Hiragana - ひらがな

The first step is to learn the alphabet. Or, at least, the sounds that exist in the Japanese
language. There are absolutely no "tones" like in Chinese, Thai, etc. and there are only 2
exceptions within the alphabet which will be explained later. The characters listed below are
called Hiragana. It is the main alphabet for Japanese. The Japanese language also consists of
Chinese characters (Kanji), which we will get into later, and another alphabet, Katakana,
which is mainly used for foreign words. Katakana will be covered in Lesson 2.

There are 5 vowels in the Japanese language. (a), pronounced "ahh", (i), pronounced like "e"
in "eat", (u), pronounced like "oo" in "soon", (e), pronounced like "e" in "elk", and (o),
pronounced "oh". All Hiragana characters end with one of these vowels, with the exception of
(n). The only "consonant" that does not resemble that of English is the Japanese "r". It is
slightly "rolled" as if it were a combination of a "d", "r", and "l".

あ い う え お Combinations
a i u e o
か き く け こ きゃ きゅ きょ
ka ki ku ke ko kya kyu kyo
が ぎ ぐ げ ご ぎゃ ぎゅ ぎょ
ga gi gu ge go gya gyu gyo
さ し す せ そ しゃ しゅ しょ
sa shi su se so sha shu sho
ざ じ ず ぜ ぞ じゃ じゅ じょ
za ji zu ze zo ja ju jo
た ち つ て と ちゃ ちゅ ちょ
ta chi tsu te to cha chu cho
だ ぢ づ で ど にゃ にゅ にょ
da ji zu de do nya nyu nyo
な に ぬ ね の ひゃ ひゅ ひょ
na ni nu ne no hya hyu hyo
は ひ ふ へ ほ びゃ びゅ びょ
ha hi fu he ho bya byu byo
ば び ぶ べ ぼ ぴゃ ぴゅ ぴょ
ba bi bu be bo pya pyu pyo
ぱ ぴ ぷ ぺ ぽ みゃ みゅ みょ
pa pi pu pe po mya myu myo
ま み む め も りゃ りゅ りょ
ma mi mu me mo rya ryu ryo
や ゆ よ
ya yu yo
ら り る れ ろ
ra ri ru re ro
わ を ん
wa wo n/m
Exceptions:
1. は (ha) is pronounced "wa" when it immediately follows the topic of the sentence. It is
usually only pronounced "ha" when it is part of a word.
2. へ (he) is pronounced "e" when it immediately follows a place or direction. Both of these
are very simple to detect.

Click here if you'd like to know why these two exceptions exist.

Note: You probably noticed that there are 2 "zu" and 2 "ji". づ (zu) and ぢ (ji) are very rarely
used. づ (zu) only occurs when there is a つ (tsu) in front of it like in つづく (tsuzuku - to
continue) or when a Kanji (Chinese character) that starts with つ (tsu) is paired at the end
with another character changing the つ (tsu) to a づ (zu). The same applies for ぢ (ji). Since
they are used so rarely I wouldn't worry about them too much. I will let you know whenever
we come upon a word in which they are used.

Katakana - カタカナ

As mentioned in Lesson 1, Katakana is mainly used for foreign words such as names and
words that have been borrowed from other languages such as コンピューター (kompyu-ta-
= computer). The Japanese language does not have as many sounds as the English language
so, when creating a name in Katakana for instance, the name must be sound out to the closest
Japanese equivalent. Katakana, Hiragana, and Furigana (when Hiragana is written small next
to a Kanji character to show how that character is read) are collectively known as Kana.

ア イ ウ エ オ Combinations
a i u e o
カ キ ク ケ コ キャ キュ キョ
ka ki ku ke ko kya kyu kyo
ガ ギ グ ゲ ゴ ギャ ギュ ギョ
ga gi gu ge go gya gyu gyo
サ シ ス セ ソ シャ シュ ショ
sa shi su se so sha shu sho
ザ ジ ズ ゼ ゾ ジャ ジュ ジョ
za ji zu ze zo ja ju jo
タ チ ツ テ ト チャ チュ チョ
ta chi tsu te to cha chu cho
ダ ヂ ヅ デ ド ニャ ニュ ニョ
da ji zu de do nya nyu nyo
ナ ニ ヌ ネ ノ ヒャ ヒュ ヒョ
na ni nu ne no hya hyu hyo
ハ ヒ フ ヘ ホ ビャ ビュ ビョ
ha hi fu he ho bya byu byo
バ ビ ブ ベ ボ ピャ ピュ ピョ
ba bi bu be bo pya pyu pyo
パ ピ プ ペ ポ ミャ ミュ ミョ
pa pi pu pe po mya myu myo
マ ミ ム メ モ リャ リュ リョ
 ma mi mu me mo rya ryu ryo
ヤ ユ ヨ
ya yu yo
ラ リ ル レ ロ
ra ri ru re ro
ワ ヲ ン
wa wo n/m

Vocabulary - 単語

Now that you've got the Japanese alphabets down, let's learn some vocabulary words and
simple phrases. I will list the Kanji, Hiragana, Romaji (the word sounded out using English
letters), and the English meaning for each word or phrase. Most words have Kanji for them
but I will only include the Kanji if the word is regularly written that way.

Keep in mind that the Japanese language has different levels of politeness that change based
on who you are talking to. I will refer to these as "ultra-formal", "formal" (or "polite form"),
"normal" (or "plain form"), "informal", and "rude" (we won't be covering too much of the
rude form, however).

ひらがな - Romaji
漢字 - Kanji English Meaning
Hiragana (English Letters)
I (formal for males,
私 わたし watashi
normal for females)
僕 ぼく boku I (normal for males)
彼 かれ kare he
彼女 かのじょ kanojo she
あなた あなた anata you (singular/normal)
これ これ kore this (the object itself)
ここ ここ koko here
この この kono this (ex. this pen)
それ それ sore that (the object itself)
そこ そこ soko there
その その sono that (ex. that pen)
人 ひと hito person
犬 いぬ inu dog
猫 ねこ neko cat
家 いえ ie house
ありがとう ありがとう arigatou Thank you. (normal)
ありがとう ありがとう
arigatou gozaimasu Thank you. (formal)
ございます ございます
You're welcome.
どういたしまして どういたしまして douitashimashite
(normal)
ohayou Good morning.
おはよう おはよう
(sounds like "Ohio") (informal)
 Good morning.
おはようございます おはようございます ohayou gozaimasu
(normal and formal)
こんにちは こんにちは konnichiwa Hello. (normal)
こんばんは こんばんは konbanwa Good evening. (normal)
さよなら さよなら sayonara Goodbye. (normal)

Grammar - 文法

Japanese grammar is quite simple and straight forward but very different from English
grammar so most English speakers find it rather confusing. For instance, the verb always
comes at the end. The best thing you can do when learning Japanese grammar is to learn it
from the bottom up and not compare it to English grammar.

Japanese grammar uses what we will refer to as particles to mark the various parts of the
sentence. The main particles are: (These particles will be described in more detail below)

wa
(as mentioned in lesson 1, the Hiragana "ha"
は topic marker
is pronounced "wa" when it immediately
follows the topic)
が ga subject marker
wo
を direct object marker
(pronounced "o")
direction marker, time
に ni marker, indirect object
marker
e
(as mentioned in lesson 1, the Hiragana "he"
へ direction marker
is pronounced "e" when it immediately
follows a place or direction)

The particles "wa" (は) and "ga" (が): The particle "wa" marks the topic of the sentence
and the particle "ga" marks the subject of the sentence. In the example, "I know where you
live" (watashi wa anata ga doko ni sunde iru ka shitte iru), "I" would be the topic while "you"
would be the subject.

Not all sentences have both a topic and subject and, in many cases, the topic is implied in
Japanese (for example, the "I" (watashi wa) would be left out of this sentence because it is
implied that since I am talking I am the one that knows where you live). Many Japanese
books and teachers teach that "wa" and "ga" are the same thing and it doesn't matter which
you use when. This is not the case but I wouldn't worry too much about keeping them straight
at first.

The particle "wo" (を): The particle "wo" (or "o") marks the direct object of the sentence. In
the example, "I'm going to take her home" (watashi wa kanojo wo ie ni okuru), "her" would
be the direct object.
The particle "ni" (に): The particle "ni" can be used to mark the direction, time, or the
indirect object of a sentence.

An example of a direction marker can be seen in the previous example "I'm going to take her
home" (watashi wa kanojo wo ie ni okuru). In this case, the "ni" acts like a "to" - "I'm going to
take her 'to' home". The particle "e" (へ) can be used in this way as well but usually implies
more of a general direction as opposed to a specific place.

The particle "ni" is also used to mark time in a sentence. For example, "I'm leaving at 3
o'clock" (watashi wa sanji ni hanareru).

The final use for the particle "ni" is that of indirect object marker. In the example, "I was
taken home by him" (watashi wa kare ni ie made okurareta), "him" is the indirect object.

Note: The "watashi wa" in all of the example sentenced used above would normally be left
out as it is implied.

Numbers, Time, and Days of the Week

Before we get too much further into grammar and verb conjugation, I thought it would be a
good idea to teach numbers, time, days of the week, etc.

Romaji
漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana English Meaning
(English Letters)
一 いち ichi one
二 に ni two
三 さん san three
四 し、 よん shi (yon after 10) four
五 ご go five
六 ろく roku six
七 しち、 なな shichi (nana after 10) seven
八 はち hachi eight
九 きゅう kyuu nine
十 じゅう juu ten
百 ひゃく hyaku hundred

Numbers after 10 are a piece of cake once you know 1 through 10. 11 is simply ten with a one
after it, 十一 (じゅういち, juuichi), 12 - juuni, 13 - juusan, 14 - juuyon, etc. 20 is simply 二
十 (にじゅう, nijuu), 21 - nijuuichi, and so forth.

Put these numbers in front of the character for time 時 and you've got the time of the day.

Romaji
漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana English Meaning
(English Letters)
一時 いちじ ichiji one o'clock
二時 にじ niji two o'clock
 二時半 にじはん nijihan two thirty (半 means half)
二時四十五分 にじよんじゅうごふん nijiyonjuugofun 2:45 (分 means minute)
...etc.

Now just put the character for moon 月 after a number and you've got a month.

Romaji
漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana English Meaning
(English Letters)
一月 いちがつ ichigatsu January
二月 にがつ nigatsu February
三月 さんがつ sangatsu March
四月 しがつ shigatsu April
...etc.

Days of the week don't follow such an easy pattern but here they are anyway along with some
other time-related words.

Romaji
漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana English Meaning
(English Letters)
日曜日 にちようび nichiyoubi Sunday (日 - sun/day)
月曜日 げつようび getsuyoubi Monday (月 - moon)
火曜日 かようび kayoubi Tuesday (火 - fire)
水曜日 すいようび suiyoubi Wednesday (水 - water)
木曜日 もくようび mokuyoubi Thursday (木 - tree/wood)
金曜日 きんようび kinyoubi Friday (金 - gold)
土曜日 どようび doyoubi Saturday (土 - dirt)
今日 きょう kyou Today
明日 あした ashita Tomorrow
昨日 きのう kinou Yesterday
一昨日 おととい ototoi the day before yesterday
the day after tomorrow (a
明後日 あさって asatte small "tsu" (っ) makes a
double consonant)
今朝 けさ kesa this morning
今晩 こんばん konban this evening
今 いま ima now

Godan Verbs - 五段動詞

Now, before you can start making up sentences of your own, you need to learn how to
conjugate verbs. Verbs are the most important part of the Japanese sentence. Often times
Japanese people will leave out everything but the verb.
They are very big on leaving out the obvious and sometimes not so obvious which can get
confusing at times. There are only 3 types of verbs in the Japanese language and they each
follow a pattern that is very simple and very rarely has any exceptions. Most Japanese verbs
fall into the first group, the Godan (五段) verbs. These verbs always conjugate the same way
with only one exception. These verbs have five changes that follow the order of the Japanese
vowels, hence the name Godan (meaning 5 levels or steps), and then the "te" and "ta" forms
that are common to all verbs. Here's an example:

Romaji
漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Verb Base
(English Letters)
話す はなす hanasu (to speak)
話さ はなさ hanasa Base 1
話し はなし hanashi Base 2
話す はなす hanasu Base 3
話せ はなせ hanase Base 4
話そう はなそう hanasou Base 5
話して はなして hanashite Base "te"
話した はなした hanashita Base "ta"

Base 1: Base 1 can not be used by itself but becomes the plain form negative simply by
adding -nai. (ex. hanasanai - I won't say anything.) If the verb ends in う (u) then the end for
Base 1 becomes わ (wa). (ex. au (Base 1) -> awa)
(Plain form is what people use when talking to a friend. It would not be proper to use in a
business environment. We will go over the polite form in lesson 8.)

Base 2: Base 2 is, in most cases, a noun when used by itself but is primarily used with the
polite form of the verb.

Base 3: Base 3 is the main form (the one that would be found in the dictionary) and is also the
plain form present/future tense.

Base 4: Base 4 is most often used as "if verb" by adding -ba. (ex. hanaseba - If he'd just say
something.) It can also be used by itself as a command form but it is extremely rude and I
recommend not using it at all.

Base 5: Base 5 is used by itself as the "let's" form. (ex. hanasou - Let's talk.) We will get into
other ways it's used in later lessons.

Base "te": Base "te" can be used by itself as a plain form command. It is not rude but should
only be used with close friends and children. By adding kudasai it becomes the polite form
command. Base "te" can also be used in other ways that we will get into in later lessons.

Base "ta": Base "ta" is merely Base "te" with an "a" sound on the end instead of an "e"
sound. It is mainly used by itself as the plain form past tense. (ex. hanashita - I talked.) We
will get into other ways it's used in later lessons.

Notice: There is one thing that you'll need to learn in order to conjugate the "te" and "ta"
forms correctly. Basically, for all Godan verbs ending in う (u), つ (tsu), or る (ru); the う
(u), つ (tsu), or る (ru) becomes って (tte) in the "te" form and った (tta) in the "ta" form.
(ex. katsu (to win) -> katte (Win!), katta (We won!))

For all Godan verbs ending in ぶ (bu), む (mu), or ぬ (nu); the ぶ (bu), む (mu), or ぬ (nu)
becomes んで (nde) in the "te" form and んだ (nda) in the "ta" form. (ex. yomu (to read ->
yonde (Read it.), yonda (I read it.))

For all Godan verbs ending in く (ku), the く (ku) becomes いて (ite) in the "te" form and い
た (ita) in the "ta" form. (ex. aruku (to walk) -> aruite (Walk!), aruita (I walked here.)) The
only exception to this rule is for the verb iku (to go) which becomes いって, いった
(itte/itta).

For all Godan verbs ending in ぐ (gu), the ぐ (gu) becomes いで (ide) in the "te" form and い
だ (ida) in the "ta" form. (ex. oyogu (to swim) -> oyoide (Swim!), oyoida (I swam.))

For all Godan verbs ending in す (su), the す (su) becomes して (shite) in the "te" form and
した (shita) in the "ta" form. (ex. hanasu (to talk) -> hanashite (Say something!), hanashita (I
talked (to him).))

Here are some Godan verbs. Try conjugating them on a piece of paper using what you have
just learned. Click here for the answers.

Romaji
漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana English Meaning
(English Letters)
会う あう au to meet
勝つ かつ katsu to win
売る うる uru to sell
遊ぶ あそぶ asobu to play
飲む のむ nomu to drink
死ぬ しぬ shinu to die
歩く あるく aruku to walk
泳ぐ およぐ oyogu to swim
消す けす kesu to erase, turn off
to go
行く いく iku (Remember the exception
for Bases "te"and "ta")

Ichidan Verbs - 一段動詞

The second group of verbs are called Ichidan (一段) verbs. It is usually an Ichidan verb if it
ends with the sound "iru" or "eru". Some well used verbs which appear to be Ichidan but are
really Godan are listed here. Ichidan verbs also follow a simple conjugation pattern that is
somewhat similar to that of the Godan verbs. Here's an example:

Romaji
漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Verb Base
(English Letters)
食べる たべる taberu (to eat)
 食べ たべ tabe Base 1
食べ たべ tabe Base 2
食べる たべる taberu Base 3
食べれ たべれ tabere Base 4
食べよう たべよう tabeyou Base 5
食べて たべて tabete Base "te"
食べた たべた tabeta Base "ta"

Base 1 and Base 2: As you can see, Base 1 and 2 are the same. Just like with the Godan
verbs, a negative can be made by adding -nai (ex. tabenai - I will not eat.) and this base, or
root form, is also used for the formal form of the verb.

Base 3: Base 3 is the same as with Godan verbs.

Base 4: Base 4, however, can not be used by itself like with Godan verbs. It is only used for
"if verb" by adding -ba. (ex. tabereba - If I eat it...) It is not the low command form for
Ichidan verbs. The low command form for Ichidan verbs is Base 1 + ろ (ro).

Base 5: Base 5 is the same as with Godan verbs.

Base "te" and Base "ta": The Base "te" and "ta" forms for Ichidan verbs are a lot easier than
with Godan verbs. Simply take off the "ru" and add a "te" for Base "te" and a "ta" for Base
"ta". These have the same functions as with Godan verbs.

Here are some Ichidan verbs. Try conjugating them on a piece of paper using what you have
just learned. Click here for the answers.

Romaji
漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana English Meaning
(English Letters)
to exist (animate), to be
いる いる iru
somewhere
見る みる miru to see
寝る ねる neru to sleep
着る きる kiru to wear, put on
出来る できる dekiru can do
覚える おぼえる oboeru to remember

Irregular Verbs

The last type of verbs are the Irregular verbs but there are only 2 of them in the entire
language so just memorize their charts below. The first one is suru (to do something). Many
nouns can be used as a verb simply by putting "suru" right after them. It is probably the most
used of all Japanese verbs. The second Irregular verb is kuru (to come).

Romaji
漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Verb Base
(English Letters)
 する する suru (to do)
し し shi Base 1
し し shi Base 2
する する suru Base 3
すれ すれ sure Base 4
しよう しよう shiyou Base 5
して して shite Base "te"
した した shita Base "ta"

The functions for these bases are the same as for the Godan verbs except that Base 4 can only
be used as the "if verb".
The rude command form is "Shiro".

Romaji
漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Verb Base
(English Letters)
来る くる kuru (to come)
来 こ ko Base 1
来 き ki Base 2
来る くる kuru Base 3
来れ くれ kure Base 4
来よう こよう koyou Base 5
来て きて kite Base "te"
来た きた kita Base "ta"

The functions for these bases are the same as for the Godan verbs except that Base 4 can only
be used as the "if verb".
The rude command form is "Koi" and really should only be used on animals.

Using Verb Bases

Now that you know about 30 verbs and can conjugate them, I'll show you what you can do
with those bases. You may want to regularly refer to Lesson 6 and Lesson 7 while learning
these. The following chart applies to all verbs unless otherwise noted.

ひらがな - Romaji
English Meaning
Hiragana (English Letters)
Base 1 + ない Base 1 + nai plain form negative (will not verb)
Base 1 + なかった Base 1 + nakatta plain form past negative (did not verb)
Base 2 + ます Base 2 + masu polite form present/future tense
Base 2 + ました Base 2 + mashita polite form past tense
Base 2 + ません Base 2 + masen polite form negative (will not verb)
Base 2 + ませんで Base 2 + masen
polite form past negative (did not verb)
した deshita
Base 2 + たい Base 2 + tai want to verb (add です (desu) to make it polite)
 Base 3 Base 3 plain form present/future tense
Base 4 + ば Base 4 + ba if verb
plain form can verb (Godan verbs only)
Base 4 + る Base 4 + ru
(verb now becomes an Ichidan verb)
Base 4 + ます Base 4 + masu polite form can verb (can be changed like above)
try to verb
Base 5 + とする Base 5 + to suru (this suru is the same verb learned in lesson 7 (to do
something))
want someone else to verb
Base "te" + 欲しい Base "te" + hoshii (hoshii is an adjective which will be covered in the
next lesson)
Base "te" Base "te" plain form command
Base "te" +
Base "te" + 下さい polite form command
kudasai
plain form presently verbing
Base "te" + いる Base "te" + iru (this iru is the same verb learned in lesson 7 (to exist
(animate))
polite form presently verbing (can be changed like
Base "te" + います Base "te" + imasu
above)
Base "ta" Base "ta" plain form past tense
Base "ta" + ら Base "ta" + ra if and when I verb (similar to Base 4 + ba)
do such things as...
Base "ta" + りする Base "ta" + ri suru (this suru is also the same verb learned in lesson 7
(to do something))

Adjectives and Adverbs

There are two different types of words that can be used to modify nouns and verbs. One group
is much like what we would call an adjective but they can also modify verbs as well. We will
refer to these as "dv". The other group can, in most cases, stand alone like a noun but can also
be used to modify nouns and verbs. We will refer to these as "dn". All words in the "dv"
group always end with い (i). No exceptions. This is placed in front of a noun in order to
modify it. For example:

Romaji
漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana English Meaning
(English Letters)
赤い車 あかいくるま akai kuruma red car

These words can be conjugated to form different tenses, modify verbs, etc. Here is how that is
done:

Romaji
ひらがな - Hiragana English Meaning
(English Letters)
drop the い and add く drop the "i" and add "ku" modifies a verb (akaku natta ->
became red)
 (naru is the verb "to become")
drop the い and add くな drop the "i" and add present tense negative (akakunai -> is
い "kunai" not red)
drop the い and add かっ drop the "i" and add
past tense (akakatta -> was red)
た "katta"
past tense negative (akakunakatta ->
drop the い and add くな drop the "i" and add was not red)
かった "kunakatta" (This one might take a little practice
saying.)

It's not as easy to recognize a "dn" but I will point them out in the vocabulary lists. Sometimes
you'll even find a "dn" that ends in い (i) (ex. kirei - pretty). As mentioned before, these
words can, in most cases, be used by themselves like a noun (ex. shizen - nature). By adding a
な (na) to the end of these words they can be used to modify a noun (ex. shizen na kankyou
-> a natural environment). And by adding a に (ni) to the end of these words they can be used
to modify a verb as an adverb (ex. shizen ni aruku -> to walk naturally).

Here's a list of some commonly used "dv" and "dn":

Romaji
漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana English Meaning
(English Letters)
赤い あかい akai (dv) red
黄色い きいろい kiiroi (dv) yellow
青い あおい aoi (dv) blue
黒い くろい kuroi (dv) black
白い しろい shiroi (dv) white
面白い おもしろい omoshiroi (dv) interesting, funny
暑い あつい atsui (dv) hot
寒い さむい samui (dv) cold
大きい おおきい ookii (dv) big
小さい ちいさい chiisai (dv) small
自然 しぜん shizen (dn) nature
綺麗 きれい kirei (dn) pretty, clean
失礼 しつれい shitsurei (dn) rude
静か しずか shizuka (dn) quiet
特別 とくべつ tokubetsu (dn) special
元気 げんき genki (dn) in good spirits
変 へん hen (dn) weird, strange
上手 じょうず jouzu (dn) skillful
親切 しんせつ shinsetsu (dn) kind, nice
素敵 すてき suteki (dn) "cool", good looking

Meeting Someone New

We are often asked by our students learning Japanese how to introduce oneself to someone
new. The interaction is normally very formal and filled with a few bows. Below is a typical
Japanese conversation between two people meeting for the first time:

Japanese
English Meaning
(In Kanji, Hiragana, and Romaji)
こんにちは。始めまして。
Person 1: こんにちは。はじめまして。 Hello. Nice to meet you.
Konnichi wa. Hajimemashite.
始めまして。お元気ですか。
Nice to meet you.
Person 2: はじめまして。おげんきですか。
How are you?
Hajimemashite. O-genki desu ka?
はい、元気です。
Person 1: はい、げんきです。 I am fine.
Hai, genki desu.
私は______と申します。あなたのお名前は？
わたしは______ともうします。あなたのおなまえ
My name is ______.
Person 1: は？
What is your name?
Watashi wa ______ to moushimasu. Anata no o-namae
wa?
私は______と言います。宜しくお願いします。
わたしは______といいます。よろしくおねがいしま My name is ______.
Person 2: す。 Pleased to make your
Watashi wa ______ to iimasu. Yoroshiku o-negai acquaintance.
shimasu.
宜しくお願いします。
Pleased to make your
Person 1: よろしくおねがいします。
acquaintance.
Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu.

Explanation: "Hajimemashite" literally means "it is a beginning" but would be the equivalent
of "Nice to meet you" in English. It would only be used the first time meeting someone. As
learned in Lesson 9, "genki" means "in good spirits". "O-genki desu ka" is literally asking
"Are you in good spirits?". This is the most common way of asking "How are you?" in
Japanese. The other person responds "Yes, I am in good spirits". "Mousu" is the ultra polite
form of the verb "iu" (to say). Both people are literally saying "I am said/called _____".
"Namae" is the word for "name". An "o" is added in front of it (and other words throughout
this exchange) to show respect. This is not done when talking about yourself. "Yoroshii"
means "good/fine" and "negai" is a wish or request. "Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu" literally
means "I request/wish kindly of you". It is basically like saying "Please treat me well". It can
be used in other situations as well - such as when asking for a favor.

Other Common Phrases

We are often asked how to say "I love you" in Japanese. This would be "Anata o ai shite
imasu" BUT be advised that the Japanese typically don't use the word for love(愛 - あい - ai)
when talking about their feelings for someone else (not even a boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse,
child, parent, etc.). They would typically say "Anata no koto ga suki desu" or "Anata ga
daisuki desu". "Suki" means "like" and "daisuki" means "favorite". This may seem strange but
this is just what they say for "I love you".

Romaji
漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana English Meaning
(English Letters)
誕生日おめでとう たんじょうびおめで tanjoubi omedetou
Happy Birthday!
ございます とうございます gozaimasu
明けましておめで あけましておめでと akemashite omedetou
Happy New Year!
とうございます うございます gozaimasu
おめでとうござい おめでとうございま
omedetou gozaimasu Congratulations!
ます す
Good night.
お休みなさい おやすみなさい oyasuminasai (used when someone is
going to bed)
御免なさい ごめんなさい gomennasai I'm sorry.
すみません すみません sumimasen Excuse me.
トイレは何処です
トイレはどこですか toire wa doko desu ka Where is the bathroom?
か
お腹が空いていま おなかがすいていま I am hungry.
onaka ga suite imasu
す す ("My stomach is empty.")

ANIMALS

There are kanji characters for hippopotamus （河馬）, giraffe （麒麟）, mouse （鼠）,
camel （駱駝）, squirrel （栗鼠）, zebra （縞馬）, rabbit （兎） and goat （山羊）, but
they are often written in hiragana or katakana.

The counter for small animals is "hiki （匹）" and for large animals is "tou （頭）".

• Inu ga go-hiki imasu. 犬が五匹います。 --- There are five dogs.

• Watashi wa kuma o ni-tou mimashita. 私は熊を二頭見ました。 --- I saw two bears.

doubutsu　動物 animals
buta　豚 pig
hitsuji　羊 sheep
inu　犬 dog
kaba　かば hippopotamus
kitsune　狐 fox
kirin　キリン giraffe
kuma　熊 bear
neko　猫 cat
nezumi　ねずみ mouse
ookami　狼 wolf
raion　ライオン lion
rakuda　らくだ camel
risu　りす squirrel
saru　猿 monkey
shika　鹿 deer
 shimauma　しまうま zebra
tora　虎 tiger
tori　鳥 bird
usagi　うさぎ rabbit
ushi　牛 cow/ox
uma　馬 horse
yagi　やぎ goat
zou　象 elephant

COLOURS
iro
色 colors
ao
青 blue
aka
赤 red
chairo
茶色 brown
daidaiiro
橙色 orange
haiiro
灰色 gray
kiiro
黄色 yellow
kimidori
黄緑 light green
kuro
黒 black
midori
緑 green
mizuiro
水色 light blue
momoiro
桃色 pink
murasaki
紫 purple
shiro
白 white
Sukina iro wa nan desu ka.
好きな色は何ですか。 What is your favorite color?

PARTS OF THE BODY

karada
体 body
atama
頭 head
kami
髪 hair
 kao
顔 face
hitai
額 forehead
me
目 eye
mayu
眉 eyebrow
mabuta
まぶた eyelid
matsuge
まつげ eyelash
hana
鼻 nose
mimi
耳 ear
kuchi
口 mouth
kuchibiru
唇 lip
ha
歯 teeth
shita
舌 tongue
nodo
のど throat
ago
あご jaw
kubi
首 neck
kata
肩 shoulder
ude
腕 arm
hiji
ひじ elbow
te
手 hand
yubi
指 finger
tsume
爪 nail
mune
胸 chest
senaka
背中 back
onaka
おなか stomach
ashi
足 foot, leg
hiza
ひざ knee
ashikubi
足首 ankle
kakato
かかと heel
tsumasaki
つま先 toe

Talking about another's

Talking about your family
family
chichi otousan
father
父 お父さん

haha okaasan
mother
母 お母さん

ani oniisan
older brother
兄 お兄さん

ane oneesan
older sister
姉 お姉さん

otouto otoutosan
younger brother
弟 弟さん

imouto imoutosan
younger sister
妹 妹さん

sofu ojiisan
grandfather
祖父 おじいさん

sobo obaasan
grandmother
祖母 おばあさん

oji ojisan
uncle
叔父/伯父 おじさん

oba obasan
aunt
叔母/伯母 おばさん

otto goshujin
husband
夫 ご主人

tsuma okusan
wife
妻 奥さん

musuko musukosan
son
息子 息子さん

musume ojousan
daughter
娘 お嬢さん
 Useful Words

kazoku
family
家族

ryoushin
parents
両親

kyoudai
sibling
兄弟

kodomo
child
子供

itoko
cousin
いとこ

shinseki
relatives
親戚

Useful Expressions

Kekkon shiteimasu ka.

Are you married?
結婚していますか。

Kekkon shiteimasu.
I am married.
結婚しています。

Dokushin desu
I am single.
独身です。

Kyoudai ga imasu ka.

Do you have brothers and sisters?
兄弟がいますか。

Kodomo ga imasu ka.

Do you have children?
子供がいますか。

LOCATION
koko
here
ここ

soko
there
そこ

asoko
that over there
あそこ

migi
right
右

hidari left
 左

massugu
straight
まっすぐ

mae
front
前

ushiro
behind
後ろ

yoko
side
横

tonari
next to
隣

mukai
cross
向かい

tooi
far
遠い

chikai
near
近い

higashi
east
東

nishi
west
西

minami
south
南

kita
north
北

~ wa doko desuka.
Where is ~?
～はどこですか。

Koko kara tooi desu ka.

Is it far from here?
ここから遠いですか。

Massugu itte kudasai.

Please go straight.
まっすぐ行ってください。

Migi ni magatte kudasai.

Please turn right.
右に曲がってください。
 Fruits
kudamono
fruits
果物

anzu
apricot
杏

banana
banana
バナナ

budou
grapes
ぶどう

ichigo
strawberry
いちご

ichijiku
fig
いちじく

kaki
persimmon
柿

meron
melon
メロン

mikan
Japanese orange
みかん

momo
peach
桃

nashi
pear
なし

orenji
orange
オレンジ

remon
lemon
レモン

ringo
apple
りんご

sakuranbo
cherry
さくらんぼ

suika
watermelon
スイカ
 ume
plum
梅

Vegetables
Click the link to hear the pronunciation.

yasai
vegetables
野菜

hourensou
spinach
ほうれん草

jagaimo
potato
じゃがいも

kabocha
pumpkin
かぼちゃ

kinoko
mushroom
きのこ

kyabetsu
cabbage
キャベツ

kyuuri
cucumber
きゅうり

mame
beans
豆

moyashi
bean sprouts
もやし

nasu
eggplant
なす

negi
green onion
ねぎ

ninjin
carrot
にんじん

ninniku
garlic
にんにく

paseri
parsley
パセリ

piiman
green pepper
ピーマン
 retasu
lettuce
レタス

satsumaimo
sweet potato
さつまいも

serori
celery
セロリ

takenoko
bamboo shoot
たけのこ

tamanegi
onion
たまねぎ

tomato
tomato
トマト

Beverages
nomimono
beverages
飲み物

mizu
water
水

ocha
Japanese tea
お茶

koucha
black tea
紅茶

koohii
coffee
コーヒー

kokoa
cocoa
ココア

biiru
beer
ビール

wain
wine
ワイン

uisukii
whisky
ウイスキー

shanpen
champagne
シャンペン

juusu
juice
ジュース
0 zero/rei 零
1 ichi 一
2 ni 二
3 san 三
4 shi/yon 四 "O （お）" of "ocha （お茶）" is the prefix
which is used to express politeness. "Cha
5 go 五 （茶）" itself sounds harsh. Click here to
6 roku 六 learn more about the prefix "o." Most
7 shichi/nana 七 beverages came from English words are
written in katakana.
8 hachi 八
9 kyuu/ku 九
shokuji
10 juu 食事 十 meal

11 juuichi 十一
asagohan
12 juuni 十二 breakfast
朝ご飯
13 juusan 十三
hirugohan
14 juushi 十四 lunch
昼ご飯
15 juugo 十五
bangohan
16 juuroku 十六 dinner
　晩ご飯
17 juushichi 十七
~ o kudasai.
18 juuhachi 十八 Please give me ~.
～をください。
19 juuku 十九
~ o misete kudasai.
20 nijuu 二十 Please show me ~.
～を見せてください。
21 nijuuichi 二十一
Onaka ga suite imasu.
22 nijuuni 二十一 I am hungry.
おなかがすいています。
etc
Onaka ga ippai desu.
30 sanjuu 三十 I am full.
おなかがいっぱいです。
31 sanjuuichi 三十一
32 Nodo ga kawaite imasu.
sanjuuni 三十二 I am thirsty.
のどが渇いています。
etc
40 yonjuu 四十
50 gojuu 五十 Japanese Numbers
60 rokujuu 六十
70 nanajuu 七十
80 hachijuu 八十
90 kyuujuu 九十
100 hyaku 百
150 hyakugojuu 百五十
200 nihyaku 二百

300 sanbyaku 三百

1000 sen 千

1500 sengohyaku 千五百

2000 nisen 二千
 Weather
Click the link to hear the pronunciation.

tenki
weather
天気

kikou
climate
気候

ondo
temperature
温度

hare
sunny
晴れ

kumori
cloudy
曇り

ame
rain
雨

yuki
snow
雪

kaminari
thunder
雷

arashi
storm
嵐

kiri
fog
霧
 Tenki wa dou desu ka.
How is the weather?
天気はどうですか。

Yoi tenki desu.

The weather is nice.
よい天気です。

Harete imasu.
It is sunny.
晴れています。

Kumotte imasu.
It is cloudy.
曇っています。

Ame ga futte imasu.

It is raining.
雨が降っています。

Yuki ga futte imasu.

It is snowing.
雪が降っています。

Atsui desu.
It is hot.
暑いです。

Mushiatsui desu.
It is humid.
蒸し暑いです。

Samui desu.
It is cold.
寒いです。

Atatakai desu.
It is warm.
暖かいです。

Suzushii desu.
It is cool.
涼しいです。

Kaze ga tsuyoi desu.

It is windy.
風が強いです。

ichi ji
one o'clock
一時

ni ji
two o'clock
二時

san ji
three o'clock
三時

yo ji
four o'clock
四時

go ji
five o'clock
五時
 roku ji
six o'clock
六時

shichi ji
seven o'clock
七時

hachi ji
eight o'clock
八時

ku ji
nine o'clock
九時

juu ji
ten o'clock
十時

juuichi ji
eleven o'clock
十一時

juuni ji
twelve o'clock
十二時

jikan
time
時間

fun, pun
minutes
分

gozen
a.m.
午前

gogo
p.m.
午後

shougo
noon
正午

mayonaka
midnight
真夜中

Nan ji desu ka.

What time is it?
何時ですか。

Ichiji desu.
It's one o 'clock.
一時です。

Gozen ku ji desu.
It's 9 a.m.
午前九時です。

Gogo san ji han desu.

It's 3:30 p.m.
午後三時半です。
Han means half, as in half past the hour. Unlike English, gozen (a.m.) and gogo
(p.m.) come before the time.

kore
これ something near the speaker
sore
それ something near the person spoken to
are
あれ something not near either person

Kirei. Pretty. Kawaii. Cute. Utsukushii. Beautiful. Miryoku-teki. Attractive. Aikurushii.

Adorable.