Beginning Japanese for Professionals: Book 1

Lesson 0
Author: Emiko Konomi, Portland State University

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Download this book for free at: http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/16422
 iii

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Accessibility of Beginning Japanese I

A prior version of this document contained multiple accessibility issues. Beginning
Japanese for Professionals: Book 1 now meets the criteria outlined below, which is a
set of criteria adapted from BCCampus’ Checklist for Accessibility, licensed under
CC BY 4.0.

This book contains the following accessibility and usability features:

Multiple File Formats Available

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• Content is organized under headings and subheadings, which appear in
sequential order and are reflected in the corresponding Table of Contents
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Images
• All images contain alternative text
• Images do not rely on color to convey meaning
• Images are in-line with text
Tables
• All tables deemed necessary include header rows and contain captions,
alternative text, and cell padding.
 iv

• Tables do not include merged or split cells.

Multimedia
A. All audio files have corresponding transcripts, found either throughout the
corresponding exercise or at the end of the corresponding chapter. End-of-
chapter transcripts can be found under H2 Drill Tape Script.
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• Font size is 9 point or higher for footnotes, table captions, and hints
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“emphasis” style in Word has also been applied
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Known Issues/Potential barriers to accessibility

Hints

• As a book of Japanese language learning, this book contains multiple scripts.

Throughout the book, where more complex characters or scripts are used,
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following example appears on page 4, Lesson 0, under H1 Instructor’s
Directions. In the first line, the hiragana character “き” lies above the kanji
character “聞”:
き
1. Kiite kudasai. 聞いてください。 Please listen

Lists and Tagging in PDF

• Page 57 and Tables 6, 7, and 15 of the PDF may contain tag issues. Multi-level
list structures that appear in the Drill Tape Scripts may not be correctly or
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This accessibility statement has been adopted and adapted from Accessibility Statement and
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This Accessibility Statement is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
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 4

Lesson 0
せんり みち いっぽ
千里の道も一歩から (Senri no michi mo ippo kara)
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Lao Tzu

Instructor’s Directions
The following sentences are for in-class use by the teacher to provide students with
directions. Students do not need to be able to use these; just learn what action is
expected. The goal is to avoid using English in the classroom from the very beginning
of the course.
き
Kiite kudasai. 聞いてください。 Please listen.
い
Itte kudasai. 言ってください。 Please say it.
こた
Kotaete kudasai. 答えてください。 Please answer.
い ち ど ねが
Mou ichido onegai-shimasu. もう一度お願いします。One more time, please.
い
X-san ni itte kudasai. Ｘさんに言ってください。Please say it to Mr/s. X.

Greetings and Ritual Expressions

Common daily greetings and ritual expressions are introduced here. The
dialogues below provide sample contexts. A vocabulary list follows each dialogue
with some notes. Additional items are marked with +.
It is recommended that rather than memorizing words in isolation, you
learn them through the dialogue along with appropriate body language.

First listen to the accompanying audio and practice each line aloud. Add
on one line at a time. Stand up where appropriate. Practice alternatives for
different contexts.

Greetings

A: Ohayou. おはよう。 Good morning.

B: Ohayou gozaimasu. おはようございます。 Good morning.

Ohayou おはよう Good morning

Ohayou gozaimasu おはようございます Good morning (polite)
+Konnichiwa こんにちは Hello
+Konbanwa んばんは Good evening
 5

Gozaimasu indicates politeness and formality. People who know each other
well (family members, good friends) can use the short form. You should
never use the short form with your superiors (teacher, boss, supervisor).
Konnichiwa and konbanwa cover both formal and informal situations.

Offering and Accepting, Thanking

A: Douzo どうぞ。 Go ahead. (Please take it)

B: Aa, doumo. ああ、どうも。 Oh, thanks.
douzo どうぞ go ahead, by all means
a(a) あ（あ） oh, ah
doumo どうも thank you, I’m sorry
+arigatou ありがとう thank you
+arigatou gozaimasu ありがとうございます thank you (polite)
+arigatou gozaimashita. ありがとうございました
thank you for what you’ve done

Douzo is used to offer things or invite people to go ahead.

Arigatou (gozaimasu) expresses thanks in general. You should never use the
short form with your superiors (teacher, boss, supervisor). Doumo expresses
gratitude or apology. It can also be combined with arigatou gozaimasu (‘Thank
you very much’) or sumimasen (‘I’m very sorry’). Gozaimashita indicates past
and is used when the act is completed.

Addressing Someone

ほんだ
A: Honda-san. 本田さん。 Mr/s. Honda.
B: Hai. はい。 Yes.

~san ~ さん Mr/s. X
hai はい yes (that’s right), here you go
せんせい
+~sensei X先生 Prof./Dr. X

~san is a title that can be attached to a given name, a family name, and even some
roles. Don’t attach it to your own name or the names of people in your group when
talking to outsiders.

~sensei is a title that can be attached to teachers, professors, doctors, etc. You
should not use ~san to refer to your teacher.

Hai means ‘that’s right,’ ‘present’ (in roll call), or ‘here you are’ (handing something
over).
 6

Apologizing

A: A, sumimasen. あ、すみません！ Oh, sorry!

B: Ie, ie. いえ、いえ。 No, no.

sumimasen すみません thank you, I’m sorry

ie, iie (formal), iya (casual) いいえ／いえ／いや no, that’s wrong
+sumimasen deshita すみませんでした thank you, I’m sorry for what’s done
+gomen ごめん sorry, excuse me (casual)
+gomen nasai ごめんなさい sorry, excuse me (casual, gentle)
+dou itashimashite どういたしまして you’re welcome, not at all

Sumimasen expresses apology or gratitude when you are about to trouble or

have troubled someone. Sumimasen deshita expresses apology or gratitude
when you have troubled someone.

Starting and Ending Eating/Drinking

A: Douzo. どうぞ。 Please (have some.)

B: Jaa, itadakimasu. じゃあ、いただきます。Well, then I’ll have some.

Gochisou sama deshita. ごちそうさまでした。Thank you (That was delicious).

jaa, ja じゃあ／じゃ well then, if so

itadakimasu いただきます ritual expression before eating
gochisou-sama ごちそうさま ritual expression after eating
gochisou-sama deshita ごちそうさまでした formal version of gochisou-sama

Ja is used to follow up on what has been said, to switch topic, etc.

Itadakimasu literally means ‘I’ll humbly accept it’ and is used before eating or
receiving a gift. Gochisousama (deshita) shows gratitude for the food or drink
one has been offered. Even when alone Japanese people tend to whisper
itadakimasu and gochisousama to start and end eating.

Requesting

Ａ：Sumimasen. すみません。 Excuse me.

ねが
Onegaishimasu. お願いします。 Can you give that to me.
Ｂ：Hai, douzo. はい、どうぞ。 Sure, here you go.
 7

ねが

Onegai-shimasu お願いします please help me, do me a favor

Entering a Room (Knock on the door TWICE)

Ａ：Shitsurei-shimasu. 失礼します。 Excuse me.

Ｂ：Hai, douzo. はい、どうぞ。 Yes, come in.
しつれい
shitsurei-shimasu 失礼します excuse me
+shitsurei-shimashita 失礼しました excuse me for what I’ve done

Shitsurei-shimasu literally means ‘I’m going to do something rude’ and is used

when entering a room, interrupting, or leaving. Shitsurei-shimashita is used for
what you’ve done.

Leaving and Coming Back to Home /Office

Ａ：Itte kimasu. いってきます。 See you later.

Ｂ：Itte rasshai. いってらっしゃい。See you later.

Ａ：Tadaima. ただいま。 I’m home.

Ｂ：Okaerinasai. おかえりなさい。 Welcome back.

itte kimasu いってきます ritual expression when leaving home

itte rasshai いってらっしゃい ritual response to Itte kimasu
tadaima ただいま ritual expression upon coming home
かえ
okaerinasai お帰りなさい ritual response to Tadaima

Itte kimasu is used when leaving home or stepping out the office for an errand. It
implies that you are coming back.

Meeting People for the First Time

A: Hajimemashite. はじめまして。 How do you do.

ほんだ
Honda desu. 本田です。 I’m Honda.
ほんだ
B: Honda-san desu ka 本田さんですか。 You’re Mr. Honda?
Sumisu desu スミスです。 I’m Smith.
Douzo yoroshiku. どうぞよろしく。 Nice to meet you.
 8

Hajimemashite はじめまして How do you do?

~desu X です it is/I’m/you’re/they are X, etc.
~desu ka X ですか is it/am I/are you/are they X? etc.
yoroshiku よろしく ritual expression when meeting
someone, when needing a favor
ねが
yoroshiku onegai-shimasu よろしくお願いします please treat me favorably,
thank you in advance

Hajimemashite literally means ‘for the first time.’ It is a ritual expression used
in first meeting people. You can respond with your own hajimemashite or
douzo yoroshiku onegai-shimasu. Make sure you bow.

After a person tells you their name, confirm it by asking X-san desu ka.
Repetition may seem unnecessary, but it’s customary to do so during
introductions.

Taking Leave

しつれい
Ａ：Ja, shitsurei-shimasu. じゃ、失礼します。 Well then, I’ll go (excuse me).
つか
Ｂ：Aa, otsukare-sama deshita. ああ、お疲れさまでした. Ah, thanks for the good
work.
otuskare(-sama) おつかれ（さま） thanks for your work, you must be tired
otsukare-sama desu おつかれさまです (formal) (on going)
otuskare-sama deshita おつかれさまでした (the work is over)

The above are common greetings between co-workers. They are also used to
thank service personnel or acknowledge anyone’s hard work.

Parting

A: Ja, mata. じゃ、また。 Well, see you.

B: Sayonara さよなら。 Good-bye.

ja, mata じゃ、また see you later (informal)

sayonara/sayounara さよなら／さようなら Good-bye.

Retiring at Night

A: Ja, oyasumi じゃ、おやすみ。

B: Aa, oyasuminasai ああ、おやすみなさい。
 9

oyasumi おやすみ
oyasumi nasai おやすみなさい
Notes on Pronunciation

Syllables

Japanese syllables are constructed in the following four ways.

• a vowel (a, i, u, e, o)

• a consonant + a vowel (62 combinations)

• a consonant alone (n, t, s, k, p)

• a consonant + y + a vowel (33 combinations)

The chart below shows all the syllables in Japanese.

Table 1. Syllables in Japanese

k g s z t d n h p b m y r w

a ka ga sa za ta da na ha pa ba ma ya ra wa

i ki gi shi ji chi ji ni hi pi bi mi ri

u ku gu su zu tsu zu nu fu pu bu mu yu ru

e ke ge se ze te de ne he pe be me re

o ko go so zo to do no ho po bo mo yo ro

kya gya sha ja cha nya hya pya bya mya rya
ny
kyu gyu shu ju chu hyu pyu byu myu ryu
u
kyo gyo sho jo cho nyo hyo pyo byo myo ryo

Note the following special cases marked with emphasis in the chart:

• /s+i/ is pronounced /shi/

• /z+i/ is pronounced /ji/
• /t+i/ is pronounced /chi/
• /t+u/ is pronounced /tsu/
• /d+i/ is pronounced /ji/
• /d+u/ is pronounced /zu/
 10

Long Vowels

There are five long vowels in Japanese: /aa/, /ii/, /uu/, /ee/, and /oo/. They
are “long” in terms of spoken duration. In the writing system, the long versions of
/a/, /i/, and /u/ are recognized as the same sound: /aa/, /ii/, /uu/. But the long version
of /o/ (with certain exceptions) is represented by /ou/ and the long version of /e/
(with certain exceptions) is written as /ei/.

Long Consonants

The consonants /t/, /s/, /k/, and /p/ can be long. When these consonants
constitute an entire syllable without a vowel, they are not pronounced but take a full
syllable length.

• 6 syllables: i-t-te ki-ma-su ‘I’m leaving.’

• 3 syllables: I-p-pon ‘one long thing’
• 3 syllables: I-k-ko ‘one round thing’
• 3 syllables: i-s-sho ‘together’

The consonant /n/ can take up an entire syllable by itself, as in konnichiwa’

hello’ (5 syllables: ko-n-ni-chi-wa).

Pitch Accent

As you listen to Japanese, you will notice rises and falls in pitch. Pitch can
change from syllable to syllable in order to distinguish meaning. For example, there
is a fall in pitch in hai ‘yes’, while there is a rise in hai ‘ash’. The difference in pitch
pattern distinguishes these two words. This is called pitch accent.
HAi ‘yes’
haI ‘ash’ (The high pitch is indicated by the capital and emphasis.)

On the other hand, in English a difference in loudness serves this function. This is
called stress accent. Compare the following.

INsult (noun)
inSULT (verb) (The loud syllable is indicated by the capital

and emphasis.) All Japanese words have one

of the following pitch patterns:

Fall: JAa ‘well then’

DOumo ‘thanks’
DOuzo ‘go ahead’
 11

Rise: iIE ‘no’

saYONARA ‘good bye’
taDAIMA ‘I’m home’
oHAYOU ‘good morning’
yoROSHIKU ‘Nice to meet you’
Rise and Fall:
aRIgatou ‘thanks’
shiTSUrei-shimasu ‘Excuse me’
suMIMASEn ‘Sorry’

If a word has only one syllable, a fall or a rise occurs with the following word.

HA desu. ‘It’s a
tooth.’ ha DEsu.
‘It’s a leaf.’

A note on the cultural significance of pitch is in order. As you learn

Japanese, pay attention to pitch at the sentence level as well as the word level. A
slight change in pitch may indicate a subtle but significant change in meaning or
mood. It is observed in many, if not all, languages that speakers tend to raise their
pitch when talking to babies or when trying to sound gentle. Japanese is no
exception in this regard. Talking in a high pitch is generally associated with
politeness in Japanese. Women tend to talk in a higher pitch, but regardless of the
gender, sales and customer service personnel, receptionists, waiters, etc. speak in
overall higher pitch. Remember that when something is the norm and expected in a
culture and you don’t follow it, you may be sending a certain message inadvertently.
Just to be safe, bow, smile, and talk gently.

Drills & Exercises

A. Listen to the audio. Following the first two model exchanges, respond to each cue.

Cue: Guree desu. I’m Grey.

グレーです．
Response: Guree-san desu ka. Hajimemashite. Ms. Grey? How do you do?
グレーさんですか。はじめまして。
Cue: Honda desu. I’m Honda.
ほんだ
本田です。
Response: Honda-san desu ka. Hajimemashite. Ms. Honda? How do you do?’
ほんだ
本田さんですか。はじめまして。

B. Say it in Japanese.

Say it in Japanese yourself first, listen to the audio for the model answer, and then
 12

repeat the model. Practice building up and expanding sentences.

1. Good evening.
2. Good morning. (to a friend)
3. Good morning. (to a teacher)
4. Ms. Honda, good morning.
5. Thanks. (to a friend)
6. Thank you. (to a teacher)
7. You are welcome!
8. Thank you very much. (for what you do or are about to do)
9. Thank you very much. (for what you did)
10. I’ll start eating.
11. Well then, I’ll start eating.
12. Thank you for the delicious treat. (to a family member, concluding eating)
13. Thank you for the delicious treat. (politely)
14. Thank you very much for the delicious treat.
15. I’m sorry.
16. I’m very sorry.
17. I’m very sorry. (for what happened)
18. Please [help me]. (Thank you in advance.)
19. Professor, excuse me.
20. Good-by.
21. Well, Professor, excuse me. Good-by.
22. Good Night! (to a friend)
23. Good night. (politely)
24. Good work! (Thank you for the hard work)
25. Good work. Good night.
26. Thank you. I’ll have some…It was delicious.
27. Thank you very much. I’ll have some.
28. Excuse me. (for what I am about to do)
29. Excuse me. (for what I did)
30. How do you do?
31. My name is Johnson. How do you do?
32. My name is Johnson. How do you do? Very glad to meet you.
33. Good morning. See you later. (heading out)
34. See you later. (Responding to 32)
35. I’m back.
36. Welcome back.

C. Act in Japanese

Imagine the situation and role-play with a partner in Japanese. Use appropriate
gestures and facial expressions.

1. Greet your coworkers in the morning.

2. Leave the office to go to a meeting outside.
3. You are meeting Ms. Honda, a business associate, for the first time.
Introduce yourself.
 13

4. Offer a seat to a client.

5. Accept a gift from a visitor.
6. Start eating lunch.
7. Thank a supervisor for treating you at a restaurant.
8. Hand a report to the assistant to make copies.
9. Thank a coworker for making copies for you.
10. Visit the office of a supervisor.
11. Leave the office of a supervisor.
12. Ask a coworker to pass a document to you.
13. Say good-by to a coworker who is about to go home.
14. Say good-by to coworkers as you leave the office to go home.
15. Say good night to friends as you part after a night out
16. Say good-by to coworkers as you leave the office party

Review Questions
1. What is the difference between ohayou and ohayou gozaimasu?
2. What is the difference between arigatou gozaimasu and arigatou gozaimasita?
3. What is the difference between sayonara and itte kimasu?
4. Which is more polite, arigatou or dou mo?
5. Why can’t you attach –san or –sensei to your own name?
6. What is the difference between gomen and gomen nasai? Who typically
uses the latter?
7. What are three ways to use hai?
8. When do you use aa? How about jaa?
9. What is the Japanese equivalent for “thank you in advance” for the job
you’ve just requested?
10. Many Japanese equivalents for “thank you” have been introduced so far. How
many can you list? Can you describe a typical situation where each can be
used?
11. What is pitch accent?
12. What are the five vowels in Japanese? The long vowels in Japanese? The
long consonants?

Drill Tape Script

Cue: グレーです． Response: グレーさんですか。はじめまして。
Cue: 本田です。 Response: 本田さんですか。はじめまして。
1. ジョンソンです。
2. 山本です。
3. スミスです。
4. 山田です。
5. 木村です。
6. ヒルです。
7. 鈴木です。
8. 田中です。