Learn Japanese Conversation

Key Sentences

Grammar Notes

Kore, sore, are "This & That"

There are three words for "this" and "that". Kore means "this". Sore and are mean "that".
The usage of kore, sore and are is as follows;

1. Kore wa koohii desu. This is (a cup of) coffee. 2. Sore wa koocha desu. That is (a cup of) tea. 3. Are wa ocha desu. That is (a cup of) green tea.

The interrogative word "what" is nan.

4. A : Kore wa nan desu ka? B : Sore wa jisho desu. A : What is this? B : That is a dictionary. 5. A : Sore wa nan desu ka? B : Kore wa keitai desu. A : What is that? B : This is a mobile phone. 6. A : Are wa nan desu ka? B : Are wa dejikame desu. A : What is that? B : That is a digital camera.

"book" and "books" - Singular and Plural

Although some words have plural form, Japanese nouns generally do not have plural form.
Kore can be "this" or "these", for instance, Kore wa hon desu can be "This is a book" or "These are books".

Particle no "attribute" or "possessive"

A particle no indicates an attribute or belonging.
When a noun modifies another noun, no comes between them.

1. Nihon no kuruma Japanese car 2. Nihongo no sensei Japanese language teacher 3. ABC no Smith-san (Mr.) Smith from ABC

A particle no also indicates possession. Watashi no kasa means "my umbrella".

Dare no "whose"

Dare means "who" and dare no means "whose".
When the object is understood it can be omitted. Watashi no "mine", Katoo-san no "Katoo's".