Japanese Vocabulary

oboeru (verb)

to memorize or remember

ki o tsukeru (verb)

to be careful or watch out

manabu (verb)

to learn or study deeply

oshieru (verb)

to teach or inform

odoroku (verb)

to be surprised or shocked

au (verb)

to meet

tenki (noun)

weather

soto (noun)

outside

kotoba (noun)

word or language

toshokan (noun)

library

shitsumon (noun)

question

kotae (noun)

answer; reply; response

te (noun)

hand

shourai (noun)

the future

zehi (adverb)

by all means; definitely

saikin (noun)

lately; recently

yukkuri (adverb)

slowly

yappari (adverb)

as expected; I knew it

tabun (adverb)

perhaps; probably

taitei (adverb)

usually; mostly

tokidoki (tokidoki)

sometimes

tsumori (noun)

intention or plan to do

STRUCTURE: Verb (dictionary form) + tsumori

EXAMPLE: Shourai, Nihon no iku tsumori desu

amai (adjective)

sweet

ii (adjective)

good

tanoshii (adjective)

fun enjoyable

ichiban (noun)

number one; the best

te-form + kureru (grammar pattern)

someone doing a favor for me

jibun (pronoun)

self (without someone else’s help)

jitsu (noun)

actually; the truth is

(Used when revealing something)

tari; tari suru (grammar point)

used to list examples of actions (“do things like)

STRUCTURE: Verb (past tense) + り + Verb (past tense) + り + する

EXAMPLE:

• Nichiyōbi wa hon o yondari, eiga o mitari shimasu.
  On Sundays, I do things like read books and watch movies.

zenbu (noun; adverb)

all; everything; the whole thing

shizen (noun; na-adjective)

nature; natural(in front of noun; na-adjective)

hotondo (adverb)

almost; nearly; mostly

shiru (verb)

to know; to be aware of

Monday: Getsuyōbi

Tuesday: Kayōbi

Wednesday: Suiyōbi

Thursday: Mokuyōbi

Friday: Kinyōbi

Saturday: Doyōbi

Sunday: Nichiyōbi

Days of the Week

hoshii (I-adjective)

wanting (to have); desiring

garu (grammer pattern)

to seem to feel; to show signs of feeling

(used to describe someone else’s emotions)

STRUCTURE: ([emotion I-adjective], remove i) + garu

EXAMPLE: Ani wa shukudai o muzukashigatte imasu

hitori (noun)

alone; by oneself (hitori de); one person

(used when to say you are alone and no one is around)

~kanaa

I wonder if

STRUCTURE: Phrase + kanaa

EXAMPLE: Nihon ni iku kanaa

omou (verb)

to think; to believe

juubun (na-adjective)

enough; sufficient

sumu (godan verb)

to live; to reside

NOTE: most of time you will use sunde imasu (ongoing action)

Volitional Form (ou for godan, you for ichidan)

MEANING: The will or intention to do something; “let’s…” / “I’ll…”

STRUCTURE: u-column → o-column

Verb (o-column only godan) + u(godan) / you(ichidan)

EXAMPLE:

• 食べよう (tabeyō) → “Let’s eat.” / “I’ll eat.”

• 行こう (ikō) → “Let’s go.” / “I’ll go.”

• 勉強しよう (benkyō shiyō) → “Let’s study.” / “I’ll study.”

Passive Form (reru for godan; rareru for ichidan)

Subject of a sentence receives the action instead of doing the action

STRUCTURE: u-column → a-column

Reciever が Doer に verb(reru/rareru)

EXAMPLE: Yasui ga watashi ni taberareru

Potential Form (ru for godan; rareru for ichidan)

Express ability or possibility (CAN)

*When saying “can verb” towards a noun, put ga after the noun.

Ex: kēki ga taberareru

STRUCTURE: u- column → e-column

Verb (e-column only godan) + ru(godan)/rareru(ichidan)

EXAMPLE: Switzerland ni ikeru

sono kawari

in return; in exchange; instead

kumori (noun)

cloudy

Fuan (noun, na-adjective)

anxious; worried

yatto (adverb)

finally; at last

ichidomo (expression)

never

iu (godan verb)

to say

owaru (intransitive-godan-verb)

to end / come to an end

(Something ends on its own.)

STRUCTURE: X が owaru

oeru ( transitive-ichidan-verb)

to finish / bring to an end

(Someone finishes something or causes it to end.)

STRUCTURE: X を oeru

あまり

amari (adverb)

MEANING: not very / not much / not often

STRUCTURE: amari + negative verb

Usually goes with negative

EXAMPLE: あまり好きじゃない。Amari suki janai.

なんか

nanka (adverb, expression)

MEANING:

* “something”

* “like…” / “kind of…”

* Used to soften what you say, express a vague feeling, or start a thought.

EXAMPLE:

* なんか疲れた。

Nanka tsukareta.

→ “I’m kind of tired.”

* なんか変。

Nanka hen.

→ “Something feels weird.”

* なんかさ、昨日さ…

Nanka sa, kinou sa…

→ “Like, you know, yesterday…”

KEY IDEA: なんか often makes what you’re saying feel casual, vague, or less direct.

どうやって

dou yatte (adverbial expression)

MEANING: how / by what method

EXAMPLE:
どうやって日本語を勉強するの？
Dou yatte nihongo o benkyou suru no?

どうして

doushite (adverb)

MEANING: why / how come

EXAMPLE:
どうして日本語を勉強しているの？
Dou shite nihongo o benkyou shite iru no?

だから

dakara (conjunction)

MEANING: so / therefore / that’s why

EXAMPLE:
疲れた。だから、寝ます。
Tsukareta. Dakara, nemasu.

から

kara (particle)

MEANING: because / since

STRUCTURE: Reason + kara + Result

EXAMPLE:
疲れたから、寝ます。
Tsukareta kara, nemasu.

休み（やすみ）

yasumi (noun)

MEANING: rest / break / holiday / day off

EXAMPLE:
今日は休みです。
Kyō wa yasumi desu.

shimau (transitive-godan-verb)

MEANING: to put away; to put to an end

can also mean “to end up doing something”(sense of regret”

STRUCTURE: verb te-form + shimau

EXAMPLE: Wasurete shimatta

Verb stem(ます form) + に + 行きます／来ます

Verb stem + ni + ikimasu/kimasu (grammer)

MEANING: Go/come somewhere in order to do something.

EXAMPLE: Ie ni animēshon o tsukurini ikimasu

Verb stem + ながら
Verb stem + nagara (grammer)

MEANING: While doing

EXAMPLE: Kōhī o nominagara, K-dorama o mimasu.

Verb stem + 方（かた) (grammer)

MEANING: how to do something

verb becomes noun

EXAMPLE: kōhi no tsukurikata o oshiete kudasai

isogu (intransitive-godan-verb)

MEANING: to hurry; to rush

EXAMPLE: Isoide!

tamani (adverb)

MEANING: sometimes; occasionally

EXAMPLE: Kono restauran ni tamani ikimasu

-te kara (grammer pattern)

MEANING: after doing ~
EXAMPLE: ご飯を食べてから、勉強します。
Gohan o tabete kara, benkyou shimasu.
→ I study after eating.

nigiyaka (na-adjective)

MEANING: lively, bustling
EXAMPLE: にぎやかな町
Nigiyaka na machi.
→ A lively town.

ue (noun)

MEANING: above; on top; upper part
EXAMPLE: 机の上
Tsukue no ue.

yoku (adverb)

MEANING: often; well
EXAMPLE: よく日本語を勉強します。
Yoku nihongo o benkyou shimasu.

hou (noun)

MEANING: direction/side
EXAMPLE: Nihon no hou

sou da (grammer pattern)

MEANING: looks like; seems like
EXAMPLE: おいしそうだ。
Oishisou da.

masani (adverb)

MEANING: exactly; precisely; truly
EXAMPLE: まさにその通りです。
Masani sono toori desu.

deru (intransitive-godan-verb)

MEANING: to go out / leave (itself)

EXAMPLE: Gakusei ga kyoushitsu kara demashita.

dasu (transitive-godan-verb)

MEANING: to take out (something)

EXAMPLE: Hon o kaban kara dashimashita.

kieru (intransitive-ichidan-verb)

MEANING: to disappear / go out (itself)

EXAMPLE: Denki ga kiemashita.

kesu (transitive - godan - verb)

MEANING: to turn off (something)

EXAMPLE: Denki o keshimashita.

hajimaru (intransitive - godan - verb)

MEANING: to begin / start (itself)

EXAMPLE: Jugyou ga hajimarimashita.

hajimeru (transitive - ichidan - verb)

MEANING: to start (something)

EXAMPLE: Sensei ga jugyou o hajimemashita.

wareru (intransitive - ichidan - verb)

MEANING: to break (itself)

EXAMPLE: Koppu ga waremashita.

waru (transitive - godan - verb)

MEANING: to break (something)

EXAMPLE: Koppu o warimashita.

aku (intransitive - godan - verb)

MEANING: to open / become open

EXAMPLE: Doa ga akimashita.

akeru (transitive - ichidan - verb)

MEANING: to open (something)

EXAMPLE: Doa o akemashita.

chotto dake (adverb)

MEANING: only a little

EXAMPLE: chotto dake tabemasu

toru (transitive-godan-verb)

MEANING: to take

EXAMPLE: kore o torimasu

aida - (noun)

MEANING: between / during / while

EXAMPLE: watashi wa yasumi no aida nihongo o benkyou shimasu.

hima - (na-adjective / noun)

MEANING: free time / not busy

EXAMPLE: hima na toki, anime o mimasu.

tappuri - (adverb)

MEANING: plenty / a lot / more than enough

EXAMPLE: mizu o tappuri nomimasu.

sugiru - (ichidan verb)

MEANING: to exceed / to pass; too much

EXAMPLE: tabesugiru to onaka ga itaku narimasu.

kurai - (i-adjective)

MEANING: dark

EXAMPLE: heya ga kurai desu.

nanimo - (pronoun)

MEANING: nothing / anything (with a negative)

EXAMPLE: nanimo tabemasen.

mawaru - (godan verb - intransitive)

MEANING: to turn / to rotate / to go around

EXAMPLE: kuruma no taia ga mawaru.

mawasu - (godan verb - transitive)

MEANING: to turn / to rotate something

EXAMPLE: doa no noobu o mawashimasu.

mawari - (noun)

MEANING: surroundings / area around / vicinity

EXAMPLE: ie no mawari ni ki ga arimasu.

gisshiri - (adverb)

MEANING: tightly packed / crammed full

EXAMPLE: hon ga hako ni gisshiri haitte imasu.

souji suru - (suru verb)

MEANING: to clean / to clean something

EXAMPLE: heya o souji shimasu.

shuppatsu - (noun)

MEANING: departure / leaving

EXAMPLE: asa rokuji ni shuppatsu shimasu.

wasureru - (ichidan verb - transitive)

MEANING: to forget

EXAMPLE: hon o wasuremashita.

-te miru - (grammar - verb expression)

MEANING: to try doing something

STRUCTURE: verb (te-form) + miru

EXAMPLE: nihongo o hanashite mimasu

yaru

MEANING: to do

suru used for general “to do”, yaru specifically for physical actions

EXAMPLE: undō yaru (also suru)

NOT: shitsumon yaru (can’t physically ask a question)