the right way to go.
Useful expressions
A group of useful, everyday expressions (greetings and the like) is given in Chapter 10. These expressions have been placed here because they are idiomatic, specialized phrases and need to be memorized. But there is no reason for you to wait until you reach Chapter 10 before you begin to learn to use them. You might study Lesson 1 of Chapter 10 along with Chapters 1 and 2, Lesson 2 of Chapter 10 along with Chapters 3 and 4, and so on. Studying Chapter 10 in this way will reduce the amount of material to memorize at one time, and it will give you many helpful expressions to use (and the ability to recognize when others use them) early in your learning.
Few foreigners in Japan take the trouble to become fluent in Japanese. Don’t be surprised if you find many Japanese people, pleased with your efforts, complimenting you even when you’ve achieved what you know to be a bare minimum of competence. Don’t be spoiled by this and be content to stop where you are in your learning. Accept the morale-boost this kind of compliment can bring, but let your reach always exceed your present grasp so that you can continue to advance in your conversational skills.
Going to Japanese movies, watching Japanese TV programs, eavesdropping on conversations in Japanese (difficult to do, but when you can do it successfully you’ve really learned!), starting conversations with Japanese people (don’t hesitate to do this; you’ll find that Japanese will often initiate conversations in English with you)—all of these will be helpful to you. And don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Japanese people will never ridicule you or make you feel embarrassed.
After completing this book you will find yourself able to shop, order drinks and meals, buy tickets, travel, and generally make yourself understood anywhere in Japan. You will be able to explore Japan on your own instead of being totally dependent on tours and planned excursions, and this will bring you many gratifying experiences you might otherwise miss. What’s more, by completing this book you will have demonstrated that you have the ability to be a serious student of Japanese, and you will be in a good position to continue your study should you wish.
Many Westerners think Oriental languages are very difficult to learn. I hope that through this simple, easy-to-use guide to the Japanese language that I may reach some readers who have had that feeling and help them realize that it is not so.
Good luck! Your diligence will help you understand not only the language but also the people and culture of Japan. I think you’ll find they’re worth the effort.
—TAZUKO AJIRO MONANE
Pronunciation GUIDE
Pronunciation of Japanese is relatively easy. Once you acquire basic knowledge about Japanese sounds and master them with the help of a native speaker or with the help of recorded materials, you will not have much difficulty. There are five vowels in Japanese. In this book these vowels are written; a, i, u, e, and o, or あ, い, う, え and お in hiragana.
| a | あ | like the a in ha ha! |
| i | い | like the i in Bali |
| u | う | like the u in June, but shorter in length |
| e | え | like the e in pet |
| o | お | like the o in colt |
Long and short vowels
Long vowels are written in this book as ā, ii, ū, ē, and ō. Don’t confuse these with what are called long vowels in English. In Japanese, a long vowel is sustained twice as long as a short one, but the sound of the vowel remains the same. Therefore, it is often the length of the vowel that distinguishes one word from another. Note the important difference in meaning made by the short and long vowel in the following pairs.
| obasan | おばさん | aunt | obāsan | おばあさん | grandmother |
| ojisan | おじさん | uncle | ojiisan | おじいさん | grandfather |
| kuki | くき | stem | kūki | くうき | air |
| e | え | picture | ē | ええ | yes |
| oku | おく | to put | ōku | おおく | plenty |
Syllables
Japanese think of their words as being composed of syllables, each syllable taking one beat. A Japanese syllable may be any one of the following:
1. One short vowel only: a, i, u, e, o.
2. The first or second half of any long vowel (ā, ii, ū, ē, and ō). Therefore, one long vowel equals two syllables.
3. A consonant + a vowel:
| ka | か | ki | き | ku | く | ke | け | ko | こ |
| sa | さ | shi | し | su | す | se | せ | so | そ |
| ta | た | chi | ち | tsu | つ | te | て | to | と |
| na | な | ni | に | nu | ぬ | ne | ね | no | の |
| ha | は | hi | ひ | fu | ふ | he | へ | ho | ほ |
| ma | ま | mi | み | mu | む | me | め | mo | も |
| ya | や | – | – | yu | ゆ | – | – | yo | よ |
| ra | ら | ri | り | ru | る | re | れ | ro | ろ |
| ga | が | gi | ぎ | gu | ぐ | ge | げ | go | ご |
| za | ざ | ji | じ | zu | ず | ze | ぜ | zo | ぞ |
| da | だ | – | – | – | – | de | で | do | ど |
| ba | ば | bi | び | bu | ぶ | be | べ | bo | ぼ |
| pa | ぱ | pi | ぴ | pu | ぷ | pe | ぺ | po | ぽ |
| ja | じゃ | – | – | ju | じゅ | – | – | jo | じょ |
| wa | わ | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
