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SMALL TALK

Days 1–31

おはよう。

Ohayō. (casual form)

おはようございます。

Ohayō gozaimasu. (polite form)

Good morning.

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

Japanese has three writing systems: two different “alphabets” (actually syllabaries: one for Japanese words, called hiragana, and one mainly for foreign words, called katakana) plus kanji, characters originally from China. All three of these can be used in one sentence.

(O)genki desu ka?

How are you doing?

Genki desu. ○○

-san wa (ogenki desu ka)?

I’m good. And you?

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

To be polite, it is common to place an “o-” before some terms when talking with people who are not close to you (in terms of relationship). When talking with someone close to you, you can omit the respectful “desu ka? ですか” at the end.

The ○○ takes the place of “____.” (In this case, it indicates where to insert the name of the person you’re speaking to.) You will see these anywhere you’d expect to see a blank in English sentences.

こんにちは。

Konnichiwa.

Hello. / Good afternoon.

————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————

When someone says “Konnichiwa こんにちは” or another greeting to you, you should first respond with the same greeting before asking questions or making comments.

こんばんは。

Konbanwa.

Hello. / Good evening.

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

There is no direct translation in Japanese for the term “Hello.” Instead, one of the day’s greetings is used to break the ice.

おやすみ。

Oyasumi. (casual form)

おやすみなさい。

Oyasuminasai. (polite form)

Good night.

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

Japanese grammar is almost the reverse of English. Whereas English follows the order “S-V-O” (subject-verb-object), Japanese follows the order “S-O-V. “

Mata ne. / Mata ato de. / Jā, mata.

See you later.

Mata ashita.

See you tomorrow.

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

There are various ways to say “See you later.” In all of these cases, however, the term “mata また” is used, which literally means “more”or “another.” “Ne ね” is a modifier used at the end of sentences to mean “huh?” “OK?” or “right?” to signify that the speaker thinks the other person agrees.

(Shitsurei desu ga) onamae wa?

(Excuse me)…What’s your name?

Watashi wa Samu to mōshimasu. (polite form)

Watashi wa Samu desu. (casual form)

My name is Sam.

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

Before asking somebody’s name, you should say “Shitsurei desu ga which is a polite way to say “Excuse me.”

“~ to mōshimasu ~ is a polite way to say “My name is…” In casual circumstances, you may hear someone say just “~ desu. ~ です。”

Doko no kuni kara kimashita ka?

Where are you from?

Amerika / Kanada / Igirisu kara kimashita.

I’m from America / Canada / England.

————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————

Japan is an exceptionally homogeneous country. The largest ethnic minority is Korean with approximately 1 million permanent residents, students, long-term visitors, and naturalized Japanese citizens. (Immigration Bureau of Japan 2005.)

(○○-san wa,) Doko de umaremashita ka?

Where were you born, [person’s name with “-san” added for respect]?

Watashi wa Nihon de umaremashita.

I was born in Japan.

————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————

Remember, the ○○ takes the place of “____.” You will see these anywhere you’d expect to see a blank in English sentences.

Osumai wa dochira desu ka? (polite form)

どこに住んでるの。

Doko ni sunderu no? (casual form)

Where do you live?

Ōsaka ni sunde imasu.

I live in Osaka.

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

“Ka か” at the end of a sentence signals a question mark. “Masu ます” is one of the many verb endings you will learn, and it can be understood as “is” (or, the simple present positive tense).

すみません。

Sumimasen.

Excuse me.

はい。

Hai.

Yes, OK, How may I help you?

————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————

Depending on the situation, “sumimasen すみません” can also mean “I’m sorry” or even “Thank you,” similar to the wide variety of uses that we have in English for “OK.” The word “hai はい” also has many meanings.

Eigo ga wakarimasu ka?

Do you understand English?

はい、わかります。

Hai, wakarimasu.

I understand English.

いいえ、わかりません。

Iie, wakarimasen.

I don’t understand English.

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

The ending of verbs in Japanese is where you will find the keys to meaning. The ending “-masen ません” is the negative present tense. Japanese does not negate sentences by adding a word to the middle of the sentence like we do in English.

Nihongo ga wakarimasu ka?

Do you understand Japanese?

Sukoshi wakarimasu.

I understand a little.

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

“Nihongo means “Japanese.” Broken down, “Nihon 日本” means Japan and go means language. “Ga が” is an article that refers back to the subject; it doesn’t have a direct translation into English. “Wakaru わかる” is the infinitive of the verb “understand.” “Ka か” is the equivalent of a question mark.

As you will notice in the recordings, the u after consonants and at the end of words is often silent or suppressed.

Nihongo ga jōzu desu ne.

You speak Japanese very well.

Hontō ni sukoshi dake desu.

Actually, I only speak a little.

まあまあです。

Māmā desu.

It’s so-so.

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

“Jōzu means “great” or “skillful” and is used regularly by itself when someone has done something especially well. Another word that you will hear often when someone is impressed is “sugoi すごい,” which means “great” or “awesome.”

Totemo hazukashii desu.

I’m so embarrassed.

————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————

“Hazukashii can literally mean “embarrassed,” but it can also be used when someone flatters you and you would feel awkward thanking that person for the compliment. Sometimes, laughter can be employed instead of saying anything or denying the compliment.

わかりますか。

Wakarimasu ka?

Do you understand?

わかります。

Wakarimasu.

I understand.

わかりません。

Wakarimasen.

I don’t understand.

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

Another phrase commonly used in place of “Wakarimasu ka? わかりますか” is “Shitte imasu ka? 知っていますか” (Do you know?). To answer, use “Shitte imasu 知っています” (I know) or “Shirimasen 知りません” (I don’t know).

Chotto matte kudasai.

Please wait a second.

はい。

Hai.

OK.

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

In casual circumstances, only “chotto matte will be used. It literally means “A little wait.” “Kudasai ください” simply means “please.”

“Hai はい” means many things and is used quite liberally. It means “yes,” “I understand,” “OK,” or simply acknowledges that the listener is listening to the speaker, like we might nod “uh huh,” “yeah,” etc. when listening to someone.

すみません。

Sumimasen.

ごめんなさい。

Gomennasai.

I’m sorry.

Daijōbu desu.

It’s OK.

————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. A Japanese expression signifying that it’s best not to stand out.

Daijōbu desu ka?

Are you OK? (Is everything OK?)

Daijōbu desu.

Mondai arimasen.

No problem. (Everything is fine.)

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

“Arimasen ありません” is a polite way to negate a sentence. In this case, “mondai 問 題” means “problem,” and “arimasen ありません” means “there isn’t any.”

In casual speech, “ja nai じゃない” negates the sentence.

ありがとう（ございます）。

Arigatō (gozaimasu).

Thank you (very much).

Iie, daijōbu desu.

Don’t mention it.

いいですよ。

Ii desu yo.

Don’t worry about it.

いいえ。

Iie.

Never mind.

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

Adding “gozaimasu ございます” to the end of a sentence makes it more polite.

The direct translation for “You’re welcome” is “Dō itashimashite どういたしまして,” but in Japan, it is more common to answer with one of the above phrases. You’re not expected to say this to people in the service industry, such as at a restaurant.

もうどのくらいここにいるんですか。

Mō dono kurai koko ni irun desu ka?

How long have you been here?

Is-shūkan desu.

I’ve been here one week.

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

The subject pronoun, for example “you,” “he,” “she,” “I,” is regularly left out of sentences if it is understood.

The “n-desu んです” ending generally is added to imply that an explanation is being made, or asked for.

これからどのくらいここにいるんですか。

Kore kara dono kurai koko ni irun desu ka?

How long will you be here?

Ni-ka-getsu desu.

I’ll be here two months.

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

“Dono kurai どのくらい” means “how long?”

“Kore これ” means “this.”

“Kara から” means “from.”

“Koko ここ” means “here.”

“Ni に” means “in/at.”

“Iru(n) いるん” means “to be.”

“Desu です” means “is.”

“Ka か” means “?”

すごいですね。

Sugoi desu ne.

That’s great!

すばらしい。

Subarashii.

Excellent!

————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————

The informal term for foreigner is “gaijin” (“outside person”). Sometimes, foreigners take offense when Japanese use this term (in particular if they laugh at the same time). Another, more polite term is “gaikokujin” or “international person.”

○○ ni wa, ryokō / oshigoto desu ka?

Are you in [place name] for pleasure / business?

Ryokō / Shigoto desu.

I’m traveling / working.

————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————

It would sound a little odd to a Japanese to ask: “What are you doing here?” Instead, they will almost always ask if you’re on business or traveling. The first part of the sentence would be the city, the country or “here.” “Ryokō is “travel” and “shigoto is “work.”

(○○-san wa,) Eigo no sensei desu ka?

Are you an English teacher?

Iie, chigaimasu.

No, I’m not.

はい、そうです。

Hai, sō desu.

Yes, that’s right.

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

In Japanese, we don’t use the word “you” too much. If you know the person’s name, put it in place of the marks “○○”. For example, “Maki-san wa, eigo no sensei desu ka? マキさんは、

“-San さん” should follow the person’s name to be polite; it means “Mr.” or “M(r)s.”

Kekkon shitemasu ka?

Are you married?

はい、してます。

Hai, shitemasu.

Yes.

いいえ、まだです。

Iie, mada desu.

Not yet.

————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————

In some cultures, asking if someone is married when you meet for the first time is considered friendly. But in Japanese culture, it’s not a very good thing to ask, especially if the person is an older female and the answer is “Mada まだ” (“not yet”).

Okusan / goshujin wa nihonjin desu ka?

Is your wife / husband Japanese?

はい、そうです。

Hai, sōdesu.

Yes, that’s right. / Yes, he/she is.

Iie, chigaimasu.

No, he/she isn’t.

————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————

“Oku means “deep inside” or “inner part.” This word is used because a long time ago, wives’ rooms were usually far from the entrance of a home. “Shujin means “master” or “owner” in English. This word comes from ancient Chinese and means “the owner of the house.” You should use “go ご” to show respect when you ask a question, but do not use “go ご” when you answer.

Kareshi / Kanojo ga imasu ka?

Do you have a boyfriend / girlfriend?

はい、います。

Hai, imasu.

Yes, I do.

いいえ、いません。

Iie, imasen.

No, I don’t.

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

If you are looking for a boyfriend/girlfriend, you can add this phrase: す。 “Ima, boshūchūdesu. I’m looking for one. ”

It’s important to use the correct verb “to have.” “Imasu” is for people and animals and “arimasu” is for things.

Hontō desu ka?

Really?

Hontō desu.

Really.

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

In casual conversation, you might hear simply “Honto? ” and the answer “Honto .”

In Osaka, “Honto? ” becomes “Homma? ほんま.” Young people tend to say “Maji? / Maji de? まじ./まじで.” instead of “Honto? .”

Shinjiraremasen.

I can’t believe it.

いいですね。

Ii desu ne.

すごいですね。

Sugoi desu ne.

It’s cool, huh?

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

In casual converation, the polite negative “masen ません” is replaced with “nai ない,” and in Osaka “nai ない” becomes “hen へん.” Hence, “Shinjirarenai じられない” is the casual way to say”I can’t believe it” in standard Tokyo dialect, and “Shinjirarehen じられへん” is the Osaka dialect. Young people often use “Arienai! ありえな い” (impossible!).

Aishitemasu.

I love you.

Watashi mo aishitemasu.

Watashi mo desu.

I love you, too.

————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————

“Watashi 私も” means “I.” Another more manly way to say “I” is “Boku ぼく” or “Ore おれ”.

“Mo も” means “also.”