Learn Basic Japanese Language

Hiragana - ひらがな

The first step to learning the Japanese language is to learn the Japanese alphabet. Or, at least, to learn the sounds that exist in the Japanese language. There are absolutely no "tones" in Japanese like in many other asian languages and there are only 2 exceptions within the Japanese alphabet which will be explained later. The Japanese alphabet does not contain letters but, instead, contains characters and, technically, they are not alphabets but character sets. The characters in the chart below are called Hiragana. Hiragana is the main alphabet or character set for Japanese. In addition to Hiragana, the Japanese language also consists of two other character sets - Kanji (Chinese characters), which we will get into later, and another alphabet/character set, Katakana, which is mainly used for foreign words. Katakana will be covered in Next Lesson. 

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  a い  i う  u え  e お  o か  ka き  ki く  ku け  ke こ  ko が  ga ぎ  gi ぐ  gu げ  ge ご  go さ  sa し  shi す  su せ  se そ  so ざ  za じ  ji ず  zu ぜ  ze ぞ  zo た  ta ち  chi つ  tsu て  te と  to だ  da ぢ  ji づ  zu で  de ど  do な  na に  ni ぬ  nu ね  ne の  no は  ha ひ  hi ふ  fu へ  he ほ  ho ば  ba び  bi ぶ  bu べ  be ぼ  bo ぱ  pa ぴ  pi ぷ  pu ぺ  pe ぽ  po ま  ma み  mi む  mu め  me も  mo や  ya ゆ  yu よ  yo ら  ra り  ri る  ru れ  re ろ  ro わ  wa を  wo ん  n/m

Combinations きゃ  kya きゅ  kyu きょ  kyo ぎゃ  gya ぎゅ  gyu ぎょ  gyo しゃ  sha しゅ  shu しょ  sho じゃ  ja じゅ  ju じょ  jo ちゃ  cha ちゅ  chu ちょ  cho にゃ  nya にゅ  nyu にょ  nyo ひゃ  hya ひゅ  hyu ひょ  hyo びゃ  bya びゅ  byu びょ  byo ぴゃ  pya ぴゅ  pyu ぴょ  pyo みゃ  mya みゅ  myu みょ  myo りゃ  rya りゅ  ryu りょ  ryo

Exceptions:
1. The Hiragana は (ha) is pronounced "wa" when it immediately follows the topic of the sentence. This Hiragana character is usually only pronounced "ha" when it is part of a word. 
2. The Hiragana 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 Hiragana exceptions exist. 

Note: You probably noticed in the chart above that there are 2 Hiragana characters pronounced "zu" and 2 Hiragana characters pronounced "ji". The Hiragana characters 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 has a reading which starts with つ (tsu) is paired at the end with another character changing the つ (tsu) to a づ (zu). The same applies for the Hiragana 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 Hiragana, Katakana (as seen in the Katakana chart below) is mainly used for foreign words such as foreign names and words that have been borrowed from other languages such as コンピューター (kompyu-ta- = computer). Katakana is the least frequently used of the three character sets in Japanese. 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. 

There are some special Katakana characters that exist only for foreign names (such as シェ (she) or ティ (ti)). These special Katakana characters are not in the Katakana chart below (which contains only the standard set of Katakana characters) but can be seen in our Names in Japanese lesson.

ア  a イ  i ウ  u エ  e オ  o カ  ka キ  ki ク  ku ケ  ke コ  ko ガ  ga ギ  gi グ  gu ゲ  ge ゴ  go サ  sa シ  shi ス  su セ  se ソ  so ザ  za ジ  ji ズ  zu ゼ  ze ゾ  zo タ  ta チ  chi ツ  tsu テ  te ト  to ダ  da ヂ  ji ヅ  zu デ  de ド  do ナ  na ニ  ni ヌ  nu ネ  ne ノ  no ハ  ha ヒ  hi フ  fu ヘ  he ホ  ho バ  ba ビ  bi ブ  bu ベ  be ボ  bo パ  pa ピ  pi プ  pu ペ  pe ポ  po マ  ma ミ  mi ム  mu メ  me モ  mo ヤ  ya ユ  yu ヨ  yo ラ  ra リ  ri ル  ru レ  re ロ  ro ワ  wa ヲ  wo ン  n/m

Combinations キャ  kya キュ  kyu キョ  kyo ギャ  gya ギュ  gyu ギョ  gyo シャ  sha シュ  shu ショ  sho ジャ  ja ジュ  ju ジョ  jo チャ  cha チュ  chu チョ  cho ニャ  nya ニュ  nyu ニョ  nyo ヒャ  hya ヒュ  hyu ヒョ  hyo ビャ  bya ビュ  byu ビョ  byo ピャ  pya ピュ  pyu ピョ  pyo ミャ  mya ミュ  myu ミョ  myo リャ  rya リュ  ryu リョ  ryo

Vocabulary - 単語

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

漢字 - Kanji	ひらがな - Hiragana	Romaji (English Letters)	English Meaning
私	わたし	watashi	I (formal for males, 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 ございます	ありがとう ございます	arigatou gozaimasu	Thank you. (formal)
どういたしまして	どういたしまして	douitashimashite	You're welcome. (normal)
おはよう	おはよう	ohayou (sounds like "Ohio")	Good morning. (informal)
おはようございます	おはようございます	ohayou gozaimasu	Good morning. (normal and formal)
こんにちは	こんにちは	konnichiwa	Good afternoon. (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)
頑張ってください	がんばってください	gambatte kudasai (can also be written "ganbatte kudasai")	Hang in there
気をつけてください	きをつけてください	ki o tsukete kudasai (can also be written "ki wo tsukete kudasai")	Be careful, Take care

Basic Japanese 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, in Japanese grammar 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 Japanese particles are: (These particles will be described in more detail below)

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

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 Japanese 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 - it will come with time. 

The particle "wo" (を): The particle "wo" (or "o") marks the direct object of a Japanese 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 Japanese 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 Japanese sentence. For example, "I'm leaving at 3 o'clock" (watashi wa sanji ni hanareru). 

The final use for the particle "ni" in Japanese grammar 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 sentences 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.

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Romaji (English Letters) English Meaning 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.

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Romaji (English Letters) English Meaning 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.

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Romaji (English Letters) English Meaning 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.

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Romaji (English Letters) English Meaning 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 明後日 あさって asatte the day after tomorrow (a 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:

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Romaji (English Letters) Verb Base 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.

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Romaji (English Letters) English Meaning 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 行く いく iku to go (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". Ichidan verbs also follow a simple conjugation pattern that is somewhat similar to that of the Godan verbs. Here's an example: 漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Romaji (English Letters) Verb Base 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. 漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Romaji (English Letters) English Meaning いる いる iru to exist (animate), to be 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). 漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Romaji (English Letters) Verb Base 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". 漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Romaji (English Letters) Verb Base 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 - Hiragana Romaji (English Letters) English Meaning 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 + ませんでした Base 2 + masen deshita polite form past negative (did not verb) 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 Base 4 + る Base 4 + ru plain form can verb (Godan verbs only) (verb now becomes an Ichidan verb) Base 4 + ます Base 4 + masu polite form can verb (can be changed like above) Base 5 + とする Base 5 + to suru try to verb (this suru is the same verb learned in lesson 7 (to do something)) Base "te" + 欲しい Base "te" + hoshii want someone else to verb (hoshii is an adjective which will be covered in the next lesson) Base "te" Base "te" plain form command Base "te" + 下さい Base "te" + kudasai polite form command Base "te" + いる Base "te" + iru plain form presently verbing (this iru is the same verb learned in lesson 7 (to exist (animate)) Base "te" + います Base "te" + imasu polite form presently verbing (can be changed like 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) Base "ta" + りする Base "ta" + ri suru do such things as... (this suru is also the same verb learned in lesson 7 (to do something))

Adjectives and Adverbs

There are two different types of Japanese words that can be used to modify nouns (adjectives) and verbs (adverbs). One group is much like what we would call an adjective but they can also be conjugated to modify verbs as well. We will refer to these as "dv" (for "descriptive verb"). These are often referred to as "true adjectives" or "i-adjectives". 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" (for "descriptive noun"). These are often referred to as "quasi adjectives" or "na-adjectives". 

All adjectives in the "dv" group always end with い (i). No exceptions. These are placed in front of a noun in order to modify it. For example:

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

These adjectives can be conjugated to form different tenses, turned into adverbs (modify verbs), etc. The conjugation rules for "true" Japanese adjectives are as follows:

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

It's not as easy to recognize "dn" adjectives 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" adjectives:

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Romaji (English Letters) English Meaning 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 (In Kanji, Hiragana, and Romaji) English Meaning Person 1: こんにちは。始めまして。  こんにちは。はじめまして。  Konnichi wa. Hajimemashite. Hello. Nice to meet you. Person 2: 始めまして。お元気ですか。  はじめまして。おげんきですか。  Hajimemashite. O-genki desu ka? Nice to meet you. How are you? Person 1: はい、元気です。  はい、げんきです。  Hai, genki desu. I am fine. Person 1: 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。あなたのおなまえは？  Watashi wa ______ to moushimasu. Anata no o-namae wa? My name is ______. What is your name? Person 2: 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す。  Watashi wa ______ to iimasu. Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu. My name is ______. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Person 1: 宜しくお願いします。  よろしくおねがいします。  Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu. Pleased to make your acquaintance.

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. "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 Japanese 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".

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