1. The Basics of the
Japanese Language
What’s Tough and What’s Not

2. Which Would You Like to
Learn…

3. Sounds and Word
Structure
Compared to English, the number of vowels used
in any given word is usually higher
This means that Japanese is an “open”
language, or that it has an “open-syllable pattern”
Most syllables end in a vowel, meaning that the
pattern of most words is an alternation between a
consonant and vowel

4. The basic vowels are /a/, /i/, /u/, /e/, and /o/.
These are pronounced a bit differently than in
English, /ah/, /ee/, /ooh/, /eh/, and /oh/.
The basic consonants are
/k/, /s/, /t/, /n/, /h/, /m/, /y/, /r/, and /w/. There is also an
/N/ that stands alone from vowels and has a nasal
sound.
The combinations of these consonants and vowels
provide all sounds needed to speak the language.

5. Quiz Time!
What kind of syllable pattern does Japanese
follow?
What are the basic vowels, and how do they
sound?
What are the basic consonants, and which does
not pair with a vowel?

6. Grammar and Word Order
Languages are normally classified by the order of
their parts, namely the subject, verb, and Object
of a sentence.
While English’s structure is S-V-O, a subject
does a verb to an object, Japanese follows the
order of S-O-V.
While direct translation isn’t the clearest, this
means that in Japanese a subject does to an
object a verb. That’s how the sentence is formed.

7. Particles
Particles are the pieces of grammar that show
the relationships between subjects objects and
verbs.
For example, the particle /ha/ clearly shows what
the subject of a sentence is. The particle /wo/
shows what the direct object is.
For example, “John /ha/ gohan /wo/ tabeta.” John
ate rice. (Gohan is rice, tabeta is “ate”)

8. Quiz Time!
What is the basic order of a typical Japanese
sentence? How does this differ from English?
What is the name for a part of a sentence that
denotes the relationship between subjects,
objects, and verbs? Which were the two
discussed earlier, and what do they show us?
(Subject, object, or verb?)

9. Writing in Japanese
The Japanese Language is split into two
syllaberic “alphabets” known as Hiragana and
Katakana, along with borrowed Chinese
characters known as Kanji that represent words.
Kanji often gives the idea of a particular
meaning, while Kana offer us a specific sound.
This gives each type of writing distinct
advantages, which is why both are used.

10. Kanji were brought to Japan about 1,500 years ago
from China.
Before this time, Japanese was strictly a written
language
500 years later, the kana were made from particular
pieces of different Kanji.
Kana let us sound out a word, while Kanji give learners
clues as to the meaning of a word, as long as they know
the Kanji of course.
While Hiragana denote the sound of Japanese
words, Katakana is used to borrow words from other
languages, such as コンピュータ、or “konpyuuta.”
Computer in English.

11. Quiz Time!
What are the two syllaberic alphabets called in
Japanese? What do they represent?
What is the system of more complex symbols
called, where did it come from, and when?
What are the benefits to both styles of writing?
Are they used together?

12. Moving Forward
The key to learning any language is to get the
fundamentals of speaking, reading, and grammar
down.
Using what we have learned as a basis, we can
move forward on each of those fronts.
The Japanese language is one rooted in history
and steeped in culture. Remember, it takes time
to learn a different way of speaking.

13. 日本語のすごい世界へようこ
そ！
Welcome to the wonderful world of Japanese!