LESSON 5: O-shigoto wa nan desu ka = What is your occupation?

Introduction
In this lesson, a common sentence pattern is introduced - a 'person/item' is 'something'. For example:
- An-san wa Igirisujin desu = Anne is English.
- Kore wa tokei desu = This is a watch.

The pattern in Japanese is: noun wa noun desu.

Vocabulary list
Occupations
shigoto = work
sensei = teacher
kaisha-in = company worker/employee
gakusei = student
seito = pupil
shufu = housewife
isha = doctor
haisha = dentist
ten'in = shop assistant
hisho = secretary

Kazoku Own family
haha = mother
chichi = father
ani = older brother
otōto = younger brother

Interests
shumi = hobby
supōtsu = sports
sakkā = football (soccer)
sukī = ski
gorufu = golf
dokusho = reading
suiei = swimming
dansu = dancing

Counting people
nan-nin = how many people?
hitori = one person, alone
futari = two people
san-nin = three people
yo-nin = four people
nan (sometimes nani) = what?

Useful phrases
mōichido itte kudasai = please say it again
yukkuri itte kudasai = please say it more slowly

Sample conversation
Anne and her fellow classmates have brought in photos of their homestay families and real families to show to the class. Anne is talking about the Yamaguchi family.
Anne: Kore wa Yamaguchi Masaki-san desu. Yamaguchi san wa kaisha-in desu. Shumi wa sukī to gorufu desu.
Tani: (pointing photo) Kore wa donata desu ka.
Anne: Ano, Takeshi-kun desu. Takeshi wa seito desu. Shumi wa suiei desu.
Heidi: Go-kazoku wa zembu de nan-nin desu ka.
Anne: Zembu de yo-nin desu.
Scott: Sumimasen, mōichido itte kudasai. Nan-nin desu ka.
Anne: Yo-nin desu.

Next Tani passes round photos of her own family and holds up one to discuss.
Tani: Kono hito wa haha desu. Haha wa isha desu. Shumi wa dokusho desu. Kono hito wa Henri desu. Henri wa ani desu. Shumi wa sakkā desu.
Han: (points to another photo) Kore mo Henri-san desu ka.
Tani: (blushing) Iie, Henri ja arimasen. Watashi no bōifurendo desu.
Scott: Nani...? Yukkuri itte kudasai.

Extras
to = and
donata = who
go-kazoku = someone else's family
zembu de = altogether
kono hito = this person
mo = also, too
ja arimasen = is not
bōifurendo = boyfriend

Explanations
1. Takeshi wa seito desu Takesi is a (school) pupil
This is an example of the pattern that was introduced in the beginning of this lesson. In the conversation, more ways of using this pattern is encountered i.e. talking about jobs and hobbies. For example:
- Kono hito wa haha desu = This (person) is my mother
- Haha wa isha desu = My mother is a doctor
- Shumi wa dokusho desu = (Her) hobby is reading

From lesson 4, we learnt that wa is used to highlight the word that is the subject. It can sometimes be translated as "as for". For example:
- Shumi wa dokusho desu = As for her hobby, it is reading
- Shigoto wa isha desu = As for her job, she is a doctor

2. Kore wa donata desu ka Who is this?
Donata means who and is a more polite version of the question word dare which also means who. Donata would be used on more formal occasions. In English this phrase might be translated as: Might I ask who this is? Tani is asking about a photo but if the person is present you use kochira instead of kore for this.

3. Kore mo Henri-san desu ka Is this also Henri? (Is this Henri as well?)
Mo means also and is used as follows:
- Tani: Watasi wa gakusei desu (I am a student)
Anne: Watashi mo gakusei desu (I am also a student)

- Satō-sensei wa Nihonjin desu (Mrs Satō is Japanese)
Takeshi-kun mo Nihonjin desu (Takeshi is Japanese as well)

- Ani wa kaisha-in desu (My older brother is a company worker)
Otōto mo kaisha-in desu (My younger brother is a company worker as well)

You can also use mo this way:
- An-san mo Tani-san mo gakusei desu = Both Anne and Tani are students
- Takeshi-kun mo Satō-sensei mo Nihonjin desu = Both Takeshi and Mrs Sato are Japanese.

4. Kono hito wa haha desu This person is my mother
Japanese people show respect for other people outside their family by using polite words and phrases. For example, in previous lessons you learnt how san was attached to a name when you are addressing someone else, or how o is attached to certain words when talking to other people (o-namae - your name).

In contrast, Japanese people use words which are more 'humble' (or modest) when talking about themselves or members of their own family. Therefore Tani doesnt say kochira wa ... (this person) when talking about her own mother. Instead she says kono hito which is a more everyday word for this person. She could also use kore wa (this).

5. Iie, Henri ja arimasen No, he's not Henri.
To say is not, am not, are not, etc., in Japanese, you use ja arimasen or the more polite version, dewa arimasen. For example:
- Tokei ja arimasen = It is not a watch
- Ichigatsu ja arimasen. Nigatsu desu = It is not January. It's February.

To say was or were (in other words, past tense) in Japanese, you change desu to deshita. For example:
- Chichi wa haisha deshita = My father was a dentist
- Sensei wa Furansujin deshita = My teacher was French

And to say wasn't or weren't you use ja arimasen deshita (or dewa arimasen deshita). Here is a list of these expressions which you can refer back to.


6. Haha mo chichi mo isha desu Both my mother and father are doctors
There is an important difference between Japanese and English. In English we say one doctor and two doctors, in other words we have a singular and a plural. But generally in Japanese there is no difference between one or more than one of something, and as you saw in Explanation 5 above, desu covers all the different words we use in English (is, are, am).

7. Nan-nin desu ka. Yo-nin desu How many people are there? There are four people
When counting people, you add the numbers ichi, ni, san, etc. to the word nin. Nin means person/people, therefore san-nin would mean three people.

However, when saying one person you use hitori, and for two people you use futari. Also, the word four (yon) is shortened to yo.

To ask how many people? you say nan-nin desu ka. Nan means what but better translates to how many in this case.

8. Mōichido itte kudasai Please say it again
If you didnt catch what was said to you, this phrase is a polite way of asking the person to repeat what was said. You could also use yukkuri itte kudasai to get the speaker to speak a little slower. Also, you could add sumimasen to the beginning of the sentence to be even more polite. For example:
- Sumimasen, mōichido itte kudasai = Excuse me but would you mind saying that again please?

--------------------------------------------

LESSON 5 PRACTISE - click me!

This post has been edited by jhcj: Dec 6 2005, 03:24 PM

I've been wondering, whats the difference between gakusei(学生) and seito(生徒)
do we use gakusei for university student?

note that chichi(父) and haha(母) are used when mentioning our own family
if we mention someone else's would be otou-san(お父さん) or okaa-san(お母さん)
例：あの人は山田のお父さんですか？
ano hito wa yamada no otou-san desu ka?

and btw, I think better use koibito 恋人(lover) than boyfriend hehe
plus u can use it for both gf and bf


This post has been edited by 320cbr: Dec 6 2005, 01:09 PM

Yup, that's why the heading is kazoku which translates to 'your own family'

And I intentionally left out some words (like sister), which will be covered in future lessons.

Regarding gakusei and seito, I'm wondering the exact same thing!

IIAM, gakusei is widely use. But maybe that's for certain terms. I dont know much about both two words.

If they're married, they never use much the word koibito for each others.

well yea when they're married they are wife and husband...
I was just commenting on boifurendo
and I did say use for boyfriend and girlfriend

icic... how about a scandal? (Maried guy with 3 timer faces ) do they call koibito also?

' dar leh ' spelling error?? is oso who rite...

'' anata dar leh? '' = who r u..
question tor... ... 'onicha' spelling error?? is for brother/sister rite??

LESSON 5 - Practise
1. Below are a few names of people, their occupation, and their hobbies and interests. How would you introduce them to someone else? The first one is done as an example.
a. Steven, student, likes sports.
Kochira wa Steven-san desu. Steven-san wa gakusei desu. Shumi wa supōtsu desu.

b. Andrew, shop assistant, football.


c. Peter, doctor, golf


2. Your friend asks you, "Secretary wa nihongo de 'seito' desu ka." What did your friend say? How would you reply?


3. Make the pair of sentences given into one sentence using the word mo. An example is given.
a. Takeshi-kun wa seito desu. Jun-kun wa seito desu.
Takeshi-kun mo Jun-kun mo seito desu.

b. An-san wa gakusei desu. Haidi-san wa gakusei desu.


c. Haha wa haisha desu. Chichi wa haisha desu.


4. How would you say in Japanese, "I am not a teacher. I am student"?


5. How would you ask someone to:
a. repeat what was said?


b. speak more slowly?


This post has been edited by jhcj: Dec 6 2005, 02:43 PM

Anata dare? means 'Who are you?'.

Oni-chan is for elder brother. Onee-chan is for elder sister. Otouto is for younger brother while Imouto is for younger sister.

Edit: Sometimes you might here Japanese talking like Anata dale because they tend to soften their tongue to pronounce the L letters. As they dont have any letters using L like letter.

This post has been edited by Dark Steno: Dec 6 2005, 02:51 PM

Dammit I typed a response complete with kana and kanji, but damned IE messed up and I lost everything. DAMN YOU IE. I'm not allowed to install Firefox in the office T_T

Thanks for explaining the 'r' sound, although I've already done so in Lesson 2 (ryosuke fails for not reading that beforehand >_>).

I dont know if you pronounce it as onii-chan and onē-chan in Japanese, cause actually it's oniisan and onēsan. But hey, I'm gonna leave it at that, cause it's for the upcoming lesson.

[edit] First post updated with a link to a directory of Japanese language schools in Malaysia, for those who are interested in taking up lessons.

This post has been edited by jhcj: Dec 6 2005, 03:42 PM

wah..thanks so the sound of brother n sister r quite close eh?? no wonder i confused ler

hehe..that's a lot of words leh.. wait i finished my final test 1st then i'll study that

Abit off topic, you can try install your FF inside your usb drive for example. I dont remember how but it's useful when going to cyber cafes or other places that dont allowed installing such a thing inside their PCs. Even your extension can be installed along inside the usb drive. Try google about it.

LESSON 6: Sūji = Numbers (Part 1)

A short, but necessary lesson prior to lesson 7.

Vocabulary list
Numbers 1-12
ichi = one
ni = two
san = three
shi (yon) = four
go = five
roku = six
shichi (nana) = seven
hachi = eight
ku (kyū) = nine
jū = ten
jū-ichi = eleven
jū-ni = twelve

Numbers 21-99
ni-jū = twenty
san-jū = thirty
yon-jū = fourty
go-jū = fifty
roku-jū = sixty
nana-jū = seventy
hachi-jū = eighty
kyū-jū = ninety

So any 21, 22, etc., you simply add ichi, ni, san, etc., after ni-jū. Same goes for other numbers. For example:
- 21 = ni-jū-ichi
- 22 = ni-jū-ni and so on.

You will notice that a dash (-) is placed between the different words to give you a sense of how to it is made up. From now on, whenever numbers are being mentioned, the dash will not be used.

Months
Numbers are very useful in Japanese and are used in a number of different ways. When saying months, the word "-gatsu" is added after the numbers 1-12 to signify the twelve different months of the year.

ichi-gatsu = january
ni-gatsu = february
san-gatsu = march
shi-gatsu = april
go-gatsu = may
roku-gatsu = june
shichi-gatsu = july
hachi-gatsu = august
ku-gatsu = september
jū-gatsu = october
jū-ichi-gatsu = november
jū-ni-gatsu = december

Denwa-bangō Phone numbers
Phone numbers are said using the individual digits ichi, ni, ...ku. A dash between groups of numbers is usually spoken using no. 0 is pronounced zero or rei (the ze of zero rhymes with he of the name 'Helen'). For example:
- 020-8776-7333 = zero-ni-zero-no-hachi-nana-nana-roku-no-nana-san-san-san

You usually use nana (not shichi) for 7, yon (not shi) for 4, and kyū (not ku) for 9, when saying phone numbers.

Also, you might notice that there are two words for number in this lesson: sūji and bangō. Sūji is used for numbers that you can count - 1, 2, 3, etc. Bangō on the other hand is used for numbers that describe items or information e.g. phone, bus, and room numbers.

--------------------------------------------

LESSON 6 PRACTISE - click me!

This post has been edited by jhcj: Dec 8 2005, 02:48 PM

LESSON 6 PRACTISE
1. Pronounce these phone numbers in Japanese
a. 03-3276-5453


b. 03-8893-3221


2. Do the math and answer the questions. Speak the answers in Japanese.
a. 19 - 3 = ?


b. 53 - 21 = ?


c. 34 + 64 = ?


3. Match the months with their Japanese names
a. January = (ichigatsu/shigatsu/hachigatsu)?


b. September = (rokugatsu/kugatsu/jūgatsu)?


c. Rokugatsu = (April/June/October)?


d. Hachigatsu = (August/September/October)?

LESSON 7: Kazoku wa gonin desu = There are five people in my family

Introduction
The Japanese distinguish between the group they belong to, the 'in-group' (family, company, etc.) and the 'out-group' (other families, companies, foreigners, etc.). When referring to the in-group, they use language which expresses humility, and when referring to the out-group they use language which expresses politeness and deference.

This is illustrated well in the words used for family members. For example, when you talk to someone outside your family about your mother you use the humble word haha, whereas when you talk about someone else's mother you use the polite word okāsan. And when you talk of your own family you say kazoku, but for someone else's family you add the respect word go and say go-kazoku.

However, when Japanese people talk directly to their family they use the polite word rather than the humble words.

Vocabulary list
Own family
family = kazoku      
husband = shujin      
wife = kanai        
daughter = musume      
son = musuko      
parents = ryōshin  
mother = haha      
father = chichi      
older brother = ani  
older sister = ane    
younger sister = imōto  
younger brother = otōto

Someone else's family
family = go-kazoku
husband = go-shujin
wife = okusan
daughter = musume-san
son = musuko-san
parents = go-ryōshin
mother = okāsan
father = otōsan
older brother = oniisan
older sister = onēsan
younger sister = imōto-san
younger brother = otōto-san

nansai desu ka = how old are you?
gojusai = 50 years old
tanjōbi = birthday

Sample conversation
Anne is telling the Yamaguchis' about her family and showing them some photos
Reiko: (studying a photo) Otōsan desu ka.
Anne: Ē, sō desu.
Reiko: Wakai desu ne.
Anne: Sō desu ka. Chichi wa gojusai desu.
Emi: Kore wa donata desu ka.
Anne: Imōto desu. Imōto wa gakusei desu.
Emi: Kawaii desu ne. Imōto-san wa nansai desu ka.
Anne: Jūroku-sai desu. Are, tanjōbi wa shichigatsu deshita. Jūnana-sai desu.
Takeshi: Kore wa okāsan desu ka.
Anne: Ē, so desu. Haha wa nijūni-sai desu.
Takeshi: Are! Okāsan wa nansai desu ka. Mōichido itte kudasai.
Anne: Nijūni-sai desu.
Takeshi: Demo ... An-san mo nijūni-sai ne?
Anne: (amidst laughter) Takeshi-kun! Jōdan desu yo.

Extras
ē = yes (softer than hai)
wakai = (looks) young
kawaii = pretty, cute
are = (expression of suprise)
demo = but
jōdan = joke

Explanations
1. Imōto-san wa nansai desu ka How old is your sister?
In previous lessons you learnt nan desu ka (what is it?). Nan means what, and if you attach sai to it, you form the question nansai - what age? or how old? In the same way, you can ask people what month is it? (nangatsu desu ka) and how many people (nannin desu ka).

To answer, you simply attach the number to sai: I am 14 = watashi wa jūyon-sai desu. However, be careful with ages which end in 1, 8 or 10, for example 11, 18, 30. The numbers are shortened to:

11 = jūisai
18 = jūhasai
28 = nijūhasai
10 = jūsai
30 = sanjūsai, etc.

Also, the age of 20 (when Japanese people come of age) has its own special word: hatachi.
- Example: Jane-san wa hatachi desu.

2. Watashi no tanjōbi wa nigatsu jūhachi-nichi desu My birthday is February 18th
In previous lessons you learnt how to say months in Japanese. To say the dates, you add the word nichi (day) to the number.
11th = jūichi-nichi    
12th = jūni-nichi        
13th = jūsan-nichi        
14th = jūyokka            
15th = jūgo-nichi        
16th = jūroku-nichi      
17th = jūshichi-nichi    
18th = jūhachi-nichi
19th = jūku-nichi
20th = hatsuka
21st = nijūichi-nichi
22nd = nijūni-nichi
23rd = nijūsan-nichi
24th = nijūyokka
25th = nijūgo-nichi
26th = nijūroku-nichi
27th = nijūshichi-nichi
28th = nijūhachi-nichi
29th = nijūku-nichi
30th = sanjū-nichi
31st = sanjūichi-nichi

Notice that 14th, 20th and 24th are different. And if you're wondering where the 1st - 10th are, you will learn them in the next lesson because they follow a different rule to the one above.

When you say a date in Japanese, you always say the month first before the date. For example, 13th May = gogatsu, jūsan-nichi

3. Go-kazoku wa nannin desu ka How many people are in your family?
Anne comes from a family of 5. Besides her parents, she has an older sister and a younger sister. She would introduce her family as below:
- Kozoku wa gonin desu. Haha to chichi to ane to imōto to watashi desu.

Instead of saying "Haha to chichi to...", Anne could have also said "ryōshin to". Remember, to = and; and you usually mention yourself last. Men can use boku instead of watashi.

If you have two brothers, three sisters, ..., put the people counter after the family word like this:
- ani ga futari = two older brothers
- ane ga sannin = three older sisters
- musuko ga futari = two sons

Dont worry about the particle ga for now.

You can then expand this by giving information on their age:
- ane wa nijūgo-sai desu = my older sister is 25
- watashi wa yonjūgo-sai desu = i am 45.

-----------------------------------------------------

PRACTISE FOR LESSON 7: click me!

This post has been edited by jhcj: Dec 16 2005, 11:19 AM

there is one thing i have been wondering.. forgot to ask my sensē..
whenever we were practising in class, each sentence must end with a desu.. if we are saying a few sentences in a go, there would be a few desu.. do we actually speak like that in real life.. "bla bla bla desu. bla bla bla bla desu. bla bla bla desu"??

desu = am, is, are
but unlike english which "am, is, are" are put in the middle of sentence , nihongo put it at the end of sentence, thats why you feel you keep hearing it.

another common usage of word for ending is ne/nae (not sure the spelling), which is "don't you agree?"

Sensei, not sensē or sinseh.

Japanese language is pretty easy in building up sentences, the grammar. Let say, Anata wa baka desu, with added ka at the back, it will becomes a question type of sentence, Anata wa baka desu ka?.

xxboxx said something about the usage of ne. Depends on the meaning you want to say. It can become a question type(1) or to strengthen up the sentences(2).

(1) Anata wa baka desu ne... - If in Malay, 'Bodohnya awak ni'.
(2) Anata wa baka desu, ne? - Meaning, 'you're stupid, right?'.

*Sorry for using the word 'baka', but I just want to use something that you all can understand the meaning.

here is another confusion of ro-maji
because sensē is also can be accepted

btw the verbal form of 'desu' is 'da'
so when talking, some might say 学生だ gakusei da! (is a student)
instead of 学生です gakusei desu

and the 1st to 10th day of the month...
i still havent remembered it

This post has been edited by 320cbr: Dec 11 2005, 07:29 PM

Usually people use sensei, but well, I am not taken any Japanese classes officially. But anyway, it's from Kanji that could be anything.