Introduction to Nihongo
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Questions and Answers

What is the primary function of Katakana in the Japanese language?

  • To write historical texts
  • To represent native Japanese words
  • To represent foreign loan words (correct)
  • To express grammatical functions

How many basic Katakana letters are there?

  • 48
  • 50
  • 46 (correct)
  • 49

What are the two modifications of sounds represented by additional symbols in Katakana?

  • Yōon and gojūon
  • Dakuten and tenten
  • Sokuon and yōon
  • Dakuon and handakuon (correct)

What is the term used for the table that organizes the basic syllables of Katakana?

<p>Gojūon-zu (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which Katakana letter represents a sound that is skipped in the gojūon-zu table?

<p>ン (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What modification indicates the voiced sound in Dakuon syllables?

<p>Two small dots (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What do the small characters ャ, ュ, and ョ indicate in Yōon?

<p>Combinations of consonants with 'ya', 'yu', and 'yo' (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which letter in Katakana represents the same sound as オ?

<p>ヲ (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main purpose of Hiragana in the Japanese language?

<p>To form sentences using syllables (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which component of the Japanese phonetic system does Dakuon represent?

<p>Voiced sounds of specific syllables (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'gojūon' literally refer to?

<p>Table of 50 sounds (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes a characteristic of Yōon?

<p>It combines consonants of i-column syllables with ya, yu, or yo. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which letter is described as having no sound between syllables in the context of Sokuon?

<p>つ (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How many modified forms of Hiragana are there to describe additional sounds?

<p>10 (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What numeral indicates the total number of basic Hiragana letters including variations?

<p>46 (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the small circle indicate in the context of Handakuon?

<p>Half-voiced sounds (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which family is Japanese most widely believed to be connected to?

<p>Ural-Altaic family (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the two syllabic scripts used in the Japanese writing system?

<p>Hiragana and Katakana (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a characteristic of Japanese vocabulary?

<p>It has a vast number of borrowed words from Chinese. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

During which centuries did the adaptation of Chinese characters significantly influence Japanese?

<p>6th to 9th centuries A.D. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes vowel length in the Japanese language?

<p>It changes the meaning of a word. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following words is an example of a 'gairaigo' in Japanese?

<p>Teburu (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which consonants can be palatalized in front of the vowels /a/, /u/, and /o/ in Japanese?

<p>/k/, /s/, /t/ (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary use of the Latin alphabet in modern Japanese?

<p>For company names and logos (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the consonants /s/ and /t/ when they occur with the vowel /i/?

<p>They are pronounced as /shi/ and /chi/ respectively. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which script is primarily used for grammatical purposes in Japanese?

<p>Hiragana (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary use of Katakana in the Japanese writing system?

<p>To represent newer words imported from western countries. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about Japanese dialects is true?

<p>Some dialects are virtually incomprehensible to speakers of other dialects. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the three main politeness levels in spoken Japanese?

<p>Plain form, Simple polite form, and Advanced polite form (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In Japanese, the speaker in a lower position typically uses which form of speech?

<p>A polite form of speech. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How many characters approximately form the basic set of Hiragana and Katakana in Japanese?

<p>50 (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is considered the 'common' dialect of Japan?

<p>The Tokyo dialect (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Japanese Language Family

Japanese is believed to be related to the Ural-Altaic language family, which includes languages like Turkish, Mongolian, Manchu, and Korean.

Kanji Adaptation

The adoption of Chinese characters (kanji) in Japanese occurred between the 6th and 9th centuries A.D., greatly impacting the language's development.

Hiragana and Katakana

These are two syllabic scripts developed from kanji characters to represent sounds and syllables not covered by kanji.

Gairaigo Influence

Japanese has adopted many foreign words, primarily from English, since the 18th century. Words like 'table', 'beer', and 'hotel' are examples.

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Japanese Consonant Palatalization

When /s/ and /t/ appear before /i/, they become /shi/ and /chi/, respectively.

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Japanese Writing System

Modern Japanese is written using a combination of three scripts: kanji, hiragana, and katakana, alongside the Latin alphabet (romaji).

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Vocabulary Influence

Japanese vocabulary is significantly influenced by borrowed words from Chinese and, to a lesser extent, from other languages like English.

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Japanese /t/ pronunciation

"t" is pronounced as /ts/ in front of the vowel /u/ in Japanese.

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Hiragana & Katakana

Two phonetic scripts (kana) in Japanese, developed from simplified Chinese characters.

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Open Syllable Structure

Japanese syllables typically end in a vowel, creating a distinct sound pattern.

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Hiragana Usage

Primarily used for grammar, difficult/rare kanji, colloquialisms, and onomatopoeia in Japanese.

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Japanese Vowels

The Japanese language has five vowels: /a/, /i/, /u/, /e/, and /o/.

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Katakana Usage

Used to write words from western languages (and foreign loanwords) in Japanese.

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Japanese Dialects

Numerous regional dialects in Japan, leading to different but related ways of speaking.

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Standard Japanese

A common dialect used in Japanese communication to facilitate understanding between speakers from many regions.

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Politeness Levels in Japanese

Japanese has different grammatical levels of politeness (plain, polite, very polite), depending on the relationship between speakers.

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Katakana

A phonetic Japanese writing system used primarily for foreign words.

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Gojūon-zu

A table organizing 46 basic Katakana syllables.

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Dakuon

Voiced sounds in Katakana, indicated by two dots.

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Handakuon

Half-voiced Katakana sounds, indicated by a small circle.

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Yōon

Katakana combinations of consonant + ya, yu, or yo.

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Gojūon

The 46 basic Katakana syllables in the gojūon-zu.

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Katakana Syllable Structure

Katakana represents syllables as a consonant followed by a vowel.

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Katakana Usage

Primarily used to write foreign words and loanwords in Japanese.

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Hiragana

One of three Japanese character sets, representing syllables, without independent meaning, used extensively in sentences.

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Gojūon-zu

A table organizing Japanese syllables. 5x10 arrangement. There are 5 duplicated vowels.

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Dakuon

Voiced sounds in Japanese, represented by small dots above syllables like か,さ,た,は.

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Handakuon

Half-voiced sound in Japanese syllables, represented by a small circle over the main sign.

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Yōon

Combining i-column syllables with ya, yu, or yo in Japanese. Like ki + ya = kya.

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Sokuon

A pause in pronunciation in Japanese syllables represented by small 'tsu'

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Additional Hiragana

Modern, rarely used Hiragana letters created to represent foreign language sounds.

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Politeness Levels in Japanese

Different levels of speech in Japanese (plain, polite, very polite), depending on the relationship between speakers.

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Study Notes

Introduction to Nihongo

  • Nihongo is the Japanese language.

History

  • Japanese is believed to be related to the Ural-Altaic family, including Turkish, Mongolian, Manchu, and Korean.
  • Japanese shares key features with Korean, such as a similar structure, vowel harmony, lack of conjunctions, and extensive use of honorific speech.
  • The adaptation of Chinese characters (kanji) during the 6th-9th centuries AD was crucial to Japanese language development.
  • Hiragana and katakana were developed from kanji.
  • Starting in the mid-18th century, Japanese adopted a significant number of English words (gairaigo).
  • Words also came from Portuguese, Dutch, and Spanish, primarily during the 16th and 17th centuries, through contact from missionaries and merchants.

Characteristics

Vocabulary

  • Japanese uses three writing scripts: kanji (Chinese characters), hiragana, and katakana (syllabic scripts).
  • Romaji (the Latin alphabet) is also used, commonly for company names, logos, advertising, and computer input.

Morphology

  • Japanese vocabulary is significantly influenced by loans from Chinese; words were either borrowed directly or created based on Chinese models over the past 1500 years.
  • The late 19th century saw a significant increase in borrowing from Indo-European languages, especially English.

Sound

  • Japanese syllable structure is open-syllabled, ending in a vowel.
  • Vowel length is significant in distinguishing words (e.g., "door" vs. "too").
  • Five vowels are /a/, /i/, /u/, /e/, and /o/.
  • Consonants can be palatalized before vowels /a/, /u/, and/o/.
  • The syllabic nasal /n/ is a key part of the consonant inventory.

Writing

  • The Japanese writing system uses two versions (known as kana) of the same set of sounds, namely hiragana and katakana.
  • Hiragana and katakana evolved from simplified versions of Chinese characters (kanji) used for phonetic representation.
  • Hiragana is primarily used for grammatical elements, particles, and words with hard-to-find kanji characters for everyday use.
  • Katakana is mainly used with loan words imported from other languages (like English).

Varieties

Regional Dialects

  • Many dialects exist across Japan, notably in Kyushu and Okinawa, and are often largely incomprehensible to speakers of other dialects.
  • Standard Japanese (Tokyo dialect) is the most commonly used dialect and used primarily for communication between speakers of different regional dialectical groups.
  • Dialects from Kansai (Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe) are also widely spoken.

Social Styles of Speech

  • Japanese uses an elaborate system of politeness levels for speaking to reflect social and situational hierarchy in communication and relationships.
  • Three main politeness levels are often used: the plain form (kudaketa), simple polite (teinei), and advanced polite form (keigo)
  • Conversational style in Japanese often adheres to the social rules with the person of "lower status" using a more polite form and the person of "higher status" often using a more formal form of speech.

Hiragana

  • Hiragana is a set of 3-character scripts that are used in the Japanese language, including 46 basic hiragana letters (gojūon), along with modified forms.
  • The hiragana goon-zu table is organized in 5x10 syllable columns, with the first row representing vowels and columns containing consonants.
  • The letters "i", "u", and "e" appear more than once on the table.
  • Additional letters include dakuon (voiced sound with two dots), handakuon (half-voiced sound with a circle), and additional letters (yōon, sokuon) for describing sounds of foreign languages often borrowed from other languages.

Katakana

  • Katakana is another set of 3-character scripts used in Japanese to represent syllables.
  • Katakana (like Hiragana) contains the same set of sounds, but is primarily used for loanwords from other languages.
  • Modified forms of katakana include dakuon, handakuon, yōon, and sokuon, for expressing specific sounds.
  • The katakana goon-zu table is organized in 5x10 syllable columns, with the first row representing vowels and columns containing consonants. The structure is analogous to the hiragana goon-zu table.

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Introduction to Nihongo PDF

Description

Explore the rich history and characteristics of the Japanese language, Nihongo. This quiz covers important aspects such as its linguistic roots, the development of writing scripts, and vocabulary. Test your knowledge on the unique features and influences that shape this fascinating language.

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