Natural Japanese — Kinship, Double Negatives & Usage Nuance
Kinship terms, passive form, compound sentences, vocabulary patterns, and everyday expressions.
Kinship Terms
Family Vocabulary
Use the Speaker's Family column when talking about your own family to others. Use the Outsider's Family column when referring to someone else's family members.
| Speaker's Family | Relation | Outsider's Family |
|---|---|---|
| 両親 | Parents | ご両親 |
| 父 | Father | お父さん |
| 母 | Mother | お母さん |
| 兄 | Older Brother | お兄さん |
| 姉 | Older Sister | お姉さん |
| 弟 | Younger Brother | 弟さん |
| 妹 | Younger Sister | 妹さん |
| 夫 / 主人 | Husband | ご主人 |
| 妻 / 家内 | Wife | 奥さん |
| 息子 | Son | 息子さん |
| 娘 | Daughter | お嬢さん / 娘さん |
| 祖父 | Grandfather | おじいさん |
| 祖母 | Grandmother | おばあさん |
| おじ | Uncle | おじさん |
| おば | Aunt | おばさん |
| いとこ | Cousin | いとこ |
| 甥 | Nephew | 甥御さん |
| 姪 | Niece | 姪御さん |
- ～ちゃん can become an intimate / childlike form: お母ちゃん, お兄ちゃん, etc.
- The kanji for uncle/aunt: 伯 (older than parent) vs. 叔 (younger than parent) — 伯父 vs. 叔父.
- で + は → 連濁 (rendaku): gender & age affect which term to use for grandparents, uncles, and aunts.
から vs. あと
- あとで is a neutral statement that B happens after A.
- To emphasize that B must not precede A, use てから.
手を洗ってから食べる。
Wash hands, and only then eat.
- Noun + のあと(で) or V-ta + あと(で).
- Simply indicates temporal order.
授業のあとで友達に会った。
Met friends after class.
～ないことはない
- Common double-negative construction, affirms something with a nuance of reluctance.
- Usually followed by a contradicting statement.
- ないこともない = same meaning.
食べられないことはないけど、好きじゃない。
It is not that I cannot eat them, but I don't like them.
行かないことはないけど...
It is not that I will not go, but...
それで
- それで is followed by objective, factual statements only.
- Not by suppositions, commands, requests, or statements of will.
雨が降った。それで試合は中止になった。
It rained. And so the game was cancelled.
Appending Nouns
- さん can be used to append a final noun to a series.
- しかし, そういえば, and おまけに are not used this way.
田中、松田、それから山田も来た。
Tanaka, Matsuda, and also Yamada came.
だから～ですから
- だから = casual. ですから = polite.
- だから only makes a basic inference. (NOT a reason/motivation)
- This also applies to ので.
- Quick test: if you can split into two sentences, だから is OK.
雨だから行かない。
It is raining, so I am not going.
向き vs. 向け
- Indicates natural suitability.
子供向きの家
A house suitable for children.
- Indicates deliberate targeting.
子供向けの映画
A movie intended for children.
知る vs. 分かる
- 知(し)る = to gain knowledge (instant).
使い方を知った。
I learned how to use it.
- 分(わ)かる = to understand (to someone).
使い方が分かった。
I understood how to use it.
的な vs. 的
- 的 is the form of な/の which precedes/modifies a noun.
- Including な creates a descriptive clause.
非社会的な行動
An action which is anti-social.
- Without な, the form is that of a compound noun.
非社会的行動
An anti-social action.
お Words
お / ご can be added to almost any noun to make it polite or to sound more 'refined.' However, these words still take お / ご even in highly informal contexts.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| お金 | おかね | money | お釣り | おつり | change |
| お箸 | おはし | chopsticks | お手洗い | おてあらい | restroom |
| お菓子 | おかし | candy | お酒 | おさけ | alcohol |
| お寺 | おてら | temple | お墓 | おはか | grave |
| お米 | おこめ | rice | お茶 | おちゃ | tea |
| ご飯 | ごはん | rice/meal | お盆 | おぼん | Obon holiday |
| お参り | おまいり | visit to a shrine | おやつ | おやつ | snack |
| お皿 | おさら | dish/plate | お腹 | おなか | stomach |
| お湯 | おゆ | hot water | お化け | おばけ | ghost |
| お年玉 | おとしだま | New Year's money | ボーナス | ぼーなす | bonus (as is) |
| お土産 | おみやげ | souvenir | お店 | おみせ | store/shop |
Using という
- A という B = B called A / B that says A.
- という elaborates, creating a phrasal noun (that/which).
- Should be used to elaborate with verbal information: 噂, 意見, 考え, 命令, 発表, 知らせ.
- Cannot be used to elaborate on sensory information: 音, 味, 痛み, 匂い, 写真, 絵.
✗ 田中さんが結婚する噂を聞いた。
○ 田中さんが結婚するという噂を聞いた。
"I heard a rumor that Mr. Tanaka is getting married."
Switchability Test
If the modified noun cannot be logically switched with こと, then という is inappropriate. という moves focus from the noun to the elaboration.
Non-Intuitive Readings
| English | Kanji | Reading | English | Kanji | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| adult | 大人 | おとな | amateur | 素人 | しろうと |
| (old name for Japan) | 大和 | やまと | expert | 玄人 | くろうと |
| preparation | 支度 | したく | unskillful/bad at | 下手 | へた |
| the countryside | 田舎 | いなか | skillful/good at | 上手 | じょうず |
| away from home | 留守 | るす | the rainy season | 梅雨 | つゆ |
| a burn (wound) | 火傷 | やけど | Fall colors | 紅葉 | もみじ |
| souvenir | 土産 | みやげ | (a kind of Japanese robe) | 浴衣 | ゆかた |
| delicious | 美味しい | おいしい | Sumo wrestling | 相撲 | すもう |
| bad tasting | 不味い | まずい | Azuki (a kind of bean) | 小豆 | あずき |
| cute | 可愛い | かわいい | exchange rate | 為替 | かわせ |
| funny/silly | 可笑しい | おかしい | bamboo sword | 竹刀 | しない |
| below/footwear | 下駄 | げた | avalanche | 雪崩 | なだれ |
| whereabouts | 居場所 | いばしょ | shrimp | 海老 | えび |
| a historic store/shop | 老舗 | しにせ | a phrase/line | 慣用句 | かんようく |
| temple grounds | 境内 | けいだい | — | — | — |
Dressing / Undressing Verbs
| Item | Put on | Take off |
|---|---|---|
| Hat | かぶる | T (N) |
| Eyeglasses | かける | H (T) |
| Earrings, Necklace, Headphones | 付ける (する) | T (H) |
| Necktie | 締める | T |
| Jacket/shirt, clothes (non-specific) | 着る | N |
| Bra | 付ける | T (H) |
| Wristwatch | する | H (T) |
| Ring | はめる | T (H) |
| Gloves | はめる (する) | T (H) |
| Belt | 締める (する) | T |
| Skirt, Pants, Underpants | 履く | N |
| Socks/Shoes | 履く | N |
Take off key
N: 脱ぐ T: 取る H: 外す
To describe the state of wearing, use ～ている: 着ている (wearing a shirt), はいている (wearing pants/shoes), かぶっている (wearing a hat), かけている (wearing glasses).
Passive Form
Three Meanings of the Passive
- Normal (was verb-ed): A is ~ed by B.
- Subject was affected negatively (suffering/nuisance passive).
- Semi-honorific form (see Keigo sheet).
姉に日記を読まれた。
My sister read my diary (I did not want her to). Literally: I was read my diary by my sister.
Particle Note
In usage 1 and 2, the 'doer' of the verb is marked by に. In usage 3, が is used (normal subject particle).
Redundant Noun Phrases
- When a noun phrase contains itself, the modified noun becomes の.
✗ 母がクッキーを作ったクッキーを1個食べた。
○ 母がクッキーを作ったのを1個食べた。
"I ate one of the cookies which my mom made."
Compound Sentences
- ○ 男は蓋を開け、部屋が静まり返った。
- ○ 男は蓋を開け、中身を取り出した。
- ○ 男は蓋を開けて、中身を取り出した。
"The man opened the lid (and the room fell silent / and took out the contents)."
- Both -I and -TE forms can make compound phrases (and).
- -I conveys a less concrete connection than -TE and is used exclusively in written Japanese (especially literature).
愛する
愛する (to love) conjugates as 愛す (u-Verb) in certain forms:
| Form | する-form | す-form |
|---|---|---|
| -AI (negative) | 愛しない ✗ | 愛さない |
| Command | 愛しろ ✗ | 愛せ |
| -E (conditional) | 愛すれば ✗ | 愛せば |
| -OU (volitional) | 愛しよう | 愛そう |
Omitting "I" and "you"
- In Japanese, it is natural to omit "I" and "you" words if they are easy to deduce from context or grammar.
- "I" (私) is the default subject and is usually omitted.
- Especially... ～のは and ～ことは always take "I" as their subject.
- Giving verbs くれる and もらう contain embedded "to me" information.
- "you" (あなた) — if talking to only one person and the subject of a question is "you", it is omitted.
- Verb forms often help indicate I/you information.
私は旅行に行く。
I will go on a vacation. (私は usually omitted)
山田さんがこれをくれた。
Ms. Yamada gave this to me. (私に omitted — embedded in くれる)
あの映画を見ましたか。
Did (you) see the movie? (あなたは omitted)
Tip
Polishing your ability to omit pronouns naturally will make your Japanese sound far more native. When in doubt, leave it out.