Pointers
There are no definite or indefinite articles in Japanese. There is also usually no differentiation made between the singular and plural form of nouns. 箱 Hako (hah-koe) can be one box or two or more boxes, depending on the context. The number of a noun is usually made clear by context, but there are also special suffixes to express plurals, particularly common with personal pronouns. For example, 達 tachi (tah-chee) added to the pronouns “I”, “he”, and “she” gives “we” and “they”:
I – 私 watakushi (wah-tock-she); We – 私達 watakushi-tachi (wahtock-she-tah-chee)
You – あなた anata (ah-nah-tah)
You (plural) – あなた達 anata-tachi (ah-nah-tah-tah-chee); or the polite form あなた方 anata-gata (ah-nah-tah-gah-tah)
He – 彼 kare (kah-ray); あの人 ano hito (ah-noh-shtoe); or the polite form あの方 ano kata (ah-noh-kah-tah)
She – 彼女 kanojo (kah-no-joe); or あの人 ano hito (ah-no-shtoe)
They – あの人達 ano hito-tachi (ah-no-shtoe-tah-chee); 彼ら kare-ra (kah-ray-rah) or 彼女達 kanojo-tachi (kah-no-joe-tah-chee); the polite form あの方々 anokata-gata (ah-no-kah-tah-gah-tah)
The interrogative form is expressed in Japanese by か ka (kah) at the end of a verb or sentence.
The order of a Japanese sentence is subject/object/verb, as opposed to the English order of subject/verb/object. Because the verb comes last in a Japanese sentence one must wait until the sentence is completed before knowing whether it is affirmative or negative.
An important point to keep in mind is not to be overly concerned with differences in Japanese and English grammar. Especially if you are a beginner, the best idea is to forget about grammar and simply learn Japanese sentences as they are spoken. With repetition, Japanese sentence structure will also sound perfectly natural.
Another point to keep in mind is that the subject is often left out in Japanese sentences, the message expressed with only the verb. For example: the present tense of the verb “to go” 行きます ikimasu (ee-kee-mahss) means “go” or “going, am going,” or “will go.” By adding ka to it (ikimasu ka?), it becomes “are you going?” Japanese often use various verb forms as whole sentences. With just the various tenses of ikimasu, for example, you can say the following:
行きます Ikimasu. (ee-kee-mahss) –– I am going.
行きません Ikimasen. (ee-kee-mah-sen) –– I’m not going. / He/She is not going. / They are not going.
行きませんでした Ikimasen deshita. (ee-kee-mah-sen desh-tah) –– I/He/She/They did not go.
行きましょう Ikimashō.. (ee-kee-mah-show) –– Let’s go.
行きました Ikimashita. (ee-kee-mah-shtah) –– I/He/She/They went.
Three of the primary building blocks of ideas or sentences in Japanese are désu (dess), the verb “to be,” ある aru (ah-rue), which means “have” as well as expressing the idea of “to be”; and いる iru (ee-rue), which expresses both existence and “being” as well as an ongoing action when it follows a verb.
です Désu (dess) expresses the indicative present “is” and, unlike the other “to be/there are” verbs, is never used by itself. The past tense of です désu is でした déshita (desh-tah). The polite negative is ではありません de wa arimasen (day wah ah-ree-mah-sen). In everyday speech this is often abbreviated to ではない de wa nai (day wah nigh), and in familiar speech to じゃない ja nai (jah nigh).
That is expensive.
それは高いです。
Sore wa takai désu.
(so-ray wah tah-kye dess)
That is not expensive.
それは高くありません。
Sore wa takaku arimasen.
(so-ray wah tah-kah-kuu ah-ree-mah-sen)
それは高くはない。
Sore wa takaku wa nai.
(so-ray wah tah-kah-kuu wa nigh)
それは高くない。
Sore wa takaku nai.
(so-ray wah tah-kah-kuu nigh)
Both ある aru (ah-rue) and いる iru (ee-rue) can be used by themselves as well as used in combination with other verbs. Aru is used when you want to make a “have” or “there is” statement or ask a “have you” or “is there” question. When used just by itself aru conveys the idea of “I have” or “there is.” When iru is used by itself it generally refers to people or other living things being present at that location or somewhere else.
Another word that will get you a long way in Japanese is kudasai (kuudah-sigh), which has the meaning of “please do” (something) or “please give” (something) and is used as an ending for verbs and following nouns.
水を下さい。Mizu wo kudasai. (me-zuu oh kuu-dah-sigh)
Water, please. (Please give me water.)
パンを下さい。Pan wo kudasai. (pahn oh kuu-dah-sigh)
Bread, please.
食べて下さい。Tabete kudasai. (tah-bay-tay kuu-dah-sigh)
Please eat.
助けて下さい。Tasukete kudasai. (tah-skate-tay kuu-dah-sigh)
Please help me.
教えて下さい。Oshiete kudasai. (oh-she-eh-tay kuu-dah-sigh)
Please show (teach) me.
Again because Japanese grammar is so different from English grammar it is not recommended that anyone begin study or use the language by learning grammatical rules. For many people the grammar-based approach can even be fatal to the learning process.
The easiest approach to the Japanese language, at least at the basic level, is to memorize written and spoken sentences and practice actual conversational dialogue, ignoring grammatical structure. Eventually the structure will become imprinted in your mind and you will automatically use it correctly.
Japanese Business Etiquette
Japan’s business etiquette is encapsulated in a number of key terms that I call “cultural code words” because their meanings are impregnated with the values and goals that define and control how the Japanese do business. Here is a selection of some of the most important of these terms with explanations of how they function.
The All-Important Introduction
紹介 Shōkai (shohh-kie)
