Basic Lessons
Introducing People (1): At a party
Dialogue in Romaji
| Tanaka: | Konnichiwa. |
| Kimura: | Konnichiwa. |
| Tanaka: | Kimura-san, kochira wa watashi no tomodachi desu. Yamada Hiroko-san desu. |
| Yamada: | Hajimemashite. Yamada Hiroko desu. Douzo yoroshiku. |
| Kimura: | Kimura Ichirou desu. Douzo yoroshiku. |
| Yamada: | Gakusei desu ka. |
| Kimura: | Hai, gakusei desu. |
| Yamada: | Go-senmon wa. |
| Kimura: | Keizai desu. Anata mo gakusei desu ka. |
| Yamada: | Iie, hisho desu. |
|
Kimura: |
Sou desu ka. |
Dialogue in Japanese
| 田中: | こんにちは。 |
| 木村: | こんにちは。 |
| 田中: | 木村さん、こちらは私の友達です｡ 山田ひろ子さんです。 |
| 山田: | はじめまして。山田ひろ子です。どうぞよろしく。 |
| 木村: | 木村一郎です。どうぞよろしく。 |
| 山田: | 学生ですか。 |
| 木村: | はい、学生です。 |
| 山田: | ご専門は。 |
| 木村: | 経済です。 あなたも学生ですか。 |
| 山田: | いいえ、秘書です。 |
|
木村: |
そうですか。 |
Translations
| Tanaka: | Hello. |
| Kimura: | Hello. |
| Tanaka: | Mr. Kimura, this is my friend. This is Hiroko Yamada. |
| Yamada: | How do you do? I'm Hiroko Yamada. Nice to meet you. |
| Kimura: | I'm Ichirou Kimura. Nice to meet you. |
| Yamada: | Are you a student? |
| Kimura: | Yes, I am. |
| Yamada: | What is your specialization? |
| Kimura: | Economics. Are you a student, too? |
| Yamada: | No, I'm a secretary. |
| Kimura: | I see. |
Vocabulary and Expressions
Click the link to hear the pronunciation.
| Konnichiwa. こんにちは。 |
Hello, Good afternoon |
|
kochira こちら |
this person (It is used when introducing someone.) |
|
watashi 私 |
I (Click here for more about personal pronouns.) |
|
tomodachi 友達 |
friend |
|
Hajimemashite. はじめまして。 |
How do you do? (It is used when meeting for the first time.) |
|
Douzo yoroshiku. どうぞよろしく。 |
Nice to meet you. |
|
gakusei 学生 |
student |
|
hai はい |
yes (Click here to learn more about "hai.") |
| go-senmon ご専門 |
someone else's field of study ("Go" is for politeness.) |
|
keizai 経済 |
economics |
|
anata あなた |
you |
|
iie いいえ |
no |
|
hisho 秘書 |
secretary |
|
Sou desu ka. そうですか。 |
I see. (It is pronounced with falling intonation. With rising intonation, it becomes a question.) |
Click here for more sound files.
Cultural Notes
The Japanese mention the family name first when using full names. For example, with the name Kimura Ichirou, Ichirou is the given name and Kimura is the family name. The Japanese do not have middle names. Everyone knows that people in Western countries put the given name first, so you can introduce yourself without reversing your name. Outside their families or circle of closest friends, Japanese adults are rarely addressed by their given names, even by neighbors or co-workers. Click here to learn common Japanese surnames.
