Day 1 - Basic chit-chat Flashcards
pronunciation of ‘a’
like ‘ah’ as in father
pronunciation of ‘i’
like ‘ee’ as in see
pronunciation of ‘u’
like ‘oo’ as in zoo
pronunciation of ‘e’
like ‘eh’ as in men
pronunciation of ‘o’
like ‘oh’ as in boat
hai
yes
iie
no
(o)namae
name
(o)kuni
country
(o)shigoto
job
shumi
hobby
nan / nani
what
doko
where
desu
is, are, am, etc.
wa
topic marker / “as for ___”
ka
question marker
kore
this (one)
sore
that (one)
are
that (one) (over there)
dore
which one?
watashi
I
anata
you
- san
Mr., Mrs., Ms., etc. (honorific – can attach to first name too)
tomu
Tom
tanaka
Tanaka (last name)
rin
Lin (last name)
amerika-jin
American (person)
nihon-jin
Japanese (person)
chuugoku-jin
Chinese (person)
nani-jin
what nationality (person)?
ei-go
English (language)
nihon-go
Japanese (language)
chuugoku-go
Chinese (language)
nani-go
what language (person)?
kaisha-in
company employee
koumu-in
government employee
gakusei
student
sensei / kyoushi
teacher
tenisu
tennis
(o)mizu
water
ocha
(green) tea
koーhi
coffee
sakana
fish
(o)niku
meat
yasai
vegetable(s)
suki (pronounced ‘ski’)
like, fond of
arigatou (gozaimasu)
thank you
sumimasen
I’m sorry / excuse me / thank you
sayounara
goodbye / farewell
ohayou (gozaimasu)
good morning
konnichiwa
hello / good day
konbanwa
good evening
oyasumi (nasai)
good night
hajimemashite
nice to meet you
[your name] desu
I’m _____.
yoroshiku onegai shimasu
thanks in advance for your support
sou desu
(yes) that’s right
chigaimasu
(no) that’s wrong / different
[language] ga hanasemasu
(I) can speak _____.
[language] ga hanasemasen
(I) can’t speak _____.
[noun] wa [noun] desu.
_____ is _____.
watashi wa tomu desu.
I am Tom.
watashi wa amerika-jin desu.
I am an American.
kore wa mizu desu.
This is water.
sore wa ocha desu.
That is (green) tea.
[noun] wa [noun] desu ka?
Is _____ _____?
anata wa tanaka-san desu ka?
Are you Mr./Ms. Tanaka?
hai, watashi wa tanaka desu.
Yes, I’m Tanaka. (don’t use -san on your own name)
anata wa nihon-jin desu ka?
Are you Japanese?
hai, sou desu.
Yes, that’s right.
kore wa koーhi desu ka?
Is this coffee?
iie, chigaimasu.
No, it’s different (No, it’s not).
[noun] wa [noun] janai desu.
_____ is not _____.
anata wa tomu-san desu ka?
Are you Tom?
iie, watashi wa tomu janai desu.
No, I’m not Tom.
kore wa niku desu ka?
Is this meat?
iie, sore wa niku janai desu.
No, that is not meat.
[noun] wa [question word] desu ka?
[question word] is _____?
(o)namae wa nan desu ka?
What is your name?
tomu desu.
It is Tom / I am Tom.
(o)kuni wa doko desu ka?
Where is (your) country? (What country are you from?)
amerika desu.
(It’s) America. (I’m from America.)
(o)shigoto wa nan desu ka?
What is (your) job/occupation?
kyoushi desu.
(It) is teacher. (I’m a teacher).
shumi wa nan desu ka?
What is (your) hobby?
tenisu desu.
(It) is tennis.
rin-san wa nani-jin desu ka?
What is Mr./Ms. Lin’s nationality?
chuugoku-jin desu.
(It) is Chinese.
kore wa nan desu ka?
What is this?
sore wa sakana desu.
That is fish.
yasai wa dore desu ka?
Which one is (a/the) vegetable?
yasai wa kore desu.
This one is (the) vegetable.
[noun] wa [noun] ga suki desu.
_____ like(s) _____.
watashi wa yasai ga suki desu.
I like vegetables.
inu wa niku ga suki desu.
Dogs like meat.
[noun] wa [noun] ga suki janai desu.
_____ doesn’t/don’t like _____.
watashi wa sakana ga suki janai desu.
I don’t like fish.
Tomu-san wa ocha ga suki desu ka?
Does Tom like (green) tea? / Do (you) like (green) tea, Tom?
Iie, watashi wa suki janai desu.
No, I don’t like (it).
Watashi wa koohi ga suki desu.
I like coffee.
[person] wa [language] ga hanasemasu.
[person] can speak _____.
watashi wa ei-go ga hanasemasu.
I can speak English.
Tomu-san wa chuugoku-go ga hanasemasu ka?
Can Tom speak Chinese? / Can (you) speak Chinese, Tom?
Iie, watashi wa hanasemasen.
No, I can’t speak (it).
