Japanese basic words game
The scaffolding rather than the vocabulary: hai, iie, watashi, kare, kanojo, then the particles to and mo, and the place words koko, soko and ima. Anata is in here too, though Japanese uses it far less than English uses you.
27 words 5 games Free · no signup
Five games take this set. Flooded Hold suits it, because these words are short and easy to half-know, and a game that asks whether a pairing is right catches a half-known word faster than one that offers you options.
The 27 words you will practise
| Japanese | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| はいhai | yes | hi |
| いいえiie | no | EE-eh |
| お願いしますonegaishimasu | please | oh-neh-guy-shee-MAHS |
| ありがとうarigatō | thank you | ah-ree-GAH-toh |
| すみませんsumimasen | excuse me, sorry, thank you | soo-mee-mah-SEN |
| たぶんtabun | maybe | TAH-boon |
| いいii | good | ee |
| 悪い わるいwarui | bad | wah-ROO-ee |
| とてもtotemo | very | TOH-teh-moh |
| 少し すこしsukoshi | a little | soo-KOH-shee |
| 私 わたしwatashi | I | wah-TAH-shee |
| あなたanata | you | ah-NAH-tah |
| 彼 かれkare | he | KAH-reh |
| 彼女 かのじょkanojo | she | kah-NOH-joh |
| 私たち わたしたちwatashitachi | we | wah-tah-shee-TAH-chee |
| 友達 ともだちtomodachi | friend | toh-moh-DAH-chee |
| とto | and | toh |
| でもdemo | but | DEH-moh |
| もmo | also | moh |
| ここkoko | here | KOH-koh |
| そこsoko | there | SOH-koh |
| 今 いまima | now | EE-mah |
| 水 みずmizu | water | MEE-zoo |
| 食べ物 たべものtabemono | food | tah-beh-MOH-noh |
| 家 いえie | house | EE-eh |
| 大きい おおきいōkii | big | OH-kee |
| 小さい ちいさいchiisai | small | chee-SIGH |
Want the explanations rather than the drill? Read the Japanese basic words lesson.
5 games run on this set
- Sky Rescue: 10 rounds
- Pop Quiz: 10 rounds
- Kraken Escape: 48 rounds
- Warp Run: 10 rounds
- Flooded Hold: 6 rounds
Questions
Why is anata rarely used if it means you?
Because Japanese prefers a name or a title where English would use a pronoun. Anata can sound distant or, between couples, oddly intimate. Learning it is useful; reaching for it in conversation usually is not.
What are to and mo doing here?
They are particles, the small words that mark how a sentence fits together. To joins two nouns, roughly and. Mo means too or also. Neither translates cleanly on its own, which is why they are worth meeting early rather than late.
Koko and soko?
Koko is here, near the speaker. Soko is there, near the listener. Japanese has a third, asoko, for somewhere away from both, and the same three-way split runs through kore, sore and are.
Keep learning Japanese in Vocabloot
Snap anything and learn the Japanese word for it, with pronunciation and an example sentence.
