Many people are put off by the idea of learning Japanese. In fact, the Japanese language is quite easy to learn. It has straightforward grammar rules, and spoken Japanese can be picked up quickly and easily. Written Japanese will take a little longer, but often is not needed in the business world. It is also important to learn about Japanese formality and customs, and how these relate to the spoken language.
In general, Japanese syntax and grammar are much more straightforward than that of Western languages such as English. English is a difficult language to learn, full of tricks, exceptions, and complications. If you can speak English well, learning Japanese grammar shouldn’t be difficult for you at all.
While English takes one root verb and modifies it constantly to fit the person or gender of the sentence, Japanese has no such rules. In Japanese, the verb comes at the end of the sentence. The subject is often introduced once at the beginning of a conversation or paragraph, and then omitted from the following sentences or conversation. This will be helpful for you to know, as learning the Japanese language depends on such rules
Japan is a very formal, traditional country in many ways. Courtesy is emphasized highly when learning Japanese. There are different greetings that are used depending on who you are addressing, what time of day it is, etc. A simple “hi!” will often not suffice. As you learn about the Japanese language, be sure to focus on greetings and salutations. They are essential to polite conversation in Japan.
It is also important to note that there are several different ways to apologize in Japan. Again, a simple “I’m sorry” will often not suffice. The apology will depend on the severity of the offense, with different phrases used for actual insults. When attempting to learn Japanese for use in Japan, especially for business use, make sure you learn the difference between these apologetic phrases. It is very important to use them correctly.
When learning the Japanese language, especially in its spoken form, concentrating on basic grammar rules and cultural differences will aid you immensely. Take the time to do a little research on the cultural differences between your country and Japan. You may be pleasantly surprised by the similarities, and you’ll be glad you learned about the differences.
As you begin to study Japanese, remember that the syntax is easier to pick up than that of English. Be sure to learn about the customs and culture. Focus on learning key phrases such as greetings and apologies – they’ll help you immensely when you actually travel to Japan. And be sure to remember that greetings depend on the status of the person you’re meeting, as well as the time of day. These tips should have you well on your way to a lifetime of learning Japanese – an interesting and formal language steeped in tradition.
By: David McGimpsey
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Filed under Reference And Education by on Jul 7th, 2010. 
One of the main purposes of language is to express feelings. Although the Japanese language is considered to be one of the toughest and the most difficult languages, and you may think you would not be able to express your feelings, the reality is quite different than that. Although getting a total grasp on Japanese language might be an uphill task, learning some basic Japanese romantic phrases is not too difficult and will surely impress your partner with your language skills.
By learning some basic Japanese romantic phrases, you can express your love to a beautiful girl or a boy; while in Japan or even elsewhere. The fun part of learning these useful Japanese romantic phrases is that you can even use them speaking to Japanese women and men. The inquisitive nature of people may make them feel attracted towards you if you use an innovative technique like using phrases of a foreign language to express your love.
Here are 10 Japanese romantic phrases which you could learn to impress men or women in Japan and around the globe:-
o Praising or flattering is the key to success in romance and you can compliment the eyes of your partner by saying “Kirei-na hitomi-dane”, which means that “You have beautiful eyes”.
o In any language of the world, the most popular phrase to express the love is “I love you”, and in Japanese you can put across your feeling by saying, “Aishiteru” or “Daisuki Dayo”.
o “You look beautiful” can be uttered in Japanese by saying “Kirei-dayo”.
o “You are attractive” is another useful Japanese phrase which can be said by a boy as “Suteki-dayo” and a girl can tell her boyfriend “Suteki-yo”.
o “Ii nioi” can be said if you want to say, “You smell sweet”.
o “May I kiss you?” can easily be asked by saying “Kisu shite-mo ii?”
o You can express your feeling of wanting to stay together with your loved one forever by saying, “I want to stay with you forever” and in Japanese you will say, “Zutto issho-ni-itai”.
o “Motto aishite” is the Japanese phrase for saying “Love me more”.
o The most important expression of true love is proposing to your loved one. “Will you marry me?” can be asked as “Kekkon shite-kureru?”
o You can appreciate the *** appeal of the opposite gender by saying, “You are sexy” and the Japanese version for the phrase is “Iroppoi!”
After learning these magnificent Japanese romantic phrases, now you have the killer weapon to attract Japanese women or men. At the same time, you could even improve your expression of love communicating with those who are non Japanese.
By: Emily Kato
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Filed under Reference And Education by on Jul 2nd, 2010.
If you are learning Japanese, it is a good idea to start with a few common Japanese phrases. Learning a few useful phrases will allow you to least say a few words and start communicating. If you can learn some simple words and start practicing you will find that learning the language will slowly become easier. Read on to learn some of the best common Japanese phrases to start your language learning with.
A great place to start with common Japanese phrases is with greetings. These can be used when meeting people on the street, in the office or in the house. They are good phrases to start practicing your Japanese and we will cover Good Morning, Good Day and Good Evening.
Good Morning in Japanese is ‘Ohayo Gozaimasu’. A more informal version of ‘Ohayo Gozaimasu’ is just ‘Ohayo’. The literal meaning for this phrase is ‘It is early’ and so it is only used up until 10 or 11am, after that you would say Good Day.
Good Day or Hello in Japanese is ‘Konnichi wa’. It is used during the daytime only after about 11am until early evening. It literally means ‘This day’.
Good Evening in Japanese is ‘Konban wa’. The literal meaning is ‘Tonight’ or ‘This night’. It is used in the evenings when greeting someone but not if you leave or say goodbye to someone.
When you or someone else is going to sleep you would use the Japanese phrase ‘Oyasumi nasai’. The literal meaning is ‘Please rest’ and if you know the person well you can use the informal version which is just ‘Oyasumi’.
By: Martin Gessner
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Filed under Reference And Education by on Jul 2nd, 2010.
When I first started learning Japanese I was told by so many people, most of who didn’t speak Japanese, that Japanese was very difficult and an extremely polite language. Most people who study Japanese would agree that Japanese is a polite language. However, my ten years of living in Japan taught me that Japanese speak the way they do to meet established social conventions and requirements. I am not so sure that this makes the language polite.
Politeness is best expressed as the practical application of good manners or etiquette. I have had plenty of
Filed under Reference And Education by on Jul 2nd, 2010.
Do you need or want to learn Japanese, but struggle to find the time? Learning Japanese fast can be easier than you’d think! By harnessing the power of your imagination, you can learn Japanese quickly and easily, in your spare time! Using imagery, you’ll gain tips to learn vocabulary quickly – increasing your Japanese knowledge base overnight.
Psychologists have discovered that your brain recalls information better when the items memorized are stored both verbally and visually. Adding visual images help to learn information more quickly, and also help you to retain it for longer periods of time. To learn Japanese fast, you’ll need to learn a new technique – vocabulary imagery. Using this technique, you’ll learn to memorize new Japanese vocabulary. This system will help you to learn Japanese fast, while saving you time for other studies, travel, or enjoying your free time.
As you study your Japanese vocabulary, concentrate on proper pronunciation. Repeat each word out loud as you practice pronouncing it correctly. Then try to link the Japanese pronunciation to an English word. For example, if the Japanese word you’re learning is kau (cow) – to buy, then concentrate on linking the sound kau to the word cow. As your brain forms these associations, you’re learning, even though it may not feel like it at first.
The second step in learning Japanese fast is to link these sounds with images. Imagine the English pronunciation linked with the Japanese meaning in some way. Come up with an image that uses both words, but is unique enough to stand out in your mind. For this example, you might clearly picture a cow buying something in a supermarket. Really use your imagination for this part of the memorization process. Picture the cow in the store, picking out groceries, pushing a cart with a calf in the front seat, and so on. As you do you are leaving multiple connections in your brain, making it easier for you to recall this vocabulary word when you need it.
Concentrate on this image for 10-15 seconds. Focus on the image, and on the connection between each word that makes up the picture you’re imagining. Make a note of your image on your list of vocabulary words or flash cards. Each time you study your Japanese vocabulary, recall the image in as much detail as possible. Really focus on using the power of your imagination to increase your language skills. This will enable you to learn Japanese fast, but it also applies to other languages as well.
By using the power of vocabulary imagery, you too can learn Japanese fast. Imagine the time you’ll save with this innovative system for memorizing vocabulary. You’ll be the envy of your friends and business associates, as they wonder where you’ve found the time to learn so much vocabulary in such a short amount of time. Be sure to explain to them all about your time-saving method, so that they too can learn Japanese fast.
By: David McGimpsey
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Filed under Reference And Education by on Jun 30th, 2010.
Age, naturally, plays a factor in the value of any Japanese antiques to collectors. More than that however, there are multiple questions regarding the quality, past owners, aesthetic beauty, and so on that can also influence the ‘prestige’ in which a given item of antique Japanese pottery is held. Surprising as it might be, just because some antique Japanese vases or other earthenware hail from a period that pre-dates ceramic, it does not mean that they lack in beauty. Admittedly, the oldest pieces that go all the way back to the Neolithic times may have been crude, but as time passed, the art of potters in Japan grew by leaps and bounds.
Periods of Antique Japanese Pottery Before Ceramics
Right after the Neolithic, in the Mesolithic, it was the time of the Jomon pottery period. Named after its very recognizable coil-made clay structure, the Jomon antique
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Filed under Reference And Education by on Jun 30th, 2010.
Learn Japanese easily! If you’re a pet owner, you know how animals tend to become part of the family. In fact, we talk about animals all the time. And, you probably use onomatopoeia to describe the sounds they make, such as “woof woof” and “meow.” The Japanese language is no different. You might even hear Japanese children referring to dogs using onomatopoeia. In this Japanese article, you’ll discover the onomatopoeia we use to describe animal sounds. The focus is the always-popular dog (wanwan) and cat (nyannyan). But, you’ll also find a handy chart with some Japanese onomatopoeia and their corresponding animals, from frogs to pigs. As a bonus, a fun practice portion asks you to fill in the correct animal sound onomatopoeia.
Vocabulary: In this article, you’ll learn the following words and phrases:
tonari – “next to, next door to”
uchi – “house, home”
Inu – “dog”
Neko – “cat”
asa – “morning”
hiru – “noon, daytime”
yoru – “night”
urusai – “noisy, annoying”
komaru – “to be worried, to be bothered”
hiki – “counter for small animals”
Grammar: In this article, you’ll learn the following words and phrases:
Today’s target onomatopoeia are wanwan and nyannyan.
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Sample Sentences
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Tonari no uchi niwa, inu ga san-biki, neko ga yon-hiki iru. “My neighbor has three dogs and four cats.” Asa kara wanwan, nyannyan urusakute komaru. “I’m really annoyed by their barking and meowing in the morning.”
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Explanation
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Wanwan is the sound dogs make, and nyannyan is the sound cats make. We spell them in both Hiragana and Katakana depending on the writer’s perception. Generally speaking, we use katakana when the writer wants to emphasize the word. As for the sound cats make, some people may pronounce the word nyaanyaa. Please review the list of animal sounds, and connect the name of the animals to the sounds they make.
Sound / Animal
meemee / sheep or goat
hihiin / horse
buubuu / pig
moomoo / cow
kerokero / frog
kokekokkoo / rooster
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Usage
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To make sound:
* (sound that animal or living creatures make) + (to) naku
* (sound that animal or living creatures make) + (to) iu
To bark:
* (sound that animal or living creatures make) + (to) hoeru
Children often refer to dogs as wanwan rather than their real name, inu.
For Example:
Chiisai ko ga “A wanwan da!” to itte watashi no inu ni chikazuite kita. “A little kid said, ‘Oh, it’s a wan-wan (doggy),’ and came closer to my dog.” Ie no mae de chiisai neko ga nyny to naite ita. “A small cat was meowing in front of the house.” Zutto, uchi ni kaette inakatta node, inu ni wanwan hoerareta. “Since I haven’t gone home in such a long time, my dogs barked at me when I arrived.” Kon’ya wa kaeru ga kerokero yoku naite iru. “The frogs are ribbitting loudly tonight.”
By: Peter Galante
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Filed under Reference And Education by on Jun 28th, 2010.
Everyone knows some Japanese. You probably have heard or know the meanings of these Japanese words; kamikaze, geisha, kimono, karaoke, samurai and so on. Many Japanese words and phrases have deep cultural significance which can make it hard for students to learn Japanese. However, Japanese words aren’t always deeply culturally rooted – there are some wacky words. While living in Japan I came across some ridiculous Japanese words that could only exists in Japan. The Japanese have a knack for stealing foreign words and giving them new meanings. Let’s learn a few.
My pet **** Japanese word is juice, in katakana. In Japanese “juice” basically means soft drink. It can even mean canned coffee. How could they get this word so wrong. So if a Japanese offers you “juice” in Japan don’t be surprised if you are giving a glass of coke.
Snack is an other word Japanese give new meaning to. Instead of relating to eating food the word is all about drinking. In Japanese “snack” means bar. But not just any bar. Snack bars are small drinking places usually for the older generation where Japanese can drown their sorrows with whisky or beer and belt out some enka. These places are very popular with men as they are sort of a hostess bar where you are charged quite a lot to drink with female company. Enka is traditional Japanese music – usually songs about lost love. These places are probably the most depressing places you could ever visit in Japan.
Viking is one of my favorite’s. It is pronounced “Bye -king”. Japanese most likely wouldn’t know who the Vikings were. Yet, at least one Japanese picked up on their eating habits and coined the phrase to mean buffet. Viking means “all-you-can- eat”. It can also mean “all-you-can-drink”.
Ice comes close. It means ice cream. This is an example of how Japanese will take English words and shorten them or abbreviate them. Japanese generally like to communicate with the least amount of words. They will take a foreign word shorten it, give it a new meaning, and eventually it slips into main stream vocabulary.
When you first learn or discover these words you will feel dumbfounded. You will either feel amused or annoyed. It is quite hard to believe that the words I just taught you are meaningful and common words in the Japanese language. It certainly took me a while to accept and use them. One of the most frustrating things is many Japanese believe that they are speaking English when using these loan words. Good reason enough not to even consider teaching English in Japan.
If you would like to learn more Japanese words and phrases visit this site.
By: Nicholas Kemp
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Filed under Reference And Education by on Jun 16th, 2010.