Cool Phrases in Japanese
NEW: Read the hints & tips I used to get fluent in Japanese.
Learning to speak Japanese is very easy! The problem is that most textbooks
tell you the sort of formal, boring stuff that, quite frankly, nobody really
uses! So on this page I'm going to teach you some cool little words and
phrases that'll have almost any Japanese person telling you how good
you are!
Click "next" on the animation below and move over the Japanese
characters to hear them pronounced.
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Here are some Japanese phrases from the animation:
"Kawaii" means "cute".
But everything in Japan seems to be cute!
Use it for everything from mobile phones,
to telling your friends how cute their kids
are!
"Suki" means "like",
and is pronounced similar to the winter
sport. If you say it like a question, it
means "Do you like this?". Your
answer can be a "suki", meaning
"Yes, I do!". Or try "karaoke,
suki?" meaning "Do you like karaoke?"
"O i shi i " means "delicious".
If you taste something nice, either
food
or drink, simply say "oishii"
to
give it your seal of approval! It can
often
be heard on TV cookery programmes!
"Su go i" simply means "cool"! When someone shows
you something, they do something great or you find something particularly
cool, simply say "Sugoi"! It's easy!
Or click here for more details on the Learn Japanese Numbers Page.
Learning to Read Japanese
Learning to speak Japanese is very easy because if you write it in the
Roman Alphabet (so it looks like English!), the sounds are pretty much
the same!
But if you learn the 46 letters of the Japanese "Katakana" alphabet, you'll be able to read a whole lot more! Try this talking page or the 4 katakana games to get an idea!
Move your mouse over the symbols below and you'll be able to hear the sounds, and some of the characters available in Japanese!
Recommended Courses
There are loads of great resources out there, and one of the good ones
is the "Pimsleur" series. They have a "Quick & Simple" starter pack and also a full on "Gold Course". They are well recommended if you want to learn Japanese, in January
I used it to learn everyday Spanish in a month!
Click here for more:
Or for slightly cheaper, but one that requires a bit more work, you can
have a look at the Living Language series. Although now I would prefer the Pimsleur course above, I actually used
the Living Language series myself when I first learnt Japanese. It's good,
but you have to keep repeating and repeating the same CDs, whereas the
Pimsleur makes you think more, and reviews the language as you go along.
Click for more.
If you teach English in Japan you might be interested in my new Classroom English / Classroom Japanese CD.
All the Japanese on this page is suitable
for either guys or girls, and is pretty normal,
everyday Japanese. This means it's not too
formal, but you'll be fine as long as you
don't say it to anyone too posh!
Read the hints & tips I used to get fluent in Japanese.
Email me if you have any questions or comments,
Email:
