Speak Japanese

Anta

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 08:59:19 GMT

Do you know Shimura ken? He is one of the most popular comedians in Japan for more than two decades. I would watch his shows when I was a kid. I found this video starring Shimura Ken on Youtube.

Between 8 and 13 seconds of the video, the woman in her kimono says, "Anta! Anta, ikanaide!"

Anta is an interjection, meaning "you." It's an informal word.

Anta = ��

Ikanaide means, "Don't go!" or "Don't leave me!"

Ikanaide = ��Ȃ�� = �s��Ȃ��

His comedy is kind of stupid, but still funny. Hope you are not eating something right now.

Unzari

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 07:49:03 GMT

Hello everyone. It has been months since I posted last, but I don't mean to delete this Blog. So, come back once in a while, and you may find something new.

Today, you will learn the phrase "unzari shiteiru," meaning "be fed up; be sick and tired; be tired to death."

Anata niwa unzari shiteiru.
��Ȃ��ɂ͂��񂴂肵�Ă��B
(I'm tired of you.)

Seijika niwa unzari shiteiru.
��ɂ͂��񂴂肵�Ă��B
��Ƃɂ͂��񂴂肵�Ă��B
(I'm sick and tired of the politicians.)

seijika = �� = �� = politician(s)

Kono ame niwa unzarida!
��̂��߂ɂ͂��񂴂肾�I
��̉J�ɂ͂��񂴂肾�I
(I'm sick and tired of this rain!)

ame = �� = �J = rain

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Thanks for reading my Blog!

��ꂶ��A�܂��I

Hisashiburi

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 02:29:42 GMT

It has been months since I updated this Blog last. I have been swamped with work and haven't had time to write an article. I wish I had a sinecure.

Anyway, here are some useful phrases you may want to learn:

Hisashiburi desu ne.
�Ђ��Ԃ�ł��ˁB
�v��Ԃ�ł��ˁB
(I haven't seen you for a long time.)

Akirameta.
��߂��B
��߂��B
(I give up.)

Kare wa kazoku ni totte wa nayami no tane da.
��͂��ɂƂ��Ă͂Ȃ�݂̂��˂��B
�ނ͉Ƒ��ɂƂ��Ă͔Y�݂̎킾�B
(He is a great worry to his family.)

kazoku = �� = �Ƒ� = family
kare = �� = �� = he
nayami = �Ȃ�� = �Y�� = worry; trouble

Hinamatsuri
�ЂȂ܂�
�ЂȍՂ�
the Girls' [Dolls'] Festival
(Japanese people celebrate the Girls' Festival on March 3. Honestly, I don't know much about it.)

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I am planning to visit some European countries like Germany and Czech Republic in April. I can hardly wait.

See you soon!

Some Useless Phrases

Sat, 21 Oct 2006 02:37:08 GMT

Here are some useful phrases:

Jamada! (or Doke!)
��܂��I�ior �ǂ��I�j
�ז��I
(Get out of my way!)

yakamashii ongaku
�₩�܂��@��񂪂�
��@��y
(noisy music)

Iraira sasenaide kure.
��炢�炳��Ȃ��ł��B
(Don't be a pain in the neck.)

Anata wa ryouri ga totemo heta desu ne.
��Ȃ͂�傤�肪�ƂĂ��ւ��ł��ˁB
��Ȃ��͗��ƂĂ��ł��ˁB
(You are a terrible cook.)

Sake wo mottekoi!
��Ă��I
��ė��I
(Bring me some sake!)

*Sake is an alcoholic beverage (especially a Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice and usually served warm).

Weather

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 03:18:22 GMT

Here are some Japanese words relating to the weather.

Vocab (nouns):

tenki
�Ă�
�V�C
(weather)

kaze
��
��
(wind)

ame
��
�J
(rain)

yuki
�䂫
��
(snow)

arare
��
(hail)

kaminari
��݂Ȃ�
��
(thunder)

kaminari oyaji
��݂Ȃ肨�₶
��₶
(a bad-tempered old man)

seiten
��Ă�
��V
(fine weather)

ii tenki
��Ă�
��V�C
(good [nice] weather)

iyana tenki
��ȂĂ�
��ȓV�C
(bad weather)

ame otoko
��߂��Ƃ�
�J�j
(a rain bringer; a rain man)

*otoko = a man

ame onna
��߂��
�J��
(a rain bringer; a rain woman)

hieta beer
�Ђ��r�[��
�₦��r�[��
(ice-cold beer)

Wait a Moment

Thu, 07 Sep 2006 02:09:29 GMT

Sorry that I couldn't update this Blog for a while. I've been busy writing a book. Besides, I wasn't feeling well for two weeks or so because of the summer heat. I'm just glad Autumn has come.

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Today we will be learning some simple phrases:

Chotto matte.
��Ƃ܂��āB
��'҂��āB
(Wait a minute [moment, second].)

Machikirenai.
�܂��Ȃ��B
�҂��Ȃ��B
(I can't wait.)

Watashi wa ichi-jikan matta.
�킽��܂��B
��'҂��B
(I waited for an hour.)

*Ichi means one. You can replace the underlined word with another number.

Nani wo matte iruno desuka?
�Ȃɂ��܂��Ă��̂ł��H
��҂��Ă��̂ł��H
(What are you waiting for?)

Yattah!
��[�I
I did it! (as in "I did it! I passed the test," "I did it! My experiment was successful.")

Soreja mata!
��ꂶ��@�܂��I
See you!

What Is This?

Sat, 19 Aug 2006 12:39:42 GMT

Here are some useful phrases:

Kore wa nan desu ka?
��͂Ȃ�ł��H
��͉��ł��H
(What is this?)

Onigiri desu.
��ɂ��ł��B
(It's a rice ball.)

Are wa nan desu ka?
��͂Ȃ�ł��H
��͉��ł��H
(What is that?)

Ryoku cha desu.
��傭��ł��B
�Β��ł��B
(It's green tea.)

---

Watashi wa cheese ga kirai desu.
�킽��`�[�Y��炢�ł��B
��`�[�Y��ł��B
(I hate cheese.)

*Replace the underlined word with whatever you hate.

Born and Raised in...

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 01:51:15 GMT

I was born and raised in Japan, but I've always been attracted to foreign countries and their culture. Now I'm really interested in Germany. After watching the World Cup, my interest in the country grew stronger, and I even started learning basic words and phrases. I'm hoping to travel to Germany next year.

---

Today we'll be learning basic phrases I used in the text above.

I was born and raised in Japan.
Watashi wa nihon de umare sodatta.
�킽��ɂق��ł��܂ꂻ��B
��͓��{�Ő��܂��B

*Replace the underlined word with a country (or city, province).�@See the example below:

I was born and raised in Italy.
Watashi wa Italy de umare sodatta.
�킽��C�^��A�ł��܂ꂻ��B
��C�^��A�Ő��܂��B

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I am interested in Germany.
Watashi wa doitsu ni kyoumi ga arimasu.
�킽��h�C�c�ɂ��傤�݂��܂��B
��h�C�c�ɋ��܂��B

*You can replace the underlined word with any thing/place that you are interested in.

I am interested in music.
Watashi wa ongaku ni kyoumi ga arimasu.
�킽��񂪂��ɂ��傤�݂��܂��B
��y�ɋ��܂��B

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I'm hoping to travel to Germany next year.
Rainen doitsu e ryokou ni ikitai desu.
�炢�˂��h�C�c�ւ�傱��ɂ��ł��B
��N�h�C�c�֗��s�ɍs��ł��B

*next year = rainen = �炢�˂� = ��N

**Replace the underlined word with any place you'd like to visit.

I'm hoping to travel to Russia.
Russia e ryokou ni ikitai desu.
��V�A�ւ�傱��ɂ��ł��B
��V�A�֗��s�ɍs��ł��B

What Time Is It Now?

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 13:01:06 GMT

Do you know how to say "What time is it?" in Japanese?

Ima nanji? �@
��܂Ȃ񂶁H
��H
(What time is it now?)

*Add desuka (�ł��) to the phrase if you want to speak politely.

Ima nanji desuka?
��܂Ȃ񂶂ł��H
��ł��H
(What time is it now?)

Ichi ji desu.
��ł��B
�P��ł��B
(It's one o'clock.)

*ji = �� = �� = o'clock

*Replace the underlined part with any number [1 to 12 (or 24)].

ni ji
�Q��

san ji
�R��

yo ji
�S��

go ji
�T��

roku ji
�U��

shichi ji
�V��

hachi ji
�W��

ku ji
�X��

ju(U) ji
�P�O��

ju-ichi ji
�P�P��

ju-niji
�P�Q��

Gakkoh wa nanji ni hajimaru no?
��͂Ȃ񂶂ɂ͂��܂�́H
�w�Z�͉��Ɏn�܂�́H
(What time does school begin?)

Hachi ji desu.
�͂��ł��B
�W��ł��B
(At eight.)

Shichi ji ni uchi ni kite kudasai.
��ɂ��ɂ��Ă��B
�V��ɉƂɗ��ĉ��B
(Will you come over to my house at seven?)

*To say "a half (30 minutes)," place "han" after ji.

go ji han
��͂�
�T��
(five thirty)

Useful Words

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 04:59:15 GMT

We'll be learning some useful words/phrases today.

kinben na
��ׂ��
�Εׂ�
(diligent; word-working; industrious)

Nihonjin wa kinben desu.
�ɂق񂶂�͂��ׂ�ł��B
��{�l�͋Εׂł��B
(Japanese people are diligent.)

Hontou desu ka?
�ق�Ƃ��ł��H
�{��ł��H
(Really?)

Uso desu.
��ł��B
�R�ł��B
(That's a lie.)

Usotsuki!
��I
�R��I
(Liar!)

tokorode
�Ƃ��
(by the way)

Onaka suita?
��Ȃ��H
��󂢂��H
(Are you hungry?)

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kawaii
��킢��
��
(pretty; cute; attractive)

kawaikunai
��킢��Ȃ�
��Ȃ�
(not pretty; not cute; not attractive)

Panda wa kawaii.
�p��_�͂��킢��B
�p��_�͉��B
(Pandas are cute.)

Kimi no inu wa zenzen kawaikunai.
��݂̂��ʂ͂��񂺂񂩂킢��Ȃ��B
�N�̌��͑S�R��Ȃ��B
(Your dog is not cute at all.)

Damare!
��܂�I
�ق�I
(Shut up!)

Gomen!
��߂�I
(Sorry!)

Useful Words

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 02:59:34 GMT

First of all I want to say congratulations to Italians upon their first World Cup championship in 24 years. I couldn't watch the final match, but what happened to Zidane? He appeared very angry at the Italian defender Marco in the pictures I saw on the Internet. Maybe Marco said something insulting to Zidane? Even if Marco did so, Zidane shouldn't have attacked him. It's kind of sad to see Zidane's career end this way, for I always liked watching his amazing soccer skills.

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Here are some useful Japanese words:

Zidane wa sugoi.�@(in romaji)
�W�_�� B (in kana)
�W�_��B (in kana and kanji)
(Zidane is awesome.) (English translation)

Zidane wa okotta.
�W�_��B
�W�_��{��B
(Zidane got angry.)

*okoru = �� = �{�� = get angry

Zidane wa ninki ga aru.
�W�_��ɂ񂫂��B
�W�_��l�C��B
(Zidane is popular.)

Zidane wa yu(u)mei da.
�W�_��䂤�߂��B
�W�_��L��B
(Zidane is famous.)

France wa hontouni yoku tatakatta.
�t��X��ق�Ƃ��悭��B
�t��X��{��悭��B
(France played really well.)

The Months of the Year

Tue, 04 Jul 2006 04:27:42 GMT

This time, we will be learning the months of the year in Japanese.

January = ichi gatsu, ��, �ꌎ, or 1��

February = ni gatsu, �ɂ��, �� or 2��

March = san gatsu, ��񂪂�, �O��, or 3��

April = shi gatsu, ��, �l��, or 4��

May = go gatu, ��, �܌�, or 5��

June = roku gatsu, �낭��, �Z��, or 6��

July = shichi gatsu, ��, ��, or 7��

August = hachi gatsu, �͂��, ��, or 8��

September = ku gatsu, ��, �㌎, or 9��

October = ju(u) gatsu, ��イ��, �\��, or 10��

November = ju-ichi gatsu, ��イ��, �\�ꌎ, or 11��

December = ju-ni gatsu, ��イ�ɂ��, �\�� or 12��

The first one is written in romaji, the second in hiragana, the third in kanji, and the last in Arabic numerals and kanji mixed. We normally use the third and the last scripts. "Gatsu (��)" means month. All you need to remember is numbers and gatsu. It's simple, isn't it?

Here are some usage examples:

Ichigatsu wa samui desu.
�ꌎ�͊��ł��B
It's cold (samui, ��ނ�, or ��) in January (�ꌎ).

Hachigatsu wa atsui desu.
"��͏��ł��B
It's hot �iatsui, ��, ��) in August (��).

Mata raishu!
�܂��T�I
(See you next week!)

Four Seasons

Fri, 30 Jun 2006 02:08:11 GMT

Japan has four distinct seasons.

1) spring = haru, �͂�, or �t

2) summer = natsu, �Ȃ�, or ��

3) fall = aki, ��, or �H

4) winter = fuyu. �ӂ�, or �~

The translation for the word season is kisetsu, ��, or �G��.

Besides the four seasons, we have a rainy season called "tsuyu."

5) tsuyu, ��, or �~�J

It's tsuyu (�~�J) in Japan now; we've had lots of rain (�J) for the past few weeks. It's depressing (�䂤��). Tsuyu (�~�J) will end next month, and the muggy summer (�ނ��) will come.

Enjoy

Thu, 22 Jun 2006 03:02:55 GMT

Well, Japan tied Croatia, 0-0, in the World Cup soccer game Sunday. The game was pretty exciting, especially when Kawaguchi made an excellent save on a penalty kick, but I wondered why the Japanese strikers were so hesitant to shoot the ball at the goal. They have to shoot the ball into the goal instead of passing it in order to win the game. I'm a llittle jealous of teams like England and Germany because they have great forwards. Anyway, Japan is going to face Brazil in 17 hours or so, but I'm pessimistic about the game. How could Japan make a goal against the World Champion? I think I am just going to enjoy the game and try not to expect too much from Team Japan.

The word of the week:

Tanoshimu
��̂��
�y��

meaning:

enjoy; have fun

Pronunciation:

This word is pronounced like "tah-noh-shee-moo." Read aloud the word several times. Try to articulate each vowel equally. Then, shorten all the vowel sounds and say the word quickly.

Tips:

Some of you may find the following phrases useful:

Eiga wo tanoshimu
��̂��
�f��y��
(enjoy movies)

Kanojo wa eiga wo tanoshinda.
��̂��͂��̂��񂾁B
�ޏ��͉f��y��񂾁B
(She enjoyed the movie.)

Watashi wa soccer no shiai wo tanoshinda.
�킽��̓T�b�J�[�̂��̂��񂾁B
��̓T�b�J�[�̎��y��񂾁B
(I enjoyed the soccer game.)

Watashi wa kinou concert wo tanoshinda.
�킽��͂��̂��R��T�[�g��̂��񂾁B
��͍��R��T�[�g��y��񂾁B
(I enjoyed the concert yesterday.)

kinou (or kinoh)
��̂�
��
(yesterday)

Miserable

Tue, 13 Jun 2006 12:09:27 GMT

I am disappointed about the result of last night's soccer game, Japan vs. Australia. That was a must-win game for Japan in order to advance to top sixteen, but we lost miserably. Japan played pretty well for the first 45 minutes; Japan was leading 1-0. But after the half time, most of the Japanese players got so slow (because of the heat, I guess) that Japan lost three goals in the last ten minutes. That was crazy. Now Japan has to beat both Brazil and Croatia. Unfortunately, it seems to be next to impossible. If Japan loses the next game, I'll be rooting for Germany.

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The phrase of the week:

Mijime na kibun desu.
�݂��߂Ȃ��Ԃ�ł��B (in hiragana)
�S�߂ȋC��ł��B (hiragana and kanji mixed)

Meaning:

I feel miserable.

pronunciation:

"Mijime na" is pronounced like "mee-jee-meh nah." This part means miserable. Shorten the vowels. The rest of the phrase is pronounced like "ki-bun des" with a slight stress on "ki."

Tip:

Here are usage examples:

mijime na seikatsu
�݂��߂Ȃ��
�S�߂Ȑ��
(a miserable life)

mijime na kurashi wo suru
�݂��߂Ȃ��炵��
�S�߂ȕ�炵��
(to live a miserable life)

It's a nice day, isn't it?

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 14:15:08 GMT

Ii tenki desu ne.

Meaning:

It's a nice day, isn't it?

Pronunciation:

This phrase is pronounced like, "ee ten-ki des neh."

Tip:

"Tenki" means weather.

Donna tenki desuka?
(How is the weather?)

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What's the Matter?

Mon, 29 May 2006 05:12:15 GMT

I'm sorry it took such a long time to update the blog. My life's been hectic lately.

Well, the World Cup Soccer will soon take place in Germany. I'm jealous of those who get to go to Germany and watch games! I guess I'll just stay in, sit in front of the TV set, and root for Japan. I think it's going to be very tough for the Japan team to advance to the tournament, as they have to face Brazil and Croatia in the first league tournament. I am sure that the Australian team is strong too. I'd really love it if the Japan team beats Brazil, because people arround the world think Japan can't stand a chance of taking Brazil.

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The phrase of the week:

Dohshita no?

Meaning:

What's the matter?

Pronunciation:

This phrase usually gets three beats. Say, "doh-shita no" with a slight stress on the first syllable (doh). "Shita" is pronounced like "shee-tah" but the vowels should be very short.

Tip:

To say, "What's the matter with you [him / her], place "Kimi [kare / kanojo] in front of the phrase.

Kare dohshita no?
(What's the matter with him?)

Booger

Mon, 15 May 2006 16:05:23 GMT

Did you know that good many drivers are distracted from driving because they are picking their noses? I read about this gross but amusing fact in an online article months ago. Wouldn't it really awful if you got involved in a car accident because of a nose-picking driver? I think it's wise to check your rearview mirrow often and to be watchful for those mucus people while operating the vehicle.

Anyway, here's the word of the week:

hana-kuso

Meaning:

booger; nasal mucus; snot

Pronunciation:

Pronouncing "hana-kuso" is easy. Repeat, "hah-nah-koo-soh" slowly several times, and then shorten all vowels and say the word more quickly.

Tip:

The word "hana-kuso" is slang. If (you think) you are a decent person, you may want to avoid using it. The word itself is not offensive, but if you say it to somebody, he or she may get angry.

Here are a couple of usage examples:

Hana-kuso wo hojiruna!
(Don't pick your nose!)

hana-kuso yaroh
(boogersnot; snot)

Thank You

Sun, 07 May 2006 13:20:50 GMT

Today is the last day of the Golden Week, the longest national holidays in Japan. The Golden Week starts on April 29. According to the news I saw on TV, more than a half million Japanese people traveled overseas during the last 9 days. Those people must be pretty rich.

I didn't do anything exciting during the Golden Week. I just stayed home, picked my guitar, watched baseball on TV, browsed Web sites, and worked a little. I could have gone to Tokyo or somwhere, but I wanted to save money for the future.

Anyway, here's the phrase of the week.

Arigatou

Meaning:

Thank you.

Pronunciation:

This phrase is pronounced like "ah-ree-gah-toh." Try to pronounce each syllable clearly and read the word aloud slowly.

Tip:

If you would like to speak politely, add "gozaimasu."

Arigatou gozaimasu.

Here are some useful phrases:

Tasukete kurete arigatou gozaimasu.
(Thank you for your help.)

E-mail arigatou.
(Thank you for the e-mail.)

Denwa arigatou.
(Thank you for calling.)

Kitekurete arigatou.
(Thank you for coming.)

Pronunciation

Sat, 29 Apr 2006 02:28:59 GMT

Someone asked me on which syllable of a Japanese word to put the stress. I've received similar comments before, so it seems that some people are at a loss where to put the stress when trying to pronounce a Japanese word. Please allow me to briefly explain the pronunciation of Japanese words.

In English, you learn where to place the stress when coming across a new word. For example, take a look at the word atrabilious. I'm sure most of you know this word, but let's suppose it's new to you. To pronounce atrabilious, you probably look it up in a dictionary and learn where to put the stress(es). In this case, the first and third syllables need to be accented. Then, you can pronounce atrabilious correctly.

In Japanese, on the other hand, you don't really need to learn where to place the stress when learning a new word. That's because pronoucing a Japanese word is kind of like reading alphabets. When you read a chunk of alphabets like "BBCCDDEEKKTTPPDDSSTTBDBD," where would you put the stresses? You don't really know, right? But as long as you pronounce each alphabet clearly, people will understand you.

Now, let's have a look at the Japanese word we learned last time, which is muzukashii. I said that this word is pronounced like "moo-zoo-kah-shee." Where to place the stress? I don't really know. It's depends on how the word is used in a sentence. For this reason, if you are thinking about the pronunciation of muzukashii alone, you don't need to learn which syllable(s) to emphasize. (*If you are trying to read a sentence, it's a different story. )

If a word is written in Romaji, Hiragana, or Katakana, Japanese people can almost always read the word correctly whether or not it's a new word. For example, can a Japanese kid pronounce "��炩��@��߂��肱��܂��@�͂��(kochirakatsushikaku kamearikouenmae hashutsujo)"? The answer is yes. And easily. They don't need to know the stresses or anything. They can pronounce this phrase because they know how to pronounce the syllables. In a nutshell, you should be able to pronounce any Japanese word as long as you know how to pronounce all the Japanese syllables. Remember that every rule has its exception, and note that I'm not talking about reading kanji, or Chinese characters here. One of the exceptions is words like kaki and hashi. These words you have to learn which syllable to emphasize. "KAki" means "��y(oyster)" while "kaKI" means "�`�iJapanese persimmon�j." (The catipalized letters are stressed here.)

There's one thing, however, I need to point out. We do emphasize certain syllables when talking or reading a passage aloud. Also, syllables get different (musical) tones. Some vowels are shortend while some are lengthen. These charactaristics I can't explain very well on the site. After all, you need to listen to the sound of Japanese and to have a conversation with a Japanese if you are very serious about acquiring the native-like pronunciation of Japanese.

The purpose of this Blog is to give beginners the basic ideas of Japanese for FREE. You can't expect too much from me. Please understand this point.

**Your browser needs to be able to recognize Japanese characters (Japanese Shift JIS) in order for you to view this post properly.

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P.S. I am not going to argue with anybody over how I teach and stuff. It may sound like I'm a selfish guy, but I just don't like to argue. Thank you.