Nihongo - First Step

Grammar Notes

This structure is called Wa-Desu structure. This simply means [Noun A] is [Noun B].

Kore means "this".

Keitai means "mobile phone".

Watashi means "I".

-san is a honorific title like "Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms."
This can be added to either a family name or a first name, of a male or a female.
When we talk with another person face to face, we do not use Anata "You".
We omit the subject "You" or we call his/her name with -san.

Kanada means "Canada".
One's nationality such as a Japanese or an American is made by adding -jin to a country name.
Kanada-jin means "a Canadian person".

Wa is a particle and follows the subject of a sentence.
The particle wa has various roles in a sentence. You should learn it step by step.

Put simply, Desu corresponds to the English, "is/are/am."

Although some words have plural form, Japanese nouns generally do not have plural form.
Kore wa keitai desu can be "This is a mobile phone" or "These are mobile phones".

Practice 1

Let's practice the following words.

	けいたい	mobile phone
	じしょ	dictionary
	ちず	map
	コーヒー	(a cup of) coffee
	がくせい	(school) student

Practice 2

	にほん	Japan			にほんじん	a Japanese
	アメリカ	America, USA			アメリカじん	an American
	カナダ	Canada			カナダじん	a Canadian
	フランス	France			フランスじん	a French

Practice 3

Let's make sentences and speak it.

	これは　じしょです。
	This is a dictionary.
	これは　ちずです。
	This is a map.
	これは　コーヒーです。
	This is (a cup of) coffee.

Practice 4

Let's make sentences and speak it.

	グレッグさんは　カナダじんです。
	Greg-san is a Canadian.
	たなかさんは　にほんじんです。
	Tanaka-san is a Japanese.
	スミスさんは　アメリカじんです。
	Smith-san is an American.
	スーザンさんは　がくせいです。
	Susan-san is a student.