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Showing posts with label - Japanese vocabulary. Show all posts

Aug 25, 2018

August 25, 2018

Hot and Cold in Japanese


Hello. I'm Kosuke!


Today, let's learn how to say Hot and Cold in Japanese!

I recommend you to check the video below before reading this article!



In Japanese, there are different words between air temperature and temperature for objects!

If you want to remember more vocabulary about temperature and weather, please check these vocabulary list:
  Japanese Vocabulary - Weather >>
  Japanese Kanji - Weather >>


Below is the index of this article!




1. Summary table

Before discussing details of Hot and Cold, let's check the overview regarding them!

EnglishJapaneseRomajiKanji
hot
(air temperature)		あついa tsu i暑い
hot
(object temperature)		あついa tsu i熱い
cold
(air temperature)		さむいsa mu i寒い
cold
(object temperature)		つめたいtsu me ta i冷たい


If you still don't remember Hiragana chart, please check this:

If you don't know what Romaji is, please check this:

If you want to test your memory of Hiragana, please use this:


All of them are adjectives.

If you study Japanese, you will see many words where the last character is "い(i)", like "あつい(atsui)", "さむい(samui)", and "つめたい(tsumetai)".

In most cases, they are adjectives.

They are the words describing the status of nouns.

(You don't need to care about the name "adjective" so much here.)

In this article, we will study adjectives to describe temperature of noun right after the adjective.





In Japanese, we use word "あつい(atsui)" for "Hot".

When you speak and listen, it's OK for you just to remember "hot is あつい".


However, there is one thing you need to be careful if you write it in Kanji.

EnglishJapaneseRomajiKanji
hot
(air temperature)		あついa tsu i暑い
hot
(object temperature)		あついa tsu i熱い

When we are talking about the weather and room temperature, we use "暑い(atsui)".

  • "暑い(atsui)" is the uncomfortable feeling felt from your body.


When we are talking about the temperature of objects, like tea, a pan, fire, or food, we use "熱い(atsui)".

  • "熱い(atsui)" is the stimulation felt from a part of your body.



Let's check the example sentences!


1. きょ う は あ つ い で す 。
kyo u wa a tsu i de su


     Meaning :  "Today is hot."
     
きょう ： today


If you don't know the particle "は(wa)", please check this:

If you don't know what "です(desu)" is, please check this:


The example sentence is in regards to the weather for today.

So if we write this example sentence using Kanji, "暑い" should be used rather than "熱い".




2. こ の お ちゃ は あ つ い で す 。
ko no o cha wa a tsu i de su


     Meaning :  "This tea is hot."
     
この ： this
おちゃ ： tea


This example sentence is in regards to the temperature of tea.

So if we write this example sentence using Kanji, "熱い" should be used rather than "暑い".




Do you understand?

Actually, if you still didn't start to study Kanji, you don't need to care about the difference.

You should just remember "Hot = あつい(atusi)".



For additional information, let's talk about another adjective.

It is "thick".

In Japanese, "thick" is also "あつい(atsui)".

But the Kanji is different from the temperature Kanji.

EnglishJapaneseRomajiKanji
thickあついa tsu i厚い

If you listen to the Japanese sound "あつい(atsui)", it means "Hot" or "Thick".

I am sorry, this is just additional information regarding "あつい(atsui)".





When you say "Cold" in Japanese, you should be careful more than with "Hot".

It is because there are completely different words for "Cold" depending on whether it is for air or objects.

EnglishJapaneseRomajiKanji
cold
(air temperature)		さむいsa mu i寒い
cold
(object temperature)		つめたいtsu me ta i冷たい

When we are talking about weather or room temperature, we use "さむい(samui)".

  • "さむい(samui)" is the uncomfortable feeling felt from your body.


When we are talking about objects, like tea, a pan, fire, or food, we use "つめたい(tsumetai)".

  • "つめたい(tsumetai)" is the stimulation felt from a part of your body.


Let's check the examples of them!


1. あ し た は さ む い で す 。
a shi ta wa sa mu i de su


     Meaning :  "Tomorrow will be cold."
     
あした ： tomorrow


This sentence is future tense.

However, you don't need to care about it.

In Japanese, we don't need to add any word, like "will", even though it is a future tense sentence.


In this sentence, "さむい(samui)" is used.

It is because this sentence is in regards to the weather for tomorrow.



2. こ お り は つ め た い で す 。
ko o ri wa tsu me ta i de su


     Meaning :  "Ice is cold."
     
こおり ： ice


In this sentence "つめたい(tsumetai)" is used.

It is because this sentence is about the temperature of an object, "ice".



Do you understand the difference between "さむい(samui)" and "つめたい(tsumetai)"?


"さむい(samui)" is used for the weather and room temperature!

"つめたい(tsumetai)" is used for the temperature of objects!





For extra information, let's talk about "Warm" and "Cold".


EnglishJapaneseRomajiKanji
warm
(air temperature)		あたたかいa ta ta ka i暖かい
warm
(object temperature)		あたたかいa ta ta ka i温かい

"Warm" is "あたたかい(atatakai)" in Japanese.

"あたたかい(atatakai)" has two types of Kanji, just like "Hot".

When you talk about weather or room temperature, "暖かい" is usually used.

When you talk about objects' temperature, "温かい" is used.




In addition to that, I would like to talk about different meanings of Warm and Cold.

They are regarding the heart or kindness.


In English, you can say "warm-hearted" or "cold-hearted".


How should we say this in Japanese?


Actually, it is the same as English.


EnglishJapaneseRomajiKanji
warm-hearted(こころが)
あたたかい		(ko ko ro ga)
a ta ta ka i		(心が)
温かい
cold-hearted(こころが)
つめたい		(ko ko ro ga)
tsu me ta i		(心が)
冷たい

"こころ(kokoro)" means "heart".


Let's check the examples!

1. か れ は こ こ ろ が あ た た か い で す 。
ka re wa ko ko ro ga a ta ta ka i de su


     Meaning :  "He is warm-hearted."
     
かれ ： he



2. か の じょ は こ こ ろ が つ め た い で す 。
ka no jo wa ko ko ro ga tsu me ta i de su


     Meaning :  "She is cold-hearted."
     
かのじょ ： she



I think temperature and kindness doesn't have a direct relationship.

But both English and Japanese have these expressions.

I think it's a little interesting.

What do you think?




Anyway, the most important table in this article is below:

EnglishJapaneseRomajiKanji
hot
(air temperature)		あついa tsu i暑い
hot
(object temperature)		あついa tsu i熱い
cold
(air temperature)		さむいsa mu i寒い
cold
(object temperature)		つめたいtsu me ta i冷たい


If you remember this table, I think it is enough!


I hope this article helps you to study Japanese!
Please enjoy studying Japanese!




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Aug 12, 2018

August 12, 2018

Seasons of Japan


Hello. I am Kosuke!

In the previous article, we studied about '-san' for saying someone's name politely.
  ～さん (-san) >>



By the way, I heard this year's summer is so hot in Japan!
I didn't experience it because I am staying in the Philippines now.

If you live in Japan, I hope you are OK!


In this article, I would like to talk about seasons of Japan!



If you want learn Japanese seasons from a video, please check the video below before reading this article!




Japan has 4 seasons below!

EnglishHiraganaRomajiKanji
springはるha ru春
summerなつna tsu夏
autumnあきa ki秋
winterふゆfu yu冬

If you still don't remember Hiragana, please check this:

If you don't know what Romaji is, please check this:

If you don't know what Kanji is, please check this:


In Japan, Spring is from March to May, summer is from June to August, autumn is from September to November, and winter is from December to February.

If you want to know what to call the months in Japanese, please check this:



In Japan, spring is from March to May.

I think the climate will be so comfortable for you.

It is not too hot, and not too cold.

Perhaps, you have heard the flower named 'さくら (sa ku ra)'.

'さくら' means 'cherry tree'.


If you go to Japan at the end of March, you will see many 'さくら' on Japanese streets!

So if you want to watch 'さくら', you should come to Japan during はる.


Also, spring is the season of meeting and parting in Japan.


Japanese school graduation is the end of March, and the beginning of the school year is April 1st.





In Japan, summer is from June to August.

Japanese summer is very hot for me!

But if your home country is in a hot area, maybe Japanese summer is not too bad for you.

If you go to Japan during なつ, you can join festivals called 'なつまつり (na tsu ma tsu ri)'.

'なつまつり' means 'summer festival'!


In summer, 'なつまつり' is held in many places.

You can search for 'なつまつり' held in places near your hotel.

If you go to Japanese 'なつまつり', you will see 'はなび (ha na bi)'.

'はなび' means 'fireworks'.


Also, if you are a guy who likes Japanese women, you can see Japanese women wearing 'ゆかた (yu ka ta)' during the summer festivals!

'ゆかた' is an informal cotton kimono for summer.


Actually, I don't like Japanese women so much. hehe
That's why I got married with my American wife!
(Please don't leak this information to Japanese women for my life!)





In Japan, autumn is from September to November.

As well as spring, autumn is a very coｍfortable season.

It is not too hot, and not too cold.

If you come to Japan during あき, you can see 'こうよう (ko u yo u)'.

'こうよう' means 'autumn color of leaves'.


Leaves on trees become red and yellow in Japan during あき.


You can see 'こうよう' anywhere in Japan.

However, 'Kyoto' is the most famous place for 'こうよう'.


The name of 'Kyoto' is similar to 'Tokyo'.

However, they are not near geographically.

Tokyo is a big city, and Kyoto is a traditional city.

If you want to go to a city, you should go to Tokyo.

If you want to see traditional Japanese buildings or temples, Kyoto is the best place.
(and if you go there during あき, you can see beautiful こうよう at the same time!)






In Japan, winter is from December to February.

Japanese winter is very cold to me. hehe

But if your home country is colder than Japan, maybe it is OK for you.


If you go to Japan during ふゆ, perhaps you can see 'ゆき (yu ki)'.

'ゆき' means 'snow'.


Also, if you want to experience Japanese Christmas or 'しょうがつ (syo u ga tsu)', you should go to Japan during ふゆ.

'しょうがつ' means 'New Year's Day'.


Generally, on Christmas Eve, we stay with our boyfriend or girlfriend.


What did I do last Christmas Eve in Japan?

Of course, I worked...!
(Japanese business men are like this...)




How was it?
Do you remember the 4 seasons in Japanese?

At this time, let's remember the words I used in this article!

EnglishHiraganaRomaji
springはるha ru
cherry treeさくらsa ku ra
summerなつna tsu
summer festivalなつまつりna tsu ma tsu ri
fireworksはなびha na bi
kimono for summerゆかたyu ka ta
autumnあきa ki
red leavesこうようko u yo u
snowゆきyu ki
New Year's Dayしょうがつsyo u ga tsu

Please come to Japan during your favorite season!

 Also, if you still don't remember what to call the months in Japanese, please check this!:


In the next article, I will talk about Japanese basic grammar!
  です and ます >>


I hope this article helps you plan to come to Japan, and study Japanese!
Thank you for reading!
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Aug 3, 2018

August 03, 2018

First person representation


In the previous article, we studied about how we say the time of the day.
  Time of the day 2 >>



In this article, let's study how to say 'I' in Japanese!


I will talk about three ways to say 'I' in this article.

   1. わたし
   2. ぼく
   3. せっしゃ

(#3 is not important at all. hehe)




1. わたし（私）

The most basic way to say "I" is:

      'わたし (wa ta shi)'


Perhaps, you have already known 'わたし' because this is very basic Japanese.



Example: わ た し は に ん じゃ で す 。
wa ta shi wa ni n ja de su

     Meaning :  "I am a Ninja."
     
わたし (watashi) ： I
にんじゃ (ninja) ： Ninja
です (desu) ： am


If you can't understand why 'は' makes the sound 'wa' instead of 'ha', please check the particle below:

If you want to know about 'です(desu)', please check this:
  です(desu) and ます(masu) >>


When you go to Japan, if a police man talk to you on the street, and he is saying something to you in Japanese, you can reply with this sentence to him...

  　  'わたし は にんじゃ です。'

Probably, he will understand that you can't say detailed information about yourself because you are doing a secret mission.

Then, he will let you go.



A more polite way to say 'わたし' is 'わたくし'.

Actually, 'わたし' is already polite.
However, you can use 'わたくし' when you want to speak very politely, like when you speak with your clients.




In English, the word 'I' can change to 'my', 'me', or 'mine'.
However, in Japanese, we always use 'わたし', and the words right after 'わたし' change.


EnglishJapaneseRomaji
Iわたしはwatashi wa
myわたしのwatashi no
meわたしに or わたしをwatashi ni or watashi wo
mineわたしのものwatashi no mono

If you don't know what Romaji is, please check the article below:
  Romaji >>

If you want to know about "の" of "わたしの", please check this:
  Particle "の" >>



Examples:

1. わ た し の な ま え は さ す け で す 。
wa ta shi no na ma e wa sa su ke de su

     Meaning :  "My name is Sasuke."
     
なまえ ： name


2. わ た し に お し え て く だ さ い 。
wa ta shi ni o shi e te ku da sa i

     Meaning :  "Please teach me."
     
ください ： please
おしえて or おしえる ： teach


3. わ た し を あ い し て く だ さ い 。
wa ta shi wo a i shi te ku da sa i

     Meaning :  "Please love me."
     
ください ： please
あいして or あいする ： love


4. そ れ は わ た し の も の で す 。
so re wa wa ta shi no mo no de su

     Meaning :  "It is mine."
     
それ ： it
です ： is


'わたし' can be used by both male and female.

However, there is a way to say 'I' only for boys and men.




Normally, 'ぼく (bo ku)' is only used by male.

But, actually, it doesn't sounds so polite.
Also, 'ぼく' sounds a little childish.

If you are a male, and want to talk friendly, you can use 'ぼく'.

However, I think 'わたし' is the safest thing to say at first because it sounds polite.

Just same as 'わたし', 'ぼく' can also change to 'ぼくの', 'ぼくに', 'ぼくを', or 'ぼくのもの'.




If you have ever watched Japanese anime, perhaps you have heard 'せっしゃ (sessha)'.

Only Samurais or Ninjas use this word.


If you want to be a Ninja, please use 'せっしゃ' instead of 'わたし'.

Maybe, Japanese people will love you.

(I am sorry for teaching unuseful word! hehe)



OK!

In this article, you remembered 'せっしゃ は にんじゃ です。'
(I am a Ninja.)

I hope this article helps you study Japanese!
Thank you for reading!



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Aug 1, 2018

August 01, 2018

Morning, daytime, evening, and night in Japanese


In the previous article, we  studied about how we should say time in Japanese.
  Time of the day >>


In this article, let's study how we can say morning, daytime, evening, and night.




Please check the table below!


EnglishHiraganaRomajiKanji
morningあさa sa朝
daytimeひるhi ru昼
eveningゆうがたyu u ga ta夕方
nightよるyo ru夜
nightばんba n晩


I wrote the words in Kanji, just in case.
However, if your main purpose of study is to learn to listen and speak, you don't need to remember them!


I wrote two words for 'night'.
They are 'よる' and 'ばん'.

You can say they are the same because native Japanese speakers also can't tell the clear difference between 'よる' and 'ばん'.
(Technically, 'ばん' can rarely include the evening. But 'ばん' is mostly used for night. However, よる is always used for night.)


If you want to learn more Japanese vocabulary about time, please check this video!



By the way, you have already seen 'ばん' before, haven't you?

In the past article, we talked about the greeting which includes 'ばん'.


Do you remember?


Let's check the greetings for each time of the day!

Can you tell the greetings when you meet someone, for items below?

1.あさ (morning)->？
2.ひる (daytime)->？
3.ゆうがた (evening)->？
4.よる (night)->？



If you don't remember the answer, please check the article below!


Answer:

1. Greeting of あさ

As I wrote in the previous article, 'おはよう' is used in the morning!
However, 'おはようございます (o ha yo u go za i ma su)' is more polite.
You can say just 'おはよう' to your friends.
But when you meet your boss in the morning, maybe you should use 'おはようございます'.



2. Greeting of ひる

'こんにちは' can be used throughout the whole day.
But daytime is the most usual time to use 'こんにちは' because there are alternative greetings in the morning or the night.

'こんにちは' sounds polite enough to use in the office.
You can say this to your boss!



3. Greeting of ゆうがた

It depends on the situation.
If it is already dark, you can use 'こんばんは'.
But before that, 'こんにちは' is normal.


4. Greeting of よる

As we learned in this article, 'ばん' means 'night'.
You can use this greeting after it gets dark!


If you want to learn more Japanese vocabulary about time, please check this video!



In the next article, let's study how we should say I, my, me, and mine!


I hope this article helps you to study Japanese!
Please enjoy studying Japanese!


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Jul 30, 2018

July 30, 2018

Days of the week


Hello! I'm Kosuke!

In the previous article, we went over the months of the year in Japanese!
  Months >>

We checked that the numbers are used to say the months in Japanese.

In this article, we will study how to say the days of the week!


The numbers are not used for the days of the week.
They are related to the names of planets!


Please see the table below:

EnglishHiraganaRomajiKanji
Mondayげつ ようびge tsu yo u bi月曜日
Tuesdayか ようびka yo u bi火曜日
Wednesdayすい ようびsu i yo u bi水曜日
Thursdayもく ようびmo ku yo u bi木曜日
Fridayきん ようびki n yo u bi金曜日
Saturdayど ようびdo yo u bi土曜日
Sundayにち ようびni chi yo u bi日曜日

If you want to memorize the words above, please use this video!


After remembering the table above, I recommend you to check your memory by using these quizzes:
  Japanese Vocabulary Quiz - Days Of The Week >>
  Japanese Kanji Quiz - Days Of The Week >>


If you don't know what Hiragana and Kanji are, please check the article below:
  Types of Japanese characters >>

If you don't know Romaji, please check the article below:
  Romaji >>


'ようび (yo u bi)' means the days of the week.


Each name of the day is corresponding with the name of planet!

EnglishHiraganaKanjiPlanet
Mondayげつ月Moon
Tuesdayか火Mars
Wednesdayすい水Mercury
Thursdayもく木Jupiter
Fridayきん金Venus
Saturdayど土Saturn
Sundayにち日Sun


If you want to talk about planets, '-sei' should be added to か, すい,もく,きん, and ど.
('Sei' means 'star'.)

かせい (ka-sei) -> Mars
すいせい (sui-sei) -> Mercury
もくせい (moku-sei) -> Jupiter
きんせい (kin-sei) -> Venus
どせい (do-sei) -> Saturn


Probably, you will not have so many opportunities to talk about planets in Japanese.

However, I think it's good for you to remember that Japanese days of the week correspond with the names of planets!

In the next article, let's talk about how we should say the time of the day in Japanese!
I hope this article helps you study Japanese!
Thank you for reading!


Related articles:

    Months >>

    Seasons >>

    Time of the Day >>

    Numbers >>

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July 30, 2018

Counting numbers in Japanese


In the previous article, I showed you greetings used when you say good bye.
  Greetings - How to say goodbye in Japanese >>



In this article, let's check how to count numbers!


Before reading this article, I recommend you to check these videos to know the pronunciation!





Basic pronunciation for numbers are below:

Number Pronunciation
0 zero
1 ichi
2 ni
3 san
4 yon
5 go
6 roku
7 nana
8 hachi
9 kyu
10 jyu

If you remember the numbers above, from 0 to 10, it is so useful!

After remembering the table above, please check your memory by using this quiz!:
  Japanese Vocabulary Quiz - Small Numbers >>


There are some cases where the pronunciation changes, like '0 (rei)', '7 (shichi)', '10 (tou)', and so on.
But for now, you don't need to care about these cases.
It is enough for you to remember the basic pronunciations above.



Do you want to know more numbers?



OK!

Before we check larger numbers, you should remember the table below:

Number Pronunciation
10 jyu
20 ni-jyu
30 san-jyu
40 yon-jyu
50 go-jyu
60 roku-jyu
70 nana-jyu
80 hachi-jyu
90 kyu-jyu
100 hyaku
110 hyaku-jyu
120 hyaku-ni-jyu
130 hyaku-san-jyu

As you can know from the table above, the important items are '10 (jyu)' and '100 (hyaku)'.



After you remember the table above, let's check more detailed examples below!


I think if you look at the tables below, you can understand the rule to count numbers in Japanese.

Number Pronunciation
1 ichi
2 ni
3 san
4 yon
5 go
6 roku
7 nana
8 hachi
9 kyu
10 jyu
11 jyu-ichi
12 jyu-ni
13 jyu-san
14 jyu-yon
15 jyu-go
16 jyu-roku
17 jyu-nana
18 jyu-hachi
19 jyu-kyu
20 ni-jyu
21 ni-jyu-ichi
22 ni-jyu-ni
23 ni-jyu-san
24 ni-jyu-yon
25 ni-jyu-go
26 ni-jyu-roku
27 ni-jyu-nana
28 ni-jyu-hachi
29 ni-jyu-kyu
30 san-jyu
31 san-jyu-ichi
32 san-jyu-ni
33 san-jyu-san
34 san-jyu-yon
35 san-jyu-go
36 san-jyu-roku
37 san-jyu-nana
38 san-jyu-hachi
39 san-jyu-kyu
40 yon-jyu
50 go-jyu
60 roku-jyu
70 nana-jyu
80 hachi-jyu
90 kyu-jyu
91 kyu-jyu-ichi
92 kyu-jyu-ni
93 kyu-jyu-san
94 kyu-jyu-yon
95 kyu-jyu-go
96 kyu-jyu-roku
97 kyu-jyu-nana
98 kyu-jyu-hachi
99 kyu-jyu-kyu
100 hyaku
101 hyaku-ichi
102 hyaku-ni
103 hyaku-san
104 hyaku-yon
105 hyaku-go
106 hyaku-roku
107 hyaku-nana
108 hyaku-hachi
109 hyaku-kyu
110 hyaku-jyu
111 hyaku-jyu-ichi
112 hyaku-jyu-ni
113 hyaku-jyu-san
114 hyaku-jyu-yon
115 hyaku-jyu-go
116 hyaku-jyu-roku
117 hyaku-jyu-nana
118 hyaku-jyu-hachi
119 hyaku-jyu-kyu
120 hyaku-ni-jyu
121 hyaku-ni-jyu-ichi
200 ni-hyaku
1000 sen
2000 ni-sen
2468 ni-sen-yon-hyaku-roku-jyu-hachi


Did you understand how to count numbers?

If you want to check your memory for large numbers, please use this quiz!:
  Japanese Vocabulary Quiz - Large Numbers >>


If there are questions, please write comments at the lower part of this page!


In the next article, I will explain how to say months in Japanese.
When we explain months, Japanese people use the numbers we learned today.
  Months >>


I hope this article helps you study Japanese!
Thank you for reading!


Related articles:

    Months >>

    Days of the week >>

    Time of the Day >>

    Seasons >>

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