Beginner Guide To Learning Japanese
Here's an Anpan (アンパン), a Japanese sweet bun filled with red bean paste. The first Anpan was said to be made in 1875 by a man called Yasubei Kimura during the Meiji era.
Believe it or not, Yasubei san was formerly a samurai.
Because of the the westernization in Meiji era, Yasubei san lost his job but as a result he became a famous baker who invented Anpan!
If you're a total beginner or near beginner to the Japanese language, one of the most important things you need to learn is vocabulary. Why? Because without knowing at least 1000 Japanese words, you will have a hard time learning Japanese. Most Japanese grammar books are cool but you still need a decent amount of basic Japanese words to really make use of what they teach inside there.
Most people who learn Japanese find that it is a very frustrating language simply because they don't have enough amount of Japanese vocabulary. So, if you're a total beginner and you don't have or couldn't afford a Japanese teacher to guide you, the first step would be to learn at least 1000 basic Japanese words.
Are 1000 Japanese words a lot? Not really. You don't need to learn them all in one day. Try learning several words a day. If you want to learn 1000 basic japanese words within a month, all you have to do is to learn about 34 Japanese words a day. If you don't have that much time to spend everyday, try aiming for 17 Japanese words a day. If you study 17 words a day, it will take you around 2 months to learn 1000 Japanese words though.
So here's the deal, for those of you who are serious about learning Japanese, let's set a target of learning 30-40 words everyday. The best way to memorize them is to associate the words with something. For example, the Japanese word 暑い (atsui) which means hot can be associate with a boiling kettle with hot water or summer. Use your imagination, learning Japanese words can be really fun!
So here are the basic Japanese words for day 1. Learn them well. Be sure to recap what you learn by asking yourself what's the meaning of the Japanese word you just learned. A great and effective way of doing is to apply what you've learned by using it in your conversation or replace the words in your thoughts. For example, whenever you want to say it's hot, say it's atsui instead!
Oh by the way, to study the japanese word list, you must be able to recognize hiragana and katakana first. Be sure to master them first before continue learning the Japanese words here!
Japanese Word List 1
1. 背が高い (せがたかい, セガタカイ) : tall (person)
彼はそれほど背が高くない。
He is not so tall.
2. 大切 (たいせつ, タイセツ) : (adj-na,n) important
友情は、他の何よりも大切だ。
Friendship is more precious than anything else.
3. 可笑しい (おかしい, オカシイ) : (adj) strange; funny; amusing; ridiculous
彼がそんなことを言うなんておかしい。
It is strange that he should say so.
4. 危ない (あぶない, アブナイ) : (adj) dangerous; critical; grave; uncertain; unreliable; limping; narrow; close; watch out!
彼はとても危ない人だ。
He is very dangerous man.
5. 厳しい (きびしい, キビシイ) : (adj) severe; strict; stern; austere; grave; solemn; majestic; intense (cold)
父は私にはとてもきびしい。
My father is very strict with me.
6. 有名 (ゆうめい, ユウメイ) : (adj-na,n) fame
日本は富士山で有名です。
Japan is famous for Mt. Fuji.
7. 黒い (くろい, クロイ) : (adj) black
あの黒い雲を見てごらん。
Look at those black clouds.
8. 痩せる (やせる, ヤセル) : (io) (v1) to become thin; to lose weight; to reduce (one's) weight; to slim
痩せるためには、何かスポーツをしたほうがよい。
In order to lose weight you had better take up some sport.
9. 狭い (せまい, セマイ) : (adj) narrow; confined; small
世間は狭いですね。
It is a small world!
10. 広い (ひろい, ヒロイ) : (adj) spacious; vast; wide
この川はヨーロッパで一番幅が広い。
The river is the widest in Europe.
11. 明るい (あかるい, アカルイ) : (adj) bright; cheerful
彼はこの辺の事情に明るい。
He knows every inch of this area.
12. 忙しい (いそがしい, イソガシイ) : (adj) busy; irritated
ちょうど今は忙しい。
I am busy at the moment.
13. 白い (しろい, シロイ) : (adj) white
あの白いワインを少し試してみたらどう？
Why not try some of that white wine?
14. 若い (わかい, ワカイ) : (adj) young
彼女は若い時に美しかったことを自慢している。
She is proud of having been beautiful.
15. 面白い (おもしろい, オモシロイ) : (adj) interesting; amusing
彼女はとても面白い人だ。
I found her very amusing.
16. 古い (ふるい, フルイ) : (adj,n) old (not person); aged; ancient; antiquated; stale; threadbare; outmoded; obsolete article
古い自転車だがないよりましだ。
This bicycle is old, but it's better than nothing.
17. 遠い (とおい, トオイ) : (adj) far; distant
その駅はここから遠い。
The station is far from here.
18. 低い (ひくい, ヒクイ) : (adj) short; low; humble; low (voice)
この机は私にはちょっと低い。
This desk is a little low for me.
19. 近い (ちかい, チカイ) : (adj,n-suf) near; close by; short
どちらの道が一番近いかしら。
I wonder which way is the shortest?
20. 年寄り (としより, トシヨリ) : (n) old people; the aged
年寄りをからかってはいけない。
Don't make fun of old people.
21. 暗い (くらい, クライ) : (adj) dark; gloomy
その少年は暗い中では恐くて寝ることができない。
The boy is afraid to go to bed in the dark.
22. 新しい (あたらしい, アタラシイ) : (adj) new
新しい仕事がきっと気に入っているでしょうね。
I'm sure you like your new job.
23. 太る (ふとる, フトル) : (v5r) to grow fat (stout, plump); to become fat
もっと運動しないと、あなたは太りますよ。
If you don't take more exercise, you'll get fat.
24. 背が低い (せがひくい, セガヒクイ) : short (person)
彼らは、背が低くてやせている。
They are short and thin.
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