By taking the time to understand how the Japanese language works, you'll be able to speak Japanese naturally, and read and write in Japanese. We know this can be one of the more challenging parts of your course, and we’re here to help! You can browse the topics, do a search in the top right corner of this page, or start a new conversation. Don’t be shy!
Hi konnichiwa. Shitsumon ga aru. l usually see ~i adjective turn into ~ki adjective such as atsui→atsuki / hayai→hayaki, itoshii→itoshiki/atarashii→atrarashiki etc. Well then, what does it mean?
12 replies - Last post by Pascal-P - September 15, 2012
Hi everyone! l usually see particle "wo" at the end of a sentence without a verb like: よい夢 を 。 楽しい旅 を 。 良い週末 を 。 良い休暇 を 。 They skip the main verb. So l just wonder what is the main verb? Can anyone help me, please?
4 replies - Last post by Pascal-P - August 27, 2012
hi everyone. What is the difference wa and ga?
3 replies - Last post by Pascal-P - August 23, 2012
Japanese 10.3 passive form of suru, female/teinego/male plain
So Chūrin-ihan de jitensha ga tekkyo sarechattano. is female speech, passive. Would the teinego form be Chūrin-ihan de jitensha ga tekkyo saremashita and the plain male form be Chūrin-ihan de jitensha ga tekkyo sareta Is there a 'male equivalent' to the...
5 replies - Last post by Hnrutt - August 17, 2012
In 10.3 why is kotowarareta used and not kotowatta? The latter seems to be the plain form past of kotowaru - the former is some rather complicated form ('passive respectful') I dont know - & I dot really see why its needed. Plain past does it surely -...
3 replies - Last post by Pascal-P - July 30, 2012
Infinitive+desu compared to ..te iru n desu or -te imasu, lesson 10.2
Firstly, am I correct that xxte irun desu and xxte imasu are essentially identical in meaning, both 'polite', but the first possibly a bit more informal, colloquial & spoken as opposed to written? But in 10.2 (& Ive seen the analogous construction...
5 replies - Last post by Hnrutt - July 24, 2012
So all of the lessons (or at least all of the lessons I've done so far) use "anata" when referring to 'you', but in pretty much every Japanese song I've listened to the singers say "kimi" instead of "anata". Is this just so the lyrics fit in with the song...
4 replies - Last post by Hnrutt - July 20, 2012
why do you say koko de matte kudasai and koko ni tatte kudasai
3 replies - Last post by Pascal-P - July 12, 2012
The particle "o" and the honorific "O"??
Can someone explain to me the O that makes words honorific and how you know what words to make honorific. Also can someone explain when and where to use the particle "o" to mark the object rather than using "ga". And what's the difference between o and g...
5 replies - Last post by Sayaka-Matsuura - July 11, 2012
In this lesson, Sayaka asks, "O sake o nonda koto ga arimasu ka?" And Kenny replies, "O sake o nonda koto WA arimasen." Why don't they both use the same particle? Suppose Kenny wanted to say that he himself has never drunk sake, but his brother drinks it...
9 replies - Last post by Maggie-J - June 3, 2012
ikanakute wa ikimasen. Do I understand this well: -nakute is the '-te form' of nai ikanakute wa ikimasen >> I have to go?? Thanks for confirming this and could you give some simple other examples?
4 replies - Last post by lucvileyn - April 15, 2012
My friends' Japanese friend told me that, because I'm a boy, I should say 'boku' rather than 'watashi'. This confused me because on the audio lessons Kenny says watashi... And he's a guy... I read somewhere on the Internet that boku is only said by young ...
4 replies - Last post by Liam-K - April 13, 2012
Im having a bit of trouble of the verb forms (te form ect ect..) and cant find a section about it in the grammer lessons. Can you tell me where its at in the grammer lessons incase i missed it, or explain it to me please?
2 replies - Last post by wobejig-g - March 19, 2012
Is there someone who can explain the expression 銀行へ行かなくては行きません。I have to go to the bank. Thanks.
3 replies - Last post by 2679 - March 14, 2012
When I paste the following in 次の電話での会話を聞いてください。 it says that ください （くださる）is a verb, but to my opinion it is and adverb, right? but in the following sentence it is a verb, ok? 少しお金をください。
1 reply - Last post by Sayaka-Matsuura - March 13, 2012
quiz 1.4.1 q5. not sure why it is wrong, can someone please explain?
All of the following are "Can you?" questions EXCEPT: • Tsukae masu ka? • Ike masu ka? • Tabe masu ka? • Hanase masu ka?
2 replies - Last post by Robin88 - November 9, 2011
Question 1: In Lesson 1.3, the opening sentence is "お 寿司 は 好き です か？", here the particle used with the verb 'suki' is 'wa'. In another Japanese language book, it says "Particle 'ga' is used with 'suki desu' ". The example given is '...
10 replies - Last post by Pascal-P - October 30, 2011
I notice that in conversation lesson 2.1, the first sentence says "Kyoto-eki wa douyatte iki mas ka?" But in grammar lesson 2.6, the same sentence is rendered as "Kyoto-eki ni wa douyatte iki mas ka?" The translation is the same, so what is the function...
3 replies - Last post by Pascal-P - October 12, 2011
Is it necessary to be able to write kanji?
みんなさん、たすけてください I'm slowly chugging through kanji, but I've noticed that it's quite easy to read kanji, but when I start learning stroke order, difficulties come. So what I'm asking is how often would one have to actually write Japanese in everyday life...
11 replies - Last post by John_B8 - September 3, 2011
japanese symbols different in video.
Hi, im still quite new to rocket japanese and so far find it really useful in learning japanese. However when it came to watching the videos of someone drawing the sounds (i.e. ka), their version is different to the computer version shown in the sentences...
6 replies - Last post by Pascal-P - July 25, 2011
I have a quick question regarding a use of the reading いかが vs. どう for the word 如何 in lesson 2.2, where it's used to express "how about [a pamphlet]...?" I've heard (and used) this phrase (如何ですか）often (for example, asking children in my classes, "how abou...
1 reply - Last post by Pascal-P - July 6, 2011
Ｗｈａｔ ｉｓ ｔｈｅ ｄｉｆｆｅｒｅｎｃｅ ｉｎ ｓｅｎｔｅｎｃｅｓ？ 学校に行きます。 学校に来ます。 Ｉ ｋｎｏｗ ｔｈｅ ｖｅｒｓｉｏｎ ｏｆ ｓｐｅａｋｅｒ’ｓ ｖｉｅｗｐｏｉｎｔ ｂｕｔ Ｉ ｓｔｉｌｌ ｄｏｎ’ｔ ｇｅｔ ｉｔ．Ｉｓ ｔｈｅｒｅ ａｎ ｅａｓｉｅｒ ｅｘｐｌａｎａｔｉｏｎ？ ＰＳ Ｅｎｇｌｉｓｈ ｉｓ ｎｏｔ ｍｙ ｎａｔｉｖｅ ｌａｎｇｕａｇｅ ｓｏ ｃｏｍｐａｒｉｎｇ ”ｇｏ” ａｎｄ ”ｃｏｍｅ” ｄｏｅｓｎ’ｔ ｗｏｒｋ ｆｏｒ ｍｅ （
3 replies - Last post by Pascal-P - June 11, 2011
Konnichiwa! I just started learning again today after putting it off for a long time. I'm in Unit 1.1 and have a question: What is the difference between "wa" and "ka" when denoting a question? Arrigato! - Otis
7 replies - Last post by Sayaka-Matsuura - May 24, 2011
lol I forgot - ka vs. Soretomo
I forgot the difference between them and when to use them. I remember asking in the past but can't find my post. :]
8 replies - Last post by Sayaka-Matsuura - May 24, 2011
~nikui ~yasui and double negatives
Konnichiwa minnasan! So Ive recently come back to a grammar point that I learned a while ago, and it brought up a question. with the verb postfixes ~yasui and ~nikui (meaning easy to do and hard to do respectively) can you use/conjugate them into thier n...
5 replies - Last post by glinda-- - May 23, 2011
In 3.7 there is discussion of forming past tense. Lesson 3.7 Past Tense For "Sashimi o tabeta koto ga arimasu ka?" If this is supposed to be a past tense why isn't it "Sashimi o tabeta koto ga arimashita ka? The same for all the other cases? as in tab...
7 replies - Last post by 2679 - April 24, 2011
Does this program teack you to read and write in japanese?
I'm new and currently on a trial. I plan on going to school in Japan soon and reading and writing is going to be a must and I can't find anything that says it does or doesn't. Thank you for your time and answers!
5 replies - Last post by Pascal-P - April 10, 2011
Need help with my name in Katakana
Ok, it's been a while (over a year) since I started (and stopped unfortunately) learning Japanese language but I'm back and ready to push harder this time around. I've never used these forums so not too sure where to I was to have this topic but here it ...
3 replies - Last post by Pascal-P - March 25, 2011
Switching between hiragana and Katakana?
Hello, Recently i have just been practicing reading and writing Hiragana and Katakana, i can read both quite well now and recognize all the characters but when i am writing them down i get a blank spot when switching between the two. Guess i just need t...
2 replies - Last post by Gary-T1 - March 22, 2011
Gakunenbetsu kanji haitōhyō (学年別漢字配当表)
Is there someone who can post this list in the EXACT order that children learn them at school? First grade, second grade, etc... Thank you
7 replies - Last post by Pascal-P - February 13, 2011
I just got through the lessons 3.5 and 3.10. As I understood, nakute means must. Now the question is: why is there the ikemasen added too ? example1: Why is the verb "IKU" used twice in lesson 3.5 ? - Kyou ikanakute wa ikemasen ka ? wouldn't it have be...
7 replies - Last post by Pascal-P - January 19, 2011
みんなさん、こんにちは！ I recently listened to lesson 3.2, and I have a grammar question - when/why does the phrase ことが become ことは? The sentence it was used in is as follows: Question: おさけをのんだことがありますか？ Reply: いいえ, おさけをのんだことはありません。おいしいですか？ Why does this change h...
2 replies - Last post by Kayron - January 7, 2011
Minna-san konnichiwa ! I have about 2 and a half years until I finish high-school and I have my eyes on 2-3 Universities in Japan to which I'd like to go and study. The problem for me is that those universities don't have courses in English, only in Japa...
12 replies - Last post by 2679 - January 5, 2011
As I know, there are 2 types of verbs: Godan and Ichidan + 2 irregular ones: kuru (to come) and suru (to do). There are 5 bases + base "te" and base "ta" for each of them. My question is: Does Rocket Japanese include a lesson in which we are thought how t...
4 replies - Last post by 2679 - December 24, 2010
Hi Are there any tricks to get Japanese "r" ("l") pronunciation right?
1 reply - Last post by Sayaka-Matsuura - December 23, 2010
I was wondering if you conjunct your verbs like this hanase masu, hanasenai, hanasetai, hanasetakunai, ? and eru/iru verbs tabe masu, tabenai ,tabetai, tabetakunai. ? also wondering if you always conjunct with "e" changing if you wanted to say "if" or...
7 replies - Last post by Sayaka-Matsuura - December 23, 2010
<verb>てもいいですか and <verb>てもらってもいいですか
みんなさん、こんいちは。 ぼくのなまえはカイロンです。よろしくおねがいします。 Hello. I was wondering if I correctly understood a grammar concept that I came across in a lesson I looked at today. If I remember correctly, it was 2.2. The usage of <verb-in-TE-form> followed by もいいですか？ is...
7 replies - Last post by 2679 - November 26, 2010
Hello I have a question about double-length hiragana vowels - in case of double-length "I" and "E", how do we know the correct reading, eg that せんせい is sense(e), not sensei? or when I see E-I, I should ALWAYS read E(E)? Tanks
4 replies - Last post by Sayaka-Matsuura - November 14, 2010
sory for the name of the post, my keyboard had some blocked pads and it took some wrong commands. I wanted to make the name of the topic: "ja nai desu" vs "ja arimasen". As the title should say, I want to know which is the difference between "ja arimasen...
6 replies - Last post by Sayaka-Matsuura - November 2, 2010
"suki" pronunciation
Konnichiwa! I was listening to lesson 1.3 and I noticed that "suki" sounded like "sue-key" and "ski". Which is the correct way to pronounce it, or can it be pronounced either way? Arigatō gozaimasu!
3 replies - Last post by Sayaka-Matsuura - October 25, 2010
Minnasan Konnichiwa! Particles are one of the most difficult and challenging part of the Japanese language! So, let us review the most common ones and keep on adding to that list! :idea: *WA* Used to mark the topic of a sentence *Kenny-san __WA__ Igi...
23 replies - Last post by Sayaka-Matsuura - October 21, 2010
Sorry to ask a simple question, but i want to get the sound of tsu pronunciation correct. To me Tsu sounds like chu(chinese) or is it zhu(chinese), learned mandarin in asia. i want to get tsu right so i can say Tsukae masu and O tsuri correctly. Can ...
6 replies - Last post by Sayaka-Matsuura - September 28, 2010
こんにちわ、みなさん。 I have a question here. 教えてください。 In Rocket Japanese Lesson 2.4 Catching a Ride: あっ、 タクシー が き ました。 *あい のり* します か？ Ai nori (あい のり) means to ride (the taxi) together. So what if I say "Ishou ni nori" (いしょう に のり）？ As far as I know, i...
1 reply - Last post by Sayaka-Matsuura - September 20, 2010
I'm learning my location words now i'm confused on how to use them like: someone ask me wheres the remote *(remote wa doko desu ka)* i say its near me which i think is *(kore desu) *since its an object but im saying *(this remote)* which doesnt make se...
3 replies - Last post by Sayaka-Matsuura - September 6, 2010
Why does one add n to iru. Like in Lesson 9.1 ie....Itsu kara Toyko ni irun-desu ka? I thank you in advance. Domo arigato gozaimasu. ケン べライル
3 replies - Last post by Sayaka-Matsuura - August 16, 2010
i really love japanese but im just starting to learn this language, im not really sure what to start with so can anyone tell me the first step to begin learning?? arigathou gozaimasu!
5 replies - Last post by CatPanda - August 11, 2010
Can 'desu yo ne' be used to persons?
'desu yo ne' (ですよね) means "isn't it", right? so can it be used when someone is talking about a person ? :?: :arrow: example: He/she is cute, isn't he?
1 reply - Last post by Sayaka-Matsuura - July 22, 2010
When to use arimasu/imasu or desu?
Minna-san konnichiwa, I'm a little confused on when to use Desu and when to use arimasu/imasu. For example if I say: This is a television => Kore wa terebi desu. But can I use: kore wa terebi arimasu? So basically I'm asking if the are interchange...
8 replies - Last post by Sayaka-Matsuura - June 20, 2010
こんにちは！ hi every one. Im guessing im not the only one with this problem, but how can you know when someone means yes or no to a question? I wish it was just as simple as hearing iie or hai, but ive heard both translated as the opposite. ie. someone will...
1 reply - Last post by Sayaka-Matsuura - May 23, 2010