Learn how to ask for a word in Japanese
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| Welcome to Can-Do Japanese by JapanesePod101.com. |
| In this lesson, youβll learn how to ask how to say something in Japanese. |
| For example, "How do you say "textbook" in Japanese?" is |
| Textbookγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Textbook wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| Rin Sasaki is at a cafe doing a language exchange with her classmate, Hana Hashimoto. |
| Itβs the Japanese portion of the exchange, and she points at the textbook and asks what it's called in Japanese. |
| Before you hear the conversation, let's preview some of its key components. |
| γ«γ»γγ |
| "Japanese" |
| γ«γ»γγ |
| γ«γ»γγ |
| Listen to the conversation, and focus on the question. |
| Ready? |
| Textbookγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Textbook wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| γγγγγγγ§γγ(KyΕkasho desu.) |
| Once more with the English translation. |
| Textbookγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Textbook wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| "How do you say "textbook" in Japanese?" |
| γγγγγγγ§γγ(KyΕkasho desu.) |
| "It's a textbook." |
| Let's break down the conversation. |
| Do you remember how Ben asks, |
| "How do you say βtextbookβ in Japanese?" |
| Textbookγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Textbook wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| First is the English word, "textbook." |
| Next is γ― (wa), the topic-marking particle. γ―. γ―. |
| Here, γ― (wa) marks "textbook" as the topic of the sentence. Think of it as "as for," like in "As for the "Textbook." |
| After this is γ«γ»γγ, "Japanese," as in "the Japanese language." γ«-γ»-γ-γ. γ«γ»γγ. |
| Next is the particle γ§ (de), which marks the thing you use to do something γ§. γ§. |
| In this sentence, γ§ marks γ«γ»γγ, "Japanese," as the language used to speak. |
| Together, γ«γ»γγγ§ (nihongo de) translates as "in Japanese." γ«γ»γγγ§. |
| Note, when the context is clear, you may omit γ«γ»γγγ§. |
| Next is the phrase, γͺγγ¨γγγΎγγγ(nan to iimasu ka) "How [do you] say?" γͺγγ¨γγγΎγγγ |
| First is γͺγγ¨γγγΎγ (nan to iimasu) "How [do you] sayβ¦" γͺγγ¨γγγΎγγ |
| At this point in your language learning journey, remember this as a set phrase. |
| Last is the particle, γ, the question-marking particle. γ (slow version - breakdown by syllable). γ. |
| This particle turns the sentence into a question. |
| Together, γͺγγ¨γγγΎγγγ"How do you sayβ¦?" γͺγγ¨γγγΎγγγ |
| All together, Textbookγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Textbook wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) literally means, "As for textbook, in Japanese how [do you] say, " but translates as "How do you say βtextbookβ in Japanese?" Textbookγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ |
| In many cases, you can omit γ«γ»γγγ§ from the question pattern. Since youβre asking the question in Japanese, and itβs about an English word, itβs understood that youβre asking for the Japanese word. |
| The simplified variation to ask about the Japanese word for "textbook" is, |
| Textbookγ―,γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ |
| You should be aware of this shortcut, but for this lesson, weβll use the full sentence pattern. |
| Textbookγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Textbook wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| Letβs take a closer look at the response. |
| Do you remember how Hana says, "Itβs "textbook." |
| γγγγγγγ§γγ(KyΕkasho desu.) |
| First is γγγγγγ (kyΕkasho), "textbook." γγ-γ-γ-γγ. γγγγγγγ |
| After this is γ§γ (desu), in this case, itβs like the "is" in "It is." Itβs a linking verb. γ§-γ. γ§γ. |
| Together, γγγγγγγ§γ (KyΕkasho desu.) literally means "kyΕkasho [it] is," but it translates as, "Itβs kyΕkasho."γγγγγγγγ§γ. |
| γγγγγγγ§γ is the shortened version of the sentence, "Textbook" γ― γγγγγγγ§γγ |
| The first part, "textbookγ―," meaning "As for "textbook," is omitted since the context is clear, as Hana is responding to a question about the "textbook." |
| γγγγγγγ§γγ(KyΕkasho desu.) |
| The pattern is |
| ENGLISH WORD γ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| "How do you say ENGLISH WORD in Japanese?" |
| ENGLISH WORD γ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| To use this pattern, simply replace the {English word} placeholder with the word you want to know. |
| Imagine you want to know the Japanese word for "pen." |
| Ask |
| "How do you say "pen" in Japanese?" |
| Ready? |
| Penγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ (Pen wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| "How do you say "pen" in Japanese?" |
| Penγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Pen wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| If you want to keep the conversation completely in Japanese, you can say, "How do you say βthisβ in Japanese?" Simply replace the English word with γγ (kore), "this." γ-γ. γγ. |
| γγγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Kore wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| "How do you say this in Japanese?" |
| γγγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Kore wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| If the thing is far away from you, you can use γγ (sore), that. γγ. |
| γγγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Sore wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| "How do you say βthatβ in Japanese?" |
| γγγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Sore wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| Again, this is a very useful pattern for using Japanese to learn Japanese. |
| Keeping the conversation in Japanese as long as possible is a great tactic to learn a language. These questions will help with that. |
| Again, the key pattern is |
| ENGLISH WORD γ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| How do you say ENGLISH WORD in Japanese? |
| ENGLISH WORD γ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| Letβs look at some more examples. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with the native speakers. |
| Textbookγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Textbook wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| "How do you say 'textbookβ in Japanese?" |
| γγγγγγγ§γγ(KyΕkasho desu.) |
| Textbookγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Textbook wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| Penγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ (Pen wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| "How do you say 'penβ in Japanese?" |
| γγ³γ§γγ(Pen desu.) |
| Penγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ (Pen wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| γγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Kore wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| "How do you call this in Japanese?" |
| γ―γγ§γγ(Hashi desu.) |
| γγγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Kore wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| γγγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Sore wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| "How do you call that in Japanese?" |
| γγγ΄γ€γ§γγ(Enpitsu desu.) |
| γγγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Sore wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| γγγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ§γγγ(Kore wa, nihongo de nan desu ka.) |
| "What is 'thisβ in Japanese?" |
| γγγγγγγ§γγ(KyΕkasho desu.) |
| γγγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ§γγγ(Kore wa, nihongo de nan desu ka.) |
| Did you notice how one of the speakers in the last exchange used a different pattern? |
| γγγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ§γγγ(Kore wa, nihongo de nan desu ka.) |
| "What is βthisβ in Japanese?" |
| Instead of γͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ"How [do you] sayβ¦," γͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ this pattern uses the phrase γͺγ γ§γγγ"What isβ¦?" γͺγ γ§γγγ |
| Letβs take a closer look at γͺγ γ§γγγ |
| First is γͺγ "what" γͺ-γ. γͺγ |
| After this is γ§γ, in this case, itβs like the "is" in "What is." γ§-γ. γ§γ. |
| Last is γ, the question-marking particle. γ. |
| All together, γͺγ γ§γγγ"What isβ¦?" γͺγ γ§γγγ |
| γͺγγ§γγγis easier to say and perfectly acceptable to use; however, γͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγis more natural. |
| All together |
| γγγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ§γγγ(Kore wa, nihongo de nan desu ka.) |
| You should be aware of this shortcut, but for this lesson, weβll use the full sentence pattern. |
| ENGLISH WORD γ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| "How do you say ENGLISH WORD in Japanese?" |
| Letβs review the key vocabulary. |
| γγ³ (pen). |
| "pen" |
| γγ³. γγ³. |
| γ―γ (hashi). |
| "chopsticks" |
| γ―γ. γ―γ. |
| γγγ΄γ€ (enpitsu) |
| "pencil" |
| γγγ΄γ€. γγγ΄γ€. |
| γγ (kore) |
| "this" |
| γγ. γγ. |
| γγ (sore). |
| "that" |
| γγ. γγ |
| Let's review. |
| Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speakers, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Ready? |
| Do you remember how to say the question-marking particle? |
| γ. |
| γ. |
| And how to say "Japanese,β as in the language? |
| γ«γ»γγ. |
| γ«γ»γγ. |
| Do you remember how to say "in Japanese?" |
| γ«γ»γγγ§. |
| γ«γ»γγγ§. |
| And how to say the topic-marking particle? |
| γ―. |
| γ―. |
| Do you remember how Rin says, "How do you say "textbook" in Japanese?" |
| Textbookγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Textbook wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| Textbookγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ(Textbook wa, nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.) |
| Do you remember how to say "textbook?" |
| γγγγγγ. |
| γγγγγγ. |
| Do you remember how Hana says, "Itβs textbook." |
| γγγγγγγ§γγ(KyΕkasho desu.) |
| γγγγγγγ§γγ(KyΕkasho desu.) |
| Do you remember how to say "this?" |
| γγ. |
| γγ. |
| Let's practice. |
| Imagine you're Megumi Sasaki, and youβre having a language-exchange lunch with Ai Nakamura. |
| Ask, "How do you say βchopsticksβ in Japanese?" |
| Ready? |
| Chopsticksγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ |
| γ―γγ§γγ |
| Listen again and repeat. |
| Chopsticksγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ |
| Chopsticksγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ |
| Now you want to know the word for "pen." |
| Ready? |
| Penγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ |
| γγ³γ§γγ |
| Listen again and repeat. |
| Penγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ |
| Penγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγγΎγγγ |
| Let's try one more. |
| Imagine youβre Haruto Sasaki, and youβre studying with a classmate. Point at a nearby pencil, and ask how to say "this" in Japanese. |
| Ready? |
| γγγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγΎγγγ |
| γγγ΄γ€γ§γγ |
| Listen again and repeat. |
| γγγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγΎγγγ |
| γγ―γγ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγΎγγγ |
| In this lesson, you learned how to ask how to say something in Japanese. This plays an essential role in the larger skill of asking for clarification. Letβs review. |
| Do you remember how to say, |
| "Excuse me." |
| γγΏγΎγγ. |
| γγΏγΎγγ. |
| And how to say, |
| "One more time." |
| γγγγ‘γ©. |
| γγγγ‘γ©. |
| Do you remember how to say, |
| "please." |
| γγγγγγΎγ. |
| γγγγγγΎγ. |
| And do you remember how to say, |
| "Excuse me. One more time, please." |
| γγΏγΎγγγγγγγ‘γ©γγγγγγγΎγγ(Sumimasen, mΕ ichi-do onegai shimasu.) |
| γγΏγΎγγγγγγγ‘γ©γγγγγγγΎγγ(Sumimasen, mΕ ichi-do onegai shimasu.) |
| Do you remember how to say, "slowly?" |
| γγ£γγ. |
| γγ£γγ. |
| And do you remember how to say, |
| "Slowly, please." |
| γγ£γγ γγγγγγΎγγ(Yukkuri onegai shimasu.) |
| γγ£γγ γγγγγγΎγγ(Yukkuri onegai shimasu.) |
| Imagine You're Jack Jones, and you're meeting your fellow student Hana Hashimoto for the first time. She introduces herself, but you can't catch her name. |
| Respond to her introduction, and ask her to repeat it one more time, and slowly. |
| Ready? |
| γ―γγγΎγγ¦γγ―γγγ¨γ§γγ(Hajimemashite. Hashimoto desu.) |
| γγΏγΎγγγγγγγ‘γ©γγγγγγγΎγγγγ£γγ γγγγγγΎγγ(Sumimasen, mΕ ichi-do onegai shimasu. Yukkuri onegai shimasu.) |
| Listen again, and repeat. |
| γγΏγΎγγγγγγγ‘γ©γγγγγγγΎγγγγ£γγ γγγγγγΎγγ(Sumimasen, mΕ ichi-do onegai shimasu. Yukkuri onegai shimasu.) |
| γγΏγΎγγγγγγγ‘γ©γγγγγγγΎγγγγ£γγ γγγγγγΎγγ(Sumimasen, mΕ ichi-do onegai shimasu. Yukkuri onegai shimasu.) |
| On a different occasion you're doing a language exchange. In the Japanese portion of it you want to know how to say pencil in Japanese. |
| Ask Hana Hashimoto how to say "pencil" in Japanese. |
| Pencilγ―γ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγΎγγγ |
| γγγ΄γ€γ§γγ |
| Listen again, and repeat. |
| Pencilγ―γ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγΎγγγ |
| Pencilγ―γ«γ»γγγ§γγͺγγ¨γγγΎγγγ |
| Well done! This is the end of the lesson and the Can Ask for Clarification unit of this course. |
| Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills. |
| What's next? |
| Show us what you can do. |
| When you're ready, take your assessment. |
| You can take it again and again, so try anytime you like. |
| Our teachers will assess it, and give you your results. |
| Keep practicing β and move on to the next lesson! |
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