Quick study Japanese grammar

Here is a guide to learn Japanese quickly.
日本語を早く覚えるためにこれを見て！

1. Use as a supplement with basic & intermediate Japanese course textbooks
Japanese
BarCharts, Inc.
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WORLD’S #1 ACADEMIC OUTLINE
1
PRONUNCIATION
A. Sound and Syllables
1. Syllables consist of a vowel, [a],
[i], [u], [e] or [o], and a set of
either a consonant or a consonant
+ [y] and a vowel
WRITING SYSTEM
A. In authentic written texts, no spaces are used in between words
²xžÝæ§pb{
Watashi wa amerikajin des. I am an American.
B. Three writing systems, kanji, hiragana, and katakana, are used in Japanese written texts
1. Kanji
a. Ideographs borrowed from Chinese characters, each conveying an idea,
most of which have at least two readings
b. Used to write most of nouns and core of adjectives and verbs
2. Hiragana
a. A phonetic syllabary made from simplified kanji characters
b. Consists of five basic vowels, and 41 other letters with 25 variations
Basic Hiragana
KSTNHMYRW
akasatanahamayarawan
KT^hsx?????
ikishichinihimi ri
MV`jt{? ?
ukusutsunufumuyuru
OXbmu~???
ekeseteneheme re
QZdov?? ?
okosotonohomoyorowo
S\fqw?????
Variations
GZDBP
agazadabapa
U_iyz
igijijibipi
Wak|}
uguzuzubupu
Ycn?
egezedebepe
[ep??
ogozodobopo
]gr??
c. Glides: A smaller-sized letter ?[ya], ?[yu] or ?[yo] is attached to V[ki],
`[shi], j[chi], t[ni], {[hi], ?[ri] or its variation to transcribe sound of
syllables containing a consonant and [y]
d. Double consonants: Small letter of
m [tsu] is used to indicate the first
consonant of double consonants; it occurs in a word and requires a slight pause of the same duration of one syllable
Hiragana Glides
KySyChNyHyMyRy Gy J JByPy
akyashachanyahyamyaryagyajajabyapya
V?`Œj?t?{?????W?a?k?|?}?
ukyushuchunyuhyumyuryugyujujubyupyu
V?`Žj?t?{?????W?a?k?|?}?
okyoshochonyohyomyoryogyojojobyopyo
V?`j?t?{?????W?a?k?|?}?
Double Consonants
postal stampVlo kitte
ticket Vl? kippu
magazine _l` zasshi
Some Examples of Double Vowels
k s t n h m y r w
aa KKTK^KhKsKxK?K?K?K?K
iiMMVM`MjMtM{M?M N/A?M N/A
uu OOXObOmOuO~O?O?O?O N/A
ee
QQ
QM
QQ
ZM
dQ
dM
oQ
oM
vQ
vM
?Q
?M
?Q
?M N/A
?Q
?M N/A
oo
SS
SO
\S
\O
fS
fO
qS
qO
wS
wO
?S
?O
SS
?O
?S
?O
?S
?O N/A
For the second vowel of double vowels of “e” and “o,” a letter of “M” and “O”
are also used respectively
3. Katakana
a. Each katakana character was made from part of a kanji
character
b. Most words borrowed from romance languages and
onomatopoeias are transcribed in katakana
Basic Katakana
KSTNHMYRW
akasatanahamayarawan
???????????
ikishichinihimi ri
??????? ?
ukusutsunufumuyuru
?????????
ekeseteneheme re
??????? ?
okosotonohomoyorowo
??????????
Katakana Glides
KySyChNyHyMyRy Gy J JByPy
akyashachanyahyamyaryagyajajabyapya
??????????????????????Ðß
ukyushuchunyuhyumyuryugyujujubyupyu
??????????????????????Ðá
okyoshochonyohyomyoryogyojojobyopyo
??????????????????????Ðã
Variations
GZDBP
agazadabapa
?????
igijijibipi
?????
uguzuzubupu
?????
egezedebepe
?????
ogozodobopo
?????
c. Double consonants: Small ?G[tsu]is used in the same way as
in hiragana
d. Double vowels: A dash (–) is used to indicate a second vowel
when there are double vowels in Katakana
e. Small vowel: In order to transcribe the pronunciation of
borrowed sounds (such as people’s names) as closely as
possible, the following combinations are commonly used, only
in katakana
??[we]?? [ti]?? [fo]
??
[wo]?? [fa]?? [je]
??
[she]?? [fi]?? [di]
??
[che]?? [fe]?? [de]
2. There are two exceptions: See
small [tsu] and long vowel in the
syllabary below
3. Each syllable should be pronounced
with same length
B. Word Accent and Rhythm
1. The Japanese language has a
pitch accent system
2. Japanese words are pronounced on
two levels of pitch, low and high
3. Each word has a fixed accent
pattern
ha
shi: bridge
hashi: chop sticks
red indicates higher pitch
author^lT sakka
leaf xlz happa
diary tlV nikki

2. 2
STYLES OF SPEECH
An appropriate style of speech is used depending on the relationship
between a speaker and the listener(s), the topic, and the context
A. Polite Speech 1. Used in a formal situation, including the classroom, in business, or at a
speech or lecture
2. Also used between unfamiliar people to maintain polite formality and
distance
3. Polite form of verb, copula and adjectives (desu masu form) are used
˜h` U `‡b{
Watashi ga shimas. I will do it.
B. Casual Speech1. Used among those who are familiar with each other, such as colleagues,
friends, family members and to children
2. It is used in informal everyday situations 3. To form casual speech, plain verbal form is used
˜h`Ub”{
Watashi ga suru. I will do it.
C. Respect Language 1. To show respect, terms of honor are used when referring to others
`ŒjO U s^M‡b{
Shachoo ga nasaimas. The president will do it.
2. Humble terms are used when refering to oneself
˜h` U Mh`‡b{
Watashi ga itashimas. I will do it. (respectful)
˜hX` U ^do MhiV‡b{
Watakushi ga sasete itadakimas. I will do it. (more respectful)
A. Sentence Structure1. Word order
a. Generally, the verb comes at the end of the sentence or clause
b. The red word of each sentence is the verb
˜h`x žÝæ§aœpb{
Watashi wa amerikajin des. I am an American.
QM] q t„œ] ›xs`‡b{
Eigo to nihongo o hanashimas. I speak English and Japanese.
t„œ]x S‹`–Mpb{
Nihongo wa omoshiroi des. Japanese language is interesting.
2. Omission of information
a. Omit information understood from the contexty
b. Avoid consecutive use of ˜h`(watashi)when it is clear from the context
c. Do not use Ksh(anata), a pronoun meaning either you or your, if it
is possible to use the actual name and/or name of a title or role
d. Speech that overuses pronouns sounds less polite
B. Grammatical Function Indicator: Particles
1. The grammatical function of nouns are indicated by particles 2. Most particles are attached to the end of a noun; some are attached to
another particle
3. Sentence particles are attached to a sentence, including the question marker T[ka]
4. When the preceding word is omitted, the particle should be omitted also, as
they act as a set and are pronounced as one word
5. Sentence Topic Marker: x[wa]
a. The topic of a sentence is indicated with [wa], and x is used for a sound
of [wa] only in case of a particle
b. The topic is often the same as the subject, but not always
c. x [wa] is used for the object, especially in a negative sentence
6. Subject marker: U[ga]
a. U[ga] is used to mark the subject when the information is new to the listener
b. U[ga]is used in the following structure as well
˜h` x Š U KSMpb{
Watashi wa me ga aoides. As for me, the eyes are blue.
qOVOx {qU SSMpb{
Tookyoo wa hito ga ooides. There are lots of people in Tokyo.
7. Question Marker: T [ka]
a. A sentence particle T [ka] is attached to a statement to make it a
question
Statement: {”]xœ› h‚‡b{I eat lunch or
Hirugohan o tabemas. I am going to eat lunch.
Question: {”]xœ› h‚‡bT{Do you eat lunch or
Hirugohan o tabemasuka? Are you going to eat lunch?
CHARACTERISTICS OF GRAMMAR
List of particles
Particle Function Example Pronunciation Translation
x[wa] topic of the sentence VOxyr‘O|pb{ Kyoo wa doyoobi des. Today is Saturday.
U[ga] subject
[m‘O|ty`ZœyUyK??b{
VwOyK?Uy~“‡`h{
Getsuyoobi ni shiken ga arimas.
Kinoo ame ga furimashita.
There will be a test on Monday.
It rained yesterday.
U[ga] contradiction
K^xy^‰MpbUz
{”‡xyKmMpb
Asa wa samuides ga,
hiruma wa atsuides.
It’s cold in the morning, but it’s hot during the day.
U[ga] softener bˆ‡dœUzM‡ysœapbT{ Sumimasen ga ima nanji desuka.Excuse me, but what time is it now?
?[o] direct object s‡Q?yTMoXi^M{ Namae o kaite kudasai. Please write your name.
?[o]
place or object from which something or someone leaves
K^yxjaytyOjy
?yp‡b{ Asa hachiji ni uchi o demas.
I leave home at eight in the
morning.
?[o]
place that something moves over, along or through
\OQœ
?y^œ†`‡b{ Kooen o samposhimas. I take a walk in the park.
t[ni] destination ’Mvœyt„œtyMV?b{ Rainen nihon ni ikimas. Next year, I am going to Japan.
t[ni] location Ojtyv\yUyM?b{ Uchi ni neko ga imas. I have a cat at my home.
t[ni] indirect object q?ijytyKM?b{ Tomodachi ni aimas. I see my friends.
t[ni] time ?My?ya?Oaytyv?b{ Maiban juuji ni nemas. I go to sleep at 10:00 every night.
t[ni] purpose K`hTM‹wtMV‡b Ashita kaimono ni ikimas. I am going shopping tomorrow.
p[de] site for the activity takes placeq`Tœypy‚œVO`‡b{ Toshokan de benkyoo shimas. I study at the library.
p[de]
means or implement of the
action
Qœ}mps‡Q›yTV‡b{ Empitsu de namae o kakimas. Write your name in pencil.
p[de] cause or reason TepyUl\Oy›ybˆ‡`h{ Kaze de gakkoo o yasumimashita.I missed school due to a cold.
?[e] direction ’Mvœyt„œ?yMV?b{ Rainen nihon e ikimas. Next year, I am going to Japan.
T?[kara]
starting point of time or point,
origin
«åµxyXayT?ypb{ Kurasu wa kuji kara des. My class starts at nine.
?p[made]ending point or time ‡MK^y\OQœ?pyx`“‡b{ Maiasa kooen made hashirimas.I run to the park every morning.

3. 3
C. Verb and Adjective Conjugation
1. Verbs and adjectives conjugate to show non-past, past, negative and
affirmative form of the sentence
2. A non-past form is used to indicate present and future tense, and past
form is for past, present perfect and past perfect tense
3. The conjugation is not affected by the type of the subject of a sentence
4. Verbs
a. Classified into groups: Group I, group II and group III, depending on
their conjugation patterns
b. To obtain te-form, replace “ta” and “da” at the end of each plain past
affirmative form with “te” and “de,” respectively: “katta” turns to “katte,” and “tabeta” changes to “tabete”
Group I Verb Conjugations
(Overb)
ZMhM: Polite form
keitai
aOhM: Plain form
jootai
Non-past form Past form Non-past form Past form
Affirmative Negative Affirmative Negative Affirmative Negative Affirmative Negative
TX
kaku
write/
draw
TV?b
kakimasu
TV?d?
kaki
TV‡`h
kakimashita
TV‡dœp`h
kakimasendeshita
TX
kaku
TTsM
kakanai
TMh
kaita
TTsTlh
kakanakatta
MX
iku
go
MV?b
ikimasu
MV?d?
ikimasen
MV‡`h
ikimashita
MV‡dœp`h
ikimasendeshita
MX
iku
MTsM
ikanai
Mlh
itta
MTsTlh
ikanakatta
TO
kau
buy
TM?b
kaimasu
TM?d?
kaimasen
TM‡`h
kaimashita
TM‡dœp`h
kaimasendeshita
TO
kau
T?sM
kawanai
Tlh
katta
T?sTlh
kawanakatta
Group II (?verb)
ZMhM: Polite form
keitai
aOhM: Plain form
jootai
Non-past form Past form Non-past form Past form
Affirmative Negative Affirmative Negative Affirmative Negative Affirmative Negative
SV?
okiru
get up
SV?b
okimasu
SV?d?
okimasen
SV‡`h
okimashita
SV‡dœp`h
okimasendeshita
SV?
okiru
SVsM
okinai
SVh
okita
SVsTlh
okinakatta
h??
taberu
eat
h??b
tabemasu
h??d?
tabemasen
h‚‡`h
tabemashita
h‚‡dœp`h
tabemasendeshita
h??
taberu
h?sM
tabenai
h?h
tabeta
h?sTlh
tabenakatta
??
miru
see/
watch
??b
mimasu
??d?
mimasen
ˆ‡`h
mimashita
ˆ‡dœp`h
mimasendeshita
??
miru
?sM
minai
?h
mita
?sTlh
minakatta
Group III (Irregular verb)
ZMhM: Polite form
keitai
aOhM: Plain form
jootai
Non-past form Past form Non-past form Past form
Affirmative Negative Affirmative Negative Affirmative Negative Affirmative Negative
X?
kuru
come
V?b
kimasu
V?d?
kimasen
V‡`h
kimashita
V‡dœp`h
kimasendeshita
X?
kuru
\sM
konai
Vh
kita
\sTlh
konakatta
b?
suru
do
`‡b
shimasu
`‡dœ
shimasen
`‡`h
shimashita
`‡dœp`h
shimasendeshita
b?
suru
`sM
shinai
`h
shita
`sTlh
shinakatta
w[no] modifier ˜h`wyq?ij Watashi no tomodachi my friend
q[to] list maker `ŽˆxyžÇÝqSœUXpb{ Shumi wa anime to ongaku des.My hobbies are anime and music.
q[to] accompany q‹ijqy‚œVO`‡b{ Tomodachi to benkyoo shimas. I study with my friend.
q[to] quotation marker ‹OMjr®Sx‘O¯qyMloXi^M{Mooichido “ohayoo” to itte kudasai.Please say “ohayoo” once again.
?[ya] list of example Xi‹wxyrO?Mj]UbVpb{
Kudamono wa budoo ya
ichigo ga sukides.
As for fruits, I like grapes and strawberries, etc.
?[mo] additional info ÌÆÆ?bVpb{ Banana mo sukides. I like bananas, too.
Polite, ˜h`x t„œpx ‘X t„œ]p s‡Q› TV‡`h{
past, Watashiwa nihondewa yoku nihongode namaeo kakimashita.
affirmative: (I often wrote my name in Japanese in Japan.)
Polite, ˜h`x t„œpx K‡“QM]p s‡Q› TV‡dœp`h{
past, Watashiwa nihondewa amari eigode namaeo kakimasendeshita. negative: (I didn’t write my name in English often in Japan.)
Plain, ˜h`x t„œpx ‘X b`› h‚h{
past Watashiwa nihondewa yoku sushio tabemashita. affirmative: (I often ate sushi in Japan.)
Plain, ˜h`x t„œpx K‡“в›h‚sTlh{
past Watashiwa nihondewa amari pizao tabenakatta. negative: (I didn’t eat pizza often in Japan.)
Polite, ˜h`x t„œpx ‘X t„œ]p  ”Ý”ç› `‡`h{
past Watashiwa nihondewa yoku nihongode iimeeruo shimashita. affirmative: (I often did email in Japanese in Japan.)
Polite, ˜h`x t„œpx K‡“QM]p  ”Ý”ç› `‡dœp`h{
past Watashiwa nihondewa amari eigode iimeeruo shimasendeshita. negative: (I didn’t do email in English often in Japan.)
Polite, ˜h`x žÝæ§px ‘X QM]p s‡Q› TV‡b{
non-past, Watashiwa amerikadewa yoku eigode namaeo kakimasu. affirmative: (I often write my name in English in the US.)
Polite, ˜h`x žÝæ§px K‡“t„œ]p s‡Q› TV‡dœ{
non-past, Watashiwa amerikadewa amari nihongode namaeo kakimasen. negative: (I don’t write my name in Japanese often in the US.)
Plain, ˜h`x žÝæ§px ‘X в›h‚”{
non-past, Watashiwa amerikadewa yoku pizao taberu.
affirmative: (I often eat pizza in the US.)
Plain, ˜h`x žÝæ§px K‡“b`› h‚sM{
non-past, Watashiwa amerikadewa amari sushio tabenai.
negative: (I don’t eat sushi often in the US.)
Polite, ˜h`x žÝæ§px‘X QM]p  ”Ý”ç› `‡b{
non-past,Watashiwa amerikadewa yoku eigode iimeeruo shimasu.
affirmative: (I often do email in English in the US.)
Polite, ˜h`x žÝæ§pxK‡“t„œ]p ”Ý”ç›`‡dœ{
non-past, Watashiwa amerikadewa amari nihongode iimeeruo shimasen.
negative: (I don’t do email in Japanese often in the US.)

4. e. Table of Verb Form Conjugations
Group I
Stem +A column + sMzsTlhz•”ord”
nai, nakatta, reru, seru
Stem +
I column +
?b masu
Stem + U
column
Stem +E column, or yor ?
ba ru
Stem +
O column +
O u
Plain, neg.,
non-past
~sMnai
Plain, neg., past
™ s T l h
nakatta
Passive
™ • ”
reru
Causative ?d? seru
Polite,
non-past
(masu-form)
~?b masu
Plain, non-past
(dictionary
form)
Imperative
Conditional
?y ba
Potential
?? reru
Volitional
~Ou
TO
Kau (buy)
T?sM
kawanai
T?sTlh
kawanakatta
T???
kawareru
T?d?
kawaseru
TM?b
kaimasu
TO
kau
TQ
kae
TQy
kaeba
TQ?
kaeru
TSO
kaoo
?m
Matsu (wait)
?hsM
matanai
?hsTlh
matanakatta
?h??
matareru
?hd?
mataseru
?j?b
machimasu
?m
matsu
?o
mate
?oy
mateba
?o?
materu
?qO
matoo
TQ?
Kaeru (return)
TQ?sM
kaeranai
TQ?sTlh
kaeranakatta
TQ???
kaerareru
TQ?d?
kaeraseru
TQ??b
kaerimasu
TQ?
kaeru
TQ?
kaere
TQ?y
kaereba
TQ??
kaereru
TQ?O
kaeroo
K?
Aru (exist)
sM
nai
sTlh
nakatta N/A N/A
K??b
arimasu
K?
aru N/A
sZ?y
nakerebaN/A N/A
?
Yobu (call)
?ysM
yobanai
?ysTlh
yobanakatta
?y??
yobareru
?yd?
yobaseru
?|?b
yobimasu
?
Yobu
??
yobe
??y
yobeba
???
yoberu
??O
yoboo
??
Yomu (read)
??sM
yomanai
??sTlh
yomanakatta
????
yomareru
??d?
yomaseru
???b
yomimasu
??
yomu
??
yome
??y
yomeba
???
yomeru
??O
yomoo
`u
Shinu (die)
`ssM
shinanai
`ssTlh
shinanakatta
`s??
shinareru
`sd”
shinaseru
`t?b
shinimasu
`u
shinu
`v
shine
`vy
shineba
`v?
shineru
`wO
shinoo
TX
kaku (write)
TTsM
kakanai
TTsTlh
kakanakatta
TT??
kakareru
TTd?
kakaseru
TV?b
kakimasu
TX
kaku
TZ
kake
TZy
kakeba
TZ?
kakeru
T\O
kakoo
MX
Iku (go)
MTsM
ikanai
MTsTlh
ikanakatta
MT??
ikareru
MTd?
ikaseru
MV?b
ikimasu
MX
iku
MZ
ike
MZy
ikeba
MZ?
ikeru
M\O
ikoo
S?Y
Oyogu (swim)
S?UsM
oyoganai
S?UsTlh
oyoganakatta
S?U??
oyogareru
S?Ud?
oyogaseru
S?W?b
oyogimasu
S?Y
oyogu
S?[
oyoge
S?[y
oyogeba
S?[?
oyogeru
S?]O
oyogoo
xsb
Nanasu
(speak/talk)
xs^sM
hanasanai
xs^sTlh
hanasanakatta
xs^??
hanasareru
xs^d?
hanasaseru
xs`?b
hanashimasu
xsb
hanasu
xsd
hanase
xsdy
hanaseba
xsd?
hanaseru
xsfO
hanasoo
Plain passive: ˜h`xM‹Oqt˜h`wVOT`tM‹Oqws‡Q›TT•h{
I was written of her name on my textbook by my younger sister. (literal complaint)
My younger sister wrote her name on my textbook. (English equivalent)
Plain causative: ˜h`xyM‹Oqtyaœwys‡Q›yTœapyTTd”{
I make my younger sister write her name in kanji.
Plain Imperative: mWwy\qy›yTœapyTZ{
Write the following words in kanji - “quiz instructions.”
d. How to obtain te-form/ta-form from dictionary-form (plain non-
past affirmative form)
Group I Group II
dictionary-
form
te-formta-form
dictionary-
form
te-formta-form
TO
kau
?m
matsu
TQ?
kaeru
Tlo
katte
?lo
matte
TQlo
kaette
Tlh
katta
?lh
matta
TQlh
kaetta
SV?
okiru
h??
taberu
??
miru
SVo
okite
h?o
tabete
?o
mite
SVh
okita
h?h
tabeta
?h
mita
`u
shinu
?
yobu
??
yomu
`?p
shinde
??p
yonde
??p
yonde
`?i
shinda
??i
yonda
??i
yonda
Group III
TX
kaku
MX
iku
TMo
kaite
Mlo
itte
TMh
kaita
Mlh
itta
b?
suru
`o
shite
`h
shita
S?Y
oyogu
S?Mp
oyoide
S?Mi
oyoida
X?
kuru
Vo
kite
Vh
kita
xsb
hanasu
xs`o
hanashite
xs`h
hanashita
c. How to obtain te-form/ta-form from masu-form (polite non-past
affirmative form)
Group I Group II
masu-form te-form ta-formmasu-formte-formta-form
TM?b
kaimasu
?j?b
machimasu
TQ??b
kaerimasu
Tlo
katte
?lo
matte
TQlo
kaette
Tlh
katta
?lh
matta
TQlh
kaetta
SV?b
okimasu
h??b
tabemasu
??b
mimasu
SVo
okite
h?o
tabete
?o
mite
SVh
okita
h?h
tabeta
?h
mita
`t?b
shinimasu
?|?b
yobimasu
???b
yomimasu
`?p
shinde
??p
yonde
??p
yonde
`?i
shinda
??i
yonda
??i
yonda
Group III
TV?b
kakimasu
MV?b
ikimasu
(exception
to rule)
TMo
kaite
Mlo
itte
TMh
kaita
Mlh
itta
`?b
shimasu
`o
shite
`h
shita
S?W?b
oyogimasu
S?Mp
oyoide
S?Mi
oyoida
V?b
kimasu
Vo
kite
Vh
kita
xs`?b
hanashimasu
xs`o
hanashite
xs`h
hanashita
Plain Conditional: {’UspyTZyy˜T“‡b{
If you write it in hiragana, I will understand.
Plain Potential: M‹OqxyTœaUyb\`yTZ‡b{
My younger sister can write kanji a little.
Plain Volitional s‡QxyxlV“qyT\O{
Let’s write names clearly.
4

5. Group II
Plain, neg.,
non-past
~sM
nai
Plain, neg., past
?sTlh
nakatta
Passive
????
rareru
Causative
?^d?
saseru
Polite, non-past
(masu-form)
~?b
masu
Plain, non-past (dictionary form)
??
ru
Imperative
??
ro
Conditional
??y
reba
Potential ????
rareru
Volitional
~‘Oyoo
SV?
okiru
SVsM
okinai
SVsTlh
okinakatta
SV???
okirareru
SV^d?
okisaseru
SV?b
okimasu
SV?
okiru
SV?
okiro
SV?y
okireba
SV???
okirareru
SV?O
okiyoo
h??
taberu
h?sM
tabenai
h?sTlh
tabenakatta
h????
taberareru
h?^d?
tabesaseru
h??b
tabemasu
h??
taberu
h??
tabero
h??y
tabereba
h????
taberareru
h??O
tabeyoo
??
miru
?sM
minai
?sTlh
minakatta
????
mirareru
?^d?
misaseru
??b
mimasu
??
miru
??
miro
??y
mireba
????
mirareru
??O
miyoo
Group III
Plain, neg.,
non-past
~sM
nai
Plain, neg., past
?sTlh
nakatta
Passive
????
rareru
Causative
?^d?
saseru
Polite, non-past
(masu-form)
~?b
masu
Plain, non-past (dictionary form)
??
ru
ImperativeConditional
??y
reba
Potential
Volitional
~‘Oyoo
X?
kuru
\sM
konai
\sTlh
konakatta
\???
korareru
\^d?
kosaseru
V?b
kimasu
X?
kuru
\M
koi
X?y
kureba
\???
korareru
\?O
koyoo
b?
suru
`sM
shinai
`sTlh
shinakatta
d???
serareru
^d?
saseru
`‡b
shimasu
b?
suru
`–
shiro
b?y
sureba
pV”
dekiru
`‘O
shiyoo
f. Connection Forms of Important Expressions (for beginners)
Plain, neg., non-past
~sMnai
Conjunctive–form: Polite, non-past
(masu-form)?Masu
Plain, non-past (dictionary form)
te-form Plain, past ( ta-form)
Group I
TO
Kau (buy)
T?sM
kawanai
TM?b
kaimasu
TO
kau
Tlo
katte
Tlh
katta
Group II
SV?
Okiru (get up)
SVsM
okinai
SV?b
okimasu
SV?
okiru
SVo
okite
SVh
okita
Group III
b?
Suru (do)
X?
Kuru (come)
`sM
shinai
\sM
konai
`‡b
shimasu
V?b
kimasu
b?
suru
X?
kuru
`o
shite
Vo
kite
`h
shita
Vh
kita
ConnectionForms of
ImportantExpressions
(for beginners)
VsMpXi^M
VsMp
VsM?N
VsMqS?M?b
VsMqV
VsMw(niminalizer)
VsMfOpb(hearsay)
V‡`O
V?d?T
VtV?b
VhMpb
VsU?
VbW?b
V?N
V\q
V\qUpV‡b
VqS?M?b
VqV
Vw(nominalizer)
VfOpb(hearsay)
Vm‹“pb
VTrOT
V`zV,`
VoXi^M
Vo‹MMpb
VoM?b
VoxMZ?d?
Vo??b
Vo`‡M‡b
VoV?b/MV?b
Vh\qUK??b
Vh?Vh“`‡b
V?N
VqS?M?b
VqV
Vh?
Vhwp
VhT‹`•‡dœ
VhfOpb(hearsay)
Vhwt
Be-verbs (Copula)
ZMhM: Polite form
keitai
aOhM: Plain form
jootai
Non-past form Past form Non-past form Past form
Affirmative Negative Affirmative Negative Affirmative NegativeAffirmative Negative
Used in
Topic wa Noun
+ des structure
pb
des
pxK“‡dœ
dewaarimasen
p`h
deshita
pxK“‡dœp`h
dewaarimasendeshita
i
da
pxsM
dewanai
ilh
datta
pxsTlh
dewanakatta
To obtain te-form, replace “da” in plain past affirmative form with “de”
5

6. 6
Greetings
Japanese Pronunciation English Note
Sx?O
]_M?b Ohayoo gozaimasGood morning. Used until around 10:00 AM.
\?tjx
Konnichiwa Hello.
\?y?x
Konbanwa Good evening. Used after dark.
S[œVpbT Ogenkidesu ka How are you?
xM
, [œVpb Hai, genkides Yes, I am fine.
^?Os?
Sayoonara Good-bye.
S?b?s^M
Oyasuminasai Good night.
Mlo‡M“‡b Itte mairimas I’ll be back. Lit. I am going out and coming back.
Mlo’l`ŒM Itte rasshai See you later.Used by a person staying.
hiM? Tadaima I’m back.
STQ“s^M Okaeri nasai Welcome back.
?h Kqp Mata, atode See you later.
informal
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Adjectives
ZMhM: Polite form
keitai
Non-past form Past form
Affirmative Negative Affirmative Negative
MZM?O`
i-adjective
delicious
SM`M
oishii
SM`Mpboishiides
SM`XsMpb oishikunaides
SM`Tlhpb oishikattades
SM`XsTlhpb oishikunakattades
good
MM
ii
MMpb iides
‘XsMpb yokunaides
‘Tlhpb yokattades
‘XsTlhpb yokunakattades
sZM?O`
Na-adjective
quiet
`cT
shizuka
`cTpb shizukades
`cTpxK“‡dœshizukadewaarimasen
`cTp`h shizukadeshita
`cTpxK“‡dœp`hshizukadewaarimasendeshita
pretty/clean/
neat
V?M
kirei
V•Mpb kireides
V•MpxK“‡dœkireidewaarimasen
V•Mp`h kireideshita
V•MpxK“‡dœp`hkireidewaarimasendeshita
aOhM: Plain form
jootai
Non-past form Past form
Affirmative Negative Affirmative Negative
MZM?O`
i-adjective
delicious
SM`M
oishii
SM`M oishii
SM`XsMoishikunai
SM`Tlh oishikatta
SM`XsTlhoishikunakatta
good
MM
ii
MM ii
?XsM yokunai
?Tlh yokatta
?XsTlh yokunakatta
sZM?O`
Na-adjective
quiet
`cT
shizuka
`cTi shizukada
`cTpxsMshizukadewanai
`cTilh shizukadatta
`cTpxsTlhshizukadeanakatta
pretty/
clean/neat
V?M
kirei
V?Mi kireida
V•MpxsMkireidewanai
V?Milh kireidatta
V•MpxsTlhkireidewanakatta
CHARACTERISTICS OF GRAMMAR ( continued)
Interrogatives
Each of stzi?zr\ should be used accompanied by an appropriate particle
Japanese pronunciation English
st?s?
nani/nan what
i?
dare who
Mm
itsu when
r\
doko where
To obtain te-form of i- adjective, change “i” at the end of plain non- past affirmative form to “kute”; to obtain te-form of na-adjective, replace “da” at the end of plain non-past affirmative with “de”; for example, “oishii” turns “oishikute” and “kirei” changes to “kireide”
DAILY EXPRESSIONS
Japanese pronunciation English
sta?
Nani-jin What nationality
st]
Nani-go What language
s?^M
Nan-sai How old
s?v?dM
Nan-nensei What academic year
Japanese pronunciation English
se—rO`o
naze/dooshite why
rO?lo doo yatte
how
r?s
donna what kind
MXm
ikutsu how many
Other Daily Expressions
rO?yK?UqO]_M?b Doomo arigatoo gozaimas Thank you very much.
rOMh`‡`o Doo itashimashite
You are welcome.
(Or Don’t mention it.)
jlqy‡loXi^M Chotto matte kudasai Wait a moment.
b??d?
Sumimasen Excuse me. (Or thank you Or sorry)
rOgyS^Vt Doozo osakini Please go ahead
Or after you.
S^Vt
Osakini Pardon my going ahead.
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