How does your Japanese compare?
Which is better, your English or your Japanese? As you know, you make comparisons all the time. To get around Japan faster, you may want to ask “which is faster, the bus or the train?” On the other hand, you might ask, “which is better, sushi or tempura?” There are all kinds of comparisons to help you make the best decisions in Japan. Use this Japanese article for beginners to learn how to make comparisons. master’s degree dochira no hoo ga (“which of the two”) to ask which of the two options is better. You will constantly compare quantities or qualities in Japanese, and this article gives you the skills to do it correctly. Along with the sentence structures that allow you to compare two things, you will learn vocabulary words like “cold”, “car”, “young” and many others. If you want your Japanese to build up, you need this Japanese article for beginners!
Vocabulary: In this article, you will learn the following words and phrases:
eki – “train station”
Keisei skirainaa – “Keisei Skyliner”
futsuu – “normal, ordinary”
dochira – “which”
yasui – “cheap, cheap” (adjective ending -i)
zutto – “for a long time, all the time, all the time”
hayai – “fast, fast” (adjective ending -i)
eki’in – “station on hold”
roojin – “the old man, the old man”
Grammar: In this article, you will learn the following words and phrases:
Useful phrases and vocabulary
Kore wa Narita and ikimasu ka.
“Is this train going to Narita?”
This sentence structure has already been introduced in the Nohongo Doojoo rookie series, “Welcome to Style You: Item 24.”
Sentence structure
Subject / Wa / Destination / Ni or E / Ikimasu ka.
Kore / Washington / Narita / me / ikimasu ka.
Kono densha /Washington / Tokyo / or / ikimasu ka.
Kono basu / Washington/ kuukoo / or / ikimasu ka. * kuukoo means “airport ”
Today’s destiny phrase:
- Keisei-sen to Keisei-Sukairainaa to dochira no hoo ga yasui desu ka.
- Keisei-sen no hoo ga yasui desu.
The focus of today’s lesson is the sentences that compare two quantities or qualities.
Which is more …?
[A] for [B] a dochira no hoo ga [adjective] desu ka.
“What alternative is more [adjective], [A] gold [B]? “
Dochira no hoo ga means “which of two”. When asking a comparison question, use the following sentence structure:
[Choice A] + To + [Choice B] + Para / Dochira no hoo ga / [Adjective] + desu ka.
Nihon to Furansu to / dochira no hoo ga / ookii desu ka.
Densha a basu a / dochira no hoo ga / hayai desu ka.
Shichi-gatsu to hachi-gatsu to / dochira no hoo ga / atsui desu ka.
Kyooto to Nara for / dochira no hoo ga / shizuka desu ka.
Densha a basu a / dochira no hoo ga / benri desu ka.
Haru a aki a / dochira no hoo ga / suki desu ka.
*We often drop no hoo, on donira no hoo ga.
Review the following definitions:
* atsui “hot”
* shizuka “quiet”
* blessed “Convenient”
* haru “spring”
* aki “autumn”
[A] it’s more …
[B] yori [A] no hoo ga [adjective] from his.
“The alternative [A] it’s more [adjective] what alternative [B]. “
[B] yori means “more than [B]. “When answering a comparative question, we used the following sentence structure:
[One of the Choices] + Yori /[One of the Choices] + No hoo ga /[Adjective] + Desu.
Basu yori / densha no hoo ga / hayai desu.
Shichi-gatsu yori / hachi-gatsu no hoo ga / atsui desu.
Haru yori / aki no hoo ga / suki desu.
*In conversation, we often omit [B] yori.
[One of the Choices] + No hoo ga / [Adjective] + Desu. / “English”
Densha no hoo ga / hayai desu. / “Trains are faster.”
Hachi-gatsu no hoo ga / atsui desu./ “August is hotter.”
Aki no hoo ga / suki desu. / “I prefer autumn.”
Practice 1:
Practice saying the following questions out loud.
For instance: fish or meat / nice
Sakana a niku a dochira no hoo ga suki desu ka.
- Tempura or Sushi / nice
- train or bus / convenient
- March or November / cold
- Tanaka-san or Suzuki-san / young
- Train or taxi / cheap
More useful definitions:
*samui “cold”
*wakai “young man “
Practice 2:
Answer the following questions in Japanese.
- In your country: Ichi-gatsu to hachi-gatsu to dochira no hoo ga atsui desu ka.
- In the city where you live: Densha a kuruma a dochira no hoo ga benri desu ka. (*Kuruma means “because”)
- Haru to aki to dochira no hoo ga suki desu ka.