6.0 Expanding Your Japanese Toolkit (1)
Learning goals
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Distinguish between です (desu) and ます (masu).
- Understand the basics of Japanese verb conjugation.
- Use the ‘Topic + Object + Verb’ pattern with verbs in the ます form.
- Apply time reference and frequency words in sentences in the ます form.
- Use the sentence-ending particles よ (yo) and ね (ne) for conversational nuance.
Why these skills matter
Cognitive benefits
- Build a strong foundation for mastering Japanese verb conjugation.
- Enhance sentence-structure awareness for clearer expression.
- Develop sensitivity to conversational nuances through particle use.
Real-life benefits
- Form polite and grammatically correct sentences.
- Talk about daily activities with proper verb usage.
- Express time and frequency naturally in conversations.
- Add nuance to speech for smoother interactions.
Words
| Japanese | Romaji | English | Notes |
| Ru-verbs |
|||
| 見（み）る | miru | to see/watch/look ([at] something) | Dictionary form. This verb is often used with the direct object particle を to indicate what is being watched. |
| 食（た）べる | taberu | to eat (something) | Dictionary form. This verb is often used with the direct object particle を to indicate what is being eaten. |
| U-verbs | |||
| 飲（の）む | nomu | to drink (something) | Dictionary form. This verb is often used with the object particle を to indicate what is being drunk. |
| 読（よ）む | yomu | to read (something) | Dictionary form. This verb is often used with the direct object particle を to indicate what is being read. |
| 会（あ）う | au | to meet (someone) | Dictionary form. This verb is often used with the particle に to indicate who is being met. |
| 使（つか）う |
tsukau | to use (something) | Dictionary form. This verb is often used with the direct object particle を to indicate what is being used. |
| 行（い）く |
iku | to go (somewhere) | Dictionary form. This verb is often used with the particle に to indicate where one is going. |
| 帰（かえ）る | kaeru | to return/go back (somewhere) | Dictionary form. This verb is often used with the particle に to indicate where one is returning to. |
| Irregular verbs | |||
| 来（く）る | kuru | to come (somewhere) | Dictionary form. This verb is often used with the particle に to indicate where one is coming to. |
| する | suru | to do (something) | Dictionary form. This verb is often used with the direct object particle を to indicate what is being done. |
| 勉強（べんきょう）する | benkyou suru | to study | Dictionary form. This verb is often used with the direct object particle を to indicate what is being studied. |
| Nouns |
|||
| 僕（ぼく） |
boku | I/me | This first-person pronoun is typically used in informal or casual settings by individuals who identify themselves as male. For more information on gender and first-pronouns, please see Module 2.7. |
| 留学生（りゅうがくせい） |
ryuu-gakusei |
international students | |
| 社会学（しゃかいがく） |
shakai-gaku |
sociology | The suffix 学(がく: gaku) is used to denote a field of study, similar to ‘-ology’ in English. |
| まんがライブラリー（らいぶらりい） |
Manga raiburarii |
Manga Library | This is the official name of the facility in the model dialogue below. However, a library is usually referred to as 図書館 (としょかん: toshokan) in Japanese. |
| イベント（いべんと） |
ibento |
event | |
| お菓子（かし） |
okashi | snack | The honorific prefix お (o) adds politeness and refinement to the word 菓子 (kashi). This polite form is commonly used in daily conversation, especially in formal or respectful contexts, such as when offering or discussing sweets and snacks. |
| 本（ほん） | hon | book | |
| Places | |||
| お店（みせ） | omise | shop/store | 店 (mise) is a general term for any shop or store. The honorific お is sometimes added for politeness, especially when referring to someone else’s establishment. |
| スーパー（すうぱあ） | suupaa | supermarket | This is short for スーパーマーケット (suupaa maaketto), the standard term for a supermarket or grocery store. |
| コンビニ（こんびに） | konbini | convenience store | This is short for コンビニエンスストア (konbiniensu sutoa). It refers to a 24-hour convenience store that offers a variety of products and services, such as snacks, drinks and quick meals. |
| レストラン（れすとらん） | resutoran | restaurant | This is a general term for restaurants of all kinds. It’s often used for Western-style restaurants. |
| トイレ（といれ） | toire | toilet/bathroom/restroom | |
| 公園（こうえん） | kouen | park | This refers to a public park or playground area where people gather for leisure or exercise. |
| 図書館（としょかん） | toshokan | library | |
| 銀行（ぎんこう） | ginkou | bank | |
| 本屋（ほんや） | honya | bookshop | X + 屋 (ya): In Japanese, the suffix 屋 (や) is used to indicate a shop that specialises in a particular product. Add 屋 (や) to the product name. For example: 魚屋（さかなや: sakana-ya: fish/seafood shop; 肉屋（にくや: niku-ya: butcher). One exception is a green grocer, which is not called 野菜屋 (yasai-ya, literally ‘vegetable shop’) but rather 八百屋（やおや: yaoya). |
| Time references | The following time references do not typically take any particles. For more details, please refer to Module 6.2. | ||
| 今日（きょう） | kyou | today | |
| 明日（あした） | ashita | tomorrow | |
| 毎日（まいにち） | mainichi | everyday | |
| 朝（あさ） | asa | morning | |
| （お）昼（ひる） | (o)hiru | noon/lunchtime | The honorific prefix お (o) can only be attached to 昼 (hiru), making it お昼 (ohiru) to politely refer to noon or lunchtime. It is not used with 朝 (asa) for morning or 夜 (yoru) for night/evening. |
| 夜（よる） | yoru | night/evening | |
| 毎朝 （まいあさ） | maiasa | every morning | |
| 毎晩 （まいばん） | maiban | every night | Unlike 毎朝 for ‘every morning’ and 毎晩 for ‘every night’, there is no word in Japanese to mean ‘every noon’. This is because noon is generally seen as a single point in the day rather than a routine period, so the concept of ‘every noon’ is uncommon.
Also 毎夜 (まいよる) is not used to mean ‘every night’; instead, 毎晩 is the correct expression. |
| 今週（こんしゅう） | konshuu | this week | |
| 来週 （らいしゅう） | raishuu | next week | |
| 週末 （しゅうまつ） | shuumatsu | weekend | |
| 毎週（まいしゅう） | maishuu | every week | |
| Adverbs |
|||
| 一緒（いっしょ）に |
isshoni | together | |
| もちろん |
mochiron |
of course | |
| 本当（ほんとう）に |
hontouni | very/really | Colloquial (c.f. とても: totemo) |
| Frequency adverbs | For further details, see Module 6.3. | ||
| いつも | itsumo | always | |
| よく | yoku | often | |
| ときどき | tokidoki | sometimes | |
| あまり | amari | not often/rarely | あまり requires the verb to be in the negative form to express ‘rarely’. |
| ぜんぜん | zenzen | never/not at all | ぜんぜん requires the verb to be in the negative form to express ‘never’. |
| Adjectives |
|||
| 難（むずか）しい |
muzukashii | difficult |
Key grammar points
| Japanese | Romaji | English | Notes |
| … よね | yone |
…, isn’t it? | Sentence-ending particle. For further details, see Module 6.7. |
| に | ni | at/on | This particle is used to indicate specific points in time, such as days and times when an action takes place. It can be translated as ‘at’ or ‘on’ in English. For example, 月曜日（げつようび）に行（い）きます means ‘I will go on Monday’. For further details on how to use に for time references, see Module 6.2. |
| に | ni |
to/towards | This particle is used to mark places or locations. For further details, see Module 6.6. |
| へ | e |
to/towards | This particle is used to mark places or locations.It’s important to note that it’s pronounced “e,” not “he,” when it functions as a particle. For further details, see Module 6.6. |
Exercise 1
Guess which hiragana letter needs to be filled in! To check the answer, click the ‘turn’ button. You can also listen to the sound of each word by clicking the audio icon.
Model dialogue
Kevin, eager to immerse himself further in Japanese language and culture, pays a visit to the Manga Library. His intention? To discover the latest additions to the library’s collection and to find a language exchange partner. After a busy day attending his Japanese class, Kevin has an exciting encounter with someone from Japan who also happens to be a member of the Japanese Club at the Manga Library.
| Ren: あ、こんにちは。それ、『ブラック・ジャック（ぶらっく・じゃっく）』ですよね。 | A, konnichiwa. Sore Burakku Jakku desu yone. |
| Kevin: あ、はい…。 | A, hai … |
| Ren: 手塚治虫（てづかおさむ）のまんがが好（す）きですか。 | Tezuka Osamu no manga o yomi masu ka. |
| Kevin: はい。でも、大友克洋（おおともかつひろ）のまんがも読（よ）みます。 | Hai. Demo, Katsuhiro Ootomo no manga mo yomi masu. |
| Ren: ああ、『アキラ（あきら）』ですよね！僕（ぼく）も読みます！ところで、よく会（あ）いますよね。毎日（まいにち）まんがライブラリー（らいぶらりい）に来（き）ますよね。 | Aa, ‘Akira’ desu yone! Boku mo yomi masu! Tokorode, yoku ai masu yone. Mainichi Manga Raiburarii ni ki masu yone. |
| Kevin: あ、はい…。 | A, hai … |
| Ren: ええと、はじめまして。僕はれんです。 | Eeto, hajime mashite. Boku wa Ren desu. |
| Kevin: あ、ケビン（けびん）です。よろしく。 | A, Kebin desu. Yoroshiku. |
| Ren: よろしく。僕は留学生（りゅうがくせい）です。出身（しゅっしん）は日本（にほん）です。 |
Yoroshiku. Boku wa ryuu-gakusei desu. Shusshin wa Nihon desu. |
| Kevin: ああ、そうですか！専攻（せんこう）は何（なん）ですか。 |
Aa, soudesu ka! Senkou wa nan desu ka. |
| Ren: 社会学（しゃかいがく）です。 |
Shakai gaku desu. |
| Kevin: 社会学…。すみません。社会学は英語（えいご）で何ですか。 |
Shakai gaku… Sumimasen. Shakai gaku wa Eigo de nan desu ka. |
| Ren: Sociologyです。ケビンさんは？ | Soshiorojii desu. Kebin-san wa? |
| Kevin: あ、ええと、専攻はIT（あいてぃい）です。 |
A, eeto, senkou wa ai-thii desu. |
| Ren: へえ。ところで、明日（あした）日本語（にほんご）クラブ（くらぶ）のイベント（いべんと）に来ますか。 |
Hee. Torokode, ashita Nihongo Kurabu no ibento ni ki masu ka. |
| Kevin: 明日ですか。 | Ashita desuka. |
| Ren: はい。みんなで日本語の映画（えいが）を観（み）ます。それから、一緒（いっしょ）に日本のお菓子（かし）も食（た）べますよ。もちろん、日本語も使（つか）います。ケビンさんも来ますか。 | Hai. Minna de Nihongo no eiga o mi masu. Sorekara, isshoni Nihon no okashi mo tabe masu yo. Mochiron, Nihongo mo tsukai masu. Kebin-san mo ki masu ka. |
| Kevin: ああ、はい。来ます！Oh, wait, 行（い）きます？ |
Aa, hai. Ki masu! .Oh, wait, .. iki masu? |
| Ren: ええと、「行きます」ですね。難（むずか）しいですよね。 |
Eeto, ‘iki masu’ desu ne. Muzukashii desu yone. |
| Kevin: はい、日本語は本当（ほんとう）に難しいです…。 |
Hai, Nihongo wa hontou ni muzukashii desu … |
English translation
| Ren: Ah, hi. That’s Black Jack, right? |
| Kevin: Yes … |
| Ren: Do you read Osamu Tezuka’s comics? |
| Kevin: Yes. But, I read Katsuhiro Otomo’s comics, too. |
| Ren: Akira, right? So do I! By the say, we see each other often. You come to the Manga Library every day, don’t you? |
| Kevin: Ah, yes … |
| Ren: Well, nice to meet you. I’m Ren. |
| Kevin: I’m Kevin. Nice to meet you, too. |
| Ren: Yoroshiku. I’m an international student. I’m from Japan. |
| Kevin: Ah, right! What is your major? |
| Ren: It’s shakai gaku. |
| Kevin: … Sorry, what is ‘shakai gaku‘ in English? |
| Ren: Sociology. What about you, Kevin? |
| Kevin: Oh, um, my major is IT. |
| Ren: I see. By the way, are you coming to the Japanese Club event tomorrow? |
| Kevin: Tomorrow? |
| Ren:Yeah. We will watch a Japanese movie together. And then we will have Japanese snacks. Of course, we will use Japanese, too. Are you coming, Kevin? |
| Kevin: Ahhh, well, yes, I will come! Oh, wait, (should I say) ‘I will go’? |
| Ren: Umm, ‘I will go’. It’s difficult, isn’t it? |
| Kevin: Yes, Japanese is really difficult. |
Exercise 2
Listen to the following audio files and repeat each Japanese phrase after the recording. Each phrase is read twice, first at a slow pace and then at a natural pace.
Ren: あ、こんにちは。それ、『ブラック・ジャック（ぶらっく・じゃっく）』ですよね。
Kevin: あ、はい…。
Ren: 手塚治虫（てづかおさむ）のまんがが好（す）きですか。
Kevin: はい。でも、大友克洋（おおともかつひろ）のまんがも読（よ）みます。
Ren: ああ、『アキラ（あきら）』ですよね！僕（ぼく）も読みます！ところで、よく会（あ）いますよね。毎日（まいにち）まんがライブラリー（らいぶらりい）に来（き）ますよね。
Kevin: あ、はい…。
Ren: ええと、はじめまして。僕はれんです。
Kevin: あ、ケビン（けびん）です。よろしく。
Ren: よろしく。僕は留学生（りゅうがくせい）です。出身（しゅっしん）は日本（にほん）です。
Kevin: ああ、そうですか！専攻（せんこう）は何（なん）ですか。
Ren: 社会学（しゃかいがく）です。ケビンさんは？
Kevin: 社会学 …。すみません。社会学は英語（えいご）で何ですか。
Ren: Sociologyです。ケビンさんは？
Kevin: あ、ええと、専攻はITです。
Ren: へえ。ところで、明日（あした）日本語（にほんご）クラブ（くらぶ）のイベント（いべんと）に来ますか。
Kevin: 明日ですか。
Ren: はい。みんなで日本語の映画（えいが）を観（み）ます。それから、一緒（いっしょ）に日本のお菓子（かし）も食（た）べますよ。もちろん、日本語も使（つか）います。ケビンさんも来ますか。
Kevin: ああ、はい。来ます！Oh, wait, 行（い）きます？
Ren: ええと、「行きます」ですね。難（むずか）しいですよね。
Kevin: はい、日本語は本当（ほんとう）に難しいです…。
Discussion points
Let’s reflect on the following points and share your observations and thoughts!
- When you come across unfamiliar words in Japanese conversations, how do you react? It is a situation many language learners find themselves in, and the response can vary widely. Do you feel a bit hesitant to ask for clarification? If so, why? If not, why not? When engaging with someone who is learning your native language, how do you feel when they pause to ask you for clarification on something you have said?
Further resources
Asking questions for clarification is a common part of the language-learning process! In the dialogue, Kevin demonstrates one such method with the following pattern:
XはYで 何（なん）ですか。
X wa Y de nan desu ka.
How do you say X in Y?
Here, you can insert the word you are asking about in place of X, and add the language into which you want the word translated at the position marked by Y.
But that is just one way to seek clarification in Japanese. There are various other techniques, each suitable for different contexts and levels of formality. To explore another method, you might want to check out this video created by Learn Japanese with JapanesePod101.com:
Figures
1 “Houses Near Trees” by WW. Pexels. Licensed under Pexels licence.
2 “Goal Icon” by faisalovers. Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC by 3.0.
3 “Speech Bubble Icon” by Geremy Good. Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC 0.
4 “Lightbulb Icon” by Maxim Kulikov. Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC by 3.0.
