Make sure you have read the legal bit on my home page.
Scenario and Introduction
Scenario-Specific Vocabulary
General Vocabulary
... Everyday Verbs
... Everyday Nouns
... Everyday Adjectives
... Everyday Adverbs
... Time
... Weather
... Colours
... Directions
... Parts of the Body
... Question Words
Once upon a time, in a scenario not far from here in cyberspace,
an adventuress, Sabrina the Strident, attended a dinner.
A wizard present, taking offence at something she said, cast a spell on her
to make her dance on the table.
The assembled rogues and cutthroats, entertained by this turn of events,
prevailed on the wizard to make Sabrina remove her clothing.
Sadly, no pictures are available of this event.
I can merely describe this occurrence in words, and leave the rest to your imagination.
So that some good comes of Sabrina's embarrassment,
I shall use details from this story to illustrate basic Japanese sentence patterns.
Why?
The reason is simply that there are several bad "beginners'" books which attempt
to teach Japanese. What is wrong with them is that in attempting to illustrate
the various sentence patterns they throw large amounts of vocabulary at the beginner,
and the beginner is so overwhelmed by the need to look up all the new unknown words
that the purpose of the lesson is overlooked. By restricting the vocabulary to that
needed to tell a very simple story, the sentence patterns should be made clearer.
I think the reason why textbooks for people learning Japanese are so bad is this:
Most foreigners in Japan are Chinese.
So most people learning Japanese are Chinese.
40% of Japanese words are Chinese in origin, and
Japanese also makes considerable use of a Chinese writing system (kanji),
so "most people learning Japanese" (i.e. Chinese people) do not have problems
with either the writing system or the vocabulary,
but the grammar is completely different
(Japanese has western-style grammar, whereas Chinese does not),
so "most people learning Japanese" (i.e. Chinese people) have serious problems with the grammar.
With people from non-Chinese cultures, it is the other way around.
kanji are difficult, bordering on impossible, to learn,
and the vocabulary is a serious problem too.
However, the grammar is no big deal,
as (by restricting the vocabulary and ignoring kanji entirely)
I shall demonstrate in these pages.
But teachers and textbook authors have it fixed in their heads that Japanese grammar is difficult
while learning vocabulary and kanji is easy,
so concentrate on entirely the wrong things.
I shall use Latin-alphabet for Japanese text, transliterated directly from
hiragana and/or katakana. Although it's easy enough to
learn hiragana and katakana, some web browsers do not support them.
I use a comma for the "small tsu" which indicates strengthening of the
following consonant (rather than doubling the consonant itself), so (for example)
sa,poro is the largest city in ho,kaidou.
This may seem odd at first, but it makes looking things up in dictionaries easier.
Note that Japanese writing does not use spaces between words, so neither shall I.
Note also that, although more faithful to Japanese writing conventions than the
"standard" Hepburn romaji system, the system used here does not match English phonetics.
If you don't know how Japanese is pronounced, get someone who does to teach you.
If you're learning Japanese, you'll need a dictionary.
I strongly recommend
Oxford Starter Japanese, 1st Edition, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-860197-2.
In general, I shall not cover things you can look up therein.
atorantisu: Atlantis, the fictitious city in which the action takes place.
Japanese doesn't have capital letters.
saburinasan: Sabrina, the unwilling star of the show
In Japanese, other people's names are almost always followed by a suffix,
and the suffix san is safest.
mahoutsukai: wizard.
ma here means "demon" and hou means "law", "method" or "system",
so mahou means magic,
and tsukai comes from tsukau, the verb "to use",
so mahoutsukai means "magician" or "wizard".
majyutsu, "magic" (-jyutsu means "technique" or "skill"),
and maryoku, "magical power" (-ryoku means "power"),
are related words.
mahoutsukaisama: suffixes such as san can be applied to professions
as well as to personal names. There are several of them. In general, stick to san,
which can be used reasonably safely when talking to or about people of all ages and
either sex. sama is an alternative which indicates respect; the feudal system
has been abolished in Japan, so there is no need to use it in everyday speech, even
though native Japanese speakers still use it a lot.
Japanese deities (kamisama) and people with
obvious magical powers such as wizards are clearly an exception to this general rule,
and should be shown appropriate respect. (Maybe if Sabrina had known this she could
have kept her clothes on.)
It is also customary to use sama, and respectful language in general,
when addressing groups of people, on the grounds that the group is more important than the individual.
warumono: ruffian/scoundrel, from the adjective warui, "bad".
toru: take, steal. It's a group 1 verb.
If you don't know the difference between group 1 verbs and group 2 verbs,
don't panic. It's in the dictionary.
toru: catch. It's a group 1 verb.
Despite superficial appearances, this is not the same word as toru, meaning "take" or "steal".
As any ruffian can explain, stealing and being caught are not the same thing at all.
yuushyoku: evening meal, when eaten in a restaurant rather than at home.
Related words: shyokudou "dining room", shyokutaku "dining table",
shyokuji "meal" and shyokujisuru "dine" (a group 3 verb).
juubaku and juumon: spell.
Although Japanese is no more clear about the distinctions between various
sorts of spells than English is, the implications are that
juubaku bind the victim in some way, and
juumon are written spells.
Casting either sort is, by implication, a malicious act.
tataru: to cast a spell. It's a group 1 verb.
oshyaberi: a talkative person.
oshyaberisuru (a group 3 verb) is to chatter.
For an extended list of fantasy terms, see my list of Fantasy Terms in Japanese.
Here is my list of a hundred everyday Japanese words.
You need to know all of them (except that non-British people may skip the section on weather).
Pedants may complain that in fact there are well over a hundred of them. Tough. That's inflation for you.
To keep the list short, I have left out everyday words which are
culturally specific to Earth, such as motor cars, ticket machines, consumption tax and the seven-day week.
Unlike some Japanese textbooks, I do not teach you the word for "lawyer" in lesson one
but leave "left" and "right" to lesson twenty.
Which reminds me: numbers and counting in Japanese are too difficult for beginners.
When you're up to it, and not before,
see my page on Numbers and Counting in Japanese.
iru: be, exist. It's a group 2 verb.
Amongst its several uses, it is the existence verb for animate objects.
aru: be, exist. It's a group 1 verb and slightly irregular.
Amongst its several uses, it is the existence verb for inanimate objects.
hanasu: talk, speak.
iu: say, tell. It's a group 1 verb. See Reported Speech.
wakaru: understand.
You may want to skip these until you get to the section on intransitive verbs
kuru: come. It's a group 3 verb, which means that it is distinctly irregular.
See Coming and Going.
iku: go. It's a group 1 verb and slightly irregular.
See Coming and Going.
au: meet. It's a group 1 verb.
odoru: dance. It's a group 1 verb.
dansusuru, a group 3 verb, also means to dance.
For many, many more intransitive verbs, see the Can of Worms,
a collection of intransitive and transitive verbs in Japanese.
You may want to skip these until you get to the section on transitive verbs
suru: do. It's a group 3 verb, which means that it is distinctly irregular.
aruku: walk. It's a group 1 verb.
motsu: carry. It's a group 1 verb.
kiru: wear, put on (clothing such as shirts or kimono). It's a group 2 verb.
haku: wear, put on (clothing such as skirts, trousers, shoes and socks). It's a group 1 verb.
Yes, there are different verbs for "wear" depending on what it is that you're wearing.
Hats are different again.
nugu: take off (clothing). It's a group 1 verb.
taberu: eat. It's a group 2 verb. tabemono, things to eat, is a related word.
nomu: drink. It's a group 1 verb. nomimono, things to eat, is a related word.
utau: sing. It's a group 1 verb.
tsukau: use. It's a group 1 verb.
akeru: open. It's a group 2 verb, it applies to things which are physically opened
(e.g. doors or cans of worms), not to festivities or meetings, and it is specifically transitive.
A different verb is used for doors which open themselves;
that is a can of worms which I shall open in due course.
watashi: I, me.
There are several other nouns also meaning "I"/"me".
The most common are watakushi (usual when making speeches)
and boku (used by men speaking to their male friends).
jibun: self. Japanese has pronouns, but they are not often used.
(In fact, they are used so rarely that kare "he" and kanojo "she"
are usually used to mean "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" respectively instead.)
jibun can mean "myself", "yourself", "himself", "herself", depending on context.
Similarly, jibunno can mean "my own", "your own", "his own", "her own", "its own".
hito: person.
ningen: human.
If you use hito when you would use "person" in English,
and use ningen when you would use "human" in English,
the result will not be colloquial Japanese but it will be comprehensible.
onna: the female sex. onnanohito is "woman". See Ownership.
otoko: the male sex. otokonohito is "man". See Ownership.
tomodachi: friend, colleague.
neko: cat.
inu: dog.
Other animals, often referred to as they are thought to typify various qualities, are
zou "elephant", tora "tiger", kitsune "fox", usagi "rabbit" and nezumi "mouse".
uchi: home.
fuku: clothing.
kimono: kimono.
This refers both to "things to wear" in general, and more specifically to colourful kimono as worn by Japanese women.
It is related to kiru, "wear".
shitagi: underwear.
kutsu: shoes.
kutsushita: socks.
Note how beautifully logical Japanese is compared with other languages:
shita+ki=shitagi, shita+kutsu=kutsushita.
nomimono, things to drink, is related to nomu, "drink".
Typically Japanese things to eat include sake.
tabemono, things to eat, is related to taberu, "eat".
Typically Japanese things to eat include
sashimi (raw fish), ika (squid) and tako (octopus).
te-buru: table. Yes, it's a loan word.
Other surprising loan words include doa "door" and
supu-n "spoon";
the Japanese had tables, doors and spoons before the arrival of Europeans in Japan,
but one wouldn't know that from the language.
hashi: chopsticks.
hashi: bridge. Confusing language, isn't it?
ookii: big. It's an i adjective.
chiisai: small. It's an i adjective.
ooi: numerous. It's an i adjective.
tooi: distant, far-away. It's an i adjective.
chikai: near, close. It's an i adjective.
hayai: early, quick, fast. It's an i adjective.
osoi: late, slow. It's an i adjective.
atarashii: new. It's an i adjective.
furui: old. It's an i adjective.
abunai: dangerous. It's an i adjective. abunai! as an exclamation means "Look out!".
daijyoubu: safe. It's a na adjective. Colloquially, it means "OK".
If you don't know the difference between i adjectives and na adjectives,
don't panic. It's in the dictionary.
oishii: tasty. It's an i adjective.
tanoshii: enjoyable. It's an i adjective.
subarashii: superb. It's an i adjective.
sugoi: amazing. It's an i adjective.
It's often found in adverb form, sugoku, accompanying other adjectives,
e.g. sugokuoishii, amazingly tasty.
kirei: pretty/beautiful. Despite appearances, it's a na adjective.
yuumei: famous. This is another trick adjective which looks
like an i adjective but is really a na adjective.
urusai: noisy and/or annoying. It's an i adjective.
nigiyaki: lively. It's a na adjective.
The difference between nigiyaki and urusai is one of opinion, not of fact.
urusai is a negative assessment; nigiyaki is neutral or positive.
shizuka: quiet. It's a na adjective.
muzukashii: difficult. It's an i adjective.
I won't bother giving the word for "easy", as it's not an everyday word.
Nothing in Japanese is easy.
hontouni: truly, really. hontou "truth", "true" can be either a noun or a na adjective.
itsumo: usually.
totemo: very.
yoku: often.
takusan: many, lots of.
sukoshi: a little.
amari: not very. amari is followed by the negative form of the verb (or, in some cases, of the adjective).
zenzen: none. zenzen is followed by the negative form of the verb (or, in some cases, of the adjective).
Adverbs can also be formed by replacing the i of i-adjectives by ku, e.g.
sugoku: amazingly.
ureshiku: happily.
asa: morning.
gogo: afternoon.
yoru: evening, night.
hiruma: day (daytime, as opposed to nighttime).
kinou: yesterday.
kyou: today.
ashita: tomorrow.
senshyuu: last week.
konshyuu: this week.
raishyuu: next week.
sengetsu: last month.
kongetsu: this month.
raigetsu: next month.
kyonen: last year.
kotoshi: this year.
rainen: next year.
If you are British, you will undoubtedly want to talk about the weather.
Here are enough words to enable you to do this.
tenki: weather. It's a noun.
atsui: hot. It's an i adjective, and a neutral or negative assessment.
atatakai: warm. It's an i adjective, and a positive assessment.
suzushii: cool. It's an i adjective, and a positive assessment.
samui: cold. It's an i adjective, and a neutral or negative assessment.
hareru: be fine. It's a group 2 verb. tenkigahareteimasu: "the weather is fine".
ame: rain. It's a noun.
yuki: snow. It's a noun.
furu: fall. It's a group 1 verb which is only used for rain or snow.
amegafu,teimasu: "it's raining". yukigafu,teimasu: "it's snowing".
kaze: wind. It's a noun. The same word also means "sneeze" and is used for the disease known as the "common cold".
fuku: blow. It's a group 1 verb, used both for the wind blowing and for musicians playing wind instruments.
kazegafuiteimasu: "the wind is blowing".
ooame: heavy rain. It's a noun.
taifuu: strong wind. It's a noun, and the origin of the English word "typhoon".
jishin: earthquake. It's a noun. In Japan, earthquakes are weather.
tsunami: tidal wave. It's a noun, and the origin of the English word "tsunami".
shiroi white. It's a i adjective.
kuroi black. It's a i adjective.
akai red. It's a i adjective.
aoi blue. It's a i adjective.
kiiroi yellow. It's a i adjective.
chyairoi brown. It's a i adjective.
midori green. It's a noun.
murusaki purple. It's a noun.
oranji orange. It's a noun, and yes, it's a loan word.
pinku pink. It's a noun, and yes, it's a loan word too.
migi: right. It's a noun.
hidari: left. It's a noun.
mae: in front, before. It's a noun.
ato: behind, after. It's a noun.
ue: above. It's a noun.
shita: below. It's a noun.
naka: inside. It's a noun. It also means "belly".
soto: outside. It's a noun.
In Japanese, if you leave a building by the front door, as most people do,
you are mae "in front of", not soto "outside".
tonari: next to. It's a noun.
atama: head.
kaminoke: hair.
kami on its own also means "hair".
However, since several other words are also pronounced kami,
including kami "paper", kami "first part", "top part" and kami "deity", "sacred",
it is better to use kaminoke to avoid confusion.
(Bizarrely, kinpatsu "blonde" is a native Japanese word but burune,to "brunette" is a loan word.
One would think that Japan was full of indigenous blondes. Both words are nouns. But I digress.)
me: eye/eyes.
mimi: ear/ears.
kuchi: mouth.
te: hand.
ude: arm.
ashi: foot, leg.
naka: belly. It also means "inside".
All sorts of peculiar things happen in Japan. You are bound to want to ask questions.
nan: what?
nani: what?
dare: who?
itsu: when?
ikura: how much does it cost?
doko: where?
dochira: which way?
donna: what sort of?
doyatte: how? by what means?
doushite: why? wherefore?
Scenario and Introduction
Intransitive Verbs:
Transitive Verbs: