Level

1.1

Japanese
PDF Lesson Pack

LANGUAGE.COM
Welcome to Level 1.1 Japanese PDF Lesson Pack

This is a companion PDF lesson pack for JapanesePod101 lessons. Please use this PDF
(feel free to print) to follow along or review afterward.

This Lesson Pack offers a small taste of all the Japanese you will learn with our step-by-step
Level 1.1 Can Do Japanese Course.

So, if you want to learn Japanese even faster, get FULL access to Level 1.1 Can Do Japanese Course
by clicking the link or scanning the QR code below.

SCAN ME
Contents
How to Introduce Yourself

∞ How to Introduce Yourself (Give Your Name) 01

∞ How to Say Where Youʼre From 03

∞ How to Talk About Your Occupation 05

∞ How to Talk About Nationality 07

How to Give Contact Information

∞ How to Give Your Phone Number 09

∞ How to Give Your Email Address 11

How to Use Basic Greetings

∞ How to Use Basic Greetings 13

∞ How to Use Parting Expressions 15

How to Use Essential Social Expressions

∞ How to Use Essential Social Expressions 17

How to Ask About Well-Being

∞ How to Ask About Well-Being 19

How to Ask for Clarification

∞ How to Ask For Clarification 21

∞ How to Ask How You Say Something 23

How to Talk About Hobbies

∞ How to Talk About Hobbies 25

How to Introduce Yourself

Mark Lee is on a plane to Japan. He's sitting next to Ken Kobayashi, who introduces himself.

はじめまして。 わたしは こばやしです。

Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Kobayashi desu.

よろしく おねがいします。
Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

はじめまして。
Hajimemashite.

わたしは リー マークです。
Watashi wa Rī Māku desu.

よろしく おねがいします。
Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

Ken Kobayashi: Nice to meet you. I'm Kobayshi. Pleased to meet you.
Mark Lee: Nice to meet you. I'm Mark Lee. Pleased to meet you.

はじめまして 。 Hajimemashite. Nice to meet you. expression

よろしくおねがいします。 Yoroshiku onegai shimasu. Pleased to meet you. expression
です desu am, is, are copula
わたし watashi I pronoun
は wa (topic marker) particle

Two Key Phrases for Basic Self-Introductions

はじめまして。 Comes from the word, はじめて hajimete, meaning

“for the first time.” This is the first thing you say when
Hajimemashite.
introducing yourself, so it comes before your name.

よろしく おねがいします。 Literally means “be good [to me], please.”

Yoroshiku onegai shimasu. You say this phrase after saying your name.

1
 Sentence Pattern to Give Your Name

わたし は name です。

わたし は リー マーク です。 わたしは リー カレンです。

Watashi wa Rī Māku desu. Watashi wa Rī Karen desu.

I’m Karen Lee.

Literal translation: As for me, Mark Lee [I] am.
Natural translation: I’m Mark Lee.

In Japanese, when you say your full name, the family name comes first and the given name comes after.

English Japanese

Given Name + Last Name Last Name + Given Name

Karen Lee リー カレン Rī Karen

Variation

[わたしは] name です

[わたしは] たなか です。

[Watashi wa] Tanaka desu.

はじめまして。 わたしは たなかです。よろしく おねがいします。

Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Tanaka desu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

The first part, わたしは watashi wa, meaning “as for me,” can be omitted because it’s clear the speaker is
talking about him or herself in the context of a self-introduction.

In Japanese, when the context is clear, the topic can be, and often is, omitted.

Imagine you're one of the characters below. Pair up with a classmate and role play the conversation.

はじめまして。 です。 はじめまして。 です。

Hajimemashite. desu. Hajimemashite. desu.

よろしく おねがいします。 よろしく おねがいします。

Yoroshiku onegai shimasu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

リー マーク リー カレン リーサーシャ リー ベン

Rī Māku Rī Karen Rī Sāsha Rī Ben
Mark Lee Karen Lee Sasha Lee Ben Lee
2
How to Say Where You're From

Mark Lee is on a plane to Japan. He's sitting next to Ken Kobayashi, who asks him where he's from.

リーさん、
しゅっしんは どこですか。
Rī-san, shusshin wa doko desu ka.

しゅっしんは ニューヨークです。
Shusshin wa Nyū Yōku desu.

Ken Kobayashi: Mr. Lee, where are you from?

Mark Lee: I’m from New York

さん san (suffix for names) suffix

しゅっしん shusshin hometown noun
どこ doko where interrogative
か ka (question marker) particle

Sentence to Say Where You're From

しゅっしん は hometown です。

しゅっしん は ニューヨーク です。

Shusshin wa Nyū Yōku desu.

Literal translation: As for [my] hometown, New York is.

Natural translation: I’m from New York.

The word, “my” in “my hometown,” is inferred in Japanese from context.

3
 しゅっしんは ロンドンです。
Shusshin wa Rondon desu.

I’m from London.

Variation
The word, しゅっしん shusshin, actually has a broader meaning than just one’s
hometown. You can also use it to talk about one's country or state.

しゅっしんは オーストラリアです。
shusshin
しゅっしん Shusshin wa Ōsutoraria desu.

country hometown I’m from Australia.

Additional Vocabulary
アメリカ フランス ちゅうごく イギリス にほん
Amerika Furansu Chūgoku Igirisu Nihon*
America France China United Kingdom Japan
ドイツ かんこく オーストラリア カナダ インド
Doitsu Kankoku Ōsutoraria Kanada Indo
Germany South Korea Australia Canada India

ニューヨーク パリ ペキン ロンドン とうきょう

Nyū Yōku Pari Pekin Rondon Tōkyō
New York Paris Beijing London Tokyo
ベルリン ソウル シドニー トロント ニューデリー
Berurin Souru Shidonī Toronto Nyū Derī
Berlin Seoul Sydney Toronto New Delhi

*Note: Japan can also be read as にっぽん Nippon.

Choose one of the characters below. Pair up with a classmate and role play the conversation below.

しゅっしんは どこですか。 しゅっしんは ______です。

Shusshin wa doko desu ka. Shusshin wa desu.

Ben Lee Jack Jones Tomoko Tanaka Jing Liu

ニューヨーク、
アメリカ ロンドン、
イギリス とうきょう、
にほん ペキン、ちゅうごく
Nyū Yōku, Amerika Rondon, Igirisu Tōkyō, Nihon Pekin, Chūgoku

4
How to Talk About Your Occupation

Mark Lee wants to know what Ken Kobayashi does for a living.

こばやしさんは、
がくせいですか。
Kobayashi-san wa, gakusei desu ka.

いいえ、
がくせいでは
Iie, gakusei de wa

ありません。
とうしかです。
arimasen. Tōshika desu.

Mark Lee: Mr. Kobayashi, are you a student?

Ken Kobayashi: No, I'm not a student. I'm an investor.

がくせい gakusei student noun

いいえ iie no interjection

では ありません de wa arimasen am not, isn’t, aren’t phrase

とうしか tōshika investor noun

Sentence Pattern to Ask About Occupations

Name は occupation です か。

こばやしさん は がくせい です か。
Kobayashi-san wa gakusei desu ka.

Literal translation: As for Mr. Kobayashi, student [you] are?

Natural translation: Are you a student, Mr. Kobayashi?

The first part, こばやしさん Kobayashi-san, refers to “you” in this case. In Japanese, it's more polite to
address a person by name instead of using the second-person personal pronoun, あなた anata.

5
 Sentence Pattern to Respond Negatively to a Question About Your Occupation

いいえ、 false occupation では ありません。 Actual occupation です。

いいえ、 がくせい では ありません。 とうしか です。

Iie, gakusei de wa arimasen. Tōshika desu

Literal translation: No, student [I] am not. Investor [I] am.

Natural translation: No, I’m not a student. I’m an investor.

ではありません, De wa Arimasen
The last part, ではありません de wa arimasen, is the negative form of です desu and means
“am not,” “isn’t,” or “aren’t.”

リーさんは、 いいえ、
がくせいでは ありません。
Rī-san wa, Iie, gakusei de wa arimasen.

がくせいですか。 エンジニアです。
gakusei desu ka. Enjinia desu.
Are you a student, Mr. Lee? No, I’m not a student. I’m an engineer.

エンジニア enjinia engineer noun

きょうし* kyōshi teacher noun
せんせい* sensei teacher noun
シェフ shefu chef noun
かいしゃいん kaishain office worker noun
いしゃ isha doctor noun

*Both きょうし kyōshi and せんせい sensei mean "teacher." When you ask someone, "Are you a teacher?"
say せんせい sensei to show respect, but when you say "I’m a teacher," use きょうし kyōshi as a formal job
title and to express humility about your role.

Choose one of the characters in the table to the Name Profession

right. Pair up with a classmate and role play the
conversation below.
リー マーク エンジニア
Rī Māku Enjinia
Mark Lee Engineer

______さんは、＿＿＿＿＿＿ですか。 エガワ エマ がくせい

Egawa Ema Gakusei
______ san wa,＿＿＿＿＿＿＿desu ka. Emma Egawa Student

やまぐち ゆう シェフ
いいえ、＿＿＿＿では ありません。 Yamaguchi Yū Shefu
Yu Yamaguchi Chef
Iie, ＿＿＿＿＿＿ de wa arimasen.

＿＿＿＿＿＿です。 たなか ともこ きょうし

Tanaka Tomoko Kyōshi
desu. Tomoko Tanaka Teacher

6
How to Talk About Your Nationality

Mark Lee is on a plane to Japan. He asks Ken Kobayashi, who is sitting next to him, about his nationality.

にほんじんですか。
Nihon-jin desu ka.

はい、
にほんじんです。
Hai, Nihon-jin desu.

Mark Lee: Are you Japanese?

Ken Kobayashi: Yes, I’m Japanese.

にほんじん Nihon-jin Japanese noun phrase

です desu am, is, are copula
か ka question marker particle
はい hai yes interjection

Sentence pattern to ask about someone’s nationality.

nationality です か。

(あなたは) にほんじん です か。
(Anata wa) Nihon-jin desu ka.

Literal translation: As for you, Japanese (you) are?

Natural translation: Are you a Japanese?

7
Sentence pattern to respond positively to a question about your nationality.

The first part, あなたは anata wa meaning “as for you” is usually omitted because it’s common to avoid
the word for “you” あなた anata when it’s clear from context as it sounds too direct.

はい、 nationality です。

はい、 にほんじん です。

Hai, Nihon-jin desu.

Literal translation: Yes, Japanese (I) am.

Natural translation: Yes, I’m Japanese.

To say nationality, say the name of the country and add the word じん jin meaning “person”

Country name
アメリカじんです。
にほん じん Amerika-jin desu.
Nihon jin
I’m American.

かんこくじん Kankoku-jin Korean person noun phrase

ちゅうごくじん Chūgoku-jin Chinese person noun phrase
オーストラリアじん Ōsutoraria-jin Australian person noun phrase
アメリカじん Amerika-jin American person noun phrase
イギリスじん Igirisu-jin British person noun phrase
フランスじん Furansu-jin French person noun phrase

Choose one of the characters below. Pair up with a classmate and role play the conversation below.

___________ですか。 はい、______です。
__________________ desu ka. Hai, ____________ desu.

Ben Lee Jack Jones Tomoko Tanaka Jing Liu

アメリカ イギリス にほん ちゅうごく
Amerika Igirisu Nihon Chūgoku

8
How to Give Your Phone Number

Mark Lee is registering his address at city hall. A civil servant who works with new residents asks him for
his phone number.

リーさん、
でんわばんごうを おねがいします。
Rī-san, denwa bangō o onegai shimasu.

わたしの でんわばんごうは
Watashi no denwa bangō wa

090 - 0123 - 4567 です。

zero kyū zero no zero ichi ni san no yon go roku nana desu.

Maki Matsumoto: Mr. Lee, your phone number, please.

Mark Lee: My phone number is 090-0123-4567.

でんわばんごう denwa bangō phone number noun

を o (object marking) particle
おねがいします onegai shimasu please phrase
わたしの watashi no my phrase

Sentence Pattern to Give Your Phone Number

わたしの でんわばんごう は phone number です。

わたしの でんわばんごう は 090-0123-4567 です。
Watashi no denwa bangо̄ wa 090-0123-4567 desu.

Literal translation: As for my phone number, 090-0123-4567 is.

Natural translation: My phone number is 090-0123-4567.

9
To give your phone number, replace the number in red below with your phone number.

わたしの
わたしの でんわばんごうは03-1212-3434です。
Watashi no denwa bangō wa zero san no ichi ni ichi ni no san yon san yon desu.

My phone number is 03-1212-3434.

The phrase, わたしの watashi no, meaning “my,” is often omitted when talking about one's phone number
since it's clear from context.

How to Read Phone Numbers

∞ Read numbers individually. ku no no shi shichi

kyū の の yon nana
∞ Hyphens are read as の no.

090-0123-4567
Or you can pause instead of * * *
saying の no.
∞ The number 0 (“zero”), when zero kyū zero zero ichi ni san yon go roku nana
it’s used in phone numbers, is *These numbers are read as indicated so that they are easier to understand.
usually pronounced /zero/.

The numbers 4, 7, and 9 also have two readings, but they are usually read as indicated so that are easier
to understand.

いち に さん よん (し) ご
ichi ni san yon (shi) go

ろく なな (しち) はち きゅう
（く） ゼロ (れい)
roku nana (shichi) hachi kyū (ku) zero (rei)

リー マーク
Rī Māku
Pair up with a classmate and role play the conversation Mark Lee

below using the characters to the right. 090-0123-4567

リー カレン
Rī Karen
Karen Lee
さん、
でんわばんごうを おねがいします。 090-0877-6644

-san, denwa bangō o onegai shimasu.

まつもと まき
Matsumoto Maki
Maki Matsumoto
03-1234-5678

わたしの でんわばんごうは です。 こばやし けん

Kobayashi Ken
Ken Kobayashi
Watashi no denwa bangō wa desu.
03-1212-3434

10
How to Give Your E-mail Address

Karen Lee is at city hall. Maki Matsumoto, a civil servant, asks her for her email address.

リーさん、メールアドレスを おねがいします。
Rī-san, mēru adoresu o onegai shimasu.

わたしの メールアドレスは
Watashi no mēru adoresu wa

[email protected]です。
(ケー・エー・アール・イー・エヌ アットマーク イノラング ドット コム)
kē ē āru ī enu atto māku inorangu dotto komu desu.

Maki Matsumoto: Ms. Lee, your e-mail address, please.

Karen Lee: My e-mail address is [email protected].

メールアドレス mēru adoresu email address noun

アットマーク atto māku at sign, @ noun
ドット コム dotto komu .com phrase

Sentence Pattern To Give Your Email Address

わたしの メールアドレス は mail address です。

わたしの メールアドレス は です。

Watashi no mēru adoresu wa [email protected] desu.

Literal translation: As for my email address, [email protected] is.

Natural translation: My email address is [email protected].

11
The phrase, わたしの watashi no meaning “my” is often omitted when it’s clear to talk about “my” email
address in context such as when you are giving it at the request.

（わたしの) メールアドレスは [email protected] です。

(Watashi no) mēru adoresu wa [email protected] desu.

How To Read Alphabets

A エー ē J ジェー jē S エス esu

B ビー bī K ケー kē T ティー tī

C シー shī L エル eru U ユー yū

D ディー dī M エム emu V ブイ bui

E イー ī N エヌ enu W ダブリュー daburyū

F エフ efu O オー ō X エックス ekkusu

G ジー jī P ピー pī Y ワイ wai

H エイチ eichi Q キュー kyū Z ゼット zetto

I アイ ai R アール āru

The pronunciation of most letters is very close to English, but the pronunciation of C, L, M, N, R, V, Z requires
extra attention.

Pair up with a classmate and role play the conversation using the characters below.

______さん、
メールアドレスを おねがいします。 わたしのメールアドレスは ___＿です。
__ -san, mēru adoresu o onegai shimasu. Watashi no mēru adoresu wa __ desu.

リー マーク リー ベン たなか ともこ まつもと まき

Rī Māku Rī Ben Tanaka Tomoko Matsumoto Maki
Mark Lee Ben Lee Tomoko Tanaka Maki Matsumoto
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

12
How to Use Basic Greetings

Tomoko Tanaka is the Lee family's private Japanese teacher. She greets Mark, Karen, and Ben as they
arrive for their lessons at different times of the day.

12

たなかせんせい、
おはようございます。
11 1
10 2
9 3
Tanaka-sensei, ohayō gozaimasu.
8 4
7 5
6 Mark Lee

リーさん、
Rī-san,

おはようございます。
ohayō gozaimasu.

Mark Lee: Good morning, Ms. Tanaka. Tomoko Tanaka

Tomoko Tanaka: Good morning, Mr. Lee.

12 12
11 1 11 1

ベンくん、
10 2 10 2

リーさん、
9 3 9 3
8 4 8 4
Ben-kun,
7
6
5 Rī-san, 7
6
5

こんにちは。 せんせい、 こんばんは。

こんにちは。 kon’nichiwa.
konbanwa.
kon’nichiwa. Sensei, Tomoko Tanaka

こんばんは。
Tomoko Tanaka
Karen Lee

konbanwa.
Ben Lee

Karen Lee: Good afternoon. Ben Lee: Good evening, Ms. Tanaka.
Tomoko Tanaka: Good aftenoon, Ms. Lee. Tomoko Tanaka: Good evening, Ben.

せんせい sensei teacher noun

おはようございます ohayō gozaimasu good morning phrase
こんにちは kon’nichiwa good afternoon, hello phrase
こんばんは konbanwa good evening phrase

13
1 Daily Greetings
AM PM PM

こんにちは。
12 12 12
11 1
おはようございます。
11 1 11 1
10 2 10 2
Kon’nichiwa.
10 2 こんばんは。
9 3 9 3 9 3
Ohayō gozaimasu. Konbanwa.
8 4 8 4 8 4
7 5 7 5 7 5
6 6 6

#1 Good morning #2 Good afternoon #3 Good evening

おはよう ohayō is an informal こんにちは kon’nichiwa is the こんばんは konbanwa can

way to greet someone in the most general greeting and the be used as a greeting in the
morning. closest to the English “Hello.” evening and at night.
You might sometimes hear it
used in the mornings or even
at night.

The greetings, こんにちは kon’nichiwa and こんばんは konbanwa, can be used when speaking to anyone,
regardless of the formality of the situation.

Including Names in Greetings

When including a person’s name in a greeting, it’s リーさん、

こんにちは。
more common to say the person’s name before Rī-san, kon’nichiwa.
the greeting.

Pair up with a classmate and role play the scenes below.

1025 1026 1027

1025 1026 1027 1028 1029 1030

1028 1029 1030 1031 1032 1033

1031 1032 1033

Ben Lee and Tomoko Tanaka Karen Lee and Ichika Ishikawa Mark Lee and Itsuki Ishikawa
are having a class at 9:00 a.m. are meeting in the lobby at noon. are meeting in the lobby at
7:00 p.m.

14
How to Use Parting Expressions

Karen, Ben, and Sasha Lee are ending a video conference call with Karen's former host mother, Miki Mori.

おやすみなさい。
Oyasuminasai. おやすみなさい。
Oyasuminasai.
じゃ、
また。 Sasha Lee
Ben Lee
Ja, mata.

またね。
おやすみ。
Karen Lee

Mata ne. Oyasumi.

Miki Mori

Karen Lee: See you. Ben Lee: Goodnight.

Sasha Lee: Goodnight. Miki Mori: See you later. Goodnight.

じゃ、
また。 Ja, mata. See you. phrase
おやすみなさい。 Oyasuminasai. Goodnight (formal). phrase
おやすみ。 Oyasumi. Goodnight (informal). phrase
またね。 Mata ne. See you later. phrase

Parting Expressions Meaning “See You”

じゃ、 また。 またね。

Ja, mata. Mata ne.

Literal translation: Well, again. Literal translation: Again, right?

Natural translation: See you. Natural translation: See you again.

15
 Both phrases are abbreviated forms of the Variation
sentences below. The following is also commonly used in informal
situations. It's an abbreviated form of じゃ、
またね。
じゃ、また あいまし
あいましょ
ょう
う。 with また removed.
Ja, mata aimashō.
Well, let’s meet again.

じゃあね。
また あいまし
あいましょょ
ううね。
Jā ne.

Mata aimashō ne.

Let’s meet again.

Greetings Meaning “Goodnight”

おやすみなさい。 Literal translation: Please have a good rest.

Oyasuminasai. Natural translation: Goodnight.

お “honorific prefix” + やすみ “rest” + なさい “please do”

Variation

Two usages of おやすみなさい oyasuminasai

おやすみ。
Oyasumi. Use this greeting to mean “see you”
1. when you part with someone late at
おやすみ oyasumi is an night.
informal version of おやすみ
Use this greeting right before going
なさい。oyasuminasai. 2.
to bed.

Pair up with a classmate and role play the scenes in the illustrations below.

Ben Lee is saying goodbye to his teacher Sasha Lee just finished lunch with her friend,
when leaving class at 9:00 p.m. Sakura Suzuki, and says goodbye as she
leaves.
16
 How to Use Essential Social Expressions

Ben Lee sees that fellow commuter, Yu Yamaguchi, has dropped his wallet. Ben rushes off the train to
return it to him (Scenes 1 and 2). The train door closes before Ben can get back on the train, and Yu
apologizes to him (Scene 3).

はい。
すみません。 Hai.
Yu Yamaguchi
Sumimasen.
Ben Lee

ありがとうございます。
Arigatō gozaimasu. すみません。
Yu Yamaguchi Sumimasen.

だいじょうぶです。
Yu Yamaguchi

どういたしまして。
Dōitashimashite. Daijо̄bu desu.
Ben Lee
Ben Lee

Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3

Ben Lee: Excuse me. Yu Yamaguchi: Thank you. Yu Yamaguchi: I’m sorry.
Yu Yamaguchi: Yes? Ben Lee: You’re welcome. Ben Lee: It's all right.

すみません。 Sumimasen. Excuse me, I’m sorry. phrase

はい hai yes interjection
ありがとうございます。 Arigatō gozaimasu. Thank you (formal). expression
どういたしまして。 Dōitashimashite. You’re welcome. expression
だいじょうぶ daijōbu all right na-adjective
17
 Using すみません to Mean “Excuse me” and “I’m sorry”
すみません is a useful phrase that means both “excuse me” and “I’m sorry.” You can use this phrase, すみません,
to get the attention of someone — as Ben does to get the attention of the person he's chasing after.

すみません。
すみません。 はい。 Sumimasen.
だいじょうぶです。
Sumimasen. Hai. Daijōbu desu.

To respond to すみません To respond to すみません

meaning “Excuse me,” you meaning “I’m sorry,” you can say
can say はい, meaning “yes,” だいじょうぶです to mean “it’s all
to acknowledge the other right.” だいじょうぶ means “all
person. right” and you add です to make
it more polite.

Informal and Formal Versions of “Thank You”

ありがとう means “gratitude” and ございます is a polite way to say “there exists.” You can say ありがとう to
say “thank you” and add ございます to say “thank you” in a more polite way.

ありがとう。 ありがとうございます。
Arigatō. Arigatō gozaimasu.

To respond to ありがとうございます, there are a few options.

いいえ、
Iie,
どういたしまして。 いえいえ *
いいえ。
どういたしまして。 Dōitashimashite. Ie ie. Iie.
dōitashimashite.

No, you’re welcome. You’re welcome. No, no. No..

*いえ is a short version of いいえ.

Pair up with a classmate and role play the conversations in the scenes below.

Tomoko Tanaka gives a Mark Lee bumps into the Sasha Lee picks up a
Japanese sweet to person next to him on handkerchief that someone
Karen Lee. the train. dropped in the street.
18
How to Ask About Well-Being

Mark Lee greets his co-worker, Yoshi Nakamura, at the office.

げんきですか。
Genki desu ka.
Mark Lee

はい、げんきです。
Hai, genki desu.
Yoshi Nakamura

Mark Lee: How are you?

Yoshi Nakamura: I’m fine.

げんき genki well na-adjective

Sentence Asking “How Are You?”

（あなたは） げんきですか。
Japanese speakers usually avoid the second- Anata wa Genki desu ka.
person personal pronoun, あなた anata, as it can
sound very direct. When it's clear from context, Literal translation: As for you, well are?
they will omit it altogether. Natural translation: How are you?

Sentence Patterrn for Responding to “How Are You?”

State です。
げんき です。
Genki desu.

* am.
Literal translation: [I] well
*The “I” is omitted and inferred from context.
Natural translation: I’m well.

19
 Asking “And You?”

When you reciprocate a question by saying “And you?” the person's name is used instead of the
word “you.”

げんきですか。
Genki desu ka.

はい、
げんきです。
Hai, genki desu.

リーさんは？
Rī-san wa?

げんきですか is a yes-or-no question. If you're well, begin your response by saying the word for “yes.”
If you're not well, though, omit the word for “no” and simply say how you are.

はい、
げんきです。
げんきですか。 Hai, genki desu.
Genki desu ka.

まあまあです。
Māmā desu.

まあまあ māmā so-so phrase

すごくげんき sugoku genki very well phrase

Choose one of the characters below. Pair up with a classmate and role play the conversation.

げんきですか。 です。
Genki desu ka. desu.

Mark Lee Yoshi Nakamura Sasha Lee Tomoko Tanaka

well so-so very well well

20
How to Ask For Clarification

Sasha Lee is meeting her neighbor, Shin Ishikawa, for the first time and doesn't quite catch his name.

はじめまして。
Hajimemashite.

いしかわです。
Ishikawa desu.

すみません、
もういちど
い.し.か.わ です。
Sumimasen, mō ichi-do

Ishikawa desu. おねがいします。

onegai shimasu.

ゆっくり おねがいします。
Yukkuri onegai shimasu.

Shin Ishikawa: Nice to meet you. I’m Ishikawa.

Sasha Lee: Excuse me, but could you say that one more time? Could you say that slowly?
Shin Ishikawa: I’m I-shi-ka-wa.

すみません sumimasen excuse me, I’m sorry phrase

もういちど mō ichi-do one more time phrase

1 Expressions to Ask for Clarification

もういちど おねがいします。 ゆっくり おねがいします。

Mō ichi-do onegai shimasu. Yukkuri onegai shimasu.
One more time, please. Slowly, please.

2 Add すみません Before Asking for Clarification

When asking for clarification, it's usually polite to start with すみません sumimasen.
すみません sumimasen is a useful phrase that means “excuse me,” as well as “I’m sorry.” In this context,
Sasha wants to ask Shin to say his name again slowly. She says すみません sumimasen as a soft apology
for not understanding his name the first time.

21
 すみません もういちど おねがいします。
Sumimasen mō ichi-do onegai shimasu.

すみません ゆっくり おねがいします。

Sumimasen yukkuri onegai shimasu.

3 More Useful Phrases to Ask for Clarification

すみません、 わかりません。 すみません、 かいてください。

Sumimasen, wakarimasen. Sumimasen, kaite kudasai.
Excuse me, I don’t understand. Excuse me, please write it down.

When you don't understand something even after it’s repeated or said slowly, use these phrases to get
more help. Start with すみません to be more polite.
Review: Standard Self-Introduction Pattern (See Unit 1 Lesson 1 for More Details)

はじめまして。
いしかわです。
はじめまして。 Name です。 Hajimemashite. Ishikawa desu.
Hajimemashite. desu.

Nice to meet you. I’m name.

はじめまして。
リー カレンです。
Hajimemashite. Rī Karen desu.

Choose a character from the profile below. Then, pair up with a classmate and take turns role playing the
conversation below.

A
はじめまして。 です。
Hajimemashite. _____________________ desu.

いしかわ しん リー カレン
Ishikawa Shin Rī Karen
Shin Ishikawa Karen Lee
B
すみません、 。
Sumimasen, _____________________.

ゆっくり 。 はしもと はな リー ベン
Yukkuri _____________________. Hashimoto Hana Rī Ben
Hana Hashimoto Ben Lee

22
How to Ask for a Word in Japanese

Ben Lee is practicing Japanese with his language exchange partner, Hana Hashimoto, at a coffee shop.

「Textbook」
は、にほんごで なんと いいますか。
“Textbook” wa, Nihon-go de nan to iimasu ka.

きょうかしょです。
Kyōkasho desu.

Ben Lee: How do you say “textbook” in Japanese?

Hana Hashimoto: It’s kyōkasho.

にほんご Nihon-go Japanese language noun

にほんごで Nihon-go de in Japanese phrase
なんといいますか nan to iimasu ka how do you say? phrase
きょうかしょ kyōkasho textbook noun

Sentence Pattern to Ask What an English Word is in Japanese.

English word は にほんごで なんといいますか。

は にほんごで なんといいますか。
Textbook
wa Nihon-go de nan to iimasu ka.

Literal translation: As for “textbook,” in Japanese how do you say?

Natural translation: How do you say “textbook” in Japanese?

Pen は、
にほんごで なんと いいますか。 To use this pattern, simply
replace English word
Pen wa, Nihon-go de nan to iimasu ka.
placeholder with the word
How do you say “pen” in Japanese?
you want to know.
23
You can also use this pattern when pointing これは、 にほんごで なんと いいますか。
to something that you want to ask about and Kore wa, Nihon-go de nan to iimasu ka.
replace the English word placeholder with これ
How do you say this in Japanese?
kore, meaning “this.”

The last part of the sentence, なんと いいますか nan to iimasu ka, can be
changed to なんですか nan desu ka, which literally means “what is.”

これは、
にほんごで なんですか。 なんと いいますか。
Kore wa, Nihon-go de nan desu ka. nan to iimasu ka.
(this in Japanese) What is? How do you say?

How to Give the Japanese Word for Something

To answer this question, say the Japanese word for the English word and add です desu.

「Textbook」
は、にほんごで なんと いいますか。
“Textbook” wa, Nihon-go de nan to iimasu ka.

きょうかしょです。 Literal translation: Kyōkasho is.

Kyōkasho desu. Natural translation: It is kyōkasho.

This is a short version, with the first part, “textbook” は, cut out. It’s clear from context that they're talking
about the word. The full version is “Textbook”は きょうかしょです。”Textbook” wa kyōkasho desu.

これ kore this demonstrative pronoun

それ sore that demonstrative pronoun
えんぴつ enpitsu pencil noun
はし hashi chopsticks noun
うなぎ unagi eel noun

Pair up with a classmate and take turns asking each other what each object is in Japanese.
A
＿＿＿は、
にほんごで ＿＿＿＿。
wa, Nihon-go de .

B
_______です。
desu.

24
How to Talk About Hobbies

Mark is asking Ken about his hobby. How does Ken respond to Mark’s question?

しゅみは なんですか。
Shumi wa nan desu ka.

しゅみは まんがです。
Shumi wa manga desu.

Mark Lee: What’s your hobby?

Ken Kobayashi: My hobby is manga.

しゅみ shumi hobby noun

なん nan what interrogative
まんが manga manga noun

Expressions to Say Your Hobby

しゅみ は hobby です。

しゅみ は まんが です。

Shumi wa manga desu.

Literal translation: As for (my) hobby, manga is.

Natural translation: My hobby is manga.

The word “my” of “my hobby” is inferred in Japanese from the context.

25
 しゅみは りょこうです。
Shumi wa ryokō desu.

My hobby is traveling.

Variation to say your hobby

You can also say “I like something” to say your hobby.

Hobby が すき です。

ほん が すき です。
Hon ga suki desu.

Literal translation: Books favorite are.

Natural translation: I like books.

しゃしんが すきです。
Shashin ga suki desu.

I like photos.

えいが eiga movie noun

おんがく ongaku music noun
やきゅう yakyū baseball noun
テニス tenisu tennis noun
スキー sukī ski noun

Choose one of the characters below. Pair up with a classmate and role play the conversation below.

しゅみは なんですか。 しゅみは _____です。

Shumi wa nan desu ka. Shumi wa ____ desu.

Karen Lee Martin Mia Ema Egawa Jing Liu

りょこう スキー ほん しゃしん
ryokō suki hon shashin

26