Take a sentence with and without “~n desu” at the end and let’s compare the meanings: “My mother came this morning.”

Kono asa haha ga kimashita.

Kono asa haha ga kurun desu.

Note that the version of the sentence with “~n desu” requires that the verb return to its unconjugated or informal state. Both of these sentences can translate to “My mother came this morning.” However, the second one carries an implication that depends on the context of the conversation. For example, if someone asked the speaker, “Why are you late?”, the second version of the sentence implies that it was because the mother stopped by, perhaps for an unannounced visit, that the speaker is late.

Another implied translation of the “~n desu” ending is that the speaker is asking for assistance from the listener. For example, if you were to state, “I’m thirsty,” you’d have a couple of options (literally “My throat is dry”):

Nodo ga kawakimasu.

Nodo ga kawakun desu.

The first version is simply the polite conjugation of the declaration that you’re thirsty. The second implies that you would like the people listening to you to direct you to somewhere where you can get a drink or to join you for a drink.

You can ask a question with “~n desu ka” as well. (In casual form, the “~n da ka” is incorrect; it is simply “~no.”) If you want to imply that you would really like to hear the reasons behind something, simply add “~n desu ka” to the sentence. “Why did you quit school?” can be asked in a couple of ways:

Doushite gakkou yamemashita ka?

Doushite gakkou yametan desu ka?

Both versions literally mean the same thing, but the second implies that you really want to know the full details.

Practice turning basic sentences into “~n desu” sentences. Have you ever had a discussion in Japanese before in which someone used “~n desu“? Do you think you missed the implications at the time?

Depending on the context, “hou ga ii desu” can translate to “It is better to…” or even “You had better…” The latter translation applies when you’re recommending a course of action directly to a person. The first translation is a more general recommendation or a less forceful translation of the phrase. Nonetheless, the second translation may better capture the idea that any alternative to your recommendation is dangerous or problematic.

Properly using the phrase “hou ga ii desu” involves an irregular rule that you should make note of. When you want to recommend something in the positive sense, such as “It is better to come early,” you use the past tense positive casual form of the verb before the “hou ga ii desu” phrase. When you want to recommend something in a negative sense, such as “It is better not to come late,” you use the present tense negative casual form of the verb before the phrase.

It is better to come early. = Hayai kita hou ga ii desu.

It is better not to come late. = Osoi konai hou ga ii desu.

Read here to review a few more verbs. How would you say “It is better to…” do any of these verbs?

Japanese "gals" -- tough girls -- may not be afraid to swear!

As we’ve discussed in previous entries, politeness and courtesy is extremely important in Japanese culture. Just not speaking to someone with the correct conjugation of verbs could prove a bit disrespectful, depending on the context. However, to swear to someone is even more disrespectful. Cursing at Japanese speakers is not recommended. Nonetheless, your curiosity may prompt you to seek out swear words in the Japanese language. You’re also likely to hear these words in Japanese movies or TV shows, depending on the content. Or you could overhear a Japanese speaker swearing and be wondering what they’re saying!

Be warned–don’t use these swear words if you wouldn’t use swear words in your own language!

There’s a number of polite to casual ways of addressing someone as “you.” Read more here. Extremely impolite ways–as insulting as if you were swearing them–to say “you” include:

Teme = Often translated as “you b*tch or bastard”; a high-level insult, but not the most extreme.

Kisama = The highest level of insult, as bad as calling someone a “mother f***er”; strangely, the literal translation is “your honorable self”, but the intent is meant sarcastically.

The following words can be used to address or refer to people:

Baka = “Idiot/dummy”; the least insulting insult that you may hear even children call one another. However, in some areas of Japan, “baka” is a level more insulting than “aho.”

Aho = “A**hole” or “idiot”; more insulting than “baka” in most areas of Japan.

Bakayarou = One degree more insulting than “baka” alone, but the meaning is the same. Perhaps “moron” is a better translation.

Konoyarou = “This moron”; moderately high-level of insult.

Kusoyarou = A high-level “moron” insult; literally refers to feces and a hole…

Ketsunoana = “A**hole” (literally)

Busu = “Ugly” (for women)

Swear words to say aloud in a frustrating situation (in which you don’t mind being rude) include:

Shimatta! = “S**t!”

Kuso! = “Damn it!”

Urusai/Urusei/Damare! = “Shut up!”

Chikusho = “S**t!” or “F**k!”

Fakku! = The Japanese pronunciation of “F**k!”

Shine! = Literally “Die!” Used more often in Japanese than in English, perhaps, to basically say “F**k you!”

You’ll find quite a few more vulgar insults as well, but this serves as a good introductory course!

Can you imagine ever using these swear words? (I hope not!) Have you heard these swear words before? In what context?

]]> http://blog.thejapanesetutor.com/japanese-swear-words-and-insults-explicit-content-in-japanese-2011-06/feed/ 0 http://blog.thejapanesetutor.com/to-omou-expressing-thought-in-japanese-2011-04/ http://blog.thejapanesetutor.com/to-omou-expressing-thought-in-japanese-2011-04/#comments Sat, 30 Apr 2011 19:39:25 +0000 Amy http://blog.thejapanesetutor.com/?p=571 After you’ve studied basic conjugation of verbs in Japanese, you can express your thoughts in simple Japanese sentences. “My older sister is funny” is “Ane ga omoshiroi desu.” “My younger brother will see that movie” is “Otouto ga ano eiga wo mimasu.” And the like.

But what if you’re not entirely sure about the idea you’d like to express? What if you’d like to emphasize that the idea you’re expressing is your opinion and is not necessarily fact? The verb omou can help you do just that. Omou usually translates to “to think,” but depending on the context, it can be translated as “to believe” as well. (Not in the context of “believing in” something, though.)

Omou is a Group 1 Verb. According to Group 1 Verb patterns, you conjugate omou as follows:

Plain/Casual Form:

omou = I* think

omowanai = I* don’t think

omotta = I* thought

omowanakatta = I* didn’t think

Polite/Formal Form:

omoimasu = I* think

omoimasen= I* don’t think

omoimashita = I* thought

omoimasen deshita = I* didn’t think

Gerund Form:

omotte = I am* thinking

* Remember that verb conjugations apply to any noun or pronoun. In other words, omou can mean either “I think,” “You think,” “He/She/It thinks,” “We think,” or “They think,” depending on the context.

To say that you “think” something, you place the correct conjugation of omou at the very end of your sentence or clause because it’s the primary verb of the phrase. When using another verb in the sentence–for example, “I think that my younger brother will see that movie” — use the plain present tense of the verb (the verb unconjugated), followed by to and then the proper conjugation you need for omou.

“I think that my younger brother will see that movie” = Otouto ga ano eiga wo miru to omoimasu.

“I don’t think that my older sister is funny.” = Ane ga omoshiroi* to omowanai.

*Remember that some adjectives are conjugated like verbs.

Practice saying you think or don’t think things. “Gakkou wa shichiji ni hajimarimasu” is “School starts at 7:00.” How would you say “I think school starts at 7:00″?

]]> http://blog.thejapanesetutor.com/to-omou-expressing-thought-in-japanese-2011-04/feed/ 0 http://blog.thejapanesetutor.com/dealing-with-an-emergency-in-japan-2011-03/ http://blog.thejapanesetutor.com/dealing-with-an-emergency-in-japan-2011-03/#comments Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:00:24 +0000 Amy http://blog.thejapanesetutor.com/?p=538 In the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and the subsequent earthquakes and nuclear power plant issues, the world has gotten a glimpse into the way that the Japanese deal with significant disasters. The fact that there have been no widespread reports of looting or violence in the chaos may be indicative of the type of society that Japan is: one in which the greater good of the many is put before individual needs. Don’t forget to keep those donations going!

The fact that Japan has experienced such devastation lately has gotten me thinking that we could review some helpful tips for dealing with an emergency in Japan. While the emergency may not be as catastrophic as an earthquake or tsunami, knowing these phrases in the language and learning a few key tips can help you get help fast should an accident, illness, or other disaster cause an emergency when you’re in Japan. (Read here for more information on explaining what illnesses you have in Japanese.)

Dialing 119 or 110

Instead of dialing 911 in the event of an emergency, commit this to memory: 119. It shouldn’t be too difficult to remember, since it’s the reverse of the American emergency number. However, it’s important to remember that 119 will only get you the Medical and Fire emergency number. For a Police emergency, dial 110. If you’re At Sea at the time (which may not be as rare an occasion as you may think, since Japan’s made up of islands), dial 118 for any emergency.

If the Japanese words fail you–which is likely if you’re panicked–you can try to speak English with the operator. Speak slowly and simply. The operator may have to transfer you to someone more fluent and it helps if you can express some of the emergency in Japanese to get help on the way as quickly as possible. If you’re in the Tokyo area, you can dial 03-3501-0110 to reach an English-speaking emergency police operator. Input the number in your cell phone directory.

Like with 911, 119, 110 and other emergency numbers should only be called in the event of a true emergency.

Helpful Emergency Phrases

Review the illness phrases taught here. Other emergency phrases that may come in handy include:

Have you ever experienced an emergency? What do you think would happen if you had an emergency in a foreign country and weren’t familiar with the necessary emergency numbers and phrases?

Mr. Yamada’s pet is a dog. = Yamada-sensei no petto wa inu desu.

Mr. Yamada’s pet is probably a dog. = Yamada-sensei no petto wa inu deshou.

Depending on the context, you can also translate deshou as “I guess” or “I predict.”

Noun:

Using deshou with a noun is pretty straight-forward. Simply use deshou in place of desu or da, usually at the end of the sentence and after the noun. You can also use it directly after the short form of the negative (ja nai) if necessary.

The exchange student is probably Chinese. = Ryuugakusei wa chuugokujin deshou.

The exchange student is probably not Chinese. = Ryuugakusei wa chuugokujin ja nai deshou.

-Na Adjective:

The rules for using deshou after -na adjectives are the same. Put the word directly after the adjective or the short form of the negative, without the na.

Your older sister is probably pretty. = Oneesan wa kirei deshou.

Your older sister is probably not pretty. = Oneesan wa kirei ja nai deshou.

-I Adjective:

When discussing –i adjectives, you need to keep the –i on in the affirmative and turn to the short form of the negative when you want to speak in the negative. (The adjective stem + -ku nai.)

My teacher is probably young. = Sensei wa wakai deshou.

My teacher is probably not young. = Sensei wa wakaku nai deshou.

Verb:

When using deshou with verbs, use the Plain, basic forms of the verb in both affirmative and negative.

I will probably go tomorrow. = Ashita iku deshou.

I will probably not go tomorrow. = Ashita ikanai deshou.

Practice using deshou in sentences with different verbs, nouns, and adjectives.

For each action you want to discuss, simply state the verb in its original basic plain form and add “no ga” at the end. Then state that you either “like,” “dislike”, “are good at,” or “are bad at” the verb:

Suki desu = Like

Kirai desu = Dislike

Jouzu desu = To be good at

Heta desu = To be bad at

To say “I am watching a movie” in Japanese, you could say, “Eiga wo miru” in basic plain form. To say that you like or dislike watching movies, add “no ga” and either “suki desu” or “kirai desu.”

Eiga wo miru no ga suki desu. = I like watching movies.

Eiga wo miru no ga kirai desu. = I dislike watching movies.

To discuss your skills and weaknesses is similar. Let’s use the action “to speak Japanese” as our example. “Nihongo wo hanasu” can translate to “I speak Japanese.” To state that you are good or bad at speaking Japanese, add “no ga” and the appropriate vocabulary.

Nihongo wo hanasu no ga jouzu desu. = I am good at speaking Japanese. (I speak Japanese well.)

Nihongo wo hanasu no ga heta desu. = I am bad at speaking Japanese. (I speak Japanese poorly.)

If you need to indicate the subject of the sentence, you simply add the subject with a subject marker at the very beginning of the sentence, just as you would with any other sentence. For example:

Kenichi-san wa eiga wo miru no ga suki desu. = Kenichi likes watching movies.

Ane ga eiga wo miru no ga kirai desu. = My older sister dislikes watching movies.

Kare ga nihongo wo hanasu no ga jouzu desu. = He’s good at speaking Japanese. (He speaks Japanese well.)

Diana wa nihongo wo hanasu no ga heta desu. = Diana is bad at speaking Japanese. (Diana speaks Japanese poorly.)

Review some of the common Japanese verbs. How would you say you like or dislike doing these things? How would you say you are good at or are bad at doing these things?

Knowledge of Japanese hand gestures is essential for proper communication, unless you want to suffer from a few misunderstandings. Some Japanese hand gestures are similar to those in the West, but many are not. A few of the most common Japanese hand gestures that don’t have the same meaning in the West include:

• The “come here” gesture: Commonly confused for the Western “good-bye” gesture, the Japanese “come here” gesture is done with one hand, palm toward the person with whom you want to communicate, and quick repeated bending and straightening of the the four primary fingers.  You may also hear “oide” or “chotto kite,” both of which mean “come here.” A Japanese teacher of mine said that she didn’t know this didn’t have the same meaning in the West and waved to a co-worker with whom she wanted to speak. The co-worker smiled, waved back, and went on his way.
• The “no thank you” gesture: When you want to turn down an offer, such as an offering of food, you can quickly shake your hand back and forth in front of your face. Keep your hand stiff as you do. This gesture looks somewhat like a gesture in the West when you smell something unpleasant and you’re trying to move the air in front of your nose. Don’t be insulted if a Japanese person performs this gesture when you offer something you’ve cooked yourself! At the time you do the gesture, you can say, “kekkou desu,” which translates to “no thank you.”
• The “me” gesture: While not a completely important example of communication, you may be confused if you see a Japanese person point to his or her nose while you’re speaking. This is just a hand gesture to mean “me.” So if a Japanese person wants to emphasize that the discussion concerns him or herself, you may see this hand gesture in action.
• The “let’s get a drink” gesture: If you’re out with friends or co-workers, you may see a Japanese person make a fist with his or her index finger and thumb extended in a round shape. He or she is mimicking the small sake cup and is asking if you want to get a drink.
• The “boyfriend/girlfriend” gestures: Holding your pinky extended with the rest of your hand in a fist can refer to a “girlfriend” or “kanojo.” Giving what appears to be the “thumbs up” sign, with your hand in a fist and your thumb extended upwards can refer to a “boyfriend” or “kare.” When a Japanese person wants to ask if you have a boyfriend or girlfriend or if the person you’re with is your boyfriend or girlfriend, you may see him or her making these gestures.

To be able to talk about something you “have done” in the past allows you to have a more sophisticated conversation than simply talking about one-time occurrences in your past. A basic elementary-level language conversation might go like this:

“What did you do yesterday?” = “Kinou nani wo shimashita ka?“

“I saw Toy Story 3.” = “Toy Story 3 wo mimashita.”

However, what if you wanted to tell someone that you have seen a particular movie? If you want to say you have done something, the sentence should end with “~ta koto ga arimasu.” Therefore:

“I have written a letter.” = “Tegami wo kaita koto ga arimasu.”

“I have seen Toy Story 3.” = “Toy Story 3 wo mita koto ga arimasu.”

“Koto ga arimasu” is difficult to translate directly, but it generally refers to something existing. By pairing it with the past tense conjugation of the verb, you’re saying that your having performed that action at an indeterminate time in the past exists. In other words you have performed that action.

The “~ta” form of a verb is simply the plain (sometimes called “casual”) past tense form of a verb. How you properly conjugate a verb depends whether the verb belongs to Group 1, Group 2 or Group 3.

Group 1 Verbs

Kaku, “to write,” is one example of a Group 1 Verb. In order to get the plain past tense of the verb, you must follow the same pattern you do when finding the “~te” form of the verb, only replace “~te” with “~ta.” In other words:

Group 2 Verbs

Group 2 Verbs, such as miru, “to see,” are much easier to conjugate. You simply remove the “~ru” at the end of the verb and add “~ta.”

Irregular and Group 3 Verbs

Some irregular verbs do not follow any of these patterns. They include (note that kuru and suru are the two Group 3 Verbs):

You can use mo in place of the particles wa, ga, or wo. That means that you should place mo after the subject or object or the sentence, whichever is the thing that is “also.” For example, if you heard someone say, “My little sister is a high school student,” you might respond, “My younger brother is a high school student, too” or “My younger brother is also a high school student.” In Japanese, the conversation may occur in the following manner:

Imouto wa koukousei desu.

Otouto mo koukousei desu.

This subject-use of mo also applies when discussing someone performing the same action. For example, in English someone might say, “My little sister went to the cinema yesterday.” You might reply, “My younger brother went to the cinema yesterday as well.” The Japanese translation of this dialog is:

Imouto wa kinou eigakan ni ikimashita.

Otouto mo kinou eigakan ni ikimashita.

When using mo with an object, you place the particle after the object in the sentence. For example, if you want to say, “My younger brother likes dogs. He also likes cats,” you can use mo after the object of the second sentence (neko/cats):

Otouto wa inu ga suki desu. Kare wa neko mo suki desu.

Mo can also be translated as “and” when used in a list. With a few exceptions, you should use the particle mo after each item in a list when talking about three items or more. Sometimes you can use it even when you’re only talking about two items, but you’re more likely to hear the particle to (which usually means “and”) when there are only two items. You will not hear to used in long lists.

For example, if you want to say, “My younger brother likes dogs, cats, birds and hamsters,” you should say mo after each object in the list:

Otouto wa inu mo neko mo tori mo hamusutaa mo suki desu.

Practice using mo in a sentence. Review the lesson on the particles wa, ga, and wo and replace those particles with mo.