1.5 Conversation Reading
Completion requirements
1.5 Romaji Conversation Reading
Now that you've mastered the Romaji vocabulary from Vocabulary List #1 and know about Japanese sentence structure, let's put it all together by reading this conversation!
Kiyono: Konnichiwa.
Megumi: Konnichiwa.
Kiyono: Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
Megumi: Konnichiwa.
Kiyono: Onamae
* wa nan desu ka.
Megumi: Megumi desu. Onamae wa nan desu ka.
Kiyono: Kiyono desu. Hajimemashite.
Megumi: Hajimemashite.
Kiyono: Megumi-san
** wa nan sai desu ka.
Megumi: Watashi wa
*** juu go sai desu.
Kiyono-san wa nan sai desu ka.
Kiyono-san wa nan sai desu ka.
Kiyono: Watashi wa juu roku sai desu.
Megumi: Kiyono-san wa nan nensei desu ka.
Kiyono: Watashi wa koukou ni nensei desu. Megumi-san wa nan nensei desu ka.
Megumi: Watashi wa koukou ichi nensei desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
People bow all the time in Japanese society. At school, at work, in restaurants, at stores... Look out the window when you take a flight. The whole runway crew will be lined up and bowing to the plane!
Bend at the waist. Boys: hands at your sides. Girls: hands clasped in front.
Judge the distance between you and the other person so you don't hit heads!
The lower you go with your bow and the longer your head stays down, the more respectful you are being.
Bend at the waist. Boys: hands at your sides. Girls: hands clasped in front.
Judge the distance between you and the other person so you don't hit heads!
The lower you go with your bow and the longer your head stays down, the more respectful you are being.
*When asking about someone's name, use the honorific "o" in front of "namae" to show that you are being polite.
**Put "san" at the end of someone's name to show that you are being polite. Never use "san" at the end of your own name or else it sounds like you think you think very highly of yourself. In Japanese culture and society, modesty is very important. This means you must always be polite to others and use the honorific when talking to others and be humble when referring to yourself.
***"Wa" is a particle. Japanese sentences use particles but English sentences don't have them. We'll learn more about particles in detail later in the course. The "wa" particle marks the topic of the sentence. Whatever comes before "wa" is the topic.
Though the particle is written as "WA" in Romaji, the actual Hiragana character used for the "WA" particle is the "HA" particle.
Though the particle is written as "WA" in Romaji, the actual Hiragana character used for the "WA" particle is the "HA" particle.
TEST / TESUTO
Time to test yourself!
How much did you understand?
Click the "+" to see if your answer was right!
How much did you understand?
Click the "+" to see if your answer was right!
No, they don't know each other.
She is sixteen years old.
She is fifteen years old.
She is in grade ten.
She is in grade eleven.