If you’re just a little curious about Japanese language, please read this. Here, I will lecture you on the essential Japanese you should know in order to use this site. It will also be very useful as an introduction to learning Japanese. If you’ve already started studying Japanese, there’s no need to read this page.
Chapter 1: Pronunciation
The knowledge of pronunciation is summarized in the video How to pronounce Japanese (1)-(6).
It covers the knowledge needed to sing while reading lyrics.
Also, on this site, all Japanese can be read in the Latin alphabet, so it is not necessary to memorize Japanese characters. However, since the units of Japanese pronunciation are linked to the Japanese alphabet, hiragana, you should know that there are these characters. You can learn this in 30 seconds from this video.
Chapter 2: Grammar
Here is a lecture on carefully selected grammar points that you should know in order to read the lyrics. If you understand this knowledge and the meanings of the words, you’ll probably be able to get a general idea of the lyrics.
1. Word Order
There are SVO and SOV types of word order in the world’s languages.
For example,
“I love you.”
In English, “I” is the subject, “love” is the verb, and “you” is the object, which makes it an SVO type of language.
In Japanese, the order is:
“I you love.”
This is called the SOV type.
While many European languages, including English, are SVO type, Japanese is SOV type. You should know this as a basic fact.
However, this rule is not absolute. The word order often changes.
2. Omission
Japanese is a language in which parts of the sentence are often omitted.
For example, in the sentence “I love you,” if “You” is already understood and only “I” is necessary information, it would be expressed as:
“I love.”
If “I” is already understood and only “You” is necessary information, it would be expressed as:
“Love you.”
This means that in Japanese, it is very important to imagine what is missing (to imagine the context). On a larger scale, in Japanese culture, it is essential to mentally fill in parts that are intentionally left unsaid. Please keep that in mind.
3. Indicating Particles
Now, let’s gradually learn the grammar-related words.
I want to express “I love you,” so here are three words for now:
- わたし [watashi] : I
- あなた [anata] : you
- あいしている [aishite iru] : love
Simply putting these three words together does not form a proper Japanese sentence. In Japanese, particles, which are like glue, are attached to words to make the sentence complete. Let’s learn the most important particles that indicate the roles of words. There are many, but here are the most crucial ones:
- …は [wa] : (subject marker)
- …が [ga] : (subject marker)
- …を [o] : (object marker)
- …も [mo] : also, even (replaces “は / wa,” “が / ga,” or “を / o.”)
“は / wa” is read as wa, not ha, and “を / o” is read as o. Be careful with these special readings.
Using the words above
わたし は あなた を あいしている
watashi wa anata o aishiteiru
“I love you.”
If there are particles indicating roles, even if the word order changes or part of the sentence is omitted, you can still understand the overall meaning by knowing which role each word plays in the sentence.
For example,
“あなた / anata”
on its own is just one word, but when it says:
“あなたを / anatao”
it already feels like a sentence. In the context of lyrics, it might make you think that the speaker wants to say “I love you.” This is a key characteristic of Japanese, which differs greatly from English.
4. Sentence-End Particles
There are many particles that attach to the end of a sentence, but let’s start with the most important ones.
- …か [ka] : (question marker)
- …な [na] : (prohibition) Don’t
わたし を あいしている か
watashi o aishite iru ka
“Do you love me?”
いく な
iku na
- いく [iku] : go
“Don’t go!”
There are also particles used in conversation to express the speaker’s attitude.
- …の [no] : (question marker)
- …わ [wa] : (feminine tone, exclamation)
- …よ [yo] : (exclamation, emphasis)
- …ね [ne] : (seeking agreement, exclamation)
There are many more such particles, each with subtle nuances. However, even if you ignore them, you can still grasp the general meaning of the sentence. Just knowing that they exist is enough for now.
5. Particles Like English Prepositions
Here are the most important Japanese particles that correspond to English prepositions.
- …の… [no] : (possessive)’s, of), (general modification)
わたし の ゆめ
watashi no yume
- ゆめ [yume] : dream
“My dream”
- …と… [to] : and, with
わたし と あなた
watashi to anata
“Me and you”
- …に [ni] : (location, time, direction) at, in, to
- …へ [e] : (direction) to
わたし は まち に いく
watashi wa machi ni iku
- まち [machi] : town
(translation) “I go to town”
6. Conjugation
In Japanese, verbs, adjectives, and auxiliary verbs change form through a process called conjugation, similar to how verbs change in English.
Here are examples of the verb “いく / iku” (go) in various forms:
“いか-ない / ika-nai” (not go)
“いき-ます / iki-masu” (go (formal))
“いっ-た / itta” (went)
“いく-とき / iku-toki” (when I go)
“いけ-ば / ike-ba” (if I go)
“いこ-う / iko-o” (let’s go)
The left side changing like “ika…,” “iki…,” “iku…,” “ike…,” and “iko…” is called conjugation.
In the vocabulary section of the article, I write the basic form (here, “いく / iku”).
7.Auxiliary Verbs
Auxiliary verbs support the meaning of the main verbs. Although they are not covered in the vocabulary section, I’ll briefly explain them here. Note that their form changes through conjugation as they appear in sentences.
- …だ・で [da / de] : be
- …です [desu] : be (polite)
それ は ゆめ だ
sore wa yume da
- それ [sore] : it
“It is a dream”
This is one of the most important auxiliary verbs, often compared to “is” in English. However, you can ignore it and still understand the sentence. In Kansai dialect, “だ / da” changes to “や / ya.”
- …ない・なか [nai / naka] : (negation) not
- …ぬ・ず [nu / zu] : (old-fashioned/formal negation) not
それ は ゆめ で は ない
sore wa yume de wa nai
“It is not a dream”
わたし は いか ない
watashi wa ika nai
“I don’t go”
This is important because it reverses the meaning, so you can’t ignore it! Other conjugated forms are provided for reference. A more formal way to say “ない / nai” is “ぬ / nu,” which is also shown.
Note that the adjective form “ない / nai” has a similar appearance but means “not exist,” and should be distinguished from the auxiliary verb.
- …た [ta] : (past tense) did, was
それ は ゆめ だっ た
sore wa yume da tta
“It was a dream”
わたし は いっ た
watashi wa i tta
“I went”
- …たい [tai] : (desire) want to
わたし は いきたい
watashi wa iki tai
“I want to go”
This form is often used in song lyrics.
8. Conjunction Particles
Particles that express logical connections. There are two types: sequential and contrasting.
- …から [kara] : …so, because…
- …けど・けれど [kedo / keredo] : …though, …but
それは わたし の ゆめ だ から いく
sore wa watashi no yume da kara iku
“Because it’s my dream, I (will) go.”
あなた を あいしている けど わたし は いかない
anata o aishite iru kedo watashi wa ika nai
“I love you, but I don’t (won’t) go.”
In reality, sentences often end with “から / kara” or “けど / kedo” without providing the conclusion. In such cases, the causal connection is weaker, and when translating into English, you may not need to use words like “because” or “though.”
When combined with “だ / da” to form “だから / dakara” or “だけど / dakedo,” these particles become conjunctions and are placed between two sentences to clearly indicate a cause-effect relationship.
For example,
それ は わたし の ゆめ だ。 だから わたし は いく。
sore wa watashi no yume da. dakara watashi wa iku
“That is my dream. So, I (will) go.”
The same applies to “だけど / dakedo,” which has synonyms like “だけれど / dakeredo,” “だけども / dakedomo,” “けれど / keredo,” “けれども / keredomo,” and “でも / demo.”
9. Prefixes and Suffixes
- …たち・ら [tachi / ra] : (plural suffix for people or things)
Example: “わたしたち / watashitachi” (we) = “わたし / watashi” + “たち / tachi”
This is a suffix attached to words to indicate plurality, especially for people.
Although not often found in lyrics, I’ll also mention the unique Japanese prefixes and suffixes briefly.
- お・ご… [o / go] : (honorific or polite prefix)
These prefixes are attached to nouns to add politeness or respect. Children’s language tends to follow this pattern.
Example: “おふね / ofune” = “お / o” + “ふね / fune” (boat)
- …ちゃん [chan] : (affectionate or familiar suffix used for children, close friends, etc.)
- …くん [kun] : (suffix for boys, or informal suffix used for male peers or juniors)
- …さん [san] : (respectful suffix) Mr./Ms.
- …さま [sama] : (respectful and formal suffix, used to show high respect or honor)
These suffixes are added to people’s names to show respect or affection.
Example: “うさぎちゃん / usagichan” (bunny) = “うさぎ / usagi” (rabbit) + “ちゃん / chan”
Chapter 3: Various First-Person and Second-Person Pronouns
There are an astounding number of first-person pronouns in Japanese, which are used differently depending on gender and situation. I will list the ones commonly found in lyrics, so please remember them. It’s good to memorize them in pairs with the second-person pronouns.
- わたし [watashi] : I
- ぼく [boku] : I
- おれ [ore] : I
- あなた [anata] : you
- きみ [kimi] : you
- おまえ [omae] : you
The most standard pair is “わたし / watashi” and “あなた / anata.” In formal settings, both men and women use “わたし / watashi,” but in casual conversation, “わたし / watashi” is often perceived as feminine. Therefore, if you see “わたし / watashi” in a song lyric, it might suggest that the character is female.
For men, the first-person pronouns “ぼく / boku” and “おれ / ore” are used. Generally, “ぼく / boku” is used by gentle-natured men or in polite situations, while “おれ / ore” is used by men with a rougher demeanor or in informal settings. When “ぼく / boku” and “きみ / kimi” are paired in lyrics, it evokes a sweet, romantic situation. This is common in lyrics. If you see “おれ / ore” and “おまえ / omae” together, it gives the impression that a straightforward man is speaking.
The choice of first-person pronouns often reflects the singer’s gender as well.
By the way, in real conversations, “きみ / kimi” comes off as too pretentious. “おまえ / omae” is too casual, so you shouldn’t use it with anyone other than close friends. Surprisingly, “あなた / anata” is also rarely used. It’s more natural and safer to call the other person by their name.
| Formal, Female | Gentleman, Male | Casual, Male | |
| I (First-Person Pronouns) | わたし / watashi | ぼく / boku | おれ / ore |
| You (Second-Person Pronouns) | あなた / anata | きみ / kimi | おまえ / omae |
That concludes the basics of Japanese you should know to use this site.