Japanese nouns(Meishi:名詞)

 

1. Today's Japanese words

Here's some basic Japanese festival vocabulary with romaji:

* **Matsuri (祭り):** Festival

* **Yatai (屋台):** Food stalls

* **Hanabi (花火):** Fireworks

* **Mikoshi (神輿):** Portable shrine

* **Men (面):** Masks

* **Happi (ハッピ):** Festival coat

* **Dotombori (道頓堀):** Dotonbori area (known for summer festivals in Osaka)

* **Nebuta (ねぶた):** Giant lantern floats (seen at Aomori Nebuta Matsuri)

**General Festival:**

* **Omatsuri (お祭り):** Polite way to say "festival"

* **Matsuribayashi (祭り囃子):** Festival music 

* **Yoi (宵):** Eve of the festival (e.g., Bon Odori Yoi)

* **Jinja (神社):** Shrine (where many festivals are held)

* **Ofuda (御札):** Amulets sold at festivals

* **Omikuji (おみくじ):** Fortune telling paper slips

* **Gyoza (餃子):** Dumplings (popular festival food)

* **Takoyaki (たこ焼き):** Octopus balls (popular festival food)

* **Kakigori (かき氷):** Shaved ice (popular summer festival treat)

**Specific Festivals:**

* **Hanami (花見):** Cherry blossom viewing (considered a festival)

* **Tanabata (七夕):** Star festival (July 7th)

* **Shichi-Go-San (七五三):** Festival for children aged 3, 5, and 7

* **Bon Odori (盆踊り):** Dance festival to honor ancestors (summer)

* **Setsubun (節分):** Bean-throwing festival to ward off evil spirits

* **Hinamatsuri (雛祭り):** Doll festival (girls' festival)

* **Shinto (神道):** Shinto religion (many festivals have Shinto roots)

**Actions:**

* **Miru (見る):** To see (festival sights)

* **Taberu (食べる):** To eat (festival food)

* **Asobu (遊ぶ):** To play (festival games)

* **Tsukimasu (着きます):** To arrive (at the festival)

* **Yaru (やる):** To do (participate in a festival activity)

2. Today's topic

Japanese nouns(Meishi:名詞) are relatively straightforward compared to English nouns. Here's a quick rundown:

* **No singular/plural distinction:** Unlike English, Japanese nouns don't change form to indicate singular or plural. The word "hito" (人) can mean "person" or "people" depending on the context.

* **No grammatical gender:** Nouns in Japanese are not masculine, feminine, or neuter.

**Plurality:**

* **Counters:** Japanese relies heavily on counters (助数詞 - josuushi) to express plurality. These words specify the quantity of a noun and come after the noun itself. There are many counters, each specific to a type of object. For example:

    * **hon (本):** for flat, thin objects like books (本 - hon) or pencils (鉛筆 - enpitsu)

    * **mai (枚):** for flat, thin sheets like paper (紙 - kami) or slices of bread (パン - pan)

    * **nin (人):** for people (人 - hito)

* **Repetition:** Sometimes, nouns can be repeated with the character "々" (dō) to indicate plurality, but this is limited to certain words of Japanese origin. This can also affect pronunciation slightly (rendaku). Example: 人 (hito, person) becomes 人々 (hitobito, people).

* **Context:** Often, the context of the sentence makes it clear whether a noun is singular or plural. 

**Politeness:**

* **Honorific prefixes:** Japanese has prefixes like "o-" (お) or "go-" (ご) that add politeness when referring to objects or people. Example: "mise" (店) becomes "omise" (お店, shop) for a more polite tone.

**Making Nouns from Other Parts of Speech:**

* Verbs and adjectives can be converted into nouns using suffixes like "-sa" (さ) or "-tachi" (たち). Example: "benkyo suru" (勉強する, to study) becomes "benkyo" (勉強, study) as a noun, or "yasashii" (優しい, kind) becomes "yasashisa" (優しさ, kindness).

**Particles:**

As mentioned before, particles are crucial for understanding the role of a noun in a sentence:

* **ga (が):** This particle marks the subject of the sentence and often indicates the doer of an action. Example: Hanako-ga imasu (花子がいます, Hanako is here).

* **wa (は):** This particle marks the topic of the sentence, which is what the sentence is about. Example: Hanako-wa sensei desu (花子は先生です, Hanako is a teacher).

* **o (を):** This particle marks the object of the verb or preposition. Example: ringo o tabemasu (リンゴを食べます, I eat an apple).

* **no (の):** This particle indicates possession. Example: sensei no hon (先生の鞄, teacher's bag).

**State of Being:**

* Japanese nouns can form complete sentences by adding the copula "da" (だ) or "desu" (です). Example: Nihongo desu (日本語です, It is Japanese).

3- Today’s news

Students with diverse backgrounds welcomed to new Osaka Pref. night school

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240516/p2a/00m/0na/038000c

Many of the foreign students work at businesses related to Kansai International Airport, which is located in Osaka Bay, just off where the school stands.

The students, aged 16 to 76, include five Japanese, 10 from the Philippines, nine from Nepal, seven each from China and India, and one each from Vietnam, Pakistan and Germany. Some students donned ethnic attire for the entrance ceremony.

Aristocratic costume parade during Aoi festival thrills 35,000 spectators in Kyoto

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240517/p2a/00m/0na/013000c