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Learn Japanese!

Konichiwa! That means hello. So you want to learn Japanese, huh? Alrighty then! Let's begin. Welcome to the beginner's class! We'll start off with the basics. First of all, it's good to learn how to read and write Japanese. In Japan, there are three different writing forms, all of which are used. The first is Hiragana. Here is a chart.


Hiragana is used to write words that are native to Japan. That means this excludes foreign words that were adapted to the Japanese language.
Example: Mochi=Japanese Rice Cake
This food is native to Japan, therefore it is written in Hiragana.

The second writing form is Katakana. Here is a chart.


This is the form of writing used for foreign-adapted words. This includes names that are not of Japanese origin, brand names, and other items that are foreign.
Example: Basu=Bus and Beddo=Bed
Your name can be written in Katakana. Just remember that in the Japanese language, there are no C's, F's, L's, Q's, V's, and X's. You have to replace those letters with which ever sound closest.

The last writing form is Kanji, Chinese characters used in Japanese writing. They are used to write uninflected words such as nouns, and they often represent the whole word. Certain other very common words are now often written in Hiragana even when Kanji exist for them. But this can have a downside. When a word can have different meanings, Kanji is used to differenciate them. For example, in the English language, "ring" means two different things: a ring (the noun-jewelry), and to ring (the verb-ring a bell, the telephone rings, etc.). There are words like this in the Japanese language as well. For instance, "kiru" has two different meanings: wear, and cut. The words are easily distinguishable when written in Kanji. They can also be distinguished by speech, or when written phonetically because it's pronounced differently. I don't have a Kanji chart because there are so many different characters. That's all I can teach you about reading and writing Japanese. Now, I will give you some words and their meanings.

Konnichi Wa - Hello/Good Afternoon
Ohayogozaimasu - Good Morning
Konban Wa - Good Evening
Sayounara - Good-Bye
Gomen Nasai - I'm Sorry/Excuse Me/Pardon Me
Yokoso Irasshaimase - Welcome
Doumo Arigato Gozaimasu - Thank You Very Much
Hai - Yes
Iie - No
Wakarimasuka? - Do You Understand?
Wakarimasu - I Understand
Wakarimasen - I Don't Understand
Nihon(go) - Japan(ese)
Sensei - Teacher
Jya Mata - See You Later
Doitashimashite - You're Welcome
O Genki Desu Ka? - How Are You?
Genki Desu - I Am Fine
Watashi No Namae Wa _______ Desu. - My name is ________.
Ryu - Dragon
Oni - Devil, Cruel Person
Kami - God
Megami - Goddess
Akurei - Demon
Katana - Sword
Tenshi - Angel
Ha Ha - Mother
Chi Chi - Father
Anata - You
Watashi - I
Sama - Honorable Person (usually said after their name)
Sake - Japanese Rice Wine
Chibi - Child, Short/Small Person
Mirai - Future
Bangohan - Evening/Dinner
Hirugohan - Noon/Lunch
Asagohan - Morning/Breakfast
-San (after the name) - Mr., Mrs., Ms.

Numbers
Ichi - One
Ni - Two
San - Three
Shi - Four
Go - Five
Roku - Six
Shi Chi - Seven
Hachi - Eight
Kuu - Nine
Juu - Ten

Colors
Aka - Red
Kiiro - Yellow
Orenji - Orange
Kuro - Black
Chairo - Brown
Ao - Blue
Midori - Green
Murasaki - Purple
Shiro - White
Pinku - Pink

Name Puns
Kame (house) - Turtle (house)
Roshi - Death (from old age)
Pan - Bread
Gohan - Rice
Ryoko - Travel;Trip;Tour

Lesson is Copyright of Saiyan Anime Planet

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