NIHONGO CORNER
Home | Back To List | FanArt | Links

This page is meant for those who have some background in basic Japanese grammar, but who have not yet become used to the slightly different ways many speakers "pronounce" words, etc. in colloquial speech (There were innumerable times before when I got stumped on certain words, thinking they meant entirely different things). However, anyone is welcome to read along.

ON PRONUNCIATION
Many speakers pronounce -AI or -OI as -EE. Examples are how HAYAI, DEKKAI, negative ending -NAI, URUSAI, TSUYOI and SUGOI are pronounced as HAEE, DEKKEE, -NEE, URUSEE, TSUEE, and SUGEE respectively.

Abbreviations or shortcuts are also very common. Some abbreviate the final -RU of verbs to -N such that SURU becomes SUN. Likewise, the negative ending -NAI is often abbreviated to -N. Careful.

Ex.
Omae wakatten ka?     wakatten = wakatteru = wakatte iru
Do you get it? ---Gadesu of Escaflowne #1 p131

Hitori kakete cha Aren ni nani wo iwareru ka wakaran kara na.     wakaran = wakaranai
'Coz with one person missing, I dunno what will be said to Allen. ---Gades of Escaflowne #1 p142

PERSONAL PRONOUNS
Here is a list of currently used personal pronouns arranged from the most to the least polite:

FIRST PERSON
WATAKUSHI pl. WATAKUSHI-TACHI
This is the most polite word for the first person.
WATASHI pl. WATASHI-TACHI
Slightly less formal, but this word is widely accepted. To play safe, don't use whatever is listed below for the first person.
pl. WARE-RA / WAREWARE
I see this in books...But I don't hear it often.
ATASHI pl. ATASHI-TACHI
This is used by women in informal speech.
BOKU pl. BOKU-TACHI / BOKU-RA
This is used by boys and young men in informal speech.
ORE pl. ORE-TACHI
This is used among men who are pals.
ORA pl. ORA-TACHI
Variant of ORE

SECOND PERSON
TITLE OR NAME + TITLE
Japanese find the word "you" too direct. Names and titles are thus preferred.
ANATA pl. ANATA-TACHI / ANATA-GATA
This word is most often used by spouses, somehow like how "honey", "dear", etc. are used. Also used by other close people as an affectionate name of address.
ANTA pl. ANTA-TACHI
Same as ANATA but used more by women
OMAE pl. OMAE-RA
Affectionate address used by men who are pals, insulting if used on anyone else
OMEE pl. OMEE-RA
Variant of OMAE
TEMEE pl. TEMEE-RA
More insulting than OMAE
KISAMA pl. KISAMA-RA
More insulting than either, imagine yourself being called "Yo, you ----- over there!"

THIRD PERSON
ANO HITO pl. ANO HITO-TACHI
Literally meaning "that person", this is the safest way one can say "he/she".
KARE / KANOJO pl. KARE-RA / KANOJO-RA
This is the literary form for "he/she", but one better avoid this in polite speech anyway.
AITSU pl. AITSU-RA
This is used among men as a affectionate or insulting address for someone else. It means "that guy", "that dude", "that -----", etc.

Actually, personal pronouns, especially those that mean "you", are omitted in everyday conversation, except for clarifying or emphatic purposes. Just shows how much those anime fellows rub in things to one another, doesn't it?

GRAMMAR

LINKING VERB BE
A wa B desu. [A is B.]
(negative: A wa B de wa arimasen. [A is not B.])

THE CONDITIONAL
~tara conditional
1. remember PAST TENSE
2. replace final ~TA/DA with ~TARA/DARA
ex.
Kono yo kara, "shiro" ga kiete shimatTARA, tada no kurouma ni natte shimau mono, nan ja.
IF "white" disappears from this world, what will become a mere black horse?
---Obaachan of Pyokotan no Waraippanashi p49

~ba conditional
1. remember PRESENT
2. replace final -U with -EBA

REPORTING WHAT ONE HAS HEARD
~ sou desu [I hear that ~]

Ex.
Mushi wo kakushite iru tori ga, iru SOU DA ne.
I HEARD THAT there is a bird that hides insects, right?
---Pyokotan of Pyokotan no Waraippanashi p30

Home | FanArt | Links