Basic Japanese for Noobs Cheat Sheet

A Education › Japanese cheat sheet in English and 日本語 (にほんご) (Japanese) by PokemonTrainerGold

Basic Japanese for Beginners

Basic Japanese Noobs

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A は B です

(A is B)
は is the particle indicating a topic. Adding です after B forms a predicate.
e.g.) 私はアンナです。 (I'm Anna.)

_はどこですか

(Where is _?)
どこですか is a phrase that allows you to ask where something is, either a place or thing.
e.g.) トイレはどこですか。 (Where is a restroom?)

ます-form verbs

Verbs that end with ます are called "ます-form verbs."
The ます-form verbs are used when speaking politely.
To make it negative, we change ます to ません.
e.g.) 読みます (to read) = 読みません (not to read)

_があります

(There is/are _)
が is the particle that comes after a noun, which indicates the subject of a sentence. Essentially, が is used to introduce a person or a thing into the conversation for the first time. あります is a verb indicating that some things are there.
e.g.) ケーキがあります。 (There is a cake.)

何時

(What time)
何 is "what" and 時 is "time." 時 is a counter indicating a specific hour.
e.g.) 何時ですか。 (What time is it?)

Days of the Week

Sunday	日曜日
Monday	月曜日
Tuesday	火曜日
Wednesday	水曜日
Thursday	木曜日
Friday	金曜日
Saturday	土曜日

AはBが好きです

(A likes B)
好き is an adjective meaning "to be fond of," or "to like." Here, the particle が indicates the object of an adjective.
e.g.) アンナは漫画が好きです。 (Anna likes MANGA.)

_から (1)

(as/because _)
から expresses the reason.
e.g.) 資源ですから、別の袋に入れてください。Because they are (recyclable) resources, please put them into another bag.

て-form verbs can connect sentences

Using て-form verbs, you can express a string of actions occuring in succession.
e.g.)
五階に上がります+左に行きます (to go up to the 5th floor) (to go to the left)
五階に上がって、左に行きます。( You go up to the 5th floor, and then, go to the left.)

Japanese scripts

The Japanese language has three types of scripts, Hiragana (ひらがな), Katakana (カタカナ) and Kanji (漢字), each with its own specific role.

こそあど words

Japanese demonstratives are called こそあど words, taking the first syllables of the demonstratives of the four groups, such as ここ (here), そこ (there), あそこ (over there), どこ (where).

[Subject]は+[Object]を+Verb

The typical word order in Japanese is "subject, object, and verb."
e.g.) 私は漫画を読みます。 (I read manga.)
The particle を indicates the object of an action.

つ : a counter for things like cakes

1	一つ
2	二つ
3	三つ
4	四つ
5	五つ

If followed by the counter つ, the way we count numbers from one to ten changes.

て-form verbs (2) Variations

Syllable before ます ➡ て-form	Examples
い／ち／り ➡ って	集まります (to gather) ➡ 集まって
み／に／び ➡ んで	読みます (to read) ➡ 読んで
き ➡ いて	聴きます (to listen to) ➡ 聞いて
ぎ ➡ いで	急ぎます (to hurry) ➡ 急いで

In this pattern, you change not only ます but also one syllable before it. The て-form differs depending on the syllable that comes right before ます.

Exception: 行きます (to go) ➡ 行って

Dictionary-form verbs

Japanese dictionaries list verbs in this form. If you use this form, you sound more casual.
e.g.)
行きます (to go) = 行く
食べます (to eat) = 食べる

_ませんか

(Why don't we _?)
If you change ます of ます-form verbs to ませんか, you are inviting people to do something.
e.g.)
みんなで本屋に行きます。(We will all go together to the bookstore.)
みんなで本屋に行きませんか。(Why don't we all go together to the bookstore?)

_ましょう

(Let's_)
If you change the ます part of a verb to ましょう, you are making a proposal.
e.g.)
ここでおります。(We will get off here.)
ここでおりましょう。(Let's get off here.)

Directions

Left	左
Right	右

これは何ですか。

(What is this?)
か is a particle. When added to the end of a sentence with a rising intonation, it allows you to ask a question.
e.g.) それは何ですか。 (What is it?)

あなたは日本人ですか。

(Are you a Japanese?)
If the answer is "yes" = はい、私は日本人です。
If the answer is "no" = いいえ、私は日本人ではありません。

Numbers (1)

0	零, ゼロ
1	一
2	二
3	三
4	四
5	五
6	六
7	七
8	八
9	九
10	十

て-form verbs (1) Basic pattern

When we use verbs in the middle of sentences, we use their conjugated forms. The conjugated verbs ending with て or で, are called "て-form verbs." To turn ます-form verbs into て-form verbs, the basic pattern is just to change ます to て.
e.g.) 覚えます (to memorize) = 覚えて

います

います is a verb to express the existence of living things, such as people and animals.
e.g.) アンナがいます。 (Anna is here.)
あります refers to the existence of non-living things.

た-form verbs

The た-form of verbs is the conjugation form of verbs that ends with た or だ. It is for the past or the perfect aspect of verbs. If you use this form, you sound more casual.
e.g.) なれます (to get used to) = なれた (got used to or have got used to)
Making た-form verbs is the same as making the て-form of verbs. Simply replace て with た, and で with だ.

2 Types of Adjectives

い-adjectives	新しい	(new)	新しい本	(a new book)
な-adjectives	好き	(fond of)	好きな本	(the book I like)

Adjectives are divided basically into two kinds.
Those that end with the syllable い are called い-adjectives. The others are called な-adjectives.

て-form verb+います

(is/are _ing)
If you add います to the て-form verb, you can say an action is continuing.
e.g.)
ご飯を食べます。(I eat/will eat a meal.)
ご飯を食べています。(I am eating a meal.)

Adjective+そう

い-adjectives	面白い	(interesting)	➡	面白そう	(seems interesting)
な-adjectives	暇	(free)	➡	暇そう	(seems to be free)

(It seems _)
Adding そう after an adjective allows you to talk about what you think or guess, after you look at or listen to something. When you add そう to I-adjectives, you change い at the end to そう.

A の B

の is a particle that links two nouns. In Japanese, you put a modifying word before a noun.
e.g.) 東京のお土産 (a souvenir from Tokyo)

Greetings

おはようございます	Good morning
こんにちは	Hello / Good afternoon
こんばんは	Good evening

_をします

(To do _)
します is a verb that means "to do something." You can talk about many actions by combining をします with nouns.
e.g.)
勉強 (studying) = 勉強をします。 (I study.)
料理 (cooking) = 料理をします。 (I cook.)

て-form verb+ください

(Please do _)
When you ask somebody to do something in Japanese, you say て-form verbs and then ください (please).
e.g.) 覚えます + ください = 覚えてください (Please memorize)

ました : Past form of ます

To turn ます-form verbs to the past form, you change ます to ました.
e.g.) 食べます (to eat) = 食べました (ate)

Months

January	一月
February	二月
March	三月
April	四月
May	五月
June	六月
July	七月
August	八月
September	九月
October	十月
November	十一月
December	十二月

て-form verb+もいいですか

(May I _?)
If you say the て-form verb with もいいですか, it is an expression to ask for permission.
e.g.) この林檎を食べてもいいですか。 (May I eat this apple?)

Negative form of adjectives

い-adjectives	新しい	(new)	新しくない	(not new)
な-adjectives	大丈夫	(all right)	大丈夫ではない	(not all right)

To turn い-adjectives into the negative form, you change い at the end to くない. For な-adjectives, add ではない.

__ はちょっと ...

(_ is/are a little bit ...)
You can say this to decline a proposal, in a soft, indirect way, without directly voicing disapproval.
e.g.) ホラーはちょっと.... (Horror stories are a little bit....)

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