Lesson 1

The Japanese Alphabet

Members
Want audio on this lesson? Register for our Members Area and
get audio for Hiragana - The Japanese Alphabet. It's FREE!

Main Hiragana - ひらがな

Names in 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 language.
There are absolutely no "tones" in Japanese like in many other asian
Lesson 1 languages and there are only 2 exceptions within the alphabet which
will be explained later. The Japanese alphabet does not contain letters
Lesson 2 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
Lesson 3
Japanese. Japanese also consists of two other character sets - Kanji
(Chinese characters), which we will get into later, and another
Lesson 4 alphabet/character set, Katakana, which is mainly used for foreign
words. Katakana will be covered in Lesson 2. Don't wait to move on
Lesson 5 until you have all Hiragana characters memorized - learn them as you
continue to go through the other lessons.
Lesson 6
There are 5 vowels in Japanese. (a), pronounced "ahh", (i), pronounced
Lesson 7 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"
Lesson 8
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".
Lesson 9

Lesson 10 あ い う え お Combinations
a i u e o
More! か き く け こ きゃ きゅ きょ
ka ki ku ke ko kya kyu kyo

が ぎ ぐ げ ご ぎゃ ぎゅ ぎょ
ga gi gu ge go gya gyu gyo
Software
さ し す せ そ しゃ しゅ しょ
Books sa shi su se so sha shu sho

ざ じ ず ぜ ぞ じゃ じゅ じょ
Culture
For LDS za ji zu ze zo ja ju jo
Missionarie た ち つ て と ちゃ ちゅ ちょ
s ta chi tsu te to cha chu cho
だ ぢ づ で ど にゃ にゅ にょ
Hotels da ji zu de do nya nyu nyo
in Japan
な に ぬ ね の ひゃ ひゅ ひょ
Links na ni nu ne no hya hyu hyo
は ひ ふ へ ほ びゃ びゅ びょ
FAQ ha hi fu he ho bya byu byo
ば び ぶ べ ぼ ぴゃ ぴゅ ぴょ
ba bi bu be bo pya pyu pyo
ぱ ぴ ぷ ぺ ぽ みゃ みゅ みょ
pa pi pu pe po mya myu myo
ま み む め も りゃ りゅ りょ
ma mi mu me mo rya ryu ryo
や ゆ よ
ya yu yo
ら り る れ ろ
ra ri ru re ro
わ を ん
wa wo n/m
Here is a Printable Hiragana Chart (PDF - get Adobe Acrobat
Reader).

Exceptions:
1. The Hiragana は (ha) is pronounced "wa" when it immediately follows
the topic of the sentence. This 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 exceptions exist.
In the classic Japanese language the "h" sound was pronounced like
"w", "h", and "f" all put together. The sound for the "ha", "hi", "fu", "he",
"ho" evolved one way and the particles, which sounded closer to "wa"
and "we", went a different route. They finally ended up taking sounds
slightly different then the hiragana was normally pronounced which
were also sounds already found in the Japanese language so these two
exceptions are often very confusing to outsiders.

Note: You probably noticed in the chart above that there are 2
characters pronounced "zu" and 2 characters pronounced "ji". The
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.

Some people wonder why "yi", "ye", "wi", "wu", and "we" are missing.
There aren't characters for "yi", "ye", or "wu". There is a ゐ (wi) and a ゑ
(we) but these were deemed obsolete in 1946 and were replaced by い
(i) and え (e) respectively.

Lesson 2

The Other Japanese Alphabet

Members
Want audio on this lesson? Register for our Members Area and
get audio for Katakana - The Other Japanese Alphabet. It's FREE!

Main Katakana - カタカナ

Names in As mentioned in Lesson 1, Katakana (as seen in the chart below) is
Japanese 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
Lesson 1 (kompyu-ta- = computer). Katakana is the least frequently used of the
three character sets in Japanese. The Japanese language does not
Lesson 2 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
Lesson 3 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. Don't worry too much
Lesson 4 about Katakana (beyond maybe learning your name) for now.

Lesson 5 There are some special Katakana characters that exist only for foreign
names (such as シェ (she) or ティ (ti)). These special characters are
Lesson 6 not in the chart below (which contains only the standard set of Katakana
characters) but can be seen in our Names in Japanese lesson. There
Lesson 7
Lesson 8
are also the characters ヰ (wi) and ヱ (we) which were deemed
obsolete in 1946.
Lesson 9

Lesson 10 ア イ ウ エ オ Combinations
a i u e o
More! カ キ ク ケ コ キャ キュ キョ
ka ki ku ke ko kya kyu kyo

ガ ギ グ ゲ ゴ ギャ ギュ ギョ
ga gi gu ge go gya gyu gyo
Software
サ シ ス セ ソ シャ シュ ショ
Books sa shi su se so sha shu sho
ザ ジ ズ ゼ ゾ ジャ ジュ ジョ
Culture za ji zu ze zo ja ju jo

For LDS タ チ ツ テ ト チャ チュ チョ
ta chi tsu te to cha chu cho
Missionarie
s ダ ヂ ヅ デ ド ニャ ニュ ニョ
da ji zu de do nya nyu nyo
Hotels ヒャ ヒュ ヒョ
ナ ニ ヌ ネ ノ
in Japan na ni nu ne no hya hyu hyo

Links ハ ヒ フ ヘ ホ ビャ ビュ ビョ
ha hi fu he ho bya byu byo
FAQ バ ビ ブ ベ ボ ピャ ピュ ピョ
ba bi bu be bo pya pyu pyo

パ ピ プ ペ ポ ミャ ミュ ミョ
pa pi pu pe po mya myu myo

マ ミ ム メ モ リャ リュ リョ
ma mi mu me mo rya ryu ryo
ヤ ユ ヨ
ya yu yo
ラ リ ル レ ロ
ra ri ru re ro
ワ ヲ ン
wa wo n/m
Here is a Printable Katakana Chart (PDF - get Adobe Acrobat
Reader).
 Lesson 3

Basic Vocabulary and Phrases

Members
Want audio on this lesson? Register for our Members Area and
get audio for this and other lessons. It's FREE! There are also
additional lessons on Japanese vocabulary (a Family Vocab list,
School Vocab list, etc.) as well as more lessons covering the most
Main useful/common Japanese phrases.

Names in
Japanese Vocabulary - 単語
Lesson 1 Now that you've at least started learning the Japanese alphabets, let's
learn some basic vocabulary words and simple Japanese phrases. I will
Lesson 2 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
Lesson 3
Kanji if that word is typically written that way.
Lesson 4 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
Lesson 5 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
Lesson 6 form, however).

Lesson 7 ひらがな - Romaji English

漢字 - Kanji
Hiragana (English Letters) Meaning
Lesson 8 I
(formal for
私 わたし Watashi
Lesson 9 males, normal
for females)
Lesson 10 I
僕 ぼく Boku (normal for
More! males)
彼 かれ kare He
彼女 かのじょ kanojo She
you
Software あなた あなた anata (singular/norm
al)
Books これ これ kore this (noun)
ここ ここ koko Here
Culture
For LDS this
この この kono (descriptive -
Missionarie ex. this pen)
s
それ それ sore that (noun)
Hotels そこ そこ soko There
in Japan that
その その sono (descriptive -
ex. that pen)
Links
人 ひと hito person
FAQ 犬 いぬ inu Dog
猫 ねこ neko Cat
家 いえ ie house
Thank you.
ありがとう ありがとう arigatou
(normal)
ありがとう ありがとう arigatou Thank you.
ございます ございます gozaimasu (formal)
You're
どういたしまして どういたしまして douitashimashite welcome.
(normal)
ohayou
Good morning.
おはよう おはよう (sounds like
(informal)
"Ohio")
Good morning.
おはようございま おはようございま ohayou
す す (normal and
gozaimasu
formal)
こんにちは こんにちは konnichiwa Hello. (normal)
Good evening.
こんばんは こんばんは konbanwa
(normal)
Goodbye.
さよなら さよなら sayonara
(normal)
gambatte kudasai
がんばってくださ (can also be
頑張ってください い Hang in there
written "ganbatte
kudasai")
ki o tsukete
kudasai
気をつけてくださ きをつけてくださ Be careful,
い い (can also be
Take care
written "ki wo
tsukete kudasai")

Lesson 4
 Basic Japanese Grammar

Members
There are many more lessons on learning Japanese grammar
available in ourMembers Area. Register here - It's FREE! You can
even chat with a REAL Japanese language instructor and get help
with these lessons.
Main

Names in Basic Japanese Grammar - 文法

Japanese
Japanese grammar is quite simple and straight forward but very
Lesson 1 different from English grammar so most English speakers find it rather
confusing. For instance, in Japanese the verb always comes at the end.
The best thing you can do when learning Japanese is to learn it from
Lesson 2
the bottom up and not compare it to English grammar.
Lesson 3 The Japanese language uses what we will refer to as particles to mark
the various parts of the sentence. The main particles are: (These
Lesson 4 particles will be described in more detail below)

Lesson 5 wa
(as mentioned in Lesson 1, the
Lesson 6 は Hiragana "ha" is pronounced "wa" topic marker
when it immediately follows the
Lesson 7 topic)
が ga subject marker
Lesson 8 wo direct object
を
(pronounced "o") marker
Lesson 9 direction marker,
time marker,
に ni
Lesson 10 indirect object
marker
More! e
(as mentioned in Lesson 1, the
へ Hiragana "he" is pronounced "e" direction marker
when it immediately follows a
Software place or direction)
The particles "wa" ( は ) and "ga" ( が ): The particle "wa" marks the
Books 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
Culture topic while "you" would be the subject.

For LDS
Missionarie
Not all Japanese sentences have both a topic and subject and, in many
s 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
Hotels am talking I am the one that knows where you live). Many Japanese
in Japan 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
Links worry too much about keeping them straight at first - it will come with
time.
FAQ
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.

Lesson 5

Numbers, Time, Dates, etc.

Members
Numbers, Time, and Days of the
Main Week
Names in Before we get too much further into Japanese grammar and verb
Japanese conjugation, I thought it would be a good idea to teach Japanese
numbers, time, days of the week, etc.
Lesson 1
漢字 - ひらがな - Romaji English
Lesson 2 Kanji Hiragana (English Letters) Meaning
一 いち ichi one
Lesson 3 二 に ni two
三 さん san three
Lesson 4
四 し、 よん shi (yon after 10) four
Lesson 5 五 ご go five
六 ろく roku six
Lesson 6 shichi (nana after
七 しち、 なな seven
10)
Lesson 7 八 はち hachi eight
九 きゅう kyuu nine
Lesson 8 十 じゅう juu ten
百 ひゃく hyaku hundred
Lesson 9
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
Lesson 10 - juusan, 14 - juuyon, etc. 20 is simply 二 十 ( に じ ゅ う , nijuu), 21 -
nijuuichi, and so forth.
More!
Put these numbers in front of the character for time 時 and you've got
the time of the day.

Software Romaji
漢字 - ひらがな -
(English English Meaning
Kanji Hiragana
Books Letters)
一時 いちじ ichiji one o'clock
Culture 二時 にじ niji two o'clock
two thirty (半 means
For LDS 二時半 にじはん nijihan
half)
Missionarie
二時四十五 にじよんじゅうご 2:45 (分 means
s 分 ふん nijiyonjuugofun
minute)
...etc.
Hotels
Now just put the character for moon 月 after a number and you've got a
in Japan month.

Links
Romaji
漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana English Meaning
(English Letters)
FAQ
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.
Japanese days of the week don't follow such an easy pattern but here
they are anyway along with some other time-related words.

Romaji
漢字 - ひらがな -
(English English Meaning
Kanji Hiragana
Letters)
Sunday (日 -
日曜日 にちようび nichiyoubi
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)
Wednesday (水 -
水曜日 すいようび suiyoubi
water)
Thursday (木 -
木曜日 もくようび mokuyoubi
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
the day before
一昨日 おととい ototoi
yesterday
the day after
tomorrow (a small
明後日 あさって asatte
"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

Lesson 6

Verb Conjugation
Members
Godan Verbs - 五段動詞
Now, before you can start making up sentences of your own, you need
Main to learn how to conjugate Japanese verbs. Verbs are the most
important part of the Japanese sentence. Often times Japanese people
Names in will leave out everything but the verb.
Japanese
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
Lesson 1
verbs in the Japanese language and they each follow a pattern that is
very simple and very rarely has any exceptions. Most Japanese verbs
Lesson 2 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
Lesson 3 changes that follow the order of the Japanese vowels (i.e. the
characters for that section of the hiragana chart), hence the name
Lesson 4 Godan (meaning 5 levels or steps), and then the "te" and "ta" forms that
are common to all verbs. The chart below shows how to conjugate
Lesson 5 Japanese Godan verbs:

Lesson 6 漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana

Romaji
Verb Base
(English Letters)
Lesson 7 話す はなす hanasu (to speak)
話さ はなさ hanasa Base 1
Lesson 8 話し はなし hanashi Base 2
話す はなす hanasu Base 3
Lesson 9
話せ はなせ hanase Base 4
Lesson 10 話そう はなそう hanasou Base 5
話して はなして hanashite Base "te"
More! 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.
Software au (Base 1) -> awa)
(Plain form is what people use when talking to a friend. It would not be
Books proper to use in a business environment. We will go over the polite form
in lesson 8.)
Culture 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.
For LDS
Missionarie Base 3: Base 3 is the main form (the one that would be found in the
s dictionary) and is also the plain form present/future tense.

Hotels 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
in Japan
command form but it is extremely rude and I recommend not using it at
all.
Links
FAQ
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. Click here for the answers.

Romaji
漢字 - ひらがな -
(English English Meaning
Kanji Hiragana
Letters)
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
to go
(Remember the
行く いく iku
exception for Bases
"te"and "ta")

Lesson 7

Verb Conjugation Continued

Members
Ichidan Verbs - 一段動詞
The second group of Japanese verbs are called Ichidan (一段) verbs. It
Main is usually an Ichidan verb if it ends with the sound "iru" or "eru". Some
well used Japanese verbs which appear to be Ichidan but are really
Names in Godan are listed here. Ichidan verbs also follow a simple conjugation
Japanese pattern that is somewhat similar to that of the Godan verbs. Below is a
verb conjugation chart for Japanese Ichidan verbs:
Lesson 1
Romaji
漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Verb Base
Lesson 2 (English Letters)
食べる たべる taberu (to eat)
Lesson 3 食べ たべ tabe Base 1
食べ たべ tabe Base 2
Lesson 4
食べる たべる taberu Base 3
食べれ たべれ tabere Base 4
Lesson 5
食べよう たべよう tabeyou Base 5
Lesson 6 食べて たべて tabete Base "te"
食べた たべた tabeta Base "ta"
Lesson 7 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.
Lesson 8 tabenai - I will not eat.) and this base, or root form, is also used for the
 formal form of the verb.
Lesson 9
Base 3: Base 3 is the same as with Godan verbs.
Lesson 10
Base 4: Base 4, however, can not be used by itself like with Godan
More! 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).

Software Base 5: Base 5 is the same as with Godan verbs.

Base "te" and Base "ta": The Base "te" and "ta" forms for Ichidan
Books 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
Culture same functions as with Godan verbs.

For LDS Here are some Ichidan verbs. Try conjugating them on a piece of paper
Missionarie using what you have just learned. Click here for the answers.
s
Romaji
Hotels 漢字 - ひらがな -
(English English Meaning
Kanji Hiragana
in Japan Letters)
to exist (animate), to
いる いる iru
Links be somewhere
見る みる miru to see
FAQ 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).

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

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

Lesson 8

Using the Verb Bases

Members
Using Verb Bases
Now that you know about 30 Japanese verbs and can conjugate them,
Main I'll show you what you can do with those verb bases. You may want to
regularly refer to Lesson 6 andLesson 7 while learning these. The
Names in following chart applies to all Japanese verbs unless otherwise noted.
Japanese
ひらがな - Romaji English Meaning
 Lesson 1
(English
Hiragana
Letters)
Lesson 2
Base 1 + ない Base 1 + nai plain form negative (will not verb)
Lesson 3 Base 1 + な Base 1 +
plain form past negative (did not verb)
かった nakatta
Lesson 4 Base 2 + ます Base 2 + masu polite form present/future tense
Base 2 + まし Base 2 +
polite form past tense
Lesson 5 た mashita
Base 2 + ませ Base 2 +
polite form negative (will not verb)
Lesson 6 ん masen
Base 2 + ませ Base 2 +
polite form past negative (did not verb)
Lesson 7 んでした masen deshita
want to verb (add です (desu) to make
Base 2 + たい Base 2 + tai
Lesson 8 it polite)
Base 3 Base 3 plain form present/future tense
Lesson 9 Base 4 + ば Base 4 + ba if verb
plain form can verb (Godan verbs
Lesson 10 Base 4 + る Base 4 + ru only)
(verb now becomes an Ichidan verb)
More! polite form can verb (can be changed
Base 4 + ます Base 4 + masu
like above)
try to verb
Base 5 + とす Base 5 + to
(this suru is the same verb learned in
Software る suru
lesson 7 (to do something))
want someone else to verb
Books Base "te" + 欲 Base "te" +
(hoshii is an adjective which will be
しい hoshii
covered in the next lesson)
Culture Base "te" Base "te" plain form command
Base "te" + 下 Base "te" +
For LDS polite form command
さい kudasai
Missionarie
plain form presently verbing
s Base "te" + い Base "te" + iru (this iru is the same verb learned in
る
lesson 7 (to exist (animate))
Hotels Base "te" + polite form presently verbing (can be
Base "te" + い
in Japan ます imasu changed like above)
Base "ta" Base "ta" plain form past tense
Links
if and when I verb (similar to Base 4 +
Base "ta" + ら Base "ta" + ra
ba)
FAQ
do such things as...
Base "ta" + り Base "ta" + ri
(this suru is also the same verb
する suru
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:

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

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

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

Lesson 10

Meeting Someone New and

Other Common Japanese Phrases

Members
Meeting Someone New
We are often asked by our students learning Japanese how to introduce
Main yourself to a Japanese person. This interaction is normally very formal and
filled with a few bows. Below is a typical Japanese conversation/introduction
Names in between two people meeting for the first time:
Japanese
Japanese
English Meaning
Lesson 1 (In Kanji, Hiragana, and Romaji)
こんにちは。始めまして。
Lesson 2 Person 1: こんにちは。はじめまして。 Hello. Nice to meet you.
Konnichi wa. Hajimemashite.
Lesson 3 始めまして。お元気ですか。
Nice to meet you.
Person 2: はじめまして。おげんきですか。
How are you?
Lesson 4 Hajimemashite. O-genki desu ka?
はい、元気です。
Lesson 5 Person 1: はい、げんきです。 I am fine.
Hai, genki desu.
Lesson 6 私は______と申します。あなたのお名
前は？
Lesson 7 わたしは______ともうします。あなた My name is ______.
Person 1:
のおなまえは？ What is your name?
Watashi wa ______ to moushimasu.
Lesson 8
Anata no o-namae wa?
Lesson 9 Person 2: 私は______と言います。宜しくお願い My name is ______.
します。 Pleased to make your
Lesson 10
わたしは______といいます。よろしく
おねがいします。
More! Watashi wa ______ to iimasu. acquaintance.
Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu.
宜しくお願いします。
Pleased to make your
Person 1: よろしくおねがいします。
Software acquaintance.
Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu.
Explanation: "Hajimemashite" literally means "it is a beginning" but would be
Books the equivalent of "Nice to meet you" in English. It would only be used the first
time meeting someone. As learned in Lesson 9, "genki" means "in good
Culture 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
For LDS 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
Missionaries
_____". "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
Hotels when talking about yourself. "Yoroshii" means "good/fine" and "negai" is a
in Japan 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
Links in other situations as well - such as when asking for a favor.

FAQ
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" is Japanese for "like" and "daisuki" means "favorite". This may
seem strange but this is just what they say for "I love you".

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