Parts of Speech
Nominals
Nouns: Japanese nouns do not inflect for number, person, or (directly) case.
とうきょう (Tokyo); みかん (mandarin orange); くるま car
Although there is no true plural in Japanese, a number of nouns (generally those that refer to people) may take one of several collective suffixes.
たなかさん (Mr. Tanaka), たなかさんたち (Mr. Tanaka and his group)
A very limited number indicate the collective by reduplication.
ひと person → ひとびと people; ほし star → ほしぼし stars
Pronominals: Unlike many other languages, Japanese has no true pronouns; since words that are clear from context are usually elided, there is less need for them. (In general, natural-sounding Japanese tends to avoid the use of nouns that refer to people except when explicitly needed. This is often a point of confusion for beginners.) Pronominals are not grammatically distinct from ordinary nominals: notably, they may take adjectives, which pronouns cannot.
atashi, boku, ore, watashi I; anata, kimi, kisama, omae you
na-adjectives: These nominals almost invariably have a form of the copula (such as na) following them, to the point where they are often listed in dictionaries with the na included. They are generally adjectival in meaning as well.
へたな unskilled, "bad at"; げんきな healthy, energetic; おりじなるな original.
Verbals
Verbs: Japanese verbs inflect directly for tense, negation, mood, aspect, politeness, and honorific speech.
いく(to go), くる (to come), いる (existence of animate object, "there is/are"), ある (existence of inanimate object, "there is/are")
-i adjectives: These inflect for tense, politeness, and honorific speech as well (although not aspect or mood, as they are all stative verbs); an -i adjective will always end in -ai, -ii, -ui, or -oi. (Note that there are also stative -u verbs.)
うつくしい beautiful; いい good; すごい amazing; うれしい happy
Copula: Although the copula is not strictly a verb, most of its forms derive from である; it inflects somewhat irregularly, however. It retains an "attributive form", な, used to modify the noun it stands before: however, this form is almost exclusively used after na-adjectives.
Other
Particles: Also called postpositions or jōshi, particles show the case of nouns in Japanese: that is, they mark nouns as being the subject, object, indirect object, etc. (English typically uses word order or prepositions for the same effect.) Particles follow the noun they modify.
は (topic); が (subject); を (direct object), の (possession), に (indirect object marker), to, etc.; から from; まで until, as far as; で using, at
Some particles are used after sentences instead:
か (question marker); よ (exclamatory marker); って (quotation marker)
Adverbs: Adverbs typically modify the entire sentence, although most Japanese quantifiers (including numbers) are actually adverbs, rather than adjectives as in English.
あいかわらず as always; sukoshi a little, few; もうすぐ soon, before long; そう thus, so
Conjunctions: Japanese conjunctions typically either apply to nominals (like English "except") or to predicates (like English "when"), not both (like English "and").
または or (n.); そして and then, and also (pr.); ga but (pr.)
Interjections: Common to every language.
wā! "wow!", are? "huh?", "wha?"; ē to "um, er"; anō "um"
Japanese Basics
The most basic sentence in Japanese consists of a predicate. The predicate must be a verbal, although a copula with a nominal suffices. More frequently, a subject, object, or other additional noun will also be used, but none is required. Note: the
Examples
おそい late [You're] late.
けれいだ pretty is [It] is pretty.
これ は ほんだ This TOPIC book is This is a book.
かのじょ は うつくしい She TOPIC is-beautiful The girl is beautiful.
きょう は あまり さむくないです Today TOPIC very cold-NEG-POLITE It isn't very cold today. / Today isn't very cold.
うみ を みわした Sea OBJ look_out_on-PAST [I] gazed out at the ocean.
おかあさん は みせ に いきました Mother TOPIC store PLACE_TO went-PAST-POLITE [Her] mother went to the store.
なつ が きました Summer SUBJ come-PAST-POLITE Summer has come.
Basic Grammar
The Japanese language is often confusing for Westerners first learning it, since word order and syntax are strikingly different from most European languages. However, the following basic grammatical rules are almost always obeyed.
A modifying verbal or predicate comes before the nominal it modifies.
うつくしい ひと (beautiful person)
きたない へや (dirty room)
たいせつ な もんだい (important problem, lit. "problem which is important")
わたくし の かった ほん[(1p) RELSUBJ buy-PAST book] (the book that I bought)
Postposition particles (joshi) always come after the word(s) they modify.
わたし は きた (I came)
おかあさん に あげた ([I] gave it to mom)
Example of Basic Japanese Sentence structure
Note the importance of the particles, verb tenses, and adjectives.
Mr. Sanger and Mr. Wales eat at a Japanese restaurant.
Sangaa: すみません めんゆう を みせて ください。(Please show us the menu)
Ueitoresu: はい どうぞ。(Certainly sir. Here you are.) のみもの は なに に なさいますか。 (What would you like to drink?)
Weruzu: ビール を おねがいします。(I'd like a beer, please.)
Sangaa: すきやき に します。 (I'll have the "sukiyaki".)
Weruzu: ビール を 二 ほん と すきやき を ください。 (Two bottles of beer and some sukiyaki, please.)
Sangaa: デサトー は めそん が いい です。(For dessert we'll have melon.) Ueitoresu: はい かしこまりました。 (I see, understood).
Notes
Vocabulary
Waitress (loanword)
ウエイトネス
excuse me
すみません
menu (loanword)
めんゆう
yes (in the sense of "that's correct", or "I agree")
はい
beverage
のみもの
what
何 （なに）
want (desire an object or outcome)
ほしい
good
いい
beer (loanword)
ビール
two
二
to count bottles (or any long object)
ほん
dessert (loanword)
デサトー
melon (loanword)
めろん
please do X for me
X おながいします
please give me X
X ください
Particles: は - indicates the topic.
が - indicates the topic with de-emphasis on the topic
を - indicates the direct object
か - indicates a question
と - and
Verbs: みせます - show です - to be (copula, as opposed to existence) わかります - to understand.
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