Lesson 1: Basic Greetings & Politeness
Goal: Learn how to greet people at different times of day and say polite phrases.
Vocabulary:
| Japanese | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| こんにちは | Konnichiwa | Hello / Good afternoon |
| おはようございます | Ohayou gozaimasu | Good morning (polite) |
| こんばんは | Konbanwa | Good evening |
| さようなら | Sayounara | Goodbye |
| おやすみなさい | Oyasuminasai | Good night |
| ありがとう | Arigatou | Thank you |
| ありがとうございます | Arigatou gozaimasu | Thank you (polite) |
| すみません | Sumimasen | Excuse me / I’m sorry |
Practice: Greet your family or friends using Japanese based on the time of day.
Lesson 2: Self-Introduction (じこしょうかい – jikoshoukai)
Goal: Introduce yourself politely in Japanese.
Key Phrases:
| Japanese | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| はじめまして | Hajimemashite | Nice to meet you (first time) |
| わたしのなまえは〜です | Watashi no namae wa ~ desu | My name is ~ |
| 〜ともうします | ~ to moushimasu | I am called ~ (formal) |
| よろしくおねがいします | Yoroshiku onegaishimasu | Please treat me well |
Example Sentence:
はじめまして。わたしのなまえは カディザ です。よろしくおねがいします。
Nice to meet you. My name is Khadiza. Please treat me well.
Practice: Write and say your own self-introduction.
Lesson 3: Basic Questions & Responses
Goal: Learn how to ask simple questions and respond.
Useful Words & Phrases:
| Japanese | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| はい | Hai | Yes |
| いいえ | Iie | No |
| わかります | Wakarimasu | I understand |
| わかりません | Wakarimasen | I don’t understand |
| なんですか？ | Nan desu ka? | What is it? |
| だれですか？ | Dare desu ka? | Who is it? |
| どこですか？ | Doko desu ka? | Where is it? |
| いくらですか？ | Ikura desu ka? | How much is it? |
Practice: Ask and answer simple questions with a friend or in front of a mirror.
Lesson 4: Basic Sentence Structure
Goal: Understand Japanese sentence order and use of particles.
Structure:
[Subject] は [Object] を [Verb]
Example:
わたし は にほんご を べんきょうします。
Watashi wa nihongo o benkyou shimasu.
→ I study Japanese.
Key Particles:
| Particle | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| は | Topic marker | わたし は 学生です。 |
| を | Object marker | パン を たべます。 |
| に | Direction/time marker | がっこう に 行きます。 |
| の | Possession (like ‘of’) | わたしの なまえ |
Practice: Try building simple sentences using the words you know.
Lesson 5: Numbers & Time
Goal: Count from 1–10 and ask/tell the time.
Numbers:
| Number | Japanese | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一 | Ichi |
| 2 | 二 | Ni |
| 3 | 三 | San |
| 4 | 四 | Yon / Shi |
| 5 | 五 | Go |
| 6 | 六 | Roku |
| 7 | 七 | Nana / Shichi |
| 8 | 八 | Hachi |
| 9 | 九 | Kyuu / Ku |
| 10 | 十 | Juu |
Time Example:
いまは ごぜん 7じ です。
Ima wa gozen shichi-ji desu. → It is 7 AM now.
Practice: Say the time in Japanese every hour.
Course Instructor
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