Learn Some Japanese

I see you want to learn some Japanese. Well you've come to the right place. We'll first start with the basics and pronounciations. Afterwards will be Japanese words terms, phrases, and other things in Romaji (roman letters) translated in English. Besides that, I'll also be adding some extra phrases, words, etc. here and there, mostly in the second page. I hope this page helps you get a little introduction to how the Japanese language works and helps you learn some useful words and phrases that you might hear often and want to use yourself. Now let's begin, shall we. ^_^


  • Rules About Japanese Pronounciation
  • Numbers
  • Intro of Words and Phrases
  • People/Family Members


    Rules About Japanese Pronounciation

  • Japanese has 5 basic vowels. They are romanized as 'a', 'i', 'u', 'e' and 'o'.

  • They are pronounced like the 'a' in "awful", the 'e' in "bet", the 'o' in "fork", the 'i' as ee, and the 'u' as oo in "boot"

  • If the vowels are written in a combination, it could be pronounced differently. For example if an 'i' is after an 'a', "ai" would then it would be pronounced like the word "eye" in English.

  • And if the 'u' is after an 'o' like in "sou", then it would be pronounced as soh

  • The letter 'g' is always pronounced as the 'g' in "gone", never as the 'g' in "ginger"

  • The 's' is always hissed as in "so", never voiced as in "shadow"

  • The Japanese 'f' is not made by blowing air through the two front teeth against the bottom lip, rather it is made by lightly blowing air between your lips as if you were beginning to whistle.

  • The Japanese 'r' is never pronounced as the American 'r'.  It is pronounced somewhat like the English 'd'. Instead it is made by lightly flicking the tongue off the gums behind the upper teeth.


    Numbers

    Key: (how to pronounce the words)

    Ichi (ee-chee)- One
    Ni (Nee)- Two
    San (Sahn)- Three
    Yon (Yohn)- Four
    Go (Goh)- Five
    Roku (Roh-koo)- Six
    Nana (Nah-nah)- Seven
    Hachi (Hah-chee)- Eight
    Kyuu (Kyoo)- Nine
    Juu (Joo)- Ten
    Juuichi (Joo-ee-chee)- Eleven
    Juuni (Joo-nee)- Twelve
    Juusan- (Joo-sahn)- Thirteen
    Nijuu (Nee-joo)- Twenty
    ......
    Hyaku (Hyah-koo)- One hundred
    Sen (Sehn)- One thousand
    Ichiman (ee-chee-mahn)- Ten thousand
    (etc.)


    Intro of Words and Phrases

    Let's go onto the basic Japanese words, phrases, terms with their meanings!


    Nippon (Nee-pohn)- Japan

    Nihongo- Japanese language

    Eigo- English

    Ohayou (Oh-ha-yoh)- Hello, Good Morning

    Konnichiwa (Koh-nee-chee-wah)- Hello, Good Afternoon

    Konbanwa (Kohn-bahn-wah)- Hello, Good Evening

    Oyasuminasai- Good Night

    Ogenki desu ka?- How have you been?

    Sayanora ( Sah-yoh-nah-rah)- Goodbye (especially means leaving for a long time or permanently)

    Soredewa, mata- See you!

    Ja ne (Jah-neh)- See you later (informal)

    So ka (Soh-kah)- "I see" or "is that so?"

    Genki desu ka- How are you?

    Chotto matte- "Wait a second" or "Hold on"

    Daijoubu?- Are you alright?

    Kiotsukete- Take care

    Ganbatte kudasai- Do your best/Good luck, perservere

    Yorokonde (Yoh-roh-kohn-deh)- A pleasure!

    Sumi masen (Suu-mee-mah-sehn)- Excuse me

    Arigato gozaimasu (Ah-ree-gah-toh- goh-zah-ee-mahs)- Thank you! (The gozaimasu ending makes it more polite)

    Hai (Hah-ee)- Yes or to confirm something

    Iie (ee-eh)- No or a negative response

    Shiranai (Shee-rah-nai)- I don't know

    Wakarimasen- I don't understand

    Watakushi (Wah-tahk-shee)- I

    Watakushi wa- My name is.. or I am...

    Boku- I (used mostly by males)

    Hajimameshite- Nice to meet you (for the first time)

    Okaeri- Welcome Back or Welcome Home

    Tadaima (Tah-dai-mah)- I'm home

    Omae (Oh-mah-eh)- You

    Kitto- Surely

    Kore- This

    Sore- That

    Nande/Naze- Why

    Nani (Nah-nee)- What

    Nanda- What is it?

    Demo (Deh-moh)- But

    Doko (Doh-koh)- Where

    Dare- Who

    Dame- (Dah-meh)- No, Not right


    People

    Otoko (Oh-toh-koh)- Male

    Onna (Oh-nah)- Female

    hito (Hee-toh)- person

    Otoko no hito (Oh-toh-koh-noh-hee-toh)- Man

    Onna no hito (Oh-nah-noh-hee-toh)- Woman

    Kodomo or ko (Koh-doh-moh/koh)- Child

    Otoko no ko- Boy

    Onna no ko- Girl

    Kanojo- She/Her or Girlfriend

    Kare- He/Him or Boyfriend

    Name Suffixes

  • These are titles or honorifics added after a name to show respect when referring or speaking to someone, just like Americans adding Ms. and Mr. before a name. They are used according to the age group, or class the person belongs to. (Never use these to refer to oneself)

    san (sahn)- most commonly used when addressing someone outside of your family/circle of close friends or with an acquaintance, is added after the family name, similar to how Americans would use Mr. and Mrs. with their family name. (Ex: Suzuki-san)

    sama (sah-mah)- formal version of san, is very polite, used with a boss or with someone of much higher ranks than you.

    kun- informal, used commonly when refering to boys or men younger than oneself. (Ex: Li-kun)

    chan (chahn)- mostly used for very close friends, children or animals. (Ex: Sakura-chan)

    sempai- used for upperclassmen by younger students.

    sensei- used for anyone who is specialized in an area or with an exceptional skill, like teachers and doctors. (Ex: Mizuki-sensei)


    Family Members

    * These are used when talking about your own family or about someone else's family.

     Otosan (O-toh-sahn)- Father

    Okasan (O-kah-sahn)- Mother

    Obaasan- Grandmother

    Ojiisan- Grandfather

    Obasan- Aunt

    Ojisan- Uncle

    Itoko- Cousin

    Oneesan- Older Sister

    Imoto- Younger Sister

    Oniisan- Older Brother

    Itoto- Younger Brother

    The next page continues with misc words, colors, and common anime-related phrases and terms.

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