Minna no Nihongo I – Lesson 2 Summary
Lesson Focus
Lesson 2 introduces demonstratives used to identify objects, how to ask what
something is, how to ask whose something is, and how to show possession using the
particle 'no'.
Key Vocabulary
• kore – this (near the speaker)
• sore – that (near the listener)
• are – that over there
• dore – which one
• nan – what
• dare – who
• hon – book
• jisho – dictionary
• zasshi – magazine
• shinbun – newspaper
• nooto – notebook
• techou – planner
• meishi – business card
• kaado – card
• enpitsu – pencil
• boorupen – ballpen
• shaapupenshiru – mechanical pencil
• kagi – key
• tokei – watch / clock
• kasa – umbrella
• kaban – bag
• kamera – camera
• terebi – television
• rajio – radio
• konpyuutaa – computer
• kuruma – car
• tsukue – desk
• isu – chair
Everyday Objects
• hon – book
• jisho – dictionary
• Nooto – notebook
• Kaado – card
• kurejitto kaado – credit card
• debitto kaado – debit card
• enpitsu – pencil
• pen – pen
• bōrupen – ballpoint pen
• shāpen – mechanical pencil
• kagi – key
• tokei – clock/watch
• udedokei – wristwatch
• kasa – umbrella
• kaban – bag
Electronics / Items
• terebi – television
• kamera – camera
• konpyuuta – computer
• pasokon – personal computer
Furniture
• tsukue – desk
• isu – chair
Food / Drink
• chokoreeto – chocolate
• koohi – coffee
Other Nouns
• miyage – souvenir / gift
• nihongo – Japanese language
• eigo – English language
• supeingo – Spanish language
Useful Expressions
• arigatou gozaimasu – thank you
• sumimasen – excuse me / sorry
• onegaishimasu – please
• Sou desu – that’s right
• Sou desu ka – I see / is that so?
• chigaimasu – that’s wrong / no
• douzo – here you are
Grammar Points
1. Demonstratives: kore / sore / are
N1 (DP) wa N2 desu. This/That/That Over there is N2.
N1 is represented by (DP) demonstrative pronouns kore, sore or are.
Used to identify things.
• Kore wa hon desu. (This is a book.) Points out to an object near the speaker
• Sore wa jisho desu. (That is a dictionary.) Points out to an object closer to
the listener.
• Are wa kuruma desu. (That over there is a car.) Points out to objects far
from both the listener and the speaker
2. Demonstratives: kono / sono / ano
• Kono + Noun/ Sono + Noun / Ano + Noun
• Kono, Sono and Ano are similar to Kore, Sore and Are in terms of their
usage but, Kono, Sono and Ano variants cannot stand on their own. These -
No variant of demonstratives is immediately followed by the nouns they
are describing. This happens when the speaker wants to talk about to a
specific item between two items or more.
Example:
Kono kamera (This camera). Sono kaban (that bag)
Kono zasshi (this magazine). Ano neko (that car over there)
3. Asking What Something Is
Structure: Kore / Sore / Are + wa + nan desu ka
Example: Kore wa nan desu ka? (What is this?)
4. Possession with the Particle NO
Structure: Noun1 + no + Noun2
Example: Watashi no hon (my book)
Example: Tanaka-san no kaban (Tanaka's bag)
5. Asking Whose Something Is
Structure: Kore wa dare no + noun desu ka
Example: Kore wa dare no kaban desu ka? (Whose bag is this?)
6. Asking Which One
Dore means 'which one' when choosing from several objects.
Example: Dore desu ka? (Which one?)
Common Responses
Hai, sou desu. – Yes, that is correct.
Iie, chigaimasu. – No, that is incorrect / It is not.
5. Asking How Much
Ikura means 'how much' when asking for the price of items.
Example: Kore wa ikura desu ka? (How much is this?)
Q: Kono terebi wa ikura desu ka? ( How much is this television?)
Ano Kuruma sa ikura desu ka? (How much is that car over there?)
5. Modifier with the Particle NO
Aside from possession, the “no” particle functions as modifier, describing the
characteristics, origin, the manufacturer, the brand, the affiliation of a noun.
“Nan no” from the word nan which means what and “no” which could roughly be
translated to “kind or type”. This, nanno means what kind, what brand or what type
Example:
Q: Kore wa nanno kaban desu ka? ( What brand of bag is this?)
R: Sore wa Gucci no kaban desu yo. (That is a bag made by Gucci/ That is a Gucci
bag.
Are wa BMW no Kuruma desu. (That over there is a BMW car.)
Department Store Dialogue (Minna no Nihongo Lesson 2 Grammar)
Clerk: Irasshaimase.
Customer: Sumimasen. Kore wa nanno kamera desu ka?
Clerk: Sore wa Nikon no kamera desu.
Customer: Aa, sou desu ka. Kore wa dare no kamera desu ka?
Clerk: Watashi no kamera desu.
Customer: Ano kamera wa dare no desu ka?
Clerk:Are wa Tanaka-san no kamera desu.
Customer: Kono kamera wa Ikura desu ka?
Clerk: Kono kamera wa 30,000 yen desu.
Customer: Sono kamera wa Ikura desu ka?
Clerk:Sono kamera wa 25,000 yen desu.
Customer: Sou desu ka. Ja, kono kamera o kudasai.
Clerk: Hai, kashikomarimashita. Arigatou gozaimasu .