The construction for negative imperative as in Don't verb
is
verb (plain form) + na! Don't verb
Something you might not get a chance to say but maybe you might is the Negative Imperative grammar use of the particle na after verbs in base III or plain form.
Shimesu na! Don't Show!
Taberu na! Don't Eat!
Iku na! Don't go!
Nomu na! Don't drink!
Noru na! Don't ride!
Miru na! Don't look!
minaide or mittara dame also same as miru na!
Towards better Japanese - Japanese grammar, Japanese vocabulary, Japanese pronunciation, Japanese Verbs, Japanese sentences, Learn Japanese, Study Japanese, Live Japanese... Breathe Japanese - Japanese Language Mastery
Showing posts with label google japan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label google japan. Show all posts
Jun 30, 2008
Learn some Japanese Vocabulary
Need some Japanese vocabulary to study? Here are 50 sets of 15 words
I called them the Japanese Vocabulary Blasters -
I called them the Japanese Vocabulary Blasters -
Just some Thoughts Japanese Language Learning
一日中 - ichi nichi jyuu
whether the romanization of the above jyuu should be written as
1. jyuu - 中
2. ju -
3. ju^ - the ^ carat used as the long vowel sound.
美人 - びじん (Bijin)- A babe, a beautiful lady, lit. beautiful person The first kanji in this kanji compound is the kanji for utsukushii that is read as Bijin (pronounced bee-jeen). Lot of space in the mouth when pronouncing this i or the bi or ji or ee to bee or jeen; as in kanojo wa bijin da ne!
人数 ninzu - literally a person number, a count of the people, a census, population; as in ninzu ga oi.
The word for peacock in Japanese is easy to remember if you had ever seen the T.V. show Cojak. I always related that show Cojak to the Japanese word kujaku or peacock. Cojak and kujaku are pronounced very nearly the same. You want to build your vocabulary from a strong base not a weak one. Through this and other such cognitives to help me remember all the words in Japanese even though, I am past the threshold of ever possessing the tongue of a native, nor the understanding of one. But still in all the endeavors which ever did stir tal wilkinfield I want to marry her. I hope she is still available.
Strong word associations like these are the keys to long lasting memory. Strong visual cues, an infinite possibility. Fibonacci88. I have never forgotten the word for peacock, kujaku, since I first put to it my imagery and unique way of identifying with a known word and fudging the pronunciation of the words a little bit and before long, you will have that 6000 word vocabulary... but can you wield it correctly? How do you know you are doing it right?
word and may never lose the ability to forget that word. Because all my Japanese to English thteth are hethieoht
whether the romanization of the above jyuu should be written as
1. jyuu - 中
2. ju -
3. ju^ - the ^ carat used as the long vowel sound.
美人 - びじん (Bijin)- A babe, a beautiful lady, lit. beautiful person The first kanji in this kanji compound is the kanji for utsukushii that is read as Bijin (pronounced bee-jeen). Lot of space in the mouth when pronouncing this i or the bi or ji or ee to bee or jeen; as in kanojo wa bijin da ne!
人数 ninzu - literally a person number, a count of the people, a census, population; as in ninzu ga oi.
The word for peacock in Japanese is easy to remember if you had ever seen the T.V. show Cojak. I always related that show Cojak to the Japanese word kujaku or peacock. Cojak and kujaku are pronounced very nearly the same. You want to build your vocabulary from a strong base not a weak one. Through this and other such cognitives to help me remember all the words in Japanese even though, I am past the threshold of ever possessing the tongue of a native, nor the understanding of one. But still in all the endeavors which ever did stir tal wilkinfield I want to marry her. I hope she is still available.
Strong word associations like these are the keys to long lasting memory. Strong visual cues, an infinite possibility. Fibonacci88. I have never forgotten the word for peacock, kujaku, since I first put to it my imagery and unique way of identifying with a known word and fudging the pronunciation of the words a little bit and before long, you will have that 6000 word vocabulary... but can you wield it correctly? How do you know you are doing it right?
word and may never lose the ability to forget that word. Because all my Japanese to English thteth are hethieoht
Jun 11, 2008
3 types of Japanese trains
3 types of Japanese trains + 1 bonus train
There are three basic types of trains that a gaijin living in Japan should know about. Without knowledge of the different types of trains, you could find yourself at the wrong eki (train station), get off at the wrong place and this could cause you to arrive late and we can't have that. If you are a gaijin living in Japan you'll run across these terms sooner or later but its better that you get introduced to them here so that you won’t be confused about the different types of passenger trains you’ll come across when you roam about the land of the rising sun, Japan.
There are 3 basic types of trains that run in Japan. There are few cities in Japan that aren't covered with some mileage of train track, but not much. The crossing whistles always blow and the crossing gates are constantly opening and shutting. Of course the trains stop running usually by 1 or 2 am. The three types of trains that are regularly used in Japan are, in order of frequency of stops from most to least are as follow:
Tokkyu (special limited),
Kyuukou (limited express), and
Futsuu (regular).
Tokkyu trains stop at only the major train stations and are much faster in terms of getting you there quicker. Kyukoo trains stop more periodic, while the Futsuu trains stop at every stop in between, and are thus quite slower than the other two. Ideally you would want to ride a Tokkyu train, get off and wait for a Kyuukou unless that train doesn't go to your destination, and using Kyukoo for small train rides to the very next station etc. If your destination is a small hamlet in the country side then you will have to take for at least a small portion of your ride the Futsuu train.
The train I haven’t mentioned which has incorporated the use of the new maglev technology and has achieved speeds in the upper 500 km/hr is the Shinkansen, or bullet train, isn’t your everyday run of the mill train. Essentially the shinkansen is a very classy and expensive ride that covers great distances, like from Tokyo to Osaka for example. Hopefully you will enjoy all your train rides and become accustomed to this type of culture in constant transit during your visits to the land of the rising sun, Japan.
What in the world learn a ol Japanese language
Table 1 - The 46 Syllables of the Japanese Syllabary (romanized)
a
ka
sa
ta
na
ha
ma
ya
ra
wa
n
i
ki
shi
chi
ni
hi
mi
ri
u
ku
su
tsu
nu
fu
mu
yu
ru
e
ke
se
te
ne
he
me
re
o
ko
so
to
no
ho
mo
yo
ro
wo
Table 2 - The 46 Syllables of the Japanese Syllabary called the gojuon or 50 sounds (Hiragana)
¤¢
¤«
¤µ
¤¿
¤Ê
¤Ï
¤Þ
¤ä
¤é
¤ï
¤ó
¤¤
¤
¤·
¤Á
¤Ë
¤Ò
¤ß
¤ê
¤¦
¤¯
¤¹
¤Ä
¤Ì
¤Õ
¤à
¤æ
¤ë
¤¨
¤±
¤»
¤Æ
¤Í
¤Ø
¤á
¤ì
¤ª
¤³
¤½
¤È
¤Î
¤Û
¤â
¤è
¤í
¤ò
When the tsu syllable is added before the syllables beginning with k,p, and t (ie. the consonants sounds of k,p, or t), a hardened double consonant sound is produced. You literally spit out the sounds or, as I like to put it, smack the consonants. To better understand where I am coming from, imagine two billiard balls sitting on a pool table. One of the balls is a word that contains a single consonant sound like k, the other ball is the syllable tsu. Now shoot the k ball with your cue ball and when they hit upon impact kk sound. when the consonant sounds are doubled. This doubled consonant phenomenon can be likened to the English word bookkeeper. In bookkeeper the sound of the consonant k is doubled, adding the syllable tsu to ka, ki, ku, ke, ko, ta chi, tsu, te, to or, pa,pi,pu,pe,or po doubles the consonant sound of the consonant sound of the syllable immediately following it.
Japanese pronunciation rule #1 - A small ¤Ä(tsu) doubles the consonant sound that immediately follows it.
Examples:
makka ? deep red, completely red
jikken ? experiment or test
shuppan ? publish , shuppatsu ? departure
zettai ? absoluteness
tokkyo ? patent (not the city toukyou which has the elongated
happi ? the English word happy in katakana
gakkou ? school
chotto ? a little bit, a dink
appuru - apple
When n is not connected to a vowel (ie. usage of the last syllable of the Japanese syllabary or ¤ó(n) , it is like a syllable unto itself. It receives a full count if language were a music it would receive the same amount of time that a 2 lettered syllable receives., and is denoted by the apostrophe ¡Æ. For example:
1. Kin¡Çen this is Japanese for no smoking not kinen or the word for anniversary.
so it has 4 syllables and the word for anniversary has 3.
To get a better feel of how the Japanese say words that begin with ra, ri, ru, re, or ro, do this: First, say to yourself in English the word Eddy then, make sure the tip of your tongue is touching delicately behind the upper front teeth and say it again Pronouncing it with just the right amount of lightness of tongue and a flicking forward of the tongue in this manner, you will come close to an acceptable pronunciation of the Japanese word for eri or collar.
a
ka
sa
ta
na
ha
ma
ya
ra
wa
n
i
ki
shi
chi
ni
hi
mi
ri
u
ku
su
tsu
nu
fu
mu
yu
ru
e
ke
se
te
ne
he
me
re
o
ko
so
to
no
ho
mo
yo
ro
wo
Table 2 - The 46 Syllables of the Japanese Syllabary called the gojuon or 50 sounds (Hiragana)
¤¢
¤«
¤µ
¤¿
¤Ê
¤Ï
¤Þ
¤ä
¤é
¤ï
¤ó
¤¤
¤
¤·
¤Á
¤Ë
¤Ò
¤ß
¤ê
¤¦
¤¯
¤¹
¤Ä
¤Ì
¤Õ
¤à
¤æ
¤ë
¤¨
¤±
¤»
¤Æ
¤Í
¤Ø
¤á
¤ì
¤ª
¤³
¤½
¤È
¤Î
¤Û
¤â
¤è
¤í
¤ò
When the tsu syllable is added before the syllables beginning with k,p, and t (ie. the consonants sounds of k,p, or t), a hardened double consonant sound is produced. You literally spit out the sounds or, as I like to put it, smack the consonants. To better understand where I am coming from, imagine two billiard balls sitting on a pool table. One of the balls is a word that contains a single consonant sound like k, the other ball is the syllable tsu. Now shoot the k ball with your cue ball and when they hit upon impact kk sound. when the consonant sounds are doubled. This doubled consonant phenomenon can be likened to the English word bookkeeper. In bookkeeper the sound of the consonant k is doubled, adding the syllable tsu to ka, ki, ku, ke, ko, ta chi, tsu, te, to or, pa,pi,pu,pe,or po doubles the consonant sound of the consonant sound of the syllable immediately following it.
Japanese pronunciation rule #1 - A small ¤Ä(tsu) doubles the consonant sound that immediately follows it.
Examples:
makka ? deep red, completely red
jikken ? experiment or test
shuppan ? publish , shuppatsu ? departure
zettai ? absoluteness
tokkyo ? patent (not the city toukyou which has the elongated
happi ? the English word happy in katakana
gakkou ? school
chotto ? a little bit, a dink
appuru - apple
When n is not connected to a vowel (ie. usage of the last syllable of the Japanese syllabary or ¤ó(n) , it is like a syllable unto itself. It receives a full count if language were a music it would receive the same amount of time that a 2 lettered syllable receives., and is denoted by the apostrophe ¡Æ. For example:
1. Kin¡Çen this is Japanese for no smoking not kinen or the word for anniversary.
so it has 4 syllables and the word for anniversary has 3.
To get a better feel of how the Japanese say words that begin with ra, ri, ru, re, or ro, do this: First, say to yourself in English the word Eddy then, make sure the tip of your tongue is touching delicately behind the upper front teeth and say it again Pronouncing it with just the right amount of lightness of tongue and a flicking forward of the tongue in this manner, you will come close to an acceptable pronunciation of the Japanese word for eri or collar.
May 29, 2008
Japanese grammar yoku shita mono desu
This is JPPGG bunpo principle #87.
Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar Japanese Language Learning
By Makurasuki Sensei, Brett McCluskey
Towards better Japanese: Methods of Acquisition and Mastery.
To say in Japanese that you used to ~ verb, (at fairly regular intervals and at some point in the past) use the following construction:
used to ~ (~ is any verb)
yoku verb(base TA) mono desu.
The following examples will help you grasp today's JPPGG construction. After you get a feel for how this grammar is made, just keep plugging new verbs into the verb area in Base TA and then continue playing by making your own unique and interesting sentences. Don't forget to practice by saying all your newly created sentences out-loud. Drilling and killing, or plugging and playing your way to building a solid base from which your Japanese conversational skills will surely improve. Each new grammar principle you learn is like adding another weapon to your formidable Japanese language arsenal, which you will be able to use whenever the need arises.
Keep plugging and playing until your friends tell you they can't stand how much you practice your Japanese or until they say stop. But even if you start bugging people because you practice too much, just keep telling yourself its all for my own good. Just keep practicing the grammar constructions and saying to yourself new sentences of your own creation. If you want to improve your Japanese, don’t fret too much on annoying the slackers that don’t want to master another language as badly as you do. The following are example sentences to show you how the construction is typically used so you too can take it and make it your own. Once again the construction for #87 Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar is as follows:
English - used to ~ (where ~ is any verb)
Japanese - yoku verb(base TA) mono desu.
1. When I was younger, I used to go to school by bicycle.
Watakushi ga motto wakai koro, jitensha de yoku gakko ni itta mono desu.
{As for I, in the more young time, by bike often school went thing is.}[1] a. The main verb in 1. is iku - v. to go.
b. Putting the verb into its past tense -TA form ending gives you itta. c. Insert iku, verb(base TA) or in this case itta into the construction and
d. you have your new sentence.
yoku itta mono da or I used to go.
2. He used to cheat, but the teacher busted him, and now he is a good boy.
Kare wa mae yoku kanningu[2] shita mono desu keredomo sensei ni barete shimatte ima orikosan desu. 3. I used to play there a lot.
Watakushi wa soko de yoku asonda mono da. [3]
G.A.B. or the Ghetto After Blast - One point advice -
The Japanese verb nareru means, "To get used to" which is similar to the used to that you have been getting used to in this bunpo. Nareru is a really cool word, and you will hear it a lot in Japanese conversation.
Ex.1 He is used to that job.
Kare wa sono shigoto ni narete imasu.[4]
As Always, Do your Best! Ganbatte Ne!
Makurasuki Sensei.
[1] Given here in its' literal translation; its easy to see why not to translate literally as can be seen from the corruption madness of its form and sound.
[2] From the English adjective cunning.
[3] Non-polite plain form of the copula desu = da.
[4] See JPPGG Ghetto Grammar #88: 'Verbing' -verb (base TE) + iru or the Japanese Gerund.
Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar Japanese Language Learning
By Makurasuki Sensei, Brett McCluskey
Towards better Japanese: Methods of Acquisition and Mastery.
To say in Japanese that you used to ~ verb, (at fairly regular intervals and at some point in the past) use the following construction:
used to ~ (~ is any verb)
yoku verb(base TA) mono desu.
The following examples will help you grasp today's JPPGG construction. After you get a feel for how this grammar is made, just keep plugging new verbs into the verb area in Base TA and then continue playing by making your own unique and interesting sentences. Don't forget to practice by saying all your newly created sentences out-loud. Drilling and killing, or plugging and playing your way to building a solid base from which your Japanese conversational skills will surely improve. Each new grammar principle you learn is like adding another weapon to your formidable Japanese language arsenal, which you will be able to use whenever the need arises.
Keep plugging and playing until your friends tell you they can't stand how much you practice your Japanese or until they say stop. But even if you start bugging people because you practice too much, just keep telling yourself its all for my own good. Just keep practicing the grammar constructions and saying to yourself new sentences of your own creation. If you want to improve your Japanese, don’t fret too much on annoying the slackers that don’t want to master another language as badly as you do. The following are example sentences to show you how the construction is typically used so you too can take it and make it your own. Once again the construction for #87 Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar is as follows:
English - used to ~ (where ~ is any verb)
Japanese - yoku verb(base TA) mono desu.
1. When I was younger, I used to go to school by bicycle.
Watakushi ga motto wakai koro, jitensha de yoku gakko ni itta mono desu.
{As for I, in the more young time, by bike often school went thing is.}[1] a. The main verb in 1. is iku - v. to go.
b. Putting the verb into its past tense -TA form ending gives you itta. c. Insert iku, verb(base TA) or in this case itta into the construction and
d. you have your new sentence.
yoku itta mono da or I used to go.
2. He used to cheat, but the teacher busted him, and now he is a good boy.
Kare wa mae yoku kanningu[2] shita mono desu keredomo sensei ni barete shimatte ima orikosan desu. 3. I used to play there a lot.
Watakushi wa soko de yoku asonda mono da. [3]
G.A.B. or the Ghetto After Blast - One point advice -
The Japanese verb nareru means, "To get used to" which is similar to the used to that you have been getting used to in this bunpo. Nareru is a really cool word, and you will hear it a lot in Japanese conversation.
Ex.1 He is used to that job.
Kare wa sono shigoto ni narete imasu.[4]
As Always, Do your Best! Ganbatte Ne!
Makurasuki Sensei.
[1] Given here in its' literal translation; its easy to see why not to translate literally as can be seen from the corruption madness of its form and sound.
[2] From the English adjective cunning.
[3] Non-polite plain form of the copula desu = da.
[4] See JPPGG Ghetto Grammar #88: 'Verbing' -verb (base TE) + iru or the Japanese Gerund.
May 18, 2008
3 ways of saying after verb in Japanese
Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar 109
JPPGG #109
Three Ways of Saying “After Verb’ing” in Japanese.
After, After, and After - 3 ways to say, “after verb’ing” in Japanese –
There are 3 easy ways to say to “after verb’ing” in Japanese
1. verb (base TE) + KARA
2. verb (base TA) + ATO DE
3. verb (base TA) + NOCHI NI
By themselves KARA, ATO DE, NOCHI NI all mean, after similar equivalent expressions for the English terms following or later.
To say that you will do something after doing something else in Japanese, use the following grammar constructions:
1. Verb (Base TE) + KARA – after verb’ing
Take verbs and put them into base TE.
Verbs ending in KU become ITE ~ITE
Verbs ending in GU become IDE ~IDE
Verbs ending in U, TSU, or RU ~ TTE
Verbs ending in BU, MU or NU ~NDE
The verb suru or verbs ending in SU become SHITE ~SHITE
Then add + KARA (after)
HANASU (v. to speak) HANASHITE
CHOTTO HANASHITE KARA IKIMASHO^ -
Let’s go after we talk a little.
YOMU (v. to speak) YONDE
HON O YONDE KARA NERU TO OMOIMASU.
I think I’ll sleep after reading a book.
TABERU (v. to eat) TABETE
TABETE KARA SHUKUDAI O SURU. –
After I eat, I’m going to do homework.
UNDO WO SHITE KARA SHAWA O SURU KOTO GA SUKI DESU.
I like to take a shower after I do my exercise.
2. verb (base TA) + ATO DE - after verb’ing
Take verbs and put them into base TA
NOMU (v. to drink) NONDA
NOMU (base TA) NONDA
Verb ending in either BU, MU or NU
ta nda
NOMU in base TA is NONDA
SAKE O NONDA ATO DE NEMUKUNATTA –
I got sleepy after drinking some* sake.
*NOCHI NI = ATO DE, NOCHI DE
3. verb ( base TA) + NOCHI NI - after verb’ing
SAKE O NONDA NOCHI NI IE NI KAETTA –
I went home after drinking some sake.
SAKE O NONDA NOCHI NI INU O SAMPO SHI NI ITTA –
(After I drank some sake I took the dog for a walk.)
As you can see from these examples, there are two sides with two verbs comprising this construction. (Predicates and the like.)
Verb 1 in base TE +KARA and Verb 2
Verb 2 can be past, present, negative or positive, but Verb 1 must be in base TE.
As Always,
Ganbatte Ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki Sensei
JPPGG #109
Three Ways of Saying “After Verb’ing” in Japanese.
After, After, and After - 3 ways to say, “after verb’ing” in Japanese –
There are 3 easy ways to say to “after verb’ing” in Japanese
1. verb (base TE) + KARA
2. verb (base TA) + ATO DE
3. verb (base TA) + NOCHI NI
By themselves KARA, ATO DE, NOCHI NI all mean, after similar equivalent expressions for the English terms following or later.
To say that you will do something after doing something else in Japanese, use the following grammar constructions:
1. Verb (Base TE) + KARA – after verb’ing
Take verbs and put them into base TE.
Verbs ending in KU become ITE ~ITE
Verbs ending in GU become IDE ~IDE
Verbs ending in U, TSU, or RU ~ TTE
Verbs ending in BU, MU or NU ~NDE
The verb suru or verbs ending in SU become SHITE ~SHITE
Then add + KARA (after)
HANASU (v. to speak) HANASHITE
CHOTTO HANASHITE KARA IKIMASHO^ -
Let’s go after we talk a little.
YOMU (v. to speak) YONDE
HON O YONDE KARA NERU TO OMOIMASU.
I think I’ll sleep after reading a book.
TABERU (v. to eat) TABETE
TABETE KARA SHUKUDAI O SURU. –
After I eat, I’m going to do homework.
UNDO WO SHITE KARA SHAWA O SURU KOTO GA SUKI DESU.
I like to take a shower after I do my exercise.
2. verb (base TA) + ATO DE - after verb’ing
Take verbs and put them into base TA
NOMU (v. to drink) NONDA
NOMU (base TA) NONDA
Verb ending in either BU, MU or NU
ta nda
NOMU in base TA is NONDA
SAKE O NONDA ATO DE NEMUKUNATTA –
I got sleepy after drinking some* sake.
*NOCHI NI = ATO DE, NOCHI DE
3. verb ( base TA) + NOCHI NI - after verb’ing
SAKE O NONDA NOCHI NI IE NI KAETTA –
I went home after drinking some sake.
SAKE O NONDA NOCHI NI INU O SAMPO SHI NI ITTA –
(After I drank some sake I took the dog for a walk.)
As you can see from these examples, there are two sides with two verbs comprising this construction. (Predicates and the like.)
Verb 1 in base TE +KARA and Verb 2
Verb 2 can be past, present, negative or positive, but Verb 1 must be in base TE.
As Always,
Ganbatte Ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki Sensei
May 15, 2008
Japanese skills
A Secret So Easy, It will turn the tedious and sometimes daunting task of learning another language funto making language learning Easy
Japanese Easy
I know what’s good for me!
JPPGG© #91
How to say, “I know how to verb
NAN NAN SHITARA YOI KA
Verb(Base TA) + RA +
Yoi is the word for good and for all intents and purposes is equivalent to ii so that
*yoi = ii in any case
yoka – can be hear much in Fukuoka to mean – “Nah”, or “I’m good”
TASHIKA is not an adjective like AKAI, UTSUKUSHII, AKARUI, TOMEI, OR SURUDOI.
As is true in the pursuit of any language mastery, you must have an understanding of what is meant by the phrase, “milk before meat”. You can’t expect to learn something hard or complicated, or expect to eat meat with fully grown canines and flesh piercing teeth before you are able to ingest the milk from a tender mother breast. Therefore, it is wise for any language learner to begin at the beginning, and spend some time there… and hang out…even they should try singing songs about the alphabet. Alphabets being the small parts of a language that when strung together form words, and make languages, living organisms. Learning the alphabet or syllabary for the language you are learning right now will make your progress and improvement in that language easier later by doing so.
Herein lies a key to a language mastery. If an alphabet is available for the language, by all means start studying it! The best way for you to get close to a language is by studying, and saying in your mouth the little parts of the language, saying them time and time again as we all do at one point or another in civilized society. Through a careful study of the smallest and simplest parts of a language can you get to know it as intimately as you would get to know you native language.
As a child, who does not remember singing an alphabet song, reading a book for the first time, looking up a word in the dictionary for the first time, or simply reciting the alphabet. Language is something that must be learned, and its true in English and Japanese. Get yourself some hiragana, and katakana flash cards and memorize the look, feel and shape of each one being able to correctly identify each one, just as you do with the English letters. Learning the alphabet in another language is the first step towards understanding.
Please take a moment to reflect on the first times you sang The Alphabet Song, or recited you’re A,B,C’s. Now reflect upon how you came to know that 5 X 5 is = 25. I know that if you gain a solid grasp of the Japanese Syllabary, the 46 syllables that make up all the sounds of Japanese then learning Japanese will be as a piece of cake for you. It will be easy to learn the Japanese language. That’s it! The trick to learning a foreign language is starts with learning the alphabet. In the case of the Japanese language, their alphabet, isn’t an alphabet because it is not made up of just letters, it is made up of syllables. There are 46 syllables in Japanese, and even though it is more than the number of letters in the English language (English letters in the alphabet = 26) it really isn’t that many once you see how it is set up.
The Japanese syllabary is made up of 46 syllables and represents all sounds necessary for the formation of any Japanese word. It is just like the English’s Alphabet but its called the gojuon or chart of the 50 sounds. It is grouped to make the learning of it very easy. Set up in groups that follow the first 5 syllables or the Japanese vowels; a, i, u, e , o
By the time we are 12 we usually forget that we had ever even learned the English language and are so familiar with the Alphabet that we have forgotten that it was due to its recitation that we would know what we know. Reading and Writing are two sides of a coin that are wholly influenced by its contributing language’s Alphabet as are Speaking and Listening to a lesser extent. The alphabet I so ingrained into our language that we forget to take it for what it was when we try to apply these learning techniques to the way we would learn Japanese. For the purposes of learning how to read, write, speak and listen in English it was necessary to study the core of the language at first, and that was the Alphabet. A good way to get at the core, or the heart of a language is by studying it’s Alphabet. We can do that in a similar or even the same way you would learn your times tables. How much did you get for memorizing your times tables? Offer yourself a cookie and say to yourself, “If I start my Japanese study (or any language study) by learning the syllables that make up their words then I will be ahead of the learning game later on when it really gets complicated. Like I said...milk before meat. A house is built on a solid foundation. In other words, boiling it down to what I am trying to relate to those desirous of the ability to speak in another language and communicate, down the line Don’t want to cheat myself out of learning Japanese and retaining it, but good! Your parents, masters, or mentors may have promised you $5 if you memorized the times tables up to 12, but you can also do it for free…on your own… and you can reward yourself with a big surprise.
Be consistently insistent on diligent Japanese study and you will be able to communicate. And the ability to communicate with others of another country can open up whole truck loads of cool stuff. Catch the fever, learn Japanese. Tell everyone at the PTA meetings that Japanese is really not that bad. Also I ask all of those who may harrow in their souls hatred against the Japanese people to end it now so that we can live peaceably amongst each others, and learn from one another.
Japanese Adjectives The adjectives follow the syllabic structure found in the vowel row of the Gojuon, or indeci showing the 46 symbols of the Japanese syllabary in this order: A, I, U, E , and O. that represent of all sounds necessary for Japanese word formation.
KAWAI ATARASHII FURUI KIREI BOROI
TASHIKA itself is the adjective for our English term, “certain”. It is highly likely that the ka of TASHIKA has been artificially transplanted into adjectives in the Fukuoka region. TASHIKA means for certain in English and TASHIKA NI means certainly. As is the case with the irregular Japanese class of adjectives ending in ei, TASHIKA can be followed by the particle NI so that the NI can be roughly translated in sentences involving adjectives as –ly.
Japanese Easy
I know what’s good for me!
JPPGG© #91
How to say, “I know how to verb
NAN NAN SHITARA YOI KA
Verb(Base TA) + RA +
Yoi is the word for good and for all intents and purposes is equivalent to ii so that
*yoi = ii in any case
yoka – can be hear much in Fukuoka to mean – “Nah”, or “I’m good”
TASHIKA is not an adjective like AKAI, UTSUKUSHII, AKARUI, TOMEI, OR SURUDOI.
As is true in the pursuit of any language mastery, you must have an understanding of what is meant by the phrase, “milk before meat”. You can’t expect to learn something hard or complicated, or expect to eat meat with fully grown canines and flesh piercing teeth before you are able to ingest the milk from a tender mother breast. Therefore, it is wise for any language learner to begin at the beginning, and spend some time there… and hang out…even they should try singing songs about the alphabet. Alphabets being the small parts of a language that when strung together form words, and make languages, living organisms. Learning the alphabet or syllabary for the language you are learning right now will make your progress and improvement in that language easier later by doing so.
Herein lies a key to a language mastery. If an alphabet is available for the language, by all means start studying it! The best way for you to get close to a language is by studying, and saying in your mouth the little parts of the language, saying them time and time again as we all do at one point or another in civilized society. Through a careful study of the smallest and simplest parts of a language can you get to know it as intimately as you would get to know you native language.
As a child, who does not remember singing an alphabet song, reading a book for the first time, looking up a word in the dictionary for the first time, or simply reciting the alphabet. Language is something that must be learned, and its true in English and Japanese. Get yourself some hiragana, and katakana flash cards and memorize the look, feel and shape of each one being able to correctly identify each one, just as you do with the English letters. Learning the alphabet in another language is the first step towards understanding.
Please take a moment to reflect on the first times you sang The Alphabet Song, or recited you’re A,B,C’s. Now reflect upon how you came to know that 5 X 5 is = 25. I know that if you gain a solid grasp of the Japanese Syllabary, the 46 syllables that make up all the sounds of Japanese then learning Japanese will be as a piece of cake for you. It will be easy to learn the Japanese language. That’s it! The trick to learning a foreign language is starts with learning the alphabet. In the case of the Japanese language, their alphabet, isn’t an alphabet because it is not made up of just letters, it is made up of syllables. There are 46 syllables in Japanese, and even though it is more than the number of letters in the English language (English letters in the alphabet = 26) it really isn’t that many once you see how it is set up.
The Japanese syllabary is made up of 46 syllables and represents all sounds necessary for the formation of any Japanese word. It is just like the English’s Alphabet but its called the gojuon or chart of the 50 sounds. It is grouped to make the learning of it very easy. Set up in groups that follow the first 5 syllables or the Japanese vowels; a, i, u, e , o
By the time we are 12 we usually forget that we had ever even learned the English language and are so familiar with the Alphabet that we have forgotten that it was due to its recitation that we would know what we know. Reading and Writing are two sides of a coin that are wholly influenced by its contributing language’s Alphabet as are Speaking and Listening to a lesser extent. The alphabet I so ingrained into our language that we forget to take it for what it was when we try to apply these learning techniques to the way we would learn Japanese. For the purposes of learning how to read, write, speak and listen in English it was necessary to study the core of the language at first, and that was the Alphabet. A good way to get at the core, or the heart of a language is by studying it’s Alphabet. We can do that in a similar or even the same way you would learn your times tables. How much did you get for memorizing your times tables? Offer yourself a cookie and say to yourself, “If I start my Japanese study (or any language study) by learning the syllables that make up their words then I will be ahead of the learning game later on when it really gets complicated. Like I said...milk before meat. A house is built on a solid foundation. In other words, boiling it down to what I am trying to relate to those desirous of the ability to speak in another language and communicate, down the line Don’t want to cheat myself out of learning Japanese and retaining it, but good! Your parents, masters, or mentors may have promised you $5 if you memorized the times tables up to 12, but you can also do it for free…on your own… and you can reward yourself with a big surprise.
Be consistently insistent on diligent Japanese study and you will be able to communicate. And the ability to communicate with others of another country can open up whole truck loads of cool stuff. Catch the fever, learn Japanese. Tell everyone at the PTA meetings that Japanese is really not that bad. Also I ask all of those who may harrow in their souls hatred against the Japanese people to end it now so that we can live peaceably amongst each others, and learn from one another.
Japanese Adjectives The adjectives follow the syllabic structure found in the vowel row of the Gojuon, or indeci showing the 46 symbols of the Japanese syllabary in this order: A, I, U, E , and O. that represent of all sounds necessary for Japanese word formation.
KAWAI ATARASHII FURUI KIREI BOROI
TASHIKA itself is the adjective for our English term, “certain”. It is highly likely that the ka of TASHIKA has been artificially transplanted into adjectives in the Fukuoka region. TASHIKA means for certain in English and TASHIKA NI means certainly. As is the case with the irregular Japanese class of adjectives ending in ei, TASHIKA can be followed by the particle NI so that the NI can be roughly translated in sentences involving adjectives as –ly.
May 8, 2008
traveling outside US for safety and travel to Japan
Traveling outside the country
Tips for a more safe Journey
Have you ever wanted to check out more of the world...see more stuff than you have up until now had a privilege to view? The world is filled with fabulous places for you to visit. Palaces, Kingdoms, Temples, Springs, Forests, Caverns, Plateaus, Vistas, Mountains, Lakes, Rivers, and even some Peninsulas to name a few are all waiting for curious explorers to come and partake of their beauty.
Those people who must work while traveling can’t really enjoy as much or take in as plentiful an experience as the simple tourist/traveler. It behooves people to become somewhat cultured through world travel.
Whatever the purpose of your journey into adventure, travelling abroad is by and large a wholesome, educational, and eye-opening trip. There are a few things to keep in mind to keep your traveling abroad safe and sound.
The following are tips can be followed to help in preventing any unforeseen troubles or hassles and will show you some of the ways to be prepared for anything that may come your way, during your entire trip.
Keep these tips in mind so as to prevent any hardships that might be encountered during your excursions. These tips will help make your trip safe and sound ensuring that you will be experiencing nothing but a fun and exciting adventure, one where you will experience pure culture.
Tips for a safe and sound Journey Abroad
• See to it that you have signed the right passport and visa, double check everything for these are the most important things you have to secure before anything else. And be sure to fill in the information required on the emergency page.
• More readings would definitely help you out. Get to know the country you want to visit. The Consular information sheets would surely be very essential as a reading material. You really have to get to know the country you choose to go
• As you are in the other country, of course, you have to be under the rules and law of the country you are paying a visit at. When in Rome do as the Romans do. For it would surely decide your total stay there. Stay out of the hassles and troubles by being and keeping informed.
• Be aware of their customs as well. Do not get yourself that feeling of being an outcast or do not hurt others just because you have gone against their usual beliefs and their usual acts. When you know the culture and the custom, the more you sow seeds of respect to the place and its people the more you will be respected.
• Make additional copies of your important travel papers, itineraries, etc.
• Keep a list of emergency contact numbers of the nearest US Embassies and other offices that will be of help to you.
These are the reminders you have to carry with you whenever you go around and see the world. Traveling is indeed fun but you could turn it into a disaster if you do not how to handle and enjoy it with the right steps, information and guide.
As you visit places and meet people, make this as your guide. This would definitely lead you to the places you have only dreamed of.
Don't Mis-pronounce Japanese or look like a baka
When I hear badly pronounced Japanese, it’s like hearing fingernails scraping against a chalkboard. I have been known to turn red in embarrassment for the person committing the foul pronunciation. Why is pronunciation such a big deal? There are many reasons why language learners should practice pronouncing their words correctly.
In this article I I’ll touch on a few topics I feel are important concerning learning, studying and practicing pronunciation in Japanese.
In speaking another language it is important to be understood quickly and clearly. Without correct pronunciation there is no way for this to happen.
If you want to be a well liked and a well respected speaker of Japanese then put pronunciation practice at the top of your priority list for things you need to study. Bad pronunciation is not cool. It is simply irresponsible for a beginning Japanese language learner to continue learning Japanese without making attempts to improve upon their own particular pronunciation situation.
A good steward of second language acquisition, makes sure that he/she is pronouncing their Japanese words correctly. A learner of the Japanese language must never neglect pronunciation in their studies. The art or skill of the lips the teeth and the tip of the tongue can spell the difference between effective communication or utter confusion.
A tongue is a people, how words are communicated amongst individuals also defines who they are and the type of people they represent; their long heritage and lineage of traditions, festivals, and ceremonies. Giving a little extra effort in your practice of correct pronunciation displays a sincere desire to understand the people and culture through the words of their mouth. Words of a language were not just some accident. Or were they?
Japanese pronunciation is probably one of the easier aspects of the language to learn yet it is often put aside due to the seemingly lack of similarities between the two languages; Japanese, and English. I use to think that if I just copied the way native speakers spoke then I should be ok, right? Well, in retrospect I do believe it is a good thing to copy speak when it comes to simple pronunciation of words, but be careful not to copy speak grammar or sentence structure because that can turn out to give you trouble later on. Mimicking native speakers is good as long as you aren’t copying their bad habits also. Men should never copy the speech of women.
Copy pronunciation but stay very far from women’s nuances, sentence endings, and their use of certain words if done in like manner could portray an overzealous Japanese SL male learner as an okama or gay. If you don't want to be considered an okama, you must pay attention to the way Men use the words for you and I. And be careful of sentence ending particles. That’s harsh and if you don't know what okama is, look it up in the Sanseido Wa-Ei and if you don't have one go to my lens http://squidoo.com/japponics wherein is a link to the Sanseido publishing company. It is so important to have a dictionary as an aid for studying Japanese it goes without saying. So get one if you don't already have one.
If you are going to learn to speak Japanese please try to speak with correct pronunciation. It shows bad manners, and lack of commitment. It also sends a message of disgrace for your native country. It is important also while in Japan to show that you love your country. They are quite accepting of many gaijins in this respect. Especially since you'll usually be the only gaijin within a couple of hundred miles so make your pronunciation count.
One cool thing about Japanese pronunciation is that vowels do not vary as they do in English. They stay straight. English uses the 5 letters a e i o u to make around 20 vowel sounds. You have many elided or dipthongated vowel sounds that Japanese just doesn't have. it is for this reason I find it easier to find the pronunciation of any foreign difficult word like words in the Bible Deuteronomy that you'll never figure out or philosophical names and the like, if you read those foreign difficult name type words in Japanese it comes out closer than attempts I have made in English. Actually using both your native tongue and Japanese together you can come up with the pronunciation of any difficult biblical term. Let me give you one example: In Japanese, there are 5 vowels, and 5 vowel sounds. Learning languages couldn’t be easier.
The order is a little different so that might be the first thing to look at. The first 5 syllables in the Japanese syllabary are a i u e and o. It has to be said that if you were to gather a Japanese ensemble and make a choir out of them, oh how satisfied the director would be. Because they only use 5 vowels and they are pure. International phonetics could straightway use Japanese for these vowels written in Romaji as a i u e o. Or Hiragana as あ,い,う,えand お.
In this article I I’ll touch on a few topics I feel are important concerning learning, studying and practicing pronunciation in Japanese.
In speaking another language it is important to be understood quickly and clearly. Without correct pronunciation there is no way for this to happen.
If you want to be a well liked and a well respected speaker of Japanese then put pronunciation practice at the top of your priority list for things you need to study. Bad pronunciation is not cool. It is simply irresponsible for a beginning Japanese language learner to continue learning Japanese without making attempts to improve upon their own particular pronunciation situation.
A good steward of second language acquisition, makes sure that he/she is pronouncing their Japanese words correctly. A learner of the Japanese language must never neglect pronunciation in their studies. The art or skill of the lips the teeth and the tip of the tongue can spell the difference between effective communication or utter confusion.
A tongue is a people, how words are communicated amongst individuals also defines who they are and the type of people they represent; their long heritage and lineage of traditions, festivals, and ceremonies. Giving a little extra effort in your practice of correct pronunciation displays a sincere desire to understand the people and culture through the words of their mouth. Words of a language were not just some accident. Or were they?
Japanese pronunciation is probably one of the easier aspects of the language to learn yet it is often put aside due to the seemingly lack of similarities between the two languages; Japanese, and English. I use to think that if I just copied the way native speakers spoke then I should be ok, right? Well, in retrospect I do believe it is a good thing to copy speak when it comes to simple pronunciation of words, but be careful not to copy speak grammar or sentence structure because that can turn out to give you trouble later on. Mimicking native speakers is good as long as you aren’t copying their bad habits also. Men should never copy the speech of women.
Copy pronunciation but stay very far from women’s nuances, sentence endings, and their use of certain words if done in like manner could portray an overzealous Japanese SL male learner as an okama or gay. If you don't want to be considered an okama, you must pay attention to the way Men use the words for you and I. And be careful of sentence ending particles. That’s harsh and if you don't know what okama is, look it up in the Sanseido Wa-Ei and if you don't have one go to my lens http://squidoo.com/japponics wherein is a link to the Sanseido publishing company. It is so important to have a dictionary as an aid for studying Japanese it goes without saying. So get one if you don't already have one.
If you are going to learn to speak Japanese please try to speak with correct pronunciation. It shows bad manners, and lack of commitment. It also sends a message of disgrace for your native country. It is important also while in Japan to show that you love your country. They are quite accepting of many gaijins in this respect. Especially since you'll usually be the only gaijin within a couple of hundred miles so make your pronunciation count.
One cool thing about Japanese pronunciation is that vowels do not vary as they do in English. They stay straight. English uses the 5 letters a e i o u to make around 20 vowel sounds. You have many elided or dipthongated vowel sounds that Japanese just doesn't have. it is for this reason I find it easier to find the pronunciation of any foreign difficult word like words in the Bible Deuteronomy that you'll never figure out or philosophical names and the like, if you read those foreign difficult name type words in Japanese it comes out closer than attempts I have made in English. Actually using both your native tongue and Japanese together you can come up with the pronunciation of any difficult biblical term. Let me give you one example: In Japanese, there are 5 vowels, and 5 vowel sounds. Learning languages couldn’t be easier.
The order is a little different so that might be the first thing to look at. The first 5 syllables in the Japanese syllabary are a i u e and o. It has to be said that if you were to gather a Japanese ensemble and make a choir out of them, oh how satisfied the director would be. Because they only use 5 vowels and they are pure. International phonetics could straightway use Japanese for these vowels written in Romaji as a i u e o. Or Hiragana as あ,い,う,えand お.
hazu
Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar JPPGG©#103
Verb in Plain Form (P.F.) + HAZU DESU - You ought to . . .
How to say you ought to (_some verb_), in Japanese.
Ought to – HAZU
In Japanese, to say that something is expected to happen, or that something ought to happen, use the following grammar constructions:
Verb in Plain Form (P.F) + HAZU DESU
Verb (P.F.) + HAZU GA ARU
Verb in (P.F.) GA NAI
Both past and present tense cases are present. So all you have to do is plug in some Japanese verb that sounds appropriate and listen to what kind of reactions words get with the native Japanese. You see, you have to test a lot of words out to see if some of the ones you have been learning are even still in use. For as such may occasion be that the word has changed in its colloquial setting or you may find that you don’t yet have a firm and complete understanding of some words. Use this grammar principle next time you want to test out new ways of saying things. Listen to how your words are responded to and with what kinds of words.
Verb(Base TA) + HAZU GA ARU
Examples:
1. IKU HAZU GA NAI DESU *– (He) ought to have left (went) There is no reason for him to go.
2. AYAMARU HAZU GA NAI DESU* – He shouldn’t have to apologize
3. TANOSHIKU NARU HAZU DA – It ought to start getting fun, it ought to be fun. It ought to get better from here on out.
4. ARU JA NAI? Don’t you have one?
5. ARU HAZU YO! – I should have one, or, “It ought to be there”
5a. A little KAIWA to learn by –
Tanakasan (to Miurasan):
“DENTO^ ARU?” –
{Do you have a flashlight?}
Miurasan:”DOKKA MITA YO!
DOKKA NI ARU HAZU DESU.”
{I saw them somewhere!)
(It’s here somewhere for sure}
Other possible inflections of translation for
DOKKA MITA YO!
DOKKA NI ARU HAZU DESU might be -
(“I saw them sitting somewhere) or
(They are here somewhere.)
(They've got to be here. They ought to be here)
Lets end last with a good solid definition of HAZU – Not to be confused with the goby fish or haze because those are some fine tasting fish quite delicious when dipped from tempura batter and fried like shrimp dipped in batter ~ barioishii!
Hazu – suppose to, ought to, the expectation of
* About nai desu vs. arimasen -
Which of the two phrases nai desu or arimasen is a more polite way of saying that there isn’t such a thing or that none exists? Both are used quite interchangeably but arguably, arimasen is the better choice. Avoiding the plain form of verbs and cheating its elegance of verb formation as in the MASEN of ARU in base II versus a fake and cheap desu ending, although it is a polite form of the verb -to be- makes it a worse choice between the two. Nai is still plain form and aru has been verbalized and conjugates out into arimasen,
* About Osaka Ben or the Dialect of Osaka –
Sometimes you may hear words that instead of masen will say mahen. This is purposefully done to any polite and is Osaka ben. Many people use Osaka ben. It is one of the largest cities in the world. Going 60 km., it would still take you over three hours to get to the heart of the city or downtown to the outskirts. Osaka has a central alley that young people and many interesting things are going on in downtown Osaka. Has a rich reggae fan population as well as surfers in Osaka.
Verb in Plain Form (P.F.) + HAZU DESU - You ought to . . .
How to say you ought to (_some verb_), in Japanese.
Ought to – HAZU
In Japanese, to say that something is expected to happen, or that something ought to happen, use the following grammar constructions:
Verb in Plain Form (P.F) + HAZU DESU
Verb (P.F.) + HAZU GA ARU
Verb in (P.F.) GA NAI
Both past and present tense cases are present. So all you have to do is plug in some Japanese verb that sounds appropriate and listen to what kind of reactions words get with the native Japanese. You see, you have to test a lot of words out to see if some of the ones you have been learning are even still in use. For as such may occasion be that the word has changed in its colloquial setting or you may find that you don’t yet have a firm and complete understanding of some words. Use this grammar principle next time you want to test out new ways of saying things. Listen to how your words are responded to and with what kinds of words.
Verb(Base TA) + HAZU GA ARU
Examples:
1. IKU HAZU GA NAI DESU *– (He) ought to have left (went) There is no reason for him to go.
2. AYAMARU HAZU GA NAI DESU* – He shouldn’t have to apologize
3. TANOSHIKU NARU HAZU DA – It ought to start getting fun, it ought to be fun. It ought to get better from here on out.
4. ARU JA NAI? Don’t you have one?
5. ARU HAZU YO! – I should have one, or, “It ought to be there”
5a. A little KAIWA to learn by –
Tanakasan (to Miurasan):
“DENTO^ ARU?” –
{Do you have a flashlight?}
Miurasan:”DOKKA MITA YO!
DOKKA NI ARU HAZU DESU.”
{I saw them somewhere!)
(It’s here somewhere for sure}
Other possible inflections of translation for
DOKKA MITA YO!
DOKKA NI ARU HAZU DESU might be -
(“I saw them sitting somewhere) or
(They are here somewhere.)
(They've got to be here. They ought to be here)
Lets end last with a good solid definition of HAZU – Not to be confused with the goby fish or haze because those are some fine tasting fish quite delicious when dipped from tempura batter and fried like shrimp dipped in batter ~ barioishii!
Hazu – suppose to, ought to, the expectation of
* About nai desu vs. arimasen -
Which of the two phrases nai desu or arimasen is a more polite way of saying that there isn’t such a thing or that none exists? Both are used quite interchangeably but arguably, arimasen is the better choice. Avoiding the plain form of verbs and cheating its elegance of verb formation as in the MASEN of ARU in base II versus a fake and cheap desu ending, although it is a polite form of the verb -to be- makes it a worse choice between the two. Nai is still plain form and aru has been verbalized and conjugates out into arimasen,
* About Osaka Ben or the Dialect of Osaka –
Sometimes you may hear words that instead of masen will say mahen. This is purposefully done to any polite and is Osaka ben. Many people use Osaka ben. It is one of the largest cities in the world. Going 60 km., it would still take you over three hours to get to the heart of the city or downtown to the outskirts. Osaka has a central alley that young people and many interesting things are going on in downtown Osaka. Has a rich reggae fan population as well as surfers in Osaka.
May 7, 2008
Vocab lesson in Japanese with links
Japanese Vocabulary Blaster #25
15 Words Every 2 Days.
Learn, Memorize, Study, Ponder
Rinse, Get Quizzed, Repeat
Now Blast!
1. boeki - trade
2. teian - suggestion
3. teian suru – to suggest
4. kemushi - caterpillar
5. kitai hazure – let down
6. kigen ga kireru – time limit, expiration date
7. kyo^ryo^ku suru – to cooperate
8. doryo^ku suru – to try
9. giri no oto^san* – father-in-law
10. nokogiri – a saw
11. jika – ear doctor
12. jibika – ear and throat doctor
13.songai - damage
14. tsune = itsumo, usually, always, commonly
15. noritsu - efficicient
As Always,
Ganbatte Ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki Sensei
to see the list of the last 15 words you should have already memorized go to Japanese Vocabulary 24 or go on to memorize your next 15 here at
Japanese Vocabulary 26
http://squidutils.com/lensmaster/brettkun.rss
438510347X
15 Words Every 2 Days.
Learn, Memorize, Study, Ponder
Rinse, Get Quizzed, Repeat
Now Blast!
1. boeki - trade
2. teian - suggestion
3. teian suru – to suggest
4. kemushi - caterpillar
5. kitai hazure – let down
6. kigen ga kireru – time limit, expiration date
7. kyo^ryo^ku suru – to cooperate
8. doryo^ku suru – to try
9. giri no oto^san* – father-in-law
10. nokogiri – a saw
11. jika – ear doctor
12. jibika – ear and throat doctor
13.songai - damage
14. tsune = itsumo, usually, always, commonly
15. noritsu - efficicient
As Always,
Ganbatte Ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki Sensei
to see the list of the last 15 words you should have already memorized go to Japanese Vocabulary 24 or go on to memorize your next 15 here at
Japanese Vocabulary 26
http://squidutils.com/lensmaster/brettkun.rss
438510347X
One Japanese Secret that may help in your quest for mastery
A Secret So Easy, It will turn the tedious and sometimes daunting task of learning another language fun to making language learning Easy
Japanese Easy
I know what is good for me!
JPPGG© #91
How to say, “I know how to verb
NAN NAN SHITARA YOI KA
Verb (Base TA) + RA +
YOI is the word for good and for all intents and purposes is equivalent to ii so that
*YOI = ii in any case (pronounced ee)
YOKA – can be heard often in the Fukuoka region. It is a part of the hakata-ben dialect. It means essentially– “Nah...”, or “I’m good!”
TASHIKA is not an adjective like AKAI, UTSUKUSHII, AKARUI, TOMEI, OR SURUDOI.
As is true in the pursuit of any language mastery, you must have an understanding of what is meant by the phrase, “milk before meat”. You cannot expect to learn something hard or complicated, or expect to eat meat with fully-grown canines and flesh piercing teeth before you are able to ingest the milk from a tender mother breast. Therefore, it is wise for any language learner to begin at the beginning, and spend some time there… and hang out…even they should try singing songs about the alphabet. Alphabets being the small parts of a language that when strung together form words, and make languages, living organisms. Learning the alphabet or syllabary for the language you are learning right now will make your progress and improvement in that language easier later by doing so.
Herein lies a key to language mastery. If an alphabet is available for the language, start studying it! The best way for you to get close to a language is by studying, and saying in your mouth the little parts of the language, saying them repeatedly as we all do at one point or another in civilized society. Only through a careful study of the smallest and simplest parts of a language can you get to know it as intimately as you would get to know your native language.
As a child, who does not remember singing an alphabet song, reading a book for the first time, looking up a word in the dictionary for the first time, or simply reciting the alphabet? Language is something that must be learned, and it is true in English and Japanese. Get yourself some Hiragana and katakana flash cards and memorize the look, feel and shape of each one being able to correctly identify each one, just as you do with the English letters. Learning the alphabet in another language is the first step towards understanding.
Please take a moment to reflect on the first times you sang ‘The Alphabet Song', or recited your A,B,C’s. Now reflect upon how you came to know that 5 X 5 is = 25. I know that if you gain a solid grasp of the Japanese Syllabary, the 46 syllables that make up all the sounds of Japanese then learning Japanese will be as a piece of cake for you. It will be easy to learn the Japanese language. That’s it! The trick to learning a foreign language is starts with learning the alphabet. In the case of the Japanese language, their alphabet, is not an alphabet because it is not made up of just letters, it is made up of syllables. There are 46 syllables in Japanese, and even though it is more than the number of letters in the English language (English letters in the alphabet = 26) it really is not that many once you see how it is set up.
The Japanese syllabary is made up of 46 syllables and represents all sounds necessary for the formation of any Japanese word. It is just like the English’s Alphabet but its called the gojuon or chart of the 50 sounds. It is grouped to make the learning of it very easy. Set up in groups that follow the first 5 syllables or the Japanese vowels; a, i, u, e , o
By the time we are 12 we usually forget that we had ever even learned the English language and are so familiar with the Alphabet that we have forgotten that it was due to its recitation that we would know what we know. Reading and Writing are two sides of a coin that are wholly influenced by its contributing language’s Alphabet as are Speaking and Listening to a lesser extent. The alphabet I so ingrained into our language that we forget to take it for what it was when we try to apply these learning techniques to the way we would learn Japanese. For the purposes of learning how to read, write, speak and listen in English it was necessary to study the core of the language at first, and that was the Alphabet. A good way to get at the core, or the heart of a language is by studying it’s Alphabet. We can do that in a similar or even the same way you would learn your times tables. How much did you get for memorizing your times tables? Offer yourself a cookie and say to yourself, “If I start my Japanese study (or any language study) by learning the syllables that make up their words then I will be ahead of the learning game later on when it really gets complicated. Like I said...milk before meat. A house is built on a solid foundation. In other words, boiling it down to what I am trying to relate to those desirous of the ability to speak in another language and communicate, down the line Don’t want to cheat myself out of learning Japanese and retaining it, but good! Your parents, masters, or mentors may have promised you $5 if you memorized the times tables up to 12, but you can also do it for free…on your own… and you can reward yourself with a big surprise.
Be consistently insistent on diligent Japanese study and you will be able to communicate. And the ability to communicate with others of another country can open up whole truck loads of cool stuff. Catch the fever, learn Japanese. Tell everyone at the PTA meetings that Japanese is really not that bad. Also I ask all of those who may harrow in their souls hatred against the Japanese people to end it now so that we can live peaceably amongst each others, and learn from one another.
Japanese Adjectives
The adjectives follow the syllabic structure found in the vowel row of the Gojuon, or indeci showing the 46 symbols of the Japanese syllabary in this order: A, I, U, E , and O. that represent of all sounds necessary for Japanese word formation.
The first five syllables in
the GoJu On
A
I
U
E*
O
AI
II
UI
EI
OI
Example adjectives showing the various endings
KAWAI
ATARASHII
FURUI
KIREI*
BOROI
TASHIKA itself is the adjective for our English term, “certain”. It is highly likely that the ka of TASHIKA has been artificially transplanted into adjectives in the Fukuoka region. TASHIKA means for certain in English and TASHIKA NI means certainly. As is the case with the irregular Japanese class of adjectives ending in ei, TASHIKA can be followed by the particle NI so that the NI can be roughly translated in sentences involving adjectives as –ly.
Below are some common Japanese adjectives that I have found most useful.
可愛 kawai かわい - cute
恐い kowai こわい - scary
近い chikai ちかい - close
鋭い surudoi するどい sharp
賢い kashikoi かしこい - smart
堅い katai かたい - hard
短い mijikai みじかい - short
細い hosoi ほそい - narrow
長い nagai ながい - long
明るい akarui あかるい - bright
太い futoi ふとい - fat
厚いatsui あつい - thick
暑いatsui あつい - thick
熱いatsui あつい - hot
寒いsamui さむい – cold
涼しいsuzushii すずしい – cool
激しいhageshii はげしい - violent
難しmuzukashii むつ"かしい - difficult
簡単kantan かんたん – easy
眠いnemui ねむい - sleepy
眠たいnemutai ねむたい - sleepy
低いhikui ひくい - low
高いtakai たかい - tall
珍しいmezurashii めずらしい - rare
大きいookii おおきいい - big
小さいchiisai ちいさい – small
古いfurui ふるい - old
若いwakai わかい - young
広いhiroi ひろい - wide
安いyasui やすい - cheap, easy
目覚しい mezamashii めざましい - alert
凄いtsumetai つめたい - chilly
強いtsuyoi つよい - strong
弱いyowai よわい - weak
柔らかい yawarakai - soft
早い hayai - fast
遅いosoi - slow
重い omoi - heavy
暗い kurai くらい - dark
重たい omotai おもたい - heavy
軽い karui かるい - light
恥ずかしい hazukashii はずかしい - embarassing
喧しいyakamashii やかましい – loud, obnoxious
静か shizuka しずか - quiet
素晴らしい subarashii すばらしい - wonderful
美味しい oishii おいしい – delicious
酸っぱいsuppai すっぱい - sour
甘い あまい amai あまい - sweet
狭い せまいsemai せまい – narrow
悔しい kuyashii くやしいvexing, mortifying
怪しいayashii – doubtful, suspicious
辛いtsurai つらい – hard, difficult
美しいutsukushi うつくし - beautiful
面白いomoshiroi おもしろい - interesting
chikarazuyoiちからずよい - powerful
かこいkakoi – stylish, handsome
惜しいoshii – regretful
Japanese Easy
I know what is good for me!
JPPGG© #91
How to say, “I know how to verb
NAN NAN SHITARA YOI KA
Verb (Base TA) + RA +
YOI is the word for good and for all intents and purposes is equivalent to ii so that
*YOI = ii in any case (pronounced ee)
YOKA – can be heard often in the Fukuoka region. It is a part of the hakata-ben dialect. It means essentially– “Nah...”, or “I’m good!”
TASHIKA is not an adjective like AKAI, UTSUKUSHII, AKARUI, TOMEI, OR SURUDOI.
As is true in the pursuit of any language mastery, you must have an understanding of what is meant by the phrase, “milk before meat”. You cannot expect to learn something hard or complicated, or expect to eat meat with fully-grown canines and flesh piercing teeth before you are able to ingest the milk from a tender mother breast. Therefore, it is wise for any language learner to begin at the beginning, and spend some time there… and hang out…even they should try singing songs about the alphabet. Alphabets being the small parts of a language that when strung together form words, and make languages, living organisms. Learning the alphabet or syllabary for the language you are learning right now will make your progress and improvement in that language easier later by doing so.
Herein lies a key to language mastery. If an alphabet is available for the language, start studying it! The best way for you to get close to a language is by studying, and saying in your mouth the little parts of the language, saying them repeatedly as we all do at one point or another in civilized society. Only through a careful study of the smallest and simplest parts of a language can you get to know it as intimately as you would get to know your native language.
As a child, who does not remember singing an alphabet song, reading a book for the first time, looking up a word in the dictionary for the first time, or simply reciting the alphabet? Language is something that must be learned, and it is true in English and Japanese. Get yourself some Hiragana and katakana flash cards and memorize the look, feel and shape of each one being able to correctly identify each one, just as you do with the English letters. Learning the alphabet in another language is the first step towards understanding.
Please take a moment to reflect on the first times you sang ‘The Alphabet Song', or recited your A,B,C’s. Now reflect upon how you came to know that 5 X 5 is = 25. I know that if you gain a solid grasp of the Japanese Syllabary, the 46 syllables that make up all the sounds of Japanese then learning Japanese will be as a piece of cake for you. It will be easy to learn the Japanese language. That’s it! The trick to learning a foreign language is starts with learning the alphabet. In the case of the Japanese language, their alphabet, is not an alphabet because it is not made up of just letters, it is made up of syllables. There are 46 syllables in Japanese, and even though it is more than the number of letters in the English language (English letters in the alphabet = 26) it really is not that many once you see how it is set up.
The Japanese syllabary is made up of 46 syllables and represents all sounds necessary for the formation of any Japanese word. It is just like the English’s Alphabet but its called the gojuon or chart of the 50 sounds. It is grouped to make the learning of it very easy. Set up in groups that follow the first 5 syllables or the Japanese vowels; a, i, u, e , o
By the time we are 12 we usually forget that we had ever even learned the English language and are so familiar with the Alphabet that we have forgotten that it was due to its recitation that we would know what we know. Reading and Writing are two sides of a coin that are wholly influenced by its contributing language’s Alphabet as are Speaking and Listening to a lesser extent. The alphabet I so ingrained into our language that we forget to take it for what it was when we try to apply these learning techniques to the way we would learn Japanese. For the purposes of learning how to read, write, speak and listen in English it was necessary to study the core of the language at first, and that was the Alphabet. A good way to get at the core, or the heart of a language is by studying it’s Alphabet. We can do that in a similar or even the same way you would learn your times tables. How much did you get for memorizing your times tables? Offer yourself a cookie and say to yourself, “If I start my Japanese study (or any language study) by learning the syllables that make up their words then I will be ahead of the learning game later on when it really gets complicated. Like I said...milk before meat. A house is built on a solid foundation. In other words, boiling it down to what I am trying to relate to those desirous of the ability to speak in another language and communicate, down the line Don’t want to cheat myself out of learning Japanese and retaining it, but good! Your parents, masters, or mentors may have promised you $5 if you memorized the times tables up to 12, but you can also do it for free…on your own… and you can reward yourself with a big surprise.
Be consistently insistent on diligent Japanese study and you will be able to communicate. And the ability to communicate with others of another country can open up whole truck loads of cool stuff. Catch the fever, learn Japanese. Tell everyone at the PTA meetings that Japanese is really not that bad. Also I ask all of those who may harrow in their souls hatred against the Japanese people to end it now so that we can live peaceably amongst each others, and learn from one another.
Japanese Adjectives
The adjectives follow the syllabic structure found in the vowel row of the Gojuon, or indeci showing the 46 symbols of the Japanese syllabary in this order: A, I, U, E , and O. that represent of all sounds necessary for Japanese word formation.
The first five syllables in
the GoJu On
A
I
U
E*
O
AI
II
UI
EI
OI
Example adjectives showing the various endings
KAWAI
ATARASHII
FURUI
KIREI*
BOROI
TASHIKA itself is the adjective for our English term, “certain”. It is highly likely that the ka of TASHIKA has been artificially transplanted into adjectives in the Fukuoka region. TASHIKA means for certain in English and TASHIKA NI means certainly. As is the case with the irregular Japanese class of adjectives ending in ei, TASHIKA can be followed by the particle NI so that the NI can be roughly translated in sentences involving adjectives as –ly.
Below are some common Japanese adjectives that I have found most useful.
可愛 kawai かわい - cute
恐い kowai こわい - scary
近い chikai ちかい - close
鋭い surudoi するどい sharp
賢い kashikoi かしこい - smart
堅い katai かたい - hard
短い mijikai みじかい - short
細い hosoi ほそい - narrow
長い nagai ながい - long
明るい akarui あかるい - bright
太い futoi ふとい - fat
厚いatsui あつい - thick
暑いatsui あつい - thick
熱いatsui あつい - hot
寒いsamui さむい – cold
涼しいsuzushii すずしい – cool
激しいhageshii はげしい - violent
難しmuzukashii むつ"かしい - difficult
簡単kantan かんたん – easy
眠いnemui ねむい - sleepy
眠たいnemutai ねむたい - sleepy
低いhikui ひくい - low
高いtakai たかい - tall
珍しいmezurashii めずらしい - rare
大きいookii おおきいい - big
小さいchiisai ちいさい – small
古いfurui ふるい - old
若いwakai わかい - young
広いhiroi ひろい - wide
安いyasui やすい - cheap, easy
目覚しい mezamashii めざましい - alert
凄いtsumetai つめたい - chilly
強いtsuyoi つよい - strong
弱いyowai よわい - weak
柔らかい yawarakai - soft
早い hayai - fast
遅いosoi - slow
重い omoi - heavy
暗い kurai くらい - dark
重たい omotai おもたい - heavy
軽い karui かるい - light
恥ずかしい hazukashii はずかしい - embarassing
喧しいyakamashii やかましい – loud, obnoxious
静か shizuka しずか - quiet
素晴らしい subarashii すばらしい - wonderful
美味しい oishii おいしい – delicious
酸っぱいsuppai すっぱい - sour
甘い あまい amai あまい - sweet
狭い せまいsemai せまい – narrow
悔しい kuyashii くやしいvexing, mortifying
怪しいayashii – doubtful, suspicious
辛いtsurai つらい – hard, difficult
美しいutsukushi うつくし - beautiful
面白いomoshiroi おもしろい - interesting
chikarazuyoiちからずよい - powerful
かこいkakoi – stylish, handsome
惜しいoshii – regretful
May 1, 2008
abunai
Japanese Vocabulary Blaster #38
15 Words every 2 days.
Learn, Memorize, Study, Get quizzed, GO!
1. abunai - dangerous
2. dame – no good
3. jama – bothersome, a bugaloo
4. ganbaru – to do your best
5. mendoukusai – troublesome, tedious
6. butai – the stage
7. kaki - persimmon
8. kiken – extremely dangerous
9. kuchibeni - lipstick
10. zettai – for sure
11. awabi – shell fish
12. momo – peach
13. momo - thighs
14. *chigau yo! – Nope! I beg to differ!
15. sakusen - strategy
As Always,
Ganbatte Ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki Sensei
to see the list of the last 15 words you should have already memorized go to Japanese Vocabulary 37 or go on to memorize your next 15 here at
Japanese Vocabulary 39
15 Words every 2 days.
Learn, Memorize, Study, Get quizzed, GO!
1. abunai - dangerous
2. dame – no good
3. jama – bothersome, a bugaloo
4. ganbaru – to do your best
5. mendoukusai – troublesome, tedious
6. butai – the stage
7. kaki - persimmon
8. kiken – extremely dangerous
9. kuchibeni - lipstick
10. zettai – for sure
11. awabi – shell fish
12. momo – peach
13. momo - thighs
14. *chigau yo! – Nope! I beg to differ!
15. sakusen - strategy
As Always,
Ganbatte Ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki Sensei
to see the list of the last 15 words you should have already memorized go to Japanese Vocabulary 37 or go on to memorize your next 15 here at
Japanese Vocabulary 39
Apr 30, 2008
After Verbing in Base TE + KARA
Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar 109
JPPGG #109
Three Ways of Saying “After Verb’ing” in Japanese.
After, After, and After - 3 ways to say, “after verb’ing” in Japanese –
There are 3 easy ways to say to “after verb’ing” in Japanese
1. verb (base TE) + KARA
2. verb (base TA) + ATO DE
3. verb (base TA) + NOCHI NI
By themselves KARA, ATO DE, NOCHI NI all mean, after similar equivalent expressions for the English terms following or later.
To say that you will do something after doing something else in Japanese, use the following grammar constructions:
1. Verb (Base TE) + KARA – after verb’ing
Take verbs and put them into base TE.
Verbs ending in KU become ITE ~ITE
Verbs ending in GU become IDE ~IDE
Verbs ending in U, TSU, or RU ~ TTE
Verbs ending in BU, MU or NU ~NDE
The verb suru or verbs ending in SU become SHITE ~SHITE
Then add + KARA (after)
HANASU (v. to speak) HANASHITE
CHOTTO HANASHITE KARA IKIMASHO^ -
Let’s go after we talk a little.
YOMU (v. to speak) YONDE
HON O YONDE KARA NERU TO OMOIMASU.
I think I’ll sleep after reading a book.
TABERU (v. to eat) TABETE
TABETE KARA SHUKUDAI O SURU. –
After I eat, I’m going to do homework.
UNDO WO SHITE KARA SHAWA O SURU KOTO GA SUKI DESU.
I like to take a shower after I do my exercise.
2. verb (base TA) + ATO DE - after verb’ing
Take verbs and put them into base TA
NOMU (v. to drink) NONDA
NOMU (base TA) NONDA
Verb ending in either BU, MU or NU
ta nda
NOMU in base TA is NONDA
SAKE O NONDA ATO DE NEMUKUNATTA –
I got sleepy after drinking some* sake.
*NOCHI NI = ATO DE, NOCHI DE
3. verb ( base TA) + NOCHI NI - after verb’ing
SAKE O NONDA NOCHI NI IE NI KAETTA –
I went home after drinking some sake.
SAKE O NONDA NOCHI NI INU O SAMPO SHI NI ITTA –
(After I drank some sake I took the dog for a walk.)
As you can see from these examples, there are two sides with two verbs comprising this construction. (Predicates and the like.)
Verb 1 in base TE +KARA and Verb 2
Verb 2 can be past, present, negative or positive, but Verb 1 must be in base TE.
As Always,
Ganbatte Ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki Sensei
Japanese Vocabulary Blaster 15
or to continue the training, see
Japanese Vocabulary Blaster 17
JPPGG #109
Three Ways of Saying “After Verb’ing” in Japanese.
After, After, and After - 3 ways to say, “after verb’ing” in Japanese –
There are 3 easy ways to say to “after verb’ing” in Japanese
1. verb (base TE) + KARA
2. verb (base TA) + ATO DE
3. verb (base TA) + NOCHI NI
By themselves KARA, ATO DE, NOCHI NI all mean, after similar equivalent expressions for the English terms following or later.
To say that you will do something after doing something else in Japanese, use the following grammar constructions:
1. Verb (Base TE) + KARA – after verb’ing
Take verbs and put them into base TE.
Verbs ending in KU become ITE ~ITE
Verbs ending in GU become IDE ~IDE
Verbs ending in U, TSU, or RU ~ TTE
Verbs ending in BU, MU or NU ~NDE
The verb suru or verbs ending in SU become SHITE ~SHITE
Then add + KARA (after)
HANASU (v. to speak) HANASHITE
CHOTTO HANASHITE KARA IKIMASHO^ -
Let’s go after we talk a little.
YOMU (v. to speak) YONDE
HON O YONDE KARA NERU TO OMOIMASU.
I think I’ll sleep after reading a book.
TABERU (v. to eat) TABETE
TABETE KARA SHUKUDAI O SURU. –
After I eat, I’m going to do homework.
UNDO WO SHITE KARA SHAWA O SURU KOTO GA SUKI DESU.
I like to take a shower after I do my exercise.
2. verb (base TA) + ATO DE - after verb’ing
Take verbs and put them into base TA
NOMU (v. to drink) NONDA
NOMU (base TA) NONDA
Verb ending in either BU, MU or NU
ta nda
NOMU in base TA is NONDA
SAKE O NONDA ATO DE NEMUKUNATTA –
I got sleepy after drinking some* sake.
*NOCHI NI = ATO DE, NOCHI DE
3. verb ( base TA) + NOCHI NI - after verb’ing
SAKE O NONDA NOCHI NI IE NI KAETTA –
I went home after drinking some sake.
SAKE O NONDA NOCHI NI INU O SAMPO SHI NI ITTA –
(After I drank some sake I took the dog for a walk.)
As you can see from these examples, there are two sides with two verbs comprising this construction. (Predicates and the like.)
Verb 1 in base TE +KARA and Verb 2
Verb 2 can be past, present, negative or positive, but Verb 1 must be in base TE.
As Always,
Ganbatte Ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki Sensei
Japanese Vocabulary Blaster 15
or to continue the training, see
Japanese Vocabulary Blaster 17
Apr 29, 2008
kamo ne
Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar (JPPGG) #109
PLAIN FORM + KAMOSHIRENAI - to probably verb
In Japanese, to say that something will most likely happen in the future or to say that something has probably already occurred, we use the word ~kamoshirenai. Both Japanese nouns and Japanese verbs in plain form (i.e. Base III) can be used to which we can attach one of three variable endings which vary in politeness.
When used after nouns, or verbs in plain form, KAMOSHIREMASEN means: maybe noun, maybe verb, might have been noun, might have verb'ed, or probably noun, or probably verb etc. Although by definition, KAMO, by itself, is the word for duck, the origin or roots of the word KAMOSHIREMASEN come mainly from the verb to know, or, SHIRU. In this case, SHIRENAI means unable to know. The KA and the MO pose even more uncertainty when put together because KA is the question mark (?) particle, and MO is the also particle.
KAMO without SHIRENAI or SHIREMASEN is less polite but still understood. To use KAMO by itself is permissible when speaking with close friends or acquaintances. However, since saying just KAMO is less polite, beginners should avoid saying it. Its best to always use the most polite form KAMOSHIREMASEN, but it's ok to say KAMOSHIRENAI when you are in company of close friends etc.
If you were to listen to 10 minutes of any random Japanese conversation, you would most likely or probably (pun intended) hear the word KAMOSHIRENAI within that time. KAMOSHIRENAI is always used in Japanese conversation. Verbs in base III are equivalent to what is known as plain form, of the verb, sometimes designated in JPPGG© Ghetto Grammar as P.F.
P.F. Verb+ KAMOSHIRENAI - most common, but less polite
P.F. Verb+ KAMOSHIREMASEN - more polite
P.F. Verb+ KAMO - least polite and funny to the ear
1. TORARETA KAMOSHIREMASEN
It might have been stolen
2. SOTSUGYO SHISO?
SURU KAMOSHIRENAI
Are you going to graduate?
It's possible! (Maybe!)
3. ARE WA KAMO KAMO
It's a duck, probably.-or-
It's most likely a duck.-or-
It's probably a duck.-etc.
4. OISHII KAMO NE!
Its probably tastes pretty good! (Doesn't it?)
(Tasty duck hunh)
As always, Ganbatte Ne!
Do your Best!
Makurasuki Sensei.
for more on Japanese Grammar please see http://squidoo.com/japanesegrammar89
Brett McCluskey Enjoys sharing his knowledge of Japanese grammar with those serious about second language acquistion. See more of his unorthodox learning methods at http://www.jappermon.com/ or http://squidoo.com/japanesejoy further Japanese grammar study can be found at How to count in Japanese - http://squidoo.com/ichinisan
PLAIN FORM + KAMOSHIRENAI - to probably verb
In Japanese, to say that something will most likely happen in the future or to say that something has probably already occurred, we use the word ~kamoshirenai. Both Japanese nouns and Japanese verbs in plain form (i.e. Base III) can be used to which we can attach one of three variable endings which vary in politeness.
When used after nouns, or verbs in plain form, KAMOSHIREMASEN means: maybe noun, maybe verb, might have been noun, might have verb'ed, or probably noun, or probably verb etc. Although by definition, KAMO, by itself, is the word for duck, the origin or roots of the word KAMOSHIREMASEN come mainly from the verb to know, or, SHIRU. In this case, SHIRENAI means unable to know. The KA and the MO pose even more uncertainty when put together because KA is the question mark (?) particle, and MO is the also particle.
KAMO without SHIRENAI or SHIREMASEN is less polite but still understood. To use KAMO by itself is permissible when speaking with close friends or acquaintances. However, since saying just KAMO is less polite, beginners should avoid saying it. Its best to always use the most polite form KAMOSHIREMASEN, but it's ok to say KAMOSHIRENAI when you are in company of close friends etc.
If you were to listen to 10 minutes of any random Japanese conversation, you would most likely or probably (pun intended) hear the word KAMOSHIRENAI within that time. KAMOSHIRENAI is always used in Japanese conversation. Verbs in base III are equivalent to what is known as plain form, of the verb, sometimes designated in JPPGG© Ghetto Grammar as P.F.
P.F. Verb+ KAMOSHIRENAI - most common, but less polite
P.F. Verb+ KAMOSHIREMASEN - more polite
P.F. Verb+ KAMO - least polite and funny to the ear
1. TORARETA KAMOSHIREMASEN
It might have been stolen
2. SOTSUGYO SHISO?
SURU KAMOSHIRENAI
Are you going to graduate?
It's possible! (Maybe!)
3. ARE WA KAMO KAMO
It's a duck, probably.-or-
It's most likely a duck.-or-
It's probably a duck.-etc.
4. OISHII KAMO NE!
Its probably tastes pretty good! (Doesn't it?)
(Tasty duck hunh)
As always, Ganbatte Ne!
Do your Best!
Makurasuki Sensei.
for more on Japanese Grammar please see http://squidoo.com/japanesegrammar89
Brett McCluskey Enjoys sharing his knowledge of Japanese grammar with those serious about second language acquistion. See more of his unorthodox learning methods at http://www.jappermon.com/ or http://squidoo.com/japanesejoy further Japanese grammar study can be found at How to count in Japanese - http://squidoo.com/ichinisan
Incomplete thoughts and sentences I will make in Native tongue
Deal the Zeal : Enthusiasm and its effects on second language Acquisition
Goals for Japanese Fluency
By Makurasuki, Brett McCluskey
This article was created to help those that need a boost to start or re-continue there quest for the acquisition and mastery of Japanese unto fluency.
You can improve your Japanese by following a few techniques I will show you and briefly outline here. In no time your Japanese speaking skills will be better than you ever thought possible. Your success in second language acquisition should you accept the challenge, will be dependant upon the commitments you make to yourself to memorizing words part1, understanding, learning, memorizing then applying the basic Japanese grammar principles part3+4 and finally your total amount of zeal you put into your efforts. The amount of success or failure you have in second language acquisition starts with you. The power is within you, now lets try to unlock
Goals for Japanese Fluency
By Makurasuki, Brett McCluskey
This article was created to help those that need a boost to start or re-continue there quest for the acquisition and mastery of Japanese unto fluency.
You can improve your Japanese by following a few techniques I will show you and briefly outline here. In no time your Japanese speaking skills will be better than you ever thought possible. Your success in second language acquisition should you accept the challenge, will be dependant upon the commitments you make to yourself to memorizing words part1, understanding, learning, memorizing then applying the basic Japanese grammar principles part3+4 and finally your total amount of zeal you put into your efforts. The amount of success or failure you have in second language acquisition starts with you. The power is within you, now lets try to unlock
I want to share with you my zeal for learning another language and perhaps you might catch a little part of it and it might burn like the California fires of 2007 until you too have inspired others through your zeal and mastery of a foreign language. My roommates hated me when I was studying, because not only would I ask them to help me by quizzing me from my vocabulary list from which I studied without fail daily, but I would wake up very early in the morning to practice speaking Japanese. I would repeat sentences I learned like mantras until I got the chance to use what I learned in real life to see which ones actually worked. My roommates hated me. I had zeal for learning Japanese. It takes a great bit of it to be a successful language learner.
You MUST HAVE ZEAL for learning the language or you will become complacent and lazy. Determine within yourself now that you will find a way to harness zeal and enthusiasm towards the improvement of your Japanese unto acquisition. You must also have a purpose for your zeal. My purpose was to be able to speak with the Japanese people themselves, to communicate with them with no impediments of speech. Like they say Quitters Never Win, and Winners Never Quit. So get going now and find your purpose and zeal it up.
The following is just one way and one example of what kind of language goals a person could set and realistically achieve, while at the same time making it challenging enough to maintain their interest. You might emulate these goals if you were learning Japanese, they are modeled after my own goals. They are in no way the only way to go, but they are, as I said, just one set of possible goals that tha you can use to help you attain fluency. They helped me acquire that ever elusive second language (Japanese) and if they are couple with enough zeal it will be very possible that they will help you get fluency too.
Remember though, the amount of zeal you put into your work is exactly how much success you will achieve out of it. With the right amount of zeal, you are bound to be speaking native like a Japanese senator in no time flat. May your Nihongo wa jozu ni naru.
It has been said to be fluent a person must know a minimum 4000 words
Vocabulary –n. a list of words, and often phrases, abbreviations, inflectional forms, etc., usually arranged in alphabetical order and defined or otherwise identified as in a dictionary, or glossary.
It goes on to say that vocabulary is also all the words recognized and understood by a particular person although not necessarily used by him, these may be an interrelated group of nonverbal symbols, signs, gestures, etc. used for communication or expression.
Now let’s do some math to see how long it will take us to learn 4000 words or what some have called the minimum amount of vocabulary one must have to be considered fluent.
7 days a week
52 weeks per annum
4 weeks per month
12 months per annum
How long will it take to obtain a 4000 word vocabulary?
Well if we learned 4000 words in one day it would only take us one day, but is it reasonable to assume that we will retain those words? Unless you have a photographic memory we should consider something else. How about 4000 words in 1 month? Is that a reasonable goal? I don’t think either of those goals are within a typical realizable amount attainable possible. We need a reasonable goal that is attainable that leaves us some breathing room to assimilate the vocabulary into our own speech system. I feel 6-8 words a day might be stretching us thin a little bit but it is the one I will recommend. Actually, the way I did it was to learn 15 words every two days but for sake of clarity lets stick with words/day.
It has been said to be fluent a person must know a minimum 4000 words
Vocabulary –n. a list of words, and often phrases, abbreviations, inflectional forms, etc., usually arranged in alphabetical order and defined or otherwise identified as in a dictionary, or glossary.
It goes on to say that vocabulary is also all the words recognized and understood by a particular person although not necessarily used by him, these may be an interrelated group of nonverbal symbols, signs, gestures, etc. used for communication or expression.
Now let’s do some math to see how long it will take us to learn 4000 words or what some have called the minimum amount of vocabulary one must have to be considered fluent.
7 days a week
52 weeks per annum
4 weeks per month
12 months per annum
How long will it take to obtain a 4000 word vocabulary?
Well if we learned 4000 words in one day it would only take us one day, but is it reasonable to assume that we will retain those words? Unless you have a photographic memory we should consider something else. How about 4000 words in 1 month? Is that a reasonable goal? I don’t think either of those goals are within a typical realizable amount attainable possible. We need a reasonable goal that is attainable that leaves us some breathing room to assimilate the vocabulary into our own speech system. I feel 6-8 words a day might be stretching us thin a little bit but it is the one I will recommend. Actually, the way I did it was to learn 15 words every two days but for sake of clarity lets stick with words/day.
We don’t want to memorize to many words because we will end up worse than learning only 1 word a week. At one word a week it would take us 4000 days, or almost 11 years to have such a vocabulary. That’s too long if you figure that for an accelerated college degree program you will be spending 4-6 years to obtain your B.A. and still would’t be fluent either way, 11 years is too long. These goals will be set for you to learn 4000 vocabulary terms in 1 year and 1 month from your starting date. This is still a very lofty goal. In order to learn 4000 vocabulary in 1 year and 1 month you will need to learn 10-11 words / day
That is the goal 10-11 words / day, that is everyday with no rest.
Day 1 goal – memorize 10 words today, tomorrow and 10 new words everyday for the next 9 months. Don’t get discouraged after 9 months if you stick with your goals you won’t be pera pera (fluent), but you will be enabled to handle almost any conversation that comes your way.
Day 2 goal -
Day 3 goal –
Weekly goal
Monthly goal
3 month goal
6 month goal
Beginning
So what exactly is fluency?
How do we measure fluency? There are no doubt quite a few ways to measure fluency. I am not aware of any fluency machine that can instantly measure your fluency like we can take your temperature. I have heard it said at least once that fluency is dependant upon total vocabulary memorized. And they put a number on it of 4000 different words. I cannot say I totally agree with that statement. No doubt, other requirements for being fluent in a language exist other than just knowledge of vocabulary. Although many other complex processes are involved in fluency we will start with how to set goals in memorizing words to increase our vocabulary power. Setting goals to memorizing vocabulary is a good place to start. So how much vocabulary power do you have under your belt?
Day 1 goal – memorize 10 words today, tomorrow and 10 new words everyday for the next 9 months. Don’t get discouraged after 9 months if you stick with your goals you won’t be pera pera (fluent), but you will be enabled to handle almost any conversation that comes your way.
Day 2 goal -
Day 3 goal –
Weekly goal
Monthly goal
3 month goal
6 month goal
Beginning
So what exactly is fluency?
How do we measure fluency? There are no doubt quite a few ways to measure fluency. I am not aware of any fluency machine that can instantly measure your fluency like we can take your temperature. I have heard it said at least once that fluency is dependant upon total vocabulary memorized. And they put a number on it of 4000 different words. I cannot say I totally agree with that statement. No doubt, other requirements for being fluent in a language exist other than just knowledge of vocabulary. Although many other complex processes are involved in fluency we will start with how to set goals in memorizing words to increase our vocabulary power. Setting goals to memorizing vocabulary is a good place to start. So how much vocabulary power do you have under your belt?
The amount of words that you know and are able to translate those words into and out of your native tongue and into and out of your target language. Know the meaning of words so thoroughly that you can interchange them instantly. I suggest the use of mnemonics as helpful
way to memorize Japanese words.
Just as one can word or phrase or apply any manipulation to the language so that its suits our purpose and the main purpose and reason is to get our meaning across. Sharing a As long as the method we use suffices to get our message across it does’t even matter if we can speak Japanese or not. In any language, if you look like you gotta go ‘pee’ you don’t have to say a word people will understand you. If you look tired or motion your hands as if you are sleeping, our knowledge of Nihongo lets body language assume the role. What is the shortest distance between you and getting what you want. You are allowed to use any and all means necessary to get your meaning across.
Please see my article on circumlocution for sure fire ways to get your meaning across even if you don’t know the Japanese words for it. http://ezinearticles.com/?Japanese-Pronunciation-Tips-13&id=472520
Ones’s own Native tongue -
Just in mannerisms and the exact vocabulary and grammatical structure employed by the speaker can there be vast amounts of missed meanings to occur. Japanese could be spoken in any number of differing ways; intelligently, suave, brave, naive, sophisticated, charming, honorific ally, stately, manly cunning, feminine, drunk, legendary all sorts of ways to speak like and just as we have the ish to make something in nihongo the word becomes ppoi.
Noun+ ppoi = noun ‘ish’
beautifully, wonderfully or bold or any other way you can think of
The levels keigo kokugou must know how tomanipulate verbs, while memorizing and strengthening your store of Japanese words to put into your goal oriented language arsenal. With that arsenal and using all of your faculties to summon together the ability to speak inside of another tongue, and also to be able to open your ears to such an extent that they become even more sensitive to different words, consonants, vowels phonemes.
Along with your noun memorization oath.( see appendix )noun (don't take for granted any place names that are presented to you on your quest for complete Japanese mastery. You have to commit yourself to a reasonable yet challenging goal.
Along with your noun memorization oath.( see appendix )noun (don't take for granted any place names that are presented to you on your quest for complete Japanese mastery. You have to commit yourself to a reasonable yet challenging goal.
Mar 31, 2008
To seem about to verb
To say that someone seems about to verb in Japanese, use the following construction:
Verb(base II) So^ desu
This one is an easily constructed grammar principle. First we take any verb we like and put it into base II.
Hanasu - to speak -Hanasu(base II) = hanashi
Ochiru - to fall -Ochiru(base II) = ochi
Naku - to cryNaku(base II) = naki
add So^ desu to the base II of Japanese verbs will make the verb take on the nuance of things which are about to take place or that look like they are going to do it soon, ie. seems about to verb.
hanashi so^ desuhanashiso^ desu - It seems he is about to speak
ochi so^ desuochiso^ desu - looks like they are about to fall downFor iru and eru ending verbs simply drop off the last syllable ru and and your So^ desu. For all other forms put into i ending.
Verb(base II) So^ desu
This one is an easily constructed grammar principle. First we take any verb we like and put it into base II.
Hanasu - to speak -Hanasu(base II) = hanashi
Ochiru - to fall -Ochiru(base II) = ochi
Naku - to cryNaku(base II) = naki
add So^ desu to the base II of Japanese verbs will make the verb take on the nuance of things which are about to take place or that look like they are going to do it soon, ie. seems about to verb.
hanashi so^ desuhanashiso^ desu - It seems he is about to speak
ochi so^ desuochiso^ desu - looks like they are about to fall downFor iru and eru ending verbs simply drop off the last syllable ru and and your So^ desu. For all other forms put into i ending.
Feb 22, 2008
Do we ever say delicious in English?
Do we ever really say the word delicious? Yeah, sometimes but not like the Japanese do, so a direct or literal translation is not always the best way to go when translating. You must take the translation in the spirit of the law not the letter of the law in all things... amen...
ahem...
"But I thought oishii was the word for delicious, I mean good." IT IS! Use your intuition and instinct to an extent but learning vocabulary is all about opening wide all our senses and developing sensitivity in them to words. You need to smell words, taste words, feel the words, not just see or hear the words; how words are spoken, from a given context, whether or not a man or a woman is speaking them, whether or not they are royal or sacred words, it all can be noted, observed, heard, tasted, touched it all matters as to the meaning of the communication. Like in the movie, TOTAL RECALL - "Open your mind", and although broad is the gate open to you know where umm ... I still repeat, "Open your mind" because you will learn a lot more by being a very very receptive individual. Not gullible just open to all possibles. So in short, oishii is the usual word to say to someone when you want to say it is good, but if you want to say umm umm good then say UMAI! Which is also the adjective for excellent or skilled, very good etc.
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