datoOmou ... i tHinK sO @datoomou-blog - Tumblr Blog

If You're Happy and You Know It ... 手をたたこう?

Karaoke time!!! "If You're Happy and You Know It" is a popular repetitive children's song, stemming from an old Latvian folk song (according to Wikipedia), but it seems children the world over grew up learning, singing and passing it on.

In keeping with our Japanese study endeavors, why not try your hand at a Japanese karaoke version posted to Youtube by Rocky01kara.

#japanese #にほんご #日本語

自己紹介：赤毛 -- Self Introduction From a Redhead

Nope, I'm not a redhead. My hair is as black as midnight but I love this young lady's じこしょうかい〔自己紹介）- "self introduction". One of the first things we learn as we start our journeys to learning to speak Japanese is a self-introduction. As a beginner, our self introduction consists mainly of stating our name and saying where we're from. As we learn more and more Japanese, our introductions increase in information. One day I hope my 自己紹介 will be as fluent as this one from Rachel of My Husband is Japanese.

#じこしょうかい #自己紹介 #nihongo #japanese #にほんご #日本語

DaToOmou's random Japanese

聞き出す...ききだす

(Godan verb with su ending, Transitive verb )

to get information out of a person; to begin listening

...artwork by Kreppi over at Deviant Art

#japanese #にほんご #日本語 #ねこ #猫

Opposites Attract: Learning Japanese Vocab with Opposites

Found a great article about expanding your Japanese vocabulary with antonyms (opposites). I think we all, regardless of our native language, grew up learning opposites along the way ... hot/cold, up/down, over/under, etc. Koichiさん does a magnificent job of explaining how important and useful the associations we make when using opposites are when learning a new language. The list he uses is quite long [although he references and even longer list in his article], so I'll just post the first part of the list and you can find all the rest right here at Tofugu.com.

会う (To Meet)　⇔　別れる (To Separate) 明るい (Light)　⇔　暗い (Dark) 悪 (Evil)　⇔　善 (Good)　… etc, etc, etc. 上げ　⇔　下げ暑い　⇔　寒い厚い　⇔　薄い暖かい　⇔　寒い、冷たい新しい　⇔　古いあなた　⇔　私甘い　⇔　辛い、苦い余る　⇔　足りない有る　⇔　無い洗う　⇔　汚す安心　⇔　心配、不安安全　⇔　危険安楽　⇔　苦労いい　⇔　悪いいいえ　⇔　はい生かす　⇔　殺す以下　⇔　以上意外　⇔　当然行き　⇔　帰り生きる　⇔　死ぬ医者　⇔　患者忙しい　⇔　暇以内　⇔　以外入れる　⇔　出す上　⇔　下うるさい　⇔　しずか氏　⇔　名嘘　⇔　本当、拾失う　⇔　得るうまい　⇔　まずいうまい　⇔　下手憂い　⇔　喜び嬉しい　⇔　悲しい男　⇔　女王子　⇔　王女押す　⇔　引く遅い　⇔　早い、速い大人　⇔　子供大きい　⇔　小さい多い　⇔　少ない重い　⇔　軽い美味しい　⇔　まずい音読み　⇔　訓読み

#japan #japanese #にほんご #日本語

DaToOmou's random japanese

気になる... きになる

(expression, intransitive verb, godan verb with ru ending )

to be on one's mind; to worry one; to care about; to be bothered by; to feel uneasy; to be anxious; to feel inclined

#japanese #にほんご #日本語

Bikes, Bikes, Bikes EVERYWHERE

In 2009 my son and I took a 2-week vacation in Japan. One evening we were chatting and laughing together as we strolled along one of the jam-packed side streets of downtown Asakusa when I walked / tripped into a parked bicyle, to which I promptly bowed and said "すみません". It was a knee-jerk reaction, okay!! I thought I'd bumped into a human being. There are an inordinate number (lots and lots) of bikes in Japan. Watch Danny Choo's video on some of the measures this always enterprising country is taking regarding bike storage.

#にほん #じてんしゃ #自転車 #japan #bike #bicycle

もういっかい... One Mo 'Gin

Okay, so let's try this once again. I'm back ... back to Tumblr, back to studying Japanese, back to the decision on whether or not to take the JLPT this year (I flaked out last year) and back to trying to figure out what level JLPT to take if I decide to do it. I'm back!!!

**One Mo 'Gin ...[southern] slang term shortened from "one more again", meaning once more; again; once more and again.

**もういっかい〔もう一回）...[Japanese] term romanized to "mou ikkai", meaning once more; once again; one more time

#japanese #nihongo #にほんご #日本語

Learning Japanese on Facebook

Learned a little bit about the Japanese ~zu ending on the Let's Learn Japanese Facebook page. New admin, Rock Spirit, breaks it down like so:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

相変わらず　　 [あいかわらず] (aikawarazu) same as ever; just like always

Sample sentence: 彼は相変わらず忙しいようです。 [Kare wa aikawarazu isogashii you desu.] He seems as busy as ever. As you see "aikawarazu" is made from two kanji. To understand the word better, let's learn each kanji's meaning^^ 相 [あい-] (ai-) each other;together;mutual 変 [か.わる] (kawaru) change;unusual In Japanese, Verb(x)+ zu means "without doing x" "kawarazu" means "without changing" So all together, the meaning becomes "always the same, same as ever" -Rock Spirit-

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * And that's that ... learning Japanese one word at a time.

#日本語 #漢字 #japanese #kanji #あいかわらず #相変わらず

Writing the Kanji Practice 4

Of the following 19 definitions, how many of these kanji can you write/draw from memory?

Renshuu.org JLPT Level 5 Kanji Lessons 7-8

1. what

2. friend

3. rest, day off, retire, sleep

4. mother

5. car

6. read

7. heavens, sky, imperioal

8. rain

9. white

10. eat, food

11. ten thousand, 10,000

12. every

13. hear, ask, listen

14. south

15. tree, wood

16. fire

17. right

18. father

19. left

#日本語 #漢字 #japanese #kanji #jlpt

Kanji Answers 10-18-12

日 day, counter for days, Japan, sun

Japanese kun: -か、ひ、 -び Japanese on: ジツ、ニチ

北 north

Japanese kun: きた Japanese on: ホク

時 hour, time

Japanese kun: とき、 -どき Japanese on: ジ

円 circle, round, yen

Japanese kun: まど、まど.か、まる、まる.い、まろ.やか Japanese on: エン

九 nine

Japanese kun: ここの、ここの.つ Japanese on: キュウ、ク

後 back, behind, later

Japanese kun: あと、うし.ろ、うしろ、おく.れる、のち Japanese on: コウ、ゴ

生 birth, genuine, life

Japanese kun: い.かす、い.きる、い.ける、 -う、う.まれ、うまれ、う.まれる、うま.れる、う.む、お.う、き、な.す、なま、なま-、な.る、は.える、は.やす、む.す Japanese on: ショウ、セイ

七 seven

Japanese kun: なな、なな.つ、なの Japanese on: シチ

食 eat, food

Japanese kun: く.う、く.らう、た.べる、は.む Japanese on: ショク、ジキ

六 six

Japanese kun: む、むい、むっ.つ、む.つ Japanese on: リク、ロク

山 mountain

Japanese kun: やま Japanese on: サン、セン

#japanese #jlpt #kanji #日本語 #漢字

Kanji Answers 10-16-12

目 care, class, experience, eye, favor, insight, look

(Japanese kun: ま-、め、 -め Japanese on: ボク、モク)

父 father

(Japanese kun: ちち Japanese on: フ)

四 seven

(Japanese kun: なな、なな.つ、なの Japanese on: シチ)

道 course, district, journey, moral, road-way, street, teachings

(Japanese kun: みち Japanese on: トウ、ドウ)

車 car

(Japanese kun: くるま Japanese on: シャ)

多 frequent, many, much

(Japanese kun: おお.い、まさ.に、まさ.る Japanese on: タ)

子 11pm - 1am, child, first sign of the Chinese zodiac, sign of the rat

(Japanese kun: こ、 -こ、ね Japanese on: シ、ス、ツ)

手hand

(Japanese kun: た-、て、て-、 -て Japanese on: シュ、ズ)

百 hundred

(Japanese kun: もも Japanese on: ヒャク、ビャク)

話 tale, talk

(Japanese kun: はなし、はな.す Japanese on: ワ)

#日本語 #漢字 #japanese #jlpt #kanji

Writing the Kanji Practice 3

Of the following 20 definitions, how many of these kanji can you write/draw from memory?

Renshuu.org JLPT Level 5 Kanji Lessons 5-6

1. North

2. Write

3. Noon, sign of the horse, 11am-1pm

4. Talk, tale

5. Hundred

6. Mountain

7. Woman, female

8. Seven

9. Before, ahead, previous, future, precedence

10. Name, noted, distinguished, reputation.

11. Half, middle, odd number, semi-, part-

12. Male

13. Stream, river, 3-stroke river radical

14. Eletricity

15. Thousand

16. Exam, school, printing, proof, correction

17. West, Spain

18. Soil, earth, ground, Turkey

19. Water

20. Word, speech, language.

#日本語 #漢字 #jlpt #Japanese #kanji

Kanji Answers 10/09/12 川 river, 3-stroke river radial [Japanese kun: かわ Japanese on: セン] 読 read [Japanese kun: -よ.み、よ.む Japanese on: トウ、トク、ドク] 午 11am - 1pm, noon, seventh sign of Chinese zodiac, sign of the horse [Japanese kun: うま Japanese on: ゴ] 雨 rain [Japanese kun: あま-、あめ、 -さめ Japanese on: ウ] 会 association, interview, join, meet, meeting, party [Japanese kun: あ.う、あつ.まる、あ.わせる Japanese on: エ、カイ] 南 south [Japanese kun: みなみ Japanese on: ナ、ナン] 土 earth, ground, soil, Turkey [Japanese kun: つち Japanese on: ト、ド] 母 mother [Japanese kun: はは、も Japanese on: ボ] 大 big, large [Japanese kun: おお-、 -おお.いに、おお.きい Japanese on: タイ、ダイ] 見 chances, hopes, idea, look at, opinion, see, visible [Japanese kun: み.える、み.せる、み.る Japanese on: ケン]

#日本語 #漢字 #Japanese #kanji #jlpt

Kanji Answers 09/25/12 天 heavens, imperial, sky [Japanese kun: あま-、あまつ、あめ Japanese on: テン] 車 car [Japanese kun: くるま Japanese on: シャ ] 木 tree, wood [Japanese kun: き、こ- Japanese on: ボク、モク ] 水 water [Japanese kun: みず、みず- Japanese on: スイ ] 店 shop, store [Japanese kun: たな、みせ Japanese on: テン] 万 10,000 or ten thousand [Japanese kun: よろず Japanese on: バン、マン] 中 center, in, inside, mean, middle [Japanese kun: あた.る、うち、なか Japanese on: チュウ] 三 three, 3 [Japanese kun: み、みっ.つ、み.つ Japanese on: サン、ゾウ] 男 male [Japanese kun: お、おとこ Japanese on: ダン、ナン] 右 right [Japanese kun: みぎ Japanese on: ウ、ユウ]

#日本語 #漢字 #Japanese #kanji #jlpt