Let's communicate in Japanese, start with a self-introduction / Lv-Start, Japanese language learning support
Let's communicate in Japanese
Let's start each day in a new place with self-introductions.
Whether at school, work, clubs, or volunteering, good teamwork is important no matter where you are or what you do.
In today's blog, we will practice with a sample self-introduction,
Let's take a moment to think about some good conversation-starting techniques (aka "small talk").
☆Advice for reading blogs☆
●If you find it difficult to read, please try reading the translation of this page into other languages such as English or Chinese. You can select the language you want to display using the button on the top right of the page.
●Please read all the example sentences out loud. It's OK if you can speak them with a comfortable voice.
For reference, the example sentences include the number of beats and a pronunciation guide.
Example: Nice to meet you [6] ：ha ji me ma shi te
①↑ ↑②
① [Beat]...The beat for pronouncing Japanese words. Speak each sound clearly, as if you were hitting a drum or typing on a keyboard.
② : Pronunciation guide : The types of sounds that are spoken in Japanese are written in the alphabet, one sound at a time. The basic combination is a consonant and vowel. In other words, the sounds are expressed by one hiragana character. *Forget about difficult pronunciations and special pronunciations that are affected by the surrounding environment for today's practice, and speak the self-introduction and casual conversation examples clearly and comfortably. Beautiful Japanese starts here.
Where are they talking? Who are they talking to?
When reading the example sentences, imagine the place (and time/situation) and the faces of the people around you. Everyone will be paying attention to you as you speak. If you can speak in a way that makes the other person nod and say "yes, yes," then you're doing great. You'll surely be able to speak rich, natural Japanese.
Now, let's do our best in our studies today!
2. Let's chat - Warm up your conversation
1. Introduce yourself
I get nervous when someone asks me to introduce myself.
What kind of things should I talk about?
① Name
First, say your name. You don't have to speak loudly, but just say your name clearly.
"My name is Toshiyuki Kusuda."
*If the name is Japanese or has a similar sound, there is not much of a problem.
One thing to be careful of is if you have a name that is difficult for native Japanese speakers to hear (i.e. difficult to hear as Japanese sounds!). Even if the name is relatively short, it is important to convert it into katakana and read each sound carefully.
Example: Mary → Mary (= [basic hiragana →] me-ari-i/me-arii)
"My name is Mary" [6] : me a ri i de su
It may feel unnatural at first when you're not used to it, but I hope you enjoy the feeling of the sound and enjoy speaking!
First, find out how your name is generally written in katakana and make sure you remember it.
②Origin
Tell us where you come from (your roots).
a: "I was born in Tokyo ." [9]
It's also a good idea to tell us where you were born.
b: "I came from America. " [12]
↑It means "I came from ~". If you use polite language, "maiimashita" will leave a very good impression.
* Either a or b is fine.
If you like the town where you were born, the town where you grew up, or the place that is your hometown, it would be natural to choose [a].
It is also good to state your country of origin as a simple and general greeting [b].
③Story
Tell your story.
-①What has happened so far
I studied modern Asian history at university. [8 ]
-②What's happening now?
I came to Japan a year and a half ago and worked as an English teacher (for XXXX Company). I've been living in Tokyo ever since.
[15] :i chi ne N ha N ma e ni, ni ho N ni ki te
[13] ：I want to meet you
[14] ：I want to meet you
-③What's next?
I want to live in Japan forever.
[19] :zu t to ni ho N ni su mi ta i to o mo t te i ma su
④ A greeting to follow "I look forward to working with you"
Finally, let's say hello to everyone who will be part of the same team.
Even just one word is fine, but if possible, let the person enjoy listening to how you are feeling and what is in their heart, and then move on to your greeting.
↓
I want to continue studying Japanese and become fluent in it.
I am very happy to be working in the same team as you all.
c, This is an unfamiliar job, so I may make some mistakes,
a[14, 13, 6] : ni ho N go no be N kyo oo tsu zu ke te, pe ra pe ra no ni ho N go jyo o zu ni na ri ta i de su
b[24, 14] : ko re ka ra mi na sa ma to o na ji chi i mu de ha ta ra ke ru ko to o, to te mo u re shi ku o mo t te i ma su
c[11, 15] : If you go to the top of the page, you can see the
⇒「I look forward to working with you」[11] ：yo ro shi ku o ne ga i shi ma su
[※Letting people know about you and "appealing" are very closely related things. What you say with good intentions can often give a negative impression depending on the way you speak and the mood of the situation. Remember that "about yourself" is a delicate matter. Instead, when giving a public self-introduction, try to speak with the intention of speaking to everyone listening. I'm sure you'll receive lots of warm applause in return.]
Nice to meet you! [6] ：ha ji me ma shi te
This is Mary Hepburn.
[12] : me a ri i he p pu ba a N de su
I come from America.
At university, I studied modern Oriental history.
[6, 10, 8] ：If you want to know more about it, please contact us.
I came to Japan a year and a half ago to work as an English teacher and have been living in Shinjuku ever since.
from now on,
I want to live in Japan forever!
I am working hard on my Japanese by taking online private lessons twice a week, and I would like to continue studying and become fluent in Japanese.
[5, 17, 16] : ni ho N go wa, o N ra i N no pu ra i be e to re s su N o, shu u ni ka i ga N ba t te i ru no de su ga...
I am very happy to be working in the same team as you all from now on.
This is an unfamiliar job so I may make some mistakes, but I appreciate your help.
2. Let's chat - Warm up your conversation
A: "Good morning."
B: "Oh, Mr. A. Good morning."
A: "..."
B: "..."
Aren't our conversations likely to go something like this?
I think it's quite natural to have trouble conversing well.
But, it's human nature to want to speak well (and coolly) if possible!
So today, let's look at some examples of how to connect words effectively when starting to speak.
① ＜It’s about the weather after all＞
No matter who I talk to, for some reason (?), the conversation always turns to the joyous topic of weather.
-a, sunny
Representative phrases include:
"It 's a beautiful sunny day today!" [3, 8]
"It's a lovely, clear day . " [5, 13]
" The weather is great every day!" [14]
A bright tone suits a sunny mood.
A: "It was a beautiful sunny day today!"
B: "Yes, really. The weather is great every day." [2, 5] ：ee, ho N to o ni・・・
A: " Yes , I just need sunscreen..." [2, 12]
B: "Now that I think about it, it got burnt! Did you cycle to work (school)?"
[11, 13] ：so oie ba ya ke ma shi ta ne, ji te N sha tsu u ki N de shi ta k ke
A: Yes, it's a relief that the weather is nice. [8 ]
-b, rain
Representative phrases include:
"It's raining today. " [3, 8]
"It's raining a lot. " [7]
"I'm in trouble. I'm completely overwhelmed. " [6, 12]
On rainy days, the mornings tend to be a bit damp.
A: "It's raining today..." [3, 5] :
B: "Yes, it did rain."
A: "It was raining a lot, so I got completely soaked just walking from the station."
[11, 12]：・・・e ki ka ra a ru i ta da ke de, su k ka ri nu re cha i ma shi ta yo
B: "Really?! Carrying an umbrella just makes commuting more of a hassle."
[5, 8, 12]: I'll show you how to do it.
A: "That's right. I always buy (umbrellas) at convenience stores, but now I have one more."
[4, 15, 11] ：So, I'm going to show you how to make a living
-c, cloudy
Representative phrases include:
"The weather is not very clear . " [14]
"It looks like it's going to rain. " [4, 9]
"I hope it lasts a whole day (I hope it doesn't rain and the weather stays cloudy!)" [4, 13] ：i chi ni chi, mo t te ku re ru to ii N de su ga
"Cloudy" is a grey color that is neither good nor bad.
A: "The weather is a bit gloomy."
B: "Yes, I don't have an umbrella so I hope it doesn't rain."
[2, 9, 11] :ee, ka sa mo t te na i ka ra, fu ra na i to ii N de su ga
A: "The weather forecast said it would be fine, but..."
[9, 12] : I'm going to tell you the truth.
B: "Oh, I see! But thanks to you, it's nice and cool."
[5, 2, 13, 7] ：So, I'm going to tell you,
A: "That's right! This is the best air quality."
[5, 7, 11] : so o de su ne, ko re ku ra i da to, sa i ko o no ku u ki de su ne
②＜Japan has four distinct seasons.＞
Discover the beauty of each season on your walk!
-a, spring
Representative phrases include:
"It's already spring" [7] : mo o ha ru de su ne
"It's getting warmer . " [11]
"It 's going to be a nice season." [11]
Spring is a season of meetings and partings, and life begins to move forward.
A: "It's been getting warmer recently."
B: "Yes, it's spring again this year."
A: "Yes. The cherry blossom buds are getting bigger and they look like they will bloom soon."
[2, 15, 11] : ha i, sa ku ra mo tsu bo mi ga oo ki ku na t te, mo o sa i te ki so o de su ne
B: "A few early flowers have already bloomed near my house."
[8, 15, 9] ：If you want to know more about it, please go to the store and ask for a quote.
A: "Oh really? I'm looking forward to cherry blossom viewing this year."
[2, 7, 15] : ee, ho N to o de su ka, ko to shi no ha na mi mo ta no shi mi da na a
-b, summer
Representative phrases include:
"It's summer , isn't it? " [5]
"It's hot, is n't it? " [6]
"It's getting hot and humid . " [11]
Summer is the halfway point of the year, a season of extreme heat.
A: "It's hot again today."
B: "Really? Summer is coming again this year."
[5, 12] : I'm sure you'll be able to help me
A: "Yes, it's that time of year again. I used the air conditioner when I went to bed last night."
[2, 12, 20] ：I, mo o ko N na ji ki na N de su ne, ki no o ne ru to ki ea ko N tsu ka t cha i ma shi ta yo
B: "Oh, mine is the same. It's still 'dry' though."
A: "That's right. It's not that I can't sleep well, but I'm tired but I can't sleep!"
-c, autumn
Representative phrases include:
"It's autumn now ." [8]
"It's a little cool , isn't it?" [3, 8]
"The good season is finally here again this year. " [4, 10]
Autumn is a wonderful (brief) season towards the end of the year.
A: "Good morning. It's been a bit cooler lately, hasn't it?"
[4, 3, 8] ：Sa i ki N, cho t to, su zu shi i de su yo ne
B: "Yes, it's autumn again this year."
A: "Summer is finally over, and it was really hot this year too!"
[15, 17] ：I want to know more about you.
B: "Yes, it was really hot! I didn't realize there were only three months left this year. Time flies."
[15, 8, 5] ：I want to go to the hospital and see the doctor.
A: "That's true. Just when I thought summer was finally over, the end of the year is in sight."
[15, 16] ： I want to know more about you.
-d, winter
Representative phrases include:
"It's cold today too." [6] : sa mu i de su ne
"It was cold this morning too . " [3,6]
"It really feels like winter these days." [ 4, 8]
Winter is a precious season that has gotten shorter in recent years, so the cold weather might not be so bad.
A: "Good morning. It's cold!"
B: "Yes, it's really cold. They say it's global warming, but it's really cold. " [12, 12]
A: "My coat is making my clothes bulky! Oh, is that a new scarf? It's nice."
[8, 7, 1, 6, 10, 5] : ko o to ga a ru ka ra, ka sa ba t cha t te, a, so no ma fu ra a, a ta ra shi i ya tsu de su ka, ii de su ne
B: "Oh, this. Thank you. I found it the other day and bought it." [2,2, 9, 9] ：aa, ko re, ko no ai da mi tsu ke te, ka t cha t ta N de su yo
A: "Oh, is that so? It looks so good on you, I thought it was hand-knitted by your wife."
[1, 7, 7, 17] :a, so o na N de su ka, ni at te ru ka ra, o ku sa N no te a mi ka to o mo i ma shi ta yo
I picked out the topics "weather" and "four seasons" and came up with some topics for chatting.
If you find something that you think might be helpful, please try it out.
Other things include:
"I took a picture of the cherry blossoms" (Spring)
[13] ：The person who was in charge of the
"I went to Mt. Fuji over the weekend." (Summer, July-August)
[5, 13] ：If you want to know more about
"Matsutake mushrooms are already in the supermarkets!" (Autumn)
[2, 5, 10] :mo o, su u pa a ni, ma tsu ta ke ga de te ma su ne
"This year's year-end party is going to be hotpot!" (Winter)
[11, 7] ： I'm going to be a
"Another typhoon is coming. I wonder if the test day will be a holiday." (Weather forecast)
[10, 6, 11] ：Ma ta ta i fu u ku ru t te, te su to no hi wa, ya su mi ni na ra na i ka na a
"Did you see it? Yesterday's news. What...?" (News)
[4, 7, 2] ：I'm here, I'm here,
↑※ If you talk about your favorite topic honestly and with good manners, I'm sure you'll be able to lead a natural and smooth conversation.
Japanese is said to be a high-context language, so if you can say something that you feel comfortable with, that should be a good way to start a conversation.
That's all for today's study.
Let's aim to become fluent in Japanese and start speaking!
Today, we focused on the theme of self-introductions and warming up for small talk, and took a look at the concept of "starting to speak."
Learning a foreign language is an encounter with new knowledge.
It's fun.
Studying is a process of long and difficult hours, but the skills you acquire are invaluable and enjoyable, and it is surely a form of acquiring a "culture" in itself.
Memorize it, and once you've memorized it, start speaking it with those around you.
I believe that native Japanese speakers will respond well if you approach them in Japanese.
Always try to speak fluent Japanese by taking half of your feelings and half of the feelings of the person you are speaking to into consideration.
If you can engage in conversation in a way that makes it easy for the other person to speak, I think that is excellent Japanese.
Foreign language skills are a combination of the careful study of small details such as vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension.
Keep studying every day.
If you find yourself stuck at your desk, now is the time to try taking lessons from a professional teacher.
I'm sure you'll be surprised at the Japanese language discoveries you'll make in our Japanese language classes.
We at JLS would like to wholeheartedly welcome all of you from overseas.
