Military Japanese/Part 1

by Yukuo Uyehara

Part I
Language Lessons

Lesson I

Pronunciation

1. The basic sounds of the Japanese language in Romanized form are as follows:

a	i	u	e	o
ka sa ta na ha ma ya ra wa	ki shi chi ni hi mi i ri i	ku su tsu nu fu mu yu ru u	ke se te ne he me e re e	ko so to no ho mo yo ro (w)o
n

The vowels a, i, u, e, o have only one sound each, as:

a in father
ai in machine
u in bull
e in met
o in obey

The other sounds are self-explanatory if one is careful about combining the initial consonants with the proper vowel sounds. Every Japanese syllable ends in a vowel sound, excepting n. However, to be very precise, f in fu is pronounced somewhere between f and h; r in r line to be pronounced between l and r.

2. There are sounds that are developed from some of the above-mentioned basic sounds:

a. “Impure” sounds are those developed from several lines of the arrangements of the basic sounds:

ga^[1] gi gu ge go (from ka, ki, ku, ke, ko) za ji zu ze zo (from sa, shi, su, se, so) da ji zu de do (from ta, chi, tsu, te, to) ba bi bu be bo (from ha, hi, fu, he, ho) pa pi pu pe po (from ha, hi, fu, he, ho)

b. So-called “crooked” sounds are as follows:

kya	kyu	kyo	(from k line)
sha	shu	sho	(from s line)
cha	chu	cho	(from t line)
nya	nyu	nyo	(from n line)
hya	hyu	hyo	(from h line)
mya	myu	myo	(from m line)
rya	ryu	ryo	(from r line)
gya	gyu	gyo	(from g line)
gyaja	gyuju	gyojo	(from z line)
byaja	byuju	byojo	(from d line)
bya	byu	byo	(from b line)
pya	pyu	pyo	(from p line)

c. Words with double consonants are sometime called “stopped sounds.” These require a pause equivalent in length to one syllable.

pp	Nippon is pronounced Nip-pon
pp	teppō is pronounced tep-pō
tt	wakatte is pronounced wakat-te
tt	chotto is pronounced chot-to
kk	gakkō is pronounced gak-kō

d. There are many sounds that are exactly twice as long as the ordinary sounds. In this manual, they are indicated by diacritical marks, as:

• dōshite
• bangō
• taishō
• jū
• teppō

e. Accent: Accent in Japanese differs a little from that of English. Accent in Japanese is based rather on pitch than on stress. Many polysyllabic words have no more stress on one syllable than another. For these reasons there is a popular misconception that the Japanese language has no accent at all. There is no way of telling the accented syllables in this manual, but despite this fact one will have no trouble in being understood if his pronunciation is what it should be. It is well, however, to avoid undue stress on the penult, a mistake frequently made by students of Japanese.

• Yamada and not Yamáda
• watakushi and not watakúshi
• Yamamoto and not Yamamóto

Lesson II

1. Memorize the following interrogatives:

dare	who?
nani (nan)	what?
doko	where?
itsu	when?
naze	why?
dōshite	how?
ikutsu	how many? how old?
ikura	how much?
[2]desu; de arimasu (de aru)	am; are; is

2. Memorize:

watakushi	I; me
anata	you
teppō	rifle; gun
kore	this; these	wa----desu	am; are; is

3. The fact that a question is being asked is indicated by adding ka to the sentence and a rising inflection.

ka

?

4. Type sentences:

Kore wa teppō desu	This is a gun.
Kore wa anata desu	This is you.
Kore wa watakushi desu.	This is I.

“Wa” is a nominative case ending, and completes a sentence with the final verb, “desu.” In other words, English “am,” “is” or “are” is expressed by wa-----desu. In general there is no number in Japanese. Therefore the sentences: This is a rifle or These are rifles in Japanese are expressed in the identical form: Kore wa teppō desu. Remember the verb always comes last in the sentence.

Kore wa dare desu ka	Who is this? Who are these?
Kore wa nan desu ka	What is this? What are these?
Kore wa ikura desu ka	How much is this?
Kore wa doko desu ka.	Where is this?

In asking a question, no change in word order, such as is usual in English, is necessary. The only thing needed is to add ka to the end of the statement and a rising inflection, for example:

Kore wa teppō desu	This is a rifle.
Kore wa teppō desu ka	Is this a rifle? Are these rifles?
Kore wa anata desu	This is you.
Kore wa anata desu ka	Is this you?
​
Dare desu ka	Who is (it)?
Nani (nan) desu ka	What is (it)?
Doko desu ka	Where is (it)?
Itsu desu ka	When is (it)?
Naze desu ka	Why is (it)?
Dōshite desu ka	How is (it)? In what way?
Ikutsu desu ka	How many is (it)? How old are you?
Ikura desu ka	How much is (it)?

However, in military questions one can omit the verb and say abruptly:

Dare ka	Who?
Nani ka	What?
Doko ka	Where?
Itsu ka	When?
Naze ka	Why?
Dōshite ka	How?
Ikutsu ka	How many? How old?
Ikura ka	How much?

Although the above structure is permissible, the complete form is the more polite, and better results may be attained, in questioning a prisoner, etc., by its use. Generally speaking, complete form should be used in questioning officers and abrupt form by officers questioning enlisted men.

Lesson III

1. Memorize the following:

na; namae	name
butai[3]	unit of indefinite size
kurai	rank
to	and (when used to connect nouns and pronouns) with (only when employed for animate objects)
no	(possessive case ending); of; ’s
hai	yes
iie	no
Ohayō (gozaimasu)	Good morning!
Konnichi wa	Hello; How do you do?
Konban wa	Good evening!
Ikaga desu ka	How are you?
Arigatō (gozaimasu)	Thanks; Thank you.
Jōbu desu	(I) am well.
Oyasumi (nasai)	Good night!
Sayōnara	Good-bye

2. Negation is expressed by:

de arimasen; dewa arimasen	is not; am not; are not
Kore wa teppō desu	This is a rifle
Kore wa teppō de arimasen	This is not a rifle

3. Before going on with this lesson, let us review briefly what we have learned in the previous lesson.

Kore wa anata desu	This is you.
Kore wa dare desu ka	Who is this?
Kore wa ikura desu ka	How much is this?
Kore wa doko desu ka	Where is this?
Kore wa teppō desu ka	Is this a rifle?
Dare desu ka	Who is (it)?
Nani (Nan) desu ka	What is (it)?
Ikutsu desu ka	How many it (it)? How old (are you)?
Dare ka	Who?
Doko ka	Where?
Ikura ka	How much?

4. The greetings introduced in this lesson are very idiomatic and should be memorized as such. In learning a language, it is often necessary merely to “swallow” certain expressions as they come. Do not try to fit the language into English to satisfy yourself. No matter how illogical the construction may seem from the standpoint of the English language, the constructions are correct in the other language. In the expression, Konnichi wa (How do you do?), konnichi means today and wa is a postposition, if broken up, word by word. However, the whole expression corresponds to How do you do? Of course, this should be used only during the day.

5. Type sentences:

Anata no na wa nan desu ka	What is your name?
Anata no butai wa nan desu ka	What is your unit?
Anata no butai wa doko desu ka	Where is your unit?
Kore wa dare no desu ka	Whose is this?
Watakushi no desu	(It is) mine.
Anata no kurai wa nan desu ka	What is your rank?
Anata no na wa nan desu ka	What is your name?
Yamada[4] desu	(It is) Yamada.
Kore wa anata no desu ka	Is this yours?
Hai, watakushi no desu	Yes, mine.
Iie, watakushi no dewa arimasen	No, not mine.
Kore wa dare desu ka	Who is this?
Kore wa dare to dare desu ka	Who are these (Who and who are these)?
Kore wa teppō desu ka	Is this a rifle?
Iie, teppō dewa arimasen	No, (it) is not a rifle.
Ohayō ikaga desu ka	Good morning; how are you?
Arigatō, jōbu desu	Thank you; I am well.
Sayōnara	Good-bye!

6. In a brusque military fashion one may say:

Na wa nani ka	What is your name?
Butai wa doko ka	Where is (your) unit?
Kore wa dare no ka	Whose is this?
Kurai wa nani ka	What is (your) rank?
Kore wa teppō ka	Is this a rifle?

In Japanese pronouns should be used much more sparingly than in English. It is better and more natural under many circumstances not to use them at all. This fact will be illustrated better when more verbs are introduced in the later chapters.

Jōbu desu. for (Watakushi wa jōbu desu.)

Na wa nan desu ka. for (Anata no na wa nan desu ka.

Also, in Japanese the expressions (it is) or (this is) are not totally employed. In answer to: Kore wa nan desu ka (What is this?), simply say: Teppō desu.

 

Lesson IV

1. Memorize the following:

gunjin	members of the armed forces
Eigo	English
Nippon	Japan
Nippongo	Japanese language
tabemasu (taberu)	eat
wakarimasu (wakaru)	understand
agemasu (ageru)	give (you, him); raise
ga; shikashi	but; however
imasu (iru)	am; is; are (animate)
orimasu (oru)	am; is; are (animate)

2. Demonstrative pronouns:

kore	this; these
sore	that; it; those
are	that yonder, etc.

Sore and are both mean that, it and those. However, the latter indicates something relatively farther away in space than the former.

— ga arimasu	There is (are) — (inanimate object)
— ga imasu	There is (are) — (animate object)
— ga orimasu	There is (are) — (animate object)

4. Postpositions. The case endings are usually called postpositions and may be classified as:

Nominative	wa; ga
Genitive	no
Dative (indirect object)	ni
Accusative (direct object)	wo

Now let us go back to the vocabulary. Tabemasu, wakarimasu, agemasu, are all verbs in the present tense. Remember that all verbs in the conversational present tense end in -masu.

As we have learned, there is a difference between sore and are.

Sore wa nan desu ka	What is that?
Are wa nan desu ka	What is that yonder?

—ga arimasu and —ga imasu (orimasu) both mean there is (are). There is is employed not in the sense of over there but of the usual beginning of a sentence, as in: There is a soldier in the house.

Teppō ga arimasu	There is a gun.
Dare ga imasu ka	Who is there?

Postpositions must be used in the following way:

a. Nominative case ending:

Kore wa teppō desu	This is a rifle.
Kore ga teppō desu	This is a rifle.

Ga is emphatic, and gives distinction to the things nominated. In the former sentence, we wish to make it clear that this is a rifle and not anything else. In the latter, we want to say that this one is a rifle and not that one.

b. Genitive case ending:

Kore wa watakushi no teppō desu

This is my rifle.

c. Dative case ending:

Kore wo anata ni agemasu

I give this to you.

d. Accusative case ending:

Kore wo anata ni agemasu

I give this to you.

5. Type sentences:

Eigo ga wakarimasu ka[5]	(Do you) understand English?
Hai, wakarimasu	Yes, (I) understand.
Nani wo tabemasu ka	What do (you eat?) What will (you) eat?
Kore wo tabemasu	(I) eat this.
Sore wa Nippongo desu ka	Is that Japanese language?
Hai, Nippongo desu	Yes, (it) is Japanese.
Kore wa teppō desu ga are wa teppō dewa arimasen	This is a rifle but that is not a rifle.
Kore wa nan desu ka	What is this?
Sore wa nan desu ka	What is that?
Are wa nan desu ka	What is that?
Teppō ga arimasu	There is a rifle.
Kore wa teppō desu	This is a rifle.
Kore wa teppō desu ka	Is this a rifle?
Are wa dare desu ka	Who is that?
Are wa gunjin desu	That (He) is a soldier (sailor).
Gunjin ga imasu	There is a soldier.
Anata wa gunjin desu ka	Are you a soldier (sailor)?
Hai, gunjin desu	Yes, I am a soldier (sailor).
Na wa nan desu ka	What is your name?
Yamada desu	I am Yamada.
Anata wa Nippon no doko desu ka	What part of Japan are you from? (Where of Japan are you (from)?
Tōkyō desu	Tōkyō.

 

Lesson V

1. Memorize the following:

chizu	map
kazu	number; figure
bangō	number (numerical order)
ichiren-bangō	serial number
de	with; in; at

De can be used in several ways as in the following examples:

Teppō de	With a rifle (instrumentality).
Nippongo de	In Japanese (abstraction).
Tōkyō de	At Tōkyō (place).

2. Demonstrative adjectives:

kono	this; these
sono	that; those
ano	that; those (yonder)

Do not confound these adjectives with kore, sore and are, which are used as pronouns.

Kore wo agemasu	I give you this.
Kono teppō wo agemasu	I give you this rifle.
Kore wa dare desu ka	Who is this?
Kono gunjin wa dare desu ka	Who is this soldier?

3. Pronouns of place:

koko	this place (here)
soko	that place (there)
asoko	that place (there yonder)
​
Koko wa doko desu ka	Where is this (this place)?
Koko wa Yokohama desu	This place is Yokohama.

4. Numerals: There are two methods of counting the numbers, the pure Japanese way (kun) and the Chinese way (on). The Japanese way is used for single numbers and the Chinese as “enumeratives.” However, from eleven on, the numbers are counted only in the Chinese way.

On (Chinese)	Kun (Japanese)
ichi	hitotsu	1
ni	futatsu	2
san	mittsu	3
shi	yottsu	4
go	itsutsu	5
roku	muttsu	6
shichi	nanatsu	7
hachi	yattsu	8
ku	kokonotsu	9
jū	tō	10
​
jūichi		11
jūni		12
jūsan		13
jūshi		14
jūgo		15
jūroku		16
jūshichi		17
jūhachi		18
jūku		19
​
nijū		20
sanjū		30
shijū		40
gojū		50
rokujū		60
shichijū		70
hachijū		80
kujū		90
hyaku		100
sen		1,000
man		10,000

5. Type sentences:

Sore wa nan desu ka	What is that?
Chizu desu	It is a map.
Doko no chizu desu ka	Map of where is (it)?
Nippon no desu	(It) is of Japan.
Butai no kazu wa ikutsu desu ka	What is the number of the units?
Mittsu desu	(There) are three.
Anata no ichiren-bangō wa nan desu ka	What is your serial number?
San-shi-hachi-ni-ni desu	34822.
Kore wa Nippongo de nan desu ka	What is this in Japanese?
Kore wa dare no desu ka	Whose is this?
Sore wa watakushi no desu	That is mine.
Kono teppō wa dare no desu ka	Whose rifle is this?
Watakushi no desu	It is mine.
Sore wa doko desu ka	Where is that?
Sono butai wa doko desu ka	Where is that unit?
Koko wa doko desu ka	Where is this?
Asoko wa doko desu ka	Where is that place?
Ikutsu tabemasu ka	How many do (will) you eat?
Mittsu tabemasu	I eat three.
Jūshi tabemasu	I eat fourteen.
Nanatsu tabemasu	I eat seven.
Jūgo tabemasu.	I eat fifteen.

6. Exercises in numbers:

a.

muttsu	6
nanatsu	7
yottsu	4
kokonotsu	9
futatsu	2
roku	6
shi	4
go	5
jūichi	11
jūsan	13
jūhachi	18
nijū	20
nijūgo	25
sanjūni	32
rokujūku	69
hachijūsan	83
hyakusanjū	130
sanbyaku	300
rokujūkuman	690,000
gosenshihyaku	5,400
sanman	30,000
hyakuman	1,000,000

b. Read the following in Japanese:

• 05
• 11
• 16
• 24
• 40
• 48
• 61
• 68
• 83
• 99
• 0,100
• 0,111
• 0,234
• 0,776
• 8,832
• 05,555
• 05,478
• 66,669
• 98,671
• 99,999

If one wants to be sure of the accuracy of any numbers involved, write the Arabic numerals, as every Japanese knows them.

c. Exercises:

Bangō	Count off!
Ichi, ni, san, shi, go, roku, shichi, hachi	One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
Anata no ichiren-bangō wa nan desu ka	What is your serial number?
​
Ni-ni-go-go-shi desu	My number is 22554.
Hachi-ku-ku-ni-san desu	My number is 89923.
Roku-go-go-shi-ichi desu	My number is 65541.

 

Lesson VI

1. Memorize the following verbs:

kakimasu (kaku)	write; draw; scratch
kimasu (kuru)	come
ikimasu (iku)	go
shirimasu (shiru)	know
yomimasu (yomu)	read
hanashimasu (hanasu)	speak; talk; tell
nomimasu (nomu)	drink; take; taste

2. Verb conjugations. In the study of any language the verbs are the most important thing. In the other parts of speech only the memorizing of the vocabulary is usually necessary, but the verbs must be studied as to inflections, tenses, etc. It might be said that a person’s language ability can be judged by the way he employs his verbs. Let us take the verbs we have studied so far, including the ones introduced in this chapter, and conjugate them.

a.	desu; de arimasu (de aru)	am; is; are
b.	arimasu (aru)	is; are; there is (inanimate)
c.	imasu (iru)	is; are; there is (animate)
d.	orimasu (oru)	is; are; there is (animate)
e.	tabemasu (taberu)	eat
f.	wakarimasu (wakaru)	understand
g.	agemasu (ageru)	give (you, him)
h.	kakimasu (kaku)	write; draw; scratch
i.	kimasu (kuru)	come
j.	ikimasu (iku)	go
k.	shirimasu (shiru)	know
l.	yomimasu (yomu)	read
m.	hanashimasu (hanasu)	speak; talk; tell
n.	nomimasu (nomu)	drink; take; taste

The conjugation of Japanese verbs is carried out by the change of endings. All Japanese verbs invariably end in -u.^[6] The consonant which precedes the final u determines the conjugation. The vowel just before the final syllable is called the stem vowel of the verb. The inflective parts of verbs are roughly classified into the following:

• bu,
• gu,
• ku,
• mu,
• nu,
• ru,
• su,
• suru,
• tsu,
• u

Let us take the verb taberu (to eat), and see the different endings as conjugated:

present tense	tabe-masu	eat
pres. negative	tabe-masen	do not eat
past tense	tabe-mashita	ate
pres. progressive	tabe-te imasu	are eating
imperative	tabe-nasai	eat
negative past	tabe-masen deshita	did not eat
interrogative pres.	tabe-masu ka	do you eat?

As we see, the inflection is uniform for every verb except for the progressive tenses. To conjugate the verb in progressive forms, we must remember the following general rule. Although every verb has its own particular ending some generalization is possible as to what is to be expected. If the last syllable is:

su; suru	then, progressive is	shite
mu; nu; bu	then, progressive is	nde
gu	then, progressive is	ide
u; ru; tsu	then, progressive is	te or tte
ku	then, progressive is	ite

(yomu)	Kore wo yonde imasu	I am reading this.
(hanasu)	Nani wo hanashite imasu ka	What are you talking (about)?
(taberu)	Nani wo tabete imasu ka	What are you eating?
(iku)	Doko e itte imasu ka	Where are you going?

Other examples are not given here because we have not yet learned enough verbs for such a purpose. Now, let us take the fourteen verbs previously listed in this chapter and conjugate them one by one:

	pres. t.	pres. neg.	past	pres. prog.	imperative	neg. past	pres. interrogative
a.	desu (de arimasu)	de arimasen	deshita	de atte	................	de arimasendeshita	desu ka
b.	arimasu	arimasen	arimashita	atte	................	arimasendeshita	arimasu ka
c.	imasu	imasen	imashita	ite	inasai	imasendeshita	imasu ka
d.	orimasu	orimasen	orimashita	otte	orinasai	orimasendeshita	orimasu ka
e.	tabemasu	tabemasen	tabemashita	tabete imasu	tabenasai	tabemasendeshita	tabemasu ka
f.	wakarimasu	wakarimasen	wakarimashita	wakatte imasu	................	wakarimasendeshita	wakarimasu ka
g.	agemasu	agemasen	agemashita	agete imasu	agenasai	agemasendeshita	agemasu ka
h.	kakimasu	kakimasen	kakimashita	kaite imasu	kakinasai	kakimasendeshita	kakimasu ka
i.	kimasu	kimasen	kimashita	kite imasu	kinasai	kimasendeshita	kimasu ka
j.	ikimasu	ikimasen	ikimashita	itte imasu	ikinasai	ikimasendeshita	ikimasu ka
k.	shirimasu	shirimasen	shirimashita	shitte imasu	................	shirimasendeshita	shitte imasu ka[7]
l.	yomimasu	yomimasen	yomimashita	yonde imasu	yominasai	yomimasendeshita	yomimasu ka
m.	hanashimasu	hanashimasen	hanashimashita	hanashite imasu	hanashinasai	hanashimasendeshita	hanashimasu ka
n.	nomimasu	nomimasen	nomimashita	nonde imasu	nominasai	nomimasendeshita	nomimasu ka

3. Type sentences:

Eigo wo hanashimasu	(You, I, He) speak(s) English.
Eigo wo hanashimasen	(You, I, He) do (does) not speak English.
Eigo wo hanashimashita	(You, I, He) spoke English.
Eigo wo hanashite imasu	(You, I, He) are (am, is) speaking English.
Eigo wo hanashinasai	Speak English
Eigo wo hanashimasendeshita	(You, I, He) did not speak English.
Eigo wo hanashimasu ka	Do you (Does he) speak English?
​
Nippongo de kakimasu	I write in Japanese.
Nippongo de kakimasen	I do not write in Japanese.
Nippongo de kakimashita	I wrote in Japanese.
Nippongo de kaite imasu	I am writing in Japanese.
Nippongo de kakinasai	Write in Japanese.
Nippongo de kakimasendeshita	I did not write in Japanese.
Nippongo de kakimasu ka	Do you write in Japanese?
​
Kore wo tabemasu	I eat this.[8]
Kore wo tabemasen	I do not eat this.
Kore wo tabemashita	I ate this.
Kore wo tabete imasu	I am eating this.
Kore wo tabenasai	Eat this.
Kore wo tabemasendeshita	I did not eat this.
Kore wo tabemasu ka	Do (Will) you eat this?
​
Kore ga wakarimasu ka	Do you understand this?
Kore wo kakimashita ka	Did you write this?
Anohito wo shitte imasu ka[9]	Do you know him?
Naze nomimasen ka	Why don’t you drink?
Are wa nan deshita ka	What was that?
Kore wo yominasai	Read this.
Eigo de kakinasai	Write in English.
Naze kakimasendeshita ka	Why didn’t you write?
Wakarimasen	I do not understand.
Nonde imasu	I am drinking.
Nani wo tabete imasu ka	What are you eating?
Tabemashita	I ate.
Tabemasendeshita	I did not eat.
Wakarimasen ka	Don’t you understand?
Wakarimasu	I understand.
Wakatte imasu	I understand (I know it).
Watakushi ga kakimashita	I wrote (it).
Gunjin ga kite imasu	A soldier is coming.
Koko wa doko desu ka	Where is this?
Sore wa doko deshita ka	Where was it?

 

Lesson VII

1. Memorize the following:

migi	right
hidari	left
mae	before; in front
atsumarimasu (atsumaru)	fall in; assemble
ki wo tsukemasu (tsukeru)	Pay attention
mukimasu (muku)	face; turn
susumimasu (susumu)	advance
tomarimasu (tomaru)	stop; halt
yasumimasu (yasumu)	rest
wakaremasu (wakareru)	separate; leave

2. Military commands: In this chapter it is intended to introduce a few military commands for convenience in handling a group of prisoners of war.

Atsumare	Fall in!
Ki wo tsuke	Attention!
Bangō	Count off!
Migi muke migi	Right face!
Hidari muke hidari	Left face!
Mae e susume	Forward march!
Tomare	Halt!
Yasume	Rest!
Wakare	Dismiss!

Japanese military imperative verbs end in -e (atsumare from atsumaru). As in military commands used in the United States, some have a preparatory command and a command of execution. Three of the abovementioned commands have both:

Migi muke - - - migi	Right - - - face!
Hidari muke - - - hidari	Left - - - face!
Mae e - - - susume	Forward - - - march!

By trying to prolong the last syllable, one will get a better preparatory command, as: Migi mukē - - - migi!

3. Memorize the following:

a. Branches of the armed forces:

Rikugun	Army
Kaigun	Navy
Kugun	Air Force

b. Army ranks (officers only):

shikan	officers
​
Taishō	General
Chūshō (Chūjō)	Lieut.-General
Shōshō	Major-General
​
Taisa	Colonel
Chūsa	Lieut. Colonel
Shōsa	Major
​
Taii	Captain
Chūi	First Lieutenant
Shōi	Second Lieutenant

There is no rank in the Japanese army that corresponds to our Brigadier-General.

c. Navy ranks (officers only):

Taishō	Admiral
Chūshō (Chūjō)	Vice-Admiral
Shōshō	Rear-Admiral
​
Taisa	Captain
Chūsa	Commander
Shōsa	Lieut.-Commander
Taii	Lieutenant
Chūi	Lieutenant (j.g.)
Shōi	Ensign

The ranks for the army and the navy are the same in Japanese. Therefore, to be particular, the ranks must be preceded by Rikugun- or Kaigun- as Rikugun Taisa (Colonel) and Kaigun Taisa (Captain).

4. Review exercises: In this lesson, let us go back and review the various type sentences we have studied so far. Be sure to get accustomed to the syntax of the Japanese sentence and to the lack of pronouns, in extreme contrast to English.

a.	Dare desu ka	Who is it?
	Dare ka	Who is it?
	Ikura desu ka	How much is it?
	Naze	Why?
	Kore wa dare desu ka	Who is this?
	Kore wa teppō desu	This is a rifle.
	Ikutsu desu ka	How many? How old are you?
​
b.	Namae wa nan desu ka	What is your name?
	Yamada desu	I am Yamada.
	Butai wa	Your unit?
	Satō Butai desu	Satō Unit.
	Kurai wa nan desu ka	What is your rank?
	Shōi desu	I am a second lieutenant. (I am an ensign.)
	Anata wa ikutsu desu ka	How old are you?
	Nijūshi desu	I am twenty-four.
	Ohayō	Good morning!
	Kore wa Nippongo de nan desu ka	What is this in Japanese?
	Anata wa Nippon no doko desu ka	What part of Japan are you from?
	Koko wa doko desu ka	Where is this?
	Sore wa doko no chizu desu ka	What map is it? (Map of where is it?)
​
c.	Ikutsu tabemasu ka	How many will you eat?
	Itsutsu tabemasu	I eat five.
	Ichiman-gosen	15,000.
	Rokusen-hachijū-go	6085.
	Sanbyaku-shijū-san	343.
	Sanman-sanzen-gohyaku	33,500.
​
d.	Ikaga desu ka	How are you?
	Kore wa teppō desu ka	Is this a rifle?
	Kore wa dare no desu ka	Whose is this?
	Watakushi no desu	It is mine.
	Are wa anata no desu ka	Is that yours?
	Hai, watakushi no desu	Yes, it is mine.
	Teppō dewa arimasen	It is not a rifle.
​
e.	Sore wa Nippongo desu ka	Is that Japanese?
	Dare ga orimasu ka	Who is there?
	Anata ni agemasu	I give (it) to you.
	Eigo ga wakarimasu ka	Do you understand English?
	Kore wo kakinasai	Write this.
	Wakarimasu ka	Do you understand?
	Nomimasen ka	Don’t you drink? Won’t you drink?
	Dare ga kore wo kakimashita ka	Who wrote this?
	Ano gunjin no shitte imasu ka	Do you know that soldier?
	Sore wa dōshite kakimashita ka[10]	How did you write it?
	Anohito no kurai wa nan desu ka	What is his rank?
	Rikugun Shōsa desu	He is a major.
	Anata wa shikan desu ka	Are you an officer?
	Hai, shikan desu	Yes, I am an officer.
	Iie, shikan dewa arimasen	No, I am not an officer.

 

Lesson VIII

1. Memorize the following:

a. Army ranks (non-commissioned officers and men):

kashikan	non-commissioned officers
​
Tokumu Sōchō (Junshikan)[11]	Warrant Officer
Sōchō	Sergeant-Major
Gunsō	Sergeant
Gochō	Corporal
​
hei	privates
​
Jōtōhei	(Superior Private)
Ittōhei	Private, F.C.
Nitōhei	Private, S.C.

b. Navy ranks (non-commissioned officers and sailors):

kashikan; suihei[12]	non-com. officers; seamen
​
Heisōchō	Chief Warrant Officer
Ittō Heisō	Chief Petty Officer
Nitō Heisō	Petty Officer, 1/C
Santō Heisō	Petty Officer, 2/C
Ittō Suihei	Petty Officer, 3/C
Nitō Suihei	Seaman, 1/C
Santō Suihei	Seaman, 2/C
Shitō Suihei	Seaman, 3/C

2. Memorize the following adjectives:

yoi	good; all right
chikai	near; close
tōi	far; distant
itai	painful; sore
himojii	hungry

Memorize the following:

taihen

very

It should be remembered that most adjectives end in -i or -na. The position of adjectives is exactly the same as in the English language; they come before the nouns they modify.

Yamada Taii wa yoi shikan desu ka Is Captain Yamada a good officer?

When they are used as predicate nominative, the position is the same, too.

Watakushi wa himojii desu I am hungry.

The comparison of adjectives is done by the use of special adverbs: For example, take the adjective yoi (good), and compare:

Positive	yoi	good
Comparative	motto yoi; yori yoi	better
Superlative	ichiban yoi	best

Kore ga yoi	This is good.
Kore ga motto yoi	This is better.
Kore ga ichiban yoi	This is the best.

The negation of adjectives is obtained by changing the final -i to ku and adding nai

Kore wa yoi desu	This is good.
Kore wa yokunai desu	This is not good.
​
Himojii desu ka	Are you hungry?
Himojikunai desu ka	Are you not hungry?

3. Type sentences:

Taihen yoi desu	Very good.
Ano shikan wo shitte imasu ka	Do you know that officer?
Hai, shitte imasu. Tanaka Shōsa desu.	Yes, I know (him); he is Major Tanaka.
Anata wa shikan desu ka kashikan desu ka	Are you an officer or a non-commissioned officer?
Anata wa kaigun shikan desu ka rikugun shikan desu ka	Are you a navy officer or an army officer?
Kaigun shikan desu	I am a navy officer.
Soko wa chikai desu ka tōi desu ka	Is that place near or far?
Chikai desu	It is near.
Doko ga itai desu ka	Where does it pain?
Himojii desu ka	Are you hungry?
Iie, himojikunai desu	No, I am not hungry.
Soko wa tōi desu ka	Is that place far?
Iie, tōkunai desu	No, it is not far.
Motto tōi desu ka	Is it farther?
Ichiban tōi desu ka	Is it the farthest?
Taihen tōi desu ka	Is it very far?
Koko yori asoko ga tōi desu ka	Is that place farther than this place?
Ikutsu tabemashita ka	How many did you eat?
Futatsu tabemashita	I ate two.
Itai desu ka	Is it painful?
Motto itai desu ka	Does it hurt more?
Kore ga ichiban yoi desu ka	Is this the best?
Kore de yoi desu ka	Is this all right? (With this is it all right?)
Hai, yoi desu	Yes, it is all right.
Asoko ni orinasai	Stay over there.
Asoko ni ikinasai	Go over there.
Kore wo nominasai	Drink this.
Koko ni kinasai	Come here.
Kore wo tabenasai	Eat this.
Naze kore wa yokunai desu ka	Why is this not good?
Asoko wa chikakunai desu ka	Is it (that place) not near?

4. Review of vocabulary:

a. Review the army ranks, including officers, non-commissioned officers and men.

b. Review the navy ranks, including officers, non-commissioned officers and seamen.

c. Review the conjugation of the following verbs:

• kuru (come)
• shiru (know)
• ageru (give)
• yomu (read)
• nomu (drink)

d. Review the progressives of the verbs. Be sure to go over the endings.

 

Lesson IX

1. Memorize the following:

mura	village
machi	town
gentai	home unit
tabemono	food
jūbun	enough; sufficient
ni; e	to
kara	from
Nipponjin	the Japanese
sukimasu (suku)	like
isogimasu (isogu)	hurry
tachimasu (tatsu)	stand; leave

2. Memorize the following usages:

a.	dore	which one (of many)
	dochira	which one (of the two); which side
	ni	at; in; to
​
	Dore ga ichiban yoi desu ka	Which one is the best?
	Dochira ga yoi desu ka	Which is better? (of the two)
	Dochira ga sukidesu ka	Which do you like? (of the two)
	Anata wa doko ni orimasu ka	Where are you? Where do you live? (At what place are you?)
	Kono mura ni Nipponjin ga orimasu ka	Are there Japanese in this village?
	Koko ni kinasai	Come here. (Come to this place.)

b. Difference between ni and de when used as in. Ni is used to show existence only and de is used when action follows:

Dare ga koko ni orimasu ka	Who is here?
Koko ni nani ga arimasu ka	What is here?
Soko de nani wo tabemashita ka	What did you eat there?

3. Interrogatives may be used in the following ways:

dare	who
dare ka	some one
dare mo; dare demo	every one; all
dare mo + (negative)	no one

Other interrogatives such as naze, nani, doko, dōshite, ikutsu, ikura and itsu may be used following similar patterns.

Dare desu ka	Who is it?
Dare ka imasu ka	Is there some one?
Dare demo imasu	Every one is here.
Dare mo imasen	No one is here.

4. Type sentences:

Kore wa nani mura desu ka	What village is this?
Kore wa nani machi desu ka	What town is this?
Anata wa Nipponjin desu ka	Are you a Japanese?
Isoginasai	Hurry!
Koko ni tomarinasai	Stop here.
Koko ni tachinasai	Stand here.
Koko e kinasai	Come here.
Gentai wa nan desu ka	What is your home unit?
Gentai wa doko desu ka	Where is your home unit?
Anata wa gochō desu ka jōtōhei desu ka	Are you a corporal or a superior class private?
Ano shikan wa dare desu ka	Who is that officer?
Rikugun shikan desu ka kaigun shikan desu ka	Is he an army officer or a navy officer?
Kono machi ni itsu kimashita ka	When did you come to this village?
Wakarimasen. Koko ni kakinaasi	I don’t understand. Write here.
Anata wa himojikunai desu ka	Aren’t you hungry?
Himojii	I am hungry.
Nani ka tabemasen ka	Won’t you eat something?
Tabemono wa jūbun deshita ka	Did you have enough to eat? (Was food sufficient?)

5. Conjugate the following verbs:

• sukimasu (suku)
• isogimasu (isogu)
• tomarimasu (tomaru)
• tachimasu (tatsu)

6. Type sentences:

Dore ga sukidesu ka	Which do you like?
Kore ga sukidesu	I like this.
Are ga sukidesu	I like that.
Dochira ga sukidesu ka	Which one do you like? (of the two)
Kochira desu	This one.
Soko ni dare ga orimashita ka	Who was there?
Doko de nomimashita ka	Where did you drink?
Doko kara koko ni kimashita ka	Where did you come (here) from?
Nipponhei wa koko kara doko ni ikimashita ka	Where did the Japanese soldiers go from here?
Nipponhei wa dochira ni ikimashita ka	Which way did the Japanese soldiers go?
Doko ni tatte imashita ka	Where were you standing?
Naze koko ni tatte imasen ka	Why don’t you keep on standing here?
Soko wo itsu tachimashita ka	When did you leave there?
Soko ni nani ga arimasu ka	What is there?
Soko ni nani ka arimasu ka	Is something there?
Nani mo arimasen	There isn’t anything.
Itsu kimasu ka	When are you coming?
Itsu ka kimasu	I’ll come sometime.
Doko ni ikimasu ka	Where are you going?
Doko ka shirimasen	I don’t know where.
Doko ni mo ikimasen	I am not going anywhere.
Nani ga sukidesu ka	What do you like?
Nan demo yoi desu	Anything would do.
Nan demo sukidesu	I like everything.

 

Lesson X

1. Memorize the following:

shimasu (suru)	do
narimasu (naru)	become; be; get
sumimasu (sumu)	live
kudasai	give me
mo	also; too
mō ichido	once more; repeat
tsugi	next
chotto	just a minute; a short time; (calling one’s attention)
kore made	this is all; that is all; thus far
Romaji	Romanization
heitai	soldier; sailor
horyo	prisoner of war

2. Time of the day:

jikan	time
ji	o’clock
han	half past
fun (pun)	minute
gozen	a.m.
gogo	p.m.
​
Gozen rei-ji	midnight
Gogo rei-ji	noon

3. Months of the year: In English, we have to learn twelve different words in order to name the months of the year. In Japanese, it is only necessary to combine the numbers and the word for month (gatsu). Thus we have:

Ichigatsu	January
Nigatsu	February
Sangatsu	March
Shigatsu	April
Gogatsu	May
Rokugatsu	June
Shichigatsu	July
Hachigatsu	August
Kugatsu	September
Jūgatsu	October
Jūichigatsu	November
Jūnigatsu	December

4. The days of the month are counted in both the pure Japanese way or in Chinese. For the first ten days it is more common to use the former; from the eleventh day the latter is more usual.

tsuitachi	first day
futsuka	second day
mikka	third day
yokka	fourth day
itsuka	fifth day
muika	sixth day
nanuka	seventh day
yōka	eighth day
kokonoka	ninth day
tōka	tenth day
jūichinichi	eleventh day
jūninichi	twelfth day
jūsannichi	thirteenth day
jūyokka[13]	fourteenth day
jūgonichi	fifteenth day
....................	....................
nijūsannichi	twenty-third day
nijūyokka[13]	twenty-fourth day
nijūgonichi	twenty-fifth day
....................	....................

5. Type sentences:

Gozen san-ji	3 a.m.
Gozen hachi-ji han	8:30 a.m.
Gozen jū-ji nijūgo-fun	10:25 a.m.
Gogo ni-ji	2 p.m.
Gogo san-ji go-fun	3:05 pm.
Gogo jūichi-ji nijūgo-fun	11:25 p.m.
​
Dore ga sukidesu ka	Which one do you like?
Kore desu	This one.
Doko ni sunde imasu ka	Where do you live?
Asoko ni sunde imasu	I live over there.
Kore wa dare no desu ka	Whose is this?
Watakushi no desu	It is mine.
Dare ga shimashita ka	Who did it?
Dare ka kore wo tabemasu ka	Is someone going to eat this?
Nipponjin wa dare demo kore wo tabemasu ka	Do all Japanese eat this?
Dare mo tabemasen ka	Does no one eat?
Sono teppō wo kudasai	Give me that gun.
Nani wo shite imasu ka	What are you doing?
Gozen nani wo shite imashita ka	What were you doing in the morning (forenoon)?
Nan-ji desu ka	What time is it?
Shichi-ji desu	It is seven o’clock.
Mō ichido	Once more!
Shichi-ji desu	Seven o’clock.
Itsu koko ni kimashita ka	When did you come here?
Shigatsu ni kimashita	I came in April.
Rokugatsu ni kimashita	I came in June.
Sangatsu mikka ni kimashita	I came on March 3.
Shigatsu nijūgonichi ni kimashita	I came here on April 25.
Sore wa itsu deshita ka	When was it?
Nigatsu deshita	It was in February.
Kore wo anata ni agemasu	I give you this.
Anohito ni mo agenasai	Give him, too.
Hai, wakarimashita	Yes, I understand. (Yes, I understood.)
Chotto, anata wa dare desu ka	(Calling one’s attention) What is your name, please?
Nakamura desu	I am Nakamura.
Mō yoi; tsugi	That is enough; next!
Romaji de anata no namae wo kakinasai	Write your name in Romanization.
Koko e	Here!
Koko ni Nippon no heitai ga orimasu ka	Are there Japanese soldiers here?
Iie, orimasen	No, they are not here.
Dochira ni ikimashita ka	Which way did they go?
Shirimasen	I don’t know.
Doko de horyo ni narimashita ka	Where were you captured?
Himojii desu ka	Are you hungry?
Iie	No.
Kore made	This is all.

6. Review the months of the year and the dates.

Lesson XI

1. Memorize the following:

ue	on; top
shita	under; below
naka	inside
ushiro	back; behind
soba	beside; vicinity
mizu	water
machimasu (matsu)	wait
​
kochira	this place; this way; this side
sochira	that place; that way; that side
achira	that place; that way; that side

2. The months are enumerated in two ways: (1) the Japanese way of counting numerals plus the word for month (tsuki) and (2) the Chinese way of counting numerals plus (ka-gettsu). However, from eleven months on, only the Chinese way is used.

Japanese	Chinese
hitotsuki	ikkagetsu	one month
futatsuki	nikagetsu	two months
mitsuki	sankagetsu	three months
yotsuki	shikagetsu	four months
itsutsuki	gokagetsu	five months
mutsuki	rokkagetsu	six months
nanatsuki	shichikagetsu	seven months
yatsuki	hakkagetsu	eight months
kokonotsuki	kukagetsu	nine months
totsuki	jikkagetsu	ten months
	jūikkagetsu	eleven months
	jūnikagetsu	twelve months

3. Memorize the following:

ima	now; at present
kyō	today
kinō	yesterday
ototoi	day before yesterday
asu; ashita	tomorrow
asatte	day after tomorrow
kotoshi	this year
kyonen	last year
ototoshi	year before last
rainen	next year; coming year
sarainen	year after next
shūkan	number of weeks
nen	number of years; year

4. Memorize the following construction:

no ue ni	on top of
no shita ni	under
no naka ni	in; inside of; among
no mae ni	in front of
no ushiro ni	behind
no soba ni	beside; nearby

5. Type sentences:

Koko ni kinasai	Come here.
Koko ni tachinasai	Stand here.
Kochira ni tachinasai	Stand on this side.
Koko de chotto machinasai	Wait here a moment.
Sochira de machinasai	Wait a moment over there.
Namae wa nan desu ka	What is your name?
Yoshida desu	I am Yoshida.
Kurai wa	Your rank?
Gunsō	I am a sergeant.
Ichiren-bangō wa	Your serial number?
Roku-shichi-go-san-san	67533.
Itsu Nippon wo tachimashita ka	When did you leave Japan?
Ichinen mae tachimashita	I left a year ago.
Kukagetsu mae tachimashita	I left nine months ago.
Yatsuki mae tachimashita	I left eight months ago.
Kotoshi no Sangatsu futsuka ni tachimashita	I left on March 2 of this year.
Itsu horyo ni narimashita ka	When were you captured? (When did you become a prisoner?)
Kinō no gogo deshita	It was yesterday afternoon.
​
Itsu koko ni kimashita ka	When did you come here?
Ototoi kimashita	I came here the day before yesterday.
Kyonen kimashita	I came last year.
Hitotsuki mae kimashita	I came a month ago.
Kyō no gozen jū-ji deshita	It was 10 a.m. today.
Nani ka tabemasu ka	Will you eat something?
Hai, tabemasu	Yes, I will.
Mizu wa?	And water?
Hai, kudasai	Yes, give me some.
Achira ni itte matte inasai	Go that side and wait.
​
Anata wa koko ni nan-nen sunde imasu ka	How many years have you lived here?
Kyonen no Gogatsu kara desu	Since May of last year.
Shikagetsu mae kara sunde imasu	I have been living here since four months ago.
Roku-shūkan mae kara desu	Since six weeks ago.
Koko ni nan-nen mae kimashita ka	How many years ago did you come here?
Ku-nen mae desu	Nine years ago.
​
Kono naka ni nani ga arimasu ka	What is in here?
Ano shita wa nan desu ka	What is under there?
Ano ue ni nani ga arimasu ka	What is on top of that?
Anata no soba ni dare ga tatte imashita ka	Who was standing at your side?
Koko ni dare ga sunde imashita ka	Who was living here?
Ima doko ni orimasu ka	Where is he now?
Itsu kimasu ka	When will he come?

6. Review:

a. Tenses of the verbs studied so far.

b. Months of the year.

c. Time of the day.

d. Days of the month.

e. The army and navy ranks.

Lesson XII

1. Memorize the following:

arukimasu (aruku)	walk
watashimasu (watasu)	hand over
shirasemasu (shiraseru)	notify
tsukaremasu (tsukareru)	be tired
oshiemasu (oshieru)	show; teach
kakemasu (kakeru)	sit down
ken	prefecture
gun	county
buki	arms
shigaretto[14]	cigarette
toki	when; at the time of

2. Days of the week:

Nichiyō	Sunday
Getsuyō	Monday
Kayō	Tuesday
Suiyō	Wednesday
Mokuyō	Thursday
Kinyō	Friday
Doyō	Saturday

3. “With” is expressed in two different ways:

de	with (inanimate)
to	with (animate)
​
Nan de koko ni kimashita ka	With what (means of transportation) did you come here?
Dare to koko ni kimashita ka	With whom did you come here?

4. “Wishing” is exprssed by adding -tai to the verbal base:

Mizu wo nomitai desu

I wish to drink some water.

5. “Shall,” “probably will” and “let us” are expressed by the use of the ending, -mashō to the verbal base:

Watakushi mo ikimashō	I shall go, too.
Anohito mo kimashō	He will probably come.
Ikimashō	Let us go.

6. “When” or “at the time of” is expressed by adding toki to the verb:

Anata ga koko ni kimashita toki wa nan-gatsu deshita ka

What month was it when you came here?

7. Type sentences:

Arukinasai	Walk!
Buki wo watashinasai	Hand over your arms.
Koko ni kakenasai	Sit down here.
Shigaretto wo agemashō ka	Shall I give you a cigarette?
Hai, kudasai	Yes, please give me.
Doko de horyo ni narimashita ka	Where were you captured?
Chizu de oshienasai	Show me on the map.
Itsu horyo ni narimashita ka	When were you captured?
Kinō no gogo deshita	It was yesterday afternoon.
Nippon no nani ken desu ka	What prefecture in Japan are you from?
Nani gun desu ka	What county?
Nani mura	What village?
Nippon no dare ni kore wo shirasemashō ka	Whom shall we notify of this in Japan?
Himojii desu ka	Are you hungry?
Mizu wo nomitai desu ka	Do you wish to drink some water?
Hai	Yes
Iie	No
Tsukaremashita ka	Are you tired?
Nan de koko ni kimashita ka	How (by what) did you come here?
Aruite kimashita	I came walking.
Dare to koko ni kimashita ka	With whom did you come here?
Yamamoto Gochō to kimashita	I came with Corporal Yamamoto.
Nippon no heitai wa mō koko ni orimasen ka	Are not the Japanese soldiers here now?
Mo orimasen	They are not here any more.
Nippon no heitai wa kochira e kimashō ka	Do you think the Japanese soldiers will come this way?
Hai, kimashō	Yes, probably they will.
Achira ni ikimashō	They probably will go that way.
Ikimashō	Let us go.
Achira ni ikimashō	They probably will go that way.
Anata ga Nippon wo tachimashita toki wa nan-gatsu deshita ka	What month was it when you left Japan?
Itsu koko ni kimashita ka	When did you come here?
Ototoi kimashita	I came the day before yesterday.
Anata ga koko ni kimashita toki wa nan-ji deshita ka	What time was it when you came here?
Gozen hachi-ji deshita	It was 8 a.m.

8. Review:

a. Number of months.

b. Days of the week.

 

Lesson XIII

1. Memorize the following:

umaremasu (umareru)	born
okimasu (okiru)	get up; rise
jōriku-shimasu (jōriku-suru)	land
te	hand
gohan	meal; cooked rice
butaichō	unit commander
shigoto	work; occupation
hyakushō	farmer
kesa	this morning
hontō	real; true
donna	what kind
Taishō	name of era (1912–26)
byōki	sick; ill

2. Some army units:

shidan	division
rentai	regiment
chūtai	company
buntai	squad

3. Counting persons. Persons are counted by adding -nin to the numeral:

go-nin	five persons
jūgo-nin	fifteen persons
nan-nin	how many persons (what number of persons)

4. “Because” or “as” is expressed by kara or node:

Tabemono ga arimasendeshita node himojii deshita	I was hungry as there was no food.
Byōki deshita kara tabemasendeshita	I did not eat because I was sick.

These conjunctive words come at the end of dependent clauses and not at the beginning as in English.

5. Ordinal numbers are formed by prefixing dai- to the numeral:

ichi	one
daiichi	first
​
ni	two
daini	second

6. Type sentences:

Okinasai	Get up
Buki wo watashinasai	Hand over your arms.
Te wo agenasai	Raise your hands.
Koko ni kakenasai	Sit down here.
Itsu horyo ni narimashita ka	When were you captured?
Mokuyo no gozen deshita	It was Thursday morning.
Kesa deshita	It was this morning.
Nan-nin horyo ni narimashita ka	How many were captured?
Rokunin deshita	six were captured.
Gohan wa jūbun arimashita ka	Did you have enough for the meal?
Hai, shikashi mō himojii desu	Yes, but I am hungry now.
Koko ga itai desu ka	Does it hurt here?
Iie, itakunai desu	No, it does not.
Doko de umaremashita ka	Where were you born?
Fukuoka-ken de umaremashita	I was born in Fukuoka prefecture.
Itsu umaremashita ka	When were you born?
Taishō ku-nen desu[15]	Ninth year of Taishō (1920).
Gentai wa doko desu ka	Where is your home unit?
Kurume Jūni Shidan desu	Kurume, the 12th Division.
Nan Rentai desu ka	What Regiment?
Shijūhachi Rentai desu	48th Regiment.
Nan Chūtai desu ka	What Company?
Dai-ni Chūtai desu	Second Company.
​
Nippon no doko kara tachimashita ka	Where did you leave from in Japan?
Sasebo kara desu	From Sasebo.
Doko de jōriku-shimashita ka	Where did you land?
Shirimasen	I do not know.
Heitai ni naru mae donna shigoto no shite imashita ka	What kind of work were you engaged in before you became a soldier?
Hyakushō deshita	I was a farmer.
Butaichō no kurai wa nan desu ka	What is the rank of your unit commander?
Chūsa desu	He is a lieutenant-colonel.
Butaichō wa donna hito desu ka	What kind of a man is your unit commander?
Yoi hito desu	He is a nice man.
Hontō desu ka	Is it true?
Hai	Yes.
​
Naze tabemasen ka	Why don’t you eat?
Himojikunai desu kara	Because I am not hungry.
Byōki desu kara	Because I am sick.
Naze tabemasendeshita ka	Why didn’t you eat?
Byōki deshita node tabemasendeshita	I did not eat because I was ill.

Lesson XIV

1. Memorize the following:

gakkō	school
gunkan	warship
shorui	documents
chinjufu	naval station
hito	person; man
tsuma	wife
ko	child
myōji	family name
Shōwa	name of present era (1926–)
hayaku	quickly
mimasu (miru)	see
iimasu (iū)	say

2. To is usually used after a quotation or an idea. It corresponds to English, “thus—” or “that—.”

Yoi desu to iimashita	(He) said that it is good.
Heitai wa nan to iimashita ka	What did the soldier say?

3. The subjunctive is expressed in several ways. One way is to use ra or nara as suffix to the depending clause:

Tabemashita ra koko e kinasai

If you are through eating please come here.

4. Adverbs derived from adjectives end in -ku:

Hayaku kinasai

Come quickly.

5. Type sentences:

Asoko de yasuminasai	Rest over there.
Migi e mukinasai	Face right.
Arukinasai	Walk.
Hayaku arukinasai	Walk fast.
Ki wo tsukenasai	Be careful.
Tomarinasai	Stop.
Itsu jōriku-shimashita ka	When did you land?
Namae wa?	Your name?
Nakamura desu	I am Nakamura.
Sore wa anata no myōji desu ka	Is that your family name?
Hai, myōji desu	Yes, it is my family name.
Na wa	Your first name?
Takao desu	Takao.
Kurai wa?	Your rank?
Nitō suihei desu	I am a first class seaman.
Gunkan no namae wa nan desu ka	What is the name of your warship?
​
Chinjufu no namae wa nan desu ka	What is the name of your naval station?
Kure desu	Kure Naval Station.
Nippon wo itsu tachimashita ka	When did you leave Japan?
Shōwa jūroku-nen ni tachimashita[16]	I left in the 16th year of Shōwa (1941).
Horyo ni natte nan to omoimasu ka	What do you think of being captured?
Kore made	This is all.
Achira de gohan wo tabenasai	Have your meal over there.
Tabemashita ra koko e kinasai	If you are through eating, come here.
​
Anata no namae wa nan desu ka	What is your name?
Nakano-Toshirō desu[17]	I am Toshirō Nakano.
Doko ni sunde imasu ka	Where do you live?
Kono mura ni sunde imasu	I live in this village.
Anata no shigoto wa nan desu ka	What is your work?
Hyakushō desu	I am a farmer.
Koko ni nan-nen orimasu ka	How many years have you lived here?
Ku-nen orimasu	I have lived here for nine years.
Tsuma ga arimasu ka	Have you a wife?
Hai, arimasu	Yes, I have.
Ko wa	Any children?
Hai, san-nin orimasu	Yes, I have three.
Shorui wo mitai desu	I like to see your documents.
Kono mura no gakkō wa doko ni arimasu ka	Where is the school in this village?
Chikaku ni arimasu	It is near.
Kono mura de dare ka Eigo ga wakarimasu ka	Is there someone who understands English in this village?
Hai, orimasu	Yes, there is one.
Sono hito to hanashitai desu	I would like to talk to him.
Anata to ikimashō	Let us go (to see him).
Tōi desu ka	Is it far?
Iie, tōkunai desu	No, it is not far.
​
Nippon no heitai ga koko ni imashita ka	Did the Japanese soldiers stay here?
Hai, chotto	Yes, for a while.
Koko kara doko e ikimashita ka	Where did they go from here?
Shirimasen. Achira e ikiashita	I don’t know. They went that way.
Heitai wa nan to itte imashita ka	What were the soldiers saying?

 

Lesson XV

1. Memorize the following:

zokushimasu (zokusuru)	belong; detached
mochimasu (motsu)	hold; have
sore kara	and then
okii	big; large
ichi	position; location
saigo	last; end
tanku	tank
kimono	clothing
shishōsha	casualties
yen (en)[18]	dollar (not corresponding value, but corresponding unit)
sen[18]	cent (not corresponding value, but corresponding unit)

2. There is no perfect tense of verbs in Japanese. The present perfect tense is expressed by the present tense, and the past perfect by the past tense.

Kinō kara koko ni imasu	I have been here since yesterday.
Shōwa jūgo-nen kara jūshi-chinen made koko ni imashita	I had been here from 1940 to 1942.

3. There are no relative pronouns in Japanese. Relationship to another noun or pronoun in a sentence is expressed by placing the verb before the word to which the relative pronoun would refer.

Koko ni sunde iru hito	Persons who live here.
Eigo wo hanasu heitai	Solder who speaks English.

4. Verbs in succession. Whenever verbs appear in succession be sure to make all of them progressive except the last one. The tense of the final verb decides the tenses of all.

Asoko ni itte tabemashita	I went there and ate.
Koko ni kite, tatte, machinasai	Come here, and stand and wait.

5. Type sentences:

Koko ni kite tachinasai	Come here and stand.
Nan no butai ni zokushite imasu ka	What unit do you belong to?
Doko de horyo ni narimashita ka	Where were you captured?
Anata no butai ni nan-nin orimashita ka	How many men were in your unit?
Shishōsha wa nan-nin deshita ka	How many casualties have you had?
Anata no butai no ichi wa doko desu ka	What is the location of your unit?
Butaichō no namae wa nan desu ka	What is the name of your unit commander?
Saigo ni tabemashita no wa itsu deshita ka	When did you eat last?
Nani wo tabemashita ka	What did you eat?
Tanku wa ikutsu arimasu ka	How many tanks have you?
Kimono wa jūbun desu ka	Do you have enough clothing?
Kono mura no namae wa nan desu ka	What is the name of this village?
Nan no heitai ga orimashita ka	What kind of soldiers were here?
Dōshite ikimashita ka	How (by what means) did they leave?
Donna buki wo motte imashita ka	What kind of weapons did they have?
Itsu kara koko ni orimashita ka	How long (from when) had they been here?
Koko no mizu wa doko kara kimasu ka	Where does the water come from?
Kono mura ni nan-nin hito ga sunde imasu ka	How many persons live in this village?
Anata wa itsu kara koko ni sunde imasu ka	How long (since when) have you lived here?
Asoko ni tatte iru hito wa dare desu ka	Who is that man standing there?
Eigo wo hanasu heitai ga orimasu ka	Are there soldiers who speak English?
Chikaku ni ōkii machi ga arimasu ka	Are there any big towns near here?
Koko ni Nipponjin ga nan-nin orimasu ka	How many Japanese live here?
Nani wo shite imasu ka	What do they do?
Kore wa nan yen desu ka	How much is this? (How many dollars is this?)
Kore wa go sen desu ka	Is this five cents?
Sore kara?	And then?

 

Lesson XVI

By way of reviewing the type sentences we have studied, let us spend the last two chapters in English–Japanese translation of some of the more important interrogative and imperative sentences that would most probably be used in questioning prisoners or civilians.

 

Military Commands
01.	Fall in!	Atsumare
02.	Attention!	Ki wo tsuke
03.	Count off!	Bangō
04.	Right face!	Migi muke migi
05.	Left face!	Hidari muke hidari
06.	Forward march!	Mae e susume
07.	Halt!	Tomare
08.	Rest!	Yasume
09.	Dismiss!	Wakare
​
Simple Questions and Commands
01.	Who?	Dare
02.	What?	Nani
03.	Where?	Doko
04.	When?	Itsu
05.	Why?	Naze
06.	How?	Dōshite
07.	Which?	Dore
08.	How much?	Ikura
09.	How old?	Ikutsu
10.	How many?	Ikutsu
11.	Who goes there?	Dare ka
12.	Who is it?	Dare ka
13.	Come!	Koi
14.	Hurry!	Hayaku
15.	Stop!	Tomare
16.	Wait!	Mate
17.	Advance!	Susume
18.	Surrender arms!	Buki wo watase
19.	Hands up!	Te wo age
20.	Walk!	Aruke
​
Questioning Prisoners
01.	Come here.	Koko ni kinasai
02.	Stand here.	Koko ni tachinasai
03.	Stand on this side.	Kochira ni tachinasai
04.	Wait a moment over there.	Sochira de chotto machinasai
05.	Sit down here.	Koko ni kakenasai
06.	Have a cigarette.	Shigaretto wo agemashō
07.	Aren’t you hungry?	Himojikunai desu ka
08.	Are you tired?	Tsukarete imasu ka
09.	Shall I give you some water?	Mizu wo agemashō ka
10.	Are you in pain?	Doko ka itai desu ka
11.	Do you understand English?	Eigo ga wakarimasu ka
​
01.	What is your name?	Anata no namae wa nan desu ka
02.	Which is your family name?	Dore ga myōji desu ka
03.	What is your rank?	Kurai wa nan desu ka
04.	What is your serial number?	Anata no ichiran-bangō wa nan desu ka
05.	How old are you?	Ikutsu desu ka
06.	When were you born?	Itsu umaremashita ka
07.	Where were you born?	Doko de umaremashita ka
08.	What prefecture?	Nani ken
09.	What county?	Nani gun
10.	What town?	Nani machi
11.	What village?	Nani mura
12.	What were you doing before you became a soldier?	Heitai ni naru mae nani wo shite imashita ka
13.	How many years were you in the army before you left Japan?	Nippon wo tatsu mae nan-nen heitai deshita ka
14.	Where is your home unit?	Nippon no gentai wa doko desu ka
15.	What is your home unit?	Nippon no gentai wa nan desu ka
16.	What division?	Nani shidan desu ka
17.	What regiment?	Nani rentai desu ka
18.	What company?	Nan chūtai desu ka
19.	What is the name of your warship?	Anata no gunkan no namae wa nan desu ka
20.	What naval station does it belong?	Nani kaigun chinjufu desu ka
21.	When did you leave Japan?	Itsu Nippon wo tachimashita ka
22.	From where?	Doko kara
23.	When did you come here?	Itsu koko ni kimashita ka
24.	When did you land here?	Itsu koko ni jōrikushimashita ka
25.	How many landed here?	Koko ni nan-nin jōrikushimashita ka
26.	What kind of soldiers are they?	Donna heitai desu ka
27.	Who is the unit commander?	Butaichō wa dare desu ka
28.	What is his rank?	Kurai wa nan desu ka
29.	Is he a good commander?	Yoi butaichō desu ka
30.	Is it true?	Hontō desu ka
31.	Once more! (Repeat it!)	Mō ichido
32.	Are there any tanks?	Tanku ga arimasu ka
33.	Where is the location of your unit?	Butai no ichi wa doko desu ka
34.	Show me on the map.	Chizu de oshienasai
35.	Where were you captured?	Doko de horyo ni narimashita ka
36.	When were you captured?	Itsu horyo ni narimashita ka
37.	What were you doing when captured?	Horyo ni narimashita toki nani wo shite imashita ka
38.	And then?	Sore kara
39.	How many were captured?	Nan-nin horyo ni narimashita ka
40.	Were there any casualties?	Shishōsha ga arimashita ka
41.	What do you think of being captured?	Horyo ni natte nan to omoimasu ka
42.	Whom shall we notify of this in Japan?	Nippon no dare ni kore wo shirasemashō ka
43.	When did you eat last?	Saigo ni tabemashita no wa itsu deshita ka
44.	What did you eat?	Nani wo tabemashita ka
45.	Did you have enough to eat?	Tabemono wa jūbun deshita ka
46.	Did you have enough clothing?	Kimono wa jūbun deshita ka
47.	Have you a wife?	Tsuma ga arimasu ka
48.	Have you any children?	Ko ga arimasu ka
49.	This is all.	Kore made
50.	Sit down there.	Soko ni kakenasai

 

Lesson XVII
Questioning Civilians

01.	Hello!	Konnichi wa
02.	What is your name?	Anata no namae wa nan desu ka
03.	Where do you live?	Doko ni sunde imasu ka
04.	How old are you?	Ikutsu desu ka
05.	When were you born?	Itsu umaremashita ka
06.	What is your occupation?	Anata no shigoto wa nan desu ka
07.	How many years have you lived here?	Koko ni nan-nen orimasu ka
08.	Have you a wife?	Tsuma ga arimasu ka
09.	Have you any children?	Ko ga arimasu ka
10.	Where is the school in this village?	Kono mura no gakkō wa doko desu ka
11.	Is there someone who understands English in this village?	Kono mura de dare ka Eigo ga wakarimasu ka
12.	Who is he?	Sore wa dare desu ka
13.	Where does he live?	Doko ni sunde imasu ka
14.	I should like to talk with him.	Sono hito to hanashitai desu
15.	Aren’t the Japanese soldiers here now?	Nippon no heitai wa mō koko ni orimasen ka
16.	Which way did they go?	Dochira ni ikimashita ka
17.	How long were they here?	Itsu kara koko ni orimashita ka
18.	How many were here?	Nan-nin koko ni orimashita ka
19.	What kind of soldiers were they?	Donna heitai deshita ka
20.	What were the soldiers saying?	Heitai wa nan to itte imashita ka
21.	What is the name of this village?	Kono mura no namae wa nan desu ka
22.	What kind of weapons did the Japanese soldiers have?	Nippon no heitai wa donna huki wo motte imashita ka
23.	Where does the water come from?	Koko no mizu wa doko kara kimasu ka
24.	How many persons live in this village?	Kono mura ni nan-nin hito ga sunde imasu ka
25.	Are there any big towns near here?	Chikaku ni ōkii machi ga arimasu ka
26.	How many Japanese live here?	Koko ni Nipponjin ga nan-nin sunde imasu ka
27.	What do they do?	Nani wo shite imasu ka
28.	How much is this?	Kore wa ikura desu ka
29.	Thank you!	Arigatō
30.	Good-bye!	Sayōnara

---

1. In Tōkyō pronunciation this line is nasalized, as in the English ng in sing.
2. Desu is the contracted form of de arimasu.

   Disregard the verb forms in parentheses in this and the following several chapters. Explanation will be given in Lesson VI. Actually desu and masu are pronounced closer to des’ and mas’.

3. The name of a unit is usually derived from the name of the unit commander, as Yamada Butai (the unit led by an officer named Yamada).
4. Yamada, Tarō. When two names are given like this the first is the family name.
5. This sentence may seem unreasonble. Since “you” is the subject and “English” the direct object, one would expect the sentence to read, “Eigo wo wakarimasu ka.” However, ga is the correct idiomatic form and is an exception to the rule. This usage is very popular in Japanese, and may be interpreted in this sentence as: As for English, do you understand?
6. This is the ending that appears in parenthesis. All the verbs in the dictionary section of this manual except those used in the lessons are only in this form.
7. Always used in progressive form.
8. Hereafter the translation has been done only in one person.
9. This verb is always expressed by the progressive form; shitte imasu (I know); shitte imashita (I knew), instead of shirimasu and shirimashita.
10. In this sentence, it seems that wa should be wo because sore is the direct object (You did it). However, this is an example of a popular idiomatic expression meaning, as for. Therefore, this sentence reads: As for that, how did you write? This is to reiterate the explanation already given in Lesson IV.
11. Junshikan = Warrant Officer (general)
    Tokumu Sōchō = Warrant Officer (combatant).
12. These are corresponding ranks and not the translation of ranks.
13. The readings for these two dates are an exception. See: Numerals and Time, pages 56, 57, 58.
14. See: “Japanized” English, page 63.
15. See: Japanese and Western Chronology Compared, page 55.
16. See: Japanese and Western Chronology Compared, page 55.
17. Japanese always say and write the family name first.
18. See: Table of Money, Weights and Measure, page 60.