Catching Japanese

1. bimyou びいみょう　微妙　delicate, sensitive, difficult (situation); doubtful, questionable

Catching Japanese

1. gurai ぐらい　(approximately, about, around)

eg. ju ichi ji gurai ( 11 o’clock approximately)

2. tonakai となかい　馴鹿　(reindeer)

eg. tonakai suki desu (I like reindeers.)

3. aisaibentou あいさいべんとう　愛妻弁当 (lunchbox made with loving care by one’s wife)

Catching Japanese

mondai もんだい – problem, question
dekiru できる – to be able to do, to be up to the task
kaite かいて – buyer
yappari やっぱり – absolutely, of course
ikenai いけない – wrong, not good

mezurashii めずらしい = unusual, rare

mezurashii めずらしい = unusual, rare

It’s used widely to express something experienced away from ordinary.

taihen たいへん

taihen　たいへん　

I heard this word today and looked it up in the dictionary. But I’ve stumbled upon a longer expression which I thought would be useful but not.

taihen osewaninari arigatou gozaimasu　たいへんおせわになりありがとうございます　means ‘thank you for all your hard work’, is mainly used in ceremonies (especially at the end of the year or any finished event) as it is very formal.

taihen　たいへん has many meanings too.

The main one is ‘very’ or ‘more’. Synonym will have to be like totemo or tottemo ‘very’ or ‘exceeding’. Most probably the same group with nakanaka ‘very’ or ‘considerably’.

And depending on the context it can mean ‘terrible’.

Catching Japanese

tsumori　積もり　（つもり）　plan

Kana Practice

There are many study aids in learning a language. And with a plethora of new technologies, new forms and ways can be applied to make learning, well, less dull. I, myself, use many handy applications on my iPhone to improve my Japanese competence. One of my fave is KanaQuiz. It’s fun and very easy to use. It helps me improve my recall of Hiragana and Katakana. Thanks to it, I can get by reading some Japanese. And if you’re worried about how to write it properly, then there is Kana Strokes. It shows you how to write the strokes in order. Just grab a pen and practice. And if you don’t have a pen, there is Kana Pad. It’s a good application to practice your writing. Just use your fingertip on the pad. It’s so cool! The brilliant thing about all these is that it all costs zilch. Yep, nothing... They are all freebies! It's enjoyable and also a good way to kill some time. Well recommended!

Kotoba 千載一遇 vs 一世一代!

This week we are going to look at two expressions which more or less mean the same thing:

1.
千載一遇　せんざいいちぐう　senzaiichiguu = once in a lifetime (opportunity), (a golden opportunity that may) happen only once in a thousand years

2.
一世一代　いっせいいちだい　isseiichidai or いっせいちだい　isseichidai = once in a lifetime, the first and last occurrence (event, experience) of one’s lifetime

Both are common expressions used today. Although the younger generation opt not to use it, as more and more foreign loanwords enter the Japanese dictionary. The word チャンス　(chansu = chance, opportunity) is perhaps easier to remember and now a common J-lingo.

Katakana-a-day ィ

Katakana-a-day
ィ　I

Hiragana-a-day い

Hiragana-a-day　
い　I

eg.

いす　isu = chair
いぬ inu = dog

Kanji-a-day 二 NI / futa / futa(tsu)

二　NI / futa / futa(tsu)
two

JLPT Level 4, Jouyou Kanji, Kyouiku Grade 1

eg.

二月　nigatsu - February

二日　futsuka - the second day of the month

二つ　futatsu - two (things)

二本　nihon - two (long, thin things)

二人　futari - two people

40 VERBS 2. listen, hear, ask ききます kikimasu

2. listen, hear, ask ききます　kikimasu
eg. でんしゃの　なかで　ＣＤを　ききます。
densha no nakade CD o kikimasu
I listen to the CD in the train.

FOCUS
でんしゃ　densha = (electric) train
なかで　nakade =　in (the)

Kotoba ならうよりなれよ

Kotoba

Entry 習う夜慣れよ　
Reading ならうよりなれよ narauyorinareyo = practice makes perfect (implying that it is better to learn from personal experience than from an instructor)

It’s a mouthful but it is a very useful expression.

がんばてね。

Katakana-a-day ァ

Katakana-a-day
ァ　A



I've been practising writing Hiragana and Katakana to improve my recall. Each character has a special order of strokes when writing. I find it facinating.

Hiragana-a-day あ

Hiragana-a-day
あ　A

eg.

あか　aka = red
あし　ashi = foot

Kanji-a-day 一 ICHI / ITSU / hito / hito(tsu)

一　ICHI / ITSU / hito / hito(tsu)
one


JLPT Level 4, Jouyou Kanji, Kyouiku Grade 1


eg.

一月　ichigatsu - January

一日　tsuitachi - the first day of the month


一つ　hitotsu - one (thing)

一人　hitori - one person

40 VERBS 1. watch, see, look みます mimasu

1. watch, see, look みます　mimasu
eg. まいばん　うちで　二ュースを　みます。
maiban uchide nyusu o mimasu
= I watch the news every night at home.

FOCUS
うちで　uchide = at home
まいばん　maiban = every night

EXPANSION
いえで　iede = in (the) house
まいにち　mainichi = every day

The School Day - USEFUL WORDS

choukai – morning meeting
hoomuruumu – homeroom
shakai – social studies
rekishi – history
Nihonshi – Japanese history
sekaishi – world history
chiri – geography
suugaku – math
rika – science
eigo – English
kokugo – Language Arts/ Japanese
katei – home economics
taiiku – physical education
bijutsu – art
shuuji – calligraphy
yutori ni jikan – extra curricular activities
sooji – cleaning time
bukatsudou – club activity

WORD ORDER

In English, we are all familiar with SVO = subject+verb+object. But in Japanese, it’s SOV = subject+oject+verb.

FOCUS

S O V
Watanabe-san wa ringo o tabemasu.
Mr. Watanabe apple eat.

Joe-san wa terebi mimashita.
Joe TV watched

Maria-san wa suika suki desu.
Maria watermelon like

‘wa’ and ‘o’ are participles rather like English prepositions and always used after nouns.

QUESTION FORMS

'ka' at the end is added and omit using question marks.

Watanabe-san wa ringo o tabemasu ka. (Does Mr. Watanabe eat apples?)
Joe-san wa terebi mimashita ka. (Did Joe watch TV?)
Maria-san wa suika suki desu ka. (Does Maria like watermelons?)

'kedo'?

Let’s explore the use of ‘kedo’ (sometimes ‘keredo’).

What is ‘kedo’? It’s a particle that follows a clause and is simply translated into ‘but’.

FOCUS

Kore wa chiisai desu kedo, omoi desu.
(This is small but heavy.)

Yonda kedo, wakarimasen deshita.
(I read it but I didn’t understand it.)

EXPANSION

‘kedo’ is often used as softener at the end of a sentence and to avoid abrupt remarks:

Yakyu ga suki desuka.
(Do you like baseball?)

Hai, suki desu kedo.
(Yes, I like it.)

AND on the phone to identify yourself. Again, as a softener:

Ryan desu kedo.
(This is Ryan.)

Japanese School System – USEFUL WORDS

gakkou = school
youchien = kindergarten
shougakkou = ES
chuugakou = JHS
koukou = HS
daigaku = uni
gakusei = student

JLPT - 日本語能力試験 Nihongo nōryoku shiken?

February is the month when the New Year kicks off for me where resolutions and goals are made.

I’ve always been interested in languages and in fact, I once made a promise to a mate that I’m going to study for life. Here I am living that promise. But I don’t have anything to show for it. Yes, I can speak basic Japanese but learning all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) is a different ball game. That’s what the JLPT is for. JLPT stands for Japanese Language Proficiency Test (日本語能力試験, Nihongo nōryoku shiken?). It’s a test to evaluate the language proficiency of non-native Japanese speakers. It is now as it stance held twice a year in July and December.

I hope to apply for the test in December and complete 4 kyu (level 4) and one day progress to 1 kyu (level 1) which is the most difficult.

Check the website for the application procedure.

Survival Japanese

Keywords:

これ kore = this one
ください kudasai = please give me

All you need is to point and say これ　ください. This is particularly useful at a restaurant not knowing any Japanese you can see the pics and point what tickle your fancy.

EXPANSION:

If you know a few more たんご tango = vocab. You can say ~ください.

本　（ほん）ください。
This book please.

Vocab:
本　（ほん） hon = book
はなぎ　hanagi = postcard

FOCUS

ください kudasai is polite but the alternative おながいします onagaishimasu = please too, is seen as more polite and formal than kudasai. Put it this way, a man usually uses kudasai and a woman almost always uses onagashimasu. Unless if a man wants to impress a lady and would likely use onagashimasu to show off his chivalry.

EXPANSION

'o' particle is placed before kudasai to make it more formal or as the J-peeps describe as honorific.