Vocabulary
Book-related Words
本[ほん]① Book, noun
- 机の上に本があります。
- Tsukue no ue ni hon ga arimasu.
- There is a book on the desk.
新聞[しんぶん]⓪ Newspaper, noun
Note: In Japanese, "news" is usually expressed as "ニュース".
- 毎朝、新聞を読みます。
- Maiasa, shinbun o yomimasu.
- I read the newspaper every morning.
雑誌[ざっし]⓪ Magazine, noun
- 雑誌を買いました。
- Zasshi o kaimashita.
- I bought a magazine.
辞書[じしょ]① Dictionary, noun
- 辞書で単語を調べます。
- Jisho de tango o shirabemasu.
- I look up words in the dictionary.
手帳[てちょう]⓪ Notebook, noun
- 手帳に予定を書きます。
- Techou ni yotei o kakimasu.
- I write my schedule in the notebook.
ノート① Notebook, noun
- ノートにメモを取ります。
- Nooto ni memo o torimasu.
- I take notes in the notebook.
Furniture-related Words
机[つくえ]⓪ Desk, noun
- 机の上に本があります。
- Tsukue no ue ni hon ga arimasu.
- There is a book on the desk.
椅子[いす]⓪ Chair, noun
- 椅子に座ります。
- Isu ni suwarimasu.
- I sit on the chair.
Electronics-related Words
カメラ① Camera, noun
- カメラで写真を撮ります。
- Kamera de shashin o torimasu.
- I take photos with the camera.
写真[しゃしん]⓪ Photo, noun
- 写真を見せてください。
- Shashin o misete kudasai.
- Please show me the photo.
テレビ① Television, noun
- テレビを見ます。
- Terebi o mimasu.
- I watch TV.
パソコン⓪ Computer, noun
- パソコンで仕事をします。
- Pasokon de shigoto o shimasu.
- I work on the computer.
ラジオ① Radio, noun
- ラジオを聞きます。
- Rajio o kikimasu.
- I listen to the radio.
電話[でんわ]⓪ Telephone, noun
- 電話をかけます。
- Denwa o kakemasu.
- I make a phone call.
Note: お電話 is a more polite way to say "telephone".
Daily Life-related Words
かばん(鞄)⓪ Bag, noun
- かばんを持ちます。
- Kaban o mochimasu.
- I carry the bag.
傘[かさ]① Umbrella, noun
- 傘をさします。
- Kasa o sashimasu.
- I open the umbrella.
靴[くつ]⓪ Shoes, noun
- 靴を履きます。
- Kutsu o hakimasu.
- I wear shoes.
鉛筆[えんぴつ]⓪ Pencil, noun
- 鉛筆で書きます。
- Enpitsu de kakimasu.
- I write with a pencil.
時計[とけい]⓪ Clock, Watch, noun
- 時計を見ます。
- Tokei o mimasu.
- I look at the clock.
鍵[かぎ]⓪ Key, noun
- 鍵をかけます。
- Kagi o kakemasu.
- I lock the door.
Note: 1. Key, 2. A set of lock and key (can be distinguished based on context).
People-related Words
人[ひと]⓪ Person, noun
- あの人 That person
- Ano hito wa dare desu ka.
- Who is that person?
方[かた]② Person, noun
- あの方 That person (polite)
- Ano kata wa dare desu ka.
- Who is that person?
Note: 方[かた] is a polite way to say "person".
家族[かぞく]① Family, noun
- 家族と一緒に食事をします。
- Kazoku to issho ni shokuji o shimasu.
- I eat with my family.
母[はは]① My mother, noun
- 母は料理が上手です。
- Haha wa ryouri ga jouzu desu.
- My mother is good at cooking.
Note: Used when introducing your mother to others.
お母[かあ]さん② Mother, noun
- お母さん、おはよう。
- Okaasan, ohayou.
- Good morning, Mom.
Note: お母さん can be used to refer to someone else's mother or your own mother.
父[ちち]① My father, noun
- 父は会社員です。
- Chichi wa kaishain desu.
- My father is a company employee.
Note: Used when introducing your father to others.
お父[とう]さん② Father, noun
- お父さん、お帰りなさい。
- Otousan, okaerinasai.
- Welcome home, Dad.
Note: お父さん can be used to refer to someone else's father or your own father.
Language-related Words
中国語[ちゅうごくご]⓪ Chinese, noun
- 中国語を勉強します。
- Chuugokugo o benkyou shimasu.
- I study Chinese.
日本語[にほんご]⓪ Japanese, noun
- 日本語が話せます。
- Nihongo ga hanasemasu.
- I can speak Japanese.
韓国語[かんこくご]⓪ Korean, noun
- 韓国語を習います。
- Kankokugo o naraimasu.
- I learn Korean.
英語[えいご]⓪ English, noun
- 英語が得意です。
- Eigo ga tokui desu.
- I am good at English.
Note: Country name + 語[ご] refers to the language of that country (e.g., 英語[えいご] for English-speaking countries).
フランス語⓪ French, noun
- フランス語を話します。
- Furansugo o hanashimasu.
- I speak French.
Gift-related Words
お土産[おみやげ]⓪ Gift, Souvenir, noun
- お土産を買いました。
- Omiyage o kaimashita.
- I bought a gift.
名産品[めいさんひん]⓪ Local Specialty, noun
- 名産品を試します。
- Meisanhin o tameshimasu.
- I try the local specialty.
シルク① Silk, noun
- シルクのスカーフを買いました。
- Shiruku no sukaafu o kaimashita.
- I bought a silk scarf.
ハンカチ⓪ Handkerchief, noun
- ハンカチを忘れました。
- Hankachi o wasuremashita.
- I forgot my handkerchief.
Question Words
何[なん]① What, question word
- これは何ですか。
- Kore wa nan desu ka.
- What is this?
誰[だれ]① Who, question word
- 誰が来ましたか。
- Dare ga kimashita ka.
- Who came?
Note: {だれーー人[ひと]}
どなた① Who (polite), question word
- どなたですか。
- Donata desu ka.
- Who is it?
Note: {どなたーー方[かた]}, more polite than "だれ".
Other Words
えっ (Expresses doubt, equivalent to "Huh?" in English)
- えっ、本当ですか。
- E, hontou desu ka.
- Huh, really?
わあ① Expresses surprise "Wow"
- わあ、きれい!
- Waa, kirei!
- Wow, so beautiful!
ええ① (Equivalent to "yes", casual, spoken language)
- ええ、そうです。
- Ee, sou desu.
- Yes, that's right.
Grammar Points
1. Demonstrative Pronoun System
Imagine you are in a classroom:
- The pencil next to you →「これ」(this)
- The pencil on your classmate's desk →「それ」(that)
- The pencil on the teacher's desk →「あれ」(that over there)
- An unknown pencil →「どれ」(which one)
Complete Demonstrative Pronoun Chart:
Usage | Near you | Near the listener | Far away | Question |
---|---|---|---|---|
Standalone object | これ | それ | あれ | どれ |
Modifying nouns | この+noun | その+noun | あの+noun | どの+noun |
Indicating location | ここ | そこ | あそこ | どこ |
Polite expressions | こちら | そちら | あちら | どちら |
2. Basic Question Patterns
When you want to ask about something, you can use the following patterns:
Usage | Pattern | Particle Explanation | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Asking about an object | 〜は なんですか | は:Topic marker | Most basic pattern |
Asking about ownership | 〜は だれの ですか | の:Indicates possession | Can omit the following noun |
Asking about type | 〜は なんの なんですか | の:Connects modifiers | Indicates the type of object |
Dialogue Practice
Basic
A: これは何[なん]ですか。
A: Kore wa nan desu ka.
A: What is this?
B: これは本です。
B: Kore wa hon desu.
B: This is a book.
A: それはだれの鞄[かばん]ですか。
A: Sore wa dare no kaban desu ka.
A: Whose bag is that?
B: それは李さんの鞄[かばん]です。
B: Sore wa Ri-san no kaban desu.
B: That is Ri-san's bag.
Workplace
A: これはどなたの書類[しょるい]ですか。
A: Kore wa donata no shorui desu ka.
A: Whose document is this?
B: それは部長[ぶちょう]の書類[しょるい]です。
B: Sore wa buchou no shorui desu.
B: That is the manager's document.
A: どうもありがとうございます。
A: Doumo arigatou gozaimasu.
A: Thank you very much.
Daily Life
A: この傘[かさ]はだれのですか。
A: Kono kasa wa dare no desu ka.
A: Whose umbrella is this?
B: それは私のです。
B: Sore wa watashi no desu.
B: That is mine.
A: どうぞお使[つか]いください。
A: Douzo otsukai kudasai.
A: Please use it.
Cultural Knowledge
Language Culture
Use of Honorifics: In Japanese, it is common to use "さん" to show respect when addressing others, such as "李さん".
Expression Characteristics: Japanese people often use indirect expressions to avoid direct refusal, such as "ちょっと…" (a bit…).
Social Culture
Gift-giving Culture: In Japan, it is common to give "お土産[おみやげ]" as a gesture of goodwill, and it is polite to express gratitude when receiving a gift.
Social Etiquette: Exchanging business cards (名刺[めいし]) is a common business etiquette when meeting someone for the first time.
Summary and Key Points
This lesson focused on learning demonstrative pronouns (これ、それ、あれ、どれ) and their application in conversations, including asking about ownership (だれの~ですか) and content (何[なん]の~ですか). Through the structure of この/その/あの+noun, we learned how to modify nouns and describe the positional relationship of objects. Additionally, we studied vocabulary related to daily life and office scenarios, such as books, electronics, and personal titles.