Transcript
Top 5 Phrases Your Teacher Will Never Teach You
After your poor showing the first day of class, it's not likely that your Japanese teacher will take you under her wing and teach you the Japanese phrases all the cool kids are using. So you're on your own to learn the lexicon of a true Japanese conversationalist. Without these cool Japanese phrases, you'll be stuck just nodding or shaking your head at people as they speak Japanese all day long-and that's bound to give you a headache or make you dizzy-much dizzier than learning a bunch of Japanese kanji!
This Japanese All About lesson will teach you about the top five Japanese phrases you'll need to know for conversation that you probably won't learn in any Japanese classroom. You'll learn how to know when the Japanese-speaking people around you are agreeing with you, not believing you, or just thinking you're a fool-but they'd never do that, would they? Visit us at GengoLanguages.com where you will find many more fantastic Japanese lessons and learning resources! Leave us a message while you are there!
Top Five Phrases Your Teacher Will Never Teach You
The focus of this lesson is teaching you some very common Japanese expressions you might not learn from a Japanese teacher.
1. Sugoi (???)
Sugoi is an adjective meaning "wow," "amazing," or "great." This word is commonly heard and is often used when one hears or sees something interesting or unusual.
2. Baka (??)
Baka is a noun meaning "idiot" or "fool." When used as baka na (???), it becomes an adjective meaning "stupid." This word can either be insulting or playful depending on how it is used. When used in a serious manner, it can come across as a strong insult, so it's better to exercise caution with this word. When used as a joke among friends, it can come off as playful.
3. Uso (???)
Uso literally means "lie," but when used as an exclamation, it corresponds to "No way!" or "Really!?" in English. If someone says this in response to something you have said, don't worry - they're not calling you a liar, but rather expressing surprise or disbelief.
4. Words used by young people:
Ch? (?)
Ch? is a slangy adverb that usually comes before adjectives to emphasize them, making this word the equivalent of "very," "so," or "really." For example, muzukashii means "difficult," so ch? muzukashii would mean "really difficult," or "so difficult."
Yabai (???)
Yabai is a very slangy word that has a few different meanings. When used as an exclamation (yabai!), it usually indicates that something is wrong and roughly means "oh no!" or "shoot!" When used to describe something, it can have both a good meaning and a bad meaning depending on the context. For example, Kono eiga wa yabai! ("This movie is yabai!") could either mean that the movie was great or that it was bad.
Maji (??)
Maji is similar to ch? in that it often comes before adjectives to emphasize them. When used as maji de?! (????!), it becomes an exclamation meaning "Really?!" or "Are you serious?!"
Sug? (???)
Sug? is a colloquial version of the above-mentioned sugoi. In young people's speech (and particularly in young male speech), the "-oi" and "-ai" word endings turn into an "eh" sound.
5. Aizuchi
Aizuchi are frequent interjections listeners make during a Japanese conversation that show the listener is paying attention to and understanding the speaker. Some common ones include:
S? s??Da yo ne~ (?????????)
"Yeah" or "I know~" (expressing agreement)
Un un (????)
"Okay" or "Yeah". Sometimes used just to show that you are listening.
H? (???)
"Whoa!" or "Oh!" This is often used to show that you are impressed or that you didn't know something.
