Quick and Easy Japanese Vocabulary Learning - Mai Everything

The kanji for every, or Mai

Learn these useful words that all begin with mai or every -

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

Adding Ten-Ten Marks to Japanese Syllables

What are "ten-ten" marks, and what do can we do with them? A "ten-ten" mark is basically a single quotation symbol and is added to certain Japanese syllables to make new syllables that sound different. It makes voiced syllables gutteral. We can add "ten-ten" marks to the k, s, t, and h lines of the Japanese syllabary changin the syllables into their gutteral equivalents. An example would be when we place a "ten ten" mark after a voiced k it becomes its' gutteralized g. In other words, ka, ki, ku, ke, ko becomes ga, gi, gu, ge, go.

か、き、く、け、こ becomes が、ぎ、ぐ、げ、ご

か + " =  が or  ga
き + " =  ぎ or  gi
く + "  =  ぐ or  gu
け + " =  げ or  ge
こ + " =  ご or  go

In the same manner adding a "ten-ten" mark to
sa, shi, su, se or so will turn them into their gutteralized versions ie. za, zhi (ji), zu, ze, zo etc.

さ、し、す、せ、そ becomes ざ、 じ、 ず、ぜ、ぞ

さ + " = ざ or za
し + " = じ or zhi (ji)
す + " = ず or zu
せ + " = ぜ or ze
そ + " = ぞ or zo

We can also add them to the ta line of syllables so that ta, chi, tsu, te, to becomes da, ji, zu, de, and do.
た、ち、つ、て、と becomes だ、ぢ、づ, で、ど

た + " = だ or da
ち + " = ぢ or ji (dzi)
つ + " = づ or zu (dzu)
て + " = で or de
と + " = ど or do

Lastly, the ha, hi, fu, he, ho line of the syllabary has two ways into which they can change. 1. Adding a "ten-ten" mark to the ha line of the syllabary makes them ba, bi ,bu ,be ,bo. 2. Adding a small degree symbol to the ha line makes each one turn into yet new syllables, they turn into pa, pi, pu, pe, po.

は、ひ、ふ、へ、ほ becomes ば、び、ぶ、べ、ぼ, and ぱ、ぴ、ぷ、ぺ、ぽ

は + " = ば or  ba
ひ + " = び or  bi
ふ + " = ぶ or  bu
へ + " = べ or  be
ほ + " = ぼ or  bo
 
and
 
は + °= ぱ or  pa
ひ + °= ぴ or  pi
ふ + °= ぷ or  pu
へ + °= ぺ or  pe
ほ + °= ぽ or  po

More interesting plug and play Japanese grammar

Verb (Base V) + to suru – Try to Verb


With the above Japanese grammar construction you can make sentences that express the desire to try.

First put verbs into base V then add + to suru

Japanese verbs –

1. damasu – to deceive

2. iku – v. to go
3. magaru – to turn ( a corner, while driving etc.)

damaso^ to shimashita – they tried to pull a fast one on me
iko^ to shita – try or attempt to go
magaro^ to shita – tried to turn

do^ryoku suru – to put forth effort, to try


Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki

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 JPPGG System For Learning Japanese is now Japanese Grammar Plug and Play so JGPP

If you are studying Japanese right now, and are desirous to improve your speaking ability, then this article is for you. In this article, I am going to share with you my Japanese learning method called, JPPGG or Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar.

The benefit of using this system is that while you are building up your vocabulary you will be given the power to create exciting sentences which serve to reinforce the retention of your vocabulary and significantly increase your Japanese speaking ability. The only thing holding you back, is the amount of vocabulary that you yourself commit to learn, and memorize.

Towards the bottom of the article, I give 10 commonly used Japanese grammar constructions that you can manipulate to 'drill and kill' your way towards better Japanese. All you have to do is plug in your favorite verb, and play.

Plug and play style of learning Japanese is a lot of fun. When first learning Japanese it seemed like an insurmountable task because Japanese is such a different language from my own (English). So I took everything I was given to learn with and purposefully made it interesting in any way possible. I wouldn't practice this way in front of everybody, but when I was alone or with a good friend, I always had a good time making interesting word combinations.

One word which delighted me, no matter what sentence I used it in, was the word onara suru or "to fart". Knowing that single word made the dull process of learning boring grammar fun. Instead of yawning during study time, learning Japanese and Japanese grammar became exciting because each new grammar meant new and funny sentences that I could create, make and test on the Japanese people themselves. And let me tell you, I would be making funny sentences all year long. This is what eventually was the real determining factor, that helped me get better at Japanese.

For example, from the constructions below you could say, "I eat beans in order to fart." - onara suru tame ni mame o taberu - This type of sentence makes me laugh; its fun and helpful to my Japanese language learning. I mean the verb, to go, is fun and all, but other verbs, like fart, burp, burp, belch, squeak or whatever other interesting words I find make sentences that make sense, are useful and really come to life. All the tediousness of second language learning fades away. I hoot and laugh just contemplating the potential meanings of the new, clever sentences I can construct.

But seriously, there was a time that I would do whatever it took to improve my Japanese. Using my JPPGG in this extraordinary way certainly helped me achieve my Japanese language ability and Japanese language goals. I now boast a vocabulary of over 7000 words using my plug and play system or JPPGG.

Below are just 10 Japanese grammar principles for you to start plugging your vocabulary into. I will give more in later articles, but for now here are 10 really basic ones. These construction all use verbs in their plain form or Base (III).

If you aren't familiar yet with these terms, Base (III) verbs are your every day action verbs taken straight from a dictionary. They have yet to be conjugated or altered in any way. To use the JPPGG, just pick and choose some Japanese verbs that you know or look them up as you like, then plug them into one or all of the 10 constructions below and start making your own unique Japanese sentences, for use in typical Japanese conversations.

*If you are serious about learning Japanese, I recommend getting a dictionary. If you are unsure which kind to buy, I recommend dictionaries from Sanseido Press.

There are basically two types of dictionaries. The Wa-Ei (Japanese to English) dictionary, or, the Ei-Wa (English to Japanese) dictionary. Larger dictionaries that contain both the Ei-Wa and Wa-Ei in a single volume are also available. The average Wa-Ei dictionary costs around US $14.

Also called plain form verbs, base (III) verbs always ends by itself or in some sort of u vowel ending syllable cluster like, u, ku, gu, su, zu, tsu, tzu, bu, fu, mu, nu, yu, etc. Feel free to plug any verb that you like into these JPPGG constructions. Using 'off the wall' verbs like skate boarding, surfing, frying, laying, squatting, will help you retain the essential Japanese grammar longer over time in your long term memory. In this way your vocabulary will have time to develop without being stagnated by your grammar ability. I guarantee that you will not only have fun making Japanese sentences, but you wll also remember your vocabulary words faster, and retain them longer.

Don't feel obligated to use common verbs. Instead, think of some neat, obscure verb that you would like to use then look it up in the dictionary and go for it! Be a rebel! I dare you to get out of that old school mentality and utilize some word like, onara suru (v. to fart). Nobody will ever know what you are saying unless you take it outside and use it on somebody but hey, even the great Tennoheika, or Emporer himself has occasions where he will honorifically fart.

**Preliminary one point ghetto advice from a plug and play master **
- wa is the particle that I have always defined as , "As for ~" where ~ is anything at all, even nothing. Although there is not always an exact equivalent for a Japanese word to some words in English, I have found that thinking of the Japanese word, 'koto' as "the thing of ~". So koto ga and koto wa together, its meaning does sound weird to the ears of a gaijin (foreigner), as tripped out as any English we have ever heard might be, but you learn to accept these kinds of differences between languages because we know that a little disregard for proper sounds will help with our eventual improvement in our Japanese speaking ability.

As of yet I have found no better way of describing these Japanese words in English, and they seem to be sufficient interpretations in the situations in which they were used. Again, although they might at first sound a little awkward, we overlook the formalities for our long range goals of Japanese language mastery, and we get over it. Koto wa or koto ga could roughly be translated as "As for the thing of~ ".


1. Verb(base III) koto ga, koto wa - the thing of verb, the thing of verbing

2. Verb(base III) tame ni - in order to verb

3. Verb(base III) mae ni - before I verb, before verbing.

4. Verb(base III) koto ga arimasu - Sometimes I verb

5. Verb(base III) koto ga yoku arimasu - I do a lot of verb or I often verb.

6. Verb(base III) koto ga amari arimasu - I don't often verb, I rarely verb.

7. Verb(base III) koto ga dekimasu - I am able to verb, I can verb

8. Verb(base III) deshou - I will probably verb, or the verb will probably happen, or it might verb.

9. Verb(base III) koto ni suru - decide to verb, I resolved within myself to verb, I have chosen to verb, etc.
10. Verb(base III) hou ga ii desu - Its better to verb, or you should verb

11. Verb(base III) yo(u) ni - so that verb, like verbing, in similitude of verbing

In the old days, when the grammar-translation methods of foreign language teaching were king, my JPPGG and other similar methods were known as, substitution drills. I prefer to call this way of studying Japanese JPPGG, or, Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar. Instead of substituting, we plug and instead of drilling, we play. I prefer playing to drilling any day. Hopefully by now you understand the idea behind JPPGG and that my goal in creating this language learning system is to help you get better at Japanese in less time than it would take traditionally.

I'm big on multitasking and didn't want to see young Japanese language learners held back by the amount of vocabulary they know. Instead, my hope was that while the Japanese language learners learn more and more vocabulary (nouns, verbs, adjectives, expressions, salutations, adverbs, particles etc.)

The amount of grammar knowledge they have wouldn't prevent them from being able to say at least some simple sentences. Once they understand how the constructions of the grammar principles are made, they can then make altogether new sentences, drilling home Japanese into the fibers of their being making them capable Japanese conversationalists.

The system works no matter what the name you substitute and drill or you plug and play new words into the grammar constructions as you learn them. Go ahead, drill and kill your way, or should I say, plug and play your way towards better Japanese, I dare you.

As always do your best!
Ganbatte Ne!
Makurasuki

Words for I or me in Japanese

Japanese words for self

Watakushi 私 is the universal polite Japanese word represting one's self or "me". Watakushi 私 is seldom heard in conversations except the stately diplomatic kind of speeches, banquets and dinners.

Washi -わし is used by older, much older men as an abbreviated form of watakushi

Ore - pronounced like a mix between 'oh Ray', and 'oh day', is used by younger and older men who are tough, and sometimes mean and nasty, or just tough. Any cool male can used this word for me.

Watashi (even atashi)- used by feminine people to signify "me".

Boku 僕 (ぼく)- Me for boys

Ware 我- I, me for the samurai, or Emporers etc.

Watakushi tachi 私たち - Us

Warera 我ら われら - Us (more honorific ort old style)

Waga 我が (Old style)- my

Jibun Jishin 自分自信 - myself

all the above + NO (の) = my. or ours

Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki

kiroku

kiroku -n. record(s)
-ki record(s)
Re-biki - Leviticus or the record of re-bi (Levites)

Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki

Some useful Japanese words and phrases

Here are some useful Japanese words and phrases and their colloquial English equivalents.

1. とんでもない -
ton demo nai - It is nothing at all or, no big deal.

2. 大したもんじゃない -
taishita mon ja nai - It is no big thing or, nothing special at all.

3.  多分-
tabun - probably

4.  その通りです-
sono to^ri desu - That's it Watson!. That is it exactly, precisely.

5. たしかに -
tashika ni - For sure, surely, definately.

6. もちろん -
mochiron - Of course.

7. そんなことないよ ! -
sonna koto nai yo! - No way Jose! That isn't right! It isn't like that at all.

8.  成程 -
naruhodo - I see..., or now I get it.

9. やっぱり-
yappari - As you would think, or I thought so, or after all, naturally, obviously etc.

Japanese Word to cry Naku

Japanese word of many colors

Naku 泣く is a verb of many colors. A chameleon of Japanese words so to speak. What naku can do in one word takes English 13 or more words for it is the word used for cats mewing, dogs barking, birds chirping, horses neighing, frogs croaking, crows crowing, cawing or cooing. It is also the word for yelping, mooing, warbling and quacking, The Japanese verb naku鳴く means to cry. The Japanese verb naku 泣くstanding water means to cry also, as when humans cry.

Let’s put naku泣くinto the 5 grammar bases of Japanese

Naku in Base I = Naka泣か
Naku in Base II = Naki 泣き
Naku in Base III = Naku 泣く
Naku in base IV = Nake 泣け
Naku in base V = Nako 泣こ

Irregular Japanese Verbs

I thought since the last post was about the difference between yo^dan and ichidan verbs, that todays post would be a little about japanese irregular verbs. So what makes a verb irregular? Does it need metamucil? Not enough fiber in its diet? No! Irregular means that it just doesn't fit any where else. The rules that go with ichidan verbs is regular enough. Ichidan verbs are those verbs which end in either an eru or iru. So the examples I gave were something like

iru いる
eru - 得るえる
oshieru- 教えるおしえる
oboeru - 覚えるおぼえる
kazoeru - 数えるかぞえる
hairu - 入るはいる

and yo^dan verbs are any other verbs that don't end in eru or iru.

You'll just have to remember which verbs are irregular. It is fairly obvious to notice the irregular verbs because they do not conjugate the same as ordinary ichidan and yo^dan verbs. So lets look at a few that really threw me for a loop and I could never find a full conjugations of these nor any rules to accompany these offset Japanese verbs. The irregular Japanese verbs act strangeley. With ordinary ichidan and yo^dan verbs, you can expect them to act as they should and abide all the rules of Japanese grammar. With irregulary Japanese verbs you don't know what could happen, sometimes an irregular verb looks like an ichidan and actually conjugates out as a yo^dan or some mixture of the two etc. Without any further ado, here is my list of irregular verbs I hate to love to use. They absoluetely defy all grammar rules and are really confusing until you just by rhote memorize their conjugations etc.

List of Japanese irregular verbs - Confusion causing messed up Japanese verbs

1. Suru - v. to do
2. kiru - v. to cut
3. kiru - v. to wear
4. hashiru - v. to run
5. shiru - v. to know
6. kuru - v. to come

Lets start with these and learn about how they can wreak havoc in the mouth of a beginning Japanese language speaker. The verb suru is probably the most used verb in all the Japanese language. It serves a lot of different purposes and acts irregularly regulary. Suru is a well behaved irregular verb but nonetheless is difficult to remember in so many ways.

Of all those irregular verbs, the one I dislike the most is Kiru. Kiru just doesn't work out at all. It is easily confused with the verb to wear and the verb to cut and yet sounds very much the same when conjugated. It also happens to sound just like kuru when conjugated so that
the stem is ki in all situations except kuru which is ko

so how do you tell the difference between kite, kite, kitte, kiite etc. Its all in the ear. You got to get good at hearing tiny subtle differences.

How to form TA and TE forms for Suru and Kuru (2 irregular verbs)

1. kuru - add TA or Te to base II -
kuru in base II = ki
ki+ta = kita
ki+te = kite

2. suru - add TA or TE to base II
suru in base II = shi
shi+ta = shita
shi+te = shite

Yo^dan and Ichidan Verb Discussion Japanese Vocabulary focus on verbs

In order to put verbs into bases, it’s necessary to understand the difference between Ichidan verbs and Yo^dan verbs. I was taught that there exists three types of verbs but these types are unrelated to the three types of English verbs. In English, the three types of verbs are passive, active and forms of the copula- to be.

With the exception of irregular verbs,
Ichidan verbs are any Japanese verb that end in eru or iru.

Examples of ichidan verbs
Iru
Eru
Obieru
Oshieru


Youdan verbs are any other verbs verbs.

Examples of yo^dan verbs

Yaru
Utsu
Komu
Oyogu

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.

Japanese Vocabulary 40

Japanese Vocabulary Blaster 40
15 Words Every 2 Days.
Learn, Memorize, Drill
Study, Ponder, Get Quizzed,
Rinse and Repeat!
Blasters 40-49
Focus on VERBS

1. harau – to pay
2. jo^tatsu suru – to improve
3. naguru – to hit, to slap
4. kizuku – to notice
5. daiji ni suru – to take well care of, to put at first interest
6. hinan suru – to criticize
7. sadameru – to establish
8. nazukeru* – to name
9. doku mi suru – to test for food poisoning
10. uchikatsu – to conquer
11. kaimono suru – to shop
12. yurusu – to forgive
13. hima o tsubusu - to waste time
14. shinrai suru – to trust
15. ni hokosu – to move to

* nazukeru is made up of two parts, na - from namae or name, and tsukeru- to stick something to something else. So sticking a name on something is basically naming it.

As Always,
Ganbatte Ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki
to see the list of the last 15 words you should have already memorized go to Japanese Vocabulary 39 or go on to memorize your next 15 here at Japanese Vocabulary 41

Rocket Japanese

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

Polite Japanese Words

Politeness levels In the Japanese Language

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 Japanese language learner will greatly benefit from practicing Japanese with sentences which the student creates from scratch. Using in a sentence some grammatical construction featuring verbs which are well retained, and at one's disposal for usage.

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^san or boss of a company is always spoken to in the highest possible forms of politeness in Japanese.
In these constructions, aruある is replaced by its specialized counterpart gozaru, so instead of arimasu あります(polite aruある. (base II) + masuます) you would use gozaimasu. (Super-polite form of aruある.) 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 dog.

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ます. The ~masuます 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, - 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 もらう - (to get, be given, receive),

KURERU くれる - (to receive from)

KUDASARU 下さる - ( to be so kind as to receive from )
with the masu ending being the highest.

• ITADAKU いただく - 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 頂く (The commitment word, itadaku, evokes 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いただき to itadake いただけ form. Only either Yes, or, No? Using the verb itadaku いただく 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

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

Japanese and your B.A.C

Their are 3 main beer brewing companies in Japan. Of Kirin, Sapporo, and Asahi, I have a personal preference for Asahi super dry. It being based in Fukuoka, one of my favorite places on the globe. The Asahi brand is a good brand. However, Japanese beer is made from rice not from wheat or any other thing. Kirin has an Ichiban shibori which means first wort. Kirin also has that cool logo of the Kirin which in modern Japanese means Giraffe but in days of old could have meant dragon or griffon.
www.kirin.com/

Now don't get me wrong, you can get very sick off of rice beer. I know first hand how bad things can get if you drink that big 2 liter bottle of Sapporo ichiban shibori. Remember to drink responsibly, and .4 is death on the BAC chart.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asahi_Breweries

Sharing my Japanese Photo

 

ghettogramar99" It's My Prerogative –
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.

Nochi Ato de Japanese grammar for after

Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar #94
JPPGG #94 - Three Ways of Saying, '...After... verb(ing') in Japanese.

After, After, and hopefully, happy ever... After...
There are 3 easy ways to say after or "after verbing” in Japanese -

1. verb (base TE) + KARA verb (base て) + から
2. verb (base TA) + ATO DE verb (base た) + あとで 後 = (あと)
3. verb (base TA) + NOCHI NI verb (base た) + のち に 後 = あと(ato),

or 後= のち に (nochi ni)

By themselves KARA (から), ATO DE (あとで) and NOCHI NI (のちに)
indicate the English term "after". Put verbs in base TE then add kara to
create phrases of doing something after doing something else. Put verbs
in base TA then add either ato de or nochi ni to create sentences or phrases
that tell us what will happen after we verb.

***So how do I plug and play? Let me explain: First go learn as many verbs
as you can and even a couple of nouns if you like, but ghetto grammar or
JPPGG consists mainly of knowing how to manipulate verbs. Before you can
manupulate verbs you need to memorize the word and also know how to pronounce
it correctly. What are you talking about when you say plug and play Japanese
Grammar? Preposterous! Its real simple. Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar
works like this:

1. Study hard your vocabulary, or list of Japanese words,

a. Set a goal to memorize 15 new words every two days. This is my best
recommendation for learning to speak in Japanese as quickly as humanly
possible.

b. Drill and kill your tango lists. ( I have plenty of vocabulary lists
or tango lists for you to study, print out or do what you... at
http://squidoo.com/japanesevocabularyindex )

2. Memorize all types of Japanese words and phrases. For the purposes of
being able to start speaking Japanese fast, you are going to have to pay
particular attention to verbs.

This is what I would suggest - Start learning
as many basic verbs as you can, and keep them tucked away under your belt,
memorized and ready to go so that you can use them effectively to communicate
later when your language skills in Japanese have been more fully developed.
We can construct almost any type of meaningful communication as long as we
know a few key Japanese verbs. ( Find the first 100 essential
Japanese vocabulary words here at http://squidoo.com/essentialjapanesewords)


3. Take your solidly retained, and newly memorized verbs from your tango
lists and start plugging them into the JPPGG system or the Ghetto Grammar
Constructions found in lessons 77 - 119).
To see the full index of JPPGG grammar construction pages go to
http://squidoo.com/ghettogrammar or just ghettogrammara> to start your plugging.