Dialogue 1: Describing One's Background

Lilly and Kent go to the same college in Japan. They are talking about their college majors.
		ケントくんは何年生 {なんねんせい} ですか？
		ぼくは三年生 {さんねんせい} です。せんこうは人 {じん} るい学です。リリーさんは？
		私も三年生です。せんこうはアジアけんきゅうで、今、中国 {ちゅうごく} についてけんきゅうしています。
		ケントくんのごしゅっしんは、どちらですか。
		ぼくはロサンゼルスから来ています。リリーさんは日本語 {ご} がおじょうずですね。日本にどのぐらいいますか。
		私は１３さいの時 {とき} 、ホンコンから来て、それから、ずっと日本にいます。

See Grammar Notes for Dialogue 1.

= honorific

1.	ケント	Kent [given name]
2.	くん	suffix [くん is a title used after one's peers or subordinates; often used with younger males]
3.	人 {じん} るい学 {がく}	anthropology
4.	アジアけんきゅう	Asian Studies
5.	について	about; on
6.	けんきゅうする	to research [けんきゅうしています: is researching; is studying]
7.	ごしゅっしん	home town [ご =honorific prefix]
8.	カリフォルニア	California
9.	ロサンゼルス	Los Angeles
10.	おじょうず	skillful [お =honorific prefix]
11.	１３さい	thirteen years old
12.	それから	since then
13.	さい	[age counter] year(s) old
14.	ずっと	throughout; continuously

1.	何について	About what? On what?
2.	私たち	we, us (generic)
3.	ぼくたち	we, us (male)
4.	あなた	you (toward a peer or subordinate person)
5.	べんきょうする	to study [べんきょうしている: is studying]
	[generic counter (Used in the native Japanese series 1 to 10); The native Japanese series also counts age 1 (ひとつ) through 10 (とお) and 20 (はたち).]
6.	一さい {いっさい}	1 year old (= ひとつ)
7.	二さい {にさい}	2 years old (= ふたつ)
8.	三さい {さんさい}	3 years old (= みっつ)
9.	四さい {よんさい}	4 years old (= よっつ)
10.	五さい {ごさい}	5 years old (= いつつ)
11.	六さい {ろくさい}	6 years old (= むっつ)
12.	七さい {ななさい}	7 years old (= ななつ)
13.	八さい {はっさい}	8 years old (= やっつ)
14.	九さい {きゅうさい}	9 years old (= ここのつ)
15.	十さい {じゅっさい}	10 years old (= とお)
16.	二十歳 {はたち}	20 years old [Also 二十さい {にじゅっさい} but used less commonly]
17.	何 {なん} さい	How old? (= いくつ)
Passive Vocabulary
1.	[ニューヨークしゅう、ニューヨーク]	New York, NY
2.	[カリフォルニアしゅう、サンフランシスコ]	San Francisco, CA
3.	[イリノイしゅう、シカゴ]	Chicago, IL
4.	[ジョージアしゅう、アトランタ]	Atlanta, GA
5.	[フロリダしゅう、マイアミ]	Miami, FL
6.	[何 {なに} しゅう？]	What state?
7.	[おれ]	I, me (male, very blunt)
8.	[きみ]	you (toward a peer or subordinate person)
9.	[彼 {かれ}]	he
10.	[彼 {かれ} ら]	they (generic)
11.	[彼女 {かのじょ}]	she
12.	[彼女 {かのじょ} たち]	they (female)
13.	[ぶん学部 {がくぶ}]	school of literature [ぶん学 {がく} literature]
14.	[きょうよう学部 {がくぶ}]	school of liberal arts
15.	[しょう学部 {がくぶ}]	school of business
16.	[い学部 {がくぶ}]	school of medicine
17.	[り学部 {がくぶ}]	school of science
18.	[か学 {がく}]	Chemistry
19.	[い学]	Medicine
20.	[しゃかい学]	Sociology
21.	[しんり学]	Psychology
22.	[じょうほうか学]	Information Science
23.	[せいぶつ学]	Biology
24.	[いでんしこう学]	Genetic Engineering
25.	[でんきこう学]	Electrical Engineering
26.	[きかいこう学]	Mechanical Engineering

A:	What year in college are you, Kent?
B:	I'm a junior. My major is anthropology. What about you, Lilly?
A:	I'm also a junior. My major is Aisan Studies, and right now, I'm doing research on China.
B:	Where are you from?
A:	I'm from Los Angeles, (Lit. "It's L.A.") California. Your are good at Japanese. How long have you been in Japan?
B:	I came here from Hong Kong when I was 13, and I have been in Japan ever since.

Children can be addressed by
their first name + ちゃん for girls
or first name + くん for boys.
e.g., ゆかちゃん or たけしくん

Pronouns "You" in Japanese

There are so few situations where second person pronouns are used safely. If you use second-person pronouns inapproriately, you could offend the other person. Some second-person pronouns (e.g., きみ) are used to address one's peers and subordinates while others (e.g., おまえ, あなた) are used to address only one's subordinates. However, NONE of second-person pronouns are appropriate to address one's superior (one's boss, parents, teacher, etc.).

Between husband and wife, おまえ (husband to wife) and あなた (wife to husband) can invoke intimacy. However, these pronouns are not acceptable to many married couples for they sound too blunt. Role terms (お父さん, お母さん, パパ, ママ, etc.) or first names may be more preferred ways to address one another in many families.

あなた can also be used in a formal situation where anonymity prevails (e.g., in anonymous public surveys).

Q: How can I let my listener know that I'm referring to him/her?

A: The best strategy in a face-to-face situation is NOT to use any second person pronoun or use a generic reference method: /Name + さん/ (e.g., スミスさん) or /Name + title/ (e.g., 田中先生). (Don't put さん or title to refer to yourself, of course.) The last names are used more commonly than the first names.

Q: What if I don't know the other's name?

A: If you don't know the name of the other person, then just use role terms (先生, おきゃくさま, etc.) if known or speak without usng ANY second-person reference. Since natural conversation in Japanese does not require you to specify the subject in sentences, this will not cause any confusion in most cases. Formal (business) language to be introduced in Advanced Japanese can also be used to avoid any potential confusion whom you are referring to.