The kanji for man in Japanese is easy to learn and memorize.
The word for man is otoko and it looks like this 男. It is really made of two other kanji stacked one on top of the other. The kanji on top is the word for field, ta or 田. The kanji on bottom is the symbol for power, chikara or 力. We can easily remember the kanji for otoko by thinking of a powerful person working in the field. I think chikara 力 looks like a sword on a samurai who is very powerful. Field, or 田 is just a box cut into quarters like a rice field would be divided. To make the otoko, or man kanji, just put a field, or 田on top of power, or力.
In review, the word for man in Japanese is otoko, and it looks like this 男.
In hiragana otoko is おとこ.
Towards Better Japanese Ganbatte ne! Do Your Best! Makurasuki
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 Japanese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japanese. Show all posts
Sep 6, 2011
Aug 30, 2011
Quick and Easy Japanese Vocabulary Learning - Mai Everything
 |
| The kanji for every, or Mai |
毎- まい - mai – every
毎日 - まいにち - mainichi –every day
毎晩 - まいばん - maiban – every night
毎週 - まいしゅう - maishu^ - every week
毎月 - まいつき - maitsuki – every month
毎年 - まいねん - mainen - every year
毎度 - まいど - maido – every time
毎朝 - まいあさ maiasa – every morning
Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki
Dec 12, 2010
3 Japanese phrases we just don't have in English
Many words in Japanese don’t have exact, equivalent translations in English. Japan has a very old national history dating back to at least 600 A.D. The Japanese language has been evolving since even before that time. Customs and traditions are different and unique to each country’s environment and history. Words, phrases, and expressions also are unique to each country's environment and history. Here are 3 Japanese phrases that have evolved in Japan that we just don't have in English. I have included a rough estimation of their meanings.
(御) お- 世話 様 でした – O SEWA SAMA DESHITA – You did a terribly awfully nice favor for me and I am completely grateful and you really helped a lot.
御 苦労 様 でした - GO KURO^ SAMA DESHITA – You worked very hard today and we pay thee much respect and thanks for your hard efforts, it must have been a lot of hard work but good going and thanks.
御 疲れ 様 でした - O TSUKARE SAMA DESHITA - You tired yourself out and did a great job. Thanks for the great work you have done.
(御) お- 世話 様 でした – O SEWA SAMA DESHITA – You did a terribly awfully nice favor for me and I am completely grateful and you really helped a lot.
御 苦労 様 でした - GO KURO^ SAMA DESHITA – You worked very hard today and we pay thee much respect and thanks for your hard efforts, it must have been a lot of hard work but good going and thanks.
御 疲れ 様 でした - O TSUKARE SAMA DESHITA - You tired yourself out and did a great job. Thanks for the great work you have done.
Dec 11, 2010
5 different ways to say "delicious" in Japanese
In English when we eat good food we say, "That was so good". In Japanese when we eat good food we would say, "That was so delicious". The word for delicious, or good in Japanese is oishii. To signify your gratitude for the hearty and delicious portions of o-konomiyaki, tako yaki, yakiniku, oden no tamago, sashimi, natto or especially the jewel like, mouth-watering, toro sushi you might eat in Japan, instead of saying the usual word for delicious, or oishii, try the following 5 Japanese words:
1. umai - very tasty, sweeeet.
2. bariuma - nice, tasty delicious, very good, superb, tastes awesome! - bari being the intensifier and umai meaning very tasty or sweeeet.
3. barioishii - same as in 1 above. - bari being the intensifier and oishii meaning delicious.
4. mechauma - an abbreviation of mechakucha and umai or the intensifier mechakucha meaning absurd, unreasonably sweet (or good, delicious) so mechauma would literally mean, absurdly delicious.
5. bakauma - baka umai - foolishly delicious.
1. umai - very tasty, sweeeet.
2. bariuma - nice, tasty delicious, very good, superb, tastes awesome! - bari being the intensifier and umai meaning very tasty or sweeeet.
3. barioishii - same as in 1 above. - bari being the intensifier and oishii meaning delicious.
4. mechauma - an abbreviation of mechakucha and umai or the intensifier mechakucha meaning absurd, unreasonably sweet (or good, delicious) so mechauma would literally mean, absurdly delicious.
5. bakauma - baka umai - foolishly delicious.
Nov 21, 2010
Where in Japanese
Let's take a look at the word for "where" in Japanese.
The word for "where" in Japanese is
DOKO
1. Where are you from?
Doko kara kimashita ka?
To which you can answer - I am from America.
Amerika kara kimashita.
DOKODEMO - anywhere
2. Where should I put this?
Doko ni oittara ii desu ka?
To which you could answer - Anywhere.
Dokodemo.
Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki
The word for "where" in Japanese is
DOKO
1. Where are you from?
Doko kara kimashita ka?
To which you can answer - I am from America.
Amerika kara kimashita.
DOKODEMO - anywhere
2. Where should I put this?
Doko ni oittara ii desu ka?
To which you could answer - Anywhere.
Dokodemo.
Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki
Mar 11, 2009
The word for ladybug and snail in Japanese
I happened to see a lady bug in my front lawn or yard and since it the season of spring is basically here in my new state of Georgia, I thought about posting the Japanese word which is てんとう虫 for all Japanetics users.
I also was thinking about the word (ladybug) and how it may have came to be etymologically. I mean we have words like dandelion which have the word lion in them - is it because the dandelion looks like the tail of a lion? perhaps... then what about the word - ladybug - Does it look like or act like a lady in some way? perhaps...
I also wanted to post here the word for snail かたつむり since it is so slow and since the French find them appetizing, and used in so many different ways in English, it might also be useful in Japanese.
This much I do find useful - the word mushi 虫 is often used in Japan and I love its kanji which actually looks like a bug - for example the word for rotted tooth or cavity is 虫歯 or mushiba - together that would be bug tooth.
in summary the words for today's Japanese lesson are
1. ladybug - or てんとう虫 tento^ mushi
2. tooth cavity - 虫歯 - mushiba
3. snail - かたつむり - katatsumuri
* saying katatsumuri outloud makes me feel sluggish especially the tsumu part --- yuck!@#$% I can see the snail trail from here! Yikes!
Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki
I also was thinking about the word (ladybug) and how it may have came to be etymologically. I mean we have words like dandelion which have the word lion in them - is it because the dandelion looks like the tail of a lion? perhaps... then what about the word - ladybug - Does it look like or act like a lady in some way? perhaps...
I also wanted to post here the word for snail かたつむり since it is so slow and since the French find them appetizing, and used in so many different ways in English, it might also be useful in Japanese.
This much I do find useful - the word mushi 虫 is often used in Japan and I love its kanji which actually looks like a bug - for example the word for rotted tooth or cavity is 虫歯 or mushiba - together that would be bug tooth.
in summary the words for today's Japanese lesson are
1. ladybug - or てんとう虫 tento^ mushi
2. tooth cavity - 虫歯 - mushiba
3. snail - かたつむり - katatsumuri
* saying katatsumuri outloud makes me feel sluggish especially the tsumu part --- yuck!@#$% I can see the snail trail from here! Yikes!
Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki
Nov 5, 2008
Some Japanese Words for The Day
.JPG)
tsumari - in summary,
awabi - shell fish
kaki - persimmon
butai - the stage
kuchibiru - lips
kuchibeni 口紅 ga eri ni tsuita 付いた - lipstick got left on the collar
tashika ni 確かに- for sure
ikanai kagiri 行かない限り- to the extent that (I) don't go.
chigau to omou - It's different I think.
chigau tomou - I think it's different.
iranai! - I don't want any!
so^ iu kako^ - that kind of dress
sugoku kiken - extremely dangerous
hijo^ ni abunai 非常に危ない - extremely dangerous
sore wa nenrei towa mattaku kankei (nai)aru それは年齢とは全く関係ない
- has something (nothing) to do with age.
Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki
Oct 30, 2008
Japanese Grammar Lesson: Japanese Verb Base TA
Japanese Grammar Lesson: Japanese Verb Base TA
by Makurasuki Sensei
Learn Japanese Now!
Overcoming second language acquisition obstacles and barriers using effective memorization and accelerated language learning techniques.. Learn Japanese Now!
A useful grammar, vocabulary, and conversational Japanese e-course
Emphasizing long-term word retention through effective memorization.
Applying tried and true techniques that are effective in mastering difficult grammars.
The best and fastest way to learn the Japanese language e-course on the net!
Japanese Verbs : Verb bases – Putting verbs into the TA –form (た-form)
The ability to put Japanese verbs into the various bases quickly without pause is a pre-requisite for speaking fluently and becoming a competent and capable conversationalist. Of all the verbs Bases (I, II, III, IV , V, TA-た, and TE-て) the TA - た form ranks high in usage as one of the top three most used bases for verbs only after TE-てand Base-III or root form. I am focusing on it now in order to prepare you for the quick, powerful grammar secrets that employ Base TA - たverbs. Knowintg these secrets will catapult your Japanese speaking ability through the roof. I’ll be discussing Japanese grammar rules that use Japanese verbs in Base TA - た.
One of the main things you should know about the TA - た form of a verb is that it is used to put verbs into past tense plain form. A verb in base TA - た form is equivalent to English’s have done or past tense perfect. The TA - た form of a verb has evolved from the classical form tari and it still has many uses (see http://japanetics.blogspot.com)
**** How to put a Japanese verb into Base TA ****
1. Vowel Stemmed verbs (i.e. ichidan verbs or verbs that end in either IRU, or ERU -える.)
a. to put a verb into the TA-た form when the verb has a vowel stem simply add TA - た
Base III, or dictionary form of 5 Japanese verbs
1. kanjiru - 感じる
2. oboeru - 覚える
3. kangaeru - 考える
4. deru - 出る
5. iru - 居る
Stems for 5 Japanese verbs
1. kanji - 感じ
2. oboe - 覚え
3. kangae - 考え
4. de - 出
5. I - 居,
Base TA for 5 Japanese verbs
TA - た ending verbs are past tense.
1. kanjita - 感じた
2. oboeta - 覚えた
3. kangaeta - 考えた
4. deta - 出た
5. ita- 居た
Meaning transformation of 5 Japanese Verbs
1. To feel becomes to have felt.
感じる becomes感じた
2. To remember becomes to have remembered.
覚える becomes覚えた
3. To think becomes to have thought.
考えるbecomes考えた
4. To leave becomes to have left.
出るbecomes出た
5. To be becomes to have been. (was, were)
居るbecomes居た
Try putting your favorite verb ending in iru or eru into the TA form today and get your Nihongo more Jozu!
And remember…
MORE WORDS MEMORIZED = HIGHER RATE of FLUENCY.
If you want more information on how you can use memory and the laws of attraction to master any language the please see
Master Memory
As Always,
Ganbatte ne!
Do your best!
Makurasuki Sensei
Looking for more ways to be successful in all that you do including mastering a language?
QMPOWER
by Makurasuki Sensei
Learn Japanese Now!
Overcoming second language acquisition obstacles and barriers using effective memorization and accelerated language learning techniques.. Learn Japanese Now!
A useful grammar, vocabulary, and conversational Japanese e-course
Emphasizing long-term word retention through effective memorization.
Applying tried and true techniques that are effective in mastering difficult grammars.
The best and fastest way to learn the Japanese language e-course on the net!
Japanese Verbs : Verb bases – Putting verbs into the TA –form (た-form)
The ability to put Japanese verbs into the various bases quickly without pause is a pre-requisite for speaking fluently and becoming a competent and capable conversationalist. Of all the verbs Bases (I, II, III, IV , V, TA-た, and TE-て) the TA - た form ranks high in usage as one of the top three most used bases for verbs only after TE-てand Base-III or root form. I am focusing on it now in order to prepare you for the quick, powerful grammar secrets that employ Base TA - たverbs. Knowintg these secrets will catapult your Japanese speaking ability through the roof. I’ll be discussing Japanese grammar rules that use Japanese verbs in Base TA - た.
One of the main things you should know about the TA - た form of a verb is that it is used to put verbs into past tense plain form. A verb in base TA - た form is equivalent to English’s have done or past tense perfect. The TA - た form of a verb has evolved from the classical form tari and it still has many uses (see http://japanetics.blogspot.com)
**** How to put a Japanese verb into Base TA ****
1. Vowel Stemmed verbs (i.e. ichidan verbs or verbs that end in either IRU, or ERU -える.)
a. to put a verb into the TA-た form when the verb has a vowel stem simply add TA - た
Base III, or dictionary form of 5 Japanese verbs
1. kanjiru - 感じる
2. oboeru - 覚える
3. kangaeru - 考える
4. deru - 出る
5. iru - 居る
Stems for 5 Japanese verbs
1. kanji - 感じ
2. oboe - 覚え
3. kangae - 考え
4. de - 出
5. I - 居,
Base TA for 5 Japanese verbs
TA - た ending verbs are past tense.
1. kanjita - 感じた
2. oboeta - 覚えた
3. kangaeta - 考えた
4. deta - 出た
5. ita- 居た
Meaning transformation of 5 Japanese Verbs
1. To feel becomes to have felt.
感じる becomes感じた
2. To remember becomes to have remembered.
覚える becomes覚えた
3. To think becomes to have thought.
考えるbecomes考えた
4. To leave becomes to have left.
出るbecomes出た
5. To be becomes to have been. (was, were)
居るbecomes居た
Try putting your favorite verb ending in iru or eru into the TA form today and get your Nihongo more Jozu!
And remember…
MORE WORDS MEMORIZED = HIGHER RATE of FLUENCY.
If you want more information on how you can use memory and the laws of attraction to master any language the please see
Master Memory
As Always,
Ganbatte ne!
Do your best!
Makurasuki Sensei
Looking for more ways to be successful in all that you do including mastering a language?
QMPOWER
Oct 9, 2008
x dake ja naku y (mo)
X dake ja naku Y (mo) – Not only X, but y (also)
The word dake (pronounced dah - kay) means only. Ja naku is one form of the negative present copula “to be”. Ja naku is an abbreviated version of the more formal expression for “isn’t” dewa nakute, or dewa naku. Dewa has over the years become ja for all intents and purposes. So this is a good point to remember- as dewa tends toward the contracted form ja, other Japanese words that start with the sound d tend toward j forms when in contraction.
Examples
Ringo dake ja naku banana mo kaimashita.
Not only apples but I also bought banana’s.
kohii dake ja naku o-cha mo suki desu.
Not only coffee but I also like tea.
Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki
The word dake (pronounced dah - kay) means only. Ja naku is one form of the negative present copula “to be”. Ja naku is an abbreviated version of the more formal expression for “isn’t” dewa nakute, or dewa naku. Dewa has over the years become ja for all intents and purposes. So this is a good point to remember- as dewa tends toward the contracted form ja, other Japanese words that start with the sound d tend toward j forms when in contraction.
Examples
Ringo dake ja naku banana mo kaimashita.
Not only apples but I also bought banana’s.
kohii dake ja naku o-cha mo suki desu.
Not only coffee but I also like tea.
Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki
Oct 6, 2008
Sep 1, 2008
Closer to Mastering Japanese Grammar
by Makurasuki Sensei &
Let's say that one day, while visiting Japan, you find yourself wanting to get someone to do you a favor. We must tell them that we need them to do us a favor and the more specific we are, the better . . . I mean . . . you're probably notgoing to want just any old thing, I mean... watcha wa... what do you really want?! What in the world could YOU possibly want? If the sushi is not up to your liking and you find yourself wanting instead some good ol'fashioned American Apple Pie, then you've got to get some Japanese language skills. In some parts of the ghetto they're called skillz!
This lens will help us acquire those skillz. We'll learn how to rap in Japanese, and learn how to say this kind of stuff in Japanese . . . "but you're getting so much more" . . . "and more" . . . (steps back)," And More!" Furthermore. . . this system is simple. All you have to do is plug words, usually verbs, into the JPPGG Japanese Plug and play Ghetto Grammar constructions. (49 grammar lessons numbered from JPPGG70 to JPPGG119.
Ok so where was I... Oh yeah . . . about you wanting things done, favors you may ask, or things you may need to get done, finished, accomplished, completed etc. During my stay in Japan I sometimes felt homesick. I would want to see a good ol American movie. I wasn't happy unless I got to see a real American Movie. Not a Chinese movie starring Jackie Chan overdubbed in Japanese for my viewing pleasure... oh no...I wanted something specific and I wouldn’t be satisfied unless I got to watch my favorite American movies starring James Dean or Harrison Ford? (They comprise what are the only movies available in English and rentable in Japanese video stores.) Yepper's, not much of a selection. . . but, Look on the btight side, I can recite the dialogue of the movie, Rebel Without A Cause from memory
This lense is about to show you via my simple JLSystem's Japanese Plug & Play Ghetto Grammar or Japanese to the P squared G squared JPPGG® method, how to say that you want something or that you want something done (by someone or something else).
The Japanese word around which we are basing today’s Ghetto Grammar is hoshii. Hoshii is a Japanese adjective and its meaning according to Sanseido’s Daily Concise Japanese English Dictionary is a want, or a wish for. Its kanji is made up of two radicals which resemble the words for tani (valley) and ketsu (lack, or missing, but is also in words related to thirst and throat) and together inside of the kanji for this word hoshii, it makes me think of somebody out in the middle of Death Valley California having no water but really, really wishing that they had something to drink. That is a wish or a want for something.The Japanese construction for the equivalent English phrase of
--- I want noun - noun ga hoshii desu or emphatic no desuEx. a.) I want an apple! - Ringo ga hoshii desu!
Ex. b.) I want it now! - Ima hoshii! Etc.--- I want you to verb - Verb (base TE) hoshii desu. Polite form
Plain form would be verb (base TE) hoshii without any copula, or by adding the emphatic all purpose sentence ending ...no da!. This is less polite.
Super polite form would be - verb (base TE) hoshu^ gozaimasu. This may be a little too polite for all circumstances. Because you are in the personal realms anyway you are relaying to someone else your wishes for somebody to do something. This bunpo(grammar) will work when put into question form like the following:
Ex. 1) What do you want done? Nani shite hoshii desu ka? Or, simply Nani o shite hoshii? (Not as polite - What do you want me to do?)
Putting hoshii into its negative present form you can get sentences that mean I don't want you to do something as in Ex. 2
Ex. 2. I don't want anything done. Nanimo shite hoshikunai desu! (Without the copula)
Ex. 3. I want you to see a television show that I like. Suki na terebi no bangumi o mite hoshii desu!
Since this adjective serves as an auxiliary, you can also put hoshii into the past or past negative as in Ex.4
Ex. 4. Kite hoshikatta kedo konakatta - I wanted you to come but you never came. (This little phrase turns out to be quite the alliterative tongue-a-twisty. Say it 5 times fast! I dare you!)
Or
Ex. 5) Kurisumasu puresento o akeru no o matte hoshikatta, ammari akete hoshikunakatta no desu, zannen... Mou, shikata ga nai. I wanted you to wait before you opened the Christmas presents, I really didn't want you to open them at all. Too bad and so sad but I guess there is nothing we can do about it now...
Hoshii can be made into a verb by adding dropping the final i, forming the plain form stem hoshi and adding ku adjective linker adding the verb, "to become" or, naru (One of the most used verbs in all Japanese). Hoshi-i naru becomes hoshikunaru.Another way of saying the same thing would be by dropping the final i of hoshii and adding garu becoming hoshigaru (v. to wish for, want).
A common mistake made in Japanese is to mis-pronounce double vowels as single vowels. Two ii together in Japanese needs to be pronounced like two different i's. Actually you re-utter the second i. A lot of times double vowels will sound like the same vowels just drawn out.
Here is a good example of which witch is which. Don't mistake hoshii, the adjective for wanting, with hoshi, the noun for the word star. The former being having its final vowel sound i held twice as long.
***BONUS SENTENCE - Not available in any text book anywhere! ***
***Zutto mae kara kanojo o hoshigatte iru no ja nai to desu ka? Didn't you want to make her your girlfriend like forever now? Or, "You have been wanting that chick for a while now haven't you?”
This concludes today's Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar bunpo method JPPGG© for the month of July. Stay tuned for more incredible methods to help improve your Japanese language skills.
What about a lense on the middle school teenager girl who died because she was 1-2 minutes late to school and the gate closed in on her. Japan is strict on things like school and stuff yo! No joke about that. Conform! Conform! Conform! Conform! ... Just kidding.
Ganbatte ne! Do your Best! Makurasuki Sensei.
Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki
Aug 23, 2008
The Useful Japanese Word Ki
Ki or, 気, is a very useful Japanese word. It has many meanings, but since there are many situations where this word is used, it would be beneficial for any Japanese language learner to get acquainted with it.
Ki 気 is the Japanese word for air; atmosphere; flavor; heart; mind; spirit; feelings; humor; an intention; mind; will. When used in conjunction with other verbs, this little word really starts becoming useful. I recommend studying this little word by looking it up in your Japanese dictionary, and noting some of its' uses. The following examples should get you started.
1. ki ni iru 気に入る- to take a liking to something
2. ki ga kawaru 気が変わる - to change your mind
3. ki ga sumu 気が済む - feel settled with something
4. ki ga nakunaru 気が無くなる - don't feel like it anymore
5. ki ni kakeru 気にかける- worried about something
6. ki ni naru 気になる- to be anxious about something
7. ki o tsukeru 気を付ける - to be careful with something
Ki 気 is the Japanese word for air; atmosphere; flavor; heart; mind; spirit; feelings; humor; an intention; mind; will. When used in conjunction with other verbs, this little word really starts becoming useful. I recommend studying this little word by looking it up in your Japanese dictionary, and noting some of its' uses. The following examples should get you started.
1. ki ni iru 気に入る- to take a liking to something
2. ki ga kawaru 気が変わる - to change your mind
3. ki ga sumu 気が済む - feel settled with something
4. ki ga nakunaru 気が無くなる - don't feel like it anymore
5. ki ni kakeru 気にかける- worried about something
6. ki ni naru 気になる- to be anxious about something
7. ki o tsukeru 気を付ける - to be careful with something
Aug 6, 2008
A secret for Learning Japanese + Japanese adjectives fun
Easy Japanese – Japanese lesson on “I know what’s good for me!”
Japanese Grammar Plug & Play
How to say, “I know how to verb”
NAN NAN SHITARA YOI KA何何したら良いか
Verb (Base TA) + RA + Yoi - I know what is good if I did it.
Yoi良い is the word for good and for all intents and purposes is equivalent to iiいいso that *yoi = ii in any case (Yokaよか – can be hear much in Fukuoka to mean – “Nah,” or “I’m good”)
TASHIKA たしかis not an adjective like AKAI 赤い, UTSUKUSHII 美しい, AKARUI 明るい, TOMEIとめい, OR SURUDOI 鋭い.
A Secret So Easy, It will turn the tedious and sometimes daunting task of learning another language fun to making language learning easy.
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 lays a key to 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 you can get to know it as intimately as you would get to know you own native language and fluency is its byproduct.
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 平仮名, and katakana 片仮名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 the Japanese language, then learning Japanese will become a lot easier. It will be easy to learn the Japanese language. That’s it!
The trick to learning a foreign language starts with learning the alphabet of that language. 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 although that is more than the number of letters in the English language, (English letters in the alphabet = 26) it really isn’t that many more once you see how the Japanese alphabet is set up.
The Japanese syllabary is made up of 46 syllables and represents all sounds necessary to form any Japanese word. It is simiilar to the English Alphabet in a few respects and is called the gojuon 五十音, or chart of the 50 sounds. It is grouped into roughly 10 colums and 5 rows. The rows are of particular interest because from these we can transform verbs into other forms varying the meaning of verbs and this makes the learning of Japanese a lot easier.
Set up in groups that follow the first 5 syllables or the Japanese vowels:
a - あ,
i - い,
u - う,
e - え , and
o - お.
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 is so ingrained into our language that we forget to take it for what it was when we try to apply new learning techniquesto our already stubborn hard formed study habits.
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.
vowel combos
AI - あい
II - いい
UI - うい
EI - えい and
OI - おい
Here are a few Japanese adjectives for example:
KAWAI - 可愛
ATARASHII - 新しい
FURUI - 古い
KIREI - きれい
BOROI - ぼろい
TASHIKA 確itself is the adjective for our English term, “certain”. It is highly likely that the ka of TASHIKA確 has been artificially transplanted into adjectives in the Fukuoka region. TASHIKA 確にmeans for certain in English and TASHIKA NI 確にmeans certainly. As is the case with the irregular Japanese class of adjectives ending in eiえい, TASHIKA 確can be followed by the particle NI にso that the NIに can be roughly translated in sentences involving adjectives as –ly.
Japanese Grammar Plug & Play
How to say, “I know how to verb”
NAN NAN SHITARA YOI KA何何したら良いか
Verb (Base TA) + RA + Yoi - I know what is good if I did it.
Yoi良い is the word for good and for all intents and purposes is equivalent to iiいいso that *yoi = ii in any case (Yokaよか – can be hear much in Fukuoka to mean – “Nah,” or “I’m good”)
TASHIKA たしかis not an adjective like AKAI 赤い, UTSUKUSHII 美しい, AKARUI 明るい, TOMEIとめい, OR SURUDOI 鋭い.
A Secret So Easy, It will turn the tedious and sometimes daunting task of learning another language fun to making language learning easy.
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 lays a key to 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 you can get to know it as intimately as you would get to know you own native language and fluency is its byproduct.
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 平仮名, and katakana 片仮名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 the Japanese language, then learning Japanese will become a lot easier. It will be easy to learn the Japanese language. That’s it!
The trick to learning a foreign language starts with learning the alphabet of that language. 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 although that is more than the number of letters in the English language, (English letters in the alphabet = 26) it really isn’t that many more once you see how the Japanese alphabet is set up.
The Japanese syllabary is made up of 46 syllables and represents all sounds necessary to form any Japanese word. It is simiilar to the English Alphabet in a few respects and is called the gojuon 五十音, or chart of the 50 sounds. It is grouped into roughly 10 colums and 5 rows. The rows are of particular interest because from these we can transform verbs into other forms varying the meaning of verbs and this makes the learning of Japanese a lot easier.
Set up in groups that follow the first 5 syllables or the Japanese vowels:
a - あ,
i - い,
u - う,
e - え , and
o - お.
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 is so ingrained into our language that we forget to take it for what it was when we try to apply new learning techniquesto our already stubborn hard formed study habits.
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.
vowel combos
AI - あい
II - いい
UI - うい
EI - えい and
OI - おい
Here are a few Japanese adjectives for example:
KAWAI - 可愛
ATARASHII - 新しい
FURUI - 古い
KIREI - きれい
BOROI - ぼろい
TASHIKA 確itself is the adjective for our English term, “certain”. It is highly likely that the ka of TASHIKA確 has been artificially transplanted into adjectives in the Fukuoka region. TASHIKA 確にmeans for certain in English and TASHIKA NI 確にmeans certainly. As is the case with the irregular Japanese class of adjectives ending in eiえい, TASHIKA 確can be followed by the particle NI にso that the NIに can be roughly translated in sentences involving adjectives as –ly.
Jul 31, 2008
Base TE Japanese Grammar for fun
Japanese Grammar Made Easy – Base TE-て
By Brett McCluskey
Japanese lesson on learning how to use the Base TE-て form of Japanese verbs.
Remembering how verbs are put into base TE-て can be a challenging part of Japanese Grammar, but by singing the following syllables in the following order to the music of Silver Bells will help you better remember which verb ending syllable goes with what te ending.
(To be done to the music of Silver Bells, Bing Crosby’s version works well.)
verse 1
BU MU NU NDE
U TSU RU TTE
KU ITE
GU IDE
That’s the way we put verbs in base TE------
(Play it again Sam) repeat to verse 2
*Verbs ending in BU, MU, or NU become NDE. Verbs ending in U, TSU, RU become TTE or. Verbs ending in KU become ITE and verbs ending in GU become IDE.
Verbs ending in these syllables
Become these base Te endings
BU, MU, or NU - Base TE ending = NDE
U, TSU, or RU - Base TE ending = TTE
KU - Base TE ending = ITE
GU - Base TE ending = IDE
Here are a few examples of putting a verb into base te. The first example, asobu ends in bu so you can either use the above chart or sing the song!
Ex. 1. asobu 遊ぶ - to play – becomes asonde
1. asonde iru = playing
2. asonde kudasai = please play
3. asonde wa naranai = you can’t play here, its against the rules to play
Ex. 2. kamu 噛む – to chew – becomes kande
1. kande iru – chewing
2. kande kudasai – please chew
3. kande wa naranai – you mustn’t chew
Ex. 3. shinu 死ぬ - to die – becomes shinde
1. shinde iru – dying
2. shinde kudasai – please die
3. shinde wa naranai – you mustn’t die
Ex 4. harau 払う– to pay - becomes haratte
1. haratte iru – paying
2. haratte kudasai – please pay
3. haratte wa naranai – you had better not pay.
Ex 5. inoru 祈る – to pray – becomes inotte
1. inotte iru – praying
2. inotte kudasai – please pray
3. inotte wa naranai – its bad to pray here
Ex 6. utsu 打つ
– to hit becomes utte
1. utte iru – hitting
2. utte kudasai – please hit
3. utte wa naranai - its bad to hit here
Ex 7. hataraku働く– to work – becomes hataraite
1. hataraite iru – working
2. hataraite kudasai – please work
3. hataraite wa naranai – it is forbidden for you to work.
Ex 8. oyogu泳ぐ– to swim – becomes oyoide
1. oyoide iru – swimming
2. oyoide kudasai – please swim
3. oyoide wa naranai – you shouldn’t swim around here
Ganbatte ne!
Do your best
Makuarsuki まくらすき
For more Japanese grammar fun see - http://www.japanetics.blogspot.com or http://saketalkie.blogspot.com
By Brett McCluskey
Japanese lesson on learning how to use the Base TE-て form of Japanese verbs.
Remembering how verbs are put into base TE-て can be a challenging part of Japanese Grammar, but by singing the following syllables in the following order to the music of Silver Bells will help you better remember which verb ending syllable goes with what te ending.
(To be done to the music of Silver Bells, Bing Crosby’s version works well.)
verse 1
BU MU NU NDE
U TSU RU TTE
KU ITE
GU IDE
That’s the way we put verbs in base TE------
(Play it again Sam) repeat to verse 2
*Verbs ending in BU, MU, or NU become NDE. Verbs ending in U, TSU, RU become TTE or. Verbs ending in KU become ITE and verbs ending in GU become IDE.
Verbs ending in these syllables
Become these base Te endings
BU, MU, or NU - Base TE ending = NDE
U, TSU, or RU - Base TE ending = TTE
KU - Base TE ending = ITE
GU - Base TE ending = IDE
Here are a few examples of putting a verb into base te. The first example, asobu ends in bu so you can either use the above chart or sing the song!
Ex. 1. asobu 遊ぶ - to play – becomes asonde
1. asonde iru = playing
2. asonde kudasai = please play
3. asonde wa naranai = you can’t play here, its against the rules to play
Ex. 2. kamu 噛む – to chew – becomes kande
1. kande iru – chewing
2. kande kudasai – please chew
3. kande wa naranai – you mustn’t chew
Ex. 3. shinu 死ぬ - to die – becomes shinde
1. shinde iru – dying
2. shinde kudasai – please die
3. shinde wa naranai – you mustn’t die
Ex 4. harau 払う– to pay - becomes haratte
1. haratte iru – paying
2. haratte kudasai – please pay
3. haratte wa naranai – you had better not pay.
Ex 5. inoru 祈る – to pray – becomes inotte
1. inotte iru – praying
2. inotte kudasai – please pray
3. inotte wa naranai – its bad to pray here
Ex 6. utsu 打つ
– to hit becomes utte
1. utte iru – hitting
2. utte kudasai – please hit
3. utte wa naranai - its bad to hit here
Ex 7. hataraku働く– to work – becomes hataraite
1. hataraite iru – working
2. hataraite kudasai – please work
3. hataraite wa naranai – it is forbidden for you to work.
Ex 8. oyogu泳ぐ– to swim – becomes oyoide
1. oyoide iru – swimming
2. oyoide kudasai – please swim
3. oyoide wa naranai – you shouldn’t swim around here
Ganbatte ne!
Do your best
Makuarsuki まくらすき
For more Japanese grammar fun see - http://www.japanetics.blogspot.com or http://saketalkie.blogspot.com
Jul 25, 2008
My suggestions for how to master and get good in Japanese
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 principlespart3+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 let us try to unlock it.
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 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 us 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 know and be able to use and still 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 do not 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, let us stick with words/day.
When learning Japanese or any language don't get burned out. Go at a good pace for you. We do not want to memorize too many words because we will end up worse than learning only one word a week. At one word a week, it would take us 4000 days, or almost 11 years to have such a vocabulary. That is 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 not 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, sunawachi everyday with no rest.
Day 1 goal – memorize 10 words today, tomorrow and 10 new words everyday for the next 9 months. Do not get discouraged after 9 months if you stick with your goals you will not 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 indubitably quite a few ways to measure fluency. I am not aware of any fluency machine that can instantly measure your fluency like we can measure blood pressure, or body temperature. I have heard it said at least once that fluency is dependant upon total vocabulary memorized. In addition, they put a number on it of 4000 different words. I cannot say I totally agree with that statement. No doubt, other requirements for language fluency certainly exist, other than just knowledge of the 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 not even matter if we can speak Japanese or not. In any language, if you look like you have to go ‘pee’ you do not 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 do not know the Japanese words for it. http://ezinearticles.com/?Japanese-Pronunciation-Tips-13&id=472520
About our 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, honorifically, 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, it becomes like it and takes on its characteristic traits.
The levels Keigo and the cultural implications of Kokugo^ must know how to manipulate 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 (do not 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.
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 principlespart3+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 let us try to unlock it.
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 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 us 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 know and be able to use and still 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 do not 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, let us stick with words/day.
When learning Japanese or any language don't get burned out. Go at a good pace for you. We do not want to memorize too many words because we will end up worse than learning only one word a week. At one word a week, it would take us 4000 days, or almost 11 years to have such a vocabulary. That is 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 not 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, sunawachi everyday with no rest.
Day 1 goal – memorize 10 words today, tomorrow and 10 new words everyday for the next 9 months. Do not get discouraged after 9 months if you stick with your goals you will not 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 indubitably quite a few ways to measure fluency. I am not aware of any fluency machine that can instantly measure your fluency like we can measure blood pressure, or body temperature. I have heard it said at least once that fluency is dependant upon total vocabulary memorized. In addition, they put a number on it of 4000 different words. I cannot say I totally agree with that statement. No doubt, other requirements for language fluency certainly exist, other than just knowledge of the 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 not even matter if we can speak Japanese or not. In any language, if you look like you have to go ‘pee’ you do not 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 do not know the Japanese words for it. http://ezinearticles.com/?Japanese-Pronunciation-Tips-13&id=472520
About our 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, honorifically, 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, it becomes like it and takes on its characteristic traits.
The levels Keigo and the cultural implications of Kokugo^ must know how to manipulate 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 (do not 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.
Jul 21, 2008
Japanese Funtime Language Grammar Supplement
The following supplement will help you increase your Japanese vocabulary by showing you how the particle MO is used. MO is more than just a particle. MO is part of the family. Have fun in your Japanese language endeavors!
First, memorize the question words:
Who – dare誰,
What – nani何,
Where – dokoどこ,
When – itsu いつ,
How many things –ikutsuいくつか
How many people – nannin 何人
Question word + mo with + positive verb with – negative verb
dare (誰)+mo (も) anyone nobody
nani (何)+mo (も) anything nothing
doko(どこ)+mo(も) everywhere, anywhere nowhere
itsu (いつ)+mo(も) all the time, always none of the time, never
nannin(何人)+mo(も) many people, a bunch of people not many people
The mo participle carries the meaning of too, or also. It is all inclusive. For example, to say “me too” just add mo to me and there you have it. Watakushi mo or me too. Easy, right? What if your friend wants to come with us too? Then just add mo and presto you have Watakushi no tomodachi mo. My friend too or him too.
Someone might ask,
question word + ka (か) with + positive verb with – negative verb
dare(誰) + ka (か) someone nobody
nani(何 )+ ka (か) something nothing
doko (どこ) + ka (か) somewhere nowhere
itsu (いつ) + ka (か) sometime none of the time, never
nannin (何人) + ka (か) so many people , this many not many people
“Is anybody home?”
“Dareka oraremasu ka?” (“誰かおられますか?”)
“No, Nobody is here.”
Iie, Daremo oraremasen. いいえ, 誰もおられません
Question word + demo with + positive verb with – negative verb
dare (誰) + demo(でも) anybody, whoever nobody
nani (何) + demo,
nandemo (何でも) anything, everything nothing
doko (どこ) + demo(でも) everywhere, anywhere nowhere
itsu (何時) + demo (でも) all the time none of the time, never
nannin (何人) +demo (でも) many people, a bunch of people not many people
What about why? I thought you might ask about the last interrogative. So to say why in Japanese you might use these two words
Words for Why in Japanese:
1.do^ shite ?– (lit. how does it do, or why?) or
2.naze? – why ?
Similar rules can happen with the word do^shite. Like do^shite mo – meaning- for all reasons why. I can’t recall ever hearing nazemo but it is likely that there is such a Japanese word.
Interesting Fact: There is an island off the bottom of kyu^shu^ below the city kagoshima that is in fact named Naze. Of course the kanji are different for this small island city. It is interesting to note, due to its isolate state
Jul 18, 2008
Favorable favors in Japanese Grammar
This will show you how to get someone to do something for you in Japanese. After you get the hang of these constructions it is advised top use any verb you learn from here on out by making sentences of your own. Be creative as best you can, even making the way you learn the verbs and constructions you put them into sound out-landish, extravagant or otherwise. The more bizarre you make the image of the meaning of words and the way you associate word terms and meanings together the more memorable will be their image and greater will be your vocabulary retention.
Remember, it isn't always the total amount of words that make one fluent. It is found only after mastery of the various grammar forms are handled as well as total amount of vocabulary held at your disposal. My advice to any do-it your-self-er Japanes language learner will greatly benefit from practicing Japanese with sentences which the studier creates from scratch. Using in a sentence some grammatical construction featuring verbs which are well retained and at one's disposal.
There are mainly three levels of politeness in Japanese. There is also many shades in between these levels which can be obtained and implied through the various endings a verb can take. There are three distinct latitudes or heights (Or depths as some may see it) at which spoken Japanese can be vocalized and interpreted, all different yet all manifesting levels of politeness.
Politeness levels are in large part determined by the age difference between locutors in a two way conversation. In Japanese, one would speak in more respectful ways to persons who are upwards of your age or older than you. It is natural to speak less formally to people who are in your same graduating class or to people younger than you, in other words, it is acceptable to speak to those of equal or lesser value in standard or plain form Japanese.
It is usually all right to speak in plain form to people your age or less unless it is people who you have just met or the boss of your company, grandparent or god-father. The shacho or boss of a company is always spoken to in the highest possible forms of polite forms of Japanese. In these constructions, aru is replaced by its specialized counterpart gozaru, so instead of arimasu(polite aru baseII+masu) you would use gozaimasu. (gozaru is the super polite form of the verb aru, de aru is plain form of desu, de gozaru = de aru = desu.)
On first meeting someone in Japan, it would be rude to automatically assume that you were acquainted with them enough to speak plain form Japanese. There is something to say about polite speech. Polite speech makes people feel good. It makes the person you are speaking to feel like he is important and it makes you the speaker feel good when the same type of speaking is spoken back to you. We really can’t get this same feeling in English. It is possible that some event, like a royal wedding where everything was done prim and proper, or at a wedding and you are the bride or groom, then you may feel what it is like to be spoken up to and through speech made to feel good about yourself because of polite speech.
Otherwise, I have never felt so good as when someone speaks to me in Keigo compared to not having such a thing in English America. When first meeting someone always assume that he or she is your great uncle who had died and left you his fortune. Don't automatically assume enough familiarity with them to speak to them in the plain form or anything lower in politeness to anybody ever. You can get yourself in deep trouble. The Japanese are nice but words are a two edged sword powerful enough to cause wars so take car to always be as polite as you can. Remember plain form is the type of language that is spoken to dogs, so how much respect does a human being deserve over a dog, and plus, it’s easy if you tongue doesn’t become lazy. Just always practice speaking in polite Japanese and you won’t have any trouble.
It is important to understand the distinctions made between the levels of politeness in speech. Plain form just isn't polite, try to avoid it by always keeping your mouth clean and out of trouble. If you are a gaijin, your mouth and manners are already out of thwack with the customs and traditional courtesies of the Japanese nation. When in Rome we do as the Romans do and when in Japan our feet can't stink.
In order to avoid sounding like a beast with no manners, try always speaking in Japanese at higher more respectful levels. There are two levels of speech and 2 conditions of the verbs + future, - future, past +, past -. plain form. One above that level and another beneath. In all three levels. We can make sentences that are crystal clear and come out in our speech imbued with beautiful hues and hints of wonderful meanings making our Japanese not different from a samurai overlord.
In the present tense, plain form verbs always end in one of five vowels, a, i u e, or, o which corresponding to the five bases (I,II,III,IV,V) of a verb.
The polite form of a verb is made up of a verb in base II or the i line of the syllabayry and by adding ~masu. The ~masu ending is always adequately polite. Speaking in plain form or leaving the verb in dictionary form or base (III) is less polite and could be construed as very rude speech. (*In my Ghetto Grammar lesson plain form is denoted P.F.)Polite form is also categorized in degrees or levels of politeness.
In Japanese there are 4 basic states or tenses a verb can take. There are 2 present tense verb forms that are polite and 2 in the past tense, each tense having its' affirmative or + side and, or its' negative , {future/present + or - } and {past + or -}. In Japanese, the latter part of the verb is where the conjugations occur, at the tail of a verb, not the stem. There are many endings which can be constructed. Each ending can change the meaning of the Japanese words ever so subtley, yet significantly. In other words, there are many levels of politeness possible even using the same word(s).
When asking a favor of someone, you'll have to consider how polite you’ll want to sound with that person. You won't get very far by getting your boss to give you a raise when speaking to him in less polite language which equivocal to what is know as plain form Japanese. Not being careful of your politeness level can really get you into trouble. With the boss example it could give him more reason to dislike you or even fire you for insubordination. Sometimes speaking in the plain form Japanese can be dangerous, making you sound even barbaric at times, childish at others, straight out rude at times, piggish, bossy, arrogant to name a few of the ways you jeopardize your potential to speaking fluid, beatifully perfect Japanese speaking. Be mindful that respect to others is shown through the Japanese langauge via the levels of speech:
Politeness levels in the Japanese Language - From low to high:
1. Base speech (rude, raunchy and raw Japanese, spoken to lesser creatures, animals, underlings, fledglings and disciples.
2 . Plain form or basically neutral status speaking Japanese, or the humble and exalted levels of speech. Humble and exalted levels of speech considered from the same tree and is globally known as
3. Honorifics
In getting a commitment for your request, use the verb ITADAKU, the same verb that is used in the expression, “Itadakimasu” before eating.
You will put this with a verb in base TE to get a yes or no answer. However, if your demands weren't that impending, or is not in need of immediate attention, then there are 3 further choice of verbs for those requests to become actions. The verbs involved in getting someone to do an action for you in Japanese, are these:
MORAU - (to get, be given, receive),
KURERU - (to receive from) and
KUDASARU - ( to be so kind as to receive from )
with the masu ending being the highest.
• ITADAKU means literally to humbly partake of something or someone doing something for you that equates to a will you…? Or similar type English sentence.
Constructions for "Will you verb (for me)?" in Japanese.
Verb (base TE) + MORAU V (て) + もらう
Do you think you could verb for me?
Verb (base TE) +YARU V (て) + やる
I will verb for you. (This is least polite and only said amongst the closest of friends, more masculine.)
Verb (base TE) + KURERU V (て) + くれる-
Would you verb for me? (Either because I physically or otherwise can't do it myself or simply because you are kind or respected by me).
Verb (base TE) + AGERU V (て) + あげる
I'll verb for you.
Verb (base TE) + KUDASARU V (て) + 下さる
Will you kindly verb for me?
*Kudasaruくださる is one of the first learned Japanese words. It’s kanji represents the word meaning below, underneath, under, or down. The meaning is opposite to that of the word UE上 (Up, on top, above etc.)
This is where the construction for -please verb- or verb (base TE) + kudasai comes from.
Verb (base TE) + itadaku (The commitment word evoking only a yes or no answer). Equivalent to "Will you verb?" in English.
1. Will you quit smoking.
Tabako o su^ no o yamete itadakemasu ka?
たばこを吸うのを止めて頂けますか
2. Can I get you to turn the light off for me?
Denki o keshite moraimasu ka?
電機を消してもらいますか
3. Could you turn the light off for me?
Denki o keshite kuremasu ka?
電機をけしてくれますか
4. Will you kindly lend me $1000 dollars Grandmother?
Oba^chan@ ano 1 sen doru o kashite kudasaimasu ka?
おばあちゃん! あの 一千＄貸してくれますか
5. Could you tell me your phone number?
a. Denwa bango o oshiete kudasaimasu ka?
電話番号を教えて下さいますか?
b. Denwa bango o oshiete kuremasu ka?
電話番号を教えてくれますか
c. Denwa bango o oshiete itadakemasu ka?
電話番号をいただけますか
a.,b.,c. Will you tell me your phone number?
Itadaku - the yes or no verb
Itadaku頂く is special in that it forms changes from the itadaki to itadake form either Yes, or, No? Using the verb itadaku is ultimately polite yet it elicits only two answers from which to form a reply..
6. Shall I open it for you?
Akete yaro^ ka? (Less polite form V of verb yaru, downward politeness)
開けてやろうか?
7. Shall I read it for you?
Yonde agemasho^ ka? (masho^ is more polite, spoken to peers and above)
読んで挙げましょう
8. Lets get him to pay for us.
Haratte moraimasho^
払ってもらいましょう
9. I wanted him to draw a picture for us.
E o kaite moraitakatta n' desu.
絵を画いてもらいたかったのです.
10. I am going to need you to come in on Sunday (too).
Nichiyoubi nimo kaisha ni kite moraitakatta no desu ga…?
日曜日にも会社に来てもらいたかったのですが
That is straight out of “office space” yo!
Until next time, that’s the end of this short lesson in Japanese grammar. As always, I wish you the best in your endeavors towards better Japanese …
Ganbatte Ne!
頑張ってね
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki. まくらすき
Remember, it isn't always the total amount of words that make one fluent. It is found only after mastery of the various grammar forms are handled as well as total amount of vocabulary held at your disposal. My advice to any do-it your-self-er Japanes language learner will greatly benefit from practicing Japanese with sentences which the studier creates from scratch. Using in a sentence some grammatical construction featuring verbs which are well retained and at one's disposal.
There are mainly three levels of politeness in Japanese. There is also many shades in between these levels which can be obtained and implied through the various endings a verb can take. There are three distinct latitudes or heights (Or depths as some may see it) at which spoken Japanese can be vocalized and interpreted, all different yet all manifesting levels of politeness.
Politeness levels are in large part determined by the age difference between locutors in a two way conversation. In Japanese, one would speak in more respectful ways to persons who are upwards of your age or older than you. It is natural to speak less formally to people who are in your same graduating class or to people younger than you, in other words, it is acceptable to speak to those of equal or lesser value in standard or plain form Japanese.
It is usually all right to speak in plain form to people your age or less unless it is people who you have just met or the boss of your company, grandparent or god-father. The shacho or boss of a company is always spoken to in the highest possible forms of polite forms of Japanese. In these constructions, aru is replaced by its specialized counterpart gozaru, so instead of arimasu(polite aru baseII+masu) you would use gozaimasu. (gozaru is the super polite form of the verb aru, de aru is plain form of desu, de gozaru = de aru = desu.)
On first meeting someone in Japan, it would be rude to automatically assume that you were acquainted with them enough to speak plain form Japanese. There is something to say about polite speech. Polite speech makes people feel good. It makes the person you are speaking to feel like he is important and it makes you the speaker feel good when the same type of speaking is spoken back to you. We really can’t get this same feeling in English. It is possible that some event, like a royal wedding where everything was done prim and proper, or at a wedding and you are the bride or groom, then you may feel what it is like to be spoken up to and through speech made to feel good about yourself because of polite speech.
Otherwise, I have never felt so good as when someone speaks to me in Keigo compared to not having such a thing in English America. When first meeting someone always assume that he or she is your great uncle who had died and left you his fortune. Don't automatically assume enough familiarity with them to speak to them in the plain form or anything lower in politeness to anybody ever. You can get yourself in deep trouble. The Japanese are nice but words are a two edged sword powerful enough to cause wars so take car to always be as polite as you can. Remember plain form is the type of language that is spoken to dogs, so how much respect does a human being deserve over a dog, and plus, it’s easy if you tongue doesn’t become lazy. Just always practice speaking in polite Japanese and you won’t have any trouble.
It is important to understand the distinctions made between the levels of politeness in speech. Plain form just isn't polite, try to avoid it by always keeping your mouth clean and out of trouble. If you are a gaijin, your mouth and manners are already out of thwack with the customs and traditional courtesies of the Japanese nation. When in Rome we do as the Romans do and when in Japan our feet can't stink.
In order to avoid sounding like a beast with no manners, try always speaking in Japanese at higher more respectful levels. There are two levels of speech and 2 conditions of the verbs + future, - future, past +, past -. plain form. One above that level and another beneath. In all three levels. We can make sentences that are crystal clear and come out in our speech imbued with beautiful hues and hints of wonderful meanings making our Japanese not different from a samurai overlord.
In the present tense, plain form verbs always end in one of five vowels, a, i u e, or, o which corresponding to the five bases (I,II,III,IV,V) of a verb.
The polite form of a verb is made up of a verb in base II or the i line of the syllabayry and by adding ~masu. The ~masu ending is always adequately polite. Speaking in plain form or leaving the verb in dictionary form or base (III) is less polite and could be construed as very rude speech. (*In my Ghetto Grammar lesson plain form is denoted P.F.)Polite form is also categorized in degrees or levels of politeness.
In Japanese there are 4 basic states or tenses a verb can take. There are 2 present tense verb forms that are polite and 2 in the past tense, each tense having its' affirmative or + side and, or its' negative , {future/present + or - } and {past + or -}. In Japanese, the latter part of the verb is where the conjugations occur, at the tail of a verb, not the stem. There are many endings which can be constructed. Each ending can change the meaning of the Japanese words ever so subtley, yet significantly. In other words, there are many levels of politeness possible even using the same word(s).
When asking a favor of someone, you'll have to consider how polite you’ll want to sound with that person. You won't get very far by getting your boss to give you a raise when speaking to him in less polite language which equivocal to what is know as plain form Japanese. Not being careful of your politeness level can really get you into trouble. With the boss example it could give him more reason to dislike you or even fire you for insubordination. Sometimes speaking in the plain form Japanese can be dangerous, making you sound even barbaric at times, childish at others, straight out rude at times, piggish, bossy, arrogant to name a few of the ways you jeopardize your potential to speaking fluid, beatifully perfect Japanese speaking. Be mindful that respect to others is shown through the Japanese langauge via the levels of speech:
Politeness levels in the Japanese Language - From low to high:
1. Base speech (rude, raunchy and raw Japanese, spoken to lesser creatures, animals, underlings, fledglings and disciples.
2 . Plain form or basically neutral status speaking Japanese, or the humble and exalted levels of speech. Humble and exalted levels of speech considered from the same tree and is globally known as
3. Honorifics
In getting a commitment for your request, use the verb ITADAKU, the same verb that is used in the expression, “Itadakimasu” before eating.
You will put this with a verb in base TE to get a yes or no answer. However, if your demands weren't that impending, or is not in need of immediate attention, then there are 3 further choice of verbs for those requests to become actions. The verbs involved in getting someone to do an action for you in Japanese, are these:
MORAU - (to get, be given, receive),
KURERU - (to receive from) and
KUDASARU - ( to be so kind as to receive from )
with the masu ending being the highest.
• ITADAKU means literally to humbly partake of something or someone doing something for you that equates to a will you…? Or similar type English sentence.
Constructions for "Will you verb (for me)?" in Japanese.
Verb (base TE) + MORAU V (て) + もらう
Do you think you could verb for me?
Verb (base TE) +YARU V (て) + やる
I will verb for you. (This is least polite and only said amongst the closest of friends, more masculine.)
Verb (base TE) + KURERU V (て) + くれる-
Would you verb for me? (Either because I physically or otherwise can't do it myself or simply because you are kind or respected by me).
Verb (base TE) + AGERU V (て) + あげる
I'll verb for you.
Verb (base TE) + KUDASARU V (て) + 下さる
Will you kindly verb for me?
*Kudasaruくださる is one of the first learned Japanese words. It’s kanji represents the word meaning below, underneath, under, or down. The meaning is opposite to that of the word UE上 (Up, on top, above etc.)
This is where the construction for -please verb- or verb (base TE) + kudasai comes from.
Verb (base TE) + itadaku (The commitment word evoking only a yes or no answer). Equivalent to "Will you verb?" in English.
1. Will you quit smoking.
Tabako o su^ no o yamete itadakemasu ka?
たばこを吸うのを止めて頂けますか
2. Can I get you to turn the light off for me?
Denki o keshite moraimasu ka?
電機を消してもらいますか
3. Could you turn the light off for me?
Denki o keshite kuremasu ka?
電機をけしてくれますか
4. Will you kindly lend me $1000 dollars Grandmother?
Oba^chan@ ano 1 sen doru o kashite kudasaimasu ka?
おばあちゃん! あの 一千＄貸してくれますか
5. Could you tell me your phone number?
a. Denwa bango o oshiete kudasaimasu ka?
電話番号を教えて下さいますか?
b. Denwa bango o oshiete kuremasu ka?
電話番号を教えてくれますか
c. Denwa bango o oshiete itadakemasu ka?
電話番号をいただけますか
a.,b.,c. Will you tell me your phone number?
Itadaku - the yes or no verb
Itadaku頂く is special in that it forms changes from the itadaki to itadake form either Yes, or, No? Using the verb itadaku is ultimately polite yet it elicits only two answers from which to form a reply..
6. Shall I open it for you?
Akete yaro^ ka? (Less polite form V of verb yaru, downward politeness)
開けてやろうか?
7. Shall I read it for you?
Yonde agemasho^ ka? (masho^ is more polite, spoken to peers and above)
読んで挙げましょう
8. Lets get him to pay for us.
Haratte moraimasho^
払ってもらいましょう
9. I wanted him to draw a picture for us.
E o kaite moraitakatta n' desu.
絵を画いてもらいたかったのです.
10. I am going to need you to come in on Sunday (too).
Nichiyoubi nimo kaisha ni kite moraitakatta no desu ga…?
日曜日にも会社に来てもらいたかったのですが
That is straight out of “office space” yo!
Until next time, that’s the end of this short lesson in Japanese grammar. As always, I wish you the best in your endeavors towards better Japanese …
Ganbatte Ne!
頑張ってね
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki. まくらすき
Jul 14, 2008
Making Wishes in Japanese
Japanese Grammar Lesson #98
How to Make Wishes in Japanese
or How to say , "If I could only verb" in Japanese.
Base IV + ba ii no ni or
A verb in its conditional state + ii no ni + ば いい の に
To wish (something), (I wish I could verb, despite it being cool)
To make sentences that will express your wishes or longing for something put a Japanese verb into its conditional state and add ii noni. The noni part I always took as meaning in spite of or despite something. Ii is the word for good, so that yoi could be used or even other adjectives of different shapes and sizes.
For this construction, any Japanese verb in its condtional form conditional will suffice for this lesson’s construction. The use of nara is also acceptable. So that you could have
-noun nara ii noni etc.
The Japanese conditional being either a verb in base IV as in iku -->? ik(e) (baseIV) + ba = ikeba or if (I) go or verb in base TA + RA, so that iku --> itta + ra or ittara
The verb iku 行く in base IV is 行け
- add the conditional extendor ば to the base so that 行け + ば = 行けば
ikeba ii no ni 行けば いい のに -
It would have been cool if I could have went, or I wish I could have gone.
literally this phrase means something more like Despite it being good, if I go.
In the same way you may say it this way, iku in base TA is itta
- add ra to form the conditional. So that
itta + ra = ittara
- than add ii no ni to complete the phrase that you wish would happen.
行った + ら = 行ったら
I have always Below are some examples to get you going. Make your own interesting sentences. Make questions out of them. Use them in Japan on real Japanese people to test them out and make sure they work. You never know what you might be able to say with your new grammar construction for making wishes in Japanese.
Examples
1. Yasukattara ii noni 安かったら いいのに
- I sure hope it is cheap, (lit. if it were cheap it would be good despite the fact that its probably not.)
2. Ittara ii noni or ikeba ii noni 行ったらいいのに or 行けば いい のに
- I wish I could go
3. Kirei dattara or kirei nara ii noni きれい だったら いいのに or きれいなら
- If she were cute that would be cool, or I hope she is pretty. (lit. Despite it being good if (she) is pretty.)
4. Shicchan ga ittara ii noni しっちゃん が いったら いい のに
- it would be cool if shi chan (a girl whose name starts with Shi)
5. Mite mireba ii noni. 見て 見れば
- I wish you would go check it out. or It would be cool if you could go look at it.
6. okane mochi nara ii noni – I wish I were rich, or if only I had a lot of money how cool would that be…etc.
As always,
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki
How to Make Wishes in Japanese
or How to say , "If I could only verb" in Japanese.
Base IV + ba ii no ni or
A verb in its conditional state + ii no ni + ば いい の に
To wish (something), (I wish I could verb, despite it being cool)
To make sentences that will express your wishes or longing for something put a Japanese verb into its conditional state and add ii noni. The noni part I always took as meaning in spite of or despite something. Ii is the word for good, so that yoi could be used or even other adjectives of different shapes and sizes.
For this construction, any Japanese verb in its condtional form conditional will suffice for this lesson’s construction. The use of nara is also acceptable. So that you could have
-noun nara ii noni etc.
The Japanese conditional being either a verb in base IV as in iku -->? ik(e) (baseIV) + ba = ikeba or if (I) go or verb in base TA + RA, so that iku --> itta + ra or ittara
The verb iku 行く in base IV is 行け
- add the conditional extendor ば to the base so that 行け + ば = 行けば
ikeba ii no ni 行けば いい のに -
It would have been cool if I could have went, or I wish I could have gone.
literally this phrase means something more like Despite it being good, if I go.
In the same way you may say it this way, iku in base TA is itta
- add ra to form the conditional. So that
itta + ra = ittara
- than add ii no ni to complete the phrase that you wish would happen.
行った + ら = 行ったら
I have always Below are some examples to get you going. Make your own interesting sentences. Make questions out of them. Use them in Japan on real Japanese people to test them out and make sure they work. You never know what you might be able to say with your new grammar construction for making wishes in Japanese.
Examples
1. Yasukattara ii noni 安かったら いいのに
- I sure hope it is cheap, (lit. if it were cheap it would be good despite the fact that its probably not.)
2. Ittara ii noni or ikeba ii noni 行ったらいいのに or 行けば いい のに
- I wish I could go
3. Kirei dattara or kirei nara ii noni きれい だったら いいのに or きれいなら
- If she were cute that would be cool, or I hope she is pretty. (lit. Despite it being good if (she) is pretty.)
4. Shicchan ga ittara ii noni しっちゃん が いったら いい のに
- it would be cool if shi chan (a girl whose name starts with Shi)
5. Mite mireba ii noni. 見て 見れば
- I wish you would go check it out. or It would be cool if you could go look at it.
6. okane mochi nara ii noni – I wish I were rich, or if only I had a lot of money how cool would that be…etc.
As always,
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki
Jul 11, 2008
ghettogramar99" It's My Prerogative –
Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar #99
How to get somebody to do something for you in Japanese.
Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar #99
How to get somebody to do something for you in Japanese.
This article will show you how to get someone to do something for you in Japanese. After you get the hang of these constructions it is advised top use any verb you learn from here on out by making sentences of your own. Be creative as best you can, even making the way you learn the verbs and constructions you put them into sound out-landish, extravagant or otherwise. The more bizarre you make the image of the meaning of words and the way you associate word terms and meanings together the more memorable will be their image and greater will be your vocabulary retention.
Remember, it isn't always the total amount of words that make one fluent. It is on the founded only after mastery of the various grammar forms are handled as well as total amount of vocabulary held at the locutors disposal as well. My advice to any do-it your-self-er Japanes language learner will greatly benefit from practicing Japanese with sentences which the studier creates from scratch. Using in a sentance some grammatical construction featuring verbs which are well retained and at one's disposal.
There are mainly three levels of politeness in Japanese. There is also any shade in between these levels which can be obtained and implied through the various endings each verb in a sentence can take. There are three distinct latitudes or heights (or depths as some may see it) at which spoken Japanese can be vocalized and interpreted, all different yet all manifesting meaning. Politeness levels are in large part determined by the age difference between locutors in a two-way conversation. In Japanese, one would speak in more respectful ways to persons who are upwards of your age. It is natural to speak less formally to people who are in your same graduating class or to people younger than you. It is usually all right to speak in plain form to people your age or less unless it is people who you have just met or the boss of your company, grandparent or god-father.
The shacho or boss of a company is always spoken to in the highest possible forms of polite forms of Japanese. In these constructions, aru is replaced by its specialized counterpart gozaru, so instead of arimasu(polite aru baseII+masu) you would use gozaimasu. (Super polite form of aru.)
On first meeting with someone in Japan, it would be rude to automatically assume that you were well acquainted with them or assumed that you knew him/her. When first meeting someone always assume that he or she is your great uncle who had died and left you his fortune.
Don't automatically assume enough familiarity with them to speak to them in the plain form or lower levels of speech. Remember plain form is the type of language that is spoken to dogs, so how much respect does a human being deserve over a og.
It is important to understand the distinctions made between the levels of politeness in speech. Plain form just isn't polite, try to avoid it by always keeping your mouth clean and out of trouble. If you are a gaijin, your mouth and manners are already out of thwack with the customs and traditional courtesies of the Japanese nation. When in Rome we do as the Romans do and when in Japan our feet can't stink.
In order to avoid sounding like a beast with no manners, try always speaking in Japanaese at higher more respectful levels. There are two levels of speech and 2 conditions of the verbs + future, - future, past +, past -. plain form. One above that level and another beneath. In all three levels. We can make sentences that are crystal clear and come out in our speech imbued with beautiful hues and hints of wonderful meanings making our Japanese not different from a samurai overlord.
In the present tense, plain form verbs always end in one of five vowels, a, i u e, or, o which corresponding to the five bases (I,II,III,IV,V) of a verb.
The polite form of a verb is made up of a verb in base II or the i line of the syllabary and by adding ~masu. The ~masu ending is always adequately polite. Speaking in plain form or leaving the verb in dictionary form or base (III) is less polite and could be construed as very rude speech. (*In my Ghetto Grammar lesson plain form is denoted P.F.)Polite form is also categorized in degrees or levels of politeness.
In Japanese there are 4 basic states or tenses a verb can take. There are 2 present tense verb forms that are polite and 2 in the past tense, each tense having its' affirmative or + side and, or its' negative , {future/present + or - } and {past + or -}. In Japanese, the latter part of the verb is where the conjugations occur, at the tail of a verb, not the stem. There are many endings which can be constructed. Each ending can change the meaning of the Japanese words ever so subtley, yet significantly. In other words, there are many levels of politeness possible even using the same word(s).
When you want to get someone to do something for you, you'll have to consider how polite you want to sound. You won't get very far in getting your boss to give you a raise by speaking to him in less polite language which usual equates to what we call the plain form Japanese. Not being careful of your politeness level can really get you into trouble. With the boss example, it could give him more reason to dislike you or even fire you for insubordination. Sometimes speaking in the plain form Japanese can be dangerous, making you sound even barbaric at times, childish at others, straight out rude at times, piggish, bossy, arrogant to name a few of the ways you jeopardize your potential to speaking fluid, beautifully perfect Japanese speaking.
Be mindful that respect to others is shown through the Japanese language via the levels of speech:
Politeness levels in the Japanese Language - From low to high:
1. Base speech(rude, raunchy and raw Japanese, spoken to lesser creatures, animals, underlings, fledglings and disciples.
2.
2 . Plain form or basically neutral status speaking Japanese, or the humble and exalted levels of speech. Humble and exalted levels of speech considered from the same tree and is globally known as
3.
3. Honorifics
In getting a commitment out of someone you would use the verb itadauku with a verb in base TE to get a yes or no answer. However, if your demands weren't that life threatening, or is not in need of immediate attention, then there are 3 other choices of verb to use when you want somebody to do something for you.
4. The verbs involved in getting someone to do an action for you are these:
morau - (to get, be given, receive),
5.
kureru - (to receive from) and
6.
kudasaru ( to be so kind as to receive from )with the masu ending being the highest.
7.
* Itadaku means literally to humbly partake of something or someone doing something for you that equates to a will you…? type sentence in English.
Here are the constructions for "Will you verb?" in Japanese.
Verb (base TE) + morau - Do you think you could verb for me?
Verb (base TE) +yaru - I will verb for you. (This is least polite and only said amongst the closest of friends, more of a male oriented word).
Verb (base TE) + kureru - Would you verb for me? (Either because I physically or otherwise can't do it myself or simply because you are kind or respected by me).
Verb (base TE) + ageru - I'll verb for you.
Verb (base TE) + kudasaru - Will you kindly verb for me? *Kudasaru is one of the first words you usaully learn in Japanese and it is shown by the kanji for the word meaning below, underneath, under, or down. The meaning is opposite to that of the word Ue (Up, on top, above etc.)
This is where the construction for -please verb- or verb (base TE) + kudasai comes from.
Verb (base TE) + itadaku (The commitment word evoking only a yes or no answer). Equivalent to "Will you verb?" in English.
Ex. 1 Will you quit smoking. Tabako o suu koto o yamete itadakimasu ka?
Ex. 2. Can I get you to turn the light off for me? Denki o keshite moraimasu ka?
Or
Ex. 3 Could you turn the light off for me? Denki o keshite kuremasu ka?
Ex. 4 Will you kindly lend me $1000 dollars Grandmother? Obaachan… ano 1 sen doru o kashite kudasaimasu ka?
Ex. 5 Could you tell me your phone number?
a. Denwa bango o oshiete kudasaimasu ka?
b. Denwa bango o oshiete kuremasu ka?
c. Denwa bango o oshiete itadakimasu ka? Will you tell me your phone number? Yes or no? This is ultimately polite yet evokes only two answers, yes or no.
Ex. 6 Shall I open it for you? Akete yarou ka? (Less polite form)
Ex. 7 Shall I read it for you? Yonde agemashou ka? (more formal form)
Ex. 8 Lets get him to pay for us. Haratte moraimashou.
Ex. 9 I wanted him to draw a picture for us. E o kaite moraitakatta n' desu.
Ex. 10 I am going to need you to come in on Sunday. Nichiyoubi nimo kaisha ni kite moraitakatta no desu?
Thats the end of this article but as always I wish you the best in your endeavors towards better Japanese and Ganbatte Ne! Do Your Best! Makurasuki Sensei.
Jul 8, 2008
Have you ever... Japanese grammar lesson 100
GhettoGrammar Lesson #100 - Have you ever ... verbed... (before)?
The koto ga aru construction will be useful in many different situations where you may want to strike up conversation.Construction you will be able to ask questions like, "Have you ever been to Hokkaido", or "Have you ever "snow-boarded, "Wind-surfed, hang glided", sky jumped", base jumped", bungie jumped", eaten " a rhubarb pie" or seen a bear in the woods?"
In different scenarios. a very useful grammar construction that I like. This bunpo will come in handy in for your daily conversations in Japanese .
The construction is as follows:
Verb (Base TA) Koto ga arimasu ka? Have you ever ...verbed...?
Put the verb in your question into base TA then add koto ga aru where aru can assume various levels of politeness. I think it will be better understood through examples. So... here goes.
ex.1 Have you ever been to Disneyland? Dizunirando ni itta koto ga arimasu ka?
The verb in example 1 is iku - to go. Put into base TA iku becomes itta. Add koto ga aru where aru has been changed to it's more polite form arimasu and presto instant have you ever verbed.
ex. 2. Have you ever drank sake before? Sake o nonda koto ga arimasu ka?
notice that in this grammatical construction the verb is always in past tense, so in the first example we have to go in past tense or its equivalent been while in example 2. we have drink in its past tense of drank followed by the addition of koto ga aru which literally means to have such a thing of...etc
If you need to reply to such a question as, "Have you ever drank sake before?" with a negative response simply change aru to its present negative form either in plain form or in any of its levels of politeness ever gozaru. So that one response to example 2. could be Iie, sake o nonda koto ga arimasen, or, No, I have never taken a drink of sake before.
Possible responses to example 1.
a. Dizunirando ni itta koto ga arimasu (I have been to Disneyland before) or
b. Dizunirando ni itta koto ga arimasen. (I haven't been to Dinsneyland Before)
As always, Do Your Best! Ganbatte Ne!
Makurasuki Sensei and the Jappermon Grammatical Society Unorthodox Civilians for Careful Considerate obvservation of Japanese language learning
The koto ga aru construction will be useful in many different situations where you may want to strike up conversation.Construction you will be able to ask questions like, "Have you ever been to Hokkaido", or "Have you ever "snow-boarded, "Wind-surfed, hang glided", sky jumped", base jumped", bungie jumped", eaten " a rhubarb pie" or seen a bear in the woods?"
In different scenarios. a very useful grammar construction that I like. This bunpo will come in handy in for your daily conversations in Japanese .
The construction is as follows:
Verb (Base TA) Koto ga arimasu ka? Have you ever ...verbed...?
Put the verb in your question into base TA then add koto ga aru where aru can assume various levels of politeness. I think it will be better understood through examples. So... here goes.
ex.1 Have you ever been to Disneyland? Dizunirando ni itta koto ga arimasu ka?
The verb in example 1 is iku - to go. Put into base TA iku becomes itta. Add koto ga aru where aru has been changed to it's more polite form arimasu and presto instant have you ever verbed.
ex. 2. Have you ever drank sake before? Sake o nonda koto ga arimasu ka?
notice that in this grammatical construction the verb is always in past tense, so in the first example we have to go in past tense or its equivalent been while in example 2. we have drink in its past tense of drank followed by the addition of koto ga aru which literally means to have such a thing of...etc
If you need to reply to such a question as, "Have you ever drank sake before?" with a negative response simply change aru to its present negative form either in plain form or in any of its levels of politeness ever gozaru. So that one response to example 2. could be Iie, sake o nonda koto ga arimasen, or, No, I have never taken a drink of sake before.
Possible responses to example 1.
a. Dizunirando ni itta koto ga arimasu (I have been to Disneyland before) or
b. Dizunirando ni itta koto ga arimasen. (I haven't been to Dinsneyland Before)
As always, Do Your Best! Ganbatte Ne!
Makurasuki Sensei and the Jappermon Grammatical Society Unorthodox Civilians for Careful Considerate obvservation of Japanese language learning
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