Difference between revisions of "Japanese language"
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| − | + | The '''Japanese language''' (Kanji: 日本語; Hiragana: にほんご; ''nihongo'') incorporates two writing systems: [[Chinese characters]] known as ''[[kanji]]'' and a semi-alphabetic [[syllabary]] called ''[[kana]]''. Its grammar is similar to the [[Korean language]]. It is an [[SOV language]]. | |
| + | |||
| + | ==Grammar== | ||
| + | ===Particles=== | ||
| + | In Japanese, particles function as prepositions. They are more accurately called postpositions, though. They come after the noun they are being applied to. | ||
| + | |||
| + | For instance: | ||
| + | |||
| + | Watashi wa sakana o Hearodo ni ageta | ||
| + | |||
| + | The particles "wa", "o" and "ni" all come AFTER the noun. The sentence above translates to "I gave the fish to Harold" | ||
| + | |||
| + | The particle wa is the topic marker. This is a foreign concept to English speaking people. Take this sentence, "Zou wa hana ga nagai desu." The topic is "zou", elephant. The particle ga shows that "hana", nose, is the subject of the sentence. The sentence roughly translates to "As for elephants, their noses are long." There is added confusion though. In the sentence "Watashi wa Ichiro desu" you would expect it to translate to "As for myself, am Ichiro" when in truth it means "I am Ichiro". | ||
| + | |||
| + | *Wa: Topic (Boku '''wa'''Ichiro da) | ||
| + | *Ga: Subject (Zou wa hana '''ga''' nagai desu) | ||
| + | *O: Direct Object (chiizu '''o''' taberu) | ||
| + | *Ni: Indirect Object (Tanaka-san '''ni''' hanasu) | ||
| + | *E: Destination Indicator (Tokyo '''e'''!) | ||
| + | *De: Action Indicator (Niigata '''de'''wa sakana o taberu) | ||
| + | *No: Possession Indicator (Watashi '''no''' kamera) | ||
| + | *To: Connector (Ashita boushi '''to''' undou gutsu o motte kite kudasai) | ||
| + | *Ya: Connector (Gakkou ga hajimattara, pen '''ya''' nooto '''ya''' jisho ga hitsuyo desu) | ||
| + | *Mo: Includer (Watashi '''mo''' miru!) | ||
| + | *Ka: Question marker (Ima wa nan ji desu '''ka''') | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | See: | ||
| + | *[[Japanese and Korean]] | ||
| + | *[[Pronouns in Japanese]] | ||
| + | *[http://www.timwerx.net/language/particles.htm List of Particles] | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[Category: Altaic languages]] | ||
| + | [[Category: Japanese]] | ||
Revision as of 18:34, September 15, 2010
The Japanese language (Kanji: 日本語; Hiragana: にほんご; nihongo) incorporates two writing systems: Chinese characters known as kanji and a semi-alphabetic syllabary called kana. Its grammar is similar to the Korean language. It is an SOV language.
Grammar
Particles
In Japanese, particles function as prepositions. They are more accurately called postpositions, though. They come after the noun they are being applied to.
For instance:
Watashi wa sakana o Hearodo ni ageta
The particles "wa", "o" and "ni" all come AFTER the noun. The sentence above translates to "I gave the fish to Harold"
The particle wa is the topic marker. This is a foreign concept to English speaking people. Take this sentence, "Zou wa hana ga nagai desu." The topic is "zou", elephant. The particle ga shows that "hana", nose, is the subject of the sentence. The sentence roughly translates to "As for elephants, their noses are long." There is added confusion though. In the sentence "Watashi wa Ichiro desu" you would expect it to translate to "As for myself, am Ichiro" when in truth it means "I am Ichiro".
- Wa: Topic (Boku waIchiro da)
- Ga: Subject (Zou wa hana ga nagai desu)
- O: Direct Object (chiizu o taberu)
- Ni: Indirect Object (Tanaka-san ni hanasu)
- E: Destination Indicator (Tokyo e!)
- De: Action Indicator (Niigata dewa sakana o taberu)
- No: Possession Indicator (Watashi no kamera)
- To: Connector (Ashita boushi to undou gutsu o motte kite kudasai)
- Ya: Connector (Gakkou ga hajimattara, pen ya nooto ya jisho ga hitsuyo desu)
- Mo: Includer (Watashi mo miru!)
- Ka: Question marker (Ima wa nan ji desu ka)
See:
