Word of the Day #9

Hello again everyone! Today's word is "Here." This word is used to talk about an location in your immediate vicinity.

Kana: ここ
Romaji: koko

Example
Kanji: 私はここにいます。
Kana: わたしはここにいます。
Translastion: I'm here.

Word of the Day #8

Today we'll be learning the verb "to be". This verb is really easy to use since it doesn't need to be conjugated to use in the present tense. It also is only written in hiragana. I will be covering rules on verbs and sentence structure later on.

Kana: です
Romaji: desu

Example
Kanji: 私はMattです。
Kana: わたしはMattです。
Translastion: I'm Matt.

Word of the Day #7

Today we will be studying the word for "I". It's very important to know how to identify yourself in any language so that you can express your needs. This word is more properly translated as "self". Given the appropriate situation, it can mean "I", "me", "my", etc..

Kanji: 私
Kana: わたし
Romaji: watashi

Example
Kanji: 私は日本人です。
Kana: わたしはにほんじんです。
Translastion: I am Japanese.

Word of the Day #6

Today's word is 'Japan'. This word is formed from the characters for sun and book. The character for book (本) is also used to mean "Basis" or "Origin". This is why Japan is referred to as The Land of the Rising Sun.

Kanji: 日本
Kana: にほん
Romaji: nihon

Example
Kanji: 日本へ行きます。
Kana: にほんへいきます。
Translastion: I'll go to Japan.

Remember and Grow

Hey everyone.

Yesterday I went to a meet with some of the Japanese students in my area. We took the day to talk about our cultures and to think back upon the tragic event that happened 3 years ago. One of the things we discussed is the strength Japan has shown when faced with challenges. We realized it is Japan's strong sense of community and awareness of others that gives them the strength to overcome these circumstances.

I believe this is something we should apply to our own lives everyday. It is easier now more than ever to connect with people from around the world but we tend to leave it at just that: a connection. Whenever the means are available, we should be connecting with the communities we are a part of. Not just our neighbours and family, but classmates, co-workers, fellow commuters, online groups. Reach out, make the connection with them and nurture it. Everyone sees and learns things so differently that you are bound to not only learn something, but grow as a person.

So I'm going to ask all of you that are following or just dropping by to my blog to reach out and communicate with each other. I don't care if you do it through the comments section, the community group, by adding each other to your circles, or any other way. Connect with the people here with you, get to know each other, and grow.

As something to leave you with, the Japanese have an idiom that's similar to an English idiom we have: 三人寄れば文殊の知恵。If Three people gather, the Wisdom of Monju. This is similar to our idiom "Two heads are better than one" and I believe it to be very true.

I will be continuing to update with a new word tomorrow and I hope many of you find new friendships.

Word of the Day #5

Today's word is 'Book'. Again like some of the other characters we've looked at, this one has multiple pronunciations but we will focus on one of them for today.
Kanji: 本
Kana: ほん
Romaji: hon

Example
Kanji: 私の本はどこですか？
Kana: わたしのほんはどこですか？
Translastion: Where is my book?

Word of the Day #4

Today's word is 'Good afternoon'. There are multiple greetings and salutations in Japanese and you will use different ones depending on the time of day, your relation with the listener, and other situations. I will be avoiding slang unless there is a demand for it.

Kanji: 今日は
Kana: こんにちは
Romaji: kon'nichi wa

Example
Kanji: 今日は山田さん
Kana: こんにちはやまださん
Translastion: Good afternoon Mr./Ms Yamada

Word of the Day #3

Today's we'll learn how to say 'Today' in Japanese. This is the first word we will be studying that uses 2 kanji. In the beginning, you will be required to have a "That's-just-the-way-it-is" attitude towards why words are pronounced the way they are until you become more adept at Japanese and learn to read the context of each sentence. This is like when children first learn the word "read" and have to wonder how it is pronounced.

Kanji: 今日
Kana: きょう
Romaji: kyou

Example
Kanji: 今日は雨です。
Kana: きょうはあめです。
It's raining today.