Nationalities (for a person or an object):
French: Furansu + jin (person) Furansu + teki (adjective)
teki turns nouns into adjectives
German: Jāman-jin or Jāman-teki
Italian: Itaria-jin or Italia-teki
Egyptian: Ejiputo-jin or Ejiputo-teki
Chinese: Chūgoku-jin or Chūgoku-teki
Colors:
White: Shiro
Grades/Numbers:
Number + ninensei:
Here we have 10 to 12th graders so jū-ninensei, jū ichi-ninensei and jū ni-ninensei.
To say you’re in FIRST YEAR of High school, you uses:
I -> You can find other ways of using it by scrolling down. Watashi
(if you want to say you’re the subject then add wa)
High school or Senior High school -> Kōkō or Kōtō gakkō
First grade -> ichi-ninensei
Am -> Scroll down for more: Desu
Watashi (wa) kōkō ichi-ninensei desu.
Dates:
Nihonjin uses arab letters and a counter to indicate day/month and many other things in Nihongo. So they write 1 [day/month counter] to show a precise date. They use “elements” to refer to days like Wednesday being the water day or Thursday being the Wood day. Months are easier ‘cause they’re just made like that [Number + counter]. Same with the year.
So as I write that, it’s actually 01/10/22 (french ver.) 10/01/22 (for us). In nihongo: YYYY/MM/DD -> 2022/10/01 or
2022年(nen) 10月(gatsu) 01日(nichi) ->
2000 20 2 year -> ni-sen ni-jū ni nen
10 month -> jū gatsu
01 day -> ichi nichi
which is do-yōbi (Earth day Saturday)
Today is 01/10/2022 -> Kyō wa ni-sen ni-ni-jū ni nen jū gatsu ichi nichi desu.
Saying Saturday 1st of October is another counter I won’t talk about this one now because the way of saying numbers change (another reading).
«Being»:
In nihongo, the “verb” being is desu in its polite present form. The casual one is da. Desu is used to describe anything. ITS A DOG! INU DESU!
Well, animals and objects have other ones. Animals (including humans) have iru and objects have aru.
Polites forms are imasu and arimasu. I’ll explain the verbs groups and how to change their forms in the next JP corner.
Personal pronouns:
Nihongo doesn’t have any gender or numbers but they have way to express those.
I is watashi (formal),
watakushi (very formal),
boku (male) and atashi (female) – informal
ore (male very informal) - used by Vegeta when he says «Ore ga saiyajin no ouji, Bejita-sama.» against Goku Black.
You isn’t used most of the time, as you use the person's name. And don’t refer to yourself with honorifics ‘cause that is a very narcissistic thing to do. Using a way of saying you is for spouses.
Nihonjin won’t uses he or she either. This one would mean girlfriend or boyfriend so they also use the person's name or “that person”, “the president of the art club”.
Plural are: -tachi. Kodomo-tachi the children. Watashi-tachi we. (nouns and I)
Anata-gata is more used than anata-tachi because it’s more formal in some cases. (you)
Kare-ra can be used to say they. (he)
Atashi wa Yona desu ne.
あたしはよなですね。
Homework for next time:
Learn A/E/I/U/O/N in hirgana and katakana (reading and writing).
If you're french, watch Acekid japanese learning live on youtube!
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