Japanese Cheat Sheet Layout: 8.5x11” --- Romanization: Hepburn --- Last Updated: September 30, 2009 --- Originally downloaded for free from: http://nihonshock.com Informal Verb Forms (×) = cannot be made into a noun with koto/no
Polite Verb Forms Present/Future Tense Progressive (be …ing) Past Tense Negative Present/Future Negative Past Command
~I + masu ~TE + imasu ~I + mashita ~I + masen ~I + masen deshita ~TE + kudasai
Present/Future Tense Progressive (be …ing) Past Tense Negative Present/Future Negative Past (×) Command
Negative Command
~A + naide kudasai
(×) Negative Command
Potential Form (able to…)
~E + masu (!) suru → dekimasu ~I + tai desu ~I + takunai desu ~I + mashou (U-Verb) ~A + semasu (RU-Verb) ~A + sasemasu (!) suru → sasemasu (!) kuru → korasemasu
Potential Form (able to…)
(U-Verb) ~A + remasu (RU-Verb) ~A + raremasu
Passive (be verbed)
Want to… Don’t want to… Let’s… Causative (let / make)
Passive (be verbed)
Neutral Verb Forms (►) = form does not grammatically end a sentence
~U ~TE + iru ~TA ~A + nai ~A + nakatta ~TE ~I + nasai (!) Very Direct ~A + naide ~U + na (!) Can Be Rude ~E + ru (!) suru → dekiru ~I + tai ~I + takunai¹ (see footer) ~OU (U-Verb) ~A + seru (RU-Verb) ~A + saseru (!) suru → saseru (!) kuru → koraseru
Want to… Don’t want to… (×) Let’s… Causative (let / make)
(►) If…
(►) If not… (►) After… (►) Before… (►) Because… (►) In order to… (►) While… Try to… Must/have to… Must not… To do in advance…
(U-Verb) ~A + reru (RU-Verb) ~A + rareru
(!) suru → saremasu (!) kuru → koraremasu
Compound Verbs VERB1~I + VERB 2
(!) suru → sareru (!) kuru → korareru
Irregular Verbs SURU ~ KURU shi A ko shi I ki suru U kuru sure E kore shiyou OU koyou shite TE kite shita TA kita
~ TE TA
U-Verb TE/TA endings u tsu ru bu mu nu ku gu tte nde ite ide tta nda ita ida
su shite shita
Exceptions: 1. iku (to go) becomes itte and itta 2. If the verb ends in う(u), ~A ending becomes わ (wa).
U-Verbs that look like RU-Verbs: iru (to need²) hairu (to enter) shiru (to know) kiru (to cut) kaeru (to go home) suberu (to slip/slide) keru (to kick)
de aru
Adjectives
(to be) i-Adjectives
Polite Present Past Probable Negative Past Neg. Prob. Neg.
Change i → sa i → ku i → kunai i → katta i → kunakatta i → kereba i → kunakereba i → sugi(ru) i → kute
desu deshita deshou de ha arimasen de ha arimasen deshita de ha nai deshou
Informal Positive Past Probable Negative Past Neg. Prob. Neg.
da datta darou ja nai ja nakatta ja nai darou
na-Adjectives
Meaning noun form adverb form negative past past negative if if not… too… combining form
Change na → sa na → ni
Meaning noun form³ adverb form
Adjectives ending with the hiragana い(i) are i-Adjectives except those that end as ~ei
SO
N
TSU
SHI
ソ
ン
ツ
シ
Compound Sentences VERB1~TE + PHRASE 2
Verbs as nouns (Gerund form) Informal Form + koto or no
Conjugating Verbs Regular Verbs U-Verb ~ RU-Verb hana.sa A tabe hana.shi I tabe hana.su U tabe.ru hana.se E tabe.re hana.sou OU tabe.you TE tabe.te TA tabe.ta
~E + ba ~U + to ~TA + ra ~A + nakereba ~TE + kara ~TA + ra ~U + mae ni ~TA + kara ~TA + node ~U + tame ni ~U + no ni ~I + nagara ~TE + miru (mimasu) ~OU + to suru (shimasu) ~I + nai to ikenai (ikemasen) ~I + nakereba ikenai (ikemasen) ~TE + te ha ikenai (ikemasen) ~TE + oku (okimasu)
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
ア a イ i ウ u エ e オ o
カ ka キ k 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
Hiragana だ な は da na ha ぢ に ひ ji ni hi づ ぬ ふ zu nu fu で ね へ de ne he ど の ほ do no ho Katakana ダ ナ ハ da na ha ヂ ニ ヒ ji ni hi ヅ ヌ フ zu nu fu デ ネ ヘ de ne he ド ノ ホ do no 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 ら わ ya ra wa り ri ゆ る ん yu ru n れ re よ ろ を yo ro wo
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 ラ ワ ya ra wa リ ri ユ ル ン yu ru n レ re ヨ ロ ヲ yo ro wo
JLPT Level 4 (N5) Kanji (103 in all)
一 二 三 四 五 六 ichi
ni
san
shi/yon
go
roku
日 月 火 水 木 金 sun
moon
fire
water
tree
gold
七 shichi/nana
土 ground
口 目 手 足 耳 北
南
mouth
north
south
今 午 時 週 年 行
来
now
eye
noon
学
分
learn
understand
天 空 heaven
sky
hand
hour
leg
ear
week
year
go
come
八 九 十 百 千 万 円 人 子 男 女 hachi
kyuu
juu
hyaku
sen
man
山 mountain
eat
drink
live
meet
up
white
flower
1: Do not use this form to refuse/decline an offer; it’s too direct.
rain
child
man
woman
down
left
right
in
out
big
small
inside
outside
half
東 西 母 父 友 多 少 古 新 前 後 east
west
mother
father
見 聞 言 話 see
stand
川 白 花 雨 魚 river
person
上 下 左 右 入 出 大 小 中 外 半
hear
say
talk
friend
語 language
many
fish
car
電 electricity
street
station
school
few
old
new
front
back
読 書 買 店 高 安 read
休 食 飲 生 会 立 車 道 駅 校 社 rest
Yen
company
write
buy
store
high
cheap
国 毎 間 先 何 country
each
interval
previous
what
気 名 本 長 energy
2: iru (to be/exist) is a RU-Verb
name
book
long 3: Drop sa if followed by a form of de aru.
© Lloyd Vincent, 2009. Redistributing without giving credit is terribad for your karma, don’t do it.
Japanese Cheat Sheet Layout: 8.5x11” --- Romanization: Hepburn --- Last Updated: September 30, 2009 --- Originally downloaded for free from: http://nihonshock.com
Core Particles
Assisting Particles
Used to contrast one thing from another.
WA
は
Indicates the lesser element in a positive comparison.
YORI
Indicates the topic of a sentence. Commonly used when stating a fact about someone or something.
より
Indicates “from”, as in “a letter from Mr. Yamada” Kono akai kamera wa sono kuroi kamera yori yasui desu. This red camera is cheaper than that black camera. Indicates the greater element in a negative comparison.
(!) Although the hiragana ha is used, it is pronounced as wa Kuruma wa watashi ga unten shimashita. As for the car, I drove (it). kono wasabi wa totemo tsuyoi desu. This wasabi is very strong. (= stronger than average wasabi) Tanaka-san wa o-kane o motteimasu. Mr. Tanaka has money. (= he is rich)
Indicates an approximate extent, limit or value. (!) Nuance: used to indicate a neutral or large amount.
HODO
ほど
Sono kuroi kamera wa kono akai kamera hodo yasukunai desu. That black camera isn’t as cheap as this red camera. Nakitai hodo benkyou shimashita. I studied to the extent that I want to cry.
Marks the subject of a verb. (The “doer” of the verb)
GA
が
Marks the objects of some specific non-action verbs. wakaru (to understand), dekiru (to be able)
Can also be pronounced gurai KURAI
Marks the object of an adjectival-verb. hoshii desu (to want), jouzu desu (to be good at), suki desu (to like/love)
を
くらい
Kanji wo juukai gurai kaku to oboeremasu. If you write a kanji about 10 times, you can remember it.
Connects clauses with a meaning of “but” or “despite” Tanaka-san ga o-kane o motteimasu. Mr. Tanaka has the money. (= with him right now) kono bunshou no imi ga wakarimasu. (I) understand the meaning of this sentence.
O
Indicates an approximate extent, limit or value. (!) Nuance: used to indicate a neutral or small amount.
Indicates the direct object of a verb.
Indicates a limit, extent, or amount of something that the speaker thinks is small.
DAKE
Commonly used with dekiru (to be able) to create an “as much as possible” meaning.
だけ
Ichijikan dake matte kudasai. Please wait just one hour.
Used with verbs of motion to show the place the action occurs. (!) The hiragana wo is used. (The “w” sound is only faintly enunciated) Kutsu o kaimashita. (I) bought shoes.
sora o tobu to fly in the sky
Indicates a indirect object. (the thing or person that an action is done for or directed toward).
Means “only” or “to the exclusion of all other things” BAKARI
(!) In spoken Japanese, it is sometimes pronounced bakkari for emphasis, or bakka as a shortened form.
ばかり
Ano kyoushitsu wa onna no ko bakari imasu. That classroom has only girls in it. Indicates a possibility or suggestion.
Indicates direct objects for some specific verbs: naru (to become), au (to meet), noru (to ride)
NI
に
(!) Although demo is often treated as a particle, it is actually the ~TE + mo form of de aru (meaning “even if it is...”)
DEMO
Indicates a destination or location for a verb. Indicates a specific point in time. (Monday / 3pm / 1972) (!) kyou (today), ashita (tomorrow), kinou (yesterday) do not take this particle. Indicates a period of time in which something repeats: ie. (twice) a week
でも
Means “but” or “even so”, at the beginning of a phrase. Turns interrogatives into “some~” words. O-cha demo nomimashou ka? Shall we drink some tea or something?
Replaces na when using na-Adjectives as Adverbs. Kanojo ni hon o agemashita. (I) gave her a book.
Doyoubi ni kouen ni aimashou. Let’s meet at the park on Saturday.
Ichinichi ni ko-hi- o nihai nomimasu. I drink two cups of coffee a day. Creates a complete¹ AND-group of two or more nouns.
TO
と
Marks a complete idea for use with verbs like omou (to think). Connects two phrases showing a natural, predictable relationship. Piza o tabesugiru to futorimasu yo. If you eat too much pizza, you’ll get fat.
Indicates the place or area, or length of time inside of which something occurs.
DE
で
しか
(!) Nuance: implies that the amount is small, insufficient, or unsatisfactory. Sen’en shika motte imasen I only have 1,000 yen. Indicates a time or place of beginning.
KARA
Marks quoted speech. (!) In this usage, to sometimes informally becomes tte
Indicates the tool or means used to perform an action.
Can join phrases meaning “and” or “after” (!) See Page 1 (Neutral Verb Forms): ~U + kara and ~TE + kara
から
Kyou no kaigi wa ichiji kara sanji made desu. Today's meeting is from one o'clock to three o'clock. Indicates a time or place of end.
MADE
When followed by ni, indicates a time something must be done by/before.
まで
Sanji made ni kite kudasai. Please come by three o'clock.
Indicates the material something is made of. Indicates a reason or motive. Nihongo o sankagetsu de oboemashita. (I) learned Japanese in three months.
Kaze de nebou shimashita. Due to a cold, I overslept.
Common Grammar Patterns HAZU Expectation
MO
Used with other particles to add a meaning of “also/too” or “even”. (!) Usage: mo replaces wa and ga completely, but follows all other particles.
も
Turns interrogatives (dare, doko, itsu, etc.) into an “every~/all~” word.
KA
か E
へ YA
や
Itsudemo denwa shite kudasai. Please call me anytime.
Like dake, shika also indicates a limit, extent, or amount of something that is small. However, shika is always used with a negative verb form.
SHIKA
Indicates a person that the action of a sentence is done with.
kanojo to eiga o mi ni ikimashita. (I) went to see a movie with her.
Dekiru dake hayaku kaite kudasai. Please write it as quickly as you can.
Osaka ni mo ikimashita. I also/even went to Osaka.
Kare wa itsumo sou desu yo. He is always that way.
BEKI Appropriateness
WAKE Situation / Fact
TAME Reason
Creates an OR-group. Turns interrogatives (dare, doko, itsu, etc.) into a “some~” word. At the end of a sentence, makes the sentence or phrase into a question. banana ka ringo o kaimashou ka? Shall we buy a banana or an apple?
Dareka tasukete! Somebody save me!
Can be interchanged with the particle ni to show a destination. (!) The hiragana he is used. (The “h” sound is only faintly vocalized) Sengetsu Kyoto e ikimashita. (I) went to Kyoto last month.
TSUMORI Intention
DAKE DE NAKU Not only
NO HOU GA WAKE NI WA IKENAI Must not
~EBA ~U HODO The more the ~er
Tanaka-san ha Sato-san no denwa-bangou o shitteiru hazu desu. Mr. Tanaka should know Mr. Sato’s phone number. Shachou no sasoi dakara iku beki da to omoimasu. It’s an invitation from the CEO, so I think (you) should go. Watashi no tomodachi ga katta wake ja nai kedo ii shoubu deshita. My friend didn’t win, but it was a good match. Iku tame no junbi ga owarimashita ka? Are you finished getting ready to go? Konshuu hiragana to katakana o oboeru tsumori desu. This week (I’m) going to learn hiragana and katakana. Kanojo wa nihongo dake de naku eigo mo hanasemasu. She can speak not only Japanese but English too. Zenkai yori konkai no tesuto no hou ga muzukashikatta desu. The test this time was more difficult than last time. Uso wo tsukeru wake ni wa ikemasen yo. You mustn’t tell lies. Ko-hi- wa nomeba nomu hodo oishiku narimasu. The more you drink coffee, the more delicious it is.
Giving and Receiving
Creates an incomplete¹ AND-group of two or more nouns. Hon ya enpitsu ya keshigomu o kaimashita (I) bought a book, a pencil, an eraser (and some other stuff).
Regular Polite
I give AGERU SASHIAGERU
I receive MORAU ITADAKU
You give to me KURERU KUDASARU
1: With to, you must state all objects of the group, ya only lists some (implying that there are others) © Lloyd Vincent, 2009. Redistributing without giving credit is terribad for your karma, don’t do it.
