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Copyright © Kazue Kaneko and LearnJapanese123.com

Instant Japanese Let‟s learn Japanese instantly


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Instant Japanese

Welcome to Instant Japanese!

If you‟re going to Japan soon, or want to learn Japanese the quickest way, you‟re in the

right place! All grammar and phrases you‟ll find in this course are concise and essential.

The best feature of this course is that this comes with audio (mp3) so that you can

practice speaking phrases. The secret to language learning is to mimic the way native

speakers use it. Japanese is not a tone language, though intonation plays an important

role when you speak Japanese. Therefore, please repeat the words and sentences out

loud, always out loud.

OK, Are you ready? Let‟s take a short journey learning Japanese before you actually

visit there!

Contents

1. Japanese at a Glance ………..p3

2. On the Street………………....p10

3. Shopping………………….…..p11

4. In a Restaurant………….…...p12

5. At the Station…………….…..p13

6. In a Taxi………………….…...p13

7. Counting Days, Weeks, Month and Year…..p14

8. Making Reservations……………………..…..p16

9. At a Hotel…………………………………..…..p17

10. Medical Emergencies…………..………..p18

11. Going Out…………………………………..p19

12. Visiting Someone's House………..……..p20


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1. Japanese at a Glance

Pronunciation

Japanese has 5 vowels

A : America

I : India

U : cute

E : end

O : oh!

Long vowel

Express as double of the same vowel

or with a bar on the top.

e.g. kyoo or kyō (Today)

Japanese words are basically either

vowel or vowel + consonants

e.g. escalator e su ka ree taa

camera ka me ra

cash card kya sshu kaa do

Numbers 1-1,000,000 1. ichi

2. ni

3. san

4. yon (shi)

5. go

6. roku

7. nana (shichi)

8. hachi

9. kyuu (ku)

10. juu

Consonants

Please note the following consonant pronunciations.

ch: child

f : soft

g : goose

j : jam

tt : (double consonants: when you come across any

double consonants, pause a little while before you say

them) e.g. chotto matte,

ss: zasshi, pp: kippu, kk: hakkiri, cc: yocchan

ya, yu, yo : Each makes just one beat of sound.

E.g. kya, kyu, kyo,

kyandii, kyooto, kyatto, etc.

(candy) (Kyoto) (cat)

11. Juu ichi

12. Juu ni

13. Juu san

14. Juu yon

15. Juu go

16. Juu roku

17. Juu nana

18. Juu hachi

19. Juu kyuu

20. Ni juu

21. Ni juu ichi

22. Ni juu ni

23. Ni juu san

24. Ni juu yon

25. Ni juu go

26. Ni juu roku

27. Ni juu nana

28. Ni juu hachi

29. Ni juu kyuu

30. San juu

31 San juu ichi

42 Yon juu ni

53 Go juu san

64 Roku juu yon

75 Nana juu go

86 Hachi juu roku

97 Kyuu juu nana

99 Kyuu juu kyuu

100 Hyaku

0 zero / ree

Telling Time 5:00 go ji 10:00 juu ji

1:00 ichi ji 6:00 roku ji 11:00 juu ichi ji AM: gozen

2:00 ni ji 7:00 shichi ji (not nana ji) 12:00 juu ni ji PM: gogo

3:00 san ji 8:00 hachi ji 3:30 san ji han 7am:gozen shichiji

4:00 yo ji (not yon ji) 9:00 ku ji (not kyuu ji) 9:30 ku ji han 9pm: gogo kuji


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1 ichi

10 juu

100 hyaku

1,000 sen

10,000 man (ichi man)

100,000 juu man

1,000,000 hyaku man million

10,000,000 sen man (issen man)

100,000,000 ichi oku hundred million

Basic words (person)

I

watashi : (can be used by anyone & formal)

boku (by male & polite)

ore (by male & sounds a bit rough)

You

anata: (**Do not address a person with “Anata”.

For example, your friends or acquaintance.

Especially never use it to address your seniors or

teacher as it sounds very rude. When you address

others, use her/his name plus “san” instead. Anata is

used when you address a stranger.)

We watashi tachi: (~ “tachi” refers plural subject)

Mr/Ms/Mrs/Miss.

Yamada

Yamada-san

Yamada-san (adding “san” to someone‟s name shows

respect towards the person)

My watashi no: “~ no” indicates “ „s”

Mr.Sato‟s : Satoo-san no

100 hyaku

200 ni hyaku

300 san byaku

400 yon hyaku

500 go hyaku

600 roppyaku

700 nana hyaku

800 happyaku

900 kyuuhyaku

1,000 sen

2000 ni sen

3000 san zen

4000 yon sen

5000 go sen

6000 roku sen

7000 nana sen

8000 hassen

9000 kyuu sen

10,000 ichi man

20,000 ni man

30,000 san man

40,000 yon man

50,000 go man

60,000 roku man

70,000 nana man

80,000 hachi man

90,000 kyuu man

¥ or 円 en

$ doru

￠ sento


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Mine watashi no

He Kare *watashi no kare = my boyfriend

She Kanojo * watashi no kanjo = my girlfriend

They kare ra / kanjo ra

That person ano hito

Those people ano hito tachi

Useful words

Basic greetings

Ohayoo gozaimasu Good morning (no sound for “u” when it comes at the end)

Konnichiwa Good Afternoon

Konbanwa Good evening

Jaa mata / dewa mata Good bye, See you (dewa mata is slightly more formal)

Ogenki desu ka? How are you?

Hai, genki desu. Yes, I‟m fine.

Japanese speech style There are honorific, formal and informal Japanese.

What you learn in this book is formal form. This style is the best for foreigners,

especially for the first time in Japan as this speech style will not offend anyone. Also,

this formal speech style is easier to conjugate. Formal Japanese always ends in ~ desu.

(noun & adjective phrase) or ~ masu. (verb phrase).

Yes hai

No iie

Please (offer help) doozo

Please (request) onegai shimasu (when you request stg. to someone)

Thank you arigatoo (gozaimasu) / sumimasen

You‟re welcome doo itashi-mashite

Excuse me sumimasen

I‟m sorry sumimasen


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Particles Particle itself doesn‟t have particular meaning in it, but more it shows the relationship

between subject, object and verb. It is something like a preposition or a conjunctive.

There are quite a number of particles and some of them have several functions.

e.g. wa: Topic marker. Use it like “as for” or “regarding”

Watashi wa gakusee desu. (As for I, student. I‟m a student.)

Raamen wa oishii desu. (As for ramen, it is delicious Ramen is delicious)

e : direction marker “to”.

Gakkoo e ikimasu. ((I) go to school.)

Word order S O V (Subject, Object, Verb)

e.g.

(Watashi wa) gakusee desu. (Noun phrase)

I / student / am

SS OO VV (something like „be-verb‟)

(Watashi wa) Nihongo o benjyoo shimasu. (Verb phrase)

I / Japanese / study

SS OO VV

* note that “I” (as a subject) and “you” (as an object) are often omitted in conversations if

the situation is obvious.

Question sentences

Just add “ka” at the end of the sentence with rising intonation:

~desu ka. or

~masu ka. (for formal Japanese)

e.g. Satoo-san wa gakusee desu. (Mr. Satoo is a student.)

Satoo san wa gakusee desu ka? (Is Mr. Satoo a student?)

Itoo san wa kyoo hataraki masu. (Mr. Ito will work today)

Itoo-san wa kyoo hatarakimasu ka? (Will Mr. Itoo work today?)


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Basic verbs (masu-form)

1. iki-masu go

2. ki-masu come need particle “e”

3. kaeri-masu go (home)

4. tabe-masu eat

5. nomi-masu drink

6. kai-masu buy need particle “o”

7. mi-masu watch

8. shi-masu do

e.g. tenisu (o) shimasu play tennis

shopping (o) shimasu do shopping

benkyoo (o) shimasu study

“e” is a direction marker and “o” is a direct object marker (particles)

Verb Conjugation (masu-form ~formal~)

There are only two types of verb tenses: Non-Past or Past tense.

For future tense, use Non-past tense.

e.g. tabe-masu (eat) / ashita tabe-masu (I‟ll eat tomorrow)

tabe-mashita. (ate)

tabe-masen. (I don‟t eat)

tabe-masen deshita. (I didn‟t eat)

tabe-mashita ka? (Did you eat?)

*Japanese verbs do not change their form depending on the subject

(singular/plural or person). Easy!

e.g. watashi wa Tokyo e ikimasu. (I go to Tokyo.)

kanojo wa Tokyo e ikimasu. (She goes to Tokyo.)

suupaa e ikimasu : go to the supermarket

kaisha e kimasu : come to the office

uchi e kaerimasu : go home

pan o tabemasu : eat bread

koohii o nomimasu : drink coffee

shattsu o kaimasu : buy a shirt

terebi o mimasu : watch a movie


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Invitation

To make an invitation phrase, just replace –masu to –masen ka?

e.g. tabe-masu tabe masen ka? (Would you like to eat?)

iki-masu iki masen ka? (Would you like to go?)

You may want to add “issho ni”, which means together, before the phrase.

e.g. mi-masu issho ni mimasen ka? (Would you like to watch together?)

issho ni eega o mimasen ka? (Would you like to watch a movie together?)

Accepting invitation

When you‟re invited to do something, you may want to reply :

iidesu ne, – mashoo. (–masu form change to –mashoo)

e.g. issho ni eega o mimasen ka?

iidesu ne, mi mashoo. (Sure, let‟s watch it.)

If you need to decline, you say :

sumimasen, chotto…

(literal meaning of “sumimasen, chotto..” is “I‟m sorry, a little bit..” This shows

your hesitation, and polite way to decline someone‟s invitation.)

Expressing desire

When you express desire, erase –masu, then add “tai desu.”

e.g kai masu kai tai desu. ((I) want to buy (it))…words in brackets are not included in

the Japanese phrase.

koohii o nomi masu koohii o nomi tai desu. ((I) want to drink coffee.)

Expression desire (Negative)

When you express negative desire, erase –masu, then add “taku nai desu.”

e.g. iki masu iki taku nai desu. ((I) don‟t want to go)

benkyoo shi masu benkyoo shi taku nai desu. (I don‟t want to study)


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5W: Question words

What nani / nan (“nan” comes before a sound of t, d or k and

number counting words)

When itsu

Where doko

Who dare / donata (“donata” sounds more polite)

Why dooshite / naze (formal) / nande (casual)

There question word can attach to both a verb phrase and a noun phrase.

Noun phrase

Nan desu ka?

Itsu desu ka?

Doko desu ka?

Dare desu ka? / Donata desu ka?

Dooshite desu ka?

Verb phrase (e.g. tabe-masu)

Nani o tabe-masu ka? What do you eat?

Itsu tabe-masu ka? When do you eat?

Doko de tabe masu ka? Where do you eat at?

Dare to tabe masu ka? Who do you eat with?

Dooshite tabe-masu ka? Why do you eat?

*Particles „de‟- shows location, „to‟ –for “with”

uchi de nomimasu. (drink at home),

tomodachi to nomimasu. (drink with (a) friend(s). )

Politeness “o”

Some Japanese words begin with “o”, which sounds slightly nicer.

However, not all Japanese words can attach “o”.

Examples:

kane okane money

heya oheya room

sushi osushi sushi

miyage omiyage souvenir

denwa odenwa telephone


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2. On the Street

Common Phrases

Part 1 : asking direction

1. -- wa doko desu ka? (Where is -- ?)

2. Sumimasen, -- wa doko desu ka?

3. Sumimsen, ginkoo wa doko desu ka?

Part 2 : Showing direction

1. Massugu itte kudasai.

Please go straight.

2. Kono michi o massugu itte kudasai.

Please go straight along this road.

3. Massugu itte, migi desu.

Go straight and it‟s on the right.

4. Massugu itte, hidari desu.

Go straight and it‟s on the left.

5. Tsugi no shingoo no kado desu.

It‟s at the corner of the next traffic lights.

6. Tsugi no koosaten no kado desu.

7. Eki no mae desu.

It‟s in front of the station.

8. Suupaa no ushiro desu.

It‟s behind the supermarket.

Suupaa super market

Eki station

Ginkoo bank

Kooban police station

Yuubin-kyoku post office

Kooen park

Gakkoo school

Hoteru hotel

Michi road

Kono michi this road

Massugu straight

Shingoo traffic lights

Koosaten intersection

Migi right

Hidari left

Tsugi no next

Kado corner

Mae in front

Ushiro behind

iki-masu

itte, --

to go

to go, then --

o (を) Object marker

(particle)


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3. Shopping

You‟ll hear

1. Irasshai Welcome

2. Irasshaimase welcome (politer)

You‟ll say

3. Ikura desu ka? How much?

4. Takai desu ne. That‟s expensive!

5. Chotto takai desu ne.

It‟s a bit expensive, (isn‟t it?)

6. Yasui desu ne.

That‟s cheap!

7. Totemo yasui desu ne.

That‟s very cheap

8. Kore o kudasai.

Please give me this.

= Kore o onegai shimasu.

9. Disukaunto dekimasu ka?

Discount please. (*literal meaning: Can you give me a discount?)

= Makete kudasai 〃

10. (Kurejitto) kaado ga tsukae-masu ka?

Can I use (credit) cards?

Takai expensive

Yasui cheap

Totemo very

Kore this

Kudasai give me

chotto a little bit

-- desu ne. sharing the same

feeling to someone

whom you talk to

Tsukae-masu be able to use


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4. In a Restaurant

You‟ll hear

1. Irasshai mase

Welcome.

2. Gochuumon wa?

May I take your order?

You‟ll say

3. --- o kudasai.

Give me ---, please.

4. --- o onegai shimasu.

-----, please.

5. Kore o kudasai.

Please give me this (by pointing

at the menu)

6. Kore to kore o kudasai.

Please give me this and this.

7. Menuu o kudasai.

Give me a menu, please.

8. Okanjoo onegai shimasu.

Bill please.

= Oaiso onegai shimasu.

9. Warikan ni shimashoo.

Let‟s split the bill. * gyuudon : beef rice bowl

10. Betsu betsu de onegai shimasu. karee raisu : curry rice

Separate checks, please.

(go) chuumon order

kore This

are That

o Object marker

(particle)

kudasai Give me

Onegai

shimasu

Please

menuu Menu

okanjoo bill

oaiso bill

betsu betsu Dutch treat, separate

checks

warikan Dutch treat, separate

checks


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5. At the Station

You‟ll ask

1. -- made ikura desu ka?

How much does it cost to go to -- ?

2. Sumimasen, -- made, ikura desu ka?

3. – e wa dooyatte ikimasu ka?

How do I go to -- ?

4. kono densha wa – e ikimasu ka?

Does this train go to (stop at) --?

5. tsugi no densha wa – e ikimasu ka?

Does the next train go to --?

You‟ll hear

6. Hai, ikimasu. For your reference…

Yes, it goes. (there)

7. Iie, ikimasen.

No, it doesn‟t go (there).

6. In a Taxi

You‟ll hear

1. Dochira made desu ka?

Where do you want to go?

2. Okyaku-san, dochira e?

3. Okyaku-san, dochira made?

Customer, where to?

You‟ll ask

4. -- made onegai shimasu.

Please go to -- .

5. --- e itte kudasai.

Please go to ---

6. Sumimasen, isoide kudasai.

Excuse me, please hurry up.

made until, up to

dooyatte How to

densha train

kono densha This train

tsugi next

iki masu go

iki masen (it) doesn‟t go

chikatetsu subway

basu bus

kuruma car

takushii taxi

Doko Where

Dochira Where (politer)

Okyaku-san Customer

e to (direction marker)

made until, up to

Onegai shimasu. Please

iki-masu To go

itte kudasai Please go


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7. Counting Days, Weeks, Months and Years

Month---gatsu Year --- nen

Day of the Week --- yoobi

January Ichi-gatsu

February Ni-gatsu

March San-gatsu

April Shi-gatsu

May Go-gatsu

June Roku-gatsu

July Shichi-gatsu

August Hachi-gatsu

September Ku-gatsu

October Juu-gatsu

November Juu ichi-gatsu

December Juu ni-gatsu

Mon Getsu yoobi

Tue Ka yoobi

Wed Sui yoobi

Thu Moku yoobi

Fri Kin yoobi

Sat Do yoobi

Sun Nichi yoobi

Calendar

M T W T F S S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

11 juu ichi nichi 18 juu hachi nichi 26 ni juu roku nichi

12 juu ni nichi 19 juu ku nichi 27 ni juu shichi nichi

13 juu san nichi 21 nijuu ichi nichi 28 ni juu hachi nichi

15 juu go nichi 22 nijuu ni nichi 29 ni juu ku nichi

16 juu roku nichi 23 nijuu san nichi 30 san juu nichi

17 juu shichi nichi 25 nijuu go nichi 31 san juu ichi nichi

1984 sen kyuuhyaku hachijuu yo nen

1995 sen kyuuhyaku kyuujuu go nen

2003 nisen san nen

2010 nisen juu nen

1 tsuitachi

2 futsuka

3 mikka

4 yokka 14 juu yokka 24 nijuu yokka

5 itsuka

6 muika

7 nanoka

8 yooka

9 kokonoka

10 tooka 20 hatsuka


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Question Words

What year: nan-nen

What month: nan-gatsu

What day: nan-nichi

What day of the week: nan-yoobi

Q: Kyoo wa nan-nen, nan-gatsu, nan-nichi, nan-yoobi desu ka?

(Is what year/month/day/day of the week/ today?)

A: Kyoo wa 2010-nen, ni-gatsu 23-nichi ka-yoobi desu.

(Today is, Tuesday, 23 Feb, 2010.)

For abbreviation written form,

12/23 Feb 23rd.

12/10 Dec 10th .

ototoi kinoo kyoo ashita asatte

sen-sen shuu senshuu konshuu raishuu saraishuu

sen-sen

getsu

sengetsu kongetsu raigetsu saraigetsu

ototoshi kyonen kotoshi rainen sarainen

Week

Month

Year

Future Past


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8. Making Reservation (for accommodation)

1. Ippaku ikura desu ka?

How much for one night?

2. Shinguru ruumu wa arimasu ka?

Do you have a single room?

Singuru ruumu wa ikura desuka?

How much for a single room?

3. Konban heya wa arimasu ka?

Are there any available rooms tonight?

4. Chekku-auto wa nanji desu ka?

What time is check-out?

5. Chekku-in wa nanji kara desu ka?

From what time can we check-in?

6. Chooshoku komi desu ka?

Is it inclusive of breakfast?

7. 2haku onegai shimasu.

For two nights, please.

8. Yoyaku dekimasu ka?

Can I make a reservation?

9. Konban ippaku onegai shimasu.

I‟d like to book a room for tonight.

10. Basu, toire tsuki desu ka?

Are the bath and toilet ensuite? *single room shinguru ruumu

×singuru heya

ippaku one night

ni-haku two nights

san-paku three nights

yon-haku four nights

konban tonight

(o)heya room

shinguru single

daburu double

tsuin twin

chekku auto check-out

chooshoku Breakfast

yoyaku reservation

basu bath

toire toilet

-- tsuki attached ---

chooshoku tsuki

or

chooshoku komi

with breakfast


17

9. At a Hotel

Making complaints

1. Mizu ga demasen

Water doesn‟t come out.

2. Oyu ga demasen

Hot water doesn‟t come out.

3. Toire ga nagaremasen

The toilet doesn‟t flush.

4. Nagashi no mizu ga nagaremasen

The water in the sink doesn‟t drain.

(a sink is clogged)

5. Terebi ga kowarete imasu.

The TV is broken.

Making requests

6. Taoru o kaete kudasai.

Please change the towels.

7. Motto ookii heya wa arimasu ka?

Do you have a larger room?

8. Eakon o yowaku shite kudasai.

Please turn down the air-con.

9. Reeboo o kitte kudasai.

Please switch off the air-con (cooler).

10. Moofu o moo ichimai onegai shimasu.

Please give me another blanket.

11. Heya o sooji shite kudasai.

Please clean up my room.

12. Takushii o yonde kudasai.

Please call me a taxi.

13. Mooning kooru o onegai shimasu.

Please give me a wake-up call.

14. 7ji ni onegai shimasu.

At 7 o‟clock, please.

15. Moo ippaku onegai shimasu.

One more night, please. (to extend the stay)

16. Sumisu desu. Yoyaku shite arimasu.

My name is Smith. I have a reservation.

Mizu water

Oyu hot water

De-masu come out

De-masen doesn‟t come out

Nagashi sink

nagare-masu flush

nagare-masen doesn‟t flush

Terebi TV

Kowarete-imasu is broken

Reezooko fridge

Taoru towel

Kaete kudasai please change

Heya bangoo room number

Kagi key

Heya no kagi room key

eakon air conditioning

reeboo 〃 , cooler

moofu blanket

sooji cleaning


18

10. Medical Emergencies

1. – ga itai desu.

I have pain in --- .

2. Atama ga itai desu.

I have a headache.

3. Onaka ga itai desu.

I have a stomach pain.

4. Nodo ga itai desu.

I have a sore throat.

5. Kibun ga warui desu.

I‟m not feeling well.

6. Kaze desu.

It‟s a common cold

7. Netsu ga arimasu.

I have a fever..

8. kusuri o kudasai.

Please give me medicine.

9. byooin e iki-tai desu.

I want to go to the hospital/clinic.

10. kyuu-kyuu-sha o yonde kudasai.

Please call an ambulance.

itai painful

atama head

onaka lower belly, stomach

senaka back

koshi lower back, loin

nodo throat

kubi neck

kata shoulders

kibun feeling

warui bad, not well

kaze common cold

netsu fever

kusuri medicine

byooin hospital, clinic

kyuu-kyuu-sha ambulance


19

11. Going Out

1. ~ e ikimasen ka?

Would you like to go ~

2. Onaka ga sukimashita ne.

I‟m hungry. Aren‟t you hungry too?

3. Nodo ga kawakimashita ne.

I‟m thirsty. Aren‟t you thirsty too?

4. Nani ka tabetai desu ne.

I want to eat something.

Don‟t you want to eat something too?

5. Nani ka tabemasen ka?

Would you like to eat something?

6. Resutoran e ikimasen ka?

Would you like to go to a restaurant?

7. Pabu e ikimasen ka?

Would you like to go to a pub?

8. --ji ni (location) de aimasen ka?

e.g. 6ji ni eki de aimasen ka?

Would you like to meet at the station at 6?

9. 7ji ni aimashoo.

Let‟s meet at 7 o‟clock.

10. eki de aimashoo.

Let‟s meet at the station.

tabe masu to eat

nomi masu to drink

~ masen ka? Would you like to do~

(invitation)

iki masen ka? Would you like to go?

onaka ga

sukimashita

I‟m hungry.

nodo ga

kawakimashita

I‟m thirsty.

~ tai desu I want to do ~

nani ka something /anything

~ mashoo. Let‟s do~

pabu pub

kissaten Coffee shop


20

12. Visiting Someone‟s House

You‟ll hear

1. Irasshai / Yookoso okoshi kudasai mashita (formal)

Welcome!

2. Doozo oagari kudasai

Please come in.

3. Mata kite kudasai.

Please come again.

= Mata irasshatte kudasai (politer)

You‟ll say

4. Ojamashimasu

(greeting before you enter someone‟s house)

5. Doozo okamainaku

Please don‟t bother. (I‟m fine)

6. A, soo desu ka.. jaa.

Really? Ok, well, then…

7. Arigatoo gozaimasu.

Thank you.

8. Onegai shimasu.

Please.

9. Itadakimasu.

(greeting before meals)

10. Oishii desu ne.

It‟s delicious.

11. Suteki na kappu desu ne.

It‟s a nice cup.

12. Gochisoo sama deshita.

Thank you for the food. (greeting after meals)

13. Soro soro shitsuree shimasu.

It‟s about time to go (leave).

instant japanese - learnjapanese123 – 楽しく日本 … genki desu. yes, i‟m fine. japanese...

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