Japanese Lesson #3

Nihon e yōkoso! (Welcome to Japan!)

san = Mr./Ms./Mrs./Miss.

(never use it with your own name)

eg.

Watanabe Neruson san desu ka. (Are you Mr. Nelson?)

Nelson Hai, sō desu. Neruson desu. (Yes, that's right. I'm Nelson.)

desu = to be; I am/you are/he is/she is/it is/we are/they are

(verb always comes at the end of a Japanese sentence)

eg.

Gakusei desu (I am a student)

Enjinia desu (He is an engineer)

ka = forming questions (?)

(add it at the end of a sentence, not necessary to use "?" after it)

eg.

Gakusei desu ka. (Are you/Is he a student?)

Yokohama desu ka. (Is this Yokohama?)

(use "?" when ka is not spoken)

eg.

Kanadajin? = Kanadajin desu ka.

no = particle "-'s" to know belonging or possession

eg.

Suzuki san no meishi (Mr. Suzuki's business card)

gakkō no namae (the school's name)

Amerika no kaisha (an American company)

Nihon no kurumu (Japanese cars)

Watashi no gakkō no sensei (my school's teachers)

Does not usually differentiate between singular and plural

eg.

Saitō san? Enjinia desu. (Mr. Saitō? He's an engineer)

Saitō san to Katō san? Enjinia desu. (Mr. Saitō and Mr. Katō? They are engineers)

No a/an/the

eg.

Gakusei desu ka. (Are you (a) student?)

e = to or towards

(comes after the name of the place towards which you're going)

eg.

Tōkyō e yokoso. (Welcome to Tokyo)

Kochira e, dōzo. (This way, please)

Vocabulary

Amerika : America

Amerikajin : an American

arigatō : thank you (more informal than dōmo arigatō)

chigaimasu : that's incorrect, wrong

dai ik-ka : lesson one

desu : I am, you are, he is, she is, it is, we are, they are

dōmo arigatō : thank you

dōmo sumimasen : I'm sorry, I apologize

dōzo : please

e : to, towards

enjinia : engineer

ga : but

gakkō : school

gakuin : institute, school, place of learning

gakusei : student

hai : yes

hajimemashite : how do you do?

iie : no

ja : well, in that case

-jin : person (of country)

ka : indicate a question

kaisha : company, office

Kanada : Canada

Kanadajin : a Canadian

kochira : this way

kōkō : high school (kōtō gakkō)

kuruma : car

meishi : business card

namae : name

Nihon : Japan

Nihongo : Japanese

no : -'s

san : Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss

sensei : teacher, professor

shitsurei desu ga : excuse me, but ...

sō desu : that's right, that's so

sō desu ka : I see, is that so?

suminasen : excuse me, I'm sorry

sūtsukēsu : suitcase

to : and

watashi : I, me

watashi no : my

yōkoso : welcome

Quoted from Berlitz Essential Japanese