Dialogue

Vocabulary (Review)

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Lesson Transcript

Introduction
Jessi: Asking Somebody's Age in Japanese. ジェシーです。(Jeshii desu.) Jessi here!
Naomi こんにちは!なおみです。(Kon'nichi wa! Naomi desu.) Hi everyone, Naomi here!
Jessi: Thanks again for joining us for this Absolute Beginner series! In the last lesson, we learned a lot of different phrases used for responding different ways to what someone says in Japanese. And in this lesson, we're going to learn some numbers, and with those numbers, we'll learn how to talk about age.
Naomi: Sounds good! So Jessi, what's going on in this conversation?
Jessi: In this conversation, Kaori and Masato meet Sarah - Taylor's young daughter - for the first time!
Naomi: Oh, a new character!
Jessi: Yes! We finally get to meet Taylor's daughter. Okay, let's listen to the conversation!

Lesson conversation

かおり:ねぇ、テイラーさん、サラちゃんはどこですか?(Nē, Teirā-san, Sara-chan wa doko desu ka?)
テイラー:こっちです。(Kocchi desu.)
かおり:(in a soft voice) あ、かわいい~。(A, kawaii.)
まさと:ちいさいですね。なんさいですか?(Chiisai desu ne. Nansai desu ka?)
テイラー:1さいです。(Issai desu.)
(Sarah starts to cry)
かおり:ごめんごめん!うるさい?ごめんね~。(Gomen gomen! Urusai? Gomen ne.)
English Host: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly.
かおり:ねぇ、テイラーさん、サラちゃんはどこですか?(Nē, Teirā-san, Sara-chan wa doko desu ka?)
テイラー:こっちです。(Kocchi desu.)
かおり:(in a soft voice) あ、かわいい~。(A, kawaii.)
まさと:ちいさいですね。なんさいですか?(Chiisai desu ne. Nansai desu ka?)
テイラー:1さいです。(Issai desu.)
(Sarah starts to cry)
かおり:ごめんごめん!うるさい?ごめんね~。(Gomen gomen! Urusai? Gomen ne.)
English Host: Now, let’s listen to it with the translation.
かおり:ねぇ、テイラーさん、サラちゃんはどこですか?(Nē, Teirā-san, Sara-chan wa doko desu ka?)
Jessi: Hey, Taylor, where's Sarah?
テイラー:こっちです。(Kocchi desu.)
Jessi: She's over here.
かおり: (in a soft voice) あ、かわいい~。(A, kawaii.)
Jessi: (in a soft voice) Ah, how cute!
まさと:ちいさいですね。なんさいですか?(Chiisai desu ne. Nansai desu ka?)
Jessi: She's so small. How old is she?
テイラー:1さいです。(Issai desu.)
Jessi: One year old.
かおり:ごめんごめん!うるさい?ごめんね~。(Gomen gomen! Urusai? Gomen ne.)
Jessi: Oh, I'm sorry! Are we loud? I'm sorry!

Lesson focus

Jessi: So we finally get to meet another member of the family!
Naomi Yes, サラちゃん (Sara-chan).
Jessi: Sarah, Taylor's daughter. In Japanese, she is referred to as サラちゃん (Sara-chan).
Naomi: That's right! サラ (Sara) plus the suffix ちゃん (chan).
Jessi: In Lesson 6, you learned the name suffix さん which is used to show respect to someone.
Naomi: Yes, like テイラーさん (Teirā-san), or まさとさん (Masato-san).
Jessi: ちゃん (chan) is a suffix that works like さん(san), but it is used to show affection and familiarity.
Naomi: Exactly. In many cases it is used with young children, especially young girls.
Jessi: So instead of just being called サラ (Sara)、she is called サラちゃん (Sara-chan). And how old is she, by the way?
Naomi: We found out in this conversation that she is one.
Jessi: Right, one year old. Speaking of age, we'll learn how to talk about age in the Lesson Focus later on! But before we talk about age, there's something important we need to go over.
Naomi Ah, I know what you're talking about. Numbers, right?
Jessi: Exactly! We haven't studied numbers yet.
Naomi: Okay, so here, let's study basic numbers in Japanese.
Jessi: Sounds good! Let's start with the numbers 1 through 10. Naomi will give you the word, and I'll follow with the translation, okay? Here we go.
Naomi: いち (ichi)
Jessi: One.
Naomi: に (ni)
Jessi: Two
Naomi: さん (san)
Jessi: Three
Naomi: よん (yon)
Jessi: Four
Naomi: ご (go)
Jessi: Five
Naomi: ろく (roku)
Jessi: Six
Naomi: なな (nana)
Jessi: Seven
Naomi: はち (hachi)
Jessi: Eight
Naomi: きゅう (kyū)
Jessi: Nine
Naomi: じゅう (jū)
Jessi: Ten. Okay, now let's do that one more time. This time, listeners, be prepared to repeat after Naomi. Here we go.
Naomi: 1 [pause] 2 [pause] 3 [pause] 4 [pause] 5 [pause] 6 [pause] 7 [pause] 8 [pause] 9 [pause] 10 [pause]
Jessi Great! So that was numbers 1 through 10. Basically, the numbers from 1 through 10 are something that you have to memorize. Now let's practice saying them in groups. Let’s start with 1 through three. Repeat after Naomi.
Naomi: 1、2,3 [pause]
Jessi: Next, from 4 through 6.
Naomi: 4,5,6 [pause]
Jessi: And finally, from 7 through 10.
Naomi: 7,8,9,10[pause]
Jessi: Okay. And let’s try them all together from 1 through 10.
Naomi: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10.[ pause]
Jessi: Okay, there you go. You can count from 1 through 10 in Japanese now.
Naomi: It means you can count up to 99.
Jessi: Yes! Believe it or not, it's really not that hard. Counting in Japanese involves patterns, so once you know numbers 1 through 10, you just follow a pattern to make even bigger numbers.
Naomi: That's right. For example to say eleven, we say 10, 1.
Jessi: Right. For example, ten is…
Naomi: じゅう (jū)
Jessi: One is…
Naomi: いち (ichi)
Jessi: So if we line them up
Naomi: じゅういち (jū-ichi)
Jessi: Ten-one – eleven! That’s it! One to ten are your building blocks, now you just have to arrange them! And by using this system, you can count all the way to 99. Let's try another.
Naomi Okay. How about twelve?
Jessi: That would be ten and two, right?
Naomi: Right.
Jessi: So, ten isじゅう (jū), and two is に (ni)… 
Naomi: So that would beじゅうに (jū-ni)
Jessi: Literally, ten-two. So, thirteen would be?
Naomi: じゅうさん (jū-san)
Jessi: Literally, ten-three. Fourteen, ten-four is?
Naomi: じゅうよん (jū-yon)
Jessi: And the pattern continues on like this. There are charts with the rest of the numbers in the lesson notes for this lesson, so make sure to check those out. Okay! I know that was a lot of information.. a lot of numbers...
Naomi: Feel free to listen to this section again until you get used to the numbers.
Jessi: Definitely, and looking at the lesson notes while listening will help too. All right. Let's move on to the lesson focus.
In this lesson, you'll learn how to ask and tell how old you or someone else is. Naomi, what's the word we need to talk about age?
Naomi: さい (sai). It comes after the number of years. So for example, に (ni) is 2, and so 2さい (ni sai) is...
Jessi: 2 years old.
Naomi: Right! さん (san) is 3, so 三歳 (san sai) is
Jessi: Three years old.
Naomi: よん (yon) is 4, so 四歳 (yon sai) is
Jessi: Four years old. And it just keeps on going like that - you just add さい (sai) to the number, and that means ___ years old. But there are a few exceptions, aren't there, Naomi?
Naomi: That's right. We hate to break it to you.
Jessi: But they shouldn't be that hard to remember. So Naomi, could you tell us the exceptions when talking about age?
Naomi: 1, 8, 10.
Jessi: Right. The numbers 1, 8, and 10.
Naomi: Remember that the word for "one" is いち (ichi) , but the word for one year old is いっさい (issai).
Jessi: Yes, so it's not just いち (ichi) plus さい (sai), but instead it’s いっさい (issai)。
Naomi: Right. The word for "eight" is はち(hachi), but the word for eight years old is はっさい (hassai).
Jessi: Yes, はっさい (hassai), eight years old.
Naomi: And the word for "ten" is じゅう (jū), but the word for ten years old is じゅっさい (jussai).
Jessi: Yes, so you don't prolong the vowel. It's short - じゅっさい (jussai). Okay, so now that you know how to talk about age... how would you ask about someone's age, Naomi?
Naomi: Good question! To ask how old someone is, we say... 何歳ですか?(Nansai desu ka?)
Jessi: 何歳ですか?(Nansai desu ka?)
Naomi: 何歳ですか? (Nansai desu ka?) なん (Nan) is what, さい (sai) is age, so 何才 (nansai) is what age or how old? 
Jessi: Now, if you just say this by itself to someone, you are usually referring to the person you are talking to. "How old are you?" But, just know that, just like in English, it's not considered polite to suddenly ask someone "how old are you?"
Naomi: Right. I’d avoid doing that. But people sometimes ask about somebody else's age right? Like "how old is Sarah?" or "how old is Taylor?"
Jessi: True. if you're asking someone about someone else's age...
Naomi: You use the pattern Aは何歳ですか?(A wa nansai desu ka?)
Jessi: In place of A, you would put who you are asking about. For example...
Naomi: テイラーは何歳ですか?(Teirā wa nansai desu ka?)
Jessi: How old is Taylor? Listeners, repeat after Naomi.
Naomi: テイラーは何歳ですか?(Teirā wa nansai desu ka?)
[pause]
Jessi: Okay, great! Now, let's try one with the listeners. How would you say, how old is Sarah?
[pause]
Jessi: And the answer?
Naomi: サラは何歳ですか?(Sara wa nansai desu ka?)
Jessi: サラは何歳ですか?(Sara wa nansai desu ka?) Great! Now, let's say she is 9 years old. Let's remind everyone, what is 9 again?
Naomi: きゅう (kyū)
Jessi: きゅう (kyū). So how would you say, she's nine years old?
[pause]
Jessi And Naomi, the answer is?
Naomi: 9歳です。(kyū-sai desu.)
Jessi: きゅう (kyū), nine, plus the counter for age, さい (sai), plus です (desu).
9歳です。(kyū-sai desu.)
Naomi: Excellent!
Jessi: All right, do you feel confident asking and talking about age now?
Naomi: Just remember that it's the number plus さい (sai).
Jessi: Thanks for listening as always, everyone, and we'll see you next time!
Naomi: Until next time everyone, じゃまた!(Ja mata!)

Lesson conversation

かおり:ねぇ、テイラーさん、サラちゃんはどこですか?(Nē, Teirā-san, Sara-chan wa doko desu ka?)
テイラー:こっちです。(Kocchi desu.)
かおり:(in a soft voice) あ、かわいい~。(A, kawaii.)
まさと:ちいさいですね。なんさいですか?(Chiisai desu ne. Nansai desu ka?)
テイラー:1さいです。(Issai desu.)
(Sarah starts to cry)
かおり:ごめんごめん!うるさい?ごめんね~。(Gomen gomen! Urusai? Gomen ne.)

Comments

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JapanesePod101.com
2011-08-22 18:30:00

Mina-san wa nan-sai desu ka? -how old are you?

Please answer in Japanese.

JapanesePod101.com
2024-10-15 17:08:49

ミハウさん、こんにちは!(Mihau-san, konnichiwa! "Hello, Mihau!")

あなたのメッセージに感謝します。しかし、少し修正が必要です。(Anata no messeeji ni kansha shimasu. Shikashi, sukoshi shuusei ga hitsuyou desu. "Thank you for your message. However, a little correction is needed.")

あなたが言おうとしたのは「わたしは20歳です」だと思います。(Anata ga iou to shita no wa 'watashi wa 20-sai desu' da to omoimasu. "I think what you meant to say was 'I am 20 years old.'")

「果たしい」は存在しない言葉です。正しい言葉は「わたし」です。そして、「は」の後には年齢を表す「20歳」が続きます。( "Hatashii" wa sonzai shinai kotoba desu. Tadashii kotoba wa "watashi" desu. Soshite, "wa" no ato ni wa nenrei wo arawasu "20-sai" ga tsuzukimasu. "'Hatashii' is not a word that exists. The correct word is 'watashi.' And after 'wa,' the age '20 years old' follows.")

なので、「わたしは20歳です」が正しい表現です。(Nanode, 'watashi wa 20-sai desu' ga tadashii hyougen desu. "Therefore, 'I am 20 years old' is the correct expression.")

どんどん質問してくださいね。(Dondon shitsumon shite kudasai ne. "Please feel free to ask more questions.")

ありがとうございます!

Kazuya

Team JapanesePod101.com

ミハウ
2024-10-06 15:59:52

果たしは 20歳です

ミハウ
2024-10-05 01:00:36

果たしいは 20歳です

JapanesePod101.com
2024-08-24 08:38:12

こんにちは、Williamさん!(Konnichiwa, William-san! "Hello, William!")

Your use of the word "gojūyonsai" (54 years old) is correct.

Keep practicing, you're doing great so far!

ありがとうございます!

Kazuya

Team JapanesePod101.com

JapanesePod101.com
2024-08-23 16:51:59

Hello Sunakshi,

Thank you for your question!

In Japanese, the word for "20 years old" is unique. While for most ages, we would indeed use the format of "[number]-sai" (like "ni-jū-sai" for "20 years old"), when referring specifically to the age of 20, we use the word "hatachi."

The reason for this difference is historical. In the past, Japanese people celebrated a coming-of-age ceremony at the age of 20. This age was considered very special, so it got its own term, "hatachi." Even though the numbering pattern changes after 20 (returning to the "[number]-sai" format), this special term for 20 has remained in use.

So, your answer wasn't technically incorrect, but "hatachi" is the more commonly used term for "20 years old" in Japanese. I hope this clears up your confusion!

Keep up the good work, and don't hesitate to ask if you have any more questions!

ありがとうございます!

Kazuya

Team JapanesePod101.com

William
2024-08-14 10:19:57

gojūyonsai

Sunakshi
2024-08-13 18:46:37

In the Practice Question I selected the answer for "20 year old" as ni-jū sai. However the system has taken it as wrong and showing the answer to be hatachi. Could you help me understand where and why I am wrong

JapanesePod101.com
2024-08-03 04:49:09

ヨズワさん、こんにちは!(Yozuwa-san, konnichiwa! "Hello, Yozuwa!")

Your question is very insightful. Yes, you are correct. ごめん (gomen) is indeed a more casual form of saying "sorry" in Japanese. It's generally used among close friends, family, or people of the same age or rank.

As for Kaori using it with サラちゃん (Sara-chan) whom she has never met before, it could be that Kaori is older or in a higher social rank, and she feels close enough to サラちゃん to use this casual form. Alternatively, it could be a reflection of the informal and friendly nature of their interaction.

Here are some examples of when you could use ごめん (gomen):

1. ごめん、遅れるよ。(Gomen, okureru yo. "Sorry, I'm going to be late.") - to a close friend

2. ごめん、忙しいから後で話そう。(Gomen, isogashii kara ato de hanasou. "Sorry, I'm busy, so let's talk later.") - to a family member

3. ごめん、その本貸してくれる?(Gomen, sono hon kashite kureru? "Sorry, can you lend me that book?") - to a classmate

I hope these examples help you understand the usage of ごめん (gomen) better. Please continue to ask if you have any more questions!

ありがとうございます!

Kazuya

Team JapanesePod101.com

ヨズワ
2024-07-23 21:33:27

こんにちわ, ヨズワ です!

In a previous lesson we learnt すみません (sumimasen), and here we hear ごめん (gomen). The lesson notes say ごめん is a "casual form of the phrase" sorry. If this is the case, how could Kaori have used it for if she had never met サラちゃん before? Can you give us some examples of where we could use ごめん? For example, is it usually used when spending time with close friends?

ありがとうございます!

JapanesePod101.com
2024-06-19 06:06:38

こんにちは、Si Jiaさん!

Great question! こっち (kocchi) and ここ (koko) both mean "here", but they are used in slightly different contexts.

ここ (koko) is used to indicate a specific location or place near the speaker. For example, "ここは私の家です" (Koko wa watashi no ie desu. "This is my house.")

こっち (kocchi) on the other hand, is a bit more casual and can also mean "this way" or "over here". It's often used when giving directions or pointing towards something. For example, "こっちへ来てください" (Kocchi e kite kudasai. "Please come this way.")

So, while they can sometimes be used interchangeably, it's important to consider the context.

Keep up the good work! Your curiosity is a great asset in learning a new language!

ありがとうございます!

Kazuya

Team JapanesePod101.com

Si Jia
2024-06-06 03:57:33

Hello!

I’m wondering what’s the difference between こっち and ここ?

Can it be used interchangeably ?

Thank you!

JapanesePod101.com
2024-05-12 06:48:17

Alejandroさん、はい、それは完全に正しいです!(Alejandro-san, hai, sore wa kanzen ni tadashii desu! "Yes, that is completely correct, Alejandro!")

Your sentence "私は二十歳です" translates to "I am twenty years old" in English. You've done a great job!

Keep practicing and don't hesitate to ask if you have more questions.

ありがとうございます!

Kazuya

Team JapanesePod101.com

JapanesePod101.com
2024-05-09 06:47:53

こんにちは、Jayaさん!

Thank you for your question.😄

Indeed, in Japanese, there are two ways to pronounce the numbers 4 and 7: "shi/yon" for 4 and "shichi/nana" for 7. The choice between them can depend on context, but there are no strict rules. However, "nana" and "yon" are more commonly preferred over "shichi" and "shi" because they are less likely to be confused, especially in public places or formal situations.

I hope this helps! Keep up with your studies, you're doing great!

ありがとうございます! (Arigatō gozaimasu! "Thank you!")

Yoshimi

Team JapanesePod101.com

Alejandro
2024-05-02 02:56:18

私は二十歳です . is this correct

JapanesePod101.com
2024-04-25 17:25:40

こんにちは、Seanさん!(Konnichiwa, Sean-san! "Hello, Sean!")

日本語の学習に取り組んでいて素晴らしいですね!(Nihongo no gakushuu ni torikunde ite subarashii desu ne! "It is wonderful that you are working on learning Japanese!")

あなたが書いた「私は十歳です」は「Watashi wa jussai desu」になります。('Anata ga kaita "Watashi wa juu sai desu" wa "Watashi wa jussai desu" ni narimasu. "What you wrote 'Watashi wa juu sai desu' becomes 'Watashi wa jussai desu.'")

それは「I am ten years old」を意味します。('Sore wa "I am ten years old" o imi shimasu. "That means 'I am ten years old.'")

日本語を学ぶことは難しいですが、あなたはすごく頑張っていますね!(Nihongo o manabu koto wa muzukashii desu ga, anata wa sugoku ganbatteimasu ne! "Learning Japanese is difficult, but you are doing a great job!")

これからも頑張ってください!(Korekara mo ganbatte kudasai! "Please keep up the good work!")

ありがとうございます!

Kazuya

Team JapanesePod101.com

JapanesePod101.com
2024-04-25 17:18:13

こんにちは、Breさん!あなたのメッセージを読むのはとてもうれしいです。日本語の勉強、がんばっていますね!

(Hello, Bre! I'm very happy to read your message. You're doing well with your Japanese studies!)

あなたの文はほとんど完璧ですが、一つだけ小さな間違いがあります。「才」ではなく、「歳」を使うのが正しいです。なぜなら、「歳」は年齢を表すための正式な漢字で、「才」はもっとカジュアルな表現だからです。

(Your sentence is almost perfect, but there is one small mistake. Instead of "才", it is correct to use "歳". That's because "歳" is the formal kanji for expressing age, while "才" is a more casual expression.)

なので、「私は24才です」ではなく、「私は24歳です」が正しい表現になります。

(So, instead of "私は24才です", the correct expression is "私は24歳です".)

どんな質問でもお気軽にどうぞ。一緒に日本語の勉強を楽しみましょう!

(Feel free to ask any questions. Let's enjoy studying Japanese together!)

ありがとうございます!

Kazuya

Team JapanesePod101.com

Jaya Widnyana
2024-04-24 07:58:30

Boku wa yon-juu hassai desu.

Sumimasen

I notice that number 4 have two word shi/yon and 7 have sichi/nana so when we use those number appropriately. Is there any rule when we use shi more appropriate than yon ( for number 4), sichi more appropriate than nana ( for number 7).

JapanesePod101.com
2024-04-13 00:38:30

こんにちは、Henryさん!(Konnichiwa, Henry-san! "Hello, Henry!")

Thank you for your message! Your proactivity is wonderful.

Henryさんの文章はほとんど正しいですが、少し修正が必要です。 (Henry-san no bunshō wa hotondo tadashī desuga, sukoshi shūsei ga hitsuyō desu. "Your message is mostly correct, but it needs a little correction.")

1. "こんにちわ" should be "こんにちは". In Japanese, the particle "は" is pronounced as "wa" when it's used as a particle and for some exceptions we write as "は" but pronounce as "wa". and "こんにちは" is one of the exceptions.

2. "僕わ" should be "僕は". Again, the particle "は" is pronounced as "wa" when it's used as a topic marker, so "僕は" is the correct spelling.

3. "三十一歳" is perfectly correct! And you are right about the pronunciation. "Sanjūissai" is correct because the "u" is elongated.

4. "祖ですか?" seems a little bit out of context. If you meant to ask "Is that so?", it should be "そうですか?" (Sō desu ka?)

Keep practicing! You're doing great.

ありがとうございます! (Arigatō gozaimasu! "Thank you!")

Yoshimi

Team JapanesePod101.com

Sean
2024-04-10 07:20:48

Nani sai desu ka babbu San😝😝😝

Sean
2024-04-10 07:17:34

Watashi wa juu sai desu 🥰🥰

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