To Ask Someone S Name in Japanese You Simply Say
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About me 私について 1 About me 私について 2
Onamae wa(nan desu ka)? What is your name. To ask someone’s name in Japanese you simply say
Onamae wa?
The answer will be: ______name______desu.
COUNTING IN NIHONGO (JAPANESE)
Learning how to count to 99 in Japanese is a relatively simple task once you have learned how to co unt to ten. Here are the numbers from 1-10 with their kanji.
NUMBER JAPANESE KANJI 1 ichi 一 2 ni 二 3 san 三 4 shi (yon) 四 5 go 五 6 roku 六 7 shichi (nana) 七 8 hachi 八 9 kyuu (ku) 九 10 juu 十
Don’t worry. Sensei is a highly trained and experienced professional; pay attention and this will be painless.
Larger numbers are made by combining the numbers above. The only trick is remembering the orde r correctly.
Numbers from 11-19 are formed by adding onto ten (juu).
10 + 1= 11 juu + ichi = juu ichi 十一 10 + 2= 12 juu + ni = juu ni 十二 10 + 3= 13 juu + san = juu san 十三 10 + 4= 14 juu + shi = juu shi / yon 十四 10 + 5= 15 juu + go = juu go 十五 10 + 6= 16 juu + roku = juu roku 十六 10 + 7= 17 juu + sichi = juu shichi /nana 十七 10 + 8= 18 juu + hachi = juu hachi 十八 About me 私について 3
10 + 9= 19 juu + kyuu = juu kyuu / ku 十九
NANSAI DESU KA How old are you?
Let’s use the numbers above to talk about age and your year in school. This will be part of a self- introduction that you will do in front of class.
To ask somebody’s age you need to say Nan sai desu ka. Nan is a variation of nani or ‘what’ in English. Sai means ‘years old.’ There is a more polite form, if you feel you need to be a bit more formal. It is Ikutsu desu ka.
To answer the question you say the number that corresponds to your age and add sai desu.
EX: Juu yon sai desu. I’m fourteen years old. Juu go sai desu. I’m fifteen years old.
If the number before sai is a 1 or an 8, The pronunciation changes slightly.
EX: Juu hassai desu. I’m eighteen years old. Yon juu issai desu. I’m 41.
Ask ten classmates their name and age.
Name Age
1
2
3
4
5
6.
7.
8. About me 私について 4
9.
10. About me 私について 5
Nan nen sei desu ka? What grade are you in?
Before learning to talk to people about their grade in school. Let’s read a bit about the Japanese education system.
Japanese Schools
Japanese schools up to Junior High School are almost exclusively public (less than 5% are privately owned and run). Until Junior High School, students study at the school in whose catchment area their home is located. However, senior high schools have overlapping catchment areas: this means that there is competition among schools for the best pupils in a particular area, and among pupils for places at the best schools. Over one-quarter of senior high schools are private, indicating the extent of the competition in the higher levels Japanese schooling: parents will pay substantial amounts for their children's educations.
While the general improvement of education and standard of living for the Japanese population as a whole has resulted in some of the highest standards of education in the world, some claim that the attendant stresses have lead to an increase in psychological problems among children (although we are not aware of any published figures to support this). Also, the improved diet of many Japanese, coupled with a reduction in child labor (traditionally assisting relatives on farms or smallholdings in rural areas) and changes in social habits has lead to an increase in obesity amongst Japanese schoolchildren. However, this phenomenon is well-known in most developed countries, not just in Japan, and seems less pronounced than in the West.
For some time it has been accepted that a Japanese student's life is largely decided by the their university entrance exam: that is, entrance to the right university can lead to a well-paid job with one of the larger Japanese companies. However, increasing competition amongst schools means that this pressure is extending further back and many now claim that a person's future is largely decided by the age of twelve or fifteen with entry to the right junior high school. What effect the current economic recession and restructuring will have on this system remains to be seen.
Kindergarten (Yochien)
Although optional education, in 2000 the number of new entrants to kindergarten was over 63% of the number of new entrants to Primary or Junior School - indicating that well over half of all Japanese children start their education earlier than required by the state. The Japanese government aims to increase the availability of kindergartens, in About me 私について 6 part to allow mothers to work if they need or want to. The trend to earlier and earlier education is increasing with special subjects for kindergarten students including English. However, the fact that the number of children graduating from kindergarten and from junior school has declined by one-quarter over the past ten years indicates the scale of the demographic challenge facing Japan in the near future.
Elementary School (Shogakkou)
For six years from age six to twelve, this is the first stage of compulsory education for Japanese children. Almost all Japanese children enter at this stage, although an increasing number have already experienced kindergarten. Uniforms are standard in Japan, so the small children with bright yellow baseball hats, bright yellow umbrellas, bright yellow raincoats, etc. walking in long lines around Japanese towns are all Elementary School children. Regularly seen as a large flock walking in pairs holding hands or smaller clusters trading pokemon cards.
Junior High School (Chugakkou)
From twelve to fifteen years old, this is a hugely important phase in the upbringing of the Japanese child. Results at Junior High School can determine entry to a good Senior High School and hence to a good university and career. At this point children usually stay late at school, busy with various clubs and activities as well as studies at a Juku (see below).
Senior High School (Koukou; koutougakkou)
The peak of pressure for the student in the Japanese school system from 15 to 18 years old, entry to senior high school is by an entrance exam. Preparation for the exam itself, of course, is usually through attending a good Juku (see below). To get a place at the best university means that a student really needs to go to the right senior high school, so the entrance exam can have a major impact on the future career of Japanese students. As the number of private schools increases (at present over one-quarter of senior high schools are private) and pressure to perform well increases, education ends up costing parents more and more. This pressure is slowly diffusing down the chain as entry to the best senior high schools is increasingly affected by the junior high school attended. Although not compulsory in Japan, over 90% of all children attend Senior High School. About me 私について 7
To ask about what grade someone is in you need to use the question Nan nen sei desu ka. Chuugakkou= middle To answer use one of the following. school 9th grade Chuugakkou san nen sei desu. 10th grade Koukou ichi nen sei desu. Koukou= high school 11th grade Koukou ni nen sei desu. 12th grade Koukou san nen sei desu. Denwa bangou wa nan desu ka (What’s your phone number) Phone Calls in Japan
Most public phones (koushuu denwa) take coins (at least a 10 yen coin) and telephone cards. Only designated pay phones allow international calls (kokusai denwa). All calls are charged by the minute. Telephone cards can be purchased in almost all convenience stores, kiosks at train stations and vending machines. The cards are sold in 500 yen and 1000 yen units. Telephone cards can be customized. Some companies even use them as marketing tools. Some cards are very valuable, and cost a fortune. Many people collect telephone cards just like postage stamps are collected.
Telephone Number: A telephone number consists of the three parts, for example, (03) 2815-1311. The first part is the area code (03 is Tokyo's), and the second and last part are the user's number. Each number is usually read separately, linking the parts with the particle "no." In telephone numbers 0 is often pronounced as "zero," 4 as "yon" and 7 as "nana" to reduce confusion.
The most essential phrase is "moshi moshi." It is used by the caller when connected. It is also used when one can't hear the other person well, or to confirm if the other person is still on the line. Although some people say "moshi moshi" to answer the phone, "hai" is used more often in business.
If the other person speaks too fast, or you couldn't catch what he/she said, say "Yukkuri onegaishimasu (Please speak slowly)" or "Mou ichido onegaishimasu (Please say it again)." "Onegaishimasu" is a useful phrase when making a request.
Practice this simple dialogue with five classmates
Q: Denwa bangou wa nan desu ka? A: Go go hachi no yon ichi nana san namae denwa bangou About me 私について 8 About me 私について 9
DOKO NO KATA DESU KA? Where are you from?
You might want to ask or be asked is where a person is from. For this you need to learn these questions:
Q: Doko no kata desu ka? どこのかたですか。 Where are you from? A: Amerika kara kimashita. アメリカから来ました。 I am from America.
Q: Nani jin desu ka? 何人ですか。 What is your nationality? A: Amerikajin desu. アメリカ人です。 I’m an American.
It is not uncommon for a Japanese to assume that a foreigner who is not Asian is American. Therefore you may be asked the following question when introducing yourself.
Q: Amerika-jin desu ka? アメリカ人ですか。 Are you American? A: Hai Amerika-jin desu. はい、アメリカ人です。 Yes, I am American. or A: Iie, American-jin ja nai desu. いいえ、アメリカ人じゃないです。 No, I’m not American. Kanada-jin desu. カナダ人です。 I’m Canadian.
Here is a short list of some other nationalities. Note that in Japanese words for nationality are formed by simply adding jin to the name of the country.
Country name in English Country name in Japanese Nationality
England Igirisu Igirisu-jin Ireland Airurando Airurando-jin Australia Oosutoraria Oosutoraria-jin Germany Doitsu Doitsu-jin France Furansu Furansu-jin Mexico Mekishiko Mekishiko-jin China Chuugoku Chuugoku-jin Korea Kankoku Kankoku-jin Japan Nihon Nihon-jin
All of the above country names except three are usually written in katakana. Can you guess which three are written in kanji? The sentences you have been using thus far are based on a very simple pattern in Japanese About me 私について 10
A は B です。 A wa B desu
Which means A is B. Write the English equivalent of the following sentences.
1. Watashi wa Jon desu. ______
2. Sensei wa ni juu go sai desu. ______
3. Tetsuo san wa chuugakkou san nen sei desu. ______
4. Denwa bangou wa 558-4173 desu. ______
5. Tanaka san wa nihon-jin desu. ______
Write the questions that will get you the above statements as answers.
1.______
2.______
3.______
4.______
5.______About me 私について 11
せいかく Personality
There are several ways to ask someone about their personality.
______san wa donna hito desu ka?
______san wa donna seikaku desu ka?
Your answer would be
Watashi wa ______desu.
Look at the following list of personality words and choose one that best describes you. Then talk to your classmates about their personality.
Personality vocab
にほんご ロー マ字 えいご 1 おとなしい Otonashii Quiet, reserved 2 にぎやか nigiyaka Lively 3 あかるい Akarui Bright 4 くらい Kurai Dark, gloomy 5 まじめ Majime Serious 6 やさしい Yasashii Kind 7 のんびり nonbiri Relaxed; easygoing 8 しっかりしている shikkarishiteiru Level-headed 9 よくばり Yokubari Greedy 10 うそつき Usotsuki Dishonest 11 なまけもの Namakemono Lazy 12 わがまま Wagamama Selfish 13 ぜいたく zeitaku Extravagant 14 こうふく koufuku Happy 15 ふこう Fukou Unhappy 16 どうとくてき Doutokuteki Moral 15 しょうじき Shoujiki Honest 16 かんぜんしゅぎしゃ Kanzenshugisha Perfectionist About me 私について 12
17 はずかしがりや Hazukashigariya Shy 18 たんき Tanki Short tempered 19 まえむき Maemuki Optimistic 20 しんぱいしょう shinpaishou Worry wart
Ask your classmates about their personality.
name personality
Write five sentences about your classmates using the A wa B desu pattern,
1
2
3
4
5 About me 私について 13
--がすきですか ---ga suki desu ka Do you like______? To ask somebody if they like something you need the pattern --がす きですか(---ga suki desu ka)。To answer you can say はい、すきです 。 Hai, suki desu or いいえ、すきじゃないです。IIe, suki ja nai desu or まあまあです。 Maamaa desu To simply say that you like something you say ______がすきです (___ga su ki desu)。 You can say だいすき (dai suki) about something (or someone) you love.
EXAMPLES テニスがすきですか。 Tenisu ga suki desu ka ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ いいえ、すきじゃないです。 Iie, suki ja nai desu ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ About me 私について 14
Ask your classmates if they like these things.
item answer name
1 やきゅう yakyuu
2 ケーキ keeki
3 チョコレート chokoreeto
4 オレンジ・ジュース orenji juusu
5 rap (ラップ）rappu
6 rock（ロック）rokku
7 fish (さかな）sakana
8 ピザ piza
9 アニメ anime
10 フットボール futtobooru
Tell what your classmates said by using the pattern
A さんは______がすきです。 KAMOKU (SUBJECTS) - About me 私について 15
SUUGAKU (MATH) SHAKAI (SOCIAL STUDIES) TAIIKU (PHYS. ED.)
EIGO/KOKUGO (LA) BIJUTSU (ART) ONGAKU (MUSIC)
NIHONGO (JAPANESE) SEIBUTSU (BIOLOGY) KAGAKU(SCIENCE)
You will give a brief self introduction to the whole class. You will need to memorize it, so be sure to practice it a lot. About me 私について 16
You will need to say the following:
Hajimemashite
Watashi no namae wa ______desu. _age______sai desu. (age) _____ (year in school)______desu.
Watashi wa _____personality______desu.
______thing you like______ga suki desu. (if you are ambitious add to (and) between two or three things you like)
Douzo yoroshiku
頑張ってください。（がんばってください） You will be graded on a scale of 1-5 in the following categories clarity of voice pronunciation memorization proper body language