Nihongo Connections-Part 1

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 285



Nihongo

ネ Connections


ョ Beginning Japanese
ン Manual and Workbook:
ズ Part 1
Julie Bruch
Nihongo Connections
Julie Bruch ブルー・ジューリ

We wish to thank the many collaborators who helped shape this book:

. . . students, assistants, friends, family, proof-readers, checkers, illustrators, technical advisers,


and the users of the first draft of NIHONGO CONNECTIONS, all of whom provided valuable feedback.

Please enjoy learning Japanese! ジューリ

2
Introduction

Why “CONNECTIONS”?

A main goal of learning a new language is to communicate with others. With that as the guiding principle, NIHONGO
CONNECTIONS is designed to help learners connect with the Japanese language and culture. It is also designed to help
learners connect with each other as active communicators and “experiencers” of the language.

NIHONGO CONNECTIONS is designed for:

 College students who may take only a few semesters of Japanese

 College students who might later continue with a major or minor in Japanese

 Self-directed, independent learners who want to learn to read, write, and converse in Japanese

Features of the text:

 Focus on high frequency vocabulary (based on corpus data)


The choice of vocabulary included in the text is based on the relative frequency of words found in real language contexts.
For example, words like “eraser” (消しゴム) or “blackboard” (黒板) may be useful while in the language classroom, but in real conversations, they
are much less frequent. Learners’ time and energy are invested in learning the more frequent, and therefore, the more powerful words.

 “Low investment-high return” language structures


Japanese grammar contains many “freebies,” structures that require relatively little effort to acquire. Such freebies are introduced near the
beginning to give an exponential “power punch” to vocabulary. For example, after learning only two verbs, students learn several regular structural
variations on the verb stems. This enables them to quickly and easily increase their word power. For example, after learning the verb “eat” (食べま
す), students learn simple morphological variations of the verb, such as: “want to eat, while eating, hard to eat” (食べたい、食べながら、食べにく
い). Then as students learn other regular verbs, they can apply these “high return” stem variations that are already at their disposal.

1
 Reading and writing exercises that develop phonemic awareness and conscious contrastive analysis
At beginning levels, it is difficult to gain speed and proficiency in reading/writing without knowing the entire writing system and the phonology of the
language. This text uses a number of strategies to scaffold reading/writing skills and enable students to acquire pronunciation, vocabulary, structure
and literacy simultaneously. Some of the strategies include combined use of: 1) Romaji and hiragana, 2) hiragana and katakana, 3) katakana and
furigana, and 4) kanji with furigana. While these combinations do not represent native writing, they allow students to practice reading new symbols
and new vocabulary before they have learned the entire set of symbols. They also reinforce understanding of the syllabary writing system and help
students develop phonemic awareness regarding English-Japanese sound-symbol correspondences. Loanword vocabulary is represented in hiragana
initially to support learning of new material through already familiar vocabulary. Presenting loanwords in hiragana in the early stages helps
accustom students to the katakana pronunciations of loanwords even before they learn katakana. Simple kanji are also presented at a measured
pace from the beginning in order to enhance early understanding of ideographic writing.

 Grammar as vocabulary; vocabulary as culture


The content of the text, its order of presentation, and the accompanying explanations, examples, and practice exercises are influenced by an eclectic
mix of perspectives, including: Structuralist Linguistics, Usage-based Language Acquisition Theory, and Dynamic Systems or Emergence Theory.
Where possible, Japanese grammar, vocabulary, and culture are presented as a single construct, and students acquire grammar and vocabulary by
using it for authentic communication. Japanese is rich in grammar that embodies culturally embedded concepts. For example, rather than simply
learning the forms and patterns (the grammar) of negative adjectives, students learn negative adjectives as important cultural tools for responding
to compliments.

 Controlled scaffolding and recycling of vocabulary and structures


Scaffolding: This text follows the principle that it is most efficient to learn new material through the lens of already known material. Here, new
vocabulary, new structures, and new written symbols are introduced embedded in material that is already known. Students are allowed and
encouraged to develop and use an “interlanguage” (composed of “Japanglish” or incompletely learned Japanese) as a way of scaffolding fluent
communication. While this may seem unnatural to some native speakers, it is a natural way for second language learners to compensate for gaps in
acquired structures and vocabulary while still communicating effectively.
Recycling: Old material is strategically and persistently recycled throughout the text for maintenance and in order to scaffold the learning of new
pieces of language and culture.

 Strategic competency and communicative competency skills are explicitly discussed and developed through discussions of why and how learners are being
helped to acquire various skills and through controlled use of “i + 1”* structures and vocabulary. (*Stephen Krashen's optimal input hypothesis)

2
 Relatively un-censored usage of the language (based on the idea of “lowering affective filters”)
Even beginning level language learners can easily acquire authentic language forms and phrases. “Light” topics and conversational language style
can alleviate some of the tedium involved in learning a language. This text intentionally includes unexpected (non-traditional) content that
strengthens curiosity, adds variety, and improves ease of learning and recall. It encourages students to have fun and take risks with their new
language.

Suggestions for using NIHONGO CONNECTIONS:

 Modes: Independent study, online study, flipped classroom study, and traditional classroom interaction are all appropriate modes for use with this text.

 Instructors:
*Detailed explanations of the pieces of language provide students with all the information they need to be able to understand the language concepts.
*Ample practice exercises are included for each piece of content focusing on equal development of the four communication skills (speaking, listening,
reading, and writing). Little or no supplementation is necessary.
*Review quizzes are provided after each unit, and larger review tests are provided at eight-unit intervals.
*Time requirements are highly flexible. For intensive courses, one unit per day is recommended. For semester or other systems, instructors can easily
break units into smaller pieces or lump units together as needed. There is no logical stopping point in language learning, so the text can carry over
into as few or as many semesters as is comfortable for each learning community.

 Learners:
*Individualized pacing is an important factor in acquiring a new language. Individual learners are encouraged to read only the explanations and do only
the practices that they find relevant. If an individual already has a particular skill, or if the finer details in an explanation are not pertinent, the learner
is invited to skim and skip at will. The text presents more than is absolutely necessary for many learners. It is written to include details, “asides,” and
notes on history and culture. Such details are included for those who find additional details and further practices personally relevant.
*The text is geared toward English speakers, particularly those who are familiar with American English. Some units work to help learners develop
meta-linguistic awareness of English and Japanese as a way of encouraging “deep learning,” so many pronunciation tips and grammar explanations
are based on the perspective of American English speakers. Speakers of other English dialects and non-native speakers of English can also benefit
from the text as long they are aware of its American English perspective.

 Learning contexts:
1) A learning community composed of a small group or a partner is essential, whether the text is used within a traditional classroom or used for
independent study; interaction is essential.
2) Units (and sections within units) must be done in order; each builds upon previous material.

3
Table of Contents
Reading Grammar Communication Skills
Unit

Writing Structures Content


1 -A-I-U-E-O Romaji -Copula DESU -4 writing systems
pronunciation -Topic-comment structure -Say “hello” and introduce yourself and a friend
-I-U whispered vowels -Bowing
-Hiragana: A-series and KO, N,
NI, CHI
-Tategaki (vertical writing) and
yokogaki (horizontal writing)

2 -Hiragana: KA and GA-series -Question particle か -Use titles of address


and SA, YO, NA, RA -Honorific prefix お -Politely get someone’s attention
-Voiced consonants with “ten- -Information questions (Topic-“thing” interrogative -Ask someone’s name
ten” (dakuten) structure) -Greet someone in the morning
-Kanji: 下さい -Requests -Say good-bye
-Japanese period and question -Understand and use phrases needed for language learning
mark (kutouten)
-Geminate consonants and
“mora” (introduced)
3 -Hiragana: SA and ZA-series -Topic-“thing” interrogative structure expanded -Greet someone in the evening
-Variable pronunciation of -Topic omission -Count from 0 to 10
nasal consonant ん (/n, m/) -Ask and tell phone numbers
-Kanji: 一 ニ 三 -Use fillers in conversation
-Repeat parts of sentences as softeners
4 -Hiragana: TA-series and RE, -Information questions (Topic-place interrogative structure) -Culture of SUMIMASEN
MA -Politeness prefix お on nouns -Ask and tell the location of a bathroom
-Kanji: 女 男
-Japanese question mark
revisited

4
Reading Grammar Communication Skills
Writing Structures Content
Unit

5 -Hiragana: DA and NA-series -Yes/No questions and answers -Express thanks and understanding
and RI, WA -Introduction to WA particle -Ask and answer simple questions about identity and phone
-Introduction to 2 versions of -Formal vs. informal phrases number
/wa/ (わ、は) -Head nodding and palm waving (body language)
-Name cards

6 -Hiragana: HA, PA, and BA- -WA grammatical particle -Use interactional phrases and an additional filler
series -YO, NE discourse particles -Correct misinformation
-Devoicing BA-series with -Ask and tell about occupations
“maru” (han-dakuten) to
create PA-series
-Spelling of grammatical
particle WA as は
-Kanji: 何
-Pronunciation of loanwords
through hiragana
-Furigana introduced

7 -Hiragana: MA and YA-series -Positive and negative frequency adverbs -Respond politely to information
and (W)O -Transitive verbs -Understand the idea of loanwords and begin to use them
-Pronunciation and usage of -Verb placement in the sentence (SOV language structure) -Discuss eating and drinking habits
お vs. を -Grammatical particles (W)O, MO
何 variant pronunciations -Information questions using NANI
-Pronunciation of loanwords -Verb roots and polite affirmative and negative verbs
through hiragana
-Furigana

5
Reading Grammar Communication Skills
Writing Structures Content
Unit

8 -Hiragana: RA-series -Past tense affirmative polite verbs -Discuss and compare eating and drinking activities of
(pronunciation of /r/) TABEMASHITA/NOMIMASHITA yesterday and today
-Dictionary order of hiragana -Contrastive conjunction used でも -List multiple items
(GO-JYUU-ON-ZU) -Listing conjunction と
-“Interpunct” (中黒) -Short answers to yes/no questions
-Kanji: 水 (今日 mentioned) -Topic deletion revisited
9 -Hiragana: glides with the I- -Past tense negative verbs TABEMASEN -Discuss eating/drinking actions not done in the past
series DESHITA/NOMIMASEN DESHITA -Count from 0 to 299
-Kanji: 今日, 十 -Yes/no and information questions revisited -Understand and use or withdraw the honorific prefix お to
-Introduction to multiple -Distinction between honorific prefix お and politeness indicate relation to other vs. self
pronunciations of kanji 日: prefix お
まい日, 今日 -Honorific prefix お to replace possessives
-Furigana
10 -Hiragana: Geminate -NI grammatical particle -Contrast activities in the normal routine with those in the
consonants with ん and half- -Continued yes/no and information question formation past
sized つ (chiisai tsu) practice
-Exposure to furigana
10.5
-HIRAGANA READING ROUND-
UP: Celebration of completing
all hiragana
11 -Kanji: 大きい, 小さい, 好き, -GA grammatical topic particle with SUKI -Discuss preferences in eating, drinking, and sports
大好き -Negative copula JYA NAI DESU
-Multiple pronunciations of -Revisit negative adverbs with use of negative verbs
kanji 大 -Information questions about preferences and actions using
-First explicit mention of long- DONNA
timed vowels
-Further exposure to furigana

6
Reading Grammar Communication Skills
Writing Structures Content
Unit

12 -Hiragana: Double-length -GA lexical contrastive conjunction -Discuss frequency and sequence of various activities
vowels (spelling and
pronunciation)
-BOU introduced
-Kanji: 日本、本、行きます
-Additional pronunciation of
kanji 日: 日本
-First exposure to okurigana
行きます
13 -Katakana: A-series, SU and -Quantitative interrogative for prices -Count from 0 to 599
PA -Adjectives たかい、やすい -Ask, estimate, and describe prices in Japanese currency
-Katakana: ぼう for long-timed -Discuss places around town
vowels and A-series with ぼう
for loanword syllables ending
in /r/
-Spelling of non-native syllable
/fe/
-Distinguish uses of hiragana
and katakana
-Kanji: 時々, 百

14 -Katakana: KA and GA-series, -Simultaneous/serial verbs ending in –ながら -Describe simultaneous or near simultaneous activities; talk
and half-sized TSU -Grammatical particle に for locations about multi-tasking
-KU/GU for loanword -Existential-locational verb あります vs. copula です -Discuss the relative locations of things and places
phonemes /k, g/ and SU/ZU -Existential-locational verb います previewed/mentioned -Count from 0 to 999
for loanword phonemes /s, z/ -Lexical softener ちょっと

7
Reading Grammar Communication Skills
Writing Structures Content
Unit

15 -Katakana: SA and ZA-series -Adjectives ちかい、とおい vs. locational adverbs ちかく -Discuss the relative locations of things and places with
-SA/ZA series for “th” sounds に、とおくに changing emphasis
in English loanwords -Grammatical particle DE -Discuss where activities occur
-SI/SHI and ZI/JI distinction
collapse in loanwords
-Kanji: 私, 見ます

16 -Katakana: TA and DA-series -Volitional verb forms (both positive and negative) -Express what you do and don’t want to do
and N ~たいです、~たくないです -Make suggestions
-TO/DO and TSU/DZU for -Hortative verb forms
loanword phonemes /t, d/ ~ましょう
-TEi and DEi for loanword -Exposure to attributive grammatical particle NO
phonemes /ti, di/

PART 2 STARTS HERE


17 -Katakana: NA, HA, BA, and -Grammatical particle GA with existential verb ARIMASU -Discuss and describe things and places that can be found
PA-series -Adjective-noun structure in certain locations
-FU/BU/PU for loanword -Interrogative DONO vs. DONNA
phonemes /f, b, p/ -Demonstrative adjectives DONO, KONO, SONO
-FU as ファ,フィ,フェ,フォ for -Further exposure to atttributive grammatical particle NO
loanword /fa, fi, fe, fo/ sounds -Intensifying adverb とても
-BA-series or ヴァ,ヴィ,ヴ,ヴ
ェ,ヴォ for loanword /v/
sounds

8
Reading Grammar Communication Skills
Writing Structures Content
Unit

18 -Katakana: MA, YA, RA, WA- -Grammatical particle NI with time phrases -Tell time
series, reminders of N and -Discuss daily habits (in terms of time)
glides with small YA, YU, YO
-RA-series for /l/ loanwords
-MU/RU for loanword
phonemes /m, r, l/
-Kanji: 四 and 九 with variant
pronunciations; 分 and
pronunciation variant of 時

19 -Katakana tricks for loanword -Sentence structure: Flexible word order using particle -Discuss times of some daily activities
vowels (substitutions, British markers
dialect, spelling
pronunciations)
-Katakana tricks with ワ-
ウィ- ウ- ウェ-ウオ for
loanword /wa, wi, wu, we, wo/
-Kanji: numbers 五、六、七、
八 and 人 and 分かります
20 -Katakana: tricks for “unique -Polite variant of locational interrogative (DOCHIRA) -Discuss what countries people are from and their
pronunciations” of loanword -Grammatical particle KARA - nationalities
sounds /še, je, če, --š/ -Grammatical particle, attributive NO to indicate association -Discuss languages people speak and currencies used in
シェ, ジェ, チェ, --シュ” other countries
-Kanji words 語、話します、
言います
-Compound kanji radicals: へ
ん(left side) and つくり(right
side)

9
Reading Grammar Communication Skills
Writing Structures Content
Unit

21 -Pseudo-English katakana -Grammatical particle NA with 好き, きらい, and foreign -Discuss favorite and least favorite things from various
words loanword adjectives categories, including colors
-Increased kanji with furigana -Superlative adjective forms of SUKI/KIRAI; general
readings superlative forms mentioned
-Kanji words 食べます、飲み -NA adjectives as noun modifiers
ます、来ます、買います -NA adjectives as verb complements
-Increased kanji with furigana -Noun and adjective forms of color vocabulary
readings

22 -Katakana menus -Grammatical particle NO to indicate possession (as both -Discuss future activities
-Kanji words 年、今年、来 adjective and pronoun) -Discuss belongings and possessions
年、月、今月、来月 -Future tense using “non-past” verbs -Discuss where people live
-Increased kanji with furigana -Time interrogative -Read prices on menus
readings -Pronouns

23 -Kanji words 本田、今田、田 -Negative inflections for –い adjectives, including irregular -Ask and tell what date, month, and year something occurs
口、田中、心、お金、千 form よくない -Ask and tell prices between 1,000 and 9,999 in various
-Increased kanji with furigana -Time particle に with dates currencies
readings -Causal interrogative -Ask about and discuss reasons for doing things
-Additional surprise katakana -General superlative forms used -Describe positive and negative aspects of people, places,
words and things

24 -Kanji words 白い、面白い、 -Nominalizing particle の -Fill out a form


美しい -Uninflected verb forms (3 categories) as nominals -Use KENSON to respond to compliments
-Tate-gaki practice with kanji -Discuss activities on different days of the week
and furigana -Discuss preferred activities
-Guessing meanings to fill out
forms

10
Reading Grammar Communication Skills
Writing Structures Content
Unit

25 -Kanji words 学生、大学、先 -Indefinite future tense つもり -Discuss plans for future activities and contrast past actions
生、先しゅう、先月、火曜 -Adverbs vs. adjectives (おそい、おそく、はやい、はやく) with future intentions
日、木曜日、土曜日 -Verb nominalization -Discuss commitments vs. plans
-Read new kanji using ふりが -Verb categories –う –る

-Infer meanings from context

26 -Kanji words 入ります、待ち -Progressive verbs -て form -Soften statements and express opinions
ます、と思います、上田、 -Stative verbs -て form -Make requests
下、山下、山 -Requests -て form -Discuss activities in progress and describe conditions
-Narration style -て form
-Irregular -て forms by verb category

27 -Kanji words 売る、読む、書 -Command/request verbs -て form -Discuss favors people do for each other
く、歩く、少し、沢山 -Quantifiers vs. qualifiers -Make requests and invite people to do things
-NA adjectivals (affirmative and negative forms)
-Verbs that encode status (politeness and verbs of “giving”)
-Compound verbs (mentioned)
-Conditionals (mentioned)

28 -Kanji words 笑う、過ぎる、 -Verb stem modifiers (-過ぎる、-やすい、-にくい) -Discuss actions/attributes that are excessive
手、元気 -Adjective stems and adjective stem modifiers (-過ぎる) -Discuss activities that are easy/difficult to do
-TO grammatical particle to indicate “together with” -Talk about doing things together with someone
-NA adjectives revisited
-Intensifying adverb たいへん

11
Reading Grammar Communication Skills
Writing Structures Content
Unit

29 -Kanji words 使う、毎日、明 -Existential-locational vs. existential-possessive verb ありま -Describe the location of people and animals
日、帰る、近い、新しい、 す -Discuss things people have/don’t have and things people
犬、虫 -Animate vs. inanimate verbs want
-Desirative adjective ほしい with particle が -Use “sound words” to describe emotional states and
-Onomatopoeic ideophones as verbs and as adverbials actions

30 -Kanji words 寝る、住む、 -Inchoative phrases with change of state verb なります -Describe places, people, things seen or experienced in the
大変、火事、大雨、台風 -Serial verbs past
-Adjective connectors -Discuss changes (-くなる, になる)
-Past-tense adjectives -Discuss series of events and multiple characteristics of
-Compound verb –てみる people, places, and things
-Discuss making attempts, “having a go at things”
-Use new vocabulary to discuss dangerous happenings in
nature どう、こわい、じしん、つなみ、かじ、たいふう、
おおあめ、ふる

12
Hiragana Chart with Romanization Options for Keyboarding

あ A い I (glide series) う U え E
お O
か KA き KI きゃ KYA きゅ KYU きょ KYO く KU け KE
こ KO
が GA ぎ GI ぎゃ GYA ぎゅ GYU ぎょ GYO ぐ GU げ GE
ご GO
さ SA し SI, SHI しゃ SYA, SHA しゅ SYU, SHU しょ SYO, SHO す SU せ SE
そ SO
ざ ZA じ ZI, JI じゃ JYA じゅ JYU, JU じょ JYO, JO ず ZU ぜ ZE
ぞ ZO
た TA ち TI, CHI ちゃ CHA, TYA ちゅ CHU, TYU ちょ CHO, TYO つ TU, TSU て TE
と TO
だ DA ぢ JI, DI ぢゃ JYA, DYA ぢゅ JYU, JU, DYU ぢょ JYO, JO, DYO づ DZU, ZU で DE
ど DO
な NA に NI にゃ NYA にゅ NYU にょ NYO ぬ NU ね NE
の NO
は HA ひ HI ひゃ HYA ひゅ HYU ひょ HYO ふ HU, FU へ HE
ほ HO
ば BA び BI びゃ BYA びゅ BYU びょ BYO ぶ BU べ BE
ぼ BO
ぱ PA ぴ PI ぴゃ PYA ぴゅ PYU ぴょ PYO ぷ PU ぺ PE
ぽ PO
ま MA み MI みゃ MYA みゅ MYU みょ MYO む MU め ME
も MO
や YA ゆ YU よ YO
ら RA り RI りゃ RYA りゅ RYU りょ RYO る RU れ RE ろ RO
わ WA を WO, O
ん N, M

13
Katakana Chart with Romanization Options for Keyboarding

ア A イ I (glide series) ウ U エ E
オ O
カ KA キ KI キャ KYA キュ KYU キョ KYO ク KU ケ KE
コ KO
ガ GA ギ GI ギャ GYA ギュ GYU ギョ GYO グ GU ゲ GE
ゴ GO
サ SA シ SI, SHI シャ SYA, SHA シュ SYU, SHU ショ SYO, SHO ス SU セ SE
ソ SO
ザ ZA ジ ZI, JI ジャ JYA ジュ JYU, JU ジョ JYO, JO ズ ZU ゼ ZE
ゾ ZO
タ TA チ TI, CHI チャ CHA, TYA チュ CHU, TYU チョ CHO, TYO ツ TU, TSU テ TE
ト TO
ダ DA ヂ JI, DI ヂャ JYA, DYA ヂュ JYU, JU, DYU ヂョ JYO, JO, DYO ヅ DZU, ZU デ DE
ド DO
ナ NA ニ NI ニャ NYA ニュ NYU ニョ NYO ヌ NU ネ NE
ノ NO
ハ HA ヒ HI ヒャ HYA ヒュ HYU ヒョ HYO フ HU, FU ヘ HE
ホ HO
バ BA ビ BI ビャ BYA ビュ BYU ビョ BYO ブ BU ベ BE
ベ BO
パ PA ピ PI ピャ PYA ピュ PYU ピョ PYO プ PU ペ PE
ポ PO
マ MA ミ MI ミャ MYA ミュ MY ミョ MYO ム MU メ ME
モ MO
ヤ YA ユ YU ヨ YO
ラ RA リ RI リャ RYA リュ RYU リョ RYO ル RU レ RE ロ RO
ワ WA ヲ WO, O
ン -N

14
Kanji Word Chart in Order of Presentation (unit numbers indicated)
下さい 2 大きい 11 五 19 年 22 学生 25 笑う 28
小さい 六 今年 先生 元気
好き 七 来年 大学 手
大好き 八 月 先しゅう 上手
一 3 日本 12 人 今月 先月 過ぎる
ニ 本 来月 火曜日 子ども
三 行きます 木曜日
土曜日
女 4 時々 13 言います 20 本田 23 入ります 26 使う 29
男 百 語 今田 待ちます 毎日
話します 田口 思います 明日
何 7 私 15 田中 上田 帰る
見ます 心 上 近い
お金 山 新しい
水 8 分 18 千 山下 犬
時 口 虫
四 中
今日 9 九 食べます 21 白い 24 売る 27 寝る 30
十 買います 面白い 読む 住む
まい日 来ます 美しい 書く 大変
飲みます 歩く 火事
少し 大雨
沢山 台風

15
Unit 1

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1.1. Correctly pronounce the ROMAJI versions of the five 1.4. Read and write five vowels in hiragana あ、い、う、
Japanese vowels え、お (The A-series)
A “ah” -- I “ee” -- U “ew” -- E “eh” -- O “oh”
/a/ /i/ /u/ /e, ε/ /o/ 1.5. Four additional hiragana こ ん に ち

1.2. Explain which vowels are sometimes “whispered” 1.6. Say “hello,” introduce yourself and introduce a friend:
I and U are sometimes “whispered vowels,” as in: こんにち WA, HA-JI-ME-MA-SHI-TE, ~~DE-SU, DO-う-
HA-JI-ME-MA-SH(I)TE, DE-S(U) ZO YO-RO-SHI-KU, こ-CHI-RA WA ~~SAN DE-SU

1.3. Explain the 4 writing systems used in Japanese: 1.7. Use body language as you greet people and make
Romaji, Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji introductions (Bowing)

16
1.1 Correctly pronounce the ROMAJI versions of the 5 Japanese vowels A, I, U, E, O

A “ah” -- I “ee” -- U “ew” -- E “eh” -- O “oh” Sometimes, I and U are whispered vowels, as in:
/a/ /i/ /u/ /ε/ /o/ HA-JI-ME-MA-SH(I)-TE, DE-S(U)

There are only 5 vowel sounds in Japanese. English has 5 vowel LETTERS, but depending on which dialect of English you speak, the 5
vowel letters may represent up to 11 or 12 different sounds. For example, the letter “e” in English is pronounced in wildly different ways.
Say the following English words aloud and see if you can identify what sound the letter “e” makes in each.
*EGG *EKE *TIME *BUTTER *LISTEN *VIEW *VARIETY

To develop correct pronunciation of Japanese vowels, you will have to UN-learn some of what you know about pronouncing vowels in
English. Unlike English, each Japanese vowel has one and only one pronunciation.

If you know the phonetic alphabet, Japanese vowels will be easy because the pronunciation of A-I-U-E-O corresponds closely with the
phonetic alphabet symbols /a-i-u-e-o/.

If you have studied Spanish, Japanese vowel sounds will be easy because they are pronounced very much like the Spanish vowels in their
pure and simple pronunciations.

If you know neither the phonetic alphabet nor Spanish, please study the following until you have UN-learned your English pronunciation
habits and learned the correct Japanese pronunciation of each symbol.

A is ALWAYS pronounced like the English word “ah.” The syllables KA, MA, ZA, DA, JA all have the “ah” sound.
(BEWARE: Never say these syllables with the long “a” sound as in “hay, late”!)

I is ALWAYS pronounced like the vowel sound in the word “eek.” The syllables KI, MI, PI, NI, HI all have the “ee” sound.
(BEWARE: Never say these syllables with the long “i” sound as in “I, my, sigh”!)

17
U is ALWAYS pronounced like the sound in “who, you.” The syllables KU, SU, YU, MU, FU all have the “ew” sound, but without
rounding of the lips. If you want to develop native-like pronunciation, be sure to notice that the U in English uses
rounded lips, but the U in Japanese is spoken without rounded lips. It is a similar sound but with the lips left flat
and motionless.
(BEWARE: Never say these words with the “y” sound added in! MU is simply /mu/, not /myu/!

E is pronounced like the sound in “let” or “Ted.” So KE, ME, NE, SE, BE all have the “eh” /ε/ or /e/ sound.
(BEWARE: Never say these syllables with the “ee” sound as in “eek, meet”! Also, rather than the “strong” /e/
sound that is found in words like “steak, late,” the Japanese E sound is usually a bit more relaxed.)

O is ALWAYS pronounced like the sound in “oh.” Try KO, GO, YO, HO, BO with the pure “oh” pronunciation.
(BEWARE: Never say these syllables with the short /a/ sound as in “cog, lot.” NIHONGO must have a clear round
“oh” sound, as found in “Yoda, Joe”!)

A FINAL BEWARE! Never say any of these vowel sounds with the English schwa sound /ə/ as in “uh, but, does, love, among.”
This relaxed schwa sound does not exist in Japanese, but sometimes English speakers fall into the habit of using this sound by
mistake because it is so predominant in English.

1.1 Practice!

1. Listen to the following vowel syllables. Then, listen again, saying the syllables aloud. Afterwards, say the sequences aloud for yourself
and with a classmate, checking each other’s pronunciation.

1. A, I, U, E, O, I, E, O, A, U, E, O, U, A, I, U, E, I, O, A
2. I, E, I, E, U, YU, U, YU, A, E, A, E, O, A, O, A
3. MU, ME, MO, MA, MI, MYU, MU, ME, MA, MYU, MU, MA, ME, MI, ME, MO, MA
4. PA, PI, PU, PE, PO, PI, PE, PA, PO, PU, PYU, PE, PI, PA, PE, PYU, PU
5. KA, KI, KU, KE, KO, KAN, KIN, KUN, KEN, KON, KAN, KON, KIN, KEN, KON, KAN, KUN, KYUN

18
6. NON, NAN, NYU, NU, NIN, NEN, NAN, NON, NU, NYU, NEN, NIN
7. BON, MAN, NIN, PEN, GON, SAN, HON, SUN, MON, BIN, MEN

2. Explain some of the typical mispronunciations that English speakers make with each of the Japanese vowel sounds. How might a naïve
English speaker mispronounce each of the following words? [NIPPON, NIHONGO, KUPON, ICHI, MIYUKI, HIDEO, ASAKUSA] What are the
correct pronunciations?

1.2 Explain which vowels are sometimes “whispered” . . . U and I are sometimes whispered!

For English-speaker ears, some of the Japanese vowels seem to disappear. Namely, the two vowels [I, U] seem to “drop out” of certain
words.

Normally, ALL vowels in Japanese words are pronounced fully and purely as in the practices in 1.1 above. However, when [I] and [U]
come after consonants that are voiceless (like /s, k, p, f/), the vowel sound also becomes voiceless. That means that the vocal cords are
turned off and there is no voicing as we pronounce the vowel. The vowel is still there, but it is whispered rather than spoken aloud, so it is
not distinctly audible. The following words show examples of [I] and [U] vowels that are commonly whispered. The syllable containing
the whispered vowel is underlined. Note that when SU comes at the end of a word, the vowel is almost always whispered! (The syllables
are separated with dashes here to help you pronounce them more easily.)

Meaning Example Sounds like


seven SHI-CHI SH-CHI
Why? DO-U-SHI-TE DO-U-SHTE
tickets KIP-PU KHP-PU
That’s right. SO-U DE-SU SO-U DE-S
I have some. A-RI-MA-SU A-RI-MA-S
please KU-DA-SA-I K-DA-SA-I
fruit KU-DA-MO-NO K-DA-MO-NO

19
Whispered U and I appear most often in the syllables KU, KI, SU, SHI. You will gradually learn when to voice and when to whisper those
syllables. Your ears will soon pick up the patterns, but during the first few units, this text will underline syllables that contain
whispered vowels. In real Japanese, there are no underlines for whispered vowels. (Also, though syllables will be
separated by dashes until you learn all of the hiragana, real Japanese does not use dashes.)

1.2 Practice!

1. Listen to the following phrases. Then, listen again, saying them aloud as you listen. The whispered vowels are underlined. Can you
hear the rhythm of the whispered vowels even though they are not vocalized? Identify the syllable type that contains a whispered vowel in
each phrase. Notice that the intonation is relatively flat. Try not to accent any particular syllable.

SAM DESU HAJIMEMASHITE ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU OKITE KUDASAI


BECKY DESU KITE KUDASAI NEMASU AKITAGAWA
LEONARDO DESU HANASHITE KUDASAI TABEMASU KISSATEN

2. Now go back and say the phrases above out loud paying attention to the whispered vowels. For fun, try making up 5 words of your
own that look like Japanese and contain whispered vowels. Say them to a partner, and see if your partner can write them down correctly
in ROMAJI that matches what you wrote.

3. Say “thank you” and tell your name in Japanese using the whispered vowels at the end of the phrases.

1.3 Explain the 4 writing systems used in Japanese: Romaji, Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji
(Pay special attention to the words in bold below. Make sure you understand what they mean.)

HIRAGANA
Japanese children learn to write HIRAGANA at the beginning of their education. There are 46 HIRAGANA symbols,and each one
represents a syllable. That is why HIRAGANA is called a “syllabary” instead of an alphabet. For example, the symbols

20
か きくけこ represent the syllables /ka, ki, ku, ke, ko/. (Don’t forget to pronounce the vowels correctly.) The HIRAGANA writing
system is used mainly to write endings of words, and to write the pronunciation of hard to read KANJI. (When HIRAGANA is
written in small print above a KANJI word, it is called FURIGANA, and it is there for the sole purpose of helping you know how to
しんれいたいけん
pronounce the KANJI. For example: 心霊体験 In the Heian period of Japan (794 to circa 1190 A.D.), this system of writing was
the only one used by women. The famous novel “Tale of Genji” written by Lady Murasaki was originally written all in HIRAGANA.
The advantage of HIRAGANA is that it is almost totally phonetic; that is, it is pronounced exactly as it is written with only a few
exceptions. The disadvantage of HIRAGANA is that it does not represent the meaning of words like KANJI does.

あいうえお たちつてと まみむめも わ を


かきくけこ なにぬねの や ゆ よ ん
さしすせそ はひふへほ らりるれろ

ROMAJI abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz…..
Japanese children also learn to write the alphabet. In Japanese, our alphabet is called ROMAJI. ROMAJI literally means “Roman
letters.” (Did you know our alphabet was handed down from Latin?) It is important for Japanese students to learn ROMAJI early
on because they are required to learn English and other foreign languages as they progress through school. While ROMAJI is not
often used in everyday written Japanese, you will see many signs written in ROMAJI. The names of train stations are often
written in HIRAGANA and ROMAJI. Also, it is considered chic or interesting to use ROMAJI to in market products. Many fashion
designs include words written in ROMAJI just for their coolness factor. Acronyms from English or other languages are often
written in ROMAJI. For example, JAL (Japan Airlines) and NPO (non-profit organization) are common acronyms in Japanese.

KATAKANA
KATAKANA is another writing system used in Japan. Like HIRAGANA, it is a syllabary, and like HIRAGANA, KATAKANA consists of 46
symbols. The symbols represent exactly the same syllable sounds as HIRAGANA. Why does Japanese have a separate set of
KATAKANA symbols if they make the same sounds as HIRAGANA? While HIRAGANA is rounded and curvy and used for Japanese
words, KATAKANA is more angular and is used mainly to represent loanwords, words that are borrowed from other languages like
English, German, French, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, or Russian. For example, words like “café, wine, allegro, waltz, pancake, ski,

21
boots, necktie, soccer” are written in KATAKANA. This helps preserve their history as foreign loanwords. When you learn to write
your name, you will write it in KATAKANA because it is a foreign name. Another interesting use of KATAKANA is that it is sometimes
used for names of animals. This helps set such words apart and makes them more easily recognizable. Additionally, onomatopoeic
words like GATA GATA, KIRA KIRA are written in KATAKANA. Finally, KATAKANA was also used for writing names of females during
the Meiji and Taisho periods (roughly 1868 -- 1926). During that time, the “common people” usually did not know how to write
KANJI, so when they went to a government office to register the birth of a new child, they gave the name of the child orally, and the
government official would write down the name phonetically using KATAKANA. (HIRAGANA was considered too feminine for official
purposes.) Even today, you will meet a few elderly women whose names are written entirely in KATAKANA.

アイウエオ タチツテト マミムメモ ワ


カキクケコ ナニヌネノ ヤ ユ ヨ ン
サシスセソ ハヒフヘホ ラリルレロ

KANJI
Finally, the most complex writing system in Japanese is KANJI (Literally “Chinese letters”). These are the symbols that were
originally adopted from Chinese. Each symbol originally represented an idea or a word rather than a sound. This type of writing
system is therefore called “ideographic” or “logographic.” Sometimes a KANJI symbol will represent an entire word, as in 山
“mountain” or 人 “person.” Sometimes, it will represent just the root of a word and will be followed by the hiragana ending of the
word as in 読みます “read” where the HIRAGANA ending after the KANJI signifies that the word is a polite verb. Many times,
KANJI symbols are written in combinations, or compounds, where a single word is composed of 2 or 3 KANJI together as in 女性
“female,” 新発売 ”new products,” or 家族“family.” There are several disadvantages of KANJI. One is that in order to be
considered basically literate, you will need to learn nearly 2000 symbols! That could represent 3 to 6 years of full-time study!
Also, even if you know the meaning of certain KANJI, you may not know how to pronounce it. The advantage of KANJI is that
with one look, you can understand a whole concept. Also, KANJI encapsulate much of the history and culture of Japanese
language, and they are aesthetically valuable and intellectually intriguing!

今日はどこに行きますか。何を食べますか。美しい山に行ってきます。淋しいところが好きですよ。

22
1.3 Practice!

1. Now that you have read about the writing systems that constitute written Japanese, review the information you have read, take notes
on important points, tell a friend about the 4 systems, and then answer the review questions below to see how well you have understood
and remembered the information. Try not to look back at the explanations as you answer the questions.

1. What is the specific use of each writing system used in Japanese?


2. What is a syllabary? Which Japanese writing systems are syllabaries?
3. What is an ideographic writing system? Which writing system is ideographic/logographic?
4. Which system is the most complex and difficult to learn? Why?
5. Which system do you like the most at this point? Why?

1.4 Read and write five vowels in hiragana あ、い、う、え、お (The A-series)

Use the practices below to learn to read and write the 5 vowels in HIRAGANA. Note! DO NOT TAKE SHORTCUTS on the order of the
strokes used in writing. At the beginning, strict stroke order may not seem important, but as you get faster in writing, if you use the
wrong stroke order, your HIRAGANA may appear weird or illegible. Place great importance on stroke order now, be strict with yourself in
your practice, and you will avoid headaches later!

The vowels appear here in the same order as they appear in dictionaries (GO-JYUU-ON-ZU). Practice them in this order first, and then mix
them up and practice them in random order so that when they appear in real words, you can still read and write them easily.
A あ (3 strokes)
I い (2 strokes) TIP!
Use chart or graph paper as you practice writing the HIRAGANA and try to keep each symbol
U う (2 strokes)
the same size in relation to the other symbols.
E え (2 strokes)
O お (3 strokes)

23
1.4 Practice!

1. Use one of the many available websites or apps to find clear, animated writing instructions for あ、い、う、え、お. In general, stroke
order involves starting at the top left and working down and to the right as you write each symbol. In addition to stroke order, if you really
want to perfect your hiragana writing, pay attention to the ending of each stroke. Some strokes just end by stopping. Some strokes end
with a little “tail,” and some strokes end by drifting softly off into nothing. Stroke order is mandatory, but the endings of the strokes are
simply for beauty and aesthetics, and they also play heavily into Japanese calligraphy. Practice writing あ い う え お ten or twenty
times until the 5 vowels come easily and without conscious effort. Write them in order first, and then practice writing them in random
order. Notice a possible point of confusion! あ and お look somewhat similar; they both consist of 3 strokes. Look carefully at あ and お
and find as many differences as you can. Talk with a partner to identify the similarities and differences.

2. After you have practiced and feel confident writing all 5 vowels, change the following ROMAJI into HIRAGANA.

1. AOI 4. EI 7. IAE 10. OAIAU 13. OOIIU


2. UE 5. AU 8. UOAU 11. EOIIE 14. OUEII
3. OU 6. UA 9. EIUI 12. EEUA 15. AAIUUE

3. When you have become expert at writing the vowels in HIRAGANA, it should be easy for you to start reading them. Before you do the
following practice, please review the BEWARE statements in the pronunciation tips in Section 1.1 above. Read the words below out loud in
order. Then, read them again in random order. Be sure to pronounce each HIRAGANA vowel in its pure Japanese sound without
interference from your English vowel habits. Read the words in random order to a partner in the form of a dictation, and ask your partner
to check your pronunciation. Afterwards, check your partner’s spelling.
1. いうお 4. あおい 7. おああおう 10. いえおあう 13. いああえ
2. おうあい 5 . ええいあ 8. いえいえいい 11. うおえいあ 14. おあう
3. いいおお 6. おうああおい 9. うえうえい 12. ういあ 15. あえい

24
4. Write out the vowel sequences in #3 above in ROMAJI.

5. Listen and take dictation. Write exactly what you hear. After you do the dictation, use what you wrote to give the dictation to a
classmate, except this time, mix up the order of the words.

1.5 Four additional hiragana こ ん に ち

Let’s add 4 HIRAGANA that will allow you to start writing some complete words. Remember, that each HIRAGANA represents a syllable,
and each syllable has a pure vowel sound. こ (2 strokes) NI に (3 strokes) CHI (*TI) ち (2 strokes) N ん (1 stroke)
こ、に、and ち are easy to pronounce. Each of these is an entire syllable (a consonant and a vowel). They are pronounced: KO, NI, and
CHI*. (Remember the pure vowel sounds in these syllables.)

*(ち has two different Romanizations. CHI is the more modern Romanization and represents the correct pronunciation. TI is the older Romanization and represents the idea that this symbol is a
member of the TA-series, as in TA, TI, TU, TE, TO. Be prepared to recognize both forms of Romanization. You may use whichever one you find easiest.)

The one exception to the syllable rule is ん, which sounds like /n/ or sometimes like /m/. Although ん is the last HIRAGANA in the
Japanese syllabary, jump ahead and learn it now. This HIRAGANA only occurs at the end of syllables, as in: うん、 おん、 えん.
HIRAGANA ん represents a single sound rather than a whole syllable, but it is held for the same amount of time as any other syllable, so it
is given equal weight. (Technically, Japanese is made up of rhythmical units called “mora/morae” rather than syllables, but for
simplification we will call them syllables here.)

1.5 Practice!

1. Use a website or app with animation to learn and practice writing the following 4 HIRAGANA symbols. Learning these 4 HIRAGANA will
allow you to begin writing parts of the Japanese word for “hello,” KO-N-NI-CHI (WA). Practice writing ん、こ、に、and ち ten or twenty
times until all 4 become easy and effortless for you. Write them in random orders. Say them aloud as you write them.

25
2. When you have mastered こ、ん、に、ち, practice further by converting the ROMAJI below into HIRAGANA. Notice that NI and
syllable-final N may be tricky at first. To help, a short dash is placed between morae/syllables so you can see which is NI and which is –N.
The dash will also help you separate the syllables as you pronounce.

Important note: Remember that the dash is used here only as a learning help. In real Japanese writing, there are no such
dashes. (As a matter of fact, as you will see later, there are not even any spaces between words in Japanese writing. The dash will be
omitted as soon as you learn most of the HIRAGANA.)
1. KON-NI-CHI 4. CHIN-NI-KO 7. U-CHIN-KO-E 10. NI-NIN-AN-ON 13. O-IN-KON-E-O
2. NIN-KO-CHI 5. NI-CHIN-KO 8. EN-NIN-KON-AN 11. KOU-EN-I-I-NI-I 14. KA-CHI-OU-E
3. CHI-KO-NIN 6. A-NI-KON-CHI-U 9. UN-E-KO-KON-I 12. U-UN-CHI-A-EN 15. KO-CHI-CHI-I-UN

3. Now, go back and see if you can read the “words” you just wrote for #2 above. Read the HIRAGANA words aloud in random order.
Repeat them in various random orders until you can read them easily without stopping to think.

4. Practice reading the following nonsense words aloud. Again, read them in random order until you can read them all quickly and
smoothly. Read them with a partner. Read them in backwards, sideways, and upside down orders! The first box contains words written
horizontally (YOKO-GAKI style); read them from left to right. The second box contains the same words written vertically (TATE-GAKI
style); read them from right to left.

うんこん あんいこんにこん にうんここ うんにあおうに ちあんえこうえ


ちこちえん あんにこにちん ちんちんこんこん おうあんにこ あおいこん
おおえん あちこちうえ にちこんこえ うこんあにうに こんにちこにんち

ああにいにん こあちうにえ おうこにあお こうんえんに おいちにんえん


おにいこ ちおえんにち こんにちちに ちこんあんえお おいおうこうん
あこうこちえ ううちあおこ あえんちこ においあうこん こちえにこん

26
こ お お こ あ ち に ち こ お う あ こ お に ち に う ち こ あ あ あ お あ お ち う
ち い い ん お あ お こ う う ん え ん う ち ん う う お あ ん ん こ に あ お こ ん
え お ち に い ん い ん ん あ に ん に こ こ ち ん ち え ち に い う い に え ち こ
に う に ち こ え あ あ え ん あ ち ち あ ん ん こ あ ん う こ こ こ こ い ん え ん
こ こ ん こ ん こ う ん ん に お こ ち お こ こ こ お に に に ん ち に ん
ん う え に う こ え に こ う に え ん こ ち え ち に え ん
ん ん ん え ん お に こ ん こ
ち ん ん

5. Write the nonsense words in #4 above in ROMAJI. Can you convert them to their correct ROMAJI forms? (You may use either Romaji
option for ち.)

6. Listen to nonsense words and write them down as a dictation. Then use what you have written and give the same dictation to a
partner. After, you finish giving the dictation, check to see that your partner spelled the words the same way you did.

1.6 First phrases: Say “hello” Introduce yourself Introduce a friend


(1) こんにち WA (2) HA-JI-ME-MA-SHI-TE (5) こち RA WA ~SA ん DE-SU
(3) ~DE-SU
(4) DO う ZO YO-RO-SHI-KU

Preview the 5 phrases above. As you begin to learn to speak, try your best to avoid thinking in English and avoid trying to translate each
word. It is better to “get the feeling” of the phrases from the context. In the following practices, you will start to understand how to use
these 5 phrases. Before you go on to the practices, use your pronunciation expertise to pronounce each phrase. Get each one “in your
mouth” now, and in the following practices, you will get the phrases “in your mind.”

27
The phrases are written in a combination of HIRAGANA and ROMAJI. As you learn more HIRAGANA, new phrases will appear without
ROMAJI. The whispered vowels in the phrases are underlined.

Notes on the phrases:

こんにち WA This phrase is used as a greeting throughout the afternoon hours. (Different phrases are used to greet people in
the morning and in the evening.) The literal (word for word) translation of 「こんいち WA」is: “as for this day”

HA-JI-ME-MA-SHI-TE . . . DO-う-ZO YO-RO-SHI-KU


Both of these phrases are used in the context of meeting someone for the first time. You can use just one, or you
can use them both. They are fairly interchangeable. The literal translations of the phrases are interesting. The
first, HAJIMEMASHITE, comes from the verb HAJIMERU, meaning “to begin or start something.” The second,
DOUZO YOROSHIKU, relates to the idea of being in someone’s care. The longer version of the phrase is:
「DO-う-ZO YO-RO-SHI-KU お-NE-GA-い SHI-MA-SU」, literally meaning: “Please, I beg you to treat me well.”

~DE-SU This is a copula (a verb of “being”). Japanese verbs do not have inflections for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person or for
number (singular/plural) like the verbs of English, Spanish, German, Russian, Italian, and many other European
languages. Instead of having to learn 4 separate forms of the “be” verb (“am, is, are, be”) like in English, you
simply need to know DE-SU. It stays the same whether you are talking about yourself, about someone else, or
about several other people.

こち-RA WA こち-RA is a “pointing word” (a deictic word). It is used to point out someone you are talking about. When it
~SA-ん DE-SU stands alone, we don’t know exactly who it refers to. When you use こち-RA, you should somehow indicate who it
is that you are talking about. This usually means pointing or gesturing toward the person you are referring to.

WA is a grammatical indicator called a “particle.” You will learn more about Japanese particles later.

28
The word SA-ん is an “honoring word” that is used after people’s names. You should never use SA-ん with your own
name! (Note: in English, we put titles and honoring words before people’s names, but in Japanese, honoring words
always come after the name.)

You should always use SA-ん or another “honoring word” after other people’s names. Alternate “honoring words”
are: SE-ん-SE-い (for a teacher or doctor), SA-MA (for an important guest or dignitary), CHA-ん (for a small child or
intimate friend), KU-ん (for a boy or a male friend who is younger than you). There are many other such titles of
address beyond the ones listed above, but for now, just remember that you must use an honoring word whenever
you address someone or talk about someone else. (If you are interested, look up information on Japanese
honorifics or titles of address. The titles of address reveal much about the culture and history of Japan.)

1.6 Practice!

1. Look at the conversation in the following box. Three people (A SA-ん, B SA-ん, and C SA-ん) are meeting and greeting each other.
Note that B-san and C-san are already friends, but A-san is a “new face.” Read their conversation to yourself, and using context, try to
guess what they are saying. Read the conversation again out loud with 2 partners, and discuss what you think the 3 people are saying.
Do not try to figure out each separate word; just try to get the main idea of each phrase. As you read out loud, remember to pronounce
the vowels correctly. In general, try to pronounce each syllable with more or less the same tone without accenting any particular syllable.
Also, watch for whispered vowels. They are underlined and written in plain rather than bold font. In Japanese, the period at the end of a
sentence looks like a small circle  。 (Call the period「MA-RU」(“circle”).

29
CONVERSATION:

A - SAん : (Talking to B - SAん and C - SAん ) こんにち WA 。

B - SAん : (Talking to A - SAん) こんにち WA 。

C - SAん : (Talking to A - SAん) こんにち WA 。

A - SAん : HA-JI-ME-MA-SHI-TE 。 Justi ん DE-SU 。 DO-う-ZO YO-RO-SHI-KU 。

B - SAん : HA-JI-ME-MA-SHI-TE 。 TA-NA-KA DE-SU 。 DO-う-ZO YO-RO-SHI-KU 。

B - SAん : (Pointing to C - SAん) こち RA WA Rose-a ん - SA ん DESU。

A - SAん : (Talking to C - SAん) HA-JI-ME-MA-SHI-TE 。

C - SAん : (Talking to A -SAん) HA-JI-ME-MA-SHI-TE 。 DO-う-ZO YO-RO-SHI-KU 。

2. With 2 partners, practice saying the conversation in #1 above several times until you no longer need to look at the text. Role-play the
conversation standing up and acting it out appropriately. After you have done it several times and feel confident, try switching roles and
doing it again until each partner feels confident doing any of the 3 roles.

3. Now, do the same conversation (from #1) again, but fill in your real names. Switch partners so that you get introduced to many
different people in the class.

30
4. Try your best to write the conversation (in #1) out from memory using a combination of HIRAGANA and ROMAJI. Then go back and
check the original to see how accurate your spelling is. For any words or phrases that you had trouble with, write them out 5 times each
or until you are sure of yourself.

5. Listen 5 times to a conversation between 4 people. It will vary a bit from the conversation you practiced. After you listen, answer
these questions: What are the 4 people’s names? Who spoke first? Who spoke second? What is the name of the man speaker?

1.7 Use body language to back up what you are saying as you greet people and make introductions

As you may know, bowing is very common in Japanese culture. Bowing is used to show respect for others. The rules of bowing involve
knowing who has higher status or who is older and younger, etc., but you don’t need to know all the rules right now. The main idea is
that you should bow whenever you say hello or good-bye, and you should bow whenever you meet someone for the first time.

Head nodding is also an extremely important part of body language (a paralinguistic feature) in Japanese. You should nod your head
often to show that you are listening and engaged in conversations. (The typical Japanese head-nod moves down-and-up rather than up-
and-down!)

1.7 Practice!

1. Find a short video clip on the Internet that shows a Japanese conversation. Without paying much attention to what people are saying,
try observing when and how they bow and nod their heads. After you have analyzed the body language of the clip, try watching it again,
and bow or head nod at the same time the actors in the video are bowing and head nodding. (Try to do a kind of “body language synch”!)
Show your clip to a partner and see if your partner counts the same numbers as you counted.

2. Go back to the conversation you practiced in 1.6 above, and work with a partner to see where bowing and head nodding would be
appropriate in the conversation. How many times do you think bowing and head nodding should occur in the entire interaction? Redo the
role-play with your partners, adding bowing and head nodding. Hint: too much is better than too little!

31
Bonus

Fun phrase to try out on your friends: WATASHI WA にんJA DESU!

Notes on Unit 1

Items I still need to practice:

Items I have further questions about:

Items I just need to review:

32
Unit 1 Review Quiz

Before you do the review quiz below, go back through Unit 1 and re-read and re-practice any areas where you still lack confidence or any
areas that you may have forgotten. Then, try the quiz below to see how well you have mastered the competencies of this unit. If you
have trouble in certain areas, please be sure to go back and perfect them.

1. Read the following HIRAGANA sequences aloud. Then, write them in ROMAJI.

あんいこんにこん うんにあおうに ちあんえこうえ ちこちえん おうあんにこ


にうんここ あんにこにちん ちんちんこんこん おおえん あちこちうえ

2. Read the following ROMAJI vowel sequences aloud. Then, write them in HIRAGANA.

AOI UE UA IAE UOAU


OU EI AU EIUI OAIAU

3. Write a simple conversation using a combination of HIRAGANA and ROMAJI. Create a conversation that includes the following.
[Say hello Introduce yourself Introduce someone else Say “It’s nice to meet you” in two different ways]

4. With 2 partners, role play saying hello, introducing yourself, and introducing someone else. Be sure to include body language!
Focus on both fluency and accuracy!

5. Explain/describe the uses of each of the writing systems of Japanese.

6. Listen to nonsense words and write them down as dictation.

33
Unit 2

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

2.1. Talk to and talk about a teacher SE-ん-SE-い 2.5. Understand and be able to use 5 new phrases in
conversation and writing.
2.2. Read and write the KA-series お HA-YO-う GO-ZA-い-MA-SU。 SHI-TSU-RE-い DE-SU GA. . .
お-NA-MA-え WA NA-ん DE-SU KA。 SHI-TSU-RE-い SHI-MA-SU。
か、き、く、け、こ (KA, KI, KU, KE, KO) SA-YO-NA-RA。

2.3. Four additional hiragana 2.6. A polite way to ask someone’s name
さ よ な ら (SA, YO, NA, RA) お-な-MA-え WA なん DE-SU か。

2.4. Read and write 5 additional “piggy-backed” hiragana in 2.7. Say hello in the morning お-HA-よ-う ご-ZA-い-MA-SU。
random mixed orders and combinations
が、ぎ、ぐ、げ、ご (GA, GI, GU, GE, GO) 2.8. Say good-bye. さよなら or
SHI-TSU-RE-い SHI-MA-SU。

2.9. Read and write 1 KANJI word (下さい) and use phrases
that are helpful for classroom interaction as given in the
following chart

34
Your SE-ん-SE-い says: You may want to say:

~~ PEえJI お MI-TE KU-DA-SAい。 MOう いCHI DO いT-TE KU-DA-SAい。


KIいTE KU-DA-SAい。 YUK-KU-RI いT-TE KU-DA-SAい。
WA-KA-RI-MA-SHI-TA KA. CHOT-TO WA-KA-RI-MA-SEん。
おおKIい こえ DE いT-TE KU-DA-SAい。 ~~ WA にHOんGO DE NAん TO いいMA-SU KA。
おおKIい こえ DE YOんDE KU-DA-SAい。 ~~ WA えいGO DE NAん TO いいMA-SU KA。

2.1 Talk to and talk about a teacher SE-ん-SE-い

As mentioned in Unit 1, terms of address (honoring words) must be used when you talk to someone, and many times when you talk about
someone. You should start calling your teacher by the honoring word SE-ん-SE-い. In English, we put the honoring word or title in front
of the name, but in Japanese it always comes after. (Many words in Japanese and English come in reverse order from each other.) In
English, you might say, “Professor Tanaka.” In Japanese, you should say, “TA-NA-KA SE-ん-SE-い .”

2.1 Practice!

1. Speak with a partner. Point to various classmates and to your teacher and tell your partner their names. If you don’t know their
names, make them up! Use SA-ん and Se-ん-SE-い accordingly. Use the phrase: ~~DE-SU。

2. Speak with a partner. Using “JAPANGLISH,” tell your partner the names of all your professors. See how many professors you have in
common. Use the pattern: 「My English SE-ん-SE-い WA (Jones) SE-ん-SE-い DE-SU 。」

35
3. Raise your hand and get your Japanese teacher’s attention using your teacher’s name and the honoring word. Then, once you have
your teacher’s attention, greet your teacher and introduce your partner to your teacher.

4. Write 「SE-ん-SE-い 」5 times using a combination of ROMAJI and HIRAGANA.

2.2 Read and write the KA-series か、き、く、け、こ (KA, KI, KU, KE, KO)

After あ、い、う、え、お the next 5 symbols in the HIRAGANA syllabary are か、き、く、け、こ . (Since you already know the last
one, you only need to learn 4 new symbols.) Now that you know the order and pronunciations of the vowel sounds, learning the rest of
the HIRAGANA is simply a matter of adding various consonant sounds in front of the vowels to make new syllables. For the KA-series, add
the /k/ sound at the beginning of each of the vowel syllables. To get started, か will be pronounced KA (K + あ sound), so we will call
this the KA-series. Knowing the pronunciation of the first HIRAGANA in the series, the other 4 HIRAGANA can be pronounced using the
other 4 vowels in the same order you have practiced them (き = K + い, etc.).

Notice that KI and KO can be written in two different styles: き or き and こ ,こ or こ.


き In print style, the 3rd and 4th strokes are joined together as き. In handwriting, the 3rd and 4th strokes may be either joined or left
separate as き. In the very beginning, please practice this HIRAGANA with separated strokes until you learn the 4 strokes fully. Then,
later, if you like, you can begin writing it conjoined.
こ In print style, the 2 strokes are left rather open and separate, but in handwriting, they may be left open, or they may be attached こ.
Here too, it is better in the beginning to practice this HIRAGANA as 2 separated strokes until you fully learn it.

Find examples of both print and handwriting styles and see which style you prefer. Be prepared to read both styles!

KA か (3 strokes) KI き (4 strokes) KU く (1 stroke) KE け (3 strokes) KO こ (2 strokes)

36
2.2 Practice!

1. Use one of the many available websites or apps to find clear, animated writing instructions for the HIRAGANA in the “KA series.”
Remember to pay close attention to stroke order (starting near the top left and working down and to the right as you write each symbol).
Be strict in your own training as this will help you to become a beautiful writer. Also, remember to pay attention to the ending of each
stroke (simple stop, little “tail,” or drifting softly off into nothing). Practice writing か き く け こ ten or twenty times until the K-series
comes easily and without conscious effort. Write the symbols in order first, and then practice writing them in random order. Finally,
practice writing the A-series and the KA-series in order and in random orders.

2. After you have practiced and feel confident, write the following ROMAJI nonsense words in HIRAGANA. (Note: some of the following
contain only the K-series, but some of them contain simple vowels and the other HIRAGANA you have learned as well.)

1. KI-KU 4. KE-KI 7. I-KE-A 10. CHI-KUN-I-KA 13. E-KAN-KI-O-CHI


2. KA-KI 5. KE-KU-KA 8. KU-O-AN-KI-U 11. KUN-NI-A-KI 14. A-KU-NI-U-KO
3. KO-KA 6. KO-A-KU-KIN 9. KI-I-KEN-I-KA 12. KE-KAN-E-KU 15. ON-KU-E-A-KE

3. When it becomes easy for you to write both the A-series and the KA-series, it is an easy step to start reading them. Before you do the
following practice, do a self-check. Are you remembering to pronounce the vowels in the KA-series in their pure Japanese pronunciations
without interference from your English vowels? A) Read following set of words aloud to yourself in order and then again in random order.
B) Read them out loud to a partner in random order, and have your partner find the words you are saying. C) Read the words out loud to
a partner in the form of a dictation. Have your partner write them down as you say them. Then, check your partner’s spelling. D) Point to
random words with a partner and see who can say the word first.
1. かにこう 4. くきにえこ 7. にけこんちい 10. かんこうかく 13. けちくえいきん
2. けんかくち 5. きこえんか 8. かんかんこ 11. いけあきけん 14. きにこうかん
3. こにちく 6. こうえんか 9. あちこちく 12. いちくうこう 15. かあけいこうこ

4. Go back and write the nonsense words in #3 above, transliterating them to ROMAJI.

37
5. Listen to nonsense words, and write them down as a dictation exercise. After you do the dictation, use what you wrote to give the
dictation to a classmate, except this time, mix up the order of the words.

6. Start learning how to keyboard HIRAGANA. Learn to open a language bar on your computer, and learn how to switch between English
and Japanese. When in Japanese hiragana mode, you can type in Romaji and then push “enter” to convert the Romaji to Japanese.

2.3 Four additional hiragana さ よ な ら (SA, YO, NA, RA)

Now we will add 4 new HIRAGANA that will allow you to start writing the word for “good-bye.”
SA さ (3 strokes) YO よ (2 strokes) NA な (4 strokes) RA ら (2 strokes)

2.3 Practice!

1. For the following 4 HIRAGANA, use a website or app with animation to learn and practice writing the symbols. Again, you will find
some variation between the print style and the handwriting style, especially for さ and ら. Please practice writing both さ and ら with
separated strokes for now, but be prepared to read them in both styles. Practice writing these 4 HIRAGANA ten or twenty times until they
become easy and effortless for you. Write them in random orders. Say them aloud as you write them.

2. When you have fully mastered the 4 new symbols, write the ROMAJI nonsense word below in HIRAGANA.

1. YO-SA-RA-NA 4. KE-SA-KU-NI-YO 7. U-YO-CHI-KE-YO 10. NA-YO-RA-KU-SA 13. YO-U-NA-KA-SA


2. NA-KA-SAN-RA 5. RA-NI-KON-A-SA 8. A-SA-NI-RA-KU 11. SA-YO-NA-RA 14. O-O-KI-I-SA-YO-KU
3. CHI-RA-KI-NA 6. YO-YO-SA-KA-NA 9. NA-A-E-SA-YO-KU 12. SA-KE-KO-CHI 15. U-RA-NA-YO-SA

3. Read the HIRAGANA “words” you wrote in #2 above aloud. Read them in random order, and keep reading them in random order until
you can read them all easily without stopping to think.

38
4. Practice reading the following nonsense words aloud. Again, read them in random order until you can read them all quickly and
smoothly. Read them with a partner. Read them backwards, sideways, and upside down! Read the first box, which contains words written
horizontally (YOKO-GAKI), from left to right. Read the second box with the words written vertically (TATE-GAKI style) from right to left.

こらよさん こらさくよう こうこうさき こううんかさ こんにちなら


さらさらよ ようなかさあ さけさかなか えきにちくちく こけここけこん
よくならさ おえんによさ くらくらなあ ちかいうちに あんなにさらさら

ききにくいよ さくちくらな さようならか うちからちかいよ あおいかさか


かなこにこら さらさらように よくならさあ ならちかくさ おおいさかなよ
えこさいいよ よよかこいいに けちけちさあ おなかかさよなら なさないかきさ

あ あ こ こ う ち え さ お よ こ え か よ
お ん け ん な ち こ よ さ く さ さ く え う ら き く さ こ
お か き け こ な ら
お い な こ に な ら か い に う ち く よ ら け こ よ ら ち ん な さ さ こ き な ら
な か に こ ち ち ら う な う く さ う よ さ く に か く に ら さ よ
お か う ち け い に さ
さ い さ さ け な か か ち ち く ん ち ら な ら か こ か ら ら よ さ よ い こ く さ ら
な か ら こ ら く か か さ ら な な う こ よ な さ あ う い よ ん
さ さ に ち さ さ よ ら
い か さ ん よ さ い く あ あ か あ さ い う よ
か な ら な よ き い に
き よ ら に

5. Transliterate the HIRAGANA nonsense words in #4 above into their correct ROMAJI forms and compare your work with that of a
partner.

39
6. Listen to nonsense words as a dictation and write down what you hear. Then use what you have written to give the same dictation to
a partner. Check to see that your partner spelled the words the same as you did.

2.4 Read and write 5 additional “piggy-backed” hiragana in random mixed orders and combinations が、ぎ、ぐ、げ、ご
(GA, GI, GU, GE, GO)

Piggy-back! The next 5 HIRAGANA are the GA-series. Now that you know か、き、く、け、こ, we can piggy-back on those 5 to learn 5
more: GA が, GI ぎ, GU ぐ, GE げ, and GO ご . Consider them “freebies”!

We can change the pronunciation of KA-KI-KU-KE-KO /ka, ki, ku, ke, ko/ into GA-GI-GU-GE-GO /ga, gi, gu, ge, go/ (all with “hard ‘g’
sounds”) by simply adding a cute little trick called the TEN-TEN (actually called DA-KU-TEN). The TEN-TEN is a pair of small lines that are
written near the top right side of the HIRAGANA. They look a bit like English quotation marks, except they angle out instead of in. The job
of the TEN-TEN is to change the sound of the voiceless /k/ into a sound that uses the vocal cords. To feel how this works, place your
fingers on your “Adam’s apple”. This is on your throat right by your vocal cords. When you say /k, k, k, k/, you might feel some muscle
movement, but you should not feel any vibrations in your vocal cords. (Be careful not to add any vowel sounds; just the consonant.) Now
keep your fingers on your Adam’s apple, but instead of /k, k, k, k/, say /g, g, g, g/. You should feel that your mouth is making exactly the
same movements as it made for /k/, but now, your vocal cords are vibrating. Can you feel the difference with your fingers?

If we write the KA-series and add a TEN-TEN with each symbol, we have 5 new sounds (GA, GI, GU, GE, GO) without having to learn any
new HIRAGANA. Very cost-effective! Remember that these are all “hard” sounds; none of them has the “soft” sound!

BEWARE! Typical point of confusion: When you write ぎ, it will always sound like the hard ‘g’ sound found in words like “gizmo, forget,
egg, good.” It will never be the soft ‘g’ sound as in “giraffe, edge, forge.”

40
2.4 Practice!

1. Use a website or app with animation to learn and practice writing the GA-series symbols with the TEN-TEN. Pay attention to the
location and angle of the TEN-TEN (2 short strokes). Practice writing the “GA-series” five or ten times or until they become easy and
effortless for you. Write them in random orders. Say them aloud as you write them. Then, write the entire A-, KA-, and GA-series in
order. This order is important since it is the order in which you can look up words in the dictionary. After you write the 15 symbols in
order several times, write them in random orders.

2. Convert the ROMAJI nonsense words below into HIRAGANA.


1. GA-KI-KU-GO 4. YO-GI-GU-SA-NI 7. GUN-GUN-SA-RA 10. GA-KE-GEN-CHI 13. GU-RA-GU-RA-KU
2. GE-GU-KA-GA 5. KA-GU-CHI-GEN 8. GO-E-NA-KUN 11. KU-CHI-GU-RA 14. GO-GO-ON-NA
3. KU-GA-GI-KE 6. GO-RA-KU-EN-NA 9. SA-GI-YO-KU-NA 12. YO-YO-GI-KO-U 15. KU-GI-GA-NA-YO

3. Now, go back and see if you can read the “words” you wrote in #2 above. Read your words aloud. Read them in random order.
Continue reading them in random order until you can read all the words easily without stopping to process.

41
4. Practice reading the “words” below aloud. Now that you are acquiring more and more HIRAGANA, some of the words are actually real
words! Again, read them straight through and then again in random order until you can read them all quickly and smoothly. Read them
with a partner. Read them in backwards, sideways, upside down, and inside out orders! Read the words written horizontally (YOKO-GAKI),
from left to right and the words written vertically (TATE-GAKI style) from right to left.

ごおんがぎく がちんこん こちらがけ こあちごら こかげぎら


よさこいから ぐうぐうかん さなぐよぎん えいがごらん にこにこかよ

さにきあかぐ およこけいご くちぐがら ちちにぐらく あにごうらげ

なくげらげら さんちくようが かながきがん うらにぎよち あさごにちぎ


さよならきく らげんこんよ よらにちごよ なおらぐち おにぎらぐかん
がらがらんき げらげらさらさら けけぐごらく おけいおけい なよさけこんこん

あ に お が が さ さ
あ に こ こ な う え こ よ か く さ ら よ ぐ ち な に よ ご
さ お ら け さ ら よ お
お ご に か け お ち い あ け ら な ち な こ げ け こ う ん が な く き さ
な ご う こ げ ら に ち が ち に が ぐ ぐ ち ら ん ん け ぐ こ げ あ こ ん
に に い ぎ ぐ ち ら ら が

ぎ ら か ぎ お ぐ に ご ご ご ち く が よ ら げ こ い う ん ん き ら か い
さ ち げ よ ら ち よ ぐ ら ら ご が ら ぎ が ら ん く ご か げ ぐ か ぎ
け ら ぎ け ち ら け よ よ き く ら ら く
こ ぐ い ら ん く よ ん ん さ う ん
ん か く ら が
こ ん さ
ん ら

42
5. Transliterate the words in #4 above to ROMAJI.

6. Listen and take dictation of the words you hear. Then use what you have written to give the same dictation to a partner. Check to
see that your partner spelled the words the same as you did.

7. Practice keyboarding the A-, KA-, and GA-series in order. Also, practice keyboarding the words in #4 above.

2.5 Understand and be able to use 5 new phrases in conversation and writing.

(1) SHI-TSU-RE-い DE-SU が . . . (3) お-な-MA-え WA なん DE-SU か。


A polite phrase used to open a conversation

(2) お-HA-よ-う ご-ZA-い-MA-SU。 (4) さ-よ-な-ら。 (5) SHI-TSU-RE-い SHI-MA-SU。

When you want to approach someone you don’t know and want to ask them a question, before you ask your question, use the phrase
「SHI-TSU-RE-い DE-SU が . . .」 You can use this phrase before you ask someone their name, before you ask what time it is, or
before you ask where to find a bathroom! The literal meaning is “This is rude of me, but…..” (Since it literally means “rudeness,” you
can also use it jokingly when a friend says or does something funny and you want to tease them about being rude.)

Notes on pronunciation of SHI-TSU-RE-い DE-SU が.. . :

*Think of phrase in terms of 7 separate syllables, SHI-TSU-RE-I DE-SU GA. Pronounce each one with equal timing and intonation.
*The 1st syllable「SHI」is whispered. It will sound more like SH, but make it with you lips in a smiling position so that it is obvious
that the い-sounding vowel is there even though it is not voiced.

43
*The 2nd syllable「TSU」contains a /ts/ sound. In English, this sound only comes at the end of syllables, as in the words: “boots,
kits, knots.” Say those words aloud and listen to the last /ts/ sound. This is the sound you want to make in the syllable TSU,
but in Japanese, it comes at the beginning of the syllable, so re-adjust your pronunciation patterns so you can shift the sound
to a new position in your mouth. Remember that the う sound in TSU is un-rounded and pronounced with flat lips. Don’t let
your lips stick out like they do for the English /u/ sound.
*The 3rd syllable「RE」contains a consonant that is somewhere between /r/ and /l/ and /d/. Do NOT move your lips when you
say RE, only your tongue.
*Don’t forget to pronounce the 4th syllable「 い」.
*In the word DE-SU there is a whispered vowel. Do you remember how the word should be pronounced?
*The final word GA is sometimes pronounced with a bit of nasalization on the /g/ making it sound more like /ng/. You do not need
To pronounce it this way, but don’t be surprised if you hear some Japanese people pronounce it as /nga/.

2.5 Practice!

1. Get the phrase「SHI-TSU-RE-い DE-SU が . . .」“in your mouth” by repeating it 6 or 8 times, paying attention to the pronunciation
tips above. Whispered vowels?

2. Get the phrase 「SHI-TSU-RE-い DE-SU が . . .」“in your mind” by approaching various classmates suddenly, interrupting them
with 「SHI-TSU-RE-い DE-SU が . . .」and then saying hello to them. Add a slight bow as you say the phrases.

3. Get the phrase 「SHI-TSU-RE-い DE-SU が . . .」“in your memory and in your hands” by writing it down 5 times, using a
combination of ROMAJI and HIRAGANA.

44
2.6 A polite way to ask someone’s name* お-な-MA-え WA なん DE-SU か。
*In authentic Japanese conversations, the phrase [お-な-MA-え WA なん DE-SU か。] is usually shortened to a less direct and more culturally appropriate version. The phrase
introduced here is a grammatically and culturally accessible first version for learners; however, it is more natural to hear one of the following  “お-な-MA-え WA?”  “NAN TO IU
ONAMAE DESUKA?”  “YOKATTARA ONAMAE O OSHIETE KUDASAI.”

When you ask someone’s name, preface your question with the phrase: SHI-TSU-RE-い DE-SU が . . .
Then, you can ask their name by saying: お-な-MA-え WA なん DE-SU か。

Notice that the question contains an interrogative word 「なん」. Also, notice that Japanese writing does not use question marks.
Instead of a written question mark, the sentence simply ends with a MA-RU. Instead of a question mark, the sentence ends with a
question particle 「 か」. The sole job of this particle is to indicate that you are asking a question.

The word O-NA-MA-E should be pronounced carefully, giving each vowel a clear pronunciation. The first syllable of the word is an honorific
prefix. In older American cartoons, Asian characters were often portrayed saying such things as: “I would like to see your honorable
donkey.” The word “honorable” was a stereotyped way of indicating some of the highly complex honorifics that are found in Japanese
(and other Asian languages). For our purposes here, you should learn that when you use the prefix お- before a word, you are always
talking about someone else or someone else’s belongings. You should never use this prefix before words referring to yourself or your own
belongings. When you say 「 お-な-MA-え」it means someone else’s “honorable name,” but when you refer to your own name, you
should simply say「な-MA-え」without using the honorific prefix お- !

2.6 Practice!

1. Write out the phrase「おな-MA-え WA なん DE-SU か。」6 or 8 times, or until you can write it easily. Pronounce it aloud as you
write it.

2. Approach various classmates and your SE-ん-SE-い . Use the 2 phrases below to ask people their names.
SHI-TSU-RE-い DE-SU が . . . お-な-MA-え WA なん DE-SU か。
Tell others your name using this pattern  Ophelia DE-SU。 David DE-SU。

45
3. Get in a group with 3 other people. Ask the person next to you his/her name, and then introduce that person to someone else in your
group. Greet each other appropriately as you make introductions.

2.7 Say hello in the morning お-HA-よ-う ご-ZA-い-MA-SU。

In English, we say “hi” or “hello” at any time of the day. In Japanese, there are 3 different ways to say hello, depending on the time of
day. In the morning, instead of saying 「 こんにち WA 」, you should say 「お-HA-よう ご-ZA-い-MA-SU」 . (Notice the whispered
vowel in the last syllable.)

2.7 Practice!

1. Write out the phrase「お-HA-よう ご-ZA-い-MA-SU。」6 or 8 times, remembering to pronounce it aloud as you write. Also,
remember to put the MARU (KU-TO-U-TEN punctuation) at the end of the sentence.

2. Listen and take dictation. Write out the phrases you hear using a combination of HIRAGANA and ROMAJI. After you do the dictation,
check your spelling against that of a classmate.

2.8 Say good-bye. さよなら or SHI-TSU-RE-い SHI-MA-SU。

There are quite a few ways to say good-bye in Japanese. Mostly, it depends on the formality of the situation and the relationship of the
speakers. The default expression is さよなら . This expression works well in all situations.

When you want to say good-bye to someone in a more polite way, for example, when you are saying good-bye to someone older than you
or to your SE-ん-SE-い, the phrase「 SHI-TSU-RE-い SHI-MA-SU 」is a perfect way to say good-bye. Other common informal “good-
bye” phrases are: 「JYA-あ NE-え。 JYA-あ MA-TA。 SO-RE DE WA, MA-TA。」

46
2.8 Practice!

1. Think of various friends’ names. Write out your friends’ names adding「さん」 +「 さよなら」to each one. Write each phrase 6 or 8
times, pronouncing aloud as you write.

2. Pronounce 「SHI-TSU-RE-い SHI-MA-SU 」 aloud very slowly and carefully 5 times. Then, say it again 5 more times much more
quickly and fluently. Remember to put your lips in a smiling position on the first syllable of each word (SHI-). Also, remember to whisper
the last syllable (-SU).

3. Think of 5 different professors’ or older people’s names. Write out their names with 「さん or SE-ん-SE-い 」and then add
「SHI-TSU-RE-い SHI-MA-SU」. Write each phrase 6 or 8 times, pronouncing aloud as you write.

4. Prepare to do the following role play with 5 different classmates. Here is the situation. It is 10:00 AM and you are meeting the others
for the first time. Greet them, ask them their names, express pleasure in meeting them, and then say good-bye. Experiment by saying
good-bye in two different ways. Bow several times as you engage in each conversation. Include all of the expressions listed below in your
role play. As a new challenge, they are written entirely in HIRAGANA. Hopefully, you know the phrases well enough to be able to decipher
them. (Whispered vowels are underlined.)

おはよう ございます。 しつれい ですが、おなまえは なん ですか。 はじめまして。 どうぞよろしく。


さよなら。 しつれいします。

47
5. Read the following conversation aloud with a partner 7 or 8 times. Pay attention to whispered vowels (even though they are not
underlined here). Read very slowly and carefully the first 3 times through. Then repeat 4 or 5 times building up speed and fluency with
each repetition.

A: お-HA-よ-う ご-ZA-い-MA-SU。
B: お-HA-よ-う ご-ZA-い MA-SU。
A: SHI-TSU-RE-い DE-SU が、SE-ん-SE-い DE-SU か。
B: HA い、SE-ん-SE-い DE-SU.
A: SHI-TSU-RE-い DE-SU が、おな MA え WA なん DE-SU か。
B: なかさき DE-SU. DO-う ZO よ-RO-SHI-く。
A: なかさき SE-ん-SE-い DE-SU か。 DO-う-ZO よ-RO-SHI-く。
B: さよなら。
A: さよなら。

6. Write an original short conversation that includes at least 8 different phrases you have learned. Use a combination of ROMAJI and
HIRAGANA. (Combining ROMAJI with HIRAGANA right now is a way to scaffold your learning of new pronunciations and new vocabulary at
the same time. Be patient, you will soon know all the HIRAGANA, and then, there will be no more ROMAJI! Note that the correct
pronunciation of ROMAJI is with the /o/ held double length, as in /ro-o-ma-ji/.)

2.9 Understand and use phrases that are helpful for classroom interaction. Read and write 1 new KANJI word (下さい)

Your SE-ん-SE-い will say the phrases in the chart below and act them out to help you understand what they mean. But first, preview the
phrases by reading the following notes.

The word「く-DA-さ-い」means “please.” The first syllable く is whispered! Now is a good time to learn your first KANJI. The word く-
DA-さ-い (下さい) is written with a combination of KANJI and HIRAGANA. The first part 下 (KU-DA) means “below, under,” and the

48
second part -さい is the word ending. It is easier to read and write the word KU-DA-SA-I in its KANJI version  下さい than in its
HIRAGANA version  ください. Can you imagine why the KANJI for “below” is used in the word for “please”? (If you say “please,” you
are metaphorically in a begging position, maybe down (“below”) on your knees.)

REQUEST FORMS: Notice that all the requests/commands in the chart below end with the syllable -TE or -DE. This ending signals that
the words are requests. (These request forms are derived from regular verb forms that normally end in -MA-SU.) You can see the
relation between the regular forms and the request form in the list below.

Regular verb forms Command/request forms with –TE or –DE endings


いい-MA-SU (“saying”) い T-TE (“say it!”)
きき-MA-SU (“listening”) きい-TE (“listen!)
よ-MI-MA-SU (“reading”) よん DE (“read it!”)
MI-MA-SU (“looking”) MI-TE (“look!”)

QUESTION PARTICLE: The sentences that end in か are questions. Pay conscious attention again to the use of the question particle か
in these expressions.

LANGUAGE WORDS: Find the words「に-HO-んご」and「えいご」in the list below. Which word means “Japanese”? Which means
“English”? Can you guess what the suffix ご means? Can you guess what the root に-HO-ん means?

PRONUNCIATION: In the phrases below, you can see geminate consonants (consonants that are pronounced by holding them longer,
“double-timed consonants”). The words that contain geminate consonants are (see underlines): い T-TE, CHOT-TO, and YUK-KU-RI .
You will learn much more about these later, but for now, try to notice how they sound, and do your best to imitate the correct
pronunciation. They will sound a little like a pause or a hiccup. (Previously, we mentioned the word “mora” to describe what we are
calling “syllables.” Like ん, the geminate (double) consonants have mora timing. They must be held for 2 beats since they are double.)

49
SE-ん-SE-い phrases: Student phrases:

~~ PE-え-JI お MI-TE く-DA-さい (下さい)。 MO-う いち DO いT-TE く-DA-さい (下さい) 。


(“Please look at ~~ page.”) (“Please say that one more time.”)

きい-TE く-DA-さい (下さい) 。 YUK-く-RI いT-TE く-DA-さい (下さい) 。


(“Listen please.”) (“Please say that more slowly.”)

WA-か-RI-MA-SHI-TA か。 CHOT-TO WA-か-RI-MA-SEん。


(“Did you get that?/Did you understand?”) (“I don’t quite understand that.”)
Body language: hold your hand vertically, open palm facing sideways, in
front of your chest and wave it side to side.

おおきい こえ DE いT-TE く-DA-さい (下さい ) 。 ~~ WA に-HO-んご DE なん TO いい-MA-SU か。


(“Please say that more loudly.”) (“What do you call ~~ in NIHONGO?”)
Octopus WA に-HO-んご DE なん TO いい-MA-SU か。
(“How do you say ‘octopus’ in NIHONGO?”)

おおきい こえ DE よん-DE く-DA-さい (下さい) 。 ~~ WA えいご DE なん TO いい-MA-SU か。


(“Please read that aloud.”) (“What do you call ~~ in EIGO?”)
「おおきい」 WA えいご DE なん TO いい-MA-SU か。
(“How do you say O-O-KI-I in EIGO?”)

50
2.9 Practice!

1. Practice writing 下さい by finding an animated app or website that shows you the precise stroke order for the 3 strokes in 下. Write
the entire word 「下さい」20 or 30 times until you develop good muscle memory for the word.

2. Listen to 3 words that contain geminate consonants and then to 3 words that are identical except for the consonants. After you listen
several times, repeat the words out loud.

Geminate consonants  CHOTTO (CHO-T-TO) ITTE (I-T-TE) YUKKURI (YU-K-KU-RI)


Single consonants  CHOTO (CHO-TO) ITE (I-TE) YUKURI (YU-KU-RI)

3. The following words with geminate and single consonants are listed in mixed order. Listen and repeat. Then, listen and repeat again
without looking at the words.
ITTE, ITE, CHOTTO, CHOTO, YUKKURI, YUKURI, ITE, CHOTO, YUKKURI, ITTE, CHOTO, ITE, YUKURI, ITTE,
CHOTTO, YUKKURI, CHOTO, ITTE, CHOTTO, YUKKURI, ITE, CHOTO, YUKURI, CHOTTO, ITTE, YUKKURI
4. Listen to geminate and single consonant patterns in random order. Hold up 1 finger if you hear a single consonant. Hold up 2 fingers
if you hear a geminate consonant. See how well your ears can identify the sounds.

5. Pronounce the 6 words in #2 above in random order for a classmate. Your classmate should hold up 1 or 2 fingers depending on
whether you pronounce a single or a geminate consonant.

6. Accustom your ears to the SE-ん-SE-い phrases in the chart above. Listen to the phrases in random order, and point to each one you
hear. Then, get them “in your mind” by miming (acting out) a response to each phrase you hear.

7. Get the SE-ん-SE-い phrases from the chart above “in your mouth” by saying them in random order to a classmate. Your classmate
should act out a response to each phrase you say.

8. Copy the SE-ん-SE-い phrases into your notebook to get them in your muscle memory.

51
9. Get the SE-ん-SE-い phrases “in your ears, mouth, and hand” by giving a partner dictation of the 5 phrases in random order. Make
sure to pronounce each phrase carefully. When you finish, check to see if your partner spelled the phrases correctly.

10. Look at the first 3 student phrases in the chart and get them “in your eyes and ears.” Listen to them in random order and point to
each one you hear.

11. Get the student phrases “in your mind and mouth.”  Listen as your teacher speaks too fast, says something you can’t hear, or
says something you do not understand. Raise your hand, and use one (or all 3!) of the first 3 phrases to request help from your teacher.
(You can also use the audio, and respond with one of the phrases accordingly.

12. Get the first 3 student phrases “in your mouth” by saying them in random order to a classmate and asking your classmate to point to
each phrase you say.

13. Look at the last 2 student phrases in the chart above. Pronounce each one carefully, repeating it 5 times.

14. Get muscle memory of the first 3 student phrases by copying them into your notebook.

15. Write down 5 words you would like to know how to say in Japanese. Raise your hand and ask your teacher how to say them. Your
teacher will answer using the pattern _____ DE-SU. Write down the answers you hear in a combination of ROOMAJI and HIRAGANA.
Cover up the English words you have written, and show your Japanese words to a partner. Your partner will ask you how to say those
words in English. Answer using the pattern _____ DE-SU.

16. Copy the last 2 student phrases into your notebook to get them in your muscle memory.

17. Get the student phrases “in your ears, mouth, and hand” by working with a partner. Give each other dictation of all 5 of the student
phrases. Make sure to pronounce carefully. Then check to see if you both spelled the phrases correctly.

18. With a partner, role-play an interaction between a teacher and student. See how many of the phrases you can use. Have fun!

52
Bonus

Fun phrase to try out on your teacher: SE-ん-SE-い、WATASHI WA CHOT-TO く-RU-く-RU-PA DESU!

Notes on Unit 2

Items I still need to practice:

Items I have further questions about:

Items I just need to review:

53
Unit 2 Review Quiz

Before you work through the review quiz below, go back through Units 1 and 2, and re-practice any areas where you feel weak. Then, try
the quiz below to see how well you have mastered the competencies of this unit. If you have trouble in certain areas, please be sure to go
back and perfect them.

1. Read the following HIRAGANA sequences aloud. Then, write them in ROOMAJI.

ごきげんいかが さよならさんかく ちかくからなあ ぐらかんかく おげんきなよう


にがきさち こんにちげらげら ぎちぎちごらん けんこよう あちこちなら

2. Read the following ROOMAJI vowel sequences aloud. Then, write them in HIRAGANA.

A-GO-RA-YO E-KO-CHI-GI U-YO-KA-GE E-I-GA-CHI-N-GI-N YO-NI-GO-A-U


O-U-KI-NA-N I-GU-KE-YO-N A-U-N-NI-KU GU-RA-KA-GE O-NI-GI-RA-CHI-N

3. Using a combination of HIRAGANA and ROOMAJI, write out a simple conversation that includes phrases that correspond to each
situation below.

Saying hello to a teacher Introducing yourself Introducing someone else

Two different ways to say “It’s nice to meet you.” Getting someone’s attention and asking someone’s name

Saying good-bye to someone older than you Saying good-bye to someone your age

54
4. With 3 partners, role-play the following situation. One person is a teacher, and the other two are students. Say hello to the teacher,
introduce yourself, and introduce the other person. Continue by asking the teacher’s name. Then say good-bye. Be sure to include body
language! Focus on both fluency and accuracy! Practice the role-play several times until you can do it well.

5. Role-play the following situation with your teacher. You need help, and you request that the teacher repeat something. Then request
that the teacher speak more slowly. Finally, ask the teacher how to say “thank you” in Japanese.

6. Listen to nonsense words and write them down as dictation.

55
Unit 3

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

3.1. Read and write 5 new HIRAGANA – the SA-series 3.4. Count from 0 to 10 ぜ-RO,いち、に、さん、し、ご、
さしすせそ (SA, SHI/SI, SU, SE, SO) RO-く、しち、HA-ち、KYU-う、JYU-う
( よん、なな, く )
3.2. Read and write 5 additional “piggy-backed” hiragana in
random mixed orders and combinations 3.5. Read and write 3 new KANJI 一 二 三
ざ、じ、ず、ぜ、ぞ (ZA, ZI/JI, ZU, ZE, ZO)

3.6. Ask someone their phone number and tell phone number
3.3. Greet people in the evening こん-BA ん WA。 す-MI-MA-せん、DE-ん-WA BA-んごう WA
なん DE-す か。
さん - なな - さん- NO- よん - ご - いち - さん DE-す。

3.1 Read and write 5 new HIRAGANA – the SA-series さしすせそ (SA, SHI/SI, SU, SE, SO)

After あ、い、う、え、お and か、き、く、け、こ the next 5 symbols in the HIRAGANA syllabary are さ、し、す、せ、そ . (You
already know the first one, so you really only need to learn 4 new symbols.)

For these 5 new symbols, you should add the /s/ sound at the beginning of the vowel syllables. As you may already guess, さ will be
pronounced SA and will be the first HIRAGANA in the SA-series. Use the other 4 vowels in the rest of the HIRAGANA in the series.

56
But . . . WAIT! While the last three ( す、せ、そ ) are easy to pronounce, the 2nd one (し) is irregular! Following the patterns you have
learned earlier, you might expect し to be pronounced as /si/. But being irregular, it is pronounced SHI (with lips in a smiling position).
The HIRAGANA し can be Romanized in two different ways. Modern systems Romanize し as SHI, following its pronunciation. Older
systems Romanize し as SI, showing its membership in the SA-series (SA, SI, SU, SE, SO). Be prepared to recognize either version. Both
versions will be used at random in the practices below.

Also, notice that さ and そ can be written in two different styles, handwriting style or print style. But be prepared to read both styles!

さ: In print style, the 2nd and 3rd strokes are joined together as さ. In handwriting style, the 2rd and 3th strokes may be either

joined さ or left separate . At the beginning, it is best to practice writing SA with 3 separated strokes. This will help you
remember that it actually has 3 strokes, and it will help you avoid confusion later when you learn other symbols that are similar.

そ: The HIRAGANA for SO is written with either 1 そ or 2 そ strokes. It is a matter of personal choice. In print style, you will
normally see it written with 1 stroke. In handwriting, you will see both styles そ and そ .

SA (3 strokes) SI し (1 stroke -- Pronunciation check!) SU す (2 strokes) SE せ (3 strokes) SO そ (1 stroke)

3.1 Practice!

1. Use your favorite website or app to find clear, animated writing instructions for the “SA-series.” Remember to pay close attention to
stroke order (starting near the top left and working down and to the right as you write each symbol). Be strict in your own training as this
will help you develop clear and aesthetically pleasing writing. Also, remember to pay attention to the ending of each stroke (the simple

57
stop, the little “tail,” or drifting softly off into nothing). Practice writing 、し、す、せ、そ ten or twenty times or until the SA-series
comes easily and without conscious effort. Write the symbols in order first, then practice writing them in random order. Be sure to
pronounce each one as you write it. Pay close attention to the pronunciation of SHI (the irregular member of the series) and of SU (flat
lips!).

2. Write the A-, KA-, GA-, and SA- series all in order 3 to 5 times.

3. After you feel confident writing all the series, write the following ROOMAJI nonsense words in HIRAGANA. (Omit the dashes.)

1. SI-SU 4. SE-SI 7. I-SE-A-GU-KA-KEN 10. CHI-SUN-KI-SA 13. E-SAN-SI-GO-CHI


2. SA-SI 5. SE-SU-SA 8. SU-O-AN-SI-U-KO 11. SUN-NI-GA-SI 14. A-SU-NI-KU-SO
3. SO-SA 6. SO-A-SU-SIN 9. SI-I-SEN-I-SA-NI 12. SE-SAN-E-SU-GI 15. ON-SU-GE-A-SE

4. おおきい こえ DE よん DE 下さい。Now, practice reading. Before you begin the following practice, do a self-check. Are you
remembering to pronounce all the vowels in their pure Japanese pronunciations without interference from your English vowels? Is the
irregular pronunciation in the SA-series clear to you? A) Read the words below out loud, first in order and then again in random orders. B)
Read them out loud to a partner in random order, and have your partner find the words you are saying. C) Give your partner a dictation of
the words, asking your partner to write them down as you say them. Then, check your partner’s spelling. D) Point to random words with
a partner and see who can say the word first.

1. かぎにしせう 4. おすしさんえこ 7. にくさしあそ 10. せかいしような 13. けちらんそ


2. せんせぐちさ 5. きこえんがそう 8. すそがよいさ 11. いかさせしさし 14. しらかなせし
3. こんにちさ 6. ごえいしんすう 9. くさいよなか 12. ぐすぐすらよす 15. すごいよなさ

5. Transliterate the nonsense words in #4 above into ROOMAJI. For the irregular sound in the SA-series, you may use either of the
ROOMAJI options.

58
6. きい TE 下さい。Listen to nonsense words and write the words you hear in HIRAGANA.
MO う い CHI DO い T-TE 下さい。After you do the dictation, give a partner dictation, using the words you wrote, but in random order.

3.2 Read and write 5 additional “piggy-backed” hiragana in random mixed orders and combinations ざ、じ、ず、ぜ、ぞ
(ZA, ZI/JI, ZU, ZE, ZO)

Piggy-back! The next 5 HIRAGANA are the ZA-series. If you write the SA-series with a TEN-TEN added to each symbol, you get the ZA-
series as a free ride! Piggy-back on the SA-series by adding the TEN-TEN. This will change the pronunciation to ZA- ZI/JI -ZU-ZE-ZO.
(Pronounce them as /za, ji, zu, ze, zo/. . . do you see the irregular member of the set?) As you will recall, the TEN-TEN’s job is to change
a voiceless sound (in this case /s/) into a voiced sound that uses the vocal cords. Put your fingers on your vocal cords like you did when
you learned the KAGA transformation. When you say /s, s, s, s/, you might feel some muscle movement, but you should not feel any
vibrations of your vocal cords. (Be careful not to add any vowel sounds; just the /s/ consonant.) Now with your fingers still on your vocal
cords, say /z, z, z, z/, and you should feel that while your mouth is making the same movements as for /s/, your vocal cords are vibrating
for the /z/ sound.

BEWARE! When you write じ, it will sound like /ji/ rather than /zi/. Both し and じ have irregular pronunciations within their sets. You will
also see じ ROMANIZED in 2 different ways, sometimes ZI and sometimes JI. Regardless of how it is Romanized, it is always pronounced
/ji/. Be prepared to recognize it in both versions.
ZA ざ or ざ ZI (JI) じ (Pronunciation check!) ZU (DZU) ず ZE ぜ ZO ぞ

3.2 Practice!

1. Use a website or app with animation to learn and practice writing the ZA-series symbols with the TEN-TEN. Pay attention to the
location and angle of the TEN-TEN (2 short strokes). Practice writing the ZA-series five or ten times until they become easy and effortless
for you. Write them in random orders. おおきい こえ DE い T-TE 下さい。Say them aloud as you write them. Then, practice writing
the entire A-, KA-, GA-, SA-, and ZA-series in order several times.

59
2. Convert the ROOMAJI sequences below into HIRAGANA.
1. ZA-SI-SU-ZO 4. YO-ZI-ZU-SI-NI 7. ZUN-SUN-ZA-RA 10. ZA-SE-ZEN-CHI 13. ZU-RA-SE-RA-SU
2. ZE-ZU-SA-ZA 5. SA-ZU-CHI-ZEN 8. ZO-E-NA-SUN 11. SU-CHI-ZU-RA 14. SO-ZO-ON-NA
3. SU-ZA-ZI-ZE 6. ZO-RA-SU-EN-NA 9. ZA-SI-YO-SU-NA 12. YO-YO-ZI-SO-U 15. SU-ZI-ZA-NA-YO

3. おおきい こえ DE よん DE 下さい。Now, look at the “words” you just wrote and read them aloud in random order. Continue
reading them in random order until you can read them easily without stopping to think.

4. おおきい こえ DE よん DE 下さい。Read the YO-こ-がき style words and then the TATE-がき style words below straight
through and then read them again in random order until you can read them all quickly and smoothly. Finally, read them aloud again with a
partner.

くじらぞう なにがぜさ けずらすず らじおそら こようしずな


らんそうさう ぐさぜんそく しらないせんせい ぜんぜんないよ あおいそらよ
ぎんせいよなか おんがくしかない きずあんしんよ くちざらじ らよざしせん

らなぜんさい ささきくんさ げいざいなんよ ちよぜなすう ぎなんそうえん


くさちちしき らよえずえ よこずなすうじい かくらささき ぐちすずらん
きらくそらぞら げすいにいくさ くにならないぜ いずしおいしい よよぎそうらん

60
いき か んこ
しら く せよ
いく ら いうく
そ さ ら ち ら く ぎ しじ
ら さ よ よ な ち ん ずら
え ぜ ざ せ
よぞ き
ず な

ら い ぜなぞ
よら え す

じ よ ん う
ぎ さ ぜ ら
う な
そげ ぐ よ い ら
か んんな
うす ち こ よ なそに
らい す ず
ぎ さ

お いうが
んに ず な
な さ

ん よさぜ
い ら す せ うさ
く ん う ん き ん が
く く あ
さ じ そ おぐ
ん し

い う さ いさけ
く か そぜず
に ん え な
じ ん らんら
な い よそす
ら げ
な か い き くず

い な ざ ず し
さ ら
ぜ い あ ら
い ち ん じ
ず ち な し な お
し し ん ん い そ
お き よ よ せ ら

5. Transliterate the “words” in #4 above to ROOMAJI.

61
6. きい TE 下さい。 Listen (to the words from #4 in random order) and write them down as dictation. おおきい こえ DE よん DE
下さい。Then use what you have written to give the same dictation to a partner. Check to see that your partner spelled the words the
same as you did.

3.3 Greet people in the evening こん-BA ん WA。

As you know, greetings differ depending on the time of day. From morning to noon, the greeting is 「お HA ようござい MA す 」.
During the afternoon, the greeting is 「こんにち WA」. In the evening, you can greet people with 「こん BA ん WA」.

PRONUNCIATION NOTE! Sometimes ん sounds like /m/.


(You may hear people say: KON-BAN WA or KOM-BAN WA or even KOM-BAM WA. All of these pronunciations are correct.)

3.3 Practice!

1. Write down 10 different times of the day (like 2:30) and add AM or PM at random to the times you wrote. Now go through your list
and say the appropriate greeting for each time you wrote. おおきい こえ DE い T-TE 下さい。Speak aloud in a clear, confident
voice. Go through the list again in random order, saying the greetings. Show your list to a partner and greet each other. Remember to
bow.

2. Write out an appropriate greeting next to each time of day in your list from #1 above.

3. きい TE 下さい。Listen to greetings and point to a time of day on the list you made in #1 above that would be appropriate for each.

4. Ask a partner how to say the greetings for different times of the day in English. (The partial bracket marks you see in the pattern
below are the Japanese equivalent of quotation marks.) Whispered vowels are not indicated, but don’t forget them.
Use the pattern  し-TSU-RE-い DE-す が 、「お HA よう ござい MA す」WA えいご DE なん TO いい MA す か。

62
3.4 Count from 0 to 10 ぜ-RO, いち、に、さん、し、ご、RO-く、しち、HA-ち、KYU-う、JYU-う ( よん、なな, く)

1 to 5: The first Japanese numbers are: ぜ-RO, いち、 に、 さん、 し、 ご


A very rough mnemonic (memory helper) for counting 1 to 5 is… [ITCHY-KNEE-SUN-SHE-GO] The Japanese words are pronounced very
differently, but if you think of these meanings, it may help you to remember the numbers. If you use the English mnemonic, be sure to
change the pronunciation into the correct Japanese vowel sounds as you see them in the HIRAGANA versions. Try saying the words aloud
and acting out the mnemonics as you say them. Now add “zero” and count again. ぜ-RO, いち、 に、 さん、 し、 ご
NOTE! The number 4 is pronounced in 2 different ways. When counting 1 – 10, people often pronounce 4 as し. When counting
larger numbers, such as 44, people often pronounce 4 as よん. Please memorize and practice both pronunciations.

6 to 10: For 6 to 10, the words are: RO-く、しち、HA-ち、KYU-う、JYU-う. The best way to learn the numbers is to start counting
things around you in Japanese. Count how many steps it takes you to get home. Count the number of people in your class or in a
restaurant in groups of 10. Get in your “reps”! Repetition is key!
NOTE! There are two more alternate pronunciations to numbers. In addition to number 4, alternate pronunciations exist for the
numbers 7 and 9. The different pronunciations are in free variation, but many people count the lower numbers (1 – 10 ) using the
pronunciations しち and KYU-う and the larger numbers using the pronunciations なな and く. Memorize both variants.

Alternates: Remember: 4, 7, 9 have alternate pronunciations : 4 = し or よん 7 = しち or なな 9 = KYU-う or く

Final list: Here are the numbers again with the alternates included.
ぜ-RO (0), いち (1), に (2), さん(3), し or よん (4), ご(5), RO-く(6), しち or なな(7), HA-ち(8), KYU-う or く(9), JYU-う(10)

3.4 Practice!

1. きい TE 下さい。 おおきい こえ DE い T-TE 下さい。Listen to the numbers 0 – 10 and repeat them.

63
2. Write 20 numbers between 0 and 5 in random order. おおきい こえ DE よん DE 下さい。Go back and say the numbers you
have written. Write 20 numbers between 6 and 10, and go back and say each number you have written. Write 20 numbers between 0
and 10 in random order, and then pronounce them. Show your lists of numbers to a partner and have your partner read them out loud.

3. Using any book, take turns with a partner telling each other to look at various pages between p. 1 and p. 10. See how fast you can
turn to the pages your partner says. Use the pattern  いち PE-え-じ お MI-TE 下さい。

4. きい TE 下さい。 Listen to numbers between 0 and 10 pronounced in random order. The alternate pronunciations will be included.
Write down the numbers you hear. おおきい こえ DE よん DE 下さい。Afterwards, look at your list of written numbers and
pronounce them out loud.

5. Test a partner’s knowledge of numbers in Japanese by asking your partner how to say different numbers. (The partial brackets are
equivalent to English quotation marks.)
Use the question pattern: 「One 」WA に-HO-ん-ご De なん TO い-い-MA-す か。
Answer with the pattern: 「いち」DE-す。
If one of you doesn’t know an answer, use the phrase:  す-MI-MA-せ-ん(“sorry”)、CHOT-TO WA-か-RI-MA-せん。

6. Ask a partner how to say various Japanese numbers in English.


Use the pattern: 「いち」WA えいご DE なん TO い-い-MA-す か。
Answer with the pattern: 「One 」DE-す。
If you don’t know an answer, use the phrase: す-MI-MA-せ-ん、CHOT-TO WA-か-RI-MA-せん。

7. Draw a small chart with 5 columns and 6 rows. In the top row, write the HIRAGANA さ、し、す、せ、そ. Then, in the boxes below,
write random digits between 0 and 10. With a group of 4 or 5 people, play bingo, crossing out any numbers called.
The caller can use the pattern  さ NO いち. (The word “NO” in the middle is just a connector.)
If you need the caller to repeat a number, use the pattern  す-MI-MA-せん、MO-う いち DO IT-TE 下さい。

64
3.5 Read and write 3 new KANJI 一 二 三

It is easy to write the numbers 1 through 3 in KANJI because they look like what they mean. Use an app or website to help you learn the
stroke order and balance of the strokes. Notice which strokes are longer and which are shorter! (If you are ready, go ahead and learn the
KANJI for all ten numbers. If you are not yet ready to do this, we will do it later, so don’t worry about it now.)

3.5 Practice!
1. Practice writing each of the three numbers in KANJI 10 or 20 times, saying them aloud as you write.

3.6 Ask someone their phone number and tell your phone number
す-MI-MA-せん 、 DE-ん-WA BA-んごう WA なん DE-す か。
さん - なな - さん- NO- よん - ご - いち - さん DE-す。

Use a Filler: ええ-TO, and Understand the culture of repeating phrases

PHONE NUMBERS: You have learned し-TSU-RE-い DE-す が … already. The phrase す-MI-MA- せん is very similar. You can use
it to get someone’s attention politely so you can ask them their phone number. Compare the use of the interrogative you already know
(なん) with its use in the new phone number question. You can see the same interrogative pattern 「____________ WA なん DE-す
か。」. 「す-MI-MA-せん、 おな MA え WA なん DE-す か。」
「す-MI-MA-せん、 DE-ん-WA BA-んごう WA なん DE-す か。」
PRONUNCIATION: When you say a phone number, use the alternate pronunciations of numbers 4 and 7, that is よん and なな. Also,
wherever you would put a dash in a written phone number (after the area code and after the first 3 digits of the number), use the
connecting word NO, as in “816 NO 531 NO 8872.”

65
A FILLER: One way to start sounding really Japanese is to use Japanese filler words instead of English “uh” or “um.” There are 2 common
fillers in Japanese, ええ-TO and あ-NO. You can use either one, but for now, let’s start using the first one. Anytime, you need a little
“um time” in a conversation, use ええ-TO.

REPEATING AND CULTURE: Compared to many occidental (Western) cultures, Japanese culture, in general, seems to rely more on
indirect forms of communication in polite conversations. Conversational styles that are less direct have a softer feel. Japanese language
has many ways of being indirect. One strategy that Japanese people use to make conversations feel not so “in your face” is to repeat part
of a question before answering it directly. For example, when someone asks you what your phone number is, you might want to say, “Ah,
my phone number?” before answering. This type of repetition serves to soften the conversation and make the interaction more polite.
Another typical example of repeating a phrase for politeness is commonly heard when people ask what time it is. The conversation
commonly goes something like: “Excuse me, what time is it right now?” “Right now? Um, it’s 5:00.”
Experiment with this type of repetition as you practice conversations in Japanese.

3.6 Practice!

1. Get the telephone number question “in your mouth” by practicing it in halves. Then, when you have perfected each half, practice
saying the entire question. おおきい こえ DE い T-TE 下さい。Practice repeating the full question 6 or 8 times or until you can say
it fluently.
First half  す-MI-MA-せん、 DE-ん-WA BA-んごう WA . . .
Second half  . . . なん DE-す か 。
Whole question  す-MI-MA-せん 、 DE-ん-WA BA-んごう WA なん DE-す か。

2. Write the phone number question down, and then write out your own phone number below the question. If you wish, you may use an
imaginary number.

3. きい-TE 下さい。Listen to 3 conversations. Look at the possible answers in the boxes below, and circle the correct answers according
to the information you hear. Pay attention to the use of 「ええ-TO」and to the culture of repetition.

66
CONVERSATION #1 CONVERSATION #2 CONVERSATION #3

にしくら せんせい かかず せんせい よよぎ せんせい


NAMES さん さん さん
AND
TITLES なかの せんせい さかぐち せんせい こなか せんせい
さん さん さん

すずき せんせい そらち せんせい あかさか せんせい


さん さん さん

TIME あさ、 HIRU, BAん あさ、 HIRU, BAん あさ、 HIRU, BAん

PHONE 742-8819 695-3152 518-9704 463-2891 463-8912 463-9218 373-7049 373-4097 373-0049
NUMBERS

MO-う いち DO MO-う いち DO MO-う いち DO


WHICH いT-TE 下さい。 いT-TE 下さい。 いT-TE 下さい。
REQUEST?
YUK-く-RI YUK-く-RI YUK-く-RI
いT-TE 下さい。 いT-TE 下さい。 いT-TE 下さい。
TIMES
ええTO 一、 二、 三 一、 二、 三 一、 二、 三
REPEATED
TIMES
PHRASES 一、 二、 三 一、 二、 三 一、 二、 三
REPEATED

67
4. Ask at least 3 different partners their phone numbers. Write down their phone numbers (in digits), and then read each person’s phone
number back to them in Japanese, posing it as a question to confirm that you got the number right. (Add 「DE-す か」 to the end of the
number you read back to make it into a confirmation question.) As you have this conversation, both you and your partner should use the
filler word 「 え-え-TO」and repeat phrases whenever possible.
Sample: You  す MI-MA-せん、DE ん-WA BA-んごう WA なん DE-す か 。
Partner  DE ん-WA BA-んごう DE-す か 。 ええ-TO . . . 三 三 二 NO 一 HA ち KYU う KYU う DE-す。
You  す MI-MA-せん、三 三 二 NO 一 HA ち KYU う KYU う DE-す か。
Partner  ええ-TO . . . (Respond with thumbs up or thumbs down as needed.)

5. Create a short conversation between 2 people. Write it out combining ROOMAJI, HIRAGANA, and KANJI as needed. Include greetings
and questions about names and phone numbers. おおきい こえ DE よん DE 下さい。Read your conversation out loud to check
that you have spelled everything correctly. おおきい こえ DE い T-TE 下さい。With a partner, role-play the dialogue you have
written. (Do this at least 3 times or until you can both read the conversation fluently.)

6. Read the following self introduction from かかず かずこ out loud 5 times. おおきい こえ DE よん DE 下さい。

Pre-reading notes: In Japan, people say their last name first. It is very common for people to be called by their last name rather than
their first name. When people introduce themselves, they may use the 1st person pronoun only once at the beginning. After that, it is
obvious from the context that they are still talking about themselves, so they do not repeat the pronoun. Can you identify the 1st person
pronoun in the reading?
Conversation:
お-HA-よう ござい-MA-す。 かかず かずこ DE-す。 HA-じ-ME-MA-し-TE.
WA-TA-し WA せんせい DE-す。 DE-ん-WA BA-ん-ごう WA 三ニ三 NO 三一一三 DE-す。WA か RI-MA-し-TA か。
DO-う-ぞ よ-RO-し-く。 し-TSU-RE-い し-MA-す。 さよなら。

7. Read the paragraph in #6 above as a dictation to a partner. おおきい こえ DE よん-DE 下さい。 Check to see if your
partner spelled the words correctly. Whispered vowels are not indicated, but don’t forget them.

68
8. Look back at the paragraph in #6 above. The せんせい gives her name and her phone number. If she did not give that information,
how would you ask her for it? Write the 2 questions you could ask. If she gives you the information, but you did not understand it, how
could you say you didn’t understand and ask her to repeat? Write the 2 phrases you could use to do that. If she gives you the information,
but she says it so fast you cannot understand, how could you ask her to slow down? Write the phrase.

Bonus Fun phrase to try out on your teacher: せんせい、WATASHI WA うCHUうじん DE-す よ!

Notes on Unit 3

Items I still need to practice:

Items I have further questions about:

Items I just need to review:

69
Unit 3 Review Quiz

Before you take the review quiz below, go back through Units 1, 2, and 3, and re-practice any areas needing any more work. Also, read
through your own notes for the 3 units. Then, do the quiz below to see how well you have mastered the competencies of this unit. If you
have trouble in certain areas, be sure to go back and perfect them.

1. Write the A-, KA-, and SA- series in correct dictionary order. Then write the word for “please” using a combination of KANJI and
HIRAGANA.

2. Read the following HIRAGANA sequences aloud. Then, write them in ROOMAJI.

がざよらん くあなぜん あおぞら くさげざ おうしんすら


ちずこんご げいじかん きんにくじじ うなぎこうじ らあくごらん

3. Read the following ROOMAJI vowel sequences aloud. Then, write them in HIRAGANA.

A-CHI-KO-ZU E-I-YO-GI-JI U-ZA-KE-RAN E-ZO-SI-KA YO-GI-SAN


O-U-JI-GO I-I-GA-NA-I-YO A-ZE-U-SA-CHI GU-ZEN-GEN-JI O-NI-JI-NAN

4. Write a list of numbers in a column on your paper. Write #1, 2, and 3 in KANJI, and then write #4 to 10 in HIRAGANA. Then read the
list below, and on your paper, write a Japanese word or phrase that corresponds to each situation in the list below. Use a combination of
HIRAGANA and ROOMAJI to write the words or phrases.

1. Say hello to a teacher in the morning 6. Get someone’s attention and ask them their name
2. Introduce yourself 7. Politely, ask for someone’s phone number
3. Introduce someone else 8. Tell someone your phone number
4. Tell one way to say “It’s nice to meet you.” 9. Say good-bye to someone older than you
5. Tell an alternate way to say #4. 10. Say good-bye to someone your age

70
5. With 3 partners, role-play the following. (You may practice and prepare before you do this.) Be sure to include body language, filler
words, and the culture of repeating! Focus on both fluency and accuracy!
Say hello to a teacher in the evening, introduce yourself, and introduce your friend.
Continue by asking the teacher’s name and phone number. Ask for confirmation that you got the phone number right.
Finally, say good-bye.

6. Talk to your teacher.


Request that your teacher repeat something
Request that your teacher speak more slowly
Ask the teacher what “し-TSU-RE-い し-MA-す” means in English.

7. Listen to nonsense words and write them down as dictation.

71
Unit 4
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

4.1. The Next 5 HIRAGANA: TA –series 4.4. Read and write 2 new KANJI
た ち つ て と (TA, TI/CHI, TSU, TE, TO) 女 (おんな ) 男(おとこ)

4.2. Two additional hiragana れ ま (RE, MA)


4.5. Explain the culture of す-MI-ません
4.3. Ask and tell the location of a bathroom
しつれい DE-す が. . . おてあらい WA
DO-こ DE-す か。 あそこ DE-す。

4.1 The Next 5 HIRAGANA: TA –series た ち つ て と (TA, TI/CHI, TSU, TE, TO)

Be sure to memorize the order of the HIRAGANA series [A, KA, SA, TA]. This is the order you need to know to look up words in a
dictionary. The next 5 HIRAGANA symbols are た ち つ て と . (You really only need to learn 4 new symbols, right?)

PRONUNCIATION: For this series, add the /t/ sound at the beginning of the syllable. Three members of this series are easy: た て と
are TA, TE, TO. Try to pronounce these sounds without the puff of air that we normally make in English. The other two members, ち and
つ, have irregular pronunciations. You already know ち as CHI. In older versions of Romanization, ち was written TI, even though it is
pronounced CHI. That was to signify that it was a member of the TA-series. The correct pronunciation is CHI. The other irregular
member is TSU. You have seen つ spelled as [TSU] in words like し-TSU-RE-い . In older Romanization systems, つ was
represented as TU (again, to show its membership in the series), but the correct pronunciation is TSU.
Practice keyboarding the TA-series, and you will find that you can type either TI or CHI for ち and either TU or TSU for つ.

72
If you find TSU difficult to pronounce, it may be because English does not contain this sound at the beginning of syllables. But remember,
English does have this sound at the end of syllables as in the words: “sits, cats, cuts, let’s.” The word “tsunami” is from Japanese, and
while many people pronounce it as “sunami,” you now know the authentic Japanese pronunciation.

TA た (4 strokes) TI/CHI ち (2 strokes) TU/TSU つ (1 stroke) TE て (1 stroke) TO と (2 strokes)

Notice a point of possible confusion! Some people get confused by the similarities between さ and ち. If you have been writing さ with
the separated strokes of handwriting style さ, you will not have this confusion. With a partner, contrast さ and ち to see why some
people confuse the two. Recall the print and handwriting styles, but continue to practice writing SA with separated strokes to help you
keep it distinct from CHI. However, be prepared to read both styles!

4.1 Practice!

1. Use a website or app to find animated writing instructions for the “TA-series.” Remember to be strict with yourself in learning and
practicing stroke order. Also, remember to pay attention to the ending of each stroke (simple stop, little “tail,” or drifting softly off into
nothing). Practice writing た ち つ て と ten or twenty times until the TA-series becomes easy for you. Write the symbols in
order first, then practice writing them in random order. Count 一、二、三 as you write the strokes! Be sure to pronounce each
HIRAGANA as you write. Remember to say つ with flat lips; do not round your lips.

2. Change the following ROOMAJI sequences into HIRAGANA. The old-fashioned Romanizations are used here to help you see that all 5
new HIRAGANA belong to the TA-series, but don’t let the Romanizations fool you into pronouncing them wrong!

1. TI-TU 4. TE-TI 7. U-TE-A-SU-TA-TUN 10. TAN-TUN-SI-JI 13. E-TIN-JI-SO-SI


2. TA-TI 5. TE-TU-TA 8. TU-SO-AN-TI-U-SO 11. TUN-NI-GI-JI 14. A-TU-NI-SU-TO
3. TO-TA 6. TO-A-TU-TIN 9. TI-I-TEN-I-TA-NI 12. TE-TAN-E-TU-JI 15. ON-TU-ZE-A-TE

3. Write the HIRAGANA series A-, KA-, SA-, and TA- three times in correct dictionary order.

73
4. When you “dominate” all 4 series, work on reading fluency. Before you begin the following practice, another self-check.
Are you remembering to pronounce all the vowels in their pure Japanese pronunciations without interference from your English vowels?
Are you clear on the pronunciations of the 3 irregular members?
おおきい こえ DE よん DE 下さい。A) Read the following nonsense words aloud to yourself in order and then again in random
order. B) Read them out loud to a partner in random order, and have your partner find the words you are saying. C) Read the words out
loud to a partner in the form of a dictation. Have your partner write them down as you say them. Then, check your partner’s spelling. D)
Point to random words with a partner and see who can say the word first.

1. さじにちてう 4. おつちたんぞ 7. とらないこうつ 10. とらてきとう 13. てらてらおに


2. てんてずぐち 5. しそえんざとう 8. つぎつぎこらん 11. とちござたき 14. しんこたつ
3. そんにちたよ 6. たとえさせた 9. つずらんたき 12. てんてんかしら 15. ずうとおおきい

5. Transliterate the words in #4 above to ROOMAJI. For the irregular sounds in the SA- and TA-series, you may use either of the
ROOMAJI options.

6. Practice keyboarding ROOMAJI into HIRAGANA by adjusting the language bar on your computer to Japanese, choosing the
HIRAGANA mode, and typing in the words in #4 above. After you type each ROOMAJI sequence, press the ENTER key to convert it to
HIRAGANA.

7. きい-TE 下さい。Listen to nonsense words, and write them down as a dictation. After you do the dictation, use what you wrote to
give dictation to a classmate, except this time, mix up the order of the words.

74
4.2 Two additional hiragana れ ま (RE, MA)

By learning the 2 symbols れ RE and ま MA, you can write some of the phrases you have learned entirely in HIRAGANA. れ is Romanized
with the letter ‘r’ but its pronunciation is actually somewhere between English ‘r’ and ‘l’ and ‘d’. (It sometimes sounds a bit like the ‘d’ in
“ladder.”) RE れ (2 strokes) MA ま (3 strokes)

4.2 Practice!

1. Use a website or app with animation to learn and practice writing the symbols れ and ま. Learning these 2 new HIRAGANA will allow
you to write the Japanese phrase しつれい します. Practice writing れ and ま ten or twenty times or until you become fluent in your
writing. Count 一、二、三 as you write each stroke. Then, write out the phrase 「しつれい します」 5 or 10 times, saying it aloud as
you write it. おおきい こえ DE い T-TE 下さい。

2. Convert the ROOMAJI sequences below into HIRAGANA.

1. MA-TA-NA-KA-RE 4. REN-RA-KU-CHI 7. TA-MA-RA-RE-ZU 10. SHI-TSU-RE-I 13. YO-TA-TE-RE-TE


2. CHI-ZU-RE-NI-MA 5. TA-RE-TA-RA-MA 8. TO-RE-MA-KI-TE 11. TO-MA-RE-NA-I 14. JI-TSU-NI-MA-TA
3. MAN-GE-TSU-YO 6. YO-RE-YO-RE-TSU 9. NI-REN-MA-GA-RE 12. TSU-TO-MA-RE 15. U-RA-RE-GI-SA-RE

3. Now, go back and read the “words” you wrote for #2 above in HIRAGANA. おおきい こえ DE よん DE 下さい。Read them
aloud in random order. Repeat reading them in random order until you can read them fluently without stopping to think.

4. Keyboard the ROOMAJI words in #2 above and convert them into HIRAGANA by using the Japanese language bar on your computer.
After you type in each ROOMAJI sequence, press the ENTER key to convert it into HIRAGANA.

75
5. おおきい こえ DE よん DE 下さい。Read the following よこがき and たてがき ”words” aloud in random order until you can
read them all quickly and smoothly.

よしつまら けんこうれんまん てれずまぜん ますますらくになら がたがたまち


れくえいまよ そちらにまくら えきにせんたあ ちくれえとうなあ きれいあかい
あおいまんげつ きいらいなさかな くれぐれさん しまうときにさ あんまれんと

さがしてないよ しんれんとうげん うたうときにま さんにんまいいれ くつつきまあれ


うさぎじまれ まらなおしませんか さけよいつつ とらないとちぎ すいたしんせつ
うなぎとれらん せんじつまかれな らてれとぎじつ またおくれてこない ございます

ご ま せ う す と さ ま さ う さ あ き あ え そ れ が ま よ
ざ た ら ん な い ら け ら う ん た し が ん い お き ち く た す け し
い お て じ ぎ た な よ な さ く に う ん し ま し く ら い き ち に ら え が ま て ん つ
ま く れ つ と し い い お ぎ つ ん と れ て れ ま れ い ま れ く せ に い た す れ こ ま
す れ と ま れ ん と つ し じ つ ま き ん な ん う ぐ な ん い れ ん ま ま ま ら ず う ら
て ぎ か ら せ ち つ ま ま き い に と い と と れ さ げ あ え た く よ ち く ま れ
こ じ れ ん つ ぎ せ れ ま い ま う よ き さ か つ か と あ ら に ぜ ん
な つ な ん あ れ げ に ん な い う な ん ま
い か れ ん さ な ら ん

76
6. Transliterate the HIRAGANA nonsense sequences in #5 above to ROOMAJI. Check with a partner to confirm that you both have
correct spellings and compare which Romanization system each of you used.

7. きい-TE 下さい。Listen (to the words in #5 above in random order) and write down what you hear as a dictation. Then use what you
have written to give the same dictation to a partner. Check to see if your partner spelled the words the same way you did.

4.3 Ask and tell the location of a bathroom


しつれい DE-す が. . . おてあらい WA DO-こ DE-す か。 あそこ DE-す。
す-MI-ません. . . おといれ WA DO-こ DE-す か。

TOILET: In English, there are a number of euphemisms for the word “toilet.” For example, “bathroom, washroom, powder room.” In
Japanese, the borrowed word といれ (short for “toilet”) is used. In casual conversation with friends, the word といれ is fine, but in polite
situations, a politeness prefix is attached, making the word お-といれ. Another common word is お-てあらい. In this phrase, お is the
politeness prefix, て means “hand,” and あらい is the root word for “wash.” Thus, it means something akin to “washroom.”

QUESTION WORD: Notice the interrogative particle KA at the end of the question. Also, notice again that a question ends with a simple
ま-RU rather than with a question mark. Can you find a new interrogative word in the sentence? You have already learned the
interrogative なん. Now, you have a new interrogative DO-こ.

POINTING: For now, an easy answer to the question about the location of a bathroom is 「あそこ DE-す。」. あそこ is another
deictic word (a pointing word like こちら). It means “over there,” and you should point in the general direction of the bathroom when
you answer with this phrase.

77
4.3 Practice!

1. おおきい こえ DE い T-TE 下さい。Break the question down into 2 parts and practice each part separately until you can say
each with good fluency. Say each part 5 times. Then, put the 2 parts together into one whole and practice saying it 6 or 8 times.
Part 1: しつれい DE-す が . . . Part 2: おてあらい WA DO-こ DE-す か。

2. Write the entire phrase 5 times using a combination of ROOMAJI and HIRAGANA. おおきい こえ DE よん DE 下さい。Say it
aloud as you write.

3. Ask 3 different partners where to find a bathroom. (Remember that the answer is: あそこ DE-す。)

4. Now you know how to ask 3 questions: names, phone numbers, and location of a bathroom. Write out all 3 questions using a
combination of HIRAGANA and ROOMAJI.

4.4 Read and write 2 new KANJI 女 (おんな ) 男 (おとこ)

To find the appropriate bathroom, it is helpful to know the KANJI for female and male. Some mnemonics might be useful. If you use your
imagination, the KANJI for female 女 looks a bit like a lady with her legs crossed. The KANJI for male 男 is composed of a top ideograph
田 that means “rice field” and a bottom ideograph 力 that means “strength.” The pronunciations can be seen in the FURIGANA hints
written above the KANJI.
おんな おとこ
女 男

78
4.4 Practice!

1. Use an app to find correct stroke order for the kanji 女 and 男. 女 has 3 strokes, and 男 has 7 strokes. Count the strokes in Japanese
as you practice writing them 10 to 20 times each. (Count to 7 in Japanese as you write 男!)

2. Ask 3 different partners the following “either/or” question: 「す-MI-ません、しつれい します が、女ですか、男ですか。」
WA DE
Partners can answer with: わたし WA __________ です よ! (The よ at the end is kind of like an exclamation mark in this sentence.)

4.5 Explain the culture of す-MI-ません

Review the 3 ways you know for how to say “excuse me” in Japanese: 1) しつれい します, 2) しつれい DE-す, 3) す-MI-ません
What is the difference between the first two phrases?

The 3rd phrase「す-MI-ません」is rather magical, so we will give it special treatment here. Over the next ten years, if you remember only
one phrase from Japanese, this is the one to remember! If you use intonation, gestures, and context in a clever way, 「す-MI-ません」 is
a phrase that you can use for almost any situation! It can mean: “excuse me, please, thank-you, I’m sorry, good-bye, I’m guilty, hello, I’m
hungry, I’m full” and much, much more!

4.5 Practice!

1. Write the phrase 「す-MI-ません」 in your notebook 5 times, following each with an equal sign (=). Then, after the equal signs,
write the Japanese phrases that have the following meanings: [Good morning, Good afternoon, Good evening, Excuse me, Good-bye].
おおきい こえ DE よん DE 下さい。Then, read your 5 sentences aloud. Example: す-MI-ません = お-HA-よう ございます

79
2. With a partner, say す-MI-ません while acting out the meaning of each of the phrases you wrote in #1 above in random order. Your
partner should try to guess which meaning you are trying to convey, and say the synonymous phrase from Japanese. Give your partner
a thumbs up or down signal depending on how well they guess.

3. Read the following conversation between Anna さん and よしえ さん and work with a partner to answer the questions that follow.

あな さん : しつれい DE-す が、bathroom WA DO-こ DE-す か。


よしえ さん: ええと. . . [bathroom] DE-す か。 CHOT-と WA-か-RI-ません。 す-MI-ません。
あな さん : あそこ WA bathroom DE-す か。
よしえ さん: ええと. . . す-MI-ません、CHOT-と えいご WA-か-RI-ません。「Bathroom」WA NI-HO んご DE なん と いいます か。
あな さん : す-MI-ません。NI-HO んご DE CHOT-と WA-か-RI-ません。 ええと. . . 「おてあらい」DE-す か。
よしえ さん: ああ. . . おてあらい! WA-か-RI-ました。 おてあらい WA あそこ DE-す。
あな さん : す-MI-ません! しつれい します。

1. Where do you think this conversation took place?


2. True or False? よしえ さん’s English is better than あな さん’s Japanese.
3. How many “repeating culture” questions and how many “real” questions can you count in the dialogue?
4. Instead of translating the last 2 phrases said by あな さん at the end of the dialogue as “excuse me,” what would be a more
specific translation for each?

4. Listen to the dialogue from #3 above five times. Try to lip sync with the speakers as you listen. Then, listen 5 more times without
looking at the script and try to speak the lines together with the speakers. Finally, without looking at the script, try to reproduce the same
dialogue with a partner.

Bonus せんせい WA てんさい DE-す よ。

80
Unit 4 Review Quiz

Before you work through the review quiz below, go back through Units 1 through 4, and re-read/ re-practice any weak areas. Re-read
your notes for the 4 units. Then, do the quiz below to see how well you have mastered the competencies of this unit. If you have trouble,
be sure to go back and perfect the areas in which you are weak.

1. What is a good filler word in Japanese?

2. Write the numbers from 0 to 10 using a combination of KANJI, HIRAGANA, and ROOMAJI to show that you know their pronunciations.

3. Arithmetic time! Fill in the answers to the following problems.


HI
Use this key: たす means “plus,” ひく means “minus,” WA means “equals”
HI
一 たす 二 WA _____ DE-す。 三 ひく 二 WA ______ DE-す。
三 たす 二 WA _____ DE-す。 三 ひく 三 WA ______ DE-す。
よん たす RO-く WA _____ DE-す。 KYU-う ひく 二 WA ______ DE-す。
一 たす なな WA _____ DE-す。 HA-ち ひく 三 WA ______ DE-す。

4. Write 3 arithmetic problems of your own following the patterns above. Ask a partner to solve them.

5. Write the 3 greetings for different times of the day. What additional word can be used to mean any of those greetings?

6. Write the words for “phone number, name, bathroom.”

7. What particle is used at the end of a sentence to indicate that it is a question?

8. Write 2 interrogative words, using a combination of HIRAGANA and ROOMAJI.

81
9. Time yourself! Write 20 HIRAGANA (the 4 main series you have learned) in correct order in under 1 minute!

10. Read the following HIRAGANA sequences aloud. Then, write them in ROOMAJI.

たつまき おしいれ おてあらい おといれ さよなら


こんにち まくらまき たたまなけれ たからくじ とてつちた

11. Read the following ROOMAJI vowel sequences aloud. Then, write them in HIRAGANA.

TSU-MA-YO-U ZE-RE-CHIN-TA-RA ZEN-SA-I-TA-SU-TO NI-TA-TSU-RA-I GO-RE-I-KO-TO


YO-GO-RE-TA-JI-JI TE-TO-RA-NA-I-YO O-KA-GE-SA-MA-SO-U GU-ZEN-GEN-JI ZU-TSU-NA-SHI

12. Number from 1 to 3 in KANJI on your paper. Using a combination of HIRAGANA and ROOMAJI, write Japanese phrases that
correspond to each situation below.

1. Say hello to a friend in the evening


2. Politely ask someone where the bathroom is located.
3. Indicate the direction where the bathroom is.

13. With 2 other partners, role-play the following. One of you should play the role of a teacher, one should play the role of a student
named まき, and one should play the role of まき’s friend あな. Be sure to include body language (bowing), filler words, and the culture of
repeating! Focus on both fluency and accuracy! You may practice and prepare before doing the final role play.

It is afternoon. Say hello to the teacher. Then, introduce yourself and introduce your friend to the teacher.
Your friend asks where the bathroom is. Say good-bye to the teacher.

82
14. With 2 partners, role-play a teacher and a student in a classroom. The student is having trouble, needs help, and does the following.
Request that the teacher repeat something.
Request that the teacher speak more slowly.
Ask the teacher how to say “bathroom” in Japanese.

15. Listen to nonsense words and write them down as dictation.

16. Read the following paragraph and write answers to the questions that follow.

Paragraph:
お-HA-よう ございます。 かざま DE-す。 DO-うぞ よ-RO-しく。
DE-ん-WA BA-んごう WA KYU-う なな ぜ RO- NO HA-ち 一 三 三 DE-す。
す-MI-ません、おてあらい WA あそこ DE-す。 しつれい します。

Questions:
What time of the day is it? おなまえ WA なん DE-す か。
970-8133 WA なん DE-す か。 おてあらい WA DO-こ DE-す か。
「しつれい します」WA えいご De なん と いいます か。

83
Unit 5

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

5.1. Read and write 5 new “piggy-backed” HIRAGANA 5.4. Ask and answer simple yes/no questions and express thanks
だ ぢ づ で ど (DA, DI/JI, DU/ZU, DE, DO) ~~さんですか。 でんわ BA-んごう WA ~~ですか。
HA-い、そう です。 いいえ、ちがいます。
5.2. Read and write 5 new HIRAGANA HA-い わかりました。 ありがとう ございます。
な に ぬ ね の (NA, NI, NU, NE, NO)

5.3. Read and write 2 new HIRAGANA り わ (RI WA)

5.1 Read and write 5 new “piggy-backed” HIRAGANA だ ぢ づ で ど (DA, DI/JI, DU/ZU, DE, DO)
Here are some more “piggy-backed” HIRAGANA that are used with the TA –series and created with a てんてん. Adding the てんてん to
the TA-series means adding voicing to the /t/ sound, resulting in the /d/ sound to produce the DA-series. The 3 members of the TA-series
that have regular pronunciations are た て と . By adding vocal cord vibrations to the /t/ sound in these 3 HIRAGANA, we get the
sounds DA, DE, and DO. Try the “fingers on the vocal cords” test. Say “t, t, t, t, t, t” and then “d, d, d, d, d, d, d” and feel the vibrations
in your vocal cords on the /d/. (Remember not to say any vowel sounds, only the consonant sounds.) The 3 HIRAGANA in this series that
have regular pronunciations are だ, で, ど.

84
The 2 irregular sounds in the TA-series (CHI ち and TSU つ) are also irregular in the てんてん versions. The first irregular pronunciation is
ぢ. It is pronounced JI, exactly the same as the ZA-series じ (JI). There are relatively few words spelled with ぢ. Memorize and practice
the pronunciation of ぢ, but most of the new words you learn that have a JI syllable will be spelled as じ.
Romanization options for ぢ: You will see ぢ Romanized both as JI (the modern way that shows its pronunciation) and as DI (the old-
fashioned way that shows its membership in the DA-series).

The second irregular pronunciation in the DA-series is づ. づ may be pronounced ZU just like the ZA-series ず, but some people
pronounce it more like DZU. Only a few words are spelled with づ (e.g., つづきます). Usually, the ZU sound is spelled with ず.
Romanizations include the modern ZU or DZU and the more old-fashioned DU (showing series membership).

5.1 Practice!

1. Write the DA-series 5 to 10 times, pronouncing the syllables aloud as you write. Pay special attention to the two irregular
pronunciations in the series. Then write them in random order, pronouncing them aloud as you write.

2. Write all the members of the TA- and DA-series in random orders, pronouncing them as you write.

3. Read the following aloud, and then MO-う 一 ど おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Read them aloud again!
たつてちとつてだちづどてだ ででつづとだちど さちじちざずづぢじつちさ

4. Write the sequences in #3 in Roomaji. Check with a partner to see which Romanization systems you each used.

5. Read the following nonsense sequences aloud 3 times. Then, give them to a partner as a dictation. Check your partner’s work.
1. ごじどちさだ 2. づおしぎぐだず 3. よんでてきどぢ 4. がでぞちげでざ

85
5.2 Read and write 5 new HIRAGANA な に ぬ ね の (NA, NI, NU, NE, NO)

The good news is that the NA-series has no irregular pronunciations! Also, since you already know 2 members of this series, you really
only have to learn 3 new symbols. Remember to pronounce ぬ (the –U member) with no lip movement. Your lips should be flattened
instead of rounded.

Possible points of confusion:


1) Some people are confused by the similarities in NU and NE. Both have 2 strokes and both end with a curly tail. Notice that NU is
written with round, curving movements. NE is written with a strong downward line and then a more angular stroke.
2) Another point of possible confusion is between た TA and な NA. Make sure you can easily distinguish between the two, both when you
read and when you write.

NA な (4 strokes) NI に (3 strokes) NU ぬ (2 strokes) NE ね (2 strokes) NO の (1 stroke)

5.2 Practice!

1. Use your favorite website or app for learning to write the “NA-series.” Pay strict attention to stroke order and remember to check on
the ending of each stroke (simple stop, little “tail,” or drifting softly off into nothing). Practice writing な、に、ぬ、ね、の ten or twenty
times until the NA-series easy to you. Write the symbols in order first, and then practice writing them in random orders, pronouncing each
one as you write it.

2. After you have practiced and feel confident, change the following ROOMAJI sequences into HIRAGANA.

1. NI-NU 4. NE-NI 7. I-NE-A-NU-DA-NON 10. DE-NE-NO-DU-NU 13. CHI-DI-TU-DUN


2. NA-NI 5. NE-NU-NA 8. NU-DI-NAN-NI-U-DO 11. DI-DO-NA-NO-DA 14. NO-NE-DU-TEN
3. NO-NA 6. NO-A-NU-NIN 9. DI-DU-NEN-I-NA-NI 12. TA-DE-YO-NO-DO 15. GO-NO-NU-DON

86
3. Write all the HIRAGANA series you have learned (A-, KA-, SA-, TA- and NA-series) in dictionary order 3 to 5 times. Practice until you
can write all 25 HIRAGANA in under 1 minute, timing yourself to check. Compete with a partner to see who can write them in correct
dictionary order the fastest.

4. MI-て 下さい。Ask a partner to check your stroke order as you write all 25 HIRAGANA. Are you at 100% perfection?

5. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。A) Read the words below aloud to yourself, first in order and then again in random order. MO-
う一ど おおきい こえ で よんで ください。B) Read them out loud to a partner in random order, and have your partner find the
words you are saying. C) Read the words out loud to a partner in the form of a dictation. Have your partner write them down as you
say them. Then, check your partner’s spelling. D) Point to random words with a partner and see who can say the word first.

1. ぬののぬいかた 4. つちがぬれたよ 7. にんにくがおおい 10. どうですかでん 13.どんななまえなんだ


2. どなたですか 5. ぢがでたいたい 8. つづきましてね 11.ずつがつづくと 14.じつにでかいなので
3. なんのどれ 6. まぬんがすきだ 9. ぬまのまえでおよぐ 12.なまたまごどれ 15.いぬがなにのんでいた

6. Go back and convert the sequences above into ROOMAJI. For the irregular sounds in the DA-series, you may use either of the
ROOMAJI options.

7. きいて 下さい。Listen and write down the phrases you hear as a dictation. After you do the dictation, use the words you wrote (but
in random order!) to give a dictation to a classmate.

8. おおきい こえ で い T-て 下さい。 Recite the entire syllabary A through NA-series out loud in the correct order. Do this
together with a partner to check that you both recite the syllabary in the same order. MO-う一ど おおきい こえ で YUK-く-RI い
T-て ください。Say it aloud 3 times, or until you can say all the series in order with no pauses.

87
5.3 Read and write 2 new HIRAGANA り わ (RI WA)

The first new HIRAGANA in this section is り (RI). The /r/ sound in り is not at all like the /r/ sound in English. It is pronounced
somewhere between the English sounds “l” and “r”, and sometimes it almost sounds like a light tapped “d” sound (as in “ladder”). Practice
saying this HIRAGANA syllable without moving your lips. Instead, use the tip of your tongue to quickly tap the top of your mouth. The り
may be written with 2 separate strokes or with the 2 strokes conjoined (print style り). It is best to practice writing り with separated
strokes at the beginning. After you fully learn り, you may choose to join the 2 strokes later.

The second new HIRAGANA is わ (WA). While わ is easy to pronounce, there are several possible points of confusion.
1) わ is written with 2 strokes. Be careful to distinguish it from the somewhat similar-looking ね. With a partner, contrast the 2. What is
the main difference between わ and ね? What are the differences between わ and ぬ?
2) Another possible point of confusion is in the usage of わ. There are 2 separate WA spellings and usages. One usage is the particle WA
(as in おなまえ WA なん です か。). You will learn how to spell this particle WA later. The other usage for WA is when it is part of a word.
In this case, it is spelled わ (from the WA-series). Examples of each WA follow. (If you’d like to know what the WA words mean, ask your
teacher.

WA Words: でんわ わかりません わたし わすれた にわ わかい

WA Particles: こんにち WA。 こん BA-ん WA。 おなまえ WA なん です か。


(spelled differently) でんわ BA-んごう WA なん です か。 ______ WA えいご で なん と いいます か。

5.3 Practice!

1. Use your regular app/website to find stroke order for both り and わ . Write them each 10 to 20 times until you have them perfected.

2. Review the teacher-student phrases you learned earlier. Then copy the two phrases below 5 to 10 times.
1) わかりましたか。 2) CHOT-と わかりません。

88
3. おおきいい こえ で よんで 下さい。Read the following sequences aloud 3 times.

りまかわせよ われわれのにんじん れらりわり にわり わださんのりらくす りらわれりわねねわれり


あおちさりわ きさちりにれわねぬ ねりわちりわりさ でんわありがとうね らまだんわすれられません

4. Write the sequences in #3 above in ROOMAJI.

89
5. おおきいい こえ で YUK-くり よんで 下さい。Practice reading the よこがき and たてがき “words” below aloud. Read them
straight through and then read them again in random order until you can read them all quickly and smoothly. Then, read them with a
partner.

わざわざごぬんなさい われらわかりません ありがとうございます わたしわかいですよ


りりさんわかりましたか らありせんせいわらう わかわかしいりそうてき こだわりのわれわれ
つつまなけれりだなあ がさがさうまれいつち つかわないでわれないで よわりましたよわいな
いただきますわにねえ だれわたしのおとこだち わたしたちのさよなら さまないうちにごりよう

さ わ だ い よ つ が つ こ わ ら り わ あ わ わ
ま た れ た わ か さ つ だ か あ り た り れ ざ
な し わ だ り わ が ま わ わ り さ し が ら わ
い た た き ま な さ な り か せ ん わ と わ ざ
う ち し ま し い う け の し ん わ か う か ご
ち の の す た で ま れ わ い せ か い ご り ぬ
に さ お わ よ わ れ り れ り い り で ざ ま ん
ご よ と に わ れ い だ わ そ わ ま す い せ な
り な こ ね い な つ な れ う ら し よ ま ん さ
よ ら だ え な い ち あ て う た す い
う ち で き か

90
6. Transliterate the words in #5 above to ROOMAJI.

5.4 Ask and answer simple yes/no questions and express thanks
~~さんですか。 でんわ BA-んごう WA ~~ですか。 HA-い、そう です。 いいえ、ちがいます。
HA-い わかりました。 ありがとう ございます。

Yes/No Questions: You have already learned 3 different information questions (questions that ask for specific pieces of information).
Information questions always include an interrogative word (なん? どこ?). Now, you will learn how to ask simple yes/no questions
(questions that are answered by “yes” or “no”).

The easiest type of yes/no question consists of pointing to something and


asking if it is what you think it is. (“Is that a ____?) For example, if you see おといれ です か。
a weird-looking old-fashioned Japanese toilet, you might point to it and say: (Is that a toilet??)

You can use the same pattern to confirm people’s names. If you receive someone’s name card [ME-いし], and you
are not sure how to pronounce their name, you can ask a yes/no question to confirm the pronunciation. As you
learned earlier, Japan has a “culture of repeating” for politeness. After you receive a person’s name card, you can ask
for confirmation of their name, and then, you might want to confirm their phone number, too, just to be polite and
show interest.

When you ask for confirmation of someone’s name, say the name followed by the copula verb です and interrogative particle か as in: た
なかさん です か。Since you are speaking directly to the person, you do not need to specify who/what you are talking about. It is
obvious from the context. Additional examples: Smith さん です か。 Burbank さん です か。 Lafferty さん です か。

When you ask for confirmation of a phone number, you need to introduce the topic of “phone number” before you add the copula verb and
interrogative particle. When you introduce a topic, follow the topic with the particle WA. WA is a simple grammatical flag that attaches to

91
the topics of sentences. (Note: This WA is not spelled with わ, so continue to write the particle WA in Roomaji until you learn its spelling
later.) Here’s how the question works.
1) Introduce the topic.
2) Tell the information you want to confirm (the phone number).
3) Add the copula verb です and interrogative particle か to complete the question.

Three-part yes/no questions: 1) topic and topic particle WA 2) info about the topic 3) verb and question particle KA.
でんわ BA-んごう WA 765-0494 です か。

Yes/no questions have 2 common answers, “yes” and “no,” but in polite Japanese, the answers are a bit longer.
HA-い、そう です。 いいえ、ちがいます。
“Yes, that is so.” “No, that’s not right.”

Add body language! For the affirmative answer, nod your head, but instead of nodding up and down like in English, nod down and up!
For the negative answer, hold your hand in front of your mouth/nose with the palm facing sideways. Wave your hand from side to side.

Expressing thanks: HA-い わかりました。 ありがとう ございます。


After you receive an answer to a question, tell the person you understood「HA-い わかりました 」and then thank them「ありがとう
ございます」.
(To thank a child or a close friend, you may use the shorter 「ありがとう」, but with a stranger or anyone older than you, you should say
the complete phrase「ありがとう ございます」. For now, practice using the entire polite phrase.)

5.4 Practice!

1. Copy the phrases below 6 to 8 times to get them “in your hand and mind.” おおきい こえ で い T-て 下さい。 Then, repeat
the questions aloud 5 or 10 times each until you have them completely “in your mouth.”
す-MI-ません、たなかさん です か。 でんわ BA-んごう WA 765-0494 です か。

92
2. Write out the affirmative and negative responses 「HA-い、そう です。」and 「いいえ、ちがいます。」6 to 8 times to get them “in
your hand and mind.” おおきい こえ で い T-て 下さい。 Repeat them aloud 5 or 10 times until your pronunciation flows well.
Include body language!

3. Write out the phrases 「HA-い わかりました。」and 「ありがとう ございます。」6 to 8 times, and then repeat them aloud 5 or
10 times for fluency. Bow slightly each time you say them!

93
4. YUK-くり よんで 下さい。Read the following 「ME-いし」 carefully. Then read the 3 conversations below aloud with a partner. お
おきい こえ で よんで 下さい。
CONVERSATION 1:
A: す-MI-ません、たなかさん です か。
ME-いし: た な か み つ こ B: HA-い、そう です。
田中美津子 A: でんわ BA-んごう WA 765-0494 です か。
B: いいえ、ちがいます。072-248-3243 です。
でんわ 072-248-3243 A: HA-い わかりました。 ありがとう ございます。
FAX 011-393-4655 B: さよなら。
A: さよなら。

CONVERSATION 2:
A: す-MI-ません、なかにしさん です か。
B: いいえ、ちがいます。 田中 です。
A: でんわ BA-んごう WA 072-248-3244 です か。
B: いいえ、ちがいます。072-248-3243 です。
A: HA-い わかりました。 ありがとう ございます。
B: さよなら。
A: さよなら。 CONVERSATION 3:
A: す-MI-ません、わださん です か。
B: いいえ、ちがいます。 田中 です。
A: でんわ BA-んごう WA 011-393-4655 です か。
B: いいえ、ちがいます。072-248-3243 です。
A: HA-い わかりました。 ありがとう ございます。
B: さよなら。
A: さよなら。

94
5. Choose 3 names and phone numbers from the following list. MI-て 下さい。Use them to create 3 separate MEISHI on 3 small pieces
of paper. (Notice gender designations beside the names.)
INSTRUCTIONS:
なまえ でんわ BA-んごう
たにぐち たかこ 女 090-542-6790 Approach a classmate. Greet each other and show each other
きくち そうすけ 男 01-8824-3898 one of your MEISHI. Look at your classmate’s MEISHI and
さの さよこ 女 064-771-6251 confirm their name and phone number using yes/no question.
わだ しずく 女 090-542-7609 Make intentional mistakes in some of your questions so that
てらお ちえこ 女 01-8842-3989 your partner will have to correct you. After your partner
おかざき けんじ 男 064-717-6251 responds, express understanding and thanks. Then move on to
いわい けんた 男 090-670-9542 2 new partners.
よねしま だいすけ 男 01-8428-3898

6. Choose a secret identity using a name and phone number from the list in #5 above. Work with a partner. Without introducing who
you are, ask each other YES/NO questions until you can identify each other’s identities. Information questions are prohibited! Stick
exclusively to YES/NO questions. If you need something repeated, be sure to say: 「MO-う 一ど い T-て 下さい。」or 「YUK-くり
い T-て 下さい。」Don’t forget to express understanding and thanks. In addition to confirmation questions about name and phone
number, you may ask for confirmation of gender. No English please!

95
7. Listen to 2 conversations about names and phone numbers. Write down the missing information in the table below.

なまえ でんわ BA-んごう



8. Write a short dialogue in which someone confirms a name and phone number and then expresses understanding and thanks.

Bonus せんせい WA 男 です か、女 です か。

96
Unit 5 Review Quiz

Re-read and re-practice pieces of Units 1 through 5 in which you lack confidence. Re-read your notes for all 5 units. Then, do the quiz
below to see how well you have mastered the competencies of this unit. If you have trouble, be sure to go back and perfect the areas
where you are weak.

1. Write an answer to each question below.


す-MI-ません、たなかさんですか。
す-MI-ません、おなまえ WA なんですか。
でんわ BA-んごう WA 970-248-1284 ですか。
でんわ BA-んごう WA なんですか。
しつれい です が、おてあらい WA どこ です か。

2. Write a question that would fit each answer below. Then add a greeting to the beginning and a “thank you” after each section.

GREETING: ___________________________
Q: ___________________________________ A: いちくら きよこ です。
Q: ___________________________________ A: いいえ、ちがい-MA-す。いちくら です。
“THANKS, I GOT IT!” _______________________________________

Q: ___________________________________ A: KYU-う なな ぜ-RO の 一 一 二 の RO-く HA-ち 三 三 です。


Q: ___________________________________ A: いいえ、ちがい-MA-す。RO-く HA-ち 三 三 です。
“THANKS, I GOT IT!” _______________________________________

97
3. Arithmetic time! Write short answers to the following Yes/No questions. For the “No” answers, supply the correct information.
Use this key to help: たす ( plus ) ひく ( minus ) WA ( equals )

三 たす 二 WA ご です か。 JYU-う ひく 二 WA 三 です か。
三 たす よん WA HA-ち です か。 なな ひく RO-く WA ぜ-RO です か。
よん たす ご WA RO-く です か。 HA-ち ひく ご WA 二 です か。
なな たす 三 WA JYU-う です か。 ご ひく 三 WA 一 です か。

Write 3 arithmetic problems of your own following the patterns above. Ask a partner to solve them.

4. What word can be used to mean any of the greetings?

5. What particle is used at the end of a sentence to indicate that it is a question? What particle is placed after the topic of a
sentence?

6. Time yourself! Write 25 HIRAGANA (the 5 series you have learned) in the correct order in under 1 minute!

7. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Read the following HIRAGANA sequences aloud. Then, write them in ROOMAJI.

なかのしま わかりましたか ちかいおてあらい でんわがありますか しつれいしますが


おねえさん おにいさん のらねこがいます おだいじにね どなたでしたか

8. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Read the following ROOMAJI vowel sequences aloud. Then, write them in HIRAGANA.

WA-KA-SA-GI-NO-O-I-SHI-SA AN-I-DA-SI-RA-A-RI-DA ZEN-SA-I-NO-O-NI-GI-RI O-NA-KA-GA-SU-I-TA-NE


RE-I-ZO-KO-NO-TO-KO-WA-KA-RI DA-DA-GE-I-DA-I-DE SA-YO-NA-RA-SAN--DAN-WA A-TA-MA-GA-WA-KA-I-NO-DE

98
9. With 2 other partners, role-play the following. One person is a teacher named のだ, one is a student named まり, and the other is a
friend of the student, named りさ. As you role-play, be sure to include body language, filler words, and the culture of repeating! Focus
on both fluency and accuracy! You may prepare and practice before doing the role-play.

It is morning. Say hello to the teacher, introduce yourself, and introduce your friend.
The teacher should confirm the friend’s name and then ask for both your and your friend’s phone numbers.
The teacher should then ask you to speak more slowly, and finally confirm the numbers.
Then, the teacher should express understanding and thanks.
Ask your friend where the phone is. The friend should point and indicate the phone’s location.
All of you should say good-bye to each other.

10. Talk to your teacher.


Request that the teacher repeat something.
Request that the teacher speak more slowly.
Ask the teacher the meaning of Japanese phrase “す-MI-ません” in English.

11. Listen to phrases and write them down as dictation.

12. YUK-くり よんで 下さい。 Read the following paragraph and write answers to the questions that follow.
PARAGRAPH:
こん-BA-ん WA。 いたがきです。 どうぞ よ-RO-しく。
でんわ BA-んごう WA なな なな ぜ-RO の HA-ち 三 よん 三 です。
す-MI-ません、おてあらい WA あそこ です。 さよなら。
QUESTIONS:
1. What time of the day is it? (あさ? HI-RU? BA-ん?) 3. おなまえ WA なん です か。
2. 970-8133 WA でんわ BA-んごう ですか。 4. おてあらい WA どこ です か。
5.「さよなら」WA えいご で なん と いいます か。

99
Unit 6

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

6.1. Read and write 5 new HIRAGANA, the HA-series 6.6. Use conversational phrases and correct misinformation
は、ひ、ふ、へ、ほ (HA, HI, HU/FU, HE, HO). あのう、す-MI-まさん。 ああ、そう です か。
いい です ね。 ちがいます よ。
6.2. Read and write 10 new “piggy-backed” HIRAGANA
ば、び、ぶ、べ、ぼ ぱ、ぴ、ぷ、ぺ、ぽ 6.7. Correct misinformation ちがいます よ。

6.3. Explain the use of は as a grammatical particle and 6.8. Ask and tell about occupation or identity using:
pronounce it correctly as WA せんせい, がくせい、 かい-SHA-いん、
なん こ ん - P Y U - う た あ す た あ
コンピューターおたく、 えいがスター
6.4. Read and write 1 new KANJI 何

6.5. Explain and use the discourse particles よ ね

100
6.1 Read and write 5 new HIRAGANA, the HA-series は、ひ、ふ、へ、ほ (HA, HI, HU/FU, HE, HO).

PRONUNCIATION: For the three regular members of the HA-series, (は へ ほ), add the /h/ sound at the beginning of the syllable. They
will sound like HA, HE, HO. You can “get away with” pronouncing ひ and ふ with the /h/ sound too, but to sound more like a native
speaker, notice that HI and HU are pronounced somewhat differently.

ひ is pronounced with the tongue bunched up near the top of your mouth, with the air space closed down a bit more tightly than for the
regular /h/ sound. Since the vowel in ひ is normally whispered, ひ will sound very much like a cat hissing! You will hear a kind of
sidewise hissing and not much else if you say it right.
ふ is another HIRAGANA that has two different Romanizations. There is the old-fashioned Romanization “HU” showing its membership in
the HA-series. There is also the more modern Romanization “FU” that tries to more adequately capture the pronunciation. However, that
Romanization is not quite adequate! In fact, ふ (sometimes written ふ) is a delightfully exotic sound that really is not like /hu/ or /fu/.
The sound of ふ doesn’t exist in English. Pronounce ふ like “FU” but without letting your teeth touch your bottom lip! This HIRAGANA also
contains a whispered vowel, so the only sound will be air blowing through your lips. Hold them close together and puff like you are
blowing out a candle!

WRITING: Notice that ふ can be written in two different styles. In print style, ふ is written with conjoined strokes, but for now, please
practice writing it with 3 (or 4) separate strokes. Be prepared to read both styles!

POSSIBLE POINT OF CONFUSION: With a partner, contrast は and ほ. How are they similar and how do they differ? Next, contrast both
は and ほ with ま. With your partner, list the similarities and differences you see.

Find examples of both print and handwriting styles.


HA は (3 strokes) HI ひ (1 stroke -- Pronunciation check!) HU ふ or ふ (3 strokes—Pronunciation check!)
HE へ (1 stroke) HO ほ (4 strokes)

101
6.1 Practice!

1. Use your favorite tool for learning to write the “HA-series.” Practice writing は、ひ、ふ、へ、ほ ten or twenty times until you develop
good muscle memory. Write the series in correct order first, then practice writing it in random order. Be sure to pronounce each one as
you write it. Pay close attention to the pronunciation of HI and HU/FU! Also, remember to say ふ with flat rather than rounded lips.

2. After you have practiced amply and feel confident, change the following ROOMAJI sequences into HIRAGANA.

1. HA-HI-HO 4. HI-HA-HU 7. SO-NO-FU-U-NA 10. FU-NE-GA-DE-TA 13. HA-DA-GA-HI-RI-HI-RI


2. HE-HA-HI 5. HO-HU-HE 8. FUN-WA-RI-NO-HOU 11. HE-NO-HE-NO-WA 14. HO-TA-TE-DE-SI-TA-YO
3. HU-HO-HE 6. HEN-NA-HOU 9. FU-WA-FU-WA-DA-YO 12. HI-TA-TI-FU-TA-TSU 15. HO-KA-NO-HA-NA-KA-NA

3. Write the 30 HIRAGANA you have learned (the series of A-KA-SA-TA-NA-HA) in 「ご-JYU-うおんず」 (dictionary order) 6 to 8 times
until you can write the complete set in under a minute! Time yourself to check.

4. Before you begin the following practice, do a self-check. Are you pronouncing all the vowels with pure Japanese pronunciations
without interference from your English vowels? Are you clear on the irregular pronunciations in the HA-series?
おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Read the words below aloud to yourself in order and then again in random order.
MO-う 一ど よんで 下さい。Read them out loud to a partner in random order, and have your partner find the words you are saying.
MO-う 一ど おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Next, read the words out loud to a partner in the form of a dictation. Have your
partner write them down as you say them. Then, check your partner’s spelling.
Finally, point to random words with a partner and see who can say the word first.

1. われわれさらりまん 4. たいふうがこないで 7. わたしねひこうきで 10. そのはずないよ


2. ほかほかほたて 5. あおひげしらこほ 8. かれねふねで 11. はへがせまいほうれんそう
3. ほらちらちらだ 6. ちんちらのほう 9. おねえさんねはらたつ 12. ひがはれました

102
5. Convert the sequences in #4 above to ROOMAJI. For the irregular sounds in the HA-series, you may use either of the ROOMAJI
options.

6. Listen and take dictation. After you do the dictation, use the words you wrote (but this time in random order) to give the dictation to a
classmate.

6.2 Read and write 10 new “piggy-backed” HIRAGANA ば、び、ぶ、べ、ぼ ぱ、ぴ、ぷ、ぺ、ぽ

BA-series BA, BI, BU, BE, BO piggy-back on the HA-series using the てんてん to make ば び ぶ べ ぼ. This time, adding the てんてん
adds not only voicing (vocal cord vibration), but also a popping movement in the lips. With ば、び、ぶ、べ、ぼ there are no irregular
pronunciations, so they are easy and fun to say.

PA-series PA, PI, PU, PE, PO piggy-back on the BA-series using a new symbol called 「ま-RU」to make ぱ ぴ ぷ ぺ ぽ. You learned
earlier that both Japanese sentences and questions end with a punctuation mark that looks like a small circle ( 。). We call it a「ま-
RU」. This same type of MARU is used in the PA-series, but it is written near the top, right-hand side of the HA-series to create /p/ sounds.
Again, this series is fun to say because all its members are pronounced regularly. (Technically, the PA-series uses the MARU (or HAN-DA-
KU-TEN) to indicate devoicing of the consonant sound; that is, you are popping your lips together just as in the BA-series, but you are
taking away the vibration of your vocal cords. Try placing your fingers on your vocal cords and saying /b, b, b, b/ and then /p, p, p, p/ to
feel when to use the TEN-TEN and when to use the MARU.)

6.2 Practice!

1. Since the PA-series with the MARU is new, use a website or app with animation to learn the correct placement of the MARU. Practice
writing the BA-series and the PA-series several times, pronouncing aloud as you write.

103
2. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Read the following aloud.

べ、ば、ぴ、ぽ、は ぷ ぴ ぺ べ ぼ は ば ぼ ぽ べ ぺ へ ふ ぶ ぷ ぷ ひ び ぴ
びふべぱぽひぶば ぼぼぱのほぼびぶ ぴぱぽへぼべぽぺ ぴんぽんびんごぼんぼんぼんべい
べりべりばいばい ぶうぶういいます べいこんぱぱまま とまとちいずべいこんばんぶう

3. Practice writing the HA, BA, and PA-series five or ten times until they become easy and effortless for you. Write them in random
orders. Say them aloud as you write them.

4. When you have mastered the 3 new series (HA-, BA-, and PA-), convert the ROOMAJI below into HIRAGANA.

1. BI-BA-PA-BE-PU 4. BE-I-BI-PA-A-KA 7. DO-RE-BA-RE-BU 10. HO-U-JI-HA-KO-DA-TE 13. HA-RA-PE-KO-PEN


2. BA-BA-TE-RI-AN 5. BO-RA-BO-RA-JI-MA 8. ZI-TSU-NI-PON-PO-KO 11. HA-MA-MA-TSU-DE-RA 14. FU-U-RIN-FU-ZAN
3. GEN-JI-HO-TA-RI 6. NA-DA-RE-BON-BU 9. GO-KI-BU-RI-HO-I-HO-I 12. HI-BA-RI-GA-O-KA 15. HA-YO-MA-RE-IN

5. Read the HIRAGANA words you wrote for #4 above aloud and in random order. Continue reading the phrases in random order until
you can read them easily without stopping to think or process.

104
6. Practice reading the phrases below aloud. Read them straight through and then again in random order until you can read them all
quickly and smoothly. After you practice reading them to yourself, read them aloud with a partner. Finally, give them to a partner as
dictation, checking your partner’s spelling and stroke order.

すうぱありぞおと はわいいおあふ わいききびいち。 にせこ ふらの あさり すきい りぞおと ひびがはいり。


げんしりん こうえん おばけ でない ひとあんしん。 わかい にいさん ばばと でえと しますと おかしいだ。
たたまない ままでよごれが おおいので きおつけてごらん。 ぽんびき まんびき して だま ぽんぽこぺんだ。
のぼりべつ おんせん ほかほか あたたかいですよ。 ぺこぺこ ぱいぽ ぱいぽ ぴんぼけ びんぼで ああ。
だいせつざんに くまが いますので ぼうしが ひつようだ。 ぱちんこ ぴんぽん ばれい てにす いそがしいだ。

い ぴ ひ い びぱよほ ぽ ま け れ し に
ひ お ひ あびは
そ ん つ ま だんい。かの ん ん て がた ま い
と ばげび さいわす
が ぽ よ す いぼぽぺほぼ ぽ び ご た す さ
あ けんが りちいう
し ん う の せで かり こ き ら おま と ん
ん しは 。いぱ
い だ で ぴ こ べ ぺ ん おな し でりい す おあ
つ ぺ
だ ば。 ざあんこあつ ん し。 いい おばん なんり きにあり
。 れ ぼ んあぼ た だ て の かば。 い 。 いせふぞ
いぱ う 。 お
に。けぱたお でま しと こ こ
ち し かん だぽ ま い わ う り わと
てん が いいせ まん きで だでか え ぞふい
く ぽでん び
にこ ま およ 。えい ん おらき
す す き つご と とのき

105
7. Transliterate the phrases in #6 above to ROOMAJI.

8. Listen and take dictation. Then use the words you wrote (but in random order) to give dictation to a partner. Check to see that your
partner spelled the words the same as you did. (There is one word that has the sound RU. Use ROOMAJI for that sound if you need to.)

9. Recite the entire syllabary (A through HA series) aloud 3 times. Recite it again with a partner to check that you both have the series in
the correct dictionary order.

6.3 Explain the use of は as a grammatical particle and pronounce it correctly as WA

Up to this point, you have seen phrases with the particle WA written in ROOMAJI. As you will recall, when WA is part of the spelling of a
word, it is written わ. However, when WA is used as a grammatical marker to flag the subject of a phrase or sentence, it is written
differently. The particle WA is spelled は. It looks like HA, but it is pronounced WA. Grammatical markers like WA (は) are called
“particles,” and their role is to point out what the various pieces of a sentence are doing. The particle は is tagged on to the end of a word
or phrase to show that it is the topic of a sentence or conversation.
For example: はらださん は せんせい です。 おてあらい は あそこ です か。
おなまえ は なん です か。 でんわ ばんごう は なん です か。

It is also used to spell the greetings 「こんいち は。」and 「こんばん は。」.

6.3 Practice!

1. See how many sentences you can compose using the grammatical particle は to flag the subject or topic. (Include both questions and
regular declarative sentences. Try to compose at least 5 sentences.)

106
2. Read the following sentences out loud, paying attention to when は is pronounced HA and when it is pronounced WA. Explain how you
knew which pronunciation to use for each.

1. はらださんは いいせんせい です ね。 3. おはよう。 がくせいは あそこ です か。


2. はい、そうですよ。 4. こんばんは。 わたしは こじき です よ。

なん
6.4 Read and write 1 new KANJI 何
Knowing how to write the interrogative word なん in かんじ (7 strokes) will help make your writing look more sophisticated and make it
easier to read. Learn the stroke order of this かんじ from an animated app/website. Be sure to follow the stroke order!!!! Note especially
that the large outside portion is written with 4 strokes, and the little box in the middle is written with 3 strokes. Don’t cheat on stroke
order!!

6.4 Practice!

1. Write 何 20 times slowly and carefully, counting the 7 strokes as you write (一、二、三、し、ご、RO-く、しち).

2. Write 2 different information questions using 何.

3. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Read the following aloud. Then, answer the questions in writing.
「Ten」は にほんご で 何 と いいます か。 「Nice to meet you!」は にほんご で 何 と いいます か。
「はち」は えいご で 何 と いいます か。 「おはよう ございます」は えいご で 何 と いいます か。

107
6.5 Introduction to two discourse particles よ ね

So far, you have seen 2 grammatical particles: は and か. They indicate structural functions of the language, such as pointing to the topic
of the sentence or showing that the sentence is a question. Grammatical particles signal the structure of the sentence. Discourse particles
are different. They have an interactional or cultural meaning rather than a grammatical function. Discourse particles are optional. When
used, they occur at the end of a phrase or sentence. Two discourse particles are よ and ね. These particles are used to help smooth
interaction or to express a particular meta-message rather than express grammatical structure. Both discourse particles help to make a
conversation more interactive.
Meta-messages:
よ “Pay attention to what I just said.” “You need to know this!” “You know?” “I’m telling you!” “Heads up!”
The particle よ signals that you are providing new or unexpected information or information that is important to know.
ね “You know?” “Are you listening?” “Let me think. . .” “Don’t you think so?” “Keep talking to me.”
Some people add the particle ね after nearly every word or phrase in a sentence if they are really excited. It often comes
together with あのう, as in あのう ね . . .

6.5 Practice!
いまだ
1. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Read the following dialogue between 今田さん and David さん and underline each discourse
particle. Then, read it aloud with a partner and discuss the possible “meta-message” of each discourse particle. Note that typically, the
listeners nod their heads slightly (down and up) each time they hear the word ね!
いまだ
今田さん: あのう ね. . . わたし は ね. . . えいご わかりません よ。 えいご は ぜ-RO です よ。
David さん: え? えいご わかりません か。 わたし は ね. . . にほんご わかりません よ。
いまだ
今田さん: あのう ね. . . 「おてあらい」は えいご で 何 と いいます か。
David さん: 「おてあらい」です か。 ええと です ね. . . 「おてあらい」は 「bathroom」です よ。

108
いまだ
今田さん: 「Bass-room」です か。
David さん: いいえ、ちがいます よ。 「Bathroom」です よ。 わかりました か。
いまだ
今田さん: 「Bathroom」です ね。
David さん: はい、そう です ね。
いまだ
今田さん: はい、わかりました。 ありがとう ございます!

いまだ
2. Create your own dialogue patterned carefully after the one in #1 above. But instead of David さん teaching 今田さん a word in English,
いまだ
write your new dialogue with 今田さん teaching David さん a word in Japanese. Proofread your dialogue to make sure it has no errors.
Underline the discourse particles in your dialogue, and then share it with a partner. Role-play the dialogue aloud. Both you and your
partner should nod your heads each time the particle ね is used in the conversation.

6.6 Use conversational phrases and correct misinformation


あのう、す-MI-まさん。 ああ、そう です か。 いい です ね。 ちがいます よ。

CONVERSATIONAL PHRASES: Most languages contain a variety of ways to “help conversation along,” and Japanese is certainly no
exception. In fact, Japanese is quite rich with such devices. The 3 phrases below are prime examples.

あのう、す-MI-まさん。 Like the “filler word” ええと, which you learned earlier, あのう is used to buy time in a conversation. It
can also be used to get someone’s attention. It makes whatever you say a bit less direct, and thus, more polite and smoother.
Sometimes あのう is pronounced in a shorter form あの. You may use either form.

ああ、そう です か。 This phrase (“Really?” . . . “Is that right?!”) is used very frequently. When you use this phrase
throughout a conversation, it shows that you are listening and engaged and interested in the conversation.

109
いい です ね。 The word いい is an adjective. It means “good, nice, cool.” Remember that the discourse particle ね comes at
the end of a phrase and is probably one of the most common words used in conversations. It can mean “I agree!” or “You know
what I mean?” or “I’m just checking to see if you’re listening.” Using ね is a perfect way to indicate that you are actively engaging
in the conversation.

6.6 Practice!

1. Read the following short dialogues. Some of them contain “conversational phrases” used appropriately, but some of them contain the
phrases used inappropriately. Cross out the inappropriate or strange-sounding phrases. Discuss your answers with a partner, and figure
out more appropriate phrases for the ones you crossed out. Write better phrases in the dialogues to replace the ones you deleted.

1. あのう、す-MI-ません。 3. あのう、す-MI-ません。
はい? はい?
でんわ ばんごう は 何 です か。 「おすし」は えいご で 何 と いいます か。
874-3320 「おすし」は 「sushi」と いいます よ。
いい です ね! ああ そう です か。 いい です ね!

2. あのう、す-MI-ません。 4. あのう、す-MI-ません。
はい? はい?
おなまえ は 何 です か。 おてあらい は どこ です か。
まりあ です。 ええと. . . CHOT-と わかりません。
え? まりあ さん です か。 いい です ね! ああ そう です か。 いい です ね!

110
6.7 Correct misinformation ちがいます よ。

CORRECT MISINFORMATION: Literally translated, the verb 「ちがいます」 means “to differ,” but you can think of it as meaning “no,
that’s wrong.” Earlier, you used this phrase to respond negatively to a yes/no question, as in:
Yes/No Question たなかさん です か。 Answer いいえ、ちがいます 。いまだ です。
A similar use of ちがいます is to correct someone when they are incorrect, as in:
Incorrect Statement 「おてあらい」 は えいご で 「refrigerator」と いいます よ。
Correct the Misinformation え? ちがいます よ! 「おてあらい」は えいご で 「bathroom」と いいます よ。

6.7 Practice!

1. よんで 下さい。Beside each of the following statements write either 「そう です ね。」or 「ちがいます よ。」. Correct any
statements that are ちがいます by writing another sentence ending in よ.

1. 「はじ-ME-まして」は えいご で 「good-bye」と いいます よ。


2. 「しつれい します」は えいご で 「good-bye」と いいます よ。
3. 「Seven」は にほんご で 「三」と いいます よ。
4. 「YUK-くり」は えいご で 「out loud」と いいます よ。
5. 「Listen please!」は にほんご で 「みて 下さい」と いいます よ。

6.8 Ask and tell about occupation or identity using:


こ ん - P Y U - う た あ す た あ
せんせい, がくせい、 かい-SHA-いん、 コンピューターおたく、 えいがスター

せんせい can mean “a teacher,” but it can also mean “a doctor” or a person who holds mastery in some area.

がくせい has the same ending as せんせい, but means “a student.”

111
かい-SHA-いん is someone who works for a company.
こ ん - P Y U - う た あ
コンピューターおたく is a “computer nerd.” (It is a mixed Japanese-English phrase. Since you have not yet learned KATAKANA, there
are tiny HIRAGANA written above the English part of the phrase to show you the pronunciation. These small HIRAGANA are called
FURIGANA.)
す た あ
えいがスター is a mixed Japanese-English phrase. 「えいが」means “movie.” Use your imagination and listen carefully to the
pronunciation of the 2nd part of the word as you say it aloud. Can you figure out what it means? (Since it is a foreign word, it is written
here in KATAKANA with small FURIGANA above to help you pronounce it.)

6.8 Practice!

1. Copy the conversation below by hand, saying it aloud as you write it. Then, keyboard it in to your electronic device.
*Note a new usage of 「しつれい しました」 . . . ”That was rude of me.”

あのう す-MI-ません。 しつれい です が、 せんせい ですか。


いいえ、ちがいます よ。 がくせい です。
ああ、そう です か。 いい です ね。 おなまえ は 何 ですか。
ふかだ てつこ です。
ふらな てつこ さん です ね。
ええと. . . ちがいます。 ふかだ です よ。
ああ、しつれい しました*。 ふかだ さん です ね。 はい、わかりました。 ありがとう ございます。

2. Circle the 5 discourse particles in the conversation in #1 above. Then put one underline under the negative answer to a yes/no
question, and put two underlines under the correction to misinformation.

112
3. Copy the words used to tell people’s occupations. Use only HIRAGANA in your versions. Write them each 5 to 10 times, and
pronounce them aloud as you write.
こ ん - P Y U - う た あ す た あ
せんせい, がくせい、 かい-SHA-いん、 コンピューターおたく、 えいがスター

4. Practice saying the phrase あのう す-MI-ません, せんせい です か。Say it 3 or 4 times until you are perfectly fluent. Then,
without looking at the list of occupations, change the question to ask about whether someone is a student, a member of a company, a
business person, a computer nerd, or a movie star. Say each one several times.

5. Choose one of the occupations above. With a partner, practice asking each other YES/NO questions about your respective occupations.
When you answer, use the phrases 「はい、そう です。」or 「 いいえ、ちがいます よ。」If the answer is negative, continue asking
until you obtain the correct information. When you get the correct information, respond with ああ、そう です か。 いい です ね。
Add information questions about your partner’s name and phone number. Finally, express understanding and thanks. Remember the
information you get here. You will use it in #6 below!

6. Speak to a new partner. Choose a new identity and introduce yourself. Tell your name and what you do. Then, introduce your
partner from #5 above. Point to your old partner, use 「こちら は ________。」and tell your original partner’s name and what he/she
does. The person listening should express understanding and thanks. Say good-bye to each other.

7. Write all the かんじ words you have practiced 10 times. Say them aloud as you write them.
(ください、いち、に、さん、おんな、おとこ、なん)

113
8. Listen and circle the correct information in the chart below.

Time of day なまえ Occupation


一 あさ ひ-RU ばん Harrison, Bill, Nancy, Steve, Arnold, Allison せんせい、 がくせい、 かい-SHA-いん、 こん-PYU-うたあ おたく、 えいが すたあ

二 あさ ひ-RU ばん Harrison, Bill, Nancy, Steve, Arnold, Allison せんせい、 がくせい、 かい-SHA-いん、 こん-PYU-うたあ おたく、 えいが すたあ

三 あさ ひ-RU ばん Harrison, Bill, Nancy, Steve, Arnold, Allison せんせい、 がくせい、 かい-SHA-いん、 こん-PYU-うたあ おたく、 えいが すたあ

よん あさ ひ-RU ばん Harrison, Bill, Nancy, Steve, Arnold, Allison せんせい、 がくせい、 かい-SHA-いん、 こん-PYU-うたあ おたく、 えいが すたあ

ご あさ ひ-RU ばん Harrison, Bill, Nancy, Steve, Arnold, Allison せんせい、 がくせい、 かい-SHA-いん、 こん-PYU-うたあ おたく、 えいが すたあ

9. Read the following paragraph aloud. Then, in English, explain more or less the gist of the paragraph. What is the writer talking
about? What is the tone used by the writer? Although there are a number of possibilities, who could the writer be talking to? What could
be the context? What signals help you understand the tone of the paragraph? Write your answers in a short paragraph.

こんばんは。 こじま えいち です。 わたし は こん-PYU-うたあ おたくです よ。 いいえ、 ちがいます。 えいが す
たあ です よ。 いいえ、ちがいます。 わたし は せんせい です よ。 でんわ ばんごう は はち ご なな の ぜ-RO
三 ニ よん です。 さよなら。 しつれい します。

Bonus Body functions: SHAKKURI, GEPPU, KUSHAMI, SEKI, BU! (Look them up, or ask a friend!)

114
Unit 6 Review Quiz

Re-read and re-practice pieces of Units 1 through 6 that need more work. Re-read your notes, and then do the quiz below to see how well
you have mastered the competencies of this unit. If you have trouble, be sure to go back and perfect the areas in which you are weak.

1. Count out loud from 0 to 10, from 10 to 0, from 0 to 10 by even numbers, from 9 to 1 by odd numbers.

2. Listen to numbers. Say the number that comes BEFORE each one you hear.

3. Write the following in ひらがな and かんじ without using any Roomaji.
--a greeting to a teacher in the morning --ask someone to please listen again --tell someone you understand
--2 ways to say it’s nice to meet someone --ask someone to read something aloud --ask how to say “monkey” in Japanese

4. Write 3 different meanings of SUMIMASEN.

5. Write all the series of ひらがな that you have studied to this point, including the てんてん and MARU series. Write them all in under 1
minute.

6. Look at the following picture of 2 doors. Write a short sentence in Japanese telling what they are. Then, read the かんじ on the doors
and draw a small picture by each to indicate which door is for whom. 女 男
. .

7. Read the following ひらがな tongue twisters aloud. Then, write them in ROOMAJI.
わかわかびぼぺばぱ だぢたののてらてらぼうず ねばねばちんちんさくひん れきしりきじらくらくだ
なまたまごぺらぺら ぬのわざねなさかにきほほ くりぐりへそまがり さかさまわさえこいこきぱ
のごぐさひさくれかくさ しんちんきんりんらぴんひん らばれまとどそこせば ねこひでこごけれらへこ

115
8. Read the following ROOMAJI sequences aloud. Then, write them in ひらがな.
HI-SI-NI-NA-TO-RE BE-NI-BA-KO-ZE-BU-RA TO-DO-NO-KU-TI-GA-NI-TA FU-TA-TSU-NO-FU-TON
PO-TE-TO-NO-KA-WA HAN-DO-A-I-HE-A-PU-DIN PAN-PU-KIN-PA-I-PAN HAN-BUN-SAN-DO-I-CHI

9. With 2 other partners, role-play the following. It is morning. The 3 of you are meeting for the first time. Be sure to include body
language, filler words, and the culture of repeating! Focus on both fluency and accuracy! Repeat the role-play 3 times with increased
fluency each time. Perform it for the class. Include the following.
Say hello to each other.
Introduce yourselves.
Ask YES/NO questions about what the people in your group do, and respond accordingly.
Go back and confirm people’s names and then express understanding and thanks.
Someone should ask where the bathroom is.
Say good-bye.

10. Explain the difference between grammatical particles and discourse particles. Name 2 differences. Give examples of 2 grammatical
particles and 2 discourse particles, and tell how each one is used. Tell why reading は can be tricky.

11. With a partner, role-play a teacher and a student in a classroom.


The teacher tells the student to look at page 10 and read out loud. The student does so.
The teacher asks the student how to say えいがすたあ in English, and then asks the student to repeat.

12. Listen to phrases and write them down as dictation.

116
13. Listen to conversations and circle / fill in the correct information in the chart below.

Polite?
なまえ でんわ ばんごう Occupation 1= impolite
3=polite
ひたち ひだか はらだ 674-_________ せんせい、 がくせい、 かい-SHA-いん、 1 2 3
こん-PYU-うたあ おたく、 えいが すたあ

うえだ おおの おだか 819-_________ せんせい、 がくせい、 かい-SHA-いん、 1 2 3


こん-PYU-うたあ おたく、 えいが すたあ

しまの しまだ しなの 270-_________ せんせい、 がくせい、 かい-SHA-いん、 1 2 3


こん-PYU-うたあ おたく、 えいが すたあ

のぐち ながの なかお 534-_________ せんせい、 がくせい、 かい-SHA-いん、 1 2 3


こん-PYU-うたあ おたく、 えいが すたあ

117
Unit 7

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
7.5. Explain and use a new grammatical particle も
7.1. Read and write 5 new ひらがな, the MA-series
ま、み、む、め、も (MA, MI, MU, ME, MO) 7.6. Explain when each variant pronunciation of the interrogative
何 is used, NAN or NANI
7.2. Read and write ひらがな を (WO, but pronounced as O)
7.7. Use 3 frequency adverbs いつも、 よく、 あまり
7.3. Read and write the ひらがな YA-series
や、ゆ、よ (YA, YU, YO) 7.8. Make a positive response to hearing about someone
いい です ね!
7.4. Talk about eating and drinking habits using affirmative and
negative verbs わたし/ぼく 7.9. Talk about eating and drinking habits using affirmative and
何をたべますか。はんばあがあをたべません。 negative verbs
はんばあがあ、おすし、りんご、さらだ、 [たべます たべません] [のみます のみません]
けえき、かれんだあ、らじお
何をのみますか。おみずをのみません。
おみず、こおひい、てきいら、こおら、さけ、
こう-CHA、がそりん

118
7.1 Read and write 5 new ひらがな, the MA-series ま、み、む、め、も (MA, MI, MU, ME, MO)

You already know the first member of the MA-series, so you really only need to learn 4 new symbols. For the MA-series, add the /m/
sound at the beginning of each syllable. There are no pronunciation tricks here; just keep your vowels “pure” and you’ll be on your way.
MA ま (3 strokes) MI み (2 strokes) MU む (3 strokes) ME め (2 strokes) MO も (3 strokes)

Possible points of confusion!


1) Immediately, you will notice that ま、は、ほ have some confusing similarities, and now, も is similar in some ways as well.
2) Also, you will see that め looks confusingly similar to ぬ.
3) Be careful in learning how to write む. It has 3 strokes. The little curly in the middle of stroke #2 is a bit similar to the curly in す, but
the ending is different. Stroke #3 is a small, separate, single てん. You will see it in print versions conjoined as む.

7.1 Practice!

1. With a partner, discuss aloud the similarities and differences between ま、は、ほ and め、ぬ and む、す.

2. Use your favorite website or app to find examples of both print and handwriting styles and choose which style you would like to
practice. Be prepared to read both styles! Practice writing ま、み、む、め、も ten or twenty times until the series comes easily and
unconsciously for you. Write the symbols in order first, and then practice writing them in random order. Pronounce each symbol as you
write it.

3. When you feel confident, change the following ROOMAJI sequences into HIRAGANA.

1. ME-MO-MU-MI 4. ME-NO-MI-MA 7. NE-WA-ME-MO-HO 10. MUN-NI-MA-NO 13. TI-SA-SU-MU-NA


2. MA-MI-MU-MO 5. SU-MU-MA-HO 8. DI-ZA-MA-HA-HO-MI 11. MO-NO-ME-NU-MU 14. HI-MA-PO-MO
3. MO-ME-MA-MU 6. SO-NU-ME-WA 9. MU-MO-ZU-NI-NA-TA 12. MI-KI-MU-NE-ME 15. BA-RA-MI-PE-BU

119
4. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。 A) Practice reading the words below aloud to yourself in order and then again in random
order. B) Read them out loud to a partner in random order, and have your partner find the words you are saying. C) Read the words
out loud to a partner as a dictation. Have your partner write them down as you say them. Then, check your partner’s spelling.
D) Point to random words with a partner and see who can say the word first.

1. とまむにももがあり 4. わかればもうむだしない 7. みみにものいればあぶない 10. むずかしいことしめないよ


2. どんなむりでもだめ 5. まもりたいものむかしに 8. めずらしいおみこしだよ 11. もはめとおおさまみつめ
3. まだれなおどりみたい 6. むずべきすたんぱんどら 9. べにむらさきぽまあども 12. ぱのらまめにもはいりむむ

5. Convert the sequences above to ROOMAJI.

6. Listen and take dictation. After you do the dictation, give dictation to a partner using the words you wrote, but dictate them in random
order.

7.2 Read and write ひらがな を (WO, but pronounced as O)

Later in this unit, you will learn how to use a new grammatical particle を. This particle is pronounced /o/ just like the vowel「お」.
を is pronounced /o/, but it is actually a member of the WA-series (which we will discuss later), so it may be pronounced as WO in some
contexts, such as very formal or highly articulated speech. You may see it Romanized as either O or WO, even though the /w/ is not
pronounced. Though お and を sound identical, they are used differently:
お is used exclusively as part of the spelling of words or as the politeness prefix in words. Examples are: おりもの、おばあさん、
はおり、およぐ、おおさま、おおきい、おなまえ、おすし.
を (3 strokes) is used exclusively to tag phrases that are the grammatical objects of sentences (more on this later). For now, please
just focus on how to pronounce and write it. You will learn more about how to use it soon.

120
7.2 Practice!

1. Use your app/website to learn stroke order and practice writing を 10 to 20 times. Pronounce it aloud as /o/ or /wo/ as you write it.

2. Read the following sentences aloud.


わたしは おすしを たべます。 せんせいは さらだを たべます。 がくせいは けえきを たべます。

3. Convert the following to hiragana. お is represented here as O and particle を is represented as (O). Spaces are left between words in
these sentences, but remember that “real Japanese” has no spaces between words. Whenever you see (O) by itself, you know that it is
the particle を and not part of a word お.
1) MI-KI-SAN WA O-SU-SI (O) TA-BE-MA-SU YO. 2) KA-NA-KO SAN WA O-SA-KE (O) NO-MI-MA-SEN KA NE.

4. Read the following aloud. を、あ、お、ぱ、を、よ、お、ぼ、を、も、を、そ、お、を、と

7.3 Read and write the ひらがな YA-series や、ゆ、よ (YA, YU, YO)

So far, you have learned the series: A-, KA-, SA-, TA-, NA-, HA-, MA-. The next series in the ご-JYU-おんず (dictionary order) is the YA-
series. One hundred years ago the YA-series had 5 members; however, due to changes in pronunciation and usage over time, the 2nd and
4th members (YI and YE) dropped out of currency. Today, while many older people still remember the lost members YI and YE, most
computers no longer use them. They are found mainly in archaic texts and cemeteries. That leaves the YA-series with only 3 members,
YA, YU, YO. You will learn later that these YA, YU, and YO have additional usages, so be sure to over-practice and perfect them now.

YA や (3 strokes) YU ゆ (2 strokes) YO よ (2 strokes)

121
7.3 Practice!

1. Use your app/website to learn and practice や、ゆ、よ. Don’t forget stroke order! Practice writing the YA-series five or ten times until
they become easy and effortless for you. Write them in random orders. Say them aloud as you write them.

2. When you have mastered や、ゆ、よ (and を from above), convert the ROOMAJI below into HIRAGANA.

1. YO-YO-GI NO YU-GE-I (O) MI-TE KU-DA-SA-I 4. YO-GA (O) SI-TE YO-RE-YO-RE YA


2. YU-U-YA-KE YA KO-U-YA-KE YU-U-GA DA YO 5. YU-U-BA-RI (O) MI-TE YO-I-TI (O) MI-TE YA-YA YO-I YO
3. YO-KO-HA-MA NO HON-YA NO YO-YO O-MO-SHI-RE-I 6. TU-YU (O) NON-DE YU-KA (O) TA-BE-SA-SE-TE YA-RA

3. In random order, read aloud the HIRAGANA phrases you wrote for #2 above. Continue reading them in random order until you can
read them easily without stopping to think. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。

4. Practice reading the sequences below aloud. Read them straight through and then again from last to first until you can read them all
quickly and smoothly. Read them with a partner. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。

らあめんをたベたいときにゆいつのぼんずやにいきなさい。 そしてよもぎだんごをかうことややこしいよ。
でもゆらぎゆらぎというほんをよむことがよいですよ。 ふゆさむいのでゆきをみて下さい。 それをもういちどおねがいします。
たんすのよこにゆうめいな女のひとのえがあります。
ゆさんにいき、よいやきとりよけいにたべて、やばいけれども、よわむしになりましたよ。
ゆわかしをゆずりわたし、ゆゆしくなりましたよ。 ぱんをかう、ゆずをとり、ゆでたまごをたべ、ややおいしいよ。

5. Copy the above “sentences” onto your own paper, but convert them to たてがき style. Then, looking at the sentences you wrote, type
them into your computer. Read them aloud as you write and type.

122
6. Transliterate 3 of the above sentences to ROOMAJI.

7. Listen and take dictation. Then use what you have written to give the same dictation to a partner. Check to see that your partner
spelled the words the same as you did.

8. Write all the ひらがな series from A- through YA- in the correct ご-JYU-おんず order. Time yourself, and practice until you can write
them all fluently in less than 1 minute. Practice saying the syllabary aloud without looking at the written symbols. Say the series in
dictionary order 3 times with a partner to make sure you both say the syllabary in the same order.

7.4 Explain and use the new grammatical particle を and talk about eating and drinking habits using affirmative and
negative verbs
何をたべますか。はんばあがあをたべません。 はんばあがあ、おすし、りんご、さらだ、けえき、かれんだあ、らじお
何をのみますか。おみずをのみません。 おみず、こおひい、てきいら、こおら、さけ、こう-CHA、がそりん

Discourse particles vs. grammatical particles: So far, you have learned 2 discourse particles [ よ and ね ]. They are fun and stress-
free because you can use them whenever you want them at the end of a phrase or sentence, but they are completely optional.
You have also learned 1 grammatical particle は (WA) , which must be placed after the topic of your sentence to flag it as the topic or
subject of conversation. Here, you will learn 2 new grammatical particles. Remember that the grammatical particles come AFTER a
word or phrase in a sentence to flag it as having a particular function or meaning. (In English, there are prepositions (note “pre-“), but
Japanese particles are postpositional.)

Grammatical objects: The grammatical object is the thing or person that someone is doing something to, that someone is “acting upon.”
If you are unfamiliar with the concept of grammatical objects (object of a verb), study the following examples in English. Find the action
(verb), and then look for the thing or person that is being acted upon. The “doer” is usually the subject; the “done to” is usually the object.
Tom ate a whole pizza. (Object? “a whole pizza”) The vampire made a deposit in the blood bank. (Object? “a deposit”)
Susan saw the flea circus. (Object? “the flea circus”) In the end, the town understood Plato’s ideas. (Object? “Plato’s ideas)

123
New grammatical particle を: In 7.2 above, you learned how to write and pronounce を. Remember, the hiragana を belongs to the WA-
series, but it is normally pronounced as /o/. The particle を comes after a word or phrase that is the grammatical object of the sentence.
(How convenient that を sounds like /o/, which is the first letter of the word “object”!) In Japanese sentences, the word order of the
subject and object is more flexible than in English. For example, in Japanese, it is possible to say, “The cheese the mouse ate.” English
depends heavily on word order to indicate which is the subject and which is the object of a sentence, but in Japanese, since the word
order is more flexible, Japanese depends heavily on grammatical particles like は and を to indicate the functions of the phrases.

Sentence structure using verbs: Japanese is called an “SOV language,” because the Subject and Object come first, and the Verb comes
last. (English is an “SVO language.”) Let’s examine sentence structure using two verbs: たべます(eat) and のみます (drink). These are
both transitive verbs (they take objects), so they will come in sentences containing an object and を.

The root of たべます (食べます) is たべ. The root たべ can take the endings -ます (affirmative) or -ません(negative).
The root of のみます (飲みます) is のみ. The root のみ takes the same endings -ます or -ません.
Contrast the following sentences in English and Japanese and note the SVO vs. SOV placement of the verb in each.
Verb comes after the subject: I eat apples. I don’t drink tea.
Verb comes at the end of the sentence: りんごを たべます。 こう-CHA を のみません。

Loanwords: New words are introduced in the first column in the chart below. Words in the bottom row are loanwords (がいらいご) from
English. See if you can figure out what they mean by pronouncing them aloud in a monotone. Use your imagination as you pronounce the
Japanese versions of familiar English words.

As you study the examples in the chart, notice that:


1) The subject of a conversation is only specified in the first sentence. When the person is talking about him/herself, they do not
have to keep repeating “I.” It is obvious from the context, so the subject does not need to be repeated.
2) The object particle を comes immediately after objects being eaten or drunk.
3) Verbs in Japanese ALWAYS come at the end of the phrase or sentence! (“Always” is a dangerous word, but it will work for now.)

124
New Words Sentence Examples

わたし/ぼく I*
いつも always わたしは はんばあがあを いつも たべます。 こおらを いつも のみます。
たべます eat おすしを たべます。 こおひいを のみます。
たべません don’t eat さらだを たべます。 さけを のみます。
のみます drink けえきを たべます。 こう-CHA を のみます。
のみません don’t drink りんごを たべます。 おみずを のみます。
りんご apple かれんだあを たべません よ。 てきいらを のみません よ。
おみず water らじおを たべません よ。 がそりんを のみません よ。
こう-CHA black tea

New Loanwords (がいらいご) はんばあがあ さらだ けえき かれんだあ らじお


Borrowed from English こおひい てきいら がそりん こおら

*わたし is the default, all-purpose word for “I.” However, it is common for boys and men to use ぼく when in relaxed, informal contexts. Women and girls do not normally use ぼく.

7.4 Practice!

1. Write out the 9 English loanwords words above, three times each. (Later, after you learn how to write KATAKANA, these words will be
written differently.)

2. Write all 12 of the food and drink words from the chart above in a list. Then, beside each word, write the label たべもの (food) or
のみもの (drink). After you have labeled the words, work with a partner. Say words from the list in random order, and have your partner
tell whether it is たべもの or のみもの.

125
3. Read the following sentences. Some of them use the wrong action (e.g., “drinking hamburgers”). For any sentences that have the
wrong action, cross out the food/drink item, and write in a more appropriate object.
いまだ
1. わたしは こおひいを たべます。 5. 今田さんは はんばあがあを のみます。
2. せんせいは さらだを のみます。 6. えいがすたあは けえきを たべます。
3. かい-SHA-いんは こう-CHA を たべます。 7. こん-PYU-うたあおたくは りんごを のみます。
やまだ
4. 山田さんは こおらを のみます。 8. がくせいさんは おみずを たべます。

4. Below each food/drink item listed below, think of your own personal habits and write one of the following: たべます、たべません、
のみます、or のみません.

りんご、さらだ、さけ、こう-CHA、がそりん、けえき、はんばあがあ、こおら、おすし、てきいら、らじお、かれんだあ、こおひい

5. Answer the following questions by writing complete sentences. Afterwards, ask the questions to a partner.
すみません、さらだを たべます か。 すみません、がそりんを のみます か。
らじおを たべます か。 こおひいを のみます か。

6. Use the phrases in the box below to write 7 sentences about what you do and don’t eat.
(Make sure to use を after the foods, and place the verb at the end of your sentences.)

りんご けえき かれんだあ はんばあがあ らじお すし さらだ

7. Use the phrases in the box below to write 7 sentences about what you do and don’t drink.
(Use を after the drinks, and place verbs at the end of your sentences.)
さけ がそりん おみず こおひい こおら こう-CHA てきいら

126
7.5 Explain and use a new grammatical particle も

You can list things that you eat by saying: “I eat sushi. I eat apples. I eat salad.” However, it is more elegant to say, “I eat sushi and
apples and salad.” To do this, delete を and substitute も (the additive particle). Be sure to note that も replaces を; when you use も,
the を disappears!
Short sentences with も: わたしは りんごを たべます。 さらだも たべます。 けえきも たべます。
(ぼくは りんごを たべます。 さらだも たべます。 けえきも たべます。)
A smoother, longer も sentence: わたしは りんごも さらだも けえきも たべます。
(ぼくは りんごも さらだも けえきも たべます。)

You can also use the additive particle も for negative sentences to tell several things you do NOT eat or drink. Again, be sure to notice
that も replaces を! Some of the sentences below list things in the affirmative, and some list things in the negative. Notice which is which,
and circle all the particles so you can see them easily. (Watch for several English loanwords in the sentences!)
せんせいは てきいらも おさけも のみません。 がくせいは こおらも こおひいも のみます。
かい-SHA-いんは わいんも ういすきいも のみます。 がそりんも SHA-んぷうも のみません。
さらだも りんごも たべません。 はんばあがあも けえきも たべません。

7.5 Practice!

1. Circle ALL the particles in the following sentence. Then explain the meaning of each. (Hint: there are 7 particles.)
わたしは ね. . . おすしを たべます よ。 さらだも たべます。 さらだは いい です ね。

2. Compose a short paragraph in which you list several things you usually do and do not drink. Remember to use the additive particle.
Write at least 2 sentences.

127
3. Revisit the chart in 7.4 above. Using the example sentences, speak with a partner and revise the sentences so that they contain
several food or drink items in one sentence. See how long you can make your sentences. Make one sentence for things you eat and
another for things you do not eat. Then do the same for things you do and do not drink.

4. Read the following short paragraph aloud 3 times. Then, without looking at it, say it aloud from memory.
わたしは がくせい です。 りんごも さらだも おすしも たべます。 らじおも かれんだあも たべません。
おみずも こおひいも のみます。 がそりんも てきいらも のみません。
Finally, without looking at the paragraph, write one that follows the same pattern, but substitute food/drink items of your own choosing.
(If you are male, you may substitute ぼく for わたし.)

7.6 Explain when each variant pronunciation of the interrogative 何 is used, NAN or NANI

The interrogative 何 has 2 pronunciation variants, なん and なに. You should be ready to recognize and pronounce both. Learning when
to use each variant will come with more exposure to examples and practice, but here are some tips.

1. Use なん in two types of questions:


 おなまえは 何 です か。 (before “DESU KA?”)
 「すみません」は えいご で 何 と いいます か。 (before “TO IIMASU KA?”)

2. use なに in most other questions, for example:


 何を たべますか。 (as the grammatical object before を)
 おなまえは 何。 (in shortened, informal questions )
 何。 (NANI? to ask “What? Huh?”)

128
7.6 Practice!

1. Refer back to the tips above for pronouncing 何. Write small HIRAGANA pronunciations (FURIGANA) above each 何 in the sentences
below. Then, read the questions aloud focusing on the correct pronunciation of 何.

「Apple pie」は にほんごで 何 と いいます か。


いつも、何を のみます か。
「がくせい」は えいごで 何 と いいます か。
でんわ ばんごうは 何 です か。
せんせいは いつも 何を たべます か。

2. Compose two questions of your own for 何 pronounced as なん and then two more questions of your own for 何 pronounced as なに.

3. Ask a partner the 4 questions you wrote in #2 above.

7.7 Use 3 frequency adverbs いつも、 よく、 あまり

Meaning: On a scale of frequency, いつも (“always”) is on the highest end. よく(“often”) comes next on the scale after いつも. At the
low end, near the bottom is あまり(“not very often”). All three of these adverbs can be used with actions like たべます and のみます to
tell how often they are done.

Placement: The placement of the adverbs is flexible. The preferred placement is just before the verb as in A) below.

A) Put adverbs right before the action: わたしは りんごを いつも たべます。 けえきも さらだも よく たべます。
がくせいは こう-CHA を いつも のみます。 おさけも てきいらも よく のみます。

129
B) You can also put adverbs near the beginning, to change the focus to わたし or りんご instead of focusing on the action:
いつも わたしは りんごを たべます。 よく けえきも さらだも たべます。
わたしは いつも りんごを たべます。

いつも がくせいは こう-CHA を のみます。 よく おさけも てきいらも のみます。


がくせいは いつも こう-CHA を のみます。

Interrogatives: よく can be used in questions. Its meaning is ambiguous; it can mean either an information question “How often?” or a
yes/no question “Do you do ____ very often?” The question 「 さけを よく のみます か。」can be interpreted in as an information
question: “How often do you drink さけ?” or as a yes/no question: “Do you drink さけ often?” For the time being, practice using よく as
an information question meaning “How often?”

Negative: Use あまり only with negative verbs like たべません and のみません. Can you see why? Again, the placement is flexible, but
the preferred pattern is to put あまり just before the verb as in A) below.
A) わたしは はんばあがあを あまり たべません。 こおらを あまり のみません。
B) あまり わたしは はんばあがあを たべません。 あまり こおらを のみません。
C) わたしは あまり はんばあがあを たべません。

Further examples: With these frequency adverbs, you can make sentences such as:
わたしは よく おみずを のみます よ。 こう-CHA も よく のみます。 こおひいも よく のみます よ。 がそりんを あまり
のみません。 せんせいは あまり てきいらを のみません。 さけも あまり のみません。 よくこおらを のみます。

7.7 Practice!

1. Write いつも、 よく、 あまり three times each, saying them aloud as you write.

130
2. Write 3 information questions about how often someone eats or drinks certain things. Use よく as the interrogative in your questions.

3. Approach 3 different partners, and ask them the questions you wrote in #2 above. After they answer, express understanding and
thanks.

4. Using the words in the box below, write 5 sentences telling how often you eat or drink various things. Then, without looking at your
sentences, discuss with a partner how often he/she eats or drinks each item.

りんご けえき かれんだあ

はんばあがあ らじお すし さらだ

さけ がそりん おみず

こおひい こう-CHA こおら てきいら

5. Write one sentence telling about several things you rarely eat. Include the additive particle.

6. Write one sentence telling about several things you always drink. Include the additive particle.

7.8 Make a positive response to hearing about someone いい です ね!


You learned 「いい です ね!」 earlier; it is mostly interactional rather than informational, and it means, “That’s good” or “How nice!”
It is an all around convenient phrase to use when you want to keep a conversation going. Let’s recycle it here.
Note: You can also use the adjective いい in front of nouns. For example: “Rebecca” は いい なまえ です。
たなか さん は いい がくせい です。

131
7.8 Practice!

1. Read the following dialogue and evaluate which responses are more and which are less appropriate. For those that seem strange or
awkward, what better interactional response can you suggest? Copy the dialogue and write appropriate responses as you see fit.

はじめまして。たなか みつこ です。 いい です ね!


がくせい です。 いい です ね!
でんわ ばんごうは 741-0499 です。 いい です ね!
あまり おさけを のみません。 いい です ね!
いつも さらだを たべます。 いい です ね!

7.9 Talk about eating and drinking habits using affirmative and negative verbs
[たべます たべません] [のみます のみません]

Remember that verbs have a root (like たべ- or のみ- ) and a grammatical ending (like –ます or –ません) The polite affirmative ending on
all action verbs is - ます , and the negative ending is –ません.
(The copula verb DESU です works differently; there will be more on this later.)

7.9 Practice!

1. Write a negative answer to each of the following questions. Use a frequency adverb in your answers when possible.

がそりんを よく のみます か。 いつも わかります か。


かれんだあを よく たべます か。 せんせいは こじき です か。
「てきいら」は えいごで 「RUM」と いいます か。 ちがいます か。
「COFFEE」は にほんごで 「こおら」と いいます か。 こおひいは おさけ です か。

132
2. Which frequency adverb comes with the negative form of the verb? Compose an original sentence using it.

3. Preview the answers given below. Then, write an information question that could be used before each reply.

------ ?? はんばあがあを よく たべます よ。


------ ?? いつも こおひいを のみます よ。
------ ?? いいえ、ちがいます よ。
------ ?? いいえ、あまり ういすきいを のみません よ。

4. Read the following dialogue aloud with a partner. Then switch roles and read it again. Read it several times until you and your
partner become very fluent. Then, without looking at the dialogue, role-play it with your partner, adding sideways hand waving body
language whenever there is a negative verb. Say the dialogue with your partner 3 to 5 times or until you can role-play it with no mistakes
or pauses. Next challenge  Make sure you know your partner’s name. Now make the conversation real. Have the same type of
dialogue, but this time, tell about your own eating and drinking habits. Practice your conversation at least 5 times, and then perform it for
others in your group.
た な か

1 田中さん: もりたさんは いつも 何を たべますか。


も り た

2 森田さん: そう です ね。 さらだを よく たべます。 おすしも よく たべます。


た な か

3 田中さん: ああ そう です か。 いい です ね。 わたしは さらだを あまり たべません。


も り た

4 森田さん: ああ そう です か。 JYAA (“well. . .”)、何を たべます か。


た な か

5 田中さん: いつも はんばあがあを たべます よ。 ぴざも よく たべます。


も り た

6 森田さん: JYAA,何を のみます か。 (continued )

133
た な か

7 田中さん: てきいらを よく のみます よ。おみずを あまり のみません。


も り た

8 森田さん: ああ そう です か。 いい です ね!

5. Look for the answers to the following questions in the dialogue in #4 above. The questions are True/False. Write your answers as:
「はい、そう です。」or「ちがいます。」. If there is not enough information available, write「CHOT-と わかりません。」
1. 田中さんは よく さらだを たべます。 3. 森田さんは はんばあがあを あまり たべません。
2. 田中さんは よく おみずを のみます。 4. 森田さんは おさけを よく のみます。
Now, compare your answers with those of a partner, identifying where you found the information to answer the questions.

Next challenge  Discuss and defend your answers to the following questions with a partner.
1. Who in the conversation is more likely to live longer? Why?
2. How would you characterize the tone of the last line of the dialogue? Why?

6. Listen and fill the missing information in the chart below. Check your answers with a partner to make sure you both have the same
spellings.

よく たべます あまり たべません よく のみます あまり のみません

つながわ さん

やの さん

Bonus Japanese tongue twisters  なまむぎ、なまごめ、なまたまご。 ももも、すももも、もものうち。

134
Unit 7 Review Quiz

Review and re-practice pieces of Units 1 through 7 that need more work. Re-read your notes, and then do the quiz below to see how well
you have mastered the competencies of this unit and remember the competencies of previous units. If you have trouble, be sure to go
back and perfect any areas of concern.

1. Vocabulary spelling test! Fill in the missing parts of the words below.

こ_に_ は きいて 下さ_ あそ_ です


_じめま_て 三 ぺえじを _て 下さ_ はい、わか_ました
ど_ぞよ-RO-し_ わか_ __せん あ_がと_ ございま_
こち_は たなか さ_ _す お_き_ こえ で い_え、ちがい__す
お_よう ご_います え_ご で 何 と い_ま_ か _がいます よ
せん_い こん_ん は _たしは _くせ_ です
しつ_い します す_ません、でん_ ばんご_は 何 です か い_も な_を _みます か
おな_えは 何 で_か し_れ_ です が おみずを あま_ _みま_ん
に_んご で 何 と い_ま_ か おてあ_いは _こ です か おすし_ よく _べます よ

2. Rewrite the following phrases in ひらがな and かんじ (where possible). Write them in たてがき style!

GAKUSEI WA ITSUMO NANI O TABEMASU KA KONO AIDA KIREI NA MOMIJI O MIMASHITA KA


MARI SAN MO MIKI SAN MO EIGO O MANABIMASEN MUKASI MUKASI OJIISAN MO OBAASAN MA MORI NI SUMIMASITA
YAMA NI MO MORI NI MO AMARI IKIMASEN YO YUKI WA YOI NO DE YAHARI SOTO DE ASOBU NO O YAMANAI DE NE

135
3. Romanize the following phrases.

やまの うえに やさしい ゆうめいじんが いますよ。 もしもし、めきしこのまめは むつ ありませんか。


ようじを やめて ほんを みて 下さい。 女も男も何を よく のみますか。
こじきは あまり たくさんの たべものを もちません。 わからない ときも わかりあり ときも ありますので。

4. Fill in missing particles in the sentences below. (Remember that the particles within the sentences are grammatical, and the particles
at the end of the sentences are discourse particles.) Some discourse particle slots may have varying answers. Be ready to explain why
you chose the particle you provided for each.

わたし__ がくせい です __。 せんせい__ あまり りんご__ たべません __。


いけださん__ たなかさん__ かい-SHA-いん です __? でんわ ばんごう__ 何 です__。
おてあらい__ あそこ です __。 けえき__ いい です __。

5. Answer each of the following information questions by writing a complete sentence with a frequency adverb.

よく けえきを たべますか。 よく がそりんを のみますか。


よく おみずをのみますか。 よく さらだを たべますか。

6. Look at the かんじ「何」in each of the sentences below and write in RO-まじ how it is pronounced.

でんわ ばんごうは 何ですか。 ______ すみません、何ですか。 ______


何を よく たべますか。 ______ よく 何を のみますか。 ______
おなまえは 何ですか。 ______ 何? ______

136
7. Express each of the following in Japanese. Say the corresponding phrases out loud.
“That’s nice!” “Thank you!” “Good evening!” “Really?” “I got it! (understanding)”
“I don’t understand.” “Excuse me.” “No, that’s not right.” “It’s over there.” “Please speak slowly.”

8. Listen and take dictation.

9. Write any 3 sentences of your choice with each sentence containing at least two particles. Make sure to spell everything correctly.

10. Read the paragraph below and circle appropriate responses in each of the sentences that follow.

1. This person is a professional.


あ わ え
ち かちち え ち え ちこ
あ か え
が いがが え が い がん True False Unknown
あ り と
い あ
-SHA-
いい と い が い

-PYU-
! ま 。
ま まま 、 ま す ま の 2. This person is female.

せ す すす
い、よ
せ す た す
う、 True False Unknown
ん わね ん あ
、 か! んち! せ よ よたす
よ り が い !で !あみ 3. This person sounds (circle all that can possibly apply):
! ま でいが す ・ま proud trustworthy confused drunk crazed
せ すまく で えおせ
ん すせ す か えたん 4. This person is discussing his/her:
あ。 か い 。 とく。 eating habits occupation name and phone number
あ 。ね か 、
あ !で 。 わでわ
! す たすた
し し
か は か は
。 。

137
Unit 8

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

8.1. Read and write 5 new ひらがな 8.4. Use new food and drink vocabulary, including Japanese
らりるれろ foods らあめん、ごはん、いちご、めろん、さかな、あいす
こおひい、お-CHA,びいる
8.2. Recall all ひらがな in dictionary order putting わをん at the
end; explicitly explain details about the syllabary 8.5. Discuss and compare activities from yesterday and today
きのう、KYO-う、たべました、のみました
8.3. Read and write 1 new かんじ 水

8.1 Read and write 5 new HIRAGANA ら り る れ ろ (RA, RI, RU, RE, RO)

The RA-series is the only one not yet presented here. You already know three of the five members of the series (ら り れ) , so it
should be fairly easy to learn the other two (る and ろ) .
ら (2 strokes) り(2 strokes) る(1 stroke) れ (2 strokes) ろ (1 stroke)

Pronunciation: As mentioned earlier, the pronunciation of /r/ in Japanese is somewhere between the “r” and “l” and “d” sounds of English.
Japanese /r/ pronunciation varies according to which word or syllable it is in, and it also varies by regional dialect in Japan. It can even
vary by the gender or the state of inebriation of the person speaking.

The most important tip for pronouncing Japanese /r/ sounds is that you should never use your lips in producing ら、り、る、れ、ろ. Use
only your tongue to make these sounds. The tip of your tongue should reach back and quickly touch or tap the top of your mouth just

138
behind the bony ridge (alveolar ridge). Practice listening to ら、り、る、れ、ろ, and watching someone pronounce them to get a feel for
how this works. (If you are having trouble pronouncing the sounds correctly, you can substitute /l/ and still sound fairly close to the native
pronunciation.

Writing: Possible point of confusion: る and ろ look very similar, and they are both written with just 1 stroke. Note that while る has a
curly tail, ろ simply stops. Also note that there are conjoined and separated versions of RI: り or り. Practice the separated version.

8.1 Practice!

1. Use your usual site to find stroke order for RU and RO. Then, review stroke order for all 5 symbols in the RA-series. Write the 5
symbols in order at least 6 or 8 times until you can write the series as a set very smoothly. Say them aloud as you write them. Then,
write the entire syllabary in dictionary order, remembering that the WA-series and N come AFTER the RA-series.

2. Transliterate the following ろおまじ sequences into ひらがな.

1. RA-RO-RE-MA 4. RI-KI-RA-RU-TI 7. RA-KU-TEN-RU-U-RU 10. MI-RU-FU-RE-RU-WA-KA-RU


2. RI-RO-MU-RU 5. ME-RE-RO-SE-RU 8. RE-E-RU-PA-SU-RA-RO 11. GI-RON-GA-SA-ME-RU-MA-DE
3. RU-MI-RU-MO-RE 6. MO-U-RE-TU-RI-RO 9. YO-ME-RU-YO-U-RA-KU 12. YU-RI-KA-MO-ME-RE-MI-RO

3. Transliterate the following ひらがな sequences into ろまじ .

1. つれるところ 4. りえきろんり 7. ろおりひらり 10. むらさきむねろうどう


2. いずらえるのらくだ 5. めんるいろてん 8. るいべつすれば 11. みなれるいたりあろおど
3. らくらいされると 6. じんりきろおら 9. ぴたりけいれいら 12. どうろがかなるほどね

139
4. Listen to the following words and focus your attention on the pronunciation of the RA-series sounds.
しばらく、ぬれる、あります、くれれば、はなしたら、れんらく、られつ、らんらん、らんりつ、れいらく、りまわり、りろん、
りりつ、ろれつ、るいれい、るりいろ、たべられる、とりどり、やぶれる、よごれる、ゆるめる、よりきり、よろよろ、ぐるり

5. Listen and take dictation. Compare your results to those of a partner and discuss any discrepancies.

8.2 Recall all ひらがな in dictionary order putting わをん at the end; explain details about the syllabary
Your study of the hiragana series is now complete. It is still important for you to continue practicing writing all 46 symbols in their
dictionary order so that you will easily be able to find words when you look them up. Since a few of the hiragana were presented out of
order, please review the ご-JYU-うおんず (dictionary order) listed here. A-KA-SA-TA-NA-HA-MA-YA-RA-WA-N
Remember that the YA-series has only 3 members, the WA-series has only 2 members, and N stands alone.

It may help if you create some kind of mnemonic for remembering the order. For example, you might want to break it down into smaller
segments, such as: A-KA-SA TA-NA-HA-MA YA-RA-WA N.

8.2 Practice!

1. Read the hiragana syllabary out loud 2 times. Try to get a steady rhythm as you say it aloud.

あいうえお, かきくけこ, さしすせそ, たちつてと, なにぬねの , はひふへほ , まみむめも,


や ゆ よ, らりるれろ, わ を, ん

2. Recite the syllabary aloud 3 times in correct order without looking.

3. Recite all the hiragana aloud adding in the extra てんてん and まる forms. Use the following “hint list” the first time. Then recite
again without looking. [ あ、か、が、さ、ざ、た、だ、な、は、ば、ぱ、ま、や、ら、わ、ん ]

140
4. Without looking at any lists or notes, answer the following questions.

* How many different hiragana series can take てんてん forms? * How many different hiragana series can take まる forms?
* Name the series that can take てんてん forms. * Name the series that can take まる forms.
* How many hiragana series have no accompanying consonant? * How many series have fewer than 5 members? Name them.

5. Time yourself. Write the entire syllabary in under 90 seconds. If you can write it in under 1 minute, even better!

みず
8.3 Read and write 1 new かんじ 水

Politeness prefix: While 水 is pronounced みず, it frequently occurs with the prefix お and is pronounced おみず. The prefix お is a signal
that you are using the word in a polite context. This same prefix shows up in おなまえ, where お is the politeness prefix and なまえ is
the basic word. This politeness prefix is used with many words in Japanese such as: おすし、おりんご. This prefix is distinct from the
grammatical particle を. Note the 2 distinct spellings of /o/ in the example お水を下さい (“water please”).

Writing: The かんじ symbol for “water” is written with 4 strokes.

8.3 Practice!

1. Use your app/website to find stroke order for 水. Write it 10 or 20 times until your hand achieves muscle memory. Then, write the
sentence [お水を下さい。] 6 or 8 times, saying it aloud as you write it.

2. Read the following sentences aloud.

わたしは お水を あまり のみません。 せんせいは よく お水を のみます。


いつも、がくせいは 「お水を下さい」 と いいます。 お水は えいご で 何 と いいます か。

141
3. Copy the sentences from #2 above into your notebook. Write them out carefully. Then, type them in to your electronic device. Check
your spelling.

4. Give a partner dictation using the sentences in #3 above in random order. Check your classmate’s spelling.

8.4 Use new food and drink vocabulary, including Japanese and Western foods and list items with conjunction particle と
らあめん、ごはん、いちご、めろん、さかな、 あいすこおひい、 お-CHA,びいる

As you read about the following items, find them in the illustrations at the end of the list . . . . .
らあめん: You may already be familiar with the popular Japanese noodle dish らあめん. Many students eat a steady diet of
*いんすたんと・らあめん ! Different regions around Japan take pride in making the best らあめん. Usually, it is eaten hot,
but it is also used in cold dishes. (らあめん is written sometimes in HIRAGANA, and sometimes in KATAKANA  ラーメン).
Note: There is a dot between the two words いんすたんと and らあめん. In loanword phrases that contain more than one word, this dot may be used to indicate the
boundaries between words. In English, the dot is called an INTERPUNCT; in Japanese, it is なかぐろ.

ごはん: Some people eat ごはん at every meal, just like many Westerners eat bread at every meal. It is served in a small bowl. When
it is served Western style on a plate at a restaurant, it is often called らいす!
(Important note: ごはん refers to rice that is already cooked. Hard dry rice before it is cooked is called おこめ!)
め ろ ん
いちご and めろん: In season, people often take いちご and メロン as gifts when they visit a friend’s house. The price of めろん can be
shocking, ranging up to over \10,000!

さかな: A main staple in the Japanese diet is さかな. It is eaten raw as おすし (or さしみ), and it is also often grilled or boiled with
additional ingredients or cooked and served in a variety of other ways.

142
あいすこおひい: A favorite drink in summer is あいすこおひい (in KATAKANA, アイスコーヒー). This drink was popular in Japan
decades before it became common in the U.S. Since this phrase is a loanword from English, it is usually written in かたかな,
but for now, learn to write it in ひらがな.

お-CHA (おちゃ): Traditionally, tea is drunk at meals and throughout the day. There are many varieties of tea. Just as English
has many different words for types of grain (wheat, oats, barley, etc.), Japanese distinguishes many different words for “tea.”
The generic word for tea is お-CHA (おちゃ). English-style black tea (こう-CHA) is very popular, but Japanese style teas are
more common. It is common to use a slightly different type of teacup to serve each type of tea. (Common tea varieties are:
bancha, sencha, ryokucha, mugicha, houjicha, matcha, kikucha, ujicha, gyokuro, genmaicha.)

びいる (ビール): Another loanword (probably from Dutch or English) is びいる (ビール in KATAKANA). It is sometimes called おびいる
(with a politeness prefix). びいる is often served at the evening meal, and it is sold in vending machines in some locations!
Note: Contrast びいる (ビール) the drink, and びる (ビル), which is short for building. Make sure you can pronounce the two distinctly.

143
New particle と: Use と when you mention 2 or more things, as in John と Mary と Anna と Steve は せんせい です。
びいる と てきいら を のみますか。 いいえ、お-CHA と お水 を のみます。Use と ONLY with nouns (things, people).
It does NOT work for joining 2 actions (verbs)!

Notes: と is very much like English “and.” When you mention more than one topic of your sentence, use と to join the topics, and then
use は to mark the entire set as the topic. When you mention more than one grammatical object (something you will eat or drink), use と
to join the objects, and then use を to mark the entire set as the object. Contrast と and も. While と and も have similar meanings, と
preserves the particles (は or を) that follow in the sentence. も “clones itself” and “takes over” the particles (は or を) that follow in the
sentence. Compare: Anna と Steve は お-CHA と お水 を のみます。(original particles preserved with と)
Anna も Steve も お-CHA も お水 も のみます。(original particles “taken over” by も)

8.4 Practice!

1. Write the 5 new food words 10 times, saying them aloud as you write. Then, write the 3 new drink words 10 times.

2. Fill in the missing letters in the food and drink words below.

さか__ おみ__ こお__い びい__ さ__だ けえ__


__ちご ____おら て____ ____ら __け こ__ら は__ば__があ
り____ご ____ろん ご____ん ____-CHA ら____ ____ん ____かな
____はん おす__ ____いす____おひい ____おひい ごは____ _____あめん

3. Make a list of all the food words you know and a separate list of all the drink words you know. Then, create a menu by writing a food
item together with a drink item that you think would go well with it. For example: はんばあがあ と こおら.

4. Compare the menu you created in #3 above with the menu of a partner. As you look at each other’s menus, discuss them in Japanese
using: 何をたべますか。 何をのみますか。 いい です ね! (pointing to your own menu) こちらは ちがいます よ。

144
5. Discuss the notes on particle と in the explanation in 8.4 above with a partner. How are と and も similar? How are と and も
different? Write an original sentence using と. Show it to your partner and ask him/her to convert your sentence to a も sentence.
Write an original sentence using も. Ask your partner to convert your sentence to a と sentence. Check your partner’s work.

6. Write answers to the following questions.


1. いつも 何と何 を のみますか。 3. よく いちごと めろんを たべますか。 5. よく ごはんを たべますか。
2. いつも 何と何 を たべますか。 4. よく お-CHA と お水を のみますか。

8.5 Discuss and compare activities from yesterday and today きのう、 KYO-う、 でも、 たべました、 のみました

Preview the list of new words and sentence examples in the chart below. (Read them aloud. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。)
Then, study the commentary and read the sentence examples again.

COMMENTARY:

Placement: Notice that the time adverbs きのう and KYO-う and the conjunction でも usually come at the beginning of sentences.
きょう
(The かんじ spelling of KYO-う consists of 2 characters: “now” and “day” and is written 今日.)

Past tense ending: The “non-past” –ます ending on the verbs たべます and のみます can indicate what someone eats or drinks all the
time, daily, right now, tomorrow, next week, etc. To indicate past tense, the ending changes to [-ました]. The –ました version of the
verbs たべました and のみました can indicate what someone ate or drank earlier, yesterday, this morning, the day before last, 5 year
ago, last night, last year, when you were a kid, etc.

145
Subject deletion: Remember that when someone is talking about themselves, they do not need to say “I” if it is obvious from the context.
Count how many times you see the word わたし in the sentence examples. How many times would you see the word “I” if the sentences
were in English?

Contrastive analysis: Compare the syntax (sentence structure) of English and Japanese questions and negatives.
In English questions and negative sentences, we have to add an auxiliary verb (“do, does, did”) in front of “eat” or “drink.”
In Japanese, no auxiliary verb is used. The only grammar needed is the verb with its ending. Note the following examples.

ENG Add “do”: “Do you plan to eat some cake today?” “Yes, I do.” “No, I don’t.”
きょう
JAP Use just the verb: 今日、けえきを たべます か。 はい、たべます。 いいえ、たべません。

ENG Add “does”: “Does your teacher often drink coffee?” “Yes, she does.” “No, she doesn’t.”
JAP Use just the verb: せんせいは こおひいを よく のみます か。 はい、のみます。 いいえ、のみません。

ENG Add “did”: “What did Ms. Yoneshima drink yesterday?” “She drank water.”
JAP Use just the verb: きのう、よねしまさんは 何を のみました か。 お水を のみました。

146
New Words Sentence Examples

きのう Time adverb きのう、おさけと びいるを のみました。 でも KYO-う、お水と お-CHA を のみます。


“yesterday” いつも お水を のみます。 あまり おさけと びいるを のみません。
でも、 きのう、 おさけも びいるも のみました。

KYO-う Time adverb きのう、おさけも びいるも のみました。でも KYO-う お水と お-CHA を のみます よ。
きょう
(今日) “today” (“now day”)
KYO-う、けえきを たべます。いつも、あまり けえきを たべません。でも KYO-う たべます。

でも Conjunction きのう、さらだと りんごを たべました。 よく さらだと りんごを たべます。


contrasts 2 different きのう、めろんも いちごも たべました よ。
ideas; use でも before でも KYO-う、けえきを たべます。
the 2nd idea
いつも あまり はんばあがあを たべません。 でも きのう、はんがあがあも
けえきも たべました! KYO-う、りんごと ごはんと さらだを たべます。
たべました Past tense
のみました (-ます  -ました) きのう、がそりんを のみました! ああああ!

147
8.5 Practice!

1. Study the chart above and read the Japanese sentence examples aloud 3 times.

2. Listening: Preview the chart below. You will hear people describing what they ate yesterday OR what they will eat today. Listen and
write the number of the items they describe in the box of each person. (Some people will describe more than 1 item!) Also, as you listen,
circle きのう or KYO-う above each to identify whether they are talking about PAST or PRESENT activities.

きのう? KYO-う? きのう? KYO-う? きのう? KYO-う? きのう? KYO-う? きのう? KYO-う? きのう? KYO-う?

こん PYU-うた せんせい がくせい かい SHA-いん えいが すたあ John Smith


あ おたく #? #? #? #? #? #?

ITEMS: 1. らあめん 3. びいる 5. はんばあがあ 7. さらだ 9. りんご 11. お-CHA


2. けえき 4. おすし 6. あいすこおひい 8. めろん 10. お水 12. ごはん

3. Read the following descriptions of people’s activities to discover when they consumed the relatively “healthier item.”
Write きのう or KYO-う in front of each description.

1. まつださんは きのう びいるを のみました。 でも KYO-う お水を のみました。

2. まつながせんせいは KYO-う はんばあがあを たべました。 でも きのう さらだを たべました。

3. わたなべさんは KYO-う らあめんを たべました。 でも きのう かれんだあを たべました!

4. とくがわせんせいは きのう おさけを のみました。 でも KYO-う がそりんを のみました!

148
4. Read the following descriptions. After each, write the name of the person who appears to be eating healthier items.

1. はたけだせんせいは ごはんを よく たべます。 でも いわさきせんせいは けえきを いつも たべます。

2. たむらさんは きのう おさけも てきいらも のみました。 でも しぶやさんは きのう こおひいを のみました。

3. いまださんは あまり さらだを たべません。 いつも はんばあがあを たべます。 でも すずきさんは いつも


さらだを たべます。

4. おかざきせんせいは きのう りんごも いちごも たべました。 でも さとうせんせいは きのう けえきを たべました。

5. いわいせんせいは たべません。 でも さいとうせんせいは おすしを たべます。

5. Ask 3 different classmates what they ate yesterday. Make sure you know each person’s name. Remember their answers, and after
you have asked all 3, write 4 sentences. Tell what each person ate and tell what you ate.

6. Have a conversation with as many different classmates as possible in 10 minutes. Ask each person what they drank yesterday.
Depending on their answer, respond with 「ああ そう です か」or 「いい です ね」.

7. Write a short description of the eating/drinking habits of an angel (てんし ). Then write about what the angel ate/drank yesterday
when she “turned bad”! Write 4 sentences; use the contrastive conjunction.

Bonus! Say thanks in different Japanese dialects!


ありがとう ございます。 おあるがど かんす! きのどく な!
ありがどう ごぜいます! おしょうし な! おおきに すんまへん!
ありがとう さん! すまねい ね! おおきに!

149
Unit 8 Review Quiz

Re-read and re-practice pieces of Units 1 through 8 that need more work. Re-read your notes, and then do the quiz below to see how well
you have mastered the competencies of this unit. If you have trouble, be sure to go back and perfect the areas in which you are weak.

1. Read the following out loud.

1. お水の ながれ 3. れきしの ろんり 5. らあめんの あじ 7. よめる かたろぐ 9. のれる うま


2. かみの こひつじ 4. ぎろんを する 6. さみしく なれる 8. あかるい ろうそく 10. ろくろを みる

2. Transliterate into ひらがな.

1. JINKEN WA TAISETSU DESU KARA MAMORANAKEREBA NARANAI.


2. DAIJI NA RUUMUMEETO GA IRU NO DE WASURETARA DAME YO.
3. ORIGAMI O SURU NO WA KIYOU NA HITO DAKE DESU.
4. SHIRAKABE TO YAMA O MIRU TOKI NI WATASHI WA ROKUBAI TANOSHIKU NARU NE.

3. Use と to write a sentence listing all the たべもの (food) found below. End your sentence with _____________ たべもの です。
Use も to write a sentence listing all the のみもの (drink) found below. End your sentence with _____________ のみもの です。

1. いちご 3. さかな 5. あいすこおひい 7. お水 9. さらだ 11. お-CHA 13. らあめん 15. びいる
2. てきいら 4. こう-CHA 6. こおら 8. ごはん 10. けえき 12. おすし 14. りんご 16. めろん

150
4. Write complete answers to the following questions.

1. きのう、何を のみました か。 3. KYO-う、何を たべますか。 5. よく さかなを たべます か。


2. いつも、何を のみます か。 4. きのう、何を たべました か。 6. いつも、がそりんを のみます か。

5. Listen and fill in the chart below.

まりさん みゆきさん ゆきこさん さやかさん


よく たべます
よく のみます
きのう たべました
きのう のみました

6. After completing #5 above, choose one of the people from the chart. Study the information about that person for 1 minute. Then,
without looking at the chart, tell as much as you can about that person. Speak with fluency!

7. Write the first member of each of the hiragana series in dictionary order. Include てんてん and まる series. Do not write out the
entire syllabary; write only the first member of each series in hiragana.

151
Units 1 – 8 Review of Competencies, Learning Outcomes

These are the competencies you should have after completing Units 1 through 8. Make sure you know how to do all of the following
before you go on to the next units! Be prepared to show ability in all 4 language skills: speaking, writing, reading, and comprehending
spoken language. Use the table of contents at the beginning of the book for a quick review of vocabulary and content covered in the first
8 units.
 Recite the entire syllabary with correct pronunciation in dictionary order
 Write the entire hiragana syllabary in dictionary order (using correct stroke order)
 Explain the 4 writing systems used in Japanese
 Use appropriate body language/gestures while speaking
 Explain the culture of repeating
 Read and write 8 kanji using correct stroke order and use them in context
 Contrast discourse particles and grammatical particles; use 2 discourse particles in context and use 3 grammatical particles in context
 Understand and use appropriate vocabulary and grammatical structures to do the following (both orally and in writing):
* greeting people at different times of the day * answer yes/no questions
* introduce yourself and someone else * tell about people’s occupations
* use titles of address * respond/interact politely in conversation
* understand and use classroom requests * correct misinformation
* count from 0 to 10 * ask about and describe the frequency of eating and drinking
* politely approach someone with a question certain things
* say good-bye in 2 different ways * list multiple items
* ask about and tell phone numbers * talk about eating and drinking in the present and past
* ask and tell people’s names * talk about what people normally do not eat and drink
* ask and tell the location of a bathroom * contrast what someone consumes/doesn’t consume
* express understanding and thanks * ask what someone ate and drank yesterday
* use filler words in conversation

152
Unit 9

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

9.1. Read and write い-series syllables with glides「や ゆ よ」 as 9.6. Count from 100 to 299 (ひゃく、 ひゃく一、 ひゃく二、
in: きゃ、きゅ、きょ、しゃ、しゅ、しょ, etc. 二ひゃく、 二ひゃくきゅう十きゅう)

9.2. Read and write 1 new かんじ word 今日 (きょう) にち


9.7. Use a new frequency adverb まいにち (まい日)
9.3. Learn 1 new number kanji 十 (じゅう)
9.8. Use the honorific prefix お to indicate things
9.4. Count from 11 to 19 (十一、十二、十三、十よん、十ご、 belonging/relating to others おなまえ and new word おと
十ろく、十なな、十はち、十きゅう) もだち; distinguish between the honorific prefix お and the
politeness prefix お on nouns
9.5. Count from 20 to 99 (二十、二十一、二十二、二十三、二
十よん、二十ご、etc.)
9.9. Ask and talk about things that did NOT happen yesterday
たべません でした。 のみません でした。

153
9.1 Read and write い-series syllables with glides「や ゆ よ」 as in: きゃ、きゅ、きょ、しゃ、しゅ、しょ, etc.

Glide sounds with the YA-series: The YA-series has dual use! When members of the YA-series are written half-sized as: や, ゆ, よ and
written together with other hiragana, they make new sounds called “glides.” These half-sized hiragana are called 「ちいさい “small” や、ゆ、
よ」. The ちいさい や、ゆ、よ combine with any syllable containing the い sound. They combine with: き、ぎ、し、じ、ち、に、ひ、び、
ぴ、み、り. (In sum, the glide-series with half-sized, や, ゆ, and よ can combine with the い members of all series that have い members, that is, all EXCEPT
YA, WA, and N series.)

Combinations and pronunciations: As a first step toward learning how to write and pronounce the “glides,” refer to the hiragana chart at
the beginning of this book and identify the column or row that contains the い sounds so you can see them in their larger context. Read
the column of い syllables aloud.

When added to any of the い sounds, the ちいさい や、ゆ、よ add a tongue-gliding sound to the pronunciation (basically a /y/ sound). For
example, きょ is pronounced /kyo/. Be sure to pronounce it as 1 syllable /kyo/. Be careful not to pronounce it as two syllables; it is wrong
to say /ki-yo/. The pronunciations of きょ and きよ are very different. Contrast the two, saying them aloud to hear the difference. The
correct pronunciation of two of Japan’s major cities (Kyōto and Tōkyō), is きょうと and とうきょう. Do not pronounce them as /ki-yo-u-
to/ and /to-u-ki-yo-u/! They should be pronounced /kyo-u-to/ and /to-u-kyo-u/.

The most challenging glides to pronounce are the RYA, RYU, RYO set. Remember, do not use your lips at all. Start each sound by placing
the tip of your tongue against the area in back of the bony ridge at the top of your mouth. Your tongue should start at this area for the /r/
sound and at the same time transition into the glide sound. Listen to your teacher pronounce りゃ、りゅ、りょ and carefully observe the
articulation of his/her tongue if possible.

Note! Sometimes the glides are followed by additional vowel sounds, as in「じゅう」. Be sure to pronounce the glide as one syllable (or
mora) and then pronounce the following vowel as another mora (JYU-U). Do not ignore vowels following the glides!

154
Romanizations: Note the following single-syllable Romanizations. As you have seen before, various styles of Romanization are used for
the glides, the older style which shows series membership (like SYA), or the newer style which is more faithful to pronunciation (like SHA).

きゃ、きゅ、きょ KYA, KYU, KYO にゃ、にゅ、にょ NYA, NYU, NYO


ぎゃ、ぎゅ、ぎょ GYA, GYU, GYO ひゃ、ひゅ、ひょ HYA, HYU, HYO
しゃ、しゅ、しょ SHA, SHU, SHO (sometimes written SYA, SYU, SYO) びゃ、びゅ、びょ BYA, BYU, BYO
じゃ、じゅ、じょ JA, JU, JO (sometimes written JYA, JYU, JYO) ぴゃ、ぴゅ、ぴょ PYA, PYU, PYO
ちゃ、ちゅ、ちょ CHA, CHU, CHO (sometimes written TYA, TYU, TYO) みゃ、みゅ、みょ MYA, MYU, MYO
ぢ series rarely takes glides -- ぢゃ、ぢゅ、ぢょ (DYA, DYU, DYO) りゃ、りゅ、りょ RYA, RYU, RYO

9.1 Practice!

1. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Read the glide syllables in the Romanization section above out loud several times until you
become accustomed to the spellings and pronunciations. (Be careful to pronounce each glide as a single syllable rather than 2 separate
syllables.)

2. Without looking at your notes or the information above, circle the hiragana below that can combine with the ちいさい や、ゆ、よ.

き ば む り み ぷ ひ し と ぬ め わ ん に ち も こ ぱ さ

3. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。はち ど よんで 下さい。Read the following glide syllables out loud 5 to 8 times or until
you become fluent and accustomed to pronouncing them easily.

みゃ、にゃ、ぴゃ、ぎゃ、ぴゅ、にゅ、みゅ、きゅ、しゅ、じゅ、びゅ、ぎょ、みょ、ちょ、しょ、きょ、じょ、びょ
りゃ、きゃ、にゃ、りゅ、みゅ、じゅ、りょ、しょ、ぴょ、りゅ、みょ、りゃ、みょ、きゅ、びょ、りゃ、しゅ、りょ

155
4. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。はち ど よんで 下さい。Read the following glide words out loud 5 to 8 times or until you
become fluent. Remember to pronounce any vowels that follow the glides.

きょうこ りょこう りょうり ちゅしん ぎゃくてん ひゃくきゅう むりょう


ようじゅつ しきゅう びょうき みゃくどう しょうたい ちゅうしゃじょう うちゅうじん
しゃくはち しょうじょ にゅうじょう みょうちょう ぴょんぴょん ひょうじょ にゅういん

5. Transliterate the following into hiragana.

CHO, BYO, SYO, JYO, JYA, CHU, MYU, GYU, CHA, JYU, JA, NYA, KYU, JU, SYU, TYO, HYA, RYU, SHU, RYO, KYA, PYO
CHOU, BYOU, SYOU, JYOU, JYAA, MYUU, GYUU, CHAA, JYUU, NYAA, KYUU

6. Transliterate the following into hiragana.

BYO-U-BU NYA-KA-NYA-KA SHA-BU-SHA-BU NYO-RO-NYO-RO MYO-U-KO JAN-KEN RYO-KAN


RYU-U-KO KYA-KYA-SHA-BE-RU CHU-U-SHA CHU-U-SHO-KU GYU-U-NYU-U JYU-U-KYU-U KYO-U-JYU-U

7. おおきい こえ で い T-て 下さい。Pronounce the following out loud, paying attention to the difference between おおきい and ち
いさい や ゆ よ.
 きょ きよ ぴゃ ぴや しゆ しゅ ちゅ ちゆ じゃ みや によ ぎょ りゅ みゆ りゃ りや ぎよ びょ

8. きいて 下さい。Listen and take dictation, paying attention to glide sounds. みて 下さい。Compare your dictation to that of a
partner to see if you both have the same results. Give your partner dictation using the words you wrote, but put them in random order.
(Use #3 above but in random order)

156
9.2 Read and write 1 new かんじ word 今日 (きょう)

As mentioned earlier, the word きょう is written with two kanji  “now day,” 今 and 日 . Later, you will see that both of these kanji have
many other pronunciations as well, but for now, learn the compound, pronounced 「きょう」.

9.2 Practice!

1. Use your favorite app/website to learn correct stroke order for each of these kanji. 今 and 日 both have 4 strokes. Practice writing
each one separately 10 to 20 times, and then write them together 20 times, pronouncing the word 「きょう」as you write.

2. Rewrite the following sentence, changing hiragana into kanji wherever possible. You should have at least 4 kanji in your sentence.

きょう、おみずを のみません。 おちゃを ください。


3. ふりがな are the hiragana written in small print above kanji to help readers know how to pronounce the kanji. You can see several
ひと
examples in the sentence below. よんで 下さい。Read the sentence and add ふりがな above the remaining kanji. (人= “person”)

わたし ひと の の ちゃ
私は 女の人 です。 今日、お水を 飲みたい です が、お水を 飲みません。お茶を 下さい。

9.3 Learn 1 new number kanji 十 (じゅう)

To simplify writing the number 10, learn how to write it in kanji. First, make sure you are pronouncing it correctly with the glide AND the
following vowel sound (JYU-U). The kanji is 2 strokes. Write the horizontal stroke first, starting from the left, and then write the vertical
stroke starting at the top.

157
9.3 Practice!

1. Write the Japanese word for 10 in both hiragana (じゅう) and kanji (十) at least 10 times, saying them aloud each time.

2. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Read the following kanji aloud. 三 十 一 十 二 一 十 三 十

9.4 Count from 11 to 19 (十一、十二、十三、十よん、十ご、十ろく、十なな、十はち、十きゅう)

Review counting from 0 to 10 by reading the following. [ ぜろ、一、二、三、よん/し、ご、ろく、しち/なな、はち、きゅう、十 ]


Learning to count from 11 to 19 is simple. The “teens” consist of “ten” plus whatever number you want to add. For example, 11 is 「じゅ
う いち」or 「十一」, 12 is「じゅう に」 or 「十二」 , etc.

9.4 Practice!

1. Write the digit that corresponds to each number below. For example: 十三 13_

十きゅう 十はち 十ご 十ニ 十 十よん 十三 十なな 十ろく

2. おおきい こえ で い T-て 下さい。Count out loud: from 0 to 19, by twos from 0 to 19 by twos, from 0 to 19 by threes, and from
0 to 19 by fours. Count out loud backwards from 19 to 0 by twos, by threes, and by fours. First do this by yourself, and then do it
together with a partner.

3. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Read the following digits out loud in Japanese.


[14, 19, 12, 17, 15, 11, 18, 7, 13, 4, 16, 0, 19, 7, 10, 3, 17, 8, 14]

4. Write the numbers from 0 to 19 in hiragana 3 times or until you are certain you can write them perfectly.

158
9.5 Count from 20 to 99 (二十、二十一、二十二、二十三、二十よん、二十ご、etc.)

20 to 99: Counting to 99 is another simple pattern. The number 20 consists of “two tens,” the number 30 consists of “three tens,” etc.
For example, 20 is 「ニ十」, 30 is 「三十」, 40 is 「よん十」, 50 is「ご十」, 70 is「なな十」, etc.
For numbers in between 20 and 30, add whatever number you need. For example, 25 is「ニ十 ご」, 33 is 「三十 三」, 44 is「よん十
よん」,68 is「ろく十 はち」, 77 is「なな十なな」etc.

9.5 Practice!

1. Write the digit that corresponds to each number below. For example: ニ十三 23

はち十 はち十ニ なな十 なな十三 三十三 よん十 よん十よん よん十なな

二十ろく ご十はち なな十なな なな十一 ろく十よん きゅう十なな きゅう十

2. おおきい こえ で い T-て 下さい。Count out loud from 20 to 99; from 20 to 90 by tens; from 0 to 95 by fives; from 30 to 86 by
fours; from 20 to 50 by threes! Count out loud backwards from 95 to 5 by tens; from 98 to 70 by twos; from 95 to 0 by fives!
Do all of the above by yourself, and then do them all again together with a partner.

3. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Read the digits below out loud in Japanese.


19, 27, 4, 40, 77, 94, 44, 38, 61, 85, 99, 82, 75, 67, 7, 36, 52, 11, 36, 18, 64, 43, 17, 25, 13, 51, 28, 90, 0, 60, 74, 21, 40

4. Write 10 numbers of your choice (between 11 and 99) in hiragana/kanji. Show them to a partner and ask your partner to read them
aloud. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Check each other’s spelling and pronunciation. みて 下さい。

159
9.6 Count from 100 to 299 (ひゃく、 ひゃく一、 ひゃく二、 二ひゃく、 二ひゃくきゅう十きゅう)

100 to 299: One hundred is ひゃく. Practice pronouncing this number with the “hissing” sound of ひ combined with the glide sound.
For numbers over 100, just say ひゃく and the numbers you want to add. Practice: ひゃく一、 ひゃくニ、 ひゃく三、 ひゃくよん、 ひ
ゃくご, etc. Then practice: ひゃくニ十ご、 ニひゃく、 にひゃく三、 ニひゃく十 , etc.
(Theoretically, you now know how to count to 299, but be careful trying to count higher! There are pronunciation shifts at 300 (さんびゃく), 600 (ろっぴゃく), and 800 (はっぴゃく) that you
will learn and practice later.)

9.6 Practice!

1. Write the digit that corresponds to each number below. For example: ニ十三 23

ひゃく二十 ニひゃく三十 二ひゃくなな十一 ひゃくなな十三 二ひゃく三十 二ひゃくよん十


ひゃくよん十よん 二ひゃくよん十なな 三十ろく ひゃくご十はち 二ひゃくなな十なな ひゃくなな十一

2. おおきい こえ で い T-て 下さい。Count out loud from 100 to 299; from 100 to 290 by tens; from 100 to 295 by fives; from 130
to 186 by fours; and from 100 to 163 by threes! Count out loud backwards from 295 to 95 by tens; from 298 to 170 by twos; from 295 to
100 by fives! Do all of these by yourself, and then do them all again together with a partner.

3. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Read the digits below out loud in Japanese.


119, 227, 204, 140, 277, 294, 144, 138, 261, 285, 299, 182, 175, 167, 8, 37, 53, 111, 37, 118, 64, 243, 18, 225, 13, 151, 0, 260

4. Write 10 numbers of your choice (between 100 and 299) in hiragana/kanji. Show them to a partner and ask your partner to read them
aloud. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Check each other’s spelling and pronunciation. みて 下さい。

5. Write the following numbers in hiragana. おおきい こえ で い T-て 下さい。Say them aloud as you write them. [105, 129, 147,
179, 196, 108, 219, 250, 299]

160
にち
9.7 Use a new frequency adverb まいにち (まい日)

Recall the 3 frequency adverbs you practiced earlier (いつも、よく、あまり ), and make sure you remember which one is used with
activities you DON’T do much. Do you remember which one is used to ask how often someone does something (an information question)?
The new adverb introduced here consists of 2 parts: まい ,which means “every” and にち (日), which you have already learned means
“day.” Note that 日 here is pronounced にち, which is different from the word you learned earlier (今日 = きょう).

9.7 Practice!

1. Write all 4 frequency adverbs in hiragana/kanji at least 3 times. Then, write まい日 ten or 20 times more, saying it aloud as you write
it. おおきい こえ で い T-て 下さい。

2. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Practice pronouncing the following kanji words aloud, noting the difference in the
pronunciation of the kanji [日] as you go.
今日 三 今日 まい日 女 まい日 今日 下さい まい日 まい日 今日
二十一 まい日 水 今日 男 今日 まい日 二十 今日 十三 まい日

3. Write 2 sentences contrasting what you eat every day with what you do not eat every day. Mention at least 2 items in each half of your
sentence. Write 2 more sentences contrasting what you drink every day with what you do not drink every day. Again, mention at least 2
items in each half of your sentence. Use what you wrote to talk with a partner about your daily eating/drinking patterns. (Be sure to use
body language as you speak and respond to what your partner says with interactional phrases.)

161
9.8 Use the honorific prefix お to indicate things belonging/relating to others おなまえ and new word おともだち;
distinguish between the honorific prefix お and the politeness prefix お on nouns

Politeness prefix: Let’s revisit the prefix お that was mentioned in earlier units. Many words commonly take the お prefix in polite
conversation. Some that you have already learned are: おといれ、おてあらい、おすし、おでんわ、おりんご、お水、おさけ、おさかな、
おちゃ、おびいる. The prefix お signals that you are speaking in a rather polite, formal, or elegant manner. These words may occur
without the polite prefix お when you are talking with close friends in a casual setting.

Honorific prefix: The お prefix is also used in as an honorific to convey respect towards other people or things that pertain to them. This
is slightly different from the politeness usage described above. When you use お to show respect, you attach it to “honorable things” that
relate/belong to others and omit it when you talk about things that relate/belong to yourself.
For example, study the following forms [なまえ – おなまえ] (“name”). In actual usage, they mean more than “name.” When the word
appears in its simple form, it means you are either speaking very casually or you are speaking about yourself. If you talk about yourself,
do NOT use the honorific prefix (unless you are speaking sarcastically or joking).

When you talk or ask about someone else’s name, add the honorific prefix お, as in おなまえ. This honorific asymmetry means you may
hear the simple form AND the honorific form in the same conversation. For example, if someone asks your name, they will use お in front
of the word for “name” (おなまえは 何 です か). You can answer by simply stating your name (as in “Holly です”), or you can say the
complete sentence「なまえは Holly です。」WITH NO HONORIFIC お. (In effect, you can ask others for their “honorable name,” but you
should never say: “My own honorable name is Holly.”)

With the word “friend,” you can refer to your own friend as either ともだち or おともだち, depending on how much respect you want to
show for the friend. However, if you are talking about someone else’s friend, it is better to use the honorific prefix and say おともだち, as
in: おともだちは がくせい ですか。

With お you don’t need possessives: By adding or omitting the honorific prefix お before なまえ (and even before ともだち), you can
indicate whether you are talking about someone else or about yourself, and you do not need to use the possessive “my” or “your.” It is

162
relatively rare in Japanese to say “my” or “your” because this distinction is usually made with honorific signals and honorific vocabulary
rather than with possessive sentence structure.

9.8 Practice!

1. Write the new words ともだち and おともだち 10 times each, saying them aloud as you write. Then, write the following English
phrases in Japanese using a single word for each: “my name” “your friend” “your name” “my friend”

2. おおきい こえ で い T-て 下さい。Pronounce each of the words in the following list with the お prefix and then without the お
prefix. Then copy the list into your notebook and circle the お prefix in each. Is this the politeness prefix or the honorific prefix?
おといれ、おてあらい、おなまえ、おすし、おでんわ、おともだち、おりんご、お水、おさけ、おさかな、おちゃ、おびいる

3. Talk with a partner. Describe in your own words when to use the politeness prefix and when not to use the politeness prefix. Then
tell in your own words when to use the honorific prefix and when not to use it. Give 2 examples of each.

4. For each type of person below, write in English the name of someone you know who fits that description
せんせい、ともだち、女、がくせい、いいともだち、男、こんぴゅうたあおたく、えいがすたあ、かいしゃいん

5. Preview the sentences below and circle every syllable that is pronounced as /o/. Label each as P (politeness), H (honorific), or G
(grammatical particle). Then, write complete and full sentences to answer the questions, repeating the topics in your answers. (Be sure to
omit the honorific when you write about your own name or your own friend.)
おともだちはがくせいですか。 おともだちは おさけと びいるを のみますか。
おともだちは おりんごと いちごを よくたべますか。 おなまえは何ですか。

163
9.9 Ask and talk about things that did NOT happen yesterday たべません でした。 のみません でした。

Earlier, you learned how to talk about something you ate or drank yesterday (in the past). Now, let’s focus on talking about what you did
NOT eat or drink yesterday!

Negative actions in the past: When talking about something that you did NOT do yesterday, use the negative verb, and then add でした
to frame it in the past. For example:
きのう、たべません でした。 たにぐちさんも たべません でした よ! さのさんも たべません でした よ!
でも、きょう、わたしも、 たにぐちさんも、さのさんも たべました!!!

9.9 Practice!

1. Write the phrases [たべません でした] [のみません でした] 5 times each. おおきい こえ で い T-て 下さい。Say the phrases
aloud as you write them.

2. YES/NO QUESTIONS: When you answer a Yes/No question, make sure your answer contains a verb (either affirmative or negative
form) as in the sets below. Sometimes you will need both affirmative and negative verbs if you contrast something you did with something
you did not do. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Read the questions below aloud. Each question is followed by several possible answer
options. Circle the answers that are a bit crazy. Then role-play with a partner, asking and answering the questions however you choose.

Question 1: きのう、らじおを たべあました か。


Answer Options: はい、たべました よ。 でも りんごも たべました。
いいえ、たべません でした。でも りんごを たべました よ。

Question 2: きのう、かれんだあを たべました か。


Answer Options: いいえ、たべません でした。 でも さらだを たべました。
はい、たべました よ。 でも さらだも たべました よ。

164
Question 3: きのう、らじおと かれんだあを たべました か。
Answer Options: いいえ、かれんだあを たべません でした。 でも らじおを たべました。
いいえ、らじおも かれんだあも たべません でした。
はい、らじおも かれんだあも たべました よ。
ええと. . . らじおを たべません でした。でも かれんだあを たべました よ。

Question 4: きのう、がそりんを のみました か。


Answer Options: いいえ、のみません でした。
はい、のみました。 あああ!
いいえ、のみません でした。でも しゃんぷうを のみました よ!

Question 5: きのう、おさけと、てきいらと、がそりんを のみました か。


Answer Options: いいえ、のみません でした。
あのう ねえ. . . おさけと てきいらを のみました。でも がそりんを のみません でした。
Question 6: きのう、がそりんも お水も のみました か。
Answer Options: いいえ、のみません でした。
はい、がそりんも お水も のみました よ。
ええと. . . がそりんを のみません でした。でも お水を のみました。

3. Think of 2 food items. Write a yes/no question for your partner about whether he/she ate those particular items yesterday. Then,
write another yes/no question about whether your partner eats those items every day. Ask 3 different partners your questions. Then,
write a short paragraph contrasting the eating habits of your partners.

4. きいて 下さい。Listen and take dictation, writing down the 6 questions you hear. Then, write answers to the 6 questions you wrote
down. みて 下さい。Compare the answers you wrote to those of a classmate.

165
5. INFORMATION QUESTIONS: Use the interrogative word 何 (なに) to ask for information about actions. Study the examples below
to see a variety of possible patterns. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Read the questions aloud. Circle the answer that you like
the best for each, and then role-play by asking a partner all 4 questions.

きのう、何を たべました か。  いちごを たべました。 でも はんばあがあを たべません でした。


けえきを たべました よ。 でも いちごも りんごも たべません でした。
今日、何を たべます か。  さらだも おすしも たべます。 はんばあがあを たべません。
かれんだあを たべます よ。 さかなを たべません。
きのう、何を のみました か。  さけを のみました よ。水を のみません でした。 あああ!今日、こおひいを のみます。
お水も、こおらも のみました。 てきいらも さけも のみません でした。
まい日、何を のみます か。  おちゃを よく のみます。あまり おさけを のみません。こおひいも あまり のみません ね。
こおひいを よく のみます よ。 こうちゃを あまり のみません。

6. Write 3 complete sentences about what you did NOT eat/drink yesterday. Make your sentences as sophisticated as possible, using も
and でも. Ask a partner what things he/she did NOT consume yesterday. Then, write 3 complete sentences about what your friend did
not eat/drink yesterday.

166
Bonus The Japanese enjoy being creative with the shapes and multiple meanings that their writing system can produce.
One of the fun games they play is using hiragana in designs. See if you can find 7 hiragana in the following.
Then, see if you can create your own “hiragana picture.”

へ へ
の の

167
Unit 9 Review Quiz

Re-read and re-practice pieces of Units 1 through 9 that need more work. Re-read your notes, and then do the quiz below to see how well
you have mastered the competencies of this unit. If you have trouble, be sure to go back and perfect the areas in which you are weak.

1. Translate the following phrase into English using your knowledge of the meaning of kanji. 今日は 十二日 です。

2. Write the answers to the following math problems in hiragana/kanji. (You may use a calculator.)
1. 40+20= ? 4. 52-12= ? 7. 77+3= ? 10. 15-8= ?
2. 16+8= ? 5. 33-4= ? 8. 60+30= ? 11. 21-5= ?
3. 92+8= ? 6. 11-11= ? 9. 0+100= ? 12. 84-78= ?

3. Rewrite the answers to #2 above in digits. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Then, read the math problems out loud in
Japanese. Remember that たす means “plus,” ひく means “minus,” and は means “equals.”
The pattern for reading addition and subtraction sentences is: 2 たす 3 は 5 です . 5 ひく 3 は 2 です。

4. Rewrite the following words in hiragana.


1. KYO-U-KA-SHO 4. SHA-SHIN 7. CHU-U-RYU-U 10. HYU-U-HYU-U
2. NO-U-RYO-KU 5. SAN-BYA-KU 8. CHA-NO-YU 11. NYU-U-SHU
3. GYU-U-NYU-U 6. MYO-U-JO-U 9. JYU-U-KYU-U 12. CHO-RO-CHO-RO

5. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Read the nonsense words below aloud, carefully and slowly, paying close attention to your
pronunciation of the full-sized and half-sized や ゆ よ.
1. きよみゅ 3. びやにょ 5. りゃきょぎよ 7. ひょびよ 9. きやみゃにゆ
2. にゃぎよ 4. じゃじゅん 6. ちよじょ 8. じゃちゅ 10. じょじりょ

168
6. Fill in forms of words that will make the best sense in the paragraph below.

まい日、わたしは はんばあがあを _____________。けえきも ________________。

でも きのう、はんばあがあも けえきも ______________。さらだを ______________。

こおらを よく ______________。 でも きのう、こおらを ________________。

7. Rewrite the paragraph in #6 above, substituting different food and drink items. Do NOT use any of the same items as you see in the
original paragraph.

8. みて 下さい。Examine the chart below. きいて 下さい。Listen to people talking about what they consumed yesterday. Put a star
in the boxes of items that each person consumed. Leave blank the boxes of items they did not consume.

あいす
なまえ らあめん さらだ いちご りんご さかな おちゃ こおひい お水 びいる こおら
いちだ さん
まえだ さん
いのうえさん

169
9. Write complete sentences to express each of the following.

Tell your teacher that you didn’t eat fish yesterday.


Ask your teacher if he/she ate fish yesterday.
Ask your teacher what Mr. Ishikawa drank yesterday.
Tell your teacher that you don’t often drink coffee.
Ask your teacher if he/she is a movie star.
Ask your teacher if his/her friend is a computer nerd. (Remember to think about honorific usage.)

10. Have a conversation with a partner on the topic of eating/drinking. Each of you should ask and answer at least 2 questions.

11. Have a conversation with a partner. Ask each other’s names and phone numbers and talk about your occupations. You should each
ask and answer at least 3 questions.

170
Unit 10

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

10.1 Read and write geminate consonants using ちいさい つ 10.2 Contrast yesterday’s activities with activities in the normal
and ん routine まいにち、します/しました、よみます/よみました、きき
ます/ききました、みます/みました、いきます/いきました
and use 1 new grammatical particle に
and understand and use new vocabulary related to activities
てにす、げえむ、ほん、おんがく、えいが、てれび、じむ、
れすとらん

10.1 Read and write geminate consonants using ちいさい つ and ん

A. What are geminates?: Japanese pronunciation and spelling include geminate (twin) consonants (sometimes called “long
consonants”). Geminate consonants are pronounced by holding them a little longer than usual. (Since they are held about 2 times longer
than normal, they are called geminates, or twins.) In English, many words are spelled with a double consonant (“better, happy, summer,
daddy, nanny”); however, that does NOT change their pronunciation. In Japanese, all spelling counts, and when consonants are doubled,
they are pronounced as geminates.

171
B. Pronunciation and spelling of geminates with つ: The half-sized つ (ちいさい つ) is used to pre-flag “long consonants.” (If we
experiment for a moment with how this would look in English spelling, we might have words like: “be っ ter, ha っ py, da っ dy.”) The
English words would sound very different if we pronounced them that way! In Japanese, since some of the consonants (/t, k, p/) are
voiceless and don’t make much of a sound to begin with, doubling the length that you hold them will mainly sound like a little pause, or a
short silence, or a tiny hiccup! Listen to the following words that contain ちいさい つ. In some, you will simply hear a small pause. In
others, you will actually hear the consonant sound being prolonged (given two “mora” beats). Notice the consonants in the Romanized
words below that are geminates. The ちいさい つ always comes BEFORE the consonant that it applies to. It is a “pre-flagger.”

ちょっと まって きっぷ いっさい はっぴゃく いっしょ きっさてん りっぱ


CHOTTO MATTE KIPPU ISSAI HAPPYAKU ISSHO KISSATEN RIPPA

C. Geminates change meaning! When a word contains ちいさい つ, its meaning is completely different from the same word without the
ちいさい つ , so it is vitally important to learn how to listen for and pronounce the “long consonants.” This is challenging for many English
speakers! In English, we don’t pay any attention to whether the consonant is long or short because the meaning of the word does not
change. Listen to the following examples and notice the slight difference in pronunciation.

KITTE  KITE ISSHA  ISHA SASSOU  SASOU SATTO  SATO HAKKI  HAKI MOPPU MOPU
きって  きて いっしゃ  いしゃ さっそう  さそう さっと  さと はっき  はき もっぷ  もぷ
stamp  come! one company  doctor dashing!  invite quickly  home town to exhibitdemolish mop  (not a word)

172
D. Geminate sets with つ: The four consonants that occur as geminates in native Japanese words are: /kk, ss, tt, pp/. Listen to the four
types of geminate sets in the examples below to get a sense of the variety of possibilities. Envision how the words would be Romanized,
and write out the Romanizations if you are having trouble with the concept. (Some of these examples are not really words; they are given
here only to illustrate how geminates work.)
/kk/ いっか、いっき、いっく、いっけ、いっこ、いっきゃ、いっきゅ、いっきょ
/ss/ あっさ、あっし、あっす、あっせ、あっそ、あっしゃ、あっしゅ、あっしょ
/tt/ うった、うっち、うっつ、うって、うっと、うっちゃ、うっちゅ、うっちょ
/pp/ ほっぱ、ほっぴ、ほっぷ、ほっぺ、ほっぽ、ほっぴゃ、ほっぴゅ、ほっぴょ

E. Foreign words and geminates: In foreign loanwords ( がいらいご), there are also geminate sounds /gg, zz, dd, bb/ (in addition to the
native geminates /kk, ss, tt, pp/). The following がいらいご are normally written in KATAKANA, but for now, read them here in
HIRAGANA and listen to get a sense of the geminate sounds.
/kk/ のっく、じゃっく /gg/ たっぐ、ばっぐ、
/ss/ まっしゅ、すたっしゅ /zz/ りっず
/tt/ のっと、ほっと /dd/ まっど、あっど
/pp/ はっぴい、たっぷ /bb/ だっびんぐ、たっぶ

F. Geminates with ん: The nasal-sounding HIRAGANA ん is used to pre-flag geminate sounds that are nasal consonants /m/ and /n/.
When ん pre-flags /m/ sounds, it sounds like /n/ or /m/: さんま (SAN-MA or SAM-MA). When it pre-flags /n/ sounds, it sounds like /n/:
女 (おんな). Listen to the following examples of /m, n/ geminates. Some are native Japanese words, and some are foreign loanwords.
Notice where ん sounds like /n/ and where it sounds like /m/.
ほんにん、まんなか、しんねん、てんのう、せんもん、きんめだる、もんもう、こんにゃく、さんまるこす、はんまあ、いんなあ

173
10.1 Practice!

1. きいて下さい。よんで下さい。 As you listen, write in ろおまじ the geminate consonants you hear. Note the first example.
1. さんま NM (or MM) 4. あんない 7. かっこいい 10. れっしゃ 13. さっち
2. いっぱい 5. ざんねん 8. はっぴょ 11. ほっかい 14. どれっど
3. ほっと 6. いっしょ 9. やっと 12. にっぽん 15. すらっがあ

2. Circle the geminates in the words below. Then, おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい. The first one is done for you.

1. ぎ ゃ っ こ う 4. たっち 7. のんの 10. かっぱ 13. きっど


2. やっぱり 5. もんもう 8. ちょっかん 11. そんな 14. はっぴい
3. せっかく 6. ぶっしょく 9. ごじっぽひゃっぽ 12. いっち 15. げっぷ

3. きいて 下さい。Take dictation. みて 下さい。Check your results with those of a partner. Then, give each other dictation of the
same words, but in random order. (from#2 above)

4. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Read the following geminate sets out loud 3 times each. Note that the first set contains
ちいさい つ geminates, and the second set contains ん geminates. When you feel fluent reading them, give them to a partner as
dictation in random order and then check your partner’s spelling.

1. らっきょう、ひっぷ、ぶっか、あっとう、のっぽろ、てってい、つったつ、ほっき、わすれっぽい、よっぱらい
2. ほんま、おんのじ、きんめい、さんにん、じゅんめん、たんねん、らんみゃく、しんみ、げんなり、じんみん

174
10.2 Contrast yesterday’s activities with activities in the normal routine and use new related vocabulary;
Explain and use a new grammatical particle に after a destination and before the movement verb いきます
します しました みます みました てにす、 げえむ、 ほん、
よみます よみました いきます いきました おんがく、 えいが、
ききます ききました おどります おどりました じむ、 れすとらん

New Words and Sentence Examples Commentary

てにす します, しました てにす and げえむ are loanwords from English (actually written in かたかな).
げえむ しません, しません でした In the example sentences, note the use of the object particle を after these
loanwords.
せんせいは まい日 てにすを します。
わたしも まい日 てにすを します。 します is a “do-it-all” action word.” Combine it with any loanword noun to
express doing some action. In the examples here, it means to “do tennis” or
がくせいさんは きのう げえむを しました。 “do video games.” How would you say: “do a picnic”? “do a kiss”? “do skiing”?
わたしは きのう げえむを しません でした。 (Do you remember where the verb goes in Japanese sentences?)

今日、何を します か。 します is a generic word for asking questions, such as:
. . .んん. . . げえむを します。 “What are you doing today?” “What did you do yesterday?”

175
ほん よみます, よみました ほん(本) “book” or “books” There is no singular/plural distinction! Note the
よみません, よみません でした use of the object particle を after ほん.

よく ほんを よみます か。 よみます “read” The stem is よみ(読み). You have already seen part of the
いいえ、あまり よみません よ。 stem of よみます in the phrase「おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。」

きのう、ほんを よみました か。
はい、よみました。 まい日 よみます よ。

おんがく ききます、 ききました おんがく(音楽) “music”


ききません、 ききません でした
ききます “listen” The stem is きき(聞き). You have already seen part of
きのう、わたしは おんがくを ききました。 the stem of ききます in the command form: きいて 下さい。
でも 今日 ききません でした。

せんせいは よく おんがくを ききます か。


いいえ、あまり ききません。
でも きのう ききました よ。
おどります “dance” The stem is おどり( 踊り). This one can stand alone or
おどります、おどりました go with a frequency word, as in: わたしは まい日おどりますよ。
おどりません、おどりません でした ともだち も よく おどります!

176
えいが、てれび みます, みました えいが (映画) “movie” or “movies” Note the object particle を after えいが.
みません, みません でした てれび “TV” Normally written in katakana テレビ.

きのう、えいがを みました か。 You have seen せんせい as the subject or topic of sentences followed by the
えいが です か。 はい、みました よ。 topic particle は. Here せんせい is the object, so it is followed by the object
まい日 てれびを みます。 でも きのう particle を. Make sure you understand how this works by figuring out the
てれびを みません でした。 meaning of the following sentence:
たなか せんせいは のむら せんせいを みました .)
今日も みます か。
はい、みます よ。あまり みません。 みます “see, watch” English distinguishes between “see” and “watch” as two
でも 今日 みます よ。 separate verbs. In Japanese, みます covers both meanings.

今日、たなか せんせいを みました か。 The stem is み(見). You have already learned the command form of this verb
いいえ、みません でした。 as in the sentence: 十二 ぺえじを みて 下さい。
でも いまだ せんせいを みました よ。

177
じむ いきます, いきました じむ and れすとらん are loanwords from English (usually written in katakana).
れすとらん いきません, いきません でした In the example sentences, they indicate destinations, places where people go
今日、どこに いきます か。 (いきます).
じむに。 まい日 じむに いきます よ。
To indicate destinations, use a new grammatical particle に . The
きのうも いきました か。 destination particle に indicates where someone is going or where someone
はい、いきました。 went.

いきます “to go somewhere”


れすとらんに よく いきます か。
The stem is いき(行き). This verb often comes after destinations, so watch for
いいえ、あまり いきません。
the destination particle to be used in sentences with いきます.
でも きのう いきました。

10.2 Practice!

1. みて 下さい。Study the chart above. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい。Read the words and example sentences aloud at least
two times. Talk with a classmate and discuss the commentary, clarifying for each other anything that is confusing.

2. Write each of the new words in the chart above 5 to 8 times each or until you can write them perfectly and easily. おおきい こえ
で いって 下さい。Say them aloud as you write. Then, keyboard them in electronic form 5 to 8 times each, saying them aloud again.

3. みて 下さい。Study the action words in the following box. Notice that while they are written in かんじ, there are small ひらがな
above the kanji to help you read them. These small hiragana are called 「ふりがな」. Furigana are commonly used to indicate the
readings of words that may be difficult to pronounce.

178
After you study the action words in the box, choose one or several that you could use with each item in the WORD LIST. On your paper:
A) copy the 15 words from the list, B) add を or に depending on which function it serves (object or destination), and C) in hiragana,
write an action word after each particle. (For those working ahead in kanji: Write the words in kanji ONLY if you have thoroughly studied
and practiced the stroke order on your own!)

WORD LIST
い き
A. 行きます E. 聞きます 1. りんご 6. じむ 11. おすし
た よ
2. おちゃ 7. てれび 12. てにす
B. 食べます F. 読みます 3. えいが 8. れすとらん 13. 男

C. します G. 飲みます 4. 女 9. ほん 14. おてあらい
み おど 5. おんがく 10. げえむ 15. お水
D. 見ます H. 踊ります

4. Revisit yes/no questions! Respond to all yes/no questions using either the affirmative or the negative form of the action word. おおき
い こえ で よんで 下さい。Read the following examples aloud, and then role-play asking and answering with a partner. Give
whichever answers you prefer.

1. 今日、じむに いきました か。 はい、いきました。 いいえ、いきません でした。


2. いつも おんがくを ききます か。 はい、ききます よ。 いいえ、ききません。
3. まい日、せんせいを みます か。 はい、よく みます よ。 いいえ、あまり みません。
4. きのう、いい えいがを みました か。 はい、みました。 いいえ、みません でした。
5. おともだちも いい えいがを みました か。 はい、みました よ。 いいえ、みません でした よ。
6. きのう、てれびを みました か。 はい、みました。 いいえ、みません でした、ねえ。

179
5. Revisit information questions! Use one of the interrogative words 何 or どこ(with いきます) to ask for information about actions.
みて 下さい。Study the examples below to see a variety of possible “Q and A” (question and answer) patterns. おおきい こえ で
よんで 下さい。Read the patterns aloud, and then role-play them with a partner, choosing your preferred answers from the list.
(Remember that no auxiliary verb is needed in Japanese questions.)

Q: どこに いきます か。 A: じむに。 A: れすとらんに いきます。 A: ちょっと わかりません。


Q: 今日、何を します か。 A: てにすを。 A: げえむをします。 A: わかりません ねえ。
Q: きのう、何を ききました か。 A: おんがくを。 A: らじおを ききました。 A: せんせいを ききました。
Q: きのう、何を みました か。 A: いい えいがを A: いい えいがを みました。 A: ええと. . . せんせいを みました。
Q: きのう、おともだちは どこに いきました か。 A: れすとらんに A: ちょっと わかりません。

6. Ask a classmate the following questions.

1. よく ほんを よみます か。 6. おてあらいに いきました か。 11. きのう、えいがを みました か。


2. きのう、じむに いきました か。 7. きのう、げえむを しました か。 12. 今日、せんせいを みました か。
3. まい日 おんがくを ききます か。 8. 今日、れすとらんに いきます か。 13. きのう、おおきい こえを ききました か。
4. いつも、どこに いきます か。 9. よく てにすを します か。 14. WAR & PEACE を よみました か。
5. よく てれびを みます か。 10. きのう、にほんに いきました か。 15. よく ろっく おんがくを ききます か。

7. Write a short answer to each question below. Note the first example.

1. 今日、何を します か。 てにすを___ 6. まい日、何を します か。


2. きのう、どこに いきました か。 7. きのう、何を みました か。
3. 今日、どこに いきます か。 8. きのう、何を よみました か。
4. らじおを よく たべます か。 9. まい日、おんがくを ききます か。
5. きのう、おともだちは ほんを よみました か。 10. おともだちは いつも どこに いきます か。

180
8. みて 下さい。Preview the chart below. Sentences in the first row are written with kanji!! Use the ふりがな to help you understand
the words written in かんじ. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい. Read all the sentences in the first row 5 to 7 times, or until you become
fluent. Also, read the names in each column aloud several times. Then, きいて 下さい, and put a check mark by the names of the people
who did each activity. There will be one name in each column that is NOT mentioned. Find the names that were not mentioned, cross
them out, and then compare your results with those of a partner.

さけ えいが とうきょう おんがく てあら


PLAYBOY を 酒も てきいらも いい 映画を 東 京 に じゃず 音楽を お手洗いに

の み い き い
読みました。 飲みました。 見ました。 行きました。 聞きました。 行きません でした。
しまだ さん いわ さん たろう さん おだ せんせい かとう さん すうざん さん
きのした さん ほんだ さん みき さん いだ せんせい いとう さん ぱむ さん
むらせ さん こてら さん ゆうこ さん いまだ せんせい てらだ さん でぼら さん
やました さん ふなやま さん じろう さん とみた せんせい おおの さん ぼぶ さん

9. Write complete sentences to answer the queries below. Use English words for destinations and grammatical objects. Use your
imagination; you do not have to answer truthfully! Example: What did you read yesterday? Dictionary を よみました よ!
1. Where did you go yesterday? 4. What did you read yesterday? 7. Did you dance yesterday?
2. What did you see/watch yesterday? 5. What do you do yesterday? 8. Where did your friend go yesterday?
3. How often do you dance? 6. What did you listen to yesterday?

10. みて 下さい。Show your sentences from #9 above to a classmate and check each other’s work.

11. Ask a classmate five questions using the topics in #6 above. Do not look at anything you have written as you ask and answer the
questions. Re-do the same conversation 3 to 5 times or until you both become fluent.

181
12. よんで 下さい。Read the paragraph below, filling in the missing particles. (Note that some loanwords in the sentences are written
in katakana. Use the ふりがな above those words to find the pronunciation, and use your imagination to figure out the meaning of any
new words.) Then, with a classmate, おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい. Together with your classmate, discuss the answer to the
question that follows.

きむらさん ___ いい せんせい です。


ぽ る の
いつも SCIENCE MAGAZINE ___ よみます。 ポルノ ___ よみません。
て き い ら
まい日 お水___ のみます。 テキーラ___ あまり のみません。
ば あ
よく じむ___ いきます。 あまり バー ___ いきません。

Q: Why does the paragraph say that Kimura is a good teacher? Name 3 reasons. Based on the 3 reasons in the paragraph, do you
agree that Kimura must be a good teacher? Using the sentences below, think of additional reasons why Kimura might be a
good teacher, and using either English or Japanese, fill in the blanks.

きむら せんせい は いつも _______________ を ききます。


よく _______________ を よみます。 あまり __________________ を しません。

13. Write the action verbs that correspond to the following command/requests: よんで 下さい。 みて 下さい。 きいて 下さい。

Bonus Japanese kids’ joke: The word for “gloves” is てぶくろ (“hand sacks”). The word for “hit me” is ぶて. Ask a friend to try to say て
ぶくろ backwards. If your friend succeeds, you have permission to jokingly (and lightly!) punch her/him 6 times!

182
Unit 10 Review Quiz

Re-read and re-practice pieces of Units 1 through 10 that need more work. Pay special attention to Units 9 and 10. Re-read your notes,
and then do the quiz below to see how well you have mastered the competencies of this unit. If you have trouble, be sure to go back and
perfect the areas where you are weak.

1. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい.


ひっぷ、べっぷ、きっちり、なっとう、ほっかいどう、かんむり、しんねん、とっけん、だっすい、らっかせい

2. きいて 下さい、 and take dictation.

3. きいて 下さい、 and write a short answer for each of the questions you hear.

4. Write 1 or 2 sentences describing something you normally do that you didn’t do yesterday. (You may use your imagination.)

5. よんで 下さい。 Read the following question and write an answer in a complete sentence 今日、何を のみます か。

6. Write the following kanji numbers in digits. 三十二、 十一、 二十一、 十三

7. おおきい こえ で よんで 下さい.


41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50 . . . 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75 . . . 92, 94, 96, 98, 100

8. Write the following in hiragana. SAS-SU-RU, KYO-KA-SHOU, KAT-TA-TSU, YOK-KYU-U, HON-NIN, SUP-PO-RI, NYU-U-JYO-U

9. Write the names of 4 beverages in hiragana/kanji.

10. Write a sentence asking your teacher if he/she listened to music yesterday. Then, ask if he/she danced yesterday.

183
Unit 10.5 HIRAGANA READING PRACTICE – CELEBRATE KNOWING ALL THE HIRAGANA!

Read the following Japanese folk story aloud 5 times or until you can read it fluently. Listen and read along.
(Look for an English translation of the story on-line.)

ももたろう (PEACH BOY)


ところ す やま え くさか かわ え せんたく
むかし、むかし、ある 所 におじいさんとおばあさんが住んでいました。おじいさんは山へしば草刈りに、おばあさんは川へ洗濯に
い おお もも ど ん ぶ ら こ ど ん ぶ ら こ なが
行きました。すると大きな桃がドンブラコドンブラコと流れてきました。
おお もも せなか いえ も かえ
「なんと大きな桃でしょう!」とおばあさんは背中にしょって家に持って帰りました。
もも き もも おお あか で
桃を切ろうとしたら、桃から大きな赤ちゃんが出てきました。
しあわ
「びっくりした。」とおばあさんとおじいさんはおどろきましたけれども、とても 幸 せでした。
なん なまえ
「何という名前にしましょうか。」
もも う ももたろう
「桃から生まれたから、桃太郎というのはどうでしょう。」
「それはとてもいいです。」
ももたろう い ま おお つよ おとこ こ
桃太郎はあっと言う間に大きくなって、やさしくて強い 男 の子になりました。
ひ ももたろう い
ある日に桃太郎はおじいさんとおばあさんに言いました。
おに が しま おに す き
「鬼ケ島にわるい鬼が住んでいることを聞きました。」
ときどきむら わる こま い
「時々村にでて、悪いことをするのでみんな困っています。」とおじいさんが言いました。
ぼく い おに たいじ つく
「じゃあ、僕が行って鬼を退治しましょう。おかあさん、きびだんごを作って下さい。」
つく ももたろう ふくろ い おに が しま む たべ で
おばあさんはとてもおいしいきびだんごを作りました。桃太郎は 袋 に入れました。そしてさっそく鬼ケ島に向けて旅に出ました。

184
とちゅう ももたろう いぬ あ
途中、桃太郎は犬に会いました。
ももたろう ふくろ なか なに はい
「桃太郎さん、 袋 の中に何が入っていますか。」
にほんいち
「日本一のきびだんごですよ。」
ぼく ひと い いぬ ももたろう ひと ある だ
「僕に一つくれればいっしょに行きます。」犬は桃太郎からきびだんごを一つもらっていっしょに歩き出した。
ももたろう いぬ ある い さる
桃太郎と犬が歩いて行くと、猿がやってきました。
ももたろう ふくろ なか なに はい
「桃太郎さん、 袋 の中に何が入っていますか。」
にほんいち
「日本一のきびだんごですよ。」
ぼく ひと いっしょ い さる ももたろう ひと ある だ
「僕に一つくれれば一緒に行きます。」猿は桃太郎からきびだんごを一つもらっていっしょに歩き出した。
い きじ と き
しばらく行ったら、雉が飛んで来ました。
ももたろう ふくろ なか なに はい
「桃太郎さん、 袋 の中に何が入っていますか。」
にほんいち
「日本一のきびだんごですよ。」
ひと いっしょ い きじ ももたろう ひと いっしょ ある だ
「私に一つくれれば一緒に行きます。」雉は桃太郎からきびだんごを一つもらって一緒に歩き出した。
い おに が しま み
しばらく行ったら鬼ケ島が見えてきました。
おに が しま ちが いぬ ほ
「あれが鬼ケ島に違いない。」犬が吠えました。
しろ み さる さけ
「お城が見える。」猿が叫びました。
と い み き きじ な
「飛んで行って見て来ます。」雉が鳴きました。
おに が しま つ しろ もん まえ おお おに た ももたろう おお いし おに む な さる もん のぼ かぎ あ
鬼ケ島に着くと、お城の門の前に、大きな鬼が立っていました。桃太郎は大きな石を鬼に向かって投げました。猿は門に登って鍵を開け
きじ おに め
ました。雉は鬼の目をつつきました。
こわ おに に い
「ヤー!怖い!」鬼は逃げて行きました。
たす しろ たくさん おに で
「助けてくれ。」とお城から沢山の鬼が出てきました。

185
おお おに で き
ついに大きな鬼が出て来ました。
わ っ は っ は おれさま こ おお てつぼう ふ まわ い
「ワッハッハ!俺様が懲らしめてやる。」大きな鉄棒を振り回しながら言いました。
い ももたろう てつぼう うえ と の
と言うと桃太郎はすばやく鉄棒の上に飛び乗りました。
わる おに むらびと わる ゆる わたし う
「悪い鬼、村人に悪いことをしたから許せない。 私 のこぶしを受けてみろ。」
あ い た た た ゆる
「アイタタタ!ごめん。ごめん。許してくれ。まけた。まけた。」
ほんとう やくそく
「本当に約束するか。」
やくそく うそ たからもの
「約束する。嘘はつきません。 宝 物 をあげます。」
ももたろう しろ きん ぎん たからもの て い ももたろう いぬ さる いっしょ いえ
桃太郎はお城の金や銀や、いっぱいの 宝 物 を手に入れました。それから桃太郎と犬と猿ときじは一緒におばあさんとおじいさんの家に
たくさん いわ
もどりました。みなは沢山のきびだんごを食べてお祝いをしました。

186
Unit 11

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

11.1 Read and write 2 new kanji words: 11.3 Understand and use new vocabulary
おお ちい す ぽ お つ
大きい 小さい(おおきい、ちいさい) たべもの、のみもの、スポーツ
 Discuss likes and dislikes using the particle が with the
11.2 Read and write 2 additional new kanji words: phrases だい すき です and
す だいす
好き 大好き(すき、だいすき) あまり/ぜんぜん すき じゃ ない です
 Understand and use a new interrogative word どんな

11.4 Use じゃ ない です as the negative of です

おお ちい
11.1 Read and write 2 new kanji words: 大きい 小さい (おおきい、ちいさい)

おお おお ちい ちい
Writing: You already learned 大きい in the phrase「大きい こえ で よんで 下さい。」, and 小さい in the phrase「小さい つ」.
Both 大きい and 小さい are fairly simple to write in kanji. Notice that both words consist of a kanji base combined with following hiragana.
大 is pronounced おお, and 小 is pronounced ちい in these words. The hiragana that come after the kanji to complete words are called お
くりがな (kana that help “send off” words). The kanji in 大きい has 3 strokes, and it looks somewhat “big” and spread out if you use
your imagination! The kanji in 小さい also has 3 strokes, and compared to 大, it looks rather “small.”

187
Pronunciation Reminder: O-O-KI-I has four vowel sounds, each pronounced with the same amount of timing (mora beats). Even though
大 is one kanji, it is pronounced with an extended O-O sound. CHI-I-SA-I also has four vowel sounds, so pronounce the 4 morae fully.
Again, although 小 is only one kanji, it is pronounced with the long-held I-I sound.

11.1 Practice!

1. Use your app/website to learn correct stroke order, and practice writing both 大きい and 小さい 20 times, saying them aloud as you
write.

2. For the phrases below, 大きい こえ で よんで 下さい。Afterwards, copy each phrase into your notebook by hand and then
keyboard each one into an electronic document.

小さい女、 大きい かれんだあ、 大きい じむ、 小さい でんわ、 小さい こおひい

す だいす
11.2 Read and write 2 additional new kanji words: 好き 大好き (すき、 だいすき)

Meaning: すき means to “like or love,” and だいすき means to “like or love in a big way!” A fun mnemonic for the kanji 好 is that the left
side is a “smashed up” version of 女, and the right side is a smashed up version of 子, the kanji for “child.” Since little girls are often cute
and loveable, that is a good way to remember how to write the kanji for “like/love.”

Pronunciation variation! Note that 大きい is pronounced O-O-KI-I, but when 大 combines with another kanji in a compound, as in 大好き,
the pronunciation changes to だい. It has the same meaning but a different pronunciation! Earlier, you saw pronunciation variants for 日.
Almost all kanji have several different pronunciations, and 大 is no exception.

Writing: The kanji for 好 consists of 2 kanji combined, 女 and 子. The two kanji should fit into the same space as a regular single kanji;
they should not be written full sized. You already know 女. Refresh your memory of stroke order and then write it in a narrower, more

188
compressed style as the left-hand part of 好. Then practice the stroke order of the 2 strokes of 子 (KO), and likewise compress them into
a skinnier version as you write the combined kanji in the word 好き.

11.2 Practice!

1. Use your app/website to learn correct stroke order, and practice writing both 好き and 大好き 20 times, saying them aloud as you
write. Remember the whispered vowels as you pronounce す!

2. 大きい こえ で よんで 下さい。Afterwards, copy each phrase below into your notebook by hand, and then keyboard each one
into an electronic document.

好きですか。 はい、大好きですよ。 にほんごが 大好きです! さかなが 大好きです。


小さい でんわが 大好きです。 大きい はんばあがあが 大好きです。

す ぽ お つ
11.3 Understand and use new vocabulary たべもの、のみもの、スポーツ
Discuss likes and dislikes using the particle が with the phrases だい すき です あまり/ぜんぜん すき じゃ ない です
Understand and use a new interrogative word どんな

New Words and Sentence Examples Commentary


Phrases
おお
わたしも ともだちも 大きい はんばあがあを たべました! Carefully pronounce ALL the vowel sounds in
おおきい. It has 4 morae (“beats”).
おお
大きい おお
大きい じむに いきました!
“big” おお
わあああ! 大きい おてあらい です ねえ!

189
ちい
小さい びいるを のみました。 Carefully pronounce ALL the vowel sounds in
ちい
小さい ちい ちいさい. It has 4 morae, and they should each be
ともだちは 小さい こおひいを のみました。 pronounced with the same length of time.
“small” ちい
小さい らじおを ききました。
ちい
The adjectives “big, small” can come in front of a
小さい 女を みました。
ちい
noun, as in 大きい本、小さい本. They can also
みて!みて! 小さい です ねえ! stand alone as exclamations: 大きいですねえ!
New grammatical particle が! This particle flags
す す
好きです。 わたしは とうきょうが 好きです。
“like/love something ぼくは おんがくが 好きです。 objects that are liked/disliked. It is triggered by
or someone” だいす SUKI (the like/love/dislike phrases at the end). For
わたしは おちゃが 大好きです。 some reason, すき“loves” to come after the particle

だいす
そらさんは まりこさんが 好きです。 が.
大好きです。 だいす

“like/love something そらさんは まりこさんが 大好きです!!!


The kanji in 大好き means “big,” but it is
or someone. . . in a
す pronounced as だい when it is combined with
big way!” こおひいが 好きです か。 another kanji.
だいだいす
はい、大大好きです よ。
For emphasis, when you really, really love
す something/someone, you can repeat “DAI, DAI,
おともだちも こおひいが 好きです か。 DAI” as many times as you’d like.
だいす
はい、ともだちも こおぎいが 大好き です よ。

190

好きじゃ ないです。 あまり and ぜんぜん are negative adverbs. When

“not like/love” まりこさんは そらさんが 好 き じゃ ないです。 you use them, make the verb in the sentence
す negative. Instead of です, use: じゃ ない です.
まりこさんは そらさんが あまり 好き じゃ ない です。
あまり す
す まりこさんは そらさんが ぜんぜん 好き じゃ ない です。 (Alternate, more polite versions* of the negative of
好き じゃないです。 です exist, but for now, we will use じゃないです.)

“not like/love very
す *Alternate, more polite versions: じゃ ありません
こおひいが あまり 好き じゃ ない です。 で は ありません
much” だいず
で は ない です
でも おちゃが 大好き です よ。
ぜんぜん Wave your hand sideways near your face to indicate


好きじゃない です。 はんばあがあが ぜんぜん 好き じゃ ない です。 negative responses like:
だい だい だい す
“not like/love at all!” でも おすしが 大 大 大 好き です よ。 あまり 好き じゃ ない です or
ぜんぜん 好き じゃ ない です.
RAW LIVERが 好き です か。

いいえ、ぜんぜん 好き じゃ ない です!

191
どんな questions are information questions.
どんな どんな れすとらんが 好きです か。 Pronounce the geminate consonant ん very
“what kind?” どんな れすとらんが 好きじゃないですか。 carefully. The interrogative どんな has 3 morae, or
どんな せんせいが 好きです か。 beats. Practice pronouncing it slowly, saying all 3
どんな せんせいが 好きじゃないですか。 morae clearly.
どんな でんわが 好きです か。
どんな おてあらいが 好きです か。 When どんな-type questions end with 好きですか,
the topics are flagged with が instead of は.
どんな こおらを のみます か。
どんな てれびを よく みます か。 When どんな-type questions end with an action
どんな すぽおつを します か。 verb like のみます、みます、します、ききます, い
どんな おんがくを ききます か。 きます、the objects are flagged with お or に just
どんな じむに いきます か。 like in other questions about actions.

たべもの どんな たべものが 好きです か。


“food items, food” ええと です ね。 わたしは さらだが 大好きです。 た もの

でも ともだちは はんばあがあが 好き です よ。
食べ物 The stem is たべ.
もの means “objects, items”
どんな たべものが あまり好きじゃないです か。
ううんん… けえきが あまり好きじゃないです よ。

のみもの どんな のみものが 好きです か。


の もの
“drink items, ううんん… お水が 好きです ね。 飲み物 The stem is のみ.
beverages”
どんな のみものが あまり好きじゃないです か。
えと です ね… びいるが ぜんぜん好きじゃないです。

192
すぽおつ す ぽ
ええと、スポーツが 好きです か。
お つ
The English loanwords here are written in katakana
(スポーツ) with ふりがな notations to help you read them.
はい、大好きです よ。
“sports”
す ぽ お つ
どんな スポーツが 好きです か。
て に す す き い
テニスも スキーも 好きです ね。
す ぽ つ
おともだちは どんな スポーツが 好き です か。
す ぽ つ
ともだちは あまり スポーツが 好き じゃないです よ。

11.3 Practice!

1. みて下さい。大きいこえでよんで下さい。Study the chart above, and read it aloud at least 2 times. Discuss each item on the chart
with a partner, explaining each concept in your own words.

2. Write the new vocabulary phrases from the chart 5 times each. Then keyboard them 5 times each, saying them aloud as you write
and type.

3. Think of food/beverage items that come in different sizes. Write 3 phrases describing large-sized items (for example:
大きい こおひい), and 3 more phrases describing small-sized items (for example: 小さい はんばあがあ).

193
4. よんで下さい。Read each of the words below, and notice the categories they belong to. For example, じゃず belongs to the category
of おんがく. Copy each word in your notebook in HIRAGANA and next to each, write its category. Choose from these categories:
おんがく、たべもの、のみもの、すぽおつ. English loanwords in the list below are written in katakana with furigana just so you can begin
to see katakana. For new words, use your imagination to sound them out and guess what they mean. Do NOT copy the katakana; copy
only the hiragana versions.
か ん と り い く ら し っ く ひ っ ぷ ほ っ ぷ こ お ひ い
1. カントリー 5. クラシック 9. ヒップホップ 13. コーヒー 17. お水 21. さかな
び い る こ お ら さ ん ど う い っ ち
2. ビール 6. おすし 10. コーラ 14. じゅうどう 18. からて 22. サンドウイッチ
さ ら だ あ い す く り い む ば す け っ と ぼ お る て に す
3. サラダ 7. さけ 11. アイスクリーム 15. バスケットボール 19. テニス 23. りんご
て き い ら ぼ お り ん ぐ す き い さ っ か あ け え き
4. いちご 8. テキーラ 12. ボーリング 16. スキー 20. サッカー 24. ケーキ

5. もう一ど みて下さい。Study the chart in 11.3 again. Find one yes/no question and one information question to copy into your
notebook.
れ す と ら ん
6. Substitution exercise: Use the following information question as an example. すみません、どんな レストランが 好き です か。
Write five original information questions about someone’s preferences. Substitute the following words for the topics:
1) たべもの、 2) のみもの、 3) すぽおつ、 4) はんばあがあ、 5) さかな

7. Write 3 original questions about preferences following the pattern presented in #6 above, using topics of your own choice. Proofread
your questions, and then use them to have a conversation with a partner.
れ す と ら ん
8. Substitution exercise. Start with this original sentence: すみません、どんな レストランに いきます か。
Use each of the words provided below to change the topic of the original sentence above and write new questions. Be sure to make any
needed changes! You will be writing information questions about someone’s activities. For example: Substitute the new topic のみもの,
making needed changes, and you will have the resulting sentence: すみません、どんな のみものを よく のみます か。
1) けえき、 2) こおひい、 3) すぽおつ、 4) おんがく、 5) さかな

194
9. Write 3 original questions about someone’s habits and habitual actions. Follow the pattern presented in #8 above, using topics of your
own choice. Proofread your questions carefully, and then use them to have a conversation with a partner.

10. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the yes/no questions below to a partner. Your partner should answer using one of the 3 following
responses: 1) はい、大好き です。 2) そう です ねえ、あまり 好き じゃない です。 3) ぜんぜん 好き じゃない です。

Questions: 1. 小さい でんわが 好き です か。 5. 大きい てれびが 好き です か。


2. 大きい あいすこおひいが 好き です か。 6. 小さい おてあらいが 好き です か。
3. いい せんせいが 好き です か。 7. いい げえむが 好き です か。
4. 大きい れすとらんが 好き です か。 8. にほんごが 好き です か。

11. Write 3 original yes/no questions asking about someone’s preferences. (Here is an example: お水が 好き です か。) After you
write your questions, pass them along to a partner. Your partner should read your questions and write an answer to each. When your
partner returns the answers to you, check his/her spelling. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the questions and answers out loud to each
other in the form of a dialogue. Add body language, conversational fillers and interactive responses to your dialogue.

12. きいて下さい。Listen and take dictation. Check your spelling against that of a partner to make sure you both wrote error-free
sentences.

195
13. きいて下さい。Listen and fill in the chart below.

たべもの のみもの すぽおつ (スポーツ) てれび (テレビ)


好きです
好きじゃないです

14. よんで下さい。Read the paragraph below and answer the questions that follow.

Paragraph: まるがりたさんは すぽおつが 大大大好きです。まい日、まるがりたさんは てにすと ぼおりんぐを します。


きのう、大きい じむ に いきました。 今日も 大きい じむ に いきます。 まるがりたさんは お水が 大好きです。で
も こおひいが あまり 好きじゃない です。 お水を よく のみます。 でも きのう、こおらを のみました。 お水を のみ
ません でした。まるがりたさんは まい日 いちごも りんごも さらだも たべます。 ぜんぜん はんばあがあが 好きじゃな
い です。

1. なまえ は 何 です か。
Questions: 5. どんな のみものが 好きじゃない です か。
2. すぽおつが 好き です か。 6. こおひいを よく のみます か。
3. どんな すぽおつが 好き です か。 7. どんな たべものが 好き です か。
4. きのうも 今日も、どこ に いきました か。 8. はんばあがあを いつも たべます か。

15. Write a paragraph of at least 7 sentences in which you describe your likes, your dislikes, and some of your recent activities. Use the
following phrases in your paragraph. 大好きです あまり好きじゃないです よく

196
11.4 Use じゃ ない です as the negative of です

Earlier, you used ちがいます or いいえ、ちがいます to answer in the negative. You can also use the negative そう じゃ ない です.
Affirmative answer = はい、そう です。 Describe = わたしは がくせい です。 れすとらん です。
Negative answer = いいえ、そう じゃ ない です。 えいが・すたあ じゃ ない です。 れすとろらんじゃないです。

11.4 Practice!

1. Practice negative そう じゃ ない です. Ask a partner the following questions. Use はい、そうです。and いいえ、そう じゃ ない です
as needed.
1. がくせい ですか。 3. 今日は Saturday ですか。 5. おすしは さかなですか。
2. Smith さん ですか。 4. きのうは Monday でしたか。 6. おすしは のみものですか。

Bonus!
You are reading the list of attendees at the party of a Kamakura Daimyo lord. Announce the following names in a clear, confident voice!
まさむね だて さま まつうら の はたみかわ の かみちかし さま
きよまさかとう さま みなもと らいこう さま
ひろさわ の つぼね さま うらしま たろう さま
みなもと よしつね さま ますがた とべい さま
とよとみ ひでよし さま てらさわしま の かみほろたか さま
かすみ かいけい さま しらかわ らくお さま

197
Unit 11 Review Quiz

Re-read and re-practice pieces of Units 1 through 11 that need more work. Pay special attention to Units 10 and 11. Re-read your notes,
and then do the quiz below to see how well you have mastered the competencies of this unit. If you have trouble, be sure to go back and
perfect the areas where you are weak.

1. Write the following numbers in hiragana. 74, 100, 58, 60, 97

2. Write ふりがな above the following kanji to show their pronunciations. 大好き、大きい、小さい、今日、まい日、何を、何ですか

3. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the following sentences aloud.


きのう、どんな れすとらん に いきました か。 どんな たべもの を たべました か。

4. Write answers to the following questions.


すぽおつ が 好き です か。
えいが すたあ です か。
どんな のみものを よく のみます か。

5. In fluent spoken sentences, tell about 2 things you really like and 2 things you really don’t like at all.

198
6. よんで下さい。Read the following paragraph. Then fill in the blanks with the missing particles. Finally, answer the True/False
questions that follow.
Paragraph:
いつも、いわたさん___ いい たべもの___ たべます。 さらだ___ 大好き です。
でも、きのう、いわたさん___ はんばあがあ___ らじお___ たべました! いい たべもの___ たべません でした。
いわたさん___ いつも いい のみもの___ のみます。 お水___ 大好き です。 でも、きのう、いい のみもの___
のみません でした。 がそりん___ のみました!
Questions:
1. T/F Iwata san normally has bizarre eating habits. 3. T/F Yesterday, Iwata san drank coffee.
2. T/F Yesterday, Iwata san ate salad. 4. T/F Iwata san is likely to live a long, healthy life.

7. きいて下さい。Listen and put a large X mark beside each of the food and drink items that the people in the conversation say they
don’t like. If an item is not mentioned, do not mark it.

らあめん いちご りんご おすし さかな はんばあがあ さらだ けえき


おちゃ びいる お水 さけ こおひい あいすこおひい こおら

8. Write questions asking:


-- what kind of food your teacher likes -- if your teacher likes sports
-- how often your teacher drinks tea -- if your teacher went to the gym yesterday

199
Unit 12

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

12.1. Read and write 3 new kanji words 本、日本、行きます 12.3. Explain the concept of double-length (2-morae) vowels and
(ほん、 にほん、 いきます) read, write, and pronounce them correctly

12.2. Understand and use: が as a lexical contrastive conjunction,


a new frequency adverb ときどき, a new time adverb それ
から, and four new action phrases りょうりをします、
うんどうをします、 べんきょうをします、よっぱらいます

12.1 Read and write 3 new kanji words 本、日本、行きます (ほん、 にほん、 いきます)

New kanji words 日本 and 本 : You have learned the kanji 日 in several different contexts already ( まい日 and 今日 ). While the meaning
stays constant (“day” or “sun”), you know that the pronunciation varies (にち , きょう). We can use the same kanji to write にほん
(sometimes pronounced にっぽん). In this case, the pronunciation of 日 is に. In summary, you now know 3 different readings of the
にち きょう に
kanji 「日」: まい日、 今日、 and 日本. The 2nd kanji in にほん, is 本. Write it with 5 strokes and pronounce it as ほん, just like in
the word for “book.” In fact, 本 is also used to write “book” as in 「本を よく よみます」. The original meaning of 本 is “source,
origin.” Since Japan is often called “the land of the rising sun,” the compound “sun source” makes sense. In summary, 本 means “book”
AND it combines separately with 日 as 日本 to mean “Japan.”

200
New kanji word 行きます: The kanji for いきます(“going”) is written with 6 strokes and is fairly easy to learn. Notice that the root of
IKIMASU (行き) is written with the kanji 行 plus the OKURIGANA き. Now you can write 行きます, 行きました, and 行きません .

12.1 Practice!

1. Use your app/website to find and practice stroke order for 本, 日本, and 行きます. Practice writing each one 20 times. Then write the
entire sentence 「日本に行きます。本をよみます。」20 times, saying it aloud as you write.

2. Write 3 sentences using 行きました including a different destination in each sentence.

3. Write truthful answers to the following questions.


じ む
よく 日本に行きますか。 まい日、ジムに行きますか。 きのう、どこに行きましたか。
今日、本をよみますか。 本が好きですか。 いつも、どんな本をよみますか。

4. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the following out loud 3 times. Since you are starting to read more kanji, spaces between words
are largely omitted.
れ す と ら ん れ す と ら ん
日本は いい です、ね! 日本レストランに行きますよ! きのうも今日も日本レストランに行きました。
じ む
きのう、ジムに行きましたか。 まい日行きますよ。でも きのう、行きませんでした。今日行きます、ね!
大きい本も小さい本も好きですか。 いいえ、あまり大きい本が好きじゃないです、ねえ。

5. Write a question using as many kanji as possible. Give your question to a classmate, and ask him/her to write an answer to your
question.

201
12.2 Understand and use: が as a lexical contrastive conjunction , a new frequency adverb ときどき, a new time
adverb それから, and four new action phrases りょうりをします、 うんどうをします、 べんきょうをします、よっぱらいます

New Words Sentence Examples

ときどき “sometimes” やまもとせんせいは いつも お水と おちゃを のみます が、きのう さけも びいるも てきい
らも のみました よ。 それから、ういすきいも のみました。でも よっぱらいません でした!
やまもとせんせいは ときどき よっぱらいます が、きのう、よっぱらいません でした。
それから “after that”
そして “in addition” やまもとせんせいは ときどき じむに 行きます が、うんどうを あまり しません。
やまもとせんせいは ときどき りょうりを します が、ぜんぜん うんどうを しません。
が “but”
やまもとせんせいは あまり べんきょうを しません が、きのう、一日 べんきょうを しました。
よっぱらいます “get drunk” きのう、うんどうも りょうりも しません でした が、べんきょうを しました よ。

やまもとせんせいは さかなと らあめんが 大好きです が、りょうりを しません。そして、けえきも


りょうり “cooking” 大好き です が、りょうりを しません。いつも りょうりも うんどうも しません が、べんきょうを
よく します。
うんどう “exercise”
きのう、やまもとせんせいは うんどうを しました。それから、りょうりも しました。それから、
べんきょうを しました。 でも よっぱらいません でした。
べんきょう “study”

202
Commentary

1. Notice that りょうり, うんどう, and べんきょう are nouns. To turn them into actions, use them with the object particle を, and
add the all-purpose verb します. りょうりを します。 うんどうを します。 べんきょうを します。

2. The verb よっぱらいます can stand alone. It takes the same past tense and negative endings as the other verbs you have learned.
Be sure to note the spelling and pronounce the geminate consonant carefully.

3. が is used in 2 completely different ways! The preference particle that you learned earlier appears in sentences with 好き(as in さかな
が 好きです。). The new が here is a word that can stand by itself. (It is not a particle!) It is a contrastive conjunction word, and it
comes between two complete ideas or sentences that stand in contrast, as in: さかなを たべます が、はんばあがあを たべません。
(Notice the comma that comes AFTER が.)

4. Now you know how to say “but” in 2 different ways, でも and が. Remember that でも usually comes at the beginning of a new idea
or sentence, while が usually comes in between two ideas or sentences. Contrast the following.
「わたしは こおひいを のみません。 でも おちゃを よく のみます。」
「わたしは こおひいを のみません が、おちゃを よく のみます。」

203
5. The adverbs それから and そして mean about the same thing. But both are ambiguous. They have 2 possible meanings:
“and then” (a time sequence) or “also” (additive). (When それから and そして mean “also,” you can use them with も.) Context will tell
you which meaning is intended. それから and そして often come at the beginning of a sentence. Note the following examples.
Short simple sentences: わたしは 日本に 行きます。 まりさんも 日本に 行きます。
A single, more sophisticated sentence: わたしも まりさんも 日本に 行きます。
Two simple sentences linked with additive それから: わたしは 日本に 行きます。それから、まりさんも 日本に 行きます。
Two simple sentences linked with additive そして: わたしは 日本に 行きます。そして、まりさんも 日本に 行きます。

Short simple sentences: まりさんは てにすを します。 げえむも します。


A single, more sophisticated sentence: まりさんは てにすも げえむも します。
Two simple sentences linked with sequential それから: まりさんは てにすを します。それから、げえむも します。
Two simple sentences linked with sequential そして: まりさんは てにすを します。そして、げえむも します。

12.2 Practice!

1. Study the 8 new words above, and write them in your notebook 5 times each, saying them aloud as you write. Then, keyboard them
each 5 times.

2. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the sentence examples in the chart aloud 2 times. Then, study the commentary, and read the
sentence examples again with a partner, explaining in your own words what you see in the examples.

3. Choose one of the sentence examples. Copy it in your notebook and read it aloud 3 times. 大きいこえでいって下さい。Then say it 3
more times without looking at the sentence.

4. You now know 5 frequency adverbs. Number the following frequency adverbs from 1 to 5, starting with the one that is most frequent
and going down to the one that is least frequent. ぜんぜん よく いつも あまり ときどき

204
5. Write answers to the following questions.
1. りょうりを ときどき します か。 5. きのう、よっぱらいました か。 9. 小さい てれびが 好き です か。
2. きのう、りょうりを しました か。 6. うんどうが 好き です か。 10. きのう、てれびを みました か。
3. りょうりが 好き です か。 7. まい日 うんどうを します か。 11. おすしを ときどき たべます か。
4. いつも よっぱらいますか。 8. きのう、べんきょうを しました か。12. おちゃを ときどき のみます か。

6. Use the questions below to have a conversation with a partner. Answer the questions with at least 2 items linked in a sequence as in
the following example sentence where それから and も indicate several items in a sequence.
Example: 「きのう、さかなを たべました。それから、りんごも たべました。」

1. きのう、何を しました か。 3. きのう、どこに いきました か。 5. きのう、何を ききました か。


2. きのう、何を みました か。 4. きのう、何を よみました か。 6. きのう、おともだちは どこに いきました か。

7. Look at the questions in #6 above. Write answers to the questions, but this time, instead of それから, use そして. Compare your
answers with those of a new partner and discuss how using それから and そして might change the nuance of the sentence.

8. Ask a partner the questions below. Your partner should answer each question negatively (with いいえ), but then provide information
about what he/she DID or DOES do using the word が to join the 2 parts of the answer.
Follow this example: まい日 らじおを たべます か。 いいえ、らじおを たべません が、けえきを たべます よ。

1. まい日 日本に 行きます か。 3. てれびを よく みます か。 5. きのう、Step うんどうを しました か。


2. まい日 がそりんを のみます か。4. きのう、日本りょうりを しましたか。 6. Opera を いつも ききます か。

205
9. Preview the sentences below. Circle the question particles. Next, put a star by the contrastive conjunctions. Then, write appropriate
verb forms in the blanks. Be careful to note the time of the action and whether or not it is positive or negative.

1. わたしは お水を よく ______。 でも あまり こおひいを ______。


2. お水が 好きです が、こおひいが ぜんぜん 好き _______。
3. きのう、さかなを たべました が、けえきを _________。
4. まい日 てれびを ________ か。
5. じむ に 行きません が、うんどうを _________。

6. きのう、りょうりを _________ か。
7. おてあらいは どこ ________ か。
8. 今日 日本に _________ か。
9. きのう、日本に 行きません でした が、今日_________ よ!
10. 大きい本があまり好き_______________ が、小さい本が大好き_______________よ。

10. Write full answers to at least 5 of the questions from practice #8 above.

11. Listening. You will hear a conversation between UCHIDA SAN and MIURA SAN. Before you listen to the conversation, coordinate
with your partner and decide which one of you will focus on UCHIDA SAN and which one will focus on MIURA SAN. Then, separately from
your partner, listen to the conversation (きいて下さい。) and write down exactly what you hear “your person” say. Do not write down
what the other person says. もう一どきいて下さい。Listen at least 3 times, or as many times as you need to. When you feel confident,
meet with your partner and using the notes you have written, role-play the same conversation. After you role-play the conversation 3
times, do it 2 more times without looking at your notes.

12. With your partner, have a free conversation based on the role-play you did in #11 above. This time, personalize the conversation and
include as many different topics as you can (sports, foods, places to go, etc.). Be creative. Be sure that both of you are asking as well as
answering questions.

206
12.3 Explain the concept of double-length (2-morae) vowels and read, write, and pronounce them correctly

Pronouncing double-length vowels: Japanese has many words containing double-length vowel sounds. Let’s revisit some you have already
seen, consciously analyzing how they are pronounced and written. Remember that every hiragana is pronounced; there are no silent
letters or silent vowels in Japanese. For example, the word いいえ (“no”), has 3 vowels, each of which must be pronounced. In English,
the meanings of words do not change when we hold a vowel longer, so English speakers tend to pronounce いいえ and いえ equally,
thinking that it doesn’t make a difference. This is not the case! While いいえ means “no,” いえ means “house.” Holding the vowel sound
longer completely changes the meaning of words in Japanese! If you hold the pronunciation of the vowel longer, it equals 2 sounds
(morae), and it changes the meaning.

Words with double-length vowels: You have already learned many words that contain double-length vowels. They are written with
Romanizations below to better capture the double length vowels. Can you find three words in the list that contain 2 sets of double-length
vowels?
Expected spelling Loanwords spelled with ぼう Alternate spelling (more common)
おおきい OOKII すぽおつ SUPOOTSU (スポーツ) うんどう UNDOU*
ちいさい CHIISAI こおひい KOOHII (コーヒー) りょうり RYOURI*
いい II こおら KOORA (コーラ) でんわばんごう DENWA BANGOU*
いいえ IIE びいる BIIRU (ビール) ありがとう ARIGATOU*
きいて KIITE てきいら TEKIIRA (テキーラ) おはよう OHAYOU*
いいます IIMASU はんばあがあ HANBAAGAA (ハンバーガー) こうちゃ KOUCHA*
じゅう JYUU けえき KEEKI (ケーキ) せんせい SENSEI*
きゅう KYUU かれんだあ KARENDAA (カレンダー) がくせい GAKUSEI*
じゃあ JYAA (“well then”) すうぱあ SUUPAA (super) (スーパー) しつれい SHITSUREI*
ええと EETO にゅうよおく NYUU YOOKU (New York) (ニューヨーク) えいご EIGO*

*There are two alternate spellings for double-length vowels. “O-O” often changes to “OU,” and “”E-E” often changes to “EI.” The alternate versions are more common! Try to
memorize the spellings in the “expected spelling” column above. Most other words are spelled with “OU” and “EI.” Long vowels in KATKANA are indicated with a ぼう (like a dash). The
pronunciations are identical no matter which spelling is used.

207
Writing double-length vowels: Learning how to pronounce double-length vowels is simple. Just hold them an extra beat. Learning to spell
them is a bit more complicated. Note that the 1st column above contains words that are spelled exactly how you would expect them to be
spelled. In fact, double-length A-A, I-I and U-U sounds are always spelled by writing the vowel twice. The 2nd column contains loanwords.
Writing the double-length vowels in loanwords is easy. When written in KATAKANA (shown in parentheses), the double-length vowels are
indicated with a line (called ぼう) rather than writing the vowel twice. The 3rd column contains words that have unexpected spellings:
double-length O is spelled O-U, and double-length E is spelled E-I. The majority of double-length O and E words are spelled this way. (お
おきい at the top of the 1st column is an exception.) No matter which spelling is used (O-O or O-U), they are pronounced the same in
normal speech. The same is true for E-E and E-I. They sound alike unless you are sounding out the spelling for someone to write.

12.3 Practice!

1. The double-length vowel words from above are copied here. Some nonsense words are included (to make word pairs that are identical
except for the length that of the vowel sounds). First, listen 2 times; then, 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Practice reading these pairs aloud
to get the distinction in your mouth and ears!
1. ちいさい・ちさい 6. おおきい・おおき・おきい・おき 11. い・いい 16. いえ・いいえ
2. きて・きいて 7. います・いいます 12. きゅう・きゅ 17. じゅ・じゅう
3. うんどう・うんど 8. りょり・りょうり 13. ばんご・ばんごう 18. ありがとう・ありがと
4. せんせ・せんせい 9. しつれ・しつれい 14. えご・えいご 19. けえき・けき
5. こら・こおら 10. はんばが・はんばあが・はんばがあ 15. ずっと・ずうっと 20. びる・びいる

2. もう一どみて下さい。Look again at the words in #1 above and circle the double-length vowels.
Examples: がくせい (Circle せい) こんぴゅうたあ (Circle ぴゅう and たあ)

3. In your own words, tell a partner which types of double-length vowels have alternate spellings. Tell your partner in your own words
what the difference is between the pronunciation of a double-length vowel and a single-length vowel. In school when we learn English, we
talk about “long and short vowels.” Discuss with your partner how this concept is different from the “long” vowel sounds of Japanese.

208
Unit 12 Review Quiz

Re-read and re-practice pieces of Units 1 through 12 that need more work, giving special attention to Units 11 and 12. Re-read your notes,
and then do the quiz below to see how well you have mastered the competencies of this unit. If you have trouble, be sure to go back and
perfect the areas that need reinforcement and maintenance.

1. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the following paragraph aloud.


ぼくは ときどき 日本に 行きます が、日本が あまり 好き じゃないです よ。 おすしが 好き じゃないです。 それから、
おちゃも あまり 好きじゃないです。 でも ときどき 日本りょうりを します よ。 らあめんが 好きです。 大きい らあ
めんを よく たべます。 そして、小さい びいるを のみます。

2. The paragraph from #1 above is copied below. Rewrite the paragraph, but change each of the crossed-out phrases so that the
paragraph applies to you and your life. Your new paragraph must have 6 sentences that follow the same basic patterns as those in the
original paragraph. Only the topics and actions should vary.

ぼくは ときどき 日本に 行きます が、日本が あまり 好き じゃないです よ。 おすしが 好き じゃないです。 それから、
おちゃも あまり 好きじゃないです。 でも ときどき 日本りょうりを します よ。 らあめんが 好きです。 大きい らあ
めんを よく たべます。 そして、小さい びいるを のみます。

3. Write the following in kanji. にほん、まいにち、きょう、いきません、 おとこ、おみず、ほん

4. Complete each sentence below so that there is a logical connection between the 2 ideas.

1. まりさんは ぜんぜん さけを のみません が、__________________________。


2. まい日 おりょうりを しません が _____________________________。
3. さかなが あまり 好き じゃないです が、___________________________。

209
5. Answer the following questions with personal information about frequency AND preferences. Write 2 sentences in each answer.
(These are all information questions, NOT yes/no questions!)
1. よく てれびを みます か。 2. よく うんどうを します か。 3. よく りょうりを します か。

6. Study the questions and answers in #5 above; then without looking, express your answers orally by telling about the frequency of your
actions and about your preferences related to those activities.

7. きいて下さい。Listen and take dictation. Write down exactly what you hear.

8. きいて下さい。Listen to a description of NOGUCHI SAN’s habits. Preview the 2 questions below to see what to listen for. After you
listen, write answers to the questions, and provide explanations for your answers. You may write in English.
Questions: 1) To what extent do you think NOGUCHI SAN leads a happy life?
2) Why? (Give at least 1 specific example to support your explanation.)

9. Write the command/request forms of the three following action verbs. Use “please” at the end of each command/request.
本を よみます。 せんせいを みます。 らじおを ききます。

10. Write digits for the numbers represented below.


1. ひゃくなな 2. 二ひゃく十一 3. よん十三 4. きゅう十はち 5. 十ろく

210
Unit 13

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

ときどき
13.1 Read and write the kanji word 時時 (時々) 13.5 Count from 300 to 599

13.2 Read and write the kanji word 百 (ひゃく)


13.6 Name the Japanese currency and explain how the exchange
rate works
13.3 Distinguish which words are written in hiragana and
katakana; explain the spelling of double-timed vowels in
13.7 Use new vocabulary to describe prices
katakana, the spelling of loanword syllables that end in /r/,
おいくら、たかい、やすい
and the creative spelling of non-native sounds as in /fe/
カフェ (かふぇ)
13.8 Understand and use new vocabulary for shop names
ほん

13.4 Read and write A-series katakana ア イ ウ エ オ, and 1) おすしやさん、 2) 本やさん、 3) スーパー、
し ょ っ ぷ こ ん び に か ふ ぇ
ス, パ (A, I, U, E, O SU PA) and ー (ぼう) 4) 100 円ショップ、 5) コンビニ、 6) カフェ

211
ときどき
13.1 Read and write the kanji word 時時 (時々)
ときどき:The frequency adverb ときどき is fun to write in kanji (時々). It is a word that contains reduplification or repetition. Literally,
TOKI means “time,” so TOKI-DOKI means “from time to time.” Note that when TOKI is reduplicated, the first sound of the repeated word
becomes voiced; instead of TOKI-TOKI, it becomes TOKI-DOKI. This is a very common sound change in Japanese. Since it is a
reduplicated word, learn the kanji for TOKI, and then write it twice 時時. The same word is also written as 時々with the 2nd kanji serving
as a repeat mark. You may choose to learn either version. (The repeat mark consists of 3 strokes.) Even if you choose not to learn to
write the repeat mark yet, please learn to recognize it since this is how the word is usually written.

The kanji for TOKI (時) consists of 2 separate kanji “scrunched together” into one. The left side of the compound is 日. The right side is
the kanji for “temple” 寺. (You may want to use the mnemonic “time is the temple of the day.”)

13.1 Practice!

1. べんきょうをして下さい。(New! して is the command/request form of します.) Use your app/website to study the stroke order of 時 .
As you study how to write the compound, note particularly the relative sizes of the 2 parts of the kanji and their relative positions.
Remember that the small, elongated 日 on the left side of the kanji has 4 strokes. The small 寺 on the right side has 6 strokes! Together,
this kanji requires 10 strokes. Write the kanji 20 times, saying it aloud as you write. Write the reduplicated kanji to form TOKI-DOKI, and
then write ふりがな over the kanji to indicate pronunciation.

2. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the following aloud.


時時、時々、いつも、時時、よく、いつも、ぜんぜん、時時、よく、時時、いつも、時々、ぜんぜん、時々
わたしは 時々 おちゃを のみます が、きのう のみません でした。
せんせいは いつも 日本に 行きます が、時々 ふらんすに 行きます。

212
13.2 Read and write the kanji word 百 (ひゃく)

ひゃく: The kanji for the number 100 ( ひゃく), consists of 6 strokes. Since ひゃく means ONE hundred, the top part is like the kanji for
the number one (一). Then below that, write the other 5 strokes that form 白 to represent the kanji for 100. The finished product is 百.

13.2 Practice!

1. べんきょうをして下さい。Use your app/website to study the stroke order of 百 . As you study how to write this kanji, remember to
start with the kanji for ONE at the top and then continue with the 5 strokes below. Write the kanji 20 times, saying it aloud as you write.
Then, practice writing and saying the numbers 101 百一, 102 百二, 103 百三, 200 二百, 201 二百一, 202 二百二, and 203 二百三.

2. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the following aloud.


一、 百、 三、 二、 百一、 百三、 百、 百二、 二百、 百二、 二百二、 二百三、 百、 百一

13.3 Distinguish which words are written in hiragana and katakana; explain the spelling of double-timed vowels in
katakana, the spelling of loanword syllables that end in /r/, and the creative spelling of non-native sounds as in /fe/
カフェ (かふぇ)

Katakana Writing System: Katakana is the writing system used to give special emphasis to certain words. Specific examples of words
written in KATAKANA are foreign loanwords, onomatopoeia, names of plants or animals, and anything else that a writer wants to make
stand out in a sentence.
こ お ひ い は ん ば あ が あ あ い す こ お ひ い け え き て き い ら こ お ら び い る
Foreign loanword examples: コーヒー、 ハンバーガー、 アイスコーヒー、 ケーキ、 テキーラ、 コーラ、 ビール
が た が た が ち ゃ ん わ ん わ ん ち ょ き ち ょ き
Onomatopoeic examples: ガタガタ ”clattering sound”, ガチャン “crashing sound”, ワンワン “bow-wow”, チョキチョキ ”snip snip”

Animal names: カブトムシは大きいです、ねえ! “The rhinoceros beetle is big, isn’t it!”

213
Since you know the rules of syllabary writing and the pronunciations of Japanese syllables, learning to write katakana will be fairly easy.
However, it may be challenging at first to learn to hear English words in katakana pronunciation. In addition, some of the sounds of
English do not exist in Japanese phonology, so you will need to learn several tricks used in katakana to make the Japanese versions of
loanwords sound a bit more authentic.

Katakana “Tricks”:

Trick 1: Use the ぼう to write double-length vowels. Many English vowels sound like double-length vowels to the Japanese ear, so many
loanwords are written with the double-length vowel sounds. In HIRAGANA, double-length vowels are written with an additional vowel
symbol, but long-timed vowels in KATAKANA are indicated by a simple line called “ ぼう.” You have already practiced several words that
can be written with the ぼう: こーひー (コーヒー)、 びーる(ビール)、 てきーら (テキーラ)、 こーら (コーラ).

Trick 2: To write English syllables that end in /r/ like: “ham-bur-ger, su-per-mar-ket, hair, ser-ver,” use a member of the A-series (か、さ、
た etc.) followed by the ぼう. In words like these, Japanese imitates British English by dropping the final /r/ sounds and using a long ア
sound wherever there is a syllable-final “r”: “ham-bur-ger” はんばーがー (ハンバーガー) or “su-per” (supermarket) すーぱー (スーパー).
Trick 3: Use unique combinations of katakana to write sounds that do not exist in the Japanese syllabary. Sounds that are not native to
Japanese are represented using combination that do not normally exist in hiragana. For example, the first syllable of “café” (KA) is easy to
represent in katakana, but the second syllable (“FE”) does not exist in native Japanese phonology. Japanese has the sounds HA, HI,
HU(FU), HE, and HO, but no FE. So to write “café” in katakana, the “FU” sound is combined with a small-sized version of the “E” sound to
make “FE.” This works amazingly well! In KATAKANA, かふぇ looks like カフェ.

You will learn all the katakana symbols soon. For now, focus on understanding and remembering the 3 katakana tricks outlined above:
1) the use of ぼう for long vowels, 2) A-series plus ぼう for /r/ sounds at the end of syllables, and 3) the creative use of combined
symbols to represent non-native sounds.

214
13.3 Practice!

1. べんきょうをして下さい。Study the KATAKANA explanations above and take notes. Then, with a partner, check your understanding
by answering the following questions:
-- When should you use hiragana and when should you use katakana?
-- What is the ぼう and what does it look like?
-- What are 2 different contexts in which the ぼう is used to represent loanword sounds?
-- Why is it difficult to represent the English sound /fe/ in Japanese?
-- What is the katakana strategy for representing /fe/?

2. Write the following loanwords in hiragana, but instead of writing long-timed vowels twice, use the ぼう to write the double-length
vowels. Check your work with that of a partner to make sure you both have the ぼう in the right place.
“coffee, beer, tequila, cola, computer (use ぼう twice)”

3. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the following English loanwords aloud 3 to 5 times. They are normally written in katakana, but for
now, practice reading them in hiragana mixed with the katakana ぼう. As a bonus, read them aloud with a partner and see if you can
figure out what the words mean. (Here are some notes on making sense of katakana pronunciations: 1) vowel sounds may look or sound
different than you expect; be creative! 2) The sounds /l/ and /r/ sound alike in Japanese. If you see RA-series, it may be /l/ or /r/ in the
original English version.)

ぱーく、ばー、ふらわー、てーぷ、ぼーる、しゃんぷー、さーばー、こんぴゅーたー、すたー、こーら、こーひー、かれんだー、く
れーぷ、 かーぶ、ぐらまー、てなー、でこれーしょん、ぶーむ、しょーとけーき、のーこめんと、れこーど、ろーどわーく、
ばっくぱっかー、べーびーしったー、ひーたー、はんがー、さーもん、しゅーず、ぶーつ、ふぇーす、もーわー、まみー、びーん

215
4. Copy the words in #3 above into your notebook, pronouncing them aloud as you write. Then, rewrite them in Roomaji to get a good
feel for how Japanese speakers conceptualize the sounds of English loanwords.

13.4 Read and write A-series katakana ア イ ウ エ オ, ス, パ (A, I, U, E, O SU PA) and ー (ぼう)

Learn the A-series (A-I-U-E-O) in KATAKANA: ア イ ウ エ オ


(2 strokes) (2 strokes) (3 strokes) (3 strokes) (3 strokes)

Then learn SU and PA: ス (2 strokes) パ (2 strokes and まる)

13.4 Practice!

1. べんきょうをして下さい。Use your favorite site to learn stroke order for the A-series katakana, and practice writing them 20 times,
saying them aloud as you write. Then, write them in reverse order 10 more times. Then write them in random order several times until
you feel confident.

2. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the following aloud 5 times. ア、エ、イ、エ、オ、ア、オ、エ、ア、オ、イ、エ、オ、ア、エ、


イ、オ、イ、ア、エ、イ、 オイア、 アイオ、 イオエ、 アオイオ、 オイアー、 イーウアエ、 オウエイ、 オウアイエウ、
オーイウーエアー

3. べんきょうをして下さい。 Learn the stroke order of katakana SU ス and PA パ . Practice writing each 10 times, saying them aloud.
Then mix them in with the A-series, writing all 7 letters in random order several times.

216
4. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the following aloud 5 times. Then, give these words to a partner as dictation. Check your partner’s
spelling to make sure your pronunciation and your partner’s writing match. Be sure to pronounce the ぼう as a long-timed vowel.
1. スースー 5. パースー 9. スーパー 13. アースパス 17. パース 21. オーパ
2. イパス 6. オイスパー 10. スーさん 14. パパさん 18. スーパーパパ 22. スパイ
3. アパ 7. イエパ 11. パオスイ 15. オスイパ 19. スアパイ 23. パイアイ
4. エース 8. パーイー 12. オスース 16. オアスエ 20. パイアイ 24. エオス

5. Write the following sentences 5 to 8 times, saying them aloud as you write. Use the word for “supermarket” to practice writing
katakana with the ぼう. Note that すうぱあ becomes スーパー . Since the sentences contain enough kanji and katakana to sort out the
various pieces of meaning, you can start writing without the artificial spaces between words that we have used up to this point.
今日、スーパーに行きます。 どんなスーパーが好きですか。 大きいスーパーに行きますよ。

13.5 Count from 300 to 599

Counting numbers above 100 is easy: 百一、百二、百三、百よん、百ご、etc. When you get to 200, shift to: 二百、二百一、二百二、
二百三、二百よん、二百ご、etc. BE CAREFUL! When you get to 300, there is an IRREGULAR PRONUNCIATION!

Pronouncing 300: When you get to 三百, the word ひゃく becomes voiced. It adds a てんてん and is pronounced 三びゃく. Once you
understand this, you are ready to practice counting the 300 series: 三びゃく、三びゃく一、三びゃく二、三びゃく三、さんびゃくよん、
さんびゃくご、etc.
Counting to 599: The 400 series (always pronounced with よん rather than し) and the 500 series both have regular ひゃく pronunciation,
as in: よん百、よん百一、よん百二、etc., and ご百、ご百一、ご百二、ご百三、all the way up to 599. For now, we will stop at 599 (before
running into other irregular pronunciations 600 ろっぴゃく and 800 はっぴゃく).

217
13.5 Practice!

1. 大きいこえでいって下さい。Count from 100 to 200 aloud. Count from 300 to 350 aloud. Count from 90 to 350 by fives. Count from
290 to 590 by tens.

2. 大きいこえでいって下さい。Count backwards from 420 to 390. Count backwards from 550 to 350 by tens. Count backwards from
575 to 75 by 25s!

3. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the following numbers aloud. 29, 130, 245, 367, 427, 599, 440, 319, 201, 153, 63, 124, 339, 214,
390, 500, 304, 110, 414, 372

4. Write the following numbers in hiragana/kanji. 302, 347, 569, 540, 118, 171, 388, 401, 299, 354

5. きいて下さい。Listen and take dictation of numbers. Write the numbers you hear in digits.

13.6 Name the Japanese currency and explain how the exchange rate works

In English, we call Japanese money “yen,” but in Japanese, it is pronounced えん. The kanji for えん is 円, and the currency symbol is
¥ (comparable to $ or ₤ or €). In stores, you will see either the kanji or the ¥ symbol marking prices of items, as in: 100 円 or ¥100.
Since exchange rates fluctuate wildly, please check current rates for the value of the えん against the dollar. In recent years, the えん has
hovered between 80 and 120 to the dollar, so as a matter of convenience, we will practice it here as an exchange rate of ¥100 = $1.
(You are not required to learn to write 円 at this point, but if you choose to do so, be sure to study stroke order before you begin writing it.)

13.6 Practice!

1. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the following prices aloud. Then tell about how much each price is in dollars.
15 円、50 円、75 円、100 円、110 円、98 円、三十円、二十円、¥300、¥35、一円、¥45、¥67、¥85

218
2. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the following prices aloud. ¥550, ¥300, ¥425, ¥310, ¥290, ¥150, ¥368, ¥328, ¥127, ¥478

3. Work with a partner. Circle your best guess at the price of items in Japan, based on the exchange rate of ¥100=$1.

1. はんばーがー ¥5, ¥500, ¥5,000 4. だいあもんど ¥2,000 ¥4,500 ¥35,000


2. こーひー ¥45, ¥350, ¥2,300 5. でんわ ¥50, ¥700, ¥21,000
3. りんご ¥90, ¥985, ¥1,800 6. こんぴゅーたー ¥110, ¥3,000, ¥50,000

13.7 Use new vocabulary to describe prices おいくら、たかい、やすい

When you ask the price of an item, use the interrogative おいくら です か。 The interrogative word contains the politeness prefix お.
If an item seems expensive, describe it as たかい です。If it seems cheap, describe it as やすい です。

13.7 Practice!

1. Fill in the conversations that follow using one of the 3 following sentences: おいくらですか。 たかいです。 やすいです。
Note that それは means “that is _____” as in: それはたかいです。 それはやすいです。

1. えいがは たかい です、ねえ。 2. がそりんは おいくらですか。


_______________________. たかい、たかい!
三百円ですよ! あ、そうですか。_____________________.
ど る せ ん と
え?! それは_______________. よんドル なな十セント です。
ええ! それは____________________.

219
3. 日本れすとらんは___________________. 4. 今日、じむに 行きます。うんどうをします。
¥500 ですよ! じむは たかい です、ねえ。
いいですねえ! ___________________. いいえ、ちがいますよ。_______________________.

2. Look at the conversations in #4 above, and compose a similar one of your own. Use interesting vocabulary.
Include the 3 phrases: おいくらですか。たかいです。やすいです。 If you’d like, you may also include それは______. Then, role-play
your conversation by reading it out loud with a partner. Switch roles and role-play it again. Role-play the conversation without looking at
the script. Finally, without writing anything in advance, role-play a new conversation with your partner using the topic of いちご。

3. Work with a partner. Cover up the prices of the items in the A. list below and ask your partner how much each item costs. Write the
price beside the item and check your answers when you finish. Then, in Japanese, discuss the prices with your partner. What do you
think about each price? Beside it, write a word that describes your opinion. Next, go to the B. list, and this time, ask your partner to cover
up the prices and ask you how much the items cost. After checking your partner’s answers, discuss what you think of the prices listed.
ど る
(Hint: ドル means “dollars.”)

A. LIST B. LIST
1. こんぴゅーたー ¥335 1. 本 ¥477
2. りんご $85 2. さらだ 68 円
3. でんわ ¥50 3. げえむ ¥15
4. はんばーがー ¥101 4. だいあもんど ¥599
5. あいすこおひい 207 円 5. こーひー $350

4. Look for your favorite fast food restaurant on a Japanese website. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the prices of the menu items out
loud and comment on how you think each is priced. If you think the price is neither too high nor too low, you can say: いいです。

220
13.8 Understand and use new vocabulary for shop names
ほん し ょ っ ぷ こ ん び に か ふ ぇ
1) おすしやさん、 2) 本やさん、 3) スーパー、 4) 100 円ショップ、 5) コンビニ、 6) カフェ

The first 2 words in the list above are native Japanese words. They share the same ending -やさん “store.” Now you can guess the
ほん
meaning of おすしやさん and 本やさん. The last 4 words in the list are Japanese versions of loanwords. You can probably figure out the
か ふ ぇ し ょ っ ぷ こ ん び に
meaning of スーパー and カフェ based on the katakana tricks you learned above. Both 100 円ショップ and コンビニ are types of shops
imported from abroad. (Do the words “Dollar Store” and “convenience store” ring a bell?)

13.8 Practice!

1. Write each of the 6 new words above in your notebook 5 to 7 times. Then keyboard them 3 to 5 times each, saying them aloud as you
write.

2. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read each of the words below to a partner. Have your partner name one or two places where each item
might be found.
さかな、 本、 りんご、 アイス・こーひー、 こーら、 うんどう、 さらだ, たばこ, おんがく、 さけ

3. Write each of the place names again in your notebook, and beside each one, write an activity that you might do at that place or write
about what you might see at that place. Use a verb in each of your responses, and use only words that we have practiced so far.
ほん し ょ っ ぷ こ ん び に か ふ ぇ
4. Speak with a partner about each of these places: おすしやさん、 本やさん、 スーパー、 100 円ショップ、 コンビニ、 カフェ
1) Taking the places one by one, ask whether your partner likes that place.
2) For the places your partner likes, ask what kind. (for example: large bookstores, cheap cafes)
3) Taking each place in turn, ask whether your partner went there yesterday.
4) Discuss with your partner how often he/she goes to those places.
After you cover all these questions with your partner, turn to a new partner and tell him/her what you found out from your first partner!!

221
ほ ん だ
5. Listening. Preview the chart below to see what information you need to listen for. きいて下さい。Then, listen as three people, 本田
う え だ み た
さん, 上田さん, and 三田さん talk about different places. Fill in the places they mention in the appropriate boxes. Be sure to
include all the descriptive words with the place names.
ほ ん だ う え だ み た
本田さん 上田さん 三田さん
大好きです
好きじゃないです

よく行きます
ぜんぜん行きません

きのう行きました
きのう行きませんでした

6. Using only vocabulary covered up through this unit, write a short paragraph in which you tell some of the places you like (or don’t like)
so much (include words like “good, big, small, cheap, expensive” in describing the places you like). Describe which places you went to (or
didn’t go to) yesterday, and explain how often you go to each place. Be sure to use kanji wherever possible.

222
Unit 13 Review Quiz

Re-read and re-practice pieces of Units 1 through 13 that need more work. Pay special attention to Units 12 and 13. Re-read your notes,
and then do the quiz below to see how well you have mastered the competencies of this unit. If you have trouble, be sure to go back and
perfect the areas where you are weak.

1. 大きいこえでいって下さい。Pronounce the prices below aloud. Then, beside each, write its value in dollars based on an exchange
rate of $1 = ¥100.
1. なな百なな十よん 円 3. 三百三十ニ 円 5. ご百ご十 円
2. よん百二十 円 4. はち十 円 6. 三百ニ 円

2. Answer はい、そうです or いいえ、ちがいます, depending on whether the following statements are True or False.
1. 日本円 is pronounced [にち ほん いぇん].
2. 300 is pronounced [さんびゃく].
3. Katakana symbols are more rounded and hiragana symbols are more angular.
4. Hiragana is often used to write foreign loanwords such as those borrowed from English, German, or Spanish
5. English words that end in /r/ are represented in Japanese by a long-timed vowel sound

3. Write the following Roomaji in katakana.


1. SU-U-PA-A 3. PA-A-SU 5. E-E-SU
2. A-I-SU 4. A-A-SU 6. O-O-A

4. きいて下さい。Listen and write the numbers you hear (in digits).

5. Write furigana above the following kanji to show pronunciations.

今日 日本 時々 行きます 下さい 本やさん 百円しょっぷ

223
6. Match the following activities with the places (A through H) where they are most likely to occur.
Activities Places
1. うんどうを します A. 本やさん
2. さかなを たべます B. スーパー
3. いい こーひーを のみます C. ひゃく円しょっぷ
4. ほんを みます D. かふぇ
5. りんごも いちごも みます E. おてあらい
F. おすしやさん
G. じむ
H. こんびに

7. Write your opinion of each price below. Then, write the name of a place (or places) where you can usually find each item.

Item Price What do you think? Place where you can find it
はんばーがー ¥75
あいすこーひー ¥50
りんご ¥389
おすし ¥110
本 ¥205
こーら ¥460

8. Write a short paragraph in which you answer the following questions. Use complete sentences in your paragraph.
1. どんなたべものが 好きですか。おいくら です か。たかいですか、やすいですか。
2. どんなのみものが 好きですか。おいくら です か。たかいですか、やすいですか。
3. どんなりょうりが 好きですか。おいくら です か。たかいですか、やすいですか。

224
Unit 14

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

14.1 Read and write katakana KA-series and GA-series 14.5 Understand the difference between copula です and
カキクケコ、ガギグゲゴ and half-sized TU (TSU) ツ existential あります ; use あります together with the
locational particle に to discuss locations of things
14.2 Convert loanword sounds /k, g/ to katakana KU/GU and
/s, z/ sounds to SU/ZU
14.6 Use adjectives to describe locations ちかい、とおい
14.3 Count to 999

14.4 Describe 2 simultaneous activities, describe multi-tasking,


e.g., たべながら、のみながら、ききながら、しながら

14.1 Read and write katakana KA-series and GA-series and half-sized TU (TSU) カキクケコ、ガギグゲゴ、 ツ

KA and GA-series: Since the てんてん works the same for both hiragana and katakana, you only need to learn the 5 symbols of the KA-
series to learn the GA-series as well. In fact, you really only have 3 new symbols here (KU, KE, KO) because KA and KI are very similar in
hiragana and katakana; it will just be a matter of tweaking them a bit to make them more angular. In general, hiragana are more rounded
and katakana are more angular.
カ (2 strokes) キ (3 strokes) ク (2 strokes) ケ (3 strokes) コ (2 strokes)

225
Possible points of confusion: 1) The katakana KA and KI have one fewer stroke than their hiragana counterparts! 2) The katakana KU and
KE look somewhat alike, so be sure to consciously note the differences between them. 3) And finally, it may be tempting to “cheat” on the
stroke order of KO, but practice it carefully as 2 separate strokes.

小さい TSU: The half-sized TSU functions the same way in katakana and hiragana. It pre-flags geminate consonants, doubling the length
of their pronunciation. However, it is written differently. The 小さい TSU marker occurs very frequently in foreign loanwords, so practice it
well!  ツ (3 strokes)

Possible point of confusion: The half-sized, small TSU (小さいつ) in katakana is written from the top moving downwards. Try writing
something like quotation marks and then a big comma like this  “ and you will get the general idea. Pay special attention to the
direction of the strokes because there is another similar katakana coming up!

14.1 Practice!

1. べんきょうをして下さい。Use your app/website to practice and learn stroke order of the KA and GA-series and 小さい TSU. Write
each katakana in order 10 to 20 times and then keyboard each one 5 to 10 times, saying them aloud as you write. Then, write them all
again in random order for several minutes. Finally, write the A-, KA-, GA- series and SU, PA, and TSU.

2. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the following aloud.


アオスイ、カパコイ、ココア、パキク、アスカイ、スイカ、オクカケ、コケコーコー、キカウエ、ガガググ、ギアカギ、ゴーゴー
アッカ、イッキ、コッキ、オイッコ、カッカ、エーカー、オアクッカ、キーコア、エコ、エッコ、エッコー、ケッカ、コーケー
ウケオ、オッケ、ウッキオエ、エアク、エアー、イーパケ、ケーキ、キーパー、スキッギ、ガッコウ、ゲーク、イカス、エッパス
カッコ、ゲッパー、スッス、ギークック、アエッパ、オッス、イオッカ、ケーッパ、ウイスパー、パッス、エクッコ、スイパッパ

226
14.2 Convert loanword /k, g/ and /s, z/ sounds to katakana KU/GU and SU/ZU, another katakana “trick”

General ideas for loanword conversions: In English phonology, there are single consonant sounds like /p/ or /s/. For example, the English
words “kiss, kick, kit, kid,” end in single consonant sounds /s, k, t, d/. The English words “sister, desktop, Rottweiler, Rodham” contain
syllables that end in single consonants /s, k, t, d/. The words “spoon, cracker, tree, drink” contain consonant clusters (2 consecutive
consonants) at the beginning of the words, sounding like /sp, kr, tr, dr/. Japanese phonology does not allow single consonants or
consonant clusters like these. The only permissible syllables (mora units) are CV (consonant-vowel) or simple V (vowel). When single
English consonants like /s, k, t, d/ or consonant clusters like /sp, kr, tr, dr/ they are converted to katakana, they must convert to the
Japanese-style syllable.

Preview of English sounds converted to Japanese: Study the word samples in the chart below to see how single sounds become full
syllables in katakana words. Try counting the number of syllables in the word samples to get a clear idea of the syllable structures.

English consonants Katakana Word Samples


(Letters noted in quotes are various English spellings of the conversion
sounds.)
rule
/k/ and /g/ U-series PI-ク-NI-ク (“picnic”) RA-ッグバッグ (“ragbag”)
-Words or syllables that end with letters: ク(KU) ク-REーJIー (“crazy) アグ-RIー (“ugly”)
“-k, -c, -ck, -g, -que, x” グ (GU) NE-ク-ス-TO (“next”) エグ-ZA-ク-TO-RIー (“exactly”)
-Clusters that begin with: “k-, c-, g-, x”
/k/ and /g/ Exceptions! I-series ケーキ (“cake”) ME-キ-SHI-コ(Mexico”)
Some words with /k/ sounds convert to キ キ(KI) エキス-TO-RA (“extra”) TE-キ-SA-ス(“Texas”)
instead of ク. Watch for these! Sometimes, ギ(GI) エキ-SA-イ-TI-N-GU (“exciting”)
these are words spelled with “x”.
/s/ and /z/ U-series キス (“kiss”) SI-ス-TAー (“sister”)
-Words or syllables that end with letters: ス(SU) ス-PU-ウ-N (“spoon”) キズ (“kids”)
“-s, -ss, -z, -ds” ズ(ZU)
-Clusters that begin with: “s-”

227
/t/ and /d/ O-series ト TO-RI―TO (“treat”) HO-ッ-TO-DO-ッグ (“hotdog”)
-Words or syllables that end with: “-t, -d” (TO) ME-イ-DO (“made”) DO-RI-N-ク ス (“drinks”)
-Clusters that begin with: “t-, d-” ド(DO)
/t/ and /d/ Exceptions! U-series スーツ (“suit”) スーツケース(“suitcase”)
Rarely, but sometimes, the endings or clusters ツ (TSU) スカイ・ツ-RIー (“Sky tree”)
with “t, d” convert to U-series katakana. ヅ (DZU)

Much of the above is a preview of conversion tactics you will practice later, but let’s begin by focusing first on the /k, g, s, z/ sounds, all of
which convert to the katakana U-series, becoming ク、グ、ス、ズ.

14.2 Practice!

1. Circle the syllable-final or consonant cluster /k, g, s, z/ sounds in the following English words. Some words are followed by hints in
parentheses. きいて下さい。Be sure to listen to yourself pronouncing the words instead of relying on the spelling! (English spelling
does NOT represent the actual sounds very well, so it may be tricky.) After you circle the /k, g, s, z/ sounds, cross them out and write
the appropriate katakana above each sound you crossed out.
1. rucksack (2 sounds) 5. whisper 9. dog-tag (2 sounds)
2. sax (1 “k” and 1 “s” sound) 6. gravy 10. ask (2 sounds)
3. big 7. these 11. mess
4. fuzz 8. school (2 sounds) 12. jazz

2. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the following words out loud with a partner, trying to figure out the meaning of each as you go.
Then give dictation of the same words to your partner. Finally, convert each word to Roomaji.
1. アスク 2. ギッグ 3. スキー 4. コック 5. スケアー 6. エッグズ

228
3. Review the ぼう tricks you learned earlier, especially the one about how ぼう serves in place of the /r/ sound at the end of words or
syllables. それから、大きいこえでよんで下さい。Then, read the following aloud with a partner. Apply the ぼう tricks and the ク グ ス ズ
tricks, stretch your imagination, and try to figure out what each word below means. Copy the last 10 words into your notebook and
convert them to Roomaji.
1. ガス 6. パーク 11. アイス 16. エコ 21. コア 26. ゲス 31. クエーク
2. キス 7. キーズ 12. ケース 17. パーカー 22. スーパー 27. スパー 32. コース
3. キー 8. キック 13. パス 18. コーク 23. ケイ 28. ケッグ 33. クッキー
4. スイス 9. スー 14. カスク 19. ケーパー 24. ゲッコー 29. パッグ 34. コーギ (ぼう=/r/)
5. ウイスパー 10. カスパー 15. ココア 20. ウイスキー 25. ギガ 30. コーク 35. クエーカー

4. Give the above words as a dictation to a partner. (Say each 3 times, but do them in reverse order, starting at the end of the list.)
Check your partner’s spelling to make sure he/she is writing the katakana correctly and to make sure that you pronounced the words
clearly.

5. Review the exception sections in the chart in 14.2 above, and write the following in katakana. “Mexico, Texas, extra, suit, cake”

6. きいて下さい。Listen to the following and take dictation.

14.3 Count to 999

Remember that the number 300 has an irregular pronunciation (さんびゃく). The numbers 600 and 800 also have irregular
pronunciations. Delete the final syllable of ろく and of はち and add 小さいっ. Then, change ひゃく to ぴゃく.
300 = さんびゃく 600 = ろっぴゃく 800 = はっぴゃく The rest of the numbers up to 999 are regular!
(The number 1,000 is せん. You will learn and practice it later.)

229
14.3 Practice!

1. Read the following numbers aloud 3 times: 661, 317, 884, 992, 753, 812, 349, 601, 695, 830, 914, 689, 307, 888, 794, 651
Then read them again in random order. Afterwards, give them in random order to a partner as dictation. Have your partner write the
numbers you say in digits.

2. Work with a partner. Read the following math problems aloud and answer them together. (Reminder: たす= plus)
Example: 2 + 2 = 4 ( 二たす二は四です。)

A. 302 + 298 = ? C. 314 + 501 = ? E. 610 + 250 = ? G. 330 + 610 = ? I. 425 + 450 = ?
B. 175 + 500 = ? D. 650 + 200 = ? F. 350 + 350 = ? H. 750 + 100 = ? J. 810 + 75 = ?

14.4 Describe 2 simultaneous (or nearly simultaneous) activities; describe multi-tasking using ―ながら, as in:
たべながら、のみながら、ききながら、しながら

You can talk about 2 activities that you do at the same time by changing the ending of the 1 st verb from –ます to –ながら. The ending -な
がら means “while doing” the action. Multi-taskers will love this type of sentence! Study the examples below to get a feeling for how this
works. Some of the sentences tell what the person does simultaneously, and some of the sentences indicate what the person does not do
at the same time. Notice subscript numbers 1 and 2 indicating the two simultaneous actions.

せんせい、たべながら1 何を します2 か。 きのう、うんどうを しながら1 何を しました2 か。


わたしは 時々 たべながら1 本を よみます2。 きのう、うんどうを しながら1 えいがを みました2。
そして、本を よみながら1 時々 おんがくを ききます2。 それから、げーむを しながら1 こーひーを のみました2。
でも、おんがくを ききながら1 でんわを しません2。 こーひーを のみながら1 てきーらを のみませんでした2。

230
14.4 Practice!

1. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the sentence examples above 3 times each with a partner and act them out as you read.

2. Copy the sentences from the chart above in your notebook; then keyboard them into electronic format.

3. Compare the 2 sentences below and consider whether or not they mean the same thing. Discuss your answer with a partner and
explain your interpretation. Write your own original sentence expressing 2 simultaneous activities. Then reverse the order of the actions
in your sentence. Does the meaning change? Compare your sentence with that of a partner.
わたしは よく りょうりを しながら、わいんを のみます。 わたしは よく わいんを のみながら、りょうりを します。

4. List all the actions you know how to say in Japanese. (Try to write the actions in short phrases, such as: はんばーがーを たべま
す。) Think of some actions from your list that you might do simultaneously. Then compose 5 original sentences describing what you do
at the same time. Write 3 additional original sentences telling what you do not do at the same time!
か ふ ぇ
5. Pretend that you went to a café yesterday. Write a sentence telling what you did en route to the カフェ. What were you doing as you
こ ん び に
went there? (Get crazy if you’d like!) Next, write a sentence telling what you did en route to the convenience store コンビニyesterday.
When you have completed your two sentences, turn to a partner and ask your partner what he/she was doing en route to those places.
Finally, write new sentences comparing what you were doing to what your partner was doing en route. Were you both doing the same
things? Were you doing different things?

231
6. よんで下さい。Read the following paragraph and answer the questions that follow.

Paragraph:
きのした
木 下 さんは きのう 大きい本やさんに 行きました。 行きながら おんがくを ききました。 そして、やすいおすしやさ
か ふ ぇ
んに 行きました。 おすしを たべながら 小さい本を よみました。 時々 小さいカフェに 行きます が、きのう 行きま
こ ん び に
せんでした。 やすいコンビニに 行きました。 それから、こーらを のみました。 のみながら texting を しました。
それ から、おてあらいに 行きました。 行きながら texting を しました!

Questions:
きのした
1. 木下さんは どんな 本やさんに 行きましたか。 4. おすしやさんに 行きながら こーらを のみましたか。
か ふ ぇ
2. 本やさんに 行きながら 何を しましたか。 5. よく カフェに 行きますか。
きのした
3. どんな おすしやさんに 行きましたか。 6. 木下さんは texting が 好きですか。

14.5 Understand the difference between copula です and existential あります ; use あります together with the
locational particle に to discuss locations of things

Descriptive and locational verb です: Read the following sentences that contain the copula (descriptive “BE” verb) です.
いしだ
おなまえは 何 です か。 石田 です。 でんわ ばんごうは 何 です か。 841-3325 です。
やすい本やさんが 大好き です よ。 せんせい です か。 いいえ、ちがいます、がくせい です。
こちらは いまだせんせい です。 おてあらいは 大きい です か。 いいえ、小さい です よ。

232
In all of these sentences, です is used to describe the identity or characteristics of someone/something. Besides describing identity and
characteristics, you also previously learned to use です to discuss the location of something, as in:
おてあらいは どこ です か。 あそこ です。).

New locational verb あります: While です is an easy way to talk about where something is, there is a different, slightly more sophisticated
way to talk about locations using the verb: あります. This verb is an existential-locational verb, and its meaning is comparable to the
English phrase “there’s a ……” as in, “There’s a bathroom over there.”
Examples: DESU (です) version: おてあらいは あそこ です。ARIMASU (あります) version: おてあらいは あそこに あります。

BEWARE! あります is used for the location of THINGS. It is NOT used for the location of PEOPLE.* You will learn how to talk
about the location of people later. Be sure to focus on talking about non-animate objects here.
*Preview of a future unit: Japanese grammar uses あります to describe locations of inanimate objects (such as plants, buildings, tools, and dead bodies). To describe the location
of animate beings (including: humans, animals, ghosts, and Sponge Bob characters), the correct verb is います. This animate/inanimate distinction is not found in the grammar
of most Western languages.

Particle に for locations: You previously learned に to indicate destinations, as in: どこに 行きますか。 スーパーに 行きます。The
destination verb 行きます helps signal the use of the destination particle. The new existence and location verb あります also signals the
use of に, but in a new way. (It just happens to look and sound the same as the destination particle に.) The new locational particle に
comes after words to indicate their existence or location, and then the に phrases are followed by the locational verb あります.

です vs. あります: Study and contrast two versions of the conversation below. The first is a version using です, and the second is the
same conversation using あります. The two versions mean nearly the same thing, but the あります version emphasizes location. Read
the sentences to yourself and see if you can sense the slight nuance shift between the two.

おてあらいは どこ です か。 あそこ です。 (The location of the bathroom is part of its description.)
おてあらいは どこに あります か。 あそこに あります。 (The location of the bathroom is the emphasis here.)

233
The pattern: ~~は どこに あります か。 ~~は ___________に あります。(Fill in the blank with a location.)

Information questions おてあらいは どこに あります か。 あそこに あります。


(with interrogative どこ) でんわは どこに あります か。 れすとらんに あります よ。
Paris は どこに あります か。 France に あります。
こんぴゅーたーは どこに あります か。 本やさんに あります ねえ。

Yes/no questions がそりんは かふぇに あります か。 いいえ、ありません よ。


(no interrogative word) おすしやさんは じむに あります か。 いいえ、ちがいます! あそこに あります よ。
かふぇは あそこに あります か。 ええと . . . ちょっと わかりません。
とうきょうは 日本に あります か。 はい、そう です よ。

14.5 Practice!

1. Copy the following sentences into your notebook, saying them aloud as you write. Then, circle the particle に and the verb あります in
each sentence to help them stand out in your mind. Next, keyboard the sentences into your computer in electronic form.
おてあらいは どこに あります か。 あそこに あります。
いい かふぇは どこに あります か。 あそこに あります。
きのう、どこに 行きました か。 あそこに 行きました。

2. Japan has 4 main islands: Hokkaidou, Honshuu, Shikoku, and Kyuushuu. There are numerable additional small islands. The islands
belonging to Okinawa lie to the very south. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Refer to the map of Japan on the next page and pronounce the
names of the main islands and the names of all the cities. Next, write complete answers to the Japanese geography questions that follow
using the locational particle に and the locational verb あります. (Notice that some are information questions and some are yes/no
questions.) For any yes/no questions with “no” answers, write the correct information in an additional sentence.

234
Questions on the Geography of Japan

1. おおさかも きょうとも ほっかいどうに あります か。


2. さっぽろは どこに あります か。
3. ながさきは どこに あります か。
4. とうきょうは しこくに あります か。
5. せんだいは どこに あります か。

235
1. Island of ほっかいどう

2. Island of ほんしゅう

FOUR MAIN ISLANDS OF JAPAN (plus Okinawa)

3. Island of きゅうしゅう 4. Island of しこく

236
3. Continue to refer to the map in #2 above. Write 3 additional questions about the location of various cities in Japan. Include 1 yes/no
question and 2 information questions in your set. After you write your questions, meet with a partner and take turns asking and answering
questions about Japanese geography.

4. Write five T/F statements about the location of various cities around the world. You may write the names of the cities and countries in
English. (For example: Timbuktu は Zimbabwe に あります。) Show your sentences to a partner. Discuss with your partner in Japanese
whether the statements are true or false.

14.6 Use adjectives to describe locations ちかい、とおい

New adjectives ちかい, とおい, (ちょっと とおい): You have already learned 5 descriptive adjectives (大きい、小さい、いい、たかい、
やすい). Additional adjectives that can help in describing locations are ちかい (“nearby”) and とおい (“far away”). You can use ちかい
and とおい in descriptive sentences ending in です. To see how this works, pronounce the following sentence aloud filling in the blank
with: 大きい、小さい、いい、たかい、やすい . Then, say the sentence again using the 2 new adjectives ちかい、とおい.
Test sentence: 本やさんは__________です、ねえ。 Note that the adjectives all end with -い and occur with です (the descriptive verb).
Notice that, in general, adjectives end in –い. (大きい、小さい、いい 、たかい、やすい、ちかい、とおい)

Using ちょっと as a softener: Since とおい implies inconvenience, you can “soften the blow,” by adding the word ちょっと (“a little, a
bit”). とおい is harsh, but “ちょっと とおい です ねえ” sounds a bit kinder and less threatening.

237
14.6 Practice!

1. [どんな_______ですか。] 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read aloud each of the place names below, think of a specific example of
that place in your town or neighborhood, and then, beside each word, describe its relative location to you by writing one of the following:
A) ちかいです。 B) とおい です。 C) ちょっと とおいです。
1. 本やさん 4. こんびに 7. かふぇ 10. おてあらい
2. スーパー 5. 100 円しょっぷ 8. れすとらん 11. でんわ
3. おすしやさん 6. 日本 9. じむ 12. えいが

2. Write complete sentences describing the locations of the places below relative to where you are.
Example: 大きいスーパー  大きいスーパーは ちかいです。
Topic Description

1. いい おすしやさん 3. 大きい じむ 5. おてあらい (女) 7. やすい スーパー


2. ちいさい かふぇ 4. いい 本やさん 6. おてあらい (男) 8. たかい れすとらん

238
Unit 14 Review Quiz

Re-read and re-practice pieces of Units 1 through 14 that need more work. Pay special attention to Units 12, 13, and 14. Re-read your
notes, and then do the quiz below to see how well you have mastered the competencies of this unit. If you have trouble, be sure to go
back and perfect the areas where you are weak.

1. Write the following katakana words in Roomaji. Then, translate them to English.
1. クイズ 3. スキー ウエアー 5. ウイッカー 7. スーパー エコ 9. ギークス
2. カスパー 4. キック 6. ギガ 8. キス 10. ゲコズ

2. よんで下さい。Read the following description of a multi-tasker, and answer the T/F questions below the paragraph with はい or いい
え or ちょっとわかりません.

Description:

ともだちは いつも てれびを みながら らじおを ききます。 そして、よく うんどうを しながらも らじおをききます。
おといれに 行きながらも らじおを ききます。 まい日、りょうりを しながら おんがくを ききます。 スーパーに 行き
ながら おんがくを ききません。 でも、いつも たべながら いいおんがくを ききます。 ともだちは おんがくが 大大大
好き です よ。

T/F Questions: はい or いいえ or ちょっとわかりません

1. おともだちは あまり らじおを ききません。 5. りょうりも うんどうも あまり しません。


2. てれびも らじおも 好きです。 6. まい日 スーパーに 行きながら おんがくを ききます。
3. うんどうを よく します。 7. たべながら、びーるを のみます。
4. おといれは 大きい です。 8. おともだちは ぜんぜん おんがくが 好きじゃない です。

239
3. Write a sentence asking what your teacher does while watching TV. Then, write a short paragraph (3 sentences) describing your own
“multi-tasking” habits.

4. きいて下さい。Listen to a description of the activities that Imada san does at the same time. Fill in the blanks with the missing
information. Write complete phrases when necessary.

一 こーひーを のみながら
二 おんがくを ききます
三 てれびを みます
四(よん) やすいおすしを たべながら
五(ご) よっぱらいません

5. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the following paragraph aloud, pronouncing kanji variants carefully. (The sentences are numbered
for convenience.)

1
時々、わたしは いい れすとらんに 行きます が、いい れすとらんは とおい です。 2 それから たかい です。
3
百二十 miles に あります。 4 まい日 行きません。 5 でも 小さい 日本りょうりやさんは ちかい です。
6
やすいです。 7 れすとらんの なまえは パクパク です。 8 きのう パクパクに 行きました。9 でも、おさけを のみません
でした。 10 よっぱらいません でした。 11 大きい お水を のみました。 12 日本りょうりが 好きです。 13 いい おさかな
は あそこに あります。 14 パクパクが 大好きです。 15 でも、ともだちは パクパクが 好きじゃないです。
16
ともだちは 大きい たべものを たべません。 17 かふぇが 好きです。 18 いつも、かふぇに 行きます。
19
かふぇは ちょっと とおい です が、たべものは 小さいです。 20 そして やすい です。
21
それから ゆっくりしながら いい こーひーを のみます。

240
6. もう一どよんで下さい。Re-read the paragraph in #2 above and answer the following true/false questions by writing a large まる (O)
by the statements that are TRUE and a large ばつ (X) by the statements that are false. O = TRUE X = FALSE

1. いい れすとらんは ちかい です。 5. わたしも ともだちも パクパクが 好きです。


2. 日本れすとらんは ちかい です。 6. わたしは きのう よっぱらいました。
3. パクパクは こんびに です。 7. ともだちは ぜんぜん かふぇに いきません。
4. ともだちは まい日 パクパクに 行きます。 8. ともだちは よく ゆっくりしながら おちゃを のみます。

7. Add grammatical or discourse particles

こんぴゅーたー おたく____ よく うんどう_____ します_____。

はい、そう です_____。 こんぴゅーたー おたく_____ うんどう_____ べんきょう_____ よく します。

うんどう_____ 大好きです_____ きのう、うんどう_____ しません でした。

8. Write the names of the following numbers in hiragana.

A) 301 B) 794 C) 582 D) 616 E) 999 F) 870 G) 344 H) 677

241
Unit 15

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

15.1 Read and write SA and ZA-series katakana サシスセソ、 15.5 Use locational adverb phrases ちかくに、とおくに and
ザジズゼゾ understand the difference between adjectives ちかい、
とおい and adverb phrases ちかくに、とおくに
15.2 Use the katakana trick of collapsing English “si, shi” and “zi,
ji” sounds into the Japanese シ and ジ sounds 15.6 Use a new grammatical particle で after place names to
indicate where actions occur
15.3 Use the katakana trick of converting loanword “th” sounds
into the SA/ZA-series

15.4 Read and write 2 new kanji words 私 (わたし)、 見ます


(みます)

15.1 Read and write katakana SA- and ZA-series サシスセソ、ザジズゼゾ

サ (3 strokes) シ (3 strokes) ス (2 strokes) セ (2 strokes) ソ (2 strokes)

Possible points of confusion! Two symbols in the SA-series merit special care when learning stroke order. They are シ and ソ. You will
note immediately that シ looks strangely like the half-sized ツ! Both have 3 strokes, but remember that the strokes in TU/TSU start at the
top and move down (kind of like quotation marks and a big comma). In contrast to TSU, the strokes in SI/SHI start at the side and move
sideways, angling toward the right side. Note especially that the 3rd stroke starts at the bottom and moves up to the right, trailing off into
nothing at the top. As you first begin to write, try exaggerating the vertical feeling of TU/TSU and the horizontal feeling of SI/SHI.

242
TSU strokes go down; SHI strokes go sideways!

SO ソ also contains 2 strokes that start at the top and move down vertically. Perfect this now because when you learn the symbol for N
later, you will see some confusing similarities there too. Be strict with your stroke order practice now!

15.1 Practice!

1. べんきょうして下さい。Use your app/website to learn the stroke order of サシスセソ, and of the ZA-series with the てんてん, ザジズ
ゼゾ. Review the pronunciations as you practice. Write the SA-series 10 to 20 times by hand, and then write the series again in random
order several times. Keyboard both the SA- and ZA-series katakana several times. Finally, write the katakana A, KA, and SA-series in
order 5 to 7 times, pronouncing the symbols aloud as you write.

2. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。
シ、ツ、ツ、ツ、シ、ソ、サ、セ、サ、セ、シ、ツ、ソ、シ、ソ、ツ、サ、ソ、シ、セ、サ、ソ、セ、ツ、セ、ソ、シ、サ、ス
シ、ジ、ツ、ヅ、ヅ、ジ、ツ、ヅ、ジ、シ、サ、ゼ、ザ、ゾ、シ、ズ、ソ、ゼ、ゾ、ザ、ズ、パ、ゼ、ゾ、シ、ソ、パ、セ、ザ

カガジ、アカジ、ツシキ、ケグパザ、ゾジエオ、シゲオ、ゴクスパ、ゾーセク、シーカー、セッカク、オッソー、ヅーギー
サオス、ウッスッソ、ササジ、ジーサ、ツーパー、スーパー、シーパー、セッセコ、ゴーグ、ウゼオア、イッパシー、イズジ

15.2 Use the katakana trick of collapsing English “si, shi” and “zi, ji” sounds into the Japanese シ and ジ sounds

English has 2 separate sounds, “si” and “shi,” while Japanese has only 1 sound シ “shi.” There is no /si/ sound in Japanese. Because of
that, some Japanese speakers have trouble pronouncing English words that contain /si/ like “sea sister, seat, tootsie.” They may
pronounce the words with the シ sound like: “shee, shistaa, sheet, tootshie.” English words containing the /si/ sound are written in
Japanese katakana with シ (SHI), as in: シー (“she”) or シス TA― (“sister”) or JU-シー (“juicy”). In the same way, English words with
the voiced “zi” sound (as in “zipper” or “easy”) are written as ジ (JI), as in ジッパー (“zipper”) or イージー (“easy”).

243
Note once again that spellings in English often differ from pronunciations. The /s/ sounds in English are written with various letters, such
as: “s, z, c.” When you decode English words into katakana, ignore the English spellings and pay close attention to the pronunciation. Use
your ears rather than your eyes to listen and find where the /si/ and /zi/ sounds are in English. Many times the voiced /z/ sounds are
written with “s” in English, as in “easy”!

15.2 Practice!

1. Find the “si” and “zi” sounds in the following English words. Cross them out and write in katakana シ or ジ depending on whether the
sound is voiceless or voiced. Use your ears, not your eyes! (That is, ignore the spellings, close your eyes, and pronounce the words out
loud to find the “si” and “zi” sounds.)

seasons teasing mousy lousy sick cruising assist seal sissy zeal chic

2. Work with a partner. 大きいこえでいって下さい。Say the following katakana words aloud and figure out which English loanwords
they are derived from. Remember that single sounds in English words may become syllables in katakana. After you have figured out the
words, write them in Roomaji to see how Japanese speakers conceptualize the pronunciations. Then, write each katakana version 5 to 7
times, pronouncing the words aloud as you write. Finally, keyboard the katakana words.

シー,ジグザグ、スージー、シーク、シアー、アジア、アジックス、ジッパー、エッジ、イージー、ソーセージ、コージー、ジーク

3. Convert the following Roomaji words to katakana.


ZIP-PAA, ZI-GU-ZA-GU, EJ-JI, SOO-SEE-JI, SUU-JII

15.3 Use the katakana trick of converting loanword “th” sounds into the SA/ZA-series

Japanese has no “th” sound, so English words that contain “th” sounds are represented in katakana using /s/ or /z/ sounds.
For example, the “th” sound in “thank you” will be written サ, and the “th” sound in “mother” will be written ザ.

244
The English letters “th” actually represent 2 different “th” sounds. One is a voiceless /Ө/ as in “thanks, thing, tooth, ethanol.” This
voiceless “th” sound is represented using the SA-series. The other English “th” sound is the voiced /ð/ as in “mother, smooth, that, either.”
The voiced “th” is represented with the ZA-series. Make sure you can hear the difference in the 2 sounds in English before you go on.

Katakana usually represents the SOUNDS of words rather than the SPELLINGS, so be sure to use your ears more than your eyes as you
sound out the following examples. Remember also that all katakana words are composed of syllables, so consonant clusters with /s, z/
and syllables ending with /s, z/ become ス、ズ.

Words with voiceless “th”: thanks (サ N クス) booth (BUース) ether (イーサー) myth (MI-ス) through (ス RUー)
path (パス) thick (シック) think (シNク)

Words with voiced “th”: mother (MA ザー) smooth (ス MU ズ) that (ザ t) there (ゼアー) gather (ガザー)
those (ゾーズ) together (TU ゲザー) these (ジーズ)

15.3 Practice!
1. Cross out the “th” sounds in the following English words, and above the sounds you crossed out, write 「サ、シ、ス、セ、ソ」or
「ザ、ジ、ズ、ゼ、ゾ」depending on whether the sound is voiceless or voiced. You will also need to apply the 2 katakana tricks you
have learned: 1) ぼう for syllables ending in /r/, and 2) collapse “si,shi” and “zi,ji” into シ、ジ sounds.

lather this wrath bathe throw therapy thistle throng the athlete anthem neither

2. Work with a partner. The underlined SA, ZA-series symbol in each word below represents a “th” sound. Write a “th” above each one.
大きいこえでいって下さい。Then say each aloud to figure out which English word it represents. After you have figured out the meaning
of the words, write each one 5 to 7 times, pronouncing it aloud as you write. Then, keyboard the katakana words.

カシー、キース、スーズ、ゼー、ジーズ、ゾーズ、ジス、アース、 ザ、バス、ガーザー、ゾー

245
3. Convert the following Roomaji words to katakana. Then, convert your katakana words to English. (They all contain “th” sounds.
AA-SU, BA-SU, ZEI, KA-SII, KII-SU

15.4 Read and write 2 new kanji words 私 (わたし)、 見ます (みます)

わたし can be written with a single kanji 私 (7 strokes). Be sure to notice the “backwards” direction of the first stroke!

みます is written with a combination of kanji 見 (7 strokes) for the stem “み” and the okurigana verb ending --ます. If you stretch your
imagination a bit, the kanji looks a bit like an eye 目 on top of a person’s two legs. Check to confirm that you are writing stroke #2
correctly!

15.4 Practice!

1. 三ど 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the following sentences aloud 3 times to see how kanji makes reading easier. As your kanji
increase, we will gradually stop using the artificial spaces between words.
私はがくせい です。 私はよくてれびを見ます。
私はせんせい です。 私はよくえいがを見ます。
私はよく本を よみます。 私もともだちも きのう えいごを見ませんでした。
本を見ますか。 私はいつも てれびを見ながら おんがくを ききます。

2. べんきょうして下さい。Carefully learn and practice the stroke order of 私 and 見ます. Count 一、二、三、し、ご、ろく、しち
aloud as you write to count off the strokes. Practice writing each one 10 to 20 times. That will help you develop a good rhythm and
enable you to join your muscle memory to your understanding of the kanji. Keyboard “watasi” and “mimasu” in Roomaji, and press the
space bar to see how the computer magically converts Roomaji to kanji.

246
3. 三ど 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the following paragraph aloud 3 times. Then, write ふりがな above the kanji to show the
pronunciations. Finally, dictate the sentences to a partner, pronouncing them clearly and slowly. When you finish, check your partner’s
kanji and okurigana for accuracy.
やまぐち やまぐち
(1) 私は女です。でも 山口さんは女じゃないです。男です。 (2) まい日、私はお水をのみます が、山口さんはお水をのみません。
やまぐち
(3) おさけも てきーらも よく のみます。(4) 私は日本が大好きです が、山口さんはぜんぜん日本が好きじゃないです よ。
やまぐち やまぐち
きのう、私は いい えいがを見ました が、山口さんは えいがを見ませんでした。(6.) 山口さんは きのう えいがに
(5)
行きませんでした。(7) バーに行きました。(8) それから、何をしましたか。(9) 女を見ました。(10) 女が大好きです. . . ?!

4. Refer back to the paragraph in #3 above and write complete answers to the following questions using kanji wherever possible. Then,
compare your answers to those of a classmate and check each other’s work. Finally, compare yourself to the writer of the paragraph and
to 山口さん. Tell your partner which of the two you are most like, and then in Japanese explain the similarities between that person and
yourself.
やまぐち
1. 山口さんは女ですか、男ですか。 4. 山口さんは きのう えいがを見ましたか。
2. 山口さんは まい日何をのみますか。 5. 山口さんは きのう どこに行きましたか。
3. 山口さんは日本が大好きですか。 6. 山口さんは 男をみましたか。

15.5 Use locational adverb phrases ちかくに、とおくに and understand the difference between adjectives ちかい、
とおい and adverb phrases ちかくに、とおくに

New locational adverb phrases ちかくに , とおくに and ちょっと とおくに We can talk about locations in an alternate way by
converting ちかい and とおい into alternate forms. Before changing the adjectives ちかい and とおい into locations, first, notice that most
adjectives in Japanese end in –い.

247
To change these adjectives to locations, change the –い in each word to –く, as in . . ちかいちかく and とおいとおく . Once you
have changed the word ending – い to –く, add the particle に and あります. This format will allow you to discuss the locations of things
more specifically than by just saying あそこ (“. . . it’s over there”). Study the following example.
Question: おてあらいは どこに あります か。 Answers: あそこに あります よ。 Vague!
More helpful answers  ちかくに あります よ。Or ちょっと とおくに あります よ。Or とおくに あります よ。

Once again: Remember that adjectives end in –い and occur with です, as in: ちかい です, とおい です
To discuss locations, change -い endings to –く, use the locational particle に, and the verb あります, as in:
ちかくに あります, とおくに あります

15.5 Practice!

1. Rewrite ちかい and とおい as locations. Rewrite ちかく and とおく as adjectives.

2. 大きいこえでいって下さい。Say aloud the distance phrases that are descriptive adjectives. Say aloud the distance phrases that are
locations. Which set occurs with あります?

3. きいて下さい。You will hear 2 conversations. Listen to each conversation 5 times. それから、もう三どきいて下さい。Then, listen 3
times more and lip sync the words with the speakers. Next, role-play the dialogs with a partner. Try to look at your partner as you speak
and use body language (bowing and head nodding). Finally, try role-playing the dialogs again without looking at the book. If you still
have energy left, keyboard both conversations into your computer.

248
4. Draw a small stick figure in the middle of your paper. それから、よんで下さい。As you read the following sentences, insert pictures
of the items indicated in locations related to your stick figure. Then, compare your final picture to that of a classmate and check to see
how well your pictures match. Afterwards, with your partner, look at your picture (without the book) and describe the location of each
item in relation to your stick figure.

1. 大きい りんごは ちかくに あります。 6. 小さい こうちゃは ちかくに あります。


2. 小さい さらだは ちかくに あります。 7. 小さい おてあらいは ちょっと とおくに あります。
3. でんわは ちょっと とおくに あります。 8. 大きい いちごは ちかい です。
4. こんぴゅーたーは とおい です。 9. 大きい らあめんは ちょっと とおい です。
5. はんばーがーは ちかい です。 10. いい てれびは とおくに あります。

5. Use the picture you drew for #4 above. Draw 2 additional items (use only items that you know how to say in Japanese). Make one
item big and one small. Then, without showing your picture to your partner, describe to him/her the location of your new items and see if
your partner can draw them accurately in his/her own picture.

6. もう一どみて下さい。Look at your picture from #5 above, and write 12 complete sentences describing the location of each item in the
picture in relation to your stick figure. Have a partner read your sentences aloud and proofread them. (Do not look at the book as you
write.)

15.6 Use a new grammatical particle で after place names to indicate where actions occur

You have learned to use the grammatical particle に to indicate: 1) where things are located and 2) where someone is going (destinations).
A different particle, で, is used to indicate: where an action occurs. で tags where someone is when they are doing something.
で always comes in sentences that have ACTION VERBS. で never comes with です or あります and で never comes with a destination
verb like 行きます. The type of verb at the end of the sentence is key in helping determine which type of particle to use with the place
mentioned.

249
で examples: 私は まい日 かふぇで こーひーを のみます が、れすとらんで わいんを のみます。
いつも かふぇで こーひーを のみながら 本を よみます。 こーひーは 三百円です。
きのう 山口さんは えいがで 女を見ません でした が、バーで 女を見ました よ。
せんせい、ちかくで うんどうを します か。
どこで てれびを 見ますか。

Contrast the 3 different types of particles: Location に comes with あります. . .


Destination に comes with 行きます. . .
Place of an activity で comes with any action verb: たべます, のみます, よみます, ききます

て に す こ と
テニスコートは じむに あります。 じむ= Location (use に and the verb あります)
私は じむに いきます。 じむ= Destination (use に and the verb 行きます)
私は じむで てにすを します。 じむ= Place of action (use で and any action verb . . . うんどうをします、
たべます、うんどうをします、本をよみます、よっぱらいます、
げーむをします、おんがくをききます)
15.6 Practice!

1. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Notice the type of verb at the end of each sentence (location, movement to a destination, or activity).
Use the verb type to help you determine whether the sentence describes a location, a destination, or a place where an action occurs.
Underline the place mentioned in the sentence, and the label it according to its function in the sentence: L (location), D (destination), or
A (place of action).
1. 時々、いい おすしやさんで たべます。 6. でんわは れすとらんに あります。
2. 今日、本やさんで こーひーを のみました。 7. 私は 本やさんで よく まんがを よみます。
3. 小さい かふぇは 本やさんに あります。 8. きのう、どこに 行きましたか。
4. せんせいは まい日 れすとらんに 行きます。 9. じむで りょうりを しません よ。
5. まい日、私は大きい本やさんで いい おんがくを ききます。 10. どこで よく うんどうを します か。

250
2. よんで下さい。Read the question-answer (Q – A) pairs below and fill in the blanks with the appropriate particles. The difficulty
increases as you go. Some are tricky!

1. Q すみません が、本やさんは ちかく_____ あります か。


A 本やさんです か。あそこ_____ あります よ。
2. Q せんせいは いつも どこ_____ おんがくを ききます か。
A おんがくです か。よく かふぇ_____ ききます よ。
さ ん ふ ら ん し す こ
3. Qサンフランシスコ_____ どこ_____ ありますか。
A サンフランシスコです か。とおく_____ あります よ。
て に す
4. Q いつも どこ_____ テニス_____ しますか。
じ む て に す
A 私ですか。ジム_____ テニス_____ しません よ。
5. Q おともだち_____ よく こうえん (park) _____ さんぽ_____ します か。
A いいえ、あまり こうえん_____ 行きません よ。
6. Q おともだち_____ よく こんびに_____ こーら_____ かいます か。
A こんびに_____ かいません。スーパー_____ かいます。

3. Make a written list in Japanese of 5 different activities. Use まい日 and ask a partner where he/she does those activities. Answers
can be in a mixture of Japanese and English if necessary.

4. Write 3 sentences comparing where you and your partner do activities.

251
5. 三ど きいて下さい。Listen 3 to 5 times and fill in as many of the empty boxes as possible in the chart below. Then compare your
completed chart to that of a partner.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

いつ?
(When?)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

どこで?

Action? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

何を?

6. Write complete answers to the following personal questions. You may use English or “Japanglish” in some of your answers if
necessary. はなして下さい。(New! はなして is the command/request form of はなします.) Then, ask a partner the questions to find
out how he/she answered.

1. どこで ゲームを します か。 4. どこで りょうりを します か。
2. どこで べんきょうを します か。 5. 時々 こうえん(park)で たべます か。
ぽ つ
3. きのう、どこで おんがくを ききましたか。 6. どこで スポーツを します か。

7. Write complete answers to the following personal questions. Next, read both the questions and your answers aloud 3 to 5 times. はな
して下さい。Then, ask a partner the questions. Note that the second one contains 2 questions in a single sentence.
1. きのう、どこに行きましたか。 2. きのう、どこで、何をしましたか。

252
Unit 15 Review Quiz

Re-read and re-practice pieces of Units 1 through 15 that need more work. Pay special attention to Units 14 and 15. Re-read your notes,
and then do the quiz below to see how well you have mastered the competencies of this unit. If you have trouble, be sure to go back and
perfect the areas where you are weak.

1. Decode each of the katakana words below into its English counterpart.
1. サックス 3. シーズ 5. ガス 7. スーパー 9. サッカー
2. キックス 4. セックス 6. シーク 8. ソッギー 10. アイス

2. Write the correct digit beside each number below.


三百ご十 ご百きゅう十きゅう 百十二 二百三 なな十一 ろっ百三

3. Rewrite the following sentence in hiragana.


私は時々三百円を見ます。

4. Complete the sentences below with one of the following verbs: 行きます, あります, です.
1. わたしは よく パクパク に _______________. 5. いつも, ともだちは 小さい かふぇに ______________.
2. パクパクは ちかくに _______________. 6. 小さい かふぇは ちかくに _______________.
3. いい れすとらんは とおい _______________. 7. こーひーは いい _______________.
4. はんばーがーは おいくら ________________ か。 8. のみものは やすい _________________.

253
5. きいて下さい。Preview the places listed in the box. Listen to a description of the distances of various places from the speakers. As
you listen, write the letters of places mentioned under their respective distances. There are 2 places in the list that will not be mentioned.

LIST OF PLACES

A. 本やさん C. じむ E. かふぇ G. こんびに I. スーパー

B. カーパーク D. 百円しょっぷ F. でんわ H. すしやさん J. おてあらい

DISTANCE FROM SPEAKERS ちかくに あります ちかくに ありません とおい です

LETTERS OF PLACES

6. Refer to the list of places in #5 above. Using any 5 of the 10 places listed, write a short paragraph in which you tell how far away
each place is from you and whether each place is expensive. Use only patterns and vocabulary we have covered, even if it means using
short, choppy sentences.

7. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read each question below aloud, and then answer it orally with personal information.
ふ ぇ
1. いいカフェは どこに ありますか。 4. べんきょうを しながら 何を しますか。
ふ ぇ
2. カフェで何をしますか。 5. 大きいじむは どこに ありますか。
3. いつも、どこでべんきょうを しますか。 6. じむで何をしますか。

254
Unit 16

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

16.1 Read and write katakana TA-series and DA-series and –N 16.4 Express activities you’d like to do or not like to do using
タチツテト、ダヂヅデド、ン ~~たい です and ~~たくない です

16.2 Explain and apply the katakana trick of converting English 16.5 Make suggestions using ~~ましょう
loanword phonemes /t, d/ to katakana TO, DO, TSU, DZU and
English loanward phonemes /ti, di/ to katakana TEi and DEi.
(ト and ド or ツ and ヅ /t/ and /d/ and ティ and ディ for /ti/
and /di/)

16.3 Discuss activities using new vocabulary ~を かいます、


(~を) はなします でんわ/さんぽ を します
ゆっくりします こうえん/おんせん/といれ に いきます

16.1 Read and write katakana TA-series and DA-series and –N タチツテト、ダヂヅデド、ン
タ (3 strokes) チ (3 strokes) ツ (3 strokes) テ (3 strokes) ト (2 strokes)

Possible points of confusion: Three symbols in the TA-series merit special care. They are チ, テ, and ツ. The first two, チ and テ, look
similar, so they may be confusing at first. Note that stroke direction is quite different for チ and テ. The first stroke of チ begins on the
right instead of the left! This is quite unusual so practice carefully. Stroke order for テ is regular, starting from the left.

255
Also, remember that シ and ツ look very similar, but they are distinguished by very distinct stroke order! Re-practice the 小さい ツ as well
as the regular ツ to reinforce your skills and give you more confidence.

The last symbol in the katakana syllabary dictionary order is ン (–N), but go ahead and learn it now. In the same way that the katakana
シ and ツ are distinguished mainly by stroke order and direction of writing, the katakana SO and –N (ソ and ン) differ only in their stroke
directions. Their difference is like the vertical/horizontal difference between the strokes of ツ and シ. SO strokes are vertical, moving
downwards (ソ) and N strokes are horizontal, moving sideways ( ン ).

Think of the horizontal, sideways-moving SHI and –N as being like an arrow formation pointing to the right (シ >, ン> ). Think of the
vertical TSU and SO as generally having a more “V-like” downward formation (ツ V, ソ V ).

16.1 Practice!

1. べんきょうして下さい。Use your app/website to learn the stroke order of タチツテト, and then as you practice the same symbols
with the てんてん (ダヂヅデド), be sure to review the pronunciation of each. (Recall that ジ and ヂ sound identical, as do ヅ and ズ.)
Write the TA-series 10 to 20 times, and then write the series again in random order several times.

Now, learn the stroke order of –N (ン). Practice writing it by itself 10 to 20 times, and writing it alternating with SO 10 times or until you
feel confident that you can remember the difference. Keyboard the katakana several times. Then write the A, KA, SA and TA-series and –
N in katakana in dictionary order 5 to 7 times, pronouncing the symbols aloud as you write.

2. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。
テ、ツ、ト、チ、ツ、チ、テ、ツ、シ、タ、ト、シ、ツ、テ、チ、ソ、シ、チ、ト、タ、ソ、チ、シ、ト、テ、チ、ダ、ジ、ヂ、ツ、
ヅ、ド、ダ、ト、テ、デ、ゾ、ド、ヂ、ヅ、チ、ズ、ス、ヅ、ゾ、ソ、ン、ソ、ツ、シ、ン、ト、テ、ゾ、ン、ダ、ン、ゾ、ソ、テ、
ン、ゾ、シ、ツ、デ、ヂ、ン、ソ、ゾ、ン、シ、ン、チ、ソ、ン、テ、チ、ソ、ン、ダ、ド、ン、ゾ、ヂ、ヅ、シ、ン、テ、チ、ン

256
16.2 Explain and apply the katakana trick of converting English loanword phonemes /t, d/ to katakana TO, DO, TSU,
DZU and English loanward phonemes /ti, di/ to katakana TEi and DEi.
(ト and ド or ツ and ヅ /t/ and /d/ and ティ and ディ for /ti/ and /di/)

TO and DO: As you have already seen for single /k, g, s, z/ sounds, katakana words often add vowels at the end of a syllable or between
consonants in a cluster. This is also the case for syllable-final /t, d/ as in “robot, road-show, hotdog” and consonant cluster /t, d/ as in
“train, drain.” Like the /k, g, s, z/ sounds, which become ク、グ、ス、and ズ using the –U series, the /t, d/ sounds sometimes use the –U
series ツ or ヅ, but much more often they become -O series sounds,ト and ド. Learning when to use ト and ド or ツ and ヅ is just a
matter of practice. There is no rule.

Examples: /t, d/ sounds become . . .

TO/DO at the end of words: パッド (pad), ハート (heart), ダッド (dad), アート (art), グッド (good), シート (seat)
な ま に
at the end of syllables: パートナー (partner), キッドマン (Kidman), シドニー(Sydney), ウエットスーツ (wetsuit)
れ ら
in consonant clusters: トレーン (train), ドライ (dry)

r i る ん
TSU on a case-by-case basis: ツリー (tree), スーツ (suit), ツール (tool), ツイン (twin), ツー (two)

TEi and DEi: Japanese has “chi” and “ji” sounds (チ, ヂ), but native Japanese phonology does not have /ti/ and /di/ sounds. In the past,
katakana simply pronounced /ti, di/ as “chi” チ and “de” デ, which were the closest sounds available. This resulted in katakana words that
む ぷ
do not sound exactly like their English counterparts, such as: チケット“ticket,” チーム “team,” チップ “tip,” or デジタル“digital.”
More recently, katakana has devised a way to closely represent the non-native sounds /ti, di/ using ティ and ディ (the TE/DE symbols
followed by a small version of イ). Contrast the spellings of the various sounds from English:
Voiceless: “chi”= チ (チケット ticket) “te”= テ (テッド Ted) NEW! “ti”= ティ (ティー・カップ tea-cup)
る に ら
Voiced: “ji”= ジ or ヂ (デジタル digital) “de”= デ (デッケード decade) NEW! “di”= ディ(ディズニランド Disneyland)

257
16.2 Practice!

1. Find the /t, d/ sounds in the following English words. Some are in consonant clusters, and some are syllable-final, or word-final. Cross
them out, and above the pieces you crossed out, write katakana ト or ド depending on whether the sound is voiceless or voiced.
content, get, spot, third, second, heat, read, drink, try, nitpick, madness, odd, catnip, God, sprint, drive, trick

2. Practice keyboarding ティ and ディ by typing “thi” and “dhi” and clicking on F7, or set the input mode to katakana before you start.

3. Find the /ti, di/ sounds in the following English words. Remember, they may be spelled in a variety of ways. Cross them out and write
katakana ティ or ディ above them:
[kitty, brandy, disco, party, dictionary, ready, deep, lady, tinkle, tissue, defend, deliver, Eddy, pretty]

4. Work with a partner. 大きいこえでいって下さい。Say the following words aloud, and use all the tricks you have learned to decode
their English counterparts. After you have figured out the words, write each one a couple of times, pronouncing the words aloud as you
write. Then, choose your favorite 10 words to practice keyboarding.

カンザス、アーカンソー、トースト、テスト、ゲスト、グッド、サイト、シーサイド、タウン、トーン、サウンド、シスターン、シ
ザーズ、 ダウンタウン、パスタ、スパゲッティ、バーガンディ、パッティ、ダイパー、ドンキー、スティック、ティック・タック、

ガーバンゾー、ステージ、ダンス、[アパート、デパートabbreviated forms]、デート、シーアイエイ、ディット、ティーンエージ、
ガーデン・パーティー、シーン、ゾーン、コーン、キーン、キッド、デスクパッド、ディスク、クイック、

タッパーウエアー、ドッグ、ホンテッド・ハウス、ソーダ、スターダスト、スパイ・ウエアー、トーガ、キング・コング、
キング・アンド・クイーン、ディッグ、ダンディー、タンゴ、ストーン、セット、サッド、シエッド、ウエディング、シンガー、

ソング、ティーズ、ディッパー、アタッチ、ストーク、ディーコイ、デカデンス、ゴー・ツー・ザー・スーパー、ケンタッキー、
タッグ、ソッギー、キティー、パゴダ、パッキング、パーキング、アンディー、オーガー、セコンド、オッド、スタッキング

258
5. Choose any 20 of the words in #4 above. Write them in Roomaji to see how Japanese speakers conceptualize their pronunciation.
Then, looking only at your Roomaji versions, convert them to katakana again.

6. Give your partner dictation of 20 words from #4 above in random order, and then check your partner’s spelling and stroke order.

16.3 Discuss activities using new vocabulary ~を かいます、 (~を) はなします でんわ/さんぽ を します
ゆっくりします こうえん/おんせん/といれ に いきます

Words Sentence Examples Commentary

~~を かいます 私は ぜんぜん 本やさんで こーひーを かいません。 Literally, ゆっくり means


(buy something) でも、ともだちは いつも 本やさんで こーひーを かいます。 “slowly.” Be sure to pronounce
そして、本やさんで こーひーを のみながら ゆっくり します。 the 小さい つ.

ゆっくり します す ぽ ー つ せ ん た ー
ゆっくり します is a set phrase;
せんせいは きのう、 スポーツセンターで のみものを かいました。
(take it easy, relax) there is no を particle.
あそこで お水を のみながら うんどうを しました。
て れ び
それから、かふぇで テレビを 見ながら ゆっくり しました。

でんわ and さんぽ often occur


でんわを します 私は時々 さんぽを しながら でんわを します。 without を. To help you get
(phone) て れ び
more practice using を, we will
それから テレビを見ながらも でんわを します。
continue to include it in these
さんぽを します て れ び phrases.
(take a walk) でも さんぽを しながら テレビを 見ません。 With さんぽ, you can also say:
て れ び
テレビを 見ながら さんぽを しません。 さんぽに 行きます

259
まい日 日本ごを はなします か。 はい、まい日 はなします よ! The stem of はなします is はな
(~~を) はなします どこで 日本ごを はなします か。 よく おすしやさんで 日本ごを し. Use the familiar negative
(speak a language) はなします、でも 時々 こうえんで はなします よ。 form はなしません and past
tense form はなしました.
よく でんわで 日本ごを はなします か。  いいえ、ぜんぜん でん
わで はなしません。 (でんわで はなします means
“to talk on the phone.”)
こうえんで ゆっくりします か。 いいえ、こうえんで ゆっくり
こうえん しません よ。 いつも こうえんで さんぽを します。 そして、お水 3 different particles can be used!
(park) を かいます。 それから、お水を のみながら 日本ごを はなします。 こうえん, おんせん, トイレ
に 行きます。
日本の おんせん 日本の おんせんが 好きですか。  はい、大好きです! よく 日本 で ゆっくり します。
(Japanese hot springs*) で おんせんに 行きます。 日本の トイレも 大好きです よ。
と い れ
は いい です ね!
おんせんも トイレも いい です ね!
日本の トイレ
と い れ
The particle の is an attributive
(Japanese toilet**) or associative particle. It
ちかくに 日本のおんせんが あります。三百ご十円です。おんせんで い
associates 日本 with the word
つも ゆっくりします。いい です よ!
that comes next. Many phrases
can use 日本の: 日本のでんわ、
日本の本、 日本のともだち、
日本のスーパー
* Japanese hot springs (日本のおんせん) vary widely. Some are old-fashioned public bathhouses. Most, however, are more like spas. Clothing is prohibited, and you are
required to scrub your body completely before soaking. Some おんせん prohibit people with tattoos from entering as tattoos are associated with the mafia in Japan. Many おん
せん have several different soaking areas with various temperatures or minerals in the water. Outdoor soaking areas (ろてん ぶろ) are also common. The outdoor area is
usually surrounded with beautiful rocks and flowers in the inimitable style of a Japanese traditional garden. Going to the おんせん is an important leisure activity in Japan.

し ゃ わ ー と い れ と い れ
** Look online for シャワートイレ (Japanese “shower toilet” 日本のトイレ) to see the wonders of modern technology in Japan, including automatically opening and closing lids,
heated toilet seats, “washlet” spray aimed at various angles, various water pressures, and various temperatures. Some even include a drier!

260
16.3 Practice!

1. よんで下さい。Read the first column of words in chart 16.3 above and copy each of the phrases into your notebook, saying them aloud
as you write. Keyboard the phrases. Listen to sentences that contain the new words, and write what you hear. Then, dictate the
sentences you wrote to a partner.

2. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the sentence examples from the chart in 16.3 aloud with a partner. はなして下さい。Discuss the
meaning of the sentences and go through the commentary together with your partner. Make conscious note of possible points of
confusion.

3. A) Read each of the following yes/no questions aloud. B) Notice the type of verb at the end of each sentence and use it to help you
determine whether the sentence describes a location, a destination, or a place where an action occurs. C) Underline the place mentioned
in the sentence, D) label the place in each sentence as 1location, 2destination, or 3place of action, E) write a short answer to each question,
and F) ask a partner the questions.

1. どこで でんわを します か。 5. 時々、いい おんせんに 行きますか。


2. いつも、どこで本を かいます か。 6. じむで よく さんぽを しますか。
3. といれで べんきょうを します か。 7. きのう、こうえんに 行きました か。
4. といれで でんわで はなします か。 8. おすしやさんで 日本ごを はなします か。

4. Use “Japanglish” (English words in Japanese sentences) when needed, and complete the sentences below by filling in the blanks with
personal information. Stretch your imagination to think of unusual answers!
こ ん び に
1. コンビニで __________________を かいます。 4. 本やさんで _______________も_______________も かいます。
2. さかなやさんで _______________を かいます。 5. スーパーで_______________も______________も かいます。
れ す と ら ん
3. おさけやさんで _______________を かいます。 6. 日本レストランで _______________を かいます。

261
5. はなして下さい。Talk with a partner. Refer to #4 above, and in random order, ask your partner what he/she buys at each place.
React appropriately to your partner’s answers (ああ、そう です か。. . . いい です ねえ。. . . え?! And . . . don’t forget head
nodding! ). Then tell your partner what you buy.

6. Write a complete sentence telling where you do each activity listed below. Include information in each sentence about the frequency
with which you do the activities.
1. べんきょうを します 3. ゆっくり します 5. うんどうを します 7. さかなを かいます
2. でんわを します 4. さんぽを します 6. さかなを たべます 8. 日本ごを はなします

7. はなして下さい。Talk with a partner. Refer to #6 above, and in random order, ask your partner where he/she does each activity.
React appropriately to your partner’s answers, and then tell your partner where and how often you do each activity. Finally, write 6
sentences comparing where you and your partner do the activities. (Use でも、が、も as needed to make your comparisons.) Work with
a partner to check both of your sentence sets. Be sure to check both spelling and content. Did you end up with similar stories?

8. Translate each of the following phrases into English: 日本の女、日本の本、日本のすしやさん、日本の男、日本のハンバーガー

9. きいて下さい。Listen 3 times or more, and then complete the exercises below.

A. よんで下さい。Read the 3 choices for completion options below each sentence, and circle the correct answer.

1. 日本の ともだちに でんわを しました。それから ______________。


A) 日本ごを みました B) 日本ごを はなしました C) 日本ごを べんきょう しました

2. ともだちは まい日 ______________。


A) えいごを べんきょう します B) 日本ごを べんきょう します C) でんわを します

262
3. きのう、こうえんで ______________。
A) 本を かいました B) さんぽを しました C) でんわを しました

4. きのう、__________ ゆっくりしながら 本を よみました。


A) 日本で B) こんびにで C) こうえんで

5. ______________ せんせいを 見ました。


A) おちゃを のみながら B) おんせんに 行きながら C) さんぽを しながら

6. おんせんは __________ に あります。


A) ちかく B) とおく C) あそこ

7. ____________ で といれに いきました。


A) こうえん B) こんびに C) おんせん

B. Write 2 activities that you heard in the description that you would like to do right now if you could.

16.4 Express activities you’d like to do or not like to do using ~~たい です and ~~たくない です

You can talk about what you want and don’t want to do by dropping –ます at the end of action verbs and then adding:
[–たい です, “want to do X”] or [–たくない です, “don’t want to do X”]. See the following examples.
Be sure to pronounce “don’t want to do” as . . . -たくない . . . (not -たいくない)!

263
Examples:

のみます お水を [のみたい です]。 でも ウイスキーを [のみたくない です]!


じ む
ゆっくり します ジムで ゆっくり [したくない です] が、おんせんで ゆっくり [したい です]。
あ め り か と い れ
かいます アメリカのトイレを [かいたくない です] が、日本の トイレを [かいたい です]。

16.4 Practice!

1. 大きいこえでいって下さい。 As you read each sentence aloud with a partner, give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down signal depending on
whether or not the phrase matches what you personally want or do not want to do. Compare your reactions with those of your partner.

テキーラを のみたくないです。 こうえんでさんぽを したいです。 日本に 行きたいです。
と れ
ゆっくり したいです。 トイレに 行きたいです。 大きいいちごを かいたいです。
今日、日本ごを はなしたいです。 こうえんでさんぽを したくないです。 ともだちにでんわを したいです。
いつも、うんどうを したくないです。 おりょうりを したいです。 いいえいがを 見たいです。
こ ん び に ち ょ こ れ と と い れ
コンビニでチョコレートを かいたいです。 トイレで べんきょうを したくないです。 おんがくを ききたくないです。

2. はなして下さい。Speak with a partner. Tell your partner what you want and don’t want to do today (verb+ -たい です。or verb+ -
たくないです。). Explain further by adding information about related items you like and don’t like ( ________が 好きです、 _______が
あまり 好き じゃ ない です). For example, 今日、私は べんきょうを したくないです。 べんきょうがあまり好きじゃないです。

3. Make a list of as many different verbs as you can remember. Cross out any that are not action verbs. Then, add details beside each
は ん ば ー が ー れ す と ら ん
verb. For example, if you wrote たべます, you can add details such as “what” (ハンバーガーを) or “where” (レストランで).
Next, at the top of your list, write 今日. Thinking in the context of 今日, change each of your action verbs to a “want to” or a “don’t want
to” form, depending on your preferences.

264
4. 三ど. . . ごど. . . 大きいこえでよんで下さい。 Then read the paragraph aloud again several times with a partner. Work with your
partner to answer the questions that follow.

Paragraph: はじめまして。 カシー・パーカーです。どうぞ よろしく。 私は 日本のおんせんに 行きたい です が、日本のおん


と れ と れ
せんは ちかくに ありません。日本のおんせんが 大大好きです。 日本のトイレを かいたい です が、日本のトイレも ちかくに

ありません。 日本のおちゃを のみたい です が、日本のおちゃも ちかくに ありません。日本の たべものも のみものも ト

イレも おんせんも 大好きです が、ちかくに ありません。 日本ごを はなしたい です が、日本は とおい です! まい
り む
日、私は ちかくの こうえんで さんぽを しながら、日本のドリ-ムを 見ます。 日本に 行きたい です! 私は まい日、

ジムで うんどうを します。 それから おすしやさんに 行きます。いい おすしを たべたいです。おすしやさんは ちょっと
とおい です が、いい 日本の りょうりは あそこに あります。 とおい れすとらんで おすしを たべながら よく コン
ぴ ゅ ほ む ぺ じ
ピューターを 見ます。 日本の おんせんの ホームページを 見ます。 日本は いい です ねえ! 行きたい です!

Questions:
1. What is the purpose of this paragraph? (The person who wrote this wanted to . . .)
2. What is the tone (or the mood) of the writer?
3. Is the writer 女 or 男?
4. Do you have any feelings in common with this writer? (Explain.)
5. How well do you think the writer knows Japan? (Explain your answer.)

5. Refer back to the underlined sentences near the end of the paragraph in #4 above. Translate the sentences into English. Avoid doing
a word-for-word translation! That is, keep all the pieces of meaning in the sentence, but do not try to put each separate word into an
English word. Compare your translation to that of a partner. How close are your two versions? Which version do you like best? Why?

265
6. Translate the sentences below into Japanese. Avoid translating each word (“a word-for-word translation”). Try to translate the ideas
rather than the “words.” Do not use a dictionary. Use only words or structures that we have already practiced here. Compare your
translation to that of a partner. Discuss which version you prefer and the reasons why.
“There is a good sushi shop nearby. I’d like to drink Japanese sake while eating sushi.”

7. First, fill in the blanks in the sentences below to indicate your personal preferences. Use appropriate verbs that end in ~たいです or
~たくないです. Some options are given in parentheses. それから、はなして下さい。Next, ask a partner about his/her preferences.
Keep your conversation in 日本ご, but use えいご for words you don’t yet know.

1. いちごを _______________ (たべ--) 7. Chinese を _______________ (はなし--)


じ む
2. ウイスキーを _______________ (のみ--) 8. まい日、ジムで うんどうを _______________ (し--)

3. クラシックおんがくを _______________ (きき--) 9. せんせいに _______________ (でんわをし--)
げ む
4. “War and Peace”を _______________ (よみ) 10. まい日ゲームを _______________ (し--)
5. Rolls Royce を _______________ (かい) 11. こうえんで _______________ (よっぱらい--)

6. トイレで _______________ (ゆっくり し--) 12. さかな の りょうりを _______________ (し--)

8. Write complete answers to the following questions. Each item contains several sub-questions. Try to answer all the sub-questions in
each item within a single sentence answer. Put all the information in each response in one compound sentence.

1. 日本に 行きたい です か。 どこに 行きたい ですか。どこに 行きたくない ですか。


2. 日本の たべものが 好きです か。 何をたべたい ですか。 何をたべたくない ですか。
と れ
3. 日本の おんせんに 行きたい ですか。 日本で おトイレに 行きたい です か。
4. 日本の こうえんに 行きたいですか。日本の こうえんで 何を 見たい ですか。何をしたいですか。
5. 日本の スーパーに 行きたい ですか。 日本で 何を かいたい ですか。

266
9. Refer to #8 above. はなして下さい。Work with a partner, and ask each other the questions. Answer without using your notes.

16.5 Make suggestions using ~~ましょう

In English, the phrase “Let’s ____” is used to make suggestions, such as: “Let’s eat sushi!” or “Let’s see a movie.”
It is easy to make similar suggestions in Japanese by changing the ~ます ending of verbs to ~ましょう, as in: おすしをたべましょう!
or えいがを見ましょう! Note that while formal Japanese does not use exclamation marks, Western influence has helped them flow into
informal Japanese. In formal writing, use the ~ましょう forms with no exclamation marks.
Examples: 日本のおんせんが大好きです。行きたいです。日本のおんせんに行きましょう。
さかなが あまりすきじゃないです。おすしやさんに行きたくないです。はんばーがあやさんに 行きましょう。

16.5 Practice!

1. Add the name of a place and rewrite each of the following using suggestion verbs.
ゆっくりします さんぽをします 日本ごではなします DVDをかいます うんどうをします

2. With a partner, discuss and evaluate each scenario and suggestion below. Is it a good one? Why or why not?
(Use じゃあ= “well . . .”)
1. スーパーはたかいです よ。 Suggestion: じゃあ、百円しょっぷに行きましょう。
2. れすとらんが好きじゃないです。 Suggestion: じゃあ、おりょうりをしましょう。
3. きのう、よっぱらいました よ。 Suggestion: じゃあ、今日、ゆっくりしましょう。
じ ょ に で っ ぷ
4. ジョニー・デップが大好きです。 Suggestion: じゃあ、でんわをしましょう。
5. ゆっくりしたいです。 Suggestion: じゃあ、こーひーをのみましょう。

267
3. Respond to each statement below by writing a suggestion. Later, compare your suggestions to those of a partner.
Example: 日本ごが好きです。 日本ごをはなしましょう。

1. さんぽに行きたいです。 4. らーめんを たべたいです、ね。


2. いちごをかいたいです。 5. こうえんは ちかくに あります よ。
ぽ て と
3. こーひーをのみたいです。 6. スーパーでさかなもポテトもとうふも かいました よ。

268
Unit 16 Review Quiz

Re-read and re-practice pieces of Units 1 through 16 that need more work. Pay special attention to Units 14, 15, and 16. Re-read your
notes, and then do the quiz below to see how well you have mastered the competencies of this unit. If you have trouble, be sure to go
back and perfect the areas where you are weak.

1. Translate the following to English.


1. バーガンディ 4. スパゲッティ 7. スティック 10. ディッパー 13. 三百三十三円
2. ダウンタウン 5. パスタ 8. ドンキー 11. アタッチ 14. 私は時々本を見ます。
3. ダイパー 6. パーティ 9. ティック・タック 12. ティーズ 15. 私は日本が大好きです。

2. 大きいこえでよんで下さい。Read the katakana phrases in #1 above aloud.

3. Write the following in katakana: 1. heart, 2. good, 3. seat, 4. wetsuit, 5. hotdog

4. Read the following list of places that can be found nearby or events that will happen soon. After each, write a complete and detailed
sentence suggesting what you and a friend could do in each context. (Use vocabulary from this unit.)
ふ ぇ ひ
Example: カフェは ちかくに あります。 小さいコーヒーをのみましょう。

1. おんせんは ちかくに あります。 3. こうえんは ちかくに あります。


ん び に と い れ
2. スーパーも コンビニも ちかくに あります。 4. 日本のトイレは ちかくに ありません!

269
いまだ
5. The sentences below describe the activities and preferences of 今田さん. Read through the sentences several times. Then, make a
いまだ いまだ
spoken comparison between 今田さん and yourself for each sentence. For example, you read: 今田さんは まい日 library で べんきょ
いまだ
うをします。You could say: まい日、今田さんは library で べんきょうをします が、私は あまりべんきょうをしません。
いまだ
1. 今田さんは 日本が 大好きです。よく 日本に でんわをします。 たかい です が、いつも でんわで 日本ごを はなします。
いまだ と い れ
2. 今田さんは いつも おトイレで ゆっくりします。おトイレで あまり はなしません。
いまだ ん び に る び る
3. 今田さんは きのう コンビニで ビールを かいました。それから、こうえんで ビールを のみながら ゆっくりしました。

6. よんで下さい。Read the dialogue below and fill in the blanks in the questions that follow.

Dialogue:
いまだ と い れ
今田さん: すみません。しつれいですが、おトイレは ちかくに ありますか。
うえだ
上田さん: はい、あります よ。あそこです。 見て下さい。あそこに あります。
いまだ
今田さん: はい、わかりました。ありがとう ございます。 ええと…でんわは ちかくに ありますか。
うえだ
上田さん: そう です ね。ちょっと とおいです よ。
いまだ
今田さん: あ そう ですか。私は さんぽが 好き です が、こうえんは ちかくに ありますか。
うえだ
上田さん: こうえん ですか。こうえんは ちかくに あります よ。 あそこに あります。
いまだ ん び に
今田さん: はい、わかりました。すみません が、いつも、コンビニで お水を かいます。コンビニは ちかくに あります か。
うえだ ん び に
上田さん: コンビニは ありませんよ。でも、小さい スーパーは ちかくに あります。あそこに あります ね。
いまだ
今田さん: はい、わかりました。どうも ありがとう ございます!

270
Questions:
1. _______________ も _______________ も _______________も ちかくに あります。
2. _______________ も _______________ も ちかくに ありません。
いまだ
3. 今田さんは こうえんで _______________を します。
4. それから、_______________を コンビニで かいます。
5. The tone of the conversation is ____________________.
うえだ
6. In this conversation, 上田さん is trying to ___________________________________.

いまだ
7. Preview the list of activities below. 今田さん did some of the activities in the list but not others. Listen to a description of the activities
いまだ
that 今田さん did do. きいて下さい。Pay special attention to the order in which she did the activities. Write 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. in the blanks
before each activity in the list to indicate the sequence of her activities as you hear it described. Then, in the second blank after each
いまだ いまだ
activity, write the place where 今田さん did the activities. Some of the places may be repeated! There are 3 activities in the list that 今田
さん did NOT do. Mark those activities with a big X. The first activity in the sequence is marked for you as an example.

A) #____ ____________で 日本ごの本を かいました。 F) #____ ____________で さんぽを しました。


さ ら だ
B) #_1___ _本やさん ___で 日本ごの本を 見ました。 G) #____ ____________で サラダを かいました。
と い れ
C) #____ ____________で おんせんに 行きました。 H) #____ ____________で おトイレに 行きました。
D) #____ ____________で たかいりんごを たべました。 I) #____ ____________で お水を のみました。
E) #____ ____________で えいごの本を よみました。 J) #____ ____________で 日本のともだちに でんわを しました。

8. Translate the following sentence into Japanese. Be careful to preserve each piece of meaning, but avoid doing a “word-for-word”
translation. Include 2 kanji in your sentence. Sentence  “I’d like to study while watching a good movie.”

9. Write a list of 2 things you’d like to do today and 3 things you don’t want to do. Make your sentences as complex and as full of detail
as possible. (You don’t have to tell the truth; as long as you “lie” in good Japanese, that is fine!)

271
Units 1 – 16 Review of Competencies
The following are the competencies you should now have. Make sure you know very well how to do all of the following before you go on
to the next units! Be prepared to show ability in all 4 language skills: speaking, writing, reading, and comprehending spoken language.
Use the table of contents at the beginning of the book for a quick review of vocabulary and content covered in these first 16 units.

Units 1 – 8

 Recite the entire syllabary with correct pronunciation in dictionary order


 Write the entire hiragana syllabary in dictionary order (using correct stroke order)
 Read all hiragana fluently
 Explain the 4 writing systems used in Japanese
 Use appropriate body language/gestures while speaking
 Explain the culture of repeating
 Read and write 8 kanji using correct stroke order and use the kanji in context
 Contrast discourse particles and grammatical particles; use 2 discourse particles in context and use 3 grammatical particles in context
 Understand and use appropriate vocabulary and grammatical structures to do the following (both orally and in writing):
* greeting people at different times of the day * use filler words in conversation
* introduce yourself and someone else * answer yes/no questions
* use titles of address * tell about people’s occupations
* understand and use classroom requests * respond/interact politely in conversation
* count from 0 to 10 * correct misinformation
* politely approach someone with a question * ask about and describe the frequency of eating and drinking
* say good-bye in 2 different ways certain things
* ask about and tell phone numbers * talk about eating and drinking in the present and past
* ask and tell people’s names * talk about what people normally do not eat and drink
* ask and tell the location of a bathroom * contrast what someone consumes/doesn’t consume
* express understanding and thanks * ask what someone ate and drank yesterday

272
Units 9 – 16

 Pronounce and write glides in hiragana


 Pronounce and write geminate consonants, including geminate nasals
 Pronounce and write double-length vowels in both hiragana and katakana
 Recognize furigana and okurigana
 Understand and explain when to use hiragana and katakana
 Read and write katakana vowels and consonant series KA-, GA-, SA-, ZA-, TA-, DA-
 Understand, read, and write katakana tricks for representing foreign loanword syllable-final or consonant cluster phonemes /k, g, s, z,
t, d/, “th” sounds, syllable-final /r/, and syllables consisting of /si, zi/
 Read and write 14 new kanji using correct stroke order, understand their multiple pronunciations, and use the kanji in context
 Understand and use politeness prefix and honorific prefix お
 Use 3 new grammatical particles in context
 Understand and use appropriate vocabulary and grammatical structures to do the following (both orally and in writing):
* discuss and compare eating activities of yesterday and today
* discuss eating and drinking activities of yesterday
* count from 11 to 999
* use honorific prefix お as a substitute for possessives
* distinguish between, ask, and answer two types of questions (yes/no and information)
* contrast activities in the present with those in the past
* discuss preferences in eating, drinking, and sports
* make suggestions
* discuss frequency and sequence of activities
* describe simultaneous activities; talk about multi-tasking
* ask about and estimate prices in Japanese currency
* discuss places around town
* describe actions done and not done
* describe where activities occur/occurred

273
VOCABULARY LISTED BY UNIT (IN RŌMAJI)

Konnichi wa (1) Ookii koe de yonde kudasai (2)


Hajimemashite (1) Yonde (2)
Desu (1) Ichi do (2)
Douzo yoroshiku (1) Do (2)
Kochira wa XX san desu (1) Mou ichi do itte kudasai (2)
Yukkuri itte kudasai (2)
Tenten (2) Chotto wakarimasen (2)
Ka (2) XX wa nihongo/eigo de nan to iimasu ka (2)
Kudasai (2) Nihongo (2)
Nan (2) Eigo (2)
Sensei (2) Iimasu (2)
Shitsurei desu ga (2) O-namae (2)
Ga (after “excuse me”) (2) Wa (2)
O-namae wa nan desu ka (2) Namae (2)
Ohayou gozaimasu (2)
Shitsurei shimasu (for good-bye) (2) Konban wa (3)
Sayonara (2) Numbers 0 – 10 (3)
XX peeji o mite kudasai (2) Sumimasen (3)
Peeji (2) Denwa bangou wa nan desu ka (3)
Mite (2) Watashi (3)
Kiite kudasai (2) Eeto (3)
Wakarimashita ka (2) Denwa (3)
Ookii koe de itte kudasai (2) Bangou (3)
Itte (2) Ichi (3)

274
Ni (3) Chigaimasu (5)
San (3) Sou desu (5)
Shi/Yon (3)
Go (3) Maru (6)
Roku (3) Anou, sumimasen (6)
Shichi/Nana (3) Aa, sou desu ka (6)
Hachi (3) Ii desu ne (6)
Kyuu/Ku (3) Chigaimasu yo (6)
Jyuu (3) Wa (explained) (6)
Yo (6)
Doko (4) Ne (6)
Sumimasen (4) Gakusei (6)
Shitsurei desu ga (4) Sensei (6)
O-tearai wa doko desu ka (4) Kaishain (6)
Asoko desu (4) Konpyuutaa otaku (6)
O (politeness prefix) (4) Eiga sutaa (6)

Hai, wakarimashita (5) Itsumo (7)


Arigatou gozaimasu (Arigatou) (5) Yoku (7)
XX san desu ka (5) Amari (7)
Denwa bangou wa XX desu ka (5) Ii desu ne (7)
Hai, sou desu (5) Ii (7)
Iie, chigaimasu (5) Wo (O) (7)
Wa (introduced) (5) Mo (7)
Iie (5) Nani (7)
Hai (5) Tabemasu/tabemasen (7)
Wakarimashita (5) Nomimasu/nomimasen (7)

275
-masu (7) To (conjunction) (8)
-masen (7) Raamen (8)
Hanbaagaa (7) Ichigo (8)
Osushi (7) Meron (8)
Sushi (7) Sakana (8)
Ringo (7) Gohan (8)
Sarada (7) Aisu koohii (8)
Keeki (7) Ocha (8)
Karendaa (7) Biiru (8)
Rajio (7) Go-jyuu-on-zu (8)
Omizu (7)
Koohii (7) Numbers 11-299 (9)
Tekiira (7) Mainichi (9)
Koora (7) Tomodachi/Otomodachi (9)
Sake (7) O (honorific prefix) (9)
Koucha (7)
Gasorin (7) Ni (destination) (10)
Watashi (7) Shimasu/shimashita (10)
Boku (7) Yomimasu/yomimashita (10)
Jyaa (appears) (7) Kikimasu/kikimashita (10)
Mimasu/mismashita (10)
Kyou (8) Ikimasu/ikimashita (10)
Kinou (8) Tenisu (10)
Demo (8) Geemu (10)
Tabemashita (8) Hon (10)
Nomimashita (8) Ongaku (10)
-mashita (8) Eiga (10)

276
Terebi (10) Sore kara (12)
Jimu (gym) (10) Soshite (12)
Resutoran (10) Ryouri o shimasu (12)
Furigana (10) Undou o shimasu (12)
Benkyou o shimasu (12)
Ookii (11) Yopparaimasu (12)
Chiisai (11) Shimasu (12)
Ga (with “suki”) (11) Jyaa (appears) (12)
Suki desu (11)
Dai suki desu (11) Bou (13)
Suki jya nai desu (11) Numbers 300 to 599 (13)
Jya nai desu (11) San-byaku (13)
De wa nai desu (mentioned) (11) En (13)
De wa arimasen (mentioned) (11) Osushiyasan (13)
Jya arimasen (mentioned) (11) Sushiyasan (13)
Amari (11) Honyasan (13)
Zenzen (11) Suupaa (13)
Donna (11) Hyakuenshoppu (13)
Tabemono (11) Konbini (13)
Nomimono (11) Kafe (13)
Supootsu (11) O-ikura (13)
morae (11) Ikura (13)
Mono (11) Takai (13)
stem (11) Yasui (13)

Tokidoki (12) -nagara (14)


Ga (conjunction) (12) Arimasu (14)

277
Ni (locations) (14) -tai desu (16)
Chikai (14) -takunai desu (16)
Tooi (14) -mashou (16)
Chotto (14) Kaimasu (~ o) (16)
Numbers 600 to 999 (14) Hanashimasu (~ o) (16)
Denwa o shimasu (16)
Chikaku (15) Sanpo o shimasu (16)
Tooku (15) Yukkuri shimasu (16)
Jyaa (appears) (15) Toire (16)
De (15) Kouen (16)
No (appears) (15) Onsen (16)

278
VOCABULARY LISTED BY UNIT (IN JAPANESE)

こんにち は (1) いって (2)


はじめまして (1) おおきいこえでよんで ください(2)
です (1) よんで (2)
どうぞ よろしく (1) いち ど (2)
こちら は xx さん です (1) ど (2)
もう いち ど いって ください (2)
てんてん (2) ゆっくり いって ください (2)
か (2) ちょっと わかりません (2)
ください (2) xx は にほんご/えいご で なん
なん (2) と いいます か (2)
せんせい (2) にほんご (2)
しつれい です が (2) えいご (2)
が (2) いいます (2)
おなまえ は なん です か (2) おなまえ (2)
おはよう ございます (2) は (2)
しつれい します (2) なまえ (2)
さよなら (2)
x ぺえじ を みて ください (2) こんばん は (3)
ぺえじ (2) すみません (3)
みて (2) でんわばんごうはなんです か (3)
きいて ください (2) わたし (3)
わかりました か (2) ええと (3)
おおきいこえでいってください(2) でんわ (3)

279
ばんごう (3) は (5)
いち (3) いいえ (5)
に (3) はい (5)
さん (3) わかりました (5)
し/よん (3) ちがいます (5)
ご (3) そう です (5)
ろく (3)
しち/なな (3) まる (6)
はち (3) あのう, すみません (6)
きゅう/く (3) ああ, そう です か (6)
じゅう (3) いい です ね (6)
ちがいます よ (6)
どこ (4) は (6)
すみません (4) よ (6)
しつれい です が (4) ね (6)
おてあらい は どこ です か (4) がくせい (6)
あそこ です (4) せんせい (6)
お (4) かいしゃいん (6)
こんぴゅうたあ おたく (6)
はい, わかりました (5) えいが すたあ (6)
ありがとう ございます (5)
xx さん です か (5) いつも (7)
でんわ ばんごう は xx です か (5) よく (7)
はい, そう です (5) あまり (7)
いいえ, ちがいます (5) いい です ね (7)

280
いい (7) じゃあ (7)
を (お) (7)
も (7) きょう (8)
なに (7) きのう (8)
たべます/たべません (7) でも (8)
のみます/のみません (7) たべました (8)
-ます (7) のみました (8)
-ません (7) -ました (8)
はんばあがあ (7) と (8)
おすし (7) らあめん (8)
すし (7) いちご (8)
りんご (7) めろん (8)
さらだ (7) さかな (8)
けえき (7) ごはん (8)
かれんだあ (7) あいす こおひい (8)
らじお (7) おちゃ (8)
おみず (7) びいる (8)
こおひい (7) ごじゅうおんず (8)
てきいら (7)
こおら (7) まいにち (9)
さけ (7) ともだち/おともだち (9)
こうちゃ (7) お (9)
がそりん (7)
わたし (7) に (10)
ぼく (7) します/しました (10)

281
よみます/よみました (10) ぜんぜん (11)
ききます/ききました (10) どんな (11)
みます/みました (10) たべもの (11)
いきます/いきました (10) のみもの (11)
てにす (10) すぽおつ (11)
げえむ (10) もらえ (11)
ほん (10) もの (11)
おんがく (10)
えいが (10) ときどき (12)
てれび (10) が (12)
じむ (gym) (10) それ から (12)
れすとらん (10) そして (12)
ふりがな (10) りょうり を します (12)
うんどう を します (12)
おおきい (11) べんきょう を します (12)
ちいさい (11) よっぱらいます (12)
が (11) します (12)
すき です (11) じゃあ (12)
だい すき です (11)
すき じゃない です (11) ぼう (13)
じゃ ない です (11) さんびゃく (13)
で は ない です (11) えん (13)
で は ありません (11) おすしやさん (13)
じゃ ありません (11) すしやさん (13)
あまり (11) ほんやさん (13)

282
すうぱあ (13)
ひゃくえんしょっぷ (13) ちかく (15)
こんびに (13) とおく (15)
かふぇ (13) じゃあ (15)
おいくら (13) で (15)
いくら (13) の (15)
たかい (13)
やすい (13) -たい です (16)
-たくない です (16)
-ながら (14) -ましょう (16)
あります (14) かいます (~ を) (16)
に (14) はなします (~ を) (16)
ちかい (14) でんわ を します (16)
とおい (14) さんぽ を します (16)
ちょっと (14) ゆっくり します (16)
ろっぴゃく (14) といれ (16)
ななひゃく (14) こうえん (16)
はっぴゃく (14) おんせん (16)
きゅうひゃく (14)

283

You might also like