I always start teaching people Japanese by getting them to use simple words and phrases from the word go. By doing this you can begin to speak conversational Japanese confidently fast. The best way to learn conversational Japanese is to grab an online learning Japanese software product. There are some very good courses and they are alot cheaper than private lessons.
Ok now I am going to simply list some useful Japanese family words that you can get started with and practice at home:
Spouse: Haiguusha
Brother In Law: Gi Kei
Nephew: Oi
Children: Kodomo
Women : Josei
Grandfather: Sofu
Grandchild: Mago
Parents: Ryooshin
Grandson: Mago Musuko
Son In Law: Muko
Relatives: Shinseki
Son: Musuko
Cousin: Itoko
Husband: Otto
Granddaughter: Mago Musume
Daughter: Musume
Brother: Kyoodai
Family: Kazoku
A really important thing for you to note is that the words I have just given you are the ones you would use when refering to your own family, such ‘my brother’ is ‘Kyoodai’ but the Japanese are very polite and use mor formal and respectful words when they are talking about someone else’s brother or family members. Therefore the word for somebody else’s brother would be: “gokyoodai” meaning “your brother”.
Not all words ad ‘Go’ some add ‘San’ on the end, for example ‘my son’ is ‘Musuko’ but if I am talking about someone else’s son I say ‘Musuko san’
Now I wil show you how to put some of these words into a real sentence by showing you how to ask questions:
“Do you have a brother?”
“Go Kyoodai ga imasu ka”
You can see the word “go kyoodai” and the other words are the verb to have “imasu” and then two particles “ga” and “ka”, which for the sake of time wont discuss in this article.
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Take it easy!
