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Class notes · Lesson 4 · Japanese for beginners

Loanwords & going placesにほん に いきました。

Instructor: NoomenClass of October 24, 2026

The end of lesson 4: katakana words borrowed from other languages (and a few sounds), review questions, the days from おととい to あさって, and your first trip with いきます. Match the katakana, plan a flight between Tunisia and Japan, then take the quiz.

Katakana loanwords

がいらいご
Katakana writes words borrowed from other languages, and the sounds animals and crowds make. Match each word with its meaning: every round brings new pairs.

Pick a katakana word, then the meaning that goes with it.

All the words

  • ダイヤdaiyatrain timetablefrom “⁨diagram⁩”Short for ダイヤグラム, the train diagram. ダイヤ can also mean a diamond.
  • ビデオカメラbideo kameravideo camerafrom “⁨video camera⁩”
  • メニューmenyūmenufrom “⁨menu⁩”
  • ジュースjūsujuicefrom “⁨juice⁩”
  • Tシャツtī shatsuT-shirtfrom “⁨T-shirt⁩”
  • バーベキューbābekyūbarbecuefrom “⁨barbecue⁩”
  • チョコレートchokorētochocolatefrom “⁨chocolate⁩”
  • ニャーニャーnyānyāmeow (a cat)sound word
  • キャッシュカードkyasshu kādobank cardfrom “⁨cash card⁩”Built in Japan from two English words: the card for the cash machine.
  • コンピュータkonpyūtacomputerfrom “⁨computer⁩”A personal computer is usually called パソコン.
  • エンジニアenjiniaengineerfrom “⁨engineer⁩”
  • コンビニkonbiniconvenience storefrom “⁨convenience store⁩”Short for コンビニエンスストア.
  • ワイワイwaiwailively chatter of a crowdsound word
  • エアコンeakonair conditionerfrom “⁨air conditioner⁩”Short for エアコンディショナー.
  • ラーメンrāmenramen noodle soupfrom “⁨lāmiàn⁩”From Chinese 拉面 (lāmiàn), “pulled noodles”.
  • ワンワンwanwanwoof (a dog)sound word
  • プレゼントpurezentopresent, giftfrom “⁨present⁩”
  • コンタクトkontakutocontact lensesfrom “⁨contact lens⁩”Short for コンタクトレンズ.
  • サラリーマンsararīmansalaried office workerfrom “⁨salary + man⁩”Built in Japan from two English words.

Review questions

ぶん
Three short exchanges that bring back the verb forms and phone numbers from this lesson.

Working on Saturday

A
どようび はたらきますか。Doyōbi hatarakimasu ka?Do you work on Saturdays?
B
いいえ、はたらきません。Iie, hatarakimasen.No, I don't.

The slide writes はたらけますか / はたらけません, which means “can you work?”: a form for later lessons. Its translation, “do you work?”, is はたらきますか, shown here.

Studying yesterday

A
きのう べんきょうしましたか。Kinō benkyō shimashita ka?Did you study yesterday?
B
いいえ、べんきょうしませんでした。Iie, benkyō shimasen deshita.No, I didn't study.

A phone number

A
IMC の でんわ ばんごう は なんばん ですか。Ai-emu-shī no denwa bangō wa nanban desu ka?What is IMC's phone number?
B
341 の 2597 です。San-yon-ichi no ni-go-kyū-nana desu.It's 341-2597.

なんばん asks “what number?”. The digits are read one by one and the hyphen is read の.

From おととい to あさって

ひ
Five words count the days around today. Pick one to see which date it is right now: the past takes でした, today and later take です.

Pick a day

  • Past: でした, 〜ました
  • Today and later: です, 〜ます

Going to Japan, going to Tunisia

いきます
The slides show わたしたち は にほん に いきました (we went to Japan) and あした は チュニジア に いきます (tomorrow I'm going to Tunisia). Choose who, where and when: the ending follows the day, and the plane shows how far the trip has got.
A traveller with a backpack and suitcase waves goodbye in front of white and blue houses by the sea, and on the other side arrives smiling under a red torii gate; a dotted flight path joins the two.
日本JapanチュニジアTunisia

planned

Who?
Where to?
When?
私わたし は 明日あした チュニジア に 行いきます。Watashi wa ashita Chunijia ni ikimasu.I'm going to Tunisia tomorrow.

Grammar points

ぶんぽう
The four ます forms with the other verbs of this lesson are inWhat are your opening hours? · Everyday verbs
N(place) に 行いきます

に after a place marks where you go: “to”. Textbooks often use へ (read え) instead; both are correct.

私わたしたち は 日本にほん に 行いきました。Watashitachi wa Nihon ni ikimashita.We went to Japan.
明日あした は チュニジア に 行いきます。Ashita wa Chunijia ni ikimasu.Tomorrow I'm going to Tunisia.
きょうと へ いきます。Kyōto e ikimasu.I'm going to Kyoto.
いきます ／ いきません ／ いきました ／ いきませんでした

The same four polite forms as every ます verb: present, present negative, past, past negative. The present also covers the future.

あした いきません。Ashita ikimasen.I'm not going tomorrow.
きのう いきませんでした。Kinō ikimasen deshita.I didn't go yesterday.
どようび に V ／ あした V

Clock times and days of the week take に, but words counted from today (おととい, きのう, きょう, あした, あさって) and まいにち don't.

あした はたらきます。Ashita hatarakimasu.I work tomorrow.
どようび に はたらきます。Doyōbi ni hatarakimasu.I work on Saturday.
N は なんばん ですか

なんばん asks for a number. Phone numbers are read digit by digit, with の for the hyphen.

IMC の でんわ ばんごう は なんばん ですか。Ai-emu-shī no denwa bangō wa nanban desu ka?What is IMC's phone number?

Quick quiz

10 もん
Ten questions drawn from everything above. Pick the correct meaning or reading.

Class notes from Noomen's Japanese lesson · words, sentences and grammar as presented on the slides, with readings and translations added.

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