1. Lesson Overview
Minna no Nihongo Lesson 1 teaches the most basic introductions in Japanese.
You learn how to say who you are, your job, your nationality, and how to greet people politely.
2. Key Grammar in Lesson 1
(1) A wa B desu. (A = B)
This is the first and most important sentence pattern.
• wa = topic marker
• desu = polite “is / am / are”
Examples:
• Watashi wa student desu. → I am a student.
• Kare wa teacher desu. → He is a teacher.
(2) A wa B ja arimasen. (A is not B)
Used to make a negative sentence.
Examples:
• Watashi wa teacher ja arimasen. → I am not a teacher.
• Kanojo wa student ja arimasen. → She is not a student.
(3) Ka? (Question form)
Add ka at the end to make a question.
Examples:
• Anata wa student desu ka? → Are you a student?
• Kono hito wa teacher desu ka? → Is this person a teacher?
(4) “~san” (Polite title)
Used after someone’s name.
(Not used after your own name.)
Example:
• Suzuki-san
• Tanaka-san
(5) “Anata” (you)
Normally avoided in real conversations. People use names instead:
• Tanaka-san wa?
3. Vocabulary from Minna no Nihongo Lesson 1 (English Only)
People & Pronouns
• watashi – I
• anata – you
• kare – he
• kanojo – she
• sensei – teacher
• gakusei – student
• kaishain – company employee
• isha – doctor
• engineer – engineer
• amerikajin – American
• nihonjin – Japanese
• nepalujin – Nepali
Basic Phrases
• konnichiwa – hello
• ohayou gozaimasu – good morning
• konbanwa – good evening
• arigatou gozaimasu – thank you
• hajimemashite – nice to meet you
• douzo yoroshiku – please treat me well / pleased to meet you
4. Useful Example Sentences
• Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Sam desu.
→ Nice to meet you. I am Sam.
• Watashi wa kaishain desu.
→ I am a company employee.
• Anata wa teacher desu ka?
→ Are you a teacher?
• Suzuki-san wa engineer desu.
→ Mr/Ms Suzuki is an engineer.
• Watashi wa student ja arimasen.
→ I am not a student.
5. What You Will Achieve After Lesson 1
• Introduce yourself confidently
• Say your job and nationality
• Greet people politely
• Ask and answer simple questions
• Understand basic Japanese sentence structure