Introductions

Anata no o'namae wa nan desu ka. What is your name?
O'namae wa nan desu ka.

waTAKUshi no namae wa nakamura desu. My name is Nakamura.
waTAKUshi wa nakamura to mōshi-masu.

Shinohara-san o watakushi ni shōkaishite itadake masu ka. Would you introduce me to Shinohara-san?

Kochira wa Shinohara-san desu. This is Shinohara.

Dōzo yoroshiku Pleased to meet you
Hajimemashite

Honorifics

Honorifics are very important to Japanese culture. They are similar to titles in English. They translate as Mr., Mrs, and Miss and are used after one's name.
ex. Nakamura-san Miss Nakamura

-sama Very polite
-san Polite; probably used most common
-sensei Lit. Teacher used for teachers or someone who is a professional or master at a trade
-kun Used for classmates or friends; commonly for boys
-chan for affection (one's girlfriend, etc); pets, and small children
-(blank) Very informal; family or very close friends

Also: names are written Family Name-Given Name
ex. Miyako Nakamura in English becomes Nakamura Miyako in Japan
NEVER use honorifics to refer to yourself!!!

Salutations

oHAIyō goZAimasu Good morning
KONnichi wa Good Afternoon
KONban wa Good Evening
oYAsumi nasai Good night

saYŌnara Good bye (Lit. If it must be so)
Dewa mata ichido See you later

o'GENki desu KA. How are you?
GENki desu. I'm fine

aRIgatō Thank you
DŌmo aRIgatō goZAimasu Thank you very much

dōiTAshimashite You're welcome

oNEgai shimasu please (when making a request)

suMImasen sorry or excuse me

Question Words

DOko where
DŌyatte how
Itsu when
NAni what
NAze why
DAre who
dochira which

Dorehodo ikura How much?
Ikutsu desu ka How many?

... wa doko desu ka. Where is ....?
Doko desu ka. Where is/are you/he/she/it?

Numbers

0 ZEro, rei
1 iCHI
2 ni
3 san
4 shi, yon
5 go
6 roku
7 shiCHI, NAna
8 haCHI
9 kyū, ku
10 jū

100 hyaku
1000 sen
1,000,000 hyaKUman

Numbers above 10:
11 jū-iCHi (10 + 1)
20 ni-jū (2 + 10)
64 roku-jū-yon ( 6 + 10 + 4 )
The same pattern repeats

Colors

Note: uppercase letters represent a raise in pitch, not stress

midori
hai iro
chaIro
kuROi
aO
shiRO
muRAsaki
oRENji
aKAi
KII
PINku

... desu. It is ...

Pronunciation 2

Double Vowels:
Hold the vowel sound longer
ex. Tōkyō O sound is held longer
(can be indicated by a macron, circumflex, the vowel written twice, or a 'u' after the vowel)

Double consanants
Hold sound longer, or pronounce sound twice
ex. yukkuri

**It is very imporatnt to pronounce these, it could change the meaning of the word!!**

Y between a consanant and vowel:
the y acts as a glide: all one syllable
ex Kyu like the cu in "cute"
Tōkyō is NOT pronounced To-Ki-o

Pronunciation

Vowels:
a; ah as in father
i: ee as in see
u: oo as in too
e: eh as in pen
o : oh as in no
*Similar to Spanish pronunciation
Consanants
Same as English except
R: sounds like an L or sometimes a D
G: sometimes pronounced NG as in ring
F: sounds like an H