[Keith Smillie] Some Notes on Japanese Grammar(BookFi.org)

April 2000Some Notes on Japanese Grammar Keith Smillie No claim is made for either originality or completeness in these notes. Most of the examples have been taken from, or have been suggested by, the references given at the end. The topics chosen are those which may benefit a person who is beginning to study Japanese and who would like a quick reference to supplement more complete and authoritative sources. Table of Contents Word Order Nouns Pronouns Demonstratives and Interrogatives Particles Verbs Introduction Present and past polite forms Expressing "to be" Uses of deshô Present and past plain forms The gerund or -te form Progressive tense Desiderative form Passive form Causative form Conditional form Giving and receiving Starting an action Nominalization Adjectives Describing nouns Adverbs Comparisons Numbers Specific Time Relative Time Counters Calendar Family Acknowledgements References Appendix. A few verbs Word Order Japanese is a Subject-Object-Verb language as compared with English which is a SubjectVerb-Object language. Torako wa neko desu. Torako is a cat. (Literally, “Torako as for cat is.”) Torako ga nezumi o mimashita. Torako saw a mouse (Literally, “Torako [subject] mouse [object] saw.”) A sentence is made into a question by placing the particle ka at the end. Torako ga nezumi o mimashita ka. Did Torako see a mouse? Nouns Japanese nouns do not have gender, they may not be modified by definite or indefinite articles because none exist in Japanese, and the singular and plural forms are usually the same. In romaji the names of persons and places are capitalized as are the names of languages except English (eigo). hon book, books, a book, the book, the books For nouns referring to people, the suffix -tachi may be used to indicate the plural. kodomo child, children Tanaka san tachi kodomotachi children Mr. Tanaka and his family or others Japanese give the family name first followed by the given name. Tanaka Hiromi Hiromi Tanaka The suffix -ya means the store where the objects are sold or the person who sells them. The suffix -ka means a person who is is an expert or specialist in the designated subject. hana flower hanaya flower shop, florist niku nikuya butcher shop, butcher meat shôsetsu novel shôsetsuka novelist When referring to a clerk or shopkeeper, the honorific san is used. 2 What did she (Mrs. Similarly. Jibun de hatarakimasu. etc. her that person watashitachi anatatachi karera kanojotachi ano hitotachi we. No one came. me you he. Dareka kimashita. The one reflexive pronoun is jibun (myself. Did you (Mr. them they. Daremo kimasen deshita.honya san bookstore clerk. him she. and use the person’s name with san instead. use the person’s name. 3 . when referring to a third person. a little anything daremo doremo dokomo nanimo ikuramo nannimo no one nothing nowhere nothing not much nothing The negative indefinite pronouns take a negative verb. Smith) see the movie? Tanaka san wa nani o kaimashita ka.). Tanaka) buy? The indefinite pronouns are the following: dareka doreka dokaka nanika ikuraka nandemo someone something somewhere something some. them those persons Avoid using anata whenever possible. I am working by myself. yourself. us you they. Someone came. nihongo no kurasu Japanese language class apâto no biru apartment building Pronouns watashi anata kare kanojo ano hito I. bookseller Two nouns used together as a compound noun are joined by the particle no. Sumisu san wa eigo o mimashita ka. nani nannin ikura ikutsu itsu dôshite who what how many people how much how many when why Particles wa Topic Yôko san wa daigakuin no gakusei desu. she is a graduate student. Something at a distance from both speaker and listener. That young lady sitting over there is my daughter. Something nearer the listener than the speaker. Demonstratives and Interrogatives The demonstrative and iterrogative words. adjectives or adverbs.There are no relative pronouns in Japanese.”) 4 . Yôko is a graduate student. which are either pronouns. may be divided into four groups depending on the prefix: kosoado- Something near the speaker. and the relative clause precedes the word it modifies. “As for Yôko. Question kore this one sore kono this sono konna this kind of sonna kô in this manner sô koko here soko kochirathis way sochira that one are that one dore which one that ano that dono which that kind of anna that kind of donna what kind of in that manner â in that manner dô in which way there asoko over there doko where that way achira that way dochirawhich way Other interrogative pronouns are the following: dare nan. (Literally. Asoko ni suwatte iru wakai josei wa musume desu. Yesterday I went home early.m. My friend Mr. Tanaka goes to the office by bus. Tanaka is a teacher. Japanese food is delicious. Ashita eiga ni futari de ikimasu. total. specific time Watashi wa Tanaka san ni hon o kasimashita. Tanaka a book. ni Indirect object. location. Simon is my daughter’s cat. noun modification. I like sushi. material Watashi wa honya de hon o sansatsu kaimashita. nichiyôbi ni on Sunday shichigatsu ni in July de Place of action. gogo jûji ni at 10 p. sushi is likeable. I loaned Mr. (Literally. no Possession. Torako is looking at the magpie. means. Tomorrow the two of us are going to a movie. 5 1998 nen ni in 1998 .ga Subject Watashi wa sushi ga suki desu. apposition Simon wa musume no neko desu. Tomodachi no Tanaka san wa sensei desu. Nihon no tabemono wa oishii desu. Tanaka san wa basu de kaisha ni ikimasu. direction. Hiromi san wa Tôkyô ni imasu.”) o Direct object Torako wa kasasagi o mite imasu. Mr. Kinô watashi wa hayaku uchi ni kaerimashita. I bought three books at the bookstore. Hiromi is in Tokyo. As for me. Depâto wa jûji kara desu. mo Also. I often have lunch with my friends. The department store closes at 6:00 o’clock. both . and.. to Complete listing (and). Ocha mo kohii mo nomimasen.. starting time Ano hito wa Nihon kara kimashita. nor Watashi wa ocha ga suki desu. I also like coffee. e Direction Nihon e ikimasu ka Are you going to Japan? kara Origin. Watashi wa yoku tomodachi to hirugohan o tabemasu. The department store opens at 10:00 o’clock. That student has a pen and a pencil. made Target time Depâto wa rokuji made desu.. Ocha mo kohii mo nomimasu. I drink neither tea nor coffee. involvement Sono gakusei wa pen to enpitsu o motte imasu. He is from Japan. neither . The table is made of wood. Depâto wa jûji kara rokuji made desu. 6 ..Têburu wa ki de dekite imasu. The department store is open from 10:00 o’clock until 6:00 o’clock. Kohii mo suki desu. I like tea. I drink both tea and coffee. Watanabe san wa kimasen. Because I was busy. While walking. Tanaka is coming. I thought about the problem. Watanabe isn’t. ka Enumeration (or) Ocha ka kôhî ikaga desu ka. You are a student. Mr. All Japanese verbs. Are you a student? ne Confirmation Gakusei desu ne. Verbs are listed in what is known as the “dictionary” or “plain” form.ya Partial listing (and) Watashitachi wa Kyôto ya Ôsaka (nado) e ikimashita. mondai ni tsuite kangaemashita. I didn’t go to the movie. eiga ni ikimasen deshita. So you’re a student! Verbs Introduction Japanese verbs do not have different forms for person. etc. How about tea or coffee? kara Reason Isogashii kara. ka Question marker Gakusei desu ka. number or gender. Osaka. aren’t you? yo Emphasis Gakusei desu yo. nagara Simultaneous action Aruki nagara. but Mr. ga but Tanaka san wa kimasu ga. We went to Kyoto. can be divided into two groups or conjugations which differ only in the way in which they 7 . except for two irregular verbs. I studied kanji every day. a much smaller group than the first. I sometimes watch movies. Type II verbs are also called vowel or v-stem verbs or rudropping verbs. together with a few which have these endings. respectively. are most of the verbs which end in -eru or -iru in the dictionary form. The stem is formed by dropping the final -u. Type I verbs are also called consonant or c-stem verbs or u-stem or u-dropping verbs. the infinitive is the same as the stem. but I soon forgot them. For the past polite form add -mashita to the infinitive for the positive and -masen deshita for the negative. mood and politeness. the infinitive is formed by adding -i to the stem. to look at to eat The two irregular verbs. Takahashi san wa sakana o tabemasen. -iwa and -owa. sugu wasuremashita. sometimes known as Type III or Group 3 verbs. Ms. Dictionary kuru suru Stem kishi- Infinitive kishi- Meaning to come to do Present and past polite forms To form the present polite form add -masu to the infinitive for the positive and -masen for the negative. Tokidoki eiga o mimasu. The stem may change or have a suffix added to show tense. Mainichi kanji no benkyô o shimashita ga. 8 . The stem is formed by dropping the final -ru. Dictionary kaku iku yomu matsu hanasu omou * Stem kakikyommathanasomo- Infinitive kakiikiyomimachihanashiomoi- Meaning to write to go to read to wait to speak to believe * Verbs ending in -au.form their stems and infinitives. are kuru and suru. Type II or Group 2 verbs. Takahashi doesn’t eat fish. -iu and -ou are considered to be c-stem verbs as they formerly ended in -awa. Type I or Group 1 verbs are all verbs whose dictionary form does not end in -eru or -iru. Dictionary hajimeru miru taberu Stem hajimemitabe- Infinitive hajimemitabe- Meaning to begin to see. This is Yokahama station. Sumimasen.". The negative of desu is dewa arimasen or ja arimasen or dewa nai desu or ja nai desu. tomodachi wa kimasen deshita. The coffee shop is between the bank and the post office. Where’s Mr. Sore wa kyû-sen en de gozaimasu. another. ni arimasu can often be replaced by desu. which comes from desu. When describing the location of something.g. the speaker is likely to use the formal and humble gozaimasu instead of arimasu and irasshaimasu instead of iru. Koko wa Yokahama eki desu. Used with a falling intonation. Kono hoteru ni wa. Tanaka there? deshô The word deshô. fakkusu ga arimasu ka. The copula desu is used when one thing is. In situations demanding a high degree of courtesy. I waited an hour.000. when used in a question followed by ka. Watanabe? Ginkô wa doko ni arimasu ka. I’m not American. The verb arimasu can often be translated as "there is”. arimasu refers to the existence of inanimate objects (including plants. Also deshô may be used in place of desu for extra politeness. we do. "must be" or "almost certainly". Do you have a fax in this hotel? Yes. it is asking for agreement so it is similar to ne but softer and less direct. Excuse me. Kissaten wa ginkô to yûbinkyoku no aida ni arimasu..Ichi-jikan machimashita ga. kono sêtâ wa ikura desu ka. moshi. I’m English. Is Mr. Moshi... e. “are" or "have". Tanaka san wa irasshaimasu ka. Where’s the bank? Amerikajin dewa arimasen. the sentence is often translated using "probably". When used with a rising intonation. and imasu refers to the existence of animate objects. Hello. gozaimasu. Igirisujin desu. Expressing “to be” The meaning "is” or “are" may be expressed by the copula desu. Watanabe san wa doko ni imasu ka. Uses of 9 . is the equivalent of "I wonder. and by the verbs arimasu and imasu. a sales clerk in a department store talking to a customer. which don’t move about). how much is this sweater? It’s ¥9. or equals. Hai. but my friend didn’t come. nda hanasu kiku oyogu nuru motsu omou tobu nomu shinu hanashita kiita oyoida nutta motta omotta tonda nonda shinda talked asked swam painted held thought flew drank died The plain past tense of kuru and suru are kita and shita. Also the plain negative of aru is nai. The polite forms are more appropriate for general use. and -anai for c-stem verbs except for those verbs ending in -au. add -nakatta to the stem of v-stem verbs and 10 . -iu and -ou where -wanai is added. respectively. [Falling intonation] It’s probably cold in Hokkaido now. The plain negatives of kuru and suru are konai and shinai.shita . Excuse me.nda . respectively. Ms.tta . There isn’t an answer. Kore wa nan deshô ka.Kore wa nan desu ka. but would you be Mr.ida . right? Hokkaidô wa ima samui deshô. Takahashi doesn’t eat fish. the plain forms function in various ways in a sentence other than as the main verb and so must be learned. For c-stem verbs use the appropriate change in the following list: . [Rising intonation] That’s Mr. Takahashi san wa sakana o tabenai.ku .gu .ita . To form the negative of the plain past test. Tanaka san deshô ka.nda .mu . is there? To form the plain past tense for v-stem verbs add -ta to the stem. The plain form of the present tense is the dictionary form. What’s this? I wonder what this is? Are wa Watanabe san no uchi deshô. Tanaka? Present and past plain forms The plain form of verbs are used with immediate family and close friends and associates.ru . Kotae wa nai deshô. However.su .nu => => => => => => => => => .tta .tta . For the negative add -nai to the stem for v-stem verbs.tsu -u .bu . Tokidoki eiga o miru. Sumimasen ga. Watanabe’s house. I sometimes watch movies. Nihon wa ii kuni da to omotte imasu. My older brother is not coming. Shinkansen de itta kara. The noun tsumori means “intention”. but I am. Chiimu no koto o kangaete imashita. any verbs in the middle can be in the plain form without affecting the overall tone.-anakatta to the stem of c-stem verbs. mô ichido setsumei shimashô . Mike thinks that Japan is a great country. I was thinking about the team. use either kara after the plain form of the verb or an -i adjective. but he’s a bit strange. Takahashi is coming. chotto hen desu ne. Takahashi san wa kimasen. The physical education teacher is nice. or when they finish with deshô. isn’t he! Takahashi san wa eigo ga wakaru deshô ka. This means that the plain form can be used when sentences are joined with kedo. I don’t think Ms. so the sentence ending tsumori desu after the plain form of the verb can usually be translated as “intend to” or “mean to do”. Taiiku no sensei wa ii hito da kedo. taberu tabenakatta didn’t eat yomu yomanakatta didn’t read As long as the verb at the end of a sentence is in the polite form. use omotte imasu. is it! To give a reason for something. We went by Shinkansen. jikan ga amari kakarimasen deshita. so let me explain again. Takahashi understands English? Ani wa ikanai kedo. To express what someone else is thinking. chigaimasu ne. I thought it was Friday today. so it didn’t take very long. Takahashi san wa konai to omoimasu. The verb kangaeru also means "to think" but implies "to consider" whereas omou implies opinion or feeling. There are still a lot of questions. Maiku san wa. use the phrase to omoimasu at the end of a sentence and put all verbs in the plain form. Kyô wa kinyôbi da to omotta kedo. Ms. I wonder if Ms. 11 . for example. but it isn’t. Takahashi is not coming. Shitsumon ga mada ôi kara. To express an opinion. watashi wa ikimasu. Mike said. Maiku san wa. 12 . add koto ga dekimasu to the plain form of the verb. Dô suru tsumori desu ka. What kind of car do you intend to buy? To express being able to do something. Maiku san wa kanji o kaku koto ga dekimasu ka. "I’m playing baseball tomorrow". Dô suru n' desu ka. can you write kanji characters? Nihongo o hanasu koto ga dekimasu ka. use to iimasu but put what was said into the plain form. (Maiku san wa kanji o kakemasu ka. It’s common to omit da when reporting on questions." to iimashita. "Ashita yakyû o shimasu." to iimashita. follow the quotation by to iimasu (or whatever tense and form is appropriate). There are all sorts of problems. ashita yakyû o suru to iimashita. Maiku san wa. asking for an explanation. To say what someone has said without making a quotation. The plain past tense followed by koto ga arimasu ka is equivalent to "Have you ever . It’s really expensive! That’s why I’m not buying it To quote someone.) Mike.". Dakara kawanai n' desu. Mike said he’s playing baseball tomorrow.Sore wa mondai desu ne. aren’t there? What are you going to do? Nani o shite iru n' desu ka.. Iroirona mondai ga arimasu ne. or giving empahasis. (Nihongo ga hanasemasu ka. "Hayaku hashiru koto ga dekimasen. "I can’t run fast". Have you ever eaten raw fish? A sentence in the plain form ending in no desu or n’ desu indicates that the speaker is explaining something.) Can you speak Japanese? Sashimi o tabeta koto ga arimasu ka.. isn’t it? What do you intend to do? Donna kuruma o kau tsumori desu ka. The verb iimasu may be used to ask how to say something in English or Japanese. That’s a problem. Maiku san wa. Mike said. What are you doing? Totemo takai n' desu yo. On Saturday morning I went to Tokyo. koko ni suwatte mo ii desu ka. Namae to jûsho o kakanakute mo ii desu. add mo ii desu ka to the -te form. Kore o zenbu tabenakute mo ii desu ka. I don’t work at that company any more. What is Tomoko doing at the moment? Sono kaisha de mô hataraite imasen. but is it alright if I sit here? Yes. The same form may be used to give permission. (tabenakute mo) ii desu yo. the verb at the end of the sentence shows the overall tense of the sentence. Ima ginkô de hataraite imasu. To refuse permission. On Saturday morning I went to Tokyo. Progressive tense To describe an event that is presently happening or not happening. use the appropriate form of the verb iru or imasu after the -te form. and bought a new suit To ask permission to do something. He asked if I was American. Excuse me. Sono heya ni haitte wa ikemasen. "Autumn" wa Nihongo de nan to iimasu ka. Dôzo. change the negative -nai form to -nakute and then add mo ii desu ka. Now I am working at a bank. Hai. I bought a new suit. Atarashii sûtsu o kaimashita. When the -te form is used to link two sentences where it may be translated as "and". please go ahead. It’s alright not to write your name and address.Watashi wa Amerikajin ka to kikimashita. it’s alright (if you don’t eat it). 13 . Tomoko san wa ima nani o shite imasu ka. Ii desu. "Aki" to iimasu. You musn’t go into that room. To ask if it’s alright not to do something. Doyôbi no asa ni Tôkyô e itte. Sumimasen ga. atarashii sûtsu o kaimashita. Is it alright if I don’t eat all of this? Yes. The gerund or -te form The -te form of a verb which does not have a tense or mood combines with other verb forms. How do you say "autumn" in Japanese? It’s "aki". use the -te form of the verb followed by wa ikemasen. It may be formed from the plain past tense by changing the ending -ta to -te. Doyôbi no asa ni Tôkyô e ikimahita. Ocha ga nomitai. The mouse was played with by Torako. taihen isogashikute. Verbs ending in -tai are like -i adjectives. Torako wa nezumi o tabemashita. use the -i adjective hoshii. I am not studying English now. She said she wants a boyfriend. raremasu to the stems of v-stem verbs. and -areru. and so have a negative form ending in -taku arimasen and a past form ending in -takatta desu. Kinô yasumi o toritakatta kedo. Nezumi wa Torako ni asobaremashita. Torako was sleeping on the chair. To express a desire for a thing. Nezumi wa Torako ni taberaremasen deshita. but I couldn’t because I was extremely busy. bôifurendo ga hoshii to iimashita. add -rarenai. Torako played with the mouse.Ima eigo o benkyô shite imasen. Passive form To form the passive. I would like some tea. Kanojo wa. Desiderative form To express one’s own wish to do something. add -tai to the infinitive followed by desu. Torako wa nezumi to asobimashita. and -arenai. -aremasen to the stems of c-stem verbs. 14 . add -rareru. -aremasu to the stems of c-stem verbs. I wasn’t watching television last night. Nezumi wa Torako ni taberaremashita. Torako ga isu no ue de nete imashita. Torako ate the mouse. Kinô no ban watashi wa terebi o mite imasen deshita. For the negative. The mouse was not eaten by Torako. -raremasen to the stems of v-stem verbs. I wanted to take yesterday off. The mouse was eaten by Torako. toru koto ga dekimasen deshita. The past progressive is formed by using the -te formed followed by the past or the past negative. kono Nihongo no shukudai ga dekimasen. shall we go somewhere? Takaku nakereba. Kyô owaranakute mo ii desu. The negative "don't have to . it's no good" or in other words "you must” or “you have to". drop the -i from the negative plain form and add -kereba.Causative form Add -saseru. Your self-introduction must be in Japanese. I can’t do this Japanese homework. -asemasu to the stem of c-stem verbs (-asenai. -asemasen for the negative). where naru is the verb “to become”. -sasemasen for the negative). means literally "if you don't. If it’s not too expensive. kotoshi gaikoku e ikitai n' desu. dokoka e ikimashô ka. You don’t have to finish it today. I made Torako get off the kitchen table. drop the final -i from nai and add -kereba. Conditional form Drop the final -u from the plain form of the verb and add -eba... Jisho o tsukawanakereba. With -i adjectives. drop the final -i and add -kereba.. Jiko shôkai wa Nihongo de nakereba narimasen." is expressed with -nakute mo ii desu. If I can. I want to go abroad this year. If I don’t use a dictionary. Torako o daidokoro no têberu kara orisasemashita. Ashita tenki ga yokereba. To form the negative. Giving and receiving There are several verbs to expressing giving and receiving depending on the relative status of the giver and receiver and the diection of the action: ageru sashiageru yaru kureru kudasaru morau itadaku Give Give to superiors Give (informal) Give to speaker Give to speaker from superior Receive Receive from superiors 15 . -sasemasu to the stem of v-stem verbs (-sasenai. If the weather’s nice tomorrow... I’ll buy it. kaimasu. with negatives. The expression -nakereba narimasen. Moshi dekireba. and add -aseru. Those in the first group. I received the book from Hugh. and are therefore sometimes called -i adjectives. Seeing is believing. Adjectives Japanese adjectives are either verbal adjectives or adjectival nouns. I gave Torako the toy. Sensei wa watashi ni hon o kudasaimashita. I gave Hugh a book. Watashi wa yomu no ga suki desu. Miru koto wa shinjiru koto desu. -oi. Hugh gave me the book. Watashi wa Hû-san ni hon o moraimashita. Watashi wa Torako ni omocha o yarimashita. -ii.Watashi wa Hû-san ni hon o agemashita. use the stem of the verb expressing the action followed by the appropriate form of the verb hajimeru: Senshû hon o yomihajimemashita. Watashi wa sensei ni hon o itadakimashita. I gave the teacher a book. I received a book from the teacher. or -ui. although no cannot be used in the predicate. in their dictionary form. I started reading the book last week. Watashi wa sensei ni hon o sashiagemashita. I like reading. An -i adjective can modify a following noun. Those in the second group have noun-like characteristics and when they modify nouns have the suffix -na and are sometimes called -na adjectives. Nominalization Verbs may be made into nouns. The teacher gave me a book. end only in -ai. Starting an action To express starting an action. or gerunds to use the English expression. 16 . by following the plain form with no or koto. Hû-san wa watashi ni hon o kuremashita. This book is interesting and enjoyable. the final i is dropped: 17 yellow black white [stem] + -kunakatta [stem] + -kute . Yesterday it wasn’t cold either. The park wasn’t quiet. Kôen wa shizuka dewa arimasen deshita. Kono hon wa omoshirokute tanoshii desu. That book was interesting too. The stem of an -i adjective is formed by dropping the final -i. Kono hon wa omoshiroi desu. the stem of chisaii is chisai-. I want a quiet room. He is famous. so that. Shizukana heya ga hoshii desu. The following colour words may be used alone as adjectives: akai aoi chairoi red blue. An -i adjective may be conjugated to give different tenses: Present: Past: Negative: [stem] + -i [stem] + -katta [stem] + -kunai Negative past: Gerund: The associated verb is in the present tense. Today it’s not cold.Watashi wa chiisai neko o katte imasu. Ano hon mo omoshirokatta desu. This book is interesting. I have a small cat. Kinô mo samukunakatta desu. The -na adjectives can be used as predicates or as noun modifiers. Kyô wa samukunai desu. green brown kiiroi kuroi shiroi When these words are used as nouns. Ano hito wa yûmei desu. for example. That person over there is Haruko who is hungry. Haruko’s husband is a medical doctor. Ano hito wa eigo ga dekiru no Haruko desu. Aka was ii iro desu. The following colour words are nouns and must be followed with no: chairo no giniro no haiiro no kiiro no kiniro no brown silver gray yellow gold midoriiro no murasaki no nezumiiro no orenji no green purple gray orange Describing Nouns Nouns may be modified in various ways. Haruko has beautiful eyes. (Haruko is good at English. That person over there is Haruko who can speak English.) Watashi wa me ga kireina Haruko o mimasu. Haruko wa goshujin ga isha desu. Haruko wa onaka ga sukimashita. That person over there is Haruko whose husband is a medical doctor. Red is a nice colour. Haruko wa eigo ga dekimasu. Haruko knows English. The car is red. Haruko wa me ga kirei desu. Haruko was hungry. the relative clause ending with the plain form of the verb comes before the word it modifies. I am looking at Haruko with the beautiful eyes. However as there are no relative pronouns for constructing relative clauses.Kuruma wa akai desu. Ano hito wa goshujin ga isha no Haruko desu. Ano hito wa onaka ga suita Haruko desu. 18 . yasui cheap hayai quick ii good yasuku hayaku yoku cheaply quickly well [Irregular] Kinô no ban Torako wa yoku nemashita. 19 sukoshi tabun taihen takusan tokidoki totemo yukkuri zenzen a little perhaps very a lot sometimes very slowly at all (with neg. Nihon yori Kanada wa ôkii desu. To form an adverb from a -na adjective. Nihon wa Kanada hodo ôkikunai desu. use ni after the adjective. Canada is larger than Japan. Torako slept well last night. still amari not much bakkari only chotto a little ikaga how itsumo always mata again mô more motto more nakanaka completely Comparisons Kanada wa Nihon yori ôkii desu. Canada is larger than Japan. verbs) . Canada is larger than Japan. Nihon yori Kanada no hô ga ôkii desu. add -ku to the stem. there are many adverbs which are not derived from verbs. Of course. Torako walks quietly. shizuka kantan quiet simple shizuka ni quietly kantan ni simply Torako wa shizuka ni arukimasu. Japan is not as large as Canada. kinô kyô ashita mainichi maiasa ima yagate sugu mada yesterday today tomorrow every day every morning now soon immediately yet.Adverbs To form an adverb from an -i adjective. Which is larger. Nezumi to inu to dewa dochira ga kawaii desu ka.Kanada to Nihon to dewa dochira ga ôkii desu ka. wasn’t it? Numbers 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 rei (zero) ichi ni san shi/yon go roku shichi/nana hachi ku/kyû 10.000.000 10. Torako is the most beautiful of all cats. mice or dogs? Mae no rei wa baka deshita ne.000 100.000.000.000 1.000 100.000 1.000. The last example was silly. Canada or Japan? Torako wa neko no naka de ichiban kawaii desu.000 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 jû nijû sanjû yonjû gojû rokujû nanajû hachijû kyûjû 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 hyaku nihyaku sanbyaku yonhyaku gohyaku roppyaku nanahyaku happyaku kyûhyaku 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 sen nisen sanzen yonsen gosen rokusen nanasen hassen kyûsen man/ichiman jûman hyakuman senman/issenman oku/ichioku jûoku The ordinal numbers are formed by adding banme to the cardinal numbers. ichibanme first nibanme second Specific Time 1 o’clock 2 o’clock ichiji niji 1 minute 2 minutes ippun nifun 20 . Which are the more attractive. Torako is the most beautiful (cat) in Edmonton. Torako wa Edomonton de ichiban kawaii desu.000. 3 o’clock 4 o’clock 5 o’clock 6 o’clock 7 o’clock 8 o’clock 9 o’clock 10 o’clock 11 o’clock 12 o’clock han sugi mae sanji yoji goji rokuji shichiji hachiji kuji jûji jûichiji jûniji half after before gozen a. Gogo jûji desu. It’s 8 a. gogo p.m. Jûji jûgofun mae desu. It’s 10 p. Jûji jûgofun sugi desu.m.m. It’s 5:30. It’s 10:15. Relative Time ototo kinô kyô ashita asatte day before yesterday yesterday today tomorrow day after tomorrow sensenshû senshû konshû raishû saraishû week before last last week this week next week week after next asa hiru gogo yûgata morning noon afternoon evening sensengetsu sengetsu kongetsu raigetsu saraigetsu month before last last month this month next month month after next ototoshi kyonen kotoshi rainen sarainen year before last last year this year next year year after next Counters 1 2 3 4 5 General hitotsu futatsu mittsu yottsu itsutsu People hitori futari sannin yonin gonin Stamps ichimai nimai sanmai yomai gomai Pencils ippon nihon sanbon yonhon gohon 21 Books issatsu nisatsu sansatsu yonsatsu gosatsu Cats ippiki nihiki sanbiki yonhiki gohiki Floors ikkai nikai sangai yonkai gokai .m. 3 minutes 4 minutes 5 minutes 6 minutes 7 minutes 8 minutes 9 minutes 10 minutes sanpun yonpun gofun roppun nanafun happun kyûfun juppun Goji han desu. It’s a quarter to ten. Gozen hachiji desu. 6 7 8 9 10 ? muttsu nanatsu yattsu kokonotsu tô ikutsu rokunin nananin hachinin kyûnin jûnin nannin rokumai nanamai hachimai kyûmai jûmai nanmai roppon nanahon happon kyûhon juppon nanbon rokusatsu roppiki nanasatsu nanahiki hassatsu happiki kyûsatsu kyûhiki jussatsu jupiki nansatsu nanbiki rokai nanakai hakkai kyûkai jukkai nankai Calendar 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th tsuitachi futsuka mikka yokka itsuka muika nanoka yôka kokonoka tôka Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday haru spring 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th jûichinichi jûninichi jûsannichi jûyokka jûgonichi jûrokunichi jûshichinichi jûhachinichi jûkunichi hatsuka getsuyôbi kayôbi suiyôbi mokuyôbi kinyôbi doyôbi nichiyôbi 21st nijûichinichi 22nd nijûninichi 23rd nijûsannichi 24th nijûyokka 25th nijûgonichi 26th nijûrokunichi 27th nijûshichinichi 28th nijûhachinichi 29th nijûkunichi 30th sanjûnichi 31st sanjûichinichi January February March April May June July August September October November December natsu summer aki ichigatsu nigatsu sangatsu shigatsu gogatsu rokugatsu shichigatsu hachigatsu kugatsu jûgatsu jûichigatsu jûnigatsu autumn fuyu winter Family Japanese use different words for members of their own family and for members of someone else’s family: Relation grandmother grandfather mother My family sobo sofu haha Your family obâsan ojîsan okâsan 22 . Japanese for Busy People I. Rutland. Lynne. David Young and Hugh Woods for their helpful comments on a first draft of these notes. New York. The Hirô Japanese Center. References Akiyama. Strugnell. Charles E. Yoshimi. Kenji. 23 .father wife husband daughter son older sister younger sister older brother younger brother aunt uncle niece nephew cousin child grandchild family sibling chichi kanai shujin musume musuko ane imôto ani otôto oba oji mei oi itoko kodomo mago kazoku kyôdai otôsan okusan goshujin musumesan musukosan onêsan imôtosan oniisan otôtosan obasan ojisan meigosan oigosan itoko kodomosan omagosan gokazoku gokyôdai The adjective giri no means related by marriage: giri no musuko son-in-law Acknowledgements I would like to thank Kenji Yoshimi. Seigo. 1995. Association for Japanese Language Teaching. Tokyo. Nobuo and Carol Akiyama. Inc. Japanese. 1994. Ballantine Books. N. 1995. 1984. 1999.. 1989. Princeton. The Complete Japanese Verb Guide. Random House Japanese-English English-Japanese Dictionary. Barron’s Educational Series. Tuttle Company. J. Kodansha International. Nakao. Hauppauge. Berlitz Publishing Company. Y. Inc. N. Vermont. Essential Japanese.. Class Notes. Master the Basics. become alive go. consider borrow. come. exist receive (polite) say. ask decide. talk run work go live. have (formal) go in. made of go out. relate return take (time) telephone write think about. Dictionary ageru akeru aru asobu au chigau da dekakeru dekiru deru furu gozaru hairu hajimaru hanasu hashiru hataraku iku ikiru irassharu ireru iru itadaku iu kaeru kakaru kakeru kaku kangaeru kariru kasu kau kayou kiku kimeru kudasaru kudaru kuraberu kureru kuru magaru matsu miru -masu form agemasu akemasu arimasu asobimasu aimasu chigaimasu desu dekakemasu dekimasu demasu furimasu gozaimasu hairimasu hajimarimasu hanashimasu hashirimasu hatarakimasu ikimasu ikimasu irasshaimasu iremasu imasu itadakimasu iimasu kareimasu kakarimasu kakemasu kakimasu kangaemasu karimasu kashimasu kaimasu kayoimasu kikimasu kimemasu kudasaimasu kudarimasu kurabemasu kuremasu kimasu magarimasu machimasu mimasu A few verbs -te form agete akete atte asonde atte chigatte de dekakete dekite dete futte gozatte haitte hajimatte hanashite hashitte hataraite itte ikite irasshatte irete ite itadaite itte kaette kakatte kakete kaite kangaete karite kashite katte kayotte kiite kimete kudasatte kudatte kurabete kurete kite magatte matte mite 24 Meaning give. watch . exist. be mistaken be (copula) go out can. raise open be. appear fall (rain. rent lend buy. be (formal) put in be. go down compare give to speaker come turn wait see.Appendix. have play meet differ. enter begin speak. fix. exist. be able. choose give to speaker (polite) descend. possess (animals) commute hear. snow) be. morau motsu mukeru naru neru noboru nomu nuru okiru omou oriru oshieru owaru oyogu sagasu saku sashiageru shimeru shinjiru shinu sumu suru suwaru taberu tobu tomaru toru tsukareru tsukau tsukuru tsutomeru ugoku umu uru wakaru wasureru yaru yasumu yobu yomu moraimasu mochimasu mukemasu narimasu nemasu noborimasu nomimasu nurimasu okimasu omoimasu orimasu oshiemasu owarimasu oyogimasu sagashimasu sakimasu sashiagemasu shimemasu shinjimasu shinimasu sumimasu shimasu suwarimasu tabemasu tobimasu tomarimasu torimasu tsukaremasu tsukaimasu tsukurimasu tsutomemasu ugokimasu umimasu urimasu wakarimasu wasuremasu yarimasu yasumimasu yobimasu yomimasu moratte motte mukete natte nete nobotte nonde nutte okite omotte orite oshiete owatte oyoide sagashite saite sashiagete shimete shinjite shinde sunde shite suwatte tabete tonde tomatte totte tsukarete tsukatte tsukutte tsutomete ugoite unde utte wakatte wasurete yatte yasunde yonde yonde 25 receive have. finish swim look for bloom give (polite) close believe die live do sit down eat fly. sleep rise. tell end. halt get. stop. wake up think get off teach. win become tired use make be employed move. go up. climb drink paint get up. get go to bed. jump stay overnight. produce sell understand forget give (informal) rest call read . change give birth. hold turn become.