Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Komei Harada
http://www.komeiharada.com/Japanese
Why learn Japanese?
• Learn Japanese culture • Visit Japan and get by
• Read manga comics • Talk to Japanese friends
• Watch Japanese animé • Do business with the
• Read Japanese game Japanese
manuals • Speak a few phrases and
• Speak reasonably well be friendly
Japanese Characters
• Phonetic characters
– Hiragana (46 chars)
For original Japanese words.
Created by simplifying kanjis.
こんにちは (good day)
かわ (river)
– Katakana (46 chars)
For foreign words/names
Created by taking parts of kanjis.
カメラ camera
ララ・クロフト Lara Croft
Japanese Characters
• Phonetic characters • Roma-ji
– Hiragana (46 chars) (Roman characters)
For original Japanese words.
Created by simplifying kanjis. Kon-nichiwa (good day)
こんにちは (good day) Kawa (river)
かわ (river)
– Katakana (46 chars)
For foreign words/names.
Created by taking parts of kanjis.
カメラ camera
ララ・クロフト Lara Croft
Japanese Characters
• Kanji – Chinese Characters
– Imported from China a few
thousand years ago.
– There may be ~ 50,000
– 6,000 in the computer character
codes alone
– Students learn 1,000 by 6th grade
– Each character typically has 2 or
more readings
日 ひ “hi” as in Hitachi
にち “nichi” as in Nippon
sun
Japanese Characters
• Kanji – Chinese Characters
– Imported from China a few
thousand years ago.
– There may be ~ 50,000
– 6,000 in the computer character
codes alone
– Students learn 1,000 by 6th grade
– Each character typically has 2 or
more readings
日 ひ “hi” as in Hitachi
にち “nichi” as in Nippon
sun
Japanese Characters
• Kanji – Chinese Characters
– Imported from China a few
thousand years ago.
– There may be ~ 50,000
– 6,000 in the computer character
codes alone
– Students learn 1,000 by 6th grade
– Each character typically has 2 or
more readings
日 ひ “hi” as in Hitachi
にち “nichi” as in Nippon
sun
Japanese Characters
• Kanji – Chinese Characters
– Imported from China a few • “No way I’m
thousand years ago.
– There may be ~ 50,000
– 6,000 in the computer character
gonna learn
codes alone
– Students learn 1,000 by 6th grade
those! Show
– Each character typically has 2 or
more readings me an easy
日 ひ “hi” as in Hitachi
way!”
にち “nichi” as in Nippon
sun
The Hard Way –and– The Easy Way
• Learn to pronounce
Roma-ji !
• All consonants are like in
English – No funny “ll” and “ch”
like in Spanish/Italian/French
• Only 5 vowels:
A, E, I, O, U – Get them
right!
The Hard Way –and– The Easy Way
• Learn to pronounce
•“bonsai” Roma-ji !
• All consonants are like in
English – No funny “ll” and “ch”
like in Spanish/Italian/French
• Only 5 vowels:
A, E, I, O, U – Get them
right!
The Hard Way –and– The Easy Way
• Learn to pronounce
•“bonsai” Roma-ji !
• All consonants are like in
English – No funny “ll” and “ch”
like in Spanish/Italian/French
• Only 5 vowels:
A, E, I, O, U – Get them
right!
The Hard Way –and– The Easy Way
• Learn to pronounce
•“banzai” Roma-ji !
• All consonants are like in
English – No funny “ll” and “ch”
like in Spanish/Italian/French
• Only 5 vowels:
A, E, I, O, U – Get them
right!
The Hard Way –and– The Easy Way
• Learn to pronounce
•“banzai” Roma-ji !
• All consonants are like in
English – No funny “ll” and “ch”
like in Spanish/Italian/French
• Only 5 vowels:
A, E, I, O, U – Get them
right!
The Hard Way –and– The Easy Way
• Learn to pronounce
• “Date” “sake” Roma-ji !
• All consonants are like in
English – No funny “ll” and “ch”
like in Spanish/Italian/French
• Only 5 vowels:
A, E, I, O, U – Get them
right!
The Hard Way –and– The Easy Way
• Learn to pronounce
• “Date” “sake” Roma-ji !
• All consonants are like in
English – No funny “ll” and “ch”
like in Spanish/Italian/French
• Only 5 vowels:
A, E, I, O, U – Get them
right!
The Hard Way –and– The Easy Way
• Learn to pronounce
• Karaoke Roma-ji !
• Honda • All consonants are like in
English – No funny “ll” and “ch”
• Tsunami
like in Spanish/Italian/French
• Only 5 vowels:
A, E, I, O, U – Get them
• Shogun right!
The Hard Way –and– The Easy Way
What’s “kyoto”?
きょうと (京都) Kyoto City
きょうとう (教頭) head teacher
きょとう (巨頭) magnate
Names
• ジェーソン・ウィーズナー • ケン・ブローズ
• クリス・チェ(イ)ンバーズ • エルギン・デルビソル
• トロイ・マッシュバーン • マイク・ゴンサレス
• スナ・カン(グ) • マイク・ファッジ
• エリック・タム • ケーシー・ホルツ
• ロサウラ・サンドバル • アルナブ・バス
• デイブ・ガストリン • ティプ・プルカヤスタ
Tongue Twisters
この釘は引き抜きにくい釘だ。
Kono kugi wa hiki nuki nikui kugi da.
This nail is a nail that is hard to pull out.
東京特許許可局長今日急遽休暇許可拒否
Tokyo tokkyo kyoka kyokuchou kyou kyuukyo kyuuka kyoka kyohi
Tokyo Patent Office Director today suddenly denies vacation
approval.
• Writing down
(English) often helps
Tonal Accent
• English - stress accent • (Unlike Chinese)
E.g., desert (barren); desert (to
leave) Most words have a few
increase (noun); increase (verb) syllables or more
• Japanese – tonal accent • Wrong accents rarely
cause confusion
はし hashi (bridge)
• Pay more attention to
your vowels instead!
はし hashi (chopstick) A, E, I, O, U
Similarity to Other Languages
Grammar
これ-が クリスタル-が 4月-に 引っ越す 新しい ビル-です。
This Crystal April in move (to) new building is.
Korean:
이 (빌딩)은 크리스탈이 4월에 이사갈 새 빌딩입니다.
Turkish:
bu bina Crystal’in Nisan ayinda icine gececegi bina
• 学生 • 學生 • 学生 • 학생
がくせい gakusei
xué sheng (student)
• 权威 • 權威 • 権威 • 권위
けんい ken’i
quán wēi (authority)
Similarity to Other Languages
Italian Japanese
Similarity to Other Languages
Italian Japanese
• Spaghetti • スパゲッティ
• Broccoli • ブロッコリー
• Espresso • エスプレッソ
• Staccato • スタッカート
• Ghetto • ゲットー
Similarity to Other Languages
Italian Japanese
• Spaghetti • スパゲッティ
• Broccoli • ブロッコリー
• Espresso • エスプレッソ
• Staccato • スタッカート
• Ghetto • ゲットー
– 5 vowels – A, E, I, O, U – アイウエオ
– Double consonants – ッ
Trivia : Top 10 Japanese Family Names