Learn Japanese: 1000 Most Common Words in 100 Days (Guide)

This is my free course and an easy step-by-step guide to help you learn the 1000 most common Japanese words in 100 days. The key to learning Japanese and becoming fluent in Japanese is immersion. However, immersion can be difficult when you are an absolute beginner and don’t know any Japanese words, basic grammar, or sentence structure.

So I wrote this guide to help you understand Japanese grammar and sentences while learning the 1000 most commonly used Japanese words. This free course is so designed that you will learn 10 new words a day with useful example sentences and study notes that will explain the most important grammar points.

Are you ready to start your Japanese language journey?
Are you excited about the 1000 Japanese words quest?
始めよう！ Let’s start! ٩(⌒ω⌒)੭⁾⁾

There is one requirement: You can read Hiragana and Katakana.

Disclaimer: This course is in progress and constantly updated (currently finished part 3 / 10).
I have a full guide for words but without grammar explanations here:
Beginner Guide: Learn 1000 Basic Japanese Words Quickly (Kanji & Romaji)

Learn the 1000 Most Common Japanese Words in 100 Days

Level 0: Overview & Prep

• Level 1 – Top 100 Japanese Words (Day 1 – 10)
• Level 2 – Top 200 Japanese Words (Day 11 – 20)
• Level 3 – Top 300 Japanese Words (Day 21 – 30)
• Level 4 – Top 400 Japanese Words (Day 31 – 40)
• Level 5 – Top 500 Japanese Words (Day 41 – 50)
• Level 6 – Top 600 Japanese Words (Day 51 – 60)
• Level 7 – Top 700 Japanese Words (Day 61 – 70)
• Level 8 – Top 800 Japanese Words (Day 71 – 80)
• Level 9 – Top 900 Japanese Words (Day 81 – 90)
• Level 10 – Top 1000 Japanese Words (Day 91 – 100)

Learn Japanese: Top 100 Japanese Words (Level 1)

Day 1	する、見る、持つ、聞く、使う、取る、作る、書く、教える、食べる
Day 2	を、テレビ、事、物、音楽、手、人、食事、言葉、名前
Day 3	が、私、彼、彼女、僕、俺、それ、これ、犬、猫
Day 4	いい、多い、高い、大きい、悪い、早い、うまい、凄い、楽しい、嬉しい
Day 5	〜だ、日本、日本人、国、問題、顔、家、アニメ、漫画、本当
Day 6	無い、強い、新しい、若い、長い、近い、面白い、欲しい、白い、黒い
Day 7	ある、いる、言う、来る、行く、出す、呼ぶ、読む、飲む、死ぬ
Day 8	〜じゃない、その、この、子供、男、女、仕事、学校、そう、水
Day 9	好き、嫌い、元気、綺麗、大丈夫、大変、駄目、必要、簡単、大切
Day 10	貴方、君、出来る、分かる、か、忙しい、最高、ここ、そこ、何

Day 1: する、見る、持つ、聞く、使う、取る、作る、書く、教える、食べる

Let’s start by learning 10 basic Japanese verbs because they are all you need to say in order to make a full, grammatically correct sentence in Japanese.

The word before | is the dictionary form of the verb while the word after the vertical bar (ending with ~ます) is the polite form of the verb. We will cover that in detail later. For now, just recognize that both forms exist.

1. する｜します

する to do

する。 I (will) do (it).

2. 見る｜見ます

見る みる to see, to look, to watch

見る。 I (will) see (it).

3. 持つ｜持ちます

持つ もつ to have, to hold

持つ。 I (will) have (it).

4. 聞く｜聞きます

聞く きく to hear, to listen, to ask

聞く。 I (will) hear (it).

5. 使う｜使います

使う つかう to use

使う。 I (will) use (it).

6. 取る｜取ります

取る とる to take, to pick up

取る。 I (will) take (it).

7. 作る｜作ります

作る つくる to make

作る。 I (will) make (it).

8. 書く｜書きます

書く かく to write

書く。 I (will) write (it).

9. 教える｜教えます

教える おしえる to teach, to tell

教える。 I (will) teach (it/them).

10. 食べる｜食べます

食べる たべる to eat

食べる。 I (will) eat (it).

Study Notes

Full sentence: Verbう。

する。
I do.
書く。
I write.
食べる。
I eat.

A verb is enough to make a grammatically complete sentence in Japanese because the doer (the subject of a sentence), who performs the action, is often omitted. This is especially true for “I” and “you” and when referring to things or people previously mentioned (it, she, he).

There is no difference between present and future tense. That’s why する can mean “do” or “will do“. However, most of the time this so-called “non-past tense” refers to future events.

食べる。
I eat.
I will eat.

Depending on the context each sentence could either mean “I eat“, “I eat it“, “I will eat“, or “She/he/it/we/they (will) eat (it)“.

Verbs have two forms. The dictionary form always ends with “u” (う、く、す、つ、ぬ、ぶ、む、る) and the polite form always ends with ます.

Take Action

1. Create flashcards and add the words you didn’t know to Anki (or the SRS app of your choice).
2. Think of 3 or more things you like to do and/or activities you regularly do and add the verbs/expressions as well. Visit my additional resources page if you need ideas or examples.
   

Day 2: を、テレビ、事、物、音楽、手、人、食事、言葉、名前

Welcome back! Today you will get to know your first particle (marker) and a couple of Japanese nouns in order to make more detailed sentences and say what exactly you are doing.

The direct object marker を (“wo”, but pronounced “o”) is the easiest of all the Japanese particles. It is added after a word to mark the thing/person that is affected by the action of a verb.

11. を (direct object marker)

を direct object marker: marks the direct object of an action Pattern: (direct object)を(verb)。

テレビを見る。 テレビ を みる。 (I’ll) watch TV.

12. テレビ

テレビ TV

テレビを見る。 テレビ を みる。 (I’ll) watch TV.

13. 事、こと

事、こと matter, thing

事をする。 こと を する。 (I’ll) do thing(s). (I’ll) do something.

14. 物、もの

物、もの thing, object

物を持つ。 もの を もつ。 (I) have thing(s). (I) hold thing(s).

15. 音楽

音楽 おんがく music

音楽を聞く。 おんがく を きく。 (I’ll) listen to music.

16. 手

手 て hand

手を取る。 て を とる。 (I’ll) take (someone’s) hand.

17. 人

人 ひと person, human

人を見る。 ひと を みる。 (I) see a person. (I) look at a person.

18. 食事

食事 しょくじ meal, dinner

食事を食べる。 しょくじ を たべる。 (I’ll) eat a meal. (I’ll) eat dinner.

19. 言葉

言葉 ことば word, language

言葉を教える。 ことば を おしえる。 (I’ll) teach word(s). (I’ll) teach the language.

20. 名前

名前 なまえ name

名前を書く。 なまえ を かく。 (I’ll) write (my/the) name(s).

Study Notes

Pattern: Objectをverbう。

ことをする。
I do (some)thing.
ことを書く。
I write (some)thing.
ものを食べる。
I eat (some)thing.

The plural form of most Japanese nouns is identical to their singular form. So depending on the situation and context either translation (thing vs things, word vs words) is correct.

Most words don’t have a plural in Japanese, so they can mean both.
言葉： word, words
手： hand, hands
物： thing, things

Remember that the doer (subject) is omitted in the sentences above and therefore “I” could also be she, he, it, we, or they.

In casual speech and common noun+する phrases, the particle を is often omitted. Examples: 勉強する (to study)、買い物する (to shop, to go shopping), サッカーする (to play soccer).

The particle を can be omitted and in casual speech it is often omitted.

Verbs always come at the end of a sentence or a clause.

Take Action

1. Create a flashcard for the words you didn’t know.
2. Add at least 1 sentence flashcard for each word (you can use the example sentences provided on this page or my additional example page).
3. Pick 3 or more phrases/sentences that are useful to you from the additional example sentences & useful phrases page and add them as well.

Day 3: が、私、彼、彼女、僕、俺、それ、これ、犬、猫

In this lesson, you are going to learn the most important, powerful, and fundamental, but also the most mysterious part and word of the Japanese language. This is the key to understanding Japanese and can make learning Japanese extremely simple and easy.

The word is が. It is the subject marker and is added after a word to mark the thing/person that is doing something (or being something). I like to call it the “ninja part(icle)” because the subject is always necessary and always there in Japanese, but it can be invisible (be omitted).

Let’s check it out! Dattebayo!

21. が (subject marker)

が subject marker: marks the doer or be-er of a sentence Pattern: (thing/person)が(does action/verb) (thing/person)が(is noun/adjective)

私がする！ わたし が する！ I (will) do (it)! I am the one who will do (it)!

22. 私

私 わたし (standard) わたくし (humble) あたし (female) あたくし (female humble) I, me

私が食事を作る。 わたし が しょくじ を 作る。 I (will) make dinner. I am the one making dinner.

23. 彼、かれ

彼、かれ he

彼が見る。 かれ が 見る。 He looks at (it). He watches (it). He is the one watching (it).

24. 彼女

彼女 かのじょ she, girlfriend

彼女が彼を見る。 かのじょ が かれ を 見る。 She looks at him. She is the one watching him. (My) girlfriend is the one looking at him.

25. 僕

僕 ぼく I, me (male)

僕が音楽を聞く。 ぼく が おんがく を 聞く。 I (will) listen to music. I’m the one listening to music.

26. 俺

俺 おれ I, me (male)

俺が教える。 おれ が 教える。 I’ll tell (it/you). I’m the one who will tell (it/you).

27. それ

それ、其れ that, that one

それを食べる。 (I’ll) eat that.

28. これ

これ、此れ this, this one

彼がこれを食べる。 かれ が これ を 食べる。 He (will) eat this. He is the one eating this.

29. 犬

犬 いぬ dog

犬を見る。 いぬ を みる。 (I) see a dog.

30. 猫

猫 ねこ cat

犬が猫を見る。 いぬ が ねこ を みる。 The dog sees a cat.

Study Notes

1. Japanese Core Sentence:
Subject が verbう。
(🥷が) verbう。
A does B.

Remember the verb-only sentences from Day 1 and the direct object sentences from Day 2? All of them need a subject and all of them have a subject. It’s there dattebayo! The only thing is that you cannot see it because of its ninja abilities (omitting).

The sentences “食べる。” and “私が食べる。” have the same English translation: “I eat” or “I (will) eat (it)” and mean the same thing. However, the nuance and emphasis are completely different. Explicitly stating “私が” highlights or identifies the doer: “I am the one eating”.

食べる。
I eat.
I will eat.

私が食べる。
I am the one who eats.
I (am the one who) will eat.

が is not rocket science or anything. All you need is experience. The general rule of thumb is that when it is clear whom or what is talked about and no special emphasis or identification is needed you don’t say it and the subject is invisible. That’s usually the case with “I” and “you“.

While the verb always has to be at the end, が doesn’t have to be at the beginning of the sentence. “彼がこれを食べる。” and “これを彼が食べる。” are both correct and mean the same thing. However, starting with the subject is common.

私がこれを食べる。
これを私が食べる。
Same meaning: I eat this.

これが私を食べる。
Different meaning: This eats me.

私： わたし is usual and all you need to remember. わたくし is the more humble word for “I” and is used in formal situations since it sounds politer. あたし and あたくし (humble) are sometimes used by women to sound more feminine. I mostly encounter it in anime, though, not in real life.

僕： ぼく is another way to say “I ” or “I am” in Japanese. It is a masculine term and is mostly used by young(er) men. In anime, the “soft guys” usually use ぼく.

俺： おれ is yet another masculine term and extremely casual word for “I“. It might sound a bit rough so only use it with close friends. But don’t get me wrong! It is a common word! Some of my Japanese (male) friends use it all the way. In anime, the “cool guys” and the “bad guys” say it a lot.

それ vs これ： The first one, それ, is only used for things near the listener (the other person), while これ is only used for things near the speaker (you). There are a couple of similar words that use the same concept so try to remember it well.

Take Action

1. Create a word flashcard and at least 1 sentence flashcard for all the new vocabularies.
2. Before you move on make sure that you have a good grasp of the key and really understand the difference between the subject marker が and the object marker を. Here is the test:
   
   作る。
   私が作る。
   ものを作る。
   もの作る。
   私がそれを食べる。
   それが私を食べる。
   これを私が食べる。
   私をそれが食べる。
   私が犬を取る。
   犬を私が取る。
   犬が私を取る。
   彼女が人を使う。
   人が彼女を使う。
   彼が彼女を使う。
   彼女を彼が使う。
   彼が彼女使う。
   音楽を聞く。
   聞く。
   
   Which sentences mean or could mean the same thing?
   You can check your answers here.

Day 4: いい、多い、高い、大きい、悪い、早い、うまい、凄い、楽しい、嬉しい

Today’s quest will be extremely easy and fun! You will learn 10 common Japanese i-adjectives. They have a lot of things in common with Japanese verbs and behave very similarly in so many ways.

For example, just like with verbs, an i-adjective (and our invisible 🥷 particle, of course) is all you need to make a full, grammatically-correct Japanese sentence.

31. いい、良い

いい、良い いい (standard) よい (formal, used in inflected forms) is good, is fine, is nice, is pleasant

これがいい。 This one is good/nice. This is the one that is good/nice.

32. 多い

多い おおい are many, are a lot

人が多い。 人 が おおい (There) are many people. (There) will be many people.

33. 高い

高い たかい is high, is tall, is expensive

高い。 (It’s) high/tall/expensive. テレビが高い。 テレビ が たかい。 (The) TV is expensive. (The) TV will be expensive. (The) TV is the thing that is expensive.

34. 大きい

大きい おおきい is big, is large

大きい。 (It’s/that’s) big. 犬が大きい。 犬 が おおきい。 (The) dog is big. (The) dog is the one that is big.

35. 悪い

悪い わるい is bad, is evil

悪い。 (I’m/it) is bad. (You’re/that) is evil. それが悪い。 それ が わるい。 That one is bad/evil. That is indeed bad/evil. That is the one that is bad/evil.

36. 早い

早い はやい is fast, is early

早い。 (He/she/it) is fast/early. 彼女が早い。 かのじょ が はやい。 She is the one who is early/fast. (My) girlfriend is the one who is early/fast.

37. うまい、上手い、美味い、旨い

うまい、上手い、美味い、旨い is delicious, is so good, is skilled, is clever

うまい！ (It) is delicious! (It) is so good! (He/she) is so good/skilled/clever! 彼がうまい。 かれ が うまい。 He is the one who is skilled. He is the one who is so good (at this).

38. 凄い、すごい

凄い、すごい is amazing

凄い！ Amazing! (He/she/it) is amazing. (He/she/it) will be amazing. 猫がすごい。 ねこ が すごい。 (The) cat is the one that is amazing.

39. 楽しい

楽しい たのしい is enjoyable, is fun

楽しい！ (It) is fun! (It) is so much fun! (It) will be so much fun! 音楽が楽しい。 おんがく が たのしい。 Music is the thing that is fun.

40. 嬉しい

嬉しい うれしい is happy

嬉しい。 (I) am happy. 犬が嬉しい。 いぬ が うれしい。 (The) dog is the one that is happy. (The) dog is the one that will be happy.

Study Notes

2. Japanese Core Sentence:
Subject が i-adjectiveい。
(🥷が) i-adjectiveい。
A is B.

Present tense and future tense are identical, ergo いい can be translated as “is good” or “will be good“.

楽しい。
It is fun.
I will be fun.

All i-adjectives end with the Hiragana character い.

Take note that i-adjectives have the “is …” built-in. So 嬉しい rather means “is/am/are happy” (not just “happy”), 楽しい means “is/am/are fun” or “is/am/are enjoyable” (not just “fun” or “enjoyable”), and so on. Being aware of this fact will help prevent some grammar-related confusion with the other adjective type (na-adjectives).

うまい： can be written with a lot of different kanjis, but that’s nothing you have to be concerned about at this stage. Just take note of this fact.

Take Action

1. Create a word flashcard and at least 1 sentence flashcard for all the new vocabularies.
2. Check how many i-adjectives you already know from anime and manga and add 3 or more that are useful to you.
   

Day 5: 〜だ、日本、日本人、国、問題、顔、家、アニメ、漫画、本当

Next on the list, we have the Japanese copula 〜だ. The scariest thing about it is its name, in my opinion, but it is a very powerful party member and an essential part of Japanese sentence structure that will enable us to do a lot of things throughout our quests.

The Japanese copula 〜だ is essentially an equal sign “=” that shows or declares that A = B. It works not 100% but a bit like the English verb “to be” and can mean “is“, “am“, “are“, etc.

In addition, just like our particle が it has some amazing ninja skills! However, it is more of a shapeshifter that uses a couple of transformation jutsu to change its form. It is so much fun, but more about that later!

You will also learn how to use i-adjectives to describe nouns because it is so easy!

41. 〜だ | 〜です (Japanese Copula)

〜だ to be, is (the Japanese copula, “=”) Pattern: (thing/personが)nounだ。 (thing/personが)na-adjectiveだ。

猫だ。 (It) is a cat.

42. 日本

日本 にほん Japan

これが日本だ。 これが にほん だ。 This is Japan. This (one here) is Japan.

43. 日本人

日本人 にほんじん Japanese (person/people)

彼女が日本人だ。 彼女が にほんじん だ。 She is the one who is Japanese.

44. 国

国 くに country

凄い国だ。 すごい くに だ。 (It) is an amazing country.

45. 問題

問題 もんだい problem, issue

それが問題だ。 それが もんだい だ。 That is the problem. That one is the problem. That is indeed a problem.

46. 顔

顔 かお face

嬉しい顔だ。 うれしい かお だ。 (It) is a happy face.

47. 家

家 いえ house

これが凄い家だ。 これが すごい いえ だ。 This one is the amazing house. This is an amazing house.

48. アニメ

アニメ anime, animation, animated cartoon

楽しいアニメだ。 たのしい アニメ だ。 (It) is a fun anime.

49. 漫画、マンガ

漫画、マンガ manga, comic

これが良い漫画だ。 これが よい まんが だ。 This is the good/nice manga. This is a good/nice manga.

50. 本当、ほんと

本当 ほんとう (standard) ほんと (alternative) truth, real

日本人だ！本当だ！ にほんじん だ！ほんとう だ！ (I) am Japanese! It’s the truth! (I) am Japanese! It’s true! (I) am Japanese! Really!

Study Notes

3. Japanese Core Sentence:
Subject が noun だ。
(🥷が) noun だ。
A is B.

Congratulations! 🎉٩(⌒‐⌒)۶🎉
With this you know all 3 Japanese core sentences:

A does B:
(Subject/🥷が) verbう。
A is B:
(Subject/🥷が) i-adjectiveい。
(Subject/🥷が) (noun) だ。

Do you know what this means? You are actually able to understand the core part of every Japanese sentence! All you need to know is the meaning of the words (verbs, adjectives, and nouns) and you will grasp the core meaning of the whole sentence of all Japanese sentences. Isn’t that amazing?

You might have noticed the little 〜です next to our little 〜だ. It is the polite form of the copula which we will cover later just like the polite ~ます form of verbs. For now, only recognize that both forms exist.

While the English verb “to be” can also mean “being” and is used in sentences like “She is in the house“, that is not the case with the Japanese copula 〜だ. Two other verbs are used for that in Japanese (いる and ある), which we will cover in a bit. 彼女が家だ would mean She = house. Always remember that 〜だ works like an equal sign.

〜だ means “=”

One more thing about the copula 〜だ. In casual conversations, it can be omitted and sometimes it is just added when the speaker wants to add more emphasis and 〜だ actually works like an exclamation mark “!”.

You can add an i-adjective before a noun to describe them.

楽しいアニメ – a fun anime
悪い人 – a bad/evil person
うまい食事 – a delicious meal/dinner
大きい問題 – a big problem
高い物 – an expensive thing

人 (〜じん)： can be added after the name of a country to indicate nationality, origin, etc: America is “アメリカ” and American is “アメリカ人”, Italy is “イタリア” and Italian is “イタリア人“.

日本： Japan
日本人： Japanese

カナダ： Canada
カナダ人： Canadian

本当： ほんとう can also be used as an adverb and mean “really” or “truly“. In that case it is usually written as 本当に (ほんとうに). 本当に嬉しい means “really happy” and 本当に高い means “really expensive“.

Take Action

1. Create a word flashcard and at least 1 sentence flashcard for all the new vocabularies.
2. Find the name of your home country and your nationality and add them, too. In my case, it is ドイツ and ドイツ人.
3. Play a bit with the i-adjectives and nouns and make your own (fun?) combinations!

Day 6: 無い、強い、新しい、若い、長い、近い、面白い、欲しい、白い、黒い

Today, you will focus on the next batch of common Japanese i-adjectives. You are also going to learn their negative form so that you will be able to say “is not (i-adjective)” and “won’t be (i-adjective)“.

51. 無い、ない

無い、ない is nonexistent, is not being (there)

無い。 ない。 (It) is not (there). (There is/are) none. 食事がない。 (There) is no meal. (There) are no meals.

52. 強い

強い つよい is strong

彼女が強い。 彼女が つよい。 She is the one who is strong. 彼が強くない。 彼が つよくない。 He is the one who isn’t strong.

53. 新しい

新しい あたらしい is new

家が新しい。 いえ が あたらしい。 (The) house is new. 家が新しくない。 いえ が あたらしくない。 (The) house is not new.

54. 若い

若い わかい is young

若い犬だ。 わかい 犬 だ。 (It) is a young dog. 若くない犬だ。 わかくない 犬 だ。 (It) is not a young dog.

55. 長い

長い ながい is long (distance, length, time)

長い漫画だ。 ながい マンガ だ。 (It) is a long manga. 長くない漫画だ。 ながくない マンガ だ。 (It) is not a long manga.

56. 近い

近い ちかい is near, is close

近い！ ちかい！ (It) is near! (It) is close! 近くない！ ちかくない！ (It) is not near! (It) is not close!

57. 面白い

面白い おもしろい is interesting, is funny

面白い！ おもしろい！ Interesting! (It/that) is funny! 面白くない。 おもしろくない。 Not interesting. (It/that) is not funny.

58. 欲しい

欲しい ほしい is wanted, is desired, is wished for

猫が欲しい。 猫が ほしい。 (A) cat is desired. (means: I want a cat.) 猫が欲しくない。 猫が ほしくない。 (A) cat is not desired. (means: I do not want a cat.)

59. 白い

白い しろい is white

白いテレビだ。 しろい テレビ だ。 (It) is a white TV. テレビが白くない。 テレビが しろくない。 (The) TV is not white.

60. 黒い

黒い くろい is black

猫が黒い。 猫が くろい。 (The) cat is black. それが黒くない猫だ。 それが くろくない 猫 だ。 That is the cat that is not black.

Study Notes

How to make the negative form of i-adjectives:

Replace the last い with く and attach ない.
(or: remove い and attach 〜くない)

良い (いい、よい) – 良くない (よくない)
高い (たかい) – 高くない (たかくない)
大きい (おおきい) – 大きくない (おおきくない)

無い： ない is actually a bit special, because it is the negative form of the Japanese verb ある (有る) which means “to be, to live, to exist“. In Japanese, all verbs turn into adjectives when you negate them.

無い、ない is an i-adjective and the negative form of the Japanese verb ある (有る). It also functions as a helper verb (〜ない) and is attached to all verbs to negate them.

This might sound strange and complicated, but it really isn’t. It’s actually pretty logical.

When you do an action, the action is carried out and takes place, that’s why you use a verb in Japanese.

When you don’t do an action, nothing is done and nothing takes place, that’s why you use an adjective to describe the state of non-action in Japanese.

欲しい： ほしい is usually translated as “(I) want…” and that is not wrong but you need to be careful. 彼女が欲しい translates as “She/girlfriend is desired” or “She/girlfriend is wanted” and means “I want her” or “I want a girlfriend” not “She wants“.

犬が欲しい。
(A) dog is wanted.
means: “I want a dog.”
NOT: “The dog wants.”

Take Action

1. Level up your flashcard deck and add the new words and sentences.
2. Practice making the negative form of i-adjectives. You can use my list of all common Japanese i-adjectives for that if you want. In case you encounter words that are useful to you don’t hesitate to add them to your Anki deck!

More examples & sentences »

Day 7: ある、いる、言う、来る、行く、出す、呼ぶ、読む、飲む、死ぬ

Since it is related to yesterday’s lesson let’s continue with the negative forms. You are gonna learn the next 10 common Japanese verbs and how to attach the helping word 〜ない in order to say things like “don’t (do)” and “won’t (do)“.

61. ある、有る｜あります、有ります

ある、有る to be, to exist (inanimate things, objects, items, etc.)

テレビがある。 There is a TV. テレビがない。 There is no TV.

62. いる、居る｜います、居ます

いる、居る to be, to exist, to live, to stay (people, animals, and other living beings)

彼女がいる。 She is the one who is (here). (My) girlfriend is the one who is (here). (can also mean: I have a girlfriend.) いない。 (He/She) is not (here).

63. 言う｜言います

言う いう、ゆう to say

彼がうまいことを言う。 彼が うまい こと を いう。 He says clever things. それを言わない。 それを いわない。 (I will) not say that.

64. 来る｜来ます

来る くる to come

強いものが来る。 強い ものが くる。 Something strong (will) come. 彼女が来ない。 彼女が こない。 She doesn’t come. She won’t come.

65. 行く｜行きます

行く いく to go

行く！ いく！ (I will) go! 行かない。 いかない。 (I will) not go.

66. 出す｜出します

出す だす to take out, to put out, to reveal

顔を出す。 顔を だす。 (I) put out my head. 手を出さない。 手を ださない。 (I will) not put out my hand(s). (I will) not stick my hand(s) out. (also means: “lay hands on” and “make a move on”, etc.)

67. 呼ぶ｜呼びます

呼ぶ よぶ to call, to invite

犬を呼ぶ。 犬を よぶ。 (I will) call (my) dog. 人を呼ばない。 人を よばない。 (I will) not invite people. (I will) not call people.

68. 読む｜読みます

読む よむ to read

漫画を読む。 漫画を よむ。 (I will) read manga. 彼女が マンガを 読まない。 彼女が マンガを よまない。 She is the one who does not read manga. My girlfriend is the one wo doesn’t read manga.

69. 飲む｜飲みます

飲む のむ to drink

飲む。 のむ。 (I) drink (it). 飲まない。 のまない。 (I) don’t drink (it).

70. 死ぬ｜死にます

死ぬ しぬ to die, to lose spirit

人が死ぬ。 人が しぬ。 People (will) die. 死なない！ しなない！ (I/he/she) won’t die!

Study Notes

How to make the negative form of verbs:

Godan verbs: Change the last syllable to the corresponding あ-row syllable and attach 〜ない.
(Exception: う changes to わ not just あ)

う→わ： 言う – 言わない (いわない)
く→か： 行く – 行かない (いかない)
す→さ： 出す – 出さない (ださない)
つ→た： 持つ – 持たない (もたない)
ぬ→な： 死ぬ – 死なない (しなない)
ぶ→ば： 呼ぶ – 呼ばない (よばない)
む→ま： 飲む – 飲まない (のまない)
る→ら： 取る – 取らない (とらない)

Ichidan verbs (most iru, eru): remove the last syllable and attach 〜ない.
食べる – 食べない (たべない)
見る – 見ない (みない)

Irregular verbs:
する – しない
来る – 来ない (こない)

While it is often referred to as verb conjugation, 〜ない is actually an auxiliary verb or helping verb, which is a group of words that attaches to the stems of other words. Usually, all you have to do is remove or change the last syllable and attach the helper word. You will recognize this pattern with other “conjugations” soon.

ある vs いる： they both have similar meanings “to be, to exist“, but いる is used to describe the existence of people, animals, and other living beings, while ある is used to describe the existence of things, inanimate objects, and other matters.

Take Action

1. Level up your flashcard deck and add the new words and sentences.
2. Practice making the negative form of other verbs.

More examples & sentences »

Day 8: 〜じゃない、その、この、子供、男、女、仕事、学校、そう、水

There is one more negative form you have to learn. That’s right! It’s the one for Japanese nouns. It’s pretty easy, though.

〜じゃない and 〜ではない (deha nai, but pronounced “dewa nai”) are the plain negative forms of the Japanese copula だ, so all you have to do is replace 〜だ with either one of them and you will express that “is not (noun)“.

71. 〜じゃない、〜ではない | 〜じゃありません、〜ではありません

〜じゃない、〜ではない is not, am not, are not (not equal “≠”)

犬じゃない。 It’s not a dog. 犬ではない。 It is not a dog.

72. その、其の

その、其の that…, those…

その物じゃない。それだ！ その 物 じゃない。それだ！ Not that thing. That one! その黒い猫が欲しい。 That black cat is desired. (I want that black cat.)

73. この、此の

この、此の this…, these…

このテレビが大きい。 This is the TV that is big. そのテレビじゃない。このテレビだ！ Not that TV! (It’s) this TV!

74. 子供

子供 こども child, children

子供じゃない。犬だ。 こども じゃない。犬だ。 (It) is not a child. It’s a dog.

75. 男

男 おとこ man

男ではない。 おとこ ではない。 (She/it) is not a man. アレックスが男だ。 アレックス が おとこ だ。 Alex is the one who is a man.

76. 女

女 おんな woman

子供じゃない、女だ！ こども じゃない、 おんな だ！ (I’m) not a child, (I’m) a woman!

77. 仕事

仕事 しごと work, job

仕事をする。 (I) work. 楽しい仕事ではない。 楽しい しごと ではない。 (It) is not a fun job.

78. 学校

学校 がっこう school

学校じゃない。 がっこう じゃない。 (That) is not a school. その学校が悪い。 その がっこう が 悪い。 That school is the one that is bad.

79. そう

そう so, like that (also used to agree: yes, that’s it, that’s right)

そうだ！ Like that! That’s it! That’s right! そうじゃない。 Not like that! That’s not it! That’s not right! (means: That’s not what I meant.)

80. 水、お水

水 、お水 みず、おみず water

水を飲む。 みず を のむ。 (I will) drink water. これ？お水じゃない。 これ？ おみず じゃない。 This? This isn’t water (polite).

Study Notes

How to make the negative form of nouns:

Replace 〜だ with 〜じゃない or its uncontracted form 〜ではない.

犬だ。
(It) is a dog.
犬じゃない。
(It) is not a dog.

大きい問題だ。
(It) is a big problem.
大きい問題じゃない。
(It) is not a big problem.

〜じゃない and 〜ではない have exactly the same meaning. However, since “じゃ” is the contracted form of “では” it sounds more casual and soft and is commonly used among friends and in spoken Japanese. “では” is more strong and firm and can sound a bit stiff. It is just like “isn’t” and “is not” in English.

〜じゃない means “isn’t“.
〜ではない means “is not“

〜ではない： is written “deha nai” with は, but pronounced “dewa nai”. That’s because the phrase actually consists of the two particles で and は and は is always pronounced “wa“. You are going to learn everything about the two in level 2!

There are two even politer forms (〜じゃありません、〜ではありません), which we will cover a bit later like all the other polite forms.

その vs それ： they mean the same thing and refer to things close to the listener, but それ stands alone while その must always be followed by a noun.

この vs これ： the same goes for these two words. これ stands alone while この must always be followed by a noun. However, in contrast to その and それ, they refer to things near the speaker.

そのものが高い。
That thing is tall/expensive.

それが高い。
That is tall/expensive.

この漫画が凄い。
This manga is amazing.

これが凄い。
This is amazing.

そう： is a useful word that can be used in many situations. You will often hear it when someone agrees with another person, but it can also mean “so“, “like that”, or “in that way“.

そうだ。
Like that!
That’s right!

そうする！
I will!
I will do so!
I will do it like that!

水、お水： おみず is a politer word for water that is often used when asking for water in a restaurant. The honorific prefix お (御) can also be used with other words to make them politer: お仕事 (おしごと)、お名前 (おなまえ)、and so on, but you can not use it for yourself (your own work, your own name, etc.)

Take Action

1. Level up your flashcard deck and add the new words and sentences.
2. Practice making the negative form of other nouns.

More examples & sentences »

Day 9: 好き、嫌い、元気、綺麗、大丈夫、大変、駄目、必要、簡単、大切

We have one more major group of words that you have to learn before you can move on to longer sentences and the rest of basic Japanese grammar.

The group is called na-adjectives and they are also really easy words because they essentially work like nouns and use 〜だ and 〜じゃない.

When you put na-adjectives in front of another noun to describe it, 〜だ changes to 〜な. That’s different from how i-adjectives work and that’s the reason for naming them na-adjectives.

81. 好き

好き すき liked, well-liked, favorite

犬が好きだ。 犬が すき だ。 Dogs are liked. (means: I like dogs) アニメが好きじゃない。 アニメが すき じゃない。 Anime are not liked. (means: I don’t like anime.)

82. 嫌い

嫌い きらい disliked, hated

嫌い！ きらい！ (You/he/she/it) is disliked! (means: I hate you/him/her/it!) 漫画が嫌いではない。 マンガが きらい ではない。 I do not dislike manga. (or: I don’t hate comics.)

83. 元気

元気 げんき healthy, well, lively, full of energy

元気だ。 げんきだ。 (I) am well/fine/healthy. (I) am full of energy. 彼女が元気じゃない。 彼女が げんき じゃない。 She is not fine/well.

84. 綺麗

綺麗、きれい beautiful, pretty

綺麗な女だ。 きれいな おんな だ。 (She) is a beautiful woman. きれいな顔だ。 きれいな かお だ。 (It) is a beautiful face. (You) have a beautiful face. (She) has a beautiful face.

85. 大丈夫

大丈夫 だいじょうぶ okay, all right, alright

大丈夫だ！ だいじょうぶだ！ (It) is okay! (I) am okay! (It) is all right! 彼が大丈夫じゃない。 彼が だいじょうぶ じゃない。 He is the one who is not okay. He is the one who is not all right.

86. 大変

大変 たいへん tough, difficult (situation), terrible (situation), hard

大変だ。 (It) is tough. 仕事が大変だ。 仕事が たいへん だ。 (My) job is tough.

87. 駄目

駄目、だめ、ダメ no good, useless, hopeless, in vain cannot, must not, not allowed

駄目だ！ だめ だ！ No, you can’t! (It) is no good! (It) is hopeless!

88. 必要

必要 ひつよう necessary, needed

テレビが必要じゃない。 テレビが ひつよう じゃない。 The TV is not necessary. TVs are not necessary. (You) don’t need a TV. 音楽が必要だ。 音楽が ひつよう だ。 Music is necessary.

89. 簡単

簡単 かんたん easy, simple

簡単なことじゃない。 かんたんな こと じゃない。 (It) is not easy. (It) is not an easy thing. これが簡単だ。 これが かんたん だ。 This is the one that’s easy.

90.大切

大切 たいせつ precious, cherished, important

大切なことを言う。 たいせつな ことを 言う。 (I will) say something important. (I will) tell you something important. 大切じゃない。 たいせつ じゃない。 (He/she/it) is not important.

Study Notes

3. Japanese Core Sentence (#2):
Subject が na-adjective だ。
(🥷が) na-adjective だ。
A is B.

However, na-adjectives are essentially nouns. That’s why I count them as one and so there are only 3 Japanese core sentences.

Remember that you could put i-adjectives right before nouns to describe them? It’s because “is” is already included in them. Na-adjectives don’t have “is” included that’s why they need 〜な, which is our little shapeshifter aka the transformed Japanese copula 〜だ.

楽しい。
It is fun.
楽しい仕事
fun job

大変だ。
It is tough.
大変な仕事
difficult job

新しい。
It is new.
新しい仕事
new job

簡単だ。
It is easy.
簡単な仕事
easy job

好き and 嫌い： すき and きらい are very similar to 欲しい. They are not verbs but adjectives and mean “liked” and “disliked“. Since they are commonly translated as “(I) like” and “(I) hate” you need to be careful:

好き！
(You/it) is liked.
means: I like you/it.
彼が好き
I like him.
NOT: He likes (me/it).

嫌い！
(You/it) is disliked.
means: I hate you.
彼が嫌い。
I hate him.
NOT: He hates (me/it).

Also, please note that 嫌い is a pretty strong word in Japanese. It is more common to say 好きじゃない (not liked) than 嫌い (disliked). Anime, manga, and drama are big exceptions, though, you can hear it all the time.

元気： is used when asking “How are you?” and answering with the common answer “I’m fine“. In casual speech, 〜だ is often omitted, while the politer phrases are “お元気ですか？” and “元気です。“. I just include them because I’m pretty sure you have heard or know them already.

元気？
How are you?

元気(だ)！
I’m fine!

大丈夫： だいじょうぶ can be used to say a “person is okay” or “something is okay“. It kinda implies “Don’t worry (about me/it)!“.

大変： たいへん is usually used when talking about tough or difficult situations, when something is a pain in the ***, or an outright disaster. It can also be used as an adverb 大変に (just like 本当に) meaning “extremely“, “truly“, “very“, or “really“.

駄目、だめ、ダメ： oh dear! This word can be used in so many different situations and ways…it basically means something “is not okay“, “cannot/must not (be done)“, or “(doing it) is useless/in vain“. You will get the hang of it with enough input. 大丈夫だ！

Take Action

1. Level up your flashcard deck and add the new words and sentences.
2. Pick 3 or more na-adjectives that are useful to you from the additional example sentences & useful phrases page and add them, too.
3. Play a bit with the na-adjectives and nouns you have learned so far and make your own (fun?) descriptions!

More examples & sentences »

Day 10: 貴方、君、出来る、分かる、か、忙しい、最高、ここ、そこ、何

The last couple of EXP before you can level up! Yay! Let’s go ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)੭⁾⁾

There is one more easy particle we are going to learn and it is the question marker か. This is a sentence-ending particle that can be added at the end of a normal sentence to change it into a question. It essentially functions and translates as a question mark.

91. 貴方、あなた

貴方、あなた you

貴方が好き。 あなた が すき。 You are liked. (means: I love you)

92. 君

君 きみ you (mostly used by men to women)

君が綺麗だ。 きみ が きれい だ。 You are the one who is beautiful.

93. 出来る、できる｜出来ます、できます

出来る、できる to be able to do

それが出来る。 それが できる。 (I) am able to do that. そのことが出来る。 その ことが できる。 (I) am able to do that thing.

94. 分かる｜分かります

分かる わかる to understand, to grasp, to become clear

分かる！ わかる！ (I) understand (it). ((It) is understandable) この問題が分からない！ この 問題が わからない。 (I) don’t understand this problem. (This problem is not understandable.)

95. か (question marker)

か question marker added at the end of a sentence to turn it into a question (means “?”) Pattern: sentenceか。 sentenceか？

分かるか。 (Do you) understand? アニメを見るか。 (Do you) watch anime?

96. 忙しい

忙しい いそがしい is busy

彼女が忙しい。 彼女が いそがしい。 She is the one who is busy. 忙しいか？ いそがしい か？ (Are you) busy?

97. 最高

最高 さいこう best, awesome

音楽が最高だ。 音楽が さいこう だ。 Music is the thing that is the best. このアニメが最高だ。 この アニメが さいこう だ。 This anime is the best. This anime is the one that is best.

98. ここ、此処

ここ、此処 here

ここか？ Here? ここだ！ (It’s) here!

99. そこ、其処

そこ、其処 there

そこだ！ (It’s) there! そこか？ There?

100. 何、なに

何、なに what

何？ What? 何これ？ What the? What is this?

Study Notes

貴方、あなた： the word translates as “you” or “dear“. It is quite an intimate word that is often used by wives when talking to their husbands. In Japanese, it is way more common to address the other person by their name and add an honorific suffix instead of using あなた.

君： きみ is another word for “you” in casual speech. It is most commonly used by men when addressing a female friend or their love interest. However, sometimes it is also used for other (usually younger) male friends. Women typically don’t use it.

か： is always added at the end. It is typically followed by a period “。” but nowadays it is also common to see it followed by a question mark “？”. Please note that in casual conversations the か is not necessary. You can ask a question by using rising intonation on a statement.

そこ vs ここ： same game as with the other それ vs これ and その vs この, but this time it is about location. そこ is for locations that are close to the listener, while ここ is used for locations near the speaker.

Take Action

1. Give yourself a pat on the shoulder! You cleared level 1 of your Japanese journey!
   おめでとう！Congratulations 🎉٩(⌒‐⌒)۶🎉！
2. Let’s not forget to update your flashcard deck with the new words and sentences.
3. Last but not least, reward yourself by watching your favorite アニメ in Japanese, playing Final Fantasy, Pokemon, or any other 好きなゲーム in Japanese, or by getting yourself your favorite 漫画 in Japanese and reading it!

More examples & sentences »

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