Blue belt — Chiba Center 千葉センター

青帯

Blue belt

A blue belt has mastered hiragana and katakana!

A blue belt at 千葉センター has mastered self-introduction, basic polite phrases, days of the week, basic time words, counting (for money) and several kanji-basic words.

All students are expected to practice daily for a bare minimum of at least 15min per day everyday using a variety of language-learning resources including flashcard apps such as Pastel Kana for kana along with Duolingo, Busuu, Wanikani, YouTube, and other resources. Blue belts should include listening practice several times per week to get to know the sounds and rhythm of Japanese as spoken by native speakers, and should be starting to understand words and phrases even in fast speech.

A blue belt knows the Japanese sounds due to kana mastery, and also which sounds don't exist in Japanese (si, ti, tu, th). A blue belt knows at least a few dozen kanji. A blue belt can say and understand a dozen in basic daily phrases and can easily type in Japanese on a smartphone using the predicted text. The verbalization of the self-introduction is smooth and includes at a minimum name (in Japanese pronunciation), nationality, city/state/country of residence, and よろしくお願いします. A blue belt is continuing to learn all major Japanese cities and Tokyo neighborhoods, and the top 100 Japanese surnames.

A blue belt is learning past tense and future tense, but at this level is not expected to easily switch betweens tenses in conversation.

Conversation 会話

最近、何をしていましたか？ What have you been doing recently?

昨日は何をしましたか？ What did you do yesterday?

明日は何をしますか？ What will you do tomorrow?

今週末は予定がありますか？ Do you have plans this weekend?

Numbers kanji:

一　ニ　三　四　五　六　七　八　九　十　百　千　万　月　年　

Months

1月 January

2月 February

3月 March

4月 April

5月 May

6月 June

7月 July

8月 August

9月 September

10月 October

11月 November

12月 December

counter words (counting things, not people)

一つ　hitotsu

二つ　futatsu

三つ　mittsu

四つ　yottsu

五つ　itsutsu

六つ　muttsu

七つ　nanatsu

八つ　yattsu

九つ　kokonotsu

十　 too

Question words

who? だれ？

who? (formal) どなた？

what? なに? なん？

when? いつ？

What time? 何時?

where? どこ？

where? (formal) どちら？

why? なぜ？

why? なんで?

what kind of? どんな?

which? どの？

how? どう？

how? (formal) いかが?

how much? いくら？

how (by what means)? どうやって？

why (are you sad/injured)? どうして？

Directions

left 左

right　右

道路を渡って cross the street

真っ直ぐ行って go straight

右に曲がって　turn right

左に曲がって　turn left

スクランブル交差点 scramble crossing

一番目の交差点　the first intersection

一番目の信号　the first traffic light

一番目の角　the first corner

三つ目の交差点を左に曲がって下さい。 Walk along the street and turn left at the third intersection.

ここhere　そこthere　あそこover there

これthis　それ that　あれ that one over there

these require nouns:

このthis___　そのthat___　あのthat ___ over there

いい means good

when is good? いつがいいですか？

what time is good? 何時がいいですか？

where is good? どこがいいですか？

how was it? どうでしたか？

how much does it cost? いくらですか？

where is it? どこですか？

when is it? いつですか？

when was it? いつでしたか？

what is it? 何ですか？

what? なに？

why (are you sad)?? What’s wrong? What happened? どうして？

why? なぜ？

how (by what means)? どうやって？

how old are you? 何歳ですか？おいくつですか？

who is it? だれですか？

what is your name? お名前は何ですか？

where are you from? どこから来ましたか？/ 出身はどこですか？

Common Japanese names:

佐藤 SATOU assistant - wisteria

鈴木 SUZUKI bell - tree

高橋 TAKAHASHI high bridge

田中 TANAKA rice paddy - center

渡辺 WATANABE cross the shore/edge

伊藤 ITOU that wisteria

中村 NAKAMURA central village

小林 KOBAYASHI small grove

山本 YAMAMOTO mountain origin

加藤 KATOU increase wisteria

wisteria

Main islands of Japan:

本州 HONSHUU main provinces

九州 KYUUSHUU nine provinces

四国 SHIKOKU four countries

北海道 HOKKAIDOU North ocean way

沖縄 OKINAWA middle of the ocean, rope

International Airports:

東京国際空港とうきょうこくさいくうこう Tokyo International Airport / 羽田空港 HANEDA

成田国際空港なりたこくさいくうこう Narita International Airport

関西国際空港かんさいこくさいくうこう Kansai International Airport

Countries:

韓国 Korea

中国 China

Cities:

神戸 KOUBE god - door

広島 HIROSHIMA wide island

長崎 NAGASAKI long peninsula

名古屋 NAGOYA name - old - shop

福岡 FUKUOKA happy hill

横浜 YOKOHAMA side - beach

Tokyo neighborhoods:

秋葉原　Akihabara autumn - leaf - field

浅草　Asakusa shallow grass

池袋　Ikebukuro pond - bag

原宿　Harajuku field lodgings

六本木　Roppongi six trees

新宿　Shinjuku new lodgings/hotel

銀座　Ginza silver seat

高円寺　Koenji high circular temple

渋谷　Shibuya astringent valley

中目黒　Nakameguro middle - eye - black

下北沢　Shimokitazawa below Northern swamp

吉祥寺　Kichijoji lucky temple

Kanji:

上　下　右　左　中　大　小　早　林　山　川　天　空　生　花　草　虫　犬　人　名　女　男　子　目　耳　口　手　足　見　音　力　気　円　入　出　立　休　先　夕　本　字　学　村　町　森　石　竹　車　雨　赤　青　白　黒

Culture:

本音 HONNE real, true opinion; what one really thinks (private thoughts)

建前/立前 TATEMAE face; official stance; public position or attitude (as opposed to private thoughts)

諺　Kotowaza:

出る杭は打たれる Don’t stick out! Be like everyone else! (homogenous culture)

七転び八起き If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again

千里の道も一歩から Even a journey of 1,000 mi begins from the first step.

蛙の子は蛙 The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. / Like mother, like daughter. Like father, like son.

十人十色 There’s no accounting for tastes.

一期一会 Carpe diem. Every moment is unique and precious.

隣の花は赤い The grass is always greener on the other side.

Gitaigo 擬態語 and giongo 擬音語

ドキドキしている heart beating loudly due to excitement/stress

わくわくしている nervous/excited

ギリギリです barely enough space/time/money

ピリピリ spicy food

びっくりした I was surprised

ペラペラ speaking fluently

Phrases:

good morning おはようございます

good day　こんにちは

good evening　こんばんは

how are you?　お元気ですか？

I'm fine　元気です

I'm so-so まあまあです

please treat me well　よろしくお願いします

thank you　ありがとうございます

it's nice weather isn't it　いい天気ですね

it's rainy today isn't it　雨ですね

yeah that's so　そうですね

of course!　もちろん

is that so?　そうですか？

that is definitely so for sure　そうですよ

really?　ほんとう？

you are working hard　おつかれさまです

you have worked hard　おつかれさまでした

excuse me (getting attention)　すみません

excuse me (entering/leaving a room)　しつれいします

excuse me (bumped into someone)　しつれいしました

I'm sorry 　ごめんなさい

I will go and come back　行ってきます

“Please return” 行ってらっしゃい

it's OK, it's all good だいじょうぶです

no problem　もんだいないです

you’re welcome/likewise こちらこそ

you’re welcome 　どういたしまして

impossible!　ムリです　無理です

I will interrupt (the room) お邪魔します

no good ダメ

Dangerous 危ないです

That’s a lie! (jokingly) ウソ　Liar! 嘘つき

Obvious/self-evident あたりまえ

There’s no connection 関係ない

I’m in trouble! 困った

may I?　いいですか？

you may!　いいですよ　どうぞ

please do your best　がんばってください

do your best (casual)　がんばってね

I will do my best　がんばります

it's been a long time! お久しぶりです

nothing can be done 仕方がない

"it cannot be helped" or "nothing can be done about it". しょうがない

I humbly receive (this meal) いただきます

it was an honorable feast ごちそうさまでした

please take care! 気をつけてください

take care! (casual) 気をつけてね

I'm good: no thank you けっこうです

cool! かっこいいです

Cute! かわいい　(可愛い)

Scary 怖い　

stylish! おしゃれですね

awesome! すごいですね

amazing! すばらしいですね

as expected! なるほど

certainly! 確かに　

interesting! おもしろい

you're not wrong! 間違いない！

which one is good? どっちがいい？

I don't know 知りません

I don't understand わかりません also: “I don’t know yet” for something that hasn’t been decided

I have understood わかりました

I forgot 忘れました

that's unfortunate! ざんねんですね

I'm hungry お腹空いた

Not at all ぜんぜん

reasonable; obvious; commonplace; the norm; 当たり前

What a waste!/it’s too good for me もったいない

annoying めんどうくさい

a waste of time 時間がもったいない

Please do so! By all means! ぜひ

I did it! やった　できた

let's go! 行きましょう

let's eat 食べましょう

let's drink 飲みましょう

cheers! かんぱい

It doesn’t matter to me あまりかまいません

how about it? どうですか？

how about it? (formal) いかがですか

what's good? 何がいいですか？

how was it? どうでしたか？

how much does it cost? いくらですか？

where is it? どこですか？

what time is it now? 今は何時ですか？

when is it? いつですか？

when was it? いつでしたか？

what is it? 何ですか？

what? なに？

why (are you sad)?? What’s wrong? What happened? どうして？

why? なぜ？

how (by what means)? どうやって？

how old are you? 何歳ですか？おいくつですか？

who is it? だれですか？

what is your name? お名前は何ですか？

where are you from? どこから来ましたか？

where is the restroom? トイレはどこですか？

お手洗いはどこですか？

Please be careful (honorific) ご注意下さい

May I ask something? ちょっと聞いていいですか？

How are things? 調子はどう？

Are you available? 暇ですか？

Shall we go together? いっしょに行きませんか？

What have you been doing recently? 最近、何をしましたか？

今日　today あした　tomorrow きのうyesterday

今週　this week 来週 next week 先週last week

い adjectives

いい　good

悪い bad

早い early

速い fast

遠い far away

近い near

赤い red

青い blue

白い white

黒い black

楽しい fun

悲しい sad

新しい new

若い　young

古い　old (things not people)

危ない dangerous

おもしろい interesting

すごい awesome

い adjectives past tense

drop the い and add かった

い adjectives negative

drop the い and add くない

い adjectives negative past tense

from the negative, drop the い and add かった

な adjectives

no noun, no な！

We only use a な when connecting to a noun.

大切 important

重要 important

大変 tough, difficult

便利 convenient

綺麗 beautiful

元気 lively, spirited, feeling good

静か quiet

有名 famous

安全 safe

危険 dangerous

Chiba Center | Japanese for Black Creatives