Speak Japanese: Five Quick Sessions

Maya: If you can say just four things in Japanese today, you can already do a first meeting. Ryo: Which is, honestly, my favorite kind of lesson. Small, usable, no souvenir grammar. Maya: Exactly. First, the plain-English meaning is "hello." In Japanese, that's こんにちは. Ryo: こんにちは. Maya: Nice. A tiny example, you see someone, you say, こんにちは. Ryo: Okay, and how do I say it so it actually sounds sayable? Maya: Simple drill. Think five beats, ko-n-ni-chi-wa. こんにちは. Ryo: Ko-n-ni-chi-wa. こんにちは. Maya: Good. Keep it even, don't rush the middle. Ryo: Already feels less mysterious. Maya: Next, the plain-English meaning is "nice to meet you." In Japanese, that's はじめまして. Ryo: はじめまして. Maya: Example, you meet someone for the first time, you say, はじめまして. Ryo: So I could do hello, then nice to meet you. Maya: Yes. Now we need your name. The plain-English meaning is "I'm Maya," or "I am Maya." One useful pattern is Mayaです. Ryo: So です is doing the "am/is" job? Maya: Exactly. Briefly, です is the polite copula, the polite "is/am" bit. So, Ryoです means "I'm Ryo." Ryo: Ah, compact. Ryoです. Maya: Good. Quick pronunciation drill for です. Start with de-su, then make the final u very light. です. Ryo: De...su, then lighter. です. Maya: Yes, that's a good beginner version. Ryo: And the other name phrase? Maya: The plain-English meaning is also "I'm Maya" or "my name is Maya." In Japanese, that's Mayaと申します. Ryo: Mayaと申します. Maya: Good. Short example, Mayaと申します. Ryo: Do I need both today? Maya: No. If you want one easy pattern, use 〜です. Just recognize 〜と申します as another introduction pattern. Ryo: Great, one handle at a time. Maya: Dialogue one, greeting exchange. Maya: A: Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm Maya. こんにちは。はじめまして。Mayaです。 Ryo: B: Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm Ryo. こんにちは。はじめまして。Ryoと申します。 Ryo: That feels surprisingly doable. Maya: Last piece. The plain-English meaning is "What's your name?" In Japanese, that's お名前は？ Ryo: お名前は？ Maya: Nice. Briefly, は marks the topic. So this is, very practically, "as for your name?" meaning, "What's your name?" Ryo: So I'm not translating word by word, I'm just using the pattern. Maya: Exactly. Short example, お名前は？ Ryo: Okay, test me. Maya: Dialogue two, follow-up. Maya: A: What's your name? お名前は？ Ryo: B: I'm Ryo. Ryoです。 Ryo: Let me do the whole thing... こんにちは。はじめまして。Ryoです。お名前は？ Maya: That's it. Four usable pieces, said clearly. Ryo: And I can actually imagine using them, which is, uh, kind of the point. Maya: Exactly. Next time, we'll add another small set. Thanks for practicing with us. Ryo: See you in episode two.

Maya: Okay, tiny lab today... four words, huge payoff. Ryo: Good, because right now if someone offers me anything in Japanese, I can only, uh, blink politely. Maya: Last time we said we’d keep this speakable from minute one, so today, imagine a cafe. You need yes, no, please, and thank you. That’s it. Ryo: I like that. Survival first, theory second. Maya: Exactly. First, plain English, yes. In Japanese, that’s はい. Pronounced, roughly, ha-ee. Two beats, not one long “hi.” Ryo: Ha-ee... はい. Maya: Good. Native use is simple here. はい works by itself as a polite yes. Ryo: So if someone asks me something and I want yes, just はい. Maya: Right. Now, plain English, no. In Japanese, いいえ. Pronounced ee-eh. Ryo: Ee-eh... いいえ. That feels more open than a hard “no.” Maya: It does. And one careful usage note, いいえ is fine, but people often soften a refusal with thanks. So in a minute, we’ll pair it with thank you. Ryo: Ah, so not just a brick wall. Maya: Exactly. Next, plain English, please, or more literally, “I request this.” The phrase is お願いします. Pronunciation first, because this one matters. Oh-neh-guy-shee-mass. Ryo: Oh... neh-guy-shee-mass. お願いします. Maya: Nice. Again, a bit smoother. お願いします. Ryo: お願いします. Maya: Good. In shops and cafes, a very common pattern is, item plus お願いします. It’s a polite request. Ryo: So this isn’t magic glitter I throw anywhere... Maya: Right, not anywhere. It’s for asking politely. One related note. Another please-word is ください. Plain English, “please give me...” or just “please” after a thing. Grammar-wise, it softens what would otherwise sound like a command. Ryo: So ください makes it less bossy. Maya: Exactly. Last one, plain English, thank you. The polite everyday phrase is ありがとうございます. Try it in two chunks. Ah-ree-gah-toh... goh-zah-ee-mass. Ryo: Ah-ree-gah-toh... goh-zah-ee-mass. ありがとうございます. Maya: Good. Once more. ありがとうございます. Ryo: ありがとうございます. Maya: One extra pattern to notice when listening. If you hear something ending in ませんか, that usually politely invites or suggests, like “Would you like to...?” Your simple answer can still be はい or いいえ. Ryo: Okay, that’s useful. I don’t need the whole sentence yet, just the response. Maya: Exactly. Maya: Mini-dialogue 1, accepting or refusing an offer. Ryo: “Coffee?” Maya: はい, お願いします. Ryo: Yes, please. Nice. Maya: Or... Ryo: “Coffee?” Maya: いいえ, ありがとうございます. Ryo: No, thank you. That does feel softer. Maya: Mini-dialogue 2, small polite request at a shop or cafe. Ryo: “A coffee, please.” Maya: コーヒー, お願いします. Ryo: And when they hand it over... Maya: ありがとうございます. Ryo: So the four keep cycling. はい, いいえ, お願いします, ありがとうございます. Maya: Perfect first toolkit. Say them out loud a few times, slowly... then smoothly. Ryo: And next time, we’ll add just a little more, not too much. Maya: See you then.

Maya: Last time we got yes, no, please, and thank you. Today we make that useful at a counter, numbers, asking the price, and paying. Ryo: Much better. Gratitude is nice, but first I want to know if the snack is, uh, affordable. Maya: Goal first. By the end, you can say one to ten, ask “How much is it?”, and say “I’ll take this.” Ryo: Clean. Start with numbers? Maya: Yep. One, いち. Two, に. Three, さん. Four, よん. Five, ご. Ryo: いち, に, さん, よん, ご. Maya: Then six, ろく. Seven, なな. Eight, はち. Nine, きゅう. Ten, じゅう. Ryo: Why よん and なな? Maya: For a beginner, they’re clear, common speech choices. So use those first. Now, once through, one to ten... Ryo: いち, に, さん, よん, ご, ろく, なな, はち, きゅう, じゅう. Maya: Good. Quick callback, “yes” is はい, and “no” is いいえ. We’ll use those in a minute. Ryo: Okay. Maya: Next phrase. In plain English, “How much is it?” In Japanese, いくらですか. Ryo: いくらですか. Maya: Nice. Say it in two chunks, いくら, ですか. And a useful pattern, です makes a simple statement, and ですか turns it into a question. Ryo: So if I hear ですか at the end, my ears should go, “ah, question.” Maya: Exactly. Maya: Next, in plain English, “I’ll take this,” or “Please give me this.” In Japanese, これをください. Ryo: これをください. Maya: Good. Keep it smooth, これを, then ください. これ means “this.” ください is “please give me.” Ryo: Handy. Point, say the line, done. Maya: One more tiny pattern before the dialogue. To answer a simple practice price, you can say the number plus です, meaning “It’s...” So, “It’s eight” is はちです. Ryo: はちです. Maya: Dialogue one, asking a price and buying an item. Ryo: いくらですか？ Maya: はちです. Ryo: これをください. Maya: That’s the whole move. “How much is it?” “It’s eight.” “I’ll take this.” Ryo: I assume most things cost more than eight. Maya: Usually, yes. We’re keeping the number small so the pattern is easy to hear. Ryo: Fair. Maya: Good question. For small general items, Japanese often uses a counting ending, つ. We’ll keep it very small today. One small thing, ひとつ. Two small things, ふたつ. Three small things, みっつ. Ryo: Huh. Not いちつ, につ, さんつ. Maya: Right, these are better learned as chunks at first. Ryo: ひとつ, ふたつ, みっつ. Maya: Good. Dialogue two, counting small quantities and confirming the total. Ryo: ふたつですか？ Maya: はい, ふたつです. Ryo: みっつですか？ Maya: いいえ, ふたつです. Ryo: So that’s, “Two items?” “Yes, two items.” Then, “Three items?” “No, two items.” Maya: Exactly. Simple, but very usable. Ryo: My survival set today is, numbers one to ten, いくらですか, and これをください. Maya: Perfect. If that feels small, good, small means learnable. Say them out loud once more today, and next time we’ll add the next practical layer. Ryo: See you then.

Maya: Last time we counted prices. Today that only helps if you can actually find the station. Ryo: Yeah, exactly. Like, great, I know the number... but I’m still lost. Maya: Goal first. By the end, you can ask where something is, follow a short direction, and ask for a ticket. Ryo: Useful panic-language. I’m in. Maya: First word: どこ. It means “where.” Pronounce it doh-ko, two even beats. どこ. Ryo: どこ... doh-ko. Short, clean. Maya: Good. Next, a place word. 駅 means “station.” Pronounce it eh-ki. Ryo: So if I just say 駅, I’m only saying “station,” not asking anything. Maya: Exactly. To ask, use a reusable template: 〜はどこですか？ In plain English, “Where is ~?” The blank can be a place. So, 駅はどこですか？ means “Where is the station?” Ryo: Ah, okay. So this is a pattern, not just one sentence. Maya: Yes. That’s the important part. 〜はどこですか is very reusable and very common. You swap in the place you need. Ryo: Let me try it. 駅はどこですか？ Maya: Perfect. Maya: Now three direction words. まっすぐ means “straight.” 右 means “right.” It’s pronounced mee-gee. 左 means “left.” It’s pronounced hee-da-ree. Ryo: So, まっすぐ is straight, 右 is right, 左 is left. Maya: Exactly. If you catch even one of those, you’re already less lost. Maya: Mini-dialogue 1: asking for the station and following directions. Ryo: 駅はどこですか？ Maya: まっすぐ、右です。 Ryo: So that means, “Straight, then right.” Maya: Yep. Short and practical. Ryo: What if I hear 左 instead of 右? Maya: Then it’s “Straight, then left.” Same shape, one word changed. Ryo: Nice. That’s memorable. Maya: Now tickets. 切符 means “ticket.” The full phrase 切符をください means “Ticket, please.” For now, treat it as one useful chunk. Ryo: Okay, but I want pronunciation help before I embarrass myself. Maya: Fair. 切符 is きっぷ, kippu. There’s a tiny pause in the middle. Kip...pu. Then をください is o kudasai. Together: 切符をください. Ryo: 切符をください... kip-pu o ku-da-sai. Maya: Nice. One more small tool: に. に shows destination. Think of it like a little arrow pointing to where you’re going. Ryo: So if I say a place name plus に, I’m marking “to that place.” Maya: Exactly. For example, 東京, Tokyo. 東京に means “to Tokyo.” Ryo: Okay, that’s actually pretty neat. Maya: Mini-dialogue 2: buying a ticket and confirming destination. Ryo: 切符をください。 Maya: 東京に？ Ryo: 東京に。 Maya: In plain English: “Ticket, please.” “To Tokyo?” “To Tokyo.” Ryo: Very short. Very station-counter energy. Maya: Yes. And useful. Ryo: So the core set is: どこ for “where,” 駅はどこですか for “Where is the station?”, まっすぐ, 右, 左 for directions, and 切符をください for “Ticket, please.” Maya: And two patterns to keep: 〜はどこですか is reusable, and に marks destination. Ryo: Next time, uh, let’s make all this sound more like a real trip. Maya: That’s the plan. See you in the last session.

Maya: Last time, "Where? Directions and Transport" was about asking where places are, understanding basic directions, and buying a ticket. Ryo: And today is the, uh, very real beginner stress test... the menu. Maya: Exactly. Goal today: order food, ask for the check, and have two emergency lines ready if you need them. Maya: First, plain English: "I'll take this" or "I'll have this." In Japanese, that's これをください. Maya: Quick breakdown, because it helps here. これ means "this," を marks the thing you're choosing, and ください means "please give me." Maya: For a beginner, pointing plus ください is the fastest ordering strategy. You point at the menu, or a food display, and say, これをください. Ryo: So if I can't read anything... I can still eat. Maya: Yes, pretty reliably. And it's polite. In general, keep polite ます or です endings when possible. Today, ください and お願いします help you sound courteous. Ryo: Let me try it... これをください. Maya: Nice. Keep it even: ko-re o ku-da-sa-i. Maya: Next, plain English: "Check, please." In Japanese, お会計お願いします. Maya: Treat that as one useful chunk. It politely asks for the bill. Ryo: Okay, that one looks longer. Slightly intimidating. Maya: Fair. Try it in pieces: o-kai-kei o-ne-gai-shi-masu. Ryo: お会計お願いします. Maya: Good. Maya: Dialogue 1: Ordering at a restaurant and asking for the check. Ryo: これをください. Maya: "I'll have this." Good, you're pointing. Ryo: Then later... お会計お願いします. Maya: "Check, please." Clean, polite, enough. Maya: Now the emergency lines. First, plain English: "Please help." In Japanese, 助けてください. Maya: Say it clearly: ta-su-ke-te ku-da-sa-i. Ryo: 助けてください. Yeah... that feels like one to really drill. Maya: Definitely. Next, plain English: "hospital." In Japanese, 病院. Maya: Pronounce it byo-in. Two clear parts. Ryo: 病院. Byo-in. Maya: Good. And plain English: "police." In Japanese, 警察. Maya: Say it kei-sa-tsu. Ryo: 警察. Kei-sa-tsu. Maya: Dialogue 2: Reporting a simple emergency and asking for help. Ryo: 助けてください. Maya: "Please help." Ryo: 病院? Maya: "Hospital?" That's a simple, useful word if you need medical help. Ryo: Or... 助けてください. 警察? Maya: Right. "Please help. Police?" Short, direct, very usable. Ryo: Can I be that blunt? Maya: In an emergency, yes. Short and clear wins. Maya: Quick final pronunciation review. Across all five sessions, keep the rhythm even, don't hit one word too hard, and keep the vowels clear. Ryo: So the same habit for your greeting lines, your "where?" lines, your ticket lines... and today's food lines. Maya: Exactly. Today's set: これをください. お会計お願いします. 助けてください. 病院. 警察. Ryo: ko-re o ku-da-sa-i... o-kai-kei o-ne-gai-shi-masu... ta-su-ke-te ku-da-sa-i... byo-in... kei-sa-tsu. Maya: That's a solid final toolkit. Ryo: Go get something tasty... and travel safely. Maya: See you next time.