SUBJECT:	JAPANESE LANGUAGE
TOPIC:	Introductions
SOURCE:	Association for Japanese-Language Teaching (1994) Japanese for Busy People I (Revised Edition) Lesson 1
DATE:	20 Jan 2003

LESSON DIALOGUE

Mr Hayashi introduces Mr. Smith to Mr. Tanaka.

Hayashi:	Tanaka-san, kochira wa Sumisu-san desu.
Sumisu:	Hajimemashite. Sumisu desu. Dōzo yoroshiku.
Tanaka:	Hajimemashite. Tōkyō Denki no Tanaka desu. Dōzoyoroshiku.
Hayashi:	Sumisu-san wa ABC no bengoshi desu.

Translation

Hayashi:	Mr. Tanaka, this is Mr. Smith.
Smith:	How do you do. My name’s Smith. I’m very glad to meet you.
Tanaka:	How do you do. I’m Tanaka from Tokyo Electric. I’m very glad to meet you.
Hayashi:	Mr. Smith is ABC’s lawyer.

Vocabulary

- san kochira wa desu Hajimemashite watashi Dōzo yoroshiku denki no bengoshi

honorific to names other than oneself. this one as for (topic marker, particle) is How do you do I Please favour me. electric ’s (possessive particle) lawyer

GRAMMAR

Sentence structure:

1. noun 1 WA noun 2 DESU

2. noun 1 WA noun 2 DESU KA

HAI, (noun 1 WA) noun 2 DESU.

IIE, (noun 1 WA) noun 2 DEWA ARIMASEN.

Present Form		Past Form
affirmative	negative	affirmative	negative
desu	dewa arimasen	deshita	dewa arimasendeshita
is	is not	was	was not

The particle WA is a topic marker. It follows noun 1 indicating that it is the topic under discussion. Noun 2 is then identified and the phrase is concluded with DESU. The topic is often the same as the subject, but not necessarily. The … wa … desu structure is not affected by person or number.

e.g. A-san wa bengoshi desu. “Mr. A is a lawyer.”

A-san to B-san wa bengoshi desu. “Mr. A and Mrs. B are lawyers.”

The particle KA is a question marker. Putting KA at the end of a sentence turns it into a question. No change in word order is required even when the question contains interrogative words such as who, what, when, etc. Intonation normally rises on the particle KA only, i.e., … desu ka.

HAI means “That’s right” and IIE means “That’s wrong”. It is virtually the same as yes and no, except that the order changes in negative questions.

When it is obvious to the other person what the topic is, it is generally omitted. But when it is necessary to make the topic clear, it is not omitted.

e.g. (Watashi wa) Sumisu desu. “(As for me) I’m Smith.”

e.g. Kochira wa Sumisu-san desu. “This is Mr. Smith.”

NOTES

1. SAN is a title of respect added to a name, so it cannot be used after one’s own name. SAN may be used with both make and female names, and with either surname or given name. It may even be suffixed to the name of an occupation. E.g. Bengoshi-san, “Mr. Lawyer.”

2. KOCHIRA, “this one”, implies “this person here” and is a polite way of saying “this person”.

3. HAJIMEMASHITE is a salutation used on meeting a person for the firsttime. It isa form of the verb hajimeru, “to begin”.

4. Especially in conversational Japanese, WATASHI, “I” is hardly ever used. ANATA, “you”, is similarly avoided, especially when addressing superiors, in which case the person’s surname, title or occupation is used when necessary.

5. DŌZO YOROSHIKU is a phrase used when being introduced, it is usually combined with hajimemashite. It is also used when taking one’s leave after having asked a favour. Yoroshiku means good and is a request for the other person’s favourable consideration in the future.

6. The possessive particle NO indicates ownership or attribution and comes after the noun it modifies, like “’s” in English. In TŌKYŌ DENKI NO TANAKA DESU, it shows that Mr. Tanaka belongs to Tokyo Electric. Japanese customarily give their company and position when being introduced.

7. The basic word for “who” is DARE, but DONATA is more polite.

e.g. Kochira wa dare desu ka. “Who is this?”

e.g. Kochira wa donata desu ka. “Might I ask who this is?”

USEFUL VOCABULARY

watashi anata kochira dare donata hai iie wa ka Amerika Chūgoku Doitsu Ejiputo Furansu Igirisu Indo Itaria Kanada Kankoku Marashiya Nihon Ōsutoraria Shingaporu Suisu Supein Tai - go - jin daigaku denki ginkō kaisha shōken taishikan shigoto bengoshi bijinesumen gakusei hisho isha kaisha-in komputa purogurama komu-in sērusumen sensei Hajimemashite Dōzo yoroshiku Go-shōkai shimasu

I you this person who who (polite) that’s right that’s wrong topic marker (particle) question marker (particle) America China Germany Egypt France England / United Kingdom India Italy Canada Korea Malaysia Japan Australia Singapore Switzerland Spain Thailand language of, e.g. Nihon-go = Japanese language person from, e.g. Nihon-jin = Japanese person university electrics (company) bank company securities (company) embassy (Amerika Taishikan = American Embassy) occupation lawyer businessman student secretary doctor company employee computer programmer civil servant salesman teacher, respected one How do you do. Please favour me. Let me introduce you.

KEY SENTENCES

1. (Watashi wa) Sumisu desu. “My name’s Smith.”

2. (Watashi wa) ABC no Sumisu desu. “I’m Smith from ABC.”

3. Kochira wa Tanaka-san desu. “This is Tanaka.”

4. Tanaka-san wa bengoshi dewa arimasen. “Mr. Tanaka is not a lawyer.”

5. (Anata wa) Nihon-jin desu ka, Chūgoku-jin desu ka. “Are you Japanese or Chinese?”

6. Kochira wa donata desu ka. “Might I ask who this is?”

SHORT DIALOGUES

Japanese Dialogue 1

Sumisu:	Tanaka-san desu ka.
Tanaka:	Hai, Tanaka desu.
Sumisu:	Tanaka-san wa gakusei desu ka.
Tanaka:	Iie, gakusei dewa arimasen. Kaishain desu.

Translation

Smith:	Are you Mr. Tanaka?
Tanaka:	Yes, I am.
Smith:	Are you a student?
Tanaka:	No, I’m not a student. I’m a company employee.

Japanese Dialogue 2

Mr. Hayashi introduces Miss Yamada to Mr. Tanaka.

Hayashi:	Go-shōkai shimasu. Kochira wa Yamada-san desu. Sumisu-san no hiso desu. Kochira wa Tanaka-san desu.
Yamada:	Hajimemashite. Yamada desu. Dōzo yoroshiku.
Hayashi:	Hajimemashite. Tanaka desu. Dōzo yoroshiku.

Translation

Hayashi:	Let me introduce you. This is Miss Yamada. She is Mr. Smith’s secretary. This is Mr. Tanaka.
Yamada:	How do you do. My name is Yamada. I’m very glad to meet you.
Hayashi:	How do you do. My name is Tanaka. I’m very glad to meet you.