As promised, I am compiling a web copy of the Level 1 Japanese Text I used during a summer course in Japan. I am currently working on the scans, however Lesson 1 could be typed and explained on it's own without the need of an image file, so here you go!

Lesson 1:


Classroom Instructions

Here are some useful expressions that you will hear and use frequently in class. Learn to understand your instructor's commands and to make the appropriate responses.

1. *kiite kudasai. - Please Listen.
2. Itte kudasai. - Please say (it).
3. **Moo ichido itte kudasai. - Please say (it) once more.
4. Kotaete kudasai. - Please answer.
5. Minna de itte kudasai. - Please say (it) all together.
6. Motto ookii koe de hanashite kudasai. - Please speak in a louder voice.
7. Suzuki-san ni kiite kudasai. - Please ask Mr/s. Suzuki
8. Yoku ***dekimashita. - Very good. You did a good job.
9. Wakarimasu ka? - Do you understand?
10. Hai, wakarimasu - Yes, I understand.
11. ****Iie, wakarimasen. - No I do not understand.
12. kuri kaeshite kudasia - Please repeat.

Natalie's Lecture:

Pronunciation Notes:
*kiite is pronounced much like "key"-"tay". Hold the vowel in "key" out just a tad bit longer than you normally would.
**For "moo", it isn't the sound a cow makes, but rather a long "o" sound held out just a split second longer than you normally would.
***When pronouncing "shita", the Japanese often run the consonants together, pronouncing this "shta".
**** When pronouncing "masen", drop the "n" at the end and give it a bit more of a nasal glottal.
When pronouncing "masu" one simply says "mas" making the "s" a bit stronger than normal. The "u" is there, but it is swollowed a bit. You will be able to hear and speak this with practice.
Remember that Japanese is a syllabic language. It is important to consider EVERY SINGLE SYLLABLE, EVEN THE VOWELS when you pronounce Japanese words. It is rare that vowels will run together to create one syllable. When this does happen, I will be sure to point it out ~.^


A quick note on verb conjugation! Look at numbers 9, 10 and 11. Notice how the verb is conjugated. To ask a question, one simply adds "ka" to the end of the verb "masu". To negate the statement one uses "masen", and to affirm the statement one uses "masu". To use it in the past one says "mashita". You will use this with other verbs as well, so start practicing now!

Questions?

Lesson 2 will be up in about an hour or so ^_^

hey what a nice idea^^

I figured it would be good if people learned the pronounciation of the romaji so that they can read everything else that you'll teach^^ hehe since I took Japanese for four years (and hardly remember any of it), haha I can give a quick lesson on that~

First, there are five basic vowel sounds

A "ah" with a short 'a' sound like, cat
I "ee" a long 'e' sound like see
U "ou" short 'u' sound like poo XD
E "eh" short 'e' sound like pet
O "oh" long 'o' sound like no

basically, with these vowel sounds, unlike english, every time you see these letters, you pronounce them the same way.

then the consonant sounds

K, S, T, H, R, and Y

K is always pronounced with a hard 'k' sound like, kite

S sounds like...how you always read 's' with the exception of 'shi' (the 's' with the 'i' vowel)

T is the same as S with the one exception of 'chi' (that's the 't' with 'i') and also the 'tsu' (which is the 't' with 'u') the Japanese don't have the 'ti' or 'tsu' sounds except for in katakana where they make foreign words sometimes

H sounds like how you would normally read a 'h' except 'hu' is pronounced, 'fu' or 'hu' and 'fu' said together...but saying just 'fu' should be understandable enough

R sounds like 'r' and 'l' slurred together...so it almost sounds like 'rla, rle, rlu, rle, rlo' except the 'l' sound is not as strong as the 'r' you gotta roll the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth while saying it...

and Y just sounds like...Ya, yu, yo (yah, you, yo)

then there's the 'tenten's and 'maru's that are placed in the top right corner of the characters which I don't have time to go into right now....haha maybe someone can pick it up from here~

And correct me if I'm wrong anywhere~

[edit]
when a "tenten" or what looks a bit like one quotation mark placed on the top right of a character, it changes the consonant sound.

Anyways, those sounds are G, Z, B, and P

The G sound is the hard 'g' sound so it's like, gate or game and NOT like giraff or gentle

And all the other ones just sound like their respective sounds...

haha I think that's basically all you need to know....

Hey Thanks to the Admin for the pronunciation Lesson ^_^ I was too lazy -_-;;

Lesson 2:

Ready to really tackle some new phrases and information? The second lesson is a bit longer so get ready ^_^

You may click any thumbnail to view the page as a larger image.

Page 2:


Natalie's Lecture:

So you wake up in the morning and want to greet your host family, ne? "Ohayoo gozaimasu" is the appropriate greeting. If you wish to include everyone you might tag "Minna-sama" (everyone) on to the end of this phrase. When greeting close friends one would simply say "Oha!".
Notice what times of day to say "konnichiwa" and "konbanwa".
CULTURE NOTE: When greeting people who are not your friends, be sure to include their name with the honorific. For example, "Konbanwa Natalie-sensei" or "Konichiwa Utada-san".
You say "Oyasuminasai" only when going up to bed. It is not a greeting, but an expression to let everyone know you are going to retire for the night. It is a good thing to do as it insures you are not disturbed. Friends simply say "oyasumi".

Page 3:



Natalie's Lecture:
"Sayoonara" is used only if you are going away for an extended amount of time. Never use it if you will be seeing them in a few days or hours. For these times it is more appropriate to use "Matta ne" (see you again) or "Ja Ne" (see you later). More formal forms of this also include:
"dewa mata"
"ja mata ashita" (see you again tomorrow)
"mata ashita"

My personal translation of "doozo" here is basically "here you go". It can also mean "please". It has other uses as well which we will focus on later. The old lady thanks the man by saying "arigatoo gozaimasu". It is also appropriate to say "doomo arigatoo".

"Sumimasen" means "excuse me". "Hai" means "yes".
Notice the construction of the sentence of the customer.
"O Mizu Onegaishimasu".
"Water please".
To make "mizu" (water) appropriate for conversation, we must add "O". It is very rude to forget this honorific. I forgot it once when looking for a bottle of sake. The nice Japanese man simply corrected me and we moved on, however if I had been Japanese and made such a mistake I could have been considered a vagrant. Remember to always add the honorific "O" to such things when talking about them.
Asking for another glass of water? Simply say:
"O mizu moo ippai onegaishimasu"
water another glass if you please
CULTURE NOTE:
Earlier we learned "kudasai" to mean please. Consider "onegaishimasu" to be much more formal and always use it when giving commands to strangers or people of higher rank.



Natalie's Lecture:

This page is pretty much self-explanitory, but I will point out a few extras.

Another way of saying "Doomo sumimasen" is "shitsurei shimasu" which can mean "excuse me" or "goodbye".

Culture Note:
I was told using "Iie" is very rude. It literally means "no" and the Japanese believe that using it can be disruptive to chi. Kazako-sensei recommends using "Zen-Zen" (not at all) in lue of "Iie" in such instances. Refrain from using "Iie" whenever possible. More about how to respectively say "no" in a later lesson.

Practice saying "Gochisoosamadeshita" (it was a feast). You will use this three times a day and it is uber hard to learn. It took me forever, but once I got it I have yet to forget it. It is expected that you always say this to whoever prepaired the meal.

EXTRAS:
So what about the meals?
"Gohan" literally means "cooked rice", and since the Japanese typically eat rice 3 times a day, the term "gohan" appears in each of the meal names:

asagohon - breakfast (morning rice)
hirugohan - lunch
yuugohan - dinner

Verb Usage Note"
We will work with "tabe" "to eat" and "nomi" "to drink"

If you wish to ask someone if they have a desire to eat or drink, you must tag "tai" to the end of the word to express desire:
"tabetai desu ka"?

Do you have a desire to drink?
"Nomitai desu ka?"

Stay tuned for lesson 3!

Are my scans OK? Any questions?

Lesson 3:

I will make this lesson a bit shorter.




Natalie's Lecture:
Again, the instructor did a nice job of translating so I will just point out a few things.

"Watashi wa" means "I am" but it is not necessary. More often than not it is left out.

In the Elementary schools I often had to ask the children's names. "O namae wa?" What's your name? You should rarely have to use this with elders, but children often forget their manners ;)


Time to learn some digits!
Japanese numbers are EASY! Once you get the rythem and the form you will never forget!

0 - zero (pronounced 'zay-row')
1 - ichi
2 - ni
3 - san
4 - yon OR shi OR yo (we will learn when to use which later)
5 - go
6 - roku
7 - nana OR shi chi
8 - hachi
9 - kyuu
10 - juu

Once you learn these, the rest are relatively easy. For example:

11 - juu ichi
12 - ju ni

See the pattern? 10+1 = 11 Juu + ichi = juu ichi

20 - ni juu
21 - ni juu ichi

See the pattern? 2+10=20 ni + juu = ni juu and 2+10+1=21 etc.

To say 100 one uses "hyaku"
300 is "sanbyaku"
600 is "roppyaku"
1,000 is "sen"
We will talk/explain more about greater numbers and their forms later.

Practice saying your phone number to help remember your numbers. Be sure to work with these numbers! Our next lesson will focus on telling time and going to the store ;)

Jesus! D= So much, so much! I do have one of those books where they teach you the basics, but it's alot. But thanks you guys, I'll be in this thread alot. xP

Wow there is alot to read. I want to learn though. I'm trying at home, but there's alot to remember and know. I havent been studying in a while though.

heres something i have in the links page that might be kinda useful:
http://www.sf.airnet.ne.jp/~ts/japanese/index.html

Wow, these are some good lessons on learning Japanese. They are really helpful. Thanks for those natalie and Q.

Thanks you guys! I have one question at the moment. Do you guys know what 'mama' means. The word is in alot of songs, I tried looking for it in my book, but it's not in there. Do you guys know?

"mama" that you refer to..it means something like so so....or for example someone ask you how was the food...then if you answer "mama" it means the food is still ok...