Page 143 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - Tokyo

Phrase Book ❮❮ 141

Phrase Book In an Emergency
Help! Tas’kete!
The origins of the Japanese language are unclear. Stop! Tomete!
Written Japanese uses a combination of four Call a doctor! Isha o yonde
scripts: Chinese ideograms, known as kanji; two kudasai!
syllable-based alphabet systems known as hiragana Call an Kyukyusha o
and katakana; and the Latin alphabet, romaji. ambulance! yonde kudasai!
Hiragana and katakana are similar, katakana often Call the police! Keisatsu o yonde
functioning in a similar way to the use of italics in kudasai!
English. Traditionally, Japanese is written in vertical Fire! Kaji!
Byoin wa doko
Where is the
columns from top right to bottom left, though the
hospital?
Western system is widely used. There are several police box ni arimass-ka?
koban
romanization systems: the Hepburn system is used
in this guide. To simplify romanization, macrons Communication Essentials
(long marks over vowels to indicate longer
pronunciation) have not been used. Japanese Yes/no. Hai/ie.
pronunciation is fairly straightforward, and many Thank you. Arigato.
words are “Japanized” versions of Western words. Please Dozo.
This Phrase Book gives the English word or phrase, (offering).
followed by the Japanese script, then the Please (asking). Onegai shimass.
romanization, adapted to aid pronunciation. Do you speak Eigo o
English? hanasemass-ka?
Guidelines for Pronunciation I can’t speak Nihongo wa
When reading the romanization, give the same Japanese. hanasemasen.
emphasis to all syllables. The practice in English of Sorry/Excuse me! Sumimasen!
Chotto tets’datte
giving one syllable greater stress may render a Could you help itadakemasen-
me please? (not
Japanese word incomprehensible.
emergency) ka?
Pronounce vowels as in these English words: Useful Phrases
a as the “a” in “again”
e as in “red” My name is… Watashi no
i as in “in” namae wa…
o as in “solid” dess.
u as the “u” in “cuckoo” How do you do, Hajime-mash’te
pleased to dozo
When two vowels are used together, sound each meet you. yorosh’ku.
letter separately: How are you? Ogenki dess-ka?
ai as in “pine” Good morning. Ohayo gozaimass.
ae as if written “ah-eh”
ei as in “pay” Good afternoon/ Konnichiwa.
good day.
Good evening. Konbanwa.
Consonants are pronounced as in English. The letter Good night. Oyasumi nasai.
g is always hard as in “gate,” and j is always soft as in Good-bye. Sayonara.
“joke.” R is pronounced something between r and l. What is (this)? (Kore wa) nan
F is sometimes pronounced as h. “Si” always dess-ka?
becomes “shi,” but some people pronounce “shi” Where can I …wa doko ni
as “hi.” V in Western words (e.g., “video”) becomes b. get …? arimass-ka?
If followed by a consonant, n may be pronounced How much is it? Ikura dess-ka?
as either n or m. What time is …? … nan-ji dess-ka?
All consonants except n are always either followed Cheers! (toast) Kanpai!
by a vowel or doubled; however, sometimes an i or Where is the Toire
u is barely pronounced. In this Phrase Book, to aid restroom/toilet? wa doko
pronunciation, apostrophes are used where an i or dess-ka?
u is barely pronounced within a word, and double Here’s my Meishi o dozo.
consonants where this occurs at the end of a word. business card.
How do you Kore o doyatte
Dialects use this? ts’kaimass-ka?
Standard Japanese is used and understood
throughout Japan by people of all backgrounds. Useful Words
But on a colloquial level, there are significant I watashi
differences in both pronunciation and vocabulary, woman josei
even between the Tokyo and Osaka-Kyoto areas, man dansei
and rural accents are very strong. wife ok’san
husband shujin
Polite Words and Phrases big/small okii/chiisai
There are several different levels of politeness in the hot/cold atsui/samui
Japanese language, according to status, age, and warm atatakai
situation. In everyday conversation, politeness good/ ii/yokunai/warui
levels are simply a question of the length of verb not good/bad
endings (longer is more polite), but in formal free (no charge) tada/muryo
conversation entirely different words (keigo) are here koko
used. The level given in this Phrase Book is neutral, there asoko
yet polite. this kore
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