Hiragana - ひらがな

The first step is to learn the alphabet. Or, at least, the sounds that exist in the Japanese language. There are absolutely no "tones" like in Chinese, Thai, etc. and there are only 2 exceptions within the alphabet which will be explained later. The characters listed below are called Hiragana. It is the main alphabet for Japanese. The Japanese language also consists of Chinese characters (Kanji), which we will get into later, and another alphabet, Katakana, which is mainly used for foreign words. Katakana will be covered in Lesson 2.

There are 5 vowels in the Japanese language. (a), pronounced "ahh", (i), pronounced like "e" in "eat", (u), pronounced like "oo" in "soon", (e), pronounced like "e" in "elk", and (o), pronounced "oh". All Hiragana characters end with one of these vowels, with the exception of (n). The only "consonant" that does not resemble that of English is the Japanese "r". It is slightly "rolled" as if it were a combination of a "d", "r", and "l".

あ a

い i

う u

え e

お o

か ka

き ki

く ku

け ke

こ ko

が ga

ぎ gi

ぐ gu

げ ge

ご go

さ sa

し shi

す su

せ se

そ so

ざ za

じ ji

ず zu

ぜ ze

ぞ zo

た ta

ち chi

つ tsu

て te

と to

だ da

ぢ ji

づ zu

で de

ど do

な na

に ni

ぬ nu

ね ne

の no

は ha

ひ hi

ふ fu

へ he

ほ ho

ば ba

び bi

ぶ bu

べ be

ぼ bo

ぱ pa

ぴ pi

ぷ pu

ぺ pe

ぽ po

ま ma

み mi

む mu

め me

も mo

や ya

ゆ yu

よ yo

ら ra

り ri

る ru

れ re

ろ ro

Combinations

きゃ kya

きゅ kyu

きょ kyo

ぎゃ gya

ぎゅ gyu

ぎょ gyo

しゃ sha

しゅ shu

しょ sho

じゃ ja

じゅ ju

じょ jo

ちゃ cha

ちゅ chu

ちょ cho

にゃ nya

にゅ nyu

にょ nyo

ひゃ hya

ひゅ hyu

ひょ hyo

びゃ bya

びゅ byu

びょ byo

ぴゃ pya

ぴゅ pyu

ぴょ pyo

みゃ mya

みゅ myu

みょ myo

りゃ rya

りゅ ryu

りょ ryo

わ wa

を wo

ん n/m

Exceptions:1. は (ha) is pronounced "wa" when it immediately follows the topic of the sentence. It is usually only pronounced "ha" when it is part of a word. 2. へ (he) is pronounced "e" when it immediately follows a place or direction. Both of these are very simple to detect.

Click here if you'd like to know why these two exceptions exist.

Note: You probably noticed that there are 2 "zu" and 2 "ji". づ (zu) and ぢ (ji) are very rarely

used. づ (zu) only occurs when there is a つ (tsu) in front of it like in つづく (tsuzuku - to

continue) or when a Kanji (Chinese character) that starts with つ (tsu) is paired at the end with

another character changing the つ (tsu) to a づ (zu). The same applies for ぢ (ji). Since they are used so rarely I wouldn't worry about them too much. I will let you know whenever we come upon a word in which they are used.

Katakana - カタカナ

As mentioned in Lesson 1, Katakana is mainly used for foreign words such as names and words that have been borrowed from other languages such as コンピューター (kompyu-ta- = computer). The Japanese language does not have as many sounds as the English language so, when creating a name in Katakana for instance, the name must be sound out to the closest Japanese equivalent. Katakana, Hiragana, and Furigana (when Hiragana is written small next to a Kanji character to show how that character is read) are collectively known as Kana.

ア a

イ i

ウ u

エ e

オ o

カ ka

キ ki

ク ku

ケ ke

コ ko

ガ ga

ギ gi

グ gu

ゲ ge

ゴ go

サ sa

シ shi

ス su

セ se

ソ so

ザ za

ジ ji

ズ zu

ゼ ze

ゾ zo

タ ta

チ chi

ツ tsu

テ te

ト to

ダ da

ヂ ji

ヅ zu

デ de

ド do

ナ na

ニ ni

ヌ nu

ネ ne

ノ no

ハ ヒ フ ヘ ホ

Combinations

キャ kya

キュ kyu

キョ kyo

ギャ gya

ギュ gyu

ギョ gyo

シャ sha

シュ shu

ショ sho

ジャ ja

ジュ ju

ジョ jo

チャ cha

チュ chu

チョ cho

ニャ nya

ニュ nyu

ニョ nyo

ヒャ hya

ヒュ hyu

ヒョ hyo

ビャ ビュ ビョ

ha hi fu he ho

バ ba

ビ bi

ブ bu

ベ be

ボ bo

パ pa

ピ pi

プ pu

ペ pe

ポ po

マ ma

ミ mi

ム mu

メ me

モ mo

ヤ ya

ユ yu

ヨ yo

ラ ra

リ ri

ル ru

レ re

ロ ro

ワ wa

ヲ wo

ン n/m

bya byu byo

ピャ pya

ピュ pyu

ピョ pyo

ミャ mya

ミュ myu

ミョ myo

リャ rya

リュ ryu

リョ ryo

Vocabulary - 単語

Now that you've got the Japanese alphabets down, let's learn some vocabulary words and simple phrases. I will list the Kanji, Hiragana, Romaji (the word sounded out using English letters), and the English meaning for each word or phrase. Most words have Kanji for them but I will only include the Kanji if the word is regularly written that way.

Keep in mind that the Japanese language has different levels of politeness that change based on who you are talking to. I will refer to these as "ultra-formal", "formal" (or "polite form"), "normal" (or "plain form"), "informal", and "rude" (we won't be covering too much of the rude form, however).

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - HiraganaRomaji

(English Letters)English Meaning

私 わたし watashiI (formal for males, normal for females)

僕 ぼく boku I (normal for males)

彼 かれ kare he

彼女 かのじょ kanojo she

あなた あなた anata you (singular/normal)

これ これ kore this (the object itself)

ここ ここ koko here

この この kono this (ex. this pen)

それ それ sore that (the object itself)

そこ そこ soko there

その その sono that (ex. that pen)

人 ひと hito person

犬 いぬ inu dog

猫 ねこ neko cat

家 いえ ie house

ありがとう ありがとう arigatou Thank you. (normal)

ありがとうございます

ありがとうございます

arigatou gozaimasu Thank you. (formal)

どういたしまして どういたしまして douitashimashiteYou're welcome.

(normal)

おはよう おはよう ohayou(sounds like "Ohio")

Good morning. (informal)

おはようございます おはようございます ohayou gozaimasuGood morning.

(normal and formal)

こんにちは こんにちは konnichiwa Hello. (normal)

こんばんは こんばんは konbanwa Good evening. (normal)

さよなら さよなら sayonara Goodbye. (normal)

Grammar - 文法

Japanese grammar is quite simple and straight forward but very different from English grammar so most English speakers find it rather confusing. For instance, the verb always comes at the end. The best thing you can do when learning Japanese grammar is to learn it from the bottom up and not compare it to English grammar.

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

はwa

(as mentioned in lesson 1, the Hiragana "ha" is pronounced "wa" when it immediately

follows the topic)

topic marker

が ga subject marker

を wo(pronounced "o")

direct object marker

に nidirection marker, time marker, indirect object

marker

へe

(as mentioned in lesson 1, the Hiragana "he" is pronounced "e" when it immediately

follows a place or direction)

direction marker

The particles "wa" (は) and "ga" (が): The particle "wa" marks the topic of the sentence and the particle "ga" marks the subject of the sentence. In the example, "I know where you

live" (watashi wa anata ga doko ni sunde iru ka shitte iru), "I" would be the topic while "you" would be the subject.

Not all sentences have both a topic and subject and, in many cases, the topic is implied in Japanese (for example, the "I" (watashi wa) would be left out of this sentence because it is implied that since I am talking I am the one that knows where you live). Many Japanese books and teachers teach that "wa" and "ga" are the same thing and it doesn't matter which you use when. This is not the case but I wouldn't worry too much about keeping them straight at first.

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

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

An example of a direction marker can be seen in the previous example "I'm going to take her home" (watashi wa kanojo wo ie ni okuru). In this case, the "ni" acts like a "to" - "I'm going to take her 'to' home". The particle "e" (へ) can be used in this way as well but usually implies more of a general direction as opposed to a specific place.

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

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

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

Numbers, Time, and Days of the Week

Before we get too much further into grammar and verb conjugation, I thought it would be a good idea to teach numbers, time, days of the week, etc.

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - HiraganaRomaji

(English Letters)English Meaning

一 いち ichi one

二 に ni two

三 さん san three

四 し、 よん shi (yon after 10) four

五 ご go five

六 ろく roku six

七 しち、 なな shichi (nana after 10) seven

八 はち hachi eight

九 きゅう kyuu nine

十 じゅう juu ten

百 ひゃく hyaku hundred

Numbers after 10 are a piece of cake once you know 1 through 10. 11 is simply ten with a one after it, 十一 (じゅういち, juuichi), 12 - juuni, 13 - juusan, 14 - juuyon, etc. 20 is simply 二十 (にじゅう, nijuu), 21 - nijuuichi, and so forth.

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

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - HiraganaRomaji

(English Letters)English Meaning

一時 いちじ ichiji one o'clock

二時 にじ niji two o'clock

二時半 にじはん nijihan two thirty (半 means half)

二時四十五分 にじよんじゅうごふん nijiyonjuugofun 2:45 (分 means minute)

...etc.

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

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - HiraganaRomaji

(English Letters)English Meaning

一月 いちがつ ichigatsu January

二月 にがつ nigatsu February

三月 さんがつ sangatsu March

四月 しがつ shigatsu April

...etc.

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

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - HiraganaRomaji

(English Letters)English Meaning

日曜日 にちようび nichiyoubi Sunday (日 - sun/day)

月曜日 げつようび getsuyoubi Monday (月 - moon)

火曜日 かようび kayoubi Tuesday (火 - fire)

水曜日 すいようび suiyoubi Wednesday (水 - water)

木曜日 もくようび mokuyoubi Thursday (木 - tree/wood)

金曜日 きんようび kinyoubi Friday (金 - gold)

土曜日 どようび doyoubi Saturday (土 - dirt)

今日 きょう kyou Today

明日 あした ashita Tomorrow

昨日 きのう kinou Yesterday

一昨日 おととい ototoi the day before yesterday

明後日 あさって asattethe day after tomorrow (a small "tsu" (っ) makes a

double consonant)

今朝 けさ kesa this morning

今晩 こんばん konban this evening

今 いま ima now

Godan Verbs - 五段動詞

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

They are very big on leaving out the obvious and sometimes not so obvious which can get confusing at times. There are only 3 types of verbs in the Japanese language and they each follow a pattern that is very simple and very rarely has any exceptions. Most Japanese verbs fall into the first group, the Godan (五段) verbs. These verbs always conjugate the same way with only one exception. These verbs have five changes that follow the order of the Japanese vowels, hence the name Godan (meaning 5 levels or steps), and then the "te" and "ta" forms that are common to all verbs. Here's an example:

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - HiraganaRomaji

(English Letters)Verb Base

話す はなす hanasu (to speak)

話さ はなさ hanasa Base 1

話し はなし hanashi Base 2

話す はなす hanasu Base 3

話せ はなせ hanase Base 4

話そう はなそう hanasou Base 5

話して はなして hanashite Base "te"

話した はなした hanashita Base "ta"

Base 1: Base 1 can not be used by itself but becomes the plain form negative simply by adding -nai. (ex. hanasanai - I won't say anything.) If the verb ends in う (u) then the end for

Base 1 becomes わ (wa). (ex. au (Base 1) -> awa)

(Plain form is what people use when talking to a friend. It would not be proper to use in a business environment. We will go over the polite form in lesson 8.)

Base 2: Base 2 is, in most cases, a noun when used by itself but is primarily used with the polite form of the verb.

Base 3: Base 3 is the main form (the one that would be found in the dictionary) and is also the plain form present/future tense.

Base 4: Base 4 is most often used as "if verb" by adding -ba. (ex. hanaseba - If he'd just say something.) It can also be used by itself as a command form but it is extremely rude and I recommend not using it at all.

Base 5: Base 5 is used by itself as the "let's" form. (ex. hanasou - Let's talk.) We will get into other ways it's used in later lessons.

Base "te": Base "te" can be used by itself as a plain form command. It is not rude but should only be used with close friends and children. By adding kudasai it becomes the polite form command. Base "te" can also be used in other ways that we will get into in later lessons.

Base "ta": Base "ta" is merely Base "te" with an "a" sound on the end instead of an "e" sound. It is mainly used by itself as the plain form past tense. (ex. hanashita - I talked.) We will get into other ways it's used in later lessons.

Notice: There is one thing that you'll need to learn in order to conjugate the "te" and "ta" forms correctly. Basically, for all Godan verbs ending in う (u), つ (tsu), or る (ru); the う

(u), つ (tsu), or る (ru) becomes って (tte) in the "te" form and った (tta) in the "ta" form. (ex. katsu (to win) -> katte (Win!), katta (We won!))

For all Godan verbs ending in ぶ (bu), む (mu), or ぬ (nu); the ぶ (bu), む (mu), or ぬ (nu)

becomes んで (nde) in the "te" form and んだ (nda) in the "ta" form. (ex. yomu (to read -> yonde (Read it.), yonda (I read it.))

For all Godan verbs ending in く (ku), the く (ku) becomes いて (ite) in the "te" form and いた (ita) in the "ta" form. (ex. aruku (to walk) -> aruite (Walk!), aruita (I walked here.)) The

only exception to this rule is for the verb iku (to go) which becomes いって, いった (itte/itta).

For all Godan verbs ending in ぐ (gu), the ぐ (gu) becomes いで (ide) in the "te" form and いだ (ida) in the "ta" form. (ex. oyogu (to swim) -> oyoide (Swim!), oyoida (I swam.))

For all Godan verbs ending in す (su), the す (su) becomes して (shite) in the "te" form and

した (shita) in the "ta" form. (ex. hanasu (to talk) -> hanashite (Say something!), hanashita (I talked (to him).))

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

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - HiraganaRomaji

(English Letters)English Meaning

会う あう au to meet

勝つ かつ katsu to win

売る うる uru to sell

遊ぶ あそぶ asobu to play

飲む のむ nomu to drink

死ぬ しぬ shinu to die

歩く あるく aruku to walk

泳ぐ およぐ oyogu to swim

消す けす kesu to erase, turn off

行く いく ikuto go

(Remember the exception for Bases "te"and "ta")

Ichidan Verbs - 一段動詞

The second group of verbs are called Ichidan (一段) verbs. It is usually an Ichidan verb if it ends with the sound "iru" or "eru". Some well used verbs which appear to be Ichidan but are really Godan are listed here. Ichidan verbs also follow a simple conjugation pattern that is somewhat similar to that of the Godan verbs. Here's an example:

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - HiraganaRomaji

(English Letters)Verb Base

食べる たべる taberu (to eat)

食べ たべ tabe Base 1

食べ たべ tabe Base 2

食べる たべる taberu Base 3

食べれ たべれ tabere Base 4

食べよう たべよう tabeyou Base 5

食べて たべて tabete Base "te"

食べた たべた tabeta Base "ta"

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

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

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

Ichidan verbs. The low command form for Ichidan verbs is Base 1 + ろ (ro).

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

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

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

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - HiraganaRomaji

(English Letters)English Meaning

いる いる iruto exist (animate), to be

somewhere

見る みる miru to see

寝る ねる neru to sleep

着る きる kiru to wear, put on

出来る できる dekiru can do

覚える おぼえる oboeru to remember

Irregular Verbs

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

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - HiraganaRomaji

(English Letters)Verb Base

する する suru (to do)

し し shi Base 1

し し shi Base 2

する する suru Base 3

すれ すれ sure Base 4

しよう しよう shiyou Base 5

して して shite Base "te"

した した shita Base "ta"

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

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - HiraganaRomaji

(English Letters)Verb Base

来る くる kuru (to come)

来 こ ko Base 1

来 き ki Base 2

来る くる kuru Base 3

来れ くれ kure Base 4

来よう こよう koyou Base 5

来て きて kite Base "te"

来た きた kita Base "ta"

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

Using Verb Bases

Now that you know about 30 verbs and can conjugate them, I'll show you what you can do with those bases. You may want to regularly refer to Lesson 6 and Lesson 7 while learning these. The following chart applies to all verbs unless otherwise noted.

ひらがな - Hiragana

Romaji(English Letters)

English Meaning

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

Base 1 + なかった Base 1 + nakatta plain form past negative (did not verb)

Base 2 + ます Base 2 + masu polite form present/future tense

Base 2 + ました Base 2 + mashita polite form past tense

Base 2 + ません Base 2 + masen polite form negative (will not verb)

Base 2 + ませんでした

Base 2 + masen deshita

polite form past negative (did not verb)

Base 2 + たい Base 2 + tai want to verb (add です (desu) to make it polite)

Base 3 Base 3 plain form present/future tense

Base 4 + ば Base 4 + ba if verb

Base 4 + る Base 4 + ruplain form can verb (Godan verbs only)

(verb now becomes an Ichidan verb)

Base 4 + ます Base 4 + masu polite form can verb (can be changed like above)

Base 5 + とする Base 5 + to surutry to verb

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

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

next lesson)

Base "te" Base "te" plain form command

Base "te" + 下さい Base "te" + kudasai

polite form command

Base "te" + いる Base "te" + iruplain form presently verbing

(this iru is the same verb learned in lesson 7 (to exist (animate))

Base "te" + います Base "te" + imasupolite form presently verbing (can be changed like

above)

Base "ta" Base "ta" plain form past tense

Base "ta" + ら Base "ta" + ra if and when I verb (similar to Base 4 + ba)

Base "ta" + りする Base "ta" + ri surudo such things as...

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

Adjectives and Adverbs

There are two different types of words that can be used to modify nouns and verbs. One group is much like what we would call an adjective but they can also modify verbs as well. We will refer to these as "dv". The other group can, in most cases, stand alone like a noun but can also be used to modify nouns and verbs. We will refer to these as "dn". All words in the "dv" group always end with い (i). No exceptions. This is placed in front of a noun in order to modify it. For example:

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - HiraganaRomaji

(English Letters)English Meaning

赤い車 あかいくるま akai kuruma red car

These words can be conjugated to form different tenses, modify verbs, etc. Here is how that is done:

ひらがな - HiraganaRomaji

(English Letters)English Meaning

drop the い and add く drop the "i" and add "ku"modifies a verb (akaku natta ->

became red)(naru is the verb "to become")

drop the い and add くない

drop the "i" and add "kunai"

present tense negative (akakunai -> is not red)

drop the い and add かった

drop the "i" and add "katta"

past tense (akakatta -> was red)

drop the い and add くなかった

drop the "i" and add "kunakatta"

past tense negative (akakunakatta -> was not red)

(This one might take a little practice saying.)

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

can, in most cases, be used by themselves like a noun (ex. shizen - nature). By adding a な (na) to the end of these words they can be used to modify a noun (ex. shizen na kankyou -> a natural environment). And by adding a に (ni) to the end of these words they can be used to modify a verb as an adverb (ex. shizen ni aruku -> to walk naturally).

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

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - HiraganaRomaji

(English Letters)English Meaning

赤い あかい akai (dv) red

黄色い きいろい kiiroi (dv) yellow

青い あおい aoi (dv) blue

黒い くろい kuroi (dv) black

白い しろい shiroi (dv) white

面白い おもしろい omoshiroi (dv) interesting, funny

暑い あつい atsui (dv) hot

寒い さむい samui (dv) cold

大きい おおきい ookii (dv) big

小さい ちいさい chiisai (dv) small

自然 しぜん shizen (dn) nature

綺麗 きれい kirei (dn) pretty, clean

失礼 しつれい shitsurei (dn) rude

静か しずか shizuka (dn) quiet

特別 とくべつ tokubetsu (dn) special

元気 げんき genki (dn) in good spirits

変 へん hen (dn) weird, strange

上手 じょうず jouzu (dn) skillful

親切 しんせつ shinsetsu (dn) kind, nice

素敵 すてき suteki (dn) "cool", good looking

Meeting Someone New

We are often asked by our students learning Japanese how to introduce oneself to someone new. The interaction is normally very formal and filled with a few bows. Below is a typical Japanese conversation between two people meeting for the first time:

Japanese English Meaning

(In Kanji, Hiragana, and Romaji)

Person 1: こんにちは。始めまして。 こんにちは。はじめまして。 Konnichi wa. Hajimemashite.

Hello. Nice to meet you.

Person 2: 始めまして。お元気ですか。 はじめまして。おげんきですか。 Hajimemashite. O-genki desu ka?

Nice to meet you.How are you?

Person 1: はい、元気です。 はい、げんきです。 Hai, genki desu.

I am fine.

Person 1:

私は______と申します。あなたのお名前は？ わたしは______ともうします。あなたのおなまえは？ Watashi wa ______ to moushimasu. Anata no o-namae wa?

My name is ______.What is your name?

Person 2:

私は______と言います。宜しくお願いします。 わたしは______といいます。よろしくおねがいします。 Watashi wa ______ to iimasu. Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu.

My name is ______.Pleased to make youracquaintance.

Person 1: 宜しくお願いします。 よろしくおねがいします。 Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu.

Pleased to make youracquaintance.

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

Other Common Phrases

We are often asked how to say "I love you" in Japanese. This would be "Anata o ai shite imasu" BUT be advised that the Japanese typically don't use the word for love(愛 - あい - ai) when talking about their feelings for someone else (not even a boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, child, parent, etc.). They would typically say "Anata no koto ga suki desu" or "Anata ga daisuki desu". "Suki" means "like" and "daisuki" means "favorite". This may seem strange but this is just what they say for "I love you".

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - HiraganaRomaji

(English Letters)English Meaning

誕生日おめでとうございます

たんじょうびおめでとうございます

tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu

Happy Birthday!

明けましておめでとうございま

す

あけましておめでとうございます

akemashite omedetou gozaimasu

Happy New Year!

おめでとうございます

おめでとうございます

omedetou gozaimasu Congratulations!

お休みなさい おやすみなさい oyasuminasaiGood night.

(used when someone is going to bed)

御免なさい ごめんなさい gomennasai I'm sorry.

すみません すみません sumimasen Excuse me.

トイレは何処ですか

トイレはどこですか toire wa doko desu ka Where is the bathroom?

お腹が空いています

おなかがすいています

onaka ga suite imasuI am hungry.

("My stomach is empty.")

ANIMALS

There are kanji characters for hippopotamus （河馬）, giraffe （麒麟）, mouse （鼠）,

camel （駱駝）, squirrel （栗鼠）, zebra （縞馬）, rabbit （兎） and goat （山羊）, but they are often written in hiragana or katakana. 

The counter for small animals is "hiki （匹）" and for large animals is "tou （頭）".

Inu ga go-hiki imasu. 犬が五匹います。 --- There are five dogs.

Watashi wa kuma o ni-tou mimashita. 私は熊を二頭見ました。 --- I saw two bears.

doubutsu　動物 animals

buta　豚 pig

hitsuji　羊 sheep

inu　犬 dog

kaba　かば hippopotamus

kitsune　狐 fox

kirin　キリン giraffe

kuma　熊 bear

neko　猫 cat

nezumi　ねずみ mouse

ookami　狼 wolf

raion　ライオン lion

rakuda　らくだ camel

risu　りす squirrel

saru　猿 monkey

shika　鹿 deer

shimauma　しまうま zebra

tora　虎 tiger

tori　鳥 bird

usagi　うさぎ rabbit

ushi　牛 cow/ox

uma　馬 horse

yagi　やぎ goat

zou　象 elephant

COLOURSiro色 colors ao青 blue aka赤 red chairo茶色 brown daidaiiro橙色 orange haiiro灰色 gray kiiro黄色 yellow kimidori黄緑 light green kuro黒 black midori緑 green mizuiro水色 light blue momoiro桃色 pink murasaki紫 purple

shiro白 white Sukina iro wa nan desu ka.好きな色は何ですか。 What is your favorite color?

PARTS OF THE BODYkarada体 body atama頭 head kami髪 hair kao顔 face hitai額 forehead me目 eye mayu眉 eyebrow mabutaまぶた eyelid matsugeまつげ eyelash hana鼻 nose mimi耳 ear kuchi口 mouth kuchibiru唇 lip ha歯 teeth shita舌 tongue nodoのど throat agoあご jaw kubi首 neck kata肩 shoulder

ude腕 arm hijiひじ elbow te手 hand yubi指 finger tsume爪 nail mune胸 chest senaka背中 back  onakaおなか stomach ashi足 foot, leg hizaひざ knee ashikubi足首 ankle kakatoかかと heel tsumasakiつま先 toe

Talking about your familyTalking about another's

family

fatherchichi父

otousanお父さん

motherhaha母

okaasanお母さん

older brother ani兄

oniisanお兄さん

older sisterane姉

oneesanお姉さん

younger brotherotouto弟

otoutosan弟さん

younger sister imouto imoutosan

妹 妹さん

grandfathersofu祖父

ojiisanおじいさん

grandmothersobo祖母

obaasanおばあさん

uncleoji

叔父/伯父ojisanおじさん

auntoba

叔母/伯母obasanおばさん

husbandotto夫

goshujinご主人

wifetsuma妻

okusan奥さん

sonmusuko息子

musukosan息子さん

daughtermusume娘

ojousanお嬢さん

Useful Words

kazoku家族 family

ryoushin両親 parents

kyoudai兄弟 sibling

kodomo子供 child 

itokoいとこ cousin

shinseki親戚 relatives

Useful Expressions

Kekkon shiteimasu ka.結婚していますか。 Are you married?

Kekkon shiteimasu.結婚しています。 I am married.

Dokushin desu独身です。 I am single.

Kyoudai ga imasu ka.兄弟がいますか。 Do you have brothers and sisters?

Kodomo ga imasu ka.子供がいますか。 Do you have children?

LOCATION

kokoここ here

sokoそこ there

asokoあそこ that over there

migi右 right

hidari左 left

massuguまっすぐ straight

mae前 front

ushiro後ろ behind

yoko横 side

tonari隣 next to

mukai向かい cross

tooi遠い far

chikai近い near

 

higashi東 east

nishi西 west

minami南 south

kita北 north

~ wa doko desuka.～はどこですか。 Where is ~?

Koko kara tooi desu ka.ここから遠いですか。 Is it far from here? 

Massugu itte kudasai.まっすぐ行ってください。 Please go straight.

Migi ni magatte kudasai.右に曲がってください。 Please turn right.

Fruits 

kudamono果物 fruits

anzu杏 apricot

bananaバナナ banana

budou grapes

ぶどう

ichigoいちご strawberry

ichijikuいちじく fig

kaki柿 persimmon

meronメロン melon

mikanみかん Japanese orange

momo桃 peach

nashiなし pear

orenjiオレンジ orange

remonレモン lemon

ringoりんご apple

sakuranboさくらんぼ cherry

suikaスイカ watermelon

ume梅 plum

Vegetables 

Click the link to hear the pronunciation. 

yasai野菜 vegetables

hourensouほうれん草 spinach

jagaimoじゃがいも  potato

kabochaかぼちゃ pumpkin

kinokoきのこ mushroom

kyabetsuキャベツ cabbage

kyuuriきゅうり cucumber

mame豆 beans

moyashiもやし bean sprouts

nasuなす eggplant

negiねぎ green onion

ninjinにんじん carrot

ninnikuにんにく garlic

paseriパセリ parsley

piimanピーマン green pepper

retasuレタス lettuce

satsumaimoさつまいも sweet potato

serori celery

セロリ

takenokoたけのこ bamboo shoot

tamanegiたまねぎ onion

tomatoトマト tomato

Beverages 

nomimono飲み物 beverages

mizu水 water

ochaお茶 Japanese tea

koucha紅茶 black tea

koohiiコーヒー coffee

kokoaココア cocoa

biiruビール beer

wainワイン wine

uisukiiウイスキー whisky

shanpenシャンペン champagne

juusuジュース juice

"O （お）" of "ocha （お茶）" is the prefix which is used to express politeness. "Cha （茶）" itself sounds harsh. Click here to learn more about the prefix "o." Most beverages came from English words are written in katakana.

shokuji食事 meal

asagohan朝ご飯 breakfast

hirugohan昼ご飯 lunch

bangohan　晩ご飯 dinner

~ o kudasai.～をください。 Please give me ~.

~ o misete kudasai.～を見せてください。 Please show me ~. 

Onaka ga suite imasu.おなかがすいています。 I am hungry.

Onaka ga ippai desu.おなかがいっぱいです。 I am full.

Nodo ga kawaite imasu.のどが渇いています。 I am thirsty.

Japanese Numbers

0 zero/rei 零1 ichi 一2 ni 二3 san 三4 shi/yon 四5 go 五6 roku 六7 shichi/nana 七8 hachi 八9 kyuu/ku 九10 juu 十11 juuichi 十一12 juuni 十二13 juusan 十三14 juushi 十四15 juugo 十五16 juuroku 十六17 juushichi 十七18 juuhachi 十八19 juuku 十九20 nijuu 二十21 nijuuichi 二十一22 nijuuni 二十一etc

30 sanjuu 三十31 sanjuuichi 三十一32 sanjuuni 三十二etc

40 yonjuu 四十50 gojuu 五十60 rokujuu 六十70 nanajuu 七十80 hachijuu 八十90 kyuujuu 九十100 hyaku 百150 hyakugojuu 百五十200 nihyaku 二百

300 sanbyaku 三百

Weather 

Click the link to hear the pronunciation. 

tenki天気 weather

kikou気候 climate

ondo温度 temperature

hare晴れ sunny

kumori曇り cloudy

ame雨 rain

yuki雪 snow

kaminari雷 thunder

arashi嵐 storm

kiri霧 fog

 

Tenki wa dou desu ka.天気はどうですか。 How is the weather?

Yoi tenki desu.よい天気です。 The weather is nice.

Harete imasu.晴れています。 It is sunny.

Kumotte imasu.曇っています。 It is cloudy.

Ame ga futte imasu.雨が降っています。 It is raining.

Yuki ga futte imasu.雪が降っています。 It is snowing.

Atsui desu.暑いです。 It is hot.

Mushiatsui desu.蒸し暑いです。 It is humid.

Samui desu.寒いです。 It is cold.

Atatakai desu.暖かいです。 It is warm.

Suzushii desu.涼しいです。 It is cool.

Kaze ga tsuyoi desu.風が強いです。 It is windy.

ichi ji一時 one o'clock

ni ji two o'clock

二時

san ji三時 three o'clock

yo ji四時 four o'clock

go ji五時 five o'clock

roku ji六時 six o'clock

shichi ji七時 seven o'clock

hachi ji八時 eight o'clock

ku ji九時 nine o'clock

juu ji十時 ten o'clock

juuichi ji十一時 eleven o'clock

juuni ji十二時 twelve o'clock

 

jikan時間 time

fun, pun分 minutes

gozen午前 a.m.

gogo午後 p.m.

shougo正午 noon

mayonaka真夜中 midnight

Nan ji desu ka.何時ですか。 What time is it?

Ichiji desu.一時です。 It's one o 'clock.

Gozen ku ji desu.午前九時です。 It's 9 a.m.

Gogo san ji han desu.午後三時半です。 It's 3:30 p.m.

Han means half, as in half past the hour. Unlike English, gozen (a.m.) and gogo (p.m.) come before the time. 

koreこれ something near the speaker sore それ something near the person spoken to areあれ something not near either person

Kirei. Pretty. Kawaii. Cute. Utsukushii. Beautiful. Miryoku-teki. Attractive. Aikurushii. Adorable.