Table Of ContentSpeak Japanese in 90 Days:
A Self Study Guide to Becoming Fluent
Volume One
Copyright © Kevin Marx 2015
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior
permission in writing from the author.
Table of Contents
Foreword
The Japanese Writing System and Pronunciation
Katakana Words
Grammar Basics
Question Words
Greetings, Farewells, Yes and No
Meeting, Thanks, Sorry
Common Phrases
Pronouns, Politeness, Suffixes
To be
Countries, People, Languages
Sentence Structure, Particles は, が, も
Particles をand で
Particles に and へ
End of Sentence Particles か, の, よ
Ownership, Particle の
Family
There is, There are, to Exist
こそあど Words
Some, Any, No
Vocabulary Practice
Verb Basics
Verbs and U-Form
I-Form
A-Form
E-Form
O-Form
Te-Form
Ta-Form
Suru Verbs
Compound Verbs
Mono and Koto, Verbs as Nouns
Present Tense, Future Tense, Habitual Action
Continuous Tense
Past Tense
Certainty
Negative Te-Form
Commands
Like, Love, Hate, Need
Vocabulary Practice
Intermediate Grammar
Want
Invitations
Can
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
かかる and かける
Should
Have to, Must
May
And
But
Because
How to, Difficult to, Easy to, Too Much
Experiences
Intend to
Adjectives
Adjectives
Adverbs and Adjectival Nouns
Adjective Commands
Comparisons
Superlative
Vocabulary Practice
Numbers, Dates, Time
Numbers
Counting
Dates
Time
Already, Still, Yet
Before, After, During, While, When
Special Words
Honorific and Humble Speech
False Cognates
Conclusion
E-Note cards
Day 1
Day 11
Day 21
Day 31
Day 41
Day 51
Day 61
Day 71
Day 81
Foreword
This is the first book in the series Speak Japanese in 90 Days. It covers all of the
grammar tested in the JLPT N5 (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) as well as
most of the grammar in the JLPT N4. Please read the following sections which
will teach you how to study with this book. Thank you for your purchase, I hope
you enjoy studying with this book!
How to Study
This book consists of 90 lessons that can be studied in one day each. Each lesson
will present you with ten vocabulary words to memorize and most will also
contain a grammar structure to memorize. To memorize vocabulary, please use
note cards, or some device to write down the vocabulary words, and follow the
method that will be outlined in the following paragraphs. If you do not wish to
create your own note cards, you can use the E-note cards provided at the end of
this book. However, creating your own note cards and writing out the words will
help you learn and memorize the vocabulary. It is important that you have access
to your vocabulary at all times during the day.
On both sides of the card write the numbers 1-10. On one side write the English
word and on the other side write the Japanese equivalent. Read word number one
out loud. Flip the card. Read the Japanese equivalent word out loud. Go on to
the second word. Do this at least ten times for each word. You may notice, by
the tenth time, that you can remember some of the words without making any
effort. Please note that out loud is bold and underlined. It is extremely important
that you say the words out loud.
Do this at least three times a day. The more often you do it, the easier it will be
to recall the words. At the end of the day, try to make a sentence with the words
you've memorized, or simply use the sample sentences provided in this book.
Making sentences with your vocabulary words is just as important as saying
everything out loud. If you do these two simple things, your progress will be
much faster. Practice each new card along with the old ones every day until you
are able to freely use the vocabulary words on your own. Review all vocabulary
at least once a week, even if you feel you have memorized it.
You brain will play tricks on you, and you may begin to memorize the order of
the words on the card, so it is important to mix them up, do the odd words, then
do the even words. Do the words backwards. You can also switch the language
you start with. Start on the English side to improve your speaking, start on the
Japanese side to improve your reading and listening. Say everything out loud.
Motivation
The most difficult thing to learning a language is actually taking the time to
study. Languages are different than most subjects, in that you cannot cram the
information in one sitting. You must study as often as possible rather than as
long as possible. It is imperative that you study and practice every day. You will
gain more benefit from studying every day for fifteen minutes than you will
from studying two hours once a week. Your motivation for learning Japanese is
very important. Ask yourself, why do I want to study Japanese? Remind yourself
of the reason. Tell yourself I want to study Japanese. Say it, out loud, right now:
I want to study Japanese. It is all a matter of will. You may find yourself one
day feeling lazy, your thoughts telling you to relax, to procrastinate. Do not let
this happen to you. Do not give in to negativity. If you feel this is happening,
remind yourself of why you want to speak Japanese, remind yourself that you
want to do this. You want to study. You want to improve. It is my hope that you
are able to finish this book in 90 days, however, everyone has different learning
curves and busy lives, so if you find that it may take you 180, or even 360 days
to finish this book, do not feel down. This book was designed to be done at your
own pace. You can do it! Good luck!
Practicing
You perfect what you practice. If you play video games all day, you will get
good at playing video games, if you read books all day, you will become a fast
reader. The same goes for language, if you practicing reading, you will increase
your reading skill, if you practice listening, you will increase your listening skill,
if you practice speaking, you will increase your speaking skill. The problem for
most people learning a language is that they waste time doing written grammar
