Japan-easy

“Onegai shimasu” is a phrase that is used to ask for something, like placing an order. It’s a magic phrase that is similar to “please” in English. You simply have to say your destination or the food you want and then say “onegai shimasu.” It’s easy yet polite, so you can use it in any situation without worries.

Now we have a phrase that expresses ownership. “Kore wa watashi-no desu.” The first word of the phrase, “kore,” is the same as “this.” “watashi” means “I,” and when “-no” is added to watashi, it becomes “mine” or “my.” “Anata” means “you,” and if you want to make this “your” or “yours,” you say “anata-no.” In a similar fashion, “kare” means “he,” so “his” becomes “kare-no.” So what if you want to say “Tom’s”? That’s right, you say “Tom-no.” The key here is to add “-no” to a name or a word that refers to someone.

The expression “Kore wa nan desu ka?” means “What is this?” The word “kore” means “this”, and “nan” means “what”. But what about “ka” at the end of the sentence? “Ka” at the end of a sentence makes the sentences a question. Learning this is an important step on your way to learning Japanese.

The phrase “Kore wa dare desu ka?” means “Who is this?” Let’s take a closer look. The word “kore” means “this,” and “dare” means “who.” As we learned in Segment 3, by adding “ka” to the end of a sentence, we can make a question, so while looking at a photo or painting of someone, we can ask, “Kore wa dare desu ka?”

Now let's discover how to ask for a recommendation about what to eat or buy. This one convenient expression can help you make the best decision at restaurants and when traveling or shopping.

Maybe you know what something is, but do you know how to say it in Japanese? Today let's learn what to say in such a situation. This is going to help you ask a lot of questions, and that's a great way to build your vocabulary.

When you travel around Japan, you will want to know how much things cost. Just say “Kore wa ikura desuka?” and people will tell you how much you have to pay.

The phrase "Doko desuka?" means “Where is …?” This is a question you can use when you want to ask for directions. In this episode, we’ll learn how to ask where the restrooms are.

In this episode, we'll learn a question: "Sore wa itsu desuka?" We use this to ask when something is going to happen. We'll also learn about 3 kanji: 時 (time), 投 (throw) and 打 (strike / hit).

In this episode, we'll learn the question "Koko kara chikai desuka?" We use this to ask if something is nearby. We'll also learn 3 kanji: 道 (way), 歩 (walk) and 走 (run).

In this episode, we'll learn the question "Dono kurai kakarimasu ka?" We use this to ask how much time or money something takes. We'll also learn about 3 kanji: 金 (money), 近 (near) and 遠 (far).

In this episode, we'll learn the question "Kono basu wa Shibuya e ikimasu ka?" We use this to ask if a person or a vehicle goes to a certain destination. We'll also review the phrases we've learned in the past episodes. The kanji we'll learn are: 行 (go), 右 (right) and 左 (left).

Today we'll learn how to express what we want, like when you want to eat something or when you want to ride a train. We'll also learn how to say the negative forms, like when you don't want to eat something.

Today, we'll learn how to ask for what you're looking for. You can use this sentence when asking for a menu at a restaurant, or when you're looking for a particular size and color at a clothes store.

In this episode, we'll learn the phrase "ja arimasen". This is added to the end of a word to make it a negative. For example, the word for "to like" is "suki". But if we say "suki ja arimasen", it means "I don't like (something)". Let's watch the video clip to get a better understanding. And for today's kanji, we'll learn the character for "like".