i'm learning japanese, sharing what i'm learning!

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test84

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hi!

i'm going after some lessons at nhk.or.jp and i wanted to share what i'm learning to other ppl like me.
i dont think u might need these since u can get/download stuff and get from ur universities but since i dont have these resources, i'm trying learning this atleast.

its not about writing/kanji/hiragana/katakana, its just about talking and stuff and since i dont know writing japanese, i'm gonna use romanja (or roma-ji), sorry if using romanji offences J people here.

another thing is that when i post a new lesson, any J people here can comment on them and point out some notes and stuff, if they are willing.
so plz to get rid of confusion, plz qoute the post that contains the lesson and comment on it, or plz note what lesson you are commenting on. thnx in advance.
------------
so, the first lesson:

A:Sumimase, Toire Wa Dokodeska?
(excuse me, where is toilet?)

B: Ano Kaidan no ushiro desu.
(its behind that staircase)

A:Dumo
(thnx).

so, what i learned is that when you wanna ask what an object is or where somewhere is, you put it before "X wa dokodeska?".

Dumo is less formal and more friendly than Dumo Arigato.
-----------
i'm trying my best to post here every day or at most, every 2days, to get discipline.
-----------
Next Lessons so far:

Lesson 009 (Does this bus leaves to Shinjuku?
Lesson 010 (What time is it?)
Lesson 011 (Havent seen you in a while!)
Lesson 012 (How are you?)
Lesson 013 (How long it will take?)
Lesson 014 (So glad to meet you!)
Idioms 02 (Lets forgive!)
Lesson 015 (Are you a student?)
Lesson 016 (Its in the closet)

Numbers in Kanji by Kazuki_pl
 

Glacius0

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hi!

i'm going after some lessons at nhk.or.jp and i wanted to share what i'm learning to other ppl like me.
i dont think u might need these since u can get/download stuff and get from ur universities but since i dont have these resources, i'm trying learning this atleast.

its not about writing/kanji/hiragana/katakana, its just about talking and stuff and since i dont know writing japanese, i'm gonna use romanja (or roma-ji), sorry if using romanji offences J people here.

another thing is that when i post a new lesson, any J people here can comment on them and point out some notes and stuff, if they are willing.
so plz to get rid of confusion, plz qoute the post that contains the lesson and comment on it, or plz note what lesson you are commenting on. thnx in advance.
------------
so, the first lesson:

A:Sumimase, Toire Wa Dokodeska?
(excuse me, where is toilet?)

B: Ano Kaidan no ushiro desu.
(its behind that staircase)

A:Dumo
(thnx).

so, what i learned is that when you wanna ask what an object is or where somewhere is, you put it before "X wa dokodeska?".

Dumo is less formal and more friendly than Dumo Arigato.
-----------
i'm trying my best to post here every day or at most, every 2days, to get discipline.
I'll lend a hand

A:Sumimasen, toire wa doko desu ka?
(excuse me, where is toilet?)

sumimasen = excuse me
toire = toilet
wa = a word (particle) that makes clear that the word before it is the subject, it's actually written as "ha" in hiragana
doko = where
desu = can be placed at the end of a sentence after a noun, has no meaning but makes it polite
ka = Polite way to make the sentence into a question. You should make it sound like a question with intonation

B: Ano kaidan no ushiro desu.
(its behind that staircase)

ano = it means "that", but only for objects that are not near you and your conversation partner (it's different when you use it for people)
kaidan = staircase
no = particle, links the noun before it with the noun behind it. example: doubutsu no mori = animal forest (the forest of animals)
ushiro = back
desu = same as before

A:Doumo
(thanks).
This word is spelled with ou but is pronounced as a long o: "doomo"

Hope this helps a little.
 

zoharmodifier

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no, its Dumo.
DOMO is like DAAMO like in Doctor.
but its Dumo, like in Cope.

Um, no. Why would an "o" make an "aa" sound? Why would a "u" make an "o" sound? It just doesn't make sense.

Japanese sounds are ALWAYS the same.
a = "ah"
i = "ee"
u = "uu"
e = "eh"
o = "oh"

And it's "doumo." It can be written as "domo" because the "o" syllable is elongated, but I've never seen it as "dumo."
 

test84

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ok! i'm back.
the last lesson is officially number 8th, so this lesson is number 9.
i'll post previous lessons if there is request, but for now, let us continue to 9th lesson.

Lesson 009: Kono Basu Wa Shinjuku e ikimasu.(Updated/Corrected)
(Does this bus go to Shinjuku?)


a. Kono Basu Wa Shinjuku e Yukimasuka?
(Does this bus lead to Shinjuku? (its a place in Tokyo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjuku%2C_Tokyo )

b.Iie, Yukimasen,
(no, it doesnt go)
Shinjuku-yuri wa, san-ban nariba desu.
(the bus that leaves to shinjuku, leaves from 3rd platform)

a.Doumo Arigato Gozaimashita.
(thnx alot)
--------
what i learned:
a.
Kono == this
basu == bus
wa == shows the subject of sentence, whatever is behind wa is subject of sentence, so here Kono Basu is the subject of conversation.
shinjuku e == to shinjuku -> a place + "e" == to that place
yukimasuka == it really pronunced ikimasuka, i doubt about it, anyway it means "going to" and "ka" made it politely.

note about "ka":
Using ka after desu/masu makes the sentence into a question and is polite. You should basically always use it when speaking politely. Careful however, since using it when you're not speaking politely sounds rude in some cases.
(Thnx/Credits to Glacius0)

B.
Iie, yukimasen.
Iie == no.
yukimasen = the "mas" in yukumasu is turned to yukiMASEN and turned it into negative.

Shinjuku-yui == destination of shinjuku, here it means the bus that goes to shinjuku.
san-ban = san is 3 and ban means its order, so it means 3rd.
noriba == platform (it was nariba,corrected, thnx to Glacius0)
desu = is.

A.Gozaimashita = the past of gozaimasu, i donno why this guy used the past form of gozaimasu.
---------
i have another question and its about "ano", in past lessons, there was a sentence when the man at exchanging his money, asked the lady to give him 1000yen papers and asked her:
Ano, sen-en satsu mo onegaishimasu. (it was sansu, corrected to satsu, it means paper money, thnx to Glacius0)
what does Ano mean in that sentence? i believed it means "this" since the last lesson Ano means "this" (when refering to staircase : Ano Kaidan No Ushiro Desu)
thnx.

Solved :
1-The english "uhm" when you don't know something, or when you try to get someone's attention is "eto" or "ano" in Japanese.
(credits and thanks to Glacius0)

2- 'Ano' is also the equivalent of 'Um', and is great to use to
sound more natural. eg. "Ano, sumimasen" (Um, excuse me).
(credits and thanks to Kyuketsuki_M)

----
if u have comments, plz feel free to add 'em!
----
added bonus grammer by Glacius0:

Bonus grammar:
ikimasu = go (future)
ikimasen = don't go (negative)
ikimashita = went (past)
ikimasen deshita = didn't go (past negative)
 

test84

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so, lesson 010.

Lesson 010: Ima, Nanji Desuka.
what time is it?


A.Sumimasen.
(excuse me)

B.Hai.
(yes)

A.Ima, Nanji Desuka[?]
(what time is it?)

B.Choudo, San-ji Desu.
(exactly at 3 o'clock)

----
Ima = Now
Nanji = what time, its used to ask time.
Desu = make it polite.
ka = makes it questionaly.

Choudo = exactly
san = three.
Ji = hour (it is used after time like "three o'clock")

there are some exceptions in numbering the hours:
for number 4, we dont way Yon-Ji, we say Shi-Ji
for number 7, we dont way Nana-Ji, we say Shichi-Ji
for number 9, we dont way Kyu-Ji, we say Ku-Ji
------
SOLVED:
i used to learn to count at our dojo, but we said shi for 4, instead of Yon and Shichi instead of Nana, whats their difference?

warbird:Not much. shi/shichi is the Chinese reading and yon/nana is the Japanese reading of the word. When counting numbers, the Chinese ones are usually used, while yon/nana is used when just saying 1 number or when used with counter words like ji, mai, satsu and the likes. (you would say yonmai but never shimai when counting flat objects like paper/pages.)

-----
numbers by delta123 (thnx!)

1 ichi
2 ni
3 san
4 shi/yon
5 go
6 roku
7 shichi/nana
8 hachi
9 kyuu/ku
10 juu
11 juu ichi
12 juu ni
etc.

20 ni juu
30 san juu
etc.

100 hiyaku
200 ni hiyaku

1,000 sen
2,000 ni sen

10,000 ichi man
20,000 ni man

100,000,000 oku
 

mthrnite

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What I say before I go all Chuck Norris on some dirty shnook:

"Anata no gosenzo sama ni kao o awase rare masuka!"


(Get ready to meet your ashamed ancestors!)


Thanks for the lessons guys...
.. HEY! THERE'S HANAFUDA!
grog.gif
 

warbird

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i used to learn to count at our dojo, but we said shi for 4, instead of Yon and Shichi instead of Nana, whats their difference?

Not much. shi/shichi is the Chinese reading and yon/nana is the Japanese reading of the word. When counting numbers, the Chinese ones are usually used, while yon/nana is used when just saying 1 number or when used with counter words like ji, mai, satsu and the likes. (you would say yonmai but never shimai when counting flat objects like paper/pages.)

And im surprised that nhk teaches you to say "yuku" instead of "iku" since this is kantou dialect and not considered "standard" japanese afaik. You hear it often in songs tho.

Good luck tho, and check out japanesepod101.com for a free podcast. Got Japaneses native speakers so you can practice pronunciation
smile.gif
 

test84

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if u are intrested to learn in ur language, this is the english site :
http://www.nhk.or.jp/lesson/english/index.html
and it has lots of native speakers to teach in ur own language
----
i donno about numbering, i was just happy to know that i know numbering atleast, now i dont. : (
-----
i'm on dial up, it means no podcast but i have some anime and tried to listen to them to match what i already know, but when i expect them to say something (based on subtitles), it differs and it makes me sad.
sometimes even when saying yes or no, they say different things than standards that i know, even konnichiwa is sometimes changes.

so i think hearing the native speakers is kinda so soon for me.
-----
thnx to all who look at these lessons.
if you have any suggestions on formatting the lessons, tell me.

would moderators please delete spams to have a clean topic? TIA.
 

Blebleman

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Trust me, this is the easy part, people.

The language itself is very easy. Then you get to the reading/writing thing. Still not so bad, two "alphabets" that represent sounds.

Then you get to the ocean of fun called "Kanji". 2000 characters you should know by heart, and that could either represent a sound, or an entire word.

That's what you spend years on.
smile.gif
I've done it. Can you?
 

test84

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i think since "you've done it" and seems that you are from Japan, its better if you help and guide us and not try to slow us down!

you know the way, give us tips and tricks.
 

Blebleman

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i think since "you've done it" and seems that you are from Japan, its better if you help and guide us and not try to slow us down!

you know the way, give us tips and tricks.

Honestly, if I have a single thing to say to you guys, it's that you guys should read up on Japan and its social problems and everything before you decide that "Hey it's probably the best country in the world! I'ma live there in da futurr!".
Trust me, Tokyo is awesome, but come here unprepared, and this city is going to eat you. I've gotten here about 3 weeks ago, and even with many years of Japanese training, I'm doing OK, but still, I need more. I've got a bunch of weird-ass german otaku in my hotel as my neighbors. Poor kids don't even speak Japanese, or English. But they still have the time to cosplay and go parading. Sounds good for the time they're here, but little more. And they also look really ridiculous and probably don't realise it.

Seriously, 90% of you will give up. That's a good thing. Foreigners are not rejected, but people definitely stare at you a lot. This is a place where you have to show your individuality without crossing the very thin line of being marginal.

Oh, and test84, I interpreted your message as being slightly disrespectful. Really feel like helping you now.
wink2.gif


[EDIT] Then again, 10% of you are really serious about it, and know what they're getting into. To you people, I encourage you fully. This is going to be one of the hardest things you will ever do, but it can also be one of the most rewarding. I'm practically living the typical Otaku's dream here, but the reason why, is because I'm not an Otaku. Otakus are heavily frowned upon. And don't even think of getting a girlfriend, unless she's one too. (I don't think I've met any yet.)
???????
 

Extreme Coder

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QUOTE said:
Honestly, if I have a single thing to say to you guys, it's that you guys should read up on Japan and its social problems and everything before you decide that "Hey it's probably the best country in the world! I'ma live there in da futurr!".
/me is thinking to himself: Hey it's probably the best country in the world! I'ma live there in da futurr! but me doesn't know how to go there yet
tongue.gif
 

delta123

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hey i`ve lived here for 1 1/2 years now, and i have gotten buy with absolutley no japanese skills. well my students kinda force japanese onto me, but other than saying relly? and or course. i really havent had to use the language at all in my small town. i say if you want to live in japan all you really need to know to start off with is numbers and greetings. other than that you can sort of learn on the fly like me.

and japan isn`t the best country in the world. its just a very exciting place to be. with lots of sparkly stuff. expensive sparkly stuff. but i love it. kinda sad that i leave this place next year in march. my students want me to stay. (T_T). damn students they make it really had for you to live.

and otakus are not frowned upon anymore since densha otoko became a huge hit and girls were looking at akihabara as a source of their next boyfriends in the hopes to find a guy like him. they have become accepted as main stream people. not rejects.

and numbers
1 ichi
2 ni
3 san
4 shi/yon
5 go
6 roku
7 shichi/nana
8 hachi
9 kyuu/ku
10 juu
11 juu ichi
12 juu ni
etc.

20 ni juu
30 san juu
etc.

100 hiyaku
200 ni hiyaku

1,000 sen
2,000 ni sen

10,000 ichi man
20,000 ni man

100,000,000 oku
 

deathfisaro

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I was never taught Japanese, I self taught and now I'm at the point where my girlfriend is watching subbed anime on my desktop, and I can lie down on bed, close my eyes, listen to the anime and laugh when something funny comes up.
Think Kanji is hard? I learned Chinese in simplified form, and Hong Kong uses traditional form. I was saying "Holy crap what in the world is that monster sized picture of maze doing in a neon sign?"

Now I can tell wether a Chinese character is simplified, traditional (I think Korean also imports traditional Chinese besides Korean, just like how Japanese also has Kanji besides hiragana/katakana. I couldn't tell the difference between traditional form Chinese and the Chinese characters used in Korean), or kanji (Well although it means Chinese character, kanji has changed shape over the course of history, so not all kanji still look the same as Chinese characters).
 
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