Learning Japanese: The Journey

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this software engineering blog are personal and do not represent my employer. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

Introduction

This is documentation of my progress in learning Japanese, I will post updates on this same post.
I tried to learn Japanese before but stoped because LIFE. Also this is an updated journey, I had old content on this post that I deleted, because it was failure attemp, basically I was trying to learn Japanese using a game on steam, the progress was so slow and unproductive.

Date format is dd-MM-yyyy

Journey

This time I decided to enroll in a course because learning Japanese by myself was a failure, so I enrolled in Japanese class with Nour the class targets JLPT N5.
Hopefully, I can achieve N3 in upcoming years and enjoy some anime/manga in Japanese!

05-11-2024

On this course we are following the genki 3rd edition book, we started with reading the hiragana table. No memorization until now, just reading and pronounciation correction.
Then we were assigned to practice hiragana until next week session

09-11-2024

Because I was sick, I was able to practice Hiragana, so I had to do it on same day of the session, I practiced the hiragana table, all of them except na,ha,ma,ra

I was able to play the quiz with few errors, and over time I started guessing them right.

I used this website, which helped a lot, https://kana-quiz.tofugu.com/ in the session we started practicing hiragana, Nour started sending me Hiragana words and I started reading them, because I didn’t memorize the na,ha,ma,ra I placed the hiragana for these in front of me, was able to guess all the others with 0.1% error rate.
In the 20 mins break, I memorized the remaining hiraganas with errors here and there.
After the break, We learned about Japanese Particles respectively: wa, ga, wo, ni, de, no, to

Notes from the class:

wa

は (wa) - Topic Marker
Usage: Marks the topic of the sentence (often the subject, but not always).
How to Use: Place after the topic you want to talk about. Commonly translated as “as for…”
Example Sentences:

私は学生です (Watashi wa gakusei desu) – I am a student.
犬はかわいいです (Inu wa kawaii desu) – Dogs are cute.

ga

が (ga) - Subject Marker
Usage: Emphasizes the subject of a sentence, often indicating a new or important subject.

How to Use: Used to highlight the subject as particularly significant or new information.

Example Sentences:

猫が好きです (Neko ga suki desu) – I like cats.
誰が来ましたか？ (Dare ga kimashita ka?) – Who came?

wo

を (wo) - Object Marker
Usage: Marks the direct object (the item or person receiving the action).
How to Use: Place after the object of a verb.
Example Sentences:
本を読みます (Hon o yomimasu) – I read a book.
コーヒーを飲みます (Koohii o nomimasu) – I drink coffee.

ni

に (ni) - Direction, Time, or Location Marker
Usage: Indicates time, location, or direction of movement.
How to Use:
To show time: 来週に (raishuu ni) – next week.
To show direction/location: 駅に行きます (Eki ni ikimasu) – go to the station.

de

で (de) - Location or Means Marker
Usage: Indicates the location of an action or the means by which an action is performed.
How to Use:
Location: Used to indicate where an action takes place.
Means: Used to show how something is done (e.g., by bus, by hand).
Example Sentences:

学校で勉強します (Gakkou de benkyou shimasu) – I study at school.
電車で行きます (Densha de ikimasu) – I go by train.

no

の (no) - Possessive Marker
Usage: Links two nouns, showing possession or association.
How to Use: Think of it as the English equivalent of “’s” or “of.”
Example Sentences:
私の本 (Watashi no hon) – My book.
友達の猫 (Tomodachi no neko) – Friend’s cat.

to

と (to) - “And” or “With”
Usage: Connects nouns or indicates companionship.
Examples:
犬と猫が好きです (Inu to neko ga suki desu) – I like dogs and cats.
友達と映画に行きます (Tomodachi to eiga ni ikimasu) – I go to the movies with a friend.
noun+to(と)+noun

15-11-2024

on this day we practiced the particles that we learned week before it.

わたし__ がくせいです。
“I am a student.”

いぬ __ かわいいです。
“The dog is cute.”

これ __ わたし __ かばんです。
“This is my bag.”

ほん __ ぺんをください。
“A book and a pen, please.”

けーき __ たべます。
“I eat cake.”

としょかん __ べんきょうします。
“I study at the library.”

がっこう __ いきます。
“I go to school.” (edited)

わたし __ ねこがすきです。
“I like cats.”

これ __ じょんさん __ ほんです。
“This is John’s book.”

わたし __ ともだち __ べんきょうします。
“I study with my friend.”

わたし __ でんしゃ __ とうきょう __ いきました。
“I went to Tokyo by train.”

then after that we learned about the number 0-19, and multiple of 10 until 100.

numbers

at the end of the lecture nour ( my teacher ) handed us an assigment to watch this video

and this was the assignment response

hwm

22-11-2024

during this week nour sent two videos to watch through the week

then on this day I watched the videos because I am busy at weekdays at work.

after that in session, we started with demonstratives Kore (これ) and Kono (この), and how to use them in sentences.

これ (kore)

Type: Pronoun
Meaning: “This (thing)”
Usage: Refers to a thing close to the speaker and stands alone in the sentence.
Examples:
これはなんですか？
(What is this?)

これ refers to an object without needing to specify its type.
これはおいしいです。
(This is delicious.)

これ refers to the food being talked about.

この (kono)

Type: Adjective/Determiner
Meaning: “This [specific noun]”
Usage: Describes or modifies a noun and must be followed by a noun.
Examples:
このほんはおもしろいです。
(This book is interesting.)

この modifies ほん (book).
このいぬはかわいいです。
(This dog is cute.)

この specifies いぬ (dog).

there are more forms too, the example below is generated by copilot and wasn’t part of lecture but cover nearly what was covered in class.

Distance	Pronouns	Adjectives	Example Objects
Ko- Very Close (Within arm’s reach)	これ (kore) this	この (kono) this [noun]	- Laptop you’re typing on - Book in your hand - Coffee cup on your desk
So- Medium Distance (Few steps away)	それ (sore) that	その (sono) that [noun]	- Phone on the other side of table - Remote on the couch - Chair next to you
A- Far Distance (Across room or further)	あれ (are) that over there	あの (ano) that [noun] over there	- TV across the room - Car in the parking lot - Building in the distance
Do- Question Form	どれ (dore) which one	どの (dono) which [noun]	Used when asking about any distance

Examples with question forms:

どれが欲しいですか？(Dore ga hoshii desu ka?) - Which one do you want? (choosing between items)
どの本を読みましたか？(Dono hon wo yomimashita ka?) - Which book did you read? (asking about specific book)

Simple situations:

これは私のパソコンです (This is my laptop) - for your own laptop you’re using
それは新しい携帯ですか？(Is that a new phone?) - for a phone on the table
あれは駅です (That’s the station) - for a building you can see in the distance
どれにしますか？(Which one will you choose?) - when selecting between options

After that we started with ichidan and godan verbs, and how to conjugate them.

Ichidan Verbs

Ichidan verbs end with either “iru” or “eru” (い-row kana + る, え-row kana + る).
Examples:

見る (miru) = to see
食べる (taberu) = to eat
着る (kiru) = to wear

Drop the る to get the stem: 食べ → 食べます (tabemasu), 食べない (tabenai)
Same for 見る → 見ます (mimasu), 見ない (minai)
Same for 着る → 着ます (kimasu), 着ない (kinai)

To make an Ichidan verb both negative and polite, you:
Convert the verb to its negative form.
Add ます after ない.

見ない (minai) – not to see (negative) → 見ません (mimasen) – not to see (negative + polite)

then we did that exercise

Exercise 1: Convert to Negative Form
Change the following verbs into their negative form

たべる
みる
ねる
あう
きく
のむ
かう
する
くる
ある

Exercise 2: Convert to Polite Form
Change the following verbs into their polite form

たべる
みる
ねる
あう
きく
のむ
かう
する
くる
ある

Exercise 3: Convert to Negative and Polite Form
Change the following verbs into their negative and polite form

たべる
みる
ねる
あう
きく
のむ
かう
する
くる
ある

there is a mistake in the exercise, the verb ある is not an ichidan verb, it is an irregular verb, and the verb する is also an irregular verb.
the mistake was intentional to show that there are irregular verbs in Japanese.

Godan Verbs

Godan verbs end with any kana from the う-row (う, く, ぐ, つ, ぶ, す, ぬ, む).
Examples:

歩く (aruku) = to walk
飲む (nomu) = to drink
飲む (nomu) – to drink
Negative: 飲まない (nomanai) – not to drink
Polite: 飲みます (nomimasu) – to drink (polite)
飲まない (nomanai) – not to drink (negative) → 飲みません (nomimasen) – not to drink (negative + polite)

we wrapped up the lecture with some words

toilet=toire
station=eki
hotel=hoteru
convenience store=konbini
where=doko
what=nani
which=docchi
where=doko
when=itsu
who=dare
how=doo
why=dooshite

and then nour sent a recap video about the verbs

then we where advised to follow this youtube playlist video a day

after that I did some personal research about the verbs and how to conjugate them, and I revisited a website in my bookmarks that I used to learn Japanese before, it is The Moe Way

13-12-2024

This week we took new grammar.

To say where you’re from in Japanese, you can use the following sentence structure:

For casual speech

[Place] から来ました (kara kimashita)
I’m from…
Example:

アメリカから来ました。
Amerika kara kimashita.
“I’m from America.”

For polite/formal speech

[Place] の出身です ( no shusshin desu)
I am from…..
IExample:

日本の出身です。
Nihon no shusshin desu.
“I am from Japan.”

Casual alternative

[Place] からだよ ([Place] kara dayo)
(I’m from [place]).
This is very casual and used among friends.
レバノン
To express your age in Japanese, you use the counter 歳 (さい, sai) after the number representing your age

Basic Sentence Structure

[Age] + 歳です ([Age] sai desu)
(I am [age] years old.)
Example:

21歳です。
Ni-jū-issai desu.
“I am 21 years old.”

For Casual Speech

[Age] + 歳だ ([Age] sai da)
(I’m [age] years old.)
Example:

21歳だ。
Ni-jū-issai da.
“I’m 21 years old.”
(Casual, used among close friends.)

Asking Someone’s Age

Formal: おいくつですか？ (Oikutsu desu ka?)
“How old are you?” (Polite)

Casual: 何歳ですか？ (Nan-sai desu ka?)
“How old are you?”

Very Casual: 何歳？ (Nan-sai?)
“How old?”

Special Pronunciations

Some ages have irregular pronunciations:

1 year old: 1歳 (issai)

8 years old: 8歳 (hassai)

10 years old: 10歳 (jussai)

20 years old: 20歳 (hatachi) – A unique word for 20 years old!

Example Conversations:

Formal:
A: おいくつですか？ (Oikutsu desu ka?)
B: 21歳です。 (Ni-jū-issai desu.)

Casual:
A: 何歳？ (Nan-sai?)
B: 21歳だよ。 (Ni-jū-issai da yo.)

Then we did a small practice

Translate the following:
1. I am 21 years old.
2. I am from America.
3. How old are you? (Formal)
4. Where are you from?
5. I am from Canada.

Fill in the blanks with the correct words or particles:

1. わたしは___からきました。(Lebanon)
2. ___はなんさいですか？ (You)
3. わたしは___さいです。(10)
4. かれは___しゅっしんです。(France)
5. あなたのともだちは___さいですか？ (20)

Match the question on the left with the correct answer on the right:

Left (Questions):

1. おいくつですか？
2. どこからきましたか？
3. ればのんからきましたか？

Right (Answers):
A. にじゅうごさいです。
B. かなだのしゅっしんです。
C. はい、そうです。

Using these prompts, create sentences in hiragana:

1. Say where you’re from and how old you are.
2. Ask someone where they’re from.
3. Ask a friend’s age casually.

27-12-2024

On this day we practiced reading Hiragana and Katakana

Text 1

きょうのあさ、わたしはコーヒーをのみました。それから、テレビでニュースをみました。ひるごはんにサンドイッチをたべました。

First I tried to Romanginaize them to read them easily

きょうのあさ、
kyou no asa,
わたしはコーヒーをのみました。
watashiwa ko-hi- wo (particle) nomimashita(drink).
それから、
sorekara,
テレビでニュースをみました。
terebi de(particle) nyu-su wo mimashita (watch).
ひるごはんにサンドイッチをたべました。
hirugohan (lunch) ni sandoicchi o tabemashita(eat).

then we did translation to English

きょうのあさ、
this morning,
わたしはコーヒーをのみました。
I drank coffe.
それから、
after that,
テレビでニュースをみました。
I watched news on TV
ひるごはんにサンドイッチをたべました。
I ate a sandwich for lunch.

Text 2

きょうはあめがふっていました。あさ、わたしはパンとバナナをたべて、コーヒーをのみました。それから、コンピューターをつかって、がっこうのしゅくだいをしました。ひるすぎ、スーパーでフルーツやジュースをかいました。そして、いえにもどってテレビをみながら、アイスクリームをたべました。

First I tried to Romanginaize them to read them easily

きょうはあめがふっていました。
kyuhaamegafuteimashita.
あさ、
asa,
わたしはパンとバナナをたべて、
watashiwa pan to banana wo tabete,
コーヒーをのみました。
ko-to- wo nomimashita.
それから、
sorekara,
コンピューターをつかっ(شدة للبعدها)て、
konpyutaaeeee wo tsukatte
がっこうのしゅくだいをしました。
gakkou no shukudai wo shimishita.
ひるすぎ、
hirusugi,
スーパーでフルーツやジュースをかいました。
suupaa de furuutsu ya jusu wo kaimishita.
そして、
soshite,
いえにもどってテレビをみながら、
ie ni modotte terebi wo ninagara
アイスクリームをたべました。
aisukuriimu wo tabemishita.

then we did translation to English

きょ うはあ めがふって いました。
it was raining today,
あさ、
in the morning,
わたしは パンと バナナ を たべて、
I ate bread and a banana,
コーヒーをのみました。
I drank coffe.
それから、
after that,
コンピューター を つかって、
I used my computer,
がっこうのしゅくだいをしました。
to do my school homework.
ひるすぎ、
in the early after noon,
スーパーでフルーツ や ジュース を かいました。
I bought fruits and juice at the super market. 
そして、
then
いえ に もどって テレビ を みながら、アイスクリーム を たべました。
I returned home and ate icecream while watching TV.

then we ended the session with a quiz, you can download it from here

03-01-2025

on this day I was sick so we took i-Adjectives and na-Adjectives

Table of Forms

Adjective Type	Form	Example	Casual	Polite
i-Adjective	Positive (Present)	たのしい (fun)	たのしい	たのしいです
	Negative (Present)	たのしい (fun)	たのしくない	たのしくないです
na-Adjective	Positive (Present)	しずか (quiet)	しずかだ	しずかです
	Negative (Present)	しずか (quiet)	しずかじゃない	しずかじゃないです

Step-by-Step Explanation

1. i-Adjectives (いけいようし)

These adjectives end with い.
Examples: たのしい (fun), おいしい (delicious), さむい (cold).
How to change them:
- Positive (Present): Leave the word as it is.
  - Example: たのしい = fun.
- Negative (Present): Replace the last い with くない.
  - Example: たのしい → たのしくない = not fun.
- Polite Forms: Add です to the end for politeness.
  - Positive Polite: たのしいです = It’s fun.
  - Negative Polite: たのしくないです = It’s not fun.

2. na-Adjectives (なけいようし)

These adjectives don’t end with い and often use な before a noun.
Examples: しずか (quiet), きれい (beautiful/clean), へいわ (peaceful).
How to change them:
- Positive (Present): Add だ for casual or です for polite.
  - Example: しずか → しずかだ (casual), しずかです (polite).
- Negative (Present): Add じゃない for casual or じゃないです for polite.
  - Example: しずか → しずかじゃない (casual), しずかじゃないです (polite).