Basic Japanese

Part of AnimeInfo.org's Anime University

by Chris Horii
Chris is on board as one of the AnimeInfo graphics team and is a moderator on AnimeInfo.org message board. Chris contributes an article in the Tribune on how to speak Japanese that usually gets proof-read by Saffran--who can often provide historical references. Chris's favorite animes are usually sci-fi or action-related, but still has soft spot for those romantic comedies & some of the cute stuff. Chris is rather quiet in person, but highly eccentric. His online persona is a bit more impulsive since he doesn't have to "say" anything, but still tends to stay out of things.

and Pierre Bancov
Pierre is a moderator of the AnimeInfo.org message boards. Being raised in France, his passion for anime, manga and video games dates from early childhood (which does NOT mean he's a hopeless nutcase ^_^). He chose Japanese as his major, and as such can answer most queries relating to the japanese language or the japanese culture.

Overview

One of the best parts about getting into anime and manga is learning about the language it originally comes from. Japanese is a language that is both simple and complex - it may start out easy at first, but when you start putting syllables, words, and even situations together, it might just get a little bit harder. However, many anime/manga fans have shown an interest in learning the Japanese language, some even going so far as to become fluent in it - a major feat due to the major differences between Japanese and most other languages.

As always, AnimeInfo.org is here to help, and resident Japanese-language experts Chris and Pierre take you through the basics of some very rudimentary Japanese. You might not be able to hold a conversation by the end of this class, but you'll at least be able to know the bare minimum so you don't happen to embarass yourself trying to explain how Japanese works! From basic syllables to simple words, this class has it all to get you started on the road to understanding the original language of anime and manga just a little bit more.

Basic Japanese Alphabet

Greetings! Ever wanted to learn Japanese? You can! Y' see, all you gotta do is whip out that college class listing and . . . *whack!* . . . or, you can look at the basic stuff I have below . . .

There are 3 main alphabets in Japanese (4, if you count romaji). The 3 are hiragana, katakana, and kanji.

Hiragana is today used as the basis of the japanese language, and is as such used the most. It was actually created by the Ladies at the Imperial Court, around year 900. Hiragana is derived from Chinese characters (Kanji) ; the whole character is curved into a single line (or very few lines) and is used for it's pronunciation.

The men at about the same time had often to write those same Kanji in short hand, being scribes and often dedicated to poetry or religion. They simplified characters too, but unlike the Ladies, they only wrote a small part of the character (instead of curving the whole). Thus their kana look straighter and more blocky. They are called Katakana. Both Hiragana and Katakana have similar arrangements, however, katakana is used mostly for new and more modern terms in the Japanese language, like "menyuu" (menu) or "chiizu" (cheese). Katakana can also be used to create sounds not normally found in hiragana.

Kanji are often highly complex looking characters, which are Chinese in origin. While the characters are the same, the Chinese and the Japanese have different pronunciation for the same character.

Romaji is an attempt to translate Japanese using the Roman alphabet. There are several Romaji systems, one developed by japanese people, and a few others developed by western philologues. The differences are overall minor, but lead to heated discussion among anime fans (ever wondered why some people write Ryouga and other people Ryoga? ;))

Due to the different text fonts for each user and the fact that this cannot be heavily image based, the lessons will be in romaji (lucky . . .).

For more information on the written alphabets, please go here:

http://come.to/nihongo

The system below is based on the arrangement used in the Hiragana alphabet..

First, the 5 major vowels:
A ("ah" like in "auto" )
I ("ee" long E sound, like the 2nd "i" in "Iliad")
U ("oo" like in "boot")
E ("eh" like in "empty")
O ("oh" like in "ocean")

The rest of the alphabet is a consonant followed by the vowels. There are 41 of these basic syllables ("k, s, t, n, h, m, y, r, w)) Another 23 can be made by adding 2 small dashes ("g, z, d, b"-marked by *) or by adding a small circle ("p" - marked by a **) just off of the upper right hand corner of the character. 33 more syllables can also be created, but they will not be discussed for right now.

The "i" and the "u" are sometimes dropped in terms of pronunciation when in between voiceless consanants (k, s,t, p, h) or sometimes at the end of the word. These shall be pointed out in the vocab where applicable.

Historically there were a Wi and a We, but they were dropped in the reform of the japanese language in 1946.

There also is a nasal syllable :

N
N ("nn" or "nhn") (this if just for saying the character)

That will do for the characters, for now.

Basically, each japanese syllable is pronunced separately, and only seldom has an influence over it's "neighbors". Those cases will be indicated as we come across them.

Here are some extra pronunciation guidelines:
Double vowel:
The pronunciation of double vowels is very important. Not pronouncing them correctly can result in a different word entirely. For example,
obaasan = "grandmother," while obasan = "aunt"

This part is tricky : in double vowels, the pronunciations of the first vowel flows into the second one, but they are still considered two different syllables. Exceptions are the elongating double vowels, aa, ii, uu, ee, ei, oo and ou.

Aa ("ahhh") (just elongate it or extend the sound)
Ai (long "I" sound) (for pronunciation, long I will be signified by "aI")
Ae ("ah-eh")
Ao ("ah-oh")
Au ("au" or like the word "ow")
Ii ("eeee") (elongated )
Ui ("ooee")
Uu ("oooo" (elongated)
Ee ("ehhh" (elongated) (rarely seen, "Ei" is more common)
Ei ("ehhh" (elongated) (sometimes seen written in romaji as "ee," but it's confusing that way)
Oi ("oi" like in "oil")
Ou ("ohhh") (elongated) (sometimes seen as oo, but like "ee," is confusing; in translation, it is sometimes dropped, but you don't _quite_ get the
right pronunciation that way)

(about ou : dropping the "u" in the transliteration is also a problem because basically, if you don't already know the word, you then can't pronunce
it correctly.)

Given the large amount of information given from the above alphabet, the vocab and sentences section for this lesson will be kept rather short. Try sounding the words below out loud.

vocab:
watashi ("wah-tah-shee") = "I/me"

anou ("ah-nohhh") = "um . . ." (used to get someone's attention)

hai ("haI") = "yes" (can also be used for "here" -- like during role call)

ee ("ehhh") = "yes" (relaxed and conversational, typically used among friends) (note elongation, one of the few words that uses "ee" instead of "ei")

iie ("eeee-eh") = "no" (note elongation)

gakusei ("ga-ksei") = "student" (the u in ku is dropped)

desu ("dehs"; sometimes sounds like "dez") = "is/are/am" (the "u" in "su" is dropped)

wa ("wah") = it's a particle, indicates the subject
nihon ("nee-hohn") = "Japan"

amerika ("ah-meh-rti-kah") = "America"

oosutoraria ("Ohhh-sto-rta-rtee-ah) = "Australia" (note elongation and that the u in su is dropped)

_____-go ("_____-goh") = "_____ language"

nihongo ("nee-hohn-goh") = "Japanese (language)"

eigo" ("ehhh-goh") = "English (language)" (note elongation)

[country]-jin ("[country]-jeen") = "[country] person"

nihonjin ("nee-hon-jeen") = "Japanese (person)"

Amerikajin ("ah-meh-rti-kah-jeen") = "American (person)"
_____-san ("_____-sahn") = "Mr./Ms./Mrs. ______" (never use -san when referring to yourself)

Expressions:
Hajimemashite (hah-jee-meh-mah-shteh) = "How are you?" (used often in introductions; note the "i" in "shi" is dropped)

Arigatou ("ah-rtee-gah-tohhh") = "Thank you" (note elongation)

Sayounara ("sah-yohhh-na-rta") = "Good bye" (note elongation)

Sumimasen ("soo-mee-mah-sehn) = "Excuse me."

sentences:
desu is used most typically in the following format:
X wa Y desu = "X is/are/am Y"

watashi wa [name] desu.
("wah-tah-shee-wah-[name]-dehs") = "I am [name]." ex: Watashi wa Shinji desu.

watashi wa amerikajin desu = "I am an American."

watashi wa gakusei desu = "I am a student."

With the exception of the first sentence (for obvious reasons), "watashi" can be replaced with [name]-san, or any particular subject noun.

Ex: suu-san wa gakusei desu = "Sue is a student."

Compound Japanese Sounds/Basic Structures

Last lesson, I said that there were more syllables. The _i syllable (ki, shi, etc.) can be combined with the y_ syllables (ya, yu, yo) to form new syllables. Character-wise, this is done by making a small y_ syllable next to the _i syllable. In terms of pronunciation, you must say these as _ONE_SINGLE_SYLLABLE_. So, it's not "tohhh-kee-ohhh," but "tohhh-kyohh." One way to do it is to take it's elongated form (ex: kee-oh) and just say it as one syllable. (note: not necessary for shi, ji, & chi)

ki: kya kyu kyo
gi: gya gyu gyo
shi: sha shu sho
ji: ja ju jo
chi: cha chu cho
ni: nya nyu nyo
hi: hya hyu hyo
bi: bya byu byo
pi: pya pyu pyo
ri: rya ryu ryo

Extra guidelines:
There are double consonants. Character-wise, double consanants are made by having a smaller "tsu" character between two syllables (exception: "n") The first consonant is tacked on to the previous syllable. ex: kissaten = ("kees-sah-tehn") (means coffee house, btw).

vocab:
nan/nani = "What[?]" ("nani" usually precedes a particle, "nan" is used more often)
tomodachi = "friend"
daigaku = "college"
koukou = "high school"
senmon/senkou = "major"
bijinesu = (___-nehs) "business"
konpyuutaa = "computer"

Expressions:
douzo yoroshiku = (___-shkoo) "Nice to meet you"
sou desu = "That's right."
Douitashimashite = (___-mah-shteh) "You're welcome." (casually, you can say "iie" which is like "no problem")
ohayou gozaimasu = (___-mas) "good morning" ("gozaimasu" makes it polite)
konnichiwa = "Good Afternoon."
konbanwa = "Good evening."
oyasuminasai = "Good night."

Making sentences part 2:
In Japanese, if the subject is understood, the sentences will often drop the subject entirely.
So, if someone asked your major: "senmon wa nan desu ka" (here, even "your" is assumed) you could simply say: "bijinesu desu" since it is understood that you will be talking about your major.

The particle "no."
Last time, "wa" was shown as a particle to indicate the subject. "No" is a particle that connects two nouns, typically to indicate possession or a specific fact.

In terms of the structure "X no Y," Y is the main object, X is the extra description.
Ex: watashi no tomodachi = "my friend"
A full sentence:
watashi no tomodachi wa daigaku no gakusei desu ("my friend is a college student")

Ending particles, part 1:
"ka"
In order to make a sentence into a question, the particle "ka" is added to the very end of the sentence. (this isn't the only way to make a sentence question, however)
ex: Nan desu ka ("What is [it]?")

We can also get the expression "sou desu ka." Which translates to: "is that so?" or "I see."

Counting and Telling Time in Japanese

Vocab:
In this lesson, we learn to count!
1 = ichi 2 = ni 3 = san
4 = shi/yon/yo (yes, there are three ways to say "4," yon and shi are interchangeable for the most part. yo is less common, it will be pointed out)
(a historical note, shi also means "death." Thus, 4 often has superstitions
similar to the Western number 13.)
5 = go 6 = roku 7 = shichi/nana (likewise, usually interchangeable) 8 = hatchi 9 = kyuu/ku 10 = juu

Numbers 11-19 are done by juu + [the one's digit] 11: juuichi 12: juuni

Regarding umbers greater than 19, it's the number in the tens digit, then
"juu", followed by the next number.
20 = nijuu 40 = yonjuu (nope, you can't say shijuu) 70 = nanajuu

For numbers 100 and greater, most of these follow the same rule: the digit
number, followed by its place value. The irregular ones are also listed. 100 = hyaku 300 = sanbyaku 400 = yonhyaku 600 = roppyaku 700 = nanahyaku 800 = happyaku 1000 = sen or issen 3000 = sanzen 4000 = yonsen 7000 = nanasen
8000 = hassen 10000 = man or ichiman

Japanese numbering is done in sets of four, rather than the sets of three. So, instead of "1,000,000," in Japanese it is broken down as: "100,0000." Thus, "man" is where the 2nd set of four starts, which follows the same pattern as the first set of four. Ex: "1234567"
(123,4567) = "hyaku niju sanman yonsen gohyaku rokujuu shichi"

This numbering system extends to just about everything, including time and
the months. A suffix is simply added to the number. However, there are a
ton of suffixes that are used depending on what is being counted, like flat
objects ("-mai"), people ("-nin"), etc. In fact, there are suffixes solely for small animals or bread!
So, like I said, we can do time! The suffix "-ji" is used (note: this is
_not_ the suffix for generic hours, which is "-jikan").

1:00 = ichiji 2:00 = niji 3:00 = sanji 4:00 = yoji (note that "yo" is used) 5:00 = goji 6:00 = rokuji 7:00 = shichiji 8:00 = hatchiji 9:00 = kuji 10:00 = juuji 11:00 = juuichiji 12:00 = juuniji

Minutes can be done in a similar fashion, with a "-pun" (or "-fun") suffix.
Irregulars are listed:1 = ippun 2 = nifun 4 = yonpun 5 = gofun 6 =roppun 7 = nanafun 8 = happun/hachifun 9 = kyuufun 10 = juppun

To indicate AM or PM, these go in front of the time. gozen = AM gogo = PM
han = "half an hour" (put this after "____ji")

nanji = "what time?"
ima = "now"

So used in a sentence:
ima, nanji desu ka. = "what time is [it] now?" gozen ichiji han desu. = "[it] is 1:30 AM."

A general counter for small things and things where you can't remember the
suffix is "-tsu." Sandly, most of the numbering system isn't like the
previous patterns. After 10 it reverts to the normal counting pattern, though.
1 = hitotsu 2 = futatsu 3 = mittsu 4 = yottsu 5 = itsutsu 6 = muttsu 7 = nanatsu 8 = yattsu 9 = kokonotsu 10 = tou

Advanced Structures, Vocabulary, and Practice Tests

Nouns:
hon = "book" (also means "basis." so in the word "nihon," [where "ni" = "sun," not "two"] it means the sun base, or "land of the sun") (in addition, it's written in kanji, which has multiple meanings that aren't represented in romaji)
sakana = "fish"
tonkatsu = "pork cutlet" ("katsu" is the part that meants "cutlet")
asagohan = "breakfast"
hirugohan = "lunch"
bangohan = "dinner"
menyuu = "menu"
pen = "pen" (easy enough?)
tokei = "watch" or "clock"
saifu = "wallet"
denwa = "phone"
jitensha = "bike"
en ("ehn") = "yen" (used for prices, there is no y for some reason.)
keizai = "economics"
rekishi = "history"

Adjectives:
takai = "expensive"
oishii = "delicious"
(Adjectives will be detailed at a another time. Simplified grammatical order: Noun + Adjective + Verb)

Pointing at stuff:
So, what do we do if we want something, don't know what something is, or are just pointing at something?
We use the following:
kore = "this" (near the person speaking)
sore = "that [near you]" (near the person being spoken to)
are = "that [over there]" (not near either person)
Typically, these are at the beginning of sentences.

EX: kore wa nan desu ka. = "What is this?"

In addition we have:
dore = "which[?]"
One thing to keep in mind is that "dore" is a question word like "nani," thus it cannot have the particle "wa" after it. Instead, "ga" is used.

EX: dore ga anata no jitensha desu ka = "Which bike is yours?" (or: "Which is your bike?")

Now, if the pointing word is _immediately_ followed by a noun, then the "-re" is dropped and replaced with "-no" (yes, "are" changes to "ano." The difference between this usage and the "ano" given in lesson 1 is context.)

EX: sono hon wa takai desu. = "That book [near you] is expensive."

Also, similar to "-no," we can add "-ko." These are designations for places.
koko = "here" (near speaker)
soko = "there [near you]"
asoko = "[over] there" (note the change)
doko = "Where[?]"

Practice:
Translate the following:
j-e
1: are wa nan desu ka.
2: kono pen desu.
3: sono tokei wa hyaku nijuu go [y]en desu.

e-j
4: What is that [over there]?
5: This is [a] phone.

Verbs:
The verb "Desu" (cont.):

All righty, you all know how to say something is/are/am (or at least, you should . . .)
desu = "is/are/am"
deshita = "was/were"
Deshita is used exactly the same way as desu.

EX: watashi wa koukou no gakusei deshita. = "I was a high school student"

Now, traditionally, negative forms of desu used to be in the following format:

dewa arimasen = "isn't/aren't"
dewa arimasen deshita = "wasn't, weren't"

In fact, in formal writing, it is still done this way. However, modern Japanese (oral) has contracted the "dewa" to simply "ja" so:

ja arimasen = "isn't/aren't"
ja arimasen deshita = "wasn't/weren't"

This follows a "X wa Y ja arimasen" format. Just make sure "Y" is a noun (you cannot use "ja arimasen" if it follows an adjective).

EX: Shinji-san wa sensei ja arimasen. = "[Mr.] Shinji is not a teacher."

Ending particles, part 2:
"ne" = "right?"/"hmmmm?"
We've already discussed using "ka" as an ending particle to make a statement a question. "Ne" also serves a slight questioning role. It is usually used when you're not sure of something. You are usually seeking the listener's confimration.

Expression note:
sou desu ne = "That's right." or "Let's see . . . [pondering]" (which doesn't really follow the above definition, so it's somewhat of an exception)

"yo" = "I assure you" [more or less]
The exact opposite of "ne" is "yo." You would use "yo" when you would want to re-affirm your statement, insisting its validity.

practice:
j-e
6: senkou wa rekishi deshita
7: watashi no saifu ja arimasen.
8: anata no hirugohan wa oishii desu ne.

e-j
9: That [near you] is my bike.
10: [I assure you] That [over there] is not fish.

Miscellaneous Vocabulary, Adverbs, and Verbs

Useful Vocab
Days of the week: (these didn't make it into lesson 3)
nichiyoubi = "Sunday" (the day of the Sun)
getsuyoubi = "Monday" (the day of the Moon)
kayoubi = "Tuesday" (the day of Mars, "Kasei", planet of the fire)
suiyoubi = "Wednesday" (the day of Mercury, "Suisei", planet of the water)
mokuyoubi = "Thursday" (the day of Jupiter, "Mokusei", planet of the tree)
kinyoubi = "Friday" (the day of Venus, "Kinsei", planet of the metal)
doyoubi = "Saturday" (the day of Saturn, "Dosei", planet of the soil)

Nouns:
terebi = "Television"
bideo = "video" can also mean "VCR"
eiga = "film/movie"
ongaku = "music"
zasshi = "magazine"
teppu = "[audio] tape"

Food:
tabemono = "food(s)"
niku = meat
hanbaagaa = "hamburger"

Drinks:
nomimono = "drink(s)"
osake = "alcoholic beverage"
koucha = "black/European tea"
ocha = "green tea"
ko-hi- = "coffee"
bi-ru = "beer"

Places:
ie = "house/home" (a bit more ambiguous)
uchi = "[my] house/home"
kissaten = "cafe"
ginkou = "bank"
toshokan = "library"

U-verbs:
iku = "to go"
kaeru = "to go back/return"
kiku = "to listen"
nomu = "to drink"
hanasu = "to speak/talk"
yomu = "to read"
wakaru = "to understand"

Ru-verbs:
okiru = "to get up"
taberu = "to eat"
neru = "to sleep"
miru = "to see/watch"

Adjectives:
ii = "good"
warui = "bad"
hayai = "early"

Adverbs:
mainichi = "everyday"
maishuu" = "every week"
maiban = "every night"

There are two major sets of verbs, plus two kinds of irregular verbs. (A note: the present forms can also be used for [not too distant] future tense)

First, there are Ru-verbs. You will notice that the dictionary forms, or the unconjugated forms (the format shown in the vocab list) all end in "iru" or "eru." As a rule of thumb, this is quick way of identifying ru-verbs. As such, "wakaru" is not a ru-verb because it ends in "-aru." Others, like "kaeru" you will just have to memorize.

Conjugating ru-verbs is actually quite simple. You simply drop the "-ru" ending. Then you add the suffixes shown in the example:

dictionary: taberu
present affirmative: tabemasu (add "-masu")
present negative: tabemasen (add "-masen")
past affirmative: tabemashita (add "-mashita")
past negative: tabemasen deshita (add "-masen deshita")

U-verbs are a bit more complicated. Basically, an u-verb is everything else besides a ru-verb or irregular verb. You must change the "_u" segment and change it to its "_i" form. then you add on the same suffixes as above. See the example below:

dictionary: iku
present affirmative: ikimasu ("ku" changes to "ki"
present negative: ikimasen
past affirmative: ikimashita
past negative: ikimasen deshita

As such:
"u" -> "i"
"su" -> "shi"
"tsu" -> "chi"
etc.

Making Sentences:

Particles:

De
"De" is an indication of where something takes place. It basically means "at."
EX: toshokan _de_ hon o mimasu. = "I [will] read books _at_ the library."

The verb in the example talks about what is to be done at the place. The sentence itself does not involve moving towards the place.

Ni (part 1)
"Ni" has multiple meanings.

1 The first is regarding a destination. Iku and kaeru use this definition. It more or less means "to."
The format typically goes as follows:
"[X wa] Y _ni_ iku." or "[X wa] Y ni kaeru" (where iku and kaeru conjugate as necessary)
"Y" must be a place where you will be going.
EX: "[watashi wa] kissaten _ni_ ikimasu. = "[I] [will] go _to_ a/the cafe"

In this case, the verb involves moving towards the place.

2 "Ni" is also used for rather explicit times. Thus, any exact time of day has "ni" after it (while "gorai," does not). The system is a bit relative, "tomorrow (ashita)," "today (kyou)," "yesterday (kinou)," and "every-(mai-)," do not require "ni. Things like "morning (asa)" sometimes vary and is a stylistic choice. However, a specific day of the week (or month) must have "ni" after it.
EX: [watshi wa] gozen hachiji _ni_ okimasu = "I wake up at 8:00 AM."
[watshi wa] getsuyoubi _ni_ kyouto ikimasu = "[I] [will] go to Kyoto on Monday."

E
"E" (which is the hiragana character "he") serves as a substitute for the first definition of "ni" It can _NOT_ be used for a replacement of the second meaning. Just be aware of it when it appears in senences.
EX: [watshi wa] ginkou e ikimashita. = "[I] went to the bank."

O
"O," for the most part links a noun to an associative verb
For the most part, the sentence structure is:
"[X wa] Y _o_ [verb]."

Taberu, nomu, miru, kiku, and yomu follow the format relating to their respective verbs:

EX:
nomu: Misato-san wa bi-ru _o_ nomimasu = "Misato drinks beer."
kiku: Shinji-san wa teepu _o_ kikimasu ne. "Shinji listens to tapes, right?"

And just for the curious, here are the answers to the Lesson 4 practice sentences:

1. "What is that [over there]?"
2. "This is a pen"
3. "That watch [near you] is 125 yen."
4. "are wa nan desu ka" (ok,ok, this repetition was a mistake...)
5. "kore wa denwa o desu."
6. "[My] Major was history"
7. "Not my wallet" ["my wallet it is not"] ("kore wa watshi no saifu ja arimasen" might have been a better sentence)
8. "Your lunch is delicious, hmmm?"
9. "sono watashi no jitensha desu" or "sore wa watashi no jitensha desu"
10. "Are wa sakana ja arimasen yo." or "ano sakana ja arimasen yo"

These are some of the basics of the Japanese language and grammar structure. We hope you've learned a lot in this very basic class!