Quinn's guide to learning Japanese

Long time away..

2008-09-01T21:29:00.003+12:00

Sorry everyone, I've been preparing for my move to Australia so I have been really busy lately. But hopefully now things will get back up and running.

Gomenasai - ごめんなさい - I'm sorry
Hisashiburi desu ne - ひさしぶりですね - It's been a long time, hasn't it.

Hirashiburi - ひさしぶり, means "it's been a long time" and can be used in many situations. For example if you meet a friend you have not seen in a long time, or happen to be eating a meal you haven't tried in a long time you can use the phrase "Hirashiburi -ひさしぶり"

Using "ne" at the end of a sentence will make it like the end of an English sentence when using "don't you think" or "isn't it".

Examples:

Sugoi desu ne - すごいですね - Amazing, Isn't it.
Kawaii desu ne - かわいいですね - Cute, don't you think.

Great to be back, hope you'll come and read again soon!

Where is..

2008-08-04T22:52:00.001+12:00

Last thing we want is people not being able to find the bathroom! This section will teach you to ask where the (object/location/person) is.

Where is the teacher?
Sensei wa doko desu ka?
せんせいはどこですか。

As you can see, Sensei means teachers. The word doko literally means 'where'. You may have also noticed, we use 'desu ka' rather then 'desu'. Using 'desu ka' will make what you are saying a question.

Again you can use parts of the previous posts to add to this sentence. For example using 'my', watashi no.

Where is my teacher?
Watashi no sensei wa doko desu ka?
わたしのせんせいはどこですか。

You should now easily be able to ask where anything is by exchanging the word 'sensei' from the previous sentence for the (object/location/person) your looking for.
For example:

(object/location/person) wa doko desu ka?
(object/location/person) はどこですか。

Where is Warren?
Warren san wa doko desu ka?
ウォーレンさんはどこですか。

Note that when you say someones name you will place 'san' on the end. This is like Mr, Miss and a basic sign of respect. Though you never add 'san' to the end of your own name. So for me, I would say: Joshu san, Maku san, Meri san, Kuin(no 'san' as it is my own name).

Where is the phone?
Denwa wa doko desu ka?
でんわはどこですか。
(Denwa meaning 'phone')

Things you may want to find:

Phone - Denwa - でんわ
Toilet - Toire - トイレ
Bus - Basu - バス
Train station - Eki - えき
Bank - Ginko - ぎんこう
TV Remote - Terebi no Rimokon - テレビのリモコン

Take time to slowly learn the new words and try asking where they are. Remember you can also add 'watashi no' at the start to ask where 'my' (object) is.

Enjoy!

Basic introduction...

2008-08-02T23:12:00.000+12:00

These basic phrases will help you out when you meet someone new.

Words needed:
わたし - watashi - I (as in yourself)
の - no - (belongs to) for example 'watashi no - ' changes 'I' to 'my'
なまえ - namae - name

My name is (Quinn)
Watashi no namae wa （Quinn) desu.
わたしのなまえは(クイン)です.

Please note the 'wa' is spelled using the Hiragana character は not わ

You can also use words introduced in some of the previous posts.
For Example:

How do you do?
My name is Quinn.
Nice to meet you.

Hajimemashite.
Watashi no namae wa (Quinn) desu.
Doozoyoroshiku.

はじめまして.
わたしのなまえは(クイン)です.
どうぞよろしく.

Note: when using desu on the end of a sentance, the 'u' on the end of 'desu' is silent.

Basic words to start with...

2008-08-02T22:58:00.000+12:00

Try reading the Hirigana using the chart from the first post. If you find this difficult I have used 'romaji' (english spelling of word pronunciation) for you to use while you learn the Hirigana chart.

おはよう - Ohayoo - Good morning
おはようございます - Ohayoo gozaimasu - Good morning (polite)
こんにちは - Konnichiwa - Good afternoon
こんばんは - Konbanwa - Good evening
さようなら - Sayoonara - Good bye
おやすみなさい - Oyasuminasai - Good night

ありがとう - Arigatoo - Thank you
ありがとうございます - Arigatoo gozaimasu - Thank you (polite)
すみません - Sumimasen - Excuse me, I'm sorry

はい - Hai - Yes
いいえ - Iie - No, Not at all

はじめまして - Hajimemashite - How do you do? (when first meeting)
どうぞよろしく - Doozo yoroshiku - Nice to meet you

Note: when pronouncing words such as gozaimasu, the 'u' on the end of 'masu' is silent.

Japanese Vowels

2008-08-02T14:45:00.003+12:00

A - like 'a' in 'father'
I - like 'ee' in knee'
U - like 'u' in the 'tube'
E - like 'e' in 'pet'
O - like 'o' in 'octopus'

To listen to the pronunciation I recommend listening to this LINK
While some explanations are a bit odd the womens pronunciation is correct.

Vowels together:

AI - like 'y' in 'my'
UU- like the 'oo' in 'food'

Japanese writing systems:

While the pronunciation stays the same, Japanese use 3 types of characters when writing. These being Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji.

Hiragana:
Is used for native japanese words ie words that japanese already use in their native language.
example: cat - ねこ (neko)

Katakana:
Is used for foreign words, words that are introduced from outside Japan.
example: television - テレビ (terebi)

Kanji:
Is the writing system that uses Chinese characters. While the kanji can looks the same it is generally pronounced differently in Japanese.
example: cat - 猫 (neko)

Hiragana table: (click to view larger)

Katakana table: (click to view larger)