Correct. People always confused about the meaning of this thing.

the explanation i heard from a friend last time was that "Otaku" was actually a way of addressing people at anime conventions. Since the japanese use of the word "anata" is considered disturbingly familiar, people who didnt bother to learn the other person's name usually addressed each other as "otaku" (your household)

i have no idea if this is true.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku

It has more usage. What you said is true on a part of it.

This post has been edited by Dark Steno: Jan 3 2006, 07:35 PM

tis be true, the ingenius part is that there is a difference when writing 'otaku aka your house' 御å®.../ã? ã? ã?? and 'otaku aka fanboy' ã,ªã,¿ã,¯

write and pronounce is different. just letting others know to use the write way to write so they wont get confuse later on. and my japanese teachers don't say personal computer as pasokom but rather pasokon

well, think of it this way, we write 'read' but we either say 'present tense = reed' or 'past tense = red', same word different pronounciations, but we all still write 'read' regardless of what tense it is.....

hence, it's all irrelevant there is no 'right way' of saying something provided that the meaning gets thru

LESSON 12: Pāti o shimashō = Let's have a party!

Introduction
In this unit you will learn:
- how to say you are going to or returning from somewhere
- how to invite someone
- how to make suggestions and accept or refuse
- some useful time expressions

In the last lesson you learnt some useful action words for talking about daily activities. In this unit you are going to add three more important words to these: go, come and return. You will also learn how to use the action words in a new way: to invite someone to do something or to suggest doing something as in the title of this lesson: Pāti o shimashō (let's have a party!).

Let's talk
To suggest doing something you change the masu ending of the doing word to mashō (let's). Can you change the following sentences into suggestions, as in the example?

Example:
Kōhī o nomimasu (drink coffee) --> Kōhī o nomimashō (let's drink some coffee).

a. Tenisu o shimasu (play tennis)
b. Kaimono o shimasu (do some shopping)
c. Sushi o tabemasu (eat sushi)
d. Nihongo o benkyō shimasu (study Japanese)
On second thought, I think these are pretty easy if you've been following the lessons. Figure them out yourself.

Vocabulary list
ikimasu = go
kaerimasu = return, go back (used to express 'going back to where you live')
kimasu = come

Time expressions
mainichi = every day
kyō = today
ashita = tomorrow
maishū = every week
maitsuki = every month
konshū = this week
kongetsu = this month
konban = this evening
raishū = next week
raigetsu = next month

... dō desu ka = how about ... ?
ii desu ne = that's sounds nice
yorokonde = I'd love to
yorokonde ukagaimasu = I'd love to visit
zannen desu = it's a shame/pity

Sample conversation
Tani's stay in Japan is coming to an end.
Anne: Itsu Furansu ni kaerimasu ka.
Tani: Raishū no doyōbi ni kaerimasu.
Scott: Zannen desu ne. Ja, pāti o shimashō!
Tani: Ii desu ne.
Anne: Konshū no doyōbi wa dō desu ka.
Tani: Doyōbi wa chotto ... tomodachi to resutoran ni ikimasu.
Scott: Ja...nichiyōbi wa?
Tani: Nichiyōbi wa daijōbu desu.
Satō-sensei: Mina-san, watashi no uchi ni kimasen ka.
Everyone: Ii desu ne!
Tani: A! Yorokonde ukagaimasu.

Extras
chotto = a bit (in this case 'a bit inconvenient')
tomodachi = friend
uchi ni kimasen ka = would you like to come to my house?

Explanations
1. Ikimasu, go; kimasu, come; kaerimasu, return
You were introduced to masu words in the previous lesson. These three can be learnt together as a group. For example:
- Tani-san wa resutoran ni ikimasu = Tani is going to a restaurant
- ashita Furansu ni kaerimasu = I'm going back to France tomorrow
- An-san wa watashi no uchi ni ikimasu = Anne is coming to my house

Look at the sentence order. The person doing the action is followed by wa. Ni means to and comes after the place you are going to. For example:
- Furansu ni = to France
- resutoran ni = to a restaurant

As you saw in the previous lesson, the action word (or verb) always comes at the end of a Japanese sentence. Also note that ni carries a slightly different meaning here compared to the last lesson. You might want to re-read Explanation 4 of Lesson 11 to refresh your memory on this.

Kaerimasu is used when you return or go back to the place you come from, either your home, your town or your country. For example:
- watashi wa uchi ni kaerimasu = I return home/shall return home.
- Yamaguchi-san wa ashita Tōkyō ni kaerimasu = Mr Yamaguchi will return to Tokyo tomorrow.

2. Ashita doko ni ikimasu ka Where are you going tomorrow?
In lesson 10 you learnt the question word doko (where). You can now use it with these three new verbs. For example:
- ashita doko ni ikimasu ka = where are you going tomorrow?

You answer by replacing doko with the place, keeping the same sentence order. For example:
- ashita Tōkyō ni ikimasu = I'm going to Tokyo tomorrow.

- Yamaguchi-san wa manichi doko ni ikimasu ka = where does Mr Yamaguchi go every day?
- Yamaguchi-san wa manichi shigoto ni ikimasu = Mr Yamaguchi goes to work every day.

Or more simply:
- shigoto ni ikimasu = he goes to work.

3. Hachigatsu ni Igirisu ni kaerimasu I'm going back to England in August
In the previous lesson, Explanation 4, you learnt that ni is used after a day or time to mean on or at. In the same way, it is used when saying months or dates. For example:
- jūichi-nichi ni = on the 11th
- rokugatsu ni = in June

And you can make these question words using nan (what?):
- nannichi ni = on what date?
- nangatsu ni = in which month?

And dont forget the general question word itsu (when?).

When you use the general time expressions such as ashita (tomorrow), raishū (next week) and mainichi (every day), you dont need ni. (In the same way, you dont have to say on tomorrow or in next week in English). You have already learnt this with the words asa (morning) and yoru (evening) in previous lessons. For example:
- raishū Kyōto ni ikimasu = I'm going to Kyoto next week.
- Emi-san wa mainichi daigaku ni ikimasu = Emi goes to university every day.

You should note that you say the time expressions before the place and the action word.

4. Raishū no doyōbi ni kaerimasu I am going back next Saturday
You can combine time expressions with no to make the following:
- raishū no doyōbi = next Saturday
- ashita no ban = tomorrow evening
- kongetsu no hatsuka = the 20th of this month

5. Pāti o shimashō Let's have a party!
You have already practised making suggestions in the Let's Talk section of this lesson. Here are some more examples:
- doyōbi ni eigakan ni ikimashō = let's go to the cinema on Saturday
- ashita kaimono ni ikimashō = let's go shopping tomorrow

If you want to ask somebody to do something with you, turn the phrase into a question by adding ka. For example:
- doyōbi ni eigakan ni ikimashō ka = shall we go to the cinema on Saturday?
- raishū no nichiyōbi ni doraibu ni ikimashō ka = shall we go for a drive next Saturday?

To answer you can say:
- ii desu ne. sō shimashō = that sounds nice. let's do that!

Or:
- yorokonde = I'd love to

6. Watashi no uchi ni kimasen ka Would you like to come to my house?
This phrase literally means wont you come to my house? To express I dont ... (the negative) in Japanese you change the masu to masen. For example:
- kōhī o nomimasen = I dont drink coffee
- asagohan o tabemasen = I dont eat breakfast
- ashita shigoto ni ikimasen = I'm not going to work tomorrow

You can politely invite someone to do something by adding ka to the negative. For example:
- kōhī o nomimasen ka = would you like to (lit. wont you) drink some coffee?
- eigakan ni ikimasen ka = would you like to go to the cinema?
- watashi no uchi ni kimasen ka = would you like to come to my house?

(You will learn more about negatives in upcoming lessons)

7. Konshū no doyōbi wa dō desu ka How about this Saturday?
When suggesting dates or times to do an activity, you can use the phrase ... wa dō desu ka (how about ...?). For example:
- kayōbi wa dō desu ka = how about Tuesday?
- rokuji wa dō desu ka = how about 6 o'clock?
- ashita wa dō desu ka = how about tomorrow?

To accept, use ... wa daijōbu desu (... is fine). For example:
- kayōbi wa daijōbu desu = Tuesday is fine

Or simply say:
- ē, ii desu yo = yes, that will be fine

To refuse politely use ... wa chotto ... (it's a bit ...). For example:
- ashita wa chotto ... = tomorrow's a bit ... (implying 'inconvenient')

You can precede this with zannen desu ga ... (it's a pity but ...). For example:
- zannen desu ga ashita wa chotto ... = it's a shame but tomorrow's a bit ...

When you trail your sentence off at the end like this, the listener will understand that it's inconvenient without you having to say so.

8. Tomodachi to resutoran ni ikimasu I'm going with a friend to a restaurant
In earlier lessons you learnt that to means and when you link two objects. For example:
- kōhī to jūsu o kudasai = may I have a coffee and some juice please?
- Yamaguchi-san wa gorufu to tenisu o shimasu = Mr Yamaguchi plays golf and tennis

To can also have the meaning with. For example:
- tomodachi to = with my friend
- An-san to = with Anne

You should note that to comes after the person you do something with. For example:
- An-san to benkyō shimasu = I study with Anne

You say tomodachi to (etc.) after time expressions and before the place/item. For example:
- ashita tomodachi to Rondon ni ikimasu = I am going to London with a friend tomorrow
- Sukotto-san wa An-san to eiga o mimasu = Scott is going to watch a film with Anne

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

LESSON 12 PRACTISE - click me!

This post has been edited by jhcj: Jan 5 2006, 07:04 PM

Well the lessons here aint exactly pro-level. I'm trying my best to provide a standardised romanji system so that my readers wont get confused. If I keep changing the way I spell things, it'll only confuse people in the long run. Besides, having kana and kanji will probably solve this problem, but I aint no pro in those areas (well, I only know hiragana) so what we have now is sufficient.

However, with that said and done, this thread always welcomes input from those who can speak Japanese.

you know, i always thought that the n in pasokon was more like the "ng" sound in King Kong.... except a little more nasal

well, for input, my japanese class stopped with the romaji on the 3rd lesson after they had thrown the kana charts at us.

then there were the hundreds of kana practice drills. oh... the kana practice drills........

ã,±ãf¼ã,±ã,±ã,±ã,±ã,±ã,±ã,±ã,±ã,±ã,±ã,±ã,±ã,±

Hmm, the spoiler tags are back, so the exercise for lesson 12 should be out tomorrow if all goes well.

BTW, just double checking, all the text I typed (and some of the kana and kanji contributed by others) require UNICODE to view. I hope everyone gets to see the text correctly.

LESSON 12: PRACTISE

1. Using the information below, make sentences saying where you are going and when.

Example: next week, cinema = (watashi wa) raishū eigakan ni ikimasu.

a. tomorrow, London


b. this evening, concert (konsāto)


c. today, France


d. every day, home (go back)


2. Now make sentences about Tani using the same information in 1 part a - d above.

Example: next week, cinema = Tani-san wa raishū eigakan ni ikimasu.



3. Finally, change these sentences into questions using doko (where?)

Example: where are you going next week? = raishū doko ni ikimasu ka.

a. where are you going tomorrow?


b. where are you going this evening?


c. where are you going today?


d. where do you go back to everyday?


4. The sentences below have gaps, and you have to decide whether or not to write ni (meaning on, in or at).
a. An-san wa jūji _______ nihongo no kurasu ni ikimasu.
b. Sukotto-san wa ashita _______ tenisu o shimasu.
c. Tani-san wa raishū _______ Furansu ni kaerimasu.
d. Mina-san wa konshū no doyōbi _______ watashi no uchi ni ikimasu.
e. Yamaguchi-san wa mainichi _______ kaisha ni ikimasu.
f. Takeshi-san wa shichigatsu _______ Kyōto ni ikimasu.



5. Say these sentences in Japanese.
a. I'm going to London with a friend tomorrow.


b. It's a shame but Sunday is a bit ...


c. Would you like to drink a beer?


d. How about Thursday?


e. Saturday is fine. I'd love to.


f. Where shall we go?

jhcj, to teach other people Japanese here for free, you are such a wonderful person! Kudos to you!
You should be rewarded, you know....

Otoko yo...ganbare!!!

Thanks for the compliment paklan. It certainly feels nice when your efforts are appreciated by others.

As for rewards, I'm all ears!!

Nah, just kidding.

Domo arigato gozaimasu!

im with paklan on this one. its also actually a good way to commit all those words to memory, typing all of them out.

Way to go jhcj keep up the good work while we try keep up our pace from ur free lessons

Looking back at some of the previous lessons, I realised that some words with the macron (-) sign have been corrupted - most likely a side-effect of the server upgrades on LYN. I've tried my best to fix those that I can find, but I miss anything out, please let me know ok?

Next lesson should be up sometime this evening.

Arigato gozaimasu! XD

Dont worry, there are many other senpais here who are more than able to help if you have any difficulty.

LESSON 13: Sūji - Numbers (Part 2)

Introduction
This will be a mini lesson in learning the dates 1st - 10th. Short, but sweet.

You learnt to say the dates from the 11th to 31st in Lesson 7 by adding nichi to the appropriate number e.g. 11th = jūichi-nichi. The exceptions to this were jūyokka (14th), nijūyokka (24th) and hatsuka (20th). The 1st - 10th are also slightly different.

Vocabulary list
1st = tsuitachi
2nd = futsuka
3rd = mikka
4th = yokka
5th = itsuka
6th = muika
7th = nanoka
8th = yōka
9th = kokonoka
10th = tōka

Learning tip
Try to find some word associations to help you remember these new numbers. You may already find these dates familiar. If you look back to Lesson 9 (Explanation 5), you will see that the System B method of counting (hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu, ...) is similar to these dates, apart from tsuitachi (1st). The main difference is that the dates end in ka, whereas the numbers end in tsu.

Perhaps some of the word associations will help you to remember these dates. Tōka (10th) sounds like the English word toe, and you have ten toes on your feet! Nanoka (7th) sounds very close to nana (7). Itsuka (5th) is like itsu (when). Kokonoka (9th) sounds like the word coconut!

These are a few ideas to help you, but dont feel you have to be able to remember every item of vocabulary in one go. It takes time and practise to master vocabulary and new phrases. The key word here is practise!

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

LESSON 13 PRACTISE - none!
Since this is a short lesson, I dont feel that a practise is necessary. However, try to incorporate these dates into your vocabulary now. Why not try stating your birthday now if it falls on one of the dates 1st - 10th?

This post has been edited by jhcj: Jan 9 2006, 05:44 PM

LESSON 14: Senshū Kyōto ni ikimashita = Last week I went to Kyoto

Introduction
In this unit you will learn:
- how to talk about past events (the past tense)
- how to say where an activity took place
- about types of transport
- more time expressions
- how to say you want to do something

In previous lessons you learnt how to talk about daily and future activities. In this lesson you will learn how to talk about past events and activities. This is a simple process: you change the masu ending to mashita, as in the title of this lesson.

Pronounciation tip: the i sound in mashita is almost unspoken - ma-sh-ta.

Let's talk
Talk about activities that you did by changing these sentences into the past tense as in the example.

Example:
Asagohan o tabemasu. Asagohan o tabemashita. (I ate breakfast.)

a. Kōhī o nomimasu = ___________________ (I drank some coffee.)
b. Kaimono o shimasu = ___________________ (I did the shopping.)
c. Terebi o mimasu = ___________________ (I watched TV.)
d. Shimbun o yomimasu = ___________________ (I read the newspaper.)
e. Uchi ni kaerimasu = ___________________ (I went home.)

Vocabulary list
Transport
aruite = on foot
chikatetsu = underground
basu = bus
densha = train
fune = boat
jitensha = bicycle
shinkansen = bullet train
hikōki = plane
kuruma = car
takushī = taxi
nan de/dōyatte = how?

Time expressions
senshū = last week
kinō = yesterday
kesa = this morning
sengetsu = last month
yūbe = last night
gogo = afternoon
kotoshi = this year
kyonen = last year
rainen = next year
kakarimasu = it takes
jikan = hour
gofun = 5 minutes
juppun = 10 minutes
gurai = about
ryokō shimasu = travel
dono gurai = how long?

Sample conversation
Anne is talking to Takeshi about a recent school trip.
Takeshi: Senshū Kyōto ni ikimashita. Shūgaku ryokō deshita.
Anne: Ii desu ne! Nan de ikimashita ka.
Takeshi: Tōkyō eki kara shinkansen de ikimashita. Kyōto made san jikan gurai kakarimashita.
Anne: Hē! Hayai desu ne! Kyōto de nani o shimashita ka.
Takeshi: Kayōbi ni o-tera o takusan mimashita. Sorekara gekijō ni ikimashita. Kyōto no odori o mimashita.
Anne: Sō desu ka. Watashi mo odori o mitai desu. Suiyōbi ni nani o shimashita ka.
Takeshi: Mata o-tera o mimashita. Soshite Tōkyō ni kaerimashita.
Anne: Kyōto no ryōri wa dō deshita ka.
Takeshi: Wakarimasen. Mainichi kappu nūdoru o tabemashita.
Anne: Takeshi-kun! Yokunai desu yo!

Extras
shūgaku ryokō = school trip
hē! = hey, really!
hayai = quick, fast
o-tera = temples
takusan = many
gekijō = theatre
odori = dancing
mitai = want to see
mata = again
ryōri = cookery
kappu nūdoru = cup noodles
yokunai = no good

Explanations
1. Senshū Kyōto ni ikimashita Last week I went to Kyoto
You have already practised talking about past activities in the Let's talk section of this lesson. You have also been introduced to some more time expressions. Here are some more examples of sentences describing past activities. Practise them by covering the Japanese and using the English as a prompt to say the sentences:
- yesterday Anne studied Japanese = An-san wa kinō nihongo o benkyō shimashita.
- Tani went back to France last Saturday = Tani-san wa senshū no doyōbi ni Furansu ni kaerimashita.
- Scott came to Japan last year = Sukotto-san wa kyonen Nihon ni kimashita.
- Emi did some travelling last month with a friend = Emi-san wa sengetsu tomodachi to ryokō o shimashita.

2. Kyōto de nani o shimashita ka What did you do in Kyoto?
To say where an activity happens or happened you use de, meaning in or at. You say de after the place. For example:
- Kyōto de = in Kyoto
- uchi de = at home
- resutoran de = at a restaurant
- gekijō de = at the theatre
- Takeshi-kun wa gekijō de odori o mimashita = Takeshi watched dancing at the theatre
- Yamaguchi-san wa uchi de shimbun o yomimashita = Mr Yamaguchi read a newspaper at home
- Reiko-san wa mainichi sūpā de kaimono o shimasu = Reiko does the shopping every day at the supermarket

Notice the sentence order:
a. the person who does the action (subject)
b. the time expression
c. the place
d. the item followed by o (object and object marker)
e. the action word (verb)

3. Nan de ikimashita ka How did you get there?
This is the other use of de that you will learn in this lesson. When used with transport, de takes the meaning of by. For example:
- densha de = by train
- hikōki de = by plane
- Takeshi-kun wa basu de gakkō ni ikimasu = Takeshi goes by bus to school
- Reiko-san wa kuruma de sūpā ni ikimasu = Reiko goes by car to the supermarket
- Shinjuki kara Shibuya made chikatetsu de ikimashita = I went from Shinjuki to Shubuya by underground

However, you dont need to use de when saying aruite (on foot):
- aruite tomodachi no uchi ni ikimashita = I went to my friend's house on foot

The question word is nan de or dōyatte (how?):
- nan de kaisha ni ikimasu ka = how do you get to work?

Answer by replacing nan with the mode of transport:
- jitensha de ikimasu = I go by bicycle.

4. Kyōto made sanjikan gurai kakarimasu It takes about three hours to Kyoto
To say how long a journey takes, you use [B]kakarimasu. Lengths of time are expressed by adding kan to ji (o'clock), nichi/ka (day), shū (week), etc. For example:
- ichijikan = one hour
- futsukakan = two days
- nishūkan = two weeks
- gofun (kan) = five minutes

You can omit kan when saying minutes and days as long as the meaning is clear. For example:
- yonjuppun = 40 minutes
- mikka = three days (or the third day)

One day in Japanese is ichinichi.

Gurai means about, for example, gofun gurai (about five minutes). You have already learnt goro meaning about, but this is only used when actually saying the time, not a length of time. For example:
- hachiji goro okimasu = I get up at about 8 o'clock
- hachijikan gurai kakarimasu = it takes about 8 hours

To ask how long does it take?, you say dono gurai kakarimasu ka (or dono gurai desu ka). For example:
- Rondon kara Tōkyō made dono gurai kakarimasu ka = how long does it take from London to Tokyo?
- hikōki de jūnijikan gurai kakarimasu = it takes about 12 hours by plane
- yūbinkyoku made dono gurai desu ka = how far is it to the post office?
- aruite juppun gurai desu = it takes about 10 minutes on foot

5. Watashi wa odori o mitai desu I want to see some dancing
To say you want to do something, you replace masu with tai desu. For example:
- yomimasu = I read --> yomitai desu = I want to read
- nomimasu = I drink --> nomitai desu = I want to drink

Here are some examples:
- eigo no shimbun o yomitai desu = I want to read an English newspaper
- bīru o nomitai desu = I want to drink a beer
- Tōkyō ni ikitai desu = I want to go to Tokyo
- uchi ni kaeritai desu = I want to go home

6. More time expressions
In the last few lessons you have been learning a number of time expressions. In this lesson the focus has been on past time expressions as well as year expressions (this/last/next year). Below are some examples of how these phrases are used.

You may wish to practise these phrases in the following way. First familiarize yourself with the time expressions in the Vocabulary list section of this lesson. Then cover up the Japanese side of the phrases below and see if you can say these time expressions:
- last saturday = senshū no doyōbi
- this morning at 8 o'clock = kesa (no) hachiji ni
- yesterday afternoon = kinō no gogo
- last August = kyonen no hachigatsu
- next March = rainen no sangatsu
- this April = kotoshi no shigatsu
- the 9th of last month = sengetsu no kokonoka

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

LESSON 14 PRACTISE - click me!

This post has been edited by jhcj: Jan 11 2006, 08:11 PM

LESSON 14: PRACTISE

1. Sound out how long the journeys in the chart below take. The first one has been done for you as an example, but try saying it yourself first before referring to the answers. Keep the information in the same order as it is presented in the chart.



Example:
a. Rondon kara Tōkyō made hikōki de jūnijikan gurai kakarimasu (or desu)



2. Translate the English phrases into Japanese and vice-versa.
a. yesterday evening


b. tomorrow night


c. raishū no mokuyōbi


d. kotoshi no rokugatsu


e. last February


f. the 10th of last month


3. To solve the partially completed sentences, you need to work out how to say the English sentences below in Japanese. You then have to work out which sentence fits which line of spaces a - g below.

a. ____ made ____________ ___ gofun _____________
b. _______ __________ __ shitai _____
c. ________ ___ _________ ___ kaisha ___ __________
d. ______ no ____________ ___ tōsuto __ _____________
e. Kotoshi _________ ___ ______ _____
f. _______ ___ kugatsu ___ ________ ___ ikimasu
g. _______ ___ ban gekijō ___ ___________ ____

i. Next September I am going to Japan.
ii. Tomorrow I want to do some shopping.
iii. This morning I had toast for breakfast.
iv. Shall we go to the theatre on Tuesday evening?
v. This year I want to go to France.
vi. It takes five minutes to the station by bicycle.
vii. My father goes to work (company) by car.



This post has been edited by jhcj: Jan 11 2006, 08:10 PM