JAPANESE: Turning Japanese

Konnichiwa (hello)
Here I will be teaching-along with others- the language of Japanese in the romanji form.

So welcome one and all to the language of Japanese

Jesse

Konnichiwa! Actually, it's oyasumi nasai (goodnight) for me, 'cause I"m tired... hehe.

Ok I know a lot of you are lost in this language so starting off simple here is a few basics of japanese vowels--

The Japanese language has only 5 vowels: A, I, U, E, O.

These are the vowels. You say them clear and sharply.


(Please note: the "U" is pronounced with no forward movement of the lips)

A- is pronounced as ah

I- is pronounced like the e in the word me

U- is pronounced like a double oo like in the word noon

E- is pronounced like a short 'eh' sound as in the word let

O- is pronounced like the o in the word old


(oh the japanese language has only two tenses the past and present. There is no future tense-just a note)

Okay now here are some basic phrases:

Pleased to meet you.- Hajime mash'te
Hello -Konnichiwa
Good morning - O-hayo gozaimas
'How are you?- O genki des'ka?
Haven't seen you for a long time-O-hisashiburi des'
Thank you-Arigato (or domo)
Thank you very much-Domo arigato
Thank you (for something done -Arigato gozaimash'ta
Please wait for a minute--Chotto matte kudasai
Let's go to lunch--O-hiru gohan ni iki masho?
Please speak slowly--Yukkuri hanash'te kudasai
Please speak in English-Eigo de hanash'te kudasai
Take care (eg to someone who is sick) O dai ji ni
Take care (eg to someone going away) Ki o tsukete
Do the best you can --Dekiru dake de ii des'
I understood -Wakarimash'ta
Yes, I understand-Hai, wakarimash'ta
I don't understand--Wakarimasen
Please help me (eg to move a heavy item)--Chotto tetsudatte kudasai
Please help me (eg to explain something)--Chotto onegaishimas'
Excuse me (eg if you trod on someone's toes)--Sumi masen desh'ta or shitsurei
Excuse me (eg to attract someone's attention)-Sumi masen
Congratulations--O medeto gozaimas'
I'm tired-Tsukareta
Goodbye--Sayonara

Okay so here's some basic phrases and hope you remember the way of speaking and how to say the vowels :D

Konnichiwa~! I've gotten permission from Jesse to add some phrases :D I really love Japanese..and I need to credit the site so first go with the phrases


Basics

Numbers
ichi - one
ni - two
san - three
shi - four
go - five
roku - six
shichi - seven
hachi - eight
kyuu - nine
jyuu - ten

Greetings
good morning - Ohayou
good afternoon - Konnichiwa.
good evening - Konbanwa
what's up? - Nanika atta?
how's everything? - Dou shiteru?
is that so? - Sou desu ka?
What's new? - Kawatta koto aru?

watashi = I
anata = you
ohayoo gozaimasu = good morning
sore = that
kore = this
nani = What

January = ICHIGATSU
February = NIGATSU
March = SANGATSU
April = SHIGATSU
May = GOGATSU
June = ROKUGATSU
July = SHICHIGATSU
August = HACHIGATSU
September = KUGATSU
October = JIYUGATSU
November = JIYUICHIGATSU
December = JIYUNIGATSU

hajimemashite = how do you do?
dozo yoroshku = glad to meet you
dozo = please
hito = person
ano hito = that person
dare = who?
doko? = where?
made = to
koko = here
hon = book
sumimasen = excuse me
so desu = thats right
asoko = over there
kono = this
hoteru = hotel
kochira = that person/thing
no mae = in front of
sato = family name
ano hito wa dare desu ka? = who is that person?
oyasuminasai = goodnight
o genki desu ka? = how are you?
hai, genki desu = yes, im fine
are wa nandesu ka? = what is that?
do i tashimashite = your welcome


Credit to - http://seedgenesis.net/index.php?action=learnjap

One of my favorite shows too


What I learned from myself--or Japanese shows I've watched

ikadakemasu(Or however you spell it..I really dunno )--Time to eat or Bon Appetite
ike--Go
bakemono--Monster
sakura--cherry blossoms
sayonara-Good Bye
ichigo-strawberry
pantsu-panties (Hahaha I got this from Chobits, xP)
homenesai-sorry( i think that's how its spelled)







Candy

:D Ohayo gozaimasu class!!

Today's Japanese lessons will focus around a little more of the basics.

Here you will learn about how to ask and answer people in Japanese.

Nihongo ga dekimasu ka?- Do you speak Japanese? (The direct translation of this is:Is Japanese possible?)

Iie, dekimasen. - No, I don't speak Japanese.

Taihen heta desu-I speak very poorly.

Hai, sukoshi dekimasu.- Yes, I speak a little.

(Please note that when speaking from a negative verb form you will usually use 'sen' at the end of certain words as saying (no, not, etc...)

There will be another lesson posted soon and Candy-, EVERYONE can post here, they don't need MY permission you silly girl) :D

Chobits!

Bon appetit/eat well is actually spelt - Itadakimasu! (Like how Naruto says it )

And I swear I'm sorry is 'kuminesai'... maybe that's just me...

Swifty is correct - kuminesai

i had to learn japanese for my judo black belt.

Hello, my name is pete and, as many of you may already know, i live in Tokyo, Japan. Now if you're here, i'm assuming you have either a passive or active interest in Japanese and if you're like me, you think the 漢字 (kanji) are pretty cool. However, they can be very difficult and at times terribly frustrating.

the main reason for this is due to the fact that most kanji have more than one 読み方 (yomikata - reading). Sometimes they have seemingly infinite readings, but we'll get to that later.

In this particular lesson, you'll likely need to acquire the Japanese language tools from you respective operating system's web support sites (absolutely free) and also to type them on your computer youll have to get an IME (input method editor) available from the same sites.

first, i'll tell you about the two 読み方：　音読みand訓読み. mainly this comes from the fact that japan didnt have its own writing style so an emperor sent emissaries to china to import theirs. However, japan had its own spoken language so applying the writing system of a language that was completely different from their own proved difficult. the two readings basically correspond to the 'chinese readings' and japanese readings. In general (but not universally), most compounds (2 or more kanji forming 1 word) are in chinese reading.

well lets get you some vocabulary to work with. i'll give you some of the basic kanji that i need to know in my daily life here in japan:

日本 japan nihon
米国 america beikoku
英国 britain eikoku
日本語 japanese nihongo
英語 english eigo
一　１　ichi
二　２ ni
三　３ san
四　４ shi or yon
五　５ go
六　６ roku
七　７ shichi or nana
八　８ hachi
九　９ ku or kyuu
十　１０ juu
車　car kuruma
人 person hito
男 boy otoko
女 girl onna
学校 school gakkou
大学 university daigaku
入口 entrance iriguchi
出口 exit deguchi
電車 train densha
円 japanese yen en
山 mountain yama
上 up ue
下 down shita
北 north kita (chinese reading hoku)
東 east higashi (tou)
南 south minami (nan)
西 west nishi (sei)
何 what? nan


theres some pretty basic stuff to mull over. now heres an example of where chinese readings come into play

take these two for example:

出る to leave deru
身 body mi

in their present form they are in japanese readings but when combined they take on their chinese readings

出身 hometown shusshin

take tokyo for example

東京

recognize the first one? yea, thats higashi (east) from above, but in its combined form, it takes a different reading. this becomes increasingly more difficult for some kanji that have more than just 2 readings such as

日 day (nichi or jitsu) sun (hi) japan (ni)
and
本 book, origin, true, counter for cylindrical objects (hon or moto)

together, they make 日本 and 本日. spot the difference? the first is nihon (japan) and the second in honjitsu (today).

yes, that was a pretty tame example, but i think you see where im coming from. it only gets more difficult as you study more kanji.

well, kanji is a very difficult thing to learn and even harder when its online. let me know if it helps in the least.

keep studying hard and sooner or later we'll be able to do this together

こんいちは！　日本語をよく勉強して下さい！　一生懸命に頑張ったら、全部日本語で話せるなぁ。　じゃ、楽しんで下さい！

lets get a bit more indepth with the conjugation of verbs

this is only really viable when using hiragana and getting away from romaji, so if you cant read it, please get the japanese language tools for your browser/operating system.

ok, there are 3 types of verbs class 1 (also called う-verbs) class 2 (る-verbs) and class 3 (irregular verbs)

we will be dealing with verbs in plain and polite forms

ok, class 1 verbs.

there are verbs that in う、　つ、 ぶ、　む、　ぬ、　す、　く、　ぐ　or る (when it changes form, as will be shown later)

examples being:
ぬぐ(take off [clothes])、　よむ (to read)、　かえる (to return)

when conjugating these to polite form they become

ぬぎます、　よみます、　かえります

in other words, the last syllable goes to the i-position of the same sound. ぐtoぎ、　むtoみ、　and るtoり

class 2

here is where it gets a little bit trickier. Every verb that ends in る but doesnt go to the i-column when conjugated to polite form (with the exception of くる [to come]), is a class 2 verb. this is very important and youll see why soon.

some examples

きる (to wear)、　あげる (to give)、　おちる (to fail [a test])

these verbs in polite form become

きます、　あげます、　おちます

in other words, you drop the る completely and add ます

class 3 verbs

there are only 2 verbs in class 3 and they are:

する (to do) and くる (to come)

the become, in their polite forms,

します and きます

theres no real rule to them so just memorize what they change into.

so ends this part of verb conjugation. in my next installment, ill be showing you how to change each class of verb into the past tense for both polite and plain forms and the -so-very-important て-form.

see you then!

i know that

Hikari - Light

Kasumi - Mist

O-Kassan - is what some ppl use as Mother

I was just thinking who is going to take over now that Jesse has left.

Konnichiwa

I love japan:) and everything to do with it. All of you have been great help, and I'm looking forward to learning more

Wakarimash'ta - i understand

it is so great learning and you are all great teachwers

AG

Stealth Wizard wrote:

Swifty is correct - kuminesai

I could have sworn it was gomenasai...

A couple months back, I had some guests who were Japanese. I said thank you to him (domo) and he laughed at me. Did I use the wrong version? Or is it possible that he was onto the fact that I probably knew six words in Japanese, and was just excited that I could use a couple?

((Domo Arigatogosimashta is the full version))

I started to learn Japanese about 6 years ago because my dad got a work transfer there for a year and a half. But I forgot most of it when I moved to France, so thank you for putting this up!

Here's some of what I remember... (Don't count the spelling...)

Inu : Dog
Neko: Cat
O-Kassan: Mother
O-tosan: Father
Oide: Come here
Arigato: Thank you
Omnisminasai: Goodnight
Hi: Yes
Konichwa: Hello