Lesson One

This is my first blog and my first entry…

     I’m still shocked and saddened by the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan couple of days ago…My heart aches and breaks for these people, my thoughts and prayers go out to the Japanese. I also pray that they don’t have a meltdown on the nuclear plants and add the threat of radiation to the disaster they have already experienced. I really hope that Japan and the Japanese people will recover and rebuild their nation very quickly. I always believe in them…they are strong willed people who never gave up so easily.

      I learned Japanese many years ago…and I found that it is an interesting language to learn although it’s difficult when you go to a higher level. One thing for sure, Japanese is always my passion! In this blog of mine, I’d like to share my little knowledge about Japanese. Let’s begin with self introduction first. You may need to introduce yourself during your first meeting right…Here’s some of the examples you may use to introduce yourself.

Introduce yourself

Vocabulary

Anata                          ….       You

Daigaku                       ….       University

Dochira                       ….       Where

Dōzo yoroshiku           ….       Nice meeting you

Gakusei                       ….       Student

Hai                              ….       Yes

Hajimemashite             ….       How do you do? (said during first meeting)

Iie                                ….       No      

Itsu                              ….       When  

Kimashita                    ….       Came (past tense)

Kyonen                       ….       Last year

Marēshia                      ….       Malaysia

Nan                             ….       What

Nihon                          ….       Japan

Okuni                          ….       Country

Onamae                       ….       Name

Senkou                        ….       Course / major

Sensei                          ….       Teacher

Watashi                       ….       I

Dialogue 1

Ana                 :           Hajimemashite. How do you do?
                                   Watashi wa Ana desu. I am Ana
                                   Watashi wa Marēshia jin desu. I am a Malaysian

Dōzo yoroshiku. Nice meeting you

Yamamoto      :           Tokyo Daigaku no Yamamoto desu.
                                  (I am) Yamamoto from Tokyo University.

                                   Dōzo yoroshiku. Nice meeting you

Questions and answers

1. O namae wa nan desu ka. What is your name?

à Watashi wa Ana desu. I am Ana.

2. O kuni wa dochira desu ka. Which country are you from?

àWatashi wa Marēshia kara kimashita. I came from Malaysia.

3. Itsu Nihon e kimashita ka. When did you come to Japan?

àKyonen kimashita. (I) came last year.

4. Anata wa sensei desu ka. Are you a teacher?

àIie, watashi wa sensei dewa arimasen. No, I’m not a teacher.

    Watashi wa gakusei desu. I’m a student.

5. Anata wa doko no gakusei desu ka. Which university are you studying in?

àWatashi wa Hiroshima Daigaku no gakusei desu. I’m a student of Hiroshima University.

6. Go senkou wa nan desu ka. What course are you taking?

àDenki kougaku desu. Electrical engineering.

That's all for now.

Ja-ne!