JAPANESE
FOR BEGINNERS
Learning Conversational Japanese
JAPANESE
FOR BEGINNERS
SECOND EDITION
Sachiko Toyozato
TUTTLE Publishing
Tokyo | Rutland, Vermont | Singapore
ABOUT TUTTLE
“Books to Span the East and West”
Our core mission at Tuttle Publishing is to create books which bring people together one page at a time. Tuttle was founded in 1832 in the small New England town of Rutland, Vermont (USA). Our fundamental values remain as strong today as they were then—to publish best-in-class books informing the English-speaking world about the countries and peoples of Asia. The world has become a smaller place today and Asia’s economic, cultural and political influence has expanded, yet the need for meaningful dialogue and information about this diverse region has never been greater. Since 1948, Tuttle has been a leader in publishing books on the cultures, arts, cuisines, languages and literatures of Asia. Our authors and photographers have won numerous awards and Tuttle has published thousands of books on subjects ranging from martial arts to paper crafts. We welcome you to explore the wealth of information available on Asia at www.tuttlepublishing.com.
Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.
Copyright © 2016 by Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Toyozato, Sachiko.
Japanese for beginners : learning conversational Japanese / Sachiko Toyozato.
— 1st ed.
ix, 242 p. : ill. ; 26 cm. + 1 sound disc (digital ; 4 3/4 in.)
ISBN 978-4-8053-1367-1 (pbk.)
1. Japanese language—Conversation and phrase books— English. I. Title.
PL539.T67 2008
495.6’83421
—dc22
2007038903
ISBN 978-4-8053-1367-1; ISBN 978-1-4629-1884-3 (ebook)
Distributed by: North America, Latin America & Europe
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive
North Clarendon,
VT 05759-9436 U.S.A
Tel: 1 (802) 773 8930
Fax: 1 (802) 773 6993
Japan
Tuttle Publishing
Yaekari Building, 3rd Floor
5-4-12 Osaki, Shinagawa-ku
Tokyo 141 0032
Tel: (81) 3 5437-0171
Fax: (81) 3 5437-0755
Asia-Pacific
Berkeley Books Pte Ltd
61 Tai Seng Avenue #02-12
Singapore 534167
Tel: (65) 6280-3320
Fax: (65) 6280-6290
First edition
20 19 18 17 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1701CM
Printed in China
Cover photo © Tom Wang, Dreamstime
TUTTLE PUBLISHING® is a registered trademark of Tuttle Publishing, a division of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.
Contents
Introduction
Acknowledgments
How to Use This Book
Symbols and Abbreviations
Chapter 1: Sounding Japanese
Learning the Basic Japanese Syllables
The Japanese Writing System (Script)
From Syllables to Japanese Words
Vowels
Saying Double Consonant Sounds
Tips for Learning New Words and Sentences
Practice
Chapter 2: Wow!
Express Your Emotions! Start with Interjections
Short Dialogues
Vocabulary
