Category Archives: Lesson Updates

Notifications for new and updated lessons at Japanese Professor.

New Lesson: Questions and Negation

Questions and Negation is the primary follow-up to Using “Wa” and “Desu”, tripling what you can do with just one sentence structure. Related upcoming lessons: Two more sentence ending particles Question words (who/what/where/etc)

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New Lesson: Pronouns and Plurals

Pronouns and Plurals is the first follow-up to Using “Wa” and “Desu”. More short beginning lessons of this sort coming up. Here’s the preliminary outline for the near furture: Grammar-oriented: Asking Questions Sentence Ending Particles The Possessive Particle “No” Ko-so-a-do: … Continue reading

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New Lesson: Using “Wa” and “Desu”

As the first Beginning Lesson covering grammar, Using “Wa” and “Desu” introduces your first practical Japanese sentence structure: “[A] wa [B] desu”. Subsequent lessons will focus on grammar expanding the use of this basic pattern as well as some particular … Continue reading

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New Lesson: The Topic Marker “Wa”

I’ve added an introduction to this very important particle, The Topic Marker “Wa”. Along with Desu and Masu, this is the bare minimum core grammar needed to start using formal spoken Japanese. The next few things in the works will … Continue reading

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New Lesson: Japanese Word Classes

This next grammar lesson is another overview. Japanese Word Classes covers nouns, pronouns, verbs, all three classes of adjectives, and particles. Verbs and adjectives especially will get a more detailed treatment in later lessons, as will demonstratives (“ko-so-a-do” words) and … Continue reading

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New Lesson: Desu and Masu

The second introductory grammar lesson, Desu and Masu, is now available. Desu is the Japanese copula, a verb meaning “to be”, and –masu is the polite verb suffix. Together with The Structure of a Japanese Sentence, this lesson covers the … Continue reading

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New Lesson: Greetings and Other Expressions

I’ve posted the second of the two lessons on expressions, Greetings and Other Expressions. You may want to start with the first, Names and Introductions. No grammar is necessary for these pages, but you’ll get the most out of them … Continue reading

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New Lesson: Names and Introductions

The first of the Beginning Lessons is now out. This series will cover material typical of a first course in Japanese. The first lesson, Names and Introductions, will be one of two sections on basic expressions, which will be followed … Continue reading

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New Lesson: Levels of Formality

Levels of Formality is finally out. I stuck to the culture side of things for the most recent draft, and I’m happy with the result. It’s not my greatest work ever, though; there is definitely some serious revision in my … Continue reading

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Intro Series Progress

By now it’s been nearly a week since I posted the last new lesson in Introduction to the Japanese Language. The second part of the series has turned out to be far more difficult to write. My main dilemma is … Continue reading

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