Objectives: At the end of this chapter, the students should be able to:

1. Explain the differences among Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji.

2. Appreciate Japanese culture and the advantages of learning its language.

OVERVIEW OF THE JAPANESE

LANGUAGE

▪ Japan is called Nihon and the language is

called NIHONGO. Sometimes the words
Nippon and Nippongo are also used but both
words are now thought of as more nationalist.
▪ -go means language

Japanese

▪ It is an East Asian language spoken by about 128 million people, primarily in

Japan, where it is the national language. It is a member of the JAPONIC (or
Japanese-Ryukyuan) language family, and its relation to other languages, such
as Korean.

▪ The significant Japanese-speaking

emigrant populations live in the US
and Brazil and other countries.

▪ It is the 9th most commonly spoken

language in the world.

▪ It was heavily influenced by Chinese

through 1500 years of cultural and
language contact. Linguistic influences are evident in vocabulary and
grammatical similarities as well as in the Japanese system of writing, which
consists of a mixture of kanji and kana characters borrowed from the Chinese.

Early Forms:
1. Old Japanese
2. Early Middle Japanese
3. Late Middle Japanese
4. Early Modern Japanese

Page | 1
`
Writing System:
1. Kanji (Chinese Characters
2. Kana (Hiragana, Katakana)
3. Japanese Braille

• 1945 Chinese kanji characters – collectively called “Joyo Kanji”—were

considered basic for daily use in Japanese. These kanji ideographs
designate the content words in Japanese: nouns, verbs, and adjectives.

Meanings were further modified through the additional use of kana. The
50 syllabic characters are the grammatical functional words, such as
conjunctions, particles, inflectional endings.

Kana can be either hiragana or katakana characters, the former of which

is most widely used. Traditionally, these characters were written vertically,
from right to left, but today texts are often written horizontally from left to
right to accommodate the inclusion of English and other foreign words.
Romaji, a phonetic system that uses the Roman alphabet, is used as well
at times (please refer below).

Kanji – are the adopted logographich Chinese characters that are used in the
Japanese writing system. They are used alongside the Japanese syllabic
scripts Hiragana and Katakana. The Japanese term kanji for the
Chinese characters literally means “Han characters”. It is written with the
same characters as in Traditional Chinese to refer to the character
writing system, hanzi.

Page | 2
Hiragana – is a Japanese syllabary (set of written symbols that represent the
syllables), one component of the Japanese writing system, along
with katakana, kanji and in some cases romaji (Latin script).

- It is phonetic lettering
system. The word
hiragana literally means
“ordinary” or “simple”
kana (“simple” originally
as contrasted with kanji).

JAPANESE FOREIGN
LANGUAGES:

THE LOANED WORDS

• Gairaigo – Japanese words originating or based on foreign-language,

generally Western) terms

• Wasei-eigo – Japanese pseudo-Anglicisms

Derivatives of LOANWORDS:

1. Portuguese - due to Portugal’s early role in Japanese-Western interaction

2. Dutch – due to the Netherlands’ relationship with Japan amidst the policy of
sakoku during the Edo period
3. French and German – due to France and Germany’s cultural and scientific
prominence during the Japan’s modernization in the Meiji period.
4. English – due to the large number of western concepts imported into
Japanese culture during modern times

• There are thousands of these English borrowings. These English words

are informally referred to as having been “NIPPONIZED”. A few of
them, such as “salaryman”, have nevertheless been borrowed into
English together with their Japanese meanings.
Page | 3
5. Chinese – words were borrowed at various points throughout history

Many loanwords are in fact pseudo-

borrowings: despite their links to foreign language
words, the word forms as used in modern Japanese
are NOT used in the same way in their languages of
origin. In fact, many such terms, despite their
similarity to the original foreign words, are not easily
understood by speakers of those languages.

Example:

left over - as a baseball term for a hit that goes

over the left-fielder’s head, rather than
uneaten food saved for a later meal as in
English

Activity 1: It’s time to think about your first language or mother

tongue. What are other languages that influenced your first
language (like that of Japanese)? On the first column (A), write the
factor or language that has an influence on the language you use. For
the second column (B), write the reason (cause) that led to the
influence. Write your answer on a separate sheet (intermediate pad
paper or short bond paper. Take a picture of your output them submit
online.

A B
1. _____________________ __________________________

2. _____________________ __________________________

3. _____________________ ___________________________

Page | 4
 Activity 2: Describe or give at least three (3) CHARACTERISTICS
of the language that people of your age use today. You may focus on
the changes or descriptions of the language used before and today
either in speaking or writing. On the second column, write the
REASON that caused the change. An example is given to you.

Example:
A B

1. The writing is mixed social media and technology

with acronyms used influences

2. ________________ _______________________

3. ________________ _______________________

❖ ADVANTAGES OF LEARNING JAPANESE LANGUAGE

As the world’s economies become increasingly global, it makes perfect sense

to use language as a tool for branching out and increasing your business or career
options and/or decisions.

1. It raises status in the workplace

Knowledge of Japanese for business

will increase the value as a global employer
and market player. Whether it is business
Japanese or simple conversation with basic
greetings, the potential clients or business
partners from Japan will greatly appreciate
the efforts.

It is best to study exactly what is or is not allowed. Learning the basics helps
one started appreciate a foreign culture even more.

2. It makes one more approachable

Page | 5
 Japanese for business should not only be the only goal. A little known fact, is
that the Japanese do not speak much English. Secondly, a large majority of the
population is reluctant to speak or use the English they do know. Even if you speak
just a little of Japanese, a simple “ohayho!” will make a noticeable difference. It will
prompt Japanese people to be friendlier and more welcoming.

3. It makes one appreciate Japanese culture and entertainment

Learning Japanese can help one to understand the origins of ingredients, styles
of cooking, and even converse with chefs (however basic the conversation may be).
Knowing more about entertainment and what is trending in Japan could open up
opportunities for conversation with your Japanese clients or business partners, and
this can be important in relationship-focused business cultures like Japan.

Moreover, one can learn the history of the country and the differences in dialect
between one region and another.

4. It is a self-imposed challenge

In the workplace, many managers and supervisors give raises and

promotions based on the work you produce. Many admire a person that challenges
themselves with personal growth.

5. It opens up more doors and job opportunities

The Japanese have their own way of life, different laws and a unique way of
doing things. This makes certain integration more difficult for some foreigners.

However, the Japanese market is enticing to potential investors and

organizations looking to extend their reach. The country is known to be very poised,
educated, and tech-savvy, coming out with innovative technologies every year. This
is a great reason to localize from a corporate perspective, and it is a great reason to
learn Japanese from a more personal perspective.

The way business is done in Japan is quite different from the west. Business
negotiations go down when the sun does. Having to go out after work for lengthy
periods, and appealing to the client’s pleasures and preferences, work best. If you are
not able to speak a lick of Japanese, it could make this tough to do.

Source:
https://multilingual.com/five-benefits-of-learning-japanese/

Activity 3: Discuss any (1) Japanese movie/film, cartoon character, Page | 6

and product according to:
a) origin or stories regarding its creation;
b) characteristics (culture/beliefs); and
 origin

impact: people
apply good attitude

Activity 4: Research about the common Japanese attitude or culture

on business or communication at work places. You may also ask
people who work or worked in Japan. Write your answer on the space
provide or on a separate sheet.

1. ________________________________________
2. ________________________________________
3. ________________________________________
4. ________________________________________
5. ________________________________________
6. ________________________________________
7. ________________________________________
8. ________________________________________
9. ________________________________________
10. _______________________________________

JAPANESE CULTURE

To fully appreciate and understand a language, the culture of the people who speakPage
it. | 7
Language is a huge part of culture.
Japan has a fascinating and multifaceted culture; on the one hand it is steeped in the deepest of traditions
dating back thousands of years; on the other, it is a society in a continual state of rapid flux, with
continually shifting fads and fashions and technological development that constantly pushes back the
boundaries of the possible.

People

▪ Japan is famous for its supposed homogeny, but Japan's population is

much more diverse.
▪ Japanese people appear at first glance to be one of the most socially and
ethnically homogenous groups in the world.
▪ It is reasonable to equate Japan's rapid post-war economic development to the
1990s with social solidarity and conformism. Despite labor shortages since the
1960s, authorities resisted officially sanctioning foreign workers until the 1980s,
relying on increased mechanization and an expanded female workforce instead
(1).
▪ Until recently, Japanese workers have associated themselves primarily with the
company they work for - a businessman will introduce himself as "Nissan no
Takahashi-san" (I am Nissan's Mr Takahashi). By extension, we might get the
idea that a Japanese person subordinates the self to the objectives of society.
▪ In 2008, however, long-serving Japanese politician Nariaki Nakayama resigned
after declaring that Japan is "ethnically homogenous", showing that the old "one
people, one race" idea has become politically incorrect.
▪ Criticism of Mr Nakayama's statement focused on its disregard for the
indigenous Ryukyukan people of southern Okinawa, and the Ainu people from
the northern island of Hokkaido - colonized by the Japanese in the late
nineteenth century.

Page | 8
Religion

Multiple religions coexist in a country

where people are born Shinto, get married
Christian and die Buddhist.

Shinto, Buddhism and the Japanese

a. Religion in Japan is a wonderful mish-mash of ideas from Shintoism and

Buddhism. Unlike in the West, religion in Japan is rarely preached, nor is it a doctrine.
Instead it is a moral code, a way of living, almost indistinguishable from Japanese
social and cultural values.

b. Japanese religion is also a private, family affair. It is separate from the state; there
are no religious prayers or symbols in a school graduation ceremony, for example.
Religion is rarely discussed in every day life and the majority of Japanese do not
worship regularly or claim to be religious.

c. Religion and the Emperor Until World War Two, Japanese religion focused around
the figure of the Emperor as a living God.

d. Shintoism versus Buddhism

Shintoism is Japan's indigenous spirituality. It is believed that every living thing in
nature (e.g. trees, rocks, flowers, animals - even sounds) contains kami, or gods.

e. Shrines versus temples

As a general rule of thumb, shrines are Shinto and temples are Buddhist. Shrines can
be identified by the huge entrance gate or torii, often painted vermillion red. However
you'll often find both shrines and temple buildings in the same complex so it is
sometimes difficult to identify and separate the two.

f. Lucky charms
Luck, fate and superstition are important to the Japanese. Many people buy small
charms at temples or shrines, which are then attached to handbags, key chains,
mobile phones or hung in cars to bring good luck. Different charms grant different luck,
such as exam success or fertility.

g. Prayers are often written on votive tablets: wooden boards called ema that are
hung in their hundreds around temple grounds. At famous temples such as Kyoto's
Kiyomizu-dera, you'll see votive tablets written in a variety of languages.

Page | 9
h. A final way to learn your destiny is to take a fortune slip. Sometimes available in
English, a fortune slip rates your future in different areas: success, money, love,
marriage, travel and more. If your fortune is poor, tie your slip to a tree branch in the
temple grounds; leaving the slip at the temple should improve your luck.

i. Religious ceremonies
The most important times of year in the Japanese calendar are New Year, celebrated
from the 1st to the 3rd of January, and O-Bon, usually held around the 16th of August.
At New Year the Japanese make trips to ancestral graves to pray for late relatives.
The first shrine visit of the New Year is also important to secure luck for the year
ahead.

j. At O-Bon - it is believed that the spirits of the ancestors come down to earth to visit
the living. Unlike Halloween, these spooky spirits are welcomed and the Japanese
make visits to family graves.

k. Births are celebrated by family visits to shrines. The passing of childhood is

commemorated at three key ages: three, five and seven, and small children are
dressed in expensive kimono and taken to certain shrines such as Tokyo's Meiji
Shrine. Coming of age is officially celebrated at 20. In early January, mass coming of
age ceremonies (like graduations) are held in town halls followed by shrine visits by
young people proudly dressed in bright kimono.

l. In Japan today, marriage ceremonies are a great clash of East meets West. A
Japanese wedding may have several parts, including a Shinto ceremony in traditional
dress at a shrine as well as a Western-style wedding reception in a hotel or restaurant.
In the second part it is now popular for a bride to wear a wedding gown for a howaito
wedingu (white wedding).

m. Funerals are overseen by Buddhist priests. 99% of Japanese are cremated and
their ashes buried under a gravestone. To better understand Japanese funerals,
InsideJapan Tours highly recommend the Oscar-winning film Okuribito, or Departures,
about a concert cellist who goes back to his roots in Yamagata and retrains as an
undertaker.
n. Japanese matsuri are festivals connected to shrines. In a tradition stretching back
centuries matsuri parades and rituals relate to the cultivation of rice and the spiritual
wellbeing of the local community.

3. Social Conventions
Page | 10
 Manners, customs and the Japanese way
Manners and customs are an important part of many facets of Japanese life.
Japanese people grow up picking up the subtleties of this unique culture as they go
through life, respecting the
invisible and varied societal
rules. There are many aspects of
this seemingly complicated culture
that as a foreign visitor you will not
be expected to know, but there are
some things that will be easier to
grasp than others.

BOWING
One of the most obvious social conventions is the bow. Everyone bows when
they say hello, goodbye, thank you or sorry. Bowing is a term of respect, remorse,
gratitude and greeting.
If you meet someone in Japan you may wish to give them a little bow, but you
do not necessarily need to bow to everyone who bows to you. Entering a shop or
restaurant for example, you will be greeted by shouts of irrashaimase (welcome) and
a bow from the staff as a sign of respect to you as the customer.
As the customer, you will not be expected to bow back as you could be facing
a long bow-off as the staff will feel it necessary to bow back to you. You may prefer
to adopt the casual head-nod version of the bow as a sign of acknowledgement when
thanked for your purchase at the end of your shopping experience. Many Japanese
people use the head-nod in more casual everyday situations.
There are several forms of bowing, such as the 45-degree saikeirei bow used
for moments for sincere apology or to show the highest of respect, or the 30-degree
keirei bow, which is also used to show respect to superiors. As a visitor to Japan you
will probably have no use for either of these.
The eshaku 15-degree bow is semi-formal and used for greetings when
meeting people for the first time. You may have more use for this bow during your time
in Japan, but you will not be expected to use it and Japanese these days are more
than familiar with shaking hands.

FOOT WEAR
This is something that confuses many visitors to Japan, but is so easy to
understand. It is customary in Japan to take off your shoes when entering a
traditional ryokan (guesthouse), a home, temple or the occasional restaurant for
example.
Traditionally, the Japanese took off their shoes when entering homes as people
would sleep, sit and eat on the tatami-mat floors and footwear worn outside would
spread dirt across their living area. Today people still take off their footwear, partly to
keep the inside of the building clean, but also as a sign of respect.
Page | 11
 As a visitor to Japan, you may not find yourself entering too many private
homes but you will probably find yourself in a
traditional ryokan or minshuku guesthouse or entering a temple building. In these
cases you will be expected to take off your shoes.
As you enter the building you will usually find yourself in the genkan (entrance
hall), which will most often be on a slightly different level to the rest of the floor. You
may see a sign asking you to take of shoes, you may see lots of shoes sitting neatly
or you may see an area or lockers to place your footwear. All of these are signs that
you should take off your shoes.
Most Japanese will glide effortlessly in and out of their footwear
from genkan to tatami floor in one swift move. As soon as you step out of your shoes,
step up straight onto the main floor and to be polite, you might like to turn around and
reposition your shoes neatly or put them in the appropriate place. Although you may
not have mastered taking off your shoes as well as the Japanese, it is a simple concept
that is considered very important in Japan.

Other Social Tips:

▪ Respect
The suffix "san" is often used when you refer to someone else and is a term
of respect. If referring to Mr/Mrs Suzuki, you would say, "Suzuki-san". However, you
would never refer to yourself as "-san" and would only use your name on its own.
▪ Eating
Before eating a meal, the Japanese put their hands together and use the term
"Itadakimasu" (I humbly receive). After the meal, it is polite to say "Gochiso sama
deshita" (thank you for the meal).
Japanese people will understand if visitors do not have proficient use of
chopsticks, but there are some rules you should try and follow:
Do not stick your chopsticks into your bowl of rice or pass food around with
them. As well as being slightly
uncouth, these actions have
relevance to the Japanese funeral
ceremony.
It is also advisable not to douse
your rice in soy sauce. The Japanese
are very proud of their rice and this
seemingly innocent action may
surprise and even offend some
ryokan/restaurant owners.
It is not common practice to walk and eat in public and is considered bad
manners. You may sit down in a public place and eat or stand at tachi-gui
restaurant/shops, but walking and eating is not polite.

Page | 12
 ▪ Tipping
There is no tipping in Japanese restaurants or other places that many
westerners will expect to tip. The Japanese will always give the best service they can
and do their jobs proudly. A waiter or chef would certainly not accept a tip for doing
their jobs and if you tried to leave one, they would awkwardly return your money, so
do not tip.

Source: https://www.insidejapantours.com/japanese-culture/

Page | 13
II. DIFFERENT FORMS OF ADDRESS

- san refers to Mr./ Mrs./ Ms.

- sensei refers to teacher/professor, doctor, attorney, and other
professional titles
- sama used to address diplomats, government officials and of
higher religious ranks
- kun used to call young boys (20 years old and below)
- chan used to call young girls (20 years old and below)
minasan refers to everybody
Minasama everybody (more formal way)

Discussion:

1. “San” (さん)

- It is the most commonly used suffix, neither gender- nor age-specific. In

English, “san” translates “Mr”, “Ms”, “Mrs” or “Miss”. And yes, this “san” is the
same “san” as “okaa-san” (mother), “otou-san” (father), “onee-san” (elder
sister), “onii-san” (elder brother), etc.

Examples:
san (a polite/neutral respectful title)
Sumisu-san (Mr. Smith)
Maikeru-san (Michael)
Tanaka-san (Ms. Tanaka)

▪ An interesting observation, these supposedly family references is language

also used for someone personally unknown to the speaker.

Example:
➢ A seller from a fruit stall could address a housewife customer
using “okaa-san”, and if she seems younger (perhaps not yet a
mother), she might be called “onee-san” instead

▪ “San” etiquette extends to non-humans, like places or companies.

2. "SENSEI"

▪ When learning a new Japanese word, it is always a good

idea to look at its kanji:

先 (せん) = previous
生 (せい) = born

Page | 14
 ▪ "A person born before you were." Many dictionaries suggest this is the original
meaning of “sensei” (先生), which makes sense when you look at the kanji.
Back in the day, living longer meant (and still implies) having more experience
and knowledge.

▪ These days 先生 doesn't necessarily mean someone older, but it still means
someone who's experienced, skilled, and knowledgeable. Traditionally, people
in Japan are taught to pay respect to elders, and it's important to know the word
先生 feels respectful.

▪ Generally speaking, there are two kinds of people who are called 先生:
teachers, and certain professionals. There are exceptions, of course—some
teachers or instructors aren't called 先生, even though they teach, and some
people who don't teach are called 先生. Let's figure out who's who.

3. “Sama”
▪ “Sama” is the polite form of “san”, which is also frequently heard everyday
language, especially throughout commercial settings. It is common etiquette
being addressed as “[last name]-sama” visiting a bank or a hospital, or
“okyaku-sama” (customer) among stores or restaurants.

4. Chan (ちゃん)
▪ Babies are called “aka-chan” regardless of gender. A cuter version of
“san”, usually used with children (boys and girls) as well as younger females
of closer relations, such as in school or among friends. However, “chan” is
also used for older, close relatives, like grandma (“obaa-chan”) and grandpa
(“ojii-chan”).

▪ You will also hear “chan” after animal words, like “neko-chan”
or “inu-chan”, somewhat like “kitty” or “doggy”.

5. Kun (くん)
▪ “Kun” is generally used for little boys, for juniors (at work), or
for close friends among grown-ups. It isn’t used for girls.

Page | 15
 Side Notes:

✓ The Actual Japanese Words for “YOU” are Anata and Kimi
“Anata” (貴方), is the most common “you” in Japanese.
Typically, wives or lovers use this with male partners. You may also
hear “anata” when people scream at each other, which happens
more often in dramas and movies or say, among colorful areas at
late hours.

✓ In contrast, “kimi” (君/きみ) can be spoken by husbands or

lovers to their female partners. An elderly person might
use the term with any younger person, while seniors
also use the word when conversing with company subordinates.

Practice Conversations:

A: Shitsurei desu ga, o-namae-wa? (Excuse me what is your name?)

B: Ii desu.
A: Rii-san desu ka.
B: Iie, Ii desu.

▪ “ka” indicates a question form.

▪ “desu” (silent [u]) indicates sentence form
▪ The exact word for ‘no’ in Japanese is “いいえ (iie)”, but the Japanese actually
use a wide range of expressions to avoid having to use a strong ‘no’.

NOTE: Please prepare a vocabulary notebook for you to write additional words not
included in the vocabulary lists in the next pages. Copy terms and their meaning you
wish to include on your list for easier access.

III. GREETINGS AND BASIC EXPRESSIONS

AISATSU TO SHIKI

NIHONGO EIGO (English)

1 Ohayō gozaimasu Good morning
Page | 16
2 Konnichiwa Good afternoon/ hello
3 Moshi moshi Hello (for telephone)
4 Kombanwa Good evening
5 Oyasumi nasai Goodnight
6 Domō arigatō gozaimasu (no ‘u’ Thank you very much
sound)
7 Dō itashimashite (no ‘ite’ sound) You’re welcome
8 Irasshaimase (no ‘e’ sound) Welcome
9 Ki o tsukete Take care
10 Daijobu It’s alright
11 Daijobu desu ka. Are you o.k.?
12 Itadakimasu Enjoy
13 Gochiso sama deshita Thank you for the wonderful meal
14 Tadaima I’m home
15 Okaerinasai Welcome home
16 Sayōnara Goodbye
17 Gomen nasai I’m sorry
18 Sumimasen Excuse me
19 Chotto matte kudasai Please wait
20 Omedetō gozaimasu Congratulations
21 Omedetō tanjōbi Happy birthday
22 Gambatte kudasai Good luck/ Do your best
23 Hai, gambarimasu I’ll do my best
24 Ogenki desu ka. How are you?
25 Hai, genki desu. Domō I’m fine. Thank you.
25 Onaka ga sukimashita I’m hungry
26 Nemui desu ka. Are you sleepy?
27 Hai, nemui desu. Yes, I’m sleepy.
28 Iie, nemui ja arimasen. No, I’m not busy.
29 Itai Ouch!
30 Shirimasen I don’t know
31 Kampai Cheers
32 Ēto Well!
33 Hai Yes
34 Iie No
35 Tabun Perhaps/Maybe
36 Mochiron Of course
37 Hajimemashite How do you do?
38 Dōzo Please (for permission)
39 Onegai shimasu Please (for request)
40 Hai, sō desu. Yes, it is.
41 Iie, chigaimasu. No, it’s not.
42 Atode later
43 Ima now
44 Nan desu ka. What?
45 Iie, keko desu. No, thank you.
46 Mata ashita See you tomorrow.
Page | 17
 47 Dewa mata See you.
48 Wasuremashita I forgot
49 Oboemasu I remember
50 Ohisashiburi desu. Long time no see.
51 Shibaraku deshita ne. It’s been a long time.
52 Mada desu. Not yet.
53 Abunai Look out/ Dangerous
54 Odaijini Get well soon
55 Moichido Again/One more time
56 Honto desu ka./Hantoni Really?
57 Kamaimasen It doesn’t matter
58 Sō da to omoimasu. I think so.
59 Sō da to omoimasen. I don’t think so.
60 Tabemashō Let’s eat
61 Nomimashō Let’s drink
62 Ikimashō Let’s go
63 Yomimashō Let’s read
64 Kakimashō Let’s write.
65 Owarimashita ka. Are you finished?
66 Hai, owarimashita Yes, I’m finished/we’re finished
67 Iie, mada desu. No, not yet.
68 Hai, gambarimasu. I’ll do my best (response)

Discussion:

▪ The most common ways to greet someone in Japan are:

1. Konnichiwa (Hi; Good afternoon.)

2. Ohayō gozaimasu – for superior instead of Ohayō

▪ DO NOT forget to BOW when you greet him (especially superior).

Page | 18
 Japanese Greetings Etiquette

Greetings are said to be very important part of Japanese

culture. If you are going to visit Japan for the first time of your life,
this is a thing you should care about seriously. In Japan, you have
got to follow certain etiquette just not only for being a modest person
to others but also for respecting its unique culture. Whenever you are
to meet with someone in Japan you have to bow and say konnichiwa
(Hello in Japanese)!

In Japan, people greet each other by bowing. A bow can

RANGE from a small nod of the head to a deep bend at the waist.
A deeper, longer bow indicates respect and conversely a small
nod with the head is casual and informal.

▪ In informal Japanese greetings nowadays:

- it is quite common to use short greetings, like “yā” and “yō”,
however, it is more common to say nothing between close friends.
They just start talking without greetings.

▪ The greeting that the Japanese people use in their own language when
meeting somebody for the first time is “hajimemashite.” This translates to
either, “Nice to meet you,” in the English language.
IV. INTRODUCING ONESELF AND INTRODUCING A PERSON

Practice Conversations:

1
1. A: Hajimemashite. Maiku Mira desu. (How do you do! I’m Michael Miller.)
2 Amerika kara kimashita. Dozo yoroshiku. (I am from America. I’m glad to meet
you)

B: Satō desu. Dozō yoroshiku.

Exercise: Practice the above sample conversation by replacing the words

numbered and underlined.
Page | 19
 a) 1 Hose Santosu
2 Burajiru

b) 1 Karina
2 Indoneshia

c) 1 Wan
2 Chūgoku

1
2. A: Minasan, kochira wa Maiku Mira-san desu.
B: Ohayō gozaimasu. 1 Maiku Mira desu.
2 IMC no shain desu. Dō yoroshiku onegai-shimasu.

a) 1 Hose Santosu
2 Burajiruea no shain

b) 1 Jon Watto
2 Sakura-daigaku no kyōshi

c) 1 Karu Shumitto
2 Pawa-denki no enjinia

Exercise: Practice the sample conversation on page 20, number 2 by replacing the
words numbered and underlined.

Note: Check the English translation of some words in the vocabulary list or via
internet.

Page | 20
 Discussion:

Introducing Yourself in Japanese

Lesson 1
N1 wa N2 desu
Particle wa indicates the topic marker of the sentence.
Watashi wa Candice Grale Belgica Keith Macli-ing desu.
N1 N2

desu = copula verb (am/is/are) expresses affirmation

• N1 wa N2 ja arimasen
Kuruza-san wa sensei ja arimasen
(Mr. Cruz is not a teacher.)

• S ka = is used to express the speaker’s doubt, question,

uncertainty, etc.

Santosu-san wa gakusei desu ka.

- Hai, gakusei desu.
Santosu-san wa nihonjin desu ka.
Iei, nihonjin ja arimasen.

Interrogatives:
dare/donate (who)
Ano hito wa dare desu ka.
Ano kata wa donate desu ka.

also

• N1 wa N2 desu

N1 mo N2 desu = indicates that N2 is the same as the previous

sentence.

Wan – san wa isha desu.

Han – san mo isha desu. particle
N1 N2

N1 (subject) wa N2 (company/school) no N3 (profession) desu.

Girubeto-san wa Nissan Motors UAE no enijinia (engineer) desu.
N1 N2 N3
(Mr. Gilbert is the engineer of Nissan Motors UAE. Page | 21
 It is very important to let others know who you are and what you are all
about. Here are some scenarios you can learn from to strike up a
conversation.

Aki: Hi! Nice to meet you, I’m Aki! I’m 36 years old, and I’ve lived in Japan
for 6 years.
➢ Konnichiwa! Hajimemashite Aki desu. Watashi wa san juu
roku sai de nihon ni wa roku nen sundeimasu

Tomo: Hi Aki, nice to meet you I’m Tomo. I’ve lived in Japan for a year, and 5 years
in Italy.
こんにちは、アキ。わたしは、トモです。日本には、1年間住み、イタリアには、5
年間住んでいました。
Konnichiwa Aki. Watashi wa Tomo desu. Nihon ni wa ichi nenkan sumi itariya ni wa
go nenkan sundeimashita

Aki: Italy, sounds exciting!

イタリアは、楽しそうですね！
Itariya wa tanoshisou desune

Activity 5: Give a short vlog introduction of yourself. The details may be

factual or scripted. Start it with greetings and forms of address in Nihongo
(30 Points). You may write your introduction below.

_____________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________ .

Page | 22
V. VOCABULARY
Please note that LESSONS are numbered. VOCABULARY part is also numbered.

Lesson 1
(Vocabulary): Countries/Professions/Nationalities

Kuni (Country) Hito (People) Kotoba (Language)

Amerika Amerikajin Eigo
Igirisu - England Igirisujin Eigo
Itaria - Italy ItariaItariajin Itariago
Iran Iranjin Perusiago
Indo - India Indojin Hindigo
Indonesia Indonesiajin Indonesiago
Egiputo - Egypt Egiputojin Arabiago
Ōsutoraria - Austria Ōsutorariajin Eigo
Kanada - Canada Kanadajin Eigo/Furansugo
Kankoku - Korea Kankokuji Kankokugo
Singapōru - Singapore Singapōrujin Eiho/Chūgokugo
Supein - Spain Supeinjin Supeingo
Tai - Thailand Taijin Taigo
Chūgoku - China Chūgokujin Chūgokugo
Doitsu - Germany Doitsujin Doitsugo
Nihon - Japan Nihonjin Nihongo
Furansu - France Furansujin Furansugo
Firipin - Philippines Firipinjin Firipingo
Burajiro - Brazil Burazirujin Porutogatugo
Betonamu - Vietnam Betonamujin Betonamugo
Mareeshia - Malaysia Mareeshiajin Mareeshiago
Mekishiko - Mexico Mekishikojin Mekishikogo
Roshia - Russia Roshiajin Roshiago

Link for tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2jDrGU2d-4

Please visit the link for correct pronunciation.

Shigoto (Profession)

Sensei = teacher (not used when referring to one’s own job)

Page | 23
Kyōshi = teacher
Gakusei = student
Kaishain = employee
Isha = medical doctor
Kenkyūsha = researcher
Enjinia = engineer
Kangofu = nurse
Ginkōin = bank employee
Shūchūwadesu = flight stewardess
Kyabin attendant cabin attendant
Utenshū = driver
Daigakusei = university student
Kōkku = chef/cook
Haisha = dentist
Bengoshi = lawyer
Ongakuka = musician
Kangafu = nurse
Tenin = store employee

Analysis:

Based from the table on Lesson 1, Vocabulary:

How do you think the English words for countries were developed in
Nihongo? What about the terms referring to people and language?

Activity 6: This will not be recorded but it is a requirement to be submitted

for your reference in your October exam.

Write your generalization or analysis below:

;

for Kuni:

Page | 24