Working with Passive Verbs in Japanese Posted by keiko on Aug 28, 2014
This morning, one of my boys opened our refrigerator and said, “Oh no, someone ate my cake!” He was devastated as he wanted to save his cake for later. In Japanese, when something is stolen or taken away from you, we often use “passive verb” in our expression rather than “active” verb. In the scenario above…
Where are you going? – Simple Japanese Lesson 2 Posted by keiko on Aug 28, 2014
The 2nd article on simple Japanese conversational exercise is about ” Where are you going?”. How would you respond when someone asks you, “Where are you going?(Dokoe ikimasuka?, どこへ 行きますか？ Dokoe ikunodesuka? どこへ、行くのですか？) Let me show you how you can respond to this question. Read on! Where are you going today? – Kyo dokoe ikimasuka?, Kyo dokoe…
What did you eat today? – Simple Japanese Lesson Posted by keiko on Aug 27, 2014
What did you eat today?- Kyo nani o tabemashita ka? (今日、何を食べましたか？きょう、なにをたべましたか？） Did you eat something good?, Did you eat anything spicy or sweet? Here are some conversational Japanese you can learn. What did you eat today?- Kyo nani o tabemashita ka? (今日、何を食べましたか？きょう、なにをたべましたか？） ==> I ate lots of fruits. – Takusan no kudamono o tabemashita…
Good to know Modals in Japanese Posted by keiko on Aug 22, 2014
I have covered some of the major particles in Japanese during the last few posts. In this post, let me introduce you to some of the modals that can be useful when expressing your opinions and ideas in Japanese. ~ BEKI desu. This modal is close to “should” in English. It indicates your “strong opinion”on…
Basic Japanese Lesson – O and De particles Posted by keiko on Aug 15, 2014
So, this month is the month you will be familiar with basic Japanese grammar. We are starting with important particles. So far, we have covered the following particles: Mo (も) – means “too” or “also” in English. Click here to review this. Ga(が) & Wa (は) – two confusing particles of Japanese. Click here…
What is Japanese Obon? Posted by keiko on Aug 13, 2014
Have you heard of Obon before? Obon is so unique to Japanese culture.This year, between August 13th through August 17th, most companies will give their employees what they call, “Obon yasumi (おぼん やすみ、 お盆休み)” which is “Obon break”. In simple words, Obon(お盆) is an annual Buddhist event for commemorating one’s ancestors. It is believed that each year…
Basic Japanese Lesson – ga and wa particles Posted by keiko on Aug 11, 2014
The use of particles in Japanese language is often considered as confusing aspect of learning. One of the most confusing particles are probably “ga(が)” and “wa(は)” particles. They are a bit confusing, but let me show you the differences in basic sentences below. Once you get the basics done, it will be easier for…