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Welcome, so you want to learn Japanese well you've come to the right place then! Before we start to talk about the different Japanese writing systems namely Katakana, Hiragana and Kanji, it is good to start with some Japanese words and phrases written in Romāji (Western characters). Learning a new language is fun but can be daunting so lets start with the basics first of all. I have a quiz at the end to challenge your knowledge, good luck!
Japanese Numbers 1 to 10 Facts about Japan Japanese Food & Drink Time Weather & Seasons Hobbies & Likes Katakana, Hiragana & Kanji Japanese Verbs
How to say Thank You in Japanese:
How to say Good Morning, Good Afternoon & Good Evening in Japanese:
Time and Location:
How to ask for Directions in Japanese:
Task: Try introducing yourself using my guide.
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| Days of Week | Japanese Weekdays |
|---|---|
| Sun | Nichiyōbi |
| Mon | Getsuyōbi |
| Tues | Kayōbi |
| Wed | Suiyōbi |
| Thurs | Mokuyōbi |
| Fri | Kinyōbi |
| Sat | Doyōbi |
| Month of Year | Japanese Months |
|---|---|
| January | Ichigatsu |
| February | Nigatsu |
| March | Sangatsu |
| April | Shigatsu |
| May | Gogatsu |
| June | Rokugatsu |
| July | Shichigatsu |
| August | Hachigatsu |
| September | Kugatsu |
| October | Jūgatsu |
| November | Jūichigatsu |
| December | Jūnigatsu |
| Number | In Japanese |
|---|---|
| 0 | Zero/Rei |
| 1 | Ichi |
| 2 | Ni |
| 3 | San |
| 4 | Yon or Shi |
| 5 | Go |
| 6 | Roku |
| 7 | Shichi or Nana |
| 8 | Hachi |
| 9 | Ku or Kyū |
| 10 | Jū |
| 50 | Gojū |
| 100 | Hyaku |
| 500 | Gohyaku |
| 1000 | Sen or Issen |
| 5000 | Gosen |
| 10,000 | Ichiman |
| 100,000 | Jūman |
| 1,000,000 | Hyakuman |
Task: Try counting from 1 up to 10, then cover the numbers or look away and try it.
If you add a number to Jū(10) you can make another number. 12 would be Jūni for example. 20 would be Nijū and 30 would be Sanjū and so on. 25 would be Nijūgo. To say your age in Japanese just add sai to the number. For example age 34 would be 'Watashi wa Sanjūyon-sai desu' (I am 34). Note, there are some exceptions. For age 20, to say you are aged 20 you would say 'Watashi wa hatachi-sai desu' (I am 20). If the age ends in 0, 1 or 8 it is jūssai(10), jūissai(11) and jūhassai(18) respectively.
I have some additional information regarding numbers which you will learn about in the Katakana, Hiragana & Kanji section.
Japan (Nihon) has a population in excess of 120 million with four main islands, the current capital is Tōkyō on the main island of Honshu. The far north has a cold climate and the southern end has a humid and warm climate. The other three main islands consist of Hokkaidō (far north), Kyushu (far south) and Shikoku (far south). The highest mountain is known as Fuji-san or Mount Fuji.
| Food (Tabemono) & Drink (Nomimono) | Japanese (Nihongo) |
|---|---|
| Apple | Ringo |
| Water | Mizu |
| Coffee | Kōhī |
| Cake | Keki |
| Fish | Sakana |
| Green tea | Ocha |
| Milk | Gyūnyū (pronounced gewnew) |
| Bread | Pan |
| Black tea | Kocha |
| Meat | Niku |
| Rice | Gohan/raisu |
| Egg | Tamago |
| Juice | Jūsu |
| Orange | Orenji |
| Strawberry | Sutoroberī |
| Meal | Shokuji |
| Breakfast | Asagohan/Chōshoku |
| Lunch | Hirugohan |
| Dinner | Bangohan/Yorugohan |
| Chocolate | Chokoretto |
| Chicken/Poultry | Toriniku |
| Curry | Karē |
As you've learned previously, to ask what time it is you would say 'Ima nanji desu ka'.
The word for hobby is shumi and below is a list of a few:
Then, you just put your hobby in front like so - Yachō kansatsu ga suki desu. (I like bird watching). You can also say this - shumi wa tenisu desu (my hobby is tennis). Alternatively, you could say 'supōtsu wa rokku kuraimingu ga suki desu' which means the sport I like is rock climbing.
You can either grab a pen and paper or just use the text box below to write your answers. Once you're happy with your answers press the button below to reveal the correct answers.
There is more info on how to pronounce the vowels on the 'Learn Katakana, Hiragana & Kanji' section of this site. If you were wondering what the symbols on the banner image were they are the Kanji characters for Nihongo, the Japanese Language. Simon Towler has many hours of Japanese language experience. I hope to further my understanding of the Japanese language.
As part of my future plans I may update the site to include an intermediate/advanced Japanese section as the content listed on this site is only about 5 or 10% of the Japanese I know, we will see. Be sure to bookmark this site. If I've helped you to learn Japanese there is a donation link below.