IntroducingThis is a featured page

Tanaka: Konnichiwa.
Kimura: Konnichiwa.
Tanaka: Kimura-san, kochira wa watashi no tomodachi desu.
Yamada Hiroko-san desu.
Yamada: Hajimemashite. Yamada Hiroko desu. Douzo yoroshiku.
Kimura: Kimura Ichirou desu. Douzo yoroshiku.
Yamada: Gakusei desu ka.
Kimura: Hai, gakusei desu.
Yamada: Go-senmon wa.
Kimura: Keizai desu. Anata mo gakusei desu ka.
Yamada: Iie, hisho desu.
Kimura: Sou desu ka.
(these names are example)

Translation:
Tanaka: Hello.
Kimura: Hello.
Tanaka: Mr. Kimura, this is my friend. This is Hiroko Yamada.
Yamada: How do you do? I'm Hiroko Yamada. Nice to meet you.
Kimura: I'm Ichirou Kimura. Nice to meet you.
Yamada: Are you a student?
Kimura: Yes, I am.
Yamada: What is your specialization?
Kimura: Economics. Are you a student, too?
Yamada: No, I'm a secretary.
Kimura: I see.

Vocabulary:
Konnichiwa hello, good afternoon
kochirathis person (It is used when introducing someone.)
watashiI (female)
tomodachi friend
Hajimemashite How do you do?
(It is used when meeting for the first time.)
Douzo Yoroshiku Nice to meet you.
haiyes
gakuseistudent
keizaieconomics
anatayou
iieno
hishosecretary
sou desu ka I see. (It is pronounced with falling intonation. With rising intonation, it becomes a question.)

Grammar:
 (1) Nouns
Japanese nouns have no gender, no singular/plural, and no articles. ("the" and "a" etc.) For example, the word "tomodachi" can be "a friend," "the friend," "friends," or "the friends." Usually the context tells the particular meaning of a word.

(2) ~ desu

"~ desu" is equivalent to English "am," "are," or "is." Unlike English, it doesn't change its form according to the subject. "~ desu" always comes at the end of a sentence.

Watashi wa gakusei desu.I am a student.
Kochira wa Yamada-san desu.This is Ms. Yamada.
Watashitachi wa tomodachi desuWe are friends.

(3) Omission of topic

When it is obvious to the other person what the topic is, it is generally omitted.

(Watashi wa) Hiroko desu I am Hiroko
(Watashi wa) gakusei desuI am a student

(4) Negative form

 The negative form of "~ desu" is "~ ja arimasen" or "~ dewa arimasen." "~ dewa arimasen" is more formal, and "~ ja arimasen" is common in casual conversation.

Gakusei dewa arimasenI am not a student
Nihon-jin ja arimasenI am not Japanese

(5) Particles

A particle is a word that shows the relationship of a word, a phrase or a clause to the rest of the sentence. Particles are an important part of Japanese sentence structure. They resemble English prepositions in the way they connect words, but unlike English prepositions, which come before nouns, Japanese particles always come after nouns. Often these particles can not be translated.

Wa (topic marker)

The particle "wa" has no English equivalent. It tells you that the noun in front of it is the topic of the sentence. What comes after "wa" is the comment. Literally, "wa" means "as for."
Watashi wa Gakusei desuI am a student

Mo (also)

The particle "mo" means "also," "too," or "as well." It is used in both affirmative and negative sentences.

Anata mo Gakusei desu kaAre you a student,too?

No (possessive marker)

The particle "no" indicates possession or attribution and comes after the noun it modifies. It is like the English apostrophe ('s). E.g. Karen's.
Watashi no TomodachiMy friend
Kimura-san no senmonMr. Kimura's field of study

(6) Questions

The particle "ka" is a question marker. The formation of a question in Japanese is easy. Put the particle "ka" at the end of a sentence and it becomes a question. The word order does not change.

Kimura-san wa gakusei desu Mr. Kimura is a student.
Kimura-san wa gakusei desu kaIs Mr. Kimura a student?




Phantom.T
Phantom.T 		Latest page update: made by Phantom.T , Jan 5 2008, 2:52 PM EST (about this update About This Update Phantom.T Edited by Phantom.T


view changes
- complete history)
Keyword tags: None
More Info: links to this page

Threads for this page

There are no threads for this page.  Be the first to start a new thread.