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- Japan Tour Guide (2)
- Level 1 (20)
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- Level 4 (21)
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- Pronunciation (1)
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August 16th, 2006 at 2:23 pm
Thanks a BUNCH for all of your helpful entries. I appreciate your efforts!
August 26th, 2006 at 9:58 am
great little conversations! this seems pretty useful.
just wondering if you were considering using kanji/kana in addition to the romaji? most japanese learning resources seem to advise learning hiragana and not reading romaji.
these conversations are at my level, but it’s slow to read romaji. :/
August 26th, 2006 at 10:32 am
Initially, I was using Hiragana / Katakana but then most readers requested me to use Romaji. I may use Romaji + Kana in future lessons.
Thanks for your suggestions.
September 7th, 2006 at 1:41 pm
A very useful site for learning basic Japanese!! Thank you for the effort!! =)
I just found this blog today and had just started on level 1…
btw, are u residing in Tokyo??
September 7th, 2006 at 3:38 pm
Hi Benedicta,
Glad you like this blog. No, I studied in Japan for 4.5 years and making this blog to make sure I can keep the language in mind as well as to share with the readers.
September 26th, 2006 at 7:15 pm
October 4th, 2006 at 7:25 am
so where\’s the rss feed?
November 6th, 2006 at 7:05 pm
はじめまして
なまえはUCHIHA DIDIK
おれはインドネシアン人
can you give me free ebook complete to study about all of nihongo structure, when kanji is used, and link that provide talking lively. thanks ..
November 6th, 2006 at 8:16 pm
>> Uhiha
Sorry, I dont have any Japanese Lesson Ebook. In fact your Japanese is not bad.
November 7th, 2006 at 1:19 pm
こんにちわ
あなたはだれですか。
どこからいきましたか。
can you chat with me in yahoo messanger or skype?
私に チャト を して ください。
わかりますか。
ありがとございます。
December 25th, 2006 at 10:33 am
really good site I will definitely link to you from mine
December 25th, 2006 at 10:53 am
Thanks Jamaipanese for your support.
March 1st, 2007 at 7:20 pm
Hello, would you like to exchange links?
Penpas with photos
March 23rd, 2007 at 7:42 am
Hi I’ve been reading your blog for awhile and would like to do a blog link trade with you.
The address is:
http://ajapaneseandchinesemajor.aznaddict.com
I understand the name is ridiculously long, so if you would like the text link to just be “AZNaddict” that would be fine.
Please let me know when you’ve added the link and I will add yours too.
Good luck with your work!
Best,
Ryan
November 3rd, 2007 at 10:57 am
hi .. i’ve just read your blog .. it’s a good one i think ..
say, do you know where i can find a partner to practice japanese conversation ?
i really want to having a conversation in japanese .. can you please help me ?
thanks before .. m(_ _)m
November 3rd, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Thanks Rusty,
sorry, I don’t but you can check back here for any lesson update. It is better for you to go through every single (from level 1) lesson here to understand the basic usage.
Thanks
December 19th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
Thanks for all your lessons. I will continue coming to this site.
December 27th, 2007 at 12:02 am
Hi,
I am interested in purchasing text link advertising on various pages of your website:().
If you are interested, please let me know so we can discuss further details. I can make you a superb offer.
Looking for your response.
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William Klein.
January 8th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Tony-san,
Konnichiwa. Watashi wa Malaysia ni sunde imasu. 1-nen nihon-go o benkyou shite imasu. nihon-go wa muzukashii desu ga, omoishiroi desu, totemo suki desu yo. demo, watashi no nihon-go amari wakarimasen, sukoshi dekimasu.
i would like to thank you for the free lesson, it is very helpful especially the conversation part. although i am learning it for a year, but very weak in speaking.
Arigatou gozaimashita!
January 8th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
>>HP
Dō itashimashite!!!
I am glad you like the lesson.
Thanks
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Tony-san,
motto nihongo ni tsuite o benkyo shitai desu. i am taking up nihongo lessons but what i want to learn is about constructing compound sentences. i would like to know how to use conjunctions in nihongo. just like: “i don’t know THAT you are still a student”, “please tell him THAT i will not go to school”, “she said THAT she likes you.”.. as we can see, this sentence is composed of 2 simple sentences: “she said.” and “she likes you.” and then they are connected by the conjunction “THAT”.
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:37 pm
hi Tony,
can you please translate these following phrases to nihongo?:
1. have you seen her at the school?
2. we need to hurry up!
3. i don’t smoke, drink liquor nor take illegal drugs.
4. i forgot to bring my bag.
5. i’m still not good in speaking nihongo.
6. i know that it’s not right to tell her.
7. i work for my family.
8. my mother is taking care of her sister who has a cancer.
9. my father has been working on the company for 20 years.
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:42 pm
tony, i apologize, i think i’m over-active, but i just really want to learn because i’m really interested and i love the language. i’m glad that there’s someone like you who willingly extends efforts to teach us for free. thanks so much, your site is really a great help!!! please explain the grammatic construction and nihongo sentence rules applied as you translate those sentences (onegai shimasu). anyway i am still a 4th year college student, and i am a scholar of a japanese agency, i look forward of working in japan in the future.
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:46 pm
also i want to learn about nihongo verb conjugation in the passive voice (example: the cat is killed by the dog, the teacher is criticized), i hope you could post a discussion about that in your site so i could learn more, i know this is too advance. thank you.. anyway i am a filipino, a japan-obsessed filipino. hehe. i do hope to hear from you soon.
January 24th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Hello,
I help run Celebpulp.com and I am trying to spread the link love by linking to other blogs that I think our visitors would like to visit. Do you mind if I link to your website: nihongo.anthonet.com ?
Since Celebpulp.com gets a few thousand visitors on the site each day, I’m sure some of them will enjoy your site as well. I will NOT link to your website until you reply telling me it is OK with you. Do you think you can link to Celebpulp.com? I look forward to your reply.
Jon
March 12th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Hi Tony, just found your site today. Thanks so much for doing this, I agree it is a great way to keep using the language. I have always been interested in the language and have passed Level 4 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. Since then, I have also been looking for someone to proctise speaking the language.
I read Rusty’s message on looking for someone to speak Japanese with. Can you put me in touch with him/her.
Thanks Tony! I will be visiting your site more often.
Rusty, if you are reading this, please respond. Thanks!
March 12th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Hi May,
I am extremely happy that you like this site. I believe Rusty will receive your message and contact you soon.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Deat Tony, thanks for providing such a useful site. It really helps as I am a beginner in this language. I need your help to translate some medical documents which my daughter had incurred during her youth exchange programe in Japan. May I have your e-mail so that I can forward the documents to you. Thank you and regards, Chrisitne
May 7th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Hi Christine,
You can email me at tony33[at]gmail[dot]com
May 9th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Hi Tony,
Thanks for your help.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
you are always welcome, Christine
May 17th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
TONY-SAMA,
Konbanwa.Watashiwa Ide to moushimasu. Hajimemashite.
Actually, I lived and studied in Japan for a few years before. I’am now living in mare-shia, and working in nihon no kaisha. Previously I used to do a lot of Japanese language related jobs but after some organizational structure change (about 2 years ago), my job has limited usage of Japanese and less conversation with Japanese staff.
My nihongo noryoku wa dondon warukunattekite, saikin iitai kotowa umaku tsutaerarenai. Do you happen to know anyone or any organization needing Japananese Language service tokuni mare-shia ni aru dantai/kaisha. Or could yo give an suggestion how to keep up my nihongo?
By the way, I like reading mangga and I hope I can translate my favourite mangga and publish it in mare-shia.
soreja….
June 20th, 2008 at 1:09 am
Hello!
Very nice and helpful site!! Keep up the good work!
Thanks!!
June 20th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Thanks Rob. My Pleasure
June 20th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Nice site, where’s contact form by the way? Just curious!
June 20th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
You can just fill up the comment here or drop me an email at tony33 [at] gmail [dot] com.
Thanks
July 19th, 2008 at 12:47 am
Dear San,
I am very interested to learn Nihogo. But I can’t proper Knowledge. I admitted Khulna University, Bangladesh. But they desert not Nihongo no Kiso Translate Japanese, English, C/D & Bangla. KU can’t Supply this book which
I can’t achieve Nihongo. Please sent me some book without
okany.
Sahid Sarowar
Nahar Peace Garden
202/1 Tootpara Main Road, Khulna -9100
Bangladesh.
E-mail : sumon.gpk@gmail.com
August 8th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Great work..Upto my knowledge it can be say ごんばりま in japanese.
August 8th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Thanks Sreedhar,
Thanks
It should be がんばります
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:09 pm
“Edojidai started around the year 1600″ - not 1600 years ago - check that lesson.
September 9th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
ありごっと ございます
September 9th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Ｈｉ 山田、
Should be ありがとう ございます
October 1st, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Thankyou for posting this blog I will add your blog to my favorites very useful.
This blog has covered and exceeded what I’m learning in Japanese 201 in University. It’s very generous of you spending your time for posting your thoughts and lessons.
Ｔｏｎｙ さんの 日本語 は とてもじょずです そして TONY さんの BLOGは とても べんりです。ありがとう ごさいます。
October 1st, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Hi Jeffrey,
Thanks for your support. I am extremely glad that you like this blog. Your Japanese is great too
Thanks again.
November 21st, 2008 at 11:38 am
help how to find site the command like right face, left face like that
November 21st, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Oh do you mean like direction in Japanese.
Right - Migi 右
Left - Hidari 左
Beside you - Tonari 横
Between - Aida 間
Behind - Ushiro 後ろ
In Front - Maie 前
Straight ahead - Massugu まっすぐ
Above - Uue 上
Below - Shita 下
February 8th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
Hey! Any1 could translate 2 words for me?
the chasm
edge
plzthx
February 17th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
konbanwah!
watashi wa tasukete onegai shimasu?…
could you please translate these phrases?…
Ai no tame ni
Tsuyokunareru
Anata ga iru kagiri
Nando datte
Yarinaoseru
Ashita ga aru kagiri
I know ai is love and ashita is ashita is tomorrow but what is aru kagiri and these other words?….
domo arigatou guzaimasu in advance!
domo arigatou guzaimasu sensei tony sama!
February 17th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
This is about art more than translation - these are lyrics, right?
Here goes:
Because of love (tame = because/reason)
makes us/you/me stronger (pronoun is not included = ref context)
because of you (or because I have you)
Many times
We/I can do it over
as long as we have tomorrow
Kagiri describes a condition - describes being within a limit or simply “because.”
Poetry is best in the original - above is not an attempt at recreating the feel of the original.
BTW, it’s “wo tasukete” not “wa”
February 17th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
Nice, Thomas. The sentences are not conversation type but rather a rhythm or something. What Thomas translated is the best to suit the translation.
February 19th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
yup! it is not a conversation. it’s a song…. I liked the song but there are words I dont get to understand much.. hehheh! so much for trying hard..
demo… domo arigatou guzaimasu for answering my querry. 
February 19th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Konbanwah!
could you please tell me when to use the word “aniki” and “oniichan”. because both have the same meaning. Is it ok if I use either of the words any time?
February 19th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Hi Theresa,
Aniki is normally used when you tell someone about your brother
Oniichan is used when you call your brother
February 19th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
ahhh.. kaya pala…. ok. thank you!
February 19th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
I sent a note to a friend of mine and it goes like this…
anata wa zottou tomodachi san!
iashiteru zottou!
anata wa tomodachi san… kyunde, ashita, zottou!….
domo arigatou tomodachi san!
is it ok? I think I have a wrong grammar here. heheheh!
tnx again!
February 19th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Hi Theresa,
It would be easier if you could put it in English on what you are expressing. Thanks
February 19th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
hehhehh! gome nasai!…… i was just trying.
domo arigarou!
February 19th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Theresa, also, since you appear to know ’some’ Japanese - try to pay attention to your spelling - applies to your English as well.
Try reading your own writing out loud - that might help you catch many problems.
Long and short vowel sounds are very important - e.g. “ou” vs “o” - check your dictionary.
Also, try to graduate to at least hiragana/katakana - that will also catch many of your problems. Study a few common kanji - that also helps put the writing where it should be.
March 14th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
yadda! yadda!.. anata ganbatte tomodachi minna san! watashi tasukete onegai shimasu wakaremasu nihingo!… watashi ureshii anata tasuketedesu!…
is this ok?….. tanx in advance!
April 9th, 2009 at 9:26 am
I can’t find this in my basic grammar dictionary (A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammr by Makino and Tsutsui) 切符 でないんですが, どう したら いいです。 So I know this first part before the comma means something about a ticket and not leaving, and the second part means something like “How do I do this”. My problem is that たらいいです as a grammar unit is not in my dictionary. Is this something like “When is this a good thing”, or “If this is a good thing to do…”
April 9th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Hi KomaGawad,
You can refer to one of my lesson about “~tara”. There I have an explanation about the usage.
April 13th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Konnichiwa minna-san
can you kindly translate this sentences:
~Keep safe & in touch. Comment back ok?~
~I can’t understand Japanese.~
~I miss you too my friend.~
~I’m not really expert at speaking Japanese but I know some.~
and can I ask some questions?… etoo~ is hajimemashite, douzo yoroshiku, yoroshiku onegaishimasu & kochira koso is the same?.. I’m really confused about that even if those words are just simple greetings.
arigatou gozaimasu
yoi ichinichi o
^_~
April 13th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Hi Otaku,
~I can’t understand Japanese.~
Watashi ga Nihongo wa wakarimasen
~I miss you too my friend.~
Anata ga inaku naru to, sabishiku narimasu
~I’m not really expert at speaking Japanese but I know some.~
Nihongo wa umakunai desu keredomo, sukoshii hanasemasu ga
Well they are the same. The polite way when meeting a new friend would be Hajimemashite, dōzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu
Hope this help. Thanks
April 13th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Sorry for not checking my name. It is for the river through our neighborhood here. Even my computer dictionary doesn’t have the 漢字 for this character. It is based on the Koreans who came here a long time ago.Koma.
Well, I was interested to read the list of comments. I wonder how many are still seriously studying? I am making a VERY serious effort this year, and still going strong in April.
I have several questions, but I will respectfully try to learn more about your site before I just give you a list of grammar points. I have 1 grammar dictionary, and a text with the answers (very expensive, those answers
I suppose I am interested in a community as much as anything. I don’t meet anyone studying Japanese only English (this includes my family)
本当に 平仮名 と 片仮名 は 日本語の勉強前進 だと思う。
April 13th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Hi Komagawa,
Hope you can learn something new here. Enjoy your reading. Thanks
April 13th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
thanks Tony!… thank u very much…
god bless
April 13th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
how about the “keep safe & keep in touch. Comment back okay?”
thanks minna-san… this site/page is so cool! Sugoi! ^_~
god bless
April 13th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Hi Otaku_mcc
Keep Safe - Ansen ni tamochimasu
Keep in touch - Mata renraku shimasu
Thanks
April 13th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
thanks… how about “omatase nee” ?…
I’m really sorry for asking so many questions… I was just really interested in learning Japanese.
How did u learn Nihonggo?…
more power to you Tony.. this is a big help
thanks
April 14th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Hi Otaku_mcc,
Omatase comes from the word Mataseru (Keep someone waiting). This word comes from Matsu (Wait). Adding “O” in front is a polite form. Most of the time “Omatase shimashita” will be used to express “Sorry for keep you waiting”
I was graduated and worked in Japan for 23 years.
Hope this help. Thanks
April 14th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
wow… that was really amazing.. sorry for asking so many questions… can I ask again?…
can u translate this the situation:
girl1: can you help me with this?
girl2: sure. It’s nothing…
thank u very much… this really helps… all of your answers really helped me a lot…
more power
^__^
April 15th, 2009 at 12:27 am
Seriously people - if you can’t even spell correctly in English, you will never, ever, learn Japanese. If one thing is required to learn Japanese, it is attention to detail. Persistence also helps.
As KomaGawa said - learn hiragana and katakana - the whole romaji business only cripples you. Why? Because as long as you think in romaji, your mind will be parked in whatever western language you speak and you will never be able to grasp Japanese grammar - and forget about ever getting the pronunciation right.
Pardon the rant but it annoys me to see the many inane translation requests from people who can’t even be bothered to try.
Learning comes from making mistakes => please show Anthony and everybody else who reads this block that you at least have tried !!!
Thomas
PS
I passed nihongo-nouryoku-shiken’s highest 1-kyuu level 15 years ago - and I didn’t take any prep classes for it either…
Japanese is my fifth language - and I have focused on all of them.
My stack of notebooks from writing down and looking up Japanese expressions, grammar points and of course kanji exercises was substantial.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:39 am
well Thomas, how can I try if I didn’t have any basic background about Nihonggo?
In our school, Japanese is NOT included in our subjects that’s why I’m asking help. I want to learn Nihonggo because I was having a hard time speaking with my step Japanese dad. And the problem here is I can’t understand him when he’s speaking English because it sounds like Japanese too(I mean the accent is Japanese). When he’s talking to us in English, he was like speaking Japanese and not to mention his English skills are not good at all. I’m not angry but I was just asking some advice. I know I really sound sarcastic & harsh. Well SORRY for that Thomas.
more power. God bless.
~thanks~
April 15th, 2009 at 10:50 am
by the way, do you have any Japanese lessons that doesn’t involved money? Thomas said that learning comes from your mistakes and that was a good point of view. APOLOGIES ^_~
~thanks~
April 15th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
I thought about the issue after I made my posting. I think tony encountered or encounters many visitors to this site who don’t have the software or freeware to write hiragana, and that is the reason he went along with romaji. I agree that romaji is something that was typically designed to prolong the entry level learning process. The average person if they concentrate can master both hiragana and katakana in 3 weeks or less.
Finally it is impressive to meet someone like Thomas who has a talent for languages (or is it puzzles?)
April 15th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Ohhh one more thing, Research on Emails communications shows that people come across A LOT stronger in writing than speaking face to face. So we all do this. I think Thomas is just showing this tendency.
April 15th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
>> KomaGawa,
You will be able to write hiragana and katakana with Windows. You need to install Asian Language. When I started this site, all my posting was in Hiragana/Katakana and many readers (80%+) requested to translate into Romaji. I did include hiragana/katakana for some lesson (i.e http://nihongo.anthonet.com/shimau-shimaimasu/)
>> Thomas
That is great. Before I sat for 1-kyū exam 23 years ago, I have attended a 6 months Japanese class in Tokyo. Since I am a chinese, kanji wasn’t a problem for me since 1-kyū contains mostly kanji. For an American to pass 1-kyū, it was definitely not an easy task. Great work.
April 15th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
I had prepared a post with FREE resources on how to enable Japanese on whatever computer you have, but WordPress denied this (too “spammy”). So, unless you are terminally lazy, go to Google and search for “enable Japanese keyboard input” and you’ll get plenty of ideas.
If WordPress permits one URL per post, I’ll include this one:
http://www.guidetojapanese.org/hiragana_ex.html
Learning to write by hand is critical - the above is a FREE resource. As KomaGawa says, it’ll only take you a few weeks to master.
No more excuses - go do it!
Thomas
PS
Tony - I did not have a US passport at the time I passed 1-kyuu…
April 16th, 2009 at 11:00 am
Hi Thomas, I thought you are an American and thanks for the link. I believe many readers here will find it useful. For a full set of Hiragana/Katakana, all readers can follow read the Pronunciation section
April 29th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Interesing, Thomas in Atlanta…My given name is Thomas, but I changed my last name…
1.Tony, I wanted to log in “blogroll” as KomaGawa, with this email address but I couldn’t do.
2. Since our conversation about romaji vs hiragana I have been doing alot of self-observation as I study. I have 2 books, one is a Japanese dictionary with romaji translation of the kanji/hiragana and a standard text, しんにほんごのきそ （Don’t know if this has a kanji meaning or not. Probably many students know this line of texts. As you know it is 100% ヒラガナ(my joke) and you have to buy another expensive book to get the English answers. So most people don’t. When I am studying that book, my brain is forced to become used to the 平仮名 and after slaving away for a few hours, I’m ok, and if I jump to the computer for a break and come here, reading the romaji at first is really tedious. However the dictionary is in ロマジ and the Japanese 仮名 is really tiny (I really dislike this formatting quirk of Japanese publishers, they love to make the 仮名 small against a white page grrrrr! and folks, my eyesight ain’t what yours’ is like. But I notice that I will read the ロマジ first and then look to the 仮名 glancing back and forth. Finally I will try to force myself to stay with the 仮名. All this is to say, that it depends on what you’re used to. And I know it is slow, but you should go with the 仮名 as much as your brain can stand it. Besides this site has alot of ロマジ anyway.
I have some Japanese problems, but I am working around them for now, because I am too lazy to read your on-site grammar text here to see if they are more helpful. Until I do, I won’t ask you.
April 29th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Oh, And Thomas, I grew up in Rome, and went to GSU for a while, alot of high school and family members are GT grads.
April 29th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
I am trying to figure out how I can include Hiragana & Katakana in my next post so that it doesn’t look that cramp.
May 1st, 2009 at 9:07 pm
hey, Pretty soon I will be up with the Jr. High people (lol) of foreign language learners, I just went and bought the blue, Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar. If image counts for any thing (lol) I’m on my way. See you after the end of Golden Week!
May 15th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Ok Tony, I have a question my dictionary is not helpful in explaining. the wa-topic is まで に and 前に. The dictionary says this is equivalent to “by” and “before” in English. Which, to my naive mind, means “there is really NO DIFFERENCE. Then the dictionary gives examples of this “”difference”
or 授業 前に 湯便局 に 行く。 and the same sentence with までに. In this this latter sentence, 前に is “correct”.
来月までに この仕事 を します。and duhh.来月前にこの仕事 を します。 (I will finish this work by next month. I will finish this work before next month. までに is “correct”. Just in case some folks couldn’t read my text’s Japanese
I just don’t see this difference in these two English sentences. Maybe there is more of a difference in Japanese than in English and the authors are vainly (in my case) trying to appeal to the English “differences” as a way of showing the similarities, in this case, between Japanese and English grammar thinking. Sorry, but my dense mind can’t grasp it. Can you help.
I have more questions, but first things first.
regards,
May 15th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
Don’t pursue the legal field.
In formal English there is a clear distinction - “by” and “before” don’t cover the same time space, so to speak. Two examples:
“I’ll get it done by September” = it will be done before the end of September.
“I’ll get it done before September” = it will be done prior to September 1.
The Japanese terms are used like that.
Thomas
May 15th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
What Thomas says is correct. Thanks
May 15th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
Sorry, didn’t think that one through - the lumping together of by and before got me going.
You’re asking about までに「迄に」 where the に ending makes a big difference. This focuses it on the time endpoint, i.e. stresses that it HAS to be done by then.
The whole までに「迄に」 expression can also be used as an add/on to a verb [even after nouns] to stress the effort or time required to complete the topic at hand. Example:
大学 までに (彼は) あきらめてしまう かも 知れない
(He) might give up before getting to university.
The pronoun (he) is often not used.
Thomas
May 17th, 2009 at 8:39 am
I asked our two daughters (whose English is so-so, but better than asking my other students) and their quick reaction was that both are interchangeable, and までに is far more often used than 前に. This somewhat surprised me. As I assumed both would be equally prevelant in usage. My second thought still is surprised by that reaction of frequency.
Maybe, Thomas I can see your “point”. I think my confusion occurs when the “point” of time is longer than a “point”. “By” in English could be interpreted as on Sept.1st, as well as before the end of Sept. Thus, I think people would add some qualifier when they use the word “by”, as to say “by the end of Sept.” or “by the beginning of Sept.” to clarify nderstanding.Whereas “before” in English is less ambiguous, IMO. “Before” means “before”.
2. Your kanji is interesting. I’ve never seen it before. My dictionary is irritating in that it uses hiragana when it believes it is being helpful to reduce kanji strain. Whereas I am focusing on being able to read, not speak (I basically have no one to speak Japanese with): so, thus far, I don’t mind the kanji load.
3. I will resist making a joke about lawyers….I have known several Japanese law students, but no lawyers. Probably because Japanese lawyers are way above me in terms of lifestyle, while the students are not. ;-(
May 17th, 2009 at 9:23 am
The finer points might be lost on your daughters - unless they’ve spent at least a few years in corporate Japan.
Your English commentary is mistaken - you might prefer your looser approach to be the way it works, but it doesn’t. Sorry, but that’s the way it is. Reference my previous post for the real distinction between “by” and “before”.
The kanji for “迄” isn’t mine - that’s how it’s actually written. Yes, it’s not one of the 常用漢字 but it is in active use regardless. BTW, most hiragana Japanese actually has a kanji lurking in there somewhere. You need to pick up about 500 additional kanji beyond the basic 2,000 to be truly functional in written Japanese. That kanji is one of those.
The legal reference was to distinguish between casual interpretations and strict definitions.
May 17th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
No I have no particular preference other than to read with understanding.
I didn’t imply that your kanji was other than what I said, “interesting”. That was my first time to see it. Perhaps you are trying to read too much into my English. I am not “testing” your knowledge against our daughters, etc. only making observations. I am a student, and you are….. a more advanced student
May 17th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
KomaGawa-kun, unbind those boxers!
I’m only interested in precise definitions. Most dictionaries aimed at the non-Japanese are sadly downgraded - much useful information is not entered.
IMO, the only way to go is to take the plunge and start using one of the 100% Japanese versions - there are several that have the little “helper” okurigana above the kanji as well as reasonably detailed definitions. You just have to plow through a lot of bookstores until you find one you like.
On of my favorites is by the publisher Sanseido. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanseido_Kokugo_Jiten
The Sanseido was quite popular among my Japanese colleagues - in everybody’s top metal drawer… I can recommend it too.
Here are some other slightly obscure kanji for you to chew on:
人参
只今
零
壱
弐
参
拾
戌
酉
為
Then there are all the various 俗字 still in use - in handwritten Japanese that is.
I stopped being a student - that sounds too organized for me these days - I’m just a learner now. A life-long title I suppose.
May 19th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Heeeeeeeeyaaaa! when it rains it pours!
Too bad my brain can’t absorb any faster before I have to take a nap
next question: My textbook page which I ripped out to save for review says something like:
昨日電車でいろいろ 話した。
So my question regarding this sentence is that it was presented in the review as a representative for others. So, you know, there is no object for the verb, only an adjective modifying the missing objects. How do I recognize the other situations for this kind of missing words, (what is the linguistic term?)
May 19th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Ohh, I’ll print your email notice of the previous comment…. sometime tonight.
May 19th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Hi Komagawa,
This sentence can be used. Most Japanese converse this way to people they know well.
昨日,電車でいろいろ話した。
May 19th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
I would add that omitting various parts of a sentence is standard Japanese - and not just with people they know well.
Corporate example:
この間,どうもどうも。
例の件ですが、従来どおりに進もう？
In the example above: When exactly did what happen to whom? Which 例の件 are we talking about? And just how did we do it in the past? Ref. the ever-popular 従来どおり method.
All this omission can make it quite infuriating to listen in to standard conversations - if you don’t already know what they’re discussing, you’ll never figure it out.
There are even unique hand signs and gestures unique to Japanese that are used to add “sensitive” content to discussions. Gestures that signify things like money, GF, BF, sexual orientation and so on.
Japanese is built around ambiguity and the unspoken word - this is the culture component of the language. Suck it up!
This is why - if you ever do simultaneous interpretation of business discussions - going from one language to the other can result in a lengthy explanation in one language become a brief half-sentence in the other.
A final piece of advice - if your text book has English in it - don’t trust it to be anywhere close to actual Japanese. In real life, there is no “intermediate” level of any language.
May 19th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Spoiler alert - answers to slightly obscure kanji “challenge” above:
人参 - ninjin (carrots)
只今 - tadaima (now/today, also used as greeting)
零 - rei (number zero)
壱 - ichi (number one)
弐 - ni (number two)
参 - san (number three)
拾 - juu (number ten)
戌 - inu (dog in the Chinese zodiac)
酉 - tori (rooster in the Chinese zodiac)
為 - tame (because, reason…)
May 19th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
I see your point, my example sentence is actually a small spit in the ocean of omitted words. Of course I can see the dropped noun if I can study it in writing. I am nervous, as you allude to in the spoken realm where I am so dependent on translating every-single-word and then fitting it into a corresponding blank space of one word length….sigh, well not to worry yet. just continue along.
June 9th, 2009 at 2:38 am
hey there.
I’m a learner. actually I came up with the idea of learning japanese not a long ago.
I have to say I’m not a english native speaker. I’ve learned english myself so Im not good at all. anyway
I’ve a question. Im a bit confused. where should I start learning? I mean what’s the first lesson here? just send me a link or something. because you can say im stupid hahaha. honestly I have a bad time trying to find out where’s the begging.
I hope you don’t find this silly.
Thank you for reading this.
Thanks for doing this site for all of us.
Keep up the nice job
June 9th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Welcome to the club, Alex.
June 12th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
Thanks KomaGawa. I’ll do my best
June 21st, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Sorry I haven’t given y’all a blizzard of questions, perhaps the rainy season is slowing me down? I am reminded of tales from Hindu mythology, there are multiple hydra-headed creatures representing my questions at every turn of the page or click of the dictionary, but I can’t stop and ask, just keep going on. I will eventually come back here and ask a few questions.
regards from Saitama
June 30th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
kyoo is today and kyuu is grades.. then what is kyou?
will the meaning change if you read a word with “ou” from simply “o”?
and about “wo” and “wa”…? “wa” is for a person right? “ga” is for a subject? but what is “wo” for…?
June 30th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Hi Ashime,
In hiragana, “kyou （きょう）” is today not “kyoo”
“wa” is a topic maker not “person” and “ga” is subject. “wo （を）” indicates the case role of the phrase in relation to another word (used especially as a direct object marker)
June 30th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
If you have to ask about the difference between wa/ga - then it almost can’t be explained to you.
It’s like trying to explain when you HAVE to use “the” before a noun, when it should NOT be used and when it is optional. It’ll come over time. At your current level of Japanese “gut feel”, Tony’s usage definition is good.
Not being a grammarian, I’ll throw in a few examples:
1 Kore wo tabenasai
2 Kore wa taberareru/tabereru
3 Kore ga taberareru/tabereru
1 eat this (mild imperative/command/suggestion)
2 you may eat this (permission)
3 this can be eaten (ability, i.e. as opposed to something that should/could not be eaten)
BTW, the “-rareru” vs. “reru” verb endings are a matter of preference - the former is more proper, but (outside school at least) the latter is perfectly acceptable.
Tony might have more examples to offer on the somewhat confusing wa/ga topic. My advice is to watch a lot of Japanese movies/anime/”drama” (pick your poison) to develop a gut feel for them.
FYI - you can omit practically all the wa/ga/ni/ue/to and other “grammatical glue” from spoken Japanese and it still works surprisingly well… Useful trick for beginners - and used selectively, it works in native-mode Japanese too.
July 14th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Hello you guys (any women on this blog??) I really appreciate the illusion or reality that you are out there to answer questions. today, as I was studying I experienced a ray of hope.
Just a single ray, and probably tomorrow I will question its authenticity.
In any case I have a basic IMPortant need. A need that I cannot find anyone here to fulfill, (besides having enough patience and understanding to teach me Japanese
I need to know a goodly number of the polite expressions that Japanese folks use to express those rather formal acknowledgements in their interactions with others. I must get beyond the btourist level of ありがと、度いたしまして、 ℃も、いただけます、ただいま、おかいりなさい、and maybe another one I can’t think of. I don’t have time now to list the situations. I will think of every situation and make a list and get back with you in the next several days. If I chose the wrong 漢字 above, sorry, I don’t have time to check it
ｼﾞｬ ま炊きますね
July 14th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Oh, you don’t have time to check your kanji, but we should write you a list of expressions… sure, right!
馬鹿に効く薬はない
There are plenty of books written on the subject - go to your nearest Kinokuniya or Asahiya.
August 20th, 2009 at 8:44 am
while studying まま
My dictionary gave me sentences I don’t understand the grammar and meaning differences regarding the ending verbs of these 4 sentences.
1. My little brother は テレビつけた まま 寝て しまった。
２． My little brother は テレビ つけた まま して おいた。
3. テレビ が ついて まま に なって いる。
Also if you could tell me the kanji for つけた、and なって I would appreciate it.
August 20th, 2009 at 10:10 am
KomaGawa,
This kanji 付く is often used for つく but in this case it is probably more correct to use 点く if you absolutely have to use kanji. The second kanji has to do with lighting fires and turning on lights - probably good for turning on a TV as well.
So many different kanji that can be read つく / which is why the hiragana “cheat” is handy.
Your examples are just variations of leaving something on.
1 - accidentally left it on
2 - left it on intentionally
3 - it is on - whether or not done on purpose or not
August 21st, 2009 at 12:09 pm
1,a,b,c.What bothers me are the しまった、おいた and なって いる. I am guessing that these final verbs are all auxilary verbs that must be use with つく to create “an accidental condition”, “intentionality”, and merely an “existing state”..?
another question
2. The English is “Only archaeological data can give us information on the ages before this….”
My Japanese text says, “それより 前 は”…
My method of study is to concentrate on the English first and see if I can come up with the Japanese based on my knowledege. If I can’t see how they came up with it, I try to look up the parts in my dictionary and see what grammar rules they used.
August 21st, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Ok, Let me explain. I have a book of short essay-like paragraphs, and although I have studied the grammatical forms I encounter there, I cannot come up with the meaning/logic quickly. So I am trying to create a structure to remember a few of these grammatical forms.
The sentence I am using is:
“I understood “X” when I asked the teacher.”
I am trying to use as many grammatical forms as I can with this information. IF I have to change this basic meaning and sentence pattern in order to use a form I want to learn, I want to know WHY I have to change the sentence.
The first 2 grammatical forms are
１．S1 と S2： 先生に聞くと ”X” が 分かった。
２．S1 たら S2：先生に聞いたら ”X” が 分かった。
so I gather that these have completely the same meaning here. of と and たら。
３．S1 ば S2： 先生に聞けば ”x” が 分かりました。
If I had asked the teacher I would have understood about “X”
４．S1 時に S2 （4 versions, And I have to change the meaning of the sentences because 時に is strictly describing a chronological relationship. so my 4 new sentence are,
4a. I will ask the teacher about X before he explains about “Y”: “Y” について 質問する時に 先生 が ”X” を 説明する。
4b. I will ask the teacher about X after he explains about “Y”. “Y” について 質問した時に 先生 が
”X” を 説明する。
４ｃ。 The teacher explained about Y before I asked about “X”. ”Y” について 質問する時に 先生 が ”X” を 説明した。
４ｄ。 The teacher explained about “Y” after I asked about “X”. “y” について 質問した時に 先生 が ”X” を 説明した。
So, I am thinking I could have used “Y” を 質問する instead of “Y” について, and it would have been more natural/less formal? The reason my mind caught について has to do with the essay I am reading about Japanese history.
there are more grammatical forms using this basic sentence idea that I want to ask about but my brain feels discouraged from this great effort producing such a small amount of learning. Why does my brain feel so sluggish when I attempt to create my own structures for learning? Logically it would seem that personalized structures would be easier not more difficult to produce and play around with. BUt I have spent hours just struggling with looking at ways to keep straight in my mind these, and a few more grammatical forms.
Whew, I’m going to take a break and go for a walk. see you later.
August 21st, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Ok, one more, which I should have included up after #2, but forgot, ば
先生に 聞ければ ”x” が 分かりました I am not sure if I can do this, because in order to use ば it must be habitual action, or counter factual case. So if I had changed “x” to “school policies” would this have made a difference?
September 22nd, 2009 at 7:59 am
Sensee. Do you have sample conversation for ukemi (passive voice)? Tetsudatte arigatoo.
September 23rd, 2009 at 3:00 am
Ukemi is a technique in Aikido .-)
Otherwise, grammatically speaking - check this page instead:
http://www.japaned.com/Files/Passive%20notes.pdf
There’s much more to ukemi than you think.
October 2nd, 2009 at 2:04 am
Hello! I just found your site by accident. I was doing a web search to understand the use of -tai to express desire or want, and here I am! I’m very impressed by what I see here, and know it will be a big help for me trying to gain some ability in Japanese conversation. However, I can’t find where your site begins. Where does it start?
October 2nd, 2009 at 1:30 pm
You should start from Lesson 1
December 28th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Hi, I love your website.. I just started learning Japanese from a friend. And thanks to your website, I can now work on my vocabulary and speed up the process of learning!!!
THANKS!!!
December 29th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Hello!I’m from Malaysia…
I like your website….
But I wonder why it’s so hard to learn kanji…?
Arigatou coz willing to teach us by this website
December 29th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Hi ika_stormy,
ya, it is not easy to master Kanji. Even some Japanese can’t master kanji fully. I believe, Malaysia do teach Chinese in Kanji at school, right?
December 29th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
yes,but just in chinese school…
i’m studied in malay school..
so they do not teach chinese or japan languange
December 29th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
If you’re in a Malaysian school, there are always Chinese study schools in the area. Learning Chinese is a good idea in Malaysia.
Malay politics aside, kanji aren’t that hard. You need to think of it in an opposite way - each kanji you learn means you have one less to go. At least with Japanese, the number of kanji are limited to 2,000 (plus 500 older forms and variations that aren’t taught in schools).
In other words, start with the elementary school kanji, go through each year’s set, and pretty soon you have mastered several hundred kanji. This means that you’re down to perhaps 1,600 on the standard list. Keep at it and before you know it you’re closing in on the halfway mark.
It’s really only the last 300 or so that are tough.
February 4th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
hajimemashite, anthonet ~
tinpai desu ~
i’ve recently started my journey into japanese language learning. I rely mostly on japanese pop culture vehicles, such as jdoramas and jpop songs, and online learning sites for my jap language studies. I learn mostly conversational Japanese, and would have loved to know more about the grammar/structure — and here i find your site.
it’s very helpful ~
hontouni arigato gozaimasu!
February 4th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Hi Tinpai,
Glad that you like the site.
February 21st, 2010 at 1:17 pm
eo! I’m so very greatfull for your posts. I learned plenty but sad to say I don’t get to practice that often. anyways, I would like to ask for your help, if it is ok… could you please translate this sentence into japanese? it is because I always get the grammar wrong thus making the meaning of the sentence worse!
anyways, here is the sentence:
“I see you but do you see me?”
Thank you! More Power!
February 21st, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Hi Ashime,
Anata ni miemasu kedo watashi ni miemasu ka
February 22nd, 2010 at 8:58 am
Ashime,
Try “mieru da ga, mirareru ka na”
見えるだが見られるかな
February 24th, 2010 at 12:17 am
Arigatou Andrew sempai and Thomas sempai!
February 27th, 2010 at 7:43 am
My wife and I have a problem. Our daughter is 17 and she speaks fluent Japanese. Lately we found she has been corresponding with a Japanese man who is at a minimum 47 he looks 67. Can someone please help us out and translate this message between them?
PLEASE this is an underage girl.
Below is her reply to his original email.
Please help this frantic mom and dad. is this bad?? Is she marrying him? We looked up some of the words but are very confused. Please help us.
If it is really bad please email us the translation so we can prevent our daughter from making a mistake. It seems she is saying please marry me immediately or something
mou mail shinaide kudasai ate delna yorushiku onegai shimasu. ippai arigatou. sayounara.atashi mou sugu kekkon shimasu. ate delna yorushiku yo ne
On Feb 24, 2010, at 10:43 PM, *******@docomo.ne.jp wrote:
Cheryl chan konbanwa. genki nano?
February 27th, 2010 at 7:53 am
One more thing we have a 25 year old niece that lives in Japan. She is trouble and we think she is trying to get our daughter to go there.
Thanks so much for any help you can give us.
Michael
February 27th, 2010 at 11:16 am
Hi Michael,
Although some words may not be correctly written, I think your daughter was asking the man not to email her again as she is going to marry someone else. Most probably, your daughter used this reason to stop the man from emailing her again.
February 28th, 2010 at 2:35 am
Are you able certain she is not telling him to marry her quickly?
Does it appear she loves this man?
We don’t want our daughter leaving and throwing away your sports career in collegiate soccer and her education.
She has been accepted at Duke for 2010
February 28th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Hi, thought of giving my opinion. I agree with Tony san. It sounds like she is asking the man to stop mailing her and told him that she is getting married soon. More like she is avoiding that person…
February 28th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
I am so grateful to the both of you. Thank you so much for all your help. My wife and I are so happy!
March 2nd, 2010 at 6:23 am
I am wondering if anyone here would be willing to translate some recent emails my daughter has sent and received since the last email I posted.
As parents my wife and I are very troubled and so worried.
My email address is mutualchemisty@gmail.com
If you’d be willing to help my wife April and I understand what the communication is between this adult male and our minor child I’d greatly appreciate it.
Thanks so very much
March 2nd, 2010 at 6:24 am
mutualchemistry@gmail.com sorry for the typo