NCEA Level 2 Japanese flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

〜てください

Please do X. Used when the speaker asks someone to perform an action; formed by te-form plus ください. Politeness rises with context and tone.

〜ないでください

Please do not do X. Negative request made from the nai-form plus でください. It appears in announcements, instructions, and polite warnings.

Counter 本

Counter for long thin objects. Sound changes occur: 一本 is ippon, 三本 is sanbon, 六本 is roppon; use hon for 四本 and 五本.

まず, つぎに, さいごに

Sequence markers meaning first, next, finally. They signal the order of steps in recipes, directions, and school routines, so answers should follow that order.

でも and しかし

Contrast connectors meaning but or however. でも is common in speech; しかし is more formal and often written. They introduce a statement that reverses the previous expectation.

〜つもりです

Expresses a planned intention: I intend to do X. The verb before it is in dictionary form, as in 行くつもりです. Negative intention is 行かないつもりです.

〜かもしれません

Expresses possibility: might or may. It attaches to plain forms, as in 雨かもしれません. It marks lower certainty than でしょう and is common in forecasts and guesses.

Politeness in listening

です and ます mark formal or neutral polite speech; plain forms mark informal talk with close peers or family. Noticing the shift helps identify who is speaking to whom.

〜ませんか

Invitation meaning Won't you do X? It is more polite than 〜ましょう. A positive reply often uses いいですね or ぜひ; a refusal softens with ちょっと.

〜ましょう

Suggestion or joint action meaning Let's do X. It is used when the speaker proposes doing something together, as in 行きましょう, and is less tentative than 〜ませんか.

AよりBのほうが

Comparative pattern: B is more [adjective] than A. Put the lower item before より and the preferred item before のほうが, then add an adjective such as 高いです.

〜てから

Means after doing X. The te-form plus から shows sequence, as in 食べてから行きます. The second action happens after the first is complete.

Reason with から

から marks a reason or cause and follows a clause, as in 雨だから行きません. In polite speech the reason clause can precede the main statement.

Small っ

A small っ is not pronounced as tsu; it creates a one-beat pause before the next consonant, as in きって or がっこう. Skipping it changes rhythm and meaning.

Long vowels

A long vowel is held for two beats: おばさん aunt versus おばあさん grandmother. In katakana it is written with ー, as in コーヒー.

Repair phrases

Useful phrases for fixing misunderstanding: すみません、もう一度お願いします means please say it again; どういう意味ですか asks what something means.

は versus が

は marks the topic or contrast; が marks the subject, especially new information or answers to who or what questions. Compare だれが来ましたか with 田中さんが来ました.

〜ている

Shows an ongoing action or a state resulting from a past action. 食べている means is eating; 結婚している means is married. Context decides which reading fits.

〜てある

Describes a state left by someone's intentional action, as in 窓が開けてある the window has been opened. The object is often marked by が.

Passive 〜れる/られる

Shows that the subject receives an action. Godan verbs use 〜れる and ichidan verbs use 〜られる, as in 褒められる. The doer is marked by に.

Transitive pair 開ける/開く

開ける is transitive: someone opens something, with を. 開く is intransitive: something opens, with が. Similar pairs include 入れる/入る and 出す/出る.

Conditional と

と marks a natural or automatic consequence, as in 春になると花が咲きます. It is common in facts, directions, and general truths, not in requests.

これ・それ・あれ

これ refers to something near the speaker; それ to something near the listener; あれ to something far from both. この, その and あの must be followed by a noun.

Radical and okurigana

The radical gives a kanji's broad meaning category; okurigana are the kana endings that complete a word. 上がる and 上る differ in reading and meaning.

Time place object verb

Japanese neutral order is time, place, object, then verb, as in 昨日 学校で 日本語を 勉強しました. Particles mark each role, so order can change for emphasis.

〜と思います

Expresses opinion or supposition: I think that. It follows a plain-form clause, as in いいと思います. Use 〜と思いませんか to invite agreement politely.

しかし

Formal contrast connector meaning however. It joins sentences and signals a reversal; in informal writing でも or けど is more natural. Place it at the start of the contrasting sentence.

Past polite forms

For です and ます verbs, past polite is 〜ました and negative past is 〜ませんでした. For nouns and na-adjectives, past is 〜でした and negative past is 〜ではありませんでした.

Particle で

Marks location of an action, means or tool, or material: 図書館で勉強する, ペンで書く, 木で作る. It does not mark destination; に marks destination.

Particle に

Marks destination, specific time, or recipient: 学校に行く, 三時に会う, 友だちにあげる. With movement verbs it contrasts with で, which marks where an action happens.

Katakana long vowel

In katakana, long vowels are written with ー, as in コーヒー, ケーキ, and スーパー. Missing the mark shortens the vowel and can make the word harder to read.

Writing a paragraph

A clear paragraph has a topic sentence, supporting details, and a closing sentence. Connectives such as まず, また, and だから show how ideas relate.