「もう少しお待ち下さい。」

= Mousukoshi omachi kudasai.

= Thank you for your patience.

「ごめんね。」

= Gomenne!

= I am sorry!

Hi everyone! It has been a long time!  We apologize that our site was down for a month.  I couldn’t access this site at all for a month and there was no way to inform you what happened.

I guess we had a problem upgrading WordPress…. Fortunately we have a great webmaster who has been trying to fix this site. It seems like there are so many things to do…

We still can’t see all the lessons.

Please wait patiently until we fix everything. We will  do that little by little.

Last but not least, I really miss you everyone and can’t wait to make new lessons!

みんな大好き！= Minna saisuki = Love you all!

「仕事ダン！おやつなう！昼寝うぃる！」

= Shigoto dan! Oyatsu nau! Hirune uiru!

= Done with my work! Snack now! Will take a nap!

Hi everyone! 元気？(=Genki?) How are you doing?

Let’s study something fun today.
Many of you have asked me to make more slang lessons.
So today we’ll learn some Japanese Twitter slang.

(For new visitors:   I have been posting mini-lessons and  quizzes on Facebook and Twitter — in addition to the lessons on this site.
I have started Instagram as well. Please follow me if you like! It is always fun to interact with my net friend-students! )

I already made some net slang lessons before.

ググる (= guguru) in Oct, 2010.

And I’ve taught you some Twitter words like なう(=nau)  back in April, 2010.

アバウト(=abaouto) + 細かい(=komakai)＋Twitter words lesson.

It has been over two years since I made these lessons. So it’s time to add updated net slang words.

Like many other slang words, these types of words are always changing. Some of them will most likely be obsolete and  disappear in a few years. Still, slang words are fun to learn and some of them are very creative. Once you learn some patterns you may be able to coin your own new slang word. But just be careful. These are net slang. You may get strange looks if you say some of them verbally.

I will try to cover as many words as possible. Even Japanese people may not know them — especially if they are not familiar with Twitter. If you are not sure how to use certain words or want to check if people are still using them, use the search on Twitter. Type in the words you want to know and check how Japanese people use it.
Here we go!! !JYANE!

＊＊＊＊＊

!CHECKHEART! Tweeting :

I once taught you the verb, to tweet in Japanese is つぶやく(= tsubuyaku). You can also say,

★ツイる (= tsuiru) : a verb to tweet, to do twitter

Ex. それ、誰かが昨日、ツイってたよ。

= Sore, darekaga kinou, tsuitteta yo.
= Oh, someone was tweeting about that.

Ex. 朝、ツイってたら学校に遅刻した。

= Asa, tsuittetara gakkou ni chikoku shita.
= I was tweeting this morning and got to school late.

Ex. これ、忘れないうちにツイっとくね。

= Kore wasurenai uchi ni tuittoku ne.
=  I will tweet about this before I forget.

★つい/ ツイ(=tsui) noun tweet(s),

Ex. マギー先生のツイで勉強したら？

= Maggie sensei no tsui de benkyou shitara?

= Why don’t you study with Maggie Sensei’s tweets?

★ツイ消し= tsuikeshi = to delete/remove  tweets

★爆ツイ (= bakutsui)  the literal translation is “explosive tweet” and it means “massive tweets” “to tweets a lot during certain periods of time.”

Ex. 爆ツイしすぎてリムられた。

= Bakutsui shisugite rimurareta.
= I tweeted too much and (as a result) have been removed from someone’s follow list.

Note : I will explain リムられる(= rimurareru) later. )

★ツイ減 / ツイゲン(= tsuigen ) to reduce the number of tweets

Ex. 明日、試験があるのでツイ減します。

= Ashita, shiken ga aru node tsuigen shimasu.
= I will tweet less because I have an exam tomorrow.

!CHECKHEART! Twitter friends / Twitter users :

★ツイ友 (= tsuitomo)  Twitter friends, one’s friends on Twitter

Note : I see many of my Twitter followers write to Japanese Twitter users in Japanese.  I think it is a great way to study Japanese.

Write some Japanese lines in your プロフィール (purofiiru) = (slang) プロフ(=puforu) Profile.

Other slang for friends. :

★ズッ友 (= zuttomo ) abbreviation of ずっと友達(=zutto tomodachi) long lasting friend

★メル友(= merutomo)  e-mail pals, cyber friends

★リア友 (= riatomo) one’s friends in real life (off net)

★ツイ飲み (= tsuinomi) to drink with your ツイ友(=tsuitomo) twitter friends as if you are drinking together in one place while tweeting.

★ツイッタラー／ついったらー(= tsuittaraa ) Twitter user

!yflower! Note : You may wonder why we write the same words in katakana and hiragana. It has been a trend to write katakana words in hiragana maybe it’s because hiragana is round so it looks  cuter and warmer.

★アルファツイッタラー／あるふぁツイッタラー (= arufa tuittaraa ) an “alpha” twitter user, a very influential twitter user who has many followers.

★(number) ケタフォロワー (= ~  follower ) = ~ digits followers

ケタ(=keta) = 桁（=keta) = digit(s)

Ex. 彼はもう５ケタフォロアーがいる。
= Kare wa mou goketa foroaa ga iru.
= He already followers in the five digits.

★クラスタ(= kurasuta) from an English word “cluster”, a fan, a group of people who share one’s interests.

Ex. ナルトクラスタ(= Naruto kurasuta) Naruto fans, a group of people who love Naruto.

Ex. 嵐クラスタ(= Arashi kurasuta ) Arashi fans, a group of people who love Arashi

Ex. ふぁぼクラスタ(= Fabo kurasuta) a group of people  who are addicted to favoriting others’ tweets or get people to favorite their  tweets.

Ex.ネタクラスタ (=Neta kurasuta) a group of people who just focus on tweeting interesting catchy tweets.

★ツイ廃(人） (= tsuihai(jin) ) a person who is addicted to Twitter to the point that it ruins their real social life.

★ツイドル(= tsuidoru) A person who got popular on Twitter.  (It doesn’t include people who are already popular and get a lot of followers on Twitter.)

*******

!CHECKHEART! Twitter account :

★あか／アカ／垢(=aka) : an abbreviation of アカウント( = akaunto ) account

(I don’t know why they use the kanji 垢 (=aka) because it means “grime, scurf” but it has the same sound “aka” so they just got a strange phonetically equivalent word.)

As you know unlike Facebook, Twitter users can be totally anonymous and you can name your account any name you like.
When you start to tweet, you give your Twitter name to your friends,etc. But sometimes you don’t want your coworkers or supervisors etc. to know what you tweet.
So some people make a couple of different accounts to disguise who they really are.

★本アカ/ 本垢 (= honaka) real account, main account

★別垢 = betsuaka = separate account

★副垢 = fukuaka ) sub account

★捨て垢 (= suteaka) the fake account (It is expected to be “deleted”)

★身内垢 (= miuchi aka ) an account for your close friends or family

★鍵垢 (= kagi aka) an account which has a lock (=鍵=kagi)

★規制垢(=kisei aka) a sub account just in case when your other account get rate limit. (Twitter limit the number of your tweets, followers, DM,etc.)

★垢バレ（= akabare ) when you have a Twitter account and someone close to you figures out who you really are. (バレ(=bare) is from a verb ばれる(=bareru) to expose the secret)

*******
!CHECKHEART! Interaction words :

★フォロー/ふぉろー (= forou) following

a verb : フォローする(= foroou suru ) to follow

If someone follows you, you say

Ex. フォロー有り難うございます。(formal)
= Forou arigatou gozaimasu.
= Thank you for following me.

Ex. フォローしてくれて有り難う！(casual)
= Forou shite kurete arigatou!
= Thank you for following me.

★ヒョロー(= hyoroo ) the slang of フォロー(=forou)

★相互フォロー (= soufo forrow ) mutual following, following each other

Ex. 相互フォローお願いします。
= Sougo forou onegai shimasu.
= (I followed you so) Please follow back.

Note : The word 相互(= sougo) means mutual

If you have a blog, some might ask you to 相互リンク(=sougo rinku) mutual link.

★拡散希望 (= kakusan kibou ) Retweet and spread my tweet please.

People usually use this word for urgent or important matters or some people use it for business.

★フォロバ / ふぉろば (= foroba) to follow back

an abbreviation of フォローバック(= forou bakku ) follow back

Ex.よかったらフォロバして下さい。
= Yokkattara foroba shite kudasai.

= Please follow me back if it is possible. (if you like.)

★フォロバあり/ ふぉろばあり (= foroba ari) Thank you for following

an abbreviation of フォローバック（してくれて）ありがとう(= Forrou bakku shite kurete arigatou. )  Thank you for following me back.

Note : ~あり(~ ari ) Thank you…

If you want to make it sound more polite you could also say ~ありです(= ~aridesu)

You will see this pattern a lot in this lesson.

★ファボる/ ふぁぼる (= faboru ) to mark “favorite” someone’s tweet

past tense: ファぼった / ふぁぼった (= fabotta ) marked “favorite” someone’s tweet.

ファボあり/ ふぁぼあり (= fabo ari )  Thank you for “favoriting” my tweet

★ふぁぼ魔 (= faboma) a person who loves or is obsessed with favoriting other’s tweets.

★リツイ(=ritsui) (←リツイート(=ritsuiito) Retweet)

verb : リツイする(=ritsui suru) to retweet

リツイあり(=ristui ari) Thank you for retweeting.

★リムる(= rimuru ) to remove someone from your twitter friends list

passive form: リムられる (= rimurareru ) to be removed from someone’s twitter follow list (to be unfollowed)

★呼びタメOK (= yobitame OK)  You can call me without san or kun and talk to me casually.

As you know we have 敬語(=keigo) honorific expression, 丁寧語(=teineigo) polite expression but if you keep using the formal words, you may never get close to a person.
So some people ask you from the beginning to talk to them casually especially when you address that person, not to use ~さん(=san) and instead address them by their first name or nickname.
If you are not sure how to refer to someone, you can just ask that person this way,

Ex. どうやって呼べばいい？ (casual)
= Douyatte yobeba ii?
= What should I call you?/ How would you like me to call you?

Ex.マギーって呼んで(下さい)。
= Maggie tte yonde (kudasai).
= (Please) just call me Maggie.

Note : タメ(=tame) is from タメ口(=tameguchi) or  タメ語(=tamego). I explained them in this lesson.

★絡む(= karamu ) to interact with someone

絡む(=karamu) originally means “to get tangled” or “to pick a fight with someone” but it means “to interact with someone” by tweeting.
For example, if you want someone to interact with you, you say

Ex. 誰か絡んで下さい。
= Dare ka karan de kudasai .
= Anybody wants to interact with me (on Twitter)?

Ex.どんどん絡んで下さい。

= Dondon karande kudasai.
= I’d love for you to interact with me a lot.

We use this slang word in real world (off-line world) ,too.

Ex. 彼は絡みにくい！
= Karewa karaminikui!
= He is hard to interact with.

★追いツイ (= oitsui) reading through some Twitter user’s past tweets.

verb : 追いツイする (= oitsui suru)

★ブロる (= buroru ) to block someone
abbreviation of  ブロックする (= burokku suru )  to block.

passive form : ブロられる(= burorareru ) to be blocked

Ex. 何もしていないのにブロられた。
= Nani mo shite inainoni burorareta.
= I didn’t do anything, but I got blocked.

★リプ (= ripu) a reply

Ex. リプ遅くなってごめんなさい。
= Ripu osoku natte gomennasai.
= Sorry for the late reply.

verb :リプする(= ripu suru ) (a verb)  to reply

Ex. リプした (= ripu shita ) replied

★おはリプ (= Oha ripu) a reply to someone who said “おはよう (=Ohayou) Good morning“  to you.

Maggie : 「おはよう！」= Ohayou! = Good morning!

You : 「マギー先生、おはよう！」(=Maggie Sensei Ohayou!) = Good morning, Maggie Sensei!

Maggie : 「おはリプあり！」(= Oharipu ari!) = Thank you for replying to my “Good morning!” tweet.

Ex. ごめんなさい、おはリプするの忘れてた。
= Gomennasai. Oharipu suru no wasureteta.
= Sorry! I forgot to reply to your “Good morning” tweet.

★いてらリプ(= Itera ripu) a reply to someone who said “いってらっしゃい(= Itterasshai) “Have a nice day” to you when you leave.

★オヤリプ (= Oya ripu)  a reply to someone who said “おやすみ (=Oyasumi (nasai)) Good night” to you.

★ばずる (= bazuru ) You can see the popular trend words on Twitter on the site called buzztter.

Ex. 「卒業式」がばずってる!
= ” Sotsugyoushik”i ga bazutteru.
= The word “Sotsugyoushiki = graduation” is on buzztter trend word?

Ex. なんでこの写真がばずってるの？
= Nande kono shashin ga bazutteruno?
= How come this picture is listed on “buzztter” now?

!CHECKHEART! Other net slang words :

These are not just for Twitter but you will see/hear the following slang expressions often on Twitter or on net.

★ディする/  Disる (= disuru ) to disrespect someone (to make fun of someone, to look down on someone.)
It is said that it originally came from HipHop culture.

passive  form★ディすられる/ Disられる(= disurareru ) I got disrespected by someone.

Ex. あいつにDisられた。(rough)
= Aitsu ni disurareta.
= That guy looked down on me. (“I was treated badly by him.”)

★リスる(= risuru ) to respect someone

★ワロス (= warosu ) funny, hilarious

↓（to stress more)
★テラワロス (= terawarosu)  (テラ＝tera)
★ギガワロス (= gigawarosu) (ギガ= giga)
★バロス (= barosu)  burst into laughter

And don’t forget to add “w” as “lol” mark.

Ex. ワロス www (=warosu www) =  lol

*********
!CHECKHEART! The words you use in a twitter message :

★なう(=nau)= now

なう(=nau) means “now” in English.

I taught this word before, but just in case you’ve forgotten I will give you a brief review.

How to use なう(=nau)= now

location where you are now + なう(=nau)

Ex. スカイツリーなう！
= Sukai Tsurii nau!
= I am at Sky Tree now.

Verb (what you are doing now) + なう(=nau)

Ex. マギーといるなう！
= Maggie to iru nau!
= I am with Maggie now.

Ex. 困っているなう！
= Komatte iru nau!
= I am in trouble  now.

Ex. 友達とお茶を飲んでいるなう。
= Tomodachi to ocha wo nonde iru nau.
= I am having a cup of tea now.

There are more variations of tense now.

★すてぃる (= sutiru)  from “still” in English. When you are still doing something or you are still somewhere.

Ex. すてぃる電車なう
= Sutiiru densha nau.
= I am still on the train

Ex. すてぃる会社なう
= Sutiru kaisha nau.
= I am still at the office.

Past tense :

★ワズ／わず (= wazu) from “was” in English
= 〜した(=shita) did something or ~にいた(=~ ni ita) was/were somewhere

Ex. スタバわず
= Sutaba wazu
= I was at Starbucks. (I left Starbucks.)

Note : スタバ(=sutaba) is an abbreviation of スターバックスコーヒー(=Sutaabakkusu koohii), Starbucks Coffee

*McDonald’s= マクドナルド(= makudonarudo)

マック(=Makku) or マクド(=Makudo)

*Mr. Donuts = ミスタードーナッツ(= Mistaa doonattsu)

ミスド(= Misudo)

★あごう(= agou) from “ago” in English

It means 〜した(=shita) did something or ~にいた(=~ ni ita) was/were somewhere

Ex. 友達の結婚式あごう！
= Tomodachi no kekkonsiki agou!
= I went to my friend’s wedding ceremony.

Ex.コンビニあごう！
= Konbini agou!
= I went to a convenience store.

Note : わず(=wazu) and あごう(=agou) are both used to describe one’s past action. Many of us get confused which one to use. There are no clear rules yet, and there are some sites where people argue over which one to use.

Past perfect :

★ダン／だん(= dan) from “done” in English

Ex. 仕事だん！
= Shigoto dan!
= I am done with work! / I have finished work.

Ex. 勉強だ〜ん！
= Benkyou daan! = I have done with study. / I just finished studying.

Note : We often add 〜 to stretch the sound in a comical and cute way.

Future tense :

★うぃる (= uiru)  from “will” in English word / when you are going to do something, going somewhere

Ex. 今から映画うぃる！
= Imakara eiga uiru!
= I will see a movie from now.

Ex.お出かけうぃる♩
= Odekake uiru♩
= I am going out!

*****************
!CHECKHEART! How to greet each other.

★おはー(= Ohaa) Good morning!

★おっはー(= Ohhaa) Good morning!

★おやすー (= Oyasuu ) Good night!

★いてらー(= Iteraa) Have a good day! (When someone leaves the house.)

★ほかてらー(= hokatera) Go and enjoy your bath time.

Note : ほか(=hoka) is from ホカホカ(=hokahoka) which is an onomatopoeic words to describe something/somewhere nice and warm with steam. ほかてらー(=hokateraa) is from  ほかってらっしゃい(=Hokatterasshai)  = Enjoy your bath!

verb : ほかる(= hokaru ) slang : take a bath and literally warm up one’s body.

variation : ほかってきま〜す! (= Hokatte kimaasu!) I will take a bath now

★おつ／乙= otsu = from お疲れ様でした。= Otsukare sama deshita. =  (a caring phrase which means “You worked very hard today” or “Good job!” .
So far so good?

Ex. おつです！
= Otsu desu!
= You worked hard today. (Please get some rest!)

Ex. 仕事おつ！
= Shigoto otsu!
= Congrats on finishing today’s work!

!NUMBER!! Advanced level Twitter lingo :

How to say “Thank you” in a specific way.

If someone tells you those, how do you respond?

Yes, you have to say ありがとう(=arigatou) Thank you, right?
There are specific ways to say thank you for each message on Twitter.

★おかあり(= Okaari)　or  えりあり(=Eriari)
It is a combination of “おかえり＋ありがとう” (“Okaeri + Arigatou”)

It means おかえりと言ってくれてありがとう(=Okaeri to itte kurete arigatou) Thank you for saying “Welcome back!”

★おはー(= Ohaa ) Good morning!

(→From おはよう(=ohayou))

おはよう＋ありがとう(=Ohayou + Arigatou)

　おはあり (= Ohaari ) Thank you for saying “Good morning!“

★おやすー (= Oyasuu ) Good night!

(→From おやすみ(=oyasumi))

おやすみ＋ありがとう(=Oyasumi + Arigatou)
おやあり (= Oyaari ) Thank you for saying “Good night!”

★いてらー(= Iteraa ) Have a good day! (When someone leaves the house.)

(→From いってらっしゃい(=Itterasshai))

　いってらっしゃい＋ありがとう(=Itterasshai + Arigatou)

いてらあり(=Iteraari ) Thank you for saying “Have a good day!” when I am (was) leaving the house.

★おつ／乙 (= Otsu )  “You worked very hard today” or “Good job!” .

(→From おつかれ様(=Otsukaresama))

おつかれさま＋ありがとう(=Otsukaresama + Arigatou)

おつあり (=Otsuari ) Thank you for saying “”You worked very hard today” or “Good job!” .

★ほかてらー(= Hokatera ) Go and enjoy taking bath.

(→(slang) ほかってらっしゃい= Hokatterasshai =Go enjoy taking bath!)

ほかってらっしゃい＋ありがとう(=Hokatterasshai + Arigatou)

ほかてらあり(= Hokateraari) Thank you for saying “Enjoy taking bath!”

Basic greeting patterns are made from :

:yy: いってきます。(= Ittekimasu) I am leaving. (See you later!)

いってらっしゃい (= Itterasshai ) Have a nice day! (When you see someone off.)

:yy: ただいま (= Tadaima ) I’m back. / I’m home.

おかえりなさい。( = Okaerinasai) Welcome back!

If you just took a bath and came back on line, you can say,

★ほかいま (= Hokaima)  (I just took bath and) I am back on Twitter.

（←ほか(=hoka) ＋ただいま(=Tadaima)）

and the person who welcomes back that person says,

★ほかえり(= Hokaeri ) Welcome back from bath.
（←ほか(=hoka) ＋おかえり(=Okaeri )）

★離脱 (= ridatsu)  I will be off-line.

Now originally 離脱(=ridatsu) is a very formal word when you withdraw from certain group or organization.
But Twitter users use this term when they leave Twitter to do something else.

Ex. りだつ〜！！
= Ridatsuu!!
= I am off.

Then people greet you saying

★りだてら (= Ridatera )  (← 離脱＝りだつ(=ridatsu) + 行ってらっしゃい！(=itterasshai) ) See you until you come back on line!

and when they see you coming back on line, they welcome you saying

★りだえり(= ridaeri ) Welcome back on line. (←離脱= りだつ(=ridatsu) + おかえり(=okaeri))

If you get off-line to eat, you say,

★メシリダ／めしりだ(=meshirida) It is from  飯(めし）のための離脱（りだつ）(=meshi no tame no ridatsu) leaving Twitter in order to eat (飯(=meshi) a rough word for “meals”"food” or “rice”)

★ほかりだ(=hokarida) To leave Twitter to take a bath

And people tell you,

★くってらー(= kutteraa)

(← 飯を食(く）いにいってらっしゃい(=Meshi wo kuini itterasshai.) Go eat! / Enjoy your meal/ Talk to you later!

Note : Remember 飯(=meshi), meal or rice and 食う(=kuu) to eat are both very rough words and sounds bad unless you use them in this kind of slang words.

When you come back from your breakfast, lunch or dinner, you say

★めしいま(= Meshiima)

( ← 飯（めし）からただいま (= Meshi kara tadaima)) I am back from breakfast, lunch or dinner

People welcome you back saying

★めしえり (= Meshieri) 

（←飯（めし）からおかえり(=Meshi kara okaeri)) Welcome back from breakfast, lunch or dinner

And you say

★めしえりあり (= Meshieriari)

（←飯（めし）からおかえり(=Meshi kara okaeri))＋ありがとう(=arigatou)

Thank you for saying “Welcome back from my breakfast, lunch or dinner”

************
!CHECKHEART! Twitter Trend Words :

I often tweet “Today’s Twitter Trend word” on Twitter. If you set it to Japanese Trend words, you can see what is happening in Japan.
news, sports, weather, TV shows, etc.

Sometimes you see “time signal” words on Trend.

★おやつの時間 (= oyatsu no jikan)  snack time 3:00 p.m.

Note : Traditionally we consider 3:00 p.m. as snack time. This could have been partially influenced by the lyric from a famous TV commercial ditti.

When they announce certain time, they use ほー (=hoo)   in the end. ほー (=hoo)  hoo is a sound that owls make.

★よるほー (= Yoruhoo ) midnightよる= 夜(= yoru) nightほー (=hoo)

★ひるほー (= Hiruhoo ) at noon

★うしほー(=ushihoo)  at 2:00 a.m. 丑(= ushi) indicates 2:00 a.m.

Also when a certain baseball team wins, their fans send out tweets like the following.

★とらほー (= torahoo) When a baseball team 阪神タイガース(=Hanshin Taigaasu) wins.  (Note : 寅=とら(= tora) means  tigers.)

★どらほー (= dorahoo) When a baseball team中日ドラゴンズ(=Chunichi Doragonzu) wins.  (Note : どら(=dora) is from ドラゴンズ= “Dragons”0

!yflower! Note : These ほー（hoo) is supposedly from やっほー（=yahoo= Yee-ha!) or わんだほー（= wandahoo ) Wonderful) and show your excitement.

At 9pm on Monday nights, I sometimes see,

★類ほー (=rui hoo) on Twitter and wondered  where this word came from. And I figured out it was from a TV show, 酒場放浪記（= Sakaba Hourouki ) and the reporter 吉田類 (=Yoshida Rui) , Rui Yoshida, (an illustrator / poet and connoisseur of Sake)  visits many bars. I don’t think it is a main stream TV program but obviously some people love him and this show and tweet 類ほー (=rui hoo) to announce when the TV show starts and toast with their followers on Twitter.

Ex. 類ほー! ( ^ ^ )/□〜 Time to watch Rui’s show!  (Let’s drink!)

Ex. るいほー。(^_^)／□☆□＼(^_^)かんぱい = Ruihoo Kanpai = Time to watch Rui’s TV show! (Let’s drink!) Cheers!

:kk: Note : Japanese 顔文字(=kaomoji) / 絵文字(=emoji), emoticons always add up the fun feelings to your tweets.

When you look at Japanese Twitter Trend words, you may sometimes see hash tags (#) and everybody shares their story.

★ お前らの〜晒せ (= Omaera no ~ sarase)

お前ら(=omaera)  is a rough way to say “you” (second pronoun plural)
晒す(= sarasu) means “to expose” →(command form) 晒せ(=sarase) Expose →Share, Tell everybody
The way they talk is kind of 上から(=Uekara) condescending but people just  play along and share their fun information.

For example,

Ex. #お前らの一番切ない画像を晒せ.
= Omaera no ichiban setsunai gazou wo sarase.
= Expose your most wistful image (picture).

Ex. #お前らの昭和を晒せ
= Omaera no shouwa wo sarase
= Show us your “Showa Era” (Things that reminds you of the Showa Era.)

Then people put this hash tag and post pictures or things that are related to the Showa era.

★他者紹介(=tasha shoukai) to  introduce other people

自己紹介(=jikoshoukai) is self-introduction but with #他者紹介(=tasha shoukai), you introduce someone else.

I know many of you don’t do Twitter but it sure is fun way to interact with people.

****************

About color scheme :

I changed the color scheme in my previous lesson upon a request as a trial. I asked everyone on Facebook and Twitter which color scheme they liked better. The results tortured me because many Facebook “likers” prefer the latest one, but many Twitter followers prefer the usual color scheme. So I will aim towards the “middle ground” this time using a new color palette. How do you like it? Sorry that I can’t make everybody happy. I guess I will alternate the color depending on my mood.

マギー先生より= Maggie Sensei yori From Maggie Sensei

OK, 新しいレッスンダン！= Atarashii ressunn done = I just made a new lesson!

It is time for you to tweet

!JYANE! マギほー!= Maggi Hoo! = Time to come to  Maggie Sensei’s site!

拡散希望！= Kakusan kibou = RT and spread the message!

「犬がアカデミー賞を取ったっていいんじゃない？」

= Inu ga akademiishou wo tottatte iinjanai?

= It’s perfectly OK if a dog wins an Academy award, right?

Hi, everyone!

Today’s lesson is for NecroMadMat, PukiPuki and Billy who asked me how to use じゃない(=janai) and んじゃない(=njanai)

It is one of the suffixes that you see/hear all the time, and I bet you learned it when you just started to learn Japanese.

You would think it’s simple, but I found out that many people actually get confused. You can see that by the length of this lesson that there is a lot to learn.

(Oh before I forget, I changed the color scheme of the letters as a trial upon a request from Peter who has visited my site just recently. Let me know if you like it this way or not.

FYI there are not many colors that I can use so this is about as far as I can go with the changes. I hope you all understand.)

It’s a long lesson, so be sure to come back and review again and again!

〜じゃない(=janai)

!ichigo! じゃない(=janai) is a casual form of ではない（＝dewa nai).

Let’s start with something really basic.

!Anapple! How to form a negative sentence with じゃない(=janai):

noun, pronoun + じゃない(=janai)

*私じゃない= watashi janai= not me

*これじゃない= kore janai = not this

*この本じゃない= kono hon janai = not this book

na-adjective plain form →delete な(=na) and add じゃない(=janai)

*元気じゃない= genki janai = not cheerful, not energetic, not healthy

*好きじゃない= suki janai = not to like

Past tense :〜じゃなかった(= ~ janakatta) (+ more polite : です(=desu))

*マギーじゃなかった。= Maggie janakatta. = not Maggie

*元気じゃなかった。= Genki janakatta  = not cheerful, energetic, healthy

★How to  use じゃない(=janai)  in a negative sentence.

●マギーは猫ではない。
= Maggie wa neko  de wa nai.
= Maggie is not a cat.
↓

●マギーは猫じゃない。
= Maggie wa neko janai.
= Maggie is not a cat.

*******

(more polite)

●マギーは猫ではないです。
= Maggie wa neko de wa nai desu.

↓

●マギーは猫じゃないです。
= Maggi wa neko janai desu.

or (the same meaning.)

●マギーは猫ではありません。
= Maggie wa neko de wa arimasen.
↓

●マギーは猫じゃありません。
= Maggie wa neko ja arimasen.

So you can use じゃない(=janai) in a simple negative sentence.

Ex.あそこのビーチはそんなにきれいじゃなかった。
= Asoko no biichi wa sonnani kirei ja nakatta.
= That beach was not that clean (or beautiful).

Ex. 宣伝で見た薬はこれじゃなかったよ。
= Senden de mita kusuri wa kore janakatta yo.
= The medicine I saw on the commercial is not this one.

Ex. 昔はあんな人じゃなかったのに..
= Mukashi wa anna hito janakatta noni.
= He/She was not that kind of person before….

Ex. 今日はあんまり元気じゃない。
= Kyou wa annmari genki janai.
= I don’t feel so good today. (I am not in  good sprits today.)

Ex. 私は英語が上手じゃないから海外に行きたくない。
= Watashi eigo ga jouzu janai kara kaigai ni ikitaku nai.
= I am not good at English so I don’t want to go abroad.

Ex. そうじゃないと思います。

= Sou janai to omoimasu.
= I don’t think so.

Ex. つけまつげをすると私じゃないみたいに見える。

= Tsukematsuge wo suru to watashi janai mitai ni mieru.

= I look different (←I don’t look like myself) when I wear fake eyelashes.

Note : Be careful. You can’t make a negative form of i-adjective with ではない(=dewa nai) and じゃない(=janai).

!BUBU! wrong! かわいいじゃない(=Kawaii janai) →かわいくない(=kawaikunai)

!BUBU! wrong ! 動くじゃない(=ugoku janai) →動かない(=ugokanai)

BUT you can make a positive sentences with it! Keep reading! I will explain that form a little later in the lesson.

***************

★To use じゃない(=janai)  in a negative question.　”Isn’t it”, “Aren’t they”, etc.

*(noun/ pronoun + じゃない(=janai) / na-adjective : delete な and add じゃない(=janai))

●ではありませんか？

=~ de wa arimasenka?

↓

●～じゃありませんか？
~ ~ jaarimasenka?

or
● ～ではないですか？
= ~ de wa nai desu ka?
↓

●～じゃないですか？
= ~ janai desu ka?
↓

(more casual)

●～じゃない?
= ～janai?

●これは、彼の辞書ではありませんか？

= Kore wa kare no jisho de wa arimasenka?
= Isn’t this his dictionary?
↓
●これは、彼の辞書じゃありませんか？
= Kore wa, kare no jisho jaarimasen ka?

or

●これは、彼の辞書ではないですか？
= Kore wa, kare no jisho dewa nai desu ka?

↓
●これは、彼の辞書じゃないですか？
= Kore wa, kare no jisho janai desu ka?

In casual conversation we omit particles and ですか(=desuka)?

●これ、彼の辞書じゃない？
= Kore, kare no jisho janai?
= Isn’t this his dictionary?

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Ex. すみません。マギー先生じゃないですか？
= Sumimasen. Maggie sensei janai desuka?
= Excuse me, but aren’t you Maggie Sensei?

Ex. 今日は、あんまり元気じゃないね。どうしたの？
= Kyou wa, anmari genki janai ne. Doushitano?
= You are not so cheerful today. What’s wrong?

Ex.お邪魔じゃないですか？

= Ojama janai desu ka?

= Am I interrupting?

****************************

★To use じゃない(=janai)  in a positive meaning.

When you see / hearじゃない(=janai) in a sentence, you may automatically think it’s a negative sentence, but we often use it in affirmative sentences or tag questions to make a point, add remarks, express opinions, or show emotions such surprise, shock, joy, anger, etc.

!Anapple! How to form a positive sentence with じゃない(=janai):

noun, pronoun + じゃない(=janai)(+ですか(=desuka))

*マギーじゃない(ですか)!

= Maggie janai(desuka)

= Oh, there’s/that’s Maggie! / Hey, you are Maggie!

*野球じゃない(ですか)！

= Yakyuu janai (desuka)!

= Oh, it’s baseball!

verb plain form + じゃない(=janai)(+ですか(=desuka))

*似合うじゃない(ですか)!

= niau janai(desuka)!

= It looks good on you!

*歌えるじゃない(ですか)！

= Utaeru janai (desuka)!

= You can sing! You sing very well!

na-adjective : delete な(=na) and add じゃない(=janai)(+ですか(=desuka))

* きれいじゃない(ですか)！

= Kirei janai (desuka))

= Someone/something is beautiful! /Oh that’s beautiful!

i-adjective plain form + じゃない(=janai)(+ですか(=desuka))

*かわいいじゃない(ですか)！

=Kawaii janai (desuka)!

= Cute, isn’t it? / Wow! You are cute!

Note :　As I mentioned above, you can’t make a negative form of i-adjectives or verbs with じゃない(=janai) but if they are not used in a negative sentence, you can make a positive form of i-adjetives or verbs with じゃない(=janai) or ではない(=dewa nai ). So while it looks to be grammatically negative, it’s actually conversationally positive.

Finishing the sentence with じゃない(=janai) is for female speech.

1)  When you give someone a compliment. :

Ex. その服、いいではないですか。

= Sono fuku, iidewa nai desuka.
= (Wow!) I like your clothes. (Nice clothes!!)

↓

Ex. その服、いいじゃないですか。(neutral = both men and women can use it.)
= Sono fuku, ii janai desu ka.

Note: See it doesn’t mean, “Your clothes are not nice.”

If you want to say that, you have to say

その服、よくないじゃない。(female speech)

= Sono fuku, yokunai janai.

↓(more casual)

その服、いいじゃない。(female speech)
= Sono fuku, ii janai.

Note:

じゃないですか(=janaidesuka) is neutral and both men and women can use it. But finishing the sentence with じゃない(=janai) may give a feminine impression. And if you want to make yourself sound more “macho,” just add か（=ka).

その服、いいじゃないか。(male speech)

= Sono fuku, ii janai ka.

It sounds a bit rough so be careful who you use with.

Ex. すごいじゃないですか！
= Sugoi janai desuka!
= Wow! That’s great, isn’t it?

Ex. 彼、かっこいいじゃない！(female speech)
= Kare, kakkoii janai!
=Oh, he’s cute!

Ex. マギーっていつもお洒落しているじゃない？ (female speech)
= Maggie tte itsumo oshare shiteiru janai?
= You always dress up, don’t you, Maggie

2) When you complain, accuse someone.

Ex. ひどいじゃないか！(male speech)

= Hidoi janai ka!

= What you did (said) was horrible!

Ex. だから、言ったじゃない！（female speech)

= Dakara, itta janai!

= I told you so!

Ex. みんな、お前のせいじゃないか！( male speech, rough)
= Minna, omae no sei janai ka!
= It’s all your fault!

Ex. お母さんだっていつもテレビを夜遅くまでみてるじゃない! (female speech or children )

= Okaasan datte itsumo terebi wo yoru osoku made miteru janai.

= You always watch TV late at night, too, Mom!

3) When you suggest your idea asking for the listener’s agreement or make your point .

Ex. このクラスで一番かわいいのは私じゃない？（female speech)
= Kono kurasu de ichiban kawaii no wa watashi janai?
= Aren’t I the cutest girl in this class?

Ex.お金がある人が行けばいいじゃないですか。
= Okane ga aru hito ga ikeba ii janai desuka.
=  Only people who have money should go! (Not a poor person like me!)

Ex. 一緒にがんばろうじゃないか！(male speech)

= Issho ni ganbarou janai ka!

= Why don’t we do our best together.

****************************
〜んじゃない= ~ n janai

!ichigo!〜んじゃない(=n janai) is a casual form of のではない（＝no dewa nai).

!Anapple! How to form :

★verb (plain form) + のではない(~ no dewa nai)

  verb (plain form ) + んじゃない(=njanai)

*する= suru = to do

するのではない(=suru no dewa nai) not doing

するんじゃない(=surun janai)

■ past (perfect) tense :

*した(=shita) did, have done

したんじゃない(=shitan janai)

*食べる= taberu = to eat

食べるのではない(=taberu no dewa nai)  not eating

食べるんじゃない(=taberun janai)

■ past (perfect) tense :

*食べた (=tabeta) ate, have eaten

食べたんじゃない(=tabetan janai)

★i-adjective (plain form ) + のではない(=no de wa nai)

(casual contraction ) んじゃない(=njanai)

*おかしい (= okashii ) funny, strange

おかしいのではない(=okashii no dewa nai) not strange, not funny

おかしいんじゃない(=okashiin  janai)

■ past tense

*おかしかった(=okashikatta) was/ were strange, funny

おかしかったんじゃない(=okashikattan janai)

★na-adjective (plain form ) ＋なのではない(=nano dewa nai)

na-adjective (plain form) + なんじゃない(=nan janai)

*きれい(=kirei) beautiful

きれいなのではない(= kirei nano de wa nai) not beautiful, pretty, clean

きれいなんじゃない(= kireinan janai) = it is not beautiful, pretty, clean

■past  tense

*きれいだった(=kireidatta) = was/were beautiful

きれいだったんじゃない (= kireidattan janai)  was/were not beautiful

Note : You may wonder what is the difference between きれいではない (= kirei dewa nai ) and きれいなのではない(=kirei nano dewa nai) They both means “not beautiful” but きれいなのではない(=kirei nano de wa nai) has more explanatory tone.

We can say the same thing with きれいじゃない(=kireijanai) and きれいなんじゃない(=kireinan janai)

きれいなんじゃない(=kireinan janai) has more explanatory tone and sounds a bit stronger than きれいじゃない(=kirei janai)

★noun / pronouns + なんじゃない(=nanjanai)

*犬= inu = a dog

犬なのではない= Inu nano dewa nai = not a dog

犬なんじゃない= inu nanjanai

■ past tense :

*犬だった= inu datta = was/were a dog(s)

犬だったんじゃない= inu dattan janai = was/were not a dog(s)

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Now we see how/when to use んじゃない(=njanai)

★To use んじゃない(=njanai) in a negative sentence.

1) When you explain why something doesn’t work, someone doesn’t do something:

＊マギー先生はこの学校で教えているのではない。
= Maggie Sensei wa kono gakkou de oshite iru no dewa nai.
= Maggie Sensei is not teaching at this school.

↓
＊マギー先生はこの学校で教えているのじゃない。
= Maggie Sensei wa kono gakkou de oshite iru no janai.

↓(more casual)
＊マギー先生はこの学校で教えているんじゃない。
= Maggie Sensei wa kono gakkou de oshite irun janai.

＊マギー先生はこの学校で教えているのではありません。
= Maggie Sensei wa kono gakkou de oshite iru no dewa arimasen.
= Maggie Sensei is not teaching at this school.
↓
＊マギー先生はこの学校で教えているんじゃありません。
= Maggie Sensei wa kono gakkou de oshite irun ja arimasen.

Ex. 誰かがやってくれるんじゃない。君自身がそれをやるんだ。

= Darekaga yatte kurerunjanai. Kimijishin ga sore wo yarunda.

= Nobody does it for you. You have to do it yourself.

Ex. あなたのこと嫌いなんじゃない。

= Anata no koto kirainan janai.

= I don’t hate you!

Ex. 出来ないんじゃない。やらないだけだ。

= Dekinain janai. Yaranai dakeda.

= It doesn’t mean I can’t do it. I just don’t do it. That’s all.

2) When you give someone an order or suggestion.

Ex. そうやるんじゃないよ、こうだよ！

= Souyarun janaiyo. Kou dayo!

= Don’t do it that way. Do it this way!

Ex. 風邪ひくからこんなところで寝るんじゃないよ！(tough speech)

= Kaze hikukara konna tokoro de nerun janai yo.

= Don’t sleep here or you will catch cold.

Ex. 口答えをするんじゃない！(male speech, rough)

= Kuchigotae wo surun janai!

= Don’t talk back!

Ex. 負けるんじゃない！(tough speech)

= Makerun janai!

= Hang in there!

★ To use んじゃない(=njanai)  in an affirmative sentence.

1) When you talk about probability. Probably…/When you express your opinion, I think…/ When you make your point

Ex. 今日、雨が降るんじゃないかと思ったけれども降らなかった。

= Kyou, amega furun janai ka to omotta keredomo furanakatta.

= I thought it might rain today, but it didn’t rain.

Ex. マギーはもう寝たんじゃない？

= Maggie wa mou netan janai?

= Maggie probably went to bed  already. / I think Maggie is already sleeping.

Ex. もうすぐ春がくるんじゃないかな。

= Mousugu haru ga kurun janai kana.
= I think spring is coming soon.

Ex. マギーは彼のこと好きなんじゃないかな。
= Maggie wa kare no koto sukinan janai kana.
= I think Maggie probably likes him.

Ex. 先生の言っていることは厳し過ぎるんじゃないかと思う。
= Sensei no itte iru koto wa kibishisugirun janai kato omou.
= I think what the teacher is saying is too strict.

Ex. あの店はつぶれたんじゃないかと誰かが言っていたよ。
= Ano mise wa tsuburetan janai kato darekaga itte itayo.
= Someone told me  that the restaurant might be out of business.

Ex. マギー先生のサイトは１年ももたないんじゃないかと思っていた。
= Maggie sensei no saito wa ichinen mo motanain janai kato omotte ita.
= I thought Maggie Sensei’s site wouldn’t last even a year.

Ex. 準備は明日やったらいいんじゃないですか？

= Junbi wa ashita yattara iin janai desuka?

= I think we (or you) should do the preparation tomorrow.

Why don’t we (or you) do the preparation tomorrow?

Ex. 彼の言っていることは違うんじゃないかなと思うようになった。

= Kare no itte iru koto wa chigaun janai kana to omou you ni natta.

= I started to think that what he was saying was wrong.

3) When you question something.

Ex. この文、おかしいんじゃない？
= Kono bun, okashiin janai?
= Isn’t this sentence strange? (I think this sentence is strange. What do you think?)

Ex. そんなことを言うなんてどうかしているんじゃない？
= Sonna koto wo iu nante doukashiteirun janai?
= What is wrong with you saying such a thing? (I think there is something wrong with you.)

****************************

じゃない(=iijanai) VS んじゃない(=iinjanai)

I know the difference is just one letter ん(=n), but it gives a difference.

While じゃない(=janai) is usually used when you simply express an opinion showing emotion, んじゃない(=njanai) is more like a tag question. You are expressing your opinion and at the same time you are asking the listener’s opinion or agreement. So it is used in a question form.

There is more subtle difference. Let’s  compare the following sentences to see the difference.

a) その髪型いいじゃない。(female speech/ casual)
= Sono kamigata ii janai.
=  I like your hairdo! / Oh, nice hairdo!!

b) その髪型いいんじゃない？(casual)
= Sono kamigata iin janai?
=  Your hairdo is not bad.

Note : They both can be used when you compliment others. But a) sounds more enthusiastic.

*****

c) 彼、若いじゃない。 (female speech)
= Kare, wakai janai.
= Wow, he is young. (I’m surprised.)

d) 彼、若いんじゃない？
= Kare wakain janai?
= He is young, isn’t he?

Note : If you really think he is young, use  c). If you question whether or not he is young and want to confirm use  d)

**********
e) これおいしいじゃないですか。
= Kore oishii janai desuka.
= Wow, this is delicious. (I’m surprised.)

f) これおいしいんじゃない？(less formal than e)
= Kore oishiin janai?
= Isn’t this delicious?

Note : The same as a) and b).   e) sounds more enthusiastic.  But actually many young people tend to use the f) form when they express their opinion to avoid offering straight reaction.

**********
g) そんなことどうでもいいじゃないか。(male speech, rough.)
= Sonna koto doudemo ii janai ka.
= Who cares about such a thing!

h) そんなことどうでもいいんじゃない？
= Sonna koto doudemo iin janai?
= Who care about such a thing, right?

Note : g) shows more emotion.  h) gives the impression that you are seeing things more objectively.

*******

i) よかったじゃない。(female speech)

= Yokatta janai.

= Oh that’s great! / I’m happy for you!

j) よかったんじゃない？

= Yokattan janai?

= I think it turned out great.  Don’t you think so?, It’s great, isn’t it?

Note : When you compare these two, i) sounds more sincere.  j) is more objective and it sounds a bit distant.

**********

Another confusing thing is negative tag questions.
They are tricky because they look like double negative sentences but they’re not.

Ex. Exileの新曲、悪くないんじゃない？(female speech)
= Ekuzairu no shinkyoku, waruku nain janai?
= Exile’s new song is not bad, huh?

Ex. 本当はマギーは日本語を話せないんじゃないんですか？
= Hontou wa Maggie wa nihongo ga hanasenain janain desu ka?
= Maybe Maggie can’t really speak Japanese, can she?

Ex. そんなことは言わなくてもいいんじゃないの？
= Sonna koto wa iwanakute mo iin janai no?
= You don’t need to say such a thing, do you?

Ex. あいつ、自分に何が起きているかわからないんじゃないのか？(male speech, rough)
= Aitsu jibun ni nani ga okite iru ka wakaranain janai no ka?
= Maybe he doesn’t understand what is happening to him, does he?

Ex. 今日、加藤さんは来ないんじゃないでしょうか？
= Kyou, Kato san wa konain janai deshouka?
= I think Kato-san is not coming today. Don’t you think so?

Ex. マギーは今、家にいないんじゃない？
= Maggie wa ima, ie ni inain janai?
= I think Maggie is not home. Don’t you think so?

******************************

OK you can relax from here.

Here are some extra notes on じゃない(=janai)

The  variation of じゃない(=janai)

じゃねえ(=janee)

じゃねえ(=janee) is a rough male suffix.

●じゃない(=janai) →じゃねえ(=janee)　（we also spell it as じゃねー or じゃね〜）

●んじゃない(=njanai) →んじゃねえ(=njanee)

Ex. そうじゃないよ！
= Sou dewa nai
= That is not right. That is not what I said. That is not how you do it.

↓
Ex. そうじゃねえよ!　(male/ rough)
= Soujanee yo.

Ex. あんなやつ好きじゃないよ。
= Annna yatsu suki janaiyo
= I don’t like that chick.

あんなやつ好きじゃねえよ。(rough)
= Anna yatsu sukija neeneyo.

Ex. なかなかやるじゃないか。(male)

= Nakanaka yaru janai ka.

= You do pretty good. (You do better than I had expected./I’m impressed!)

なかなかやるじゃねえか。(male, rough)

= Nakanaka yarujaneeka.

Ex. あいつも行きたかったんじゃないか？(male, rough)

= Aitsu mo ikitakattanjanaika?

= He wanted to go, too, didn’t he?

あいつも行きたかったんじゃねえのか？(male, more rough)

= Aitsumo ikitakattanja nee no ka?

Ex. そんなんじゃねえよ。

= Sonnanja neeyo.

= That’s not right. (What you said is wrong.) denying what the other has just said.

じゃん(=jan)

It’s a casual abbreviation of じゃない(=janai) and it is used to emphasize your speech.

It is considered to be a dialect in Kanto  area but it is pretty common among other areas.

It’s mainly used among young people.

It is cliche that Kansai comedian mimic Tokyo area people using this casual suffix.

Ex. いいじゃない。(casual)
= Ii janai.
= I think it’s good!  / Nice! / Great! / Sounds good! / Looks good!/ Don’t worry!
↓
いいじゃん (really casual)
= iijan

Ex. 彼、イケてるじゃない！(female speech)
= Kare, iketerujanai!
= He is cool, isn’t he?
(* イケてる= Iketeru = slang = cool, cute, great)
↑
Ex. 彼、イケてるじゃん！
= Kare iketerujan!

Ex. そう言ったのはマギーじゃん！

= Souitta no wa Maggie jan!

= You are the one who said that, Maggie!

Ex. そんなこと知ってるじゃん！

= Sonna koto shitterujan!

=I already know that!

マギー先生より= Maggie Sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei

今からレッドカーペットを歩く練習があるのにまた長いレッスンになっちゃったじゃない！
= Ima kara reddo kaapetto wo aruku  rennshuu ga aru noni mata nagai ressun ni nacchatta janai!
= It ended up being another long lesson, but now I have to go practice walking the red carpet!

「寒っ！！」

= Samu!!

= Coooold!!

「早くストーブにあたりたい…」

= Hayaku sutoubu ni ataritai…

= I want to get in front of the heater asap.

Hi everyone! How have you been? I know I know… It’s been months since I posted the last lesson. I’m sorry!

So although it’s a bit late, before I begin the lesson, let me first say:

みなさん、明けましておめでとうございます！

= Minasan Akemashite Omedetou gozaimasu!

= Happy New Year, everyone!!

This is going to be the first official lesson of 2013!

今年もよろしくね！！ !JYANE!

= Kotoshi mo yoroshikune!

= Thank you in advance for all your support this year.

OK, we are going to learn how to use 〜たい(=tai) and  〜たがる(=tagaru) or がる(=garu).

本当に私と一緒に日本語を勉強したいですか？

= Hontou ni watashi to issho ni nihongo wo benkyou shitai desuka?

= Are you sure you want to study Japanese with me?

verb + たい(=tai) form.

or

Irregular verbs :

「見たい！見たい！」

Ex. 日本に来たら何をしたいですか？

~たい(=~tai) + noun

Q : Is it OK to use たい(=tai) towards your boss, customers or older people?

〜たいと思います(=tai to omoimasu)

〜たいと願っています。(= ~ tai to negatte imasu.) = I hope I could do ~

= What would you like to do today?

がる= garu

You can use たい(=tai) if you are talking about your own desire.

私はハワイに行きたい

= I wanna  go Hawaii.

マギーはハワイに行きたいの？

マギーはハワイに行きたいと言っている。

マギーはハワイに行きたいんだって。

マギーはハワイに行きたそうだ。

マギーはハワイに行きたいらしい。

ハワイに行きたい！

マギーはハワイに行きたがっている。

How to form :

＊会う= au = to see someone→会いたがる= aitagaru=to keen to see someone

*欲しい= hoshii = wanting to have something→欲しがる=hoshigaru =to be eager to have something

がり= gari

From the picture above :

マギー先生より= Maggie Sensei yori = From Maggie sensei

「私は女子力UP! みんなは語彙力UPね！」

= Watashi wa joshiryoku appu! Minna wa goiryoku appu ne!

= I will work on the “Woman Power” and  you guys should work on the “Vocabulary Strength”, OK?

Hi, everyone! This is a follow up lesson for my Twitter followers.(Maggie Sensei Twitter)

This series started when one of my Twitter followers asked me to tweet one basic word everyday in March, 2011.  I had no idea I would still be doing this over a year and a half later.  Feel free to send me a message on Twitter if you want me to continue this series. If not, let me know what you would like to learn next.

I guess it is not “Super” basic word anymore.  But vocabulary will be one of your strengths on your journey to mastering Japanese.

These are the old lessons. Hope you’ll visit these lessons again and again.

Super Basic Words Part 1

Super Basic Words Part 2

Super Basic Words Part 3

Super Basic Words Part 4

Super Basic Words Part 5

Super Basic Words Part 6

Super Basic Words Part 7

Super Basic Words Part 8

I focused on the verbs in this Part 9.

Before we start, let’s check the picture above.

「私は女子力UP! みんなは語彙力UPね！」

= Watashi wa joshiryoku appu! Minna wa goiryoku appu ne!

= I will work on “Woman Power” and  you guys should work on the “Vocabulary Strength”, OK?

*UP (= appu ) is from of course English word, “up“  It means “to increase“, “to strengthen“, “to empower“, “to build.”

*(subject) は〜、(subject)は〜 = (subject) wa~, (subject) wa ~ : the particle は(=wa) is often used to show the contrast of things.

*語彙= ごい = goi = vocabulary

+ 力= りょく = ryoku = power, strength

*Now what I want to focus on today is this word:

女子力= joshiryoku : It is one of the trendy words that you often hear/see on TV or in the fashion magazines.

The literal translation is “Girls’ power” “Female Power”

You will hear

Ex.「もっと女子力をUPさせないと。」

= Motto joshiryoku wo appu sasenaito.

= I should work on my “Girl’s power”

Or you see some advertisement of cosmetic products,

Ex.「これで女子力アップ!」

= Kore de joshiryoku appu!

= You can empower your “Girl’s power” with this (product.)

So what do you need to do in order to build your 女子力(= joshiryoku) ?

It varies depending on your interpretation but, for example,

To work on your physical appearance or fashion :

To be keen on fashion : Always have motivation to improve your fashion sense. (Not just outer fashion but also your underwear.)

To work on your inner beauty

To be attentive or nice to people around you.

To empower your work skill.

To be interested in high-quality products or things with we associate with “high class”.

So in short, the strength to become a good woman (like me! )

!CHECKHEART! Week 69

1) to receive = 受け取る = うけとる= uketoru

   to receive a letter

= 手紙を受け取る

= てがみをうけとる

= tegami wo uketoru

2) to hold, to have, to carry = 持つ = もつ = motsu

to hold chopsticks

= 箸を持つ

= はしをもつ

= hashi wo motsu

3) to advance, to progress = 進む=すすむ = susumu

to move forward

= 前に進む

= まえにすすむ

= mae ni susumu

4) to be pleased = 喜ぶ=よろこぶ = yorokobu

to be delighted by one’s victory

= 勝利に喜ぶ

= しょうりによろこぶ

= shouri ni yorokobu

5) to feel sadness = 悲しむ=かなしむ = kanashimu

to be deeply saddened

= 深く悲しむ

= ふかくかなしむ

= fukaku kanashimu

6) to make, to create = 作る=つくる = tsukuru

to cook dishes

= 料理を作る

= りょうりをつくる

= ryouri wo tsukuru

************************
!CHECKHEART! Week 70

7) to continue, to keep doing something = 続ける= つづける= tsudukeru

to keep reading

= 読み続ける

= よみつづける

= yomitsudukeru

8) to wrap = 包む= つつむ= tsutsumu

to wrap a present

= プレゼントを包む

= プレゼントをつつむ

= purezento wo tsutsumu

9) to leave something, someone (behind) , to save = 残す= のこす= nokosu

to leave a message

= 伝言を残す

= でんごんをのこす

= dengon wo nokosu

10) to feel, to sense = 感じる= かんじる= kanjiru

to feel stressed

= ストレスを感じる

= ストレスをかんじる

= sutoresu wo kanjiru

11) to have a talk, to have a conversation = 会話する= かいわする= kaiwa suru

to have a pleasant conversation

= 楽しく会話する

= たのしくかいわする

= tanoshiku kaiwa suru

12) to hand out =  配る= くばる= kubaru

to hand out flyers

= チラシを配る

=チラシをくばる

= chirashi wo kubaru

****************************************
!CHECKHEART! Week 71

13) to sink = 沈む = しずむ= shizumu

The Sun sinks

= 太陽が沈む

= たいようがしずむ

= taiyou ga shizumu

14) to float = 浮く=  うく= uku

  to float in the water

= 水に浮く

= みずにうく

= mizu ni uku

15) to take, to choose, to have =  取る= とる= toru

to take an order

= 注文を取る

= ちゅうもんをとる

= chuumon wo toru

16) to fall down, to trip over =転ぶ= ころぶ= korobu

  to fall down on a snowy road

= 雪道で転ぶ

= ゆきみちでころぶ

= yukimichi de korobu

17) to turn on, to put on = つける= tsukeru

to turn on the light

= 電気をつける

= でんきをつける

= denki wo tsukeru

18) to come to an end, to finish = 終わる = おわる= owaru

The TV show comes to an end.

=テレビ番組が終わる

= テレビばんぐみがおわる

= terebi bangumi ga owaru

****************************************
!CHECKHEART! Week 72

19) to take out, to serve, to eject = 出す = だす= dasu

to serve a meal

= 食事を出す

= しょくじをだす

= shokuji wo dasu

20) to straighten up, to put away= 片付ける = かたづける = katazukeru

to put away a dish

=  皿を片付ける

= さらをかたづける

= sara wo katazukeru

21) to blow = 吹く = ふく = fuku

the wind blows

= 風が吹く

=  かぜがふく

= kaze ga fuku

22) to answer, to reply = 答える = こたえる= kotaeru

to answer a question

= 質問に答える

= しつもんにこたえる

= shitsumon ni kotaeru

23) to learn = 習う = ならう= narau

to learn English

= 英語を習う

= えいごをならう

= eigo wo narau

24) to tell, to communicate, to transmit=  伝える = つたえる = tsutaeru

to give out the information

= 情報を伝える

= じょうほうをつたえる

= jouhou wo tsutaeru

*******************************
!CHECKHEART! Week 73

25) to win = 勝つ= かつ= katsu

  to win a game

= 試合に勝つ

= しあいにかつ

= shiai ni katsu

26) to lose, to get defeated = 負ける= まける= makeru

to lose on purpose

= わざと負ける

= わざとまける

= waza to makeru

27) to make a reservation = 予約する= よやくする= yoyaku suru

   to book a hotel

= ホテルを予約する

= ホテルをよやくする

= hoteru wo yoyaku suru

28) to cook = 料理する= りょうりする= ryouri suru

  to cook quickly

= 手早く料理する

= てばやくりょうりする

= tebayaku ryouri suru

29) to decorate = 飾る= かざる= kazaru

    to decorate a room with flowers

= 部屋を花で飾る

= へやをはなでかざる

= heya wo hana de kazaru

30) to steal = 盗む = ぬすむ= nusumu

   to steal a car

= 車を盗む

= くるまをぬすむ

= kuruma wo nusumu

*****************

!CHECKHEART! Week 74

31) to be able to, to be completed, to be ready = 出来る= できる= dekiru

to be able to write in Japanese

= 日本語で書くことができる。

=にほんごでかくことができる

= Nihongo de kaku koto ga dekiru.

32) to mix / to blend something = 混ぜる= まぜる= mazeru

to mix eggs and milk

= 卵と牛乳を混ぜる

= たまごとぎゅうにゅうをまぜる

= tamago to gyuunyuu wo mazeru

33) to reduce, to decrease = 減らす = へらす= herasu

  to lose weight

= 体重を減らす

= たいじゅうをへらす

= taijuu wo herasu

34) to increase = 増やす=ふやす= fuyasu

to increase one’s income

= 収入を増やす

= しゅうにゅうをふやす

= shuunyuu wo fuyasu

35) to carry, to transport = 運ぶ = はこぶ= hakobu

to carry passengers

= 乗客を運ぶ

= じょうきゃくをはこぶ

= joukyaku wo hakobu

36) to scold, to reprimand = 叱る=しかる= shikaru

to scold a child

= 子供を叱る

= こどもをしかる

= kodomo wo shikaru

**********************

!CHECKHEART! Week 75

37) to decline, to turn down = 断る = ことわる= kotowaru

to decline an offer

= 申し出を断る

= もうしでをことわる

= moushide wo kotowaru

38)  to be in love = 恋をする= こいをする= koi wo suru (also 恋する= koi suru)

to be in love with a beautiful woman

= 美しい女性に恋をする

= うつくしいじょせいにこいをする

= utsukushii josei ni koi wo suru

39) to participate, to join = 参加する = さんかする= sanka suru

  to participate in a contest

= コンテストに参加する

= コンテストにさんかする

= kontesuto ni sanka suru

40) to get drunk , to get travel-sick= 酔う = よう= you

to get airsick

= 飛行機に酔う

= ひこうきによう

= hikouki ni you

41) to like something, someone = 気に入る = きにいる= kiniiru

one’s favorite music

= お気に入りの音楽

= おきにいりのおんがく

= okiniiri no ongaku

42) to celebrate = 祝う= いわう= iwau

to celebrate one’s birthday

= 誕生日を祝う

= たんじょうびをいわう

= tanjoubi wo iwau

********************************************

!CHECKHEART! Week 76

43) to throw away, to dump = 捨てる= すてる= suteru

Ex. to throw away trash (garbage)

= ごみ（ゴミ）をすてる

= gomi wo suteru

44) to pay = 払う = はらう= harau

to pay money

= お金を払う

= おかねをはらう

= okane wo harau

45) to think, to consider = 考える= かんがえる= kangaeru

to think about one’s future

= 将来について考える

= しょうらいについてかんがえる

= shourai ni tsuite kangaeru

46) to be lost, to wander,  to hesitate to do s.th = 迷う= まよう= mayou

to get lost / to lose one’s way

= 道に迷う

= みちにまよう

= michi ni mayou

47) to pray, to wish = 祈る = いのる = inoru

to pray for safety

= 無事を祈る

=  ぶじをいのる

=buji wo inoru

48) to wash =  洗う = あらう = arau

to wash one’s hands

= 手を洗う

= てをあらう

= te wo arau

********************************************

!CHECKHEART! Week 77

49) to break up, to part = 別れる = わかれる = wakareru

to break up with one’s boyfriend

= 彼と別れる

= かれとわかれる

= kare to wakareru

50) to acquire, to obtain = 手に入れる= てにいれる= te ni ireru

to get a cheap ticket

= 安いチケットを手に入れる

= やすいチケットをてにいれる

= Yasui chiketto wo te ni ireru

51) to plant = 植える = うえる= ueru

  to plant seeds

= 種を植える

= たねをうえる

= tane wo ueru

52) to transfer/ connect, to change= 乗り換える = のりかえる= norikaeru

  to change trains

= 電車を乗り換える

= でんしゃをのりかえる

= densha wo norikaeru

53) to be effective, to work = 効く = きく = kiku

effective medicine

= よく効く薬

= よくきくくすり

= yoku kiku kusuri

54) to endure, to withstand = 耐える = たえる= taeru

to withstand pressure

= 圧力に耐える

= あつりょくにたえる