An Introduction to Modern Japanese

Title Page

Contents

Preface

Introduction
1    The language
2    The writing system
3    Pronunciation
4    Dialects
5    Writing styles
6    Further reading
7    kana practice

Lesson 1
1.1    ‘This thing’ and ‘that thing’
1.2    The particle wa
1.3    The copula
1.4    Asking a question
1.5    ‘Yes’
1.6    ‘No’

Lesson 2
2.1    Noun modification with no
2.2    ‘Who’ and ‘whose’
2.3    kono, sono, ano
2.4    ‘I’ and ‘you’
2.5    Kinship terms

Lesson 3
3.1    Names
3.1    The polite prefix o
3.3    Initial greetings
3.4    Further greetings
3.5    Talking to foreigners
3.6    Linking nouns
3.7    ‘And which is...?’
3.8    Inclusive mo
3.9    ‘How about you?’

Lesson 4
4.1    The prefix o again
4.2    ‘Way over there’
4.3    Referring to different members of a family
4.4    More interrogatives
4.5    The subject marker ga
4.6    ‘Please’
4.7    Numbers

Lesson 5
5.1    ‘Excuse me’
5.2    Time
5.3    Asking directions
5.4    The particle yo
5.5    Hesitation
5.6    Saying ‘thankyou’
5.7    Identifying yourself
5.8    Name cards
5.9    Telephone numbers
5.10    Floors in a building
5.11    Further excuses 
5.12    ‘From’ and ‘to’
5.13    wa as topic marker
5.14    The particle ne

Lesson 6
6.1    True verbs
6.2    The particle ni
6.3    Negatives of true verbs
6.4    More on wa
6.5    Plain and polite forms
6.6    More on location
6.7    On leaving

Lesson 7
7.1    ‘At seven o’clock’
7.2    More on pure verbs
7.3    Tense/aspect
7.4    The particles de and o
7.5    The particles kara and made in spatial contexts
7.6    More on the particle ni

Lesson 8
8.1    ‘To have a class’
8.2    Days of the week
8.3    wa as topic or contrast?
8.4    The particle de
8.5    The linking particle ya
8.6    A note on orthography

Lesson 9
9.1    Numerical classifiers
9.2    Using classifiers
9.3    Idiomatic use of ni to express frequency
9.4    de indicating ‘reason’ or ‘cause’
9.5    Further use of mo for emphasis
9.6    The particle to meaning ‘with’
9.7    Noun + ni iku
9.8    Verbal nouns

Lesson 10
10.1    Noun + o kudasai
10.2    Noun + o o-negai shimasu
10.3    ‘When’
10.4    Train names and numbers
10.5    Dates
10.6    dō
10.7    ga as a conjunctive marker
10.8    Two more idioms with de

Lesson 11
11.1    ‘Excuse me...’
11.2    Descriptive verbs
11.3    no as a noun substitute, ‘the one’
11.4    Colours
11.5    ‘What colour?’
11.6    Adverbial modifiers (1)
11.7    donna

Lesson 12
12.1    Descriptive verbs as main verbs
12.2    Stative constructions with wa/ga
12.3    Negative of descriptive verbs
12.4    Adverbial modifiers (2)
12.5    A note on orthography
12.6    The prefix o
12.7    ‘per unit’
12.8    itadakimasu

Lesson 13
13.1    Adjectival nouns
13.2    Adjectival nouns in main verb position
13.3    The perfective form of the copula and adjectival nouns
13.4    ‘Not really the case’
13.5    The perfective form of descriptive verbs
13.6    The stative construction with adjectival nouns
13.7    Use of ga as a sentence particle
13 8    chikaku no
13.9    More on the marker wa

Lesson 14
14.1    The -ta form of true verbs
14.2    ni au
14.3    The alternative form
14.4    More on years and dates
14.5    Adverbial use of descriptive verbs

Lesson 15
15.1    More on negatives
15.2    Adverbial use of adjectival nouns
15.3    Noun + ni as adverb
15.4    Use of the particle ni meaning ‘for’

Lesson 16
16.1    ‘Good evening/night’
16.2    The -te form
16.3    Meaning and uses of the -te form
16.4    Stative verbs
16.5    Dynamic verbs
16.6    Durative verbs
16.7    Use of node and kara

Lesson 17
17.1    The -te iru form continued: punctual verbs
17.2    The verb shiru ‘to know’
17.3    The verbs kiku and kiru
17.4    The verbs chigau, dekiru, and wakaru
17.5    ‘Thanks to you’
17.6    keredo
17.7    Perfective of discovery
17.8    ‘Goodbye’

Lesson 18
18.1    The negative forms of -te iru and -te ita
18.2    Question and answer with mō and mada
18.3    Ordinal numbers
18.4    Native Japanese numbers
18.5    -te kudasai
18.6    Two more useful phrases
18.7    An idiomatic use of suru
18.8    ‘Sorry to have kept you waiting’

Lesson 19
19.1    More on the uses of the -te form
19.2    Use of the verb naru
19.3    The form -te kara    172
19.4    Alternative form -tari in multiple series
19.5    aida
19.6    wa and ga again

Lesson 20
20.1    Linking descriptive verbs and adjectival nouns
20.2    Interrogative noun + (particle) + moﾉnai
20.3    The -te form of the negative
20.4    ‘Goodnight’ 

Lesson 21
21.1    Contractions in everyday speech
21.2    ‘Come to mention it’
21.3    Noun modification
21.4    Using the negative for politeness
21.5    tsumori
21.6    ‘I haven’t decided yet’
21.7    tame ni

Lesson 22
22.1    Nominalisation using no
22.2    The pattern no desu/n desu
22.3    The particle shi
22.4    konna/sonna/anna/donna
22.5    The emphatic construction using no wa...desu
22.6    Noun clause as the object of perception
22.7    shikata ga nai

Lesson 23
23.1    The conjunctive form linking clauses
23.2    ‘like’ and ‘ish’
23.3    Verb in conjunctive + ni + verb of motion.
23.4    Conjunctive + nagara
23.5    -te kuru
23.6    Deverbals
23.7    How to ‘sign off’

Lesson 24
24.1    The noun toki
24.2    The use of no in sentence-final position
24.3    mae
24.4    Tense agreement
24.5    kashira
24.6    ka mo shirenai
24.7    The -te form + miru
24.8    hitotsu + numerical classifier + mo…nai
24.9    Unmarked questions

Lesson 25
25.1    More about -te kuru
25.2    koro
25.3    deshitakke
25.4    ato
25.5    The question marker kai
25.6    Noun + ka
25.7    hayaku kara
25.8    Honorific language versus politeness
25.9    More on names
25.10    nanka…demo 

Lesson 26
26.1    ‘Please excuse me’
26.2    Humble verbs
26.3    Uses of koto
26.4    Verb in citation form + koto ni naru
26.5    Verb in citation form + koto ni suru
26.6    koto ga aru
26.7    koto ga dekiru
26.8    Verb + koto wa + verb
26.9    The particle de

Lesson 27
27.1    Quoting and reporting
27.2    itta as opposed to itte ita
27.3    ‘I think that...’
27.4    shiraseru
27.5    Noun + no koto desu ga...
27.6    to iu as an identification marker
27.7    More on koto
27.8    Choice of tense or aspect

Lesson 28
28.1    Subjects in subordinate clauses
28.2    Further uses of to
28.3    The verbs mieru and kikoeru
28.4    Uses of tokoro
28.5    Interrogative word + ka    

Lesson 29
29.1    Compound verbs using the conjunctive form 
29.2    to producing conditionals 
29.3    Verb + yasui, nikui 
29.4    Use of + sugiru
29.5    hō ga yoi/ii

Lesson 30
30.1    The -tai form
30.2    ga or o?
30.3    no desu ga and -tai to omoimasu ga
30.4    The suffix teki
30.5    Use of bakari with the perfective.
30.6    -te + oku
30.7    Noun + ga + hoshii
30.8    -te form + hoshii

Lesson 31
31.1    The deferential copula
31.2    Talking on the phone
31.3    Giving and receiving
31.4    Giving ‘out’
31.5    Giving ‘in’
31.6    Receiving
31.7    Donatory verbs with expressions of hope and desire

Lesson 32
32.1    Use of the passive for respect
32.2    Seeming
32.3    Citation form + tabi ni + verb
32.4    The suffix garu
32.5    darō/deshō

Lesson 33
33.1    Hearsay
33.2    Expressions of suggestion and intention
33.3    Donatory verbs used with the -te form
33.4    To do a favour for someone else
33.5    Someone else does you a favour
33.6    Receiving favours

Lesson 34
34.1    ‘Please wait a moment’
34.2    Expressing surprise
34.3    More on verbs of respect
34.4    More on being humble
34.5    no hō wa
34.6    The potential form
34.7    Polite requests with itadakeru

Lesson 35
35.1    The passive form
35.2    Uses of the passive
35.3    Passive with direct and indirect objects
35.4    The ‘adversative’ passive

Lesson 36
36.1    ‘Well yes, but...’
36.2    -te shimau
36.3    ‘So I thought.’
36.4    Further connotations of the passive
36.5    Verb + mon da
36.6    Two expressions with the noun ki 
36.7    Verb + hō ga…
36.8    Passive of intransitives
36.9    Sarcastic use of o-kage de

Lesson 37
37.1    ‘You must be joking!’
37.2    The causative form
37.3    Transitive causatives
37.4    Intransitive causatives
37.5    Agent marked by o with verbs of emotion
37.6    Cases when the causative cannot be used

Lesson 38
38.1    Concessions with no ni
38.2    ‘Forgive me’
38.3    Concessions with -te mo
38.4    no ni and -te mo compared
38.5    The suggestive form + to suru
38.6    ‘Congratulations’
38.7    mo with a positive verb
38.8    The conjunctive form + kakeru

Lesson 39
39.1    Use of ue
39.2    Idiomatic use of causative
39.3    -ō to omou
39.4    to no koto
39.5    -te iku and -te kuru
39.6    -te iku
39.7    -te kuru
39.8    With verbs of motion
39.9    Indirect requests

Lesson 40
40.1    tadaima
40.2    Comparing two things
40.3    -te aru
40.4    Familiar chan for san
40.5    Question and answer, ‘which is ...er?’
40.6    Comparing three or more things (superlative)
40.7    Use of de with comparison

Lesson 41
41.1    ‘How does one…?’
41.2    Reported questions
41.3    More on reported speech
41.4    Adjectival use of perfective verb forms
41.5    More on names within the family
41.6    Being welcomed in a shop
41.7    Asking permission
41.8    onaji
41.9    Idiomatic use of sore ni
41.10    hodo

Lesson 42
42.1    Use of ni wa with stative verbs
42.2    Transitive and intransitive pairs
42.3    Choosing between intransitives and the passive
42.4    Differences between transitives and causatives
42.5    Distinguishing the potential from the intransitive
42.6    ‘Somehow or other’

Lesson 43
43.1    ‘Say what you will...’
43.2    Forms of miru and kiku
43.3    miru
43.4    kiku meaning ‘hear’
43.5    kiku meaning ‘ask’
43.6    ni suginai
43.7    -te + sugu (ni)
43.8    -te iru revisited
43.9    -te iru versus -te aru
43.10    Transitive/intransitive pairs

Lesson 44
44.1    Conditionals
44.2    Form of -eba
44.3    Uses of -eba
44.4    -eba + ii
44.5    The pattern ‘the more...the more/the less’
44.6    Expressing obligation and asking permission
44.7    nara or naraba
44.8    Uses of sae

Lesson 45
45.1    ‘It’s been quite a while’
45.2    Idiomatic use of the perfective
45.3    ‘Subjectless’ sentences
45.4    The form of conditional -tara
45.5    Uses of -tara
45.6    Plain verb + to shitara
45.7    -tara dō desu ka, -tara ikaga desu ka
45.8    More on forms of respect
45.9    -tara and -eba compared
45.10    -tara versus nara

Lesson 46
46.1    Expressing obligation again
46.2    Use of to for conditionals
46.3    -naide and -nakute compared
46.4    to, -tara and -eba compared
46.5    -naku wa nai
46.6    ‘In other words’
46.7    Uses of uchi ni

Lesson 47
47.1    Prohibition
47.2    wake ni wa ikanai
47.3    Indefiniteness revisited
47.4    Some idiomatic uses of -te mo
47.5    Asking permission
47.6    wake de wa nai
47.7    Commands

Lesson 48
48.1    Expressing percentage
48.2    Brusque commands
48.3    Negative commands
48.4    mama
48.5    Expression of duty with beki
48.6    a shiro, kō shiro
48.7    yō na

Lesson 49
49.1    de gozaimasu and de irasshaimasu
49.2    Honorific language, a synopsis
49.3    Forms expressing respect
49.4    Forms expressing humility
49.5    Using causatives for requests
49.6    dekiru dake
49.7    Some idiomatic uses of yō ni
49.8    Idiomatic use of mono
49.9    hazu
49.10    ka dō ka

Lesson 50
50.1    azukeru and azukaru
50.2    sorya
50.3    Use of kaette
50.4    The passive causative
50.5    More on yō ni
50.6    More on uchi ni
50.7    nagara
50.8    Uses of shidai
50.9    More on rashii
50.10    tsumori after the perfective

Lesson 51
51.1    isogashiku shite iru
51.2    Expressions of purpose with no ni
51.3    The difference between no ni and tame
51.4    More on yō ni
51.5    yō dattara/yō naraba
51.6    Repetition of phrases
51.7    Conjunctive form of verb + -gachi da/-gachi desu
51.8    wake da

Lesson 52
52.1    koto to omou
52.2    ni kakete
52.3    More on no yō ni
52.4    Two written expressions
52.5    Causatives as independent verbs
52.6    sō ka to omou to
52.7    The verb kagiru
52.8    Some useful phrases for letter writing