Learn Japanese

Guardian Of Time's Sailor Moon Site

Anime: a common abbreviation of the Japanese term for animation.

Baka: stupid, fool, idiot

Bakku Mirra: Rear view mirror, yet another cognate

Bishonen: a pretty boy

Bishoujo: a beautiful or pretty girl

Buibuiiwaseru: the verb used to describe girls who are begging to get flattered, or someone who is a show-off

Chibi: a short person or kid

Doujinshi: Manga done by fans

Ecchi: mildly perverted

Fuku: clothes, uniform EX--> Sailor Fuku

Gerogero: Gross, really bad

Henshin: transformation

Hentai: extremely perverted

Hiragana: one of the Japanese phonetic alphabets, used for native words.

Imoppoi: Uncool, hillbilly

Interi: this word comes from the English word, intelligent, it describes someone brainy

Kakkoii: Totally cool

Kanji: Chinese characters as used in Japanese, with different meanings/pronunciations

Katakana: one of the Japanese phonetic alphabets, mainly used for borrowed words.

Kawaii: cute adorable

Kiipaa: keeper, saound familiar?? it's a cognate

Konnichiwa: good day, hello

Kowai: scared, afraid, scary

Kuso: ok...I'll be blunt, shit

Mahou Shoujo: Magical girl

Manga: Japanese comics

Manga-ka: the manga writer/artist

Muka-muka: angry, ticked off

Mukatsuku: Furious, pissed off

Ne: added to the end of a sentence to say "isn't it?" or "am I right?" , same as "eh?"

Obochama: Stuck-up-boy, snob

Ohayo: Good morning (or Ohayo gozaimasu to be polite)

Ojyo/Ojyosama: Stuck-up-girl, snob

Pika-Pika: Flashy, shiny (I wonder what Pikachu is trying to tell us by always yelling "Pika-Pika!"

Piku: to shake or tremble

Romaji: The English alphabet, when used to transliterate the original Japanese words.

Senpai: elder or upperclassman, can be used to honor someone. EX--> Higashi-senpai

Senshi: warrior or soldier

Seiyuu: A voice actor or actress

Shibui: The opposite of dasai; sophisticated cool people- usually guys

Sumimasen: Excuse me, as in inturupting someone, not as in bumping into them.

Tankoubon: the Japanese term for a small book

Yoai: boy love, meaning gay

Watashi wa: I am...then you say your name after it (e.g. Watashi Wa Guardian Of Time!!)

Counting from 0 to 10!

This is the easiest part. Just follow the chart listed below!

zero--> rei (different than Rei-chan!)

seven--> shichi/nana

Counting from 11 to 19!

Now, this is pretty easy to catch on to. First, you take juu, which is ten. Then add the corresponding number. So if you want to say 11, combine juu, which is ten, and ichi, which is one. So you got juuichi. See? I told ya it was easy! So that means twelve is juuni, thirteen is juusan, fourteen is juushi and so on.

Counting from 20 to 99!

Now it manages to get even easier! Lets use 23 as our example. First you take ni for the two and add juu. Then you add san for the three. So all together its nijuusan. So, that would mean 87 is hachi (eight), juu (ten), and nana (three), all together hachijuunana. Got it? Good!

Counting from 100 up!

Here's a list of all the terms used for 100 and up. Simply add them to the front of the terms. So 123 is hyakunijuusan.

The Japanese use 10,000 as a counting unit, each unit of 10,00 is called man. So 10,000 is ichiman, 20,000 is niman. 300,000 is sanjuuman. This continues until 100,000,000, which is ichioku. I think that's far enough, though!!

This is probably the most important thing you'll need to know about Japanese, cuz if you can't pronounce the words right, people won't have a clue of what you're saying! Japanese vowels are kind of like Spanish vowels, so it helps if you know a little Spanish but it doesn't matter if you don't.

Here's a list of Japanese vowels and their English equivalents:

'a' sounds like father

'e' sounds like gate

'i' sounds like feet

'o' sounds like note

'u' sounds like food

Here are some basic rules for the vowels:

~Japanese vowels can be either long or short, just like in English. Usually the letter is simply doubled in order to make it long. So a long 'a' would be presented as 'aa.' A 'u' is usually added to an 'o' to make the 'o' long.

~When two vowels are placed next to each other, the pronunciation would be the combination of both sounds. Like the word ai (love) is pronounced like the English word eye. In this case, the vowels are always short.

~The letters i and u are often not pronounced at all, or just barely whispered. This usually happens if they are preceded by 'voiceless' consanants such as p, t, k, ch, f, s, h, or sh. EX--> Suki is actually pronounced as ski.

Most consonants are pronounced just like the English ones, but there are a few exceptions. Here's a list of basic things to remember for the consonants.

~The Japanese r is pronounced kinda like a Spanish r, minus the trill.

~There is no L in Japanese. When Japanese is converted into English, all the L's are written as r's. This doesn't mean that every r in Japanese is actually and L, however.

~The f is pronounced more like an English h, but ever breathier.

~The g is ALWAYS hard, like in Garrett, rather than soft, like George.

~The s is always hissed rather than voiced.

~If a consonant is doubled, always pronounce both consonants or you could end up saying something completly different!

How are the senshi names related?

Asian mythology recognizes five elements, which are different from the European earth, wind, fire, and water. The five Asian elements are earth, fire, water, metal, and wood. The inner senshi kanji (a form of Japanese writing) are based on the five elements. The kanji for Mercury means 'Water Star', 'Fire Star' for Mars, 'Wood Star' for Jupiter, and 'Metal Star' for Venus. While the outer senshi are not related to the elements, they maintain a style similar to the inner senshi. Uranus's kanji is 'Sky King Star,' Neptune means 'Ocean King Star,' Pluto is 'Dead King Star,' and Saturn is 'Earth (soil) Star.'

Note that several senshi's family names are also derived from the Japanese kanji spelling of the planet:

Ten'ou -- ten'ousei

Different Keisho, AKA "Honorifics"

CHAN - Using the -chan ending with a name [ie. Usagi-chan, Mamo-Chan] denotes familiarity and informal friendship ("tu"); it is commonly used with friends, children and pets. Using the -chan ending with someone older than yourself is considered very rude, like a child addressing an adult by his/her first name in English.

HIME - The -hime ending with a name directly translates as "princess" [ie. Kakyuu-hime, Mononoke-Hime]

KO - Using the -ko ending with a name [ie. Usa-ko] denotes familiarity with a female, like a girlfriend. Mamoru calls Usagi Usa-ko after they begin dating.

SAN - Using the -san ending with a name [ie. Mamoru-san, Haruka-san] denotes formality ("vous") Think of it as Mr/Miss/Mrs; commonly used from student to older adult, classmates, or people unfamiliar/unclose with each other.

SAMA - Using the -sama ending with a name [ie. Galaxia-sama] denotes formality and deep respect. Usually with royalty, leaders, or someone greatly admired (not to be confused with formality and -san)

TACHI - Using the -tachi ending with a word is a pluralization for words (subject-verb agreement!) Think of "I am" and "We are" in English; when the subject is changed, the honorfic is changed as well. As in Haruka-Tachi, which would mean Haruka and everyone with her, also used for Haruka and Michiru.

NO HONORIFIC - This denotes a *very* close relationship between the two who do this; appropriate for Haruka & Michiru. (in the episode when Minako and Usagi meet Haruka, they comment on the no honorific thing between Haruka and Michiru, concluding that they are *close*)

KUN- It basically means the same thing as chan, only you use it with boys you are close to instead of girls.

SENSEI- Which literally means "teacher", but it can apply to doctors, politicians, kung-fu master, or anyone else who is looked up to as an instructor.

Bento: A box lunch for one person. Whenever a character is at school, this is almost always what you see them with for lunch. (makoto was eating out of one the first episode she appeared in!)

Hanami: From episode 51. Hanami is cherry-blossom viewing. Cherry blossoms are symbolic of spring in Japan. People will gather for Hanami parties under the blossoms in the spring to eat, sing, talk, basically enjoy themselves while watching the cherry-blossoms.

Dolls: "At one time certain dolls were actually said to come alive, to take to their small bodies a human soul, and the belief is merely an echo of the old idea that much love will quicken to life the image of a living thing" (Davis, 215). In one of the episodes involving Nephrite, a doll comes to life. And the old belief of dolls possessing a soul, may have something to do with the dolls scattered at Hotaru's feet while possessed by Mistress 9.

Kendo: This is a Japanese kind of fencing that is based on the samurai two-handed sword-fighting styles. To reduce injuries, the bamboo sword began to be used in the 18th century.

Kimono: Seen in the picture to the left. These are robelike garments worn by men and women (though women's are usually more colorful). The term is sometimes used for traditional Japanese clothing in general. It is always worn with the left overlapping the right side (in reverse is the way a corpse is dressed).

Kingyo-Sukui: Goldfish dipping. Commonly seen at festivals. Using a spoon made with a handle with a loop of wire and paper over the loop, players try to catch the goldfish in the tank. It takes skill.

Nigirimeshi: Rice ball filled with fish eggs, or salted fish or plum. They might be wrapped in sheet seaweed, or sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Sailor Fuku: Sailor suit worn by middle and high school students. This uniform was modeled after European sailor uniforms, and was introduced near the beginning of the 20th century.

Sakura: Cherry blossoms. Usually a symbol for springtime, but in some contexts may have a tragic conotation. See Hanami on the Other page. (check out the cherry blossom backround!)

Tea Ceremony: "In Japan, tea-drinking has become a ritual. It is not so much a social function as a time for peaceful meditation. The elaborate tea ceremonies, cha-no-yu, have their tea-masters, etiquette and numerous observances. A cup of Japanese tea is combined with a spiritual and artistic enlightenment. But before discussing these very interesting ceremonies we must learn something about the significance of tea in China, for it was the drinking of this beverage in the Celestial Kingdom , associated with the rarest porcelain and aesthetic and religious thought, that inspired the tea cult in the Land of the Gods" (Davis, 291).

Playing is Moon Revenge, opera style!


	Guardian Of Time's Sailor Moon Site Learn Japanese Anime: a common abbreviation of the Japanese term for animation. Arigatou: Thank you Baka: stupid, fool, idiot Bakku Mirra: Rear view mirror, yet another cognate Bishonen: a pretty boy Bishoujo: a beautiful or pretty girl Buibuiiwaseru: the verb used to describe girls who are begging to get flattered, or someone who is a show-off Chibi: a short person or kid Dasai: Uncool Daisuki: I love it Demo: but Doko(ni): where? Domo: very much Doshte: why Doujinshi: Manga done by fans Ecchi: mildly perverted Eigo: English Fuku: clothes, uniform EX--> Sailor Fuku Gerogero: Gross, really bad Gomen: sorry Hai: yes Henshin: transformation Hentai: extremely perverted Hidoi: how terrible Hiragana: one of the Japanese phonetic alphabets, used for native words. Iie: no Iku-yo: let's go Imoppoi: Uncool, hillbilly Interi: this word comes from the English word, intelligent, it describes someone brainy Ja ne: bye Kakkoii: Totally cool Kanji: Chinese characters as used in Japanese, with different meanings/pronunciations Katakana: one of the Japanese phonetic alphabets, mainly used for borrowed words. Kawaii: cute adorable Kiipaa: keeper, saound familiar?? it's a cognate Konnichiwa: good day, hello Kowai: scared, afraid, scary Kudasai: Please Kuso: ok...I'll be blunt, shit Kuyashi: Good Grief Mahou Shoujo: Magical girl Manga: Japanese comics Manga-ka: the manga writer/artist Minna: everyone Muka-muka: angry, ticked off Mukatsuku: Furious, pissed off Nani: what? Nasai: sorry Ne: added to the end of a sentence to say "isn't it?" or "am I right?" , same as "eh?" Obochama: Stuck-up-boy, snob Ohayo: Good morning (or Ohayo gozaimasu to be polite) Ojyo/Ojyosama: Stuck-up-girl, snob Onegai: Please Otou-san: father Owari: the end Pika-Pika: Flashy, shiny (I wonder what Pikachu is trying to tell us by always yelling "Pika-Pika!" Piku: to shake or tremble Romaji: The English alphabet, when used to transliterate the original Japanese words. Sayonara: good bye Senpai: elder or upperclassman, can be used to honor someone. EX--> Higashi-senpai Senshi: warrior or soldier Seiyuu: A voice actor or actress Shibui: The opposite of dasai; sophisticated cool people- usually guys So ne: that is so Sugoi: cool! Sumimasen: Excuse me, as in inturupting someone, not as in bumping into them. Tankoubon: the Japanese term for a small book Tomodachi: friend Yoai: boy love, meaning gay Yokoso: welcome Yoshi: all right Watashi wa: I am...then you say your name after it (e.g. Watashi Wa Guardian Of Time!!) Counting from 0 to 10! This is the easiest part. Just follow the chart listed below! zero--> rei (different than Rei-chan!) one--> ichi two--> ni three--> san four--> shi/yon five--> go six--> roku seven--> shichi/nana eight--> hachi nine--> ku/kyuu ten--> juu Counting from 11 to 19! Now, this is pretty easy to catch on to. First, you take juu, which is ten. Then add the corresponding number. So if you want to say 11, combine juu, which is ten, and ichi, which is one. So you got juuichi. See? I told ya it was easy! So that means twelve is juuni, thirteen is juusan, fourteen is juushi and so on. Counting from 20 to 99! Now it manages to get even easier! Lets use 23 as our example. First you take ni for the two and add juu. Then you add san for the three. So all together its nijuusan. So, that would mean 87 is hachi (eight), juu (ten), and nana (three), all together hachijuunana. Got it? Good! Counting from 100 up! Here's a list of all the terms used for 100 and up. Simply add them to the front of the terms. So 123 is hyakunijuusan. 100--> hyaku 200--> niyaku 300--> sanbyaku 400--> yonhyaku 500--> gohyaku 600--> roppyaku 700--> happyaku 800--> kuyaku 900--> kyuuhyaku 1,000--> sen 2,000--> nisen 3,000--> sanzen 4,000--> yonsen 5,000--> gosen 6,000--> roksen 7,000--> nansen 8,000--> hassen 9,000--> kyuusen The Japanese use 10,000 as a counting unit, each unit of 10,00 is called man. So 10,000 is ichiman, 20,000 is niman. 300,000 is sanjuuman. This continues until 100,000,000, which is ichioku. I think that's far enough, though!! This is probably the most important thing you'll need to know about Japanese, cuz if you can't pronounce the words right, people won't have a clue of what you're saying! Japanese vowels are kind of like Spanish vowels, so it helps if you know a little Spanish but it doesn't matter if you don't. Vowels Here's a list of Japanese vowels and their English equivalents: 'a' sounds like father 'e' sounds like gate 'i' sounds like feet 'o' sounds like note 'u' sounds like food Here are some basic rules for the vowels: ~Japanese vowels can be either long or short, just like in English. Usually the letter is simply doubled in order to make it long. So a long 'a' would be presented as 'aa.' A 'u' is usually added to an 'o' to make the 'o' long. ~When two vowels are placed next to each other, the pronunciation would be the combination of both sounds. Like the word ai (love) is pronounced like the English word eye. In this case, the vowels are always short. ~The letters i and u are often not pronounced at all, or just barely whispered. This usually happens if they are preceded by 'voiceless' consanants such as p, t, k, ch, f, s, h, or sh. EX--> Suki is actually pronounced as ski. Consonants Most consonants are pronounced just like the English ones, but there are a few exceptions. Here's a list of basic things to remember for the consonants. ~The Japanese r is pronounced kinda like a Spanish r, minus the trill. ~There is no L in Japanese. When Japanese is converted into English, all the L's are written as r's. This doesn't mean that every r in Japanese is actually and L, however. ~The f is pronounced more like an English h, but ever breathier. ~The g is ALWAYS hard, like in Garrett, rather than soft, like George. ~The s is always hissed rather than voiced. ~If a consonant is doubled, always pronounce both consonants or you could end up saying something completly different! How are the senshi names related? Asian mythology recognizes five elements, which are different from the European earth, wind, fire, and water. The five Asian elements are earth, fire, water, metal, and wood. The inner senshi kanji (a form of Japanese writing) are based on the five elements. The kanji for Mercury means 'Water Star', 'Fire Star' for Mars, 'Wood Star' for Jupiter, and 'Metal Star' for Venus. While the outer senshi are not related to the elements, they maintain a style similar to the inner senshi. Uranus's kanji is 'Sky King Star,' Neptune means 'Ocean King Star,' Pluto is 'Dead King Star,' and Saturn is 'Earth (soil) Star.' Note that several senshi's family names are also derived from the Japanese kanji spelling of the planet: Mizuno -- suisei Hino -- kasei Makoto -- mokusei Aino -- kinsei Tsukino -- tsuki Meiou -- meiousei Kaiou -- kaiousei Ten'ou -- ten'ousei Tomoé -- dosei Different Keisho, AKA "Honorifics" CHAN - Using the -chan ending with a name [ie. Usagi-chan, Mamo-Chan] denotes familiarity and informal friendship ("tu"); it is commonly used with friends, children and pets. Using the -chan ending with someone older than yourself is considered very rude, like a child addressing an adult by his/her first name in English. HIME - The -hime ending with a name directly translates as "princess" [ie. Kakyuu-hime, Mononoke-Hime] KO - Using the -ko ending with a name [ie. Usa-ko] denotes familiarity with a female, like a girlfriend. Mamoru calls Usagi Usa-ko after they begin dating. SAN - Using the -san ending with a name [ie. Mamoru-san, Haruka-san] denotes formality ("vous") Think of it as Mr/Miss/Mrs; commonly used from student to older adult, classmates, or people unfamiliar/unclose with each other. SAMA - Using the -sama ending with a name [ie. Galaxia-sama] denotes formality and deep respect. Usually with royalty, leaders, or someone greatly admired (not to be confused with formality and -san) TACHI - Using the -tachi ending with a word is a pluralization for words (subject-verb agreement!) Think of "I am" and "We are" in English; when the subject is changed, the honorfic is changed as well. As in Haruka-Tachi, which would mean Haruka and everyone with her, also used for Haruka and Michiru. NO HONORIFIC - This denotes a *very* close relationship between the two who do this; appropriate for Haruka & Michiru. (in the episode when Minako and Usagi meet Haruka, they comment on the no honorific thing between Haruka and Michiru, concluding that they are close) KUN- It basically means the same thing as chan, only you use it with boys you are close to instead of girls. SENSEI- Which literally means "teacher", but it can apply to doctors, politicians, kung-fu master, or anyone else who is looked up to as an instructor. Cultural Matters Bento: A box lunch for one person. Whenever a character is at school, this is almost always what you see them with for lunch. (makoto was eating out of one the first episode she appeared in!) Hanami: From episode 51. Hanami is cherry-blossom viewing. Cherry blossoms are symbolic of spring in Japan. People will gather for Hanami parties under the blossoms in the spring to eat, sing, talk, basically enjoy themselves while watching the cherry-blossoms. Dolls: "At one time certain dolls were actually said to come alive, to take to their small bodies a human soul, and the belief is merely an echo of the old idea that much love will quicken to life the image of a living thing" (Davis, 215). In one of the episodes involving Nephrite, a doll comes to life. And the old belief of dolls possessing a soul, may have something to do with the dolls scattered at Hotaru's feet while possessed by Mistress 9. Kendo: This is a Japanese kind of fencing that is based on the samurai two-handed sword-fighting styles. To reduce injuries, the bamboo sword began to be used in the 18th century. Kimono: Seen in the picture to the left. These are robelike garments worn by men and women (though women's are usually more colorful). The term is sometimes used for traditional Japanese clothing in general. It is always worn with the left overlapping the right side (in reverse is the way a corpse is dressed). Kingyo-Sukui: Goldfish dipping. Commonly seen at festivals. Using a spoon made with a handle with a loop of wire and paper over the loop, players try to catch the goldfish in the tank. It takes skill. Nigirimeshi: Rice ball filled with fish eggs, or salted fish or plum. They might be wrapped in sheet seaweed, or sprinkled with sesame seeds. Sailor Fuku: Sailor suit worn by middle and high school students. This uniform was modeled after European sailor uniforms, and was introduced near the beginning of the 20th century. Sakura: Cherry blossoms. Usually a symbol for springtime, but in some contexts may have a tragic conotation. See Hanami on the Other page. (check out the cherry blossom backround!) Tea Ceremony: "In Japan, tea-drinking has become a ritual. It is not so much a social function as a time for peaceful meditation. The elaborate tea ceremonies, cha-no-yu, have their tea-masters, etiquette and numerous observances. A cup of Japanese tea is combined with a spiritual and artistic enlightenment. But before discussing these very interesting ceremonies we must learn something about the significance of tea in China, for it was the drinking of this beverage in the Celestial Kingdom , associated with the rarest porcelain and aesthetic and religious thought, that inspired the tea cult in the Land of the Gods" (Davis, 291). Playing is Moon Revenge, opera style!