Rabu, 02 Maret 2011

ku naru ; to become

"; -ku naru (to become something)

Remember the -ku form?

You can use the -ku form of a normal adjective with the verb naru (to become), and make some very nice sentences. This form is used a lot. If you watch just about any Anime, you'll hear it at least once.

Examples

shiroi - white
shiroku natta - became white

osoi - slow
osoku natta - became slow

hayai - fast
hayaku natte iru - is becoming fast

nai - not there (opposite of aru, to exist)
naku natta - became nothing

Example Sentences

Akane wa Dracula o taoshita kedo,
Akane (subject) Dracula (who or what) killed but,

inochi ga naku natta n'da.
life (subject) not there became (is).

Akane defeated Dracula, but at the price of her own life.

ranma o taoshita ato de, genma to tatakatte ita.
ranma (who) defeated after, genma (with) was fighting.
After he defeated Ranma, he was fighting with Genma.

tabako mou naku natta nda!
cigarettes already nothing became !
We're already out of cigarettes!

kono rousoku o naku naru made,
this candle (what) nothing becomes until,

koko de matte kudasai!
here (location) wait please!

Please wait here until this candle completely burns up.

doushite konna tokoro ni kuru nante?
why this kinda place (to) come (a thing such as)
Why did you come to a place like this?

ame ga futte iru shi,
rain (subject) is falling (and)

okaasan ga okotte iru shi,
mother (subject) is being angry (and)

nanimo dekinai n dakara.
nothing can't do (*filler*) therefore.

It's raining, and mom's mad, so I can't do anything.

particle ato "after" in japanese

Ato

If you ever want to say after, you will probably need to use this word. Ato is very similar to the English word after. Ato, like bakari, is used with the -ta form. You can add it to just about any "past tense" sentence.

Example 1:

Akunin o koroshita
Scoundrel (who) killed.
Killed the scoundrel

Next, we'll enhance the sentence:

Akunin o koroshita ato, hayaku nigeta.
Scoundrel (who) killed after, quickly escaped.
After (he) killed the scoundrel, he quickly escaped.

Example 2:

hikaru o taoshita
Hikaru (who) defeated.
Hikaru was defeated.

hikaru o taoshita ato, waratte ita.
Hikaru (who) defeated after, was laughing
He was laughing after (he) defeated Hikaru.



This article was used with permission from:
Japanese is Possible

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'tis the season

'Tis the Season...
Christmas, the festival celebrating the birth of Christ... While today's spelling of the holiday, if not its pronunciation, shows a clear connection with Christ, the ending "-mas" has no obvious meaning for most of us. But as late as 1605, as in, for example, "Christmasse cometh but once a yeare," it was almost transparently "Christ's mass," still close to the Old English of the 13th century, Cristes mæsse, the mass or festival of Christ.

"Mass" as part of Roman Catholic ritual, traces its linguistic roots back to the Latin messa, from missa, a past participle form of the Latin verb mittere, which meant "to send, send away, dismiss." Exactly how "send" became connected with the religious service is not perfectly clear*, but this Latin verb mittere is the source for an unusually large set of English words. Admit, emit, commit, omit, submit, transmit, etc., all have noun forms based on miss-: admission, emission, commission, omission, submission, transmission, etc., and keep close to the original sense of "sending." Slightly less obvious are words like promise, compromise, surmise, which show the same forms for nouns and verbs. From the same source we get missile, missive, mission, and missionary; and through a slightly different path, message, messenger, and even mess (hall). (The "mas" of Christmas appears in a few lesser-known holiday names as well, such as Michaelmas.)

Holiday names, going back in cultural tradition, are often obscure with regard to their original meaning. Halloween (October 31), the American (trick-or-treat) form of which seems to be gaining popularity in both Japan and Europe recently, derives originally from the old Celtic festival of Samhain eve. In ancient Britain and Ireland, into Anglo-Saxon times, New Years was November 1, and on the evening before, huge bonfires were set on hilltops to frighten away evil spirits. The souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes on this day, and so eventually the association was made with the ghosts, witches, goblins, black cats, fairies, and demons which make up the costumes of many of today's young trick-or-treaters and costume-party-goers.

Previously written Hallow-e'en, the name is a shortened form of All-Hallow-Even, the evening before All Hallows' or All Saints' Day, a Christian holiday celebrated at the same time. "Hallow" comes from the Old English form "haliga" for "holy" (man), "saint," and it also appeared with a Christmas-like ending: All-hallowmas, the festival of all saints.

The return of the spirits of the dead is similarly found in the Japanese holiday of O-bon, also called Bon Matsuri or Urabon (July 13-15 or August 13-15), which honors the spirits of deceased ancestors. They are believed to return to their birthplaces at this time, and so memorial stones are cleaned, community dances performed, and paper lanterns and fires are lit to welcome them and bid them farewell at the end of their visit. The word Urabon probably derives from the Sanskrit Avalambana (All Souls Day), a Buddhist ceremony based on the Avalambana-sutra, which tells the story of Maudgalyayana, a disciple of the Buddha, who secured his mother's release from hell by having monks offer food, drink, and shelter to the spirits of his ancestors.

Easter, which looks like it should be connected to "east," in fact... seems to be. This Christian holiday, with celebrates the resurrection, or rebirth, of Christ, probably takes its English name from an earlier non-Christian holiday for the dawn-goddess Eostre, which was celebrated at the vernal (spring) Equinox, around the same time as Easter. In most other European languages, the word for Easter shows its connection to the last supper, the Jewish Passover ("pesah" in Hebrew), becoming Pâques in French, Pasqua in Italian, Pascua in Spanish, and Pask in Dutch. The actual date varies from year to year, for it is generally the first Sunday after the full moon (the paschal moon) that occurs upon or next after the vernal equinox (around March 21). Many of the associated customs can be traced back to pre-Christian spring festivals: Easter eggs and the Easter bunny (rabbit) could be easily connected with new life, fertility, and the Christian resurrection.

As with Easter and Halloween, the dates of religious holidays (holy-days) are often found to coincide with those of earlier pagan festivals, and to include many of their traditions. In many cases, this was the result of an attempt on the part of religious leaders to facilitate the transition of the people to the new religion: Rather than attempt to enforce a prohibition of the popular older beliefs, they scheduled their new holidays for the same time, and incorporated many of the traditional customs.

Stephen Trussel

*a note from David Klappholz: 'At the end of the Latin mass the priest says "ite, missa est," meaning "Go, you are dismissed." I believe it's quite well accepted that this is the origin of "missa" as the name of the catholic liturgy.'

japanese numeral counters

# character romaji set gloss
1. 雨 ame hito rain
2. アンペア anpea ichi amperes
3. 場 ba hito sections of a play
4. 倍 bai ichi multiples, times as much, duplication
5. 番 ban ichi serial numbers, theatrical performances, Noh, sumo matches, shogi (将棋)
6. 晩 ban hito nights
7. 番地 banchi ichi lot, plot numbers (in address)
8. 番目 banme ichi -ths
9. 番線 bansen ichi track numbers
10. 番手 bante ichi yarn count
11. バーツ bātsu ichi baht, Thai monetary unit
12. 弁 ben ichi flower petals
13. 尾 bi ichi fish
14. 瓶 bin hito bottles (1.8 l), vases of flowers
15. 便 bin ichi public transport runs or flights
16. 木 boku ichi lumber
17. ボルト boruto ichi volts
18. 分 bu ichi tenth part of an equally divided whole; 1/10 of 1%; former unit of length, 3.03mm (3.787mm cloth), 1/10 sun (寸), 0.119 in.; former monetary unit, 1/4 両 (りょう); unit of footwear size, 2.4mm, 1/10 mon (文)
19. 歩 bu ichi unit of sq. measure, 3.3sq m, 36 sq shaku (尺), 1 tsubo (坪), 10 gō (合), 2 jō (畳)
20. 部 bu ichi printed materials, copies, newspapers, sets of books; sections of Kanji dictionaries, scriptures
21. 分 bun ichi fraction, denominators, part
22. 文 bun ichi sentences, novels, writing
23. 秒 byō ichi seconds
24. 着 chaku ichi suits, dresses, trousers; finishing position (race, etc.)
25. 帙 chitsu ichi Japanese-style books (和書 washo)
26. 兆 chō ichi trillions
27. 張 chō ichi bows or stringed instruments; curtains, screens or nets, mosquito nets
28. 町 chō ichi former unit of length, 60 ken (間), 109.0 m; unit of sq measure, 10 tan (段), 99.17 ares
29. 挺 chō ichi long objects: guns (銃 jū), oars, guitars, palanquins, candles, items of cutlery, axes (斧 ono)
30. 提 chō ichi liquor bottles, sake bottles (tokkuri 徳利, chōshi 銚子)
31. 貼 chō ichi powdered medicine (散剤 sanzai)
32. 丁 chō ichi handled objects, carpenters' tools, scissors, pistols, saws, baskets, candles, forks; former unit of length, = 119.16 yards, 360 shaku, 109 m, 60 ken; cakes of tofu, servings (cutlets, noodles...), sheets bound Japanese style; town blocks
33. 丁目 chōme ichi ward, block
34. 打 da ichi hits (baseball?)
35. 駄 da ichi horseloads
36. 朶 da ichi long oblong chest (for clothing): nagamochi (長持); trees
37. 代 dai ichi generations, descendants, reign periods
38. 台 dai ichi vehicles; machines or mechanical devices; pair of skis; sliding ponds; 16-page units in printing, galleys
39. 題 dai ichi questions, problems
40. 弟 dai ichi children, younger brothers ?
41. 弾 dan ichi steps, measures, or stages; shots, bullets
42. 段 dan ichi steps; steps or stages; columns (of print)
43. 段落 danraku ichi paragraphs
44. 打, ダース dāsu ichi dozens
45. 立て date ichi carriage horses or boat oars; films in a multi-feature movie
46. 瓧, デかグラム dekaguramu ichi decagrams (10 grams)
47. 籵, デかメートル dekamētoru ichi decameters (10 meters)
48. 竍, デかリットル dekarittoru ichi decaliters (10 liters)
49. 瓰, デシグラム deshiguramu ichi decigrams (1/10 gram)
50. 粉, デシメートル deshimētoru ichi decimeters (1/10 meter)
51. 竕, デシリットル deshirittoru ichi deciliters (1/10 liter)
52. 度 do ichi number of times; degrees; parts of musical scale
53. 堂 dō ichi Buddhist temples
54. 撮 dori ichi number of shots (pictures) available in a roll of film
55. 弗, ドル doru ichi dollar, $
56. 柄 e ichi halberd, halbert, (なぎなた), kitchen knife, cleaver
57. 重 e hito fold, ply (of garments, cloth)
58. 枝 eda hito flowers, branches
59. 駅 eki hito 1,2 station
60. 園 en ichi kindergartens
61. 円 en ichi yen, ¥, 100 sen (銭)
62. フィート fīto ichi feet (12 inches)
63. 封 fu ichi letters (mail)
64. 筆 fude hito strokes of a brush
65. 幅 fuku ichi scrolls, paintings in scroll form
66. 服 fuku ichi doses/packets of medicine; puffs (of smoke), sips (of tea)
67. 袋 fukuro hito bags, bagfuls, sacks
68. 分 fun ichi minutes; former unit of weight, 0.375g, 1/10 monme (匁)
69. ふね fune hito container of food (as sold in a store)
70. フラン furan ichi franc, French monetary unit
71. 降 furi hito rain
72. 振 furi hito Japanese swords, halberds (naginata)
73. 房 fusa hito bunches (grapes, bananas)
74. 蓋 gai ichi lid-shaped objects such as bamboo hats (kasa 笠)
75. 学期 gakki ichi terms, semesters
76. 学年 gakunen ichi school years
77. ガロン garon ichi gallons
78. 月 gatsu ichi month names
79. ゲーム gēmu ichi games (bowling)
80. 弦 gen ichi strings (chords)
81. 元, ゲン gen ichi gen, Chinese monetary unit
82. 原子 genshi ichi number of atoms
83. 語 go ichi words, languages
84. 号 gō ichi No., number, issue; dress size
85. 合 gō ichi engagements, esp in fencing matches; lidded utensils or receptacles, incense containers (香合 kōgō; former unit of sq measure, 1/10 tsubo (坪), 10 shaku (勺), 0.330 ㎡; unit of capacity, 1/10 shō (升), 10 shaku (勺), 0.180 l; 1/10 the height of a given mountain
86. 盒 gō ichi incense containers (香合 kōgō)
87. 言 gon ichi words or letters
88. 号車 gōsha ichi train car numbers
89. 具 gu ichi sets of articles, as suits of armor, prayer beads (数珠 juzu), palanquin (駕籠 kago)
90. 瓦, グラム guramu ichi grams
91. グロス gurosu ichi gross (12 dozen), e.g. penpoints
92. 行 gyō ichi lines (of print, etc.)
93. 波 ha hito events occurring in waves
94. 葉 ha hito leaves (of a tree)
95. 鉢 hachi hito potted plants, bonsai pots
96. 敗 hai ichi defeats
97. 杯 hai ichi glassfuls, cupfuls, bowlfuls, spoonfuls, containersful, drinks; squid, octopi, cuttlefish; ships
98. 箱 hako hito boxes, boxfuls
99. 拍 haku ichi beats, number of syllables in Japanese words
100. 泊 haku ichi overnight stays
101. 版 han ichi editions
102. 犯 han ichi offenses (prior)
103. 刎 hane hito helmets (兜 kabuto)
104. 腹 hara hito tarako (鱈子) codefish roe
105. 針 hari hito seams, stitches (縫い目 nuime), meshes of a net (編み目 amime)
106. 張り hari hito bows, stringed instruments, paper lanterns, umbrellas, (curtains, objects stretched over a frame)
107. 箸 hashi hito single mouthful of food
108. 柱 hashira hito gods, mortuary tablets
109. 派 hasuri hito errand doers
110. 発 hatsu ichi shots or rounds; engines; blows
111. 瓶 hei ichi potted plants or ikebana
112. ヘクタール hekutāru ichi hectares
113. 瓸, ヘクトグラム hekutoguramu ichi hectograms (100 grams)
114. 粨, ヘクトメートル hekutomētoru ichi hectometers (100 meters)
115. 竡, ヘクトリットル hekutorittoru ichi hectoliters (100 liters)
116. 片 hen ichi fragments or flakes (irregular shaped "mai")
117. 遍 hen ichi number of times
118. 篇 hen ichi poems
119. 編 hen ichi chapters or parts; (Chinese ) poems
120. 返 hen ichi number of times
121. ヘルツ herutsu ichi hertz, hz.
122. 部屋 heya hito rooms
123. 匹 hiki ichi small animals, fish, insects (& unit of measure for rolls of cloth)
124. 疋 hiki hito counter for lengths of cloth, about 21m
125. 疋 hiki ichi animals; former monetary unit, 10 (later 25) mon (文)
126. 疋 hiki ichi unit of measure for rolls of cloth, 2 tan (反), c. 9m
127. 品 hin ichi courses of a meal; saleable things
128. 片 hira hito flower petals
129. 尋 hiro hito fathom, unit of length, c. 1.8m, 6 shaku (尺), used esp. for water depth
130. 筆 hitsu ichi documents, papers (書類 shorui); ricefields, land registrations
131. 歩 ho ichi footsteps, steps
132. 舗 ho ichi maps (literary)
133. 包 hō ichi tablets (pills), packets of (powder) medicine, tea
134. 本 hon ichi long, cylindrical objects; rounds or points of a match (karate); baseball safe hits; movies; letters
135. 百 hyaku ichi 100s
136. 俵 hyō ichi bags (straw) of rice, cereal; sackfuls
137. 票 hyō ichi votes
138. 拍子 hyōshi ichi beats, or number of syllables in Japanese words
139. 位 i ichi spirits (of the dead), ranking, place, standard (順位 jun'i)
140. 圏 īchan ichi games of mahjonng
141. 吋, インチ inchi ichi inches
142. 色 iro hito colors; kinds
143. 寺 ji ichi Buddhist temples
144. 耳 ji ichi rabbits (pairs)
145. 字 ji ichi characters, letters (kanji)
146. 時 ji ichi hours of the day, o'clock
147. 次 ji ichi numerical order or number of times
148. 時限 jigen ichi hour, period (school class)
149. 時間 jikan ichi hours
150. 軸 jiku ichi scrolls
151. 陣 jin ichi occurring in spells
152. 女 jo ichi daughters
153. 錠 jō ichi tablets, pills
154. 丈 jō ichi unit of length, 10 shaku (尺), 3.030 m
155. 乗 jō ichi vehicles (literary), numbers (powers)
156. 畳 jō ichi tatami, mats (3'x6'), roomsize
157. 帖 jō ichi quires (of paper), folding screens, karakami, volumes of Japanese books...; tatami or (straw) mats,
158. 条 jō ichi articles, sections (e.g. constitution); strip-like, slender objects, obi (帯), rivers
159. 樹 ju ichi trees
160. 什 jū ichi Chinese poems
161. 十 jū ichi 10s
162. 重 jū ichi folds, layers, plies, tiered boxes (重箱)
163. 旬 jun ichi ten-day periods; decades?
164. 巡 jun ichi rounds
165. 箇 ka ichi items, places, units of time
166. 価 ka ichi valence (Physics)
167. 日 ka hito days (2-10, 20)
168. 荷 ka ichi loads, burdens; tubs, buckets (桶 oke)
169. 課 ka ichi lessons
170. 顆, 果 ka ichi fruits, jewels, small round things, hanko (seals)
171. 菓 ka ichi fruits
172. 架 ka ichi folding screens (byōbu 屏風), framed pictures
173. 花弁 kaben ichi flower petals
174. 株 kabu hito stocks, shares; plant with roots (shrubs), trees
175. ヶ月 kagetsu ichi months
176. 籠 kago hito baskets, fruits
177. 階 kai ichi floors, stories
178. 回 kai ichi number of times, games, matches; innings
179. 葢 kai ichi hats
180. 掛 kake hito collars (襟 eri), strings (弦 gen)
181. 角形 kakkei ichi -sided figure, -agon
182. ヶ国 kakoku ichi countries
183. ヶ国語 kakokugo ichi languages
184. 角 kaku ichi angles
185. 画 kaku ichi strokes (kanji)
186. 叺 kamasu hito sugar (straw bags of)
187. 艦 kan ichi warships
188. 巻 kan ichi books of one work, volumes, reels of a film
189. 款 kan ichi articles or subsections
190. 缶, 罐 kan hito cans of nori (海苔 edible laver), tea, canned goods
191. 貫 kan ichi 1,000 monme (匁), 8.27 lb, 3.750 kg; former monetary unit, 1,000 mon (文) (Edo era: 960 mon)
192. 管 kan ichi wind instruments
193. ヶ年 kanen ichi years
194. カップ kappu ichi cups (in recipes)
195. カロリー karorī ichi calories
196. 重ね kasane hito mochi (kagami mochi) (鏡餅), tiered boxes (重箱 jūbako), layers of clothing
197. 襲 kasane ichi Japanese clothing
198. 綛, 桛 kase hito thread wound on skeins, items wound on a frame
199. 頭 kashira hito helmets, headgear worn by nobles in court dress (烏帽子 eboshi); masks (faces 面 omote)
200. ヶ所 kasho ichi places (箇所)
201. 方 kata hito persons (honorific)
202. 片食 katakia ichi meals (from Edo era when 2 meals a day were usual)
203. 塊 katamari hito lumped objects
204. 片付 katazuke hito one's tidying
205. 家族 kazoku hito 1,2 families
206. 景 kei ichi scenes, sections of a play
207. 茎 kei ichi long and narrow objects [rare], hanging lantern (灯籠 tōrō), writing brush (筆)
208. 京 kei (& kyō) ichi 10 million billion, 1000 chō (兆), 10 quadrillion, 10 to the 16th
209. 間 ken ichi unit of length, 6 shaku (尺), 1.818 m.
210. 件 ken ichi cases, matters, affairs, bills, measures
211. 剣 ken ichi Japanese swords
212. 軒 ken ichi buildings, houses
213. 鍵 ken ichi keys (of a piano)
214. 桁 keta hito 1-4 digits (number)
215. 穴 ketsu ichi holes
216. 騎 ki ichi horsemen, (mounted) horses
217. 期 ki ichi terms (school)
218. 機 ki ichi planes, aircraft; heavy machinery
219. 紀 ki ichi 12-year periods
220. 基 ki ichi machines, elevators, gravestones, stone monuments, placed things, torī, screens, dressing table
221. 斤 kin ichi catty, kin, 160 monme (匁), 0.601 kg.
222. 切 kire hito slices, cuts, pieces, bits, strips
223. キロ kiro ichi kilograms, kilometers, kiloliters
224. キロアンペヤ kiroanpeya ichi kiloamperes
225. キロボルト kiroboruto ichi kilovolts, kv, 1000 volts
226. 瓩, キログラム kiroguramu ichi kilograms, kg, (1000 grams)
227. 粁, キロメートル kiromētoru ichi kilometers, km, 1000 meters
228. 竏, キロリットル kirorittoru ichi kiloliters, kl, (1000 liters)
229. キロサイクル kirosaikuru ichi kilocycles, kc, 1000 cycles
230. キロワット kirowatto ichi kilowatts, kw, 1000 watts
231. 気筒 kitō ichi cylinders (engine)
232. 壺 ko ichi jars (tsubo 壺)
233. 戸 ko ichi houses, households
234. 個 ko ichi general articles, goods, luggage, hats, items, small artifacts, fruits, mochi
235. 校 kō ichi schools; proofs (corrections of printings)
236. 講 kō ichi lectures
237. 口 kō ichi kettles, pots, teacups, plates, bowls, bells; swords
238. 更 kō ichi watches of the night, lateness of the night
239. 航海 kōkai ichi sea voyages
240. 石 koku ichi former unit of capacity, 10 to (斗), 180.5 l, used esp. for rice stipends in feudal Japan; former unit of capacity, c. 278 l, 10 cubic shaku (尺), used esp. for measuring lumber
241. 国語 kokugo ichi languages
242. コマ, 齣 koma hito classes (授業 jugyō)
243. コマ, 駒, 齣 koma hito movie scenes, shows, shorts, cartoons
244. 項目 kōmoku ichi item, clause
245. 献 kon ichi offerings (drinks) of wine
246. 喉 kon ichi fish
247. 光年 kōnen ichi light years
248. コペック kopekku ichi kopek, Russian monetary unit
249. 梱 kori hito raw silk (thread) (生糸 kīto), luggage (荷物)
250. 腰 koshi hito objects attached to the waist, as swords, hakama, quiver, etc.
251. 区 ku ichi sections
252. 躯 ku ichi statues (of gods)
253. 句 ku ichi haiku, senryū
254. 口 ku ichi swords (刀), razors (剃刀), kettles (釜), pots, dishes (皿 sara)
255. 口 kuchi hito mouthfuls; drinks (liquor)
256. 口 kuchi hito shares, units
257. 区間 kukan ichi sections between two points (as between stations for fare differences)
258. 茎 kuki hito writing brushes (筆 fude)
259. 括 kukuri hito papers
260. 組み kumi hito sets, suits, sake cups in sets of three, tiered boxes, plates, bowls, groups of people
261. クラス kurasu hito class (school)
262. クローネ kurōne ichi krone, Danish and Norwegian monetary units
263. 鎖 kusari hito chain, section of a sequence
264. 癖 kuse hito out-of-the-ordinary actions
265. 串 kushi hito dumplings (団子 dango)
266. 客 kyaku ichi utensils, tableware, etc, used for receiving guests
267. 脚 kyaku ichi legged furniture, chairs, desks, tables, armrests
268. 京 kyō (usu. kei) ichi 10 million billion, 1000 chō (兆), 10 quadrillion, 10 to the 16th
269. 曲 kyoku ichi pieces of music, songs, tunes, dances
270. 局 kyoku ichi board games, go, shogi games
271. 級 kyū ichi ordering, class, grade
272. 球 kyū ichi larger, round "ko"; pitches (baseball)
273. 間 ma hito rooms
274. 曲 mage hito tsukudani (佃煮), food boiled down in soy
275. 枚 mai ichi thin, flat objects, sheets, pages, mats, panes, order of sumo ranking, clothing, mochi
276. 哩, マイル mairu ichi miles
277. 巻 maki hito rolls of silk, cloth, scrolls, windings, scriptures, sacred books
278. 幕 maku ichi acts, performances, shows, sections of a play
279. 万 man ichi 10,000s
280. マルク maruku ichi mark, German monetary unit
281. 目 me ichi monme: unit of weight, 3.75g, 1 monme (匁); meshes of a net, stitches
282. 名 mei ichi persons (lit.), members
283. 面 men ichi flat surfaces (tennis courts, mirrors, go boards (盤 ban)) (2-dimensional "mai"); kotos
284. 米, メートル mētoru ichi meters, m
285. 味 mi ichi food or condiments
286. 粍, ミリ(メートル) miri(mētoru) ichi millimeters, mm, (1/1000 meter)
287. 瓱, ミリグラム miriguramu ichi milligrams, mg, (1/1000 gram)
288. 竓, ミリリットル miririttoru ichi milliliters, ml, (1/1000 liter)
289. ミリバール mirobāru ichi millobars
290. 毛 mō ichi former monetary unit, 1/10,000 yen (円); former unit of length, c. .03mm, 1/1000 sun (寸); former unit of weight, 3.75mg, 1/1000 monme (匁); 1/1000; 1/1000 of 10%: .0001
291. 目 moku ichi items, crosses of a go board
292. 門 mon ichi cannons
293. 問 mon ichi questions
294. 文 mon ichi former monetary unit, 1/1000 貫 (かん)
295. 文 mon hito unit of footwear size c. 2.4 cm
296. 匁 monme ichi 3.750 g, .132 oz, 2.117 drams, 1/000 kan (貫), now esp. for weighing pearls; former monetary unit, 1/60 ryō (両)
297. 盛 mori hito measures of medicine
298. 本 moto hito plants with roots
299. 棟 mune hito buildings, houses
300. 群 mure hito groups, flocks
301. 流 nagare hito flags
302. 男 nan ichi sons
303. 七日 nanuka/nanoka ichi* death anniversary (weeks) [*not 一七日, but 初七日: shonanuka]
304. 夏 natsu hito summers
305. 年 nen ichi years
306. 年間 nenkan ichi years
307. 年生 nensei ichi -grade student, -year student
308. 日 nichi ichi days (except 2-10, 20)
309. 握り nigiri hito grasped objects
310. 人 nin ichi persons, human beings (3 or more)
311. 人組 ningumi ichi group, gang members
312. 人前 ninmae ichi portions, servings (food)
313. 貫 nuki hito rosary beads, (数珠) juzu
314. 往復 ōfuku ichi return trips
315. 桶 oke hito bathtubs (浴槽 yokusō)
316. 億 oku ichi 100,000,000s
317. オンス onsu ichi ounces
318. 折り ori hito small boxes of food (orizume 折り詰め); number of foldings
319. パーセント pāsento ichi percent, %
320. 頁, ページ pēji ichi pages
321. ペンス pensu ichi pence, British monetary unit
322. ペセタ peseta ichi peseta, Spanish monetary unit
323. ペソ peso ichi peso, Mexican (et al.) monetary unit
324. ポイント pointo ichi points (type)
325. 封, 磅, ポンド pondo ichi pounds (unit of weight, about .45 kg)
326. 听, ポンド pondo ichi pound, £, British monetary unit
327. 連 ren ichi reams (of paper), strung objects, misc. linked objects or sets (chains, necklaces...), Chinese poems
328. 聨, 聯 ren ichi stanzas, verses
329. レーン rēn ichi lanes (bowling)
330. 列車 ressha ichi trains
331. 列 retsu ichi rows, columns, ranks
332. 里 ri ichi Japanese league, former unit of distance c. 3.927km, 36 chō (丁), 2.445 mi.
333. 人 ri hito persons (1 & 2 only)
334. 厘 rin ichi former monetary unit, 1/10 sen (銭), 1/1000 yen (円); former unit of length, c. 0.3mm, 1/100 sun (寸); former unit of weight, 37.5mg, 1/100 monme (匁)
335. 輪 rin ichi wheels; flowers, blossoms
336. リラ rira ichi lira, Italian monetary unit
337. 立, リットル rittoru ichi liters
338. ルーブル rūburu ichi ruble, Russian monetary unit
339. 塁 rui ichi bases (baseball)
340. 類 rui ichi kinds, types
341. ルピー rupī ichi rupee, Indian monetary unit
342. 輌 ryō ichi railway cars, vehicles, rolling stock
343. 両 ryō ichi former monetary unit, 4 bu (分) [4 kan (貫)?]; railway cars, cars; former unit of weight, 37.5g, 1/16 kin (斤)
344. 領 ryō ichi suits of armor, Japanese clothing, fusuma, surplice (袈裟 kesa)
345. 笠 ryū ichi bamboo hats
346. 旒 ryū ichi flags
347. 粒 ryū ichi grains (cereal), pills
348. 流 ryū ichi schools (systems of art...); flags
349. 下げ sage hito hakama (袴)
350. 載 sai ichi years, 100 tredecillion (10 to the 44th) (archaic)
351. 才 sai ichi unit of volume, c. 0.0278cc, 1 cubic shaku (尺), esp. for lumber or freight; unit of capacity, c. 1/10 shaku (勺); unit of sq. measure, c. 1 sq. foot, used for measuring textiles
352. 歳, 才 sai ichi years of age, years old
353. 菜 sai ichi dishes (food)
354. 匙 saji hito spoon(ful)s
355. 作 saku ichi film, literary or artistic work
356. さく saku hito block of fish prepared for sashimi, half a fish
357. 盞 san ichi cups, glasses
358. 竿, 棹 sao hito drawers, chests, cupboards, shamisen
359. 皿 sara hito 1-4 plates, helpings, sashimi
360. 差 sashi hito Noh, dances
361. 点 sashi hito eye drops (目薬)
362. 刷 satsu ichi printings
363. 札 satsu ichi papers, letters
364. 冊 satsu ichi volumes, books, magazines, copies
365. 畝 se ichi unit of sq measure, 30 bu (歩), 0.99 ares, 30 tsubo (坪), 99.17 ㎡
366. 世代 sedai ichi generations
367. 世 sei ichi generations or reign periods; 30-year periods
368. 世紀 seiki ichi centuries
369. 隻 seki ichi large ships, warships
370. 席 seki ichi theatrical performances
371. 石 seki ichi jewels of a watch, transistors, diodes
372. 選 sen ichi terms of election
373. 銭 sen ichi sen, former monetary unit, 1/100 yen (円), 10 rin (厘); formerly 1/1000 kan (貫)
374. 煎 sen ichi sencha (green tea of middle grade)
375. 戦 sen ichi games, matches
376. 川 sen ichi rivers [rare]
377. 千 sen ichi 1,000s
378. 糎, センチ(メートル) senchi(mētoru) ichi centimeters, (1/100 meter)
379. 甅, せンチグラム senchiguramu ichi centigrams (1/100 gram)
380. 竰, センチリットル senchirittoru ichi centiliters (1/100 liter)
381. 仙, セント sento ichi cent, ¢ 1/100 dollar
382. 世帯 setai ichi households
383. 節 setsu ichi sections (of a novel), paragraphs (of a composition)
384. セット setto ichi sets of clothing
385. 社 sha ichi companies, Shinto shrines
386. 車 sha ichi freight trains, cars
387. 勺 shaku ichi 0.018 l (dry/liq measure); 330.5 sq cm
388. 尺 shaku ichi .995 feet, 10 sun (寸), 303 mm (378.7 mm cloth)
389. 車線 shasen ichi lanes of traffic
390. 翅 shi ichi birds
391. 子 shi ichi go pieces
392. 指 shi ichi fingers
393. 枝 shi ichi slender objects, halberds (rare)
394. 紙 shi ichi types of newspapers
395. 詩 shi ichi Chinese poems
396. 試合 shiai ichi matches, contests
397. 敷き shiki hito room widths
398. 締め shime hito reams or bundles of paper
399. 審 shin ichi judgements stages
400. 品 shina hito courses of a meal
401. 進法 shinhō ichi system of counting
402. 進数 shinsū ichi system of counting
403. 親等 shintō ichi degree of family relationship
404. シリング shiringu ichi shilling, former British monetary unit
405. シーシー shīshī ichi cc, cubic centimeters
406. 室 shitsu ichi rooms
407. 雫, 滴 shizuku hito drops (liquid)
408. 章 shō ichi chapters
409. 升 shō ichi 10 gō (合), 3.17 pints, box measure, 1.805 l, esp. for sake or rice
410. 勝 shō ichi wins (sports)
411. 床 shō ichi beds
412. 勝負 shōbu ichi matches, contests, games
413. 色 shoku ichi colors
414. 食 shoku ichi meals
415. 株 shu ichi plants, trees
416. 種 shu ichi sorts, kinds, varieties, events (in sports programs)
417. 首 shu ichi Chinese poems, "waka", pieces
418. 朱 shu ichi former monetary unit, 1/16 ryō (両)
419. 周 shū ichi rounds, circuits, laps
420. 週(間) shū(kan) ichi weeks, order of weeks within a month
421. 周忌 shūki ichi death anniversaries
422. 周年 shūnen ichi continuous years, years in a row
423. 種類 shurui ichi sorts, kinds
424. 艘 sō ichi small ships
425. 雙, 双 sō ichi pairs (folding screens...)
426. 層 sō ichi layers, stories of a building
427. 叢 sō ichi groups, flocks
428. 則 soku ichi rules or items
429. 束 soku ichi bundles of firewood, vegetables, various items in bundles or bunches (fagots, sheaves, reams)
430. 足 soku ichi pairs of footwear, shoes, socks, pants; steps
431. 村 son ichi villages
432. 具 sonae hito kamishimo (裃) ceremonial dress, kesa (袈裟) surplice
433. 揃い soroi hito sets, suits, tongs, pairs of chopsticks, pair of skis
434. 数 sū ichi numbers of...
435. 据え sue hito bath tubs (浴槽 yokusō), bath basins (風呂桶 furooke)
436. 錘 sui ichi spindles
437. 筋 suji hito long, slender objects; roads (two dimensional 本), obi, rivers
438. 掬い sukui hito scoop(ing)s
439. 寸 sun ichi unit of length, 10 bu (分), 1.193 in, 30.3 mm (37.87 mm cloth)
440. ステージ sutēji ichi performances, shows
441. 据わり suwari hito kasane-mochi
442. 束 taba hito bundles
443. 度 tabi hito number of times
444. 袋 tai ichi bags, bagfuls
445. 体 tai ichi dead bodies, corpses, remains, ashes; images of Buddhist or Shinto deities, manequins
446. 卓 taku ichi mahjongg tables (雀卓 jantaku)
447. 玉 tama hito lump (一塊 hitokatamari) of udon, soba; small ammunition, bullets
448. 端 tan ichi scrolls
449. 段 tan ichi unit of sq measure, 10 se (畝), 9.917 ares, 300 bu (歩)
450. 反 tan ichi 36cm x ~10m (standard bolt of cloth to make kimono)
451. 単位 tani ichi units, credits
452. 垂れ tare hito blinds (curtains)
453. 樽 taru hito beverages (barrel, cask, keg, tub)
454. 立 tate ichi successive victories or defeats
455. 手 te hito Noh; moves in shogi, go, sumo; pair of arrows
456. 訂 tei ichi cows, horses, deer
457. 訂 tei ichi revised editions
458. 滴 teki ichi drops, (small, liquid round "ko")
459. 点 ten ichi marks, points (score); pieces (art, furniture), various articles
460. 店 ten ichi shops, firms
461. 斗 to ichi 15.88 quarts, 10 shō (升), 18.05 l
462. 等 tō ichi classes, grades, ranks
463. 統 tō ichi setnets (anchored fishnets) [rare]
464. 頭 tō ichi large domesticated animals, cows, horses, whales; statues
465. 刀 tō ichi katana, (Japanese) swords
466. 套 tō ichi books
467. 灯, 燈 tō ichi lamps, lights
468. 棟 tō ichi block number, blocks of flats (buildings)
469. 等分 tōbun ichi equal divisions
470. 所 tokoro hito places; (literary:) people
471. 戸前 tomae hito warehouses, storehouses, godowns
472. 屯, トン ton ichi tons
473. 通 tōri hito 1,2 ways, streets, avenues
474. 通 tōri ichi/hito kinds, ways of doing
475. つ tsu hito general inanimate units (1-9)
476. 通 tsū ichi mail, documents, letters, cards, communications
477. 坪 tsubo hito unit of sq. (land) measure, 1 bu (歩), 10 gō (合), 2 jō (畳), 6'x6', 3.30㎡, 36 sq. shaku (尺); unit of cubic measure, c. 6,000 l, 216 cu. shaku (尺), esp. for measuring earth
478. 粒 tsubu hito grains, pills, drops (small,round,solid "ko")
479. 番 tsugai hito couples, pairs (of animals)
480. 次 tsugi ichi stage on the Tokaido highway
481. 対 tsui ichi pairs (vases, tongs...), folding fans; ikebana (生花)
482. 月 tsuki hito 1-4 months
483. 撮み tsumami hito pinch, a slight amount; pinched objects
484. 包み tsutsumi hito powdered medicine
485. 通話 tsūwa ichi telephone calls
486. 綴 tsuzuri hito papers
487. 宇 u ichi temple buildings (お堂 odō)
488. 臼 usu hito mochi
489. 把 wa ichi bunches, bundles, sheaves, letters (mail)
490. 話 wa ichi stories (tales)
491. 羽 wa ichi birds, hares
492. 碗, 椀 wan ichi helpings of broth
493. 割 wari ichi tenths, units of ten percent
494. ワット watto ichi watts
495. 夜 ya ichi evenings
496. 碼, ヤード yādo ichi yards
497. 役 yaku ichi roles [of an actor playing multiple parts in a movie/play]
498. 山 yama hito 1,2 piles (fruit)
499. 余 yo ichi -odd, some more than...
500. 葉 yō ichi leaves or sheets (of paper...)
501. 翼 yoku ichi birds
502. 元, ユアン yuan ichi yuan, Chinese monetary unit
503. 裄 yuki hito hakama (袴)
504. 座 za ichi Shinto shrines, (seated) statues, deities; high mountains or forests
505. 剤 zai ichi doses (of medicine)
506. 山 zan ichi temples (寺院 jiin)
507. 膳 zen ichi pairs of chopsticks; bowls of rice, meals; small dining tables (膳 zen)
508. 絶 zetsu ichi Chinese poems

kanji

The numbers 1, 2, 3, and 10, 20, 30 have more complex forms,
used, for example, on legal documents, for financial transactions, etc.,
which cannot be as easily modified as the standard forms:

 
# usual
kanji document
kanji reading kana
1 一 壱 ichi いち, いっ
2 二 弐 貳 貮 ni に
3 三 参 參 san
(mairu) さん
10 十 拾 jū
(hirou) じゅう
20 二十 廿 nijū
にじゅう
30 三十 三拾 卅 sanjū
さんじゅう

A section of the printing history page of the 1955 (Shōwa 30) printing of Takehara's 1941 "A Standard Japanese-English Dictionary (Abridged Edition)." showing 壱 (1), 弐 (2),参, (3) and 拾 (10).

A section of the copyright page of the 1906 printing of Brinkley's 1896 (Meiji 29) "An Unabridged Japanese-English Dictionary" showing 廿 (20) and 卅 (30).


Japanese Eras and Gregorian Years

Era Start Date End Date Conversion to
Gregorian year
明治
Meiji September 8, 1868 July 30, 1912 Meiji + 1867
大正
Taishō July 30, 1912 December 25, 1926 Taishō + 1911
昭和
Shōwa December 25, 1926 January 7, 1989 Shōwa + 1925
平成
Heisei January 7, 1989 Present Heisei + 1988

Nihongo

Kamis, 27 Januari 2011

Basic Japanese Sounds

Basic Japanese Sounds

Japanese sounds are easy to hear and pronounce. Each syllable is simple, short, and usually enunciated very clearly. With a little practice, you'll get used to them quickly. This section gets you off on the right foot (or should I say the right sound) by looking at vowels, consonants, and a couple of letter combinations.


Vowel sounds

Japanese has only five basic vowels - a, e, i, o, and u - all of which sound short and crisp - plus their longer counterparts, a, e, i, o, andu. Short and long vowel sounds in Japanese are quite different than they are in English. In Japanese, long vowels have the same sounds as short vowels - you just draw out the sounds for a moment longer. To an English-speaking ear, a long Japanese vowel sounds as if it is being stressed.

Short and long vowel sounds in Japanese are quite different than they are in English. In Japanese, long vowels have the same sounds as short vowels - you just draw out the sounds for a moment longer. To an English-speaking ear, a long Japanese vowel sounds as if it's being stressed.
Japanese Vowel Sounds

Letter Pronunciation English Word
with the Sound Example
a a aa obasan (o-ba-san; aunt)
a a - obaasan (o-ba-san; grandmother)
e ee bed Seto (se-to; a city in Japan)
e ehh - seto (seh-to; pupil)
i i feet ojisan (o-ji-san;uncle)
ii ii - ojisan (o-ji-i-san; grandfather
0 o dome tori (to-ri; bird)
0 oo - tori (to-o-ri; street)
u u foot yuki (yu-ki; snow)
u uu - yuiki (yu-i-ki; courage)

In Japanese, any two vowels can appear next to each other in a word. You may hear them as one vowel sound, but to the Japanese, they sound like two vowels. For example, ai (ah-ee; love) sounds like one vowel - the English i (as in eye) - but to the Japanese, it's actually two vowels, not one. The word koi (koh-ee; carp) sounds like the one-syllable English word coy, but in Japanese, koi is a two-syllable word.

Table below lists some other common vowel combinations. Some of them may sound awfully similar to you, but Japanese speakers hear them differently. Try saying them aloud so that you can hear the differences.

Vowel Combinations

Vowel Combination Pronunciation Translation
Ai a-i love
Mae ma-e front
Ao a-o blue
Au a-u meet
Ue u-e up
Koi ko-i carp
Koe ko-e voice

The vowels i (ee) and u (oo) come out as a whisper whenever they fall between the consonant sounds ch, h, k, p, s, sh, t, and ts or whenever a word ends in this consonant-vowel combination. What do those consonants have in common? They're what linguists call "voiceless," meaning that they don't make your vocal cords vibrate. Put your hand over your vocal cords and say a voiceless consonant like the k sound. Then say a "voiced" consonant like the g sound.

Words with Whispered Vowels

Japanese Pronunciation Translation
Suketo Su-Ke-to skating
Kusai Ku-Sa-i stinky
Ashita A-Shi-ta tommorow
So desu so-du-su that's right

Words without Whispered Vowels

Japanese Pronunciation Translation
Sugoi Su-go-i amazing; wow
Kuni Ku-ni country
Kagu Ka-gu furniture

Consonant sounds

Fortunately, most Japanese consonants are pronounced as they are in English. Table below describes the sounds that you need to pay attention to.

Japanese Consonants Different from English

Consonant Description of the Sound Examples
r Here you tap your tounge on the roof of your mouth just once - almost like an English f-somewhere between an f and an h sound. rakuda (ra-ku-da; camel); toca (toh-rah; tiger); tori (toh-ree; bird)
f A much softer sound than the English f-somewhere between an f and an h sound. Make the sound by bringing your lips close to each other and gently blowing air through them. Fujisan (foo-jee-sahn; Mt. Fuji); tofu (tohh-foo; bean curd); fufu (fu-fu; married couple)
ts The combination is hard to pronounce at the beginning of a word, as in tsunami, although it's easy anywhere else. Try saying the word cats in your head and then saying tsunami. tsunami (tsoo-nah-mee; tidal wave); tsuki (tsu-ki; the moon)
ry The combination of rand yis difficult to pronounce when it occurs before the vowel o. Try saying ri (ree) and then yo (yoh). Repeat many times and gradually increase the speed until you can pronounce the two sounds simultaneously. Remember that the rsounds almost like a dm English. ryo (ryohh; dormitory); ryokan (ryo-kan; Japanese-style inn)

Like most other languages, Japanese has double consonants. You pronounce these double consonants - pp, tt, kk, and ss - as single consonants preceded by a brief pause. Check out the following examples:

* kekkon (kehk-kohn; marriage)
* kippu (keep-poo; tickets)
* kitte (keet-teh; stamps)
* massugu (mahs-soo-goo; straight)

katakana alphabet

Few rules for making Katakana words with katakana charts

Katakana characters are made by modifying Japanese kanjis. As we mentioned in Learn Japanese Lesson 1, Katakana alphabets are mainly used for foreign language words such as names and words that have been borrowed from other languages. The Japanese language does not have as many sounds as the English language.


You should be very careful while forming words using Japanese katakana script and should follow the rules. Sounds of katakana characters are same as that of hiragana characters. Katakana also consists of Consonant clusters same as hiragana. It is very important to follow the stroke order while writing this script. Some of the katakana characters are very similar to hiragana characters and also some of the katakana characters are very similar to the other katakana characters, there is a difference of only one stroke, so be very careful while learning katakana script. A difference between katakana and hiragana is that katakana stroke are mostly straight whereas the strokes of hiragana characters are slightly curved. But there are a few katakana characters which do have curved strokes. Few rules while making katakana words are as follows:-

* As there is no "l" pronunciation in Japanese language if a word foreign word end in sound "l" then while writing it in katakana you should end it with a "ru" sound. E.g. Table – teburu (te-bu-ru)
* A word ending either with "otion" or in "ation" in English should always be written as "shon" in katakana. E.g. motion – moshon (mo-sho-n).
* In a word if two vowels come together, it is indicated by using a " – " . E.g. Soup – su-pu

Katakana has many rules but you will start understanding the words only through practice and reading. Initially it will be a little difficult but once you get a habit of it you will no more find it difficult.

All Katakana alphabets are divided into four groups. Shown below are four katakana charts for learning katakana faster.

Katakana Chart-1
Katakana chart


Katakana Chart-2
Katakana alphabet


Katakana Chart-3
Katakana characters


Katakana Chart-4
Katakana

A few important things to remember about katakana are:

* Similar to hiragana in katakana also “ji” of the “Da” series is not at all used while “Zu” of this series used very hardly ever. On the other hand “Ji” and “Zu” of the “Za” series is used while making words.
* The single character “Wo/ O” is not at all used. Not even as a particle. Its existence is only for completing the script.
* The katakana character “he” is same as the hiragana character “he”.
* The difference between “shi” and “tsu” in katakana is that the big line in shi goes from down to up. On the other hand in “tsu” the big line goes from up to down. Please observe this minute difference.
* In the same way the minute difference which you have to observe while writing “so” and “n” is that the line goes from up to down in “so”. On the other hand the line goes from down to up in “n”.
* Write “ri” very clearly as people get confused between “ri” and “so” when not written properly.
* There is a difference of only one stroke in the katakana characters “ka”, “ki” and “ya” and those of hiragana.
* Also observe the difference between hiragana “mo” and katakana “mo”. In katakana “mo” the vertical line should not go above the upper horizontal line. On the other hand, in hiragana the vertical line does go above the upper horizontal line.

It is very important to follow all the rules and to keep in mind all the above mentioned minute differences between characters while writing katakana. Always write katakana very clearly so that the reader does not get confused between the characters.