dokoどこ

main meaning of doko is where, it’s usually use to asking place, asking home, and some time have meaning what but still have relation whit place. See conversation belo

花村 : おはようございます。

Hanamura : ohayougozaimasu!

山本：おはよう。。。

花村さんおさしぶりですね、お元気ですか。

Yamamoto hayou…

Hanamura san osashiburidesune, ogenki desuka?.

花村：おかげさまで、元気ですよ、山本さんも二年ぐらいかな。。いつも忙しいのでなかなか会いませんよね。。、今、どこに住んでいますか。

Hanamura : okagesamade, genkidesu,yamamotosan mo ninenguraikana…itsumo ishogashi node naka naka aimasenne…, ima dokoni sunde imasuka?

山本：大阪、駅の西ぐちから真っ直ぐ、それで　花村さんはどこのホテル止まるんですか。

Yamamoto : oosaka, eki no nishi guchi kara massugu, sorede hanamura san ha doko no hote-ru tomarun desuka?

花村：難波ホテル、ここにこの話す続けるは良くないから。。

Hanamura : namba hoteru, kokoni kono hanasu tsudzukeruha yokunai kara …

山本：じゃ。。コーヒ飲みながら続けますか。ｈｍｍ。。ここらへんで有名な喫茶店があるかな。。。

Yamamoto : jya.. ko-hi nominagara tsudzukemasuka ?kokorahen de yumeina kissaten arukana

花村：春喫茶店有名じゃない。。

Hanamura : harukissaten yuumei jyanai?

山本：あ。。この喫茶店か、じゃ。。行きましょう。

Yamamoto : aa.. kono kissatenka, jya.. ikimasyou.!

English translation

Hanamura : Good Morning

Yamamoto : Morning…long time we not meet, how are you?

Hanamura : thanks, I’m alright, about 2 year we doesn’t meet right? We always busy so it’s difficult to meet, now where you live?

Yamamoto : Osaka,　from west exit, go straight, where do you stay now ?

Hanamura : hotel of Namba, sorry I think it’s not good to continue this conversation here …

Yamamoto : jya.. let continue with drink some coffee, is there famous coffee shop around here?

Hanamura : haru coffee shop is famous isn’t it ?

Yamamoto : aa.. that coffee shop, let’s go there

It is not an understatement to say that different levels of politeness are like different languages in Japanese. The verb forms are completely different. For instance, the past-tense normal-polite form of the verb yomu (to read) is yomimashita. The casual form is yonda. The exalted form is oyomi ni natta (or oyomi ni narimashita). Totally different.

I am not even going to attempt to explain all the cultural nuances of politeness in Japanese. In fact, I don’t even know them as a gaijin– you have to live in Japan for an extended period to fully grasp the details (and you may never fully grasp them as a foreigner). What I will do here is run through some of the basics so you have a general idea.

There are at least four levels of politeness in Japanese, with some subtleties on top of that. These are difficult to fully master as they are, and it’s made worse by the fact that nobody calls the levels by the same names. I will attempt to list the names you might hear, but don’t be surprised if you hear others.

First is rude speech, or blunt speech, that you wouldn’t use in a normal conversation.

Then there is casual, abrupt, or “children’s” speech. It is what children learn before they are taught polite language in school.

The language you will use most often is polite language, also called normal-polite. Luckily, the final verb forms in this politeness level are extremely simple– they all end in -masu or -desu(or -mashou or -deshou). This language is “safe”; it is always polite. It is used by adults who are not part of the same in-group or who don’t know each other well. In companies, it is used frequently for communication that is just a bit up the chain of command, such as when talking to your boss (farther up, you must use honorific language).

Finally, there is honorific language, which is sometimes simply called formal language.

**********

Nouns

If the noun is pronounced with a kun (Japanese) reading (see the chapter on Reading and Writing), then you can make it into an honorific form by adding an initial o-. An example isokane (“money” or “gold”), which is routinely stated in this form. If the noun is pronounced with an on (Chinese) reading, then you add the prefix go-, such as in the word gohan (han is cooked rice). These nouns are exalted when they refer to someone else and humble when they relate to you.

By the way, you shouldn’t just create your own honorific nouns. There are specific ones that are always used with the prefix, and others where it would sound very odd to do that. Wait until you hear someone else use an honorific noun before trying it on your own.

Also, there are some polite forms of common words that are actually different words. For example, ashita (tomorrow) is a common word, but in a formal situation you may hear its more polite form, myounichi. These types of words are broadly called teinei, and I’m hardly doing them justice here. You will also hear shoushou instead of sukoshior chotto (a little) andhonjitsu instead of kyou (today).

Adjectives

These are made honorific by the addition of special endings. I am considering only -i adjectives here (see the chapter on Adjectives). It’s just a simple substitution: -oi and -ai become -ou(long o); -ii and -uibecome -uu (long u). So atarashii (“new”) becomes atarashuu, while osoi (“late” or “slow”) becomes osou. Then, instead of tacking on desu to make the adjective polite, you substitute (de) gozaimasuor (de) irasshaimasu (these are the honorific forms of (de) aru; see below).

Verbs

Here’s where the fun begins. There are humble verbs and exalted verbs, the latter of which can often be said in two ways. And unlike typical Japanese verbs, for which there are only two irregular forms, honorific verbs have quite a few exceptions.

Humble. Most humble verb forms come from taking the -masu stem of the verb and attaching o- to the front and the verb suru to the end. So the humble form of kaku (to write), isokaki suru, which would be used at the end of a polite sentence as okaki shimasu. You use this form when speaking about your own actions to a superior. (You are humbling yourself in their presence).

To be even more humble, use the humble form of suru, which is itasu. So you could say okaki itashimasu.

Let’s look at the verb suwaru, to sit down.

Impolite, true command form: Suware (don’t use this as a matter of course)
Casual: Suwari nasai
Polite: Suwatte kudasai
Honorific: Osuwari kudasai

Do you can?

Bisa ga?

Here some verb form of dekiru

Dictionary form

Dekiru

出来る

Masu form

Dekimasu

出来ます

Nai form (negative)

Dekinai

出来ない

Masen (negative)

Dekimasen

出来ません

Reba (If possible)

Dekireba

出来れば

Tai form ( want)

Dekitai

出来たい

Ta form (past form)

Dekita

出来た

Ta form (polite)

Dekimasuta

出来ました

Use to explain that subject can do some thing

digunakan untuk menjelaskan bila subyek dapat mengerjakan sesuatu, atau mempunyai sesuatu kemampuan.

See some example below

彼女は日本語が出来ます。

Kanojyo ha nihongo ga dekimasu

She can speak Japanese.

Dia dapat berbicara bahasa Jepang

彼は運転が出来ます

Kare ha unten ga dekimasu.

He can drive.

Dia dapat menyetir.

Use with yoku

Beside use particle ga before dekimasu, yoku also use to make sentence have meaning that subyek can do well.

Tambahan yoku berarti dia sangat dapat, atau dapat melakukan dengan baik.

See some example below

彼女は料理が良く出来ます

Kanojyo ha ryouri ga yoku dekimasu.

She can cook well.

Dia sangat pandai/bisa memasak.

Negative sentence sample

私は運転が出来ない。

Watashi ha unten ga dekinai.

I cannot drive.

Saya tidak bisa menyetir.

For information, before dekiru / dekimasu/ dekinai, is Object (noun) + particle ga, this is basic formula using dekiru.

Rumus Umumnya sebelum dekiru digunakan Object (noun) + partikel ga.

Use to explain some work that finished, commonly use in intransitive verb

料理が出来ました。

Ryouri ga dekimashita.

The dish is finished.

Masakan sudah selesai.

仕事が出来ました

Shigoto ga dekimasita.

The work is finished.

Kerjaan sudah selesai.

空港の前に新しいホテルが出来た。

Kuukouno mae ni atarashii hoteru ga dekita.

A new hotel was completed in front of the airport.

Hotel baru selesai di bangun di depan Bandar udara.

A : あそこの喫茶店　良いと思うんだ
asokonokisaten iito omounda
Over there is good coffe shop, i think

B : どち？駅の前ですか。
dochi?ekino mae desuka?
where ? front of station ?

A　：そ。。、この喫茶店でいろいろのコーヒあるですよ、トラジャとか、イタリア、ブラジルのコーヒあるよ。
so.., kono kissaten de iroirono kohi arudesuyo, toraja toka, itaria, buraziruno kohiaru yo.
yes right, at those coffee shop has various coffee like toraja, Italian and coffee from Brazil.

B　：　良いですね、じゃ行くか。
iidesune, jya ikuka
hmm.. it’s sound good, let’s go.

this situation of the conversation located at kissaten (coffe shop)

A　：ざねんね、こんでいますね。
zanenne, konde imasune
it’s bad, it’s very crowded isn’t it?

B　：　ええ、今日は日曜日ですからね
ee, kyou wa nichiyoubi desukarane
yes, that’s because sunday today.

A　：　どこか　開いて　いませんか。
dokoka aite imasenka ?
Do you see any empty seat ?

B　：　あ、むこ　開いているですよ、出口のとなりですけど。
aa, muko aite iru desuyo, deguchinotanaridesukedo.
yops, there is same over there,they near exit door, i though.

A　：　かいませんよ、じゃ行きましょう。
kaimasenyo, jyaikimasyou.
that’s no a problem’s , let’s go

B　：　うん
Un

Baka jan- what an idiot!
Baka yaro- stupid idiot, stupid fool, etc.
Baka mitai- that’s stupid!
Baka yamerou yo!- don’t be such an idiot
Baka yatte’n ja nee yo- cut the crap
Baka itte’n na yo!- don’t talk shit!
Omee tada no baka-mono da! Damare!- you’re such a moron/idiot/fool, shut up!
Omae aho ya de!- man, you’re a real moron!
Ahondara ya de- what an idiot!
Dete ike! Kono shiri-nuke-me!- get outta here you fuckin’ jerk!
“Buubuu-fart”

Onara buubuu shinaide yo! Kuse kara na!- MAN! Don’t fart, it stinks!
Ojii-chan’ttara!! Onegai dakara! Okyaku-san no iru toki buusuka shinaide choodai!- Grandpa!! Please!! I wish you wouldn’t fart when we have quests!
Onara o buusuka buusuka shita!- he let one rip!
Atashi oto ga denai yoo ni shita tsumori datta no ni, sugoi buusuka buusuka dechatta yo!- I thought it was gunna be a descreet little fart, but I really let one rip!
Ore imo kutta kara to omoun dakedo, hitobanjuu buusuka buusuka buusuka buusuka demakuri nan da yo!- It’s those crazy potatoes I ate! All night I’ve been farting away like crazy!
Dare ga he o hiita?- Who farted?
He o hita- he just let one rip
Wagaoya no , shinuru toki ni mo, he o kokite- even as my father lay dying, I farted.
“Busu- ugly”

Nan da kono busu!- what a dog!
Busu dakedo, ii hito dakara- she might look like shit, but she’s a good person.
Ano eichi bii mita ka yo? Ooee!- did you see how incredible ugly she was? PUKE!
Ano tii bii esu, jibun no koto nan da to omotte’n darou?- who does that ugly troll think she is?
Erian mitai na kao shiyagatte, mukou e ike!- Fuck off you freak! (lit: you have a face of an alien, get away!)
“stylin’ ways to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’”

Buu- is the same as a ‘thumbs down’
Pinpooooon-is the same as a ‘thumbs up’
Yapi!- Yessiree! He/she sure is!
“Pervert/hentai, molester”

Atchi ikanai hou ga ii yo! Chikan darake da yo!- I wouldn’t go there, it’s teeming with perverts!
Hanashi kakenaide yo! Kono daburu etchi!- Don’t talk to me you pervert!
“BEAST!!!”

Chikushou!- DAMN/ Shit/ Fuck
Nan da kor’ ya- what (the fuck’s) this?
Nan da koistu?- what’s with him/her?
Nani yo?- what the hell?
Nan da yo?- what the hell?
Mattaku- Well I never! Really!
Masaka-NO! Impossible! It can’t be!
Oya, maa- Dear me! Oh my!
Komatta na! Oh darn! (lit: this worries me)
Ar’ya- I never!
“Fatso”

Nan da kono debu- get a load of fatso!
Aistu honto ni debut’ru!-man, he’s REALLY fat!
“Etchi”

Etchi na koto surana! Omae!- Yo! Don’t be gross
“Homosexual”

Aitsu gei?- he/ she’s gay?
Sumimasen! Moyori no gei karabu wa doko ni arimasu ka?- Excuse me, where’s the nearest gay club?
Ken wa okama ja nai kedo, shigoto de gei booi to shite hataraite’run da- Ken’s not really a faggot, he just works at a drag bar.
Soko no okama omee no koto zutto mite’ru ze- that fag over there keeps lookin’ at you.
Ano hito okama-san yo- that gentleman is a fag.
Nee! Ano ko no oniisan okama chiku yo nee! Kitto sou da yo!- You know, that girl’s brother is kinda faggoty! I bet he is one!
“GOOD!!!”

Sugee gu!-totally awesome!
Mamosu gu- mammoth good!
Mechanko gu- messed up good!
Machakucha gu- fucked up good!
Dan gu- absolutely good!
UAA! Aitsu torendii- WO! He’s awesome!
” Hick”

Gee! Ano imo sugee kakkou shite’ru- MAN! I can’t believe what that hick’s wearing.
Chiyako’nnai de yo! Kono imobeeda- Get away from me you hick!
Oi! Korokke! Dok’kara kitan da yo!- Man, what a boob! What stone did you craw out from under?
Aa! Mou! Uchi ne okaasan ino kusai! I ssho ni dearukitakunai yo!- God! My mother is such a hick! I can’t stand to be seen with her!
“Prostitute”

Ano jorou- me- That slut!
Abazure onna mitai- She looks like a slut!
Baita ni makoto nashi- never trust a whore.

Phrases that are just good to know

Sou Desu- Yeah, yes, I see
Sou ka- I see
Hai- yes, right, sure, etc
Ee/ un- sure, right, uh-huh, etc
Ryoukai- roger, roger that
Sonna- it can’t be, oh no
Yogatta/yokatta- I did it, I found it, thank goodness
Dame- bad, stop
Dame yo- stop that!
Urusai- shut up
Damare- shut up
Itai- ouch
Yoshi!- alright!

Check out a few:

What: nani or nan
Where: doko
Where to: doko ni
Where at: doko de
Why: doushite or naze
Who: dare or donata
With whom: dare to
To whom [did you give something]: dare ni
Which: dore
Which (particular object): dono (object)
What kind of: donna
How (by what means, as in travelling): nan de
How (used to propose something, like “how about X?”): ikaga
How much [does something cost]: ikura
How many (also used for asking a person’s age): ikutsu
How long will something take: donogurai
When (time in general): itsu
What time (specific hour): nanji
What day (of the week): nan-youbi
What day (of the month), or what date: nan-nichi
What month: nangatsu
How manu months: nan-kagetsu
What year: nan-nen
How many people: nan-nin
How many animals: nanbiki
What floor (of a building): nangai

You get the idea. The later question words use those counters I mentioned. For example, -kai is the counter for floors of a building. Ikkai is the first floor, nikai the second, etc., and sonankai is the proper question word for “what floor.” In other words, there are as many question words as there are counters! And there are tens of counters!! (You remember, there were ones for big ships, small boats, bottles, fruits, pairs of socks, etc).

Before you begin, keep in mind that the most crucial point in learning and speaking Japanese is to also understand some of the nuances of the Japanese culture. Grasping some the these facets – fundamentally social – along with a good “textbook” knowledge of the language can help you speak and understand Japanese in less time than you think.

The following are basic wh- questions in japanese and how they are pronounced in english.

Doko : Where?
Example: Doa doko desu ka. (Where is the door?)

Nani/Nan : What?
Example: Nan desu ka. (What is it?)

Dare : Who?
Example: Dare desu ka. (Who is it?)

Naze : Why?
Example: Naze desu ka. (Why is it?)

Itsu : When ?
Example: Ressha wa Itsu kimasu ka. (When does the train arrive?)

Do/Ikaga : How?
Example: Biru wa do desu ka. (How is the beer?)

Ikura : How Much?
Example: Ikura desu ka. (How much is it?)

• denwa o kakeru (dehn-wah oh kah-keh-roo; to make a phone call)
• denwa o morau (dehn-wah oh moh-rah-oo; to receive a phone call)
• denwa-bango (dehn-wah-bahn-gohh; phone number)
• denwacho (dehn-wah-chohh; phone book)
• ketai-denwa (kehh-tah-ee-dehn-wah; cellular phone)
• koshu-denwa (kohh-shooo-dehn-wah; public phone)
• terefon-kado (teh-reh-fohn-kahh-doh; phone card)

Conjugate the verb kakeru (kah-keh-roo). You can use it in the phrase denwa o kakeru (dehn-wah oh kah-keh-roo; to make a phone call). It’s a ru-verb.

Calling a friend

Moshimoshi (moh-shee-moh-shee) in Japanese is a kind of line-testing phrase like “Hello, are you there?” or “Can you hear me?” Before you start talking, say moshimoshi.

Do you need to call your tomodachi (toh-moh-dah-chee; friend) to hanasu (hah-nah-soo; talk) about the shukudai (shoo-koo-dah-ee; homework) you haven’t done yet? Or maybe you want to call your tomodachi just to oshaberi o suru (oh-sha-beh-ree oh soo-roo; chat).

If you call your friend’s home and someone other than your friend picks up – her okasan (oh-kahh-sahn; mom), for example – say your name before asking for your friend. If your name were Suzuki and you were calling your friend Ken, you’d say Suzuki desu ga (soo-zoo-kee deh-soo gah; This is Mr./Ms. Suzuki speaking) and then Ken-san o one-gaishimasu (kehn-sahn oh oh-neh-gah-ee-shee-mah-soo; May I talk to Ken please?). If you don’t tell her your name, she’ll say Dochira-sama desu ka (doh-chee-rah-sah-mah deh-soo kah; Who is calling please?).

Catting hotels and stores

When you call commercial institutions such as hoteru (hoh-teh-roo; hotels), mise (mee-seh; stores), and resutoran (reh-soo-toh-rahn; restaurants), the employees introduce the business first by saying de gozaimasu (deh goh-zah-ee-mah-soo) – the super-polite version of the verb desu (deh-soo; to be). Of course, with Japanese sentence construction, you’ll hear the name of the business before de gozaimasu. For example, Hoteru Sanraizu de gozaimasu (hoh-teh-roo sahn-rah-ee-zoo deh goh-zah-ee-ma-soo) means “This is Hotel Sunrise.”

After an employee answers the phone, tell him or her whom you want to speak to:

• Adamu Jonson-san o onegaishimasu. (ah-dah- moo john-sohn-sahn oh oh-neh-gah-ee-shee-mah-soo; May I speak to Mr. Adam Johnson please?)
• Naisen 403-ban ni tsunaide kudasai. (nah-ee-sehn yohn-hyah-koo-sahn-bahn nee tsoo-nah-ee-deh koo-dah-sah-ee; Please connect me to extension 403.)
• Eigyobu no kata o onegaishimasu. (ehh-gyohh-boo noh kah-tah oh oh-neh-eah-ee-shee-mah-soo; I’d like to speak to someone in the sales department.)

When you call a commercial institution, you may be put on hold for several minutes. Check out these phrases for “waiting”:

• Mo 30-pun matte iru-n-desu ga. (mohh sahn-joop-poon maht-teh ee-roon-deh-soo gah; I’ve been waiting for 30 minutes.)
• O-matase shimashita. (oh-mah-tah-seh shee-mah-shee-tah; Sorry to have kept you waiting.)
• Shosho o-machi kudasai. (shohh shohh oh-mah-chee koo-dah-sah-ee; Could you wait a little please?)

Asking for what you Want

Why do you make a phone call? Because you want to talk to someone. Why do you want to talk to someone? Maybe you want to tell him or her what you want. But how do you say “to want” in Japanese?

Although the Japanese do want things, there’s no Japanese verb that means “to want.” But fear not: Japanese has an adjective that means “to want.” Actually, the Japanese use different adjectives to express “to want” depending on whether they want to perform an action or want some item.

Do you want to kau (kah-oo; buy) a big house with a tennis court and a swimming pool? Do you want to taberu (tah-beh-roo; eat) as much as you want without worrying about your health or your weight? Or do you want to iku (ee-koo; go) to Japan? Saying the phrases to want to buy, to want to eat, and to ttiant to go in Japanese is easy. Simply add the suffix -tai (tah-ee) to the end of the stem form of the verb, as in kaitai (kah-ee-tah-ee; to want to buy), tabetai (tah-beh-tah-ee; to want to eat), and ikitai (ee-kee-tah-ee; to want to go). Use these -tai phrases just like you use regular i-type adjectives (Chapter 2 has more on these adjectives). Check out these examples:

• Watashi wa yasumitai desu. (wah-tah-shee wah yah-soo-mee-tah-ee deh-soo; I want to rest.)
• Watashi wa atarashii kuruma o kaitai desu.(wah-tah-shee wah ah-tah-rah-sheee koo-roo-mah oh kah-ee-tah-ee deh-soo; I want to buy a new car.)
• Hawai ni ikitai desu. (hah-wah-ee nee ee-kee-tah-ee deh-soo; I want to go to Hawaii.)
• Nani o shitai desu ka. (nah-nee oh shee-tah-ee deh-soo kah; What do you want to do?)
• Uchi ni kaeritai desu. (oo-chee nee kah-eh-ree-tah-ee deh-soo; I want to return home.)

When you call a store, restaurant, or hotel to tell them what you want – or when you tell anyone what you want – end your statement with -n-desu ga (n-deh-soo gah). This phrase injects a friendly, cooperative tone.

The function of -n-desu is to show your willingness to hear the other person’s response; the ga is actually the sentence-ending particle that means “but.” You’re literally saying “1 want to do such and such, but.” What you actually mean is something like “I want to do such and such, but is it okay with you?”

Suppose you call a hotel to make a yoyaku (yoh-yah-koo; reservation). If you say yoyaku o shitai desu (yoh-yah-koo oh shee-tah-ee deh-soo), it means “I want to make a reservation.” But phrasing your statement this way sounds too blunt in Japanese – you almost sound like you’re making a protest or stating a demand. By contrast, if you say yoyaku o shitai-n-desu ga (yoh-yah-koo oh shee-tah-een-deh-soo gah), it means something like “I’d like to make a reservation, but could you help me with it?” Now your