Learn Japanese for Beginners: Lesson 271

Welcome to Lesson 2 of our Japanese for Beginners series! In this lesson, we will continue expanding your vocabulary and teaching you the basics of Japanese grammar.

Greetings and Introductions

In Lesson 1, we learned how to greet someone in Japanese. Let's review:* Konnichiwa (Hello)
* Ohayo gozaimasu (Good morning)
* Konbanwa (Good evening)

To introduce yourself, you can say:* Watashi wa [name] desu. (My name is [name].)

For example:* Watashi wa John desu. (My name is John.)

Numbers and Counting

Knowing how to count is essential in any language. In Japanese, the numbers 1-10 are:* 1 - ichi
* 2 - ni
* 3 - san
* 4 - yon
* 5 - go
* 6 - roku
* 7 - nana
* 8 - hachi
* 9 - kyu
* 10 - ju

To count from 11-20, say the number 10 (ju) followed by the number from 1-9 (e.g., ju ichi for 11, ju ni for 12). To count from 21-99, say the tens number (e.g., ni ju for 20, san ju for 30) followed by the number from 1-9 (e.g., ni ju ichi for 21, san ju ni for 32).

Basic Grammar

Japanese grammar is relatively straightforward. The most important thing to remember is that the verb always comes at the end of the sentence.

Noun Phrases

Noun phrases consist of a noun and (optionally) a determiner or adjective.* pen (ペン)
* the pen (そのペン)
* red pen (赤いペン)

Verb Phrases

Verb phrases consist of a verb and (optionally) an adverb or prepositional phrase.* write (書く)
* write quickly (早く書く)
* write on the table (テーブルに書く)

Sentence Structure

A basic Japanese sentence follows the subject-object-verb structure.* John pen write. (ジョンはペンを書く。)
* Mary table on book read. (メアリーはテーブルの上で本を読む。)

Questions and Negatives

To ask a question, simply add the particle "ka" to the end of the sentence.* John pen write? (ジョンはペンを書くか？)
* Mary table on book read? (メアリーはテーブルの上で本を読むか？)

To negate a sentence, add the particle "nai" after the verb.* John pen write not. (ジョンはペンを書かない。)
* Mary table on book read not. (メアリーはテーブルの上で本を読まない。)

Vocabulary

Here are some additional vocabulary words for this lesson:* School - gakko
* Classroom - kyoshitsu
* Teacher - sensei
* Student - seito
* Book - hon
* Pen - pen
* Pencil - enpitsu
* Rubber - keshigomu

Exercises

To practice what you have learned, try these exercises:1. Translate the following sentences into Japanese:
* My name is Anna.
* I am a student.
* The teacher is writing on the blackboard.
2. Answer the following questions in Japanese:
* Is John a student?
* Does Mary read books?
* Is the book on the table?

You can find the answers to these exercises at the end of this post.

Conclusion

Congratulations on completing Lesson 2 of our Japanese for Beginners series! In this lesson, you learned how to greet people, introduce yourself, count numbers, and ask questions. You also learned some basic Japanese grammar and vocabulary.

Keep practicing and you will be speaking Japanese like a pro in no time.

Answers to Exercises

1. Translations:
* My name is Anna: Watashi wa Anna desu.
* I am a student: Watashi wa seito desu.
* The teacher is writing on the blackboard: Sensei wa kokuban ni kakimasu.
2. Questions:
* Is John a student? John wa seito desu ka?
* Does Mary read books? Mary wa hon wo yomimasu ka?
* Is the book on the table? Hon wa teburu no ue ni arimasu ka?

2024-12-29

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