(renkoto)Culture and vocabulary notes
The word shatsu usually refers only to an undershirt. If you want to refer to a long-sleeved dress shirt of the sort worn with a suit, use the word waishatsu. Depending on the type of shirt, there are also such words as supōtsu shatsu, “sports shirt,” aroha shatsu, “aloha shirt,” and so on.
If you use the word pantsu to indicate a pair of slacks, you may produce giggles from a Japanese person. Pantsu generally means “underwear.” The Japanese word for men’s “pants” is zubon.
Grammar
When shopping in Japan, you may not always know the correct word for the item you wish to buy. In such cases, of course, you can just point to the item and use words for “this” or “that.” Sometimes, though, you will know the Japanese word for the item but will wish to specify which among several is the particular one you want.
In English, the sentences “Please give me this” and “Please give me this camera” both use the same word, “this,” to specify the item you want. In Japanese, however, the noun and adjective forms of “this” (and “that”) are different. Look at the following sentence pattern.
| Sentence Pattern 1B | |
| Kore o / kudasai.これをください。 | Please give this (near me) to me. |
| Sore o / kudasai.それをください。 | Please give that (near you) to me. |
| Are o / kudasai.あれをください。 | Please give that (over there) to me. |
| Kono + NOUN + o / kudasaiこの + NOUN + をください。 | Please give me this (near me) + NOUN. |
| Sono + NOUN + o / kudasai.その + NOUN + をください。 | Please give me that (near you) + NOUN. |
| Ano + NOUN + o / kudasai.あの + NOUN + をください。 | Please give me that (over there) + NOUN. |
| Examples | |
| Kore o kudasai.これをください。 | Please give this (these) to me. |
| Kono kamera o kudasai.このカメラをください。 | Please give me this (these) camera(s) (close to me). |
| Sono kamera o kudasai.そのカメラをください。 | Please give me that (the, those) camera(s) (close to you). |
| Ano kamera o kudasai.あのカメラをください。 | Please give me that (those) camera(s) (some distance from you and me). |
Kore, sore, and are take the place of the noun, just as an English pronoun does. But they are unlike English pronouns in that they have the same form whether the meaning you intend is singular or plural.
Kono, sono, and ano cannot be used without a following noun. Note, too, that Japanese nouns are unlike most English nouns in that they normally take the same form whether singular or plural.
Use kore and kono to indicate an object closer to you, the speaker. Use sore and sono to indicate an object closer to your listener. Use are and ano to indicate an object that is some distance from both you and your listener.
Practice
1. Practice saying the following sentences aloud.
| Clerk: | |
| Nani o sashiagemashō ka?何をさしあげましょうか？ | What shall I bring you? (polite) |
| [or] | |
| Nani ni shimashō ka?何にしましょうか？ | What can I do for you? |
| Customer: | |
| Sono reinkōto o kudasai.そのレインコートをください。 | Please sell me the raincoat (which is close to you). |
| Kono sukāfu o kudasai.このスカーフをください。 | Please sell me this scarf. |
| Ano sētā o kudasai.あのセーターをください。 | Please sell me that sweater (over there). |
| Kore o kudasai.これをください。 | Please sell me this. |
| Sore o kudasai.それをください。 | Please sell me that (which is close to you). |
2. See if you can shop in a department store by specifying which among several items is the one you want. Turn to page 236 to see the answers.
a) this necktie
b) that scarf (over there)
c) this roll of film
d) the camera that is close to the clerk
e) that sweater (over there)
Footnotes
1 Jack Seward, Japanese in Action (New York: Walker/ Weatherhill 1969), p. 98.
2 A Japanese word in parentheses after the main entry is an alternate form or a word of the same meaning but of less frequent occurrence.
Chapter 2
(Lessons 5 – 10)
| Sentence Patterns Covered in Chapter 2 | ||
| Sentence Pattern 2 | NOUN + ga / + VERB-INFINITIVE + -tai desu. | NOUN + が+ VERB-INFINITIVE + たい です。 |
| Sentence Pattern 2A | NOUN + ga / + VERB-INFINITIVE +
|
