Day 1:
Say Something to a Stranger
15mins
3min
Scroll’n Learn
How do you make a sentence in Japanese? Today you’ll learn how to structure your sentences and have a simple (albeit, a little awkward) conversation in Japanese.
Today's Goal
- Greet someone you don’t know.
- Say who you are.
- Understand the basic shape of a Japanese sentence.
1. Listen
Read the script in Hiragana
Tanaka: こんにちは
Hello.
Sakura: こんにちは
Hello.
Tanaka: わたしは たなかです。
I am Tanaka.
Tanaka: がくせいです。
I am a student.
Read the script in Romaji
Tanaka: Hello
Hello.
Sakura: Hello
Hello.
Tanaka: watashi wa tanaka desu.
I am Tanaka.
Tanaka: gakuseidesu.
I am a student.
2. Understand
Japanese Sentence Structure
What does it do?
Japanese sentences usually puts the action
(verbs like eat, run and so on…)
or the state
(words like is, am, are…)
at the end of the sentence.
For Example...
The sentence “I am a student” in English can be literally rearranged to “I student am” to match how Japanese sentences are structured.
Pattern
[Topic] + [Information] + [Action / State]
です (Desu)
What does it do?
Japanese has ways to make sentences polite and casual.
です (desu) makes sentences polite.
It’s meaning is basically “Is/Am/Are” and so you will hear it a lot.
For Example...
Student = がくせい (Gakusei)
So…
がくせいです。
Gakusei desu.
(I) am a student.
Pattern
[Noun or an Adjective] + です(desu).
は (Pronounced Wa)
What does it do?
To join words together, Japanese has particles.
For example: “Go to school”. The “to” acts as a particle.
は (Pronounced “wa”, when it’s used as a particle, otherwise pronounced “ha”.)
は can literally mean “as for”. It is a particle.
It marks the subject of the sentence.
For Example...
I / Me = わたし (Watashi)
So…
わたしはがくせいです
Watashi wa gakusei desu
As for me I am a student.
Often Japanese people don’t even use I / Me in sentences because it’s obvious who / what they’re talking about.
Pattern
[Subject] + は + [Whatever you wanted to say about the subject]
3. Practice
The sentences below are example sentences combining new words of the day and the skills we learnt up till now.
こんにちは (こんにちは)
Hello
Use this as the standard daytime greeting when meeting or speaking to someone.
Example:
JP: たなかさん、こんにちは。
ENG: Hello, Tanaka!
私 (わたし)
I, me
Use this to refer to yourself, with the exact nuance depending on the speaker and context.
Example:
JP: わたしはたなかです。
ENG: I am Tanaka.
はい (はい)
Yes
Use this to clearly say yes, agree, or show that you are listening.
Example:
JP: はい、たなかです。
ENG: Yes, I am Tanaka.
いいえ (いいえ)
No
Use this to clearly say no or disagree with something.
Example:
JP: いいえ、がくせいです。
ENG: No, I am a student.
すみません (すみません)
Excuse me / sorry
Use this to apologize, get someone's attention, or politely express thanks for a small favor.
Example:
JP: すみません、がくせいですか。
ENG: Excuse me, are you a student?
学生 (がくせい)
Student
Use this for a student, especially someone studying at a school, college, or university.
Example:
JP: たなかさんはがくせいですか。
ENG: Is Mr. Tanaka a student?
私は学生です
わたしはがくせいです
I am a student.
学生です
がくせいです
I am a student.
田中は学生です
たなかはがくせいです
Tanaka is a student.
はい、学生です
はい、がくせいです
Yes, I am a student.
5. Immerse
Listen to the script below. It only uses words you’ve learned so far. Then, try recording yourself repeating it to practice your speaking and pronunciation.
Your recording is never saved or stored anywhere as it’s only for your practice.
The Script
Read the script in Hiragana
Tanaka: こんにちは
Hello.
Sakura: こんにちは
Hello.
Tanaka: わたしはたなかです。
I’m Tanaka.
Sakura: たなかさん？
Tanaka?
Tanaka: はい
Yes.
Sakura: わたしはさくらです。
I’m Sakura.
Tanaka: さるな？
Saruna?
Sakura: いいえ、さくらです。
No, Sakura.
Tanaka: あ、すみません。
Ah, I’m sorry.
Tanaka: 。。。わたしはがくせいです。
…I’m a student.
Read the script in Romaji
Tanaka: Konnichiwa
Hello.
Sakura: Konnichiwa
Hello.
Tanaka: Watashi wa Tanaka desu.
I’m Tanaka.
Sakura: Tanaka-san?
Tanaka?
Tanaka: Hai.
Yes.
Sakura: Watashi wa Sakura desu.
I’m Sakura.
Tanaka: Saruna?
Saruna?
Sakura: ii-e, Sakura desu.
No, Sakura.
Tanaka: A, Sumimasen.
Ah, I’m sorry.
Tanaka: …Watashi wa gakusei desu.
…I’m a student.
You did it!
Day 1 complete
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You can now introduce yourself, ask someone’s name, and have your first little conversation in Japanese.