The particle SA
This particle is used after a word you want to emphasize. It basically puts the previous word in italics. For whatever reason, it is only used after nouns. (You can turn other parts of speech into a noun though - more on this later!)
Example:
daijoubu sa!
all right (emphasize)!
Which translates to, "I'm all right!"
More on the particle NO
The following usage of the particle NO will seem a bit strange to you, because you probably think of NO as 'S. Actually, NO has a couple of other uses, which will be explained here.
Read the following sentence:
tatakau no sa
to fight (turn into a noun) (emphasize)
Which translates - "to FIGHT"
In this instance, I used 'no' to change "to fight" into a working noun. Once I have a working noun, I can use SA!
You're probably wondering why I don't use 'koto', which you just learned in part six. 'koto' also changes phrases and verbs into nouns. However, the above sentence I've actually heard used in numerous songs and Animes, so I'd rather give you something to listen for!
Another use of NO - girls put NO at the end of a sentence to 'soften' it.
nani o shite iru no?
What (answers what) are doing
Which translates, "What are you doing?"
The NO at the end doesn't do a whole lot, it only makes the sentence more feminine. Therefore, guys shouldn't use NO in this way ^_^
The particle NE
Used at the end of a sentence - means "huh", "right", or "I suppose"
Examples:
kore wa omae no mono desu ne
this (as for) you ('s) thing is right
This thing is yours, I suppose.
aitsu desu ne?
him is right
It's him, right?
The particle YO
Used at the end of a sentence - acts like a spoken exclamation point. You may think it reminds you of SA, and you're right. It's very similar, but not exactly the same. Sa is used in the middle of a sentence at times, where YO would never be used. (Just like you wouldn't use an exclamation point in the middle of a sentence)
Examples:
boku wa daijoubu ja nai yo
I (as for) all right isn't !
Translates to, "I am NOT all right!"
koko wa jigoku desu yo
this (as for) hell is !
This place is hell!
More Useful Words
These words should be added to everyone's list if you don't know them. They are the most popular words in Anime and video games - they are well worth learning!
Pronouns
kisama - you (what you would say to a baby -- or an enemy)
temee - you (one step above kisama - still extremely rude!)
Nouns
bakemono - monster
obake - ghost
chi - blood
nai - nothing
ningen - human
Adjectives
amai - sweet, naive
hidoi - terrible, awful
atarashii - new
furui - old
hontou - true
yasui - easy
muzukashii - hard
Verbs
nomu - to drink
tsuzukeru - to continue
tsukiau - to hang around, to date
sagasu - to search (for)
mitsukeru - to find
naru - to become
Commonly Heard Phrases
daijoubu - "ok, all right" (health)
Whenever someone is hurt or falls over, someone else always says this.
mada mada - "yet yet"
Said when someone or something's not yet finished, not yet ready, etc.
korekara da - "It's from now on"
Often said during a fight - "tatakai wa korekara da" Meaning "the fight
is from here on!" suggesting everything up till now has been a warm up.
nan no kore shiki - "that was nothing"
(note - shiki pronounced SHKEY)
Often said during a fight - if someone was hit with an attack,
and they didn't get hurt very much, they'd probably say this.
ja nai - "isn't"
This phrase is the exact opposite of "desu". It is just as popular
as "desu".
A very useful word - kara
Used to connect to small sentences together, just like the English word "because". In fact, it works almost the exact same way as "because".
Examples:
aitsu o koroshita kara shinda yo
him (who or what) killed because died !
Because I killed him, he died!
sore o tabeta kara, ningen ni natta.
that (who or what) ate because, human (into who or what) became.
Because I ate that, I became human.
How are you doing so far?
At the very beginning of this column (Part 1), I told you that learning Japanese isn't hard, but it is different from other languages you may have encountered. I will clarify what I said, so you won't get the wrong idea.
I would compare Japanese to most sports. They are not "hard" per se. Calculus - that's hard. Only certain people are ever able to grasp its concepts, and others just don't have the mind for it. With that definition of hard in mind, I can truly say that Japanese isn't hard. You have to slowly beat it into your head over a period of years, just like when you learn a new sport. At first, you can't do much - but you know that you can eventually be a pro. As long as you stick to it, you'll slowly and surely get better. It's the same way with Japanese (or any language).
I believe that some people out there consider Japanese to be "hard" the way that calculus is hard - and they think, "I can't learn it!". In fact, I personally know many people who believe that!
The learning curve is pretty steep at first - you learn tons of stuff every day and every week. However, there are also periods where you feel like you're not learning anything. Don't worry - you'll get through those dry periods if you stick with it.
When you're learning words, don't worry about the thousands of words you don't know - instead concentrate on the 10's or 100's that you do know. Think of each word you learn as ONE LESS WORD you'll need to look up when you're reading something. Just learn 5 or 10 words at a time. My experience tells me that is the best way.
Each time you learn a new word or piece of grammar, there are hundreds more sentences you can make (or understand!). Your Japanese skills are added to every day, become more powerful by the week and by the month. As long as you keep trying, you will become very proficient in several months' time. You will be surprised what you can do if you only BELIEVE that you can. Whenever you're learning something, the most important thing is your mindset. If you believe you can do it, you can. If you believe you can't, you can't.
Next Week
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