JAPANESE LANGUAGE: AN INTRODUCTION

NIHONGO, the foreign language you will learn this semester, is made up of two parts. These
are NIHON and GO.

NIHON is the Japanese for Japan while GO is a suffix added after the name of a country to
mean the “language of” that country. Thus, NIHONGO is the “language of Japan” or the
“Japanese Language”.

​ Knowing the right form of address is essential for Japanese language learners who are
just at the beginning level. I am referring to how one is supposed to address or call the teacher
and vice-versa.

​ Teachers of Japanese are usually called “SENSEI”. Sensei is a Japanese word that
translates in English to, you guess it right, teacher. And yes, that’s what my students would like
to call me.

Now, what about you Nihongo students? How should I address you or how should your
classmates address you? Well, you have probably heard of ~KUN and ~CHAN, especially if you
are an anime follower. ~KUN is used when calling a young boy while ~CHAN is for addressing
a young girl. But, because you are no longer kids, that means it’s inappropriate to use either
~KUN or ~CHAN when calling one of you.

So, what do I or we use? It’s ~SAN. This is the preferred form of address in our case. ~SAN is
a suffix that is equivalent in English to Mr. or Ms. Use or add ~SAN after one’s surname.

Learning Nihongo is not only about learning new words or phrases and making use of
them to construct sentences. When one decides to learn Japanese, he/she should be ready to
learn a whole new set of characters.

The Japanese have three writing systems: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Among the
three, Hiragana is the first to be introduced to Japanese language learners. This lesson is all
about Katakana.

SOUNDS IN THE JAPANESE LANGUAGE

Sound is a fundamental aspect of any language, including Japanese. The Japanese

language features unique sounds, vowels, consonants, and an intriguing pitch accent system. In
this lesson, we will explore the various components of sound that contribute to effective
communication in Japanese.
JAPANESE VOWELS AND CONSONANTS:

Japanese features five distinct vowel sounds: "a," "i," "u," "e," and "o." Unlike some
languages, Japanese vowels are consistently pronounced and each has a clear, distinct sound.

Consonants in Japanese are relatively straightforward as well. They are mostly

pronounced with minimal variations in sound. It's important to note that there are no consonant
clusters like "str" or "spl" in English.

Syllable Structure:
Japanese syllables are composed of a consonant followed by a vowel or a single vowel
sound. This structure gives the Japanese its distinctive rhythmic flow.

Pitch Accent:
In Japanese, pitch accent plays a significant role in communication. The pitch or tone at
which a syllable is pronounced can change the meaning of a word. This means that a word
could have different meanings based on how its syllables are pronounced with high or low pitch.

INTRODUCTION ON WRITING SYSTEMS:

The Japanese language is unique due to its utilization of three distinct writing systems:
Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Each system serves a specific purpose in written
communication.

Hiragana - a syllabary consisting of 46 basic characters. It is used for writing native Japanese
words, grammatical elements, and particles. Hiragana is the first writing system taught to
Japanese children as it forms the foundation of reading and writing. The characters are
curvaceous and flowing in appearance.

104 Hiragana Sounds:

Hiragana may seem complex, but it follows a consistent pattern. The basic 46 characters
represent sounds such as "a," "ka," "sa," etc. By adding diacritics (voiced and unvoiced marks)
to these basic characters and combining them with "ya," "yu," and "yo," the total number of
sounds reaches 104. Practice is crucial for accurate pronunciation and reading.

Kanji Writing System:

Kanji, borrowed from Chinese, is a logographic writing system in Japanese. Each character
represents a word, concept, or idea. The complex nature of Kanji allows for conveying nuanced
meanings. Over time, the Japanese developed their own readings for these characters, further
enriching the language. Kanji is used for nouns, verbs, adjectives, and more.

Katakana Writing System:

Another writing system the Japanese make use of is Katakana.
 Katakana, like Hiragana, consists of 46 characters, but it serves a different purpose. It is
primarily used for foreign loanwords, onomatopoeia, technical terms, and names of plants and
animals. Katakana characters are sharper and have a more angular appearance compared to
Hiragana.

Katakana, which means “fragmentary kana” , is characterized by short, straight strokes and
angular corners. It is used when writing down names of people, and things that are not of
Japanese origin. That is, if your name is not a Japanese name, use Katakana.

The Long Vowel Sound:

Long vowels have been radically simplified in Katakana. Instead of having to think about vowel
sounds, all long vowel sounds are denoted by a simple dash ( ー ).

1.​ メール (me-ru) - email

2.​ ケーキ (ke-ki) - cake

LESSON 7: NUMBERS IN JAPANESE”

Numbers are very important in the study of the Japanese language. They are used not
only when you count but also when you tell the time and the date as well as when you tell one’s
age and a product’s price.

To learn numbers in Japanese, one has to start by learning the numbers one (1) to ten (10):

One ichi
Two ni
Three san
Four yon, yo, shi
Five go
Six roku
Seven nana, shichi
Eight hachi
Nine kyuu, ku
Ten juu

Yes, if you want to learn numbers in Japanese, the first thing you have to do is to
familiarize yourself with the numbers one ( 1 ) to ten ( 10 ). So please do memorize them.

The numbers one (ichi) to ten (juu) are the same numbers you will need to be able to say
in Japanese numbers higher than 10. For this lesson, though, we shall focus first on the
two-digit numbers. That is, the numbers eleven (11) up to ninety-nine (99). To do that, just
follow/do the following techniques :

The numbers 11 to 19 start with a 10 (JUU) and are followed by the number on the right.
Hence, 11 is actually a 10 and a 1 (JUUICHI), 12 is a 10 and a 2 (JUUNI) so forth, and so on.
 To say in Japanese the numbers 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90, begin with the first
number (that is, the number at the left. In the case of 20, it is 2 while in the case of 30, it is 3.)
After this, add a 10 (JUU). Hence, 20 is a 2 and 10 ( NIJUU ), 30 is a 3 and a 10 ( SANJUU )
etc.

Finally, for two-digit numbers such as 21 to 29, 31 to 39, etc., insert a 10 (JUU) between
the numbers. Hence, 21 is a 2, a 10, and a 1 ( NIJUUICHI), 24 is a 2, a 10, and a 4 (NIJUUYON
) etc.

TELLING ONE'S AGE, NATIONALITY AND PROFESSION

Basic in the study of a foreign language is learning how one tells his / her age, nationality, and
profession.

One cannot write sentences in whatever language if he /she does not have enough words to
use. Thus, in every Nihongo Grammar Lesson that requires learners to construct/write
sentences, a set of vocabulary shall be introduced. For this module, here is the list of Japanese
words you have to be familiar with.

ENGLISH JAPANESE
I WATASHI
We WATASHITACHI
You ANATA
He, She, That Person ANO HITO
Teacher SENSEI
Student GAKUSEI
Company Employee KAISHAIN
Bank Employee GINKOUIN
Medical Doctor ISHA

Researcher KENKYUUSHA
Engineer ENJINIA
University DAIGAKU
Yes HAI
No IIE
USA AMERIKA
UK IGIRISU
India INDO
Indonesia INDONESHIA
 South Korea KANKOKU
Thailand TAI
China CHUUGOKU
Germany DOITSU
Japan NIHON
France FURANSU
Brazil BURAJIRU
Philippines FIRIPIN

Learning Nihongo is made easy because of patterns which you follow. These patterns are
supposed to guide you in order to correctly write your sentences in Japanese

In this lesson, the following are the sentence patterns:

1.​ Subject wa N desu.
●​ In this sentence pattern, the subject of the sentence is a person (noun or
pronoun).
●​ The subject is followed by the subject marker particle “wa”.
●​ “Desu”, the copula, functions as the verb in the sentence and is equivalent to Am,
IS or ARE, depending on the subject of the sentence. The use of “desu” makes
the sentence complete, hence, polite.
●​ N tells something about the subject. In this module, the N may be the subject’s
name, age, nationality or profession.

​
Example : 1.1 Watashi wa Grace desu. (I am Grace.)

SUBJECT N (name of SUBJECT)

Satou san wa kenkyuusha desu. (Mr. Satou is a researcher.)

Yamada san wa Nihonjin desu. (Ms. Yamada is Japanese. )

· Again, SAN is equivalent to Mr. or Ms. It is added after a name of a person. Thus, Mr.
Tanaka in English is Tanakasan in Japanese.

However, different suffixes are added when addressing young boys and girls. These
suffixes are KUN for boys and CHAN for girls.
·
JIN is another suffix added after the name of a country to mean “national of”. Thus,
American in English is Amerikajin in Japanese.
· SAI, also a suffix, refers to age. It is added after the number that represents the age of a
person. Thus, if a person is 17 years old, say 17 in Japanese (as learned in the previous lesson,
Information #3) and add SAI. 17 years old is JUUNANASAI.
·
If one’s age is 8 or ends in 8 (18 years, 28 years old etc), this is an exception. Instead of
saying HACHISAI, 8 years old is HASSAI, 28 years old is NIJUUHASSAI etc. Other
exceptions in terms of age are : TWENTY YEARS OLD ( HATACHI), ONE YEAR OLD (or
AGES ending in 1), ISSAI.

· To ask for one’s age, “NANSAI DESU KA.” is used. Example : Anata wa nansai
desu ka. (How old are you?)

Watashi wa juunanasai desu. (I am 17 years old.)

2. Subject wa N ja arimasen.
· JA ARIMASEN is the present/ future negative form of “desu”. Thus, it is equivalent
to “am not”, “is not”, “are not” and “will not be”.
· JA ARIMASEN is the form used in daily conversation. It may be DEWA
ARIMASEN in formal speech or writing.

Example : Watashi wa isha ja arimasen. ( I am not a doctor.)

3. Subject wa N desu ka.

· KA is a question marker. It is added at the end of a declarative sentence to form a
question. Thus, KA after Subject wa N desu forms an interrogative statement.

Example : Yamadasan wa Nihonjin desu.

( Ms. Yamada is Japanese.)
Yamadasan wa Nihonjin desu ka.
( Is Ms. Yamada Japanese? )
·
“Subject wa N desu ka” is answerable by either a YES (HAI) or a NO (IIE). Here are
several ways of constructing your answer.

Example: Yamadasan wa Nihonjin desu ka.

(Is Ms. Yamada Japanese?)
Answer : If YES, say ( write ) :
Hai, + Subject wa N desu.
(Hai, Yamadasan wa Nihonjin desu.)
Or Hai, + N desu.
(Hai, Nihonjin desu.)
IMPORTANT : Both answers mean “Yes, Ms. Yamada is Japanese.
If your answer is NO, say (write) :
Iie, + Subject wa N ja arimasen.
 (Iie, Yamadasan wa Nihonjin ja arimasen.)
Or Iie, + N ja arimasen.
(Iie, Nihonjin ja arimasen.)
IMPORTANT : Both answers mean “No, Ms. Yamada is not Japanese.

4. The Particle MO
· The particle MO ( ) is added after a topic / subject instead of (read as wa)
when the statement ( predicate) about the topic is the same as the predicate in the previous
statement.
· The particle MO ( ) is equivalent to “too” or “also”.

Example : Yamadasan wa Nihonjin desu.

( Ms. Yamada is Japanese.)
Satousan mo ( ) Nihonjin desu.
( Ms. Satou is also Japanese.)
· If the particle MO () is used to ask a question, the following answer patterns are
observed :
Example : Yamadasan wa Nihonjin desu.
Satousan mo Nihonjin desu ka.
(Ms. Yamada is Japanese. Is Ms. Satou Japanese too? )
If YES : Hai, Satousan mo Nihonjin desu.
If NO : Iie, Satousan wa Nihonjin ja arimasen.

· NO is a particle. It is used to connect two words to form the possessive.

· Hence, if “Yamada san” is Mr. or Ms. Yamada, “Yamada san no “ is Mr./Ms.
Yamada’s.

Example : IMC no shain ( employee of IMC or IMC’s employee)

Batangasu Daigaku no gakusei ( student of UB or UB’s student)

Telling Time in Japanese

Telling time is an essential skill in any language, and in Japanese, it helps you navigate
daily activities, appointments, and conversations with ease. In this lesson, we will cover how to
ask and tell the time in Japanese, using formal language.

To tell time in Japanese, the suffixes “~JI” ( o’clock) , and “~FUN/~PUN” (minute), are
used. “GOZEN” (A.M.) and “GOGO” (P.M.) are placed before the numbers that tell the time.
 Specifically, to tell the hour, just say in Japanese the number that tells the hour and add
JI.

Example : 1:00 A.M. gozen ichiji

10:00 P.M. gogo juuji

Hour with special readings are :

4 o’clock yoji

7 o’clock shichiji

9 o’clock kuji

To tell the minute hand, the suffix FUN or PUN is used. Specifically, FUN ( ) is used if the
minute hand ends in 2,5,7 or 9.

Example : 1 : 02 A.M. gozen ichiji nifun

1: 15 P.M. gogo ichiji juugofun

The minute hand is read as PUN () if it ends in 1,3,4,6,8 or 10. However, the reading will
be as follows :

1 ippun

3 sanpun (read as SAMPUN)

4 yonpun (read as YOMPUN)

6 roppun

8 happun

10 juppun
 Example : 1 : 01 A.M. gozen ichiji ippun

1 : 13 P.M. gogo ichiji juusanpun

1: 20 A.M. gozen ichiji nijuppun

Finally, 30 minutes or half an hour is HAN.

Example : 1 : 30 P.M. gogo ichiji han

Now that you know how to tell time in Japanese, let us use time in our sentences. To ask for
the time, the interrogative word “NANJI” which is “WHAT TIME” in English, is used. To answer,
just drop “NANJI” and replace with TIME.

Example : Ima, nanji desu ka. (What time is it now?)

. . . Ima, gogo shichiji juugofun desu. (It is 7 :15 pm now.)

Chuugoku wa ima nanji desu ka. (What time is it in China now?)

. . .Chuugoku wa ima gogo kuji han desu. (It is 9:30 P.M. in China now.)

Telling the Day of the Week in Japanese

Learning the days of the week is an important step in managing appointments, planning
activities, and engaging in everyday conversations. In this lesson, we will explore how to ask
and say the days of the week in Japanese.

To get through this lesson, you need to familiarize yourself with the days of the week in
Japanese.

Monday Getsuyoubi

Tuesday Kayoubi

Wednesday Suiyoubi

Thursday Mokuyoubi
 Friday Kinyoubi

Saturday Doyoubi

Sunday Nichiyoubi

To ask what day of the week it is, the interrogative word “NANYOUBI” is used. And to answer,
drop “NANYOUBI” and replace with the day of the week.

Example : Kyou wa nanyoubi desu ka.(Today is what day/ What day is it today?)

. . .KYou wa Getsuyoubi desu. (Today is Monday.)

To ask for a day of the week in the past, use DESHITA instead of DESU. Deshita, the
past-positive form of DESU is equivalent to was or were.

Verb ~MASU

Verbs not only make sentences complete but also polite. Without them, the ideas conveyed by
sentences will not be understood. So far, you have used the copula verb DESU or its negative
form JAARIMASEN .

Work hatarakimasu

Take a rest yasumimasu

Study benkyoushimasu

Finish owarimasu

Department Store depa-to

Bank ginkou

Post Office yuubinkyoku

Library toshokan

Art museum bijutsukan

 Now ima

Morning asa

Daytime, noon hiru

Night, Evening ban (yoru)

Day before yesterday ototoi

Yesterday kinou

Today kyou

Tomorrow ashita

Day after tomorrow asatte

This morning kesa

This evening, tonight konban

Rest, holiday yasumi

Lunchtime hiruyasumi

Every morning maiasa

Every night maiban

Everyday mainichi

Number bangou

What number nanban

From ~ ~kara

Up to~, until~ ~made

And ~ to ~

This last lesson introduces you to six new verbs : OKIMASU, NEMASU, HATARAKIMASU,
YASUMIMASU, BENKYOUSHIMASU, and OWARIMASU. These
six verbs are examples of ~MASU verbs and the reason for such is very obvious – they all end
in ~MASU.

Just like in English, verbs in the Japanese language also take different tense and form, or
they also CONJUGATE. That is, verbs in the Japanese language may be in present, past or
future tense and may be either in the positive form or in the negative form. It is important to note
that the form of the verb in the present and in the future is the SAME.

To conjugate verbs in the Japanese language, drop ~MASU and change with ~MASEN
(present-negative form), ~MASHITA (past-positive form) or ~MASENDESHITA (past-negative
form).

VERB TENSE

PRESENT/FUTURE
positive: hatarakiMASU
positive: hatarakiMASEN

PAST
positive: hatarakiMASHITA
negative: hatarakiMASENDESHITA

for the copula DESU, different forms are :

VERB TENSE

PRESENT/FUTURE
positive: desu
negative: ja arimasen

PAST
positive: deshita
negative: ja arimasen deshita

For our sentence patterns :

Subject wa Verb.
In this declarative sentence pattern, the subject is a person (noun or pronoun). The verb, on
the other hand, is one of the six verbs introduced in the lesson. In this sentence pattern, you will
be able to tell what the subject does, did or will do.
Example : 1.1 Mainichi, Yamada san wa hatarakimasu.

(Every day, Ms. Yamada works.)

1.2Ashita, Yamada san wa hatarakimasu.

(Tomorrow, Ms. Yamada will work.)

1.3Yamada san wa hatarakimasen.

(Ms. Yamada does not or will not work.)

1.4 Kinou, Yamada san wa hatarakimashita.

( Yesterday. Ms. Yamada worked.)

1.5 Kinou, Yamada san wa hatarakimasendeshita.

(Yesterday. Ms. Yamada did not work.)

Subject wa Verb ka.

When added with the particle KA, the first sentence pattern becomes a question. Specifically,
the question pattern ”Subject wa Verb ka“ is answerable either by a yes (Hai) or a no (Iie).

The answer patterns are

(If yes) – Hai, subject wa Verb-positive form.
(If no) – Iie, subject wa Verb-negative form.

Example : 2.1 Mainichi, Yamada san wa hatarakimasu ka.

(Does Ms. Yamada work everyday?)

If YES ... Hai, mainichi Yamada san wa hatarakimasu.

(Yes, Ms. Yamada works everyday.)

If NO ... Iie, maininchi Yamada san wa hatarakimasen.

(No, Ms. Yamada does not work everyday.)

 2.2. Kinou, Yamada san wa hatarakimashita ka.

(Did Ms. Yamada work yesterday?)

If YES . . . Hai, Kinou Yamada san wa hatarakimashita.

(Yes, MS. Yamada worked yesterday.)

If NO ... Iie, Yamada san wa hatarakimasendeshita.

(No, Ms. Yamada didnot work yesterday.)

Subject wa nanji ni verb ka.

This is another question. Again, we know it’s a question because of the particle KA at the end
of the sentence.
This question uses the interrogative word NANJI which in English is “What time“.
Take note that after nanji, the particle NI is used.
To answer, replace NANJI with the specific time a particular action happens, happened or will
happen.
Example : 3.1 Anata wa nanji ni okimasu ka.

(What time do you get up / wake up?)

. . . Watashi wa gozen goji ni okimasu.

(I get up/wake up at 5 a.m.)

3.2 Kinou no ban, anata wa nanji ni nemashita ka.

(Last night, what time did you go to bed?)

. . . Kinou no ban, watashi wa gogo juuji ni nemashita.

(Last night, I went to bed at 10p.m.)

Take note, that after the specific time which answers NANJI, the particle NI is also used.

Subject wa nanji (or nanyoubi) kara nanji (or nanyoubi) made Verb ka.

In this question pattern, NANJI is used twice. Each NANJI is followed by a different particle,
KARA (from) follows the first while MADE (up to / until ) follows the second. In this question, we
ask FROM WHAT TIME UNTIL WHAT TIME (or FROM WHAT DAY UNTIL WHAT DAY if
NANYOUBI is used) an action takes place, took place or will take place.
Example : Anata wa nanji kara nanji made benkyoushimasu ka.

(From what time until what time do you / will you study?)

To answer the question, just replace NANJI with time.

Example : Watashi wa gogo shichiji kara gogo kuji made benkyoushimasu.

( I study /will study from 7P.M. until 9 P.M. )

”Nanji kara nanji made“ may also be used combined with the copula DESU while the subject
is a place or a establishment. In that case, the hours of operation of the subject is asked for.
Example : De-pato wa nanji kara nanji made desu ka.

(From what time until what time is the department store open?)

. . .De-pato wa gozen juuji kara gogo kuji made desu.

(The department store is (open) from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. )

KARA and MADE do not always go together.

Example : Konban, anata wa nanji kara benkyoushimasu ka.

(Tonight, from what time will you study?)

. . . Konban, watashi wa gogo hachiji kara benkyoushimasu.

(I will study from 8 p.m. tonight.)

Aside from NANJI, we may also use NANYOUBI (what day of the week) in this question
pattern. In that case, the day of the week will replace NANYOUBI.
Example : Anata wa nanyoubi kara nanyoubi made hatarakimasu ka.

(From what day until what day do you work?)

. . . Watashi wa Getsuyoubi kara Doyoubi made hatarakimasu.

(I work from Monday until Saturday.)

The particle TO
The particle TO is equivalent to ”and“. It is used to connect words.
Example : Yamada san no yasumi wa Kayoubi to Suiyobi desu.
 (Ms. Yamada’s rest days are Tuesday and Wednesday.)

Telling the Date in Japanese

Another basic topic in the study of Japanese language is telling the date. This means telling the
month of the year and the day of the month. This is the focus of this lesson.

To be able to tell the months of the year and the days of the month, you will need
numbers. In Nihongo 1, you learned how to say numbers in Japanese. Let’s review them

If you want to learn numbers in Japanese, the first thing you have to do is to familiarize yourself
with the numbers one ( 1 ) to ten ( 10 ). So please do memorize them.

The numbers one (ichi) to ten (juu) are the same numbers you will need to be able to say in
Japanese numbers higher than 10. For this lesson, though, we shall focus first on the two-digit
numbers. That is, the numbers eleven (11) up to ninety-nine (99). To do that, just follow / do the
following techniques :

The numbers 11 to 19 start with a 10 (JUU) and followed by the number at the right. Hence, 11
is actually a 10 and a 1 (JUUICHI), 12 is a 10 and a 2 (JUUNI) so forth and so on.

To say in Japanese the numbers 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90, begin with the first number
(that is, the number at the left. In the case of 20, it is 2 while in the case of 30, it is 3.) After this,
add a 10 (JUU). Hence, 20 is a 2 and 10 ( NIJUU ), 30 is a 3 and a 10 ( SANJUU ) etc.

Finally, for two-digit numbers such as 21 to 29, 31 to 39 etc., insert a 10 (JUU) between the
numbers. Hence, 21 is a 2, a 10 and a 1 ( NIJUUICHI), 24 is a 2, a 10 and a 4 (NIJUUYON )
etc.

Months of the Year

To tell the 12 months of the year in Japanese, simply add the suffix ~GATSU after
the number that represents the month.

Example : January (1st month) ICHIGATSU

February (2nd month) NIGATSU

The months of the year with special reading are

April SHIGATSU
 July SHICHIGATSU

September KUGATSU

Days of the Month

For the days of the month, the suffix ~NICHI is added after the number that tells what
day of the month it is.

Example : 11th day (11 + nichi) JUUICHINICHI

However, for ”special“ days of the month, NICHI is no longer added. These ”special“
days of the month are :

1st day of the month tsuitachi

2nd,2 days futsuka

3rd, 3 days mikka

4th, 4 days yokka

5th, 5 days itsuka

6th, 6 days muika

7th, 7 days nanoka

8th, 8 days youka

9th, 9 days kokonoka

10th, 10 days tooka

14th, 14 days juuyokka

20th, 20 days hatsuka

24th, 24 days nijuuyokka

 Example : January 1st Ichigatsu tsuitachi

January 11th Ichigatsu juucinichi

Now, let us construct sentences with a date in them. For our first pattern :
SUBJECT WA NANGATSU NANNICHI DESU/ DESHITA KA. NANGATSU is what month while
NANNICHI is what day. Thus, a question that uses NANGATSU NANNICHI is a question that
asks for a date.

Example : Kyou wa nangatsu nannichi desu ka. (What is the date today?)

Kyou wa Juugatsu juugonichi desu. (Today is October 15th.)

Kinou wa nangatsu nannichi deshita ka. (What was the date yesterday?)

Kinou wa Juugatsu juuyokka deshita. (Yesterday was October 14th.)

For our second pattern : SUBJECT wa ITSU desu ka. This question pattern is used to
asked WHEN the subject is. To answer, just replace ITSU with a date.

Example : Yamada san no tanjoubi wa itsu desu ka. (When is Mr./Ms. Yamada's
birthday?)

Yamada san no tanjoubi wa Ichigatsu juuichinichi desu. (Mr./ Ms.

Yamada's borthday is January 11.)
 Final Module | Lesson 1 – Verbs GO, COME, and RETURN HOME

In this lesson, three specific verbs in ~MASU form are introduced. Again, as explained in
Nihongo1, verbs in the ~MASU form are polite verbs. They are known as ~MASU verbs
because of the obvious answer : they end in ~MASU.

Just like any other grammar lesson that requires sentence construction, this lesson also
introduces a new set of vocabulary. And just as how I reminded you in Nihongo1 to memorize
the Japanese words and their English translation, I am reminding you again to do the same for
the following.

Go ikimasu

Come kimasu

Go Home, Return kaerimasu

School gakkou

Supermarket su-pa-

Station eki

Airplane hikouki

Ship fune

Electric Train densha

Subway, underground chikatetsu

Bullet train shinkansen

Bus basu

Taxi takushi-

Bicycle jitensha

On foot aruite

Person, people hito

 Friend tomodachi

He, boyfriend kare

She, girlfriend kanojo

Family kazoku

Alone, by oneself hitoride

Last week senshuu

This week konshuu

Next week raishuu

Last month sengetsu

This month kongetsu

Next month raigetsu

Last year kyonen

This year kotoshi

Next year rainen

~th month of the year ~gatsu

What month nangatsu

~ th day of the month, days ~nichi

Which day of the month / how many days nannichi

When itsu
Let’s start constructing sentences. And for this lesson, the following are your patterns.

1.​ SUBJECT WA PLACE HE (or NI) VERB.

In this sentence pattern, the VERB is one of the three verbs (IKIMASU, KIMASU, or
KAERIMASU) introduced in the module. The verbs indicate movement to a certain place. The
VERB may be in the present/future-positive, present/future-negative, past-positive, or
past-negative form. Hence, if the verb is the verb “TO GO”, you can use any of its forms –
IKIMASU, IKIMASEN, IKIMASHITA, or IKIMASEN DESHITA , depending on what you wish
stated in your sentence.

PLACE is where the subject goes, comes or returns to. It is marked by a particle, either HE or
NI, which is equivalent to the English preposition TO. PLACE can be a specific name of a place
or a pronoun referring to a place such as KOKO, SOKO, or ASOKO.

Example : Tanaka san wa ginkou he ikimasu. (Mr. Tanaka goes / will go to the bank.)

SUBJECT PLACE VERB

Kinou, Tanaka san wa ginkou he ikimashita. (Yesterday, Mr. Tanaka went to the bank.)

SUBJECT PLACE VERB

2.​ SUBJECT WA DOKO HE (or NI) VERB KA.

This is a question pattern which uses the interrogative word DOKO or in English,
WHERE. To answer the question, replace DOKO with a PLACE.

Example : Ashita, anata wa doko he ikimasu ka. (Where will you go

tomorrow?)

Ashita, watashi wa gakkou he ikimasu. (Tomorrow, I will go to

school.)
If you do not, did not or will not go anywhere, do not drop DOKO. Instead, use MO after DOKO
and make your verb negative.

Example : Ashita, anata wa doko he ikimasu ka. ( Where will you go tomorrow?)
... Ashita, watashi wa DOKO MO IKIMASEN. (Tomorrow, I will not go anywhere.)

3.​ SUBJECT WA N DE PLACE HE/NI VERB.

In this pattern, VERB is again one of the three verbs introduced in the module while PLACE can
be a specific name of a place or a pronoun referring to a place. The additional part in this part is
the N, which is actually a means of transportation. N is followed by the particle DE which is
equivalent to the English preposition “BY”.

Example: Tanaka san wa jidousha de gakkou he ikimasu.

(Mr. Tanaka goes / will go to school by car.)

SUBJECT N PLACE VERB

If the subject goes, comes, or returns to a place “on foot”, ARUITE is used. The particle DE is no
longer needed.

Example: Watashi wa aruite gakkou he ikimasu. ( I go/ will go to school on foot.)

4. SUBJECT WA NAN DE PLACE HE/NI VERB KA.

In this question pattern, the interrogative word NAN is used. Yes, NAN means what but in this
pattern, NAN is followed by the particle DE; hence, we will interpret the question as “by what
means” (of transportation). Another way of putting it is, “How does the subject go, come, or
return to a place?”

To answer the question, simply drop NAN and replace it with a means of transportation.

Example: Anata wa nan de gakkou he ikimasu ka.

(By what means do you go to school? Or How do you go to school?”
 . . . Watashi wa jidousha de gakkou he ikimasu. (I go to school by car.)

5. SUBJECT WA PERSON TO PLACE HE/NI VERB.

In this sentence pattern, the verb is one of the three verbs introduced in the module.

The new part introduced here is PERSON, which can be a specific name (like Yamada san) of a
person. It can also be a common noun (such as GAKUSEI) pertaining to a person or a pronoun
referring to a person including WATASHI or ANATA. PERSON is followed by the particle TO
which is equivalent to the English preposition WITH.

Example : Tanaka san wa tomodachi to gakkou he ikimasu.

(Mr. Tanaka goes to school with a friend.)

SUBJECT PERSON PLACE VERB

If the subject goes, comes, or returns to a place ALONE, HITORIDE is used. The particle TO is
no longer needed.

Example : Watashi wa hitoride gakkou he ikimasu. (I go to school by myself. )

6. SUBJECT WA DARE TO PLACE HE/NI VERB KA.

In this pattern, the interrogative word DARE, which means WHO, is used. To answer the
question, replace DARE with a person (noun or pronoun).

Example : Ashita, anata wa dare to kyoukai he ikimasu ka.

(Who will you go to church with tomorrow?)

. . . Ashita, watashi wa KAZOKU to kyoukai he ikimasu. ( I will go to church with the family
tomorrow.)

7. NANJI ( what time) and ITSU (when)

The interrogative words NANJI and ITSU may also be used together with the verbs IKIMASU,
KIMASU, and KAERIMASU. In that case, using NANJI or ITSU allows us to ask WHAT time or
WHEN a subject goes, comes, or returns to a place. The specific time or the specific date that
answers NANJI or ITSU is marked by the particle NI.

Example : Ashita, anata wa NANJI ni kyoukai he ikimasu ka.

( What time will you to church tomorrow?)

. . . Ashita, watashi wa GOZEN SHICHIJI HAN ni kyoukai he ikimasu. (I will go to church at 7 :

30 A.M.

Tanaka san wa ITSU Firipin he kimashita ka.

( When did Mr. Tanaka come to the Philippines?

. . . Tanaka san wa NIGATSU MIKKA ni Firipin he kimashita.

(Mr. Tanaka came to the Philippines on February 3.)

Lesson 2 Transitive Verbs and Their Direct Objects

Final Module | Lesson 2 – TRANSITIVE VERBS and their DIRECT OBJECTS

From our first grammar lesson, the important use of verbs in sentence construction has been
emphasized. Again, verbs are what make sentences complete. The use of such also ensure
that the level of language applied is formal and, thus, polite.

In this lesson, additional verbs are introduced. Specifically, this lesson focuses on TRANSITIVE
VERBS.

Verbs are either regular or irregular, transitive or intransitive. This lesson focuses on Transitive
Verbs.

A verb is supposedly TRANSITIVE if it takes an OBJECT. The object of the transitive verb may
be a DIRECT OBJECT or an INDIRECT one. A DIRECT OBJECT is a noun or pronoun that
answers the question WHAT or WHO, while an INDIRECT OBJECT answers TO WHOM or
FOR WHOM.

Here is the list of additional vocabulary which shall be used for sentence construction. The list
contains examples of Transitive Verbs.
For this lesson, the focus is on Transitive Verbs and their Direct Objects.
SUBJECT wa DIRECT OBJECT wo (or ni) TRANSITIVE VERB.

This is the first sentence pattern and this usually (but not always) starts with the SUBJECT of
the sentence. The SUBJECT may be a noun or a pronoun referring to a person and it is marked
by the particle WA.

The DIRECT OBJECT is a noun or pronoun which in this pattern answers the question WHAT. It
is marked by the particle WO. However, if the direct object answers the question WHO, the
particle NI is used instead.

The TRANSITIVE VERB may be one of the verbs introduced in the lesson and may be in the
present, past or future tense, positive or negative in form.

Rei :

TANAKA SAN wa YASAI wo TABEMASU. (Mr. Tanaka eats / will eat vegetables.)
2. TANAKA SAN wa YASAI wo TABEMASEN.
( Mr. Tanaka does not eat/will not eat vegetables.)

3. TANAKA SAN wa YASAI wo TABEMASHITA.

(Mr. Tanaka ate vegetables.)

4.​ TANAKA SAN wa YASAI wo TABEMASEN DESHITA.

(Mr. Tanaka did not eat vegetables.)

5. TANAKA SAN wa TOMODACHI ni AIMASU.

(Mr. Tanaka meets / will meet a friend.)

Please take note that for example number 5, the particle NI is used after TOMODACHI,
the direct object. It is because TOMODACHI answers the question WHO.
SUBJECT wa NANI wo TRANSITIVE VERB KA.

This is a question pattern that uses an interrogative word, NANI. NANI is WHAT in English. To
answer the question, drop NANI and replace it with an appropriate word to serve as Direct
Object.

Rei :

Maiasa, Tanaka san wa NANI wo tabemasu ka.

(Every morning, what does Mr. Tanaka eat?)

. . . (Maiasa, Tanaka san wa ) PAN wo tabemasu.

(Every morning, Mr. Tanaka eats bread.)