Japanese/Lessons/Lesson 3

Japanese
(edit)

Links to the interesting stuff go here ... once they have been compiled and the pages checked.


Lesson 3

edit

In this lesson you will learn how to say phone numbers and ask what someone else's phone number is in Japanese, and learn how to talk about your age.


でんばんごう・Phone Numbers

edit

れい


  • 電話番号は何なんですか?・でんわばんごうはなんですか?
    • 555の5555です
  • Question: Denwa bangou wa nan desu ka? - (What is your phone number?)
    • Answer: _ _ _ no (の) _ _ _ _ desu (です). - (Phone number)


Example: With the phone number 987-6543, one could appropriately respond to the question, "Denwa bangou wa nan desu ka?" by saying, "Kyuu hachi nana no (acts as a dash) roku go yon san desu."


NOTES: Always use the word yon for four and the word nana for seven in phone numbers. Zero can be either zero - ゼロ (in a Japanese accent) or maru - まる (丸まる - circle). If one would like to ask another's cellphone number add keitai in front of the denwa. ex. 携けいたい電話番号は何ですか?・けいたいでんわばんごうはなんですか? Often times, Japanese will use Ku(く) instead of Kyuu(きゅう) for nine(九) because of superstition.

ねんれい・Age

edit

Saying age in Japanese follows a consistant pattern, as demonstrated below.

Age Rōmaji Kanji Hiragana
1 issai 一歳さい  いっさい
2 nisai 二歳  にさい
3 sansai 三歳  さんさい
4 yonsai 四歳  よんさい
5 gosai 五歳  ごさい
6 rokusai 六歳  ろくさい
7 nanasai 七歳  ななさい
8 hassai 八歳  はっさい
9 kyuusai 九歳  きゅうさい
10 jyussai 十歳  じゅっさい
11 jyuuissai 十一歳  じゅういっさい
12 jyuunisai  十二歳   じゅうにさい
  • There is a notable exception to this rule. Age 20 is properly referred to as 二 (hatachi).


年齢の問もんだい・Questions about age:


例二


  • 何歳ですか?・なんさいですか?
    • 二十歳です。・はたちです。


Translation:


  • Question: Nan sai desu ka? - (How old are you?)
    • Answer: your age sai desu. - (I am ___ )


例三


  • お幾いくつですか?・おいくつですか?
    • 八十三歳です。・はちじゅうさんさいです。


Translation:


  • Question: O ikutsu desu ka? - (May I ask your age?)
    • Answer your age sai desu. - (I am ___ )


PRACTICE: Repeating these questions outloud with different ages will help ones memory of the numbers, questions and ages.

・Vocabulary

edit
English Rōmaji Kanji Hiragana
phone denwa 電話 でんわ
number bangou 番号  ばんごう
what nani/nan なに/なん
what age nansai 何歳 なんさい
cellular phone keitaidenwa 携帯電話  けいたいでんわ
how many ikutsu 幾つ いくつ