Basic Japanese. Eriko Sato

Basic Vocabulary

      IN MY ROOM

部屋 heya	room
テーブル tēburu	table
ソファー sofā	sofa
ベッド beddo	bed
椅子 isu	chair
机 tsukue	desk
パソコン pasokon	computer (lit., personal computer)
テレビ terebi	TV
リモコン rimokon	remote control
スタンドライト sutandoraito	floor/table/desk lamp
充電器 jūdenki	battery charger, charger
鉛筆 enpitsu	pencil
ペン pen	pen
時計 tokei	clock, watch
カメラ kamera	camera
本 hon	book
新聞 shinbun	newspaper
雑誌 zasshi	magazine

      PLACES

駅 eki	train station
郵便局 yūbinkyoku	post office
銀行 ginkō	bank
病院 byōin	hospital
映画館 eigakan	movie theater
レストラン resutoran	restaurant
喫茶店 kissaten	coffee shop
ネットカフェ netto kafe	cyber café
ATM ei tī emu	ATM
スーパー sūpā	supermarket

      PEOPLE

人 hito	person, people
友達 tomodachi	friend
学生 gakusei	student
先生 sensei	teacher

      SCHOOLS

学校 gakkō	school
高校 kōkō	high school
大学 daigaku	college, university
大学院 daigakuin	graduate school

       CULTURE NOTE Netto Kafe

      Internet cafés in Japan are called netto kafe or nekafe, and are found in most major cities. They are actually very complex. In addition to desktop computers, Internet access, and drinks, they offer tons of comic books, magazines, and DVDs for the customers to read and watch as much as they want during their stay. They are usually open 24/7, and the customers are charged by time. They offer some private rooms in different sizes so the customers can read or watch undisturbed by others. Some netto kafes have comfortable reclining chairs, massage chairs, and shower rooms as well as billiards, karaoke, and darts. It is possible for homeless people to live in netto kafes in Japan, because a one-night stay could cost as little as ten dollars, and such people are called netto nanmin ‘net refugees.’

      COUNTRIES

日本 Nihon/Nippon	Japan
アメリカ Amerika	The United States of America
イギリス Igirisu	England
中国 Chūgoku	China
韓国 Kankoku	South Korea
オーストラリア Ōsutoraria	Australia
フランス Furansu	France
ドイツ Doitsu	Germany
スペイン Supein	Spain
インド Indo	India
フィリピン Filipin	The Philippines
ロシア Roshia	Russia

      PEOPLE

日本人 Nihon-jin	Japanese
アメリカ人 Amerika-jin	American
中国人 Chūgoku-jin	Chinese
韓国人 Kankoku-jin	Korean
フランス人 Furansu-jin	French

      LANGUAGES

日本語 Nihongo	Japanese
英語 Eigo	English
中国語 Chūgokugo	Chinese
韓国語 Kankokugo	Korean
フランス語 Furansugo	French

Structure Notes

2.1. Nouns and pronouns

      Nouns are words that name people, places, things, and concepts such as hito ‘person,’ Yamada ‘(Ms.) Yamada,’ zasshi ‘magazine,’ and uchi ‘house.’ Nouns often precede a particle like wa, ga, no, and ni, or occur before the word desu ‘is (equals).’

      Pronouns refer to people and things. Personal pronouns refer to people. Watashi means ‘I’ or ‘me.’ In a formal situation watakushi is used instead of watashi. Women also say atashi in an informal situation. Men often say boku for ‘I, me’; a rougher term is ore. The pronoun ‘you’ in Japanese is anata, and a rougher term is anta. Kimi is a slightly intimate term for ‘you’; a condescending form is omae (sometimes used to small children). However, you should remember to avoid using these second-person pronouns (you) as much as possible: you can drop the pronoun or use the name or the title of the person. Kare means ‘he’ or ‘him’ and kanojo means ‘she’ or ‘her,’ but again, you can use the name or the title of the person as much as possible.

      Demonstrative pronouns can be conveniently used for referring to items that both the speaker and the listener can see. For referring to things, use kore, sore, or are. For referring to locations use koko, soko, or asoko. (See 2.15. for related words.)

これ kore	this one
それ sore	that one near you
あれ are	that one over there
どれ dore	which one
ここ koko	this place, here
そこ soko	that place (near you), there
あそこ asoko	over there
どこ doko	where

      「先生, これは先生の傘ですか。」

       “Sensei, kore wa sensei no kasa desu ka.”

      “Professor, is this your umbrella?”

      「いいえ, それはマイクさんの傘です。」