Lesson Seven:
Self Introductions

Jiko Shokai

Well, it is time to start plagiarizing a different textbook for a while. I want to make the lessons a little shorter, and easier to put out there for you. If I don't do this, I need a good 6-hour block of time to make one lesson. Something I just don't have the time for these days. And as you are important to me, I really think it would be to our benefit if I changed the style a bit. Hope you don't mind.

Self Introductions, or "jiko shokai" are something you get really good at when you come to live in Japan. It may be changing a bit now because we foreigners are infecting the country more and more these days. This means we are not so rare any more. But when I first came here, to the country ten years ago, I was a 6'5" 196cm behemoth that was stared at, pointed at, talked about, greeted with, "This is a pen. he he he he he.", and more things than you can imagine.

My friend, an American fellow has more stories to tell: people try to run him off the road in their cars, they drive on the sidewalks to run him over, they pick fights with him when he is quietly eating his rice in a restaurant. And the stories go on. Maybe he is just a trouble magnet...

But you get really good at introducing yourself, your family, your pet, what you eat, where you sleep, what color your pubic hair is (sorry! but it is true - Japanese people, kids and adults alike, really want to know if a blonde is also blonde "down there" - just tell 'em its green and they will stop asking pretty quick!). You also get good at learning things about yourself you hardly ever thought about before: like your blood type, what the lines in your hands mean, your zodiac sign, your birthstone, the color of your pubic hair, and so on.

Let's memorize a few self introduction phrases. They might come in handy. If you are going on a trip to Japan, and want to know what some phrases mean, ask me.

Some basic phrases, with a few common ways of saying more things. Just fill in the underlined part with the other words, and presto! you are introducing yourself.

THE PHRASES

  1. Watashi wa Amerika-jin desu. (I am American.)

    Amerika-jin (American)
    Nijuu san sai (23 years old)
    Sensei (teacher)
    Seito (student)
    Shufu (housewife)
    Sarariman (businessman)
    Asagata ningen (a morning person)
    Otonashii (shy, quiet)
    Shako teki (outgoing)
    Majime (serious)
    Hito natsukoi (friendly)
    Namake mono (lazy)
    Wagamama (selfish)
    Undo ga suki/kira (athletic/not athletic)

    Respond with:

    So desu ka? (Oh are you?)
    Honto ni? (Really?)
    Watashi/Boku mo. (Me, too.)
    Uso! (Get outta here!)
  2. Watashi no namae wa Bugs Bunny desu. (My name is Bugs Bunny.)

    namae (name)
    tanjobi (birthday)
    ketsu eki gata (blood type)
    suki na tabemono (favorite food)
    suki na supootsu (favorite sport)
    suki na iro (favorite color)
    suki na bando (favorite band)
    shuumi (hobby)    		 Bugs Bunny
    Ku Gatsu Juuku nich (September 19th)
    A, AB, B, O, Z (to stir things up)
    suteeki, katsudon (steak, katsudon)
    sukii, gorufu, kendo (skiing, golf, kendo)
    aka, shiro, kuro, chairo, kiiro (red, white, black, brown, yellow)
    Crash Test Dummies
    daibingu (scuba)

    Respond with:

    So desu ka? (Oh, is it?)
    Suteki! (Great!)
    Watashi no mo so./Boku no mo sou denai. (Mine is, too./ Mine isn't, either)

  3. Watashi wa unten menkyo wo motte imasu. (I have a driver's license.)
    Watashi wa unten menkyo wo motte imasen. (I don't have a driver's license.)

    unten menkyo (a driver's license)
    inu, neko, sakana, kame, wani (a dog, a cat, a fish, a turtle, a crocodile)
    gorira 3 tou (three gorillas)
    kou ketsu atsu (high blood pressure)
    zuttsu ( a headache)
    bentzu (a Mercedes)
    pasokon (a computer)

    Respond with:

    Sou desu ka? (Oh, you do?)
    Omoshiroi! (How interesting!)
    Watashi mo/boku mo. (Me, too.)
    Watashi no ......... mo ......... (So does my .........)

  4. Watashi wa tenisu wo shimasu. (I play tennis.)
    Watashi wa tenisu wo shimasen. (I don't play tennis.)

    tenisu wo shimasu (play tennis)
    gitaa wo shimasu (play the guitar)
    doramu wo enso shimasu (play the drums)
    Kamishii-mura ni sunde imasu (live in Kamishii mura)
    ginko ni tsutomete imasu (work in a bank)
    kaisha ni tsutomete imasu (work at a company - this is a very common reply when you ask someone what they do for a living - you aren't any more knowledgeable than before you asked)
    paato de hataraite imasu (work part-time)
    aikido wo naratte imasu (take aikido lessons)
    ohana wo naratte imasu (take ikebana lessons)
    kuma no atama wo atsumete imasu (collect bears heads)
    dizunii guzzu wo atsumete imasu (collect Disney goods - the girls are crazy about Disney here in Japan - don't know why. Hello Kitty, too.)

    Respond with:

    So desu ka? (Are you getting the picture by now? )
    Sugoi! (That's great!)
    Watashi mo. (Me, too.)
  5. Suki na dobutsu wa .... (My favorite animal is....)
  6. Suki na tabemono wa..... (My favorite food is....)
  7. ..... ni sunde imasu. (I live in ....)
  8. ...... de hataraite imasu (I work at ........)
    ...... de benkyou shite imasu (I study at .........)
  9. Jibun no ....... wo ai shite imasu. (I love my ........)
  10. ...... suru no ga tokui desu. (I'm good at........)
  11. Tsuyoi kyouka wa....... (My strong subjects are.......)
    - recall this if you come to Japan. You WILL be asked - and also how fast you could run the 100m dash when you were in elementary school.
  12. ....... ni itta koto ga arimasu. (I have been to ........)
  13. ....... wo ryori shimasu. (I cook..........)
  14. Watashi no denwa bango wa........ (My phone number is.........)
  15. Boku no suki na shumi wa ........ (My favorite hobby is........)
  16. Tsuma - shujin/ani - otooto/ane - imooto/ wa........... (My wife-husband/elder brother - younger brother/elder sister - younger sister is........)
  17. Boku no ichi ban warui kuse wa....... (My worst habit is.........)
  18. Yatte iru spootsu wa....... (I play...........)
  19. Jibun senyou no .......... wo motte imasu. (I have my own.........)

The Culture Pocket: Referring to Others

Something that I still have trouble with in Japanese is the lack of use of pronouns.

If your name is Curious George and I am talking to you, in English, I would call you, "you". For example, "Do you like Guns 'n Roses?" But in Japanese, we do not use names when referring to that person directly . So instead, I would have to say to YOU, "Jooji wa Ganzu ando Rozezu ga suki desu ka?" Now if our best friend was also called George, I think it could get a little confusing.

Don't get me wrong; pronouns DO exist:

Watashi/Boku/Ore/Jibun (I)
Anata/Kimi (you)
Kare/Kanojo (he/her)

But apparently it is unusual to actually use them. So instead we use the names. And I find that hard to do.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact the gallery managers by writing to info @ japanippon (dot) com for details.

May 28, 2000 (Subarashii Otenki - ame futta, kedo)

Get the program that allows you to listen to the examples.
Make your study a true "multimedia" experience.

NOTE: It seems that Qualcomm has had some copyright infringement lawsuits that it is currently dealing with and their website has been shut down. This means that this software is no longer available. Please feel free to continue with the lessons, but just skip the audio tracks. I'm very sorry about this. (Sensei, 2008/03/01)