EXERCISES
Practice pronouncing the following words.
| Japanese cities: | ||
| 東京 | Tō-kyō | Tokyo |
| 大阪 | Ō-sa-ka | Osaka |
| 京都 | Kyō-to | Kyoto |
| 広島 | Hi-ro-shi-ma | Hiroshima |
| Japanese cooking: | ||
| 寿司 | su-shi | vinegared rice and fish |
| 天ぷら | te-n-pu-ra | deep-fried food |
| 刺身 | sa-shi-mi | sliced raw fish |
| Japanese sports: | ||
| 相撲 | su-mō | sumo |
| 柔道 | jū-dō | judo |
| 剣道 | ke-n-dō | Japanese fencing |
| Loanwords: | ||
| アメリカ | A-me-ri-ka | America |
| カメラ | ka-me-ra | camera |
| ニュース | nyu-su | news |
| ゴルフ | go-ru-fu | golf |
| ビール | bii-ru | beer |
| コーヒー | ko-hii | coffee |
| チップ | chi-p-pu* | tip (gratuity) |
| サッカー | sa-k-ka* | soccer |
| * These are examples of double consonants. |
A NOTE ON THE PUNCTUATION USED IN THIS BOOK
Below is an explanation of how this book uses semi-colons and slashes in word defi nitions.
semi-colon: to separate short entries
| です desu is; am; are | 兀気 genki healthy; fine |
Slashes: to separate interchangeable words within a phrase
戸田さん Toda-san Mr./Mrs./Miss Toda (Mr. Toda, Mrs. Toda, Miss Toda)
いただます Itadakimasu I will receive/have. (I will receive. I will have.)
to separate long entries
お兀気ぐすか。 O-genki desu ka? How are you?/Are you well?
LESSON 1
How Do You Do?
VOWELS
Study these words and clearly pronounce them aloud. Then proceed to the dialogue.
| こんばんは | Konbanwa. | Good evening. |
| はじめまして | Hajimemashite. | How do you do? (used when meeting someone for the first time) |
| どうぞよろしく | Dōzo yoroshiku. | Glad to meet you. (lit., Please give favors to me.) |
| どうぞ | dōzo | please (used when asking something or when offering something) |
| あの | ano | that |
| ひと | hito | person |
| あのひと | ano hito | that person (he or she) |
| だれ | dare | who |
| こちら | kochira | this person/thing |
| 佐藤 | Satō | (a family name) |
| 戸田さん | Toda-san | Mr./Mrs./Miss Toda |
| さん | -san | (an honorific suffix added to another person's given name, family name, or full name) |
| カーターさん | Kātā-san | Mr./Mrs./Miss Carter |
| アメリカ | Amerika | America |
| 朝日新聞 | Asahi Shinbun | Asahi Newspaper (one of the leading Japanese newspapers) |
| 記者 | kisha | reporter |
| は | wa1 | (a topic marker) |
| です | desu | is; am; are |
| か | ka?2 | (a question marker) |
| の | no3 |
of; for
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