Vocabulary (Lesson 3)
Words in square brackets [　] will NOT be tested in quizzes and exams.
If such words appear in classroom activities, quizzes and exams, their meanings will be provided.
Dialogue 3-1
  はじめまして How do you do?
たむら Tamura [family name]
です am/is/are [polite copula]
こんどう Kondo [family name]
どうぞよろしく Nice to meet you.　[Lit. "I request your best regard."]
こちらこそ Same here. [Lit. こちら "here" + emphatic marker こそ]
Dialogue 3-2
  すみません Excuse me.
きくち Kikuchi [family name]
か [Question marker]
ええ Yes.
そう right, so [そうです "That'sright."]
そうです That'sright.
Dialogue 3-3
  にほんじん or にっぽんじん Japanese person/people [nationality]
Dialogue 3-4
  よしだ Yoshida [family name]
せんせい teacher
いいえ No
ちがいます to be incorrect/wrong
どうも しつれいしました

I'm terribly sorry. [polite; Lit. "I committed a rudeness."]
Dialogue 3-5
  おなまえ name [お = honorific prefix]
は [topic marker pronounced as /wa/] as for; speaking of
なん what [なん precedes です. = なに "what"]
から from
きました [someone] came.
Dialogue 3-6
  わたし I, me
[ヤマハ] Yamaha [company name]
の [affiliation marker] XのY: X's Y, Y of X
さいとう Saito [family name]
やまぐち Yamaguchi [family name]
Dialogue 3-7
  せんこう major
けいざいがく Economics
じゃありません [it] is not. [そうじゃありません "It is not correct."]
こくさいかんけいろん International Affairs
じゃ then
なん what [なん precedes です. = なに "what"]
コンピュータこうがく Computer Engineering
Dialogue 3-8
  だいがくせい college student(s)
も also, too
そして and [connects sentences; used at the beginning of a sentence]
と and [connects only nouns]
Countries & Nationalities
  にほん or にっぽん Japan
にほんじん or にっぽんじん Japanese person/people [nationality]
アメリカ America (commonly, U.S.A.)
アメリカじん American person/people [Country + じん, e.g., アメリカ + じん = アメリカじん American person/people]
フランス France
ドイツ Germany
イギリス U.K.
スペイン Spain
メキシコ Mexico
ロシア Russia
カナダ Canada
かんこく Korea
ちゅうごく China
がいこく foreign country
なにじん what nationality?
くに country
[インド] India
[たいわん] Taiwan
[イタリア] Italy
[オーストラリア] Australia
[ニュージーランド] New Zealand
[ベトナム] Vietnam
Students
  がくせい student
だいがく university, college
だいがくせい university student
だいがくいん graduate school
だいがくいんせい graduate student
りゅうがくせい foreign student
こうこう high school
こうこうせい high school student
Languages
  えいご English [language only]
フランスご French [language only]
ドイツご German [language only]
スペインご Spanish [language only]
ロシアご Russian [language only]
かんこくご Korean [language only]
ちゅうごくご Chinese [language only]
なにご what language?
[イタリアご] Italian [language only]
[アラビアご] Arabic [language only]
Additional
  おんな woman [Normally, おんなの ひと is used for "woman"]
おとこ man [Normally, おとこの ひと is used for "man"]
めいし business card
Majors
  けいざいがく Economics
こくさいかんけいろん International Affairs
すうがく mathematics
コンピュータサイエンス computer science
コンピュータこうがく computer engineering
こうがく

engineering [commonly used as a suffix instead of a stand-alone noun]
ぶんがく literature
マネジメント business management
いがく medical science
[きかいこうがく] mechanical engineering
[でんきこうがく] electrical engineering
[こうくううちゅうこうがく] aerospace engineering
[けんちくがく] architecture
[せいぶつがく] biology
[せいじがく] political science
[しゃかいがく] social science
[かがく　(科学）] science
[かがく　（化学）] chemistry
[せいいこうがく] biomedical engineering
[しんりがく] psychology
[おんがく] music
[きょういくがく] education
[ぶつりがく] physics
[れきし] history
[びじゅつ] fine arts
[じんるいがく] anthropology
[じょうほう こうがく] Information Science
[ジャーナリズム] Journalism
[デジタルメディア] digital media
[みてい] undecided; undeclared
Year at School
  いちねんせい first-year student; freshman
にねんせい second-year student; sophomore
さんねんせい third-year student; junior
よねんせい fourth-year student; senior
ごねんせい fifth-year student
ろくねんせい sixth-year student; junior
Additional words used in classroom activities
  おの Ono [family name]
けいこ Keiko [women's first name]
かわむら Kawamura [family name]
じゃないです [it] is not. [= そうじゃありません]
なに what [= なん]
じん [suffix for "person/people"]
しつれいしました I'm sorry. [Lit. "I committed a rudeness."]
[ダートンカレッジ] Darton College
ジョージアテック Georgia Tech
きたむら Kitamura [family name]
ソニー Sony
なまえ name
Question Words
  なん or なに what?
なにじん what nationality?
なにご what language?
なんねんせい what year at school
Particles and Connectives
  は [Topic marker; Pronounced as /wa/.]
か [Sentence particle for question]
の [Creates a modifier from a noun: XのＹ: X's Y; Y of X, etc.]
も also, too
と and [Connects only nouns]
そして and [Connects sentences; Used at the beginning of a sentence]
Useful Expressions
  ～じん [Suffix for "person"; Country + じん creates a nationality.]
～ご [Suffix for "language"; Country + ご creates a language.]
～がく [Suffix for "study"; Creates an academic subject.]
～こうがく [Suffix for "engineering (study)"]
～ねんせい [Suffix for "...th year at school" (e.g., いちねんせい "first year/freshman")]
Language Structures
 
  • Noun Sentences
    • Affirmative: (Xは +) Noun + です。
    • Negative: (Xは +) Noun + じゃありません。 Or, (Xは +) Noun + じゃないです。
    • X's Y (or Y of X)：　Xの Y