Please note that this does not contain many COMPLETE sentences. Do not take this as set-in-stone, but with a grain of salt. Sections of this guide may be false or partially flawed. Please use this only as a guide and not a bible.Latest Edits:
-Fixed the katakana / hiragana / kanji being ?'s
Okay, first things first. There are three types of writing systems for Japanese:
This is the bulk of Japanese. It acts to connect and basically string together kanji in sentences, but can also phonetically create a sentence.
This is generally used for foreign words like from High Jump Runaway! where it says "Fairy Wing Pleeeease". This was originally in katakana and said "Fueri Uingu Puriiiizu" (
).
These make up the most meanings in the least strokes (for the most part, some are huge and can get around 18 strokes). They have multiple pronunciations and are really, really evil (for translators only!). Kanji are originally from the Chinese language and thus have similar if not exactly the same meaning as kanji in Chinese.
The Number SystemThe format for this is as shown here directly below:
-[Romanji Pronunciation] / [Alternate Reading] ([Kanji Reading] / [Phonetics Reading in Hiragana]) - [Meaning]
Okay, let's start:
- Ichi / Hito(tsu) (? / ??) - One
- Nii / Futa(tsu) (? / ?) - Two
- San / Mi(tsu) (? / ??) - Three
- Shi / Yo(n / tsu) (? / ??) - Four
- Go / Itsu(tsu) (? / ?) - Five
- Roku / Mut(tsu) (? / ??) - Six
- Shichi / Nana(tsu) (? / ??) - Seven
- Hachi / Yat(tsu) (? / ??) - Eight
- Kyu / Kokono(tsu) (? / ??) - Nine
- Jyu / To (? / ??) - Ten
The phonetics may be a little confusing. Now then, it's SAID like this:
- "Ichi" sounds like "Itchy", but with more of an "e" sound for the beginning "i"
- "Nii" sounds like "Knee"
- "San" sounds like "Sahn"
- "Shi" sounds like "She"
- "Go" sounds like "Goh"
- "Roku" sounds like "Rock-ku"
- "Shichi" sounds like "She" and the "Chee" from "Cheese"
- "Hachi" sounds like "Ha" as in a laugh and the "Chee" from "Cheese"
- "Kyu" sounds like what you get if you stick in on "Cute", AKA "Kyute" or close to "Q"
- "Jyu" sounds like "Jew" (Sorry, no offense)
For numbers above 10:
- Ni jyu (?? / ) - Twenty
- Ni jyu ichi ( / ??) - Twenty-one
- Hyaku ni jyu ichi (? / ??) - One-hundred Twenty-one
- Sen (? / ??) - Thousand
- Man (? / ??) - Ten Thousand
- Hyaku man (?? / ??) - One-hundred thousand
- Is-sen man ( / ??) - Ten million
For these, "sen" can change to "zen" for pronunciation. Irregulars include "san byaku" (300), "ro pyaku" (600), and "ha pyaku" (800). Pronunciation help below:
- "Sen" is said like as in "Send" without the "D" or "Sehn"
- "Man" is said like "Mahn" or "Man" in "Manjuu" (A type of bun)
Some Normal PhrasesI'm not putting the hiragana and whatever phonetics now.
Means "hello" and is used to address at all times of the day. It is pronounced "kon-nii-chii-wa"
Means "good evening", and is of course used after noon passes. It's pronounced "kon-bon-wa", in those three pieces.
Means "good morning", and is used the most as a greeting. This one's pronounced "Oh-ha-(ii)-yo", where the "(ii)" signifies it lets on a slight tone of that sound.
Means "good night". Pronounced "Oh-ya-sue-mi" where the "sue" is like "I'm suing you!".
Less formal kind of "hello". Pronounced "doh-moh".
Means "yes". Pronounced "ha-ii".
Means "no". Pronounced "ii-ye".
Means "excuse me". Pronounced "shiit-sue-re-ii", where the "shiit" is not an extended profanity. It sounds kind of like "suteray" said by a local speaker.
- Sumimasen / Gomenasai / Gomen
All mean "sorry". "Sumimasen" is pronounced like "sue-mii-mah-sehn", "Gomenasai" like "goh-mehn-nah-sah-ii", and "Gomen" like "goh-mehn". They are in order of most polite to least polite. It may be like this:
Boss or high-ranking person / Stranger / Friends
Means "good-bye". Pronounced like "sah-yo-nah-ra".
Means "thank you". Pronounced like "ah-rii-gah-toh".
Means "nice to meet you". When combined with "onegaishimasu", it's meaning changes to "I hope to work well together" or "I'm counting on you". Pronounced "yoh-ro-shii-kuu-oh-neh-gah-ii-shii-mah-sue".
Unlike above, when "onegai" is separate, it says "please". Pronounced "oh-neh-gah-ii".
Some actual sentencesRead above for most information. This phrase employs the "masu" ending, which makes it polite.
Means "how much is it?" and is used when paying for things. Pronounced "ii-kuu-ra deh-su ka".
Means "what time is it?". Pronounced "jii-kan wah nah-nii".
Means "Are you okay?" or "I'm okay" depending on the person speaking. Pronounced "dah-ii shii-yoh buu". Fluent speakers may sound like "dah-ii joh bu".
More Basic QuestionsJapanese questions usually end with a "ka".
Do you speak English?
- Nihongo ga wakari masu ka?
Do you understand Japanese?
How much is it?
Where is (the) [noun]? This may be most used by you in the sentence "Toire wa doko desu ka?" or "Where's the toilet?".
What is your name? The "o" at the beginning makes it sound more correct, but it also adds some grace to your speech.
Answer it like : "Watashi no namae wa [name] desu" OR "[name] desu".
How old are you?
Answer it like : "[number] sai desu".
What are you doing? This may be said with more feeling to get a more "!?" effect.
What's that? Should be used with an indication with what the object of this sentence is.
Who are you? The second version is rude.
Would you like to talk?
Some Day NamesStarting from the first, it goes from Sunday to Saturday.
- Nichiyobi
- Getsuyobi
- Kayobi
- Suiyobi
- Mokuyobi
- Kinyobi
- Doyobi
The days above all have the "yobi" suffix, but also something else in common. Starting from Sunday again, the prefix portion means "Sun", "Moon", "Fire", "Water", "Wood", "Gold" and "Earth".
Month NamesMonth names are made by putting the number in front of the month suffix. So January is "ichi gatsu". For April, "shi" is used instead of "yon". Time also includes this exception.
Some Animal Names"Inu". There is also the "inugami"s which are vengeful dog spirits.
"Neko". The word for kitten is "koneko" which literally means "child cat".
"Nezumi".
"Kamo". "Kamo" can mean "maybe".
"Uma". Don't take "umae" as horse. "Umae" means "delicious" or "tasty".
"Ryu". It is pronounced "ryuu". A few dragons in mythology include "Yasha", which is where "Inuyasha" came from. It is a dragon that sits on some mountain (I forgot which one).
It looks like a turtle, but is actually a demon. They are supposed to have plates on their heads, have water bamboo, and a turtle's shell.
Some Useful Suffix KnowledgeChikyujin is an earthling. The suffix -jin makes the preceding word a place where people or beings reside.
Makes the sentence a question. Can also be used for counting days. "Ato mi ka" means "Still three days
".
Used for formality.
Denotes a month.
Used to tell time.
I probably missed a TON of the ones I know, but sorry.
Time-Related ThingsSome words you'll need to know for this:
Means "P.M." and is pronounced "goh-goh".
Means "A.M." and is pronounced "goh-zen".
The suffix used instead of o'clock.
Means "now".
Means "half".
Means "from", or for time-telling purposes "past".
Means "until" or "before".
The structure for this is:
[number]-ji [participle]
For example, "one o'clock" is "ichi-ji desu". If we have one of everything possible, we can get "gogo ni-ji han made desu" or "It is 1:30 PM".
Amongst these examples, we can ask something simple like when a store closes. The format is:
[store] wa nan-ji [kara / made] desu ka?
In this format, "kara" asks "When does [store] open?" while "made" "When does [store] close?". To ask at the same time, you use "[store] wa nan-ji [kara / made] nan-ji [kara / made] desu ka?".
Some Really Basic ThingsThe three forms of "I" most used are:
This is the feminine form, but also more polite.
This is usually used by boys, and does not carry arrogance with it.
"Oh-re" in case you were thinking mining ores. It is used by arrogant individuals and usually comes as "ore-sama".
The suffixes added onto names are as follows:
Used to address strangers or people you are not particularly close to.
Addresses a person with respect.
Addresses a person with reverence. Mostly used for warriors (like samurai). Comes from "tono" which means "lord".
Used for addressing young girls mostly, but may also be used on feminine-like people (Bishounen perhaps?). The "-tan" prefix is derived from this, not "-san".
Used to address boys, but also used to address co-workers or colleagues. When used amongst schoolchildren, it is generally restricted to same-grade students.
This is used in addressing someone accomplished in their field (usually white-collar jobs). Mostly used for teachers, but artists, doctors, writers, mangaka and such may also have this attached to their name.
Used to address someone who has been working in the job longer (at work), or someone in a higher grade (at school).
Used to address someone who has been working in the job for less time (at work), or someone in a lower grade (at school).
This is often forgotten, but may be the most important of all the distinctions from English. Having no prefix on a name implies a VERY close relationship. This is usually reserved for long-time friends, lovers, or family members. Calling somebody by their first name also implies extreme closeness.
Some subject identifiers explained:
Identifies the preceding word as the subject of the sentence.
Same as above except it puts some more importance on the subject.
Identifies the preceding word as the object of the sentence.
Identifies the preceding word as the means by which the action occurs or where the action takes place
Identifies the previous word as owning the following word. A possessive connector.
Identifies the preceding word as a location or time.
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