Basic Japanese Phrases With

Basic Japanese Phrases with 'Kudasai'             

Mite kudasai --- Look please. Kaite kudasai ---Write please. Yonde kudasai --- Read please. Shizukani shite kudasai --- Be quiet please. Suwatte kudasai --- Sit down please. Tatte kudasai --- Stand up please. Narande kudasai --- Line up please. Itte kudasai --- Speak please. Yamete kudasai --- Please stop doing that. Hon o akete kudasai --- open your books. 16 peji o akete kudasai --- Turn to page 16. Tsugi no peji o akete kudasai --- Turn to the next page. Kite kudasai --- Come here please.

Tip For Surviving in the Classroom...

Note: to avoid sounding robotic you can change all of these basic Japanese phrases from ending in "kudasai" to ending in "ne." So, you can say "kaite ne" to mean something like "won't you write (it)?" It's softer or more gentle than the direct request with "kudasai." More on using "ne" here. Can You Make it Simpler?...

We can try. You can also just completely drop "kudasai" and use the conjunctive form of the verb. More here. So you would be saying simply "kite" to mean "come here." Again without "kudasai," it's gentler.

Here are some more phrases based on the above. These will help you in drilling language targets, doing games etc. "Kudasai" is in parenthesis meaning it can be left off. If you choose to include it, understand that you're making a direct request.      

Mo ikkai ---- Once more. Mo ikkai itte ne --- Won’t you say it once more? Hayaku itte (kudasai) --- Say it fast. Motto hayaku itte (kudasai) --- Say it even faster. kono kado o mite (kudasai) --- Look at the card Hayaku go kai itte (kudasai) --- Say it 5 times fast.

Basic Japanese Phrases With 'Masho' "Masho" parallels "let's" in English. So as you might have guessed it's a very popular pattern and can used in countless basic Japanese phrases. Avoiding confrontation is big in Japan - but I digress...   

X o utai masho --- Let's sing X. (Whatever X is). Hon o akemasho --- Let's open (our) books. Tachimasho --- Let's stand up.

   

Gemu o shimasho --- Let's play a game. Utai masho --- Let's sing. Odori masho --- Let's dance. Fukusyu shimasho --- Let's review.

Basic Japanese Phrases and Playing Games       

Dono gemu ga shitai? --- What game do you want to play? (Direct style). 3 retsu ni natte (kudasai) --- Let's make 3 rows. Sensei no mane o shite (kudasai) --- Do as the teacher does. Maru ni natte suwatte (kudasai) --- Sit in a circle. Senshu no fukusyu o shimasyo --- Let's review last weeks lesson. Te o tsunaide utaimasyo --- Join hands and let's sing. (Tonari no hito to) te o tsunaide --- Join hands with the person next to you.

Basic Japanese Phrases To Use With Giving Tests        

Kyo tesuto o shimasu --- Today we have a test. Tesuto no mae ni fukushu o shimasu --- Let's review before the test. Atteru kotae ni maru o kaite (kudasai) --- Circle the correct answer. Hatsuon shita oto ni sen o hiite --- Draw a line to the sound I say. Hatsuon shita oto ni maru o kaite (kudasai) --- Circle the sound I say. Hon o katazukete (kudasai) --- Please put your books away. Tepu o kiite (kudasai) --- Please listen to the tape. Tepu o kikitotte kaite (kudasai) --- Write down what you hear on the tape.

panese English Ohayo gozaimasu Good morning Konichiwa Good afternoon Konbanwa Good evening Shitsurei shimasu I'm sorry (for doing that.) Sayonara Good bye Onegai shimasu Please (when you are asking for something.) Ostukaresama deshita You must be tired (from what you did.) Arigatou gozaimasu Thank you Sayonara Good bye Moshiwake nai Forgive me Sumimasen Thank you (for going to all that trouble.) Shitsurei shimasu Excuse me for leaving early

Doitashimashita Don't mention it Doozo Please (when you offer something.) Yoroshiku (I hope things go smoothly between us.)

Try to Translate the Following: How do you say the following in Japanese... 1. Please (when offering something.) 2. Forgive me 3. Excuse me 4. Good morning 5. Good bye 6. You must be tired. 7. Thank you (for going to all that trouble.) 8. Good afternoon 9. Thank you 10. Good evening

ndex Lesson1 Study Tips

Watashi wa gakusei desu

I am a student.

Kanojo wa sensei desu

She is a teacher.

Kare wa sensei desu

He is a doctor.

Sore wa keisanki desu

It is a calculator.

Karera wa tomodachi desu

They are friends.

Sore wa chaiiro desu

It's brown.

Lesson 2 Greetings Lesson 3 I am a student Lesson 4 It's Difficult Lesson 5 This & That

Things to Note About Plurals:

In Japanese you don't find particles like a, an, the. And plural uses of nouns aren't nearly as commonly used as in English. The Particle "Wa" "wa" is used to talk about something within limits. So in the sentence "Watashi wa gakusei desu" the person is saying that I (at least) am a student. (And there are others who are students too). So "wa" is best understood as "at least" or "as for me..." Regarding the use of 'wa' you're not necessarily talking about anything outside your range of knowledge. Resist the temptation to simply use 'wa' as a subject or topic marker. "Wa" is also pronounced with the noun that comes before it so you shouldn't pause between "watashi" and "wa". Another Example... Watashi wa nihonjin desu

(As for me) I am Japanese.

The Sentence Finalizer "desu" "Desu" is often translated as the b-verb is, am or are. But "desu" really doesn't have any meaning by itself. It is simply attached to nouns to create a sense of politeness or distance in speech. Japanese will use 'desu' with their superiors or people they don't know. "Good friends" or a husband and wife wouldn't use "desu" when speaking to each other because of the closeness of their relationship. When pronouncing "desu" the "u" is silent so it sounds like "des".

Question Forms With "desu ka" In English, we must change word order to make a question:"You are a boy" becomes a question by changing order of "you"and "are" i.e. Are you a boy?

Japanese is much simpler, to form a question, simply put "ka" after desu. So in other words "ka" is a verbal question mark. By simply adding "ka", without changing word order, we're able to make a question. Now that's convenience with a capital C !

Compare: Sore wa neko desu

To:

It's a cat.

Sore wa neko desu ka

Is it a cat?

Sore wa jogi desu ka

Is it a ruler?

Just like "wa" which follows "watashi" without pause, "ka" follows "desu" without pause. Vocabulary Pumper - Colors

aka

midori

murasaki

kiiro

ao

kuro

shiro

haiiro

orenji

chaiiro

Kono, Kore

This (right here near you)

Sono, Sore

That (over there) further from you

Ano, Are

That (way over there)

Dono, Dore

Which (of 3 or more objects)

If you look at the noun chart above, you’ll notice something strange. Both ‘kono’ and ‘kore’ have the same meaning in English. So if „kono‟ means „this‟ and „kore‟ means this, what is the difference in their uses? Good question! The confusion comes from the fact that in English, the same word ‘this’ is being used in 2 grammatically different sentences. i.e.‘This is a student’ and ‘This student is pretty’. So a quick and dirty answer is: „kono‟, „sono‟, „ano‟ and „dono‟ are called pre-nominals and connect directly to a noun without any particles between the two. In the first box below with blue text, notice that ‘kono’ is followed by ‘shougakkusei’ directly. This isn’t so with ‘kore’ which we will look at next. Take a Look at These Examples… kono shougakkusei

This grade school student...

kono koukousei

This high school student...

sono daigakkusei

That college student...

sono seito

That student...

ano chugakkousei

That junior high school student...

ano koukangakusei

That exchange student...

dono pasokon

which computer (of 3 or more)

dono kyoushitsu

which classroom (of 3 or more)

Other Meanings of Kono, Sono, Ano & Dono Kono means this thing very near you. Sono means that thing somewhat near you or something just mentioned or know about. Ano means that thing way over there or something we both know about. Dono means which thing of 3 or more. Sono eiga (desu ka)

(You mean)that movie (you mentioned before)?

Ano kaigi (desu ka)

(You mean) that conference (that we both know of)?

Sono hito (desu ka)

(You mean)that person (we both know or have met)?

Using Kono, Sono, Ano & Dono in a Sentence Here is the sentence order and English equivalents. Note that both Japanese nouns and adjectives can follow the ‘kono’ & noun combinations. Kono shougakkusei (wa) Mary (desu)

This grade school student is Mary.

Kono eiga (wa) tsumaranai (desu)

This movie is boring.

Sono zasshi (wa) aka (desu)

That magazine is red.

Sono mondai (wa) hiroi (desu)

That problem is terrible.

Ano kettei (wa) fukouhei (desu)

That decision is unfair.

Ano sensei (wa) jozu (desu)

That teacher is good/skillful.

Dono ko ga suki desu ka

Which girl do you like?

Dono ensou wa omoshiroi desu ka

Which performance is interesting?

Now Contrast This to Using ‘Kore’,’Sore’,’Are’ and ‘Dore’... Unlike ‘kono’ and family, ‘kore’ are not pre-nominals and so are often (not always)followed by the particles ‘wa’ and ‘ga’. More on the particle ‘wa’ here. Because they don‟t connect directly but stand as the “subject” of the sentence, you can‟t say „sore hito desu ka‟ to mean ‘That person?’ You would say 'sono hito' to mean 'that person?' or 'that person we were just speaking of?' Take a Look at These Examples…

Kore (wa) heya (desu)

This is a room.

Kore (wa) shinbun (desu)

This is a newspaper.

Sore (wa) eki (desu ka)

Is that the train station?

Sore (wa) noriba (desu ka)

Is that the bus stop?

Are (wa) daigaku (desu)

That (over there) is a college.

Are (wa) youchien (desu ka)

Is that (over there) a kindergarten?

And Finally Dore There is one rule to remember with using it. „Dore‟ is followed by the particle „ga‟ What’s ‘ga’? Glad you asked. Unlike, ‘wa’ which establishes a loose connection with the subject, ‘ga’ establishes a very tight and exhaustive connection with the subject of the sentence. So you shouldn’t say ‘Dore wa suki desu ka’ to mean ‘which of these 3 things do you like? Instead, use ‘ga’ in place of ‘wa. Dore ga suki desu ka

Which (of 3 or more) do you like?

Dore ga dame desu ka

Which (of 3 or more) is broken or no good.

Dore ga oishii desu ka

Which (of 3 or more) is delicious.

Dore ga chugakkou desu ka

Which (of 3 or more buildings) is the junior high school?

Dore ga koukou desu ka

Which (of 3 or more buildings) is the senior high school?

Let's Try to Translate the Following 1. This movie is boring. 2. This is a boring movie. 3. Is that (way over there) the bus stop? 4. This grade school student is Kumiko. 5. Which magazine (of 3 or more) is interesting? 6. Which performance (of 3 or more) is interesting? 7. That college (slightly removed from you) is new. 8. Is that (slightly removed from us) the train station? 9. That (way over there) is a junior high school. 10. This room is hot. 11. Which computer (of 3) is broken? 12. That exchange student (which we were just speaking about) is smart/clever. 13. Should you use ‘kore’ when talking about somethingthat is far from you? 14. Is it ok to connect ‘kono’ to a noun? i.e. ‘kono kippu’… 15. Is it ok to say ‘dore wa oishii desu ka’?