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Introduction to Japanese Language

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Basic Japanese - Nihongo 101

Nihongo means Japanese Language. (That was easy...you've said your first japanese word!)

This lens introduces Japanese Language and has a list of basic greetings, some simple words, basic grammar and an introduction to the script. This is for those who would like to try a new language and dip their toes in the oriental world. It is also very helpful for those who would like to learn some quick Japanese before visiting the Land of the Rising Sun.

I would not be able to do justice to the language if I say that this lens will teach you how to read, write and speak Japanese. This is just the starting point, an introduction, if I may, to the language.

The Japanese Language, like any other foreign language, is very easy to learn as far as speaking is concerned. The scripts (yes, its plural, japanese has three scripts, but lets come to that in a bit) are very different from most other languages, but extremently intriguing all the same.

Japanese pronounciations are uncomplicated. Words are pronounced as they are written. Although kanji's have several reading ways depending on context (we can get to that later), the basic spoken japanese can be unmistakenably straightforward.

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Basic Greetings - Aisatsu

Here is a list of some very common greetings and words in english & japanese. The japanese words have been written in english based on the pronounciation.

Hello - Konnichiwa
Yes - Hai
No - Iiye

Good Morning - Ohayo Gozaimas
Good Afternoon - Konnichiwa
Good Evening - Konbanwa
Good Night - Oyasumi Nasai
Good Bye - Sayonara
See you - Dewa mata/Jaa mata

How are you - Ogenki Des Ka
I am fine - Hai, Genki Des

Thank You Very Much - Domo Arigato Gozaimas
Thanks - Domo (used mostly by men)/Arigato
You're Welcome - Do Itashi Mashite

Sorry - Gomen Nasai
Excuse Me (I'm Sorry) - Shitsurei Shimas
Excuse Me (in a crouded train) - Sumimasen

Hello (on the phone) - Moshi Moshi
Cheers - Kampai

There you go!!! Now, wasn't that easy. These basic greetings can get you through your first 30 seconds of conversation with a Japanese person or at your local Sushi restaurant. Read on, you'll love it.

Japanese Greetings

This YouTube Video is great for a beginner, illustrating how to pronounce the Basic Greetings and how they are used.

Learn Japanese - 01#Greetings and Salutations
by Iseuyuki | video info

322 ratings | 163,856 views
curated content from YouTube

Japanese Grammar - Nihongo Bumpou

Forming sentences is just as easy. Here's a quick way of saying your first basic sentences.

Sentence#1:

This is a fish. --> Kore wa sakana des.

Now, let's break that up...
* kore - This (sore - that; aare - that over there)
* wa - is
* sakana - fish (object)
* des - is/are/am (used at the end of a sentence)

Examples:
1. This is a table - Kore wa tsukue(table) des
2. That is a book - Sore wa hon(book) des
3. That is a car - Aare wa kuruma(car) des
4. What is this? - Kore wa nan(what) des ka(question tag)?

Now you can form your own basic sentences in Japanese :)

More Grammar

Sentence#2:

My name is Kimiko. --> Watashi no namae wa Kimiko des.

Now, let's break that up...
* watashi no - my (mine)
* namae - name
* wa - is
* des - is/are/am (used at the end of a sentence)

Examples:
1. What is your name? - Anata no (your) namae wa nan(what) des ka(question tag)?

Grammar may seem daunting to begin with, but once you get the rules straight, its pretty simple.

Japanese Scripts

Here's an introduction to written japanese.

Japanese is written with a combination of three scripts. It may take a while to master all the scripts, so I recommend starting with the first two.

1. Hiragana
This is a phonetic script consisting of 46 characters. Hiragana is mainly used for non-kanji words, particles and prepositions for instance are written in hiragana. However, you can write a complete sentence in hiragana. Children's books are written in hiragana and kanji's are introduced as they grow older.

2. Katakana
This too is a phonetic script and consists of syllables, just like hiragana. However, katakana is used for writing 'foreign' words. There are several words which have non-japanese origin and are borrowed from other languages. Words like 'computer' or 'beer' for instance are written using the katakana script.

3. Kanji
This is a pictoral script. The kanji script consists of over 5000 characters, often used alone or in conjunction with other kanji's to form words. Learning kanji can be very addictive, so let's leave that for another lens.

"Romaji" (english alphabets) is a variation of script used in modern japanese for inputting the characters into the computer and writing names.

New Words - Atarashi Kotoba

Its always interesting to learn new words. Here are some common words categorized logically.

Pick a category everyday and practice it. It won't be long before you can use these words fluently!

Numbers - Suuji

One - Ichi
Two - Ni
Three - San
Four - Shi / Yon
Five - Go
Six - Roku
Seven - Shichi
Eight - Hachi
Nine - Kyuu / Ku
Ten - Jyuu

Relations - Shinseki

Mother - Okaasan / Haha
Father - Otousan / Chi chi
Elder Brother - Oniisan
Younger Brother - Otouto
Elder Sister - Oneysan
Younger Sister - Emouto
Uncle - Ojisan
Aunt - Obasan
Grandfather - Ojiisan (extended i)
Grandmother - Obaasan (extended a)
Friend - Tomodachi

Fruits - Kudamono

Apple - Ringo
Orange - Mikan
Strawberry - Ichigo
Watermelon - Suika
Grapes - Budou
Pineapple - Paainappuru
Banana - Banana
Mango - Maango

Colors - Iro

White - Shiroi / Shiro
Black - Kuroi / Kuro
Red - Akai
Blue - Aaoi
Green - Midori
Yellow - Kiiro
Purple - Murasaki
Orange - Orenjee

Animals - Doubutsu

Dog - Inu
Cat - Neko
Mouse - Nezumi
Horse - Uma
Cow - Ushi
Elephant - Zou
Lion - Raion
Tiger - Tora
Camel - Rakuda

Countries - Kuni

Japan - Nihon / Nippon
China - Chyugoku
USA - Aamerika
Europe - Yoroppa
France - Furansu
Germany - Doitsu
India - Indo
Australia - Oosutoraria

Languags - Kotoba / ~go (postfix)

English - Eigo
French - Furansugo
German - Doitsugo

Miscellaneous - Iro iro na

Boy - Otoko
Girl - Onna
Tea - Ocha
Fish - Sakana
Sea - Umi
Water - Mizu
Island - Shima
Road - Michi
Umbrella - Kasa
Key - Kagi
Near - Chikai
Far - Tooi
Question - Shitsumon
Answer - Kotae
Love - Ai

Since this is just a beginner's page, I would like to urge you to purchase a dictionary or use some of the free online resources available to improve vocabulary.

Books from Amazon

Here is some good learning material, which you can browse and buy from Amazon.

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What Next

After reading through this lens, you are equipped to speak some japanese words, greetings and basic sentences. Now that this lens has inspired you to dig deeper into this newly gained knowledge, where do you go?

This list gives a few links which can help you further your knowledge of japanese language and enjoy it.
Intermediate Japanese Language
My next lens in the series of Japanese Language lenses. This will talk some more about Japanese Grammar and some fun vocabulary and even a quiz! What're you waiting for, go check out the lens and ace it...I'm sure you will.
About Japanese
This site by Namiko Abe offers japanese lessons for students from beginner to advanced levels. You can also sign-up for the newsletter (recommended) and learn something new each week.
Japanese Tools
This site has some interesting tools, most important being the online dictionary. This site also offers a compilation of several links offering japanese language learning tools.
Japanese Grammar
This site is all about japanese grammar. You can go through this site for a step-by-step approach to the various grammar patterns. You will need to know and install japanese script (atleast hiragana) for this site.
Meguro Language Centre
This site offers a host of (free) material for a Japanese language student ranging from Level 4 to Level 1. For a beginner it offers some flash animation tools, which help in learning the script. For advanced students, the worksheets and practice tests are very helpful. It has several short dialogues for listening practice too.

Japanese on eBay

Here's what eBay has to offer on Japanese

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Learning Japanese Language

This is a well-composed introductory video on Japanese Language by www.TheJapanesePage.com & www.TheJapanShop.com

Learn Japanese: Introduction to Japanese
by thejapanshop | video info

5,501 ratings | 1,215,087 views
curated content from YouTube

My Guestbook

I would love to hear from you, so do drop in a line on your feedback and comments here.

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  • Reply
    Even Dec 25, 2011 @ 5:03 pm | delete
    Isn't this a little wrong? Wa does NOT mean is! It's a particle, introducing something. Also the way to express a state of being is showed a little narrow minded here :s
  • Reply
    Perla Oct 21, 2011 @ 4:37 pm | delete
    Well I've been taking Rosetta Stone for about two weeks now and I only knew about four words listed here-.- But at least Rosetta Stone is free (In school....Im 14)
  • Reply
    Neoglitch Jul 29, 2011 @ 12:09 am | delete
    Well, this is certainly a well put-together mini-introduction to the Japanese language... but man, why doesn't Squidoo support Japanese characters? Maybe when Seth Godin decides to learn Japanese... or launch squidoo.jp!! xD

    I suggest that for each grammar point you provide a couple of example sentences... hmm, something you can do if you feel like doing a major upgrade to this lens is creating some pictures that have sentences in kana/kanji with their reading in roumaji below (and a translation), uploading them on Imageshack, and then placing them in the middle of your text modules. A nice addition would be a video that teaches the Hiragana and Katakana; there's plenty of those on Youtube.

    Finally, congratulations on your 2007 nomination (a "bit" late, but what the heck! xD) and thanks for sharing! :D
  • Reply
    reixi Jun 24, 2011 @ 12:57 am | delete
    domo arigato, helpful site. i love manga and would love to watch it in their language. may i ask, isnt it hard to learn if i can only listen and not converse using it? no one else around me is inclined to learning new language specifically this...hope to be ble to visit japan soon too..
  • Reply
    fsilvestre Mar 23, 2011 @ 11:30 pm | delete
    Konnichiwa. This is certainly a great lens! This can be a great help for those who want to study Nihongo.
  • Reply
    sayonara Feb 25, 2011 @ 8:32 am | delete
    Nice....This is a big help because I really love anime.... hopefully, I could learn nihongo and be able to visit Japan in the NEAR future..
  • Reply
    domz7106 Jan 22, 2010 @ 7:29 am | delete
    Domo Arigato Gozaimas....
    really informative and makes me to pursue on learning the language...
  • Reply
    armant Oct 26, 2009 @ 1:01 am | delete
    minna sama konnichi wa,..armant desu,.indonesia kara kimashita,..yoroshiku onegaishimasu,.hontouni minnasama no tomodachi ni naritain desuga yoroshikattara meru matawa chatto shimashou,.armant42@yahoo.com ni.

    doumo
  • Reply
    dahlei28 Oct 21, 2009 @ 5:53 am | delete
    watashi no onamae wa dahlei san desu, philippines ni dochina desu.
  • Reply
    NEIL ZURITA Oct 5, 2009 @ 9:20 am | delete
    KONNICHIWA WATASHI NO NAMAE WA NEIL ZURITA DES FILIPINO I AI TO SPEAK JAPANESE BUT DES NOT GOOD TO SPEAK THAT ~_~ PLEASE HELP ME TO LEARN MORE!!! DOMO ARIGATO GOZAIMAS.........
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