Learn Japanese - Some of the basics you need to be polite while speaking Japanese.

In Japan, manners are important, and in this article you master several polite Japanese phrases. You're going to learn how to say 'Thank you' and 'i'm sorry' in Japanese.

• ありがとうございます。Arigatō gozaimasu. = Thank you. 

あ(A)り(RI)が(GA)と(TO)う(U)ご(GO)ざ(ZA)い(I)ま(MA)す(SU)。

'ありがとう Arigatō' means Thank you.
'ございます gozaimasu' increases the politeness level of the phrase.

• すみません。Sumimasen. = Excuse me.

す(SU)み(MI)ま(MA)せ(SE)ん(N)。

• ごめんなさい。Gomen nasai. = I'm sorry.

ご(GO)め(ME)ん(N)な(NA)さ(SA)い(I)。

• どうも。Dōmo. = Thanks.

ど(DO)う(U)も(MO)。

• ごめん。Gomen. = I'm sorry.

ご(GO)め(ME)ん(N)。
Be careful these are informal phrases so don't use them with the teachers or in a business situation.

Learn Japanese : Master Basic Greetings in Japanese! (2)

In a previous article we learned : こんにちは。Konnichiwa is a general greeting, meaning Hi or Hello, it also means good afternoon . In this article i'll show you more general greetings.

• おはよう ございます。Ohayō gozaimasu. = おはよう Ohayō means good morning and おはよう ございます。Ohayō gozaimasu. is a more polite way to say it.

• こんばんは。Konbanwa. = means good evening and usually people use it after sunset.

• おやすみなさい。Oyasuminasai. = means good night and usually used before going to bed. This phrase come from the verb やすむ Yasumu, wish means to take a rest. お O, is a prefix to make the phrase polite. 

When you want to say "Ohayō gozaimasu" or "Oyasuminasai" to your friends or family, you can say :
おはよう。Ohayō or おやすみ。Oyasumi.

Learn Japanese : Master Basic Greetings in Japanese!

In this article, you're going to learn a few tips to master basic Japanese greetings.
you're gonna to learn how to say : Hi, how are you? in Japanese and how to answer.
Here's a typical conversation you hear everyday in Japan :

• こんにちは。Konnichiwa = Hi or Hello.

Konnichiwa is a general greeting, meaning Hi or Hello. It also means good afternoon as one of the greetings for the day, but you can say konnichiwa all day long as greeting when you meet people.

• おげんきですか? O-genki desu ka? = literally means are you healthy? but it's used to mean How are you?.

お O = is the respectful prefix (polite marker).

げんき Genki = means healthy.
です Desu =  expresses politeness in Japanese. It can often be translated as the verb TO BE.
か Ka = a particle used to form questions.

To answer the question O-genki desu ka? you say :

• げんきです。Genki desu. = I'm fine. The only difference is you dropped the Ka when answering the question..

We can say the exact same thing with these two words :

• げんき? Genki? = How are you?
• げんき。Genki. = I'm fine.

The only difference is the intonation . Be careful this is a very informal conversation don't use it with the teacher or in business situations.

Learn to Introduce Yourself in Japanese!

In this article, you're going to learn how to introduce yourself in Japanese.
There are three sentences to do this and it's super easy.
Okey, here's the three lines :

• はじめまして。 Hajimemashite. = Nice to meet you.

This expression means "nice to meet you", (はじめまして。 Hajimemashite) literally means "for the first time". This phrase is often the first thing said when introducing oneself, and appropriate for all politeness level.

• わたしは--your name--です。Watashi wa--your name--desu. = I am --your name--

Japanese language has one tricky point : the verb comes at the end of the sentence.
So, わたし Watashi = I.
は Wa =  particle used to indicate the topic in a sentence.
です Desu = at the end of the sentence expresses politeness in Japanese. It can often be translated as the verb TO BE.
So, if your name is Robin you put わたしはロビンです。Watashi wa Robin desu.

• よろしくおねがいします。Yoroshiku onegai shimasu. = it’s a pleasure to meet you.

Yoroshiku means "good". By using this expression you're asking your interlocutor to be nice to you so that your relationship will get on well. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu is not only used in introducing yourself but when you are asking someone a favor.

We can say the exact same thing with these two words よろしく--your name--です。This is not for business meetings or formal situation but informal situations only :

• --your name--です。--your name--desu. Example : ロビンです。Robin desu. 

This means the same as Watashi wa Robin desu.

• よろしく Yoroshiku = it means exactly the same thing as Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

Now there's no excuse for you not to be able to introduce yourself in Japanese!

Japanese Language Learning Resource List

When we launched for the first time in learning Japanese, this long and exciting intellectual adventure, the most important thing and know where to begin and how to advance. I would like to create a running list of all the best resources, textbooks, apps, tools, and everything else that could be useful in the process of learning Japanese.

The way this will work is that anyone can post a resource here, and I will add it to the list. When you submit your item for addition, you should include a brief  description of what the tool is, how to find it (for example a link or download if applicable), and why you recommend it. If your tool is useful, I will add it into the list. Hopefully we can create a truly great reference point for everyone to use and learn from.

Textbooks

A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar by Seiichi Makino
This book simply has no peer. It is by far the clearest, most thorough, most concise and well-thought-out Japanese language resource out there. If you really want to understand Japanese and how it works, this is the tool for you.

Japanese Core Words and Phrases by Kakuko Shoji
This book seems quite useful, and is well-indexed... but this is really for intermediate to advanced students of Japanese. To use this book, you should be able to read some Kanji, and already have a good knowledge of Japanese sentence structure and a reasonable vocabulary.

Handbook of Modern Japanese Grammar by Yoko Matsuoka McClain
This book is excellent for intermediate level.

Japanese the Manga Way
This book it explains the grammar of Japanese by using manga. the speech is much more natural. You can also learn casual speech from this book, the author does make note of what is polite speech and what is casual speech.

Website

http://learnjapanesepod.com/kana-invaders/
It is pretty similar to space invaders (hence the name), you can choose if you want hiragana or katakana characters to "rain" down and to shoot the character you have to spell how it is pronunced for example; ひょ = hyo, グ = gu.

http://www.fluentu.com/
It's a site where you can pick out videos in native Japanese to watch and then learn the translation and grammar of the video. you can also select videos based on your skill level from beginner to advanced.

http://www.tofugu.com/
This website is not just about learning the Japanese language but also the culture of Japan. Many articles released from this site are about Japanese news and explanations of words and cultural norms.

How to say happy birthday in Japanese?

"happy birthday" is an expression that is regularly asked to translate in Japanese. The appropriate term for saying "happy birthday" in Japanese is "o tanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu" お誕生日 おめでとうございます.

• "o" お : is the polite particle
• "Tanjōbi" 誕生日: birthday
• "omedetō" おめでとう : congratulations
• "gozaimasu" ございます: means something like "very well"

"o tanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu" お誕生日 おめでとうございます is the full expression and polished, that you need to use with anyone who has a high social status, including the elderly, teachers, supervisors and foreigners. You can also use this expression with the people with whom you are familiar to emphasize greater sincerity.

you can say "tanjōbi omedetō" 誕生日 おめでとう, if it is a friend you're close.

• Ask someone's birthday date using "tanjōbi wa itsudesu ka?" 誕生日はいつですか？ 

Some insults in Japanese

Insults in Japanese, a vocabulary that can sometimes be useful in understanding common expressions in the mouth of some characters shonen, some movies and anime.

I suggest some insults used in Japanese. Most of the time, in the manga.

shit!	kuso	糞
damn	chikushō	畜生
idiot	baka	馬鹿
stupid	aho	アホ
the less polished version of idiot	bakayarō yarō konoyarō	馬鹿やろう 野郎 この野郎
to insult a grandmother to insult a grandfather	kusobaba kusojij	糞ばば 糞じじ
shut up	urusai	うるさい
shut up much less polite	damare	黙れ
motherfucker	onore kusotare kisama temee	己 糞たれ 貴様 テメー
ugly woman	busu	ブス
youngster	kozō	こぞう
go!	ike!	行け
liar	usotsuki	嘘つき

Obviously, there are still many, if you have any expressions not listed do not hesitate to leave a comment.
After all these insults, you might want to say "I love you" in Japanese!

How to Say Family Members in Japanese

Family 家族
In Japanese, there is a difference whether we speak of the members of his own family to a third party, members of the family of another person, or when one speaks directly to members of his family. The following table lists the various names listed by case.

	speak of members of his own family to a third party	speak of members of the family of another person	speaks directly to members of his family
Father	chichi 父	otousan お父さん	papa パパ / otousan お父さん
mother	Haha 母	okaasan お母さん	mama ママ / okaasan お母さん
Grandfather	sofu 祖父	ojiisan お祖父さん	ojiisan お祖父さん
Grandmother	sobo 祖母	obaasan お祖母さん	obaasan お祖母さん
Son	musuko 息子	musukosan 息子さん	"first name"
Daughter	musume 娘	musumesan 娘さん	"first name"
Grandchild	mago 孫	omagosan お孫さん	"first name"
Older brother	ani 兄	oniisan お兄さん	oniisan お兄さん / oniichan お兄ちゃん
Older sister	ane 姉	oneesan お姉さん	oneesan お姉さん / oneechan お姉ちゃん
Younger brother	otōto	otōtosan 弟さん	"first name"
Younger sister	imōto 妹	imōtosan 妹さん	"first name"
Husband	otto 夫	goshujin ご主人	"first name"
Wife	kanai 家内 / tsuma 妻	okusan 奥さん	"first name"

How to apologize in Japanese

In business, the following formula is used as an excuse: Sumimasen, Mōshiwakearimasen, Shitsureishimasu, Gomennasai. If you are late, for example, because of a transport problem that is not within your responsibility, apologize anyway. Whatever the reason, you have violated your promise... You must first apologize.

• す み ま せ ん Sumimasen

The first term that comes to mind to apologize in Japanese is す み ま せ ん Sumimasen.
You're probably already know this word, but think again, because it contains a lot more meanings than you might think ...

Honorific suffixes: san, kun, chan, sama, Senpai, Sensei

Honorific suffixes are associated with the names of the people we talk, or talked about (these honorary particles are placed after the name of the caller, even his name, but the family name priority). They are not used to self talk. Choosing a suffix or other gives indications on the relationship between two people. These particles are very contextual, so it is difficult to give absolute rules for their use

Tips for learning Japanese

Some do not necessarily measure the difficulty of learning Japanese and can be discouraged sooner or later. In this article, I propose simple and practical tips to help you progress in Japanese.

• Have a strong long-term motivation

Learning the language involves actually want and not be discouraged by the difficulties that arise anyway.
If you are not motivated, if you say "it sucks, I prefer to learn with a mobile app..." then you are not serious and acknowledge it, you will not make progress.

How to say "I love you" in Japanese?

The term "I love you" was among those that raised the most translation requests. Including Japanese language. I offer a summary of possible translations with explanations.

The most evident way to translate "I love you" in Japanese is:

あたしはあなたが好きです。"Watashi wa anata ga suki desu."

• あたし "watashi" = I; can be replaced by 私
• は "wa" is the particle for the subject.
• あなた "anata" = you
• が "ga" it's the particle for the object.
• 好き です "suki desu" which means love, or 好き だ "suki da".

the first part (あたしはあなたが "watashi wa anata ga") is quite formal and can do without, It is possible to add 大 "dai" before "suki", that's why you can hear just 大好きです "daisuki desu" or 大好きだ "daisuki da".
あたしはあなたを愛しています。Watashi wa anata o aishiteimasu. Its use is the same as あたしはあなたが好きです。Watashi wa anata ga suki desu. except that you replace the particle が "ga" par を "o".

How to tell Time in Japanese!

It is interesting to know how to ask and tell the time in Japanese.

But first, I suggest you read the numbers.

Numbers

In Japanese, the numbers are now writing mainly in Arabic figures, but of course there are Japanese characters for each.

How to say yes and no in Japanese!

There are different ways to express its approval or refusal in Japanese.

To say "yes" in Japanese, used:

The easiest way to say yes in Japanese is はい Hai.
は! Ha! formally, or ええ EE if the speaker is closer.
But actually mean validation, we can also use わかり まし た Wakarimashita (or わかっ た Wakatta less polished).
どうぞ Dozo, may also express "go" to respond favorably to a request.
However, there are other ways to acquiesce:
うん un or そう sô

To say "no" in Japanese, used:

いいえ iie formally, or いや iya if one is closer.
Japanese attach great importance to harmony in relationships. They do not like clearly refuse.
For example, to decline an offer or an invitation, they say ちょっと Chotto ... "Hmm," without responding directly.
すみません Sumimassen to apologize for not being able to respond to a request.

How to say hello and goodbye in Japanese

Hello and Goodbye are obviously part of polite expressions needed to interact with Japanese, for example, during a trip to Japan.

I suggest you make a point in this article.

To say "hello" in Japanese, used :

• Ohayo (gozaimasu) おはよう (ござい ます) : good morning (politely) 
• Konnichiwa こんにちは : hello, pronounced "kon'nitchiwa" 
• Konbanwa こんばんは : good evening 
• Ossu / yo おっす / よ : hello friends, rather masculine 
• Hajimemashite はじめまして : for a first meeting - If someone comes and tells you Hajimemashite はじめまして, you just have to answer the same expression
• Douzo yoroshiku どうぞよろしく : This term is often used with Hajimemashite はじめまして during presentations
• Tadaima modorimashita ただいま戻りました : when you get home - then responds  O-kaerinasai おかえりなさ : Welcome back
• (O) Hisashiburi (desu ne) - (お) 久しぶり (です ね) : it's been a long time (politely)

To say "goodbye" in Japanese, used :

• Sayonara さようなら : goodbye
• bye-bye バイバイ : for younger 
• Mataashita/ raishū/ raigetsu/ rainen また明日 / 来週 / 来月 / 来年 : tomorrow / week / month / next year 
• Itte kimasu いっ て き ます : when you leave the house - it then responds: Itte rasshai : いっ て らっしゃい 
• Oyasumi (Nasai) おやすみ (なさい) : good night (politely)