Learning Some Japanese

Hello friends!
I had a very cool conversation recently with a really nice young lady who works at Dairy Queen in Deer Park, just 20 minutes away from our home.

I don't want to have a 'swollen head'... in fact, the opposite is true - I'm beginning to get recognized more & more by strangers since getting this Kawaii365 project out there. And it makes me feel humble and full of gratitude 💓

Yesterday Rob & I stopped for lunch there, and when we had donated to the children's hospital via the Children's Miracle Network, I automatically wrote some kawaii stuff on the paper balloon.

When the super sweet girl came to our table moments later, she asked if I could speak Japanese, and that started a really nice discussion about going to Japan and seeing the Hello Kitty theme parks.

I've been pondering on her question about being able to speak Japanese - I know only a little, but alas there are others out there who would like to know even that. So here goes:

Konnichiwa - good day, hello.

Konbanwa - specifically, good evening.

Hajimemashite, dozo yoroshiku - "I am meeting you for the first time, I shall look forward to your kindness"

Kawaii - cute, 'glowing face' (which explains the rosy cheeks).

Domo, Domo Arigatou, Arigatou, etc. - various ways of saying thank you, depending on event.

Sayanora - goodbye; often informal.

Sumimasen - a formal 'sorry'. Also used for 'excuse me' in public.

Kudasai - common 'please'. Often used in context like 'please give me...'

Nyan - 'meow'

Neko - cat or kitty. 'Maneki Neko' is Lucky Cat.

Usagi - bunny - sooo cute!

Banzai! - A Japanese cheer, often said before drinking Sake (sah-kay).

Itadakimasho - "let's eat!"

-San - Adding this after someone's name (often surname) shows respect, like saying 'Mr.'

Chocolate (yes please!) - chokoreto.

Coffee Shop - Kohii Shoppu.

Dozo - "please, help yourself."

Matsuri - festivals (very popular, esp. in Harujuku and Tokyo).

Kigurumi - 'large wearable toy', often refers to adult onesies (like PJs). Love these!

Yukata - a light-weight, cotton robe (similar to a kimino in style, but way less fancy).

Hai - yes.  The Japanese word for 'no' is iie, but they don't like to say it because it's considered rude. They are a very polite culture that would prefer not to rebut.

Hashi - chopsticks. Great for sushi! Or anything cooked in tempura (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Umami - a sort of savory, meaty flavor.

And Some vowel info for easier pronunciation when reading Romaji (Japanese in the Roman alphabet which is why it looks familiar):

There are no diphthongs in this language (yay!). That means each vowel can be pronounced independently for the most part. This means that:

A sounds like 'ah'
E sounds like 'eh'
I sounds like a long 'ee'
O sounds like 'oh'
and U sounds like 'oo'

So for example, using one of the above words, the word 'please' sounds like Koo-dah-sah-ee.

And when you have a moment - thank you for checking out the new line of cute animal characters inspired by this year-long blog project - Zoo'd Blog


Thank you for reading,
have a great day!