日本語

The number system of ancient Japanese is not used now except 1 through 10, which are sometimes used as alternate vocabulary. The modern Japanese language uses a different number system imported from Chinese. The "Modern" column below means the modern pronunciation of ancient Japanese numbers...

Below find an overview over all the Japanese verb conjugations, including all irregular verbs. For more specific information on how each conjugation is used refer to the appropriate links. In modern Japanese, two types of words are conjugated Verbs Verbal Adjectives Verbs have five...

Below find a concise list of the most common Japanese terms for body parts. Body and face head頭atamaneck首kubi shoulder肩kataarm腕ude hand手teelbow肘hiji chest胸muneback背中senaka hips, waist腰koshinavel, bellybutton臍heso stomach腹, お腹hara, onakafoot, leg足ashi knee膝hizaankle足首ashikubi toe足の指ashi no...

This is an overview of comparative forms in the Japanese language. When comparing two objects or factors the Japanese often use the particle より (yori), meaning “from”, to describe that viewed from object “A”, object “B” is heavier, smaller, more interesting, etc. The structure is then as...

This is a brief overview of how to make requests in the Japanese language. Inviting someone to do something By using a negative question, you can invite someone to do something. For detailed instructions on how to construct negative forms and question, please refer to the negative forms and...

Dubitative forms are used to express doubt or an assumption. The dubitative is very closely related to the subjunctive in Japanese. Rentaikei + かな (ka na) or かなあ (ka naa) This is a simple dubitative. It illustrates a certain amount of doubt you have concerning the statement you just made. かなあ...

Negation, or the basic negative form, in the Japanese language is created by placing the verbal adjective ない (nai) after the mizenkei conjugation of the verb. In the colloquial language ない (nai) after a verb is often abbreviated to ん ( n ). 雨が降らない。 (Ame ga furanai. It isn’t raining. バスが高くないです。...

This is a brief overview of the use of direct and indirect speech in the Japanese language. To convey information given by other people, direct or quoted speech, or indirect or reported speech, is used. In Japanese language quoting and citing, or direct and indirect speech are constructed with...

Clauses are combinations of two or more sentences. They can describe contradictions, cause and effect, similarity, conditionality, and simultaneous and consecutive actions. Find an overview of the most common Japanese clauses below. Using the rentaikei This is the most common and versatile...

Passive forms are also known as “passive voice” in English. It is translated as “being done”. This form cannot be combined with verbal adjectives. The passive form can be created by adding either れる (reru) or られる (rareru) to the mizenkei conjugation of respectively Group 4 (yodan katsuyou) and...

What we present here is a short overview of gendered language in colloquial Japanese. In spoken Japanese, a distinction is made between male and female language. Most of these differences pertain to the use of certain words, though primarily the informal speech has a slightly different grammar...

Interrogative forms in Japanese are relatively simple. To create fundamental questions the question particle か (ka) is added after the closing verb. The word order in Japanese does not change, though the inflexion does. 明日、来ます。 → 明日、来ますか。 Ashita kimasu. → Ashita kimasu ka. I'm coming tomorrow...

This is a brief overview of prohibitive forms in the Japanese language. The prohibitive form is used to forbid someone to do something or to urge someone to refrain from doing something strongly. Do not! The rentaikei + な (na) construction is used to create strong prohibitives. 飲むな。 Nomu na...

The causative form is used to describe that someone has let, had, or made someone else do something. The causative form is constructed by adding (さ)せる [(sa)seru] to the mizenkei. The mizenkei + せる (seru) is used with Group 4 (or yodan katsuyou) verbs, and the mizenkei + させる (saseru) is used...

Potential forms are used to describe that you are capable of doing something or that something is possible. The short potential form The ren’youkei + える (eru) is the short potential form and can only be used with Group 4 (yodan katsuyou) verbs. This combination has a contraction where the...