Learn Japanese with me, or help me learn Options

[FrenchVanillaNYC]

Like the "Learn Chinese with me" thread, this thread lets folks learn Japanese along with me. Right now I can share what I've learned through about intermediate level or so, then after that it will be me who will be learning whatever I post.

If you know Japanese, you can help too!
If you see any mistakes, feel free to jump in and correct it.

To begin with, I'll put a pronunciation key to learn. Unlike Chinese, Japanese uses katakana and hiragana to express pronunciations. Likewise will I in this thread.

So...

Hiragana is the Japanese script that spells out native Japanese words or aids people in reading kanji (Chinese characters), which appears as furigana above a character.

Katakana is the Japanese script that spells out foreign words and names or new Japanese words like "ka-ra-o-ke" and "pa-chi-n-ko".

Hiragana = red
Katakana = blue
Romaji = purple

Vowels
あ ア A "Ah" as in "watt"
い イ I "Ee" as in "teeth"
う ウ U "Oo" as in "good"
え エ E "Eh" as in "pet"
お オ O "O" as in "more" (not as "oh" sounding as "toe")

"K" consonants
か カ KA Like the "co" in "cob"
き キ KI Like "key" as in "key"
く ク KU Like the "coo" in "cook" (not as "coo" as the word "coo")
け ケ KE Like the"ca" in "care" (not as "kay" as the in word "came")
こ コ KO Like "co" in "core" (not as "oh" sounding as "cold")

"S" consonants
さ サ SA Like the "so" in "sob"
し シ SHI Like the "she" in "she"
す ス SU Like the"su" in "surprise" (Not as strong as in the word "sue")
せ セ SE Like the "seh" in "second" (not as strong as in the word "say")
そ ソ SO Like "so" in "song" (not as "oh" sounding as the word "so")

"T" consonants
たタTA Like the "to" in "top"
ちチCHI Like "chee" as in "cheese"
つツ TSU Like the"tsu" in "tsunami"
てテTE Like the "te" in "text" (Not as "ay" as in "tape")
とト TO Like "to" in "tomato" (not as "oh" sounding as "toes")

"N" consonants
なナNA Like the "no" in "knob"
にニNI Like "nee" as in "knee"
ぬヌNU Like the "ne" in "nerd" (Not as "oo" as in the word "new")
ねネ NE Like the"ne" in "net" (Not as "ay" as in the word "nay")
のノ NO Like "no" in "nor" (not as "oh" sounding as the word"no")

"H" consonants
はハHA/WA Like "ha" in laughter at the beginning of a sentence, like "wa" when used as a marker
ひヒHI Like the word "he", sometimes sounds like a cross between "he" and "she"
ふフFU Like the "fu" in "full"
へヘ HE Like the "hai" in "hair"/ Tends to sound like えmid-sentence
ほホ HO Like "ho" in "home" (not as "oh" sounding as "hold")

"M" consonants
ま マ MA"Ma" as in "mama"
み ミ MI"Me" as in "me"
む ム MU"Mu" as in "murky" (not as "oo" a "moo)
め メ ME"Meh" as in "mesmerize"
も も ME"Mo" as in "more"

"R" consonants
らラRA Similar to saying "la" in "lalala"
りリRI Similar to the surname "Lee"
るルRU Similar to the "lu" in "lure"
れレ RE Similar to the the"leh" in "let"
ろロ RO Similar to "lo" in "lore" (not as "loh" sounding as "low")

"Y" sounds
や ヤ YA "Yah" as in "yacht"
ゆ ユ YU "Yü" as in Chinese "Yü"
よ ヨ YO "Yo" as in "your" (not as "yo" as English "yo")

*Add a consonant ending with "-i" to combine it with "y" sounds to combine them. Ex: き+や = kya, ち+よ = cho, し+や = sha, じ+ゆ = ju

"W" sounds
わ ワ WA "Wa" as in "water"
を ヲ WO Similar to お

"-N" ending
ん ン -N Nasalized like French "-n", similar to "-n" in "croissant"

"G" consonants
が = ga、ぎ = gi、 ぐ = gu、 げ = ge、 ご = go (Just like "K", only with accent marks)

"Z" consonants
ざ=za, [b]じ= ji, ず = zu, ぜ = ze, ぞ = zo (Similar to "S", only shi becomes ji)

"D" consonants
だ = da、ぢ = dji、づ = dzu、 で = de、 ど= do (Similar to "T", only chi becomes dji and tsu becomes dzu)

"B" consonants
ば = ba, び = bi, ぶ = bu, べ = be, ぼ = bo (Just like "H", only with accent marks)

"P' consonants
ぱ = pa, ぴ = pi, ぷ = pu, ぺ = pe, ぽ= po (Just like "B" only with circular stress marks)

*A little tsu "っ" before any consonant indicates stress, it is not pronounced. Example: ひっき = hikki (not "hitsuki"), あった = atta (not "atsuta")

This is a good site to learn how to write the Japanese scripts.
Katakana strokes
Hiragana strokes


Edit: Here are some examples of words in Japanese that use strictly katakana or romaji:

Katakana:
ゲーム geemu = game

コンピューター konpyuutaa = computer

シャツ shatsu = shirt

アメリカ Amerika = America

アニータ Aniita = Anita


Romaji:
ぎっちり gitchiri = tightly

あっさりassari = simply

ぎりぎり giri-giri = barely

ぴちぴち pichi-pichi = lively

-っぱなし -ppanashi = keep -ing, have been -ing

This post has been edited by FrenchVanillaNYC: Sep 12 2005, 07:26 PM

[FrenchVanillaNYC]

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downlo...me/install.mspx

GRAMMAR!!! 文法(ぶんぽうbunpou)

While teaching grammar, I'm gonna be using the vocabulary from above so it will stick in the memory!

I) VERBS!!!
The most important aspect of Japanese grammar is the verb conjugation!!!
...Wait! Come back! Don't get scared now! It's not as bad as it seems!

Verbs in Japanese tell a person everything from how much respect or rudeness is being shown to what tense the sentence is in to even how much younger/older a person is (the respect thing again). As a matter of fact, some sentences only consist of verbs, it's that important. Example: 食べましょう！(たべましょうTabemashou!) Let's eat (polite)
It is very important to understand how to conjugate the verb to make sure that you're not being disrespectful.

Don't worry, you'll understand after my nice little explanation. You won't be cussing people out because you don't know the proper conjugation.

Before I show the actual verbs and stuff, I'll show the general endings of a verb.

Regular/impolite conjugations

-る-ru/-く-ku/-す-su/-う-u/-む-mu/-ぶ-bu/-ぐ-gu/-つ-tsu/-ぬ-nu = unconjugated endings of verbs/impolite present form of verbs

-たta = (blank)-ed

-てte = (blank)-ing

-ない-nai = NOT (blank)

-なかった -nakatta = did not (blank)

-たい-tai = want to (blank)

-ちゃった -chatta = went and (blank)-ed (contraction of -てしまった te shimatta)

Polite conjugations
-ます-masu = polite present form of any verb (

-ました -ma$hita =

-まして -ma$hite

-ません-masen= polite present negative form/NOT (blank)

-ませんでした-masen de$hita = polite past negative/ DID NOT

Ok!

All Japanese verbs end in some kind of "u" sound initially before conjugated. T'is the mark of a verb. :genius:
Here, yer gonna learn about which ones are which and how ta conjugate each!

有る/居る あるaru/いるiru = there is/to have
Before we get into "to be", I have to go over these two verbs. Although they both mean "there is", there is a difference between the two.
ある aru = there is (for non-living things and animals you don't care about)
いる iru = there is (for humans and animals you care about)


です/だ desu/da = to be
です desu (formal)/だ da(informal) means "to be", but it actually isn't even a real verb. It's a contraction between で de , a particle (will get to that later) and ある aru , the first verb we've gone over. Although most foreigners learn ですdesu first, it's so that people maintain politeness in oral Japanese; however, である dearu is actually preferred in written Japanese (like essays and such).
Also, だda is the impolite/colloquial version of ですdesu。DO NOT use だda with someone who you're not sure whether you're a peer or not. Otherwise you're just being rude.

Conjugation:

Normal/impolite version:
-だ =

Desu conjugates like a normal verb at first sight, but when you look deeper, it's not even a real verb. It actually can't be negatively be conjugated as the contraction it is. So how do we say "not to be"?

Easy. We have to go back to it's "ある aru" roots.


する suru = to do
Suru is one of the most important verbs you'll ever learn in Japanese. If you speak Korean it's the same as "hada".
Example: 失礼する $hitsurei suru, more politely and usually said "失礼します $hitsurei shimasu" means "to do (する) a loss of manners (失礼)", in other words "I'm losing my manners" which is the equivalent to "excuse me" in English, although 失礼します is normally said toward superiors.

来る くるkuru = to come
Kuru conjugates like suru...The "ru" is completely ignored and conjugated like a "ku" verb.

-る (-Ru) Verbs

-す (-Su) Verbs

-く(-Ku) Verbs

II) Particles:
は(わ) ha (pronounced more "wa")
The best translation for は(actually "ha" but pronounced "wa") would be closest to "as for.../(what) about...". It marks what is about to be spoken about.


私は、


が ga
で de
に ni
へ he
も he
の no


III) Endings
よyo
ねne
わwa
ぜze



AFTER THIS YOU GET TO LEARN EXPRESSIONS!!!!!


WILL FINISH LATER....so incomplete, sorry...

This post has been edited by FrenchVanillaNYC: Sep 12 2005, 08:25 PM