My lessons for an exploratory Japanese club, meant for an after school anime club, geared toward self motivated learners based on readily available online sources but structured for easy use .

1. How do we introduce
ourselves in
Japanese?
Aixa B. Rodriguez
Introductory Japanese
Lessons 1-6
Sourced from About.com

2. EQ: How do we introduce ourselves in Japanese?
Lesson 1 - Introducing People - Part 1
How will a basic introduction
conversation flow in Japanese?
- Vocabulary, phrases, conversation

3. Konnichiwa. こんにちは。 Hello, Good afternoon
kochira こちら this person (It is used when introducing someone.)
watashi 私 I
tomodachi 友達 friend
Hajimemashite. はじめまして。
How do you do?
(It is used when meeting for the first time.)
Douzo yoroshiku. どうぞよろし
く。
Nice to meet you.
gakusei 学生 student
hai はい Yes
go-senmon ご専門 someone else's field of study ("Go" is for politeness.)
keizai 経済 economics
anata あなた you
iie いいえ no
hisho 秘書 secretary
Sou desu ka. そうですか。 I see. (It is pronounced with falling intonation. With rising intonation, it becomes a question.)
Vocabulary and Expressions: Handout

4. Konnichiwa. こんにちは。
kochira こちら
watashi 私
tomodachi 友達
Hajimemashite. はじめまして。
Douzo yoroshiku. どうぞよろしく。
gakusei 学生
hai はい
go-senmon ご専門
keizai 経済
anata あなた
iie いいえ
hisho 秘書
Sou desu ka. そうですか。
Vocabulary and Expressions: Handout 2

5. __________________ こんにちは。 Hello, Good afternoon
__________________ こちら this person (It is used when introducing someone.)
__________________私 I
__________________ 友達 friend
__________________ はじめまして。
How do you do?
(It is used when meeting for the first time.)
__________________ どうぞよろしく。 Nice to meet you.
__________________ 学生 student
__________________ はい Yes
__________________ ご専門 someone else's field of study ("Go" is for politeness.)
__________________ 経済 economics
__________________ あなた you
__________________ いいえ no
__________________ 秘書 secretary
__________________ そうですか。
I see. (It is pronounced with falling intonation. With
rising intonation, it becomes a question.)
Vocabulary and Expressions: Handout 3

6. Cultural Notes
The Japanese mention the family name first when using
full names.
For example, with the name Kimura Ichirou, Ichirou is the given
name and Kimura is the family name.
The Japanese do not have middle names.
Everyone knows that people in Western countries put
the given name first, so you can introduce yourself
without reversing your name.
Outside their families or circle of closest friends,
Japanese adults are rarely addressed by their given
names, even by neighbors or co-workers.
List of Japanese names
Japan’s top 100 most
common family names

7. Art Activity: Name Design
What are some popular Japanese first names? Click on the first link
the List of Japanese Names. Which name do you like? Why?
What are some popular family or last names? Click on the list of
popular Family names. Which name do you like? Why?
Following the cultural note, how would some people be introduced
using these names?
If you could choose a first and last name for yourself in Japanese
what would it be?
Extension: Google name meanings and create an artistic name
design with your chosen Japanese first name and family name.
Include imagery that connects to the information you learned about
meanings of these names. Include the meaning, and try to write the
name as it is written in Japanese.

8. Introducing People (1): At a party Dialogue in Romaji - Handout 4
Tanaka: Konnichiwa.
Kimura: Konnichiwa.
Tanaka:
Kimura-san, kochira wa watashi no tomodachi desu.
Yamada Hiroko-san desu.
Yamada: Hajimemashite. Yamada Hiroko desu. Douzo yoroshiku.
Kimura: Kimura Ichirou desu. Douzo yoroshiku.
Yamada: Gakusei desu ka.
Kimura: Hai, gakusei desu.
Yamada: Go-senmon wa.
Kimura: Keizai desu. Anata mo gakusei desu ka.
Yamada: Iie, hisho desu.
Kimura: Sou desu ka.

9. Introducing People (1): At a party Dialogue in English - Handout 5
Tanaka: Hello.
Kimura: Hello.
Tanaka: Mr. Kimura, this is my friend. This is Hiroko Yamada.
Yamada: How do you do? I'm Hiroko Yamada. Nice to meet you.
Kimura: I'm Ichirou Kimura. Nice to meet you.
Yamada: Are you a student?
Kimura: Yes, I am.
Yamada: What is your specialization?
Kimura: Economics. Are you a student, too?
Yamada: No, I'm a secretary.
Kimura: I see.

10. Advanced/Extension Handout - Dialogue in Japanese
田中: こんにちは。
木村: こんにちは。
田中:
木村さん、こちらは友達の、
山田ひろ子さんです。
山田: はじめまして。山田ひろ子です。どうぞよろしく。
木村: 木村一郎です。どうぞよろしく。
山田: 木村さんは学生ですか。
木村: はい、学生です。
山田: ご専攻は何ですか。
木村: 経済です。 あなたも学生ですか？
山田: いいえ、私は秘書です。
木村: そうですか。

11. EQ: How do we introduce ourselves in Japanese?
Lesson 2 - Introducing People - Part 2
What are some grammar points to know
about the Japanese language?

12. Grammar: Nouns (gender, verb “to be”)
Japanese nouns have no gender, no singular/plural,
and no articles. ("the" and "a" etc.) For example, the
word "tomodachi" can be "a friend," "the friend,"
"friends," or "the friends." Usually the context tells the
particular meaning of a word.
(2) ~ desu
"~ desu （～です）" is equivalent to English "am,"
"are," or "is." Unlike English, it doesn't change its
form according to the subject. "~ desu" always comes
at the end of a sentence.
Watashi wa gakusei desu.
私は学生です｡
I am a student.
Kochira wa Yamada-san desu.
こちらは山田さんです｡
This is Ms. Yamada.
Watashitachi wa tomodachi
desu.
私達は友達です｡
We are friends.

13. Lesson 2- Grammar Continued
3) Omission of topic
When it is obvious to the other person what the topic is, it
is generally omitted.
(4) Negative form
The negative form of "~ desu （～です）" is "~ ja
arimasen （～じゃありません）" or "~ dewa arimasen
（ではありません）." "~ dewa arimasen" is more
formal, and "~ ja arimasen" is common in casual
conversation.
(Watashi wa) Hiroko desu.
（私は）ひろ子です｡
I am Hiroko.
(Watashi wa) gakusei
desu.
（私は）学生です｡
I am a student.
Gakusei dewa arimasen.
学生ではありません｡
I am not a student.
Nihon-jin ja arimasen.
日本人じゃありません｡
I am not Japanese.

14. EQ: How do we introduce ourselves in Japanese?
Lesson 3 - Introducing People - Part 3
Particles and markers, for topic, question and
possession

15. Lesson 3 Grammar-
Particles
(1) Particles
A particle is a word that shows the relationship of a word, a
phrase or a clause to the rest of the sentence. Particles are an
important part of Japanese sentence structure. They resemble
English prepositions in the way they connect words, but unlike
English prepositions, which come before nouns, Japanese
particles always come after nouns. Often these particles can not
be translated.
Wa (topic marker)
The particle "wa" has no English equivalent. It tells you that the
noun in front of it is the topic of the sentence. What comes
after "wa" is the comment. Literally, "wa" means "as for."
Watashi wa
gakusei desu.
私は学生です
。
I am a student.

16. Lesson 3 Grammar- Particles
Mo (also)
The particle "mo"
means "also," "too," or
"as well." It is used in
both affirmative and
negative sentences.
Anata mo gakusei desu ka.
あなたも学生ですか。
Are you a student, too?

17. Lesson 3 Grammar- Particles
No (possessive marker)
The particle "no" indicates
possession or attribution and
comes after the noun it
modifies. It is like the English
apostrophe ('s). E.g. Karen's
Watashi no tomodachi
私の友達
My friend
Kimura-san no senmon
木村さんの専門
Mr. Kimura's field of
study

18. Lesson 3 Grammar- Particles
(2) Questions
The particle "ka" is a question
marker. The formation of a
question in Japanese is easy. Put
the particle "ka" at the end of a
sentence and it becomes a
question. The word order does
not change.
Kimura-san wa gakusei desu.
木村さんは学生です。
Mr. Kimura is a student.
Kimura-san wa gakusei desu ka.
木村さんは学生ですか。
Is Mr. Kimura a student?

19. EQ: How do we introduce ourselves in Japanese?
Lesson 4 - Introducing People - Part 4
Exploring Hiragana, levels of formality,
honorifics, addressing people

20. Namae: _______________________

21. Introducing People (4): At a party (1) Formal Introductions
In Japanese there are
several levels of
formality. Here is the
expression, "Nice to
meet you" on various
formal levels.
Douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
どうぞよろしくお願いします。
very formal expression
used to a higher
Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
よろしくお願いします。
to a higher
Douzo yoroshiku.
どうぞよろしく。
to an equal
Yoroshiku.
よろしく。
to a lower

22. The honorific “o”
The honorific "o （お）" or "go （ご）" can be
attached to the front of some nouns as a formal way of
saying "your." It is very polite.
o-kuni
お国
someone else's country
o-namae
お名前
someone else's name
o-shigoto
お仕事
someone else's job
go-senmon
ご専門
someone else's field of study
o-cha
お茶
tea (Japanese tea)
o-tearai
お手洗い
toilet
There are some cases "o" or "go" does not mean "your." In
this case they make the word more polite.

23. (2) Addressing People
The title "san (Mr./Mrs./Miss
etc.)" is used for both male and
female names, and either the
family name or the given name.
It is a respectful title, so you can
not attach it your own name or
to the name of one of your
family members.

24. EQ: How do we introduce ourselves in Japanese?
Lesson 5 - Introducing People
Explore hiragana, ask short questions and
leave takings.

25. Directions: Write out the phrases in Hiragana, try to figure out the sounds.
Hiragana Sounds

26. Short Questions
When asking information
about someone's name or
country etc., a shortened
form of a question is often
used. This leaves just the
topic, which is said with rising
intonation.
O-namae wa (nan
desu ka).
お名前は（何です
か）。
(What is) your name?
O-kuni wa (dochira
desu ka).
お国は(どちらです
か)。
(Where is) your
country?
Go-senmon wa (nan
desu ka).
ご専門は(何ですか)
。
(What is) your field of
study?
Intonation is the rise and fall of the voice in speaking.

27. How to end a conversation
"Sayonara （さよなら）" is not normally used when leaving
one's own homes or places of temporary residence unless one
is leaving for a very long time. If you know that you will see
a person again soon, expressions like "Ja mata （じゃまた
）" or "Mata ashita (また明日)" are used.
"Shitsurei shimasu(失礼します)" is a formal expression used
when announcing that you are leaving someone's presence or
when you are leaving before someone else (in this case, it is
often said as "Osakini shitsurei shimasu(お先に失礼します
).") It is also used when entering a house or room, passing in
front of someone or leaving in the middle of a gathering.
Dewa mata.
ではまた。
See you later.
Ja mata.
じゃまた。
See you later.
(less formal)
Mata ashita.
また明日。
See you
tomorrow.
Sayonara.
さよなら。
Good-bye.
Shitsurei
shimasu.
失礼します。
I am going to
leave. (very
formal)

28. EQ: How do we introduce ourselves in Japanese?
Lesson 6 - Introducing People -
Part 6
This is the last lesson for
Introducing People. Try the
exercises from this lesson

29. Exercise 1
I. Answer in Japanese.
(1) What do you say when you meet
someone for the first time?
(2) What do you say when you greet
someone in the afternoon?
(3) What do you say when you ask
somebody's field of study?
(4) What do you say when you leave
home to go to school?
(5) What do you say when you leave
your professor's house?
1
2
3
4
5

30. Exercise 2
II. Fill in the blank with the correct particles.
(1) Yamada-san wa Kimura-san ___ tomodachi desu.
(2) Kochira ___ Yamada-san desu.
(3) Watashi wa gakusei desu.
Anata ___ gakusei desu ka.
Translate the sentences above
1.
2.
3.

31. Answers
Answers for the Exercises
I.
(1) Hajimemashite. はじめまして。
(2) Konnichiwa. こんにちは。
(3) Go-senmon wa nan desu ka. ご専門は何ですか。
(4) Ittekimasu. いってきます。
(5) Shitsureishimasu. 失礼します。
II.
(1) no (2) wa (3) mo
III.
(1) Watashi wa hisho desu. 私は秘書です。
(2) Yamada-san wa gakusei dewa arimasen. 山田さんは学生
ではありません。
(3) Nihon-jin desu ka. 日本人ですか。

32. References/ Recommended Websites
http://japanese.about.com/
http://www.behindthename.com/names/usage/ja
panese
http://jlptdekiru.blogspot.com/2011/09/lesson-1-
tips-for-passing-jlpt-n5.html
http://art-educ4kids.weebly.com/japanese-
art.html
Videos
Introduction to Japanese - Why Learn
Japanese?
Learn the Top 25 Must-Know Japanese
Phrases!
Introduction to Japanese Pronunciation
Introduction to Japanese Grammar
Introduction to Japanese Writing