Extra Notes of Interest

Extra Notes of Interest

Note: All notes, quotes and references come from Genki: An integrated Course in Japanese and An Introduction to Modern Japanese, both published by The Japan Times.

Ano: This is an expression of reservation about your next statement. You say this if you're worried about interrupting someone doing something at the moment, or if you think you're sounding rude or impolite for asking a personal question, as an example.


Hai/Ee: They both mean “yes” to “yes/no” questions. Hai is the formal way, and ee is a more relaxed form. You can also use hai as the equivalent of “come in” when someone knocks on your door, or as “here” when a teacher calls your name.


Sou desu ka: Use this to show you understand what the speaker just said. “I see” or “is that so?”


Handing out your phone number: You usually put no between the local exchange code and the last four numbers. Example: 780-361-4447 is shichi hachi zero san roku ichi *no* yon yon yon shichi.


Sensei: “Honourable master”. It's used to describe someone else's occupation, and you never refer to yourself as sensei, unless you want to sound arrogant. If you or a member of your family are a teacher, you may call yourself by the more modest title of kyoushi.


San: A generic title. Kids are call chan if they're a girl, and kun if they're a boy. Everyone else is called san. Doctors and professors are called sensei. As with sensei, san, and other titles, you don't use them when you talk about yourself.


Referring to the person you're talking to: is their name and san or sensei, rather than using the direct word anata (you). Example: “Noella, are you Canadian?” is Noera san, anata wa kanadajin desu ka.


Japanese names: The Japanese state their family (last) name first, and their given (first) name last. They don't have middle names, and often they simply introduce themselves by their family name.