| This page is being restructured to contain a grammar points list for the first set of lessons. These are compiled from various sources to correspond roughly to the JLPT 4 exam.
See Japanese/Contents for existing pages (grammar overview, lessons, etc.). The sub-pages of this page are listed at Special:PrefixIndex/Japanese/Grammar/ but these do not represent where this book is going, and there are pages listed as "lessons" but hold little other than a grammatical overview and should therefore be moved here. |
The following lists are in flux...
- Phrases: Greetings (hajimemasite, konnichiwa, konbanwa, ...)
- Phrases: Basic (gomen, onegaisimasu, ...)
- Grammar: Copula use (past and present tense)
- Suffixes: -go (language), -hito/jinn
- Grammar: Existence (iru/aru) (two lessons?)
- Particles: ni, he
- Particles: wo
- Grammar: Questions (~ha Q, Q-ga~)
- Particles: to, ya
- Grammar: Subject and topic in same sentence (~ha ~ga...)
- Grammar: Possessive (N-no~, N-no-N)
- Grammar: Requesting confirmation (~desho ... maybe ne and yo, too)
- Particles: ne, yo, wa (Merge with "Requesting confirmation"?)
- Grammar: Verbs (past and present tenses) (BIG MODULE)
- Grammar: Counting
- Grammar: Requests (N-wo kudasai, N-wo/V-te kudasaimasenka)
- Suffixes: Time (ji, funn, goro)
- Grammar: Suggesting activities (-mashou, -masenka)
- Suffixes: Time-periods (jikann, funn, kurai)
- Grammar: Verb te-form (-aru/-iru)
- Suffixes: Calendar (tugi, nichi, youbi)
- Phrases: Eating (itadakimasu and gochisosamadesita)
- Grammar: Stating wishes (N-ga hosii, V-tai)
- Grammar: Adjectives (i- past and present)
- Grammar: Adjectives (na- past and present)
- Grammar: Requests (V-te kudasai, V-naide kudasai)
- Phrases: Entering a house (gomenkudasai, situreisimasu, ... maybe ojamasimasu)
- Grammar: Adverbial clause (-toki) (chuu?)
- Grammar: Adverbial clause (-maeni, -nagara)
- Grammar: Adverbial clause (-atode, -ta atode)
- Grammar: Demonstratives (could be split into several lessons, improving vocabulary and reviewing grammar)
- Grammar: Interrogatives (
- Grammar: Interrogatives (itu, ikutu, ikura)
- Grammar: Interrogatives (
- Grammar: Quantifier (nanika, daremo, ...)
- Grammar: Change (mada and mou)
Unallocated content:
- (Grammar: Stating needs (-hituyou))
- Grammar: Verbs (transitivity)
- Grammar: Verbs (conjugation for multiple actions)
- Grammar: interjections (~ ga(but) ~)
- Grammar: Becomes sth (~naru)
- Grammar: Because (-te, -kara)
- Grammar: Called (~to iu)
- Grammar: Equating or making (suru) ???
- Particles: de
- Particles: kara, made
- Particles: Combination of case markers and ha/mo
- Particles: kurai
- Particles: dake
- Particles: sikasi
- Suffixes: -chuu
- Suffixes: -tachi/-gata
- Suffixes: Counters (mai, sara, hon, ...)
- Suffixes: -gara (to feel)
- Suffixes: -gawa (side, to side)
- Suffixes: -sugi (too much, over)
- Suffixes: -zutu (apiece)
- Suffixes: -ya (shop)
Still unallocated:
- [1.8 Relative clause]
- [6.3 Unsorted]
Sentence Patterns/Expressions
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| ごめんなさい |
Excuse me./I'm sorry.
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| すみません |
Excuse me.
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| おねがいします |
Please.
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| どうもありがとうございました |
Thank you very much (very polite)
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| こちらこそ |
No, thank you! (used when responding to someone saying "Thank you!")
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| いいえどういたしまして |
no problem at all.
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- はい - yes (formal)
- ええ - yes (slightly less formal)
- いいえ - no (formal)
- うん - yeah/uh-huh (casual)
- ううん - no/uh-uh (casual)
- いや - no (casual, indicates displeasure)
| おじゃまします |
I hope you don't mind me coming in.
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| しつれいしました |
Excuse me. (used usually while leaving a room.)
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| しつれいします |
Excuse me. (used usually while entering a room.)
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| いただきます |
thanks for this meal! (before eating)
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| ごちそうさまでした |
a thanks said after meals
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| はじめまして |
nice to meet you. how do you do?
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| どうぞよろしく |
pleased to meet you. please favor me with your friendship/kindness
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| ではおげんきで |
well then, take care.
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| ではまた |
See ya later.
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| こんにちは |
Hello. (daytime greeting)
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| こんばんは |
Good evening, Hello
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| さよなら |
Goodbye
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| おはよう(ございます) |
good morning
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| おやすみ(なさい) |
good night
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| いらっしゃいませ |
Welcome to the store! (merchant greeting)
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| N+をください |
please give me N
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| V+てください |
please do V. (polite request)
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| V+ないでください |
please do not do V. (polite request-neg)
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| N+を/V+てくださいませんか |
won't you please do
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Suggesting activities
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| V+ましょう |
"Let's do V." volitional, polite
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| V+ませんか |
Why don't we do V?
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| N+がほしい |
I want N
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| V+たい |
"I want to V"
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| ...とき |
adverbial clause, when ... , ...
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| V+ながら |
adverbial clause, While V, ...
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| V+てから |
adverbial clause, After/Since V, ...
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| V+たあとで |
ta instead of te, adverbial clause, After V, ...
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| V+まえに |
adverbial clause, Before V
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まだ implies no change (or that something is still under way):
| まだ+Positive |
still
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| まだ+Negative |
not yet
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もう implies a change has occurred (or that something has been completed):
| もう+Positive |
already
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| もう+Negative |
no longer
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| [V/+Adj/+Adj-Na]+N |
relative clause modifying a noun
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| N+だった
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N+ではなかった
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N+だ
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N+ではない
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| N+でした
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N+ではありませんでした
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N+です
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N+ではありません
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| N+で |
te-form of desu
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| N+は+Place+にある/いる |
existence of an item in a place using a topic marker
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| Place+に+N+がある/いる |
existence of an item in a place using subject marker
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| Place+に+N+が+Q+ある/いる |
existence of Q items in a place using subject marker
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| これ/それ/あれ/どれ |
this / that / that over there / which?
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| この/その/あの/どの |
this one / that one / that one over there / which one?
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| ここ/そこ/あそこ/どこ |
this place / that place / that place over there/ where?
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| こちら/そちら/あちら/どちら (こっち/そっち/あっち/どっち) |
this person / that person / that person over there / who
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| なに/なん |
what
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| だれ/どなた |
who
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| いつ |
when or how soon
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| いくつ |
how many?
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| いくら |
how much?
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| どれ/どの/どこ/どちら |
which / which one / where / who
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| どう/いかが |
how, in what what, how about
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| どんな |
what kind of
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| どのぐらい/どれぐらい |
how far, how long, how much
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| なぜ/どうして/なんで |
why
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| なにか/だれか/どこかへ/... |
something, someone, somewhere, etc.,
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| なにも/だれも/どこへも/... |
nothing, no one, nowhere, etc.,
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The plain and polite, past and present, positive and negative.
edit
| Past positive
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Past negative
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Present positive
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Present negative
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| V + た
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V + なかった
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V
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V + ない
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| V + ました
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V + ませんでした
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V + ます
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V + ません
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| Adj |
adjective without desu
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| <adjective>
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|
( です )* |
present positive
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| くない |
present negative
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| かった |
past positive
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| くなかった |
past negative
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Polite with copula, plain without.
| <adjective> |
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<copula>
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| な <noun>
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The copula determines tense and politeness, but is dropped for the plain present positive.
| Adj + くて |
i-adj, te-form
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| Adj + く + V |
adverb
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| Adj + の |
adj+pronoun/one/thing (e.g., white thing)
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| Adj + N + で |
na-adj te-form
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| Adj + N + に + V |
n-adj adverb
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| Adj + N + な + N |
n-adj + noun
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| Adj + N + の |
na-adj + pronoun
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Miscellaneous grammatical structures
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| 〜 + は + Q |
topic particle using questions
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| Q + が + 〜 |
subject particle using WH-questions
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| 〜 は 〜 が |
using both subject and topic particle in the same sentence
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| N + の + N |
noun modifying another noun or possessive.
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| N + の |
possessive
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| 〜 が 〜 |
〜 but 〜
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| 〜でしょう |
〜, eh? / 〜, right? (requesting confirmation)
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| 一つ, 二つ, ..., １０ |
numbers
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| V+ たり ... V+たり |
conjunction for multiple actions
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| { Adj+く / Adj+N+に / N+に } なる |
becomes { Adj / N }
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| する |
equating or making, (e.g., I made A from B)
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| 〜という |
called this 〜
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| 〜て |
because 〜 / since 〜
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| 〜から |
because 〜 / since 〜
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| は |
topic marker, contrast marker
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| が |
subject marker
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| を |
direct object marker, starting point of the action, place of the action
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| に |
location marker, object marker for some verbs (e.g., to meet at), time marker, goal marker, intervals
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| へ |
direction marker,
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| と |
noun conjunction "and", "together" or "with"
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| や & など |
list particle, but can be used to mean "and so forth" (e.g., AやBなど will mean A and B and so forth. など is optional.)
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| も |
also/too
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| で |
location marker for action verbs, by means marker (e.g., I went to the school by bus.), cause and effect marker, totals marker
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| から/まで |
AからBまで - from A to B.
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| か |
question marker
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| ね |
sentence end marker, applies emphasis, or a quest for confirmation
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| よ |
sentence end marker, applies certainty or request
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| わ |
feminine form of ね
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- The following particles are not covered anywhere.
| 格助詞+は/も |
combination of particles and は/も
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| ぐらい |
about/almost/approx
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| だけ |
only / just
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| しか |
only or nothing but
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| 〜中 - all/ entire / throughout (time)
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| 〜たち/がた |
makes the attached noun plural (plain/polite)
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| 〜あまり〜ない |
not very, negative sentences
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| 〜枚/冊/本... |
counters
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| 〜月/〜日/〜曜日 |
calendar
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| 〜時/〜時半/〜時〜/〜分/〜時〜分前/〜ごろ |
time
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| 〜時間/〜分/〜ぐらい |
minutes, hours
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| 〜がる |
to feel (used with adj)
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| 〜がわ |
side of something, or taking someone's side
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| 〜語 |
language
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| 〜人 |
person
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| 〜すぎ |
too much, over
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| 〜ずつ |
apiece
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| 〜屋 |
〜 shop
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Other stuff that we should work in
edit
- おめでとう(ございます) - Congratulations.
- よく出来ました。 - Good job. (You did well.)
Please and Thank You
edit
- おねがいします - please (Slightly more polite)
- どうぞ - please (Casual)
- どうも - Thanks.
- ありがとう - Thank you. (Casual)
- どうもありがとう - Thank you very much. (Casual)
- ありがとうございます - Thank you. (Polite)
- どうもありがとうございます - Thank you very much. (Very Polite)
- すみません - excuse me.
- どうもすみません - Thanks a lot. (Usually when someone goes out of their way to help)
- どういたしまして - You are welcome.
- いいえ - Not at all/No problem.
- すみません - Excuse me.
- あのうすみません - Ah, excuse me ...
- すみませんが - Excuse me, but ...
- おい - Hey (Somewhat rude)
- ごめん - Sorry.
- ごめんなさい - I am really sorry. (more formal)
- ごめんね - Sorry (soft/fem.).
- ごめんな - Sorry (masc.).
- ごめんよ - Sorry (masc. or Kansai dialect).
- すみません - I'm sorry.
- しつれいします。- goodbye for use with social superiors
- さようなら - Goodbye. (Primarily before a long absence.)
- じゃまた - See you later.
- じゃ - Bye! See you soon. (Mostly used by men )
- じゃね - Bye! See you soon.(Mostly used by women)
- また明日 (またあした) - See you tomorrow.
- またね - Later.
- また会いましょう (またあいましょう) See you again.
- またどうぞ - Please come again.
- バイバイ - Borrowed from English, Bye Bye.
- いってきます - I'm leaving (said when leaving the house)
- いってらっしゃい - Have a safe trip (response to いってきます)
- ただいま - I'm home (said when returning home)
- おかえりなさい - Welcome back
- おかえり - Less formal than the above
Finding the bathroom
edit
- トイレ (といれ) - Toilet
- お手洗い (おてあらい) - Restroom (variants are 御手洗い and 手洗い)
- 便所 (べんじょ) - Lavatory
- 化粧室 (けしょうしつ) - Powder room
- すみません。トイレはどこですか。 - Excuse me. Where is the bathroom?
- すみません。お手洗いはどちらですか。 - Excuse me. Which way is the restroom?
Hesitation noises, or vocal pauses, are the "uh" and "um" of a language, filler sounds we produce when we pause to think while speaking. Using the correct hesitation noises can make the difference between natural sounding Japanese, and awkward foreign sounding speech.
They are:
- あのう - Usually when you are about to say something.
- ええと - When you are just thinking.
- まぁ - "Well..." used for considering, reconsidering, etc...
- さぁ - Another thinking sound) Used for when you're not sure of the information.
- 何だっけ (なんだっけ) - "What's it called..." used when trying to remember something specific.
- そうですね - Acknowledges what was previously said. More of a staller than a hesitation noise. Somewhat more formal. Also used to show you care what the speaker is saying.
