Naruhodo Japan

Site Maintenance

Mariko-sensei — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:59:51 +0000

I have upgraded WordPress, the blog software that this site runs on, as well as some plug-ins. Sometimes when doing such upgrades, things get broken. I am now going over the site, doing any maintenance required to get things back to normal. I noticed that all of the Japanese characters on the site have become garbled. I am replacing it with the original Japanese text. All entries should be corrected by the end of today or tomorrow. If you notice anything amiss, please let me know, thanks!

Happy Holidays

Mariko-sensei — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 04:10:33 +0000

A brief announcement: we are taking a holiday break and will return in January 2009. In the meantime, keep practicing Japanese.

Episode 13: Greetings

Mariko-sensei — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 07:09:33 +0000

Good manners and proper etiquette is a cultural value very important to Japanese society. Key components of this are greetings said throughout the day and in various situations, such as “good morning” or “good evening”. Knowing these greetings and when to say them will be quite useful when speaking with Japanese or visiting Japan. Not only will Japanese appreciate your knowledge of these greetings and will think that you have good manners, they might even be impressed or shocked that you know them. Either way, one thing is for certain, knowing some of these phrases and using them at the appropriate moment will impress the average Japanese person. The word for greetings in Japanese is “aisatsu”.

Episode Topics:
Phrases for: meeting people, greeting people at different times of day, greeting people whom you have not seen in a long time, parting or ending a conversation, leaving from and returning to your home, someone else’s home or room, leaving work, welcome, thanks, apology, offering guests refreshments, meal times.

Kaa-chan Corner:
Topic: Japanese government (a brief overview of the system).

Vocabulary List:
(Taro) Aso – current prime minister of Japan. (since September 2008)
麻生太郎 [あそうたろう]
baton tacchi – “baton touch”, pass the baton. バトンタッチ
bikkuri shita – was surprised. びっくり
daitouryou – president. 大統領 [だいとうりょう]
igai – besides (such and such), in addition to (such and such). 以外 [いがい]
iikagen na shigoto shinai – won’t be irresponsible at the job. いい加減な仕事しない [いいかげんなしごとしない]
jimintou – Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). 自民党 [じみんとう]
kazu – numbers. 数 [かず]
kokujin – black person. 黒人 [こくじん]
meiji jidai: Meiji period (1868-1912). 明治時代 [めいじじだい]
mezurashii – rare. 珍しい [めずらしい]
minshutou – Democratic Party of Japan. 民主党 [みんしゅとう]
motenai – can’t have/hold. 持てない [もてない]
mukashi – a long time ago. 昔 [むかし]
nigiru – grasp. 握る [にぎる]
ninzuu – number of people. 人数 [にんずう]
ooi – more of (something). 多い [おおい]
saikin – recently. 最近 [さいきん]
seifu – government. 政府 [せいふ]
seiken – political power, right to run government. 政権 [せいけん]
seitou – political party. 政党 [せいとう]
senkyo – election. 選挙 [せんきょ]
shushou – prime minister. 首相 [しゅしょう]
yameru – quit, resign. 辞める [やめる]

Further Reading:
Greetings at about.com
Greetings at learn-japanese.info
Greetings at ABC Brisbane
Gomenkudasai example
Japanese Bowing
Bowing etiquette in Japan
How to politely bow in Japan
Wikipedia entry on the Liberal Democratic Party
Wikipedia entry on the Democratic Party of Japan

Transcript:
Episode transcript PDF (Japanese portion includes furigana) (interview not transcribed)

Download Podcast:
Episode 13 – Greetings

Episode 12: Family Members

Mariko-sensei — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:46:10 +0000

In the episodes prior, I have mentioned the words for family members such as aunt and uncle and comparing them to the words for grandmother and grandfather, which only differ in vowel length. I’ve also mentioned the names for other relatives in example sentences to build up your vocabulary but now it’s time to complete the picture by presenting the words for various family members and related words that you are likely to need and use.

Episode Topics:
Vocabulary list of family members and related words.

Kaa-chan Corner:
Topic: Japanese families (what does a typical family consist of).

Vocabulary List:
daitai – approximately. 大体 [だいたい]
futsuu – normally, usually. 普通 [ふつう]
fuufu tani – married couple. 夫婦単位 [ふうふたんい]
heisei no hajimari – the beginning of the Heisei era.　平成の始まり [へいせいのはじまり] (1989)
kaku kazoku – nuclear family. 核家族 [かくかぞく]
kono you ni – in this way. この様に [このように]
kuzureru – to crumble, collapse. 崩れる [くずれる]
mukashi – in the past. 昔 [むかし]
saikin – recently. 最近 [さいきん]
showa no owari – the end of the Showa era. 昭和の終わり [しょうわのおわり] (1989)
sukunai – not many, few. 少ない [すくない]
tabun – perhaps, maybe, probably, possibly. 多分 [たぶん]
yousu ni – the situation, the state of affairs. 様子に [ようすに]

Further Reading:
Wikipedia Japan entry on 続柄 (family relationship chart)

Transcript:
Episode transcript PDF (Japanese portion includes furigana) (interview not transcribed)

Download Podcast:
Episode 12 – Family Members

Episode 11: Countries and Places

Mariko-sensei — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:01:37 +0000

In Episode 6, I listed 10 basic sentences and questions as a means to start practicing conversations in Japanese. These sentences involved fill in the blanks so you could tailor them for your needs. Some of the questions required the names of countries and places, therefore today’s episode is all about countries, places, and related words so that you can complete the sentences.

Episode Topics:
directions, hemispheres, continents, oceans, countries, states/provinces, territories, cities

Nikkei Discussion:
An Okinawan-descent Issei, Nisei, Sansei discussion about identity with Yuko, Mariko, and Lesley.

Vocabulary List:
hougen – dialect. 方言 [ほうげん]
hyoujungo – standard Japanese. 標準語 [ひょうじゅんご]
uchinaanchu – Okinawan person (in Okinawan dialect). ウチナーンチュ

Further Reading:
Wikipedia Japan entry on
大陸 (continent)
World Navigator (map in English and Japanese)
世界の地図から国を検索 (Japanese clickable map)
世界地図 (Japanese maps and basic facts of countries)
世界地図 – 世界の国々 (world map Japanese quiz)

Transcript:
Episode transcript PDF (Japanese portion includes furigana) (interview not transcribed)

Download Podcast:
Episode 11 – Countries and Places

Episode 10: Review of Episodes 1-9

Mariko-sensei — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:56:12 +0000

This is Episode 10 and it’s time to review what we’ve learned in Episodes 1-9.

Episode Topics Reviewed:
alphabet, pronunciation (heavy focus on this subject), honorifics, pronouns, 10 basic sentences/questions, particles, counting, counters, dates, time, Naruhodo Japan episodes 1-9 lexicon chart

Transcript:
Episode transcript PDF (Japanese portion includes furigana)

Download Podcast:
Episode 10 – Review of Episodes 1-9

Episode 9: Time and Dates

Mariko-sensei — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 06:26:47 +0000

In the previous episode we covered how to count in general as well as how to count specific objects. Building upon those counting skills, we will now go over dates and time. It may be said that dates and time use counters as well but dates and time do not use nearly as many counters as were featured in the previous episode. That is why I think that once you learn how to count up to 59, learning how to say dates and time in Japanese is fairly easy, however there are a few sticky points. For saying the year, one must be able to count up to the number that the current year is but we’ll get to that in moment. Once we go over these counters, you should have the basics down to use simple sentences related to dates and time, such as asking what time it is and stating your age or birthday.

Episode Topics:
Time: ji (hour), fun (minutes), byou (seconds)
Dates: gatsu (month), nichi (day), days of the week, Western years, Japanese Imperial eras
Counting dates and times: kagetsu (months), shuu (weeks), nichi (day)
bonus: previous/current/next (yesterday/today/tomorrow), seasons

Kaa-chan Corner:
The return of Kaa-chan Corner! Since my mom just returned from Japan for a funeral, today’s topic on Kaa-chan Corner is: Japanese funerals. I just wanted to remind everyone that my mom is from Okinawa so the culture is a bit different from mainland Japan.

Vocabulary List:
butsudan – Buddhist altar. 仏壇 [ぶつだん]
chikai shinseki – close relatives. 近い親戚 [ちかいしんせき]
junjyo – order. 順序 [じゅんじょ]
kotsu tsubo – urn. 骨壺 [こつつぼ]
mago – grandchildren. 孫 [まご]
moshu – the family member in charge of organizing the funeral. 喪主 [もしゅ]
nachizu – Nazis. ナチズ
obousan – monk. お坊さん [おぼうさん]
ohaka – tomb. お墓 [おはか]
okama – chamber for cremations. お罐 [おかま]
okan – coffin, casket. お管 [おかん]
senkou – incense sticks. 線香 [せんこう]
shibaraku – for a little while. 暫く [しばらく]
shonanuka – the first seven days after someone’s death. 初七日 [しょなぬか]
soushiki – funeral. 葬式 [そうしき]
toi shinseki – distant relatives. 問い親戚 [といしんせき]
umeru – bury. 埋める [うめる]
yoisho, yoisho – what Japanese say when they are exerting physical
effort, kind of like “heave-ho”. よいしょよいしょ

Further Reading:
Japanese calendar entry at Wikipedia
The Japanese Calendar
Japanese era name entry at Wikipedia
Japanese Year Converter
NengoCalc (Japanese year converter application)
Basic Japanese words and numbers
Japanese funeral entry at Wikipedia
Japanese Buddhist Funeral Customs
Sushilog blog entry on the Chronicles of a Japanese Funeral
Wikipedia Japan entry on ç«è‘¬å ´ (crematory, has a few pictures)

Transcript:
Episode transcript PDF (Japanese portion includes furigana) (interview not transcribed)

Download Podcast:
Episode 9 – Time and Dates

Episode 8: Counting and Counters

Mariko-sensei — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:48:23 +0000

In this episode we are going to cover how to count in Japanese. There are two things you need to know about counting in Japanese. The first thing is to learn the basic numbers such as 1, 2, 3 and the second thing you need to know is for when you are counting people or objects. Just as you would count items as slices, sheets, or pieces in English, you would do the same in Japanese but what word you associate with counting the objects is much more strict in Japanese. Counters is the term for words such as slices, sheets, and pieces.

*Please note: a few days after this episode was published, I realized that when talking about the sai counter (how many years old someone is), that there is one age where the conjugation is not obvious. In fact, if you’re not Japanese you would probably not know that 20 years old is not 20-sai but hatachi. Since I realized this after the fact, it’s not in the audio podcast but is noted in the transcript.

Episode Topics:
Counting: 0, 1-10, 100, 1000, and how to construct numbers up to 100,000,000
Counters: tsu, ko, hon, satsu, mai, hai, hiki, tou, wa, kai (times), kai (floors), dai, ten, sai, man vs. nin

Kaa-chan Corner:
Cancelled for a few episodes as there has been a death in the family and my mother has gone back to Japan for a few weeks.

Vocabulary List:
The vocabulary lists are generated from Kaa-chan Corner so there is not a vocabulary list for this episode.

Further Reading:
Japanese numerals entry Wikipedia
American Japanese higher numbers
Japanese Numbers at learnjapanesefree.com
List of Japanese Numbers
Japanese Numbers matching games and flashcards
Japanese counter word entry at Wikipedia
Japanese Numeral Counters
The Counting Dictionary
Counters at about.com
Counters at thejapanesepage.com
ものの数え方 [助数詞] (Japanese)
数のかぞえ方 (Japanese)

Transcript:
Episode transcript PDF (Japanese portion includes furigana)

Download Podcast:
Episode 8 – Counting and Counters

Naruhodo Japan is now listed in the iTunes store

Mariko-sensei — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 05:20:47 +0000

I’m very pleased to announce that Naruhodo Japan’s audio podcast is now listed in the iTunes store. You may subscribe to the audio podcast via iTunes directly by clicking on the button link below (it’s also available on the side menu) but what’s more exciting is that if you search the iTunes store for Japanese podcasts, we are listed there. This podcast may not be the first the first on the list but I hope that in time word will spread and our audience will grow. What’s more important though is that you learn Japanese. Whatever issues you encounter, whatever stumbles you along the way, I hope that somehow I can be of assistance. So please, post your comments/questions to the site or send me an email and I’ll see what I can do.

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!

Episode 7: Particles

Mariko-sensei — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 06:01:48 +0000

Particles, known as joshi, are probably one of the trickiest aspects of Japanese language for a beginner to master. I see countless questions on Yahoo Answers regarding particles. Sometimes I see similarities between English and Japanese but this is one of the cases where this is a Japanese issue that cannot be explained simply. Some say they are like English prepositions but since they occur after the word or subject, they are post-positions. As I’ve mentioned, I’m not a technical person when it comes to language so “preposition” means nothing to me. If you’re not big into grammar like that then you’ve come to the right place. At least I hope so.

Episode Topics:
Particles: to, no, na (mitai na, no you na), de, ya vs. shi vs. mo, wa vs. ga, e vs. ni (no you ni), wo, question particles (ka, wa, no), to ka

Kaa-chan Corner:
Cancelled for a few episodes as there has been a death in the family and my mother has gone back to Japan for a few weeks.

Vocabulary List:
The vocabulary lists are generated from Kaa-chan Corner so there is not a vocabulary list for this episode.

Further Reading:
Wikipedia entry on particles
Japanese Particles
A Guide to the Functions of
Structural Particles in Japanese
Forming Sentences in Japanese: Introducing Particles (for Dummies

Transcript:
Episode transcript PDF (Japanese portion includes furigana) (interviews not transcribed)

Download Podcast:
Episode 7 – Particles

Episode 6: 10 Basic Sentences

Mariko-sensei — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 02:33:25 +0000

In the episodes thus far, I have been giving example sentences when introducing words or concepts, so that one could get a sense of how it is used in Japanese. Now that you know how to say “you” and “I” in Japanese, let’s explore 10 basic sentences that you can use to talk about yourself. (I apologize for the delay in episodes and promise the next one will be much sooner.)

Episode Topics:
10 basic sentences:
1. My name is ___________
2. I am __(country of citizenship)__
3. I live in __(place name)__
4. I am __(#)__ years old.
5. I have _(#)_ siblings.
6. I study __(subject)__.
7. I work at ___(company name)___
8. I would like to visit __(place name)_
9. I have been to __(place name)___
10. I like to eat __(food name)___

10 basic questions:
1. What is your name?
2. What is your nationality?
3. Where do you live?
4. How old are you?
5. How many siblings do you have?
6. What do you study?
7. Where do you work?
8. Where would you like to visit?
9. Where have you been?
10. What do you like to eat?

Kaa-chan Corner:
Cancelled for a few episodes as there has been a death in the family and my mother has gone back to Japan for a few weeks.

Vocabulary List:
The vocabulary lists are generated from Kaa-chan Corner so there is not a vocabulary list for this episode.

Further Reading:
Basic grammar at japaneselearning.com
Ten Favorite Japanese Expressions (for Dummies)

Transcript:
Episode transcript PDF (Japanese portion includes furigana)

Download Podcast:
Episode 6 – 10 Basic Sentences

Episode 5: You and I

Mariko-sensei — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:43:58 +0000

In the previous episode we discussed honorifics, for which there was almost no bias towards gender. Today however we discuss the various ways to say “You” and “I”, or what you technical people might refer to as pronouns, for which the majority of these words are gender-biased. While some people do cross the gender line, as a foreigner I would suggest avoiding crossing the gender line when you speak or you will come across as being ignorant of Japanese. And as always in Japanese, there are various levels of politeness and to not be polite is to be rude so please be aware to speak casually only with close family and friends.

Episode Topics:
Different ways to say I, me, myself, mine, my, we, us, our, ours: watashi vs. watakushi (atashi vs. atakushi), jibun, ware, ore, boku, kochira vs. kocchi, uchi.
Different ways to say you, your, he, his, she, hers, them, they, their, theirs: anata vs. anta, kimi, omae, otaku, sochira vs. socchi, ano kata, kanojyo, kare, yatsu, koitsu vs. soitsu vs. aitsu.

Kaa-chan Corner:
Religion in Japan: Shinto-ism and Buddhism (mostly in English to help explain to those who are not strong in Japanese)

Vocabulary List:
bukkyo – Buddhism. 仏教 [ぶっきょう]
jinjya – shrine (Shinto). 神社 [じんじゃ]
kitsune – fox, shape-shifting animal in Japanese mythology. 狐 [きつね]
kyoukai – church (Christian). 協会 [きょうかい]
(o)jizou – Jizo, guardian deity of children (Shinto). (お)地蔵 [(お)じぞう]
otera – temple (Buddhist). お寺 [おてら]
shintou – Shinto. 神道 [しんとう]

Further Reading:
Japanese pronouns entry at Wikipedia
Japanese Pronouns
8.1.Pronouns
Japanese Language: Personal Pronouns
Shinto entry at Wikipedia
Buddhism entry at Wikipedia
Kitsune entry at Wikipedia
Jizo Bodhisattva

Transcript:
Episode transcript PDF (Japanese portion includes furigana) (interviews not transcribed)

Download Podcast:
Episode 5 – You and I

Episode 4: Honorifics

Mariko-sensei — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:00:45 +0000

Honorifics, known as keishou in Japanese, are similar to such titles as Mr., Mrs., and Miss in English. In English these are placed before the person’s name but in Japanese honorifics are placed after the name, which is why they are also known as suffixes for addressing people. Just as you would never call yourself Mr/Mrs/Miss in English, you would never refer to yourself with an honorific in Japanese. In this episode I am going to discuss the most common suffixes used today: -san, -sama, -chan, -kun, and -sensei.

Episode Topics:
Honorifics: -san, -sama, -chan, -chama, -kun, -sensei, -senpai, -shachou, -buchou, -heika, -hime

Kaa-chan Corner:
Topic: stereotypes of the different regions of Japan. (this conversation is mixed English/Japanese so it may be easier for beginners to follow along–feel free to comment with your stereotypes of the regions of Japan)

Vocabulary List:
a(n)mari – not much. (in casual spoken Japanese the n is voiced) あ(ん)まり
aru hazu – there must be. あるはず
dakedo okinawa de wa – but in Okinawa だけど沖縄では [だけどおきなわでは]
hondo: the (Japanese) mainland. 本土 [ほんど]
ippan teki – in general, generally. 一般的 [いっぱんてき]
kuyo kuyo – worry, be anxious. くよくよ
kyousou – race, competition. 競争 [きょうそう]
mieppari – care about one’s looks, vain. 見栄っ張り [みえっぱり]
nankuru nai sa – Okinawan proverb meaning que sera sera, whatever will
be will be and other translations we attempt in the conversation
(mainland Japanese: naru you ni naru sa) ナンクルナイサ
nonbiri – carefree. のんびり
nonki – carefree. 暢気 [のんき]
okinawa wa okinawa no hito ni totte – an Okinawan person’s point of view
of Okinawa. 沖縄は沖縄の人にとって [おきなわはおきなわのひとにとって]
omotemuki – publicly. 表向き [おもてむき]
risou teki – ideally. 理想的 [りそうてき]
shinpai – worry. 心配 [しんぱい]
yoku – do often. よく

Further Reading:
Honorifics entry at Wikipedia
Japanese Wikipedia entry on 敬称
 How to Use Japanese Suffixes
Japanese Honorific Titles. When do you use Chan, Kun, San, Sama?

Transcript:
Episode transcript PDF (Japanese portion includes furigana) (interviews not transcribed)

Download Podcast:
Episode 4 – Honorifics

Episode 3: Pronouncing Japanese

Mariko-sensei — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:35:31 +0000

In the previous episode, I went over the Japanese writing systems and introduced dakuten and handakuten. Now I will elaborate on this further as to how it affects pronouncing Japanese as well as introducing the concept of vowel lengths and other issues that affect pronunciation.

Episode Topics:
Pronouncing Japanese, dakuten (ten-ten) and handakuten (maru), compound sounds (youon or diphthong), long vowels (chouon), small tsu (sokuon or stop), he vs. e, ha vs. wa, wo vs. o

Kaa-chan Corner:
Topic: Japan’s image. Non-Japanese may think of anime, manga, sushi, and karate but what image do Japanese have of Japan? (food is what strongly comes to mind for my mom and it is based on the season–feel free to comment with your image of Japan)

Vocabulary List:
atsui ocha – hot tea. 暑いお茶 [あついおちゃ]
atsukan – hot sake. 熱燗 [あつかん]
bon-odori – obon dances. 盆踊り [ぼんおどり]
daredemo odottemo ii – it’s alright if anyone dances. だれでも踊ってもいい
[だれでもおどってもいい]
eisa – Okinawan folk dance done during obon. エイサー
ippan – in general, generally. 一般 [いっぱん]
kakikouri / kakigouri – shaved ice, often served in Japan with red
beans, fruit, milk, or other toppings. かき氷 [かきこおり]
kingyo – goldfish. 金魚 [きんぎょ]
kingyo-tsukui – traditional Japanese festival game where you win the
live goldfish that you can scoop out of a pool with a paper tool that
breaks in water. 金魚つくい [きんぎょつくい]
kisetsu wo daiji ni suru – hold the seasons precious. 季節を大事にする
[きせつをだいじにする]
kisetsu ni awasete tabemono – (eating) foods that are in season.
季節に会わせて食べ物 [きせつにあわせてたべもの]
matsuri – festival. 祭り [まつり]
mikan – mandarin orange, tangerine. 蜜柑 [みかん]
mizore – literally “sleet”, there are various mizore dishes in Japan,
often with radishes or in a claypot. 霙 [みぞれ]
mochi – rice cake. 餅 [もち]
neri aruku – parade 練り歩く [ねりあるく]
obon: a major holiday in Japan based on the lunar calendar and therefore
not held on a set day(s) throughout the nation using the Gregorian
calendar (July in some parts, August in other parts); Buddhist custom
for commemorating one’s ancestors when they return to this world. お盆
[おぼん]
seimeisai: Taoist-influenced custom introduced to Okinawa in 1768 where
families gather at ancestral tombs and honor ancestors with a picnic.
清明祭 [せいめいさい]
shuukan – custom, habit. 習慣 [しゅうかん]
sukiyaki – a Japanese dish where food is simmered in a pot at the table.
すき焼き [すきやき]
tanoshimi-kata – the way they play, have fun. 楽しみ方 [たのしみかた]
(o)zouni – mochi boiled with vegetables. 雑煮 [ぞうに]

Further Reading:
50-on alphabet chart with drawings of the mouth’s formation and audio of the sounds (hiragana/katakana, click on the 01-06 links above for dakuten readings)
Youon entry at Wikipedia
Chouon entry at Wikipedia
Sokuon entry at Wikipedia
Japanese cuisine entry at Wikipedia
Eisa dance entry at Wikipedia

Transcript:
Episode transcript PDF (Japanese portion includes furigana) (interview not transcribed)

Download Podcast:
Episode 3 – Pronouncing Japanese

Episode 2: Writing Japanese

Mariko-sensei — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 05:06:55 +0000

In the previous episode I covered how to pronounce the alphabet. Now let’s discuss writing Japanese.

Episode Topics:
Japanese writing systems: hiragana, katakana, kanji, romaji, typing romaji on a computer to display hiragana/katakana/kanji

Kaa-chan Corner:
Kaa-chan talking about what life is like in Okinawa and growing up there in that “back in my day we didn’t have shoes and used to walk 20 miles in the snow” kind of way, which is growing up in poverty-stricken post-war Okinawa in a polygamist family amidst patriarchal traditions and the American military presence (conversation with Kinomura-san continued from previous episode)

Vocabulary List:
aaiu: that kind of. ああいう
asonde: play(ing). 遊んで [あそんで]
baka: stupid. 馬鹿 [ばか]
bakuon: explosion. 爆音 [ばくおん]
benkyou: study. 勉強 [べんきょう]
chounan: first born/eldest son. 長男 [ちょうなん]
chourei: morning assembly. 朝礼 [ちょうれい]
chuudan: interruption. 中断 [ちゅうだん]
chuugoku: China. 中国 [ちゅうごく]
daibu: much, quite, rather. 大分 [だいぶ]
daigaku: university. 大学 [だいがく]
daiji: precious, important, serious. 大事 [だいじ]
doa: door. ドアー
esa: feed, animal food. 餌 [えさ]
futsuu: normal, generally, usually. 普通 [ふつう]
fuu: wheat gluten. 麩 [ふ]
gochisou: a feast. 御馳走 [ごちそう]
hadashi: barefoot. 裸足 [はだし]
haka: grave, tomb. 墓 [はか]
hanbun: half. 半分 [はんぶん]
heru: reduce, decrease, wear off/out. 減る [へる]
hito kurasu: one class. 一クラス [ひとクラス]
hondo: the (Japanese) mainland. 本土 [ほんど]
hotondo: almost all, nearly all. 殆ど [ほとんど]
hougen: local dialect. 方言 [ほうげん]
ii to omou: I think it’s good. いいと思う [いいとおもう]
ipputasaifuu: like polygamy, polygamist style. 一夫多妻風 [いっぷたさいふう]
iroiro: (a lot of) various things. 色々 [いろいろ]
issai: all, everything. 一切 [いっさい]
jidai: period, era, time. 時代 [じだい]
jiki: time, period, season. 時期 [じき]
jimen: ground. 地面 [じめん]
jinan: second born/eldest son. 次男 [じなん]
jugyou: instruction, teaching. 授業 [じゅぎょう]
kankou: tourism, sightseeing. 観光 [かんこう]
juumin: resident, inhabitant. 住民 [じゅうみん]
kaji: household work. 家事 [かじ]
kankyou: to be influenced by one’s environment. 環境 [かんきょう]
kashizuku: wait on, attend to. 傅く [かしずく]
keizaiteki: economically. 経済的 [けいざいてき]
kekka: result, consequence. 結果 [けっか]
kichi: military base. 基地 [きち]
kimochi: feelings. 気持ち [きもち]
kodomo: child, kid. 子供 [こども]
koukou: high school. 高校 [こうこう]
kuraberu: compare. 比べる [くらべる]
kyuuryou: pay, wages, salary. 給料 [きゅうりょう]
mazushii: poor. 貧しい [まずしい]
meiji (jidai) umare: born in the Meiji period (1868-1912). 明治生まれ
[めいじうまれ]
mendou wo miru: look after, take care of. 面倒を見る [めんどうをみる]
moro ni hairu: (in the context of this conversation) can hear it all,
overwhelmed by the sound of (the explosion). 諸に入る [もろにはいる]
muchi: ignorance. 無知 [むち]
mukashi: a long time ago. 昔 [むかし]
mukou: other side, the other party. 向こう [むこう]
mushi: to ignore, disregard. 無視 [むし]
nakayoku yatte imashita: (everyone) got along well. 仲良くやっていました
[なかよくやっていました]
nantoka: something or other. 何とか [なんとか]
naranai: (in the context used in the conversation) won’t grow. 生らない
[ならない]
nokori: the remainder, the rest. 残り [のこり]
obon: a major holiday in Japan based on the lunar calendar and therefore
not held on a set day(s) throughout the nation using the Gregorian
calendar (July in some parts, August in other parts); Buddhist custom
for commemorating one’s ancestors when they return to this world. お盆
[おぼん]
okane: money. お金 [おかね]
okoshita: caused by. 起こした [おこした]
okusan: wife. 奥さん [おくさん]
oshikomu: forcibly, push. 押し込む [おしこむ]
otto: husband. 夫 [おっと]
ryukyu, -jin: Ryukyu, Ryukuan person, pertaining to Okinawa prefecture
which was formerly the Ryukyu Kingdom. 琉球[りゅうきゅう], 琉球人[りゅうきゅうじん]
sabetsu: discrimination. 差別 [さべつ]
saikin: recently, lately. 最近 [さいきん]
sangyou: industry. 産業 [さんぎょう]
seikatsu: livelihood, existence. 生活 [せいかつ]
seimeisai: Taoist-influenced custom introduced to Okinawa in 1768 where
families gather at ancestral tombs and honor ancestors with a picnic.
清明祭 [せいめいさい]
seizei: as far as possible, at most. 精々 [せいぜい]
semai: narrow, small. 狭い [せまい]
sensou: war. 戦争 [せんそう]
shadan: intercept, cut out (noise). 遮断 [しゃだん]
shigoto: job, employment. 仕事 [しごと]
shikamo: moreover, besides, on top of that. 然も [しかも]
shinseki: relatives. 親戚 [しんせき]
shuunyuu: income, earnings, revenue. 収入 [しゅうにゅう]
sonna kanji: it’s like that, that kind of thing. そんな感じ [そんなかんじ]
sono kawari: alternatively, instead. その代わり [そのかわり]
sosen: ancestors. 祖先 [そせん]
souiu hito: that kind of person. そういう人 [そういうひと]
sugoi: wow, amazing, very. すごい
sukunai: few, limited. 少ない [すくない]
suruki: the desire to do something. する気 [するき]
tabemono: food. 食べ物 [たべもの]
taihen: serious, difficult, troublesome, a lot of. 大変 [たいへん]
tasukeru: to help, to assist. 助ける [たすける]
tayotteru: depending on, relying on. 頼ってる [たよってる]
tonikaku: anyhow, anyway. とにかく
torarete: taken away, seized. 取られて [とられて]
touji: at that time, in those days. 当時 [とうじ]
tsugu: inherit, succeed. 継ぐ [つぐ]
umaku: skilled, good, do something well. うまく
urusai: noisy, annoying. 煩い [うるさい]
ushiro: (in the) back, rear. 後ろ [うしろ]
usumete: thin something out, dilute. 薄めて [うすめて]
utsusu: move, transfer. 移す [うつす]
wakeru: to divide (among, between), distribute. 分ける [分ける]
wareware: we, us, our. 我々 [われわれ]
yachin: rent. 家賃 [やちん]
yaru: to do, to give. やる
yasui: cheap, inexpensive. 安い [やすい]
yousu ni: it’s like, appears to be, the state of affairs. 様子に [ようすに]
zaisan: estate, property. 財産 [ざいさん]
zeitaku: luxury, extravagance. 贅沢 [ぜいたく]
zenbu: all of it, everything. 全部 [ぜんぶ]
zenzen: not at all. 全然 [ぜんぜん]
zutto: all the time, throughout. ずっと

Further Reading:
50-on alphabet chart with drawings of the mouth’s formation and audio of the sounds (hiragana/katakana, click on the 01-06 links above for dakuten readings)
Kyouiku kanji entry at Wikipedia
Jyouyou kanji entry at Wikipedia
Jinmeiyou kanji entry at Wikipedia
Omniglot: Japanese (Nihongo)
Sound and Symbol: the Case of Romaji
Okinawa Prefecture
Seimeisai
Okinawan tombs
American military on Okinawa

Transcript:
Episode transcript PDF (Japanese portion includes furigana) (interview not transcribed)

Download Podcast:
Episode 2 – Writing Japanese

Episode 1: Introduction

Mariko-sensei — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:21:47 +0000

Welcome to Naruhodo Japan, the podcast for learning about the language and culture of Japan from a Nikkei perspective. To learn more about this podcast, please see the About section. This is the debut episode and contains Japanese material for both beginners and intermediate/advanced. All interviews in this episode are with Issei, first generation Japanese, those that were born and raised in Japan. I apologize for the strong background noise in the second part of the Kaa-chan Corner segment. (I was not there to supervise the recording and you can hear television noise in the background. At least it was a Japanese tv program so consider it part of your listening skills study.)

Episode Topics:
Naruhodo Japan podcast introduction, alphabet pronunciation (focus on vowels), how long does it take to learn and master Japanese.

Kaa-chan Corner:
Burakumin, Kaa-chan interviews Kinomura-san

Miscellaneous:
Mariko interviews Kura-san

Vocabulary List:
ainu: Ainu indigenous people of northern Japan. アイヌ
burakumin: a minority group in Japan of historically social outcasts.
部落民 [ぶらくみん]
chousen, -jin: Korea, Korean　朝鮮 [ちょうせん]
douwa: social integration, anti-discrimination. 同和 [どうわ]
edo (jidai) kouki: the late Edo period. (Edo period was 1600-1868) 江戸後期
[えどこうき]
fuman: dissatisfaction, discontent. 不満 [ふまん]
gyaku: contrary, reverse. 逆 [ぎゃく]
hihan: criticism. 批判 [ひはん
houritsu: law. 法律 [ほうりつ]
hijyou ni: extremely, greatly, very much. 非常に [ひじょうに]
ichibu: a part, a portion. 一部 [いちぶ]
isshu: a kind of. 一種 [いっしゅ]
kanari: quite, rather, considerable. [かなり]
kankei: related to, connected to. 関係 [かんけい]
keizai: economy. 経済 [けいざい]
keibetsu: scorn, contempt. 軽蔑 [けいべつ]
koseki: family registry (proof of Japanese citizenship). 戸籍 [こせき]
kotowaru: decline, reject, excuse oneself from. 断(わ)る [断(わ)る]
kyouiku: education. 教育 [きょういく]
mazushii: poor. 貧しい [まずしい]
meiji (jidai): Meiji period. (1868-1912) 明治 [めいじ]
mondai: issue, problem, question. 問題 [もんだい]
nendai: age, period, generation. 年代 [ねんだい]
nenpai: people of the same age/generation. 年輩 [ねんぱい]
sabetsu: discrimination. 差別 [さべつ]
sei: because of, due to, on account of (effect and consequences). 所為
[せい]
seifu: government administration. 政府 [せいふ]
sengo: after the war. 戦後 [せんご]
shippai seisaku: mistaken policy. 失敗政策 [しっぱいせいさく]
shokugyou: occupation, profession. 職業 [しょくぎょう]
shugi: principle, doctrine, cause. 主義 [しゅぎ]
shusshin: come from, where one is from. 出身 [しゅっしん]
shuugou: gathering, meeting, assembly. 集合 [しゅうごう]
shuushoku: find employment. 就職 [しゅうしょく]
shuzoku: a tribe. 種族 [しゅぞく]
taisaku: counter-measure. 対策 [たいさく]
tokushu: unique, particular, special. 特殊 [とくしゅ]
touroku: registration. 登録 [とうろく]
tsugou: circumstances. 都合 [つごう]
yousu: situation, state of affairs. 様子 [ようす]
yutaka: plentiful, abundant, affluent. 豊か [ゆたか]
yuugou: harmony, unity. 融合 [ゆうごう]
zeikin: tax. 税金 [ぜいきん]

Further Reading:
Burakumin entry at Wikipedia
部落問題 at Wikipedia Japan
Japan’s Burakumin: An Introduction by Alastair McLaughlan
The Burakumin: The Complicity of Japanese Buddhism in Oppression and an Opportunity for Liberation
The burakumin: Japan’s underclass
Caste, Ethnicity and Nationality: Japan Finds Plenty of Space for Discrimination
Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute (部落解放・人権研究所)
Edo period entry at Wikipedia
Meiji period entry at Wikipedia

Transcript:
Episode transcript PDF (Japanese portion includes furigana) (interviews not transcribed)

Download Podcast:
Episode 1 – Introduction