, http://www.jlpt-kanji.com/ is much more complete
and up-to-date when compared with Kanjisite, which seems to have been
abandoned. It is similar in a lot of ways, but includes the ubiquitous
EDICT, which breaks down the kanji in a handy sidebar. Have a look.

dc Looks like a decent Kanji site...
http://www.jlpt-kanji.com/

btw does anyone know where to find a site with all the mnemonics from
the Henshall "guide to remebering..." book?

Billy J apanese Lessons at theforeigner-japan.com
anon interesting monthly column from the japan times with stories and other
ways to help remember Kanji...
http://www.kanjiclinic.com

anon kanji-a-day mailing list from yookoso. nice to have a good mailing to
remind you to study! I signed up at work and on my phone...

halx the ALC link in the Dictionary section should probably mention that it is
a web interface to the well-known

anon check here for the Henshall mnemonics

http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/henshall_mnem.html

nanini I found very interesting dictionary on www.wakan.manga.cz This is a
project for people who wants to learn J apanese and Chinese. This
dictionary has more than 6000 kanjis and a very good dictionary. It has
many function. Enjoy learning J apanese.

giseigo words CAN anyone find good lists of giseigo or gitaigo words...
those sound words and what not...
please email jgpjapan@yahoo.com if you can

bamboo4 Here is a site with lots of J apanese onomatopoeia with English
translations:

http://home.alc.co.jp/db/owa/s_kaydic?ctg_in=4&char_in=s

This site is in J apanese, but all onomatopoeic words are listed in
katakana.

I do not vouch for the accuracy or competency of the English translations
given, but they are fair.

PaulO Don't forget http://www.kantango.com for vocabulary building.
sabrae This is a grammar compilation done in J apanese that I recently found.
Unfortunately, it's difficult to copy and paste (in order to look up words)
because clicking transfers you to the next grammar point, but it seems
pretty thorough.

sabrae To the person who wanted a list of onomatopoeia:

There is a book called (A Practical Guide
to J apanese-English Onomatopoeia & Mimesis) that is like a dictionary
with extensive examples and good explanations (in both J apanese and
English).

adamstudio www.apricotweb.com

chat program for japanese-english learners

Steve Ryner Hey guys, great site. J ust wanted to drop a line to my kanji
dictionary, http://www.nuthatch.com/kanji It's more of a browsing
adventure (based on Nelson's classic) without any searching functions
yet.

dc hi steve - couldnt find the browsing, but sounds interesting. I often use
the rikai kanji map when i have a few minutes:

http://www.rikai.com/kanjimap/
ceruleanjen [http://dict.regex.info/cgi-bin/j-e/jis/dict] - J effrey's J apanese English
Dictionary. I swear by it. Make sure to visit the customization page to
turn on kanji in search returns.

CW Found a great spreadsheet for learning Kanji up to J LPT level 2
here: http://www.chuobunkyo.jp/japanese.php?lang=en
Hope others find it as useful as I have :)

dc this is a pretty deep grammar dictionary, but just in japanese.
http://ws.31rsm.ne.jp/~toolware/dictionary/dictionary.html

sarumitai The site http://www.musuu.com has something like 1,000 links to
J apanese links. It's like a mini google or something.

Molly Moriss Hi does any one like the show Naruto?
Rachel I LOVE THE SHOW NARUTO!!!!!!!!!
han-na_bae http://www.thejapanesepage.com/ This is a great Learn J apanese site
with culture included and nearly all main aspects of studying a language.

http://kantango.com/ This is a great place that helps you study your
vocanbulary with included audio files on each vocabulary word you're
studying!

Ah, I love Naruto, yet the manga is way better!

dude Please visit: http://mahou@org/ "mahou" stands for "magic" in J apanese
and it is full of kanji with up to 200 example sentences (!) per kanji with
romaji reading and English translations provided.

Viola www.joepark.org/joesjlptpage J UST VISIT
Intervall-audio [http://www.intervall-audio.com/links/learn_japanese.html]
List of links to resources on the Internet for learning J apanese: online
dictionaries, software, stuff to read, etc.

kadoka66 http://rnnnews.jp/

For those of us conducting business in J apanese, this site has a searchable
database with terms and vocabulary for a variety of situations divided
into categories like 'Environment' 'Society'.

Their word of the day is also pretty kneat.

shenyea

http://jlpt.info
1991-2005 online examinations of J apanese Language Proficiency Test

LemonyFreshSmurf I'm having issues on installing the J apanese word-processor on my
computer. I've tried messing with Control Panel>Regional/Language
Settings, but nothing seems to happen, and I'm unable to read any kana at
all. Is there another way to go about it?

uma_japan2006@yahoo. where can i get the complete set of joyo kanji list is there any web site for
that

orochi http://naruhodojapan.blogspot.com/

Naruhodo! is a blog I started up recently. It covers a variety of topics
about learning J apanese with an emphasis on studying with the Nintendo
DS. Lots of articles about kanji, grammar, and keigo.
adamstudio http://japanese.meetup.com/501/about

Maryland J apanese +English Language Club
-No costs, volunteer-based, a fun way to learn and make friends at the
same time. Language and culure are very intertwined, so direct
experience matters.

adamstudio http://japanese.meetup.com/27/about

Boston J apanese +English Language Club
-similar as above, based in Boston, with over 550 members at the last
count.

burakkuneko http://www.nihonmura.net

This site is for practicing your japanese ... Hope it work on you guys ^-^v

ziaz I have created a simple site you can use to search for J LPT related
grammar and vocabulary. It works well on AU keitai phones, but I'm not
sure about other providers.

http://jlptsearch.richardfremmerlid.com

mylz hi jgram...
ok ka huh...

seifip I just finished my new J apanese educational game and reviewing tool
Nihongoup. It can improve ones kana typing speed as well as help one
review the kanji, vocab and particles.

Feel free to try it out at http://nihongoup.com/ and if you have any ideas
or find any bugs please post them here or drop me a mail ^^

haibuihoang I'd like to introduce a new English J apanese dictionary
at http://www.romajidesu.com. Any comments and suggestions are
welcome.

Charles Kelly's Online Japanese Language
Study Materials

These are free-to-use online materials that I have developed to help people learn
Japanese.
I am a long-term resident of Japan. I came to Japan when I was four years old.
Japanese-English Quizzes in Romaji
o You can use these even if your computer doesn't support Japanese
characters.
o Matching Quizzes and Multiple-choice Quizzes Using Only Romaji
Japanese Kana Quizzes
o Hiragana
o Katakana
o Multiple-choice Vocabulary Quizzes Using Only Kana
New April 2013: Japanese Sentences with English Translations
o I'm developing this at aitstudy.com/je, and will eventually move this
project over to this website.
o Sentences with both and in that order
o Sentences with , and in that order
o etc.
Kanji Study
o Multiple-choice Vocabulary Quizzes on Words Using Kanji
o Quizzes on 516 High Frequency Japanese Family Names (Surnames).
Words from Japanese Newspapers in Order of Frequency
o Multiple-choice Vocabulary Quizzes Sorted by Frequency of Word
Use.
CGI Flashcards: Randomly Chosen Japanese Words for Reading Practice
o Each time you load the page you will get a random selection of
words from the 17,155 words using kanji that were marked as
commonly-used (P) in EDICT.
Reading Japanese Signs
o Practice reading Japanese signs.
Japanese Language Proficiency Test Vocabulary Lists
o Vocabulary Multiple-choice Quizzes, Matching Quizzes, and
Flashcards.
o Also, Vocabulary Study Lists Linked to Online Dictionaries
Daily Startup (Home) Page for Students of Japanese
o Get 36 kanji characters a day.
Choose your own level or as many levels as you would like to
cover each day.
You'll be able to see all the 1,908 selected kanji characters
several times a year.
o Also included are 3 major English search engines, 3 major Japanese
search engines and some Japanese reading tools, so it will make a
useful "home" page for you.
Japanese Reading and Translation Practice
Read Japanese sentences with kanji introduced in the order of frequency of
use.
Quiz on Words Usually Written in Kana
A fun challenge even for Japanese native speakers.
Help with Searches for J-Pop on YouTube.com
o Easily search musicians' names with [G]oogle or with [Y]ouTube.
Japanese Word Frequency Lists
A Select List of Japanese Language Study Sites
o I tried to make a list of links limited to just the "very best" sites.
- For Advanced Students
o Yoji Jukugo 1 (402) The Most Commonly-used Ones
o Yoji Jukugo 2 (301) Less Common - (n, vs)
o Yoji Jukugo 3 (1756) Less Common - (n)
o Yoji Jukugo 4 (552) Less Common - Not (n, vs) or (n)
o Yoji Jukugo 5 (234) Less Common - 2 ways to say or write
More
o If you use the menu at the top of the page, you can find other
things, too.
Related Things I Have Created for Other Websites
How to Speak Nagoya-Ben
o A Lesson in Speaking the Nagoya Dialect of Japanese
o A friend and I wrote this for the .
English-Japanese Vocabulary Quizzes (iteslj.org/v/j)
o I wrote the JavaScript code for this website.
o On this site, you can find some more of my vocabulary quizzes as
well as quizzes written by others.
(Daily English Vocabulary Quizzes)
o These are quizzes I put online for Japanese who are studying English.
o Be aware that these are designed for studying English, not Japanese.
However, you might find these interesting.
Matching Quiz: Words You Should Know (362 Dozen)
o This is a matching quiz I wrote for Japanese who are studying
English.
o There are 362 dozens of matches in the main quiz. Perhaps too
many to do at one time, so each time you return to the page, the
words are reshuffled generating different matching quizzes.
o Here are the some of the same words, sorted by level.
Words Studied in Junior High School (74 Dozen)
Words Studied in High School (81 Dozen)
Words Studied in College (111 Dozen)
Words for AIT Freshmen (55 Dozen)
300 Crossword Puzzles
o I made these for Japanese who are studying English, so they are not
really designed for studying Japanese. However, I thought some
visitors might enjoy these, so I've put a link to them from this page.

High Frequency English Words with English-Japanese Example Sentences
I created this for Japanese who are studying English, but you might find it
interesting, too.
And More ...
Japanse-English Sentences
Browse over 149,000 Japanese-English sentence pairs, sorted by how the
Japanese sentence ends
Japanese Study on an iPad
I'm adding PDF files of the above project, so you can put them on your
iPad for offline reading.
Anki Decks for Japanese-English Study

MP3 Did you ask Tom? ( CK)
( bunbuku)
MP3 Did you miss me? ( CK)
( mookeee)
MP3 Dinner is ready. ( CK)
( bunbuku)
( bunbuku)
( bunbuku)
( bunbuku)
( bunbuku)
MP3 Do you know her? ( CK)
( bunbuku)
MP3 Do you know him? ( CK)
( bunbuku)
MP3 Do you like rap? ( CK)
( bunbuku)
MP3 Do you love Tom? ( CK)
( t ommy_san)
MP3 Don't be absurd. ( CK)
( mookeee)
MP3 Don't follow me. ( CK)
( t ommy_san)
MP3 Don't get angry. ( CK)
( bunbuku)
( bunbuku)
( bunbuku)
( bunbuku)
( t ommy_san)
MP3 Don't lie to me. ( enwi l son)
( Bl anka_Meduzo)
( Bl anka_Meduzo)
( bunbuku)
MP3 Don't tell lies. ( CK)
( mookeee)
MP3 Drive carefully. ( CK)
( mookeee)
( bunbuku)
MP3 Emi looks happy. ( CK)
( mookeee)
MP3 Enjoy your trip. ( CK)
( bunbuku)
MP3 Follow that car. ( CK)
( bunbuku)
Give me a
break! ( f r eddy1)
( bunbuku)
MP3 Give me a
break. ( CK)
( bunbuku)
( bunbuku)
MP3 Go back to
work. ( CK)
( bunbuku)
MP3 Go home
quickly. ( CK)
( t ommy_san)
MP3 Great,
isn't it? ( CK)
( bunbuku)
MP3 Has he
come
yet? ( CK)
( bunbuku)
( bunbuku)
( bunbuku)
MP3 H
ave a
nice
day. ( CK
)
( ar i hat o)
MP3
He
acts
quickl
y. ( CM)
( bunbuku)
MP
3 H
e
beg
an
to
cry.
( CK)
( bunbuku)
M
P3
H
e
be
ga
n
to
ru
n.
( CK
)
( mookee
MP3 We believe in God. ( CK)
( bunbuku)
MP3 We go there often. ( CK)
( bunbuku)
MP3 We got up at dawn. ( CK)
( bunbuku)
MP3 We have a big dog. ( CK)
( bunbuku)
MP3 We must keep calm. ( CK)
( mookeee)
MP3 We must pay taxes. ( CK)
( mookeee)
MP3 We saw them leave. ( Samghost )
( mookeee)
MP3 We were all tired. ( CK)
( bunbuku)
MP3 We won the battle. ( Swi f t )
( mookeee)
MP3 We've lost 3 to 0. ( Shoyr en)
30 ( t hyc244)
MP3 Welcome to Boston. ( CK)
( t ommy_san)
What a fool he is! ( CM)
( mookeee)
MP3 What did Tom know? ( CK)
( bunbuku)
MP3 What did Tom want? ( CK)
( bunbuku)
MP3 What do I do next? ( CK)
( bunbuku)
MP3 What do you
think? ( J ane_Aust en)
( mookeee)
( mookeee)
( t ommy_san)
MP3 What does Tony
do? ( CK)
( mookeee)
MP3 What does it
mean? ( CK)
( mookeee)
( Tomoyuki Tanaka)
( t ommy_san)
MP3 What is
happiness? ( t el sf bay)
( mookeee)
( bunbuku)
( bunbuku)
( bunbuku)
( mookeee)
MP3 What is
the
story? ( CK)
( bunbuku)
MP3 What
is your
name? ( sac
r edcel t i c)
( bunbuku)
( ar i hat o)
MP3 W
hat
should I
say? ( CK
)
( bunbuku)
MP3
What'
re you
doing
? ( CK)
( t ommy_san)
MP
3 W
hat'
s
eati
ng
her?
( Ner
o)
( bunbuku)
M
P3
W
ha
t's
ea
tin
g
yo
u?
( C
M)
( bunbuku)
W
h
a
t'
s

f
o
r
d
i
n
n
e
r
?

(
l
u
k
a
s
z
p
p
)
( t ommy_san)
W
h
a
t
'
s

f
o
r

s
u
p
p
e
r
?

(
S
H
a
m
p
)
( t ommy_san)
M
P
3

W
h
a
t
'
s

t
h
a
t

s
o
u
n
d
?

(
b
l
a
y
_
p
a
u
l
)
( qahwa)
M
P
3

W
h
a
t
'
s

t
h
e

m
a
t
t
e
r
?

(
D
o
r
e
n
d
a
)
( bunbuku)
( t ommy_san)
M
P
3

W
h
a
t
'
s

y
o
u
r

m
a
j
o
r
?

(
C
K
)
( t ommy_san)
A Select List of Japanese Language Study
Sites
These may not be all the very best sites, but these are definitely some of the
best.
Recent Addition
RomajiDesu.com/dictionary (Hai
Bui Hoang)
Hiragana and Katakana
Beginners may want to jump to the Kana
Links that are near the bottom of the page.
Tools to Help Read Japanese
Web Pages
Plugins for Firefox or Chrome
o Rikaichan (Jonathan Zarate) *** Hi ghl y Recommended *** Fr ee ***
A Firefox plugin that has similar features to Rikai.com (see below).
You can put your cursor over any word on the resulting page to get
the reading and the English meaning.
If you haven't yet upgraded to Firefox (It's free), then this is a very
good reason to do so.
ADVANTAGES: This even works offline. There is also a word lookup
(dictionary) function that makes many of the other EDICT dictionary
lookup programs obsolete. For example, you can enter ""
and it will find "" for you. This means you can copy and paste
things "as is" to get meanings.
o Rikaikun - For Chrome and does about the same thing as "Rikaichan"
does for Firefox.
o Furigana Injector
An extension for Firefox or Chrome. It's cool because you can include
a list of kanji that you want it to ignore.
Jim Breen's WWWJDIC Server - Text Word Translation
Input Japanese in the form (or enter a URL) and get a page generated with
all the words looked up for you already.
One important advantage this one has over the next one is that you can
print the results to paper, then read the text away from a computer (while
commuting, etc.).
Based on Jim Breen's EDICT and
KANJIDIC.
Includes advertising.
Added 2012-09-13
www.rikai.com (Todd Rudick)
Enter a URL, then put your cursor over any kanji on the resulting page to
get the reading and English. (This didn't work with some browsers I tested
it with.)
www.popjisyo.com (Alex Schonfeld)
This is similar to www.rikai.com. However, it has the advantage of working
with more browsers.
WordChamp's Web Reader
You don't need to register, so just ignore that part. This doesn't recognize
various verb conjugations like Rikai.com and PopJisyo.com do.
Try Charles Kelly's Bilingual English-Japanese Random Sentence Generator via
WordCamp
(The direct link is Bilingual English-Japanese Random Sentence Generator -
).

The rest are for reading help (hiragana or romaji) only, no English
definitions.

www.furiganizer.com
Copy and paste in Japanese text, click the button, then see the same text
with Furigana.
www.hiragana.jp
Adds hiragana after the kanji. (This can be used without logging in.)
Adaptive Technologies' Furigana Web Page Converter
You don't need to register or have a password, so just skip to the bottom
of the page to enter a URL.
FEATURE: You can even get Romaji furigana, if you want. This makes it
very easy to see what was not on the original page.
Kakashi Web Front End: Read Japanese Websites in Romaji (Joel Yliluoma)
Converts web pages from Japanese characters to Romaji.
Tools to Help Read Japanese Text
These also help read a web page. You just have to copy and paste the text into
the form.
Reading Tutor Toolbox (Yoshiko Kawamura)
Input some Japanese text into the form and get a page with clickable
words that show readings and English in another frame.
(Kotoba no Mori)
Input some text, and get color-coded kanji by (Kokugo) grade level and
also get furigana.
J-Talk Kanji to Hiragana/Romaji Parser (Gary Ross)
Input some Japanese text and have it converted to Kana or Romaji.
iGoogle Widgets - Japanese Language Proficiency Test
Level 1
Random JLPT Vocabulary Level 1 - Any Browser
Version (Words written in Kanji)
o For any browser
Random JLPT Vocabulary Level 1 - Firefox with
Rikaichan (Words written in Kanji)
o For the Firefox browser with the Rikaichan add-on installed. If you
are using this combination, then this is the better choice. Not only do
you get more words each time, but finding the reading and meaning
of unknown words is much faster.
Kanji Search
Search Kanji in CK's Kanji Dictionary
RSS Feeds
www.yookoso.com - Daily Elementary School Grade 1 Kanji
JapanesePod101's RSS Feed
Quizzes to Help You Study Kanji
Learn the Japanese Kanji (Roger Meyer)
Java applet for browsing, quizzing, etc. Uses Jim Breen's materials.
1 to 60, 61 to 120, 121 to 180, 181 to 240, 241 to 300, 301 to 360, 361 to
420, 421 to 480, 481 to 540, 541 to 600, 601 to 660, 661 to 720, 721 to 780, 781
to 840, 841 to 900, 901 to 960,961 to 1020, 1021 to 1080
Jesse Lake's Kanji Game
Requires a newer browser, 67 levels, randomly generated multiple-choice
quizzes with 8 choices.The color scheme makes it a little difficult to see the
choices.
Words with Kanji from Japanese Newspapers - Flash Quizzes & Flashcards
There are 560 quizzes each with 50 words. The words were chosen in the
order of the frequency in which they appeared in 4-years of Mainichi
Newspaper.
Quizzes on Commonly-used Japanese Words (Sorted by Kanji) (Charles Kelly)
Multiple-choice Flash quizzes using all commonly-used words for each
kanji.
WebJapanese.Com's Kanji Challenge
Uses the Suntac CGI to give you human-made multiple-choice questions.
Entering a fake email address is OK.
There are also Kanji Worksheets on this website.
Web-based Kanji Exercises (Tomoko Marshall - University of Virginia)
JavaScript quizzes on kanji, vocabulary, comprehension etc.
Quizzes to Help You Study Vocabulary & Grammar
Minna no Nihongo 1 and 2 Vocabulary Quizzes (Larry Battle)
English-Japanese Vocabulary Quizzes
Randomly generated multiple-choice JavaScript quizzes
GCSE Japanese Class (Quia)
Animal Vocabulary, Place Names, Weather/Seasons, Kanji Matching, ...
Grammar Quizzes (Kumiko Kaneniwa)
12 five-question quizzes
Chez Schei's CGI Flashcards using EDICT Data
OFFLINE when check in April of 2010. - A little slow because of the CGI
interface.
Okayama University's Study Materials
Offline when checked in April of 2010
Minna no Nihongo - Practice (Requires Flash)
Yookoso! Media Edition
Matching quizzes.
www.kahome.co.uk's Flashcards
The JavaScript didn't work on Apple's Safari Browser.
I
quiz - 1 question per page
Game (Funahashi)
See a katakana word and choose it's (kanji) meaning.
Vocabulary Flashcards
http://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/search.php?tag=true&search=Japanese
o Visitor submitted flashcards (You may find mistakes on these.)
o The Japanese did not display properly for me when I tried it in April
of 2010. However, many of the flascards are Romaji, so that may
not be a problem that matters to you.
Some Japanese Quizzes Found on quizlet.com/subject/japanese
http://quizlet.com/set/6401/ Ultimate Japanese Bk 1: Chap. 20 Vocab.
http://quizlet.com/set/4121/ Lesson 1 Japanese 1
http://quizlet.com/set/3021/ Japanese for Busy People I: Lesson 1
http://quizlet.com/set/1454/ Japanese Compound Verbs
http://quizlet.com/set/1404/ Accountancy Glossary
http://quizlet.com/set/1059/ JLPT4 Kanji
Useful for those using the textbook, "Adventures in Japanese 2"
o [http://quizlet.com/user/msjapanese/]
o http://quizlet.com/set/45260/
To find more, try these searches:
o http://quizlet.com/search/japanese/
o http://quizlet.com/search/jlpt/
o http://quizlet.com/search/kanji
o etc.
Romaji Quizzes
http://www.digitaldialects.com/Japanese.htm
o Phrase & Greetings, Colors, Animals, Numbers, Days and Months, ...
Games
Crossword Puzzles (for advanced JSL students)
o http://check.0ch.cx/ then look on the left side of the page, after
scrolling a bit.
o This may still be the direct link: http://check.0ch.cx/x_hira1/. I had to
reset the "encoding" to read the menu page.
Browse and Study Lists of Kanji
2011 GSF Jouyou Kanji (by Con Kolivas) - English meanings and example
words with English meanings, based on Jim Breen's work.
o 2011 GSF Jouyou Kanji - All on one big page - Good for loading into your
mobile device before disconnecting from the Internet.
JLPT Level 2 Kanji Dictionary (Paul Dixon)
Mayumi Ishida's Kanji Practice (Dartmouth College)
Kanji data cards with (MIT) QuickTime movies and sound files reading the
sample sentences.
Kinki's Kanji Dictionary
Jim Breen's materials put together in an interlinking, easy-to-browse way
for study.
Whiteknightlogic's KanjiDB
Jim Breen's materials .... (Very similar to Kinki's Kanji Dictionary)
www.Mahou.org's Kanji Dictionary
Jim Breen's materials. Interfaced with the English-Japanese sentence
examples, too. (Radical Select)
Japanese Kanji Dictionary with Pronunciation (Kunihiro Tanaka)
You can listen to the words for the first 400 or so kanji.
Gahoh (By Masayoshi Kanai)
Includes QuickTime movies showing stroke order. These sites have
apparently licensed his material.
Gahoh.MarineBat.com
http://www.tufs.ac.jp/st/personal/99/kawatsu/gahoh/English.html
Usagi-Chan's Kanji Stroke Order (Andrea Shea)
Looks like Gahoh's QuickTime Movies. I got "moji-bake" on my computer
and the wrong kanji were sometimes displayed.
Griffin University's Kanji Study
Approx. 400 basic kanji are introduced with their readings and examples of
usage.
Kanji Alive (Harumi Hibino Lory & Team)
Requires QuickTime v6.5. Japanese fonts aren't required. If you have read
the documentation already, save time by jumping directly to
the 60_QTcheck.mov and click the fan.
www.KanjiSite.com (Chris Jennings)
Study for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. Kanji lists and quizzes.
Yookoso Books (Univeristy of Colorado)
Uses MIT's Kanji Project materials. (You may need to mess with your
"encoding" preferences.)
Fujiko's Nihongo Page
Browse kanji lists and test yourself with multiple-choice JavaScript quizzes.
Meguro Language Center's Japanese Study Files
PDF files of word, verb, grammar list for JLPT (Japanese Language
Proficiency Test) and free materials and quizzes for Japanese Language.
www.thbz.org's JLPT vocabulary (Unicode) (Thierry Bzecourtt)
Vocabulary used on the 4 levels of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test
Japanese Language Proficiency Test Kanji Linked to Online Dictionaries (Charles
Kelly)
Browse the lists and click on the ones you don't know to jump to an online
dictionary.
jlpt.renshuu.org (Michael Hominick)
Browse lists of kanji and vocabulary.
Kanji Writing Tutor (Blake Edward Sterzinger)
Some cards (basic kanji only) that include animated GIF files showing the
writing.
www.theJapanesePage2.com's Kanji Study
JLPT Kanji lists and a "randomizer." PDF files of Kanji, too. The advertising
is a bit much.
Nihongo Shoho's Kanji List by Frequency
No readings or definitions, but you can create a sheet for practicing your
writing.
AJALT's (Kanji De Manabu Nihongo) (Kiyotaka Yasui)
It's all images, so you can use it even without Japanese fonts. The writing
is a bit fuzzy, thus slow to read.
A Door to the World of Kanji
See a picture of everyday objects, click and read.
Henshall Kanji Mnmonics (Kenneth Henshal)
Elementary school kanji - no definitions or readings
( )
Requires Flash. See stroke order, readings and a few words using each
kanji.
Semuel's "Remembering the Kanji" Helper Site
Based on the book by James W. Heisig. See the "Practice Pages Auto
Generator."
www.kanjinetworks.com (Lawrence J. Howell and Hikaru Morimoto)
Etymological Dictionary of Chinese Characters
-
For Japanese elementary school children, but good for kanji review for
non-native speakers, too.
www.kanji-trainer.org (Ulrich Neymeyr)
Flashcard-like training for kanji, with vocabulary, too.
uPal: Associative Kanji Learning
There are quizzes and sentence examples, too.
Kanji Lookup
uPal: Japanese-English Dictionary Search Using Hand Writing Recognition
You can write the kanji with your mouse to find it.
Vocabulary Lists
Michael Kluemper's Quia Activities in Romaji
Usagi Chan's Genki Vocabulary Lists (Shea and Masuyama)
sorted by lessons used in the Genki textbook.
A Japanese Dictionary for Beginners 200410
A free, downloadable 5,000 Japanese word list with English definitions, by
the
Glenn Rosenthal's Vocabulary Lists
Various lists for students at UCLA.
Jim Breen's EDICT
An extensive, downloadable file. Each line = [Japanese - Reading - Part(s)
of Speech - English] Many web-based dictionaries use this.
Nihongo Shoho's Vocabulary Lists
Done with images, so you do not need a Japanese font. Elementary
vocabulary
www.kahome.co.uk's Vocabulary Lists
Word lists for the books Japanese for Busy People, Japanese for College
Students, Nihongo Shoho and SL Japanese ab initio.
Nihongo o Narau - Romaji Vocabulary Lists (Domini Lyman)
Adjectives, Animals, ...
www.kantango.com (Raymond Fix)
Requires registering. However, when registering, a fake email address
works, so you can avoid the potential of receiving spam.
Choose words from Jim Breen's EDICT, then do flashcards.
www.e-japanese.jp (Yoshimichi Iwata)
Of special interest are the JLPT word lists in Excel format:
Pre-2010 Lists: Book4.xls, Book3.xls, Book2.xls, Book1.xls
Hiragana - Romaji - Kanji - English (You do not need to register to
download these.)
Vocabulary Flashcards for studying for the JLPT (Markus Dreyer)
Formatted PDF files for printing.
WordChamp's Food Vocabulary and other lists.
Many of the words have audio files, so you can practice your
pronunciation, too.
WAKEwakaru: French-Japanese Glossary (Alain Cote)
Not a traditional vocabulary list, but you can browse 5 words at a
time. Start.
David Hallgren's Nihongo Website - Vocabulary Lists for Genki
Try the "printer friendly" links. (Note on July 5, 2006, it seemed that there
are some character set problems on some of his pages.)
www.LanguageGuide.org/nihongo/ (Thomas Blackmon)
It is recommended to use Netscape or FireFox browser for this site. Other
browsers may not work
jpf.org.uk's vocabulary lists
Vocabulary lists in PDF and EXCEL formats
mit.edu/seantek (Sean Leonard)
PDF file vocabulary lists.
Nihongo de Care
Aimed at nursing and caretaking, but some parts, such as Basic Expressions
500, are good all of us.
Things to Listen To
Audio That Is Good For Pronunciation Practice and Intonation Practice
http://japanese-phrases.sakura.ne.jp - Japanese Phrases for Travelers (Yuu
Gotoh)
Videos
Tokyo Gaidai's Japanese Study - English Menu
Other
www.languageguide.org/nihongo
Beginning level vocabulary with audio.
Dest Nalsas Readers (Click Japanese on the lower left.)
Can be appreciated even by lower level students. By the Australian
government.
NHK's Weekly Japanese Lessons
Streaming RealAudio. (From shortwave Radio Japan)
MP3 Japan
You can download NHK's Radio Japan's Japanese lessons archived as MP3
files.
NZAJLT's Photo Essays
Try these online versions with MP3 files: Momoko, Junko and Kayo.
ECIS Internet Broadcast (Richard Harrison & Yoshimi Iwasaki)
Weekly RealAudio with the text. (Nagoya University)
KISC Nihongo Channel (Richard Harrison)
Perhaps this is just a mirror site of the Nagoya University site above. I
haven't had time to look through this site. (Kobe University)
MangaRama - Digital Comic Learning System
Comics shown and read using QuickTime. English translations and
explanations on the page.
Nihongo o Manabou
Beginning dialogs done with Flash.
31 Basic Sentences with Speech (Jouji Miwa)
These could be used for "listen & repeat" practice.
AJALT's (Real World Japanese)
Click the word "GENERAL" or "BUSINESS"
AJALT's Survival Japanese
In Romaji. Apparently RealAudio files, but they didn't play on my computer.
AJALT's Learning Supplements for Japanese for Busy People
Learn to say numbers, some verbs and some adjectives.
WordTheQue - Texts and MP3 Files
Mukashi-banashi (old tales)
Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training
Requires Flash, for beginners. Click the "Japanese" link on the lower left.
Podcasts
A Few Favorites - Not Aimed at JSL Students
These are not aimed at JSL students, but if you understand Japanese fairly well,
they are good.
Blog - Stories (Audio Book Style)
http://www.njuku.com/ - RSS = http://feeds.feedburner.com/Nihongo-juku
http://www.eigonikki.com/ - It's really designed for Japanese studying
English. However, there is more Japanese speaking than English speaking
and a complete transcript is available on the web site.
RSS = http://feeds.feedburner.jp/eigonikki
JSL Podcasts
For Beginners
www.JapanesePod101.com - Daily
Perhaps a bit too much time-wasting laughing and joking around and non-
study related chatting between presenters, but still very good.
(See hints) If you can't easily locate the podcast feed on their website, just
grab it here.
NEW RSS - http://www.japanesepod101.com/wp-feed-audio.php OLD RSS
= http://www.japanesepod101.com/feed/rss/
learn-japanese.podomatic.com - Some are video, so won't work on all MP3
players.
RSS = http://learn-japanese.podomatic.com/rss2.xml
Yuriko Sakamoto's "I Hear Japanese" - This series, developed by Yuriko
Sakamoto and David Boxer for eighth grade students at the Windward
School, provides instruction in grammar, vocabulary, and bilingual texts.
RSS = http://homepage.mac.com/yurikosakamoto/rss.xml
www.jedutainment.com/jedu/ (Ed Rooth)
Words spoken with a male voice (English) and a female voice (Japanese),
along with background music.
Japanese.libsyn.com
For beginners. He uses native Japanese speakers for the sample dialogues,
etc.
Nakama Vocabulary Video Podcast (Satoru Shinagawa)
See the English, then hear the Japanese.
Even for those without a "pod" capable of playing video .mp4 files, these
are useful if viewed online
Talk Sushi - Learn Japanese (Nick Kemp)
He has a native Japanese speaker on each show. Somewhat commercial,
promoting services he sells.
RSS = http://talksushi.libsyn.com/rss
For Intermediate to Advanced Students
voiceblog.jp/amane
Female Voice: Not aimed at JSL students, but she has a beautiful voice and
these are high quality short recordings. Good for repeated listenings.
Nippon VoiceBlog
Apparently aimed at non-Japanese. Tanscriptions of the show are on the
web site. (Not recently updated.)
voiceblog.jp/reiki
Female Voice: Not aimed at JSL students, but high quality recordings
without background music, so good for language study. Sort of an audio
diary. (Last updated on December 14, 2006)
voiceblog.jp/taa
Male Voice: Not aimed at JSL students, but includes a transcription. (Last
updated: July 16, 2006, 7:00 pm)
Japanese Classical Literature at Bedtime
RSS = http://jclab.wordpress.com/feed/
A list of directories with podcasts in Japanese
Perhaps good to find conversational listening practice.
www.voiceblog.jp
blog.seesaa.jp/contents/genre/0271/0001.html
pod.ladio.livedoor.com
dedio.jp
Things to Listen to with Scripts
These could be considered part of the above section as well. Streaming
RealVideo News with the exact script of what the announcer says.
Focus Tokushima
www.fnn-news.com
www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/biz
news.tbs.co.jp/
Video news with the scripts paraphrased. (Not exact transcriptions.)
headlines.yahoo.co.jp/videonews/
A collection of links to current news stories.
Things to Read with "Help"
www.gonihongo.com (Mayumi Ishida)
Some reading material with some vocabulary help.
Hiragana Times - Daily Lesson (In Hiragana)
It's also available in Romaji.
(Kawamura, Kitamura & Hobara)
Things to read pre-made with "Reading Tutor."
E-Kanji
Reading in a 3-part frame with clickable kanji that show the reading and
English in another frame
Kongetsu no Nihongo
24 Lessons with furigana as PDF files or Word files.
Petit Kanji (Patrick Benny)
Song lyrics with furigana and clickable kanji to get meanings and other
words with the same kanji.
news.kids.yahoo.co.jp
News with furigana for all kanji.
NOW OFFLINE: Mainichi Shimbun -
Part of "Mainichi Kids" so all kanji has furigana.
Things to Read
You could use some of the Tools to Help Read Japanese Web Pages listed above
to help you read some of these pages.
Aozora Bunko ()
/ Free Electronic Texts
e-bungeikan
Japanese Text Initiative
For example: Kappa ()
Tiju's Notebook (H. Shinozaki)
Text archives
Shiritsu PDD Toshokan ()
The Private Public Domain Data Library
(M.Shibata)
Text archives
Mini-collection of Modern Japanese Literature
Maintained for the programme of modern Japanese literature at the
University of Calgary
Bible in HTML
www.japanpen.or.jp - Novels, short stories, etc. PDF or HTML.
...
Nihon Bunka Keyword Dictionary (Yoichi Sugiura and John K. Gillespie)
Parallel English and Japanese readings. (I had to pop the Japanese pages
out of the frameset and manually set the encoding in order to read the
Japanese.)

Songs that many Japanese know, along with MIDI files, so you can also
learn the melodies.
NewsManga.com
One disadvantage for lower-level students would be that they can't use
tools like Rikaichan to help read the kanji, since the writing is all in images,
which also means they can't copy and paste unknown words into an online
dictionary.
Video
Video News from Japan
o ANN TV News via YouTube - Not quite "live," but they upload stories
several times an hour.
o Asahi Shinbun via YouTube - Several videos a day.
o Yomiuri Shimbun via YouTube - Several videos a day.
Japanese Study Videos
This is my blog of videos that I find on YouTube. Try it first, if you haven't
been there yet.
Basic Colors Video
See the kanji, listen to the pronunciation, see the colors, all to background
music.
One-minute Japanese: Animals
More English talking than Japanese, but ...
The Planet Names in Japanese
QuickTime Movie: How to memorize the planet names in order.
www.WeLoveJapanese.com
A few video clips of dialogs
Grammar Reference & Lessons
Some Notes on Japanese Grammar (Keith Smillie)
HTML Version with Kana and Kanji
JapaneseGrammar.pdf (25 pages, in Romaji only)
Particles (Tamae K. Prindle)
Explanations. Sentence samples also have AIFF sound files.
Griffin University's Grammar Lessons
Basic Japanese grammar explained in English
A Logical Japanese Grammar (Masahiko Satou) [Mirror Site]
Lessons on grammar. Also check out the Japanese Conjugation Builder (in
Romaji).
Nihongo Guide (Tae Kim)
Basic Grammar, Essential Grammar, Special Expressions, ...
Nihongo o Narau - Grammar Lessons in Romaji (Domini Lyman)
Basic lessons up to things like: aka - akaku nai - akaku nakatta
(100% in Japanese)

.../dictionary/dictionary.html
Check out the sentence examples.
Visualizing Japanese Grammar (Shoko Hamano)
Click the image to watch and listen to a Flash movie.
http://www.jgram.org/
Parts of the website require registering.
Lessons
study.U-biq.org
Quite a few lessons in Hiragana and Romaji, for beginners (or review for
others).
www.japanese-nihongo.com -
In HTML, Word Doc or PDF (RealAudio sound files, too.)
AJALT's Survival Japanese
In Romaji.
Fundamential Japanese Lessons (Charlotte Meyer)
There are 12 lessons which will take approximately 5 hours each.
Cornell University's Japanese Learning Materials (Yuka Kawasaki)
Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji (Gahoh Data), Listening, Reading, ...
Nihongo Center - One Point Lessons (www.alc.co.jp)
Conversational skills, etc. Bilingual pages.
Nihongo Shoho (Elementary Japanese Language) (Bernhard Garz)
34 lessons with MP3 files and vocabulary training.
Sakura - Japanese On-line - Monash University
Exercises, Web Tasks & Links
Pera-pera Penguin's 5-Minutes Japanese Class (Hitomi Hirayama)
Downloadable PDF files. (from the Daily Yomiuri).
Maktos: Japanese is Possible (Jimmy Seal)
32 lessons in Romaji (2001) Also hosted on James
Dunn's learnjapanese.elanguageschool.net
Module 1: Japanese Home Stay (University of Alabama)
A "free" sample lesson
Kana Quick and Dirty Guide to Japanese
By Tad Perry (1992), HTML by (John Teehan (1998), Kana by Andy Searls
(2000)
www.Japanese-online.com's Lessons
Introductory level. Sound files included.
Info-Japan.com's Lessons
Introductory level. Grammar, proverbs, ...
JinJapan.org's KidsWeb Language Lab
Basic; Hiragana Chart, Katakana Chart, Quick Kanji, 8 Lessons, Flash
movies
Japanese123 - Intermediate Japanese
There is other stuff on this website, too, but perhaps this is the best entry
point for the website.
www.speakrealjapanese.com
http://jplang.tufs.ac.jp/account/login
Dialogs can be listened to without logging in. (Tokyo University of Foreign
Studies)
Study Kana (Hiragana & Katakana)
Learn Those Kana (Larry Battle)
With audio.
Wai Wai Nihongo (Ryutaro Toyoda)
HIragana games in Flash, plus more. (Voice recordings by Kaori Mizumoto)
Moshi Moshi Student Activities - Requires the Shockwave plugin
The Hiragana Song
Hiragana Puzzle
Another Hiragana Song (nekopy.com)
The Fox's Ear: One character at a time explained to help you remember
them all.
Katakana
Hiragana
Japanese Kana Quizzes (Charles Kelly)
Multiple-choice quizzes & flashcards: Hiragana and Katakana. Requires Flash
6.
Zompist's Hiragana Flashcards
www.kanacards.com (Jonathan Stiles)
Flashcards and multiple-choice quizzes using the Flash plugin.
KanaFlash (Tobias Grder)
See the character, type in the Romaji (Hepburn?), then see if you got it
right.
Writing Hiragana & Katakana (a-chi.jp)
Flash movies of stroke order.
ChipChat Japanese Training (Marty Cawthon)
Hiragana Drill and Katakana Drill. Requires Java.
Benjamin Barrett's Japanese Lesson Pages
Step by step through hiragana with appropriate vocabulary and a little kanji
thrown in along the way.
Okayama University - Hiragana and Katakana Practice
Some are multiple-choice with sound files, some are fill-in-the-blanks.
Hiragana Challenge [Instructions] (Kazumi Hatasa)
Requires Shockwave. Remove all the Hiragana letters from the screen by
clicking them in gojuuon order.
Katakana Challenge [Instructions] (Kazumi Hatasa)
Requires Shockwave. Remove all the Katakana letters from the screen by
clicking them in gojuuon order.
Simple Hiragana (Taiji Hotta, Reiko Sato and Tomoko Watanabe)
Hiragana chart with WAV files, exercises on hiragana and vocabulary.
Works even without a Japanese font installed.
Hiragana Chart (with a man's voice) (www.tokyowithkids.com)
Click the hiragana to hear the pronunciation. Works even without a
Japanese font installed.
Normal Table of Japanese Hiragana with Speech (Rhonda Christensen)
man's voice using .au files. There is also a Katakana page, too.
Hiragana Practice (with a woman's voice) (Kimi Furuta)
Click the hiragana to hear the pronunciation. Works even without a
Japanese font installed. Includes non-repeating animated GIFs of stroke
order.
AIUEO Aoi (Yuko Horii Takekawa)
Hiragana practice with kids' voices. Looks similar to the "hiragana blocks" I
had as a kid.
Hiragana & Katakana Stroke Order (Satoru Shinagawa)
Uses Gahoh's QuickTime movies
Hiragana & Katakana Project (Yasuhiro Omoto)
Click to see stroke order.
Teach Yourself Japanese (Shinji Takasugi)
Writing kana, also grammar and more. Try the Java Hiragana Flashcards.
Java Game of Hiragana and Katakana (Shinji Takasugi)
Click the pair of hiragana and katakana which share pronunciation
Image Version for Japanese Hiragana Characters with Speech (Jouji Miwa)
Click the character and hear a man's voice reading it to you.
Kana Flashcards
Randomly shows hiragana images. Works even without a Japanese font
installed.
Hiragana & Katakana Concentration Games (Shunko Muroya)
This uses Dennie Hoopingarner's JavaScript code.
Kana Helper (jeffmk [at] myrealbox.com)
A random character is chosen, then you click its reading on the kana chart.
(Also reverse mode is available.)
www.KanaChart.com (Casey Giles)
You can see images of katakana and hiragana.
genki.japantimes.co.jp
Self study materials for the "Genki" textbook.
Kana Game (Cathy DeMillion)
Requires Flash. See the English, click the kana for the word. (dangerous,
red, bright, sweet, ...)
Hiragana Barabara Game
See a hiragana character broken into pieces and try to guess which one it
is. This is more difficult than you might expect.
Help with Writing Japanese
Learner's Conversion Dictionaries for Japanese Input Methods (Hatasa & Chung)
Helps write by catching common mistakes when inputting. (Mac or
Windows)
Free Software - Various Platforms (Windows, Mac, ...)
http://ichi2.net/anki/
Flashcards: Windows, Mac, Linux, FreeBSD
http://www.mnemosyne-proj.org/
Flashcard System+ Windows, Mac, Linux
http://www.tagaini.net/
Tagaini Jisho is a free, open-source Japanese dictionary and kanji lookup
tool that is available for Windows, MacOS X and Linux

KDrill (Java, etc.)
Mayjay: Japanese-English Dictionary (Zig Zichterman)
Uses Java so works on Mac or Windows. (Freeware - GNU License) EDICT
data.
Free Software - Windows
http://zkanji.sourceforge.net/ (Slyom Zoltn)
Windows Learning Tool and Kanji Lookup
Kanji Gold Flashcards (Denton Hewgill)
JFC - Japanese Flash Cards (Glenn Rosenthal)
Kanji Trainer Penpen (Alex Schonfeld)
A Tetris like (ie. things move and you can't stop them) matching game.
Basically, you have to match: kanji character + phonetic reading + English
meaning.
Vashon's Kana Study Aide (Kirkman Vashon)
A flashcard and multiple-choice quiz program. Requires Windows
95/98/2000/NT.
DreamKana (James Brown)
Hiragana and katakana flash card application that does not require any
special fonts or language packs.

Free Software - Macintosh
Kanji Invader for Nakama 1 & Nakama 2
Includes the complete kanji vocabulary sets for NAKAMA 1 &NAKAMA 2
(Makino, Hatasa &Hatasa, Houghton Mifflin)
JFC - Japanese Flash Cards (Glenn Rosenthal & Da Woon Jung)
Things for Teachers
Japanese Mosaic (uoregon.edu)
A collection of content-based curricular materials
Minna no Kyouzai
Members only, but membership was free when I tried it. (Use a fake email
address to avoid the possibility of spam.)
ftp://ftp.cc.monash.edu.au/pub/nihongo/00INDEX.html
EDICT and many other files.
MIT's Kanji Project
Build your own kanji study web pages using their materials. (For
example: MIT Kanji Cards)
Kanji data cards with QuickTime movies showing how to write them.

This will show each non-Jouyou Kanji in red.
The Royalty-free Photo Gallery for Japanese language Instruction (Hatasa)
(H. Kaneko)
,
Online Tools
Online KWIC Concordancers for Japanese Text
o Experimental; By Yasumasa Someya
Tanaka Corpus
o Be careful when using this. I've personally found many errors that
I've reported and I would assume there are many other existing
errors. Read this warning.
Online Dictionaries
EDICT (Jim Breen's Japanese-English Dictionary)
o Jim Breen's WWWJDIC Server -Word Lookup
Search EDICT and various other dictionaries. Fast and clutter-free
output.
o RomajiDesu.com/dictionary (Hai Bui Hoang)
You may type the word in Japanese, Hiragana, Romaji or English. -
Includes advertising.
o Japanese-English Dictionary Interface (JEDI) (Greg Peterson)
Fast, clutter-free output.
o JapaNod.com's Dictionary (Richard Moore)
o Jeffrey's Japanese <=> English Dictionary (Jeffrey Friedl)
(If your computer doesn't use S-JIS, then back up the the main
page.)
http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/jwb/j-
e/tty/nocolor/sjis/dict
http://www.solon.org/cgi-bin/j-e/tty/nocolor/sjis/dict
http://rut.org/cgi-bin/j-e/tty/nocolor/sjis/dict
http://dict.regex.info/cgi-bin/j-e/tty/nocolor/sjis/dict
jLex
Uses Jim Breen's EDICT data, etc. and data from the old
Tanaka Corpus apparently and not the updated Tatoeba.org
version. (At least, when checked in 2011, Tatoeba.org wasn't
being credited.)
o www.NihongoResources.com's "clutter-free" version
Also allows searching only within word types and substring searches.
o www.online-dictionary.biz/japanese/english/
www.online-dictionary.biz/english/japanese/
o www.j-prep.net/reference/ - Free section of a commercial website.
o www.Mahou.org/Dict
Does Romaji, too, though not always accurately, so be careful.
o www.freedict.com
Apparently uses a 2001 version of EDICT
o Kanjidict 1.7.1 (Joel Yliluoma)
It's a JE dictionary -- not (just?) a kanji dictionary. Uses EDICT
(1994-2001) old data?
o http://jisho.org/ (Website is named "Denshi Jisho") by Kim Ahlstrm
o http://tangorin.com/ (G.Bober)
o Bab.la Dictionaries: Japanese-English or English-Japanese
GigaDict.com's Japanese to Romaji Convertor (
)
This does actual word lookups, so should be accurate.
www.KanjiNetworks.com (Lawrence J. Howell and Hikaru Morimoto)
It contains etymologies for the 1,945 joyo characters. Can be searched or
browsed.
http://japanese-dict.com/
o This one has about 9,000 words, so it perhaps a good dictionary for
browsing commonly-used vocabulary.
o There is also a hangman game.
o It includes Romaji as well.
Sanseido's EXCEED Dictionary
o Goo's Search Engine & Dictionary
Enter a word once, then you can either search for it in a dictionary
(EiWa, WaEi or Kokugo) or on the Web.
o InfoSeek's EXCEED Interface
Sanseido's Daily Concise Dictionary, Etc.
o www.sanseido.net
o BigLobe's Interface
o dic.yahoo.co.jp/bin/dsearch
Shogakukan's Dictionaries
o dic.yahoo.co.jp
Same search form for: |
| |

o dic.livedoor.com (Japan Knowledge)
Same search for for E=>J and J=>E.
Kenkyusha's Dictionary
o dion.excite.co.jp
o www.excite.co.jp
Requires an extra wait and another click. (The search only gives a list
of words, so you need to click again.)
Nova's Dictionary
Must enter something into the EMAIL address space. A fake email address
is OK.
Babylon's English-Japanese
www.pi-ppa.com's J-E [E-J]
Cell-phone output. Romaji input or hiragana input.
These are primarily English-Japanese Dictionaries
o http://www.alc.co.jp/
trans.glova.jp
Romanized Japanese-English Dictionary (Geo Hara)
All contents are in images, so you can't use "find" on a page to jump to
words.
- Onomatopoeia Words
Japanese-Japanese
gogen-allguide.com
Read about the backgrounds of words and where they came from (in
Japanese).

Pages about Japanese
Guide to the Japanese Writing System (Jack Halpern)
Outline of the Japanese writing system, morphology, kana and
Romanization, ...
Things to Read for Motivation & Hints
Kanji Clinic Articles (Mary Sisk Noguchi)
Previous Japan Times "Kanji Clinic" columns.
Online Translation
Please remember that machine translation is not very accurate.
Powered by Amikai
o alice-group.amikai.com
o Excite's Online (Computer) Translation
o www.nifty.com/globalgate/
o www.ocn.ne.jp/translation/
o www.so-net.ne.jp/translation/
o www.infoseek.co.jp/Honyaku/
Powered by Systran
o world.altavista.com
o www.systranbox.com/systran/box
Other
o www.j-server.com (Offline Nov. 1, 2003 when checked)
Get direct links to Japanese newspapers via j-server.
o www.brother.co.jp/jp/honyaku/demo/
o www.worldlingo.com
Reference
Counting Dictionary
Refer to this when you can't remember what "counter" to use in Japanese.
About Japan
Not really language study, but studying culture is related.
At Home in Japan
10 modules aimed at people doing homestays.
JLPT Study
Yoshida Institute's Kanji Dictionary
This has Kanji listed for the (new) JLPT 5 Levels.
www.speedanki.com

o http://www.speedanki.com/login.php
JLPT N3 at Mund-Tandem.com
o http://www.mund-tandem.com/study/japanese/jlpt/n3/vocabulary/
o http://www.mund-tandem.com/study/japanese/jlpt/n3/kanji/
www.tanos.co.uk (Jonathan Waller)
o JLPT vocabulary radio
o More "vocabulary list" Internet radio
o http://www.tanos.co.uk/jlpt/skills/grammar/sentences/
Text-to-Speech (TTS) - Voice Synthesizers
VDS Radio
You can see the Japanese text as you listen to the voice synthesizer read
current news from an RSS feed.
http://text-to-speech.imtranslator.net/ is an online Text-to-Speech generator
that does Japanese fairly accurately. It reads kanji, too.
http://www.sp.nitech.ac.jp/demo/open_jtalk/index.php
Require Registration

http://kanji.koohii.com/account/create (Remember the Kanji)
??

http://www.japanese-flashcards.com/ - fairly easy to use once you get used to
all the popping up stuff.
More...
http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/jpage2.html#links_education

The following are commercial websites
http://www.kanjijourney.com/
Previously Featured Links
For fun, see the bottom of this page: Text-to-Speech (TTS) - Voice
Synthesizers
Names in Katanaka (name.reader.bz)
Learn how to write your name and your friends' names in Japanese.
Enter a "Gaijin" First Name ()
(Search)

Previously featured
Furigana Injector
An extension for Firefox or Chrome. It's cool because you can include a list of kanji
that you want it to ignore.
www.furiganizer.com
Copy and paste in Japanese text, click the button, then see the same text with
Furigana. (Furigana is Hiragana showing you how the Kanji is pronounced.)
Yoshida Institute's Kanji Dictionary
This has Kanji listed for the (new) JLPT 5 Levels.
uPal: Associative Kanji Learning
There are quizzes and sentence examples, too.
Visit These First
Rikaichan - A Firefox plugin. You can put your cursor over any Japanese
word on a webpage to get the reading and the English meaning.
Learn the Japanese Kanji - A Java applet for browsing, quizzing, etc.
Free English-Japanese MP3 Files from www.goethe-verlag.com
WWWJDICT - Online Dictionary
Previous on "What's New"
Perhaps these are also listed elsewhere on the page above. (2012-09-13)
v2p.jp - Watch Japanese TV or Listen to Radio in Real Time
The framerate is a bit slow, but watchable. After downloading and
installing the software (free, Mac, Windows, Linux), you'll see a selection of
stations.
/ / NHK / bayfm78 / etc.
Basic Japanese Lessons (by Koh Kia Leng of Singapore)
I haven't really checked this site out yet.
I noticed on June 30, 2011 that coscom.co.jp now has slowly spoken news
with text.
o
o
o
Tagini Jisho (a free, open-source Japanese dictionary and kanji lookup tool
that is available for Windows, MacOS X and Linux)
It's been around a while, but I noticed it wasn't listed here, so I added it
June 30, 2011.
MightyVerse's Japanese Sentences
Videos of People Saying (1,856) Japanese Sentences - Requires Flash
cueflash.com/tags/japanese
You have to register to "study," but you can browse the lists without
registering. (User submitted data.)
quizlet.com/subject/japanese
User submitted flashcard data, so possibly not proofread by a native
speaker.
o TRY THIS: Go to one of the sets of Tatoeba.org Sentences, click the
speaker icon and listen to how good the text-to-speech voices are.
AIJ FlashCard Program (Free)
Mac or Windows
It's been around since 2007, but it's newly-listed here.
Douglas P Perkins's Free Printable Kanji Flashcards
Kanji on one side, reading, and high frequency words on the other.
japanese.nciku.com
A dictionary, vocabulary lists, flashcards, etc. You don't need to become a
member to use the site.
japanese.nciku.com's Popular Vocabulary Lists
You can try the dictionary from here.

Be patient, it may be a bit slow.
Minna no Nihongo 1 and 2 Vocabulary Quizzes (Larry Battle)
KanjiDamage.com (Henri Servomaa)
Jump to Kanji Facts.
Or jump to Start with the First Kanji.

> - > CEFR A1

TOEIC

CEFR A1

3TOEIC(R350

100 11252
No.
/
Lesson1
Lesson2
Lesson3
Lesson4

Lesson5
Lesson6 517
Lesson7
Lesson8
Lesson9
Lesson10
Lesson11
Lesson12
Lesson13
Lesson14
Lesson15
Lesson16
Lesson17
Lesson18
Lesson19
Lesson20
Lesson21
Lesson22
Lesson23
Lesson24
Lesson25

GCAT

Level1
Lesson26
Lesson27 3
Lesson28
Lesson29
Lesson30
Lesson31
Lesson32 CD
Lesson33

Lesson34 6
Lesson35
Lesson36
Lesson37
Lesson38
Lesson39
Lesson40
Lesson41
Lesson42
Lesson43
Lesson44
Lesson45
Lesson46
Lesson47
Lesson48
Lesson49
Lesson50
Lesson51
GCAT

Level2
Lesson52

Lesson53
Lesson54
Lesson55

Lesson56
Lesson57
Lesson58
Lesson59
Lesson60

Lesson61
Lesson62
Lesson63
Lesson64
Lesson65
Lesson66
Lesson67
Lesson68
Lesson69
Fair

Lesson70
GCAT

Level3
Lesson71
Lesson72

Lesson73
Lesson74
Lesson75
Lesson76
Lesson77
Lesson78 US
Lesson79 3
Lesson80
Lesson81
Lesson82
Lesson83
Lesson84
2

Lesson85
Lesson86
Lesson87
Lesson88
Lesson89

Lesson90
Lesson91
Lesson92

Lesson93

Lesson94
Lesson95
Lesson96
Lesson97

Lesson98

Lesson99
Lesson100
GCAT

Level4

2014 04 29
GW
2014 03 10

2014 02 28

2014 01 13
/Gmail
2013 04 17
Skype""
2013 03 06

Copyright (C) 2014 Sankei Human Learning Co.,Ltd.
Jim's Japanese Grammar Summary
Introduction
This summary of some basic Japanese grammar has been derived from the
Japanese grammar text books that were used at Swinburne University when I
was studying Japanese there in the 1980s. I copied these points into a small
notebook to use as revision while travelling, etc.. I have decided to key them in
and make them available as a WWW page which can supplement Keith Smillie's
introduction to Japanese grammar.
The summary starts with the assumption that the reader knows the basic
sentence structure, etc. Each grammatical point is briefly outlined, then followed
by one or more examples. There is quite a lot of kanji in the examples, so I have
added furigana to the ones a beginner might not recognize. The Swinburne
course never used romaji. (The astute reader will note a certain Australian bias in
the examples.)
Note that the nomenclature of the Swinburne course is retained, so you need to
be aware that "adjectival nouns" are , i.e. what some people call "quasi-
adjectives", "na-adjectives" or "prenominal adjectives". Verbs are sometimes
referred to as "Type I", i.e. and "Type II", i.e. . Most of the
nomenclature is self-evident.
There is an appendix of the main verb inflections.
Jim Breen, February 2001.
DIFFER
A differs from B
A B
example:
LOCATION OF ACTION
Location verb
example:
example:
INSTRUMENT OF ACTION
also
example:
Note: You can add or to in both of the above.)
LET'S (DO SOMETHING)
Verb in form
example:
SHALL WE?
Verb in form plus
example:
SUPPOSE/MIGHT
~
example:
(Who might it be? I think it's Tanaka.) [Implies not 100% sure.]
ADJECTIVE INFLECTION
Here "R" means the unchanging portion of the adjective, i.e. the part
before the "".
Present Affirmative R e.g.
Past Affirmative R e.g.
Present Negative R e.g.
Past Negative R
ADVERB FORMATION (FROM ADJECTIVES)
True adjectives: R plus e.g.
Adjectival nouns: add e.g.
SOME CLASSIFIERS (OR COUNTERS)
Small animals ,
Cylindrical Objects ,
Volumes (books, etc.)
Footwear (pairs)
Buildings (old)
Clothes, suits, etc.
Floors, levels
Times (occurrences)
People (*)
Mechanical objects (cars, etc.)
Flat objects (e.g. stamps)
Times, degrees
(*) NB: and are said and respectively.
SOME PRONOUN USAGE
(also known as interrogative nouns)
something
someone
somewhere
nothing (*)
no-one (*)
nowhere (*)
when used with negative verbs.
(*) , and are retained before , e.g.

USAGE OF ~ FORM
connecting clauses, sentences, etc.
,
implied reason, cause.

emphasize order (with )

polite request.

progressive action.

state or condition

PERMISSION
Verb--form with
example:
PROHIBITION
Verb--form with
example:
ATTEMPT AN ACTION
Verb--form with
example:
ACTION TOWARDS/AWAY FROM SPEAKER
Verb--form with
example:
example:
PURPOSE WITH MOTION
Noun (Place) (N ) Verb (-stem) Verb (motion).
example:
example:
ANY~ WILL DO
Anything will do -
Anytime will do -
Anywhere will do -
BUT & BECAUSE BETWEEN SENTENCES
Use &
example:
example:
example:
ALREADY & STILL/NOT YET
(implies change)
(implies no change)
example:

NB: should not be used with a past-tense copula/adjective/verb. In
fact it can on occasions, e.g. "....", but learners
need be careful.
IT LOOKS TO ME.../I AM OF THE IMPRESSION
Verb-stem/Adjective-stem/Adj-noun with
example:
example:
example:
~NESS (largeness, blueness, etc.)
Adj-stem/Adj-noun with
example:
example:
WAY/MANNER OF DOING
VERB--stem with
example:
DIRECT QUOTATION
Quoted-person quote Reporting verb
example:
Suitable verbs:
INDIRECT QUOTATION/REPORTING
Quote in plain sentences
example:
FEELINGS/OPINIONS
Plain with
example:
HEARSAY
Plain with
example:
ACCORDING TO ...
Noun .....
example: .....
NEGATIVE FORM
~ becomes ~
Reason/Cause
Permission
MUST (STRONG)
Negative with
example:
PLEASE DON'T
Verb (plain, neg)
example:
example:
IF/WHEN ....
~, i.e. verb (plain, past) or adjective with
example:
WHEN ... OCCURRED

HOW ABOUT ..../WOULD YOU LIKE
~... or ~...
example:
example:
SUCH THINGS AS ....
~ ~
example:
example:
RELATIVE CLAUSES
Clause (plain) & noun
example:
DURING/BEFORE/AFTER
During: ~
Before: ~
After: ~
example:
example:
example:
MORE ~ / ~ER (i.e. comparative) - adjectives
Implicit :
example:
example:
Explicit (question): ... ... (also etc.)
example:
Explicit (statement): Noun-1 Noun-2 adjective
example:
(The means "than" in this situation.)
MOST ~ / ~EST (i.e. superlative)
generally plus adj or adv
example:
example: Q:
A:
AMONGST

example: Q: A:

MORE~ / ~ER (adverbs
Qualitative:
example:
Quantitative:
example:
Explicit comparison: or
example: Q: A:
(However it is
)
~ING (i.e. nominalization of verbs)
add to the plain form, giving etc.
example:
(NB: the is sometimes dropped, e.g. in answers to questions.)
example: Q:
A:

YOU'D BETTER .../HE'D BETTER ...
Verb (plain, past) ....
example:
... BETTER NOT
Verb (plain, pres., neg.) ....
example: example:

WANT TO ...
Verb (masu-stem) plus or
example:
example:
example:
example:
NB: for a 3rd person, add ~ (i.e. making , , etc.) Note
that this forms a transitive verb.
example:
example:
~ MATTER
Verb or adj. plus
NB: is more abstract than
example:
ABLE TO DO SOMETHING
Verb (plain)
example:
MIGHT
Verb (plain)
example:
example:
EXPLANATION/EMPHASIS/CORRECTION
(a) for a verb, use verb or
(b) for a noun, use noun
example: (explanation)
example: (emphasis)
example: (admonition)
BECAUSE
, or often when spoken
example: (note
the "")
example:
WHILE (simultaneous action [by subject])
Verb (masu-stem)
example:
example:
INTENTION (I intend ..., I am thinking of ...)
... verb- form or plus
example:
ABOUT TO ....
example:
WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO ....
example:
(FIRM) INTENTION
Verb (plain)
example:
EXPECTED ../DUE TO ../OUGHT TO ...
Verb (plain)
example:
example:
example:
IF .../PROVIDED THAT ...
Use the ~ form (adj: , neg. verb: added to the plain
negative stem)
MUST DO ../HAS TO DO
Use the negative form above with , or with
/.
example:
example:
Although virtually interchangeable, / carries a stronger sense
of obligation than .
DO YOU EVER ...?/I OCCASIONALLY ...
Verb (pres. aff.)
example:
example:
HAVE YOU EVER ...?/I HAVE OCCASIONALLY (NEVER) ..
Verb (past. aff.)
example:
example:
example:
ABLE TO DO SOMETHING
Verb in ~ form
- Gr I: ~ to ~, ~ to ~, ~ to ~, etc.
- GR II: ~ to ~ (e.g. to )
- to , to
NB: these all for intransitive verbs.
example:
example:
SEEMS ../LIKE .../AS IF

example:
example:
example:
SO THAT ../IN ORDER TO...
Verb (plain)
example:
example:

WARN .../TELL HER(HIM)../I ASKED HIM TO ... i.e. reported requests
~ plus a reporting verb
example:
example:
TRY .../MAKE AN EFFORT TO ...
~
example:
example:
NOW ABLE TO ../FINALLY ..
Verb
(implies change of state over a period of time)
example:
example:
(PASSIVE) WAS .../IS ....
Verb (neg. base) plus
(Grp I)
(Grp II)
(Grp III)
example: (active)
example: (passive)
example:
example:
NB: often implies adverse situation (uses )
example:
example:
WAS MADE TO.../IS ALLOWED TO ... (causative passive)
Verb (caus. base) (~)
e.g.:

Usage: Made (maker ) object Verb (causative passive)
example:
HONORIFIC & HUMBLE VERBS
- HONORIFIC HUMBLE
To go
To come
To be
To eat -
To drink
(smoke?)
-
To say
To do
To see, look -
To know
Others
Verb(masu stem)

Verb(masu stem) (only for
someone)
Honorific examples:

Humble examples:

....

GIVING
Donor recipient object
Verb depends on the recipient's status with respect to the donor:
Higher:
Equal or neutral:
Lower: (usage now obsolete)
example:
example:
example:
RECEIVING
Recipient donor object
Higher status donor:
Equal or lower status donor:
example:
example:
GIVING TO EGO (self, family, in-group)
Donor recipient object
(higher status donor: , equal: )
example:
example:
GIVING/RECEIVING ACTIONS
Action-verb(te-form) plus giving/receiving verb implies a favour
example:
example:
example:
example:
example:
example:
POLITE REQUEST
Verb(te-form) plus:
(expected)
(favour from equal)
(favour from superior)
example: ....

example:
example:
EVEN POLITER REQUEST (WON'T YOU BE ABLE TO ....?)
Use potential form:
example:
example:
VERY POLITE PERMISSION
Causative-te form with
example:
example:
ONLY/MERELY/SIMPLY (emphasizes the smallness of amount/quantity)
Noun/numeral verb(negative)
example:
example:
ONLY (EXACTLY AND NO MORE)
Noun/numeral verb(affirmative)
NB: and together combines smallness and exactness
example:
EXTENT/ABOUT~
(more exact than )
example: (i.e. up to 10 min)
NOT AS LARGE/NOT AS SMALL/ETC.
Noun-1 noun-2 negative adjective/adverb/copula
example:
UNCHANGED CONDITION
(treat as noun, usually omit following particle)
example:
example:
EVEN THOUGH/EVEN IF
Adj./Verb/Copula - in contrastive sentences
example:
HOWEVER MUCH/HOWEVER OFTEN
etc. plus expression-
example:
example:
IN SPITE OF../ALTHOUGH..
Sentence
example:
example:
ACTION IN ADVANCE OF NEED
Verb--form plus
example:
example:
example:
COMPLETE ACTION
Verb--form plus
example:
example:
example: (Can have a nuance
of apology.)
REASON/IT IS NOT THAT.../I DON'T MEAN TO SAY THAT...
Subject plus
example:

IT IS NOT POSSIBLE/I CANNOT POSSIBLY..
Verb(plain, pres. aff.)
example:

HAVING TO DO ..
Verb(pres. neg.)
(Softer than ~)
example:
COMPLETED ACTION
Transitive-verb--form plus
Intransitive-verb--form plus
(Transitive-verb--form plus implies continuous action)
example:
example:
PERFORM ACTION AND RETURN Verb--form plus
example:
example:
PROGRESSIVE CHANGE
Verb--form plus
(In the past: , in the future )
example:
example:
example:
example:
INTERROGATIVE CLAUSES
Subject plus (or interrogative verb plus )
example:
example:
example:
example:
WHETHER ... WHETHER/ WHETHER OR NOT
Subject-1 subject-2 (with negative verb)
example:
example:

example:
Also Subject-1 (with negative verb)
example:
example:
EXCESS IN ACTION OR STATE
Verb-masu-stem/Adjective-base/Adj-noun plus
example:

example:

BEGINNING/END OF ACTION
Verb-masu-stem plus
example:
example:
example:
PERSONAL DECISION
Verb(plain) plus
DECISION BY OTHERS
Verb(plain) plus
example:
example:
example:

AND/WHAT'S MORE/IN ADDITION
Clause plus
example:
example:
example:

WHEN/WHENEVER
Action/state sentence plus plus logical consequence statement
example:
example:
example:
ACTION JUST ABOUT TO START OR JUST FINISHED
Start: Verb(plain, present)
Finish: Verb(plain, past)
example:
example:
example:
BASIS FOR SUBJECTIVE EVALUATION OF SITUATION
.......
example:

NUANCE OF LARGER THAN USUAL QUANTITY (IMPLY SURPRISE)
Quantity
example:
example:
MANY/EXAGGERATION
Interrogative noun plus
example:
example:
example:
TO RANGE OR EXTEND OVER/TO COVER
~ means to cross over
example:
CONCERNING/CONNECTED WITH
~
example:

USE OF ~
a. while:
b. from birth:
c. although:

d. as always:
USE OF ~
a. depending on:
b. in accordance with:

c. by means of:

APPENDIX: VERB TABLE
(NB: the Group 1, 2, 3 labels are what was used at Swinburne. Many texts use
other grouping and labels.)
GROUP_O
NE--
MASU
----
PRES_N
EG-
PAST_
PL.
TE--
---
BA--
---
OU/O
O--
PASSIV
E---
CAUSAT
IVE
IMPE
R.
~ e.g.

~ e.g.

*

~ -

~ e.g.

~ e.g.

~ e.g.

~ e.g.

~ e.g.

~ e.g.

GROUP - - - - - - - - -
TWO
~e e.g.

GROUP
THREE
- - - - - - - - -

September 2000
Some Notes on Japanese Grammar
Keith Smillie
Deartment of Computing Science
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H1
smillie@cs.ualberta.ca

No claim is made for either originality or completeness in these notes. Most of the
examples have been taken from, or have been suggested by, the references given at the
end. The topics chosen are those which may benefit a person who is beginning to study
J apanese and who would like a quick reference to supplement more complete and
authoritative sources.
Table of Contents
Word Order
Nouns
Pronouns
Demonstratives and Interrogatives
Particles
Verbs
Introduction

Giving and receiving
Starting an action
Nominalization
Adjectives
Describing nouns
Adverbs
Comparisons
Present and past polite forms
Expressing "to be"
Uses of desh
Present and past plain forms
The gerund or -te form
Progressive tense
Desiderative form
Passive form
Causative form
Conditional form
Numbers
Specific Time
Relative Time
Counters
Calendar
Family
Acknowledgements
References
Appendix. A few verbs

Word Order
Japanese is a Subject-Object-Verb language as compared with English which is a
Subject-Verb-Object language.
Torako wa neko desu.
Torako is a cat. (Literally, "Torako as for cat is.")

Torako ga nezumi o mimashita.
Torako saw a mouse (Literally, "Torako [subject] mouse [object] saw.")
A sentence is made into a question by placing the particle ka at the end.
Torako ga nezumi o mimashita ka.
Did Torako see a mouse?

Nouns
Japanese nouns do not have gender, they may not be modified by definite or
indefinite articles because none exist in Japanese, and the singular and plural
forms are usually the same. In romaji the names of persons and places are
capitalized as are the names of languages except English (eigo).
hon book, books, a book, the book, the books
For nouns referring to people, the suffix -tachi may be used to indicate the plural.
kodomo child, children kodomotachi children

Tanaka san tachi Mr. Tanaka and his family or others
Japanese give the family name first followed by the given name.
Tanaka Hiromi Hiromi Tanaka
The suffix -ya means the store where the objects are sold or the person who sells
them. The suffix -ka means a person who is is an expert or specialist in the
designated subject.
hana flower hanaya flower shop, florist

niku meat nikuya butcher shop, butcher

shisetsu novel shisetsuka novelist
When referring to a clerk or shopkeeper, the honorific san is used.
honya san bookstore clerk, bookseller
Two nouns used together as a compound noun are joined by the particle no.
nihongo no kurasu Japanese language class

apato no biru apartment building

Pronouns
watashi I, me
anata you
kare he, him
kanojo she, her
ano hito that person

watashitachi we, us
anatatachi you
karera they, them
kanojotachi they, them
ano hitotachi those persons
Avoid using anata whenever possible, and use the person's name
with san instead. Similarly, when referring to a third person, use the person's
name.
Sumisu san wa eigo o mimashita ka.
Did you (Mr. Smith) see the movie?

Tanaka san wa nani o kaimashita ka.
What did she (Mrs. Tanaka) buy?
The indefinite pronouns are the following:
dareka someone daremo no one
doreka something doremo nothing
dokaka somewhere dokomo nowhere
nanika something nanimo nothing
ikuraka some, a little ikuramo not much
nandemo anything nannimoVnothing
The negative indefinite pronouns take a negative verb.
Dareka kimashita.
Someone came.

Daremo kimasen deshita. No one came.
The one reflexive pronoun is jibun (myself, yourself, etc.).
Jibun de hatarakimasu. I am working by myself.
There are no relative pronouns in Japanese, and the relative clause precedes the
word it modifies.
Asoko ni suwatte iru wakai josei wa musume desu.
That young lady sitting over there is my daughter.

Demonstratives and Interrogatives
The demonstrative and iterrogative words, which are either pronouns, adjectives
or adverbs, may be divided into four groups depending on the prefix:
ko- Something near the speaker.
so- Something nearer the listener than the speaker.
a- Something at a distance from both speaker and listener.
do- Question

kore this one sore that one are that one dore which one
kono this sono that ano that dono which
konna this kind of sonna that kind of anna that kind of donna what kind of
k in this manner s in that manner in that manner d in which way
koko here soko there asoko over there doko where
kochira this way sochira that way achira that way dochira which way
Other interrogative pronouns are the following:
dare who
nan, nani what
nannin how many people
ikura how much
ikutsu how many
itsu when
dshite why

Particles
wa Topic
Yko san wa daigakuin no gakusei desu.
Yko is a graduate student. (Literally, "As for Yko, she is a graduate
student.")
ga Subject
Watashi wa sushi ga suki desu.
I like sushi. (Literally, As for me, sushi is likeable.")
o Direct object
Torako wa kasasagi o mite imasu.
Torako is looking at the magpie.
no Possession, noun modification, apposition
Simon wa musume no neko desu.
Simon is my daughter's cat.

Nihon no tabemono wa oishii desu.
Japanese food is delicious.

Tomodachi no Tanaka san wa sensei desu.
My friend Mr. Tanaka is a teacher.
ni object, location, direction, specific time
Watashi wa Tanaka san ni hon o kasimashita.
I loaned Mr. Tanaka a book.

Hiromi san wa Tky ni imasu.
Hiromi is in Tokyo.

Kin watashi wa hayaku uchi ni kaerimashita.
Yesterday I went home early.

gogo jji
at 10 p.m.

ninichiybi ni
on Sunday

shichigatsu ni
in July

1998 nen ni
in 1998
de Place of action, means, total, material
Watashi wa honya de hon o sansatsu kaimashita.
I bought three books at the bookstore.

Tanaka san wa basu de kaisha ni ikimasu.
Mr. Tanaka goes to the office by bus.

Ashita eiga ni futari de ikimasu.
Tomorrow the two of us are going to a movie.

Tburu wa ki de dekite imasu.
The table is made of wood.
e Direction
Nihon e ikimasu ka.
Are you going to Japan?
kara Origin, starting time
Ano hito wa Nihon kara kimashita.
He is from Japan.

Depto wa jji kara desu.
The department store opens at 10:00 o'clock.
made Target time
Depto wa rokuji made desu.?
The department store closes at 6:00 o'clock.

Depto wa jji kara rokuji made desu.
The department store is open from 10:00 o'clock until 6:00 o'clock.
mo Also, both ... and, neither ... nor
Watashi wa ocha ga suki desu. Kohii mo suki desu.
I like tea. I also like coffee.

Ocha mo kohii mo nomimasu.
I drink both tea and coffee.

Ocha mo kohii mo nomimasen.
I drink neither tea nor coffee.
to Complete listing (and), involvement
Sono gakusei wa pen to enpitsu o motte imasu.
That student has a pen and a pencil.

Watashi wa yoku tomodachi to hirugohan o tabemasu.
I often have lunch with my friends.
ya Partial listing (and)
Watashitachi wa Kyto ya saka (nado) e ikimashita.
We went to Kyoto, Osaka, etc.
ga but
Tanaka san wa kimasu ga, Watanabe san wa kimasen.
Mr. Tanaka is coming, but Mr. Watanabe isn't.
ka Enumeration (or)
Ocha ka kh ikaga desu ka.
How about tea or coffee?
kara Reason
Isogashii kara, eiga ni ikimasen deshita.
Because I was busy, I didn't go to the movie.
nagara Simultaneous action
Aruki nagara, mondai ni tsuite kangaemashita.
While walking, I thought about the problem.
ka Question marker
Gakusei desu ka.
Are you a student?
ne Confirmation
Gakusei desu ne.
You are a student, aren't you?
yo Emphasis
Gakusei desu yo.
So you're a student!

Verbs
Introduction
Japanese verbs do not have different forms for person, number or gender. Verbs
are listed in what is known as the "dictionary" or "plain" form. All Japanese verbs,
except for two irregular verbs, can be divided into two groups or conjugations
which differ only in the way in which they form their stems and infinitives. The
stem may change or have a suffix added to show tense, mood and politeness.
Type I or Group 1 verbs are all verbs whose dictionary form does not end in -
eru or -iru, together with a few which have these endings. The stem is formed by
dropping the final -u; the infinitive is formed by adding -i to the stem. Type I
verbs are also called consonant or c-stem verbs or u-stem or u-dropping verbs.
Dictionary Stem Infinitive Meaning
kaku kak- kaki- to write
iku ik- iki- to go
yomu yom- yomi- to read
matsu mat- machi- to wait
hanasu hanas- hanashi- to speak
omou omo- omoi- to believe
Verbs ending in -au, -iu and -ou are considered to be c-stem verbs as they
formerly ended in -awa, -iwa and -owa, respectively.
Type II or Group 2 verbs, a much smaller group than the first, are most of the
verbs which end in -eru or -iru in the dictionary form. The stem is formed by
dropping the final -ru; the infinitive is the same as the stem. Type II verbs are
also called vowel or v-stem verbs or ru-dropping verbs.
hajimeru hajime- hajime- to begin
miru mi- mi- to see, to look at
taberu tabe- tabe- to eat
The two irregular verbs, sometimes known as Type III or Group 3 verbs,
are kuru and suru.
kuru kiki- to come
suru shi- shi- to do

Present and past polite forms
To form the present polite form add -masu to the infinitive for the positive and -
masen for the negative. For the past polite form add -mashita to the infinitive for
the positive and -masen deshita for the negative.
Tokidoki eiga o mimasu.
I sometimes watch movies.

Takahashi san wa sakana o tabemasen.
Ms. Takahashi doesn't eat fish.

Mainichi kanji no benky o shimashita ga, sugu wasuremashita.
I studied kanji every day, but I soon forgot them.

Ichi-jikan machimashita ga, tomodachi wa kimasen deshita.
I waited an hour, but my friend didn't come.
Expressing "to be"
The meaning "is" or "are" may be expressed by the copula desu, and by the
verbs arimasu and imasu. The copula desu is used when one thing is, or equals,
another; arimasu refers to the existence of inanimate objects (including plants,
which don't move about); and imasu refers to the existence of animate objects.
The negative of desu is dewa arimasen or ja arimasen or dewa nai desu or ja nai
desu. When describing the location of something, ni arimasu can often be
replaced by desu. The verb arimasu can often be translated as "there is", "are" or
"have".
Koko wa Yokahama eki desu.
This is Yokahama station.

Kissaten wa gink to binkyoku no aida ni arimasu.
The coffee shop is between the bank and the post office.

Watanabe san wa doko ni imasu ka.
Where's Mr. Watanabe?

Gink wa doko ni arimasu ka.
Where's the bank?

Amerikajin dewa arimasen. Igirisujin desu.
I'm not American. I'm English.
In situations demanding a high degree of courtesy, e.g., a sales clerk in a
department store talking to a customer, the speaker is likely to use the formal
and humble gozaimasu instead ofarimasu and irasshaimasu instead of iru.
Kono hoteru ni wa, fakkusu ga arimasu ka. Hai, gozaimasu.
Do you have a fax in this hotel? Yes, we do.

Sumimasen, kono st wa ikura desu ka. Sore wa ky-sen en de gozaimasu.
Excuse me, how much is this sweater? It's 9,000.

Moshi, moshi. Tanaka san wa irasshaimasu ka.
Hello. Is Mr. Tanaka there?
Uses of desh
The word desh, which comes from desu, when used in a question followed
by ka, is the equivalent of "I wonder...". When used with a rising intonation, it is
asking for agreement so it is similar to ne but softer and less direct. Used with a
falling intonation, the sentence is often translated using "probably", "must be" or
"almost certainly". Also desh may be used in place of desu for extra politeness.
Kore wa nan desu ka. Kore wa nan desh ka.
What's this? I wonder what this is?

Are wa Watanabe san no uchi desh. [Rising intonation]
That's Mr. Watanabe's house, right?

Hokkaid wa ima samui desh. [Falling intonation]
It's probably cold in Hokkaido now.

Sumimasen ga, Tanaka san desh ka.
Excuse me, but would you be Mr. Tanaka?
Present and past plain forms
The plain form of verbs are used with immediate family and close friends and
associates. The polite forms are more appropriate for general use. However, the
plain forms function in various ways in a sentence other than as the main verb
and so must be learned.
The plain form of the present tense is the dictionary form. For the negative add -
nai to the stem for v-stem verbs, and -anai for c-stem verbs except for those
verbs ending in -au, -iuand -ou where -wanai is added. The plain negatives
of kuru and suru are konai and shinai, respectively. Also the plain negative
of aru is nai.
Tokidoki eiga o miru.
I sometimes watch movies.

Takahashi san wa sakana o tabenai.
Ms. Takahashi doesn't eat fish.

Kotae wa nai desh.
There isn't an answer, is there?
To form the plain past tense for v-stem verbs add -ta to the stem. For c-stem
verbs use the appropriate change in the following list:
-su => -shita hanasu hanashita talked
-ku => -ita kiku kiita asked
-gu => -ida oyogu oyoida swam
-ru=> -tta nuru nutta painted
-tsu => -tta motsu motta held
-u => -tta omou omotta thought
-bu => -nda tobu tonda flew
-mu => -nda nomu nonda drank
-nu => -nda shinu shinda died
The plain past tense of kuru and suru are kita and shita, respectively.
To form the negative of the plain past tense, add -nakatta to the stem of v-stem
verbs and -anakatta to the stem of c-stem verbs.
taberu tabenakatta didn't eat
yomu yomanakatta didn't read
As long as the verb at the end of a sentence is in the polite form, any verbs in
the middle can be in the plain form without affecting the overall tone. This
means that the plain form can be used when sentences are joined with kedo, for
example, or when they finish with desh.
Taiiku no sensei wa ii hito da kedo, chotto hen desu ne.
The physical education teacher is nice, but he's a bit strange, isn't he!

Takahashi san wa eigo ga wakaru desh ka.
I wonder if Ms. Takahashi understands English?

Ani wa ikanai kedo, watashi wa ikimasu.
My older brother is not coming, but I am.

Ky wa kinybi da to omotta kedo, chigaimasu ne.
I thought it was Friday today, but it isn't, is it!
To give a reason for something, use either kara after the plain form of the verb
or an -i adjective.
Shinkansen de itta kara, jikan ga amari kakarimasen deshita.
We went by Shinkansen, so it didn't take very long.

Shitsumon ga mada i kara, m ichido setsumei shimash.
There are still a lot of questions, so let me explain again.
To express an opinion, use the phrase to omoimasu at the end of a sentence and
put all verbs in the plain form. To express what someone else is thinking,
use omotte imasu. The verbkangaeru also means "to think" but implies "to
consider" whereas omou implies opinion or feeling.
Takahashi san wa kimasen. Takahashi san wa konai to omoimasu.
Ms. Takahashi is not coming. I don't think Ms. Takahashi is coming.

Maiku san wa, Nihon wa ii kuni da to omotte imasu.
Mike thinks that Japan is a great country.

Chiimu no koto o kangaete imashita.
I was thinking about the team.
The noun tsumori means "intention", so the sentence ending tsumori desu after
the plain form of the verb can usually be translated as "intend to" or "mean to
do".
Sore wa mondai desu ne. D suru tsumori desu ka.
That's a problem, isn't it? What do you intend to do?

Donna kuruma o kau tsumori desu ka.
What kind of car do you intend to buy?
To express being able to do something, add koto ga dekimasu to the plain form
of the verb. The plain past tense followed by koto ga arimasu ka is equivalent to
"Have you ever ...".
Maiku san wa kanji o kaku koto ga dekimasu ka. (Maiku san wa kanji o kakemasu
ka.)
Mike, can you write kanji characters?

Nihongo o hanasu koto ga dekimasu ka. (Nihongo ga hanasemasu ka.)
Can you speak Japanese?

Sashimi o tabeta koto ga arimasu ka.
Have you ever eaten raw fish?
A sentence in the plain form ending in no desu or n' desu indicates that the
speaker is explaining something, asking for an explanation, or giving empahasis.
Iroirona mondai ga arimasu ne. D suru n' desu ka.
There are all sorts of problems, aren't there? What are you going to do?

Nani o shite iru n' desu ka.
What are you doing?

Totemo takai n' desu yo. Dakara kawanai n' desu.
It's really expensive! That's why I'm not buying it
To quote someone, follow the quotation by to iimasu (or whatever tense and
form is appropriate). To say what someone has said without making a quotation,
use to iimasu but put what was said into the plain form. It's common to
omit da when reporting on questions. The verb iimasu may be used to ask how
to say something in English or Japanese.
Maiku san wa, "Hayaku hashiru koto ga dekimasen," to iimashita.
Mike said, "I can't run fast".

Maiku san wa, "Ashita yaky o shimasu," to iimashita.
Mike said, "I'm playing baseball tomorrow".

Maiku san wa, ashita yaky o suru to iimashita.
Mike said he's playing baseball tomorrow.

Watashi wa Amerikajin ka to kikimashita.
He asked if I was American.

"Autumn" wa Nihongo de nan to iimasu ka. "Aki" to iimasu.
How do you say "autumn" in Japanese? It's "aki".
The gerund or -te form
The -te form of a verb which does not have a tense or mood combines with other
verb forms. It may be formed from the plain past tense by changing the ending -
ta to -te.
When the -te form is used to link two sentences where it may be translated as
"and", the verb at the end of the sentence shows the overall tense of the
sentence.
Doybi no asa ni Tky e ikimahita. Atarashii stsu o kaimashita.
On Saturday morning I went to Tokyo. I bought a new suit.

Doybi no asa ni Tky e itte, atarashii stsu o kaimashita.
On Saturday morning I went to Tokyo, and bought a new suit.
To ask permission to do something, add mo ii desu ka to the -te form. To ask if
it's alright not to do something, change the negative -nai form to -nakute and
then add mo ii desu ka.
Sumimasen ga, koko ni suwatte mo ii desu ka. Ii desu. Dzo.
Excuse me, but is it alright if I sit here? Yes, please go ahead.

Kore o zenbu tabenakute mo ii desu ka. Hai, (tabenakute mo) ii desu yo.
Is it alright if I don't eat all of this? Yes, it's alright (if you don't eat it).
The same form may be used to give permission.
Namae to jsho o kakanakute mo ii desu.
It's alright not to write your name and address.
To refuse permission, use the -te form of the verb followed by wa ikemasen.
Sono heya ni haitte wa ikemasen.
You musn't go into that room.
Progressive tense
To describe an event that is presently happening or not happening, use the
appropriate form of the verb iru or imasu after the -te form.
Tomoko san wa ima nani o shite imasu ka.
What is Tomoko doing at the moment?

Sono kaisha de m hataraite imasen. Ima gink de hataraite imasu.
I don't work at that company any more. Now I am working at a bank.

Ima eigo o benky shite imasen.
I am not studying English now.
The past progressive is formed by using the -te formed followed by the past or
the past negative.
Torako ga isu no ue de nete imashita.
Torako was sleeping on the chair.

Kin no ban watashi wa terebi o mite imasen deshita.
I wasn't watching television last night.
Desiderative form
To express one's own wish to do something, add -tai to the infinitive followed
by desu. Verbs ending in -tai are like -i adjectives, and so have a negative form
ending in -taku arimasenand a past form ending in -takatta desu. To express a
desire for a thing, use the -i adjective hoshii.
Ocha ga nomitai.
I would like some tea.

Kin yasumi o toritakatta kedo, taihen isogashikute, toru koto ga dekimasen
deshita.
I wanted to take yesterday off, but I couldn't because I was extremely busy.

Kanojo wa, bifurendo ga hoshii to iimashita.
She said she wants a boyfriend.
Passive form
To form the passive, add -rareru, raremasu to the stems of v-stem verbs, and -
areru, -aremasu to the stems of c-stem verbs. For the negative, add -rarenai, -
raremasen to the stems of v-stem verbs, and -arenai, -aremasen to the stems of
c-stem verbs.
Torako wa nezumi o tabemashita.
Torako ate the mouse.

Nezumi wa Torako ni taberaremashita.
The mouse was eaten by Torako.

Nezumi wa Torako ni taberaremasen deshita.
The mouse was not eaten by Torako.

Torako wa nezumi to asobimashita.
Torako played with the mouse.

Nezumi wa Torako ni asobaremashita.
The mouse was played with by Torako.
Causative form
Add -saseru, -sasemasu to the stem of v-stem verbs (-sasenai, -sasemasen for
the negative), and add -aseru, -asemasu to the stem of c-stem verbs (-asenai, -
asemasen for the negative).
Torako o daidokoro no tberu kara orisasemashita.
I made Torako get off the kitchen table.
Conditional form
Drop the final -u from the plain form of the verb and add -eba. To form the
negative, drop the -i from the negative plain form and add -kereba. With -
i adjectives, drop the final -i and add -kereba; with negatives, drop the final -
i from nai and add -kereba.
Moshi dekireba, kotoshi gaikoku e ikitai n' desu.
If I can, I want to go abroad this year.

Jisho o tsukawanakereba, kono Nihongo no shukudai ga dekimasen.
If I don't use a dictionary, I can't do this Japanese homework.

Ashita tenki ga yokereba, dokoka e ikimash ka.
If the weather's nice tomorrow, shall we go somewhere?

Takaku nakereba, kaimasu.
If it's not too expensive, I'll buy it.
The expression -nakereba narimasen, where naru is the verb "to become", means
literally "if you don't..., it's no good" or in other words "you must" or "you have
to". The negative "don't have to ..." is expressed with -nakute mo ii desu.
Jiko shkai wa Nihongo de nakereba narimasen.
Your self-introduction must be in Japanese.

Ky owaranakute mo ii desu.
You don't have to finish it today.
Giving and receiving
There are several verbs to expressing giving and receiving depending on the
relative status of the giver and receiver and the diection of the action:
ageru Give
sashiageru Give to superiors
yaru Give (informal)
kureru Give to speaker
kudasaru Give to speaker from superior
morau Receive
itadaku Receive from superiors

Watashi wa H-san ni hon o agemashita.
I gave Hugh a book.

Watashi wa sensei ni hon o sashiagemashita.
I gave the teacher a book.

Watashi wa Torako ni omocha o yarimashita.
I gave Torako the toy.

H-san wa watashi ni hon o kuremashita.
Hugh gave me the book.

Sensei wa watashi ni hon o kudasaimashita.
The teacher gave me a book.

Watashi wa H-san ni hon o moraimashita.
I received the book from Hugh.

Watashi wa sensei ni hon o itadakimashita.
I received a book from the teacher.
Starting an action
To express starting an action, use the stem of the verb expressing the action
followed by the appropriate form of the verb hajimeru:
Sensh hon o yomihajimemashita.
I started reading the book last week.
Nominalization
Verbs may be made into nouns, or gerunds to use the English expression, by
following the plain form with no or koto, although no cannot be used in the
predicate.
Watashi wa yomu no ga suki desu.
I like reading.

Miru koto wa shinjiru koto desu.
Seeing is believing.

Adjectives
Japanese adjectives are either verbal adjectives or adjectival nouns. Those in the
first group, in their dictionary form, end only in -ai, -ii, -oi, or -ui, and are
therefore sometimes called -iadjectives. Those in the second group have noun-
like characteristics and when they modify nouns have the suffix -na and are
sometimes called -na adjectives.
An -i adjective can modify a following noun.
Watashi wa chiisai neko o katte imasu.
I have a small cat.
The stem of an -i adjective is formed by dropping the final -i, so that, for
example, the stem of chisaii is chisai-. An -i adjective may be conjugated to give
different tenses:
Present: [stem] + -i
Past: [stem] + -katta
Negative: [stem] + -kunai
Negative past: [stem] + -kunakatta
Gerund: [stem] + -kute
The associated verb is in the present tense.
Kono hon wa omoshiroi desu.
This book is interesting.

Ano hon mo omoshirokatta desu.
That book was interesting too.

Ky wa samukunai desu.
Today it's not cold.

Kin mo samukunakatta desu.
Yesterday it wasn't cold either.

Kono hon wa omoshirokute tanoshii desu.
This book is interesting and enjoyable.
The -na adjectives can be used as predicates or as noun modifiers.
Ano hito wa ymei desu.
He is famous.

Ken wa shizuka dewa arimasen deshita.
The park wasn't quiet.

Shizukana heya ga hoshii desu.
I want a quiet room.
The following colour words may be used alone as adjectives:
akai red
aoi blue, green
chairoi brown
kiiroi yellow
kuroi black
shiroi white
When these words are used as nouns, the final i is dropped:
Kuruma wa akai desu.
The car is red.

Aka was ii iro desu.
Red is a nice colour.
The following colour words are nouns and must be followed with no:
chairo no brown
giniro no silver
haiiro no gray
kiiro no yellow
kiniro no gold
midoriiro no green
murasaki no purple
nezumiiro no gray
orenji no orange

Describing Nouns
Nouns may be modified in various ways. However as there are no relative
pronouns for constructing relative clauses, the relative clause ending with the
plain form of the verb comes before the word it modifies.
Haruko wa me ga kirei desu.
Haruko has beautiful eyes.

Haruko wa goshujin ga isha desu.
Haruko's husband is a medical doctor.

Haruko wa onaka ga sukimashita.
Haruko was hungry.

Haruko wa eigo ga dekimasu.
Haruko knows English. (Haruko is good at English.)

Watashi wa me ga kireina Haruko o mimasu.
I am looking at Haruko with the beautiful eyes.

Ano hito wa goshujin ga isha no Haruko desu.
That person over there is Haruko whose husband is a medical doctor.

Ano hito wa onaka ga suita Haruko desu.
That person over there is Haruko who is hungry.

Ano hito wa eigo ga dekiru no Haruko desu.
That person over there is Haruko who can speak English.

Adverbs
To form an adverb from an -i adjective, add -ku to the stem.
yasui cheap yasuku cheaply
hayai quick hayaku quickly
ii good yoku well [Irregular]

Kin no ban Torako wa yoku nemashita.
Torako slept well last night.
To form an adverb from a -na adjective, use ni after the adjective.
shizuka quiet shizuka ni quietly
kantan simple kantan nisimply

Torako wa shizuka ni arukimasu.
Torako walks quietly.
Of course, there are many adverbs which are not derived from verbs.
kin yesterday amari not much sukoshi a little
ky today bakkari only tabun perhaps
ashita tomorrow chotto a little taihen very
mainichi every day ikaga how takusan a lot
maiasa every morning itsumo always tokidoki sometimes
ima now mata again totemo very
yagate soon m more yukkuri slowly
sugu immediately motto more zenzen at all (with neg. verbs)
mada yet, still nakanaka completely

Comparisons
Kanada wa Nihon yori kii desu.
Canada is larger than Japan.

Nihon yori Kanada wa kii desu.

Nihon yori Kanada no h ga kii desu.

Nihon wa Kanada hodo kikunai desu.
Japan is not as large as Canada.

Kanada to Nihon to dewa dochira ga kii desu ka.
Which is larger, Canada or Japan?

Torako wa neko no naka de ichiban kawaii desu.
Torako is the most beautiful of all cats.

Torako wa Edomonton de ichiban kawaii desu.
Torako is the most beautiful (cat) in Edmonton.

Nezumi to inu to dewa dochira ga kawaii desu ka.
Which are the more attractive, mice or dogs?

Mae no rei wa baka deshita ne.
The last example was silly, wasn't it?

Numbers
0 rei (zero)
1 ichi
2 ni
3 san
4 shi/yon
5 go
6 roku
7 shichi/nana
8 hachi
9 ku/ky

10 j
20 nij
30 sanj
40 yonj
50 goj
60 rokuj
70 nanaj
80 hachij
90 kyj

100 hyaku
200 nihyaku
300 sanbyaku
400 yonhyaku
500 gohyaku
600 roppyaku
700 nanahyaku
800 happyaku
900 kyhyaku

1000 sen
2000 nisen
3000 sanzen
4000 yonsen
5000 gosen
6000 rokusen
7000 nanasen
8000 hassen
9000 kysen

10,000 man/ichiman
100,000 jman
1,000,000 hyakuman
10,000,000 senman/issenman
100,000,000 oku/ichioku
1,000,000,000 joku
The ordinal numbers are formed by adding banme to the cardinal numbers.
ichibanme first nibanme second

Specific Time
1 o'clock ichiji
2 o'clock niji
3 o'clock sanji
4 o'clock yoji
5 o'clock goji
6 o'clock rokuji
7 o'clock shichiji
8 o'clock hachiji

1 minute ippun
2 minutes nifun
3 minutes sanpun
4 minutes yonpun
5 minutes gofun
6 minutes roppun
7 minutes nanafun
8 minutes happun
9 o'clock kuji
10 o'clock jji
11 o'clock jichiji
12 o'clock jniji
9 minutes kyfun
10 minutes juppun

han half Goji han desu. It's 5:30.
sugi after Jji jgofun sugi desu. It's 10:15.
mae before Jji jgofun mae desu. It's a quarter to ten.

gozen a.m. Gozen hachiji desu. It's 8 a.m.
gogo p.m. Gogo jji desu. It's 10 p.m.

Relative Time
ototo day before yesterday
kin yesterday
ky today
ashita tomorrow
asatte day after tomorrow

sensensh week before last
sensh last week
konsh this week
raish next week
saraish week after next
asa morning
hiru noon
gogo afternoon
ygata evening

sensengetsu month before last
sengetsu last month
kongetsu this month
raigetsu next month
sariagetsu month after next
ototoshi year before last
kyonen last year
kotoshi this year
rainen next year
sarainen year after next

Counters

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
General
hitotsu
futatsu
mittsu
yottsu
itsutsu
muttsu
nanatsu
People
hitori
futari
sannin
yonnin
gonin
rokunin
nananin
Stamps
ichimai
nimai
sanmai
yomai
gomai
rokumai
nanamai
Pencils
ippon
nihon
sanbon
yonhon
gohon
roppon
nanahon
Books
issatsu
nisatsu
sansatsu
yonsatsu
gosatsu
rokusatsu
nanasatsu
Cats
ippiki
nihiki
sanbiki
yonhiki
gohiki
roppiki
nanahiki
Floors
ikkai
nikai
sangai
yonkai
gokai
rokai
nanakai
8
9
10
?
yattsu
kokonotsu
t
ikutsu
hachinin
kynin
jnin
nannin
hachimai
kymai
jmai
nanmai
happon
kyhon
juppon
nanbon
hassatsu
kysatsu
jusatsu
nansatsu
happiki
kyhiki
jupiki
nanbiki
hakkai
kykai
jukkai
nankai

Calendar
1st tsuitachi
2nd futsuka
3rd mikka
4th yokka
5th itsuka
6th muika
7th nanoka
8th yka
9th kokonoka
10th tka

11th jichinichi
12th jninichi
13th jsannichi
14th jyokka
15th jgonichi
16th jrokunichi
17th jshichinichi
18th jhachinichi
19th jkunichi
20th hatsuka

21st nijichinichi
22nd nijninichi
23rd nijsannichi
24th nijyokka
25th nijgonichi
26th nijrokunichi
27th nijshichinichi
28th nijhachinichi
29th nijkunichi
30th sanjnichi
31st sanjichinichi

Monday getsuybi
Tuesday kaybi
Wednesday suiybi
Thursday mokuybi
Friday kinybi
Saturday doybi
Sunday nichiybi

J anuary ichigatsu
February nigatsu
March sangatsu
April shigatsu
May gogatsu
J une rokugatsu
J uly shichigatsu
August hachigatsu
September kugatsu
October jgatsu
November jichigatsu
December jnigatsu

haru spring
natsu summer
aki autumn
fuyu winter

Family
Japanese use different words for members of their own family and for members
of someone else's family:
Relation
grandmother
grandfather
mother
father
wife
husband
daughter
son
older sister
younger sister
older brother
younger brother
aunt
uncle
niece
nephew
cousin
child
grandchild
family
sibling

My / Your family
sobo obsan
sofu ojsan
haha oksan
chichi otsan
kanai okusan
shujin goshujin
musume musumesan
musuko musukosan
ane onsan
imto imtosan
ani oniisan
otto ottosan
oba obasan
oji ojisan
mei meigosan
oi oigosan
itoko itoko
kodomo kodomosan
mago omagosan
kazokugokazoku
kydai gokydai
The adjective giri no means related by marriage:
giri no musuko son-in-law

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Kenji Yoshimi, David Young and Hugh Woods for their
helpful comments on a first draft of these notes.

References
Akiyama, Nobuo and Carol Akiyama, 1995. Master the Basics. Japanese. Barron's
Educational Series, Inc., Hauppauge, N. Y.

Association for Japanese Language Teaching, 1984. Japanese for Busy People
I. Kodansha International, Tokyo.

The Hir Japanese Center, 1989. The Complete Japanese Verb Guide. Charles E.
Tuttle Company, Rutland, Vermont.

Nakao, Seigo, 1995. Random House Japanese-English English-Japanese
Dictionary. Ballantine Books, New York.

Strugnell, Lynne, 1994. Essential Japanese. Berlitz Publishing Company, Inc.,
Princeton, N. J.

Yoshimi, Kenji, 1999. Class Notes.

Appendix. A few verbs
The first column gives the dictionairy, -masu and -te forms.
ageru agemasu agete
akeru akemasu akete
aru arimasu atte
asobu asobimasu asonde
au aimasu atte
chigau chigaimasu chigatte
da desu de
dekakeru dekakemasu dekakete
dekiru dekimasu dekite
deru demasu dete
furu furimasu futte
gozaru gozaimasu gozatte
hairu hairimasu haitte
hajimaru hajimarimasu hajimatte
hanasu hanashimasu hanashite
hashiru hashirimasu hashitte
hataraku hatarakimasu hataraite
iku ikimasu itte
ikiru ikimasu ikite
irassharu irasshaimasu irasshatte
ireru iremasu irete
iru imasu ite
itadaku itadakimasu itadaite

give, raise
open
be, exist, have
play
meet
differ, be mistaken
be (copula)
go out
can, be able, made of
go out, appear
fall (rain, snow)
be, exist, have (formal)
go in, enter
begin
speak, talk
run
work
go
live, become alive
go, come, be (formal)
put in
be, exist
receive (polite)
iu iimasu itte
kaeru kareimasu kaette
kakaru kakarimasu kakatte
kakeru kakemasu kakete
kakukakimasu kaite
kangaeru kangaemasu kangaete
kariru karimasu karite
kasu kashimasu kashite
kau kaimasu katte
kayou kayoimasu kayotte
kiku kikimasu kiite
kimeru kimemasu kimete
kudasaru kudasaimasu kudasatte
kudaru kudarimasu kudatte
kuraberu kurabemasu kurabete
kureru kuremasu kurete
kuru kimasu kite
magaru magarimasu magatte
matsu machimasu matte
miru mimasu mite
morau moraimasu moratte
motsu mochimasu motte
mukeru mukemasu mukete
naru narimasu natte
neru nemasu nete
noboru noborimasu nobotte
nomu nomimasu nonde
nuru nurimasu nutte
okiru okimasu okite
omou omoimasu omotte
oriru orimasu orite
oshieru oshiemasu oshiete
owaru owarimasu owatte
oyogu oyogimasu oyoide
sagasu sagashimasu sagashite
saku sakimasu saite
sashiageru sashiagemasu sashiagete
shimeru shimemasu shimete
shinjiru shinjimasu shinjite
shinu shinimasu shinde
sumu sumimasu sunde
suru shimasu shite
suwaru suwarimasu suwatte
taberu tabemasu tabete
tobu tobimasu tonde
tomaru tomarimasu tomatte
toru torimasu totte
tsukareru tsukaremasu tsukarete
tsukau tsukaimasu tsukatte
tsukuru tsukurimasu tsukutte
tsutomeru tsutomemasu tsutomete
ugoku ugokimasu ugoite
say, relate
return
take (time)
telephone
write
think about, consider
borrow, rent
lend
buy, possess (animals)
commute
hear, ask
decide, fix, choose
give to speaker (polite)
descend, go down
compare
give to speaker
come
turn
wait
see, watch
receive
have, hold
turn
become, get
go to bed, sleep
rise, go up, climb
drink
paint
get up, wake up
think
get off
teach, tell
end, finish
swim
look for
bloom
give (polite)
close
believe
die
live
do
sit down
eat
fly, jump
stay overnight, stop, halt
get, win
become tired
use
make
be employed
move, change
umu umimasu unde
uru urimasu utte
wakaru wakarimasu wakatte
wasureru wasuremasu wasurete
yaru yarimasu yatte
yasumu yasumimasu yasunde
yobu yobimasu yonde
yomu yomimasu yonde
give birth, produce
sell
understand
forget
give (informal)
rest
call
read

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