Japanese/Lessons/Lesson 3

Japanese

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Lesson 3

In this lesson you will learn how to say phone numbers and ask what someone else's phone number is in Japanese, and learn how to talk about your age.

電^でん話^わ番^ばん号^ごう・Phone Numbers

例^れい一

• 電話番号は何^なんですか？・でんわばんごうはなんですか？
  • ５５５の５５５５です

• Question: Denwa bangou wa nan desu ka? - (What is your phone number?)
  • Answer: _ _ _ no (の) _ _ _ _ desu (です). - (Phone number)

Example: With the phone number 987-6543, one could appropriately respond to the question, "Denwa bangou wa nan desu ka?" by saying, "Kyuu hachi nana no (acts as a dash) roku go yon san desu."

NOTES: Always use the word yon for four and the word nana for seven in phone numbers. Zero can be either zero - ゼロ (in a Japanese accent) or maru - まる (丸^まる - circle). If one would like to ask another's cellphone number add keitai in front of the denwa. ex. 携^けい帯^たい電話番号は何ですか？・けいたいでんわばんごうはなんですか？ Often times, Japanese will use Ku(く） instead of Kyuu（きゅう） for nine（九） because of superstition.

年^ねん齢^れい・Age

Saying age in Japanese follows a consistant pattern, as demonstrated below.

Age	Rōmaji	Kanji	Hiragana
1	issai	一歳さい	いっさい
2	nisai	二歳	にさい
3	sansai	三歳	さんさい
4	yonsai	四歳	よんさい
5	gosai	五歳	ごさい
6	rokusai	六歳	ろくさい
7	nanasai	七歳	ななさい
8	hassai	八歳	はっさい
9	kyuusai	九歳	きゅうさい
10	jyussai	十歳	じゅっさい
11	jyuuissai	十一歳	じゅういっさい
12	jyuunisai	十二歳	じゅうにさい

• There is a notable exception to this rule. Age 20 is properly referred to as 二^は十^た歳^ち (hatachi).

年齢の問^もん題^だい・Questions about age:

例二

• 何歳ですか？・なんさいですか？
  • 二十歳です。・はたちです。

Translation:

• Question: Nan sai desu ka? - (How old are you?)
  • Answer: your age sai desu. - (I am ___ )

例三

• お幾^いくつですか？・おいくつですか？
  • 八十三歳です。・はちじゅうさんさいです。

Translation:

• Question: O ikutsu desu ka? - (May I ask your age?)
  • Answer your age sai desu. - (I am ___ )

PRACTICE: Repeating these questions outloud with different ages will help ones memory of the numbers, questions and ages.

語^ご彙^い・Vocabulary

English	Rōmaji	Kanji	Hiragana
phone	denwa	電話	でんわ
number	bangou	番号	ばんごう
what	nani/nan	何	なに/なん
what age	nansai	何歳	なんさい
cellular phone	keitaidenwa	携帯電話	けいたいでんわ
how many	ikutsu	幾つ	いくつ

Continue on to Lesson 4 >>