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

A different kind of question mark, TO^ in Hakataben

The following pertains to the Japanese as spoken in the Hakata dialect of Fukuoka, Japan.

TO^ or tou is used as the ? or question mark sometimes in Japanese. Observe the way TO^ is used in the following sentences,

"DOKO NI IKIYORU TO^?" どこに往きよるとう - "Where are you going?(Where do you think you're going?)

also heard "DOKO NI IKIYO^ TO^" どこに往きようとう - same meaning, but in this example the verb iku is in Base II then adds + yoru to^

Doko kara kiyo^ to^?
どこから来ようとう - "Where does he come from?" or "Where do you come from?".

another variety of this construction that will mask the true traditional Japanese language, but there is a way to make these type of constructions polite. I've heard it covered up this way -

DOKO KARA KIYO^ TO^ DESU KA?
どこから来ようとうですか? - Where do you come from.

This way of phrasing the question, " Where do you come from?", appears and sounds polite so that it passes for polite Japanese. This is definitely not a good way to speak polite Japanese. The best way to speak it politely is to use honorific forms of the verb. Yes I know it is cumbersome to not only remember the rules for honorific verb forms but it is quite something also to pronounce them well. Especially for verbs with au ending such as arawareru. That there will be a tongue tie if ever there was one, for a gaijin that is.

Conclusion: Add DESU KA to anything makes to make your Japanese language more polite. Or at least it will sound that way.

This is not a short "TO". This is a TO with a "^" attached so it is long "o". Granted this is probably not at all a polite way to speak in Japanese, but is very congenial speech.

Japanese adjectives

Kantan the Japanese adjective which by itself means easy or simple and the shiyasui simpletons. (Or things which are easy to do simple-folk).

In Japanese if you want to express that something is easy to do,  use the following contsruction.

Verb (Base II)  yasui.

Easy to do - suru in base II = shi, shi yasui = shiyasui

Easy to say  -iu in base II = ii, ii yasui = iiyasui.

Easy to read - yomu (to read)  in base II = yomi, yomi yasui = yomiyasui.

Easy to overcome - kokufuku suru (to overcome) *same as the above case with suru, or any verb that includes suru and that is a lot of verbs.

Easy to win - katsu (to win) in base II = kachi, kachi yasui = kachiyasui

Easy to drink - nomu (to drink) in base II = nomi, nomi yasui = nomiyasui

* The 5 pure vowels a, i ,u, e, o in Japanese correspond to the 5 verb bases. The verb nomu - to drink, in the 5 verb bases would be.

Base I - noma, (a. ah as in stick out your tongue and say...)

Base II - nomi, (i, pronounced ee as in meet),

Base III nomu, (u, pronouned ooh as in moo moo here and a moo moo...)

Base IV nome, (e, pronounced eh as in bed),

Base V nomo (o even the Hideo kind).

 

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Base II + NASAI なさい – Lesser command form
To boss people around, or tell people what to do, commanding them in Japanese you will need to know this Japanese Grammar construction:

Verb (base II) + NASAI なさい - Do verb! Command form.

Examples
1. Suwarinasai! 坐りなさい!
“Take your seat!”
a. Suwaru 座る - v. to sit down
b. suwaru 座るin base II is suwari 坐り
c. suwari坐り + nasai なさい = suwarinasai坐りなさい Sit!

2. Shukudai o shinasai! 宿題をしなさい
“Do your homework!”
a. suruする – v. to do
b. suru in base II = shiし
c. shiし + nasaiなさい = shinasaiしなさい “DO IT!”


3. Ikinasai!
“Go!”
a. iku 行く– v . to go
b. iku in base II is iki行き
c. iki + nasai = ikinasai行きなさい “GO!”

Plug in your favorite Japanese verbs into this Japanese Grammar Construction and start making your own cool sentences then test them on your Japanese friends.

As always,
Ganbatte Ne! 頑張ってね
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki まくらすき

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Can I get you to do me a favor? For example, could you take out the garbage for me? Or “Would you shut the door? The flys are getting in.” How you say this in Japanese is the focus of this grammar lesson. After you get the hang of the grammar constructions found below, and start using them with vocabulary of your own, then you will be beginning on the road to fluency in Japanese. The end goal is to be able to think in Japanese as well as you do in English. But is this fluency?

What will really help you get good at Japanese is if you start coming up with sentences of your very own creation.Then, you can test them to see if they are understandable even to a native Japanese person, if you can find such a place wherewith to be checked. Be creative as best you can. Make the way you learn verbs and the constructions you put them in sound unique yet meaningful. Make your sentences as out-landish as you want. The more absurd of an image you make to correlate meaning to word, the better you will remember. Whatever it might be for you to correlate meaning to pronunciation to sound, all these can increase your vocabulary retention.

Remember, it isn't always the total amount of words that makes a person fluent in a language. It quite may be the ability to think in another language. But since words make up a language then it suffices to say that in order to learn a language fluently, one must know the vocabulary. Mastery of a few thousand words and understanding how the various grammar forms are handled are only the beginning to Japanese language mastery. But these are where beginners must start. So if you are a beginning Japanese learner reading this paper right now, my advice to you is to tackle 4000 words to be memorized by you at your own pace. Now GO!

My advice to any do-it your-selfer Japanese language learner is to practice Japanese with sentences you create from scratch. Well almost scratch. Using in a sentence some grammatical construction featuring verbs which are well retained and at one's disposal, is a goal that should be sought.

There are roughly three levels of politeness in Japanese. There are There are also many shades in between these 3 rough level separations which can be obtained and implied simply by changing verb endings. There are three distinct latitudes or heights (Or depths as some may see it) at which spoken Japanese can be vocalized and interpreted, all different yet all manifesting levels of politeness.

Politeness levels are in large part determined by the age difference between locutors in a two way conversation. In Japanese, one would speak in more respectful ways to persons who are upwards of your age or older than you. It is natural to speak less formally to people who are in your same graduating class or to people younger than you, in other words, it is acceptable to speak to those of equal or lesser value in standard or plain form Japanese.

It is usually all right to speak in plain form to people your age or less, unless it is:

1. First encounters, or meetings with people for the first time.
2. Boss of your company, Grandparent or God-Father.

The shacho or boss of a company is always spoken to in the highest possible forms of polite forms of Japanese. In these constructions, aru is replaced by its specialized counterpart gozaru**, so instead of arimasu (polite aru in base (II)+masu) you would use gozaimasu.

**gozaru is the verb, to have, in super polite form of the verb aru, de aru is plain form of desu, de gozaru = de aru = desu.

Like they say, “You never get a second chance when making a first impression. Meeting someone for the first time, is a marked occasion, especially the words one chooses to use during an initial encounter with someone.

In Japan, it would be rude to automatically assume that you were acquainted with them enough to speak plain form Japanese. Plain form Japanese is exactly like it sounds, plain Japanese. The difference between saying caviar and roe. When speaking with royalty or in giving respect to your elders, would you say, “eh you want sumpen”, or would you prefer to say something like, “Would you care for an lhordoevre.” When you could have said, “How bout sumpin elsa”. Even in English you can say things in a more plain and simple or rude and crude and even polite and prim and proper. This is what is meant behind the idea of Plain form Japanese.
Plain Form Japanese is raw from the dictionary, no need to add masu or desu or mashimashita anything.

Just plain Japanese.

Mind you, plain form Japanese is just that plain so we will want to spicen up our language and flower it up a tad.

There is something to say about polite speech. Polite speech makes people feel good. It makes the person you are speaking to feel like he is important and it makes you the speaker feel good when the same type of speaking is spoken back to you. We really can’t get this same feeling in English. It is possible that some event, like a royal wedding where everything was done prim and proper, or at a wedding and you are the bride or groom, then you may feel what it is like to be spoken up to and through speech made to feel good about yourself because of polite speech.
Otherwise, I have never felt so good as when someone speaks to me in Keigo compared to not having such a thing in English America.

When first meeting someone always assume that he or she is your great uncle who had died and left you his fortune. Don't automatically assume enough familiarity with them to speak to them in the plain form or anything lower in politeness to anybody ever. You can get yourself in deep trouble. The Japanese are nice but words are a two edged sword powerful enough to cause wars, so take care to always be as polite as you can.

Remember, plain form is the type of language that is spoken to dogs. A lot of people have respect for animals I love them too, but we usually give these animals lesser lingual respect. Like wassup Dawg? How much respect a human being deserves over a dog is your decision, but remember that we are speaking in a human language. It’s easy to speak plain form Japanese but it is more difficult to speak in polite language. So take the extra time at the beginning and learn to dot your i’s and j’s, and your abc’s + 123’s. Always practice speaking in polite Japanese and you won’t have any trouble, as a matter of fact it may even be a boon.

It is important to understand the distinctions made between the levels of politeness in speech. Plain form just isn't polite. Try to avoid it by always keeping your mouth clean and you will stay out of trouble. If you are a gaijin, your mouth and manners are already out of harmony with the ancient customs and traditional courtesies already well established in Japan. When in Rome we do as the Romans do and when in Japan our feet can't stink.

In order to avoid sounding like a beast with no manners, try always speaking in Japanese at higher more respectful levels. There are two levels of speech and 2 conditions of the verbs

+ future, - future, (that is positive future and negative future)

-past, + past (ditto)

plain form

One above that level and another beneath, in all three levels. We can make sentences that are crystal clear and come out in our speech imbued with beautiful hues and hints of wonderful meanings making our Japanese not different from a samurai overlord.

In the present tense, plain form verbs always end in one of five vowels,

a, i u e, or, o which correspond to the five bases (I,II,III,IV,V) of a verb.

Verb in Base I end in a,

Verb in Base II end in i,

Verb in Base III end in u,

Verb in Base IV end in e,

Verb in Base V end in o.

occasionally, some Japanese grammar text books may continue with a 6th base and using yo^, r^. We will get to that.

The polite form of a verb is made up of a verb in base II or the i line of the syllabary and by adding ~masu. The ~masu ending is always adequately polite. Speaking in plain form or leaving the verb in dictionary form or base (III) is less polite and could be construed as very rude speech. (*In my Ghetto Grammar lesson plain form is denoted P.F.)Polite form is also categorized in degrees or levels of politeness.

In Japanese there are 4 basic states or tenses a verb can take. There are 2 present tense verb forms that are polite and 2 in the past tense, each tense having its' affirmative or + side and, or its' negative , {future/present + or - } and {past + or -}. In Japanese, the latter part of the verb is where the conjugations occur, at the tail of a verb, not the stem. There are many endings which can be constructed. Each ending can change the meaning of the Japanese words ever so subtley, yet significantly. In other words, there are many levels of politeness possible even using the same word(s).

When asking a favor of someone, you'll have to consider how polite you’ll want to sound with that person. You won't get very far by getting your boss to give you a raise when speaking to him in less polite language which equivocal to what is know as plain form Japanese. Not being careful of your politeness level can really get you into trouble. With the boss example it could give him more reason to dislike you or even fire you for insubordination. Sometimes speaking in the plain form Japanese can be dangerous, making you sound even barbaric at times, childish at others, straight out rude at times, piggish, bossy, arrogant to name a few of the ways you jeopardize your potential to speaking fluid, beautifully perfect Japanese speaking. Be mindful that respect to others is shown through the Japanese language via the levels of speech:

Politeness levels in the Japanese Language - From low to high:

1. Base speech (rude, raunchy and raw Japanese, spoken to lesser creatures, animals, underlings, fledglings and disciples.

2 . Plain form or basically neutral status speaking Japanese, or the humble and exalted levels of speech. Humble and exalted levels of speech considered from the same tree and is globally known as

3. Honorifics, exalted and humbled - Keigo and Sonkeigo

In getting a commitment for your request, use the verb ITADAKU
This is the same verb that is used in the expression, “Itadakimasu”, meaning I humbly partake. The Japanese say itadakimasu before eating like clockwork. Saying itadakimasu before a meal is mandatory, not optional. No matter what religion you might be, it was said everywhere in Japan before the Japanese eat a meal. When in Rome, Do as the Romans do. You will put itadaku in its question form of itadakemasu ka? with a verb in base TE to get a yes or no answer. Asking verb base (TE) + itadakemasu ka is the equivalent of pinning someone down and saying, However, if your demands weren't that impending, or is not in need of immediate attention, then there are 3 further choice of verbs for those requests to become actions. The verbs involved in getting someone to do an action for you in Japanese, are these:

MORAU - (to get, be given, receive),

KURERU - (to receive from) and

KUDASARU - ( to be so kind as to receive from )
with the masu ending being the highest.

• ITADAKU means literally to humbly partake of something or someone doing something for you that equates to a will you…? Or similar type English sentence.

Constructions for "Will you verb (for me)?" in Japanese.

Verb (base TE) + MORAU V (て) + もらう
Do you think you could verb for me?

Verb (base TE) +YARU V (て) + やる
I will verb for you. (This is least polite and only said amongst the closest of friends, more masculine.)

Verb (base TE) + KURERU V (て) + くれる-
Would you verb for me? (Either because I physically or otherwise can't do it myself or simply because you are kind or respected by me).

Verb (base TE) + AGERU V (て) + あげる
I'll verb for you.

Verb (base TE) + KUDASARU V (て) + 下さる
Will you kindly verb for me?

*Kudasaruくださる is one of the first learned Japanese words. It’s kanji represents the word meaning below, underneath, under, or down. The meaning is opposite to that of the word UE上 (Up, on top, above etc.)

This is where the construction for -please verb- or verb (base TE) + kudasai comes from.
Verb (base TE) + itadaku (The commitment word evoking only a yes or no answer). Equivalent to "Will you verb?" in English.

1. Will you quit smoking.
Tabako o su^ no o yamete itadakemasu ka?
たばこを吸うのを止めて頂けますか

2. Can I get you to turn the light off for me?
Denki o keshite moraimasu ka?
電機を消してもらいますか

3. Could you turn the light off for me?
Denki o keshite kuremasu ka?
電機をけしてくれますか


4. Will you kindly lend me $1000 dollars Grandmother?
Oba^chan@ ano 1 sen doru o kashite kudasaimasu ka?
おばあちゃん! あの 一千＄貸してくれますか

5. Could you tell me your phone number?

a. Denwa bango o oshiete kudasaimasu ka?
電話番号を教えて下さいますか?

b. Denwa bango o oshiete kuremasu ka?
電話番号を教えてくれますか

c. Denwa bango o oshiete itadakemasu ka?
電話番号をいただけますか

a.,b.,c. Will you tell me your phone number?

Itadaku - the yes or no verb
Itadaku頂く is special in that it forms changes from the itadaki to itadake form either Yes, or, No? Using the verb itadaku is ultimately polite yet it elicits only two answers from which to form a reply..

6. Shall I open it for you?
Akete yaro^ ka? (Less polite form V of verb yaru, downward politeness)
開けてやろうか?

7. Shall I read it for you?
Yonde agemasho^ ka? (masho^ is more polite, spoken to peers and above)
読んで挙げましょう

8. Lets get him to pay for us.
Haratte moraimasho^
払ってもらいましょう

9. I wanted him to draw a picture for us.
E o kaite moraitakatta n' desu.
絵を画いてもらいたかったのです.

10. I am going to need you to come in on Sunday (too).
Nichiyoubi nimo kaisha ni kite moraitakatta no desu ga…?
日曜日にも会社に来てもらいたかったのですが
That is straight out of “office space” yo!

Until next time, that’s the end of this short lesson in Japanese grammar. As always, I wish you the best in your endeavors towards better Japanese …

Ganbatte Ne!
頑張ってね
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki. まくらすき

unique Japanese Grammar Lesson on Base TE

Japanese Grammar featuring Base TE + kurenai
Won’t you do it for me? Will ya? Wouldn’t you like to be a pepper too?

Verb (base TE) + kurenai (TE + kureru)
Verb (base TE) + moraenai (TE + Morau)

Verb (base TE) + kudasaimasen ka?

Verb (base TE) + itadakemasen ka?

Won’t you do it for me? Where do it = some verb

Example 1.

Would you watch the kids for me?

Kodomo tachi o mite kurenai?

Example 2.

Won’t you do (wash) the dishes for me? Couldn’t I get you to do the dishes?

Sara o aratte moraenai?

Example 3.

Kashite kureru?

Would you loan it to me?

Example 4.

Kaite kudasaimasu ka?

Could I get you to write?

Next lessons will deal with causative like ikasete moraenai

As always,
Ganbatte Ne!
Do Your Best!

Makurasuki

Some serious Talk about Sake

In Japan you have your sho^chu and your sake. We don't pronounce sake like it looks, which is to say like, 'for pete's sake', we say the ke like the ke in keg. So instead of for pete's sake, you say, sa with a dropped jaw and ke like kay, so in effect you are really saying sakay. The problem with this pronunciation is that you will have failed to say SAKE correctly. Let me try this... one more time... In Japan, you have for your alcoholic beverage satisfaction, 1 of 3 choices which may or may not fit your pallete. Upper or middle or indifferent and otherwise, your choices all boil down to how much rice and in what way it was fermented.
The three choices for alcoholic beverages in Japan are; 1. Sho^chu, 2. Sake, or 3. Bi-ru. Sho^chu are the honorific 'spirits' made of all sorts of wheat + fermented rice. Sake is the Japanese equivalent of our fermented grape wine, and Bi-ru is beer made from fermented rice. You may be familiar with some of the well known Japanese beers, but you may not know that they were made more out of rice than from anything else.
As for alcoholic content, ranges are from anywhere past the Sake threshold of 15º degrees all the way up to 37º-39º or thereabouts. Sake varies in alcoholic content anywhere that our equivalent grape wine varieties exist, that is roughly between 7-15 % or as the Japanese 7º-15º degrees. And of course beer as we might be familiar with comes in at from between 3.5% to sometimes nowadays with "Wicked ale" or "Bastard Ale" up to a whopping 8% or 8º.
This brings me to formulate a hypothesis about what the º sign means in English. If in English we say 15% in Japanese it is said to contain 15º. With that said, it is to say that º = %. Got that?

Japanese word flowage

Many words in Japanese don’t have exact, equivalent translations in English. The same situations just don’t often happen exactly the same in both countries. Japan has a very old national history dating back to at least 600 A.D. Our Americanized English simply hasn’t developed in the same way. We simply don’t have the same circumstances in both countries. Customs and traditions being different and unique to each country’s environment and history.

O sewa sama deshita – You did a terribly awfully nice favor for me and I am completely grateful and you really helped a lot.

Go-kuro^ sama deshita – You worked very hard today and we pay thee much respect and thanks for your hard efforts, it must have been a lot of hard work but good going and thanks.

Yokei na sewa – its none of your business

Oriko san – He is such a good kid, or she is so well behaved.

Ja ne – see ya, later, adios, ciao, lates, see you on the flipside, peace out

Dewa Mata – until next time, see you later, talk at you soon, peace out

Awesome tactics for counting in a language other than your own - Japanese

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.

To intend to verb tsumori Japanese Grammar

Japanese Language Mastery in 130 modernized lessons.
Ghetto Grammar Lesson #115 – The Japanese bunpo of Intentions

In Japanese it is easy to construct sentences that tell others your intentions. To say that you intend on doing something in Japanese, put a verb in either baseIII or baseI (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 will also be easily understood. Tsumori is the word we use when we want to show an intention. Putting tsumoru into baseII[1] gives you tsumori.
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 don’t 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
-no intention to + verb
verb (Base I) + tsumori
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.

Practice Tip – Take all the Japanese verbs you know and put them into the tsumori bunpo. Have fun with words like fart, choke, drown, dumpster dive etc. Remember Ghetto Grammar is not only useful, its fun. Just be careful not to get too ghetto and always use the polite form for verbs. Steer clear of anything plain form or lower. 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.They are usually so far from what is really being said that the meaning comes out all wrong. 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.






[1] For more about how verbs are put into bases in Japanese see http://squidoo.com/

Japanese words

They say that the average American spends 17 hours per week inside their car. That is 884 hours per year or Living in Japan. There are a few words and key phrases in Japanese that, as a tourist in the Land of the Rising Sun, you would think that I could at least learn how to say the time. Since in Japan they use military time on occasion, more frequently than military time is used in America. , had I been acquainted with earlier on, would have saved me a lot of time, and prevented some of the confusion and disorientation for me upon my first adventures in Japan. In Japan, a lot of a persons life is spent at an Eki or train station spent getting on and off at the wrong train stations. Inevitably, tourists in Japan will have to use public transportation. So It would be very convenient to know at least the basic words related to how to get around in Japan if you are going to spend any amount of time touring Japan. Some are quite easy for they are gairaigo or foreign borrowed terms which are usually English based (although a certain percentage can be French, Portuguese, Spanish, German, and Dutch.) Some are more difficult to get a handle on but are essential to your adventures in Japan. Because one way or another you'll soon see how the Japanese Rail systems are more part of their culture and the Japanese way of life than we might be accustomed to here in America.
First lets learn the words for major transportation hubs like: bus stop, train station, airport, and subway.

basu tei - bus stop
eki - train station
ku^ko^ - airport

I remember getting on a bus and not knowing much Japanese other than how to say, "what time is it?" and feeling so embarrassed about not knowing where the heck I was going!

Without Fail

Why Certainly!
Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar #112

How to say something is for sure in Japanese
Noun + CHIGAI NAI

I. Noun + NI CHIGAI NAI – Noun for sure!
To be (noun phrase) without fail !

The Japanese bunpo^ NOUN+ NI CHIGAI NAI grammar construction is used quite regularly, and in expressions where you want to impart an unwavering definiteness as to the outcome. CHIGAI itself is a noun meaning difference. It is in base II in similitude to other verbs that change into nouns by putting them into base II. See my article on verb bases for more information. comes from the verb CHIGAU –v. to be different, to vary, to disagree, to be unlike.

Ex. 1 ZETTAI KARE NO SAIFU NI CHIGAI NAI. –
Its definitely his wallet . . .for sure! Or
It’s his wallet for sure definitely

Ex. 2 NATSU GA KURU NI CHIGAI NAI –
Summer will be here without fail.

Ex. 3 MAI HARU WASHI GA CANADA NI KAETTE KURU NI CHIGAI NAI –
Every spring the eagles return back to Canada without fail.

Ex. 4 SO^ NI CHIGAI NAI! –
That’s the way it is man! FOR SHIZZLE!
It’s my way, my way or the highway!

II. A TO B NO CHIGAI GA WAKARU (WAKARANAI) –
Can (can’t) tell the difference between A and B.

Ex.1. HONMONO TO NISEMONO NO CHIGAI GA WAKARANAI. –
I can’t tell the difference between the fake and the real thing.

See my other Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar articles by visiting the index. Beef up your current stock of word power with my Japanese Vocabulary Blasters also found on the index. Finally, take your skills and head over to the Japanese Conversational Practice Palace to solidify your Japanese language training and to help fortify your Japanese language skills.
http://squidoo.com/jppgg

As always,
Do Your Best! Ganbatte Ne!
Makurasuki Sensei








Ghetto After Blast G.A.B. - one point advice – when you want to refute a point made by another soften your phrase up by saying CHIGAU TO OMOU or I think it’s a little different. Unless you want to make it clear that the other person is wrong then you would say CHIGAU! – You are definitely wrong! In English CHIGAU can simply mean nope! or NO ITS NOT! Or even NO you are WRONG! Or Not even! That is why this is the GAB, the ghetto after blast because the effects could ripple through the time space continuum. JA NE! LATES!

This lens needs improvement. You can help by adding your suggestions to the group comment box below. Thanks in advance for allowing this non-wiki yet wiki wiki wiki!
Brett McCluskey 2008

Japanese Adjectives

Japanese Adjective Fun

All adjectives end in a diphthong created from the 5 vowels of the Japanese syllabary and the vowel i. (a,i,u,e,o + i (pronounced ee))

The endings of adjectives are thus:

a + i = ai;

hayai, arai, asai, mijikai, nagai, akai, nemutai, chiisai, suppai, amai, takai, aoi, kawai, itai

i + i = ii;

utsukushii, mezurashii, subarashii, itashii, shitashii, muzukashii, atarashii, mezamashii, okii, suzushii, natsukashii, okashii,

u + i = ui;

usui, minikui, zurui, furui, nemui,

e + i = ei;

kirei, teinei, burei,

and

o + i = oi;

shitsukoi, hidoi, kuroi, osoi, noroi, boroi, hiroi, kashikoi, shiroi,

Adjectives ending in ei are considered irregular and their constructions will be discussed later.
Ganbatte ne! Do your Best! Makurasuki Sensei.