lesson 1

Welcome to Japan
Konnichi wa! Yokoso! Hello and welcome to lesson 1. This lesson will begin your journey
through the Japanese language and culture. You probably already know some Japanese words
like sushi, karate, judo, sayonara, tofu, pokemon, and anime. You probably haven’t really
stopped to think about them as Japanese because you’re so familiar with them.

What You’ll Learn to Do

1. Use Japanese greetings, introductions, and other important phrases.

2. Introduce immediate family members and members of other families.

3. Pronounce Japanese correctly, and identify and write hiragana symbols a–so.

4. Identify key geographical and historical facts about Japan.

Objective 1
Use Japanese greetings, introductions, and other important
phrases.
Let’s pretend that you’re bound for Japan in three months. Last summer, your family
hosted a Japanese exchange student for two weeks, named Akiko Suzuki. You and Akiko
became very good friends and have e-mailed back and forth for the last few months. In this last
e-mail she and her parents extended an invitation for you to come and stay with them for two
weeks in the summer, and summer is only three months away! Your parents have given you
permission to go—if you can learn some of the language and culture so you don’t feel like a
fish out of water. You agree to the conditions and now begin your study of Japanese.
The Suzuki family sends you a picture and some information about themselves. Akiko also
sends you a list of greetings and useful phrases that you’ll need to begin studying for your trip
to Japan. Knowing that you’ll want help with pronunciation, Akiko also sends audio of all the
words so you can practice sounding like a native speaker.
Here is what Akiko included in her letter:

JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan 7

 “Here is my family! Kazoku yo!”

Suzuki Family
Kore wa watashi no kazoku desu.
This is my family.

Kochira wa chichi desu. Chichi no namae wa Kazuhiro desu.

This is my father. My father’s name is Kazuhiro.

Kochira wa haha desu. Haha no namae wa Michiko desu.

This is my mother. My mother’s name is Michiko.

Kochira wa watashi desu. Namae wa Akiko desu.

This is me. My name is Akiko.

Kochira wa otouto desu. Otouto no namae wa Hiro desu.

This is my little brother. My little brother’s name is Hiro.

Kochira wa imouto desu. Imouto wa Sayuri desu.

This is my little sister. My little sister is Sayuri.

Kochira wa neko desu. Neko no namae wa noki desu.

This is my cat. My cat’s name is noki.

8 JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan

Useful Vocabulary
Here are the words you need to study:

good morning: ohayougozaimasu (very polite)

good morning: ohayou (informal)
hello: konnichi wa
good evening: konban wa
good night: oyasuminasai
goodbye: sayonara (very polite)
goodbye: ja mata (informal)
thank you: arigatougozaimasu
you’re welcome: douitashimashite
excuse me: sumimasen
please: onegaishimasu
yes: hai
no: iie
I’m sorry: gomen nasai

Cue the audio CD to the track labeled “greetings” and listen to Akiko say the greetings.
Pay particular attention to the pronunciation. Rehearse the words with the audio until you can
say them and sound natural, not strained or hesitant. Put a star by the words that are the most Track 1
greetings (0:31)
difficult for you to pronounce and come back to them another day. Refer to the audio often to
help you with your pronunciation.
You e-mail Akiko and ask for more words and phrases you’ll need to know. Here is what
she sends you:

Do you understand English? Eigo ga wakarimasu ka?

What is this? Kore wa nan desu ka?
What does _____ mean? _____ wa nan no imi desu ka?
What is your name? Namae wa nan desu ka?
My name is _____. Watashi no namae wa _____ desu.
I’m _____. Watashi wa _____ desu.
What is _____ in Japanese? _____ wa nihongo de nan desu ka?
I don’t understand. Wakarimasen.
How are you? (Are you well?) O genki desu ka?
I’m fine. (Yes, I’m well.) Hai, genki desu.

Cue the audio CD to the track labeled “phrases” and listen carefully to the native speaker
say the phrases. Practice making your pronunciation sound native. Say each phrase aloud until
you can say all of them with confidence and clarity. Mark the phrases you seem to struggle with Track 2
phrases (0:31)
and come back to them later.

Practice
Now that you have learned a few greetings and phrases, practice saying them to your own
family members. They will enjoy listening to you practice your new vocabulary and, most likely,
they will pick up the same words with you.
You e-mail Akiko back and tell her that you’ve been practicing and you’re ready for more
Japanese. She sends you the following information with an encouragement to pick out all the
new vocabulary and register it in your mind.
The following simple dialogues will help you understand how to use your greetings and
useful phrases in formal and informal settings. There will be some things in the dialogues that
you haven’t learned yet. See what you can do to pick up the meanings and nuances before the
answers are given to you. When you learn a new language, this happens all the time. You have

JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan 9

 to be inquisitive and try to understand new words and phrases that you haven’t heard before.
You do the same thing in English, but aren’t really conscious about it anymore.
The following dialogue is a greeting, or aisatsu, between two adults: Mrs. Tanaka and Mr.
Suzuki. They are coworkers in a large company.

Suzuki: Tanaka san, ohayougozaimasu.

Tanaka: Ohayougozaimasu Suzuki san. O genki desu ka?
Suzuki: Hai genki desu. Tanaka san wa?
Tanaka: Genki desu. Arigatougozaimasu.

Notice that both of the adults use “san” at the end of the other person's name. That is
because in Japanese, Mr., Mrs., Miss, and Ms. are all the same word. You use “san” as a suffix
at the end of a person’s name to be polite. When you refer to yourself however, you don’t use
the suffix “san.”
The “O” in front of the word “genki” also signals that you are being very polite in asking
the question—you never use it in the answer. After Mr. Suzuki replies that he is fine he says,
“Tanaka san wa?” That means, “And you Mrs. Tanaka are?” leaving the question open ended
so that it can be answered. This is very common in Japanese. Mrs. Tanaka then answers, and
thanks Mr. Suzuki for inquiring.
Although Mrs. Tanaka and Mr. Suzuki are coworkers in a large company, they maintain
social propriety while working in the office. Therefore, the greeting is always formal. Two
friends may be less formal and still maintain a sense of social propriety.
Ms. Aoyagi and Ms. Murakami are friends greeting each other at the beginning of the day.

Aoyagi: Ohayo Akiko san.

Murakami: Ohayo Yukiko. Genki desu ka?
Aoyagi: Hai, genki. Akiko wa?
Murkami: Hai. Genki desu. Domo.

Notice that the last names were not used in this greeting. The friends used their first
names but they still maintained the use of “san” as a polite gesture. The word “domo” is more
like “thanks,” rather than “thank you,” and is used here to show more familiarity between the
two individuals.
High school students, on the other hand, don’t use the same social propriety; they use
more informal language.
The following is a greeting of two high school boys.

Hiro: Osu Hideki.

Hideki: Osu Hiro.
Hiro: Genki?
Hideki: Genki yo. Hiro wa?
Hiro: Genki.

The informality in this greeting is clear. The word “ohayogozaimasu” has been reduced to
“osu” and there is no “desu” at the end of the “genki.” Yet the meaning of the dialogue hasn’t
changed from that of the first. “Osu” is generally used only by boys as they address other boys.
I wouldn’t recommend using it with adults or girls.
Cue the audio CD to the track labeled “aisatsu” to hear the differences in the greetings as
spoken by the natives. Notice the voice tone and inflection in each and see if you can hear a
Track 3 tone difference, as well as the different words.
aisatsu (0:44)
The next few dialogues don’t relate to any particular situation. When you say them as you
are taught you will always be polite, no matter what social setting you are in. Cue the audio CD
to the track labeled “dialogues” and practice pronunciation with the native speakers. Listen to
Track 4 the audio often. Cover up the English and read the Japanese phrases with the native speaker.
dialogues (2:33)
Then cover the Japanese phrases and say Japanese while you look at the English phrases. Do
this with and without the audio until you can say each phrase in Japanese while only looking at

10 JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan

the English sentence. Then move beyond the phrase to the full dialogue without hesitation.
This type of practice will build confidence and assurance in the language.

Dialogue One:

Konnichi wa. Eigo ga wakarimasu ka? Hello. Do you understand English?

Hai. Eigo ga wakarimasu. Yes. I understand English.
Namae wa nan desu ka? What is your name?
Namae wa Akiko desu. My name is Akiko.
Sumimasen, dog wa nihongo de nan desu Pardon me, what is dog in Japanese?
ka?
Dog wa nihongo de inu desu. Dog in Japanese is inu.
Teacher wa nihongo de nan desu ka. What is teacher in Japanese?
Teacher wa nihongo de sensei desu. Teacher in Japanese is sensei.
Arigotougozaimasu. Thank you.
Douitashimashite. You’re welcome.

Dialogue Two:

Konban wa. Watashi wa Emily desu. Good evening. I’m Emily.

Konban wa Emily chan.
Eigo ga wakarimasu ka?
Iie, eigo ga wakarimasen.
Oyasuminasai.
Oyasuminasai.
Good evening Miss Emily.
Do you understand English?
No, I don’t understand English.
Good night.
Good night.

Dialogue Three:

Kore wa nan desu ka? What is this?

Kore wa inu desu. This is a dog.
Inu wa genki desu ka? Is the dog well?
Hai, inu wa genki desu. Arigatou. Yes, the dog is well. Thank you.
Douitashimashite. You’re welcome.
Ja mata. Good-bye.
Ja mata wa nan no imi desu ka? What does ja mata mean?
Ja mata wa later to iu imi desu. Ja mata means later.
Wakarimasen. I don’t understand.
Ja mata wa BAI BAI desu. Later is bye-bye.
Wakarimasu. Ja mata. I understand. Good-bye.

Introductions (Aisatsu)
Dialogue Four:

Hajimemashite, Noriko desu. Pleased to meet you. I’m Noriko.

Hajimemashite, Suzan desu.
Watashi wa jyuunana sai desu.
Watashi wa jyuuhassai desu.
Yoroshikuonegaishimasu.
Yoroshikuonegaishimasu.
Pleased to meet you. I’m Susan.
I’m seventeen.
I’m eighteen.
Please accept my regards.
Please accept my regards.

(“Please accept my regards” is a phrase that we no longer say in English, but it is very
important in the Japanese language and means, “Let’s be friends.”)

JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan 11

 Dialogue Five:

Hajimemashite, watashi wa Akiko desu. Pleased to meet you. I’m Akiko.

Hajimemashite, watashi wa John desu. Pleased to meet you. I’m John.
Doko kara kimashita ka? Where are you from?
Yutaa kara kimashita. I’m from Utah.
Nihongo ga wakarimasu ka? Do you understand Japanese?
Hai, wakarimasu. Yes, I understand.

Dialogue Six:

Konnichi wa watashi wa Joshu desu. Hello, I’m Josh.

Kore wa nan desu ka? What is this?
Kore wa nekochan desu. This is a cat.
Neko no namae wa nan desu ka? What is the cat’s name?
Neko no namae wa michi desu. The cat’s name is Michi.
Arigatou. Thanks.
Douitashimashite. You’re welcome.

Practice (Renshuu)

Role Plays
In each of the following situations what would you say, and what might be the reply?

Situation 1: You are one of two elementary school boys. You meet your teacher after school
one afternoon while you are at the store. What greeting might you say to your teacher? How
might the teacher reply in return to your greeting?

Situation 2: You and Akiko are high school students. The two of you meet two additional
friends while shopping one Saturday afternoon. What greetings might you use?

Situation 3: Mrs. Brown meets your junior high school teacher for the first time. Mrs. Brown
can’t remember what your teacher’s name is. What might Mrs. Brown say to introduce herself
and find out the teacher’s name?

Possible Answers for Role Plays

Situation 1: You might say “Konnichi wa Tanaka sensei. O genki desu ka?” Mr. Tanaka might
reply back saying “Konnichi wa Tomukun genki desu.” (Any name can be used for the teacher.
Your greeting could also be more complicated than this if you have more experience with
Japanese. However, I’ll test you on the simplicity of your answer.)

Situation 2: You might say “Konnichi wa Tomoko chan. Genki? Sayuri chan wa?” You may
have pretended that you didn’t know the other friend and said: “Hajimemashite. Watashi wa
_____ desu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.” Notice that the suffix “chan,” rather than “san,” was
used as a way to refer to girls of younger age. (You can use any name for the two friends, or
not include names at all, and still be correct.)

Situation 3: You might say “Hajimemashite. Watashi wa BURAON LIZU desu. Sensei no
namae wakarimasen. Nan desu ka? Yoroshikuonegaishimasu.”

12 JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan

 Now that you’ve listened to and studied the previous introductions and short greetings,
introduce yourself to your family, friends, and anyone else you can think of—even if it’s your
dog. This will get you speaking and not just listening. It doesn’t matter if it’s perfect or even if
it sounds perfect. What matters most is that you speak. If you find yourself stammering for
words or hesitating in thought as you introduce yourself, follow the five steps listed to improve
your skills:

1. Listen to the audio examples again.

2. Say the dialogues with the native speakers, following their pronunciation.
3. Think about what you want to say and practice it—without reading the Japanese off of a
piece of paper.
4. Say it aloud while you’re alone until you are comfortable with it.
5. Practice saying your greetings and introductions to others.

This entire process, if done for even just ten minutes a day, will help you build confidence
in your speaking abilities. Let’s check your mastery to see how you’re coming along.

Let’s Check Your Mastery

Answer the following questions and then check your answers in the Answer Key at the back of this course
manual. Do not submit your answers to Independent Study.

Let’s check to see how well you know your introductions and greetings. Match the following
words or phrases to either their Japanese or English counterpart.

___1. Ohayogozimasu. a. O genki desu ka?

___2. Sumimasen. b. Doko kara kimashita ka?
___3. Pleased to meet you. c. Hajimemashite.
___4. See ya later. d. Good morning.
___5. How are you? e. Ja mata.
f. Sayonara.
g. Pardon me.
h. Thank you.

For each of the following situations, choose the best greeting to fit the circumstances.

6. You and a friend are thirteen-year-old boys. You want to meet your friend’s teacher Miss
Yamada. When you meet her, what will you say?
a. Osu Yamada sensei. Genki desu ka?
b. Hajimemashite, watashi wa hiro desu.
c. Konnichi wa Yamada sensei. Hajimemashite.

7. You and a friend are twelve-year-old girls. At the park, you see a ten-year-old boy who
lives in your neighborhood. You want to say “hello” and ask him how he is.
a. Ohayo Hiro. Genki?
b. Osu Hiro. Genki?
c. Konnichi wa Hiro chan. Genki?

8. Mr. Brown meets Mr. Suzuki for the first time at a dinner party. What might he say?
a. Konban wa BURAON desu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
b. Hajimemashite. Watashi wa BURAON desu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
c. Hajimemashite. Konban wa. BURAON desu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

NOTE: The Japanese question mark is ka followed by a period. It is a voiced punctuation

mark unlike English. I’ve used English question marks following the ka in all of the first
objective, but from now on I will no longer use them. Once you go from Romaji to hiragana,
you will no longer use question marks.

JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan 13

 Objective 2
Introduce immediate family members and members of other
families.
You met Akiko’s family in one of the first e-mails that Akiko sent to you, and now you
want to introduce your family to Akiko’s. You e-mail Akiko and ask her how to do this. She
sends you the following information about families so that you can send a picture and
introduce your family in Japanese.
The Japanese language is tied to the culture in many ways. One such way is the addressing
of family members when you speak about your family and when you speak about another
person’s family. When you speak about another person’s family, you will always want to elevate
his or her family by using the most formal forms of family words. When you speak of your
own family, you will want to use the most humble forms of family words. Here are both forms
of the words and examples of how you’d use them. The most formal form is listed first.

Formal Informal
mother: okaasan haha
father: otousan chichi
older brother: oniisan ani
older sister: oneesan ane
younger brother: otoutosan otouto
younger sister: imoutosan imouto

Introduce your own family:

Kochira wa haha desu. This is my mother.

Kochira wa chichi desu. This is my father.
Kochira wa ani desu. This is my older brother.
Kochira wa imouto desu. This is my younger sister.

Ask about another person’s family:

Kochira wa okaasan desu ka. Is this your mother?

Kochira wa otousan desu ka. Is this your father?
Kochira wa oneesan desu ka. Is this your older sister?
Kochira wa otoutosan desu ka. Is this your younger brother?

Notice that the English translation uses the pronouns “my” and “your.” You can’t pick
those up in the Japanese sentence because they aren’t there. The use of both the humble or
formal forms of the family words infers the personal pronoun. If you say “Okaasan desu ka” it
is automatically interpreted that you’re asking another person if that is his or her mother. That
is something you’ll have to get used to when speaking Japanese.
Track 5 Cue the audio CD to the track labeled “familyintro” and practice introducing family
familyintro (0:49) members with the native speaker. This practice will help you prepare to introduce your family
members and ask about someone else’s family.

Kochira wa haha desu. This is my mother.

Kochira wa chichi desu. This is my father.
Kochira wa ani desu. This is my older brother.
Kochira wa ane desu. This is my older sister.
Kochira wa imouto desu. This is my younger sister.
Kochira wa otouto desu. This is my younger brother.

14 JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan

Ask about another person’s family:

Kochira wa okaasan desu ka. Is this your mother?

Kochira wa otousan desu ka.
Kochira wa oneesan desu ka.
Kochira wa oniisan desu ka.
Kochira wa otoutosan desu ka.
Kochira wa imoutosan desu ka.
Is this your father?
Is this your older sister?
Is this your older brother?
Is this your younger brother?
Is this your younger sister?

Akiko wants you to be able to understand the Japanese people when they introduce their
families or when they answer your questions, so she has sent along this game to help you
improve your listening skills. Here is her message about the game:
“Hi. I thought you might like this game to help you with your listening skills. You know
my family already, so it will be easy to recognize their pictures. The other pictures are of the
Brown family. They are an American family that lives in Japan. Their names are Mr. Jack
Brown, Mrs. Liz Brown, John Brown (he’s nineteen), Susan Brown (she’s my friend and we
have fun together), and last, Josh Brown who is twelve. Listen to the audio and choose the
picture that I’m talking about.”

JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan 15

 Picture Identification Listening Game
Cue the audio CD to the track labeled “picturegame” and listen as Akiko introduces a
person. Choose the letter that corresponds with that person and fill in the blank below. Akiko
Track 6 will say the same introduction twice before moving on. There will be a five-second pause
picturegame (2:21)
between introductions so you can mark your answers.

1. none
2. none
3. none
4. none
5. none
6. none
7. none
8. none
9. none
10. none
11. none
12. none

16 JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan

Renshuu (Practice)
You are now prepared to introduce all of the members of your family in Japanese. Pretend
you are e-mailing a picture of your family to Akiko by writing all of the members of your family
in introduction form. List each sibling separately, even if there is more than one older or
younger brother or sister. Now pretend you are introducing your family to Akiko in person.
That means you will tell her aloud without looking at your notes. Writing and reading is a
separate skill from telling. Telling shows that you are maintaining new information and it is
becoming part of you.
Move onto the Let’s Check Your Mastery section to assess how you are coming along.

Let’s Check Your Mastery

Answer the following questions and then check your answers in the Answer Key at the back of this course
manual. Do not submit your answers to Independent Study.

For each of the following family words, choose whether it is the humble or formal form.

___1. haha a. humble

___2. oniisan b. formal
___3. ane
___4. otoutosan
___5. imoutosan

For each of the following sentences, choose the most correct Japanese translation.

6. This is my older sister.

a. Kochira wa ani desu.
b. Kochira wa ane desu.
c. Kochira wa oniisan desu.
d. Kochira wa oneesan desu.

7. Is this your mother?

a. Haha desu ka.
b. Okaasan desu ka.
c. Otousan desu ka.
d. Chichi desu ka.

8. Is this your younger brother?

a. Otoutosan desu ka.
b. Otouto desu ka.
c. Imoutosan desu ka.
d. Imouto desu ka.

JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan 17

 For each picture below, pretend you are Akiko and are introducing this person to your new
friend. Write your introduction down.

9.

10.

11.

12.

18 JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan

Objective 3
Pronounce Japanese correctly, and identify and write
hiragana symbols a–so.
You are progressing so quickly that Akiko thinks you need to begin learning hiragana. If
you learn hiragana, then you’ll be able to recognize some words and signs on the streets and in
the stores. She sends you the following information.
Japanese is much easier to speak than it is to write. There are three main writing systems in
Japanese: hiragana, katakana, and kanji. Japanese can be written horizontally (from left to right)
like we do in English, or it can also be written vertically from right to left.

Hiragana
Hiragana is a phonetic syllabary (like our alphabet) used to represent the sounds of
Japanese. Hiragana can be used alone to write vocabulary words, and is also used to
represent grammatical parts of speech. Hiragana is also used in combination with kanji
characters.

Katakana
Katakana is used primarily for writing words borrowed from other languages (like orange),
and to emphasize words in written Japanese paragraphs.

Kanji
Kanji is a symbol form of writing adopted from Chinese, and each character represents
meaning. Kanji are the main building blocks of the Japanese written language and generally
contain the majority of the meaning in any written sentence. Kanji writing is used in all
major types of communication in Japan. Students learn about two thousand kanji by the
time they finish high school.

All of these writings appear like squiggle lines to those who have not yet learned the
writing system. Hiragana will be introduced throughout this course so that you can eventually
read and write with it. Until you know hiragana well enough to read and write it, you will use a
romanized version of the Japanese sounds called romaji. Romanization is a written form of
Japanese to help non-Japanese speakers, who use roman alphabets, to learn the language.
Here are some examples of each style of writing:

English Romaji Hiragana Katakana Kanji

love ai ሥሧ ቿኁ ㎪
I, me watashi ቲቂሺ ዌኜኔ 䱐
to eat taberu ቂቜቮ ኜ኶ወ 歮ቜቮ
orange orenji ኇዉዐን

There are five vowel sounds in Japanese, and they are very close to those spoken in
English. English has several ways to pronounce each vowel, but in Japanese there is only one
pronunciation for each vowel. That makes it very easy because, no matter where the vowel is in
a word, it will always make the same sound. Study the following pronunciation chart; say the
vowel sound aloud. (Remember that the vowel sounds in English are based on American
English.)

Vowel Sound English Equivalents

a ah
i ee
u oo
e eh
o oh
“ah” as in father, autumn, calm, and cot
“ee” as in ski, beet, beak, and peek
“oo” as in flute, you, move, and oops
“eh” as in bet, met, friend, and bend
“oh” as in coat, okay, hoe, and blow

JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan 19

 Cue the audio CD to the track labeled “vowelsounds” and listen to the native speaker
pronounce each vowel. You’ll notice that the pronunciation is a little bit shorter and more
Track 7 clipped than its English counterpart. You will probably be able to hear how the correct
vowelsounds (0:36)
pronunciation corresponds to your own accent, and which words to use as memory clues for
your accent. Say each vowel aloud with the native speaker. Try to match the pronunciation with
emphasis on the length you hold the vowel.
The next phase of learning the sounds of Japanese is to combine the vowel sound with
consonants. Japanese has a specific order in which you say each consonant vowel combination.
Look at the order in the following chart and the pronunciation guide that follows it.

a ka sa ta na ha ma ya ra wa
i ki shi chi ni hi mi ri
u ku su tsu nu hu/fu mu yu ru
e ke se te ne he me re
o ko so to no ho mo yo ro wo
n

ka as in calm sa as in saw ta as in talk na as in knot

ki as in keep shi as in she chi as in cheap ni as in knee
ku as in coop su as in soup tsu as in suits nu as in knew
ke as in kept se as in set te as in test ne as in nest
ko as in coat so as in soap to as in toe no as in nope

ha as in hot ma as in mop ya as in yacht ra as in lost/dawn

hi as in heat mi as in me ri as in leap/deep
hu as in who mu as in move yu as in you ru as in loop
he as in head me as in Mexico re as in lever
ho as in hope mo as in mope yo as in yo-yo ro as in low

wa as in water n as in n
wo/o as in woe

The ra, ri, ru, re, ro sounds are the only sounds that you do not pronounce naturally in
English. It is a cross between making an “l” sound and a “d” sound. The tongue placement is
directly behind the top teeth and then flapped in a downward position when speaking. Avoid
the desire to round or pucker the lips when saying the Japanese “r” sound like you do when
speaking English. Look at the picture below to see this demonstrated.

20 JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan

 The wo/o sound can be pronounced either way in Japanese. Wo is more often used in
formal settings and o is used for common speech. It represents a particle of speech that marks a
direct object and is not used in spelling words.
The n sound is the only sound in Japanese that doesn’t have a vowel attached to it. It
makes the same sound as the English “n” sound. Sometimes, when the “n” is followed by a
“b” or “p” sound, it will sound more like an “m” than an “n.”
Cue the audio CD to the track labeled “hiraganachartsounds.” Look at the hiragana chart
and go through the pronunciation with the native speaker. The native will go in order, first
slowly and then more quickly. Your goal is to be able to keep pace with the fastest Track 8
hiraganachartsounds (1:31)
pronunciation without losing your pronunciation.
Now that you know the basic Japanese sounds, you can add what we call “voiced” and
“combined” sounds. All of these sounds come from the original sounds given previously.
The voiced sounds are from the k, s, t, and h sounds. Voiced means there is more vibration
in the sound. Put your hand on your neck directly over your Adam’s apple. Say the k sound.
You will feel a slight vibration. Now say a hard g sound like in gorilla. You should feel more
vibration or a slight buzz feeling. The voice sounds go from ka to ga, sa to za, ta to da, ha to ba,
and ha to pa. The following are the pronunciation guides for the voiced sounds.

ka to ga sa to za ta to da ha to ba ha to pa
ga za da ba pa
gi ji ji bi pi
gu zu zu bu pu
ge ze de be pe
go zo do bo po

ga as in got za as in czar da as in dark ba as in bottom pa as in papa

gi as in geese ji as in jeep ji as in jeep bi as in beep pi as in peep
gu as in goose zu as in zoo zu as in zoo bu as in boot pu as in pool
ge as in get ze as in Zen de as in debt be as in bet pe as in pet
go as in goat zo as in zone do as in doe bo as in bowtie po as in poem

Notice that the ji and zu are the same sound in both the sa to za and the ta to da line. The
sound is the same and the romanized spelling is the same but the hiragana will be different
when you learn it. Please learn them in order and don’t omit them because they are the same
sound.
The final sounds are the combined sounds. The combined sounds are made up of ki, shi, chi,
ni, hi, mi, ri, gi, ji, bi, and pi, combined with ya, yu, and yo. Look at the following chart for the
pronunciation guide.

kya sha cha nya hya mya rya gya jya/ja bya pya
kyu shu chu nyu hyu myu ryu gyu jyu byu pyu
kyo sho cho nyo hyo myo ryo gyo jyo/jo byo pyo

Cue the audio CD to the track labeled “voicedcombinedsounds,” and practice the voiced
sounds and the combined sounds with the native speakers. Again, keep pace with the native
speaker. The speaker goes slowly at first, and then faster the next two times. Track 9
voicedcombinedsounds (1:41)
Those are all of the sounds in Japanese. Again, the “r” sounds are the most difficult for
English speakers because there isn’t a sound like that in English. Sometimes it is difficult to
hear the difference between the “da” and “ra” sounds in Japanese because they are so close to
what we are used to hearing in English. Keep practicing and you’ll eventually hear the
differences.

JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan 21

 Hiragana Identification and Writing
Hiragana is what you might equate to the English alphabet. It is a group of symbols that
represent Japanese sounds. Hiragana is used in combination with kanji to make up the
Japanese writing system. In this lesson we will review the symbols a–so.
Lesson 1 Activities
Insert and open your multimedia CD. Double-click to open the Japan41 file. Click the
Lesson 1 tab to open Lesson 1 Activities.

You will see sounds a-so. Choose a to see instructions on how to write this hiragana character.
In the window that pops up, you can navigate through all fifteen sounds by pressing the Back
or Next button in the bottom right-hand corner. You may also choose any individual sound
from the previous box to take you directly to the character instructions.

When you feel confident in your ability to recognize these fifteen characters, click on the game
in the Lesson 1 Activities menu. This game tests your character recognition. When you press
the play button, you will hear a sound. Choose the hiragana character that corresponds to the
sound you hear. You’ll find feedback telling you whether or not you are correct in the
Feedback box. If you choose a wrong character twice, you will see the correct character
highlighted in green. To move on to the next sound, click the forward button. At any time, you
can listen to previous sounds by clicking the back button.

You may play this game as many times as you like. If you don’t do very well at first, review the
instructions for each character and play the game again. You will find it easier each time you
play and your character recognition will increase. You will be tested on this material later.

Renshuu (Practice)
Now put your writing together to make words. Write the hiragana that corresponds to the
following romaji and learn some new vocabulary in the process. Write each word four or five
times using the graph paper provided in the back of the manual as a guide for the proper size
of each character.

aka (red)
sushi (a type of food)
ai (love)
ue (on top)
kao (face)
kiku (to listen)
soko (there)
suki (like)
shika (deer)
iku (to go)

22 JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan

Let’s Check Your Mastery
Answer the following questions and then check your answers in the Answer Key at the back of this course
manual. Do not submit your answers to Independent Study.

Write an English word that best represents the Japanese pronunciation listed.

1. ga none shi none

2. se none mu none

3. ho none ka none

4. cha none bu none

5. de none ri none

Identify the following symbols by writing the romaji for each.

6. ሥ none ሼ none

7. ሰ none ሧ none

8. ሺ none ሶ none

9. ቀ none ሩ none

10. ራ none ሴ none

Write hiragana symbols that match the romaji listed.

11. asa none (morning) koe none (voice)

12. kusa none (grass) iki none (breath)

13. asakusa none (a city) kesu none (to turn off)

14. ika none (squid) koko none (here)

JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan 23

 Objective 4
Identify key geographical and historical facts about Japan.

Japan at a Glance
Along with the knowledge you’re gaining by learning Japanese, you want to learn more
about the country. Pretend that your mother’s friend is a history teacher and has the following
information, which she passes along to you for study.

This is Japan at a glance. Japan is an island country in East Asia. It has four main islands:
Hokkaido, the northernmost island, Honshu, the large main island, Shikoku, the smallest
island, and Kyushu, the largest southern island. In addition to these four main islands, there are
about four thousand small or tiny islands, some of which look like small hills in the water.
Okinawa is considered one of the smaller islands.

24 JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan

 Japan is divided into nine area regions. Hokkaido is the name of the northernmost island
and also the name of the region. The most famous cities in this region are Sapporo and
Hakodate. Sapporo is the site of the famous snow festival. Great ice sculptures are created and
put on display for the public every year. It’s amazing to see such creativity.
Tohoku is the northern region of the island of Honshu. It has six prefectures. A prefecture
is comparable to a state in the United States. Its most famous cities include: Aomori, Akita,
Morioka, and Sendai. These cities are the sites of very famous festivals during the summer
months of July and August. Aomori is the site of the Nebuta festival, Akita is the site of the
Kanto festival, and Sendai is the site of the Hanagasa festival. Tohoku is also known for its
mountains and hot springs. One very beautiful place is Yamadera. A shrine is located on the
top of a mountain that overlooks an array of lush green trees that seem to go forever.
Kanto is on the eastern coast of Honshu and has seven prefectures. The most famous
cities in the Kanto region are: Tokyo, Yokohama, Kamakura, and Chiba. Tokyo is the capital
city of Japan and has approximately 14 million people living in and around the Tokyo area.
Tokyo is ablaze with many businesses, from finances and electronics to the arts. It’s been
named the most expensive city in the world to shop. The emperor lives in Tokyo, but you
really can’t visit the Imperial Palace. The best you can hope to see is the outside gate. In
pictures it appears you can view the top of the palace, but in recent years the trees have grown
up so much that you can’t even see the top anymore. Twice a year, the Imperial gates are
opened and the public is allowed inside to wave to the Imperial family. These two dates are the
Emperor’s birthday, December 23, and Jan 2 in conjunction with the New Year holiday.
Chubu is the central region of Japan and has nine prefectures. Famous places include Mt.
Fuji and Nagano, the site of the 1998 Winter Olympics. Other famous cities include Nagoya,
Gifu, and Niigata. The Chubu region has been dubbed the “Japanese Alps” for its fantastic
scenery and mountainous splendors. Skiing obviously is famous in this region of Japan.

JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan 25

 Kansai is the region just southwest of Chubu and has seven prefectures. The most famous
cities in this region include the two ancient capitals of Japan: Nara and Kyoto. These cities have
beautiful shrines and temples right out of the Samurai time period. If you’re planning a trip to
Japan merely for sightseeing, these two cities are a must see. These two cities help you
understand the depth of culture that still exists in Japanese society today.
The industrial cities of Kansai are Kobe and Osaka. Osaka is the home of Japan’s second
largest international airport. The interesting thing about that airport is that it is built on a
man-made island right off the coastline of Osaka. (It would be like San Francisco building a
new airport right out in the bay!)
Chugoku is the southernmost region of Honshu and has five prefectures. The most
famous city in Chugoku is Hiroshima, the city first destroyed by the atomic bomb in August
1945. The year 2005 marked the sixtieth anniversary of that bombing. Hiroshima is the location
of the famous peace park dedicated to showing the devastation of nuclear warfare. In the park
stands a statue of a girl lifting a paper crane to the heavens. This statue represents hope. The
small girl in the statue, whose name was Sadako, died from cancer as a result of the atomic
bomb. The crane is a national symbol of life-giving grace. Sadako believed that if she could
make one thousand paper cranes, her life would be spared. In the end it didn’t turn out this
way, but the symbol of life and hope is still represented by the making of one thousand paper
cranes and stringing them together. On the fiftieth anniversary of the dropping of the atom
bomb, the peace park was filled with literally thousands and thousands of these paper crane
strands symbolizing the desire for peace and hope in the world.
Shikoku is the island region right below Chugoko and has four prefectures. The most
famous cities are Takamatsu, Matsuyama, and Tokushima. One of the largest bridges in the
world extends from the island of Honshu to the island of Shikoku. It is a toll bridge and costs
$45–$50 in American currency to cross it. (That is when the exchange rate is about $1=110
yen.)
Kyushu is the largest southern island and is also the name of the region. Kyushu has seven
prefectures. It’s most famous cities are Fukuoka, Kagoshima, and Nagasaki. Nagasaki is a port
city and the second city to be bombed with an atomic bomb in WWII. It was after this
bombing occurred that Japan finally surrendered to the United States. Kyushu is important
because of the importing and exporting that takes place through the port cities.
Okinawa is the final region, and is a very small island about four hundred miles south of
Kyushu. Okinawa is different from the rest of Japan. The people have their own culture and
their own language. People from Okinawa speak regular Japanese but they also have their own
language that not even Japanese people can understand. Okinawa still has a strong U.S. military
presence and many Americans live in Okinawa. They grow sugar cane in Okinawa and eat less
rice than the Japanese people on the mainland. (Part of The Karate Kid III movie was filmed in
Okinawa.)
The climate of Japan is most like that of the eastern United States from New York to
Florida. Japan is humid all year long, so it seems like the summers are hotter and the winters
are colder. (That is from the perspective of someone who lives in a dry, arid climate.) Northern
Japan, in the summer, can be as much as twenty degrees cooler than southern Japan, and that is
just on the island of Honshu.
June is Japan’s rainy season and the south may experience typhoons and tidal waves during
the rainy season. Sometimes the effects of a typhoon can be felt as far north as Tokyo. Snow
falls mostly in Hokkaido, Tohoku, and the west coast regions all the way down to the Chugoku
region. The winds from Siberia come across the Sea of Japan, and there is a lot of snow and it
is very cold. The Kanto region and the southern half of the Kansai and Chugoku regions don’t
experience much snow. It’s been rumored that Tokyo has seen the rare occasion of snow, but
it’s the exception and not the rule.
You tell your mother’s friend “thank you for all of the information,” and she decides to
quickly quiz you. Do the Let’s Check Your Mastery as if it were the quiz from your mom’s
friend.

26 JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan

Let’s Check Your Mastery
Answer the following questions and then check your answers in the Answer Key at the back of this course
manual. Do not submit your answers to Independent Study.

Answer the following questions in English.

1. How many islands make up the main living space in Japan?

2. What is a prefecture?

3. How many regions are there in Japan?

4. What are the most famous cities in the Kanto region?

5. On what city was the first atomic bomb dropped?

6. What city, or region, is famous for skiing?

Please total the amount of Let’s Check Your Mastery questions that you answered
correctly and look at the ratings below to see how you did.

How Did I Do?

Let’s Check Your Mastery Scorecard
34–40 correct Excellent! Keep up the great work. You’re learning
quickly.
26–33 correct Good! You may want to review the items you missed
and continue to work on vocabulary.
25 or fewer correct Review the items you missed before moving on. You
will want to be thorough in your vocabulary study and
really know how the vocabulary is used in sentences.
You will also want to review and practice hiragana.

JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan 27

 Lesson 1 Speedback Assignment
Mark all answers here, then transfer them to your Speedback answer form. You may either submit your
completed answer form to Independent Study for processing, or you may use WebGrade for immediate grading.
See your Read Me First pamphlet for instructions.

For questions 1–5, cue the audio CD to the track labeled "speedbackone" and listen as the
native speaker says an introduction or a greeting. Choose the English translation that best
Track 10
speedbackone (1:35) corresponds to the Japanese introduction or greeting.

1.
a. Hi. Do you understand English?
b. Good morning. Do you understand English?
c. Hey. Do you understand English?
d. Hello. Do you understand English?
2.
a. Thank you very much.
b. Thanks a lot.
c. Thank you.
d. Thanks.
3.
a. What is it?
b. Do you know what it is?
c. What is this?
d. Do you know what this is?
4.
a. Nice to meet you. I'm Noriko and I'm seventeen. How about being friends?
b. I'm pleased to meet you. I'm Noriko. I'm seventeen. Let's be friends.
c. Pleased to meet you. I'm Noriko. I'm seventeen years old. Let's be friends.
d. Nice to meet you. I'm Noriko and I'm seventeen years old. How about being friends?
5.
a. Hello Mr. Suzuki. How are you?
b. Good morning Mrs. Suzuki. How are you?
c. Good morning Mr. Suzuki. How ya doing?
d. Hello Mrs. Suzuki. How are you doing?

For each of the following situations, choose the greeting that best fits the circumstances.

6. You and a friend are thirteen-year-old boys. You want to meet your friend's teacher, Miss
Yamada. When you meet her, what will you say?
a. Osu Yamada sensei. Genki desu ka.
b. Hajimemashite, watashi wa Hiro kun desu.
c. Konnichi wa Yamada sensei. Hajimemashite.

7. You and a friend are twelve-year-old girls. You see a ten-year-old boy at the park that lives
in your neighborhood. You want to say "hello" and ask him how he is.
a. Ohayo Hiro. Genki?
b. Osu Hiro. Genki?
c. Konnichi wa Hiro chan. Genki?

8. Is this your older sister?

a. Kochira wa ani desu ka.
b. Kochira wa ane desu ka.
c. Kochira wa oniisan desu ka.
d. Kochira wa oneesan desu ka.

28 JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan

 9. Is this your mother?
a. Haha desu ka.
b. Okaasan desu ka.
c. Otousan desu ka.
d. Chichi desu ka.

10. This is my younger brother.

a. Otoutosan desu.
b. Otouto desu.
c. Imoutosan desu.
d. Imouto desu.

For questions 11–15, choose the English word that best represents the correct Japanese sound
written in romaji. Keep in mind that this is based on American pronunciation.

11. cha
a. chapel
b. chopsticks
c. charming
d. chores

12. so
a. soap
b. some
c. sore
d. sour

13. chi
a. chip
b. chime
c. cheep
d. chirp

14. wa
a. wade
b. water
c. ware
d. wafer

15. mo
a. mope
b. moo
c. more
d. mount

For questions 16–20, match the correct romaji sound with the hiragana symbol.

16. ka
a. ሥ
b. ሴ
c. ር
d. ሾ
e. ሮ
f. ሺ
g. ቀ

JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan 29

 17. o
a. ሥ
b. ሴ
c. ር
d. ሾ
e. ሮ
f. ሺ
g. ቀ

18. shi
a. ሥ
b. ሴ
c. ር
d. ሾ
e. ሮ
f. ሺ
g. ቀ

19. so
a. ሥ
b. ሴ
c. ር
d. ሾ
e. ሮ
f. ሺ
g. ቀ

20. ke
a. ሥ
b. ሴ
c. ር
d. ሾ
e. ሮ
f. ሺ
g. ቀ

For questions 21–25, choose the best romanization that matches the written hiragana.

21. ሥሸ
a. osu
b. asa
c. oshi
d. aso

22. ሥሮሧ
a. okii
b. okoe
c. akai
d. akue

30 JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan

23. ሲሸ
a. kusa
b. kisu
c. kusu
d. kisa

24. ሶራ
a. kii
b. kae
c. kui
d. koe

25. ሧሮ
a. eke
b. ika
c. eko
d. ike

26. What are the names of the four main islands of Japan?
a. Honshu, Kanto, Okinawa, Hokkaido
b. Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu
c. Kyushu, Shikoku, Okinawa, Chubu
d. Kanto, Chubu, Kansai, Chugoku

27. What is the name of the region where Tokyo is?

a. Shikoku
b. Tohoku
c. Kanto
d. Hokkaido

28. What month of the year is Japan's rainy season?

a. April
b. June
c. September
d. July

29. The climate of Japan is most like what part of the United States?
a. the northeast coastline from Maine to North Carolina
b. the northwest coastline from Washington to California
c. the eastern coastline from New York to Florida
d. the western coastline from Oregon to Mexico

30. Which famous Japanese city was the site of the 1998 Winter Olympics?
a. Nagano
b. Tokyo
c. Hiroshima
d. Sapporo

JAPAN 41: First-Year Japanese (Part 1) / Lesson 1: Welcome to Japan 31