Japanese Phrase A Day Practice Pad. Sam Brier

LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

      Before asking somebody’s name, you should say “Shitsurei desu ga

which is a polite way to say “Excuse me.”

      “~ to mōshimasu ~

is a polite way to say “My name is…” In casual circumstances, you may hear someone say just “~ desu. ~ です。”

      Doko no kuni kara kimashita ka?

      Where are you from?

      Amerika / Kanada / Igirisu kara kimashita.

      I’m from America / Canada / England.

      ————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————

      Japan is an exceptionally homogeneous country. The largest ethnic minority is Korean with approximately 1 million permanent residents, students, long-term visitors, and naturalized Japanese citizens. (Immigration Bureau of Japan 2005.)

      (○○-san wa,) Doko de umaremashita ka?

      Where were you born, [person’s name with “-san” added for respect]?

      Watashi wa Nihon de umaremashita.

      I was born in Japan.

      ————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————

      Remember, the ○○ takes the place of “____.” You will see these anywhere you’d expect to see a blank in English sentences.

      Osumai wa dochira desu ka? (polite form)

      どこに住んでるの。

      Doko ni sunderu no? (casual form)

      Where do you live?

      Ōsaka ni sunde imasu.

      I live in Osaka.

      ————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

      “Ka か” at the end of a sentence signals a question mark. “Masu ます” is one of the many verb endings you will learn, and it can be understood as “is” (or, the simple present positive tense).

      すみません。

      Sumimasen.

      Excuse me.

      はい。

      Hai.

      Yes, OK, How may I help you?

      ————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————

      Depending on the situation, “sumimasen すみません” can also mean “I’m sorry” or even “Thank you,” similar to the wide variety of uses that we have in English for “OK.” The word “hai はい” also has many meanings.

      Eigo ga wakarimasu ka?

      Do you understand English?

      はい、わかります。

      Hai, wakarimasu.

      I understand English.

      いいえ、わかりません。

      Iie, wakarimasen.

      I don’t understand English.

      ————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

      The ending of verbs in Japanese is where you will find the keys to meaning. The ending “-masen ません” is the negative present tense. Japanese does not negate sentences by adding a word to the middle of the sentence like we do in English.

      Nihongo ga wakarimasu ka?

      Do you understand Japanese?

      Sukoshi wakarimasu.

      I understand a little.

      ————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

      “Nihongo

means “Japanese.” Broken down, “Nihon 日本” means Japan and go means language. “Ga が” is an article that refers back to the subject; it doesn’t have a direct translation into English. “Wakaru わかる” is the infinitive of the verb “understand.” “Ka か” is the equivalent of a question mark.

      As you will notice in the recordings, the u after consonants and at the end of words is often silent or suppressed.

      Nihongo ga jōzu desu ne.

      You speak Japanese very well.

      Hontō ni sukoshi dake desu.

      Actually, I only speak a little.

      まあまあです。

      Māmā desu.

      It’s so-so.

      ————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

      “Jōzu

means “great” or “skillful” and is used regularly by itself when someone has done something especially well. Another word that you will hear often when someone is impressed is “sugoi すごい,” which means “great” or “awesome.”

      Totemo hazukashii desu.

      I’m so embarrassed.

      ————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————

      “Hazukashii

can literally mean “embarrassed,” but it can also be used when someone flatters you and you would feel awkward thanking that person for the compliment. Sometimes, laughter can be employed instead of saying anything or denying the compliment.

      わかりますか。

      Wakarimasu ka?

      Do you understand?

      わかります。