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Internet (#litres_trial_promo)
Practicalities
Money (#litres_trial_promo)
Paying (#litres_trial_promo)
Luggage (#litres_trial_promo)
Repairs (#litres_trial_promo)
Laundry (#litres_trial_promo)
Complaints (#litres_trial_promo)
Problems (#litres_trial_promo)
Emergencies (#litres_trial_promo)
Health
Pharmacy (#litres_trial_promo)
Body (#litres_trial_promo)
Doctor (#litres_trial_promo)
Dentist (#litres_trial_promo)
Eating out
Food in Japan (#litres_trial_promo)
In a bar/café (#litres_trial_promo)
Menu reader
Reading the menu (#litres_trial_promo)
In a restaurant (#litres_trial_promo)
Dietary requirements (#litres_trial_promo)
Wines (#litres_trial_promo)
Reference
Measurements and quantities (#litres_trial_promo)
Numbers (#litres_trial_promo)
Days and months (#litres_trial_promo)
Time (#litres_trial_promo)
Time phrases (#litres_trial_promo)
Public holidays (#litres_trial_promo)
Signs and notices (#litres_trial_promo)
Pronouncing place names (#litres_trial_promo)
Grammar
Dictionary
English – Japanese (#litres_trial_promo)
A (#litres_trial_promo) – C (#litres_trial_promo)
D (#litres_trial_promo) – F (#litres_trial_promo)
G (#litres_trial_promo) – I (#litres_trial_promo)
J (#litres_trial_promo) – L (#litres_trial_promo)
M (#litres_trial_promo) – O (#litres_trial_promo)
P (#litres_trial_promo) – R (#litres_trial_promo)
S (#litres_trial_promo) – U (#litres_trial_promo)
V (#litres_trial_promo) – Z (#litres_trial_promo)
LIFELINE words and phrases
About the Publisher
Pronouncing Japanese (#ulink_63f07ff7-7339-563a-9802-840e2defb52e)
Although the Japanese writing system is rather complicated, pronouncing Japanese is easy once you know the few basic rules. This book has been designed so that as you read the pronunciation of the phrases, you can follow the Japanese. This will help you to recognize the different sounds and give you a feeling for the rhythm of the language. Below are a few rules for you to note.
In Japanese the basic unit of speech is the syllable. Each syllable is pronounced approximately the same length and rather flatly. Japanese has a pitched accent (high and low) but syllables do not have tones as they do in Chinese. It is more important not to stress any one part of a word. For example, in English the word Paris is pronounced paris and in French paree. Japanese gives equal strength to both syllables: pari.
Japanese has relatively few sounds. Each vowel has only one sound.
Japanese vowels
Long vowel sounds
15 basic consonants
k, s, sh, t, ts, ch, n, h, m, y, r, w, g, z, d, b, p, n/m Each consonant is followed by one vowel to create a syllable as in
These consonants are close to their English equivalents but note the following:
g is pronounced as in golf, not as in Germany y is pronounced as in young, not as in cry.
The consonant n/m, which appears at the end of the list above, counts as a syllable in its own right. It is pronounced like the nasal n in sing when it appears at the end of words, e.g. en ‘yen’, and before most other sounds, e.g. onsen ‘hot spring’. Before p, b and m, it sounds more like m and is therefore written here as m, e.g. shimbun ‘newspaper’. When n appears before a vowel or y, it is written as n’ to distinguish it from the syllables beginning with n, e.g. kin’en ‘non-smoking’ compared with kinen ‘commemoration’.
Since Japanese lacks the consonants l and v, foreign loanwords with these letters are pronounced with r and b, respectively. Thus, English words ‘love’ and ‘rub’ both become indistinguishable as ra-bu in Japanese.
Japanese also lacks the si sound (as in ‘to sit’): shi is used instead, sometimes with embarrassing results! Other English sounds that do not exist in Japanese are hu (as in ‘hook’: fu is used instead); th (as in ‘thin’: shi is used instead); and ti (as in ‘tin’: chi is used instead).
Double consonants kk, pp, ss and tt are written before a vowel, which indicates a pause equivalent to one syllable in length before that consonant. The sound before the pause tends to become sharper than at other times.
ki, shi, chi, ni, hi, mi, ri, gi, ji, bi and pi sounds can be combined with ya, yu or yo to create combined syllables. For example, ki + ya become kya, ki + yu become kyu and ki + yo become kyo. Examples of this can be found in the words Tookyoo and Kyooto, where the combined syllable is pronounced as two sounds, but said very quickly with the same length as one syllable.
In the case of the chi syllable, a double consonant sound is written as tchi as in the example above.
You should also remember that Japanese does not have a silent e at the end of a word such as in the English ‘to take’. If ‘take’ is read as the Japanese word take (bamboo), it should be pronounced tah-keh. Similarly sake (rice wine), is pronounced sah-keh, etc.
However, the vowel u at the end of a word such as desu will sound very weak.
Top ten tips (#ulink_b571ebd0-67c2-5086-881d-61a807a97a9b)
1 Always remember to remove your shoes before entering someone’s home. Before stepping on tatami matting, slippers must also be removed. Slippers must be changed when going to the toilet. Remember not to leave the toilet still wearing the toilet slippers, as it would be very embarrassing!
2 Always make sure that you do not have any holes in your socks or tights, as you may have to take your shoes off unexpectedly.
3 Shaking hands is uncommon in Japan; Japanese people greet each other by bowing. However, foreigners are sometimes greeted with a handshake.
4Sumimasen is a word with many purposes: it can be used to attract someone’s attention before making a request, or to get past people on a crowded train. It can also be used to say ‘sorry’.
5 Credit cards are only accepted in the more expensive hotels, shops and restaurants.
6 If you receive a gift from a Japanese visitor, ask if you can open it before doing so. If you are invited to a Japanese person’s house, make sure you take a gift-wrapped present with you.
7 You can only buy cigarettes and alcohol if you are over 20 years of age. You will be asked to produce ID to prove your age.
8 Japanese people tend not to use assertive words such as ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Good alternatives are ii desu ne, which literally means ‘that sounds good’, for ‘yes’ and chotto for ‘no’.
9 Cleanliness is important to Japanese people. Never drop or leave rubbish.
10 It’s advisable that you carry proof of identity at all times, so make sure that you always have your passport with you.
Talking to people (#ulink_a58982fe-0510-5a38-881d-933bbd9ea3cc)
Hello/goodbye, yes/no (#ulink_1aec1428-cb97-54a1-8942-b8b45e7fe936)
In Japanese there is no exact equivalent for the word ‘hello’ – different greeting words are used based on the time of the day. Similarly, the word chotto (whose literal meaning is ‘a bit’) is influenced by body language: if said with one’s head slightly tilted, it means ‘no’.
Bowing おじぎ ojigi
Japanese people bow to express their respect and appreciation. People bow along with greetings, words of appreciation or apologies. The strength of the respect, gratitude or apology, dictates how low your bow should be.
Key phrases (#ulink_4da86955-c98f-56f1-a71f-b3294d833a42)
There are no genders, articles or singular/plural forms in Japanese. Different counters are used together with numbers.
Work (#ulink_da06fdad-94de-5039-a72c-9df865ddcae1)
Japanese people tend to tell you where they work rather than what they do.
Weather (#ulink_927342eb-9169-5860-bcc4-27839e84c615)
Getting around (#ulink_18bb148c-b321-5e1d-9edd-f59d766b12dd)
Asking the way (#ulink_38b5a035-2786-52d2-825e-a20e159b7441)
Bus and coach (#ulink_741767c8-af19-51b5-9cc7-9a0e3dcdf4e2)
Places such as Kyoto have tourist day passes and bus route maps in English, which you can obtain at a bus station. Local buses usually board from the rear door, but if your journey is not covered by a flat fee you may need to pick up a numbered ticket. A board at the front of the bus displays the fares, based on the numbers. You will need to know your destination in Japanese characters. Some buses board from the front door and require you to pay as you enter. Tickets for long/middle distance coach trips, as well as express buses, are usually sold at the coach counter or ticketing machine.
Public transport is free for up to two children under 6 when travelling with a paying adult. An elementary school pupil pays half price (aged between 7 and 12). Junior high (13 to 15) and senior high (16 to 18) school students are often given discounts too.
Metro (#ulink_8da6ed8c-e80a-5fb0-89dc-9e9e2166b424)
The Japanese metro and train services are clean, safe and run on time. You can find metro systems in the Tokyo area, as well as Sapporo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, and several other cities. You can either purchase a pre-paid card or an ordinary ticket from the ticketing machine. Silver seats are for elderly people or people with difficulties. Mobile phones need to be on silent and you must not talk in the carriage. In major cities, the rush hour crush can be really bad (between 7 and 9 am and 5 and 8 pm). Some trains have women-only carriages. The Japanese metro system is very similar to the one in London. Suika is like the Oyster card. The first thing you must do is obtain a metro map which indicates all the lines and stops.
Train (#ulink_f4f3da8a-f60b-5a67-bace-1b351051c65c)
You will find Midori no madoguchi (literally ‘Green Ticket Window’) in major train stations, where you can buy tickets and make seat bookings. You need to pay a supplement in order to use an express train. There are seven lines of Shinkansen, high-speed (bullet) train, and they serve areas from Hokkaido to Kyushu. It is expensive to travel around Japan using the Shinkansen, so a JR Pass could save you money. With this pass, you can cover a considerable distance around Japan. Details can be found at www.japanrailpass.net.
You can buy a Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) Exchange Order in your own country, which needs to be exchanged for the Japan Rail Pass itself when you get to Japan. The stations where you can exchange the Order are shown on the back.
Taxi (#ulink_e6eb466f-1ad0-56b1-b509-9731d303c72c)
Japanese taxis are safe, clean and operate on meters. The basic fee is based on the vehicle size. For different sizes of taxi, you can ask for 小型 (kogata) for up to four passengers and 中型 (chuugata) for up to five. It can be rather expensive but there is no need to tip. There are taxi stands at stations and major hotels but taxis can also be hailed from the roadside. You can identify whether a taxi is available by the sign 空車 (kuusha) displayed in the front windscreen. All the doors are automatically operated by the driver. There are many regional taxi companies, and vehicles vary in colour depending on the company.
Boat and ferry (#ulink_1689dcaf-9459-5c8f-ae8c-a8fc8dbda8fa)
Japan Railways (JR) run ferry services on certain routes where the JR Pass can be used. There is a good ferry network in Japan linking the various islands. Ferries can be used as an alternative to trains if you wish to travel between the islands and have time to spare. During the holidays some lines can be very busy, so if you are driving it is advisable to book a place in advance.
Air travel (#ulink_21bb21e2-acf3-5154-bfa5-d247b15d1857)
At the airport, most signs are written in both Japanese and English. Most of the airport staff understand and speak some English. The three biggest airports are Narita, Kansai and Haneda. You can find airport details by visiting www.narita-airport.jp, www.kansai-airport.jp and www.haneda-airport.jp.
