bexstudysnihon

[bexstudysnihon]

geisha are absolutely not prostitutes btw

They are the equivalent to strippers here. They never engaged in sex acts but if you look throughout their history they were not treated well. Most being sold into that profession.

#Jpn history

[bexstudysnihon]

せせこましい

narrow, narrow-minded

[bexstudysnihon]

ASKING ABOUT JAPANESE (IN JAPANESE)

****If there are corrections or additions I should make to this list, please send me a message!****

So I just started using HelloTalk for Japanese, and found out pretty quickly that asking people to help you IN Japanese gets you MUCH better answers so long as you’re up to the challenge of figuring out slightly more complicated explanations! Here are some ways to do that:

THINGS TO ASK

Can I ask you a question?

ちょっと質問していいですか？

How do you say “_____” in Japanese?

「＿＿＿」は日本語で何と言いますか？

日本語で「＿＿＿」はどうやって言いますか？

What does “_____” mean?

「＿＿＿」の意味はなんですか？

「＿＿＿」って、どういう意味ですか？

Could you please correct my sentences/check them for errors?

文章を直してください/くれませんか/もらえませんか

間違いがあるかどうかチェックしてもらえますか？

What is the difference between “__” and “__”?

「＿＿」と「＿＿」の違いは何ですか？

Which one sounds more natural?

どちらがもっと自然に聞こえますか？

どちらの方が自然ですか？

What kind of situation should I use it in?

どんな場合に使いますか？

Is there another way to say it?

日本語で同じような言い回しがありますか？

How would you say it?

___さんなら、これを何と言いますか？

Do people normally use this word/phrase?

このフレーズ/言葉を普段使いますか？

How do I use (this word/phrase)

「＿＿＿」をどうやって使いますか？

Is it similar to/Is it like “_____,” for example?

「＿＿＿」という事ですか？

「＿＿＿」と同じような意味ですか？

AND IF U DIDNT REALLY GET THEIR CORRECTIONS/COMMENTS:

I’m sorry, I didn’t really understand “_____.” Could you explain it to me?

（すみません、「＿＿＿」はよく分からなくて）、ちょっと説明してもらえませんか？

I’m sorry, would you mind explaining your corrections?

すみません、訂正を説明してもらえませんか？

OTHER TIPS

Say thank you afterward!

The sentences above are mostly starting points. The more you talk to people, the more you’ll notice how people ask things like “Oh, can you explain that thing on the bottom?” or “So it’s okay if I say this instead of this?” etc. etc. But these sentences will help you get on your feet!

What I sometimes like to do if they’re using really complicated Japanese to explain to me, it try to explain it in my own words and then add っていうことですか？ to find out if I’m understanding right!

Challenge yourself by answering Japanese-speakers’s questions in Japanese! You’d be surprised how much you can learn about explaining just by reading explanations!

Good luck! Please let me know if you have any questions! <3 頑張ってください！皆さん何か聞きたいことがあったら、何でも聞いてくださいね！<3

-Maka

[bexstudysnihon]

Audiobooks in Japanese

So, I was looking for some websites that could offer us some free resources to improve listening skills and I came across with these sites.  

Aozora Roudoku

The best website out there. You can search audiobooks by the author’s name or by the work’s name. There are tons of authors, Japanese and non-Japanese. From Ryuunosuke Akutagawa to Oscar Wilde. You can find the audio transcript in Aozora Bunko by writing the title of the work in the search bar. 

LibriBox

Audiobooks from the free domain read by volunteers. There are collections of stories as well as solo works like novels. However, all of them are from Japanese authors.

Youtube

You can also find audio books or picture books that are read aloud on Youtube. Type 朗読 (to read aloud) in the Youtube search bar and you will encounter a wide variety of options. Listening to this videos helps my listening comprehension a lot and I learn more vocabulary as well. Even if you are at a beginner level I totally recommend listening to audios (picture books, audiobooks, folktales, short stories, podcasts etc) in order to get familiar with the Japanese pitch accent.   

Ryokan-sama: This is an example of an audiobook in Japanese with Japanese captions. Captions are important to me so I can pint point new vocabulary or grammar.

Kurai Tokoro Kara Yattekuru: This is an example of a picture book 絵本 read aloud 読み聞かせ.

Sannen Netaro: This one is a folk tale narrated out loud.

[bexstudysnihon]

Japanese YouTubers I watch for listening practice

のってん- Unboxing and presentation of toys. She’s very funny and speaks fast, so hearing her is very good listening practice.

Minicuteclub - Also toy unboxing and some tutorials.

ハピバニChannel - Two little, cute girls are the protagonists in the videos. Mostly blogs, sometimes you unboxing. Great to get used to the way a native Japanese child speaks and to very informal, short speech.

中野恵那ちゃんえな - Beauty blogs.

さぁや Saaya - Beauty blogs. She does very cute and useful makeup tutorials.

Miniature room - Love miniature stuff? This channel is awesome! Not speaking though…

なかねんわ-るど - Miscellaneous blogs.

JPCMHD - Japanese TV commercials. You can know the culture of a country by looking at the way they try to sell stuff.

こばしり - More beauty blogs! Great makeup tutorials.

まあたその「ほぼメイキャンネル」- Funny blogs. She speaks very energetic and fast!

はじめしゃちょ-の - Still trying to figure out what this channel objective really is. It’s a bunch of guys yelling in a funny way. I like it, though. Seems very popular, since their videos are almost always on trend.

[bexstudysnihon]

～ たがる／～ほしがっている - ACT LIKE/ACT LIKE YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING/ACT LIKE YOU WANT SOMETHING —————————————————————————————————— See all JLPT N4, N3, and N2 grammar revision points HERE ——————————————————————————————————

Grammar　文法：

いadjective: ーい, +がる e.g. 怖い -> 怖がる なadjective: ーな, +がる e.g. 静かな -> 静かがる Verb (past た form) + がる Noun を／が　ほしがっている

たがる (conjugated from たい - to want) and ほしがっている (from ほしい - to want an object) are used when describing when someone acts as if they want to do something (in the case of たがる) or want something specific e.g. an object (in the case of ほしがっている

Meaning　意味：

This grammar point is used when you are guessing how someone is acting or what someone wants based purely on observation. Say, for example, someone is grinning ear to ear. You could say ‘She’s acting like she’s happy right now!’. (幸せがる) [happy is an adjective] In terms of wanting something, your girlfriend could be making hints at how much she loves roses near valentines day. You could use this to say ‘Boy, she’s really acting like she wants some roses for Valentines day!’ （X を/が　ほしがっている) [when a specific object is wanted, use ほしがっている]

Examples　例え：

彼　は　怖がる！ He’s acting all scared!

怖い is conjugated here, as we are talking about an adjective

彼女　は　いつも　泳ぎたがる・・・ She always acts like she wants to go swimming…

+ たがる is used because it is the conjugated form of ‘泳ぎたい’ - want to go swimming. It’s a verbal action, not an adjective or specific object of desire.

妻 は ルイヴィトンのバッグ を ほしがっているんだけど、そんなもん、買えないでしょう！ My wife is acting like she wants a Louis Vuitton Bag, but I can’t afford things like that!

+　ほしがっている is used instead of たがる because we are talking about what she wants, not what she wants to do (using a verb).

[bexstudysnihon]

April showered us with tons of lovely new Japanese learning resources. We have an amazing selection: new apps, new shows, new games—even a brand-new social media platform just for Japanese speakers! (Whaaaat?!) Let’s go!

和日帳: Wanicchou

Jishonari

日本語人: Nihongozin

Rilakkuma and Kaoru

少年ジャンマガ学園

Hiragana Easy

npckc games

Read more!

[bexstudysnihon]

Lesser Known Language Learning Tips

((ways that get you closer to learning as you did with your first language))

–most ideas were found in “How to Learn a Language : INPUT (why most methods don’t work)” (see below)

1. Context

Comprehensible input is key. Receiving the language in “messages” that you can understand. Having visual aids (show/movie) or not being completely blind to the content (reading a book you already know in a different language) are good examples.

Acquisition not just rote memorization is the point. In one video I watched this was explained as: being told a joke and immediately getting it vs. having the details of a joke explained to you. You will hold onto that information because it made intuitive sense to you (and also maybe was interesting to you). Relying on your brain’s natural pattern recognition systems will do you better.

2. Maximizing Input

If you would watch a video in a foreign language, it’s best to watch with subtitles in that language and watch with a good amount of focus. Reading a book is alright as well but the input isn’t as great because you don’t have all the sensory information available in videos (and especially if you consider the rate of input). Also, you would be driven to look more words and grammar structures up in a book (most of which you won’t even retain). Allowing your brain to receive this information passively is actually good! You won’t notice all that your brain absorbs in that moment but in downtime, your subconscious behind to recall and connect and store details, or certain small details may resurface later. Stricter forms of learning shouldn’t be done away with entirely of course, it can trigger acquisition to some degree anyway. And if you’re taking a class, acquisition isn’t always the quickest way to learn the material.

3. Talking =/= Practice

Talking and conversations themselves are not the key for language acquisition. Instead, shadowing seems to be a more important method to use. Shadowing consists of watching native speakers (preferably in video) and mimicking them. Copying the movements of their mouths and getting a hang of the phonemes in the language are something that this method offers. You are also bound to begin distinguishing between different accents and colloquial vs formal speech. When starting with a new language (especially one with vastly different sounds from any you speak), it is important not to overextend yourself. Don’t reach the point of frustration. It’s suggested that you begin with just a few syllables. You can slowly extend the amount of time you spend in practice. Additional tips: slowing down the video + recording your voice to track your inprovement in pronunciation

4) Making your experience positive

Immediately forcing yourself to speak with other people is actually not the greatest for everyone. You may start associating the language with negativity due to embarrassment and shame. As a result, you may be less inclined to study or place mental blocks in your mind. Causing yourself to get overly frustrated while studying is also not a good idea.

[bexstudysnihon]

Japanese Space Vocabulary

english - japanese

space/universe -  宇宙 (うちゅう - uchū)

alien -  宇宙人 (うちゅうじん -  uchūjin)

astronaut -  宇宙飛行士 (うちゅう ひこうし - uchūhikōshi)

spaceship -  宇宙船 (うちゅうせん - uchūsen)

spacesuit -  宇宙服 (うちゅう ふく-  uchūfuku)

star -  星 (ほし - hoshi)

planet -  惑星 (わくせい - wakusei)

comet -  彗星 (すいせい - suisei)

asteroid - 小惑星 (しょう わくせい - shō wakusei)

meteor - 流星 (りゅうせい - ryūsei)

meteor shower -  流星群 (りゅうせい ぐん- ryūseigun)

galaxy -  銀河˙’系’ ( ぎんが’けい’ - ginga’kei’)

nebula - 星雲 (せいうん - seiun)

sun -  太陽 (たいよう - taiyō)

solar system -  太陽系 (たいようけい - taiyōkei)

moon -  月 (つき - tsuki)

eclipse -  食 (っしょく - shoku)

solar eclipse -  日食 (にっしょく - nisshoku)

lunar eclipse - 月食  (げっしょく - gesshoku)

constellation -  星座 (せいざ- seiza)

a profound, mysterious sense of the beauty of the universe  -  幽玄  (ゆうげん -yuugen)

we are not alone - 私たちは一人じない ( わたし-たち は ひとり じ ない - watashitachi wa hitori jinai)

[bexstudysnihon]

Using 感じ to express your feelings in Japanese

A lot of people seem to think that expressing your feelings in Japanese is difficult, and while it can be, there are a lot of different variations used in Japanese to express feelings. I promise it isn’t that bad!

First, let’s start with some vocabulary:

喜怒哀楽

きどあいらく = human emotions (joy, anger, humor, etc)

Common Nouns: In Japanese, い-adjectives can often become nouns (高い = tall, 高さ = height). Be careful not to use adjectives on accident when you should use nouns!

気持ち（きもち）feeling(s)

気分（きぶん）feeling(s)/mood

感情（かんじょう）emotions

喜び（よろこび）delight

幸せ（しあわせ）happiness

怒り（いかり）anger

悲しみ（かなしみ）sadness

Common Verbs: Similarly, a lot of adjectives/nouns and verbs share the same stems, but will have different endings. Be careful!

喜ぶ（よろこぶ）to be delighted

悲しむ（かなしむ）to be sad

怒る（おこる）to be/get angry

激怒する（げきどする）to be furious

憤慨する（ふんがいする）to be furious

You’ll commonly see these verbs appear in て-form in order to describe a present state, such as 怒っている (to be in a state of anger) or 喜んでいる (to be in a state of delight).

Common Adjectives:

嬉しい（うれしい）happy

悲しい（かなしい）sad

楽しい（たのしい）fun

辛い（つらい）hard/tough/painful

きつい　hard/tough

凄い（すごい）wow, great

やばい　expresses various things

When describing your own happiness, it’s more natural to use 嬉しい and not 喜んでいる. However, when describing someone else’s happiness, you should use 喜んでいる and not 嬉しい.

辛い（辛い）and 辛い（からい）look the exact same, but one means “tough” and the other means “spicy.” Pay attention to context!

Expressing your emotions

When describing your own emotions, it’s actually quite uncommon to use any first person pronouns (such as 私) unless the subject is not at all clear. Likely, though, the subject is you and the listener knows this.

Joy & Happiness

あ〜、嬉しいな！ー I’m happy! 　な is often used in Japanese when expressing your feelings 　あ, ああ, and あー are also often used やった〜！ー Yay! イェーイ！ー Yaaay! 楽しい！ー Fun! 楽しすぎる ー Using すぎる can express the nuance of “too much fun” ワクワクする ー I’m getting excited! 　It’s common in Japanese to use onomatopoeia to express emotion! すごい！ー Wow! Great! 　This is commonly used in variations (すご〜い！すげえ！and so on)

Relief & Surprise

あ〜、よかった！ー I’m relieved! 安心した（あんしん）ー I feel relieved. え〜！ー What? うそ！ー No way! まさか ー No way! It can’t be true. まじ ー Really? No way! Seriously? まじか ー Really? No way! Seriously? 　This one is sometimes seen as more masculine 信じられない ー I can’t believe it

Nervousness & Sadness

緊張する（きんちょう）ー I’m nervous… 　Really common, and can also be used in its て-form! ドキドキする ー I feel nervous. 悲しい（かなしい）ー I’m sad. 寂しい（さみしい・さびしい）ー I’m lonely / I miss someone 憂鬱（ゆううつ）ー Depression 気が滅入る（きがめいる）ー I feel depressed がっかり ー I’m disappointed 落ち込む（おちこむ）ー I’m getting upset!

Anger

ひどい！ー That’s terrible! You’re awful! イライラする ー I feel irritated 頭にきた ー I’m so pissed off ムカつく ー I’m angry

Embarrassment: 恥ずかしい（はずかしい）ー I’m embarrassed. Fear: 怖い（こわい）ー I’m scared. Envy: 羨ましい（うらやましい）ー I’m jealous.

Using 感じ and 感じる

If you talk to a Japanese person for any length of time, you’ll hear this come up quite often. The readings are ���かんじ” and “かんじる”. Remember that the meaning of 感 is “feeling,” so if you see it in kanji compounds you’re likely dealing with someone to do with feeling (emotion or otherwise).

感じ is the noun form and 感じる is the verb form:

どんな感じがしましたか？How did you feel?

どんな感じましたか？How did you feel?

These feelings can be both physical and emotional.

変な感じがした… へんなかんじがした… I felt strange…

彼女はなんか冷たい感じがするね。 かのじょはなんかつめたいかんじがするね。 She seems to be kind of cold, huh?

地震があったみたいだけど何も感じなかった。 じしんがあったみたいだけどなにもかんじなかった。 It seems there was an earthquake but I didn’t feel anything.

There are a lot of colloquial uses as well, particularly: って感じ, which is a really common way for Japanese to express the feeling of “it’s like…”

学校はね…もういいかなって感じ。 I think I’ve had enough with school.

私ばかり働いているって感じ。 I feel like I’m the only one that works.

You can use って感じ in a lot of ways, and it’s especially common when speaking.

気がする

Use this when expressing that you sense something/feel something but can’t quite understand why you feel that way.

If you’re breaking up with your significant other, you might say something like 私たち、もう終わりのような気がする which roughly translates to “I feel like we’re over now.”

面白いことが起きるみたいな気がする… おもしろいことがおきるみたいなきがする… I feel like something interesting will happen…

旅行したい気がする。 りょこうしたいきがする。 I feel like going on a trip.

食べる気がしない。 たべるきがしない。 I don’t feel like eating.

Try to express your emotions as much as possible when talking to people, especially if you’re talking about your day or something that you did with that person. It adds a personal touch and will make sure your conversation remains warm for both of you.

頑張ってください！

[bexstudysnihon]

Japanese listening practice for beginners - Youtube videos

“キッズボンボン for Children” channel

All of the videos on this list have Japanese subtitles. It is mostly in ひらがな and the words are separated. This and the fact that these videos are aimed for children, makes them great for beginners.

PEACH BOY - MOMOTARO (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

KINTARO (Japanese) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

USHIWAKAMARU (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

SHINING PRINCESS (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

THE TONGUELESS SPARROW (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

THE DANCING KETTLE (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

THE STORY OF THE MONKEY AND THE CRAB (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

CLACK CLACK MOUNTAIN (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

OLD MAN WITH THE LUMP (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

OLD MAN FLOWER (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

THE YOUNG MONK IKKYU (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

THE GRATEFUL CRANE (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

URASHIMA TARO (JAPANESE) / うらしまたろう - 浦島太郎（日本語版）Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

THE SNOW WOMAN (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

THE ROLLING RICE BALL (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy

INCH BOY (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

THE CHILD GODS (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

THE STORY OF THE ZODIAC (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

All of these videos have an English version on this channel. Search for them or click on this playlist. You can use both versions to study what’s being said.

SNOW WHITE (JAPANESE) fairytale | Folktales | bedtime stories

THUMBLINA (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

PETER PAN (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

A DOG OF FLANDERS (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

PINOCCHIO (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

PUSS IN BOOTS (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

ALADDIN AND THE MAGIC LAMP (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN LITTLE GOATS (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

CINDERELLA (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

THE LITTLE MATCH SELLER | Folktales | bedtime stories

HE MERMAID PRINCESS | Folktales | bedtime stories

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD | Folktales | bedtime stories

THE THREE LITTLE PIGS (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

THE ADVENTURE OF TOM SAWYER (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime

THE WIZARD OF OZ (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

THE UGLY DUCKLING (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

All of these videos have an English version on this channel. Search for them or click on this playlist. You can use both versions to study what’s being said.

[bexstudysnihon]

Whatevers in Japanese

There are different expressions in Japanese that can be understood as “whatever”:

なんでもいい。"Anything’s fine"

どうでもいい。"Any way is fine"

どこでもいい。"Any place is fine"

いつでもいい。"Any time is fine"

だれでもいい。"Anyone will do"

かってにして。"Do what you want"

まいいか。"well,I guess that’s fine"

ワットエバ。"whatever(in English)“

Hope this was useful to you all mina-san!

がんばてくださいみなさん！〜

[bexstudysnihon]

💬 Onomatopoeic/Mimetic Vocab List 💬

A few of my favourite onomatopoeic words! I might make a part 2 at some point? Please feel free to correct any errors! ♡

うらうら…gently and clearly shining

オロオロ…flustered bewilderment

くんくん…sniffing, especially a dog

ケロケロ…ribbit sound

ごろごろ…purring sound, or idleness

さやさや…soft rustling sound

さばさば…relieved, refreshed or easy going

しとしと…light rain or drizzle

すやすや…sleeping peacefully or soundly

そっと…softly, gently

ちびちび…little by little

ちんまり…snugly, cosily

ほんわか…warm, cosy, pleasant

テコテコ…the sound of walking

なんたらかんたら…something or other, “what do you call it?”

ふわふわ…soft, fluffy

ムギュウ…squeezing, hugging

メロメロ…madly in love or falling down drunk

もぐもぐ…chewing food, similar to “nom nom”

もじもじ…bashfully

りんりん…bell ringing or chiming

わくわく…trembling, nervousness or excitement

にゃん…meow

わんわん…woof

[bexstudysnihon]

🌱Nature+Animals Vocab List🌱

My longest vocabulary list so far! Please feel free to correct any errors! ♡

植物(しょくぶつ)…plant

木(き)…tree

林(はやし)…woods

森(もり)…forest

竹(たけ)…bamboo

カクタス…cactus

苔(こけ)…moss

花(はな)…flower

草(くさ)…grass

土(つち)…soil/earth

石(いし)…stone

山(やま)…mountain

火山(かざん)…volcano

水溜り(みずたまり)…puddle

池(いけ)…pond

川(かわ)…river

海(うみ)…ocean

動物(どうぶつ)…animal

猫(ねこ)…cat

犬(いぬ)…dog

狐(きつね)…fox

狸(たぬき)…raccoon dog

ウサギ…rabbit

リス…squirrel

鼠(ねずみ)…mouse

鳥(とり)…bird

魚(さかな)…fish

貝(かい)…shellfish

馬(うま)…horse

鹿(しか)…deer

牛(うし)…cow

豚(ぶた)…pig

蛙(かえる)…frog

蝸牛(かたつむり)…snail

蜥蜴(とかげ)…lizard

猿(さる)…monkey

ライオン…lion

虎(とら)…tiger

狼(おおかみ)…wolf

熊(くま)…bear

虫(むし)…insect

蜂(はち)…bee

バタフライ…butterfly

てんとう虫(てんとうちゅう)…ladybug

甲虫(こうちゅう)…beetle

蛾(が)…moth

蟻(あり)…ant

[bexstudysnihon]

I’ve just found this adorable series and I cannot recommend it enough! The narration is elementary level Japanese with English subtitles, and most of the captions are in Hiragana, so it’s fairly easy to understand for beginners like myself. Give it a try, it’s the cutest! Marumofubiyori is quickly becoming one of my favourite Sanrio characters! (*´꒳`*)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jupjy33zRf0

[bexstudysnihon]

Difference Between Male and Female Japanese Speech (“How-to avoid sounding too girly or boyish in Japanese?”)

PREFACE:

“How do I avoid sounding too girly/boyish when speaking Japanese?” is one of the most common questions we get; and to be completely honest, it is usually asked by learners of the Japanese language who are at a fairly beginner level. Our guess is that most people asking this question have started learning Japanese by somewhat unconventional means (e.g. befriending a native Japanese speaker and starting to learn from them as opposed to beginning from a textbook). In these cases, probably the best general response to this concern is:

Inadvertently sounding too masculine or feminine in Japanese isn’t a big deal at all, so there’s no need to fret over it.

One, because native Japanese speakers-and even non-native Japanese speakers will surely understand if you don’t have a mastery of gender-based speech when just starting out. You can stick to gender-neutral speech instead of having to worry about mastering female and male speech too when you already have so much vocabulary, grammar, kanji, etc. on your plate to learn.

Two, because a fully fleshed out answer to the question “How do I avoid sounding too girly/boyish when speaking Japanese?” involves referring to a lot of Japanese language topics, including some that are relatively intermediate level and thereby some that you might have trouble following if you’re still fairly new to the language.

Nonetheless, we are still indeed going to go into said fully fleshed out answer in this lesson below; and having said that, now is perhaps the best time to provide a list of prerequisite lessons before we begin.

Prerequisite(s):

First Person Pronouns, or, Ways to Say “I” in Japanese (Post | Video)

Second-Person Pronouns, or, Ways to Say “You” in Japanese (Post | Video)

ね and よ as Final Particles (Post | Video)

Conjugations of Desu (です) (Post | Video)

Introduction to Adjectives (い-Adjectives and な-Adjectives) (Post | Video)

Conjugating い-Adjectives (Post | Video)

Conjugating な-Adjectives (Post | Video)

Japanese Word Beautifiers お and ご (Post | Video)

Prerequisite(s):

*specifically for the examples incidentally provided below, not necessarily required to understand the key concepts of this lesson

Desiderative たい-Form (Pre-ます-Form VERB + たい as “want to VERB”) (Post | Video)

Negative ない Form (Verb Conjugation) (Post | Video) 

In many languages across the world, there is a clear distinction between masculinity and femininity.

For example, the Spanish language assigns a “grammatical” gender to every single noun word, even nouns words that represent inanimate objects with no physical gender.

The Japanese language employs a difference based upon gender in a much lighter sense, in that male speakers and female speakers tend to speak in a slightly different way in certain points in their speech; but even if a male speaker chooses (inadvertently or not) to sound like-or come off as, a female speaker with more feminine speech (or vice-versa) their language will still be one-hundred percent grammatically correct.

In this sense, gender-based Japanese speech is quite stylistic, which is to say it only appears in casual Japanese speech. Due to this, beginner-level learners of the Japanese language are likely not to come across this topic if their curriculum is textbook-heavy, as textbooks use formal and written language, which is both considered the more standardized Japanese and essentially gender-neutral.

All in all, the differences between male and female speech in the Japanese language are not prominently observable until first, what is being observed is an actual conversation and not just textbook content; and two, the participants of said conversation have transitioned from polite speech to casual speech and have become comfortable enough with their addressees to convey their personality more by speaking in a more masculine or feminine manner.

We separate the differences between male and female Japanese speech into three categories, in order of most distinguishing of gender:

Usage of Pronouns (First and Second Person)

Sentence Enders (Particles)

Select Vocabulary and Phrases

We also make a general distinction between male and female Japanese speech that these categories will follow:

Female-to-male speech can also be interpreted (perhaps more reliably so, in terms of a mnemonic device) as polite-to-rough speech. As unfair as it may seem, female speech in Japan is often associated with being more polite, reserved, and respectful, while male speech is considered more forward, rough, and crude.

#01. Usage of Pronouns (First and Second Person)

Female:

あたし (atashi) - First-person pronoun derived from the gender neutral 私 (watashi), considered more cute

*The use of one’s own name to address oneself (i.e. referring to oneself in the third person) is also considered more habitually done by female speakers, as it can come off as cute.

Male:

僕 (boku) - The most commonly used first person for male speakers

俺 (ore) - Considered even more masculine than 僕 (boku) and more present in especially casual conversations amongst male friends as opposed to formal situations

*Female speakers may be heard using both male pronouns above for whatever reason.

Second Person Pronouns:

While first person pronouns are more indicative of one’s self identity, second person pronouns are more dependent on the addressee of the speaker and what relationship the speaker has with them. As such, second person pronouns can vary heavily even when focusing on the topic of gender. Refer to Second-Person Pronouns, or, Ways to Say “You” in Japanese (Post | Video) for more information.

#02. Sentence Enders (Particles)

Female:

Using わ (wa) in place of よ (yo) - Naturally has a softer sound. わよ (wayo) is also a possibility.

*One of the female points of speech representative of an older female generation and may become rare when transitioning from fictional Japanese media (anime, movies, drama, etc.) to real life conversation

*This should also not to be confused with the common Kansai dialect usage of わ (wa), which is not female-specific

Sentence-ending particle の (no) used for statements - While the sentence-ending particle の (no) is commonly used by both genders when asking questions, it is more habitually used by female speakers when making statements. のよ (noyo) is also a possibility.

Using かしら (kashira) in place of かな (kana) - Expresses more wonderment, more feminine

*One of the female points of speech representative of an older female generation and may become rare when transitioning from fictional Japanese media (anime, movies, drama, etc.) to real life conversation

Example(s):

これが本当かしら Kore ga hontou kashira “Could this be true?”

Male:

だ (da) - The copula with loads of grammatical context. When viewed specifically through the lens of female-male speech, だ (da) is considered to add masculinity to speech because it is emphatic and declarative. So, while in a lot of cases the presence of だ (da) is grammatically required, it can be construed as masculine when it is used in a case wherein it is optional (e.g. after a NOUN or な-Adjective word). Since だ (da) has such an integral grammatical function that transcends gender-based speech and thereby female speakers are naturally bound to use this effect as well, there are select cases wherein male speakers will use an emphatic and declarative だ (da) to avoid sounding too feminine (e.g. before the sentence-ending particles ね, な and よ).

Example(s):

素敵だね Suteki da ne “Isn’t It Wonderful?” [masculine]

素敵ね Suteki ne “Isn’t It Wonderful?” [feminine]

*Of course, let’s take note here that the Final Fantasy X video game ballad entitled 素敵だね does in fact exist and is quite probably written from the prospective of a female character to remind us this isn’t a one-hundred percent reliable indicator of gender.

素晴らしいね Subarashii ne “Wonderful, huh?” [gender neutral] *Considered gender-neutral because it is grammatically incorrect to include the copula だ (da) after an い-Adjective at all, so there’s no way to deem this sentence as either more feminine or masculine.

Changing the あい sounds into えぇ - Most commonly done for the Negative-ない Form of words and い-Adjectives, e.g. のまない (nomanai) into のまねぇ (nomanee) and たかい (takai) into たけぇ (takee) into “do not drink” and “tall” respectively (notice how the definition does not change whatsoever).

*May branch out to other adjective words with slightly different sound endings as well, e.g. すごい (sugoi) into すげぇ (sugee).

Adding い to the end of certain sentence-ending particles - Most apparently done with the sentence-ending particle for marking questions, か (ka), and the copula だ (da), to form かい and だい respectively. Meaning does not change.

Example(s):

いいかい! Ii kai! “Listen, you!”

そうかい！ Sou kai! “Is that so!”

一緒に行くかい？ Issho ni ikukai? “Shall we go together?”

調子はどうだい？ Choushi wa doudai? “How are you?”

Sentence-ending particles ぞ and ぜ - Considered very masculine, commonly used in imperative statements. While heavily used in fictional Japanese media (anime, movies, drama, etc.) to emphasize boyish and masculine characters, also considerably present in real life conversations.

*ぜ is considered to be used more by children as opposed to adults-and further, is said to have greatly dwindled in usage in real life conversation.

Example(s):

やっぱ　あんた　すげぇぜ。 Yappa anta sugee ze. “You really are amazing.”

修業の成果だぜ！ Shuugyou no seika da ze! “This is the fruits of my training!”

わくわくしてきたぞー！ Waku waku shite kita zo-! “I’m getting more and more fired up!”

一緒に帰るぞー！ Issho ni kaeru zo-! “Let’s head back together!”

Changing the sentence-ending particle ね to な - The affirmation seeking sentence-ending particle ね is changed to な, invoking a rougher sound. The multi-faceted ね here, while commonly considered to express seeking affirmation to your statement, changes more into affirming your own statement or desire as な. The same tone of kind of throwing a thought out into the air is still present.

Example(s):

いいな Ii na “That sure sounds nice (I’m envious)!”

旅行したいな Ryokou shitai na “I sure would love to go on a trip.”

#03. Select Vocabulary and Phrases

Beautifiers

Phrases

Words

Beautifiers:

Female speakers are considered to much more habitually use what are called word beautifiers (美化語), which entails adding the character お (o) or ご (go) before certain noun words in order to express a politeness.

Example(s):

お買い物 (‘okaimono/shopping’)

お花 (‘ohana/flower’)

お部屋 (‘oheya/room’)

お友達 (‘otomodachi/friends’)

お料理 (‘oryouri/cooking’)

*Note that you cannot simply do this for any given noun word, there are select ones in which this can apply. Also, you can not freely choose between using お (o) or ご (go); depending on the noun word being “beautified,” you must use the appropriate character.

*Also note again that this method is not completely restricted to female speakers. Male speakers may apply this method when in formal situations, it is just that female speakers are more inclined to even in everyday conversations.

Phrases:

Some phrases that exist purely in the realm of spoken Japanese (utterances similar to in the English language) are also considered gender-indicative.

Example(s):

あら - “Oh my” [feminine]

Words:

Perhaps as it is with any other language, some words in the Japanese language have multiple versions-or rather, synonyms that are considered either more polite or impolite. In line with the aforementioned construct of Japanese female speech being focused upon politeness, female speakers are much more inclined to use the polite synonyms of words.

*This may apply even when said female speakers are speaking amongst close friends and family.

Example(s):

“rice, food” - 飯 (‘meshi’) [masculine] | ご飯 ('gohan’) [feminine] “to eat” - 食う ('kuu’) [masculine] | 食べる ('taberu’) [feminine] “stomach, belly” - 腹 ('hara’) [masculine] | お腹 ('onaka’) [feminine] *common in the expressions はらへった [masculine] and おなかすいた [common, feminine] to express “I’m hungry” “butt, ass, hips” - けつ ('ketsu’) [masculine] | お尻 ('oshiri’) [feminine]

Example Sentence(s):

僕寿司食ったくねぇよ Boku sushi kuttakuneeyo. “I don’t want to eat sushi.”

あたしお寿司食べたくないわ Atashi osushi tabetakunaiwa. “I don’t want to eat sushi.”

[bexstudysnihon]

💬 Onomatopoeic/Mimetic Vocab List 💬

A few of my favourite onomatopoeic words! I might make a part 2 at some point? Please feel free to correct any errors! ♡

うらうら…gently and clearly shining

オロオロ…flustered bewilderment

くんくん…sniffing, especially a dog

ケロケロ…ribbit sound

ごろごろ…purring sound, or idleness

さやさや…soft rustling sound

さばさば…relieved, refreshed or easy going

しとしと…light rain or drizzle

すやすや…sleeping peacefully or soundly

そっと…softly, gently

ちびちび…little by little

ちんまり…snugly, cosily

ほんわか…warm, cosy, pleasant

テコテコ…the sound of walking

なんたらかんたら…something or other, “what do you call it?”

ふわふわ…soft, fluffy

ムギュウ…squeezing, hugging

メロメロ…madly in love or falling down drunk

もぐもぐ…chewing food, similar to “nom nom”

もじもじ…bashfully

りんりん…bell ringing or chiming

わくわく…trembling, nervousness or excitement

にゃん…meow

わんわん…woof