DISCLAIMER 2: I won't be teaching text-book Japanese so please don't use this if you're sitting exams. This is how Japanese is spoken in everyday exchanges between friends and family as well as in movies and anime. Some of this can be used to strangers so long as you use polite sentence endings, but much of it is best used only with close friends.
Lesson One. Greetings and Introductions.
I had to cut this down to make it fit. I had gone into a bit more detail, so if you want more explanation of anything, please comment.
I'm not going to bother with 'konnichiwa', 'hajimemashite' and suchlike, because I am sure you already know some if not all of these and they are easy to look up online. I'd rather cover slightly more interesting stuff. However, if you did miss out on basic greetings or want a refresher, We'll have a chance at the end.
Tadaima and O kaerinasai
In Japanese, there are special expressions to be said when someone leaves or returns home. When a person returns, they will shout 'tadaima!' while entering the home. Tadaima is made up of 'tada', which means 'just' or 'only' and 'ima', another common word meaning 'now'. So 'tadaima' is literally 'just now'. This expression can also be used, without any change, in the sense of 'right away'.
To reply to 'tadaima' we say, 'o kaerinasai!'. O kaeri is from the verb (doing word) kaerimasu which means 'to return home'. Nasai actually makes a verb into a command, although this is not quite the nuance intended when greeting with o kaerinasai. Lets keep it simple for now though. We can make any verb into a command if we know the 'masu form' (that is a verb ending in masu). Just chop off masu and instead say, nasai.
Lets look at some common verbs in the masu form;
tabemasu (eat) = tabenasai (eat up!)
ikimasu (go) = ikinasai (leave! Go away!')
hanashimasu (speak) = hanashinasai (talk to me!, although with a different kanji this also means 'let go!'').
kikimasu (listen) = kikinasai (listen! but also with the SAME kanji, 'ask!')
Okay, I think you've got the idea! So why the 'o' you wonder? The short answer is that this is an honorific marker. If you need more, leave a comment.
So lets practice listening out for these.. Have a look at this super cute anime.. I just need you to watch a short clip of it.
Soon after the opening credits, the father comes home. Check out what he calls out as he enters the room!
Remember kaerimasu from earlier? Well, the little boy then uses this verb. He shouts 'O tousan kaette kita!' (father has come home).
Then as he runs to the door he shouts... listen for it....
Okay, so we have those down. Great!
Itadakimasu
Next.. lets look at 'Itadakimasu'. This is a polite verb used when just about to eat. That kitten you just saw, actually uses this in the opening credits, although don't be thrown by the fact it is written 'itarakimasu' on the screen, it is 'itadakimasu' but she's a cat!
Itadakimasu is just like the German 'Guten Appetit!' or French 'Bon appetit!' We don't have a word like this in English anymore. A guy I met in Germany said it is because of the Puritans. I have no idea if it is true, but apparently enjoying food was considered a sin, so you didn't wish sin on people by telling them to have a nice meal. He also added, 'that's why English food tastes so bad..' Germans tell it how it is!
Not the best quality video, but lets see this word in action!
This word is actually the super polite (keigo) version of the verb 'to receive'.
When your meal is is over, you say 'gochishousama deshita' or just 'gochisousama'. You may be expected to put your hands together in prayer as you say this and slightly bow forward, depending on the situation. Gochisou means being treated to a meal. Sama is usually a polite form of address, but when used in a greeting like this, it simply adds politeness. deshita is the past-tense of the copula 'desu'.
Here's an example of gochisousama
..
O tsukaresama (deshita)
Next is a phrase you say to someone at the end of a hard days work or any kind of hard effort where in English you could say 'you really worked hard'. Colleagues use this when leaving work, or maybe more accurately, when leaving the izakaya they stopped off at after work! This is ' o tsukaresama'. From the verb 'tsukareru' meaning 'to become tired'. sama as I already stated, is a polite word for mrs, mr or miss, but in such expressions as this, is used just to make it sound polite. If someone says this to you, you just say it back to them. Easy as as can be!
Oh dear, this is taking longer than I hoped. I wanted to cover quite a few more but oh well, I guess I'll wrap it up here.. I wanted to add some slangy expressions, 'hisabisa' (casual way of saying 'o hisashiburi', see song below), 'osu' (used only by men between close friends and very, very rough, means 'hi'), but ah well..
Now to revise all kinds of greetings, check out this super old song.. I'm going to use songs sparingly because although they can be useful as earworms to help words stick, and in remembering how the word is broken down, they really don't help your spoken accent and if you lean too much on songs to learn from, you will ruin your accent. Trust me, a native Japanese teacher warned me of this! Still this song is fun and covers loads of greetings..
The title is 'Aisatsu no uta'. Aisatsu is the Japanese word for 'greetings' you can use it as verb to mean, 'to greet someone' by saying 'aisatsu suru'. It is also used to mean 'giving a speech' as in 'addressing an audience'. If someone crosses you and you're really pissed. Aisatsu is also a slang word to mean 'revenge' or 'payback'!
Uta is 'song'. if we stick a 'u' at the end we have the verb utau 'sing'!
No is a particle that links nouns, but I'll cover particles in another lesson.
Well, as there doesn't seem to be a translation anywhere, I had better type out the words for you...
Go Aisatsu no Uta (title, 'go' is an honourific marker like 'o' the difference tends to be that words of Chinese origin take go, there are exceptions however but for now, this rule should suffice).
O hayou (good morning)
O yasumi (good night)
Konnichiwa (hello)
Konbanwa (good evening)
Itte kimasu (I'll be back. said on leaving the home)
Itte irashai (go and come back)
Tadaima (I'm home!)
O kaerinasai (welcome back)
Itadakimasu (lets eat)
Gochisousama (thanks for the food)
Arigatou (thank you)
Sayounara (farewell)
O yasumi (night night)
Mata ashita (see you again tomorrow)
Kinou no yume wo tsuzuki wo mi ni ikou (lets go and continue our dreams from yesterday -I can break this expression down on request, just ask in a comment)
Gobusata (I haven't been in touch)
Hisashiburi (long time no see)
O genki desu ka (how are you)
Hajimemashite (pleased to meet you)
Yoroshiku (pleased to meet you)
O jama shimasu (sorry to bother you)
Irashai (welcome, come in, be my guest)
Youkoso (welcome)
Shitsureishimashita (sorry to have bothered you, please excuse me, said on leaving an office or similar location)
Dou itashimashite (don't touch my moustache! Only kidding, I just think it sounds like this when spoken. It means, 'you're welcome', 'don't mention it', the pleasure was all mine)
Oitoma shimasu (I'm heading home)
That took a while. hope you appreciate it!
If you want any further explanation on anything, please comment and I will do my best to either answer, or find the answer.
I'm exhausted now.. 'o tsukaresama!'
Oh, you don't have to find Sailor Moon for my account, I love any clip that's anime or just simply Japanese. But is it correct to say "watashi wa" introducing your name, and ending it with "desu"? I've been practicing "watashi wa Dani, desu." forever, thinking it means "I am Dani." I know that's informal to introduce myself using my nickname, but I know how to use my full name for formal. Just hoping if I ever went to Japan I can make friends and be less formal. ;^_^
You are right, watashi and desu ARE formal, but to be honest, for a very first encounter, a bit of formality is preferable anyway. There ARE situations where from the word 'go' you can be informal, but as females, we get away with the textbook stuff far more than men do.
The Japanese expect that we will give our given names and not our family names. They will usually give their full name however. While it is better to address someone with their family name to begin with, they might tell you to use their given name 'shita no namae', especially as they know they're addressing you by yours.
Actually, I think I'll do a blog on this. I'll explain a little more how to say things like, 'I am called...' (... to yonde imasu) or 'but you can call me...' (... tte yonde mo ii /... to yonde mo yoroshii desu) and of course, how to be a bit less formal! I'm on my phone right now though because the netbook is acting up (won't let me open extra tabs for some reason), so it might not appear today.
Though, I don't mind that using watashi wa and desu is formal. I don't even mind giving my family name the first time, but I would be dying to give my nickname if I met the person later... much like a child who have to dress fancy for an event, but can't wait to toss the clothing off when they get home. lol.
Yep, please do write another... if you write it, I will show up. XD