Vocabulary - 単語

Now that you've got the Japanese alphabets down, let's learn some vocabulary words and simple phrases. I will list the Kanji, Hiragana, Romaji (the word sounded out using English letters), and the English meaning for each word or phrase. Most words have Kanji for them but I will only include the Kanji if the word is regularly written that way. Keep in mind that the Japanese language has different levels of politeness that change based on who you are talking to. I will refer to these as "ultra-formal", "formal" (or "polite form"), "normal" (or "plain form"), "informal", and "rude" (we won't be covering too much of the rude form, however).
漢字 - Kanji
ひらがな - Hiragana
Romaji(English Letters)
English Meaning
私
わたし
watashi
I (formal for males, normal for females)
僕
ぼく
boku
I (normal for males)
彼
かれ
kare
he
彼女
かのじょ
kanojo
she
あなた
あなた
anata
you (singular/normal)
これ
これ
kore
this (object)
ここ
ここ
koko
here
この
この
kono
this (ex. this pen)
それ
それ
sore
that (object)
そこ
そこ
soko
there
その
その
sono
that (ex. that pen)
人
ひと
hito
person
犬
いぬ
inu
dog
猫
ねこ
neko
cat
家
いえ
ie
house
ありがとう
ありがとう
arigatou
Thank you. (normal)
ありがとうございます
ありがとうございます
arigatou gozaimasu
Thank you. (formal)
どういたしまして
どういたしまして
douitashimashite
You're welcome. (normal)
おはよう
おはよう
ohayou(sounds like Ohio)
Good morning. (informal)
おはようございます
おはようございます
ohayou gozaimasu
Good morning.(normal and formal)
こんにちは
こんにちは
konnichi wa
Hello. (normal)
こんばんは
こんばんは
konban wa
Good evening. (normal)
さよなら
さよなら
sayonara
Goodbye. (normal)
Grammar - 文法
Japanese grammar is quite simple and straight forward but very different from English grammar so most English speakers find it rather confusing. For instance, the verb always comes at the end. The best thing you can do when learning Japanese grammar is to learn it from the bottom up and not compare it to English grammar. Japanese grammar uses what we will refer to as particles to mark the various parts of the sentence. The main particles are: (These particles will be described in more detail below)
は
wa(as mentioned in lesson 1, the Hiragana "ha" is pronounced "wa" when it immediately follows the topic)
topic marker
が
ga
subject marker
を
wo(pronounced "o")
direct object marker
に
ni
direction/time marker, indirect object marker
へ
e(as mentioned in lesson 1, the Hiragana "he" is pronounced "e" when it immediately follows a place or direction)
direction marker
The particles "wa" (は) and "ga" (が): The particle "wa" marks the topic of the sentence and the particle "ga" marks the subject of the sentence. In the example, "I know where you live" (watashi wa anata ga doko ni sunde iru ka shitte iru), "I" would be the topic while "you" would be the subject. Not all sentences have both a topic and subject and, in many cases, the topic is implied in Japanese (for example, the "I" (watashi wa) would be left out of this sentence because it is implied that since I am talking I am the one that knows where you live). Many Japanese books and teachers teach that "wa" and "ga" are the same thing and it doesn't matter which you use when. This is not the case but I wouldn't worry too much about keeping them straight at first. The particle "wo" (を): The particle "wo" (or "o") marks the direct object of the sentence. In the example, "I'm going to take her home" (watashi wa kanojo wo ie ni okuru), "her" would be the direct object. The particle "ni" (に): The particle "ni" can be used to mark the direction, time, or the indirect object of a sentence. An example of a direction marker can be seen in the previous example "I'm going to take her home" (watashi wa kanojo wo ie ni okuru). In this case, the "ni" acts like a "to" - "I'm going to take her 'to' home". The particle "e" (へ) can be used in this way as well but usually implies more of a general direction as opposed to a specific places. The particle "ni" is also used to mark time in a sentence. For example, "I'm leaving at 3 o'clock" (watashi wa sanji ni hanareru). The final use for the particle "ni" is that of indirect object marker. In the example, "I was taken home by him" (watashi wa kare ni ie made okurareta), "him" is the indirect object. Note: The "watashi wa" in all of the example sentenced used above would normally be left out as it is implied.
Numbers, Time, and Days of the Week
Before we get too much further into grammar and verb conjugation, I thought it would be a good idea to teach numbers, time, days of the week, etc.
漢字 - Kanji
ひらがな - Hiragana
Romaji(English Letters)
English Meaning
一
いち
ichi
one
二
に
ni
two
三
さん
san
three
四
し、 よん
shi (yon after 10)
four
五
ご
go
five
六
ろく
roku
six
七
しち、 なな
shichi (nana after 10)
seven
八
はち
hachi
eight
九
きゅう
kyuu
nine
十
じゅう
juu
ten
百
ひゃく
hyaku
hundred
Numbers after 10 are a piece of cake once you know 1 through 10. 11 is simply ten with a one after it, 十一 (じゅういち, juuichi), 12 - juuni, 13 - juusan, 14 - juuyon, etc. 20 is simply 二十 (にじゅう, nijuu), 21 - nijuuichi, and so forth. Put these numbers in front of the character for time 時 and you've got the time of the day.
漢字 - Kanji
ひらがな - Hiragana
Romaji(English Letters)
English Meaning
一時
いちじ
ichiji
one o'clock
二時
にじ
niji
two o'clock
二時半
にじはん
nijihan
two thirty (半 means half)
二時四十五分
にじよんじゅうごふん
nijiyonjuugofun
2:45 (分 means minute)
...etc.
Now just put the character for moon 月 after a number and you've got a month.
漢字 - Kanji
ひらがな - Hiragana
Romaji(English Letters)
English Meaning
一月
いちがつ
ichigatsu
January
二月
にがつ
nigatsu
February
三月
さんがつ
sangatsu
March
四月
しがつ
shigatsu
April
...etc.
Days of the week don't follow such an easy pattern but here they are anyway along with some other time-related words.
漢字 - Kanji
ひらがな - Hiragana
Romaji(English Letters)
English Meaning
日曜日
にちようび
nichiyoubi
Sunday (日 - sun/day)
月曜日
げつようび
getsuyoubi
Monday (月 - moon)
火曜日
かようび
kayoubi
Tuesday (火 - fire)
水曜日
すいようび
suiyoubi
Wednesday (水 - water)
木曜日
もくようび
mokuyoubi
Thursday (木 - tree/wood)
金曜日
きんようび
kinyoubi
Friday (金 - gold)
土曜日
どようび
doyoubi
Saturday (土 - dirt)
今日
きょう
kyou
Today
明日
あした
ashita
Tomorrow
昨日
きのう
kinou
Yesterday
一昨日
おととい
ototoi
the day before yesterday
明後日
あさって
asatte
the day after tomorrow (a small "tsu" (っ) makes a double consenant)
今朝
けさ
kesa
this morning
今晩
こんばん
konban
this evening
今
いま
ima
now
Godan Verbs - 五段動詞
Now, before you can start making up sentences of your own, you need to learn how to conjugate verbs. Verbs are the most important part of the Japanese sentence. Often times Japanese people will leave out everything but the verb. They are very big on leaving out the obvious and sometimes not so obvious which can get confusing at times. There are only 3 types of verbs in the Japanese language and they each follow a pattern that is very simple and very rarely has any exceptions. Most Japanese verbs fall into the first group, the Godan (五段) verbs. These verbs always conjugate the same way with only one exception. These verbs have five changes that follow the order of the Japanese vowels, hence the name Godan (meaning 5 levels or steps), and then the "te" and "ta" forms that are common to all verbs. Here's an example:
漢字 - Kanji
ひらがな - Hiragana
Romaji(English Letters)
Verb Base
話す
はなす
hanasu (to speak)

話さ
はなさ
hanasa
Base 1
話し
はなし
hanashi
Base 2
話す
はなす
hanasu
Base 3
話せ
はなせ
hanase
Base 4
話そう
はなそう
hanasou
Base 5
話して
はなして
hanashite
Base "te"
話した
はなした
hanashita
Base "ta"
Base 1: Base 1 can not be used by itself but becomes the plain form negative simply by adding -nai. (ex. hanasanai - I won't say anything.) If the verb ends in う (u) then the end for Base 1 becomes わ (wa). (ex. au (Base 1) -> awa)(Plain form is what people use when talking to a friend. It would not be proper to use in a business environment. We will go over the polite form in lesson 8.) Base 2: Base 2 is, in most cases, a noun when used by itself but is primarily used with the formal form of the verb. Base 3: Base 3 is the main form (the one that would be found in the dictionary) and is also the plain form present/future tense. Base 4: Base 4 is most often used as "if verb" by adding -ba. (ex. hanaseba - If he'd just say something.) It can also be used by itself as a command form but it is extremely rude and I recommend not using it at all. Base 5: Base 5 is used by itself as the "let's" form. (ex. hanasou - Let's talk.) We will get into other ways it's used in later lessons. Base "te": Base "te" can be used by itself as a plain form command. It is not rude but should only be used with close friends and children. By adding kudasai it becomes the polite form command. Base "te" can also be used in other ways that we will get into in later lessons. Base "ta": Base "ta" is merely Base "te" with an "a" sound on the end instead of an "e" sound. It is mainly used by itself as the plain form past tense. (ex. hanashita - I talked.) We will get into other ways it's used in later lessons.
Notice: There is one thing that you'll need to learn in order to conjugate the "te" and "ta" forms correctly. Basically, for all Godan verbs ending in う (u), つ (tsu), or る (ru); the う (u), つ (tsu), or る (ru) becomes って (tte) in the "te" form and った (tta) in the "ta" form. (ex. katsu (to win) -> katte (Win!), katta (We won!)) For all Godan verbs ending in ぶ (bu), む (mu), or ぬ (nu); the ぶ (bu), む (mu), or ぬ (nu) becomes んで (nde) in the "te" form and んだ (nda) in the "ta" form. (ex. yomu (to read -> yonde (Read it.), yonda (I read it.)) For all Godan verbs ending in く (ku), the く (ku) becomes いて (ite) in the "te" form and いた (ita) in the "ta" form. (ex. aruku (to walk) -> aruite (Walk!), aruita (I walked here.)) The only exception to this rule is for the verb iku (to go) which becomes いって, いった (itte/itta). For all Godan verbs ending in ぐ (gu), the ぐ (gu) becomes いで (ide) in the "te" form and いだ (ida) in the "ta" form. (ex. oyogu (to swim) -> oyoide (Swim!), oyoida (I swam.)) For all Godan verbs ending in す (su), the す (su) becomes して (shite) in the "te" form and した (shita) in the "ta" form. (ex. hanasu (to talk) -> hanashite (Say something!), hanashita (I talked (to him).))
Here are some Godan verbs. Try conjugating them on a piece of paper using what you have just learned. Click here for the answers.
漢字 - Kanji
ひらがな - Hiragana
Romaji(English Letters)
English Meaning
会う
あう
au
to meet
勝つ
かつ
katsu
to win
売る
うる
uru
to sell
遊ぶ
あそぶ
asobu
to play
飲む
のむ
nomu
to drink
死ぬ
しぬ
shinu
to die
歩く
あるく
aruku
to walk
泳ぐ
およぐ
oyogu
to swim
消す
けす
kesu
to erase, turn off
行く
いく
iku
to go(Remember the exception for Bases "te"and "ta")
Ichidan Verbs - 一段動詞
The second group of verbs are called Ichidan (一段) verbs. It is usually an Ichidan verb if it ends with the sound "iru" or "eru". Some well used verbs which appear to be Ichidan but are really Godan are listed here. Ichidan verbs also follow a simple conjugation pattern that is somewhat similar to that of the Godan verbs. Here's an example:
漢字 - Kanji
ひらがな - Hiragana
Romaji(English Letters)
Verb Base
食べる
たべる
taberu (to eat)

食べ
たべ
tabe
Base 1
食べ
たべ
tabe
Base 2
食べる
たべる
taberu
Base 3
食べれ
たべれ
tabere
Base 4
食べよう
たべよう
tabeyou
Base 5
食べて
たべて
tabete
Base "te"
食べた
たべた
tabeta
Base "ta"
Base 1 and Base 2: As you can see, Base 1 and 2 are the same. Just like with the Godan verbs, a negative can be made by adding -nai (ex. tabenai - I will not eat.) and this base, or root form, is also used for the formal form of the verb. Base 3: Base 3 is the same as with Godan verbs. Base 4: Base 4, however, can not be used by itself like with Godan verbs. It is only used for "if verb" by adding -ba. (ex. tabereba - If I eat it...) It is not the low command form for Ichidan verbs. The low command form for Ichidan verbs is Base 1 + ろ (ro). Base 5: Base 5 is the same as with Godan verbs. Base "te" and Base "ta": The Base "te" and "ta" forms for Ichidan verbs are a lot easier than with Godan verbs. Simply take off the "ru" and add a "te" for Base "te" and a "ta" for Base "ta". These have the same functions as with Godan verbs.
Here are some Ichidan verbs. Try conjugating them on a piece of paper using what you have just learned. Click here for the answers.
漢字 - Kanji
ひらがな - Hiragana
Romaji(English Letters)
English Meaning
いる
いる
iru
to exist (animate), to be somewhere
見る
みる
miru
to see
寝る
ねる
neru
to sleep
着る
きる
kiru
to wear, put on
出来る
できる
dekiru
can do
覚える
おぼえる
oboeru
to remember
Irregular Verbs
The last type of verbs are the Irregular verbs but there are only 2 of them in the entire language so just memorize their charts below. The first one is suru (to do something). Many nouns can be used as a verb simply by putting "suru" right after them. It is probably the most used of all Japanese verbs. The second Irregular verb is kuru (to come).
漢字 - Kanji
ひらがな - Hiragana
Romaji(English Letters)
Verb Base
する
する
suru (to do)

し
し
shi
Base 1
し
し
shi
Base 2
する
する
suru
Base 3
すれ
すれ
sure
Base 4
しよう
しよう
shiyou
Base 5
して
して
shite
Base "te"
した
した
shita
Base "ta"
The functions for these bases are the same as for the Godan verbs except that Base 4 can only be used as the "if verb".The rude command form is "Shiro".
漢字 - Kanji
ひらがな - Hiragana
Romaji(English Letters)
Verb Base
来る
くる
kuru (to come)

来
こ
ko
Base 1
来
き
ki
Base 2
来る
くる
kuru
Base 3
来れ
くれ
kure
Base 4
来よう
こよう
koyou
Base 5
来て
きて
kite
Base "te"
来た
きた
kita
Base "ta"
The functions for these bases are the same as for the Godan verbs except that Base 4 can only be used as the "if verb".The rude command form is "Koi" and really should only be used on animals
Using Verb Bases
Now that you know about 30 verbs and can conjugate them, I'll show you what you can do with those bases. You may want to regularly refer to Lesson 6 and Lesson 7 while learning these. The following chart applies to all verbs unless otherwise noted.
ひらがな - Hiragana
Romaji(English Letters)
English Meaning
Base 1 + ない
Base 1 + nai
plain form negative (will not verb)
Base 1 + なかった
Base 1 + nakatta
plain form past negative (did not verb)
Base 2 + ます
Base 2 + masu
polite form present/future tense
Base 2 + ました
Base 2 + mashita
polite form past tense
Base 2 + ません
Base 2 + masen
polite form negative (will not verb)
Base 2 + ませんでした
Base 2 + masen deshita
polite form past negative (did not verb)
Base 2 + たい
Base 2 + tai
want to verb (add です (desu) to make it polite)
Base 3
Base 3
plain form present/future tense
Base 4 + ば
Base 4 + ba
if verb
Base 4 + る
Base 4 + ru
plain form can verb (Godan verbs only)(verb now becomes an Ichidan verb)
Base 4 + ます
Base 4 + masu
polite form can verb (can be changed like above)
Base 5 + とする
Base 5 + to suru
try to verb(this suru is the same verb learned in lesson 7 (to do something))
Base "te" + 欲しい
Base "te" + hoshii
want someone else to verb(hoshii is an adjective which will covered in the next lesson)
Base "te"
Base "te"
plain form command
Base "te" + 下さい
Base "te" + kudasai
polite form command
Base "te" + いる
Base "te" + iru
plain form presently verbing(this iru is the same verb learned in lesson 7 (to exist (animate))
Base "te" + います
Base "te" + imasu
polite form presently verbing (can be changed like above)
Base "ta"
Base "ta"
plain form past tense
Base "ta" + ら
Base "ta" + ra
if and when I verb (similar to Base 4 + ba)
Base "ta" + りする
Base "ta" + ri suru
do such things as...(this suru is also the same verb learned in lesson 7 (to do something))
Adjectives and Adverbs
There are two different types of words that can be used to modify nouns and verbs. One group is much like what we would call an adjective but they can also modify verbs as well. We will refer to these as "dv". The other group can, in most cases, stand alone like a noun but can also be used to modify nouns and verbs. We will refer to these as "dn". All words in the "dv" group always end with い (i). No exceptions. This is placed in front of a noun in order to modify it. For example:
漢字 - Kanji
ひらがな - Hiragana
Romaji(English Letters)
English Meaning
赤い車
あかいくるま
akai kuruma
red car
These words can be conjugated to form different tenses, modify verbs, etc. Here is how that is done:
ひらがな - Hiragana
Romaji(English Letters)
English Meaning
drop the い and add く
drop the "i" and add "ku"
modifies a verb (akaku natta -> became red)(naru is the verb "to become")
drop the い and add くない
drop the "i" and add "kunai"
present tense negative (akakunai -> is not red)
drop the い and add かった
drop the "i" and add "katta"
past tense (akakatta -> was red)
drop the い and add くなかった
drop the "i" and add "kunakatta"
past tense negative (akakunakatta -> was not red)(This one might take a little practice saying.)
It's not as easy to recognize a "dn" but I will tell you that's what they are in the vocabulary lists. Sometimes you'll even find a "dn" that ends in い (i) (ex. kirei - pretty). As mentioned before, these words can, in most cases, be used by themselves like a noun (ex. shizen - nature). By adding a な (na) to the end of these words they can be used to modify a noun (ex. shizen na kankyou -> a natural envionment). And by adding a に (ni) to the end of these words they can be used to modify a verb as an adverb (ex. shizen ni aruku -> to walk naturally). Here's a list of some commonly used "dv" and "dn":
漢字 - Kanji
ひらがな - Hiragana
Romaji(English Letters)
English Meaning
赤い
あかい
akai (dv)
red
黄色い
きいろい
kiiroi (dv)
yellow
青い
あおい
aoi (dv)
blue
黒い
くろい
kuroi (dv)
black
白い
しろい
shiroi (dv)
white
面白い
おもしろい
omoshiroi (dv)
interesting, funny
暑い
あつい
atsui (dv)
hot
寒い
さむい
samui (dv)
cold
大きい
おおきい
ookii (dv)
big
小さい
ちいさい
chiisai (dv)
small
自然
しぜん
shizen (dn)
nature
綺麗
きれい
kirei (dn)
pretty, clean
失礼
しつれい
shitsurei (dn)
rude
静か
しずか
shizuka (dn)
quiet
特別
とくべつ
tokubetsu (dn)
special
元気
げんき
genki (dn)
in good spirits
変
へん
hen (dn)
weird, strange
上手
じょうず
jouzu (dn)
skillful
親切
しんせつ
shinsetsu (dn)
kind
素敵
すてき
suteki (dn)
"cool", good looking
Meeting Someone New
Below is a typical conversation between two people meeting for the first time:

Japanese(In Kanji, Hiragana, and Romaji)
English Meaning
Person 1:
こんにちは。始めまして。 こんにちは。はじめまして。 Konnichi wa. Hajimemashite.
Hello. Nice to meet you.
Person 2:
始めまして。お元気ですか。 はじめまして。おげんきですか。 Hajimemashite. O-genki desu ka?
Nice to meet you.How are you?
Person 1:
はい、元気です。 はい、げんきです。 Hai, genki desu.
I am fine.
Person 1:
私は______と申します。　あなたのお名前は？ わたしは______ともうします。　あなたのおなまえは？ Watashi wa ______ to moushimasu. Anata no o-namae wa?
My name is ______.What is your name?
Person 2:
私は______と言います。宜しくお願いします。 わたしは______といいます。よろしくおねがいします。 Watashi wa ______ to iimasu. Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu.
My name is ______.Pleased to make youracquaintance.
Person 1:
宜しくお願いします。 よろしくおねがいします。 Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu.
Pleased to make youracquaintance.
Explanation: "Hajimemashite" literally means "it is a beginning" but would be the equivalent of "Nice to meet you" in English. It would only be used the first time meeting someone. As learned in Lesson 9, "genki" means "in good spirits". "O-genki desu ka" is literally asking "Are you in good spirits?". This is the most common way of asking "How are you?" in Japanese. The other person responds "Yes, I am in good spirits". "Mousu" is the ultra polite form of the verb "iu" (to say). Both people are literally saying "I am said/called _____". "Namae" is the word for "name". An "o" is added in front of it (and other words throughout this exchange) to show respect. This is not done when talking about yourself. "Yoroshii" means "good/fine" and "negai" is a wish or request. "Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu" literally means "I request/wish kindly of you". It is basically like saying "Please treat me well". It can be used in other situations as well - such as when asking for a favor.
Other Common Phrases
We are often asked how to say "I love you" in Japanese. This would be "Anata o ai shite imasu" BUT be advised that the Japanese typically don't use the word for love (愛 - あい - ai) when talking about their feelings for someone else (not even a boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, child, parent, etc.). They would typically say "Anata no koto ga suki desu" or "Anata ga daisuki desu". "Suki" means "like" and "daisuki" means "favorite". This may seem strange but this is just what they say for "I love you".
漢字 - Kanji
ひらがな - Hiragana
Romaji(English Letters)
English Meaning
誕生日おめでとうございます
たんじょうびおめでとうございます
tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu
Happy Birthday!
明けましておめでとうございます
あけましておめでとうございます
akemashite omedetou gozaimasu
Happy New Year!
おめでとうございます
おめでとうございます
omedetou gozaimasu
Congratulations!
お休みなさい
おやすみなさい
oyasuminasai
Good night.(used when someone is going to bed)
御免なさい
ごめんなさい
gomennasai
I'm sorry.
すみません
すみません
sumimasen
Excuse me.
トイレは何処ですか
トイレはどこですか
toire wa doko desu ka
Where is the bathroom?
お腹が空いています
おなかがすいています
onaka ga suite imasu
I am hungry.("My stomach is empty.")
See Lesson 3 for other common phrases.