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by Eriko Sato, PhD

by Eriko Sato, PhD

Japanese For Dummies

Japanese For Dummies®® Audio SetAudio Set

Published by Published by

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River St. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774  www.wiley  www.wiley.com .com 

Copyright © 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken,

Copyright © 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New JerseyNew Jersey Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada

Published simultaneously in Canada No part of

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or trans- trans-mitted in any form

mitted in any form or by any or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the

United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of theprior written permission of the Publisher

Publisher, or a, or a uthorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to uthorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to thethe Copyright Clearance Center

Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01 923, 978-750-8400,923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. Requests to the

fax 978-646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addrPublisher for permission should be addressed to theessed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at

201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online athttp://www.wiley.com/go/http://www.wiley.com/go/ permissions

permissions.. Trademarks: Wiley

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley logo, , the Wiley logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Referencelogo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way,

for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com and related trade dress are trademarks or

Dummies.com and related trade dress are trademarks or registerregistered trademarks ofed trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other c

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other c ountries,ountries, and may not

and may not be used without written permission. All other be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the prop-trademarks are the prop-erty of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is not associated with any erty of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

product or vendor mentioned in this book.

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NOMAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS

OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDINGAND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITA

WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR TION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WWARRANTY ARRANTY  MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONT

STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE AINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK ISIS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HERE-FROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A FROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR  THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR  WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAP-PEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK

PEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WWAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS AS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.READ.

For general information on our other products and services, please contact For general information on our other products and services, please contact ourour Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974,

Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. atoutside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.

317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. For technical support, please visit

For technical support, please visit www.wiley www.wiley.com/techs.com/techsupportupport.. Wiley publishes in a variety of print and

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand.electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as

in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD a CD or DVD thatthat is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at

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http://booksupport.wiley.com . For . For more information about Wiley products,more information about Wiley products, visit

visit www.wiley www.wiley.com .com .. ISBN: 978-0-555-03813-0 ISBN: 978-0-555-03813-0

Manufactured in the United States of America Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

Japanese For Dummies

Japanese For Dummies®® Audio SetAudio Set

Published by Published by

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River St. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774  www.wiley  www.wiley.com .com 

Copyright © 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken,

Copyright © 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New JerseyNew Jersey Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada

Published simultaneously in Canada No part of

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or trans- trans-mitted in any form

mitted in any form or by any or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the

United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of theprior written permission of the Publisher

Publisher, or a, or a uthorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to uthorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to thethe Copyright Clearance Center

Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01 923, 978-750-8400,923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. Requests to the

fax 978-646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addrPublisher for permission should be addressed to theessed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at

201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online athttp://www.wiley.com/go/http://www.wiley.com/go/ permissions

permissions.. Trademarks: Wiley

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley logo, , the Wiley logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Referencelogo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way,

for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com and related trade dress are trademarks or

Dummies.com and related trade dress are trademarks or registerregistered trademarks ofed trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other c

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other c ountries,ountries, and may not

and may not be used without written permission. All other be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the prop-trademarks are the prop-erty of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is not associated with any erty of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

product or vendor mentioned in this book.

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NOMAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS

OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDINGAND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITA

WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR TION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WWARRANTY ARRANTY  MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONT

STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE AINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK ISIS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HERE-FROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A FROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR  THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR  WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAP-PEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK

PEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WWAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS AS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.READ.

For general information on our other products and services, please contact For general information on our other products and services, please contact ourour Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974,

Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. atoutside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.

317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. For technical support, please visit

For technical support, please visit www.wiley www.wiley.com/techs.com/techsupportupport.. Wiley publishes in a variety of print and

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand.electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as

in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD a CD or DVD thatthat is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at

http://booksupport.wiley.com 

http://booksupport.wiley.com . For . For more information about Wiley products,more information about Wiley products, visit

visit www.wiley www.wiley.com .com .. ISBN: 978-0-555-03813-0 ISBN: 978-0-555-03813-0

Manufactured in the United States of America Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

 Ab

 About

out the

the Au

Autho

thor 

r 

Eriko Sato

Eriko Sato _{earned her PhD in earned her PhD in linguistics from the Statelinguistics from the State}

University of New

University of New YYork at Stony ork at Stony Brook and also teachesBrook and also teaches Japanese in the Department of Asian and Asian American Japanese in the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies there. She has authored multiple books on

Studies there. She has authored multiple books on thethe Japanese language.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at

 www.dummies.com/register/.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

 Acquisitions, Editorial, and   Media Development 

Project Editor:

Chad R. Sievers

Acquisitions Editor:

Lindsay Lefevere

Copy Editor: Vicki Adang

Editorial Program Coordinator:

Erin Calligan Mooney

Technical Editor:

Atsushi Fukada, PhD

Audio Produced by:

Her Voice Unlimited, LLC ( [email protected] )

Media Project Supervisor:

Laura Moss-Hollister

Media Development

Specialist:Kit Malone

Editorial Manager:

Michelle Hacker

Editorial Assistants:

Leeann Harney, David Lutton, Joe Niesen

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (  www.the5thwave.com  ) Composition Services

Project Coordinator:

Lynsey Osborn

Layout and Graphics:

Stacie Brooks, Melissa K. Jester Stephanie D. Jumper

Anniversary Logo Design:

Richard Pacifico

Proofreader: Todd Lothery

 Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

Kathleen Nebenhaus, Vice President and Executive Publisher

David Palmer, Associate Publisher

Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director

 Publishing for Technology Dummies

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher Composition Services

Table of Contents

 Introduction ...1

About This Audio Set...1

Conventions Used in This Audio Set ...2

Foolish Assumptions ...2

How This Audio Set Is Organized...3

Where to Go from Here...3

Romanization ...3

Punctuation...6

Pitch Accents...6

Lesson 1:1: Welcome and Overview of CD1:

The Basics . . . 9

Lesson 1:2: Personal Pronouns and Formalities . . . 10

Respectful titles...11

Lesson 1:3: Saying “Hello” and “Goodbye”. . . 12

Lesson 1:4: Saying and Replying to

“How Are You?” . . . 13

Lesson 1:5: Introducing Yourself and

Talking about Where You’re From . . . 14

Lesson 1:6: Indispensable Words . . . 15

People ...16

Places...16

Emergency...17

Important items...17

Lesson 1:7: Useful Expressions and Phrases . . . 18

Lesson 1:8: Question Words . . . 19

Lesson 1:9: Useful Questions . . . 20

Lesson 1:11: Talking about Time . . . 23

Asking about time ...24

Time-related terms ...24

Lesson 1:12: The Calendar and Dates . . . 25

The days of the week ...25

The months...25

The days of the month ...26

Month and date-related questions and answers...27

Lesson 1:13: Directions . . . 28

Lesson 2:1: Introduction and Overview of CD2:

The Nitty-Gritty: Language Structure . . . 29

Lesson 2:2: Nouns. . . 30

Things in your room ...30

Locations...30

Transportation ...31

Animals...31

Foods and beverages ...31

Lesson 2:3: Plain and Polite Family Terms. . . 32

Older family members ...32

Younger family members...33

Spouse ...33

Extended family members ...33

Lesson 2:4: Counters. . . 35

Lesson 2:5: Demonstratives . . . 37

Lesson 2:6: Adjectives . . . 38

Preference and desire ...39

Colors...40

Nationalities...40

Lesson 2:7: Degrees of Adjectives. . . 41

Lesson 2:8: To Be or Not to Be: A Very

Important Verb . . . 42

Japanese For Dummies Audio Set

Lesson 2:9: Verbs. . . 44

Irregular verbs ...45

Ru-verbs ...45

U-verbs...45

Desu ...46

Lesson 2:10: Verb Tenses. . . 47

Plain ...47 Polite...48 Desu ...48 Example sentences...48

Lesson 2:11: Negatives . . . 49

Lesson 2:12: Particles . . . 50

Particles for subjects and direct objects ...52

Example sentences...52

Lesson 2:13: Conjunctions. . . 53

Example phrases and sentences using conjunctions...53

Lesson 2:14: Forming Simple Sentences . . . 54

Lesson 2:15: Introducing More Complete

Sentences. . . 55

Lesson 3:1: Introduction and Overview of CD3:

Real-World Situations . . . 57

Lesson 3:2: At the Office . . . 58

People around the office ...58

Office activities...58

Example sentences...59

Lesson 3:3: On the Job . . . 60

Occupations...60

Work-related verbs ...61

Example sentences...61

Lesson 3:4: Making Small Talk. . . 62

Lesson 3:5: Making Appointments. . . 64

Lesson 3:6: Arranging Travel . . . 66

Lesson 3:7: Asking for Directions . . . 67

Lesson 3:8: Asking for and Getting Help. . . 69

Lesson 3:9: At the Restaurant . . . 71

Lesson 3:10: At the Hotel . . . 72

Lesson 3:11: At the Bank . . . 73

Lesson 3:12: At the Store . . . 74

Mini-Dictionary. . . 75

Japanese-English Mini-Dictionary ...75

English-Japanese Mini-Dictionary ...82

Japanese For Dummies Audio Set

Introduction

O 

ur planet has become wonderfully diverse, and our world has become smaller than ever. We enjoy a vari-ety of foods, arts, and fashions, and take advantage of amaz-ing new technologies and products. When you speak the language of people in other countries and understand their culture, you can appreciate these experiences more fully. When you speak their language, you can connect these won-derful things to your own life to develop new ideas, broaden your horizons, and widen your career opportunities. When you speak their language, you have unlimited opportunities to find life-changing friendships. Are you ready for the real-life adventure?

If you’re ready to start speaking Japanese, Japanese For   Dummies Audio Set is the most effective, convenient, and

friendliest tool you can use. The CDs give you a good start to successfully studying a new foreign language.

 About This Audio Set 

 Japanese For Dummies Audio Set enables you to quickly familiarize yourself with the Japanese language and begin communicating on a basic level with other Japanese speak-ers. By listening to the hour-long CDs and following along in this booklet, you can set your own pace and explore the topics that interest you. CD1 gives you the very basics of Japanese; CD2 covers the language’s structure; and CD3 pre-sents the language in real-world situations.

By the way, you can play the CDs in this audio set on any CD player, so you can listen in your car, on your home stereo, or on your computer.

Japanese For Dummies Audio Set

2

Conventions Used in This Audio Set 

So that you can easily follow along with the CDs and this booklet, I stuck to a few conventions:

 The lesson numbers in this booklet correspond to the track numbers on the CDs. So Lesson 1:3 corre-sponds to the third track of CD1, and Lesson 3:10 corresponds to the tenth track of CD3. Track 1 of each CD is an introduction, which you can skip if you want.

 On the CDs, the narrator presents words and

phrases in English. Then a native Japanese speaker says the words and phrases in Japanese. A pause gives you time to say the word or phrase yourself. Then the Japanese speaker repeats the word or phrase and pauses to give you another chance to repeat the word or phrase.

 Japanese terms are set in italics in the booklet to make them stand out.

The Tip icon indicates helpful information that aids in your understanding of pronunciation, grammar, and other elements of the language.

Foolish Assumptions 

In producing this audio set, I had to make some assump-tions about who you are and what you know:

 You know no Japanese — or if you took Japanese in school, you don’t remember very much of it.

 You’re not looking for a product that will make you fluent in Japanese; you just want to know some words, phrases, and sentence constructions so you can communicate basic information in Japanese.  You don’t want to memorize a bunch of boring

grammar rules.

 You want to have fun and learn a little bit of Japanese at the same time.

Introduction

3

How This Audio Set Is Organized 

The booklet is divided into four parts, and the first three parts each correspond to one of the CDs.

CD1: The Basics: This CD presents greetings, indis-pensable words and phrases, useful questions, an overview of numbers and dates, and other basic Japanese information.

CD2: The Nitty-Gritty Language Structure: This CD introduces nouns, verbs, adjectives, counters, and other parts of speech so you can develop an understanding of how Japanese sentences are put together.

CD3: Real-World Situations: On this CD, you’re introduced to vocabulary, phrases, and sentences that you’ll find useful while working, traveling, eating out, shopping, banking, and more.

Mini-Dictionary: The fourth part of this booklet is a handy Japanese/English dictionary for quick ref-erence on the go.

Where to Go from Here

Pop any of the CDs into your player and start listening and repeating. CD1 is the place to begin if you know nothing about Japanese. If you know a little bit (or just feel adven-turous), check out the Table of Contents and jump to any lesson that catches your eye, even if it happens to be on CDs 2 or 3. Listen to the tracks that interest you, and dis-cover Japanese at your own pace.

Romanization

Modern Japanese is written horizontally or vertically by com-bining two sets of syllabic alphabets called kana ( hiragana and katakana ) and Chinese characters called kanji . Each kana character represents a unique syllable sound, and each kana system has 46 characters. By contrast, each kanji character

Japanese For Dummies Audio Set

4

represents a unique meaning (or meanings), and an average Japanese person knows about 2,000 of them. That’s a lot, isn’t it? It takes some people days or weeks to learn kana and

some people months or years to learn kanji. It’s important to learn kana and kanji, but the main objective of Japanese For   Dummies Audio Set is to help you speak some Japanese with

authentic pronunciation today! Accordingly, this booklet uses romanization rather than kana and kanji.

There are a number of different romanization ( r ∂maji  )

sys-tems in Japan, and which one is used depends on the situa-tions, purposes, or preferences. Some systems faithfully reflect the kana system, but they frequently misrepresent the actual pronunciation. Other systems may not be faithful to the kana system, but they succeed in representing the actual sounds pretty closely. This booklet employs the latter type, a version of the popular Hepburn system with some modifications.

Long vowels are marked with macrons (that cute little line), as in ok≈_{san (mother), ot} ∂_s≈_{n (father), and y} ∆_{binkyoku (post}

office). Two identical vowels in a row indicate a separation because of internal structural reasons. For example, the adjective ureshii (happy) ends with ii rather than with - i

because the second i changes depending on the form, as in ureshiku and ureshikatta.

Another diacritic convention you should know is the apos-trophe right after n. If the consonant n appears between two vowels, it may or may not form a syllable with the following vowel. If n doesn’t form a syllable with the following vowel, an apostrophe comes right after n to mark the separation between them. For example, the Japanese word that means “prohibition of smoking” is spelled as kin’en (pronounced keen-ehn ), but the word that means “commemoration” is spelled as kinen (pronounced kee-nehn). For Japanese, n’ is a syllable, or a mora, more precisely, and is represented by one kana character.

Introduction

5 

The romanization system adopted in this booklet represents what you hear on the audio CDs, but you need to be aware of some puzzling cases:

If you see a set of two identical consonants — for example, pp, bb, and ss — pronounce the conso-nant a moment longer, just once. Don’t pronounce the same consonant twice. The letters sound like a single consonant preceded by a brief pause. For example, try saying “school” in Japanese, gakk∂

(pronounced gahk-kohh).

The Japanese r may sound like l, d, or something between l and r to you. The Japanese r is made by tapping the tip of the tongue behind the upper

teeth. It is similar to the brief flap sound in “lettuce” or “letter” in American English. Make sure not to pronounce the Japanese r like English r — no curled tongue! What is the number “six” in Japanese? It’s roku (pronounced roh-koo)!

The Japanese f may sound a bit too soft to you, because it is pronounced without using the upper teeth. Pronounce it by bringing the upper lip and the lower lip close to each other, and blowing air between them gently. Note that the Japanese f  occurs only before the vowel u, as in Fujisan (Mount Fuji).

The sequence ts at the beginning of a word may be hard for you to hear or pronounce because this sequence never starts a word in English, but it does in Japanese. Try pronouncing the Japanese word tsukue (desk; pronounced tsoo-koo-eh). If it is hard, say the English word “cats” in your head. When you’re about to finish saying ts in “cats,” start pronouncing tsukue. I hope you succeeded! You may not be able to hear the vowels i and u

clearly. These vowels tend to be whispered or

devoiced when they are between two voiceless con-sonants such as p, t, k, s, sh, ch, ts, and h, or when they are at the end of a word and preceded by a

Japanese For Dummies Audio Set

6

voiceless consonant. This happens quite

fre-quently, especially in fast or normal-speed speech. For example, ashita (tomorrow; pronounced ah-shee-tah) may sound like ashta to you, and Ii desu (It’s fine; pronounced ee-ee deh-soo) may sound like Ii des to you.

 The sequence of vowels ei usually sounds like a long vowel ( √ _{). For example, the word sensei} 

(teacher; pronounced sehn-sehh) usually sounds like sens√.

 The consonant g sometimes sounds nasalized, especially when it occurs between vowels, as in  Ikaga desu ka (How is it?; pronounced ee-kah-gah

deh-soo kah). It is more common among women than among men. Don’t think that the Japanese person has a cold when you hear a nasalized g.  The consonantn may sound like m when followed

by p, b, or another m. For example, tenpura (tem-pura; pronounced ten-poo-rah) sounds like tempura. Similarly, the n followed by k or g, as in gink∂ (bank;

pronounced geen-kohh), sounds like it’s being artic-ulated back in the mouth.

Punctuation

In this booklet, the question mark (?) and the exclamation mark (!) aren’t used except when they help you understand short phrases. Other punctuation systems employed in this booklet, including capitalization, periods, and commas, are pretty much like in English.

Pitch Accents 

Japanese words don’t have a stress accent, and Japanese phrases and sentences may sound pretty plain or monotone to you because of that. However, Japanese words can have a  pitch accent. If a word has an accent on one of the syllables

Introduction

7 

pitch abruptly falls from high to low right after it. For exam-ple, the wordanata (you; pronounced ah-nah-tah) has an accent on the second syllablena, and the entire pitch pattern is low-high-low. By contrast, the word watashi (I; pronounced wah-tah-shee) doesn’t have an accent, so the entire pitch pat-tern of this word is low-high-high. Because pitch accents vary depending on the dialect, you don’t need to be too conscious about it. Just listen to the CDs and imitate the general overall intonation of each phrase and sentence.

Japanese For Dummies Audio Set

Lesson 1:1

Welcome and Overview

of CD1: The Basics

W 

elcome to Japanese For Dummies Audio Set. This set consists of three audio CDs for you to have fun while learning Japanese. You can listen to this audio-based program while driving, walking, relaxing, or any time that is convenient for you. You can take your time, repeat words and phrases, and repeat any track until you feel comfortable.

On each lesson you’ll hear a word or phrase in English, then the Japanese version, then a pause for you to repeat and practice. Then you’ll hear another repetition of the Japanese version with another pause for you to practice again.

On disc one, you start off with essential words and phrases that you can’t live without. Master their pronunciations and use them for getting around your favorite Japanese towns or for making small talk with your Japanese friends in your neighborhood. We encourage you to listen, repeat, and have fun.

Lesson 1:2

Personal Pronouns

and Formalities

T 

he personal pronouns in Japanese are

I watashi 

you (singular) anata

he kare

she kanojo

we watashi-tachi 

you (plural) anata-tachi  they (masculine) karera

they (feminine) kanojora they (masculine, feminine, or mixed group) karera

In Japanese conversations, pronouns are often dropped, and the use of anata especially is

avoided. If anata can’t be dropped, it’s replaced by the person’s name. For example, instead of saying, “Hey, Ken. Is this your book?”, the Japanese say something like, “Hey, Ken. Is this Ken’s book?” It may sound strange to you, but it is perfectly fine and is preferred for Japanese.

Lesson 1:2

11

Respectful titles 

polite/neutral respectful title san

Mr. Smith  Sumisu-san Michael  Maikeru-san Ms. Tanaka Tanaka-san Sandra  Sandora-san formal respectful title sama

Mr. Smith  Sumisu-sama Ms. Tanaka Tanaka-sama

Place a respectful title after other people’s names, but not after your own name. San is the most

commonly used respectful title placed after other people’s family names or given names, regardless of their gender or marital status. Sama is a formal respectful title that you use after family names of your clients, customers, or those to whom respect is due. When addressing your superiors, place their job titles, if available, after their family name, instead of using respectful titles.

Some job-related titles can be placed after a

person’s name instead of a generic respectful title such as san. For example, if Mr. Brown is your teacher, address him as Buraun-sensei. Sensei  means “teacher.”

Lesson 1:3

Saying “Hello”

and “Goodbye”

Good morning. (formal) Ohay ∂ gozaimasu. Good morning. (informal) Ohay ∂.

Good afternoon, or Hi.  Konnichiwa. Good evening.  Konbanwa.

Say Ohay ∂ _{gozaimasu to your superior instead of}

Ohay ∂. Don’t forget to bow when you greet him.

See you tomorrow.  Mata ashita. Goodbye.  Say ∂nara.

Good night. Oyasumi nasai.

Say Shitsurei shimasu when you’re parting from your superior. Its literal meaning is “I will be rude.” The idea in this context is “Excuse my rudeness of leaving you.”

Lesson 1:4

Saying and Replying

to “How Are You?”

T 

he Japanese phrase equivalent to “How are you?” is

Genki desu ka, which literally means “Are you well?”

How are you? (formal) O-genki desu ka. How are you? (informal) Genki? 

Yes, I’m fine.  Hai, genki desu. Well, so-so. π  , m≈m≈ desu. How about you, Mike?  Maiku-san wa? 

Yes, I’m fine, too.  Hai, watashi mo genki desu. The particle mo in Watashi mo genki desu means “also.”

Lesson 1:5

Introducing Yourself and

Talking about Where

You’re From

How do you do?  Hajimemashite.

I am Mr. Smith. Watashi wa Sumisu desu. It is a pleasure to make Yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.

your acquaintance.

Nice to meet you. Yoroshiku. Likewise.  Kochira koso.

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

My name is John Brown. Watashi no namae wa Jon  Buraun desu.

Where are you from?  Dochira kara desu ka.

I’m from San Francisco.  San Furanshisuko kara desu. Where were you born? Go-shusshin wa? 

I was born in Tokyo.  Shusshin wa T ∂_ky ∂ _desu.

I grew up in Osaka. ≥saka de sodachimashita. Where do you live?  Doko ni sunde imasu ka. I live in Boston.  Bosuton ni sunde imasu.

Lesson 1:6

Indispensable Words

Yes.  Hai.

Yes, it is.  Hai, s∂ desu. Yes, I agree with you.  Hai, s∂ desu ne. Of course!  Mochiron.

Maybe. Tabun.

No. ≤ _e.

No, it isn’t. ≤ _{e, s}∂ _{ja arimasen.}

Oh, I see. ∑ _{, s}∂ _{desu ka.}

 Hai shows agreement, and ≤ e shows disagreement. They correspond to “yes” and “no” in English if the question is affirmative, but they become reversed when the question is negative.

Please.  D∂ zo.

Please come in.  D∂ zo haitte kudasai.

You can just say D∂ zo to encourage someone to do something understood in the context.

Thank you very much.  D∂_{mo arigat} ∂ _gozaimasu.

Thanks. (informal)  Arigat ∂_.

Oh, it’s nothing. ≤ _e.

You’re welcome.  D∂ itashimashite. No, thank you. ≤ e, ii desu.

CD1: The Basics

16

Sorry! Gomennasai. I’m sorry.  Sumimasen.

Excuse me. Chotto sumimasen.

Chotto literally means “a little,” but it’s used to soften the expression in Chotto sumimasen.

People

friend tomodachi  family kazoku relative shinseki  adult otona child kodomo

man otoko no hito boy otoko no ko woman onna no hito girl onna no ko baby akachan

Places 

airport k∆k∂ bank  gink∂ bus stop basu-tei  cafe kissaten consulate ry ∂ jikan embassy taishikan hospital by ∂in

Lesson 1:6

17 

hotel hoteru

house ie

library toshokan pharmacy  yakkyoku police station keisatsusho post office  y ∆binkyoku restaurant resutoran restroom otearai  school  gakk∂ store mise train station eki 

travel agency ryok∂_-gaisha

Emergency

police officer keisatsukan doctor isha

nurse kangoshi 

Please help. Tasukete kudasai. Thief!  Dorob∂.

 Important items 

passport  pasup∂to money o-kane

credit card kurejitto k≈do ID mibun-sh∂meisho driver’s license unten-menkyosh∂

Lesson 1:7

Useful Expressions

and Phrases

I don’t understand  Nihongo ga wakarimasen. Japanese.

I don’t speak Japanese  Nihongo ga amari hanasemasen. well.

Can you say it again?  M ∂ ichido itte kudasai. One more time, please.  M ∂ _{ichido onegai shimasu.}

Slowly, please. Yukkuri onegai shimasu. Help me, please. Chotto tasukete kudasai. Do you understand  Eigo ga wakarimasu ka.

English?

How do you say “train” “Train” wa Nihongo de nan desu ka. in Japanese?

I don’t know. Chotto wakarimasen.

Wakarimasen can mean either “I don’t know” or “I don’t understand.” When you mean I don’t know, add chotto to soften it.

Are you all right?  Daij ∂bu desu ka. Yes, I’m all right.  Hai, daij ∂bu desu.

Lesson 1:8

Question Words

Who?  Dare?  What?  Nani?  Where?  Doko?  Why?  D∂shite?  When?  Itsu?  How?  D∂?  How much?  Ikura? 

Lesson 1:9

Useful Questions

 A

ll the Japanese questions end in the particle ka regard-less of whether it is a content question or a yes-no question.

Who is that person  Ano hito wa dare desu ka. over there?

What is this?  Kore wa nan desu ka. What is that over there?  Are wa nan desu ka. Is that Mount Fuji?  Are wa Fujisan desu ka. What is your name? O-namae wa nan desu ka. Where is the restroom? Otearai wa doko desu ka. Where are you from?  Dochira kara kimashita ka. When is your birthday? Tanj ∂bi wa itsu desu ka. When will you go (there)?  Itsu ikimasu ka.

What time do you close?  Nan-ji ni shimarimasu ka. At what time does  Densha wa nan-ji ni 

the train leave? demasu ka.

When is checkout time? Chekkuauto wa nan-ji desu ka. How much is this?  Kore wa ikura desu ka.

Lesson 1:10

An Overview of Numbers

1 ichi  2 ni  3 san 4 shi  5  go 6 roku 7 shichi  8 hachi  9 ky ∆ 10  j ∆ 11  j ∆ichi  12  j ∆ni  13  j ∆san 14  j ∆shi  15  j ∆ go 16  j ∆roku 17  j ∆_shichi  18  j ∆hachi  19  j ∆ky ∆ 20 nij ∆ 21 nij ∆ichi  22 nij ∆ni 

CD1: The Basics

22

23 nij ∆san 30 sanj ∆ 31 sanj ∆ichi  32 sanj ∆ni  40  yonj ∆ 50  goj ∆ 60 rokuj ∆ 70 nanaj ∆ 80 hachij ∆ 90 ky ∆ j ∆ 99 ky ∆ j ∆ky ∆ 100 hyaku

999 ky ∆_hyakuky ∆ _j ∆_ky ∆

1,000 sen

When you read the numbers one after another in order, you commonly use this pronunciation of numbers. However, the number 4 can be read as shi or yon, and the number 7 can be read as shichi  or nana. Likewise, the number 14 can be read as  j ∆shi or j ∆ yon, the number 17 can be read as

 j ∆shichi or j ∆nana, and the number 19 can be read  j ∆ky ∆or j ∆ku. Furthermore, when the numbers are

followed by suffixes (counters) such as ji (o’clock) and mai (sheets of), many numbers are often read differently, as shown in Lesson 1:11 and Lesson 2:4.

The Japanese number system is quite logical. For example, 11 is j ∆_{-ichi , which is 10 (  j} ∆ _{) plus 1 ( ichi  ).}

21 is ni-j ∆_{-ichi , which is 2 ( ni  ) times 10 (  j} ∆ _{) plus 1}

( ichi  ). 999 is ky ∆_-hyaku-ky ∆_-j ∆_-ky ∆_{, which is 9 ( ky} ∆ ₎

times 100 ( hyaku ), plus 9 ( ky ∆ ) times 10 (  j ∆ ), plus 9 ( ky ∆ _).

Lesson 1:11

Talking about Time

o’clock  ji  hour  jikan minute fun

 Fun (minute) alternates with pun when following certain numbers including 1 and 3.

second by ∂ half past (of time) han

a.m.  gozen p.m.  gogo 1 o’clock ichi-ji  2 o’clock ni-ji  3 o’clock san-ji  4 o’clock  yo-ji  5 o’clock  go-ji  6 o’clock roku-ji  7 o’clock shichi-ji  8 o’clock hachi-ji  9 o’clock ku-ji  10 o’clock  j ∆-ji  11 o’clock  j ∆ichi-ji  12 o’clock  j ∆_ni-ji  7:15 shichi-ji j ∆ _go-fun

CD1: The Basics

24

10:55 (5 minutes to 11)  j ∆ichi-ji go-fun mae 11 a.m.  gozen j ∆ichi-ji 

The 24-hour clock is used in timetables for trains in Japan. For example, 2:15 p.m. is 14:15 (  j ∆ _yo-ji 

 j ∆ go-fun ).

 Asking about time

What time is it now?  Ima nan-ji desu ka. It’s 11:15.  J ∆ichi-ji j ∆ go-fun desu. From what time?  Nan-ji kara desu ka. Until what time?  Nan-ji made desu ka.

It’s from 2 to 5.  Ni-ji kara go-ji made desu. At what time are you leaving?  Nan-ji ni demasu ka.

I’ll leave at 3.  San-ji ni demasu.

How many hours does it take?  Nan-jikan kakarimasu ka. It takes two hours.  Ni-jikan kakarimasu.

Time-related terms 

morning asa noon hiru evening ban night  yoru afternoon  gogo today ky ∂ tomorrow ashita yesterday kin∂

Lesson 1:12

The Calendar and Dates

The days of the week

All of the days of the week in Japanese end in y ∂bi.

Monday  getsuy ∂bi  Tuesday kay ∂bi  Wednesday suiy ∂bi  Thursday mokuy ∂bi  Friday kiny ∂bi  Saturday doy ∂_bi 

Sunday nichiy ∂_bi 

The months 

All of the months in Japanese end in gatsu, which follows numbers from 1 to 12. January ichi-gatsu February ni-gatsu March san-gatsu April shi-gatsu May  go-gatsu June roku-gatsu July shichi-gatsu August hachi-gatsu

CD1: The Basics

26

September ku-gatsu October  j ∆-gatsu November  j ∆ichi-gatsu December  j ∆_ni-gatsu

The days of the month

The days of the month in Japanese are full of irregularities.

the first tsuitachi  the second futsuka the third mikka the fourth  yokka the fifth itsuka the sixth muika the seventh nanoka the eighth  y ∂ka

the ninth kokonoka the tenth t ∂ka the 11th  j ∆ichi-nichi  the 12th  j ∆ni-nichi  the 13th  j ∆san-nichi  the 14th  j ∆ _yokka the 15th  j ∆ _go-nichi  the 16th  j ∆roku-nichi  the 17th  j ∆shichi-nichi  the 18th  j ∆hachi-nichi  the 19th  j ∆ku-nichi  the 20th hatsuka

Lesson 1:12

27 

the 21st nij ∆ichi-nichi  the 22nd nij ∆ni-nichi  the 23rd nij ∆san-nichi  the 24th nij ∆ yokka the 25th nij ∆ _go-nichi 

the 26th nij ∆_roku-nichi 

the 27th nij ∆shichi-nichi  the 28th nij ∆hachi-nichi  the 29th nij ∆ku-nichi  the 30th sanj ∆-nichi  the 31st sanj ∆ichi-nichi 

 Month and date-related 

questions and answers 

What is today’s date?  Ky ∂ wa nan-nichi desu ka. Today is the 16th.  Ky ∂ wa j ∆roku-nichi desu. What day is it today?  Ky ∂ wa nany ∂bi desu ka. It’s Monday. Getsuy ∂bi desu.

Lesson 1:13

Directions

far t ∂i  close chikai  next to tonari  in front of mae behind ushiro nearby chikaku east higashi  west nishi  south minami  north kita right migi  left hidari  intersection k∂saten street, road michi 

corner kado

bridge hashi 

to go straight massugu iku to turn right migi ni magaru

Lesson 2:1

Introduction and Overview

of CD2: The Nitty-Gritty:

Language Structure

W 

elcome to Japanese For Dummies Audio Set, disc

two. On this CD, you’ll hear Japanese nouns, verbs, adjectives, and other important words, and learn how to put them together to make a sentence.

Lesson 2:2

Nouns

 J 

apanese nouns are very simple. They don’t have a singular/plural distinction or a masculine/feminine distinction. In addition, they don’t have to be preceded by articles like a or the.

You may wonder how the Japanese would know whether there is a dog or there are multiple dogs when they hear Inu (dog). Actually, they just have to guess from the context, or they just have to ask how many.

Things in your room

bed beddo book hon TV terebi  clock tokei  sofa sof ≈ table t √_buru newspaper shinbun

Locations 

town machi  country kuni  village mura neighborhood kinjo

Lesson 2:2

31

Transportation

airplane hik∂_ki 

boat fune bus basu car kuruma subway chikatetsu taxi takush∫  train densha

 Animals 

bird tori  cat neko cow ushi  dog inu fish sakana pig buta

Foods and beverages 

apple ringo black tea k∂_cha

bread  pan coffee k∂_h∫ 

cooked rice  gohan

egg tamago

pizza  piza soup s∆ _pu

Lesson 2:3

Plain and Polite

Family Terms

F 

amily terms have a plain form and a polite form. Use the plain form to refer to your own family members in front of others. Use the polite form to refer to someone else’s

family members. For example, “my father” would be watashi  no chichi and “Ms. Yamada’s father” would be Yamada-san no ot ∂_{san. Chichi is the plain form and ot} ∂_{san is the polite}

form. “My father met Ms. Yamada’s father” would be Watashi  no chichi wa Yamada-san no ot ∂_{san ni aimashita. Plain forms}

and polite forms are also called humble forms and respectful  forms.

Older family members 

father (plain) chichi  father (polite) ot ∂_san

mother (plain) haha mother (polite) ok≈san older brother (plain) ani  older brother (polite) on∫ _san

older sister (plain) ane older sister (polite) on√_san

Lesson 2:3

33

Younger family members 

younger brother (plain) ot ∂_to

younger brother (polite) ot ∂_tosan

younger sister (plain) im∂_to

younger sister (polite) im∂_tosan

son (plain) musuko son (polite) musukosan daughter (plain) musume daughter (polite) musumesan child (plain) kodomo child (polite) okosan

 Spouse

husband (plain) otto husband (polite)  goshujin wife (plain) tsuma wife (polite) okusan

In conversations, shujin is often used instead of otto to refer to one’s own husband, and kanai is often used instead of tsuma to refer to one’s own wife.

Extended family members 

grandfather (plain) sofu grandfather (polite) oj ∫ _san

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34

grandmother (polite)

grandmother (polite) obob≈≈_sansan

uncle (plain)

uncle (plain) oji oji  uncle (polite)

uncle (polite) ojisanojisan aunt (plain)

aunt (plain) obaoba aunt (polite)

aunt (polite) obasanobasan

When addressing your older family members When addressing your older family members (other than your spouse), use the polite form. (other than your spouse), use the polite form. When addressing your younger family members or When addressing your younger family members or your spouse, use their first name or nickname. your spouse, use their first name or nickname. Wives often address their husbands with

Wives often address their husbands with anata,anata, which literally means “you,” but actually means which literally means “you,” but actually means something like “honey” or

something like “honey” or “dear” in English. “dear” in English. YYouou really have to understand the difference between really have to understand the difference between “addressing” and “referring;” otherwise,

“addressing” and “referring;” otherwise, what’swhat’s discussed here becomes contradictory to what discussed here becomes contradictory to what was stated earlier in this section. “Addressing” is was stated earlier in this section. “Addressing” is when you’re talking to the person and calling him when you’re talking to the person and calling him or her

or her, mostly to get attention. “Referrin, mostly to get attention. “Referring” is wheng” is when you aren’t talking to the person, but talking about you aren’t talking to the person, but talking about him or her to someone else.

Lesson 2:4

Lesson 2:4

Counters

Counters

T 

T 

he quantity of an ihe quantity of an item is expressed by a numeral andtem is expressed by a numeral and a

a short sushort suffix, ffix, called called aa counter.counter. A counter in JapaneseA counter in Japanese is

is equequivaivalent tlent to a word lio a word like “shke “sheeteet,”,” asas in “a shein “a sheet of paet of paperper” ”  in English. Interestingly

in English. Interestingly, you need a , you need a counter even for count-counter even for count-ing books, pens, people, and animals. For example, “there ing books, pens, people, and animals. For example, “there are two books and two pens” means

are two books and two pens” means Hon ga ni-satsu to Hon ga ni-satsu to  pen

 pen ga ni-hon arimasu.ga ni-hon arimasu. Ni-satsuNi-satsu meameans “twns “two”o” for bofor boundund items

items like like books, books, andand ni-honni-hon means means “two”“two” for lonfor long cyg cylin- lin-drical

drical items likitems like pens. Of course pens. Of course,e, nini meameans “ns “twotwo.”.” TheThe following are some common counters with the numerals following are some common counters with the numerals one, two, and three. Watch out for some irregular sound one, two, and three. Watch out for some irregular sound changes.

changes.

one, two, three . . .

one, two, three . . . ichi-mai, ni-mai, san-mai . . .ichi-mai, ni-mai, san-mai . . . for flat items like

for flat items like paper

paper

one, two, three . . .

one, two, three . . . ichi-dai, ni-dai, san-dai . . .ichi-dai, ni-dai, san-dai . . . for mechanical

for mechanical items like cars items like cars one, two, three . . .

one, two, three . . . is-satsu, ni-satsu, san-satsu . . .is-satsu, ni-satsu, san-satsu . . . for bound items

for bound items like books

like books

one, two, three . . .

one, two, three . . . ip-pon, ni-hon, san-bon . . .ip-pon, ni-hon, san-bon . . . for long cylindrical

for long cylindrical items like pens items like pens

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one, two, three . . .

one, two, three . . . ip-piki, ni-hiki, san-biki . . .ip-piki, ni-hiki, san-biki . . . for animals like

for animals like dogs

dogs

one, two, three . . .

one, two, three . . . hito-ri, futa-ri, san-nin . . .hito-ri, futa-ri, san-nin . . . for people

for people

one, two, three . . .

one, two, three . . . hito-tsu, futa-tsu, mit-tsu . . .hito-tsu, futa-tsu, mit-tsu . . . for a variety of items

for a variety of items like apples and

like apples and erasers

erasers

Most counters follow numerals with Chinese origin Most counters follow numerals with Chinese origin as in

as in ichi-maiichi-mai andand ichi-dai,ichi-dai, but some follow nativebut some follow native Japanese numerals as in

Lesson 2:5

Demonstratives

F 

or referring to visible items, you can use the demon-strative adjectives kono, sono, and ano along with the common noun. Kono is for an item near the speaker, sono is for an item near the listener, and ano is for an item far from both the speaker and the listener.

this book kono hon that book (near you) sono hon that book (over there) ano hon this dog kono inu that person (over there) ano hito that wallet (near you) sono saifu this building kono tatemono

For referring to things and animals without using a specific common noun, use the following demonstrative pronouns.

this one kore that one near you sore that one over there are

When referring to people, don’t use the demonstra-tive pronounskore, sore, and are, but use the

demonstrative adjective along with a common noun, as in ano gakusei (that student) and kono hito (this person).

Lesson 2:6

Adjectives

 J 

apanese has two types of adjectives: i-type and na-type. When they’re placed right before a noun, i-type adjec-tives end in i, and na-type adjecadjec-tives end in na. For example,  yasashii hito means “a kind person” and kireina hito means

“a pretty person.” In both cases, an adjective is followed by a noun hito (person), and you can easily tell that yasashii is an i-type adjective and kireina is a na-type adjective. When they aren’t followed by a noun, but by desu to form a sen-tence predicate, i remains, but na must be removed. For example, Ano hito wa yasashii desu means “That person is kind,” and Ano hito wa kirei desu means “That person is pretty.” In this example, it’s not as easy to see whether the adjective is i-type or na-type. The following are adjectives listed in the latter form, which is more frequently used in simple conversations. For your convenience, na-type adjec-tives are marked in the parentheses.

big ∂_{kii desu}

small ch∫ _{sai desu}

expensive takai desu inexpensive/cheap  yasui desu

easy kantan desu (na-type) difficult muzukashii desu

fast hayai desu slow osoi desu good ii desu bad warui desu happy ureshii desu

Lesson 2:6

39

sad kanashii desu hot atsui desu cold (weather) samui desu delicious oishii desu awful (taste) mazui desu interesting omoshiroi desu boring tsumaranai desu long nagai desu

short mijikai desu

pretty kirei desu (na-type) ugly minikui desu

quiet shizuka desu (na-type) loud urusai desu

short (for a person) se ga hikui desu tall (for a person) se ga takai desu young wakai desu

Japanese has an adjective that means “old,” which is furui, but it only applies to objects as in furui ie (old house) and furui kutsu (old shoes), but doesn’t apply to people or animals. If you want to say

someone is old, use the verb phrase, toshi ga itte imasu (old/aged).

Preference and desire

A person’s preferences and desires are most commonly expressed by adjectives rather than verbs in Japanese.

to like suki desu (na-type) to dislike kirai desu (na-type) to want hoshii desu

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Colors 

Some colors are expressed by adjectives, although others are expressed by nouns.

black kuroi desu blue aoi desu red akai desu white shiroi desu yellow kiiroi desu

 Nationalities 

Japanese  Nihonjin American  Amerikajin British  Igirisujin Chinese Ch∆ _gokujin French  Furansujin Spanish  Supeinjin

Lesson 2:7

Degrees of Adjectives

 J 

apanese adjectives don’t have comparative or

superla-tive forms, like smaller and smallest in English. To show a comparative idea, just add the adverb motto (more) or add the item being compared along with the particle yori (than). To show a superlative idea, just add the adverb ichiban (the most).

cheaper motto yasui  cheaper than pizza  piza yori yasui  cheapest ichiban yasui  more expensive motto takai  more expensive than sushi sushi yori takai  most expensive ichiban takai 

more difficult than French  Furansugo yori muzukashii  most difficult ichiban muzukashii 

Lesson 2:8

To Be or Not to Be:

A Very Important Verb

T 

he English verb to be expresses either identification

(John is a student) or existence (There is a book).

“To be” in the sense of identification in English cor-responds to desu in Japanese. To say “A is B,” say A wa B desu, in which wa is the topic particle.

I’m American. Watashi wa Amerikajin desu. My mom is Japanese.  Haha wa Nihonjin desu.

I’m a student. Watashi wa gakusei desu. My dad is a lawyer. Chichi wa bengoshi desu. They are busy.  Karera wa isogashii desu. Japanese is easy.  Nihongo wa kantan desu. English is hard.  Eigo wa muzukashii desu. This is a dictionary.  Kore wa jisho desu.

“To be” in the sense of existence in English corre-sponds to arimasu or imasu in Japanese. Arimasu is for an inanimate item, and imasu is for an animate item.

Lesson 2:8

43

There is a pen.  Pen ga arimasu. There is a cat.  Neko ga imasu.

There are many students. Gakusei ga takusan imasu.

“Ga” in the previous three sentences is the subject marking particle. See Lesson 2:12 for more details.

Mount Fuji is in Japan.  Fujisan wa Nihon ni arimasu. John is at the restaurant.  Jon wa resutoran ni imasu.

Lesson 2:9

Verbs

 J 

apanese sentence predicates take either a plain form or a polite form depending on the formality of the context. The plain form is short and is used in an informal context. The polite form is slightly longer and is used in a polite or neutral speech-style context. Accordingly, verbs have plain forms and polite forms among other forms. But don’t think that you don’t need to know the plain form if you’re speak-ing only in polite-neutral speech style. The verbs in the plain form must be used even in polite contexts if certain elements such as modals follow them. So, it’s important to know both the plain form and the polite form for each verb.

The plain form (present affirmative) or the dictionary form ends in a syllable: ru, ku, gu, su, tsu, u, mu, nu, or bu, as in taberu (eat). The polite form (present affirmative) ends in the polite suffix masu, as in tabemasu (eat).

Verbs are classified into irregular verbs, which are suru (do) and kuru (come) , and regular verbs, which are either ru-verbs or u-ru-verbs. If the verb’s dictionary form ends inru, try removing ru from the plain form and masu from its polite counterpart. If the remaining portions are identical, it is a ru-verb. Otherwise, it’s a u-verb. If the verb’s dictionary form doesn’t end in ru, it’s a u-verb without any question.

Now, you’ll hear both the plain form and the polite form of each verb. Listen and pronounce two forms one after the other.

Lesson 2:9

45 

 Irregular verbs 

do suru (plain), shimasu (polite) come kuru (plain), kimasu (polite)

Ru-verbs 

eat taberu (plain), tabemasu (polite) exist/be (animate) iru (plain), imasu (polite)

look miru (plain), mimasu (polite) sleep neru (plain), nemasu (polite)

U-verbs 

buy kau (plain), kaimasu (polite)

carry hakobu (plain), hakobimasu (polite) drink nomu (plain), nomimasu (polite) exist/be (inanimate) aru (plain), arimasu (polite) go iku (plain), ikimasu (polite) listen kiku (plain), kikimasu (polite) read  yomu (plain), yomimasu (polite) run hashiru (plain), hashirimasu (polite) speak hanasu (plain), hanashimasu (polite) swim oyogu (plain), oyogimasu (polite) understand wakaru (plain), wakarimasu (polite) wait matsu (plain), machimasu (polite) work hataraku (plain), hatarakimasu

(polite)

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Many verbs are created by adding the verb suru (do) after a word of Chinese origin.

study benky ∂ _{suru (plain), benky} ∂ _shimasu

(polite)

invite sh∂_{tai suru (plain), sh}∂_{tai shimasu}

(polite)

graduate sotsugy ∂ _{suru (plain), sotsugy} ∂

shimasu (polite)

get married kekkon suru (plain), kekkon shimasu (polite)

Desu

 Desu (to be), introduced in Lesson 2:8, is very different from other verbs. For example, unlike other verbs,desu can never be pronounced independently without being preceded by another word. Just know that desu is the polite form, and its plain counterpart is da.

Lesson 2:10

Verb Tenses

V 

erbs in the present form express habitual or future

actions, and verbs in the past form express past actions.

Plain

Verbs in the plain affirmative present form all end in the vowel u, but their past counterparts all end in the syllable ta or da.

eat or will eat taberu

ate tabeta

drink or will drink nomu drank nonda write or will write kaku wrote kaita buy or will buy kau bought katta do or will do suru

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48 

Polite

Verbs in the polite affirmative present form end in masu, but their past counterparts end in mashita.

eat or will eat tabemasu ate tabemashita drink or will drink nomimasu drank nomimashita do or will do shimasu did shimashita

Desu

The past tense of desu (to be) is deshita, and its plain coun-terparts are da and datta.

Example sentences 

I will go to the library Watashi wa ashita toshokan ni tomorrow. ikimasu.

I went to the library Watashi wa kin∂ _{toshokan ni}

yesterday. ikimashita.

Emily bought shoes  Emir ∫ _{-san wa kin}∂ _{kutsu o}

yesterday. kaimashita.

Ken played tennis  Ken-san wa kin∂ _{tenisu o}

Lesson 2:11

Negatives

 N 

egative verbs and adjectives have masen in their polite form and nai in their plain form. The following examples are all in the polite form. Note that pronouns are commonly dropped in Japanese.

(I) don’t know. Wakarimasen. (I) can’t.  Dekimasen. (I) can’t swim. Oyogemasen. (I) am not going (there).  Ikimasen.

(I) couldn’t go (there).  Ikemasendeshita.

(I) will not work tomorrow.  Ashita wa hatarakimasen. (It) is not delicious. Oishiku arimasen.

(I) don’t like (it).  Suki ja arimasen.

(I) am not American.  Amerikajin ja arimasen.  Ja that appears before arimasen in negative

sen-tences can be dewa. For example, the above two sentences can be Suki dewa arimasen or

 Amerikajin dewa arimasen.

(I) don’t eat meat.  Niku wa tabemasen. (I) don’t have money. Okane ga arimasen.

Lesson 2:12

Particles

E 

nglish prepositions are placed before a noun, as in “to Tokyo.” Their Japanese counterparts are placed after the noun, as in T ∂_ky ∂ _{ni. So, they are actually postpositions}

and are generally called particles. Unfortunately, there is no one-to-one correspondence between English prepositions and Japanese particles. In addition, a simple English prepo-sition may have to be expressed by a combination of a few elements in Japanese.

from kara

(I’m) from America. Amerika kara desu.

on ni 

(I’ll) go (there) on Monday. Getsuy ∂_{bi ni ikimasu.}

on; above no ue ni 

(It’s) on the table. T √_{buru no ue ni arimasu.}

for no tame ni 

(I’ll) study for the exam.  Shiken no tame ni benky ∂

shimasu.

to ni 

(I’ll) go to Tokyo. T ∂_ky ∂ _{ni ikimasu.}

in ni 

Lesson 2:12

51

in de

(I’ll) study in Tokyo. T ∂ky ∂ de benky ∂-shimasu.

at de

(I’ll) eat at the restaurant.  Resutoran de tabemasu.

at ni 

(He) arrived at Boston.  Bosuton ni tsukimashita.

by de

(I) went there by bus.  Basu de ikimashita.

with de

(I) eat with chopsticks.  Hashi de tabemasu.

with to

(I’ll) study with Mike.  Maiku-san to benky ∂_-shimasu.

of no

(This) is the key of the car.  Kuruma no kagi desu.

As you can see in these examples, one-to-one cor-respondence between English prepositions and Japanese particles is rarely attainable. You must think about the relation between the relevant item and the action. For example, “in Tokyo” can be either T ∂_ky ∂ _{ni or T} ∂_ky ∂ _{de depending on whether}

someone is just being there or someone is doing something there. If someone is doing something at/in some location, the particle de is used. If some-one/something is being somewhere, the particle ni  is used. If someone is involved in some moving action such as “going,” “coming,” and “arriving,” the destination of the movement is also marked by the particle ni, which would be “to” or “at” in

English. If someone is using something as a method or tools for the given action, the item being used is marked by the particle de in Japanese, which

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52

Particles for subjects and direct objects 

The particle for the subject is ga, and the particle for the direct object is o. There is no English translation for them.

Emily invited Tom.  Emir ∫ _{-san ga Tomu-san o sh}∂_tai

shimashita.

Rachelle bought a car.  Reicheru-san ga kuruma o kaimashita.

The subject particle ga is often replaced by the topic particle wa because the subject usually also functions as the topic of the sentence when there is no other phrase functioning as the topic.

Example sentences 

Because every noun phrase is marked by some particle, the order among them in a sentence can be free.

Susan broke the camera.  Kamera o S ∆ _{zan-san ga}

kowashimashita. I will go to Boston on Monday. Watashi wa getsuy ∂_{bi ni}

 Bosuton ni ikimasu. I ate sushi with Mike. Watashi wa Maiku-san to

sushi o tabemashita. John is a student of Japanese.  Jon-san wa Nihongo no

Lesson 2:13

Conjunctions

and to

or ka

not only/but also dakedewa naku...mo because kara

but  ga

although keredomo if moshi...tara unless nai kagiri 

Example phrases and sentences

using conjunctions 

the boy and the girl otoko no ko to onnano ko the soup or the salad s∆ _{pu ka sarada}

Not only students but Gakusei dakedewa naku also professors ky ∂ _{ju mo}

Because it’s expensive, Takai desu kara, kaimasen. I won’t buy it.

It’s expensive, Takai desu ga, kaimasu. but I’ll buy it.

Lesson 2:14

Forming Simple Sentences

The sky is blue.  Sora wa aoi desu.

I am going home. Watashi wa uchi ni kaerimasu. The restroom is Otearai wa migi ni arimasu.

on your right.

The coffee is very hot.  K ∂_h∫ _{wa totemo atsui desu.}

This suitcase is heavy.  Kono s∆_tsuk√_{su wa omoi desu.}

That boy is my cousin.  Ano otoko no ko wa watashi no itoko desu.

Sandra is pretty.  Sandora-san wa kirei desu. Tom didn’t come to class. Tomu-san wa kurasu ni

kimasendeshita.

I like sushi. Watashi wa sushi ga suki desu. I want money. Watashi wa okane ga hoshii