in Japanese and English grammar. Especially if you are a beginner, the best idea is to forget about grammar and simply learn Japanese sentences as they are spoken. With repetition, Japanese sentence structure will also sound perfectly natural.
Another point to keep in mind is that the subject is often left out in Japanese sentences, the message expressed with only the verb. For example: the present tense of the verb “to go” 行きます ikimasu (ee-kee-mahss) means “go” or “going, am going,” or “will go.” By adding ka to it (ikimasu ka?), it becomes “are you going?” Japanese often use various verb forms as whole sentences. With just the various tenses of ikimasu, for example, you can say the following:
行きます Ikimasu. (ee-kee-mahss) –– I am going.
行きません Ikimasen. (ee-kee-mah-sen) –– I’m not going. / He/She is not going. / They are not going.
行きませんでした Ikimasen deshita. (ee-kee-mah-sen desh-tah) –– I/He/She/They did not go.
行きましょう Ikimashō.. (ee-kee-mah-show) –– Let’s go.
行きました Ikimashita. (ee-kee-mah-shtah) –– I/He/She/They went.
Three of the primary building blocks of ideas or sentences in Japanese are désu (dess), the verb “to be,” ある aru (ah-rue), which means “have” as well as expressing the idea of “to be”; and いる iru (ee-rue), which expresses both existence and “being” as well as an ongoing action when it follows a verb.
です Désu (dess) expresses the indicative present “is” and, unlike the other “to be/there are” verbs, is never used by itself. The past tense of です désu is でした déshita (desh-tah). The polite negative is ではありません de wa arimasen (day wah ah-ree-mah-sen). In everyday speech this is often abbreviated to ではない de wa nai (day wah nigh), and in familiar speech to じゃない ja nai (jah nigh).
That is expensive.
それは高いです。
Sore wa takai désu.
(so-ray wah tah-kye dess)
That is not expensive.
それは高くありません。
Sore wa takaku arimasen.
(so-ray wah tah-kah-kuu ah-ree-mah-sen)
それは高くはない。
Sore wa takaku wa nai.
(so-ray wah tah-kah-kuu wa nigh)
それは高くない。
Sore wa takaku nai.
(so-ray wah tah-kah-kuu nigh)
Both ある aru (ah-rue) and いる iru (ee-rue) can be used by themselves as well as used in combination with other verbs. Aru is used when you want to make a “have” or “there is” statement or ask a “have you” or “is there” question. When used just by itself aru conveys the idea of “I have” or “there is.” When iru is used by itself it generally refers to people or other living things being present at that location or somewhere else.
Another word that will get you a long way in Japanese is kudasai (kuudah-sigh), which has the meaning of “please do” (something) or “please give” (something) and is used as an ending for verbs and following nouns.
水を下さい。Mizu wo kudasai. (me-zuu oh kuu-dah-sigh)
Water, please. (Please give me water.)
パンを下さい。Pan wo kudasai. (pahn oh kuu-dah-sigh)
Bread, please.
食べて下さい。Tabete kudasai. (tah-bay-tay kuu-dah-sigh)
Please eat.
助けて下さい。Tasukete kudasai. (tah-skate-tay kuu-dah-sigh)
Please help me.
教えて下さい。Oshiete kudasai. (oh-she-eh-tay kuu-dah-sigh)
Please show (teach) me.
Again because Japanese grammar is so different from English grammar it is not recommended that anyone begin study or use the language by learning grammatical rules. For many people the grammar-based approach can even be fatal to the learning process.
The easiest approach to the Japanese language, at least at the basic level, is to memorize written and spoken sentences and practice actual conversational dialogue, ignoring grammatical structure. Eventually the structure will become imprinted in your mind and you will automatically use it correctly.
Japanese Business Etiquette
Japan’s business etiquette is encapsulated in a number of key terms that I call “cultural code words” because their meanings are impregnated with the values and goals that define and control how the Japanese do business. Here is a selection of some of the most important of these terms with explanations of how they function.
The All-Important Introduction
紹介 Shōkai (shohh-kie)
This is the Japanese word for “introduction”—something that is especially important in establishing new relationships in Japan because the Japanese have been culturally conditioned for centuries to avoid dealing with people they do not know. Historically, in their close-knit family and group-oriented society becoming involved with strangers not only complicated their lives, it also represented a possible danger.
The only way to circumvent this cultural-bound limit when business and other considerations required them to develop new relationships was to depend on introductions from friends, classmates, professors or trusted institutions who would take responsibility for the character and behavior of the people being introduced.
The custom of depending on shōkai thus became deeply embedded in Japanese culture, and remains today an important tool in both social and business etiquette.
Letter of Introduction
紹介状 Shōkai-jō (shohh-kie johh)
A shōkai-jō is a written introduction from an individual or from an institution attesting to the character of the bearer, and asking the third party to do whatever they can for him or her. An introduction from a well-known person or institution carries a lot of weight in Japan, and is highly recommended. “Cold calls” and self-introductions are not taboo in Japan, but a shōkai-jō will get you much further and faster because it gives you instant “face.”
The Indispensable Advisor
相談役 Sōdanyaku (sohh-dahn-yah-kuu)
Sōdan means consultation, conference, talk and advice. A sōdanyaku is the Japanese word for consultant or advisor. Sōdanyaku can be extraordinarily valuable to foreign businesspeople who are considering their first foray into Japan on a relatively large scale—or need to make fundamental changes in existing organizations in Japan.
Foreign companies planning on going into Japan should consider retaining sōdanyaku well before the date of the initial contact because there are many things they should do in preparing for the venture—things they generally would not know about if they have not done considerable research or already had hands-on experience in Japan. [And doing a few hours of research on Google or Yahoo doesn’t count!] The use of sōdanyaku is a well-established custom in Japan.
The Indispensable Go-Between
仲介人 Chukaisha (chuu-kie-shah)
This term may be literally translated as “middle-meeting-person” and refers, of course, to a “middleman”—a person who serves as an agent of one party to another in presentations and negotiations, particularly when the matter at hand is sensitive. Chukaisha have traditionally played a vital role in political and business affairs in Japan