Japanese - にほんご (hell, koran)

[Rao]

Hey hey! So here it is. XD I suppose I'll start this off with some of the things I know, and everyone can add on, comment, correct, etc. Hah, maybe we'll learn something!

Japanese Alphabet

The Japanese language has two kinds of alphabet, Hiragana and Katakana. Hiragana is used when we have no Japanese characters (Kanji) for the words or we don't remember the right Kanji. Katakana is used mainly for foreign names. The Japanese alphabet consists of 99 sounds formed with 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, and u) and 14 consonants (k, s, t, h, m, y, r, w, g, z, d, b, p, and n).

Hiragana

Katakana

A great place to practice your Hiragana/Katakana is realkana.com. Thanks to zombieharlot for the site! ^^

Basic Vocabulary

Self Introduction:
How do you do? はじめまして (Hajimemashite)
I am Keita. わたしは けいたです (Watashi wa Keita desu)
Nice to meet you. どうぞ よろしく (Doozo yoroshiku)

Greetings:
Good morning (informal). おはよう (Ohayoo)
Good morning (formal). おはよう ございます (Ohayoo gozaimasu)
Hello/hi. こんにちは (Konnichi wa)
Good-bye. さようなら (Sayoonara)
Mr./Mrs./Ms./Dr. Yamada. やまだ せんせい (Yamada sensei)
Yes. はい (Hai)
No. いいえ (Iie)
Good evening. こんばんは (Konban wa)
See you. じゃあね (Jaa ne)

Colors:
Red あか (aka)
Orange オレンジ (orenji)
Yellow きいろ (kiiro)
Green みごり (migori)
Blue あお (ao)
Purple むらさき (murasaki)
White しろ (shiro)
Black くろ (kuro)

Counting:
1. いち (ichi)
2. に (ni)
3. さん (san)
4. し, よん (shi, yon) Note: 'Shi' means death, therefore it is a superstition much like our number 13. You would normally use 'yon' when counting.
5. ご (go)
6. ろく (roku)
7. しち, なな (shichi, nana) Note: You may use either when counting, although 'nana' is more common.
8. はち (hachi)
9. く, きゅう (ku, kyuu) Note: You may use either when counting, although 'kyuu' is more common.
10. じゅう (juu)

Counting Objects:
I suppose the Japanese like to make things difficult on us, so you can't simply count objects by the numbers above. They have different counting systems for flat objects, round objects, people, ages and even different animals. Annoying, eh? Well, here are the basics.

Counter for flat objects (paper, plates, CDs, tickets, shirts, tissues, etc):
1. いちまい (ichimai)
2. にまい (nimai)
3. さんまい (sanmai)
4. よんまい (yonmai)
5. ごまい (gomai)
6. ろく まい (rokumai)
7. なな まい (nanamai)
8. はちまい (hachimai)
9. きゅうまい (kyuumai)
10. じゅうまい (juumai)

Alright, so that wasn't so hard, just add the suffix 'mai' to the end of each number. This next one is just オウシコソ, as if I don't have enough to memorize in college.

Counter for round objects (keys, apples, candies, hamburgers, rings, etc.):
1. ひとつ (hitotsu)
2. ふたつ (futotsu)
3. みっつ (mittsu)
4. よっつ (yottsu)
5. いつつ (itsutsu)
6. むっつ (muttsu)
7. ななつ (nanatsu)
8. やっつ (yattsu)
9. ここのつ (kokonotsu)
10. とお (too)

Weather Expressions:
It's hot! あついですねえ (Atsui desu nee)
It's cold! さむいですねえ (Samui desu nee)
It is cool (temperature)! すずしいですねえ (Suzushii desu nee)
Yes, it is! そうですねえ (Soo desu nee) Note: Indicates strong agreement.
How are you? おげんきですか (Ogenki desu ka) Note: This expression is only used when one meets a person after not seeing them for several days or more.
Yes, I am fine. はい, げんきです (Hai, genki desu)
It's hot and humid! むしあついですねえ (Mushiatsui desu nee)
The weather is nice! いい(お)てんきですねえ (Ii [o]tenki desu nee)
It's raining (a lot)! あめですねえ (Ame desu nee)

Possession:
This ~ この + Noun (Kono + noun)
That ~ その + Noun (Sono + noun)
That ~ over there あの + Noun (Ano + noun)
You あなた (Anata)
Mine わたしの (Watashi-no)
Yours あなたの (Anata-no)
Here ここ (Koko)
There そこ (Soko)
Over there あそこ (Asoko)

[zombieharlot]

Ah, this is great for me. This first post is probably all I'll be referring to for a little bit as I learn Hirigana and Katakana.

[Rao]

Originally Posted by zombieharlot

Ah, this is great for me. This first post is probably all I'll be referring to for a little bit as I learn Hirigana and Katakana.

^^ I'll be adding more to the first post, so everyone can just use it as a reference and not have to scroll or go to different pages for information.

[zombieharlot]

Some beginner sites that I think might be useful:

http://thejapanesepage.com/news.php

http://www.users.pjwstk.edu.pl/~s4087/hiragana.html

[Darkness]

Since I have been studying Japanese since last September, I am fluent in Hiragana. I am not so great at reading Katakana, as it is not used much in the common Japanese speech. The Kanji are proving themselves to be difficult, but practice makes perfect.

To add to this lesson, I will show you where the consonants differ from their English pronunciations.

ふ(hu/fu) in not pronounced like an english "fu" despite the common transliteration. It should be pronounced as a breathy "hu."

らりるれろ (ra,ri,ru,re,ro) are not pronounced like the english "r." To make the sound, place your tongue like you are saying a "d", yet gently lick your gums like you are saying an "l." Trust me, it is hard and weird to get used to.

ざずぜぞ (za,zu,ze,zo) are pronouncned as if you added a "d" in front of the "z."

Also, sometimes the Japanese drop the "u" in words like in 沢山 (takusan) or the "i" in words like どういたしまして (douitashimashite).

[nutshell]

Originally Posted by Darkness

Since I have been studying Japanese since last September, I am fluent in Hiragana. I am not so great at reading Katakana, as it is not used much in the common Japanese speech. The Kanji are proving themselves to be difficult, but practice makes perfect.

Get the katakana down. It's all over the writing these days and will be more useful than hiragana if you actually visit Japan.

Originally Posted by Darkness

Also, sometimes the Japanese drop the "u" in words like in 沢山 (takusan) or the "i" in words like どういたしまして (douitashimashite).

Not sure I agree with that one, but I think I know what you're saying. I always found it to be more a matter of emphasis or lack thereof.

[Darkness]

Get the katakana down. It's all over the writing these days and will be more useful than hiragana if you actually visit Japan.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[Feathers in Hair]

This is very interesting, and helpful for my drawing! Thank you for posting this!