VOCABULARY

Hope:　Nozomu:　のぞむ：　望む (hope/wish/aspiration)

Searches:　Sagasu:　さがす：　探す

Fail:　Shippaisuru:　しっぱいする：　失敗する (failure/mistake/blunder)

Fail:　Fugoukaku:　ふごうかく：　不合格 (to fail an examination, disqualification)

Include:　Fukumareru:　ふくまれる：　含まれる (intransitive verb)

Pass:　Watasu:　わたす：　渡す

Pass:　Goukaku:　ごうかく：　合格 (to pass an exam/success)

Believe:　Shinjiru:　しんじる：　信じる

SENTENCES

I believe you.
Watashi wa anata o shinjimasu.
わたし　は　あなた　を　しんじます。
私はあなたを信じます。

Pass me the sugar.
Watashi ni satou o Watase.
わたし　に　さとう　を　わたせ。
私に砂糖を渡せ。

They fail.
Karera wa shippai shimasu.
かれら　は　しっぱい　します。
彼らは失敗します。

The animal searches for water.
Doubutsu wa mizu o sagashimasu.
どうぶつ　は　みず　を　さがします。
動物は水を探します。

Her breakfast and dinner include bread.
Kanojo no choushoku to yuushoku wa pan ga fukumareteiru.
かのじょ　の　ちょうしょく　と　ゆうしょく　は　パン　が　ふくまれている。
彼女の朝食と夕食はパンが含まれている。

GRAMMAR POINT

I hope they come.
Watashi wa karera ga kuru koto o Nozomu.
わたし　は　かれら　が　くる　こと　を　のぞむ。
私は彼らが来ることを望む。

This sentence has TWO verbs at once!

Here’s how it works. So first we start with the subject. The subject here is “I”. In this sentence we’re talking about the subjects hopes. In this case the subject hopes “they come”. Since the subject “I” is hoping, “hope” needs to be our final verb.
I _ hope
Watashi wa __ o Nozomu.
That leaves us with the sentence fragment “they come”. Now if “they come” was a sentence by itself we’d say “kare wa kuru”… but since we already have a main subject and that’s “I” then we need to change “wa” to “ga” making “Kare ga kuru” but we can’t insert it into the middle of our sentence yet because we’ll have “kuru o Nozomu” and that’s weird… we can’t just have a verb sitting in the middle of the sentence.

This is where the particle “koto” comes in. In situations where there are two verbs in one sentence and it’s not a compound sentence (using connectors such as and/but/because/therefore etc.) we need to keep the innermost verb in dictionary form and attach “koto” to the end. So our sentence fragment now looks like:
kare ga kuru koto
which we now insert in the middle of the sentence part that we already figured out, making:
Watashi wa kare ga kuru koto o Nozomu.

Tim Sensei is great for learning koto and other verb things :D I didn’t think I’d find this site again. I lost it in the shuffle over the years.

AlternativelyTae Kim has one too

See you next time!

VOCABULARY

Mark:　Ni shirushi o tsukeru:　に　しるし　を　つける：　に印を付ける。
NOTE: this is sort of a mini phrase all it’s own. We use “に” (ni) to show location “at/to/on”, “しるし” (shirushi) is the noun “mark”, “を” (o) is the particle to show that a verb is happening directly and physically to something, and 付ける means to “attach/join/fasten/glue on/apply/put on” so all together this means “To put a mark on something”

Feel:　Kibun:　きぶん：　気分 (feeling/mood)
NOTE: this seems to be more confined to physically feeling like well or ill.

Feel:　Kimochi:　きもち：　気持ち (feeling/sensation/mood…)
NOTE: Kimochi covers a lot more definitions than Kibun (such as the feelings in the air or more with mood or like “I have a bad feeling about this” sort of thing) but they’re pretty interchangeable otherwise. You can say “Kibun ga warui” or “kimochi ga warui” to say you feel sick, however “kimochi ga warui” can also mean that something is gross.

Feel:　Kanjiru:　かんじる：　感じる　(to feel/sense/experience)
NOTE: this is more used for physically feeling things like pain or other sensations.

Make:　Tsukuru:　つくる：　作る

Show:　Miseru:　みせる：　見せる

Remember:　Oboeru:　おぼえる：　覚える
(this also means “to memorize”/“learn by heart”)

Stop:　Yameru:　やめる：　止める。

Stop:　Tomeru:　とめる：　止める (to stop someone else)

Wish:　Negau:　ねがう：　願う

Feeling good:　Kimochi ii：　きもちい　いい：　気持ちいい

Feeling good:　Kimochiyoi:　きもちよい：　気持ち良い
NOTE: These two are interchangeable. but “ii” is used more often than “yoi” is.

Feeling bad/having a bad feeling:　Kimochiwarui:　きもちわるい：　気持ち悪い

SENTENCES

I remember the menu.
Watashi wa menyu- o oboeteimasu.
わたし　は　メニュー　を　おぼえています。
私はメニューを覚えています。

Of course we use continuous action form to show that you currently, presently, and continuously remember the thing.

We feel fine.
Watashi tachi wa kibun ga ii desu.
わたしたち　は　きぶん　が　いい　です。
私たちは気分がいいです。
(lit: We feel well)

We feel fine.
Watashi tachi wa kimochi ii desu.
わたしたち　は　きもちいい　です。 私たちは気持ちいいです。
(lit: we are feeling good)

We feel fine.
Watashi tachi wa kimochi ga ii desu.
わたしたち　は　きもち　が　いい　です。
私たちは気持ちがいいです。
(lit: Our feelings are good today)

The man makes soup.
Dansei wa su-pu o tsukurimasu.
だんせい　は　スープ　を　つくります。 男性はスープを作ります。

I stop him.
Watashi wa kare o tomemasu.
わたし　は　かれ　を　とめます。
私は彼を止めます。

As you wish.
Osuki ni douzo.
お好きにどうぞ
(lit: as [you] like, by all means)

NOTE: Sorry to say the above sentence doesn’t use “negau”… and on tatoeba I couldn’t find one that used it either. However you WILL recognize this word from お願い “Onegai” which means “please”. :( So unfortunately that vocabulary is sort of a wash. Sorry.

He shows it.
Kare wa sore o miseru.
かれ　は　それ　を　みせる。
彼はそれを見せる。
(as in he shows the thing to other people.)

I mark the shirt.
Watashi wa shatsu ni shirushi o tsukemasu.
わたし　は　しゃつ　に　しるし　を　つけます。
私はシャツに印を付けます。
(lit: I apply a mark to the shirt)

See you next lesson!

VOCABULARY

Needs:　Hitsuyou:　ひつよう：　必要 (noun/na-adjective)

Try:　Tamesu:　ためす：　試す

Try on clothes:　Shichaku:　しちゃく：　試着

Try out:　-te miru:　-てみる：　-て見る (verb conjugation)

Try (make an effort to do):　-you to suru:　-ようとする (verb conjugation)

Includes:　Fukumu:　ふくむ：　含む　(to contain, to comprise of)

Ask:　Kiku:　きく：　聞く
Note: Yes this is also the word for “listen” or “hear”.

Present:　Happyou suru:　はっぴょう　する：　発表する (to announce, publicate, or make known)

Works:　Hataraku:　はたらく：　働く (eg: a job, labor, etc.)

Talk:　Hanasu:　はなす：　話す

SENTENCES

He needs her.
Kare wa kanojo ga hitsuyou desu.
かれ　は　かのじょ　が　ひつよう　です。
彼は彼女が必要です。

I’m going to teach this the same way I taught “like” and “dislike” Since you can’t control the things you need, like you can’t control what you like or dislike, you need to use the particle “ga” instead of “o”.

I realize that’s not the textbook answer. (something about there being no direct object) but if you’re like me and understand this sentence as, in this case, “kanojo” being the object and “needing” happening to that object then the above is a good way to remember.

I ask you.
Watashi wa anata ni kikimasu.
わたし　は　あなた　に　ききます。
私はあなたに聞きます。

So again, this is kind of strange as an English speaker. Having the word for “ask” also be the same for “listen”. We want to use the directional particle に (ni) here to indicate that you are asking “anata”. So this might be literally translated to “I ask at you”, if that helps you wrap your head around it better.

You try on a dress.
Anata wa doresu o shichaku shimasu.
あなた　は　ドレス　を　しちゃく　します。
あなたはドレスを試着します。

note: in this situation only “shichakushimasu” seems applicable, however in the grammar section I’m going to show you how to conjugate verbs to show that you are trying an action! :D

The children talk.
Sono kodomo wa hanashimasu.
その　こども　は　はなします。
その子供は話します。
(lit: those children speak)

She works.
Kanojo wa hataraiteimasu.
かのじょ　は　はたらいています。
彼女は働いています。

In this case I’d use the Continuous verb form (-te imasu) to show that someone is presently doing that thing… even if they’re not necessarily doing it that moment. She has a job and therefore she presently works, even if, say, it’s her day off today.

The meal includes cheese.
Sono shokuji wa chi-zu o fukumimasu.
その　しょくじ　は　チーズ　を　ふくみます。
その食事はチーズを含みます。

I present the menu.
Watashi wa menyu- o happyou shimasu.
わたし　は　メニュー　を　はっぴょう　します。
私はメニューを発表します。
(lit: I announce/make known the menu)

GRAMMAR POINT To try something:

Tae Kim has a great lesson on this so be sure to check it out!!

In Japanese they have two different ways to express this word that we don’t in English. One is “to try something out” and the other is “to make an effort to do something”, paraphrasing Tae Kim’s lesson here.

To express “trying something out” you conjugate your verb to “te” form, and then you add “miru” 「-て見る」You can think of this as seeing if you can do something. Eh? Eh?! :D Nice little mnemonic!

“Making an effort to do something” however requires you to conjugate to “volitional” form, which we haven’t covered before. What “volitional” means is that you’re setting out with the will and intent to do something. Those of you who watch Anime might have actually heard this form often. This form ends in an “ou” you might here it in “Ikou!” or “Let’s go!” or “~mashou” when someone’s planning on leaving or doing something with someone else.

To conjugate this for RU verbs you want to take off the “ru” and add “you”. EG:　Taberu → Tabe → Tabeyou

For U verbs take off the last “u” and replace it with “ou”
EG:　Iku → Ikou

The exceptions of course being “suru” and “kuru” which change to “Shiyou” and “koyou”.

Otherwise conjugate as normal but instead of “-masu” “-masen” “-mashita” or “-masendeshita” add “-mashou”

Again paraphrased from this other lesson from Tae Kim explaining desire and volition

But back to the word try. Conjugate to the shorter volitional form like say “Ikou” and add “to suru” afterwords. This shows that you’re going to be making an attempt to do something.

… this long name thing is going to kill me. x_x

VOCABULARY

Look:　Miru:　みる：　見る

Live:　Sumu:　すむ：　住む　
Note: this is used for living someplace. eg: living in a house, or a country etc. not for living as in physically being alive.

Come:　Kuru:　くる：　来る

Note: Remember this is one of our rule breaker verbs like suru! This one conjugates to “Kimasu” “kimashita” “kimasen” “kimasen deshita” so the “ru” comes off and the “ku” changes to “ki”!! This one is kind of a toughie!

Study:　Benkyou suru:　べんきょうする：　勉強する

Offers:　Teikyou suru:　ていきょう　する：　提供する (offer, sponsor, furnish, supply)

Give:　Kureru:　くれる：　呉れる (often written using kana alone!)

Offer:　Sashidasu:　さしだす：　差し出す (to present/ to submit/ to tender/ to hold out)

SENTENCES

We look at the menu.
Watashitachi wa menyu- o mimasu. わたしたち　は　メニュー　を　みます。
私たちはメニューを見ます。

I live in Germany.
Watashi wa doitsu ni sundeimasu.
わたし　は　どいつ　に　すんでいます。
私はドイツに住んでいます。

Note: Notice we change “sumu” to continuous form to show that you currently and presently live in a place. Also notice that when conjugating a “mu” verb to present continuous or even regular “te” form you must drop the “mu” add an “n” and then use “de imasu” instead of “te imasu”!

I study.
Watashi wa benkyou shimasu.
わたし　は　べんきょう　します。
私は勉強します。

Come with us!
Watashitachi to issho ni kite!
わたしたち　と　いっしょ　に　きて。
私たちと一緒に来て！

Note: when talking about going with someone you should use “to issho ni”. The particle “to” in this case acts like “with” and “issho” means together. From an English speaking perspective that seems a little redundant and strange but give it a little bit and it will become natural to use. Then of course we use our directional particle “ni” followed by our verb.

Since the above sentence is an order, “Come with us!” you want to use “te” form on your verb to turn it into a command.

They give me rice.
Karera wa watashi ni kome o kuremasu.
かれら　は　わたし　に　こめ　を　くれます。
彼らは私に米をくれます。

He offers wine.
Kare wa wain o teikyou shimasu.
かれ　は　ワイン　を　ていきょう　します。
彼はワインを提供します。

I offer him water.
Watashi wa kare ni mizu o sashidasu.
わたし　は　かれ　に　みず　を　さしだす。
私は彼に水を差し出す。

Note: theres a difference between these two forms of “offer” that we don’t seem to have in English. Or we don’t acknowledge in any case. Teikyou 提供 seems to be closer to “supply” like there’s a lot of wine available. Plenty to go around. If you want it come get it. Like a store supplies goods. Or like Netflix supplies TV shows and movies.

Whereas Sashidasu 差し出す is to give, or present someone with a singular item. (or to hold out your hand according to jisho.org.)

That’s it for this lesson. :)

That was a mouthful.

VOCABULARY

Sign:　Shomeisuru:　しょめいする：　署名する (to sign your name)

Sign:　Sain suru:　サインする (to sign your name)

Sign:　Sain o suru:　サインをする (to sign your name)

Open:　Hiraku:　ひらく：　開く
(Shops, heart/feelings, doors, eyes, books etc.)

Open:　Akeru:　あける：　開ける
（Shops, doors, windows, eyes, locks.）

note: Mise o hiraku → A new shop opened Mise o akeru → The day’s sales start. - Distinctions courtesy of Akira0Eigo

Think:　Kangaeru:　かんがえる：　考える (to think about, to take into consideration, to think over, to ponder)

Think:　Omou:　おもう：　思う (to think, consider, believe, suppose)

Change:　Kawaru:　かわる：　変わる　(Intransitive verb: meaning it happened on its own without someone necessarily acting upon it)

Change:　Kaeru:　かえる：　変える (Transitive verb: meaning it was done by someone or something) ((used more in speech))

Change:　Henka suru:　へんか　する：　変化する (used more in writing)

Return:　Kaeru:　かえる：　帰る (to return to a point of origin or where something belongs. To return home.)

Return:　Kaesu:　かえす：　帰す (to send someone back. To send someone home)

Return:　Modoru:　もどる：　戻る (to return to a previous point. eg: school, the bar, etc…. can also be returning an object you picked up back to it’s previous location.)

Return:　Kaesu:　かえす：　返す (to return an object eg: returning a book t a friend)

Note: Watch your kanji on 返す (return an object) and 帰す (send someone back home)! Especially since they’re pronounced the same!! Call:　Yobu:　よぶ：　呼ぶ (to call out to/ to call over/ to summon/ to call a name “eg: call me ____”)

Call:　Ni denwa suru:　に　でんわ　する：　に電話する (to call on the phone)

Call:　Ni denwa o suru:　に　でんわ　を　する：　に電話をする (another way to say “to call on the phone”)

Save:　Tasukeru:　たすける：　助ける (this closer to the word “help”)

Save:　Sukuu:　すくう：　救う (to save from danger)

SENTENCES

They call the doctor.
Karera wa isha o yobu.
かれら　は　いしゃ　を　よぶ。
彼らは医者を呼ぶ。
(lit: To summon the doctor/ to call the doctor over)

They call the doctor.
Karera wa isha ni denwa shimasu.
かれら　は　いしゃ　に　でんわ　します。
彼らは医者に電話します。
(lit: they call the doctor on the phone.)

They call the doctor.
Karera wa isha ni denwa o shimasu.
かれら　は　いしゃ　に　でんわ　を　します。
彼らは医者に電話をします。
(lit: they call the doctor on the phone)

I change.
Watashi wa kawarimasu.
わたし　は　かわります。
私は変わります。
(as in you change unintentionally)

I change.
Watashi wa kaemasu.
わたし　は　かえます。
私は変えます。
(as in you change intentionally)

I change.
Watashi wa henka suru.
わたし　は　へんか　する。
私は変化する。
(lit: I change.)

They open the books.
Karera wa hon o hirakimasu.
かれら　は　ほん　を　ひらきます。
彼らは本を開きます。

We save the animals.
Watashi tachi wa doubutsu o sukuimasu.
わたし　たち　は　どうぶつ　を　すくいます。
私たちは動物を救います。
(lit: we save the animals [from danger])

We save the animals.
Watashi tachi wa doubutsu o tasukemasu.
わたし　たち　は　どうぶつ　を　たすけます。
私たちは動物を助けます。
(lit: we save/help the animals.)

I think about her.
Watashi wa kanojo no koto o kangaemasu.
わたし　は　かのじょ　の　こと　を　かんがえます。
私は彼女のことを考えます。

note: In this case adding the “no koto” is used to clarify the direction of the emotion. So we know without confusion that the “thinking” is happening to “her”. This is easier to illustrate with a sentence like “[I] like her” “kanojo no koto ga suki” because without that “no koto” it can be easily confused as “kanojo” liking something and not you liking her.

I return to France.
Watashi wa Furansu ni kaerimasu.
わたし　は　フランス　に　かえります。
私はフランスに帰ります。

I sign
Watashi wa shomei suru.
わたし　は　しょめい　する。
私は署名する。

I sign
Watashi wa sain suru.
わたし　は　サイン　する
私はサインする。

I sign.
Watashi wa sain o suru.
わたし　は　サイン　を　する
私はサインをする。

These three all mean the same exact thing they’re just different ways to say it.

This lesson was pretty fun with all the different ways to say these sentences and all the different words and meanings. :D

See you next time!

Alright guys! This is it! The last of the adjectives section! :)

VOCABULARY

Convenient：　Benri (-na):　べんり（-な）：　便利（-な）

Opposite：　Hantai (-na/-no):　はんたい（-な/-の）：　反対（-な/-の）

Note: This also means “opposition/resistance/antagonism/hostility/objection/distension” as well as “reverse/opposite/visa-versa/contrast”, the correct definition should be taken from context, much like we do when reading homonyms/homographs. EG: “Bow” (and arrow) vs “Bow” (for your hair) vs “bow” (to bow down to someone)

Afraid：　Kowagaru:　こわがる：　怖がる (verb)

Sad:　Kanashii:　かなしい：　悲しい

Frequent：　Hinpan (-na):　ひんぱん（-な）：　頻繁（-な）

Frequent:　Tabikasanaru:　たびかさなる：　度重なる （Verb）

Frequent:　Tabitabi okoru:　たびたびおこる：　たびたび起こる
Lit: “again and again happening” :) TBH I really LOVE Japanese onomatopoeia-esque words like this.

Wooden:　Mokusei (-no):　もくせい（-の）：　木製（-の）

Wooden:　Ki de dekita:　き で できた：　木で出来た
Lit: wood of made. …. though “dekiru” also means “can”… again it’s all contextual! :)

SENTENCES

I am sad.
Watashi wa kanashii desu.
わたし　は　かなしい　です。
私は悲しいです。

Why are you afraid.
Naze anata wa kowagatteiru no desu ka?
なせ　あなた　は　こわがっています　か。
なぜあなたは怖がっているのですか。

Note: The “no” after kowagatteiru softens the question and makes it less blunt. Much like when saying you want something and following “hoshii” with “n” to soften the request. Even though Kowagatteiru is a verb, because we’ve used the “no” as a softener we then add “desu” afterwords.

What is the opposite answer? Hantai no kotae wa nan desu ka? はんたい　の　こたえ　は　なん　です　か。
反対の答えは何ですか。

It is convenient.
Benri desu.
べんり　です。
便利です。

It is frequent.
Sore wa hinpan desu.
それ　は　ひんぱん　です。
それは頻繁です。

I’ve left this one for last because it’s interesting and so I’ll put it under the section we haven’t really seen in a while:

GRAMMAR POINT

Where are your wooden shoes?
Anata no ki de dekita kutsu wa doko desu ka.
あなた　の　き　で　できた　くつ　は　どこ　です　か。
あなたの木で出来た靴はどこですか。

Note: Okay so when talking about things made of other things, EG: shoes made of wood" we want to use the particle “de” after the material that the item is made out of. “de” then acts like the English word “of” making “Ki de” translate to “of wood”.

This is different than the OTHER use of “de” (which I’m not sure we actually covered yet) which translates to “by” EG: “he came by train” “densha de”.

Back to “shoes made of wood” so after “ki de” you want to use “dekita”, which usually takes on the meaning “can” but in this case taking on the meaning of “made” or “built” (even though those words already exist) making “Ki de dekita” then translate to “made of wood” or “wooden”!

Of course this works for things other than wood.

Or you could also say:

Where are your wooden shoes?
Ananta no mokusei no kutsu wa doko desu ka?
あなた　の　もくせい　の　くつ　は　どこ　です　か。
あなたの木製の靴はどこですか。

木 being “tree/wood/lumber” and 製 being “-made”… attaching “sei” (製) to other materials much like “de dekita” also works.

Or finally, you could just say

Where are your wooden shoes?
Anata no kigutsu wa doko desu ka?
あなた　の　きぐつ　は　どこ　です　か。
あなたの木靴はどこですか。

“kigutsu” in this case literally translating to “wooden shoes” and saving you from all the hassle. Unfortunately “kigutsu” only works for “wooden shoes” and isn’t as versatile as the other two ways.

And this my friends is an example of why I love languages so much. Because there are so many ways to correctly say one thing. there are so many different answers! As opposed to say, Math, when there is only one right answer. I know I tend to put down only one or two answers for most of these lessons but that’s mostly to save time or space because for a lot of these there are so many! Not just synonyms either, word order in Japanese has been known to be very fluid as well. And to me it just makes the whole thing even more neat.

But anyway I’m just rambling now.

Until next time!

We’re almost done with the Adjectives section!

VOCABULARY

Famous:　Yuumei (-na):　ゆうめい（-な）：　有名（-な）

Negative:　Hiteiteki (-na):　ひていてき（-な）：　否定的（-な） (contradictory)

Negative:　Shoukyokuteki (-na):　しょうきょくてき（-な）：　消極的（-な）(halfhearted/passive/unmotivated/pessimistic)

Efficient:　Yuunou (-na):　ゆうのう（-な）：　有能（-な）(capable, skillful.) ((use with people))

Efficent:　Kouritsuteki（-Na）：　こうりつてき（-な）：　効率的（-な）(eg: the machine is efficient.) ((do not use with people))

Expensive:　Takai:　たかい：　高い
Takai can mean both “tall” and “expensive”! It’s written the same way.

Familiar:　Yoku shirareteiru:　よく　しられている：　よく知られている (lit: well known) ((verb))

Impossible:　Fukanou (-na):　ふかのう（-な）：　不可能（-な）

Alive:　Ikiteiru:　いきている：　生きている（Verb - continuous form of “ikiru” “to live”)

SENTENCES

I am alive.
Watashi wa ikiteimasu.
わたし　は　いきています。
私は生きています。

Note: Notice that we change Ikiru to continuous action form to indicate that you are currently and presently living. Also remember to use “wa” は (ha) instead of “Ga” が or “O” を (wo).

The meal is expensive.
Shokuji wa takai desu.
しょくじ　は　たかい　です。
食事は高いです。

Note: This is definitely a weird expression for us western speakers, especially if we learned “Takai” as tall first. It will probably take a little getting used to.

I write a negative answer.
Watashi wa hiteiteki na kotae o kakimasu.
わたし　は　ひていてき　な　こたえ　を　かきます。
私は否定的な答えを書きます。
(lit: I write a contradictory answer.)

She is a negative woman.
Kanojo wa shoukyokuteki na josei desu.
かのじょ　は　しょうきょくてき　な　じょせい　です。
彼女は消極的な女性です。
(Lit: She is a pessimistic woman)

The name is familiar.
Sono namae wa yoku shirareteimasu.
その　なまえ　は　よく　しられています。
その名前はよく知られています。
(Lit: The name is well known [to me])

My dad is famous.
Watashi no otousan wa yuumei desu.
わたし　の　おとうさん　は　ゆうめい　です。
私のお父さんは有名です。

They are efficient soldiers.
Karera wa yuunou na heishi desu.
かれら　は　ゆうのう　な　へいし　です。
彼らは有能な兵士です。

Why is it impossible?
Naze sore wa fukanou desu ka?
なぜ　それ　は　ふかのう　です　か。
なぜそれは不可能ですか？

My dad is a famous lawyer.
Watashi no otousan wa yuumei na bengoshi desu.
わたし　の　おとうさん　は　ゆうめい　な　べんごし　です。
私のお父さんは有名な弁護士です。

See you next time!

VOCABULARY

Traditional:　Dentouteki (na):　でんとうてき（な）：　伝統的（な）

Wrong:　Machigai:　まちがい：　間違い (noun)

Wrong:　Machigau:　まちがう：　間違う（Verb)

Historical:　Rekishiteki (na):　れきしてき (な)：　歴史的 (な)

Cultural: 　Bunkateki (na):　ぶんかてき（な）：　文化的（な）

Interesting:　Omoshiroi:　おもしろい：　面白い (pleasant/enjoyable)
Interesting:　Kyoumibukai:　きょうみぶかい：　興味深い (very interesting/ of great interest)((intriguing?))

Religious:　Shinjinbukai:　しんじんぶかい：　信心深い　(deeply religious/devout/faithful)

Serious:　Shinken (na):　しんけん (な)：　真剣 (な)

Note: this is like, the milder of the seriouses. You’d use this one for “I’m serious” “I studied hard” etc.

Serious:　Majime:　まじめ：　真面目

Note: (diligent/serious/honest/sober/earnest) it’s used in sentences like “Be serious!” “they are sensible girls” “He’s not serious” “My personality is not at all serious.” ”I’m serious about my work" etc.

Serious:　Shinkoku:　しんこく：　深刻

Note: This seems to be the most severe of the seriouses. It’s used in sentences like “Don’t take it so hard” “It seems to be serious.” “The situation is extremely critical” “There is severe damage” etc.

Sentence examples from tatoeba.org

SENTENCES

She is an interesting woman.
Kanojo wa omoshiroi josei desu.
かのじょ　は　おもしろい　じょせい　です。
彼女は面白い女性です。
(lit: she is a pleasant woman.)

Note: This implies that the woman is interesting in an enjoyable pleasant way, where as I think using “kyoumibukai” comes off as more stiff? when talking about a person. Like you find them interesting like you find language learning interesting. You know? So I’d say “omoshiroi” is the safe bet in this situation.

I am serious.
Watashi wa shinken desu.
わたし　は　しんけん　です。
私は真剣です。

It is a historical date.
Sore wa rekishiteki na hi desu.
それ　は　れきしてき　な　ひ　です。
それは歴史的な日です。

It is a traditional newspaper.
Sore wa dentouteki na shinbun desu.
それ　は　でんとうてき　な　しんぶん　です。
それは伝統的な新聞です。

I like cultural books.
Watashi wa bunkateki na hon ga suki desu.
わたし　は　ぶんかてき　な　ほん　が　すき　です。
私は文化的な本が好きです。

The book is interesting.
Sono hon wa kyoumibukai desu.
その　ほん　は　きょうみぶかい　です。
その本は興味深いです。

Your answer is wrong.
Anata no kotae wa machigai desu.
あなた　の　こたえ　は　まちがい　です。
あなたの答えは間違いです。
(lit: your answer is a mistake)

Your answer is wrong.
Anata no kotae wa machigatteimasu.
あなた　の　こたえ　は　まちがっています。
あなたの答えは間違っています。

She is religious.
Kanojo wa shinjinbukai desu.
かのじょ　は　しんじんぶかい　です。
彼女は信心深いです。

See you next time

Thank you for continuing to bear with me and my semi-irregular posts. And thank you to everyone who takes the time to send me corrections and explanations. I’m glad that this has turned into what I wanted it to be all along. A team and community effort.

So let’s go ahead and get started!

VOCABULARY

Excellent:　Subarashii:　すばらしい：　素晴らしい

Perfect:　Kanpeki (na):　かんぺき (な)：　完璧 (な)

Beautiful:　Utsukushii:　うつくしい：　美しい

Modern:　Gendaiteki (na):　げんだいてき (な)：　現代的 (な)

Positive (Optimistic):　Rakutenteki (na)：　らくてんてき (な)：　楽天的 (な)

Positive (affirmative):　Kouteiteki (na)：　こうていてき (な):　肯定的 (な)

Normal (ordinary/usual):　Futsuu (no):　ふつう (の)：　普通 (の)

Minimum:　Saiteigen：　さいていげん：　最低限 (noun)

Least/lowest/worst:　Saitei (na/no):　さいてい (な/の)：　最低 (な/の)

Minimum age:　Saiteinenrei:　さいていねんれい：　最低年齢

Note: Just a friendly reminder that the particles in the parentheses are to be added on when the adjective goes BEFORE a noun, but left off if the adjective is at the end of the sentence instead:
EG: Blue book VS the book is blue

SENTENCES

He is not normal.
Kare wa futsuu de wa arimasen.
かれ　は　ふつう　では　ありません。
彼は普通ではありません。
(formal)

He is not normal.
Kare wa futsuu ja nai.
かれ　は　ふつう　じゃ　ない。
彼は普通じゃない。
(informal)

I am a perfect human.
Watashi wa kanpeki na ningen desu.
わたし　は　かんぺき　な　にんげん　です。
私は完璧な人間です。

It is a beautiful bird.
Sore wa utsukushii tori desu.
それ　は　うつくしい　とり　です。
それは美しい鳥です。

He’s a modern man.
Kare wa gendaiteki na dansei desu.
かれ　は　げんだいてき　な　だんせい　です。
彼は現代的な男性です。

I am positive.
Watashi wa kouteiteki desu.
わたし　は　こうていてき　です。
私は肯定的です。
(I am affirmative)

I am positive.
Watashi wa rakutenteki desu.
わたし　は　らくてんてき　です。
私は楽天的です。
(I am optimistic)

It is the minimum age. (EG: for employment)
sore wa saiteinenrei desu.
それ　は　さいていねんれい　です。
それは最低年齢です。

((and now I have to gush something in the comments section))

Thank you for joining me!

WOW guys! My lesson making days might actually be numbered now. I just found out that Japanese is in the incubator! -claps- That certainly is exciting. Before anyone asks I did put in my name to be a course contributor. So cross your fingers for me. In the meantime I’ll still continue making lessons. I said I would until I either finished the tree, or the Japanese for English speakers course came out, and it’s not out yet so let’s keep going!!

VOCABULARY

Official：　Koushiki (no/na):　こうしき (の/な)：　公式 (の/な)

Final:　Saishuuteki (na):　さいしゅうてき (な)：　最終的 (な)

Whole：　Marugoto:　まるごと：　丸ごと (without separating or deforming/ as is/ altogether/ entirely)

Whole:　Marumaru:　まるまる：　丸々 (the whole volume of a thing)
Note: much more suited to not eating things bones and all. Or when talking about the volume of things “a whole bag is left” etc.

Necessary：　Hitsuyou (na):　ひつよう (な)：　必要 (な)

Army：　Guntai:　ぐんたい：　軍隊　(noun)

Independent:　Jiritsu (no):　じりつ (の)：　自立 (の)

Responsible：　Sekinin：　せきにん：　責任　(noun)

SENTENCES

We are not responsible.
Watashi tachi ni wa sekinin wa arimasen.
わたし　たち　に　は　せきにん　は　ありません。
私たちには責任はありません。

Note: The above sentence does not seem to mean “We are not responsible (for whatever thing just happened)” but rather “(this thing) is not our job” “It’s not our duty to handle this” “Not my department” that sort of thing. The word you want when denouncing (or claiming) blame for something is the word “Sei” せい. Which is “Consequence; outcome; result; blame”.

It’s not our fault!
Watashi tachi no sei ja nai!
わたし　たち　の　せい　じゃ　ない！
私たちのせいじゃない！

What is your final answer?
Anata no saishuuteki na kotae wa nan desu ka?
あなた　の　さいしゅうてき　な　こたえ　は　なん　です　か。
あなたの最終的な答えは何ですか。

It is army food.
Sore wa guntai no tabemono desu.
それ　は　ぐんたい　の　たべもの　です。
それは軍隊の食べ物です。

It is necessary.
Sore wa hitsuyou desu.
それ　は　ひつよう　です。
それは必要です。

They are not official.
Karera wa koushiki de wa arimasen.
かれら　は　こうしき　で　は　ありません。
彼らは公式ではありません。

She is an independant woman.
Kanojo wa jiritsu shita josei desu.
かのじょ　は　じりつ　した　じょせい　です。
彼女は自立した女性です。

I eat a whole chicken.
Watashi wa niwatori o marugoto tabemasu.
わたし　は　にわとり　を　まるごと　たべます。
私は鶏を丸ごと食べます。
Note: Like BONES AND ALL!

I eat a whole chicken.
Watashi wa niwatori o marumaru tabemasu.
わたし　は　にわとり　を　まるまる　たべます。
私は鶏を丸々食べます。
Note: I eat the whole chicken… all the edible parts anyway

See you next time.

Hey guys. It’s been a while since the last lesson (not including my last upload which was to replace a deleted lesson). So here we go.

VOCABULARY

Important:　Juuyou (na):　じゅうよう (な)：　重要 （な）

Professional:　Puro (no):　プロ (の)

Living:　Ikiteiru:　いきている：　生きている (verb)

Future:　Mirai (no)：　みらい（の）：　未来（の）(distant future)
Future:　Shourai：　しょうらい：　将来 (near future)

Possible:　Kanou de aru:　かのうである：　可能である

NOTE I’m having some trouble with the possible word here as the word is listed but not used in the sentences expect corrections added in the near future!

Popular:　Ninki (no/na):　にんき (の/な)：　人気 (の/な)

SENTENCES

You are important.
Anata wa juuyou desu.
あなた　は　じゅうよう　です。
あなたは重要です。

You are my future husband.
Anata wa watashi no mirai no otto desu.
あなた　は　わたし　の　みらい　の　おっと　です。
あなたは私の未来の夫です。

NOTE: “You are my future husband” Read as “probably years and years and years from now”

You are my future wife.
Anata wa watashi no shourai no tsuma desu.
あなた　は　わたし　の　しょうらい　の　つま　です。
あなたは私の将来の妻です。

NOTE: “you are my future wife” read as “we’re getting married between now and the next 6 months probably”

We are popular.
Watashi tachi wa ninki ga arimasu.
わたし　たち　は　にんき　が　あります。
私たちは人気があります。　　

NOTE: Literally translated to “We have the people’s feelings” more or less… 人気 is a kanji compound made up of 人 (person/people) and 気 (spirit/mind/heart/nature/disposition/motivation/intention/mood/feelings/ambience). That’s a lot of definitions in one word… in cases like this I tend to mash all the definitions into a sort of feeling… and that helps me understand the nature of the word better. But anyway, “people feelings” and isn’t that what popularity is anyway? It’s a lot of people having the same basic feelings (good ones!!) toward something. That’s what makes it “Popular”. Just a little mnemonic there.

I find it interesting how the grammar works here. “We are popular” becomes “We have the popular” … or better put “We have the people’s feelings.” Definitely a different way to think about that particular sentence and how it’s presented.

He’s a professional actor.
Kare wa puro no haiyuu desu.
かれ　は　プロ　の　はいゆう　です。
彼はプロの俳優です。

A living Animal.
Ikiteiru doubutsu.
いきている　どうぶつ。
生きている動物。

NOTE: Oh! Another one. We did this before (sort of) with tsukareta (tired) where a verb is acting as an adjective. In this case it’s pretty identical to it’s English counterpart. You can use a verb as an adjective by putting it in continuous form and placing it in front of your noun (though tsukareta did not do this). This format is also used to describe other things which, if the duo-tree doesn’t cover it later I will in a separate lesson.

It is not possible for me.
Sore wa watashi ni wa kanou de arimasen.
それ　は　わたし　に　は　かのう　で　ありません。
それは私には可能でありません。

(that sentence was put together by me. I hope it’s right. x_x)
(here’s Duo’s)

It is not possible for me.
Sore wa watashi ni wa ariemasen.
それ　は　わたし　に　は　ありえません。
それは私にはありえません。

As you can see, it’s missing the vocabulary word “possible”, though this may be, in fact, a proper way of conveying the thought as well.

If anyone has any information, especially with the above phrase, please let me know!

Thank you!

VOCABULARY

Clean:　Kirei (na):　きれい (な)：　綺麗 (な)

Dirty:　Kitanai:　きたない：　汚い
(i-adjective)

Different:　Kotonaru:　ことなる：　異なる
(verb)

Left:　Hidari (no):　ひだり (の)：　左 (の)

Human:　Ningen:　にんげん：　人間
(noun)

Recent:　Saikin (no):　さいきん (の)：　最近 (の)

Legal:　Gouhou:　ごうほう：　合法

Illegal:　Ihou:　いほう：　違法

SENTENCES

Are they human?
Karera wa ningen desu ka?
かれら　は　にんげん　です　か。 彼らは人間ですか。

The shirt is clean.
Sono shatsu wa kirei desu.
その　シャツ　は　きれい　です。
そのシャツは綺麗です。

The shirt is dirty.
Sono shatsu wa kitanai desu.
その　シャツ　は　きたない　です。
そのシャツは汚いです。

His left shoe is blue.
Kare no hidari no kutsu wa ao desu.
かれ　の　ひだり　の　くつ　は　あお　です。
彼の左の靴は青です。

Is the newspaper recent?
Sono shinbun wa saikin no mono desu ka?
その　しんぶん　は　さいきん　の　もの　です　か。
その新聞は最近のものですか。
(lit: is that newspaper a recent thing?)

They are different.
Karera wa kotonatteimasu.
かれら　は　ことなっています。
彼らは異なっています。
(kotonaru is conjugated to continuous action form -te imasu)

Your marriage is not legal.
Anata no kekkon wa ihou desu.
あなた　の　けっこん　は　いほう　です。
あなたの結婚は違法です。
(lit: your marriage is illegal)

ALTERNATELY

Your marriage is not legal.
Anata no kekkon wa gouhou dewa arimasen.
あなた　の　けっこん　は　ごうほう　では　ありません。
あなたの結婚は合法ではありません。
(lit: your marriage is not legal)

See you next time!

So we’re just going to continue right along here with our adjectives.

VOCABULARY

Local:　Jimoto (-no):　じもと (-の)：　地元 (-の)

Special:　Tokubetsu (-na/-no)：　とくべつ (-な/-の)：　特別(-な/-の)

Open:　Akeru:　あける：　開ける (transitive: Someone does this action)
Open:　Aku:　あく：　開く (intransitive: No one does this action, it just is.)

Own (eg: my own/his own etc.):　Jibun (-no):　じぶん (-の)：　自分(-の)
Note: Jibun is an interesting word because it works for ALL pronouns: my own, his own, her own, it’s own, their own… it’s ALL “Jibun”

Personal:　Kojinteki (-na)：　こじんてき (-な)：　個人的(-な)

Main:　Omo (-na)：　おも(-な)：　主(-な)

Private:　Shiritsu (-no):　しりつ(-の)：　私立(-の)

SENTENCES

It is a private school.
Sore wa shiritsu no gakkou desu.
それ　は　しりつ　の　がっこう　です。
それは私立の学校です。

Note: Remember! When attached to a noun the adjective needs it’s “na” “no” or “i” endings!!

I like the local food.
Watashi wa jimoto no tabemono ga suki desu.
わたし　は　じもと　の　たべもの　が　すき　です。
私は地元の食べ物が好きです。

The wine is open.
Sono wain wa aiteiru.
その　ワイン　は　あいている。
そのワインは開いている.

Note: you’ll notice Akeru (Aiteiru) is a verb… and NOT actually an adjective… but that is what it is. Also notice we use the version “Aku”, that’s because we don’t know who opened the wine, it’s just open, so we use the intransitive verb.

I have my own dogs.
Watashi wa jibun no inu o katteimasu.
わたし　は　じぶん　の　いぬ　を　かっています。
私は自分の犬を飼っています。

My mother’s dress is special.
Watashi no haha no doresu wa tokubetsu desu.
わたし　の　はは　の　ドレス は　とくべつ　です。
私の母のドレスは特別です。

Our main food.
Watashi tachi no shushoku.
わたしたち　の　しゅしょく。
私たちの主食。
(lit: our staple food)

NOTE! Remember in the previous lesson (this was a recent change so please go back if you didn’t see) Onaji 同じ changes to 同い (onai) ONLY for the word “same age” 同い年? Same here. 主 (omo) changes to 主 (shu) when in the compound 主食 (staple food)… so this one is more a compound word, and less the use of an adjective per-se

Is the question personal?
Sono shitsumon wa kojinteki na mono desu ka?
その　しつもん　は　こじんてき　な　もの　です　か？
その質問は個人的なものですか。
(lit: is the question a personal thing?)

*Note: Here’s the neat thing about teki 的. putting it on certain nouns (not all of them! There’s a select few that do this) can turn them into adjectives 的な or adverbs 的に！ For more on this I think Maggie Sensei on Teki covers it REALLY well!

Alright guys. Moving on into Adjectives. It’s been a while since we’ve had anything grammar related to talk about. … and I’m going to try and take this slow throughout this section… because if I dump all the adjective stuff on you at once… it’s going to come out as a cluster and sound really scary and difficult… which it isn’t.

So let’s start with the basics. Japanese has 3 main types of Adjectives
い - i adjectives
な - na adjectives の - no adjectives
And then, of course, the occasional exception to throw us off. So far in my learning… sort of like “Ru” “-U” and “Hiragana U” verb endings… there’s no real reason they have different endings.

The vast majority of these words will have the “i” “na” and “no” endings when coming before the noun they’re describing: Blue book.
Aoi hon.
あおい ほん。
青い本。

But lose those endings when placed elsewhere in the sentence:
The book is blue.
Hon wa ao desu.
ほん　は　あお　です。
本は青です。

While most adjectives do this, some of them don’t. So this will have to be learned on a word-by-word basis. But that’s what EXAMPLE SENTENCES are for!! :D

Remember, there’s absolutely no shame in example sentences. That’s actually the basis by which we learn our NATIVE languages! We constantly hear grammatically correct sentences and compile these example sentences in our heads and just switch out words for ones we need in that instance. That’s why we can speak PERFECT English… but not know what a “pre-nominal adjective” is…

… because I don’t… and you don’t have to either. We’ve GOT this!

VOCABULARY

Little:　Chiisai:　ちいさい：　小さい
Little:　Chiisana:　ちいさな：　小さな
This one’s a little sneaky. As “Chiisai” is both an “i” and “na” adjective. The key difference between these two is while “Chiisai” can be used before or after a noun (eg: little bird VS the bird is little) (chiisai tori VS ano tori wa chiisai desu) “chiisana” can ONLY be used before the noun it’s describing. (EG: Chiisana tori) NEVER “ano tori wa chiisana desu” … you can however say “Ano tori wa chiisana tori desu” (that bird is a small bird)

Tired:　Tsukareta:　つかれた：　疲れた
rikaichan tells me this is an “f-adjective” … x_x it doesn’t come with one of our “i” “na” “no” endings

Tired:　Tsukareru:　つかれる：　疲れる
….. it’s also a verb…

Bilingual:　Bairingaru:　バイリンガル
This is not only a noun, but a borrowed word! … and has no “i” “na” or “no” ending

Same:　Onaji:　おなじ：　同じ
no “i”, “na”, or “no” ending

Next:　Tsugi (-no):　つぎ (-の)：　次 (-の)

General:　Taitei (-na):　たいてい (-な)

Real:　Hontou (-no/-na):　ほんとう (-の/-な)：　本当 (-の/-な)

SENTENCES

This is going to be the most handy

In General
Taitei wa.
たいていは

That is the topic-marker は. Which means the rest of the sentence is most likely dropped off the end. Think of it like this.

In a conversation where you might use “in general”: Person 1: Why is life so hard?
Person 2: … what part?
Person 1: In general.

We see that “in general” as a full sentence… but it isn’t… it’s a fragment, the rest of that sentence is implied:

“In general, why is life so hard.”

Japanese is pretty famous for dropping off entire chunks of sentences if the context is clear… this is just one of those times.

Who is next?
Tsugi wa dare desu ka?
つぎ　は　だれ　です　か。
次は誰ですか。

Though the adjective technically comes before the thing it’s describing… “next” is the topic. If we re-arrange the sentence as “The next person is who?” it becomes a little more clear that “next” is not acting on the word “who”

as opposed to:
That is the next person.
Sore wa tsugi no hito desu.
それ　は　つぎの　ひと　です。
それは次の人です
Where “tsugi” is acting on the word “hito” and so gets it’s “-no” ending

My little book.
Watashi no chiisana hon.
わたし　の　ちいさな　ほん。
私の小さな本。

You are bilingual.
Anata wa bairingaru desu.
あなた　は　バイリンガル　です。

She is tired.
Kanojo wa tsukareta.
かのじょ　は　つかれた。
彼女は疲れた。

She is tired.
Kanojo wa tsukareteimasu.
かのじょ　は　つかれています。
彼女は疲れています。
Because, remember, “Tired” is also a verb (tsukareru) and in this case you’d most likely want to use present continuous form (-teimasu)

It is the same.
Sore wa onaji desu.
それ　は　おなじ　です。
それは同じです。

She and I, in the same year, came to America Kanojo to watashi wa onajitoshi ni amerika ni kimashita. かのじょ　と　わたし　は　おなじとし　に　アメリカ　に　きました。
彼女と私 は同じ年にアメリカに来ました。

She is the same age as me.
Kanojo wa watashi to Onaidoshi desu.
かのじょ　は　わたし　と　おないどし　です。
彼女は私と同い年です。

NOTE: 同じ (onaji) only changes to 同い (onai-) when talking about age. Otherwise it will remain as (onaji)

No, it is real.
iie, hontou desu.
いいえ、ほんとう　です。
いいえ本当です。

…. it came out as sort of a cluster after all…. Well. Like I said. I’ll try to take it slow… but duo is sort of doing a trial by fire with this word selection… if I could make a suggestion for the actual course, whenever it’s made, it would be to pace out this section better. Teach the main adjective types. When they have their endings, when they don’t…. and THEN tackle the weird ones.

I hope this wasn’t too much for anybody. PLEASE if you’re lost leave a question and me, or anyone else passing through with the knowledge will be more than happy to give more in depth explanations!!

Thank you!

:) this is the last part of the Jobs section!

VOCABULARY

Cook:　Ryourinin:　りょうりにん：　料理人

Soldiers:　Heishi:　へいし：　兵士

Boss:　Joushi:　じょうし：　上司

Profession:　Shokugyou:　しょくぎょう：　職業

Farmer:　Nouka:　のうか：　農家

Architect:　Kenchikuka:　けんちくか：　建築家

Engineer:　Gijutsusha:　ぎじゅつしゃ：　技術者

Waiter:　Ueita-:　ウェイター
note: notice that the エ is small ェ… it’s important when using “U” in conjunction with a vowel to make a “W”+vowel combination. In this case “we”

Waitress:　Ueitoresu：　ウェイトレス

SENTENCES

He is the engineer, she is the architect.
Kare wa gijutsusha, kanojo wa kenchikuka desu.
かれ　は　ぎじゅつしゃ　かのじょ　は　けんちくか　です。
彼は技術者、彼女は建築家です。

We drink with the boss.
Watashitachi wa joushi to nomimasu.
わたしたち　は　じょうし　と　のみます。
私達は上司と飲みます。

Note: Remember that “to” takes the meaning “with” when placed behind a living thing (person/animal/title -eg: boss)

He is a waiter.
Kare wa ueita- desu.
かれ　は　ウェイター　です。
彼はウェイターです。

I am a cook.
Watashi wa ryourinin desu.
わたし　は　りょうりにんです。
私は料理人です。

My daughter is a waitress.
Watashi no musume wa ueitoresu desu.
わたし　の　むすめ　は　ウェイトレス　です。
私の娘はウェイトレスです。

What is your profession?
Anata no shokugyou wa nan desu ka?
あなた　の　しょくぎょう　は　なん　です　か。
あなたの職業は何ですか。

The Farmer has horses.
Nouka wa uma o katteimasu.
のうか　は　うま　を　かっています。
農家は馬を飼っています。

They are soldiers.
Karera wa heishi desu.
かれら　は　へいし　です。
彼らは兵士です。

Next time we’ll be starting on Adjectives! Which of course will come with more grammar explanation than these last several lessons have. :)

VOCABULARY

Professional:　Senmonka:　せんもんか：　専門家

Judge:　Saibankan:　さいばんかん：　裁判官

Writer:　Sakka:　さっか：　作家

Police Officer:　Keisatsukan:　けいさつかん：　警察官
Note: yes… they did give us Police Officer again…

Guard:　Keibiin:　けいびいん：　警備員

Actor:　Haiyuu:　はいゆう：　俳優

Captain:　Senchou:　せんちょう：　船長

As (i.e: in the role of):　Toshite:　として

SENTENCES

I am not a Judge.
Watashi wa saibankan dewa arimasen.
わたし　は　さいばんかん　では　ありません
私は裁判官ではありません。

*Note: It’s been several lessons, and some of you here are new, so just a review… “Dewa arimasen” is the negative conjugation of “Desu”. That’s a little weird I know. There are actually 6 different ways to say “is not” and they are, for the most part, completely interchangeable with one another. They are:

Dewa arimasen：　ではありません
Ja arimasen:　　　じゃありません
Dewa nai desu：　ではないです
Ja nai desu:　　　じゃないです
Dewa nai:　　　　ではない
Ja nai: 　　　　　じゃない

The first two are the most formal versions though. :)*

I am a professional.
Watashi wa senmonka desu.
わたし　は　せんもんか　です。
私は専門家です。

I am a police officer.
Watashi wa keisatsukan desu.
わたし　は　けいさつかん　です。
私は警察官です。

He is an actor.
Kare wa haiyuu desu.
かれ　は　はいゆう　です。
彼は俳優です。

You work as a guard
Anata wa keibiin toshite hataraiteimasu.
あなた　は　けいびいん　として　はたらいています。
あなたは警備員として働いています。

*Note: In sentences where you need to use “as”… with the definition of (in the role of) … like in the above sentence, you will use the word “toshite”. Unlike English… where we put “as” BEFORE the occupation, you will put “toshite” AFTER the occupation.

Keibiin toshite hataraiteimasu
Guard as work

Also remember when using the verb “work” (hataraku) it needs to be conjugated into continuous form (te-imasu form) to express that the person is presently and currently working in that occupation*

Let’s continue, shall we?

VOCABULARY

Director:　Kantoku:　かんとく：　監督　(supervisor/manager … etc.)

Career:　Keireki:　けいれき：　経歴

Police:　Keisatsu:　けいさつ：　警察
Cop:　Omawarisan:　おまわりさん：　お巡りさん　(police officer… but less formal… so much like the American “cop”)

Police officer:　Keisatsukan:　けいさつかん：　警察官

Note: per HappyEvilSlosh this seems to be a more formal version of cop/police officer than “omawari san”. … after staring at it for a little bit I’d say Keisatsukan is more like a single police officer, and Keisatsu would be the police as a whole. :) If we can get a native or more experienced speaker to help clear this up that’d be wonderful! Thank you!

Artist:　Geijutsuka:　げいじゅつか：　芸術家

Secretary:　Hisho:　ひしょ：　秘書

Workers:　Juugyouin:　じゅうぎょういん：　従業員 (employee)

Workers:　Roudousha:　ろうどうしゃ：　労働者 (laborer/blue collar worker)

Lawyer:　Bengoshi:　べんごし：　弁護士

SENTENCES

The Police
Keisatsu
けいさつ
警察

Note: I don’t usually put those sentences up because it’s just the vocabulary word as Japanese has no articles… and also no plurals

Her father is the director.
Kanojo no chichi wa kantoku desu.
かのじょ　の　ちち　は　かんとく　です。
彼女の父は監督です。

They are my workers.
Karera wa watashi no juugyouin desu.
かれら　は　わたし　の　じゅうぎょういん　です。
彼らは私の従業員です

My mother is a secretary.
Watashi no haha wa hisho desu.
わたし　の　はは　は　ひしょ　です。
私の母は秘書です。

Are you a lawyer?
Anata wa bengoshi desu ka?
あなた　は　べんごし　です　か。
あなたは弁護士ですか。

BONUS

Speaking of words like “Omawarisan”! I have a song for you!

迷子の迷子の子猫ちゃん。あなたのお家はどこですか。
まいご　の　まいご　の　こねこちゃん。　あなた　の　おうち　は　どこ　です　か
Maigo no maigo no konekochan. Anata no ouchi wa doko desu ka?
Lost lost kitten. Where is your home?

お家を聞いても分からない。名前を聞いても分からない。
おうち　を　きいても　わからない。　なまえ　を　きいても　わからない。
Ouchi o kiite mo wakaranai. Namae o kiite mo wakaranai.
[I] ask [about] your home, [you] don’t know. [I] ask [your] name, [you] don’t know.

ニャン（x8）泣いてばかりいる子猫ちゃん。
ニャン（x8）ないて　ばかりいる　こねこちゃん。
Nyan (x8) naite bakari iru koneko chan.
Meow (x8) The kitten that always cries.

犬のお巡りさん、困ってしまって。ワン(ｘ８)
いぬ　の　おまわりさん　こまって　しまって。　ワン（ｘ８）
Inu no omawarisan komatte shimatte. Wan (x8)
Mr. Dog policeman, [you’re] in trouble [now]. Bark (x8)

That’s only the first verse (there are 2) and it can be argued that this can be translated in a hand-full of different ways. Some that even I think better convey the message… but they tend to leave out words or scramble the sentence and right now my goal is to give you these sentences as word-for-word as humanly possible so you can match the English words to their Japanese counterparts and get a better feel of the language.

I actually had a lot of resources that didn’t give a word for word translation and I’d try to sort of reverse engineer the sentences and come up just completely lost when I was first learning. :( no fun.

ANYWAY! If you want to listen to the song here’s a youtube video The one that I used to watch that… might have actually had the English attached doesn’t seem to be on youtube anymore. :/ So I might put the second half of the song in the comments.

Today we’ll be looking at job titles. This section is difficult for me because my brain just does not want to remember these words for some reason. To others this section may seem difficult if not straight out daunting because all of these words are 2-3 kanji long.

If Kanji still scares you, don’t be afraid. We live in a digital age and you don’t have to remember these well enough to write them! And your brain can and will recognize the symbol well enough to read them even if you can’t write them! Trust me on this.

As always I will continue using hiragana and romaji in the examples. :) So don’t fret!

Let’s get started!

VOCABULARY

Student:　Gakusei:　がくせい：　学生

Doctor:　Isha:　いしゃ：　医者

Work (noun):　Shigoto:　しごと：　仕事
Work (verb):　Hataraku:　はたらく：　働く

Workplace:　Shigotoba:　しごとば：　仕事場

Author:　Sakka:　さっか：　作家

Job:　Shigoto:　しごと：　仕事
Part-time Job:　Arubaito:　あるばいと：　アルバイト

FUN FACT: “arubaito” is actually a GERMAN loan word! From “Arbeit” meaning “work”

Model:　Moderu:　モデル

Staff:　Sutaffu:　スタッフ
Staff:　Shokuin:　しょくいん：　職員

SENTENCES

The staff read the newspaper
Sutaffu wa shinbun o yomimasu.
スタッフ　は　しんぶん　を　よみます。
スタッフは新聞を読みます。

The staff read the newspaper.
Shokuin wa shinbun o yomimasu.
しょくいん　は　しんぶん　を　よみます。
職員は新聞を読みます。

Note: I’m not sure which is more common, “Sutaffu” or “Shokuin”. Duo wants me to believe it’s “Sutaffu”

My uncle is at work.
Watashi no ojisan wa shigotoba ni imasu.
わたし　の　おじさん　は　しごとば　に　います。
私の叔父さんは仕事場にいます。
(lit: My uncle is at [his] workplace)

Note: The above sentence makes a little more sense to an English speaking mind than the below one, i think.

My uncle is at work.
Watashi no ojisan wa shigotochuu desu.
わたし　の　おじさん　は　しごとちゅう　です。
私の叔父さんは仕事中です。 (lit: My uncle is in the middle of work)
note: except I think in the English translation “work” is in it’s verb form… where as in the Japanese one it’s still a noun…

*Note: Shigoto can become Shigotochuu (if you choose to use that one) kind of like a few lessons back when you say someone’s at lunch you can use “chuushokuchuu”! When using Shigotochuu you need to use “desu” as your final verb NOT “ni imasu” *

I like the students.
Watashi wa gakusei ga suki desu.
わたし　は　がくせい　が　すき　です。
私は学生が好きです。

Okay that’s it for now. I’d come up with some more sentences for you guys but I’m in the middle of a blood sugar crash so… yeeeeaaahhh. :)

Hello, I have more time on my hands now and am thinking about creating my own website (outside of tumblr) and also creating new content.

Since I live in Japan, are there Japan specific language posts that people want to learn about?

Really any recommendations are fine. Toodles!

JLPT N3 Grammar - けど

Are you using it right??

Use this grammar point to instantly sound more native, and less robotic.

————-

Welcome to Benkyogo!

In our ぶんぽうご Real Japanese Grammar series, Nani and Mani are deep diving into the textbook grammar required for the JLPT, throwing out the stuff you’ll never use, and teaching you how to speak authentically whilst expressing your own personality.

⭕️ You WILL:

- Understand grammar in real life context- Be told when and where to forget the BS - Get to listen to 2 random people free-talking about Japanese grammar

❌ You WON’T:

- Sound boring when talking to your Japanese friends - Say anything rude to your Japanese boss - Speak like you’re fresh outta your favourite anime

We don’t claim to be experts, we’re just 2 Japanese speakers (one native, one second language) chatting about the DO’s and DON’T’s of Japanese grammar in the 21st century. Keep up, textbooks!!

————-

Check out https://benkyogo.co.uk/ for detailed hints, tips and resources to self-study Japanese.

⛩Check out our store at https://www.etsy.com/shop/benkyogo

JLPT N4 Grammar - 〜そうだ・〜らしい

Are you using it right??

We discuss the nuances and differences of two very similar grammar points… do you already know which one is used way more than the other?

————-

Welcome to Benkyogo!

In our ぶんぽうご Real Japanese Grammar series, Nani and Mani are deep diving into the textbook grammar required for the JLPT, throwing out the stuff you’ll never use, and teaching you how to speak authentically whilst expressing your own personality.

⭕️ You WILL:

- Understand grammar in real life context- Be told when and where to forget the BS - Get to listen to 2 random people free-talking about Japanese grammar

❌ You WON’T:

- Sound boring when talking to your Japanese friends - Say anything rude to your Japanese boss - Speak like you’re fresh outta your favourite anime

We don’t claim to be experts, we’re just 2 Japanese speakers (one native, one second language) chatting about the DO’s and DON’T’s of Japanese grammar in the 21st century. Keep up, textbooks!!

————-

Check out https://benkyogo.co.uk/ for detailed hints, tips and resources to self-study Japanese.

⛩Check out our store at https://www.etsy.com/shop/benkyogo

JLPT N5 Grammar - てください

Are you using it right??

How do you ask someone to do something without sounding like a teacher? Hint: not like this!

————-

Welcome to Benkyogo!

In our ぶんぽうご Real Japanese Grammar series, Nani and Mani are deep diving into the textbook grammar required for the JLPT, throwing out the stuff you’ll never use, and teaching you how to speak authentically whilst expressing your own personality.

⭕️ You WILL:

- Understand grammar in real life context- Be told when and where to forget the BS - Get to listen to 2 random people free-talking about Japanese grammar

❌ You WON’T:

- Sound boring when talking to your Japanese friends - Say anything rude to your Japanese boss - Speak like you’re fresh outta your favourite anime

We don’t claim to be experts, we’re just 2 Japanese speakers (one native, one second language) chatting about the DO’s and DON’T’s of Japanese grammar in the 21st century. Keep up, textbooks!!

————-

Check out https://benkyogo.co.uk/ for detailed hints, tips and resources to self-study Japanese.

⛩Check out our store at https://www.etsy.com/shop/benkyogo

JLPT N4 Grammar -　じゃないか

Are you using it right??

でも seems like a great way to say “but” BUT… there’s a big but. There are politer (and more native-sounding) ways to say BUT. Learn about all the buts on this episode of Bunpogo!

————-

Welcome to Benkyogo!

In our ぶんぽうご Real Japanese Grammar series, Nani and Mani are deep diving into the textbook grammar required for the JLPT, throwing out the stuff you’ll never use, and teaching you how to speak authentically whilst expressing your own personality.

⭕️ You WILL:

- Understand grammar in real life context- Be told when and where to forget the BS - Get to listen to 2 random people free-talking about Japanese grammar

❌ You WON’T:

- Sound boring when talking to your Japanese friends - Say anything rude to your Japanese boss - Speak like you’re fresh outta your favourite anime

We don’t claim to be experts, we’re just 2 Japanese speakers (one native, one second language) chatting about the DO’s and DON’T’s of Japanese grammar in the 21st century. Keep up, textbooks!!

————-

Check out https://benkyogo.co.uk/ for detailed hints, tips and resources to self-study Japanese.

⛩Check out our store at https://www.etsy.com/shop/benkyogo

JLPT N5 Grammar -　でも

Are you using it right??

でも seems like a great way to say “but” BUT… there’s a big but. There are politer (and more native-sounding) ways to say BUT. Learn about all the buts on this episode of Bunpogo!

————-

Welcome to Benkyogo!

In our ぶんぽうご Real Japanese Grammar series, Nani and Mani are deep diving into the textbook grammar required for the JLPT, throwing out the stuff you’ll never use, and teaching you how to speak authentically whilst expressing your own personality.

⭕️ You WILL:

- Understand grammar in real life context- Be told when and where to forget the BS - Get to listen to 2 random people free-talking about Japanese grammar

❌ You WON’T:

- Sound boring when talking to your Japanese friends - Say anything rude to your Japanese boss - Speak like you’re fresh outta your favourite anime

We don’t claim to be experts, we’re just 2 Japanese speakers (one native, one second language) chatting about the DO’s and DON’T’s of Japanese grammar in the 21st century. Keep up, textbooks!!

————-

Check out https://benkyogo.co.uk/ for detailed hints, tips and resources to self-study Japanese.

⛩Check out our store at https://www.etsy.com/shop/benkyogo

JLPT N1 Grammar -　〜だの〜だの

Are you using it right??

Not to be confused with 〜など〜など, 〜だの〜だの is a sneaky number that should definitely not be used unless you know the meaning… find out in this episode of Bunpogo!

————-

Welcome to Benkyogo!

In our ぶんぽうご Real Japanese Grammar series, Nani and Mani are deep diving into the textbook grammar required for the JLPT, throwing out the stuff you’ll never use, and teaching you how to speak authentically whilst expressing your own personality.

⭕️ You WILL:

- Understand grammar in real life context- Be told when and where to forget the BS - Get to listen to 2 random people free-talking about Japanese grammar

❌ You WON’T:

- Sound boring when talking to your Japanese friends - Say anything rude to your Japanese boss - Speak like you’re fresh outta your favourite anime

We don’t claim to be experts, we’re just 2 Japanese speakers (one native, one second language) chatting about the DO’s and DON’T’s of Japanese grammar in the 21st century. Keep up, textbooks!!

————-

Check out https://benkyogo.co.uk/ for detailed hints, tips and resources to self-study Japanese.

⛩Check out our store at https://www.etsy.com/shop/benkyogo