Japanese Lesson One

In this first lesson I am going to teach you some basic Japanese. I hope that you will find this very helpful because after learning this, I was able to introduce myself in Japanese. The layout of the lesson will be similar to how I was taught Japanese by my Japanese teacher.

Don’t worry too much because for now, you will only need to be able to understand English since I will teach you how to say the words out from just reading the Alphabets (Romanji). Without further ado, let the learning begin.

In many cases, the first thing we do when we met a stranger is to introduce ourselves and that is exactly what we are going to start with. Lets use an example:

John: Hajimemashite. John desu. Douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu. (How do you do? I am John. Pleased to meet you.)

Katou: Hajimemashite. Katou desu. Kochirakoso yoroshiku onegaishimasu. (How do you do? I am am Katou. Pleased to meet you.)

Before you move a way thinking that my translation is wrong, let me clarify. In this example, John is meeting Katou for the first time. The first thing they say is “hajimemashite”. This is usually what is said when you meet a person for the first time. There is no direct English translation but it is similar to “how do you do?”

Next, lets break up the sentences:

“John desu“. is not exactly “I am John.” You see, Japanese people tend to omit “I” and “you” in most of their sentences, especially when speaking to someone close. This is because it is obvious that John is introducing himself. “I” and “you” are only needed when emphasis is needed.

The direct translation of “I am John” would be “Watashi wa John desu. “

Watashi = I

wa = a particle that is used to indicate what the subject of the sentence is.

desu = this has a variety of function and can be translated to words such as: am, are, is etc.

By now, you would have noticed that there is some difference in the sentence structure. In English, the verb usually comes after the object but in Japanese, it is the other way around. This is why if you translate them word for word, you will get: “I John am.” I find it easier to just accept the way it is without comparing it with other languages. (By the way, I speak two other languages too.)

Douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu = Pleased to meet you. This is used by the first person that is first to do the introduction.

Kochirakoso yoroshiku onegaishimasu = Pleased to meet you. This is used as a response to “Douzo yoroshiku“.

Another thing that is different about the Japanese language is that it has many forms of formalities. Sentences can range from very formal to very casual. In the above example, “onegaishimasu” is included at the end of the sentence, making the sentence very formal. The very formal form is usually used when talking to strangers and people who are elder or have a higher social status, which shows that the speaker respects the person he or she is talking to. Usually when it is amongst friends, the word “onegaishimasu” is not omitted. 

Lets end this lesson with a new vocabulary: “Ja mata” which means see you.

Class is over. Now go home and write the example above 1000 times as your homework. Just kidding. Even if I told you to do so, I doubt anyone would actually follow.