brain disease babey

Genki I & II PDF + Audio Lessons (Reddit Thread)

NOTE: It's come to my attention that the original post has been deleted; this is not what you're looking for. The actual book and its other resources are in the REPLIES. The Google Drive and its files are also safe! I tested it and it's 100% safe to download. Be careful when downloading things from reddit threads.

Other Resources

I'm looking for like something like with mostly hiragana and katakana characters and just a small amount of kanji. something like manga or a magazine would probably be the most fun, but maybe like an elementary school story book would be easier to find?

here's what one of their stories look like:

If you are interested in physical books, I can recommend the following series:

レベル別（べつ）日本語多読（にほんごたどく）ライブラリー

日本語多読（にほんごたどく）ブックス

げんき多読（たどく）ブックス

So... I made these for myself last month by assembling exercises from different textbooks. They're about really basic stuff cause I'm just getting started, but I thought they may be of help to someone else and wanted to share! <3

Causative

Causative-passive

Conditional forms (ば-conditional,　-たら,　なら)

Passive

Potential

ので、のに

のです / んだ

As you progress with your Japanese studies, you will see two very important kinds of Hiragana. They are called furigana and okurigana. In this post let’s take a look at each of them and how they both help Japanese learners and natives read Kanji!

But first, let me introduce a chart for the vocabulary that you’ll see in this post. Each word is written in Kanji and then in Hiragana, with its part of speech and meaning.

1) Furigana

Furigana, also known as よみがな or ruby, are the Hiragana characters either on top or to the side of Kanji characters.

As you can see, if the writing is horizontal, the furigana will be on top and if the writing is vertical, it will be on the right side. Either way, furigana tell you how to pronounce the Kanji characters.

There may be anywhere from 1 to 5 Hiragana characters represented by a single Kanji character!

We Japanese learners need furigana when we start studying Kanji and reading Japanese text. But Japanese children also need furigana when they are learning Kanji and even Katakana. Here you can see furigana used to learn Katakana characters.

Whether or not you see furigana depends on a few different factors:

the intended readers

the rarity of the Kanji

Generally, you won’t see many examples of furigana. However, if you pick up a book/novel intended for elementary-aged children, you might see lots of furigana. This is because (like us!) they either haven’t learned the Kanji’s readings or the writer intended the Kanji to be read in a certain way.

Some websites, books, IG posts, Youtube videos, etc that are intended for non-Japanese readers will also have a fair amount of furigana. Granted, it is helpful at first, but it’s a good idea to wane yourself off of furigana as you get better (or if you WANT to get better). The more you see a Kanji character, the more likely you are to remember its reading.

Gikun

Sometimes furigana doesn’t actually tell you the reading of the Kanji. Instead it’s used to add details or add shades of nuance, as in the examples below:

In these cases we call the furigana gikun, which loosely translates to “a false reading”.

On the left, the Kanji reads きぼう, which means “desire or wish” but the furigana reads ひかり, which means “light”. This conveys to the reader that light is a metaphor for hope in whatever setting you are seeing that Kanji. 

On the right, the Kanji reads ちきゅう, which means “Earth” but the furigana reads ふるさと which means “home town” or “where someone is from”. This tells the reader that someone is an Earthling – as compared to a Martian or an alien from another planet.

This is a more-advanced way that furigana is used, so you won’t see it unless you are reading manga or novels aimed for native speakers.

First the Word, Then the Kanji (Ateji & Jukujikun)

On the day that I arrived in Japan, they asked me for my name in Katakana at the airport. I hadn’t really thought about it so they wrote my name how it sounds to the Japanese ear.

A few days later, I was thinking about this, and it occurred to me that in the same way that they just “assigned me” katakana, I could also give myself Kanji for my name! My name is Albert but I took my nickname Al and “Hiraganized” it, getting ある. At this point I needed 1 or 2 Kanji that sounded out ある. I eventually decided on 亜琉. I’ll come back to this a bit later.

亜琉 is what is called ateji. I started with a word and “worked backwards” to end up with Kanji, based on their readings. Another example of ateji is the Japanese word for The United States. Written with Hiragana it’s あめりか, but written with Kanji it becomes:

亜 read as あ 米 read as め 利 read as り 加 read as か

Keep in mind that these Kanji have nothing to do with the meaning of “America” or “The U.S.” (whatever that is lol). They were only chosen based on the way you read each Kanji. This is the idea of ateji.

A similar concept is Jukujikun. The word あさって means “the day after tomorrow”. When it came time to assign Kanji to this word, the following 3 were chosen:

明 meaning “tomorrow” 後 meaning “after” 日 meaning “day”

You can reasonably see how this combination of Kanji can come to mean “the day after tomorrow”. The thing is, the actual way you read those Kanji are nowhere close to あさって！They were chosen because of their meanings and not their readings. It’s almost the reverse of ateji. 2 more examples are:

今日 is read as きょう but 今 is not きょ and 日 is not う

下手 is read as へた but 下 is not へ and 手 is not た

When it comes to jukujikun, because the furigana can’t be separated between the characters, it will appear either in the middle of the characters or stretched across them.

As for my Kanji, because the characters sound out ある, 亜琉 is ateji. However, I also chose 2 Kanji with meanings that I liked. 亜 means “Asia” and 琉 means “gem” so I chose my name to mean “gem of Asia”.

2) Okurigana

Now, let’s talk about okurigana. It is similar to furigana, except that it only appears next to Kanji. Okurigana is thought of as “hanging off of” Kanji characters.

The okurigana tells you how you should read the 食 Kanji. In this particular example, both words mean “to eat” so mixing them up is not the end of the world (depending on who you are talking with!). Other times, however, the meanings will be drastically different so okurigana is a vital part of Japanese.

Adjectives and Verbs

Most of the time, you’ll find okurigana with adjective and verb forms. This is because they have a core part (called the stem) that will not change, and an ending that changes to add different shades of nuance to the core meaning. Think of the difference between “kick”, “kicks”, and “kicked” in English.

Notice that sometimes the adjective or verb stem doesn’t overlap with the okurigana (Type 1). Other times, part of the stem is included in the okurigana (Type 2). The main thing to remember is, the okurigana is the Hiragana after the Kanji.

Another time you will see okurigana is with compound verbs. This is where two verbs are combined into one. In these cases, there will be okurigana both between and after Kanji characters. Examples are:

思い出す, which means “to remember” 食べ残す, which means “to leave food half-eaten”

Nouns

Most of the time, nouns are made up of only Kanji. However, there are some occasions where they will have okurigana. Most times, they will end in a character from the い VSG.

This is because they actually come from verbs! Here are some examples:

匂い (from 匂う) 好き (from 好く) ーーーーーーーーーー 乗り場 (from 乗る) 立ち飲み (from both 立つ and 飲む)

Other times, they aren’t derived from verbs, they are just simply nouns:

勢い, which means “force, power” 後ろ, which means “behind, rear” 全て, which means “all, everything” 情け, which means “pity, sympathy” 斜め, which means “diagonal, slanted”

Same Kanji, Different Okurigana

The function of okurigana is to point you in the right direction of how to pronounce a given Kanji. There would be no reason for this if each Kanji had only 1 possible reading. As it turns out, a single Kanji can have many different ways to say it. Here are some examples:

As you can see, depending on the okurigana, 汚 can be read as きたな or as よご. On the other hand, the Kanji 広 is read as ひろ in all 5 of those words! For this reason, I would recommend learning Kanji like 広 early in your studies.  It will be much easier for you to remember a Kanji with only 1 or 2 readings than a Kanji with many different readings.

Same Kanji, Same Okurigana

It’s rare, but there are times when the okurigana unfortunately won’t tell you decisively how to pronounce the Kanji. Here is an example:

As you can see (with the help of the furigana!) BOTH the Kanji and the okurigana are the same, making them different words but homographs. If it weren’t for the furigana, you might not know which reading of the kanji to use. In this situation, they both mean “to open” but the way and the kind of opening is different. Japanese often separates very similar meanings by using different Kanji. In English, we just take it for granted that you can open your eyes and you can also open a door. In Japanese, they are two different kinds of actions, and so different Kanji are used. (It won’t matter when you speak, but when you write or type, it would be good to be aware of the difference.) In these kinds of cases, you will have to rely on either context or on furigana to know which reading is correct.

Conclusion

As you can see, both furigana and okurigana will help you when it comes to reading Kanji. Sometimes you will have both, other times there will only be okurigana. Later on in the Kanji section, we will take a look at other ways to help you guess a Kanji’s reading. Until then, good luck with your Japanese journey!

And with that, you are finished with the Hiragana section. Congrats!

Rice & Peace,

– 亜琉 (アル)

Welcome back everyone! In this post, let’s look at the topic section of a Japanese sentence. Once you are familiar with the ways that speakers introduce the topic, I think it will help your comprehension a lot.

Here is your vocabulary for this post:

【The は Spotlight】

Japanese sentences usually work by setting the topic at the beginning, and then commenting on that topic at least once.* The most common way that you know something is the topic is if it is followed by the は particle. This は basically puts a spotlight on whatever noun or noun phrase came before it.

The thing about spotlights, though, is that whatever is NOT in the spotlight is in the dark. This is a good way to think about は.

Let’s say that you go to a friend’s house and her mother gives you some cake and some green tea. If she asks you how it was (どうでしたか？), you have to be careful of which topic you choose. If you say ケーキは… you are setting the cake as the topic but discarding the green tea. Because you have basically put the green tea in the dark, whatever comment you make will ONLY apply to the cake. You can imagine how this can lead to offense in certain situations.**

【も】

Another way that topics are marked is with the も particle. When も marks the topic of a sentence***, it means that a previous comment also applies to this topic.

① ケイは高校生です。｛トムも｝高校生です。

= As for Kei, he is a high school student. As for Tom, the same comment applies.

= Kei is a high school student. Tom is too.

② ｛ケンタも｝パーティーに呼びましょうか。

= Let’s invite Kenta to the party too.

In example #2, we can safely assume that at some point earlier in the conversation this comment (パーティーに呼びましょう) was made about someone else. も is very interesting because it connects a topic that you already know about (to some extent) with a comment that you already know. Just like with English, it’s used when you want to make someone aware of this connection. 

【Combined Particles】

It is possible for は and も to combine with most of the case-marking particles. (Case-marking particles attach to nouns to tell us what role the noun plays in the sentence.) The combined particles’ main role is to perform the function of the second particle. In other words, the following combined particles all mark the topic:

へは、には、からは、までは、では、のは、とは

Additionally, they perform the role of the first particle. Look at the following example sentences:

③ ｛その高層ビルの上からは｝町がよく見える。

= as for from the top of the skyscraper, you can see the area very well.

= You can see the area very well from the top of that skyscraper (nuance: but not from other places)

④ ｛社会と個人とは｝不可分です。

= as for society and the individual, they are inseparable

= Society and the individual are inseparable (as opposed to society and something else, or the individual and something else).

⑤ ｛脚注とは｝ページの下部の注をいう。

= the definition of a footnote is a note at the bottom of a page

= A footnote is a note at the bottom of a page.

Sometimes, a combined particle will have a very different function than you might expect. For example とは can either be a combination of と and は (like example 4), or you can think of it as a different particle used for defining words or concepts (like example 5). 

The topic particle も can also combine with some of the other case marking particles. The list of combined particles containing も is:

へも、にも、からも、までも、でも、のも

In the same way as は, the overall function of these combined particles is to link the topic with a comment that you have already heard in the conversation. Additionally, they perform the function of the first particle in the combination. 

【って】

Another (albeit less common) way to mark the topic is with the abbreviation     って. It is either a replacement for は or a shortened version of というものは, depending on the sentence. Either way, it comes in the beginning of the sentence to say, “this is what I’m going to comment on.”

って is mostly limited to casual speech but can sometimes be seen in writing (such as on messenger apps or on social media). Here are some examples:

⑥ ｛彼の英語の発音って｝、なんかにごってない？

= as for his English pronunciation, it sounds muddled, don’t you think?

= His English sounds muddled, doesn’t it?

⑦ ｛誕生日って｝大事だと思う？

 = as for birthdays, are important you think?

= Do you think that birthdays are important? 

って can be used in other ways but will appear either in the middle or at the end of a sentence. The topic-marking って is usually easy to recognize because it comes at the beginning of the sentence.

【Just a Comma】

The last way that you can set the topic is just by using a comma. Of course, this doesn’t work in spoken Japanese, but in written Japanese it appears at times.

Take our earlier situation of going to a friend’s house and having cake and green tea. If for some reason, you and your friend’s mother were texting (weird!), you could write ケーキ、美味しかった！

By writing this, you have set the cake as the topic but you didn’t exclude the green tea from your comment. It is purposefully vague because you never said that the green tea was good… but you didn’t exclude it from the “was good” comment either! 😂This is an example of using Japanese vagueness to your advantage!

【An Unexpected Location】

While I don’t agree with the statement that there is no word order in Japanese, it sure can be flexible! Take a look at the following example:

⑧ 暑い、今日は！

= Today is hot as hell!

By putting the topic AFTER the comment, it is possible to put emphasis on the comment. This is very casual so don’t expect to hear everyone use this construction. Also I’m not sure how often it happens in written Japanese, but you will hear sentences like this from time to time. This is just a testament to the flexibility of the language!

【Conclusion】

In conclusion, we looked at 4 ways that the topic of a sentence might be marked - with は, with も, with って or with just a comma. Whether it’s in written or spoken Japanese it’s good to realize that every time you want to signal the topic you are not limited to using は. Feel free to use the other three in order to practice and make your Japanese more natural.

That’s all for this post. I hope it was helpful. See you next time when we talk a little bit more about the comment section of a Japanese sentence!

Rice & Peace,

– AL (アル)

👋🏾

* Most of the time, a topic is set and then multiple comments are made about that topic. The real trick of listening comprehension is not to get lost as the conversation moves from topic to comment to comment.

** As a foreigner, I’ve found that it’s very rare that Japanese natives will take offense to a mistake with the は particle. Unless you clearly demonstrate that your Japanese level is very high, these kinds of mistakes are usually not held against you.

Upon reading Murakami’s 1Q84, I came across the following sentence:

鍵はかかっていたが、鍵のうちには入らないようなものだった。

I couldn’t make sense of the second part of the sentence, so I asked my Japanese friend for help.

Apparently, Nのうちに入らない means something like “can’t be regarded as N” or “not really a N”. So, you might translate the sentence as, “It was locked, but it wasn’t much of a lock.” 

This phrase seems to be more often used with verbs, as in Vたうちに入らない, rather than with nouns.

My friend also mentioned that Japanese teachers often use this phrase when students haven’t done something properly, e.g., cleaning the classroom:

こんなのやったうちに入らないだろ！ You can’t seriously think this counts as cleaning, right?!

When I thanked my friend for the help, he replied with:

こんなの助けたうちにも入らねーぜ。 This doesn’t even count as helpin’, man.

After some further research, I discovered that this is actually considered an N1-level grammar point.

30 Of My favorites Compliments in Japanese to Praise Artists and Their Work

I love complimenting artists; I like them to know that their work is always amazing, and I enjoy motivating them. Since I started creating pixel art, I have become very close to Japanese artists and realized that it is much easier to compliment them in Japanese, as it seems to make them feel more comfortable! That’s why I put together a list of compliments! Feel free to use them and correct me!

1. 素晴らしい作品ですね。 (Subarashii sakuhin desu ne.)

“It’s a wonderful piece of work.”

2. とても感動しました。 (Totemo kandō shimashita.)

“I was very moved.”

3. あなたの才能に驚かされます。 (Anata no sainō ni odorokasaremasu.)

“I am amazed by your talent.”

4. 色使いが本当に綺麗ですね。 (Irozukai ga hontō ni kirei desu ne.)

“The use of colors is really beautiful.”

5. 細部まで丁寧に描かれていますね。 (Saibu made teinei ni kakareteimasu ne.)

“The details are drawn so carefully.”

6. ユニークなスタイルですね。 (Yunīku na sutairu desu ne.)

“You have a unique style.”

7. 本当に才能がありますね。 (Hontō ni sainō ga arimasu ne.)

“You truly have talent.”

8. 見ていてとても楽しいです。 (Miteite totemo tanoshii desu.)

“It’s very enjoyable to look at.”

9. 構図が素晴らしいです。 (Kōzu ga subarashii desu.)

“The composition is amazing.”

10. こんな作品を作れるなんて信じられません。 (Konna sakuhin o tsukureru nante shinjiraremasen.)

“I can’t believe you can create such a piece.”

11. とても独創的ですね。 (Totemo dokusōteki desu ne.)

“It’s very creative.”

12. あなたの作品はいつもインスピレーションを与えてくれます。 (Anata no sakuhin wa itsumo insupirēshon o ataete kuremasu.)

“Your work always gives me inspiration.”

13. 表現力が豊かですね。 (Hyōgenryoku ga yutaka desu ne.)

“Your expressive power is remarkable.”

14. 見るたびに新しい発見があります。 (Miru tabi ni atarashī hakken ga arimasu.)

“I discover something new every time I look at it.”

15. あなたの作品には心がこもっていますね。 (Anata no sakuhin ni wa kokoro ga komotteimasu ne.)

“Your work has so much heart in it.”

16. あなたの作品には魂が宿っています。 (Anata no sakuhin ni wa tamashī ga yadotteimasu.)

“Your artwork has a soul in it.”

17. 発想力がすごいですね。 (Hassōryoku ga sugoi desu ne.)

“Your creativity is amazing.”

18. あなたのスタイルはとても独特です。 (Anata no sutairu wa totemo dokutoku desu.)

“Your style is very distinctive.”

19. 作品に強いメッセージ性を感じます。 (Sakuhin ni tsuyoi messe-ji sei o kanjimasu.)

“I feel a strong message in your work.”

20. この作品を見ると、何かを感じずにはいられません。 (Kono sakuhin o miru to, nanika o kanjizu ni wa iraremasen.)

“I can’t help but feel something when I look at this piece.”

21. あなたの作品を見ていると、とても幸せな気持ちになります。 (Anata no sakuhin o miteiru to, totemo shiawase na kimochi ni narimasu.)

“Looking at your work makes me feel very happy.”

22. どの作品も心に響きます。 (Dono sakuhin mo kokoro ni hibikimasu.)

“Every piece of your work resonates with my heart.”

23. この作品の雰囲気がとても好きです。 (Kono sakuhin no fun’iki ga totemo suki desu.)

“I really like the atmosphere of this piece.”

24. あなたのアートはとても洗練されています。 (Anata no āto wa totemo senren sareteimasu.)

“Your art is very refined.”

25. この作品からインスピレーションをたくさんもらいました。 (Kono sakuhin kara insupirēshon o takusan moraimashita.)

“I received a lot of inspiration from this piece.”

26. あなたの技術は素晴らしいです。 (Anata no gijutsu wa subarashii desu.)

“Your technique is superb.”

27. これからの作品も楽しみにしています。 (Korekara no sakuhin mo tanoshimi ni shiteimasu.)

“I’m looking forward to your future works as well.”

28. 色彩の使い方がとても巧みですね。 (Shikisai no tsukaikata ga totemo takumi desu ne.)

“Your use of colors is very skillful.”

29. こんなに素晴らしい作品を見たことがありません。 (Konna ni subarashii sakuhin o mita koto ga arimasen.)

“I’ve never seen such an amazing piece of work.”

30. あなたの描くキャラクターはとても魅力的です。 (Anata no kaku kyarakutā wa totemo miryokuteki desu.)

“The characters you draw are very captivating.”

Some observations made by my Japanese study friends!

1. あなたの作品には魂が宿っています。

This phrase is correct, but it’s quite poetic. If you want a simpler expression:

When I started learning Japanese, I quickly discovered that “only” translates to だけ (dake). Soon after, I learned about しか (shika) and then ばかり (bakari). This led me to wonder how many ways there are to express the idea of "only" or "just" in the Japanese language. I began exploring the fascinating world of adverbs that convey limitation or exclusivity, each with its own specific nuance.

Here are some of the terms I’ve discovered (which I may continue to expand upon):

だけ (dake): Strongly emphasizes exclusivity, meaning that nothing else is included or considered. Example: 水だけください。 (Please give me only water.)

しか (shika) (used with a negative verb): Often conveys a sense of disappointment or limitation, implying that there’s nothing but the mentioned item, often with a sense of restriction. Example: 私は日本語しか話せません。 (I can only speak Japanese.)

ばかり (bakari): Suggests the dominance or prevalence of something, often with a sense of excess or monotony and a negative nuance. It does not imply strict exclusivity. Example: お菓子ばかり食べている。 (I’m only eating snacks.)

ばかし (bakashi): A casual variant of ばかり, used mostly in spoken language. It conveys a similar meaning but carries a more informal tone. Example: 遊んでばっかしいる。 (He’s only playing.)

のみ (nomi): Used in formal or written contexts, conveying exclusivity. It can sound elegant and refined. Example: 本日のみ有効です。 (Valid only today.)

ばかりか (bakari ka): This expression expands the meaning by introducing additional information, indicating more than just "only." Example: 彼は優しいばかりか、面白いです。 (He is not only kind but also funny.)

だけしか (dake shika) (used with a negative verb): This term combines だけ and しか, emphasizing strong exclusivity when used with negative constructions. Example: これだけしかない。 (There is only this.)

こそ (koso): Indicates that the highlighted item is particularly special or the best choice, often implying that nothing else can compare. Example: 今日こそ勉強する。 (Today, of all days, I will study.)

たった (tatta): Implies that an amount is minimal and often inadequate, highlighting a sense of limitation. Example: たった一人で旅行した。 (I traveled with just one person.)

わずか (wazuka): Emphasizes a minimal quantity or degree, often with a sense of surprise. Example: わずか10分で終わった。 (It only took 10 minutes.)

ほんの (honno): Indicates a small or trivial amount, often used to downplay something. Example: ほんの少しだけ食べた。 (I ate just a little bit.)

に限る (ni kagiru): This expression is used to convey that something is the best or only suitable choice for a situation. Example: 夏はアイスクリームに限る。 (Ice cream is the best for summer.)

だけでなく (dake de naku): Similar to ばかりか , this phrase is used to express that there’s more than just one thing happening. Example: 彼女は賢いだけでなく、優しいです。 (She is not only smart but also kind.)

単に (tan ni): Indicates simplicity; often used to clarify or explain something in a straightforward manner. Example: 単に冗談だよ。 (It’s just a joke.)

あくまで (akumade): Suggests that something is true only to a certain extent or in a specific context. Example: あくまで私の意見です。 (This is just my opinion.)

たかが (takaga): Often carries a dismissive connotation, suggesting that something is not very important. Example: たかが試験一回でどうなるものか。 (It’s just one exam; it won’t change much.)

At its simplest, あげる means “to give”. At the N5 level, it’s used for giving physical things such as presents, money, water (to plants), food (to pets), etc. There is another way it can be used, but that is for a later JLPT level. For now, let’s get into ONE of the ways you can talk about giving in Japanese.

First, here is the vocabulary for this post.

【The Grammar of あげる】

Basically there are 4 parts to every あげる sentence that you should be thinking about. The first 3 are marked with particles and the last part is the verb.

Here is an example sentence:

① 【けんじは】【トムに】【腕時計を】あげた。

= As for Kenji, to Tom, a watch gave

= Kenji gave Tom a watch.

In a sentence like #1 it’s easy to see the 3 parts clearly marked with particles and then the verb at the end. Unfortunately you WILL NOT always see simple sentences like this, so let’s look at each part one by one, along with the cultural context behind あげる.

【The Giver】

Most of the time, the giver will be marked by the は (or sometimes the が) particle. This is because あげる sets up the action of giving from the giver’s perspective.

Sometimes, it is obvious who the giver is, so that phrase can be completely left out of the sentence.

② 【会社の人たちに】【お土産を】あげると思う。

= to the people at (my) company, souvenirs will give I think

= I think I’m going to give the people at my company souvenirs.

In this sentence it would be clear that the speaker is the giver. Therefore it’s not necessary to include a 私は phrase.

【The Relationship Between Giver and Receiver】

Before we move on, let’s get into a very big cultural difference between Japan and English-speaking cultures. When you use あげる, you have to think about the relationship between the giver and the receiver. In English, this doesn’t affect the words we use, but in Japanese it is actually very important when it comes to word choice. Take a look at this image:

The green circle would include close friends, family, your lover, etc. Pets and plants would also fall into this circle. Outside of the green circle are strangers, teachers, professors and depending on your job, your customers. This is because showing respect is directly connected to setting up a kind of psychological distance. You have to work hard and gain trust before you are moved into the green circle.

Some people, like coworkers and bosses, may be inside the green circle in some situations, but outside of it in other situations! A common example is when you go out drinking with coworkers. As the alcohol flows throughout the night you’ll notice that psychological space slowly disappearing - that is until the next day at work. They might act like the person you drank with was a COMPLETELY different person!

This way of thinking is called うちそと, and can be a very difficult part of Japanese culture for many foreigners. Here’s the thing: the culture of うちそと extends to the concept of giving as well.

【Giving Culture and あげる】

When it comes to giving, there are 4 situations where it’s appropriate to use the verb あげる:

① When you give something to someone inside your inner circle

② When you give something to anyone outside your inner circle

③ When someone in your inner circle gives something to someone outside your inner circle

④ When someone outside your inner circle gives something to another person outside your inner circle

Numbers 1-3 can be described as the act of giving while moving from a smaller circle to a bigger circle. Number 4 can be described as giving that doesn’t happen in your inner circle.

There are of course more possibilities when it comes to giving (and receiving). However, those situations won’t use the verb あげる!

【What Is Being Given】

In most sentences, whatever is being given is very simply marked with the を particle. However, there are times when the を particle or the positioning of what is being given will change. Take a look at these three example sentences:

Example 3a is the “default version”. The doll is marked with the を particle so we immediately know that it will be given to someone (the section manager’s wife).

For example 3b I want you to imagine that you are in a souvenir shop. You’ve bought a couple of things already, but you haven‘t decided which gifts will go to whom. All of a sudden, you see a doll that catches your eye. You immediately think to yourself, “that doll is perfect for the section manager’s wife”. Putting the item being given (that is, the doll) at the head of the sentence shows that 1) you are putting the focus of your sentence on that item and 2) there is a kind of impulsiveness to the giving. It’s kind of an instant decision.

Compare that with example 3c. Now I want you to imagine that you are in your house. You bought a bunch of dolls but you haven’t decided which one will go to whom. You pick up one of them and after some thought you say, “Ok I’ll give THIS one to the section manager’s wife.” Marking the doll with は serves to emphasize that there are several dolls, but you are highlighting one of them for a specific reason. It also shows that it WAS NOT an instant decision; some thought went into your decision.

This kind of distinction takes a really long time to understand and really “feel” but I hope that by explaining it to you now, it might stay with you somewhere deep inside your mind. You might even experiment with using sentences like 3b and 3c and surprise your Japanese friends!

【Alternative Verbs】

Lastly, let’s talk about your choice of verbs. You can actually adjust the level of “closeness” that the reader / listener feels by changing the verb that you use! あげる, あげた, あげます, あげました, etc. is used for a “default” level of closeness.

However, if the receiver is someone in a higher social position (for example a professor, a doctor, a boss, a politician, etc.) you would instead use the similar verb さしあげる. This verb actually serves to humble yourself - and thus elevates the listener / reader.

④ 【この本は】ただでさしあげます。

= as for this book, for nothing will give

= I will give you this book for free.

From this sentence you can tell that the giver and the receiver are on different levels, socially. (This is a little different than うちそと.) The listener will feel an elevated level respect simply by hearing the さしあげる verb.

On the other hand, if the receiver is someone VERY close to you, you can show that closeness by using the verb やる instead of あげる. やる is often used with pets and plants.

⑤ 【彼女は】【犬に】【えさを】やるのを忘れた。

= as for her, to (her) dog food giving forgot

= She forgot to give her dog food.

As it turns out, this is why I keep on saying “what is given” instead of “a present” or “a gift”. Giving water to plants or food to pets is not a present or a gift.

Here is a visual representation of the 3 different verbs that you can use when talking about giving (from the giver’s perspective):

Here is 1 last example:

= as for apples I give to you, there are none

= I don’t have any apples to give you.

As you can see in #6, it’s possible to state a giver, a receiver and then あげる in order to describe what is being given. Once you do that, you will then have a topic which you can then go on to make a comment about!

【Conclusion】

So there you have it! あげる and its related verbs (さしあげる and やる) all express the idea of giving from the giver’s perspective. However, you have to keep the Japanese concept of うちそと in mind. Later we’ll talk about giving but from the receiver’s perspective. Stay tuned!

Rice & Peace!

-AL (アル)