How to pray in Japanese

Prayer Page


Begin your prayer with an invocation to God so any of the following is suitable for a christian prayer in Japanese if you ever are called upon to bless the food in a Country that is 92% Buddhist. If you are lucky enough to be called upon to bless the food and say grace as some Christian churches call it.

Invocation possibilities

TEN NO O-TO^SAMA

TEN NI MASHIMASU AI SURU KAMISAMA

AI SURU TEN NO CHICHI NARU KAMISAMA

After invoking the presence of the Creator who dwells in TENGOKU mainly and he is very well beloved or ai shite iru or the God whom we love dweller of the heavens

Chichi naru kamisama - God our Father

As I was saying, after you do the Ten no otosama part then you will want to thank God for your many blessings. So some typical stuff you might want to bless could be said like the following.

(_____) ga aru koto ni kansha shite imasu - or your are thankful for having (____) etc.

then after you give thanks then go on to bless people, circumstances, situations, anything that you feel needs to be blessed by God or have something good happen to it then you could do it like this by saying

(____) o shukufuku shite kudasai and say please bless that (____) will happen or please honorifically bless whatever I say in the (____) O Lord. Say for example, ai suru kazoku o shukufuku shite kudasai where some christians take their language to the extreme honorifics and say for suru nasaru, so it would be ai suru kazoku of shukufuku nasatte kudasai which means, please bless the family whom I love.


and for the closing benedicts choose something with Jesus' name in it so you could use any of the following for closing your Christian Japanese Prayer in/

Iesu Kirisuto no minna ni yotte o inori moshiagemasu --- amen---

In the name of Jesus Christ, I humbly pray.

The language one uses to pray in Japanese is a lot like when English sounds like the King James version of the Old and New Testament with thee 's and thou's and ye and for behold, etc. The reverence you bring by your wordage will and can affect your prayer, and altitude of your attitude in my opinion. I hope that everyone that searched for How to pray in Japanese finds my little blog on the subject and hopefully found some use for it and God Bless you all of you! ....

Always remember to speak to God in Honorifics and humble yourself sufficiently. If you are praying in Japanese correctly there will not be too many words that are spoken colloquially. That is not to say that speaking to God however you feel comfortable with is wrong, I am just saying that in Japan, they really exaggerate the difference in the politeness of their speech when they speak with well... A higher power, a Deity like Kamisama. Now remember, in Japan holding the Bible is a sacred event. It's not just another book, it;s the word of TEN NO OTOSAMA - FATHER who dwells in Heaven.


So in Recap here is a full blown prayer in 4 main parts divided as such
1.INVOKE
2.GIVE THANKS
3.BLESS ASK
4.BENEDICT

a-men
remember that amen is pronounced aaaah men like the men in ramen even.

In Japanese we can say the following things in stead
1. Ai suru ten no otosama
2. (___) o kansha shite imasu
3. (___) o shukufuku nasatte* kudasai or try other verbs like mamoru, michibiku, taskeru etc.

bless all of us by saying
- Watakushi tachi o
a. michibiite kudasai - please guide us
b. mamotte kudasai - please protect us
c. tasukette kudasai - please help us



As always do your best
GANBATTE NE!

How to pray in Japanese by
Makurasuki
Brett McCluskey

The NO Particle in Japanese

The no particle の

In Japanese, The no particle indicates possession. Like the dog’s food. Inu no esa. Or like Tom’s car – Tommu no kuruma. You might be asked, “ who’s is this?” to which you could reply its mine or its your’s or it’s his, or its their’s or its our’s. In each case の(no) would be used thus:
it’s mine – Watakushi no
it’s your’s – anata no (plural anata tachi no)
it’s his – kare no
It’s her’s kanojo no
it’s their’s – karera no
it’s our’s – Watakushi tachi no
who’s? - dare no?

ghetto grammar one a day plus iridium

Ganbatte Ne! Do Your Best! Makurasuki Sensei.

Japanese Grammar Fun Again

4 Ways to Negate Anything in Japanese
Beginning Japanese Grammar Lesson
How to say “but…” in Japanese.

It is never a wise idea to refute the ideas of others. However, in the normal processes of direct communication between two individuals or any number of individuals or groups of people involved in a discussion, it becomes necessary to use the preposition but. In modern Japanese, the preposition but can be expressed in at least four different ways. By learning these four ways of saying but, you'll be able to negate (In Japanese) anything or anybody you want.

These words are very powerful, so use with caution, especially when talking to someone like say . . . your boss! You wouldn't want to negate your boss no matter how much you wanted to impress him with your Japanese skills. Below I present four ways the preposition but is used in Japanese. After that comes the plug and play Japanese grammar construction samples and the G.A.B. (Ghetto After Blast). So have fun and enjoy the rest of the lesson.

Words for the preposition but

but – ga が

but - shikashi しかし(however)

but - kedoけど, keredoけれど, keredomo けれども

but – demo でも





Example 1 - I want to kiss her; but, she won't let me!

Kanojo ni kissu sasete moraitiai n'da keredomo, sasete moraenai n'da!
かのじょに キッス させてもらいたいの だけれどもさせてもらえないのだ


Example 2. Her English skills are not very good, but she sure can cook though!

Kanojo no eigo wa ammari yokunai da kedo, ryo^ri wa umai n'da!
かのじょの 英語はあまりよくないのだけど料理が甘いのだ


Example 3. He said he was a doctor, however to tell you the real truth, he is just an ordinary dentist!



Kare wa isha da to iutta tai, shikashi honto wa kare. . . tada no haishasan!

re-yaku - Ex. 3. Kare wa isha da tte! Demo honki wa taishita mon ja nai.



Ex. 4. The president has completely died, but his spirit lives on.



Daito^ryo^san wa shinde shimaimashita ga, kare no rei wa mada ikitsuzuite iru no desu.

.

(See ghetto grammar lesson #97 for the plug and play learning system to master the Japanese grammar Base TE shimau- to verb completely)




Example 5. But . . . I wanted the pink one!

Demo, pinku no yatsu ga hoshikatta no da!
でも,ピンクの奴が欲しかったのだ



Ex. 6. I like her, but don't you think she is kind of short?

Ore wa kanojo ga suki nanya kedo, chotto se ga hikui to omouwanai to desu ka?

It is usually easy to tell on hearing the Japanese syllable ga whether it is the participle ga, or the preposition ga. The preposition ga when it is meant to mean but, is usually accompanied by a small pause and its use is more formal than any of the keredemo or demo variations. It is better to remeber shikashi as however and the keredemo variations as but.

Ghetto after blast - GAB 2 point advice. Since the Japanese words shikashi, kedo, keredemo, demo, and ga, all basically mean the same thing, you won't have to remember as much, so beginners might find it helpful to pick just one. Just remember that shikashi and ga sound more formal than the kedo, and keremo. Oh yeah... I almost forgot to mention that the word for ribbit in Japanese is kero, so make sure your pronunciation of kedo doesn't make you sound like you are making love to a frog, unless of course you are a princess!

As always, Ganbatte Ne!
Do your best!
Makurasuki sensei
http://www.saketalkie.blogspot.com or http://japanetics.blogspot.com
http://squidoo.com/ghettogrammar/ or http://squidoo.com/phonesearch

http://spanishjapanese.blogspot.com

Japanese lesson on Bakari grammar

Verb (base TA) + bakari desu - to just 'verb'


First putting some verbs into base TA like -


iku --> itta
dasu --> dashita
suru --> shita
kuru --> kita
umu --> unda
deru --> detta
tatsu --> tatta
abiru --> abita
suwaru --> suwatta
umareru --> umareta
etc.

then adding the polite sentence ending desu to bakari (just)

verb (base TA) + bakari desu - to just 'verb"

ex.1 suwatta bakari desu. I just sat down

ex.2 deta bakari da! He just left.

ex.3. umareta bakari desu


As Always,
Ganbatte Ne!
Do Your Best!

Makurasuki

Word associaton really works for some Japanese words!

一日中 - ichi nichi jyuu

whether the romanization of the above jyuu should be written as

1. jyuu - 中

2.

2. ju -

3. ju^ - the ^ carat used as the long vowel sound.


美人 - びじん (Bijin)- A babe, a beautiful lady, lit. beautiful person The
first kanji in this kanji compound is the kanji for utsukushii that is read
as Bijin (pronounced bee-jeen). Lot of space in the mouth when pronouncing
this i or the bi or ji or ee to bee or jeen; as in kanojo wa bijin da ne!

人数 ninzu - literally a person number, a count of the people, a census,
population; as in ninzu ga oi.

The word for peacock in Japanese is easy to remember if you had ever seen
the T.V. show Cojak. I always related that show Cojak to the Japanese word
kujaku or peacock. Cojak and kujaku are pronounced very nearly the same.
You want to build your vocabulary from a strong base not a weak one. Through
this and other such cognitives to help me remember all the words in Japanese
even though, I am past the threshold of ever possessing the tongue of a
native, nor the understanding of one. But still in all the endeavors which
ever did stir tal wilkinfield I want to marry her. I hope she is still available.


Strong word associations like these are the keys to long lasting memory.
Strong visual cues, an infinite possibility. Fibonacci88. I have never forgotten
the word for peacock, kujaku, since I first put to it my imagery and unique
way of identifying with a known word and fudging the pronunciation of the
words a little bit and before long, you will have that 6000 word vocabulary..
. but can you wield it correctly? How do you know you are doing it right?

Japanese Days

Take for example the days of the week. First off in almost every single language in the world there is a day denoted as the Sun’s day or the day of the Sun, and a moon day, or day of the moon. Now when we take a closer look at what the words for the days of the week in Japanese, we are liable to pass it off as mere coincidence, the similarities are striking. The following table shows the words for days of the week in Japanese and in English.
Kasei has as its base fire, which would be translated fire day. In English our equivalent of fire’s day is Tuesday, named after the Tiu the god of war and the sky. But before the Germanic peoples renamed the second day of the week Tuesday, the Romans had a system of naming the days of the week after their god and had called it dies martis ‘day of mars’, after the war god (source of French Mardi ‘Tuesday’). (Ayto, 544)
The kanji for Saturday being read do or basically the term for dirt or dirt’s day but is also the root of the Japanese word for Saturn, which is Dosei.
As for the third day of the week, some languages call it the 3rd day or day 3(Vietnamese) In Japanese this day is denoted as Suiyobi or day of the water, water’s day. The Germanic peoples called this day woden’s day or day of Odin after one of their mightiest gods. It seems that Wednesday got all screwed up being filtrated through the evolution of languages. It makes sense because Wednesday is in the middle of the week and if there are going to be corruptions from the pure form from whence the original words came from then the word for the middle of the week makes sense. In Japanese the word for mercury is kasei which would find its relations to our Tuesday. The Japanese Suisei is the planet
Now Thursday was named after the god Thor (where our English thunder comes from) but in the Roman system of naming the days of the week the fourth day was names dies jovis or day of Jupiter. In Japanese the fourth day is denoted Moku sei or day of the tree which is from the same root as that for their word for Jupiter, and that word being Mokusei.
Now Friday is denoted as Kinsei or day of gold in Japanese which is the same root for the word for planet kinsei which is Venus. The Germanic peoples called it after Odin’s wife Frigg (Ayto, 241) ‘Frigg’s day’ was a direct adaptation of Latin Veneris dies “Venus’s day’ (whence French vendredi ‘Friday’)

yo

By adding the syllable mo (inclusive particle) to The following supplement will help you increase your Japanese vocabulary by showing how to branch off known words to make many new ones. First, memorize the question words. Who, what, where ,when, how many, Have fun!

Question word + mo with + positive verb with – negative verb
dare + mo anyone nobody
nani +mo anything nothing
doko + mo everywhere, anywhere nowhere
itsu + mo all the time, always none of the time, never
nannin + mo many people, a bunch of people not many people

The participle mo represents inclusiveness. The English equivalent being the words also or too.

Table1
100 Japanese Verbs Romaji English
園芸する engei suru to be amused
なかす nakasu to cause to cry
支持する shitai suru to expect
うごかす ugokasu to physically move something
うごく ugoku to move, to make motion or movement
そなえる to prepare, to provide
穂門する senmon suru sen is wrong
年とる toshi o toru to age
混乱する konran suru to be confusing
頼る tayoru to rely, to depend
区別する kubetsu suru to separate, to distinguish
結婚する kekkon suru to marry
とこにすく toko ni suku old way of saying to go to bed
あずける azukeru same as azukaru intrasitive
拒む ayumu to apologize
あわれる awareru to appear
たずねる tazuneru to ask
うかがう ukagau to ask, or visit
たたかう tatakau to attack
できる dekiru to be able, can
もしあげる moshiageru to be called
みちる michiru to be filled with
込む fukumu to be included
欠く fuku to be insufficient, to lack
暴れる abareru to be jittery unstable, to act up
節足する fusoku suru to be unsatisfactory, to be not enough
しんじる shinjiru to believe
炊く fuku to blow
増す fukuramasu to blow up
ふかす fukasu to blow up (baloon)
励ます fukuramasu to blow up(balloon) to fill up with
かりる kariru to borrow
かう kau to buy
はこぶ hakobu to carry
祝う iwau to celebrate
変化する henka suru to change shape, transform
かえる kaeru to change, to return
閉める shimeru to close
くらべる kuraberu to compare
文句する monku suru to complain
確かめる tashikameru to confirm
正す tadasu to correct
なく naku to cry
減る heru to decrease
希望する kibou suru to desire
うつす utsusu to develop( film), to get on print
死ぬ shinu to die
握る horu to dig
みわける miwakeru to distinguish, tell apart
わる waru to divide, to break in half
離婚 する rikon suru to divorce
まね する mane o suru to do an impression of
やる yaru to do, to play
運転する unten suru to drive
まわる mawaru to encircle, to go around in a circle
はげます hagemasu to encourage
終わる owaru to end
はいる hairu to enter, to go in
定める sadameru to establish
攻める sadameru to establish
運動する undou suru to exercise
説明する setsumei suru to explain
爆発する bakuhatsu suru to explode
ふる furu to fall,
みつける mitsukeru to find
したがう shitagau to follow
正解する seikai suru to get something right
もしわけする moshiwake suru to give an excuse
かえす kaesu to give back
産む umu to give birth
あげる ageru to give, to bring to boil
はげる hageru to go bald
つり する tsuri suru to go fishing
壊れる abareru to go hog wild, to get out of hand
嫌う kirau to hate
揉む awaremu to have mercy
満足する manzoku suru to have plenty of, to be satisfied
たすける tasukeru to help
持つ motsu to hold
頂く itadaku to humbly partake
急ぐ isogu to hurry
つもる tsumoru to intend, to pile up, to plug
蹴る keru to kick
ころす Korosu to kill
みちびく michibiku to lead
預かる azukaru to leave with someone
あずかる azukaru to leave with someone, to entrust
かす kasu to lend
しらせる shiraseru to let know
好む konomu to like
負ける makeru to lose
失う ushinau to lose something
愛する ai suru to love
たてかける tatekakeru to make
たてる tateru to make
失敗する shippai suru to make a mistake
蜜tめる tashikameru to make certain, to double check
イジケル ijikeru to make fun of
もたらす motarasu to make someone hold something
まじわる majiwau to mix
おこる okoru to occur, to happen
開ける akeru to open
圧倒する atto suru to overwhelm
参加する sanka suru to participate
はらう harau to pay
なぜる nazeru to pet (the cat)
ひろう hirou to pick up, to gather
えらぶ　 erabu to pick, to choose
おく oku to place
指す sasu to point
指差す yubisasu to point with finger
簡便する junbi suru to prepare
備える sonaeru to prepare
保存する honzai suru to preserve
さまたげる samategeru to prevent
禁止する kinshi suru to prohibit
引く hiku to pull
押す osu to push
たよる tayoru to rely on
のこる nokoru to remain
再婚する saikon suru to re-marry
尊敬する sonkei suru to respect
子劇する sonkei suru to respect
復習する fukushuu suru to review
上がる agaru to rise, to go up
さがす sagasu to search, to seek
相談する soudan suru to seek advice, to consult
うる uru to sell
はなれる hanareru to separate
離れる hanareru to separate, to tear
分かち合う wakachiau to share
しめす shimesu to show
閉まる shimaru to shut
ねる neru to sleep
ニコニコする nikoniko suru to smile
そなえる sonaeru to sound
話す hanasu to speak
あまえる amaeru to spoil ( a kid)
ひろがる hirogaru to spread across, to widen
立つ tatsu to stand
始める hajimeru to start
はじめる hajimeru to start, to begin
成功する sieko suru to succeed
足りる tariru to suffice
たりる tariru to suffice, to have enough
狙う nerau to take aim
語る kataru to talk about
あじわる ajiwaru to taste
つたえる tsutaeru to tell
伝える tsutaeru to tell
見分ける miwakeru to tell apart
差別するe sabetsu suru to tell the difference
証する akashi suru to testify
かんがえる kangaeru to think
つや区する tsuuyaku suru to translate from written text to written text
動力する douryoku to try
尽くす tsukusu to use completely, exhaust
待つ matsu to wait
おこす okosu to wake up, to cause to get up
歩く aruku to walk
欲しがる hoshigaru to want
あたためる atatameru to warm up(food)
ひろげる hirogeru to widen, to spread out
かつ katsu to win
願う negau to wish, to plead to beg
願う negau to wish, to want
書く kaku to write

The NO Particle in Japanese

The no particle の

In Japanese, The no particle indicates possession. Like the dog’s food. Inu no esa. Or like Tom’s car – Tommu no kuruma. You might be asked, “ who’s is this?” to which you could reply its mine or its your’s or it’s his, or its their’s or its our’s. In each case の(no) would be used thus:
it’s mine – Watakushi no
it’s your’s – anata no (plural anata tachi no)
it’s his – kare no
It’s her’s kanojo no
it’s their’s – karera no
it’s our’s – Watakushi tachi no
who’s? - dare no?

ghetto grammar one a day plus iridium

Ganbatte Ne! Do Your Best! Makurasuki Sensei.

Please Do And Please Don't

Today’s Ghetto Grammar
Lesson #116
The please do and the please don’t bunpo with special guest - verb in base TE

A quick and easy way to say, “Please verb” in Japanese is to put the Japanese verb into base TE and add the word kudasai<1>. (You can use my tips here as to how to put verbs in base TE). So our plug and play grammar for the day will look like this.

Verb (base TE) +Kudasai. = Please Verb.
Verb (base I) + naide + Kudasai = Please Don’t Verb.

kudasai comes from the verb meaning -to be kind enough to do for (me) - More on how to get someone to do something for you or to receive the service of somebody next lesson. For now here are some examples just plug your favorite verb in the place of the following and Practice! Practice! Practice!

Ex. 1. Please listen to this music.
Kono ongaku of kiite kudasai. (verb-kiku (baseTE))

Ex.2 Please don’t touch my handbag.
Wataskushi no handbag o sawaranaide kudasai

Ex.3. Go Ahead, Please eat.
Dozo, Tabete kudasai. (Verb – taberu (base TE))

Ex. 4 Please don’t go
Ikanaide kudasai. (Verb- iku (verb (base I +naide)

Cont… 117

Ganbatte ne! Do your best! Makurasuki Sensei Yori,






<1> On how to put verbs into base TE go to
http://ezinearticles.com/?Learn-Japanese-Gra mmar-To-The-Tune-Of-Silver-Bells&id=493900/

10 Japanese Grammar principles all with verb in base III

I am going to put here some very useful Japanese grammar that will hopefully benefit your Japanese language learning. These grammar principles are commonly used in everyday Japanese conversation. 10 principles are henceforth and coming below that may help you towards better Japanese. In the old days, when grammar-translation methods of teaching a foreign language were king, my JPPGG would have been called a substitution drills. I prefer to call this way of studying Japanese JPPGGｩ or Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar. The idea behind JPPGGｩ is while you are learning your vocabulary (nouns, verbs, adjectives, expressions, salutations, adverbs, particles etc.) the grammar won't be holding you back. Once you learn a grammar principle you simply continue to plug in more and more learned vocabulary.
It’s a lot of fun too. I always use the word for, "to fart", and it makes the learning of Japanese fun. I mean the word,"to go" is fun and all, but the verb to burp or fart makes sentences come alive and all the tediousness of second language learning disappears, like magic. Honest Joe! I'll laugh and laugh about the new constructions I've made. But seriously, I would do whatever it takes to improve my Japanese skills and using JPPGGｩ in this un-orthodox way seems to have certainly helped me. I know boast a vocabulary of over 7000 words using my JPPGG method. So wherever you are at in your Japanese studies, just keep plugging and playing your way to a healthy and stout Japanese mouth. God luck!
Now below I am going to show you 10 Japanese grammar principles that all use a form of verbs commonly called base III verbs. If you aren't familiar with the term, base III verbs are verbs in their pure dictionary form. Un-adulterated pure words in the form of an action word, or predicate, which are taken straight from any old Wa-Ei (Japanese to English) or Ei-Wa (English to Japanese) dictionary.
Also called plain form verbs, base III verbs always ends by itself or in some sort of u vowel ending syllable cluster like, u, ku, gu, su, zu, tsu, tzu, bu, fu, mu, nu, yu, etc. Feel free to plug any verb that you are fond of into these JPPGGｩ constructions. Using off the wall verbs like skate boarding, surfing, frying, laying, squatting, will help you retain the essential Japanese grammar longer over time in your long term memory. In this way your vocabulary will have time to develop without being stagnated by your grammar ability (if that made any sense). I guarantee that you will not only have a blast making sentences and learning Japanese in this way, but you will also remember your vocabulary words clearer, faster, and retaining them longer.
Don't feel obligated to use common verbs; instead think of some neat, obscure verb that you would like to know, look it up in the dic. Go for it! Be a rebel! I dare you to get out of that old school mentality and utilize some word like, onara suru (v. to fart). Nobody will ever know, unless you start using it on someone. Uh oh! Even the Emperor will honorifically fart on occasions. What would you say then? Small asides, jokes of no consequence here --- So get on with the grammar Makurasuki Sensei Geeze Maneeze!!!---
Preliminary one point ghetto advice from a plug and play master **
**- Wa is the particle that I have always defined as, "As for ~" where ~ is anything at all, even nothing. Although there is not always an exact equivalent for a Japanese word to some words in English, I have found that thinking of the Japanese word, 'koto' as "the thing of ~". So koto ga and koto wa together, its meaning does sound weird to the ears of a gaijin (foreigner), as tripped out as any English we have ever heard might be, but you learn to accept these kinds of differences between languages because we know that a little disregard for proper sounds will help with our eventual improvement in our Japanese speaking ability. As of yet I have found no better way of describing these Japanese words in English, and they seem to be sufficient interpretations in the situations in which they were used... Again, although they might at first sound a little awkward, we overlook the formalities for our long range goals of Japanese language mastery, and we get over it. This is JPPGGｩ, It won't cost you anything but a commitment to self and a little time, and plus, if it works--- it is beautiful. Back to Serious-Ville here, geeze, koto wa or koto ga could roughly be translated as "As for the thing of~ ".

1. Verb (base III) + koto ga, koto wa - the thing of verb, the thing of 'verbing'.
2. Verb (base III) + tame ni - in order to verb
3. Verb (base III) + mae ni - before I verb, before ‘verbing’.
4. Verb (base III) + koto ga arimasu - Sometimes I verb
5. Verb (base III) + koto ga yoku arimasu - I do a lot of ‘verbing’. or I often verb.
6. Verb (base III) + koto ga amari arimasu - I don't often verb, I rarely verb.
6. Verb (base III) + koto ga dekimasu - I am able to verb, I can verb
7. Verb (base III) + deshou - I will probably verb, or the verb will probably happen, or it might verb.
8. Verb (base III) + koto ni suru - decide to verb, I resolved within myself to verb, I have chosen to verb, etc.
9. Verb (base III) + hou ga ii desu - It is better to verb, or, you should verb.
10. Verb (base III) + yo (u) ni - so that verb, like ‘verbing’. in similitude of ‘verbing’.

As always do your best!
Ganbatte Ne! Makurasuki Sensei.

on Japanese verb bases

-Base I – stem ends in あ(a). +++ stem vowel directly related to negative present or negative past tense of verbs. Verbs in base I, 2,3,4 or 5 will be denoted herein as VI, V2, V3, V4, common constructions are:
Base II – stem extender is in base II with the I of the syllabary
ROOT – Base III
Base IV – the conditional form of the verb. Equivalent to if___. (Insert statement here)
Base V -- Grandpa mode insert the Oh vowel syllable.
There are 5 bases which allow us to manipulate verbs. These modifications taken from the first five syllables あ いう eh and お of the Japanese syllabary. Base I is made by adding あ to the stem

Japanese 4 all

Plug and Play
Japanese Ghetto Grammar #107
Jappermon Alliance of Japanetic enthusiasts.
Let's say that one day, while visiting Japan, you find yourself wanting to tell someone in Japanese that you need them to do you something. We must tell them that we are desirous of something. We need to be specific... I mean you can't just want any old thing, I mean... watcha what do you really want?! What in the world could YOU possibly want? If the sushi is not up to your liking and you find yourself wanting rather a good ole' fashioned American Apple Pie, then you are going to need to tell the Japanese in their language. This will help you say this kind of stuff and more. Furthermore... by plugging in your favorite verbs into the construction, you can take your ghetto grammar over to the east side if you want. Even to a deluxe apartment in the sky. Let’s hope that everybody's Japanese is moving on up! Ok so where was I... Oh yeah about you wanting things done or just stuff you might want in General. Sometimes if I felt myself start to miss my family back in America I would want to see a good ole American movie. I wasn't happy unless I got to see a real American Movie. Not a Chinese movie starring Jackie Chan overdubbed in Japanese for my viewing pleasure... oh no...I wanted something specific and I wouldn’t be satisfied unless I got to watch my favorite American movies starring James Dean or Harrison Ford? (Those are the only movies in English that one could rent at the video store in Japan. Yeah not much of a selection but hey I can recite Rebel without a cause to you without a script.
Well, this is about to show you via my Japanese Plug & Play Ghetto Grammar or Japanese to the P squared G squared JPPGG method, how to say that you want something or that you want something done (by someone or something else).
The Japanese word around which we are basing today’s ghetto grammar is hoshii. Hoshii is a Japanese adjective and its meaning according to Sanseido’s daily concise Japanese English Dictionary is a want, or a wish for. Its kanji is made up of two radicals which resemble the words for tani (valley) and ketsu (lack, or missing, but is also in words related to thirst and throat) and together inside of the kanji for this word hoshii, it makes me think of somebody out in the middle of Death Valley California having no water but really, really wishing that they had something to drink. That is a wish or a want for something.
The Japanese construction for the equivalent English phrase of
--- I want noun - noun ga hoshii desu or emphatic no desu
Ex. a.) I want an apple! - Ringo ga hoshii desu!
Ex. b.) I want it now! - Ima hoshii! Etc.
--- I want you to verb - Verb (base TE) + hoshii desu. Polite form
Plain form would be verb (base TE) + hoshii without any copula, or by adding the emphatic all purpose sentence ending ...no da. This is less polite.
Super polite form would be - verb (base TE) + hoshuu gozaimasu. This may be a little too polite for any circumstance. Because you are in the personal realms anyway because you are sharing with someone else that you wish for or want somebody to do something. This bunpo will work when asked questions like the following:
Ex. 1) What do you want done? Nani shite hoshii desu ka? Or, simply Nani o shite hoshii? (Not as polite meaning what do you want me to do?)
Putting hoshii into its negative present form you can get sentences that mean I don't want you to do something as in ex 2.
ex. 2) I don't want anything done. Nanimo shite hoshikunai desu! (Without the copula)
ex. 3) I want you to see a television show that I like. Suki na terebi no bangumi o mite hoshii desu!
Since this adjective serves as an auxiliary, you can also put hoshii into the past or past negative as in ex.4
ex. 4) Kite hoshikatta kedo konakatta - I wanted you to come but you never came. (This little phrase turns out to be quite the alliterative tongue-a-twisty.) Say it 5 times fast! I dare you!)
Or
ex. 5) Kurisumasu puresento o akeru no o matte hoshikatta, ammari akete hoshikunakatta no desu, zannen... Mo^, shikata ga nay - I wanted you to wait before you opened the Christmas presents, I really didn't want you to open them at all. Too bad and so sad but I guess there is nothing we can do about it now...
Hoshii can be made into a verb by adding dropping the final i, forming the plain form stem hoshii and adding + ku adjective linker + adding the verb to become nark (One of the most used verbs in all Japanese)naru becoming hoshikunaru. Another way of saying the same thing would be by dropping the final i of hoshii and adding + garu becoming hoshigaru (v. to wish for, want),
A common mistake made in Japanese is to miss-pronounce double vowels as single vowels. Two ii together in Japanese needs to be pronounced like two different i's. Actually you re-utter the second i. A lot of times double vowels will sound like the same vowels just drawn out.
Here is a good example of which witch is which. Don't mistake hoshii, the adjective for wanting, with hoshi, the noun for the word star. The former being having its final vowel sound i held twice as long.
***BONUS SENTENCE - not available in any text book anywhere! ***
***Zutto mae kara kanojo o hoshigatte iru no ja nai to desu ka? Didn't you want to make her your girlfriend forever now? Or, "You have been wanting that chick for a while now haven't you?”
This concludes today's Japanese Ghetto Grammar Plug and Play bunpo method JPPGG for the month of July. Stay tuned for more incredible methods to help improve your Japanese language skills.
What about a * on the middle school teenager girl who died because she was 1-2 minutes late to school and the gate closed in on her. Japan is strict yo! No joke about that. Conform! Conform! Conform! Conform! ... Just kidding.
Ganbatte ne! Do your Best! Makurasuki Sensei.

Japanese Masho^ bunpo

Let’s Do Something in Japanese
Today’s bunpo will show us how to say let’s verb in Japanese. We can invite someone to do something by saying shall we verb…? Two polite forms of this grammar VII + mashou –

To say let’s verb in Japanese politely you take any verb, ichidan or youdan, and put it into base II add + mashou and there you go another great plug and play grammar principle to improve your Japanese. Towards better Japanese in 9 months with 130 lessons using modern grammar principles using old school techniques.

Ex. 1. Let’s go to eat sushi somewhere. – Dokka no sushiyasan de tabe ni ikimashou!

Shall we go eat sushi somewhere? Dokka no sushiyasan in ikimashou ka?

Ex. 2. Let’s play baseball! – Yakkyu o yarimashou!

Shall we play baseball? Yakkyu o Yarimashou ka?

Ex. 3. Let’s go check it out! Itte mimasho!

Wanna go check it out? Itte miyou ka?

Ex. Shall we play a game. Gamu o yarimashou ka?

And there you have it plug and play Japanese grammar to impress your friends with .
Ganbatte ne! Do your best.

Base Te Shimau - To completely verb in Japanese

Today’s lesson: Verb (BaseTE) + Shimau. – To completely verb (negative connotation)

Sanseido’s Daily concise Japanese English Dictionary defines the verb shimau as, “to finish completely, or to put an end to”.

For this plug and play grammar to work all you need do is take any Japanese verb and put it into base te. (If you need help putting verbs in bases, go here.) In Ex. 1 we have the verbs for taberu (to eat), and nomu (to drink). Putting them into base TE we have tabete, and nonde. Now adding the past tense of the verb shimau we have:

Ex. 1. Tabete shimatta! I ate it all,
Nonde shimatta! I drank it all!

o. Finishing it to the end you want to use base II + owaru.
i.e. Yomiowatta – I have finished reading it.
p. If we wanted to put this into the future tense leave the verb shimau in plain form or change into polite form shimaimasu.
i.e. Tabete shimaimasu - I will completely eat it. (Sometime in the future)

Ex.2. Tsukatte shimatta – I used it all, I used all of it. – (tsukau – to use)

Ex.3. Nakushite shimatta - I lost it all, or I lost all of it. (nakusu – to lose)

Ex. 4 Nurete shimatta – It got completely wet, or it’s soaked etc. (nureru - to get wet)


O-Shimai is often used to signify endings in a variety of nouns that have a beginning. . In Japanese you can think of Open / start (begin) as close / shut (end).

O-Shimai is often said to children get a hurried response from the child which basically is saying, “That’s it!…No more playing!.” at bedtime when a parent is desirous of hurrying a child to bed, expressing that “it’s time to go to bed it is officially over (O-Shimai)” Similarly the word that expresses, “oh crap” in Japanese is shimau in past tense or “shimatta.”. Shimatta in this case means, to be wrung, or wringed.

Start using your new base TE + shimau bumpo on your friends today! They’ll be glad you did. And don’t forget to Ganbatte Ne.! Do your Best! McCluskey

On Japanese counting

Since older beginners are said to have past the threshold of native pronunciation, once past that point, native pronunciation is unattainable. This may be physiologically true but we can through practice and hard work get close enough to fake a native or two. Once our tongues have hardened or the brain function coordinated with the muscles of the tongue are stuck in our primary language, they say this usually happens around the age of 12-14, then our tongue is no longer moldable and cannot attain the shape to pronounce things.past the point where the native pronunciation line can be drawn, we can draw near unto only a good pronunciation fter learning 1 through 10 On Counting in Japanese: a study strategy

It is rare with so many romance languages being touted around in the USA, with Mexico south of the border and French Canada high on its heels behind us yet close enough to have its influence felt. It is rare to find someone who has actually learned from a friend or a Japanese teacher how to count in Japanese. Americans are starving for some variety in the choices our students our given in the public or private schools. Where in the curriculum does it provide for Japanese, or Korean, or any of the 1000's of languages the world knows.

First learn the first 10 numbers in Japanese.

1 – ichi
2 – ni
3 – san
4 – shi, yon
5 – go
6 - roku
7 –shichi, nana
8 – hachi, ha
9 – kyu, ku
10 – ju, to

At this point, I just want to say that if you feel at all uncomfortable with the numbers up to 10 then stop and just study these numbers for a couple of days before going on. Use every opportunity to use Japanese. Give yourself two hours each day that you only speak Nihongo. If someone asks you what time it is answer in both Japanese and English. Try doing any simple math that you would normally find yourself doing around the house ; any calculations you find yourself in try to remember to keep pace with your goals. The price of your Stater Bros items and even say the total in Japanese as you are waiting to pay. That is a good way to study even if you are not in Japan. Just make sure you can first say from 1 to 10 in Japanese frontwards and backwards with your eyes closed and without any help from some book, however you decide to memorize the numbers The idea behind all of this is to get the locuter speaking more in the target language giving him opportunity to

Now on to the teens. Like most languages, the numbers become compound so 11 in Japanese is actually like saying ten one, ten two, ten three, ten four &tc.
11 – ju ichi
12 – ju ni
13 – ju san
...
and so forth... I'll let you finish studying the rest of the tens 14-19

Now on to the twenties. Here as in the teens the numbers are compounded so that you will be saying two ten, two ten one, two ten three &tc.
20 –ni ju
21 – ni ju ichi
22 – ni ju ni
and so on...

The 30's through the 90's are also done in this fashion. Once you have recited aloud the numbers 20 to 99 review them all and go on to do the 100's after you learn the word for
30 – san ju
31 - san ju ichi
95 – kyu ju go
99 – kyu ju kyu
100 – hyaku
101 – hyaku ichi
108 – hyaku hachi
197 – hyaku kyu ju nana (shichi)
200 – ni hyaku
300 – sam byaku
400 – yon hyaku
500 –go hyaku
600 – roppyaku
700 – nanahyaku
800 – happyaku
900 – kyuhyaku
1000 – sen
1001 – sen ichi
2000 ni sen
Etc
Some of my best spent hours studying Japanese were when I recited to myself the numbers in Japanese from zero to one million, and then back to zero again. Yes it got a little tedious and after a while I would think to myself, “O.K. Enough is enough! I mean gee… to 1 million and back… that is going a little out of the way just to learn some language don’t you think?” Not to a die-hard that really wants to speak the language. I was extremely determined to master Japanese, that is why I recited the numbers from zero to one million and then back again over and over again.
Other things I did which are strategies worth considering was that I would count from 0 to 1 million by 2’s, by 3’s, by 4’s and by 5’s, 6’s, 7’s, 8’s, 9’s, and 10’s. Some numbers seemed for some reason or another harder than the others, so I would concentrate more on the hard ones. I don’t think I tried 11’s but it could produce the same results. It surely stems from basically the same idea. The more your mouth and brain coordinate their efforts in the target languages the better prepared you will be to use them in the real world. So go ahead use you try some of these out until you can say them without hesitation.

Ways to practice counting so as to get better in speaking Japanese, always practice with correct pronunciation and begin slowly and then build up speed and swiftness of speech.

1. Count from 0 to 1 million and go backwards once you arrive at a million to get to zero once again. Again if 1 million seems tough, it would be o.k. to go as far as you can, but maybe stretch yourself a little, a least 99000 or something. You want to get good don’t you?
2. Count up the odd numbers from 0 to 1 million
3. Count up the even numbers from 0 to 1 million
4. do #2 and #3 backwards from 1 million
5. count through your numbers by 3’s, 4’s 5’s etc
6. do long division by saying out loud in Japanese the problem
Here are some nice handy math words that will give you hours of word play:
To add – tasu
To divide – waru
To multiply -kakeru
To subtract – hiku

I don’t think it sinks into your being until you’ve actually recited the numbers from zero to one million (1,000,000) a couple of times through without hesitation and eventually to do it without even thinking about it. That is one of the secrets of fluency. It sprouts from one’s ability to think in the target language. If you catch yourself thinking in the target language that is a good sign; if you catch yourself dreaming in the target language you have reached bliss, SLA bliss. You are heading towards fluency. I got to a point where my dreams would be in Japanese and it didn’t matter who or what type of people were in my dreams, everybody spoke in Japanese. I remember my mom and dad who aren’t too familiar with the Japanese language, but in my dreams were conversing with me full on like natives themselves. So what is the point of all this? The point is akin to the old adage,’when in Rome do as the Romans do’.
The more one thinks in the target language the more apt they are to acquire the language. Lets face it there is no quick road to fluency except hard work, goal oriented study, persistent practice and an iron will coupled with an abundance of motivation. I hope this little lesson won’t discourage anyone about learning languages. Because there will be some that are too lazy start the training, their motivation will be sub par for their needs, and thus they will not make it to fluency. But those who persevere and but instead will inspire people to go for it, even though the road to fluency isn’t yellow nor bricked. These are things that I know of that will enable an SL learner how to speak in a foreign tongue and bring them closer to near perfect fluency.

Intend to tsumori

Japanese Language Mastery in 130 modernized lessons.
Ghetto Grammar Lesson #115 - The bunpo of Intentions
How to say Intend to Verb

In Japanese, it’s not hard to say, “ I intend to _______”, where _______ is any verb in its infinitive form.. By the end of this lesson you should be able to tell anybody in your favorite L2 (Japanese) what you intend to do. I will show you how to use this plug and play grammar system, all you have to do to practice with it, is to exchange verbs then repeat over and over again. In order to learn an L2 as difficult as Japanese, one has to overcome the fear of speaking words incorrectly. Say as many as you can whenever and however you can. This is the only way to get Native speakers to give you modified input. Modified input is good and helps you take your first language steps on your own, so that later you can tell your mom,” look, ma !! No hands!” By saying sentences over and over correctly you are preparing yourself for conversation. At first the conversations may be a little one sided, but you will get there. Just keep plugging away, a little at a time. 12,000 words isn’t so bad, one word at a time. Don’t ever go to fast just a comfortable speed at which you work best at. Trying to memorize too many words results in poor overall retention. I would shoot for 10 to 15 words every two daysWe know that repetition works. Plug a verb into the bumpo, say the sentence in both English and Japanese outloud and repeat. o make learning Japanese a snap; helpful and fun. Your Japanese skills are sure to improve.
To construct sentences that tell others what you intend to do, use the following plug and play formula –
Verb (BaseIII or BaseI+nai ), +verb in either baseIII (plain infinitive form) + tsumori desu or baseI +nai + tsumori desu. (i.e. iku or ikanai) and add tsumori desu. As long as the locutor has a handle on the pronunciation of the tsu syllable (see pronunciation tips #13), then his/her spoken intentions in the second language(L2) will also be easily understood. Tsumori is the word we use when we want to show an intention. Putting tsumoru into baseII gives you tsumori. By the end of this lesson you should be a champion of the grammar of intent
We can understand more about the bunpo of intentions (today’s grammar principle) by taking a closer look at the meaning of the word tsumori and/or its etymology. Of course never neglect to listen to your surroundings especially when you are blessed with an immersive environment. If you are not already in Japan, try listening for words you have learned via Japanese T.V. or from any other means to feel the way in which those words are used by native Japanese speakers. Paying attention to how it is used in the real world. Tsumoru is the verb to accumulate or to be piled or stacked up. Also note that tsumeru means to stuff, pack, or cram, and although the kanji is not exactly the same, they both seem to have stemmed from a common source. Tsumori is also related to the widely used common term tsumaranai which is the word for something that is worthless or trivial, or something that is not worth your time worrying about.

Ghetto Grammar Lesson #115 – Intend to verb

English Japanese
-intend to + verb verb (Base III) + tsumori desu
-no intention to + verb verb (Base I) + tsumori desu
You must add the polite form of the verb to be (de aru) after tsumori to show politeness as well as to show whether the intention was a past or present, negative or positive intention. A few examples will show you how to use this bunpo principle.

ex.1 - I intend to win.
- Watakushi wa katsu tsumori desu.

ex.2 - He intends to speak with her.
- Kare wa kanojo to hanasu tsumori desu.

ex.3 - I don't intend to go.
- Ikanai tsumori desu. (Rarely used)

ex.3a - I have no intentions to go.
- Iku tsumori wa nai desu. (More frequently)
- Iku tsumori wa arimasen. (More polite)

ex.4 - It was my intention to do the dishes.
- Sara o arau tsumori deshita.

ex.4a - I had intended to go
- Iku tsumori deshita.

Most often literal translations of Japanese to English rarely come out in a comprehensible fashion. Usually they are so far from what we really are saying that they are anything but true or correct interpretations. In studying a language it is sometime good, however, to learn about word etymology if possible. Try listening for other uses of the same term. By getting use to hearing a certain phrase more than one way, you are setting the stage for solid language acquisition. In our tsumori bunpo we would want to know how meanings would affect our usage. Since tsumoru means to accumulate, to be piled or to be stacked up, when we literally translate example 1 above it becomes something like this - I have accumulated much the act of winning, Or, -I have a lot of winning put aside, the winning is all piled up over there. I hope you get my point here. It may sound a little wacky but remember… this is ‘ghetto’ grammar baby! Intentions are like a stack of things piled so high that the shear weight of it gives verbs and our ghetto grammar principles intentional potential.

This lesson brought to you by Makurasuki Sensei, Brett McCluskey Wishing all the best in your endeavors toward improving your Japanese. Ganbatte ne! Do your Best! Ja Mata Kondo! If you found this article helpful and want to really get good at Japanese or any language for that matter look for my articles at squidoo.com and also check out http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-2328430-10446709/ for the best dictionary in the galaxy.

nakereba narimasen - must do in Japanese

Ghetto grammar supplement #114

Today’s ghetto grammar takes us to Kansas, where along with Toto today’s lesson will show us how to say a very long, and unfamiliar Japanese bunpo structure, 1st presented in my other article here. It only looks long and formidable at first but I’ll tell you the secret ghetto way of learning this seemingly difficult grammar.
Do you remember the song “Follow the yellow brick road”? Even if you don’t, just say the words “follow the yellow brick road” and chant it a few times to yourself. Yes do it now ! Say it again then after you get a feel for the rhythm its time to commence the practice session. Always pronounce your words with pure vowels, we want to make our choir teacher proud of our diction, and good habits now are better than bad habits later and the people we speak to may understand us. ( Or at least nod as if they do)
Lets say it again just to make sure we have the right rhythm. This exercise only works with rhythm. After a second of repeating it, you can feel the rhythm. What we then do is super- impose our dreaded mile long bumpo for must verb onto rhythm of the chant ‘follow the yellow brick road”
I ka na ke re ba na ri ma sen. This works good with one syllable stemmed verbs like iku where the stem becomes I so that the whole chant becomes
I ka na ke re ban a ri ma sen.
Also hanasu works
Hanasanakereba narimasen
As does Kaeru, and kaku
Kaeranakereba narimasen
Kakanakereba narimasen

Try some of your own to the unique rhythm of ‘follow the yellow brick road”
Your Japanese will surely impress the masses with its new rhythmical style, and not only that but you can now say I must verb hopefully easier.

Follow the yellow brick road. Ganbatte ne! Do your best! Makurasuki sensei.

Double Vision Grammar

Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar (JPPGG) #109
PLAIN FORM + KAMOSHIRENAI - to probably verb

In Japanese, to say that something will most likely happen in the future or to say that something has probably already occurred, we use the word ~kamoshirenai. Both Japanese nouns and Japanese verbs in plain form (i.e. Base III) can be used to which we can attach one of three variable endings which vary in politeness.
When used after nouns, or verbs in plain form, KAMOSHIREMASEN means: maybe noun, maybe verb, might have been noun, might have verb'ed, or probably noun, or probably verb etc. Although by definition, KAMO, by itself, is the word for duck, the origin or roots of the word KAMOSHIREMASEN come mainly from the verb to know, or, SHIRU. In this case, SHIRENAI means unable to know. The KA and the MO pose even more uncertainty when put together because KA is the question mark (?) particle, and MO is the also particle.
KAMO without SHIRENAI or SHIREMASEN is less polite but still understood. To use KAMO by itself is permissible when speaking with close friends or acquaintances. However, since saying just KAMO is less polite, beginners should avoid saying it. Its best to always use the most polite form KAMOSHIREMASEN, but it's ok to say KAMOSHIRENAI when you are in company of close friends etc.
If you were to listen to 10 minutes of any random Japanese conversation, you would most likely or probably (pun intended) hear the word KAMOSHIRENAI within that time. KAMOSHIRENAI is always used in Japanese conversation. Verbs in base III are equivalent to what is known as plain form, of the verb, sometimes designated in JPPGG© Ghetto Grammar as P.F.
P.F. Verb+ KAMOSHIRENAI - most common, but less polite
P.F. Verb+ KAMOSHIREMASEN - more polite
P.F. Verb+ KAMO - least polite and funny to the ear

1. TORARETA KAMOSHIREMASEN
It might have been stolen

2. SOTSUGYO SHISO?
SURU KAMOSHIRENAI
Are you going to graduate?
It's possible! (Maybe!)

3. ARE WA KAMO KAMO
It's a duck, probably.-or-
It's most likely a duck.-or-
It's probably a duck.-etc.

4. OISHII KAMO NE!
Its probably tastes pretty good! (Doesn't it?)
(Tasty duck hunh)

As always, Ganbatte Ne!
Do your Best!
Makurasuki Sensei.
for more on Japanese Grammar please see http://squidoo.com/japanesegrammar89

Brett McCluskey Enjoys sharing his knowledge of Japanese grammar with those serious about second language acquistion. See more of his unorthodox learning methods at http://www.jappermon.com/ or http://squidoo.com/japanesejoy further Japanese grammar study can be found at How to count in Japanese - http://squidoo.com/ichinisan
Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar (JPPGG) #109
PLAIN FORM + KAMOSHIRENAI - to probably verb

In Japanese, to say that something will most likely happen in the future or to say that something has probably already occurred, we use the word ~kamoshirenai. Both Japanese nouns and Japanese verbs in plain form (i.e. Base III) can be used to which we can attach one of three variable endings which vary in politeness.
When used after nouns, or verbs in plain form, KAMOSHIREMASEN means: maybe noun, maybe verb, might have been noun, might have verb'ed, or probably noun, or probably verb etc. Although by definition, KAMO, by itself, is the word for duck, the origin or roots of the word KAMOSHIREMASEN come mainly from the verb to know, or, SHIRU. In this case, SHIRENAI means unable to know. The KA and the MO pose even more uncertainty when put together because KA is the question mark (?) particle, and MO is the also particle.
KAMO without SHIRENAI or SHIREMASEN is less polite but still understood. To use KAMO by itself is permissible when speaking with close friends or acquaintances. However, since saying just KAMO is less polite, beginners should avoid saying it. Its best to always use the most polite form KAMOSHIREMASEN, but it's ok to say KAMOSHIRENAI when you are in company of close friends etc.
If you were to listen to 10 minutes of any random Japanese conversation, you would most likely or probably (pun intended) hear the word KAMOSHIRENAI within that time. KAMOSHIRENAI is always used in Japanese conversation. Verbs in base III are equivalent to what is known as plain form, of the verb, sometimes designated in JPPGG© Ghetto Grammar as P.F.
P.F. Verb+ KAMOSHIRENAI - most common, but less polite
P.F. Verb+ KAMOSHIREMASEN - more polite
P.F. Verb+ KAMO - least polite and funny to the ear

1. TORARETA KAMOSHIREMASEN
It might have been stolen

2. SOTSUGYO SHISO?
SURU KAMOSHIRENAI
Are you going to graduate?
It's possible! (Maybe!)

3. ARE WA KAMO KAMO
It's a duck, probably.-or-
It's most likely a duck.-or-
It's probably a duck.-etc.

4. OISHII KAMO NE!
Its probably tastes pretty good! (Doesn't it?)
(Tasty duck hunh)

As always, Ganbatte Ne!
Do your Best!
Makurasuki Sensei.
for more on Japanese Grammar please see http://squidoo.com/japanesegrammar89

Brett McCluskey Enjoys sharing his knowledge of Japanese grammar with those serious about second language acquistion. See more of his unorthodox learning methods at http://www.jappermon.com/ or http://squidoo.com/japanesejoy further Japanese grammar study can be found at How to count in Japanese - http://squidoo.com/ichinisan

Japanese Cusswords

It has been said that there are few cusswords in Japanese. There are some words like baka, aho, however that if you actually heard in person, would shock you into thinking otherwise. The use of baka and aho in Japanese ranges from being a super harsh cussing term to just a mildly sarcastic remark. Just as in English, depending on what type of voice and kind of inflection displayed, and targeted intent behind the word determines how bad of a word it really is. When translated literally the word baka means horse-dear. Baka might mean jack-ass or as it is most often translated, fool. But does fool do the word baka or horse deer justice? It really seldom suffices to translate the word baka into English by translating it as fool.
Translation becomes difficult a lot of times betwixt the two languages. Sometimes there is no equivalent translation at all. O-negai shimasu is a perfect example of a word that cannot truly be understood from a western point of view. It cannot be fully understood with an explanation in words. It must be experienced to understand fully what is meant when the Japanese say words or phrases from Japanese to English because there is no way for either culture to understand the other culture’s view without fully being born and growing up in that country. Golden Grahams, and Romper Room are to Americans what, and pokki and punky kizu are to the Japanese. But try explaining either to the other. The word baka means so much more than just fool. Even screamed at the top of our lungs, calling somebody a fool nowadays in English means buddy or friend more than it means dickhead or asswipe. Baka is a personal term that takes on meaning through the person expressing it. The severity of the word is determined by the tone of voice which utters the two syllables ba and ka. I must admit I only really heard baka said once to realize how much meaning can be contained in one word. I think the word baka is the foulest word in the Japanese language.
I will share an experience where me and a friend were riding our bikes in Saga, Japan.My friend being a hot shot bicyclist from Arizona who was a cocky acne prone American punk with no manners but was very capable of riding wheelies longer, going faster, bunny hopping even his ten-speed and skitchin’ behind Toyotas that had wheels like the Cars at Disneyland and he liked to show off to his ill-mannered very typical of some cocky young American. At a shingou (stop light) I had already crossed and he went ahead and ran the red light to catch up to me who had already passed through. Crossing the street he was almost hit by a car or two as he swerved in and out to miss him with what great stupidity I watched as I fully heard the word BAKA loud and clear come from the window of one of the cars. A young college aged Japanese male spoke loud and clear intending it to reach the ears of all within hearing range. He said, “BAKA” in the most hideous of tone directed at my cocky buddy who I was riding with. It made me sink on the seat of my bike for him to hear a Japanese native use the term baka in a way I never knew existed. Now this was the first time I had heard it like a cuss word but I felt so low and embarrassed for him, I knew then and there, I would never want to be called a “BAKA” myself or have anyone around me be called it neither. Somebody told me previously that baka meant fool but they didn’t explain how much of a fool it meant. There is no way that baka meant just fool. It sounded worse than a two edged sword and could cut through to one’s core and shake it and slice the flesh off of me. So terrible was its use that day and the impact that it had on my future was far reaching. It meant more than just “you fool!” it meant “you f***ing a***ole mother f***ing b**ch” or worse. But it was a very bad word to say the least. So the Japanese do have cuss words, baka being one of them. Other ways of cussing will be explained below. The way of cussing is different but still very penetrating. The way in which you cuss in Japanese is to use low level speech. What we speak in what is called plain form level or lower we are essentially without cussing it could be construed as speaking in a vulgar manner.
It’s possible to sound foul mouthed simply by staying in the lowest level of politeness. The lowest form or levels of politeness can be the same as cussing every other word in English. Like I said words are very powerful, mightier than the sword, so be extremely careful to choose the words that come out of your mouth cautiously and remember to bridle your tongue just in case.
Their are many intricacies of honorific Japanese but for ease of understanding they are usually 4 basic levels of politeness. From least polite, to talking with an Emporer, King, Duke, or magistrate, we can divide Japanese speech into 4 grades or levels that are distinctive in their use and level of politeness exhibited.
Let’s take verbs for example. The verb iku could become ukagau iu becomes ossharu, suru becomes nasaru, dictionary, but also I am a gaijin and not a native speaker. I have heard aho - similiar to asshole or dickweed perhaps. The verb to eat can be expressed in a very vulgar manner or delicately and honorably eaten like the Empress herself. Meshi of Kuu means to eat some rice, gohan o taberu, a little better, gohan o tabemasu, and finally o-kome of meshiagarimasu.

1st level - Honorific speech. The level of highest politeness. In this level you are in essence raising the status of the person with whom you are speaking. Your speech raises them above your own field of existence and exalts their very being. Words are mightier than the sword. In this case Words are powerful to exalt those with whom you speak. Exaltation never made anyone feel bad, and as such usually brings the point of o sewa, their o-tsukaresama, and kochira koso, and other points exhibited or portrayed by these words in Japanes. Honorifics involve lowering yourself and at the same time raising others. is elates them. The feeling you get when being spoken to in honorific Japanese is that you are a member of a royal family. When I was being spoken to in keigo, I felt powerful. It made me feel very wanted or in some sense loved. It also made me feel like I was needed. I felt like I belonged and that they wanted me there. I certainly had a place.

Now with the next level politeness where you have masu and desu. This is more strict and straight polite level verbs, then or an important feature of this royal family. I was important. It actually empowers you. The words spoken make you feel comfortable and you also have a feeling of responsibility that comes with this nobility. Thinking in terms of Maslowe’s heirarchy of needs, being spoken to in keigo would fit the bill of social acceptance and fulfill that level in the Maslowes pyramid of needs. I only wish we had some of this honorific speech more often in America. Here all that is flourishing is ghetto grammar. Shucks!

japanese 4 mi

Today’s Ghetto Grammar
Lesson #116
The please do and the please don’t bunpo with special guest - verb in base TE

A quick and easy way to say, “Please verb” in Japanese is to put the Japanese verb into base TE and add the word kudasai . (You can use my tips here as to how to put verbs in base TE). So our plug and play grammar for the day will look like this.

Verb (base TE) +Kudasai. = Please Verb.
Verb (base I) + naide + Kudasai = Please Don’t Verb.

Kudasai comes from the verb meaning -to be kind enough to do for (me) - More on how to get someone to do something for you or to receive the service of somebody next lesson. For now here are some examples just plug your favorite verb in the place of the following and Practice! Practice! Practice!

Ex. 1. Please listen to this music.
Kono ongaku of kiite kudasai. (verb-kiku (baseTE))

Ex.2 Please don’t touch my handbag.
Wataskushi no handbag o sawaranaide kudasai

Ex.3. Go Ahead, Please eat.
Dozo, Tabete kudasai. (Verb – taberu (base TE))

Ex. 4 Please don’t go
Ikanaide kudasai. (Verb- iku (verb (base I +naide)

Cont… 117

Ganbatte ne! Do your best! Makurasuki Sensei Yori,

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