Japanese Vocabulary - Dai 4 ka

Fundamental Actions and Japanese Verbs

The fourth lesson (Dai $4$ ka) introduces a core set of verbs essential for describing daily routines and professional activities. Each verb is presented in its polite "-masu" form, which is standard for beginners.

Okimasu ($おきます$) translates to "get up" or "wake up," referring to the act of rising from sleep. Its opposite is Nemasu ($ねます$), meaning "sleep," "go to bed," or "lie down."

Work-related and academic verbs include Hatarakimasu ($はたらきます$), meaning "to work," and Benkyooshimasu ($べんきょうします$), meaning "to study." The verb used for taking a break or observing a holiday is Yasumimasu ($やすみます$), which can mean to take a rest, take a holiday, or be absent. To indicate the conclusion of an activity, the verb Owarimasu ($おわります$) is used for "to finish" or "to end."

Chronological Time and Frequency Indicators

To describe when these actions occur, several relative time expressions are utilized. These range from broad daily indicators to specific moments in the day.

Relative days are defined as follows: Kyoo ($きょう$) is "today." For future reference, Ashita ($あした$) is "tomorrow," and Asatte ($あさって$) is "the day after tomorrow." For past reference, Kinoo ($きのう$) is "yesterday," and Ototoi ($おととい$) is "the day before yesterday."

Specific parts of the day include Asa ($あさ$) for "morning," Hiru ($ひる$) for "afternoon" or "daytime," and both Ban ($ばん$) and Yoru ($よる$) for "night" or "evening." To refer to the current day's segments, use Kesa ($けさ$) for "this morning" and Konban ($こんばん$) for "this evening" or "tonight."

Frequency is expressed using the prefix "mai-" meaning every. Maiasa ($まいあさ$) means "every morning," Maiban ($まいばん$) means "every night" or "every evening," and Mainichi ($まいにち$) means "every day."

Specific Units of Time: Hours and Minutes

Precise time-telling involves the use of counter suffixes for hours and minutes. Ima ($いま$) is the word for "now."

Hours are counted using the suffix -ji ($-じ$). To ask for the current hour, the question word is Nanji ($なんじ$). Minutes are counted using -fun or -pun ($-ふん$ or $-ぷん$). The question word for minutes is Nanpun ($なんぷん$). For the half-hour mark, the term Han ($はん$) is used (e.g., $1:30$).

To distinguish between morning and afternoon, Gozen ($ごぜん$) is used for a.m. (morning), and Gogo ($ごご$) is used for p.m. (afternoon).

Days of the Week in Japanese

The days of the week are categorized under the umbrella term Nanyoobi ($なんようび$), which translates to "what day of the week."

The individual days are:

• Getsuyoobi ($げつようび$): Monday
• Kayoobi ($かようび$): Tuesday
• Suiyoobi ($すいようび$): Wednesday
• Mokuyoobi ($もくようび$): Thursday
• Kinyoobi ($きんようび$): Friday
• Doyoobi ($どようび$): Saturday
• Nichiyoobi ($にちようび$): Sunday

Public Facilities and Business Establishments

Vocabulary for various buildings and institutions is essential for asking directions and operational hours.

Commercial locations include Depaato ($デパート$) for "department store," which often includes a basement level (basement). Information regarding "what floor" or a specific floor level ($-th floor$) is critical in these environments.

Other public facilities include:

• Ginkoo ($ぎんこう$): Bank
• Yuubinkyoku ($やうびんきょく$): Post office
• Toshokan ($としょかん$): Library
• Bijutsukan ($びじゅつかん$): Art museum or art gallery

Monetary Units and Quantities

Financial transactions and counting items require knowledge of currency suffixes and scale indicators. The question "how much" is asked using Ikura ($いくら$).

Major international currencies include:

• -yen ($-えん$)
• -rupee ($-るぴい$)
• -dollar ($-どる$)

Numerical scales provided for counting include Hyaku ($ひゃく$) for one hundred, Sen ($せん$) for one thousand, and Man ($まん$) for ten thousand.

Academic and Social Events

Specific terms describing structured activities and breaks include:

• Kaigi ($かいぎ$): Meeting
• Eega ($えいが$): Movie
• Jugyoo ($じゅあよう$): Class
• Shiken ($しけん$): Examination or test
• Yasumi ($やすみ$): A day off, a holiday, or a rest
• Hiruyasumi ($ひるやすみ$): Lunchtime or lunch break

Interpersonal Phrases and Conversational Expressions

Several grammatical particles and polite phrases facilitate requests and empathy in conversation.

Particles of connection and duration include:

• ~kara ($~から$): From (the start of a time or location)
• ~made ($~まで$): Until or up to (the end of a time or location)
• ~to~ ($~と~$): And (used specifically to connect two nouns)

Polite conversational phrases include:

• Taihen desu ne ($たいへんですね$): "That's tough, isn't it?" A expression used to show sympathy toward someone's hard work or situation.
• Onegaishimasu ($おねがいします$): "Please" (used when requesting a service or item).
• ~o misetekudasai ($~をみせてください$): "Please show me (~)."
• Bangoo ($ばんごう$): Number (referring to a sequence like a phone number).
• Nanban ($なんばん$): "What number?"
• Sochira ($そちら$): "Your place" or toward you/your direction.

Proper Nouns: International Locations and Named Entities

The lesson includes several katakana transcriptions for international countries and cities, as well as specific names for fictional or real Japanese entities.

International Locations:

• Itaria ($イタリア$): Italy
• Nyuuyooku ($ニューヨーク$): New York
• Pekin ($ペキン$): Beijing
• Rosanzerusu ($ロサンゼルス$): Los Angeles
• Rondon ($ロンドン$): London
• Suisu ($スイス$): Switzerland
• Furansu ($フランス$): France
• Jakaruta ($ジャカルタ$): Jakarta
• Bankoku ($バンコク$): Bangkok
• Berurin ($ベルリン$): Berlin

Specific Entities (used for practice and examples):

• Asuka ($あすか$): Name of a station or a Japanese restaurant.
• Appuru ginkoo ($あっぷるぎんこう$): "Apple Bank."
• Midori toshokan ($みどりとしょかん$): "Midori Library."
• Yamato bijutsukan ($やまとびじゅつかん$): "Yamato Art Gallery/Museum."