Japanese grammar is simple in many ways compared to European languages: there is no gender and there are no definite or indefinite articles; there is no difference between singular and plural; and verbs only have past and non-past (present or future) forms and do not change according to who is performing an action.
3) There are different levels of politeness in Japanese, but polite forms suitable for general use have been used in the phrases in this book.
Verbs are shown in the “plain” form. This is the form used among family members and close friends, and to form more complex structures, so you may hear people using it. However, it is safest to stick to using the polite form to avoid appearing over-familiar or rude. In the polite form, Japanese verbs end in “-masu”. Negative forms and past tenses are made by changing the verb ending.
4) Japanese uses small words called particles to show how different parts of the sentence relate to each other. Some are similar to English prepositions, but in Japanese they come immediately after the nouns they refer to. These particles have the following functions:
| wa | topic marker |
| ga | subject marker |
| o | direct object marker |
| ni | indirect object marker, goal and location marker |
| to | connects nouns, ‘and’ or ‘with’ |
| de | indicates by which means an action is carried out or where an action takes place |
| no | indicates that the second noun is described in some way by the first, e.g. possession |
| mo | “also/as well” |
| kara | “from/since” |
| made | “until/as far as” |
Other particles occur at the end of sentences to change the meaning from a straightforward statement. The most common ones are:
| ka | question marker |
| ne | asks for agreement or confirmation |
| yo | adds emphasis |
Finally, some particles are used to link clauses to make more complex sentences. Two of the most useful are kara “because/so” (which always comes after the reason or cause) and ga “but/although”.
5) Japanese word order is subject – object – verb, with the verb at the end of the sentence. The basic Japanese sentence has a topic and a comment section. The topic, indicated by the topic marker wa, usually comes at the beginning of the sentence, but if it is understood among the speakers or from the context, it is often omitted. Personal pronouns are avoided; instead, the person’s name is normally used, even for “you”. The most neutral order for additional phrases in longer sentences is time – manner – place.
FREE AUDIO
We have created a free audio resource to help you learn and practise the Japanese words for all of the images shown in this dictionary. The Japanese words in each chapter are spoken by native speakers, giving you the opportunity to listen to each word twice and repeat it yourself. Download the audio from the website below to learn all of the vocabulary you need for communicating in Japanese.
www.collinsdictionary.com/resources
Whether you’re going to be visiting Japan, or even living there, you’ll want to be able to chat with people and get to know them better. Being able to communicate effectively with acquaintances, friends, family, and colleagues is key to becoming more confident in Japanese in a variety of everyday situations.
umbrella
傘
kasa
1. blue
青い
aoi
2. red
赤い
akai
3. yellow
黄色い
kiiroi
4. green
緑の
midori no
5. white
白い
shiroi
6. black
黒い
kuroi
THE BASICS | 基本
Hello.
こんにちは。
konnichiwa.
Good morning.
おはよう（ございます）。
ohayō (gozaimasu).
Good afternoon.
こんにちは。
konnichiwa.
Good evening.
こんばんは
konbanwa.
Good night.
おやすみ（なさい）
oyasumi (nasai).
See you soon.
じゃあ、また。
jā, mata.
See you tomorrow.
また、明日。
mata, ashita.
Goodbye.
さようなら
sayōnara.
