Pikachu Priorities - Beta

Original author:
• Elder Novak
Revisions & Additions made by:
• Elder Chase Dahl

The purpose of this resource is to provide missionaries with a clearer

understanding of where to invest their efforts in language study. There are
ratings affixed to all nearly 200 principles which will provide an
understanding to their importance in specific areas such as general
importance, frequency heard from natives, and frequency used by
foreigners. The Pikachu Priorities project is designed with a beginner-level
student in mind, but is open to aid anyone's understanding of the basic
Japanese language principles and improve or correct even more
experienced missionaries' foundational understanding of the language.
Because of it's orientation toward beginner level, it has been elected to use
romaji rather than kanji/kana for almost all the Japanese contained herein.
There are many notes suggesting you don't concern your study with
certain principles or explanations contained in the Pikachu. This is largely
meant to help people avoid spending time studying things that will not
amount to much growth in language ability and thereby merely be a
distraction. This does not imply that those things are and will never be of
any use. By all means, you should read the entire book, however, in almost
any case, until you've become proficient with all the valuable principles of
this book, spending lots of time on it will likely only distract you from more
concrete, applicable progress. Also be aware that although references are
made to other books (i.e. the Squirtle & Charzard) to study a principle,
unless stated otherwise you should not immediately study any of them
until you are well acquainted with what the Pikachu has to offer. The
Pikachu is essential for the foundation of your Japanese, and if your
foundation is not solid and stable, piling more advanced principles to it will
ultimately damage it. Books beyond the Pikachu are more advanced, and
until you are ready, they will serve as more a distraction than help. In other
words, have the discipline, patience, and humility to pace yourself and first
master the basics of the language (D&C 10:4; 19:25).
The majority of principles have commentary added for further
explanation and specialized usage not included in the Pikachu. This is
intended to be used in tandem, with the Pikachu entries; to supplement
rather than replace. I recommend reading this commentary and the
Pikachu entries together, or this commentary first. It will include points
such as common mistakes, dialect-influenced usage, additional explanation
of regular usage, and insights on grammar concepts and principles
connecting much of the language together. When commentary is not
included, it means either: 1) there is nothing to expound on that the book
doesn't include, or 2) the principle is so uncommon that neither
missionaries nor natives are familiar enough with it to offer beneficial
insight; this will be evident by the ratings. Some notes reiterate points in
the book to highlight points that missionaries tend to overlook in their
study or application. However, just because a point in the Pikachu is not
reiterated or especially highlighted does not necessarily diminish its
importance. If you think that any of the notes are misguided, feel free to
ask native Japanese speakers for clarification.
A lot of emphasis has been placed on grammar concepts/principles and
particle usage. If you can understand how the Japanese grammar system
functions and how particles work in that system, you will have a far easier
time understanding and applying new principles quickly and effectively as
opposed to learning each thing one by one. Take it slowly and make
connections between each thing you learn and you'll see the patterns.
Understanding these things will give your understanding of Japanese depth
that can be applied rather than superficial understanding that can extend
only so far. You will understand why things are the way they are and all the
nuances therein; in that, new concepts will come more naturally and so will
the Japanese mindset. Throughout your mission, strive to make
connections between grammar principles and you'll notice so many things.
Do not complain. It's an exciting, wonderful language to learn if you let it
be. Although not every connection and detail I've noticed and learned
cannot be written here, these notes and commentaries are intended to
help you understand and apply these concepts so that you may better
communicate yourself and the messages of the Spirit to the Japanese
people.

Notes on Revisions
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The Pikachu Priorities project was created by Elder Novak in 2015. He

completed the project before the end of his mission for the purpose of
aiding missionaries in their study of the Pikachu, in particular to produce
more correct and natural sounding Japanese. He created two editions: an
earlier featuring ratings on all the book's entries and some commentary on
earlier principles, and a later which included commentary and all but a few
entries he felt were not needed. Until June 2016, I had only the former. I
found it very helpful in completing my study by the ratings but there were
many notes missing. To that point I'd written several observations of my
own and had made some formatting changes for easier reading. I'd
practically finished the unwritten entries when I received Elder Novak's
final draft. Having both my draft and his draft, I thought it best to compile
and revise our notes into one document, hopefully for the benefit of
missionaries to come.
In this edition of Pikachu Priorities, I made several revisions and
additions to the original draft. These include additional commentary on the
entries, some adjustments to Elder Novak's original commentary and
ratings, further clarification of the purpose of this document (written
above), formatting changes, additional commentary for the appendixes,
beginning entries of the Pikachu and other grammar patterns I've learned,
among other minor revisions and additions. I know many are familiar with
Elder Novak's original drafts, so I will explain many of these below.
Additions and Changes: while compiling Elder Novak's and my own
notes, many points observations and points overlapped, while some
remained separate from each other. I included both our observations in
separate points where appropriate and combined our observations where I
thought best where they were similar. Elder Novak also made a few
comments that I revised the wording of to be more understandable and/or
concise as I felt were appropriate; this included the addition of the
terminology and abbreviations which are explained below, above the main
entries. On a few occasion our notes had some minor conflicts of opinions,
but I have tried to maintain a balance throughout the compilation project. I
did adjust a few of the ratings given by Elder Novak for several reasons,
which include differences I've noticed in my own experience. There are also
changes made to entries such as "kashira", which Elder Novak gave a rating
of 0-0-0 because the word itself is uncommon; however, because I felt the
information contained therein pertaining to the word "kana" was very
important, I gave it a rating of 4-5-4. Most adjustments are not significant,
are balanced, and are few. I also included the Combined Ratings after the
main entries, not included in the original draft.
Formatting: several changes have been made to formatting so that the
reader can more easily navigate and read the commentary given herein.
The original draft was not organized for this purpose. I have here employed
a formatting style based on that of Elder Benjamin Anderson, whose
commentary has also been included to some extent among a few entries.
These changes include indentation, italics, underlining, parentheses, among
other changes. I also changed the spelling of the main entries to correspond
with that of the Pikachu; instead of "Ba", Elder Novak would write
something like "B4 ba". These changes are meant to give the document
greater consistency and organization throughout to allow for easier
navigation and readability.
Additional Commentary: the appendixes and beginning pages of the
Pikachu have much value and are often overlooked. Elder Novak did not
include this commentary in his Pikachu Priorities. The bulk of important
information will be found in the main entries, but there are significant and
important details contained in these pages as well. I have included
connections and references to main entries for the reader to connect.
Long story short, the original Pikachu Priorities was helpful to me in my
early study and I know there are many missionaries across Japan that could
use the advice given herein. Language ought not to be a hinderance to the
work of the Lord. If you study diligently, you will receive the Gift of Tongues
and your understanding of the principles which you study will expand and
be quickened. I hope this edition of Pikachu Priorities can aid in that
understanding the Spirit will help you attain.

Ratings
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 The ratings affixed to each principle are based on two sources: 1) the
judgment of the missionary who created it, and 2) the feedback of native
speakers and educated students of the language. They are subject to
influences such as time, region, and opinions of many native speakers
whose feedback was carefully compiled. However as natives often don't
know what they say most, how they use it, or why, their feedback isn't
always accurate. To address this, feedback has been gathered by natives
both old and young, educated and otherwise, men and women, so as to
create a diverse, relatively unbiased resource. It is also important to
acknowledge that this document has largely been influenced by the Kinki
region of Japan (Nara, Osaka, Kyoto, etc.) wherein it was created. Local
dialect has likely guided these ratings to some degree, which might prove
them not to be entirely accurate in other regions.

Rating example: Ba --- 4-4-2

The first number corresponds to the relative importance and benefit of

studying a given grammar principle.
5 - grammar principles that you need to know in order to be considered
generally fluent.
4 - grammar principles that are helpful to know
3 - grammar principles that would be a good idea to study
2 - grammar principles that you should study when you have time (after
you have mastered the 5, 4 and 3 level grammar principles.
1 - grammar principles that you should not worry too much about (ones
you could go your whole mission without knowing and still be considered
fluent)
0 - grammar principles that I would prefer you don't waste time studying

The second number corresponds to the relative frequency that a given

grammar principle is likely to be heard in the setting of a normal lesson and
or conversation.
5 - grammar principles that you hear several times daily
4 - grammar principles that you hear a couple of times daily
3 - grammar principles that you hear once every couple of days
2 - grammar principles that you hear once a week or so
1 - grammar principles that you rarely hear, perhaps once a month
0 - grammar principles that I don't think I have ever heard before

The third number corresponds to the relative frequency that a given

grammar principle is likely to be spoken by an average foreign missionary
serving in Japan.
5 - grammar principles that you use several times a day
4 - grammar principles that you use daily
3 - grammar principles that you use every couple of days
2 - grammar principles that you use weekly
1 - grammar principles that you rarely use, perhaps once a month
0 - grammar principles that I don't think I have ever used

Note that some simple abbreviations and terminology have been used
to keep things more concise. Just in case you don't know these:
• e.g. = for example (Latin: exempli gratia)
• i.e. = in other words, that is to say (Latin: id est)
• Negatives = words that mean "not ～"; -nai, -masen, etc. You can
probably guess what a Positive is.
• Nominalize = it means to turn (usually verbs) into a noun so that you can
describe or otherwise change an action. For example "Eating is hard".
The -ing in English turns the verb (eat) into a noun (eating). In
Japanese this is done by Koto 2 or No 3 (Taberu koto/no wa
muzukashii).
• The Pikachu - A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar; the Yellow Book
• The Squirtle - A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar; the Blue
Book or The Warturtle
• The Charzard - A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar; the Red
Book
• The Pokédex - the books listed above considered as a set
• The Bulbasaur - Japanese Grammar Review Card; the Green Card (from
MTC)

A
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Ageru (1) --- 3-2-1

--- You may use ageru, but I recommend the word watasu if you mean to
hand over to someone (i.e. Book of Mormon, pamphlets, fliers, etc.) or
kubaru if you mean to pass out (usually to multiple people).

Ageru (2) --- 2-2-2

--- Note 3: This is helpful. Using (noun) no tame ni (verb) is better than Bte
ageru because Bte ageru sometimes seems to have a sound of superiority
over who you are doing the favor for.
--- Note 5: You hear Bte yaru usually from old men who don't speak very
politely. It just means Bte ageru.

Aida (ni) --- 3-3-3

--- Remember that although the subject can be the same before and after,
Bte iru aida ni is often used when the subjects are two different things or
people. For example, While I'M doing something my COMPANION does
something else. I hear American missionaries mix it up with BII nagara
incorrectly rather often. (See BII nagara).
--- Also (noun) no aida ni is often better put (noun) no naka de. For
example, to say "during my life…", instead of saying "Watashi wa jinsei no
aida ni…", it would be better to say "Watashi wa jinsei no naka de…".
--- Note 3: This is important and explains the difference between aida and
aida ni (using a helpful, but clearly-made-by-linguists-not-artists diagram).
Essentially the clause before aida (ni) sets up a time frame. Without the ni,
the action following aida will fill the entire time frame. With ni, the action
following aida ni will take or fill some part of that time (but not the whole).
For example, "Watashi wa seiten o yonde iru aida, dōryō wa sōtaikai no
hanashi o mite imashita" (While I read the scriptures, my companion
watched General Conference talks.) This implies both actions filled the
same time frame. However if you used "aida ni" instead, that would imply
that my companion watched General Conference talks within the time I
read the scriptures, but only part of it, and I read longer than he watched.
--- Nagai aida means "for a long time"; it's a helpful phrase.
--- You'll notice that Key Sentence A says that "Yamada-san wa terebi o
mite imashita." I want to clarify the difference between Bte imashita (mite
imashita) and simply past tense (mimashita); it's not very clear in the
Pikachu. The difference is the length of time the verb lasts; so saying
mimashita is like "I SAW it" (for short period of time) as opposed to mite
imashita which is like "I WATCHED it" (for a relatively longer period of
time). You might think that is obvious but it is helpful to know in situations
that you want to inform your listener the amount of time you did
something. For example, it is especially helpful for omou; omoimashita is
like you thought a certain way (maybe only a few seconds or minutes), but
omotte imashita is like you were thinking a certain way for a while. In this
case and many other cases, English does the same thing (e.g. "I thought
about it" versus "I was thinking about it.")

Amari --- 5-5-5

--- Note 1: Be sure to include the negative when using this. It explains some
exceptions in Note 3 but these are very limited cases and unless it is used
with a negative, it is usually difficult for natives to understand. So don't
worry about Note 3. There are other words like this that it lists: zenzen,
mettani, and kesshite (don't worry much about sappari, sukoshimo, or
chittomo).
--- Zenzen is a good word to know. Be careful because you hear Japanese
people say "zenzen daijōbu" and "zenzen chigau", but they're not
technically grammatically correct (because they don't use negatives).
--- You will also hear mattaku; it is mostly the same as zenzen. I like to think
of it as an able-to-be polite version of the English phrase "straight up" since
it seems to carry almost all the same meanings...but it can be polite. (:
--- Note 2: Japanese people use anmari when they speak instead of amari.
Amari is used in written Japanese.

Aru (1) --- 5-5-5

--- Besides basic and necessary conjugations, Japanese people rarely
conjugate aru. Things like aritai, aru mae ni, atta ato de, etc. sound strange.
It's not necessarily that they are wrong (besides aritai), but it would be
better to say it another way.
--- Usually the plain form negative version of aru is nai, not aranai as one
would expect. But in Kansai old people or people who speak in Kansai-ben
occasionally say arahen, meaning nai.
--- Do your best to use aru and iru correctly. Make sure you understand the
difference (aru = used for things inanimate or in other words not living
(including plants); iru = used for things animate or in other words living.)
Practice using them correctly. Even after understanding the difference, it
may be easy when speaking to mix them up. Although Japanese people will
largely still understand you, your Japanese will sound much cleaner if you
can nail these two principles down.
--- Don't worry about Notes 5. You hardly hear it and shouldn't use it.

Aru (2) --- 1-2-2

--- This grammar principle is used all the time for a few verbs, (i.e. kaite aru
(kaku = to write), oite aru (oku = to put or place somewhere)) and is rarely
used outside of those few verbs.
--- The image behind Bte aru is that someone (who is not specifically
mentioned) did something and the thing you're talking about is currently in
that state. For example, "Iesu Kiristuto no oshieta koto wa seisho ni kaite
arimasu" (The things that Jesus Christ taught are written in the Bible).
--- Note 1: You will always use wa or ga to mark has has been done. This is
because in the grammar pattern Bte aru, the actual verb to pay attention to
is "aru"; meanwhile the verb in Bte acts more closely to an adverb than a
verb (which means it describes how something exists). To illustrate how
this works in Japanese, a far more literal translation of the above example
sentence would be "The things that Jesus Christ taught exist by means of
writing in the Bible." The notes indicate that there are some exceptions to
these rules, but I've never heard or seen it used otherwise.

Ato de --- 5-5-5

--- Pay attention to the formation. The verb has to be past tense (Bta). This
is a common mistake (compare with mae ni). I hear many missionaries say
"inotta no ato de" or "inoru koto no ato de"; the first is straight wrong (see
notes for No 1 for usage of no), the second sounds straight funny.
--- You will also hear ato ni. I can't tell you really how they're different,
though.
--- Don't worry about Related Expressions 1. If you want to say "right after",
use "Btara sugu ni", meaning "as soon as"; e.g. "Watashita wa inottara
sugu ni mitama o kanjimashita" (As soon as we prayed, we felt the Spirit).
 B
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Ba --- 4-4-2
--- Don't worry about the differences between the if grammar principles.
You will never going to be misunderstood for mixing them up. It's just
something that you have to get a feel for, but you can almost always use
Btara. Until you are proficient well beyond Pikachu and even the Squirtle,
knowing the specific differences won't do you any good and distracts from
actually useful progress in the language. At that point if you've been
listening to natives, you'll probably have a feel for it anyway.
--- Don't worry about the notes except Note 5.
--- Note 1: It points out that this ba and the topic marker wa are related,
which may make no sense initially but if you pay attention to how wa is
used (especially in some instances), you'll start to understand and feel
slowly the connection, which can help you know how to use and
understand wa. That said, like the note above, it won't do much good to
take time studying it unless you become a Japanese linguist after your
mission. Just listen and get a feel for it.
--- For descriptive verbs (i-adjectives) you take off the last i and replace it
with kereba in order to say "if". For example, ("I don't have any money)."
"O-kane ga nai." —> "O-kane ga nakereba…" ("If you don't have any
money…"). The same goes for BII tai ("want to ～"). For example, ("I want
to eat") Tabetai —> Tabetakereba ("If you want to eat").

Bakari --- 2-2-2

--- Bakari has a sort of negative feeling to it. For example, otoko no hito
bakari iru (nothing but men), gives the image that the speaker is not
pleased that there are nothing but men and would prefer instead that there
were some more women.
--- Another common form you'll hear of this is bakashi.
--- Don't spend time studying Key Sentences A, D, or F. Hardly anyone uses
sentences like A, and in both D and F it would probably be better to replace
bakari with dake.
--- I wouldn't worry about Note 1 or 4.

Ba yokatta --- 4-4-4

--- You may also use Btara. For example, "I wish I would have listened",
"Kiitara yokatta".
--- You may also use the negative form to say "I wish I wouldn't have done
something". The negative form is BI nai (plain form negative), but you
conjugate the last i in nai to kereba or kattara, both meaning if. In other
words you replace the i with kereba or kattara. So it would be
"Kikanakereba yokatta." ("I wish I wouldn't have listened") or
"Kikanakattara yokatta."
--- Related Expressions: Bte yokatta is important and will be explained in a
separate entry below.
--- Notice in Note 4, it says, "Biru wa nihon e ikeba yokatta to OMOTTE
IRU." (Bill wishes that he'd gone to Japan). Whenever it is not what you are
thinking but what someone else is thinking, it must be Bte iru (i.e. omotte
iru); otherwise it sounds like you're stating what you think. If the example
sentence had used omou instead, it would sound like you're saying, "I wish
Bill went to Japan."

D
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Dai --- 0-1-0

Dake --- 5-5-5

--- Note 4: This is useful. The rest is something I've asked several natives
about with various responses. For the most part how literally it is taken can
depend on the situation and many don't think there's any difference, but
many of those who did each told me the following: For "taberareru dake
taberu" (Eat as much as you can), I have heard missionaries use something
like "dekiru dake taberu", but using dekiru seems to hold an "impossible"
feeling. It is taken more literally, having the feeling of perhaps going so hard
on eating to the point where you might actually die. Both words (potential
verb before dake and verb after dake) should match. "Taberareru dake
taberu" can have a similar feel, but not so strong. However it doesn't have
necessarily any implication of eating with joy.
--- It appears a way to soften this is bun dake; i.e. "Taberareru bun dake
taberu". With the bun, there's a greater implication that you eat until
you're full or as much as you like.
--- Once you have mastered this principle, if you want to study more on
Note 4, see "Dake" on page 42 of the Charzard.
--- Another phrase you'll very likely hear at meal appointments is "suki na
dake." It means "as much as you like".
--- It would be a good idea to study "Dake de" on page 23 of the Squirtle. It
means "by just 〜ing".

Dake de (wa) naku ～ (mo) --- 3-2-3

--- This is a combination of the grammar principles "dake" and "nakute"
(and you can use "mo" for emphasis), separate entries in the Pikachu. If you
understand those principles, this is an easy concept to grasp. Using mo is
optional however, and can be difficult to use correctly. I recommend first
mastering this principle without using mo.
--- Usually naku is nakute in conversation. The word de naku comes from de
nai which in turn is from de aru (see scriptures). It has the same meaning as
de wa nai in Bte form, but has a more formal feel. Refer to "-naku" from
page 211 of the Squirtle for more details.
--- Because you're simply saying de wa nai, you can also use the contraction
of de wa (i.e. ja) and say dake ja nakute.
--- Don't worry about Related Expressions for now. You won't hear or use it
hardly at all.

Darō --- 3-4-2

--- This grammar principle is used to express the future tense. Because you
can never be 100% sure what is going to happen in the future there is
always a hint of uncertainty included when it is used. When expressing
"probably" or "maybe", it can often be replaced by kamoshirenai, which has
a slightly stronger sense of uncertainty. But kamoshirenai doesn't have the
other functions of darō outside of that uncertain prediction.
--- Note 2: The words tabun, osoraku, and kitto are words that you will hear
often. Tabun and osoraku are very similar, both meaning probably. Kitto is
more sure, meaning "almost certain". You may use them with darō/deshō
or without; these words and darō don't have any rule between them
whether to use them together or not.
--- Note 3: Using deshō ka is a way to be a little more polite because it is
less direct. Often in church talks it is used to ask rhetorical questions to the
congregation or class. You will also hear "no deshō ka" which isn't much
difference. See the notes for the "no da" entry (specifically that talking
about no ka).
--- Note 4: You will hear darō/deshō as a question a lot. It's pretty easy to
pick up. You'll get a feel for how it's different from using ne by hearing and
using it often.
--- In Kansai, they say yarō. It is the same thing as darō. They also use ya for
da. You may also hear sē ya ne, which is a contorted version of sō desu ne.
No, they don't use yesu for desu; if you try to say yesu, you'll either be
speaking English or saying Jesus' name grammatically incorrectly. Either
way there's not even a Japanese character for "ye".

〜Dasu --- 1-2-1

--- BII hajimeru means pretty much the same thing and is much easier to
use correctly. Always use BII hajimeru until you are sure how to use this.
--- Notes 2: BII dasu doesn't always mean "start 〜". It can also mean "～
out". Here's a common example: tobidasu which means jump out. You will
often see signs on the sides of roads that read "飛び出し注意" (Tobidashi
chūi) which is a sign asking you to watch out for kids that jump out. Other
times it could technically could mean "start to jump", but probably not.
Context will tell you the difference.
--- Related Expressions: BII dasu has more of an "all of the sudden" feel, or
feeling of a lack of premeditation in whatever you started.

De (1) --- 5-5-5

--- Pay attention to the description box. This marks locations other than
existence. This marks a place of action, but that action can be as much as
holding an opinion. For example, "Amerika de wa, amai mono ga sugoku
ninki desu" (In America, sweet things/food are really popular.) You would
not say "Amerika ni wa", even though the action doesn't really "move". This
is a common mistake. Be familiar with how this is used in comparison to the
different ni's.
--- The note is helpful. With the location of events (not time), because it
implies a place of action, use de, not ni. This is a common mixup
missionaries have.

De (2) --- 4-4-3.5

--- Note 2: Because it mentions nande here, I'd like to compare naze,
dōshite, and nande. They all have the meaning of why, but naze is the only
one that only means why. Dōshite can also have the same meaning as
dōyatte (i.e. how (to do)) (but for that you'll mostly use and hear dōyatte);
and nande can also have the meaning of "by means of what?" (from nani +
de). But to compare the difference in their meaning of why:
--- Naze: the most formal of the 3. It feels a touch stiff, hard, or bookish in
comparison to the others. That's not necessarily a bad thing and is
preferable in most polite settings.
--- Dōshite: has more of a "how come?" feel to it. In comparison to naze, it
is a lot softer. Saying "Naze desu ka?" (Why is that?) can come off sharper.
"Dōshite desu ka?" feels softer. When you're asking for a reason why
someone did something (especially something you don't agree with), this
may be a safer bet.
--- Nande: it's a lot like naze, but it is pretty informal. As a missionary, I
would recommend avoiding it. There are circumstances where it may be
permissible and/or preferable, but make sure you have a good
understanding of where to use it from natives to avoid offending someone.
Try to be familiar with them all and the different vibes they give off. At the
end of the day, you will not be misunderstood for using one why for the
other; however knowing the difference can provide useful nuances.

De (3) --- 3-3-2

--- Note 2: When used to indicate a cause, de must be used with something
you don't control. You'll get a feel for it fairly easily.
--- Note that this cannot be used after verbs and i-adjectives. Often
missionaries make this mistake, from hearing native speakers, mistaking
nde, a variant of node, for just de.

De (4) --- 1-1-0

--- I can't say I've heard this used hardly at all. This is the only form of de
that is used to mark a time, however it's probably better to use ni. There's a
slight difference, but it's a fairly useless nuance that would almost always
be covered by context. I hear missionaries misuse this often (see notes for
de 1 and ni 1).

Demo --- 3-3-2

--- A lot of missionaries mix this up with mo. These words are important to
know, particularly how they work with WH-words. Studying Bte mo in
tandem with this may be helpful in distinguishing the difference (since
demo is Bte mo for desu). To me, WH-word + mo encompasses all
things/people/places/etc. (who is people, what is things, etc.). On the other
hand WH + demo seems to point to a random thing/person/place/etc. from
an unlimited and say "that'll work", and it fits the description of the
sentence. In other words everything (mo) vs. anything (demo); everywhere
(mo) vs. anywhere (demo); etc.
--- Remember that besides o and ga (which are replaced), the particle
comes before demo. This includes WH-words. Often missionaries make the
mistake of saying something like "Dokodemo ni iku." but it should be "Doko
ni demo iku" ("We will go anywhere."). (Sometimes this is better restated
using the pattern "WH-word Bte mo" (see the entry "Te mo"), i.e. "Doko ni
itte mo..." ("Anywhere we go.../No matter where we go...").) I've ironically
even heard this of a boasting missionary: "Nihongo de nandemo nitsuite
hansemasu." (I can talk about anything in Japanese) (Hint: It should be nani
nitsuite mo). When you ask Japanese people their image of God, they might
say, "Doko ni demo aru."
--- It would be a good idea to study altogether how demo, mo, and ka work
with WH-words.

Double Particles --- 3-3-3 (not in the Pikachu)

--- You will often hear particles put together. For example, de wa, ni wa, to
no, de no, to wa, e no, ni mo, kara no, etc. If you understand them
separately you'll understand them separately. Therefore you should study
all the particle entries first.
--- The most common particles are those using wa, no, and mo. Study all
these principles to get a feel for how they influence the particle it is with.
--- Wa has to primary functions: topic marker and contrast marker (context
will tell you the difference) (see wa 1). As a topic marker it is used to set the
scene for the sentence. When you say "Watashi wa" it marks you as an
important part of the sentence and what is after you are involved in.
"Amerika de wa" means "in America" and what follows is within that
context. You'll largely get a feel for it, however. You will also notice that
usually whatever is marked as a topic with wa is brought to the front of the
sentence. As a contrast marker, wa, it functions like putting emphasis on a
word in English does. For example, "Tarō wa tenisu wa dekimasu." if this is
a contrastive "wa", it means Tarō (as opposed to someone else) can play
tennis (as opposed to something else). This could also mean "Amerika de
wa" means "in America (as opposed to other places)", etc. (Keep in mind
that usually "to wa" is used for definitions. It is a contraction of "to iu no
wa", which is used often too (refer to "to iu no wa ～ koto da" from page
487 in the Squirtle.) (Note that tte can also sometimes be used like this).
Wa can also simply emphasize the to as described here (see Example
Sentence C in the entry "hodo") Wa replaces ga, o, and (depending on the
sentence, optionally) ni, and follows others. I've never read it, but I've
heard it following adverbs as well to emphasize the adverbs. I'd listen for it
before trying it yourself first, though.
--- No has the function of linking nouns (see no 1). Often particles are used
to clarify the relationship. For example "Miyashita-san no tegami" is very
ambiguous. It could just be a letter owned by Miyashita, or a letter for him,
or from him, etc. Adding a particle clarifies the relationship: "Miyashita-san
kara no tegami" (Letter from Miyashita); "Miyashita-san e no tegami"
(letter for/to Miyashita) (note, you cannot say "ni no". No replaces ni; if it's
directional, instead use e no). you can use it this way in various ways.
"Kamisama to no kankei" (relationship with God); "Kyōkai de no
Kurisumasu pātī" (Christmas Party at the church); etc. No replaces wa, ga,
o, and ni and comes after the rest.
--- Mo has a function of emphasis and/or "also". It would be best to learn it
from the book. Mo replaces wa, ga, and o.

Dō --- 5-5-5
--- I hear a lot of missionaries try to say "How are you?" by saying "Dō desu
ka?" or something like that. You'll get a lot of blank stares trying to use it
that way. Because it has become a normal phrase referring to someone's
health or status in English, we assume it would apply to Japanese as well;
however it would be hard to answer specifically because the hearer doesn't
know what kind of response you are looking for. Instead of asking
"Tomodachi wa dō desu ka?" (How's your friend?), you might say
"Tomodachi wa genki ni shite imasu ka?" (Is your friend doing genkily?). It's
best to be more specific.
--- Dō can also be used as an invitation or suggestion. For example, "Rāmen
wa dō desu ka?" Depending on the context, it could mean "How does your
ramen taste?", "Why don't you eat some ramen?" (invitation), or
"How/what about ramen?" (suggestion). The entry "～Tara dō desu ka"
expounds on this idea.
--- As far as I've heard, the formal version "ikaga" is mostly used in more
fixed expressions (e.g. Gokigen wa ikaga desu ka? (which is kind of a
formal, respectful way of saying "Ogenki desu ka?")). As a beginner, I
wouldn't worry about it however. At a more advanced level, it's fairly easy
to just pick up, but you'll hardly hear or use it.
--- Although the desu can be dropped after dō (as it can in many cases
which you'll pick up from natives), unless you are close to the other person,
be sure to include desu. Dropping desu in any case is even more informal
than "da" and it can offend people unless you have a close relationship.
--- A lot of missionaries try to say "what do you think?" by saying "nani o
omoimasu ka?" This isn't quite right. Often when we use what in English,
they might use dō and not nani in Japanese; in Japanese nani seems to be
more particular while dō is more open-ended. So instead you should say
"Dō omoimasu ka?" If you want to say, "What will you do?" you could say
"Nani o shimasu ka?" or "Dō shimasu ka?" The sentence with nani feels
likes its looking for an activity or specific action, while dō seems to ask for
the manner or way they will do something. It's like the difference between,
"What action will you do?" and "How will/would you act?" I hear
missionaries mix them up constantly, but when it comes to asking good,
effective questions, the difference is important to understand, I think. You
will also hear things like "Dō shitara / sureba ii?" (What should I do? / How
should I do it?), "Dō shiyō kana?" (What should I do?), "Dō shita?" (What
happened? / What's wrong? / What did you do?) where although the
English uses "what", you should use dō, not nani.

E
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E --- 2-2-2
--- Ni is used far more often. What I heard is when you use ni it sounds
more specific and planned like a straight line, while e is more general with
less focus on destination. For example "Tanaka-san no ie ni ikimasu"
suggests that you're going to Mr. Tanaka's home, but "Tanaka-san no ie e
ikimasu" suggests the direction you're going, but not as much focus as a
destination. (Note that e does not necessarily mean the place is not a
destination and only a direction, however the focus as a destination is not
as high). But if you have plans to go to a certain part of your area and do
various things there or on the way, it might be better to say something like
"Kōyaguchi e ikimasu." (We'll go to Koyaguchi). But none of that is set in
stone or in all cases true. Don't worry too much about the difference
between e and ni. It's difficult for even native's to distinguish/describe.
Listen for it and you'll slowly get a better feel of how to use it appropriately.
--- To be clear that you are going a general direction rather than a specific
destination, instead of e it might be better rephrased using no hō ni; e.g.
"Kōyaguchi no hō ni ikimasu."

G
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Ga (1) --- 5-5-5

--- Don't get flustered over the difference between wa and ga. Do your best
to understand and get them right; but if you (think you) mix them up, take
a note to yourself to review it later, and just continue with the sentence.
Japanese people will 99% of the time have no problem understanding you.
Often missionaries make the mistake of first saying wa and then correct
themselves with ga. It's better to mix those two particles up in a fluid
sentence than make your sentences choppy and sporadic by constantly
correcting yourself. It is one of the most forgivable mistakes you'll make
trying to learn this language. Don't stress too much. You will get a feel for it
if you keep your ears open and try"
--- Notes 3: This is an exception to the previous note: WH-words are never
marked with wa; they are always marked with ga (e.g. dare GA...; doko
GA...; itsu GA...; etc.)
--- Notes 5: This is rather important. Sometimes you will hear no instead of
ga; e.g. "...kami no mae ni tsumi NO nai jōtai de tateru yōni..." (D&C 4:2).
Always use ga until you are thoroughly familiar with Relative Clauses and
how natives use it. Mostly just know you will hear it.

Ga (2) --- 4-4-4

--- The rules here are all simple and good to know. Most of these are easy
to pick up listening to natives, but Notes 3 is harder to remember. The
politeness of the verb before ga and after have to match. I hear
missionaries mistake this fairly often (with keredomo, that rule is not
necessary, but with ga if the verbs' politeness don't match, it sounds a little
funny for some reason.)
--- A lot of missionaries use kedo (keredomo) after every sentence. If you
can switch it up and use this ga every once in a while. However you do hear
and use keredomo a majority of the time.
--- You will hear ga end sentences often. It could literally mean "but", or it
could be more of a softener and be a little more polite; because you add
"but" to the end, it adds a hint of "uncertainty" to what you said, thus
making it more indirect, and thus more polite (because indirect = polite in
Japanese). This is good to use when saying something you want and to
make a request or ask for help; e.g. "Watashi wa eki ni ikitai n desu ga..."
(I'd like to go to the station, but...(could you help?))
--- Related Expressions: Don't worry about daga for now. Dakedo is just da
(as in desu) + kedo (as in keredomo) and is used to start a sentence. Demo
you'll hear a lot. It comes from Bte mo for desu and is used a lot to start
sentences. Shikashi you'll see in the scriptures a bit but you don't hear it as
commonly. If you're just learning this grammar structure, don't worry about
it until later.

〜Garu --- 2-2-1

--- The only time you will really use garu is when it has already become a
word of its own. For example, kowagaru (to fear something); it's from
kowai (scary). Other words you may know related to this are samugari,
iyagaru, and hazukashigaru. Other than largely these words, you don't use
or hear garu very often. Don't spend much time on this.
Goro --- 3-2-3
--- You mainly use goro for time. You will likely hear the phrase "Kodomo no
goro kara" (since I was a kid).
--- Notes 2: Don't worry about this until you get used to using it. This just
expounds on some rules, but they're not all that important.
--- You can always use kurai / gurai and not be wrong. For example, "Sanji
gurai (ni), Ōhashi-san ni oshiemashita." (We taught Mr. Ohashi around 3
o'clock.)

Goto ni --- 3-2-3

--- Related Expressions: Don't worry about oki ni. It doesn't explain it very
clearly in the Pikachu, so especially as a beginner, it would be best to avoid
studying it. You won't hear it hardly at all anyway.

H
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〜Hajimeru --- 3-3-3

--- This is a compound verb. Most compound verbs are connected using BII
(e.g. dasu, owaru, etc.) This is an important pattern you'll notice. If you pay
attention to it, you'll get a good feel how this is different from words
connected with Bte (e.g. hoshii, shimau, etc.).
--- Note 2: This just shows how to conjugate with the honorific form. Don't
worry about studying it; when you get a hang of the main principle and
understand o-BII ni naru, then this will be natural to pick up without study.

Hazu --- 2-3-3

--- Don't use hazu talking about something you intend to, are supposed to,
or plan to be doing. You don't use it for yourself that way. Instead use
tsumori (or yotei (see notes under the entry for tsumori)) for
intentions/plans, and "should" grammar principles (Bta hō ga ii, BIII beki,
etc.) for others.
--- On the other hand it might sound more natural to say hazu if you know
of other's intentions/plans (not "should" as in obligation). You'll mostly get
a feel for it, though. Hazu is not the same as tsumori however. Hazu is your
expectation based on things you know (which may be information based on
their intentions).
--- Note 1: Hazu is an expectation, it doesn't have any more emotion to it.
You also need to understand it's a pretty strong expectation. I've heard
things like "Fukui-san ga kyōkai ni kuru hazu desu" for someone that said
they'd come church, but there's also a good chance they won't. You won't
use hazu in that case. Instead use other grammar principles based on the
probability (e.g. darō, kamoshirenai, etc.) You are "not merely guessing"
but telling an expectation based on "reliable information or knowledge." It
feels almost as sure as "ni chigai nai".
--- Note 2: Hazu is technically a noun, and so if you use a noun with hazu,
you link it with no, whether the noun is before or after hazu (if it is after, it
will be a Relative Clause; see Note 5). For that same reason you treat it like
an noun when using ko-so-a-do, e.g. "Sono hazu desu" (I expect that (to be
true)). For example, if you're asked, "Is your investigator coming to church
today?", you could say (if you're almost positive) "Hai, sono hazu desu."
(Yes I expect him to).

Hodo --- 3-3-3

--- Note 1: Hodo is often used for comparison, usually translated into "as":
"Watashi wa kare hodo nihongo de yoku shaberenai." (I can't speak
Japanese as well as him) (shaberu is largely the same as hanasu, but it's
used a little more in Kansai. Note that it is a Godan verb, not Ichidan).
When used like this, the sentence has to end with a negative (e.g.
shabereNAI; tsuyokuNAI, etc.) To use a positive, you would use kurai / gurai
(i.e. "Watashi wa kare gurai nihongo de yoku shabereru" (I can speak
Japanese as well as him) (see example sentence C under the entry kurai)
--- Often this can be translated using the English pattern "so 〜 that 〜"; for
example, "It's so easy that a child could do it." (Sore wa kodomo ni dekiru
hodo kantan desu). Hodo is like a measurement word, setting the bar to the
level of what is marked (e.g. a child)
--- You may also see in the scriptures hodo ni. Don't use it, but it means the
same thing (John 3:16).
--- Once you've mastered hodo, it would be a good idea to study "Kurai"
from page 151 of the Squirtle.
--- Notes 2: This is important. You will sometimes hear this to mean
"about".
--- Related Expressions: don't worry about bakari.
--- You will hear usage such as "sore hodo", etc. The phrases "sore hodo",
"sore gurai", "sono gurai", "sonnani" all mean "to that extent." The same
pattern extends to kore, are, and dore (i.e. kore hodo, are gurai, donnani,
etc.) (Note that annani is not as common as sonnani). These words at act
like pronouns, which is a word used to replace another word or phrase to
simplify it. "Iesu Kirisuto wa jibun no inochi o sutete kureru hodo
watashitachi o ai shite imasu." (Jesus Christ loves us so much that he would
throw away his own life.) If the clause before hodo has already been said
recently before, instead of having to repeat the whole thing over again, you
could simply say "Sore hodo, watashitachi o ai shite imasu." (He loves us
that much.)

Hō ga ii --- 4-4-4
--- You may use BIII hō ga ii, but Bta hō ga ii is more common and a little
stronger.
--- Notes 4: This is important. Bta hō ga ii = "you had better". BI nai hō ga ii
= "you had better not".

〜 Hō ga ～ yori --- 4-4-4

--- Note 2: You can use Bta hō ga or BIII hō ga. Bta gives a stronger sense
that the comparison is hypothetical. It's not a big deal if you use one or the
other, it just creates a small nuance.
--- You can say Bta hō ga yokatta, but it's probably better to use BIV ba
yokatta; it sounds more natural and is more common. There are cases that
call for Bta hō ga yokatta, though, mostly in comparison.
--- Note 3: Usually yori goes before hō ga ii. Either is correct, however.
--- Related Expressions: Don't worry too much about the difference
between using hō ga and not using it (as described under yori) until you get
comfortable with using them. If you are comfortable using both, this has
some good information to know. When either can be used, from my
experience, the comparison doesn't seem as strong without hō ga.

Hoshii (1) --- 4-3-3

--- You never really hear hoshigatte iru. Don't worry about those examples.
--- Note 1: This is important. Always mark what is wanted with ga (e.g. Sore
ga hoshii).
--- Note 2: Like it says, hoshii expresses a very personal feeling. You don't
know how others feel, so unless you're talking about yourself, you should
use hoshii mitai; e.g. "Ano hito wa morumon sho ga hoshii mitai desu." (I
looks like that person wants a Book of Mormon.) (Mitai is the same as
yōda. For details, see that entry and the corresponding notes).
--- Notes 3: Don't worry about this until you have a hang of hoshii to begin
with.

Hoshii (2) --- 5-5-5

--- Used when you want someone ELSE to do something. BII tai is
something YOU want to do.
--- Note 2: Instead of Bte moraitagatte iru, use Bte hoshii mitai.
--- Related Expressions: after understanding Bte hoshii, Bte
moraitai/itadakitai are both good to know. They are easy to understand if
you understand marau (2). If you don't know that, then study that before
trying to use Bte moraitai. From what I've heard, you usually only use Bte
moraitai for yourself rather than others. Bte itadakitai is used when you're
talking in a very formal setting or someone high up. Listen to natives. When
asking a question, always use Bte hoshii. For example, to say "Do you want
me to pray" you would say "Watashi ni inotte hoshii n desu ka?" and not
"Watashi ni inotte moraitai n desu ka?" If there's a question on which to
use, it's safer to just use Bte hoshii.

I
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Ichiban --- 4-4-3

--- This usually goes before an adjective.
--- Pay attention to the note, it's helpful.

Iku (1) --- 5-5-5

--- Many missionaries say things like "Kyōkai ni itte itadakemasu ka" (Will
you go to church?) Remember that when you use iku in a question, it gives
the image that you don't intend going as well. In this case, you should use
kuru (i.e. Kyōkai ni kite itadakemasu ka?) See Notes 1 and 3. Using kuru
implies that it's closer to you, either physically or emotionally (as
missionaries we are cry involved with things like church and Eikaiwa, so
invitations are usually best stated using kuru). Honestly it's not all that
different in English.
--- You'll often hear "Itte kimasu." It means "I'll be right back."

Iku (2) --- 3-3-5

--- Bte iku gives the feel of beginning a process. You will often hear "kore
kara" (from now on) when this grammar principle is used.
--- Bte iku naka de is a helpful grammar pattern. Please ask a Japanese
person how to use it. It means "as"; e.g. "Hanashiatte iku naka de Seirei no
michibiki ga arimasu yōni oinori shimasu" (I pray that we will have the
guidance of the Holy Ghost as we continue to talk together.)

Imbedded Questions --- 5-5-5 (Not in the Pikachu)

--- This is an important concept to understand in order to be proficient in
the Japanese language. It is illustrated in the entry ka (dō ka), but not well
elaborated, which is why it is discussed here.
--- In English, we use this concept all the time. I don't think think people
realize how much we use imbedded questions in English (in fact everything
following "how" in the sentence is part of an embedded question).
--- Essentially the formation is PF ka. As the entry ka (dō ka) points out, you
may also use PF ka dō ka (for rules on that, see the ka (dō ka) entry). Do not
use desu or masu in an Embedded Question. The ka actually acts very
similarly to a nominalizer (like koto and no) for questions (but, don't you
think you can use koto or no for questions; you can't). For example,
"Dōyatte dendō sureba ii no ka to iu koto o rikai suru tame ni, dono yōni
dendō saretai no ka to iu koto ga wakareba ii to omoimasu" (I think that in
order to know how you should proselyte, it would be good to know how
you would want to be proselyted.); also "Naze nihon ni kita ka otsutae
shitai to omoimasu" (I would like to tell you why I came to Japan).
--- Usually ga or the object marker o is dropped, but there's nothing wrong
with including it (i.e. Naze nihon ni kita ka (o) otsutae shitai to omoimasu).
--- You will often hear "to iu koto" after an imbedded question, but it's not
necessary. It may be easier for younger missionaries to implement koto into
the grammar structure than just ka, but it's largely whatever you're more
comfortable with and speaking style.
--- You may often also hear no ka. There are a few nuance difference
discussed under the notes for no da (which it is related to), but until you're
familiar simply using Imbedded Questions, don't stress about the
difference. But basically no ka seems more of deeper question.
--- You have to use ka in order to make an Imbedded Question. You cannot
imply it. Missionaries often try to say something like "I don't know why"
and say "Naze wakaranai." This is wrong (you are instead asking "Why
don't you know?"); you should instead say "Naze KA wakaranai."
Sometimes people use koto, which is also wrong: "Naze nihon ni kita (to iu)
koto o otsutae shitai to omoimasu" is wrong (you are instead asking "Why
do you think I want to tell you that I came to Japan?") Often Japanese
people still may understand since these do not end with a question asking
intonation, but it's a little difficult.
--- Often Imbedded Questions are better put as Relative Clauses or using
other words. Instead of saying "Doko ni sunde iru ka wakaranai" (I don't
know where they live), it might sound more natural to say "Sunde iru basho
ga wakaranai" (I don't know the place where they're living); Instead of
"Naze ka wakaranai", you could say "Sono riyū ga wakaranai" (I don't know
the reason). In English embedded questions are used far more often than in
Japanese. However if you don't know how to say something except as an
Imbedded Question, just say that. Just be aware of that.

Iru (1) --- 5-5-5

--- Do your best to know how iru and aru are different (see notes for aru for
more commentary).
--- Don't worry about Note 2.
--- The word oru is a humble version of iru. However in Kansai, it seems that
other than the appropriate setting, the "humble" feeling of it has largely
been reduced to more informality and/or closeness. For example if you are
closer, one may ask you "Wasurete otta?" (Did you forget?); or one can say
they have a girlfriend by saying "Kanojo ga oru." I've heard it used for bugs
too: "Kono mushi wa Amerika ni oru no?" Oru is used this way with Iru 2 as
well.
--- When oru is made passive (orareru) it actually becomes honorific;
"Kamisama wa watashitachi o ai shite oraremasu." (God loves us). See
notes for the entry Rareru 1 for details on that.
Iru (2) --- 5-5-5
--- Note 1: Don't spend too much time on Note 1. You will mostly just get a
hang of it by listening for it. But here are some thoughts: in general, Bte iru
corresponds to English ～ing (e.g. eating, talking, etc.) But with many
words, it has another meaning that corresponds to a much more subtle
(and sometimes even archaic) English pattern of "be" or "has". This is
illustrated with example sentences B and C and discussed a little in Note 2.
With many English verbs, the verb is found in the past tense (or more
technically past participle) (but treated like an adjective) with is/has (e.g.
is/has rotten, has/is fallen, is/has gone, has/is come, is tired, etc.). Most
natives who know some English don't realize these 2 functions of Bte iru
are separated in English until they think about it. I heard that in these cases,
these words can still mean ～ing, but it isn't really correct grammar. This is
a very common, easy mistake in foreigner's language. Keep this in mind
when trying to using Bte iru in different grammar patterns (e.g. Itte iru aida
ni does not mean "while I was going" but "while I was gone").
--- There are other uses of Bte iru that don't translate as easily into English
(e.g. ai shite iru, shitte iru; they "I love" or "I know"). You will get a feel for
which meaning each verb holds and how to use it as you pay attention to
native's and your own usage.
--- Bte iru can also often have a similar meaning to Bta koto ga aru (which is
partly an extension of the above concept to experiences). For example
"Nattō o tabete iru?" may not mean "Are you eating nattō?" but "Have you
eaten nattō?", and you could say, "Iie, tabete inai." (No, I haven't.) The
difference is I feel that koto ga aru feels much more distant while Bte iru
sounds more recent or close personally. It also comes off as a little
informal. Listen to natives and you'll get a better feel for how it's used this
way.
--- Often "iru" is shortened to "ru". This is especially apparent in informal
speech. It can even be spelled this way in informal text. Instead of "Shitte
iru?" (You know?) you may hear/read "Shitteru?" You'll hear and see it in
masu form as well.
--- Notes 4: This is important. The verbs iu and omou are always in Bte iru
when you're speaking about what someone else says/thinks. Also be aware
that in much of Kansai, instead of iu they say yuu. This is easy to understand
in BIII, but conjugations like yutte iru, yuimasu, etc. may be hard to catch if
you're not looking for it.

Iru (3) --- 2-2-1

--- Keep in mind this is a Godan verb. You will conjugate it as iranai, irimasu,
etc. There are several historical-pronunciation reasons for this. It may be an
annoying conjugation exception, but hey, at least we're not learning
English.
--- Iru can more literally be translated as "be needed" or "be needful",
which explains why the thing needed is marked by ga. This iru is similar to
hitsuyō. The difference is iru doesn't sound quite as strong (and thus more
conversational), and iru is a verb while hitsuyō is a noun/na-adjective,
which often makes it easier to use. I have even heard it while ordering sushi
as a very light "need", almost like a "want"; "Kore ga iru?" (You need this?)
--- You will hear the formation "iranai" commonly as the shortened version,
"iran".

J
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Jibun (1) --- 3-5-3

--- Jibun is a pronoun. It is used in place of a person's name and/or
emphasizes the "self" part. Pay attention to the example sentences. Usually
it refers to the speaker or the topic (whatever is marked with wa). It's a lot
easier to recognize who jibun is referring to by hearing it. Unless you make
a clear indication otherwise, when you use it people will likely think you're
talking about yourself. If you want to refer to the person you're talking to,
you can make a hand motion or something to them while saying or (to be
more respectful) say "gojibun".
--- For the most part you will get a hang of this word pretty quickly from
listening to natives use it more than study. However study will set a
foundation for your understanding.
--- You will likely hear jishin after watashi or jibun. It doesn't mean
earthquake or self-confidence. This is used as an emphasizer. So watashi
jishin means something along the lines of "me myself personally." It's like a
super watashi. Pay attention to how natives use it. Imiwa example
sentences also help.

Jibun (2) --- 3-5-3

--- It's pretty much the same thing as the first jibun, this just emphasizes a
"self" feeling.
--- Don't worry about Related Expressions.

K
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Ka (1) --- 4-4-4

--- Sore to mo is a good grammar principle to know with this ka. You should
study the Soretomo entry in tandem with this.
--- Note 1: Pay attention to Key Sentence B; you should always use ga inside
of the ka clause. You would not say "Tomu wa iku ka Meari wa iku ka". This
is because they are subordinate clauses (See Note 4 for Ga 1). A
subordinate clause is basically a small sentence used to make up a bigger
sentence. "Tomu ga iku" could be it's own sentence, but by adding the ka
you can use it to connect to the larger sentence.
--- Note 2: This is important. I hear many missionaries make the mistake
written in here.

Ka (2) --- 5-5-5

--- Question marker. This ka came from ka 1, meaning "or", but has come to
have a more extended meaning to ask questions in general.
--- In order to ask questions, you don't need to use ka. However until you
get a feel for what natives do, it is safer to just use it.
--- You will not say "da ka?" Instead da is dropped. Desu ka is good, but in
plain form the rule is a little different. You will also hear "sokka" as a slightly
more informal version of "sō desu ka".
--- It would be a good idea to study altogether how demo, mo, and ka work
with WH-words.

Ka (dō ka) --- 4-3-3

--- The dō ka cannot be used with a WH-word (i.e. what, who, when, etc.)
This is because the phrase "ka dō ka" means "whether or not" which gives
two options: yes or no. Questions with WH-words are open to more
responses (instead you simply use "ka".)
--- When ka dō ka can be used, the difference between using ka dō ka and
just ka is the same as the difference between "whether or not" and
"whether/if". "Mise ni iku ka wakaranai." (I don't know whether/if he'll go
to the store.) "Mise ni iku ka dō ka wakaranai." (I don't know whether or
not he'll go to the store.). They are essentially the same meaning.
--- Note 3: Under ka (dō ka), the concept of imbedded questions is
introduced, but unfortunately not well elaborated on. This is a very
important concept to understand and use. For that reason, a separate entry
has been written to discuss Imbedded Question within this document
entitled "Imbedded Questions".

Kai --- 1-1-0

Kamoshirenai --- 5-5-5

--- When used by itself, can mean something like "maybe" or "(I think so,
but) I don't know for sure." However I don't think it would be very natural
unless immediately followed by either your or someone else's sentence.
"Kyō Watanabe-san ga kyōkai ni kimasu ka?" (Is Mr. Watanabe coming to
church today?) "Kamoshiremasen" (He might). Pay attention to how natives
use it.
--- Another variation of this is "kamo wakaranai". It means the same thing.
This appears to be used in somewhat formal situations.
--- You will also hear just "kamo" to mean the same thing. It's pretty
informal, though, so I wouldn't suggest using it in most contexts.

Kara (1) --- 4-4-3

--- Many missionaries say something like "Dareka kara kikimashita" (I heard
it from someone). I don't think it is wrong, but it is probably more natural
to say "Dareka ni iwaremashita" (I was told by someone) (See Rareru 1 for
grammatical usage).

Kara (2) --- 3-3-3

--- This is an extension of Kara 1. It means "from ～ing", or in other words
"after ～ing" or "since ～ing".
--- See Related Expressions under the entry Ato de. The difference between
Ato de and Bte kara is that Ato de is less specific and Bte kara is more
specific about when the second verb happens. For example, "Benkyō shita
ato de lessun ni ikimashita" means that you went to a lesson after you
studied, but it's not clear how long after. "Benkyō shite kara lessun ni
ikimashita" implies that going to the lesson was the next thing you did from
your study and you left soon after you studied.
--- Related Expressions: If you don't control the second action, don't use Bte
kara; to say "After we studied, we got a call", used ato de or just Bte (i.e.
"Benkyō shita ato de / Benkyō shite, denwa ga kakatte kimashita.") (There
are other ways to say this and specify the timing, but for now just get these
down). That said, don't worry too much if you mess up.
--- Be careful; depending on the context, Bte kara can also mean "since";
e.g. "Senshū hanashiatte kara watashitachi no messēji nitsuite inotte
mimashita ka?" (Since we talked last week, did you try to pray about our
message?) This simply indicates a beginning point.

Kara (3) --- 4-5-3

--- Whenever there is a noun before this kara, you use da kara (e.g.
"Senkyōshi da kara). Missionaries mess this up a lot; you do not "senkyōshi
kara" to mean "because I'm a missionary...".
--- Note 2: Usually it is Plain Form kara, but if you want to be extra polite,
you may use masu or desu before kara. Get a feel for it from natives first.
--- Note 3: Pay attention to Key Sentence B and Example Sentence C; when
the context is clear, people often leave off what is said after kara and
contract it all into da / desu (or nothing; see Note 4). It saves time, and it
can help make up for a mistake in grammar order. We do the same in
English: "Why did you want to be a missionary?" "Because I wanted to
share the Gospel."
--- On the back of the Bulbasaur (with all the grammar patterns) it has
written "Noun no okage de" and "Noun no sei de" (both have the meaning
of "because", but okage de has a "thanks to ～" feel, while sei de has a "as a
fault of ～" feel). You can also use a Plain Form verb in place of "noun no"
to indicate the same meaning (i.e. PF okage de / PF sei de). For example:
"Yoku nereta okage de isshōkenmei dendō dekimashita" (Because I was
able to sleep well, I was able to do missionary work with all my might); or
"Watashi wa anmari nihongo de shaberenai sei de, oshieru no ga nigate
desu" (Because I can't really speak Japanese, I am not good at teaching). In
both cases, using this kara or node instead would be more common, but
you may use okage / sei also if you'd like (for details on sei and okage, see
the entry "Sei" from page 378 of the Squirtle).
--- You will also come across the phrases "Naze ka to iu to" and
"Nazenara(ba)" to mean because. See notes for those entries below.

Kashira --- 4-5-4 (Just worry about Kanā)

--- Note 2: This is why I gave it the rating I did. Kashira is not common (in
fact kashira itself would be given a rating of 0-0-0). However, kanā is used
very frequently. Kana (with a short a) is used the same way by both men
and women all day long. The formation rules and options are very helpful in
understanding how to use kana. This is something that is very easy to pick
up.
--- Though it is informal, it is not impolite if comments are self-directed, but
sometimes the same idea can be expressed more politely using "deshō ka."
(See the "darō" entry (Note 3) and commentary in here.)

Kata --- 3-3-3

--- An important concept to understand is that BII kata is a noun and no
longer a verb. This means verb particles are dropped, usually replaced with
no, the particle used to connect nouns. Also suru verbs (e.g. benkyō suru,
denwa suru) must have no before shikata. So to say "how to study
Japanese" you say "nihongo no benkyō no shikata" (from "nihongo o
benkyō suru"). For particles such as e, made, de, etc., you add no after the
particle to link it. For example "Eki (made) no ikikata o oshiete moraemasu
ka?" (Can you tell me how to get to the station?). Study the no 1 entry for
some insight on the relationship of no with other particles.
--- Related Expressions: You could either replace shikata with hōhō or do a
Relative Clause and use BIII hōhō. BIII hōhō is much easier to use since it
requires no particle changes. However as the notes say, it implies a
relatively complicated way to do something (while BII kata is more general).
If you're struggling with BII kata, go ahead and use BIII hōhō, but learn to
use them both.

Kawari ni --- 3-2-2

--- There are two main uses stemming from the same idea of "making up
for something": replacement, and counter-action. You should first focus
your study on the idea of replacement, which usually translates as "instead
of" or "in place of". The use of kawari ni for counter-action (which is
illustrated by Key Sentence B and several example sentences) is not as
common. The idea of counter-action is good to know, but this is largely
used for replacement.
--- Once you are thoroughly familiar with what is here, to get a better idea
of the idea of counter-action, I would recommend studying "(no) kawari ni"
from page 116 of the Squirtle.

Keredomo --- 5-5-5

--- Note 2: It shows here some different forms of keredomo which are good
to know. Basically the shorter it is, the more informal. The ones you should
know best, however, are keredomo and kedo. A lot of missionaries say
"kero", but this is wrong. Be aware of it.

Kikoeru --- 3-3-3

--- See notes for mieru. They are similar.

Kiraida --- 5-3-3

--- Kirai can have a strong feel to it. Usually a softer way to say this is
"(anmari) suki de wa nai", which is a strategy used in English as well ("I
don't really like it.")

Ko-So-A-Do --- 4-5-5 (Appendix 5 of the Pikachu)

--- Please study Appendix 5 (pages 600 & 601). This covers these principles
really well.
--- Note 1: You will hear this used very often.
--- Note 2: Sore is often used to refer back to what has recently been stated.
Are may be used too, but sore is more common. Are also has a more
removed feel to it.
--- Ko is spatially or emotionally closer to the speaker. So is a little more
removed. A is most removed. A can also be used to refer to something both
speaker and listener know about; it's kind of like saying "That one thing
(that we both know)", "That one store", etc.
--- The word dotchi / dochira is used to mean "what way" but this idea is
also extended to options. "Kore ka kore, dotchi no hō ga ii?" (This or this;
which is better?) You'll hear it (and the other direction words likewise) used
that way all the time.
--- You will also hear "are" used as an exclamation if they are surprised:
"Huh?" "Eh?" "What?" "Hey!"
--- Sometimes I hear missionaries say something like "sono no hon" or
"kono no fukuin." There is no need to add that no in between; kono, sono,
ano, and dono are contractions of kore no, sore no, are no, and dore no
respectively. The noun connector (i.e. no) is already built in.

Koto (1) --- 5-5-5

--- Remember that koto is used for things that are intangible. For tangible
things, you use mono. This can be an easy mistake to make.

Koto (2) --- 5-5-5

--- Notice that in order to link a noun, you must use de aru and not da or
desu. This is because koto is technically a usage of Relative Clause (Plain
Form Noun). De aru is a verb that can be used in Relative Clauses, but da
and desu cannot connect like that. However the past tense of either de aru
or da (i.e. de atta or datta) can link. You will notice this pattern with many
formation rules of other grammar principles. (For more details on de aru,
see the Squirtle)
--- I would suggest understanding at least the feeling difference between
koto and no early on. No are things more concrete and something you can
feel emotionally involved in. Koto is for things more abstract and you
separate emotional involvement with. In most cases either may be used,
but your choice can create useful nuances. That said, you will not be
misunderstood ever for mixing them up.

Koto ga aru (1) --- 5-5-5

--- Often in response to a question using this grammar pattern, people will
just use aru. This is because aru is the final word at play. English does the
same thing. For example, "Iesu Kirisuto nitsuite kiita koto ga arimasu ka?"
(Have you ever heard about Jesus Christ?) "Nai desu" (I haven't) or "Aru" (I
have). You don't have to repeat the whole phrase.

Koto ga aru (2) --- 4-4-4

Koto ga dekiru --- 5-5-5
--- Many missionaries misuse and misunderstand this. The koto is only there
to nominalize (i.e. make into a noun) a verb before it (see Koto 2). If a noun
is already there, you do not use koto; e.g. "Eigo ga dekimasu ka?" (Can you
speak English?). You do not say "Eigo koto ga dekimasu ka?" You cannot
make into a noun a noun. It is already a noun. However, if you say "Eigo de
shaberu koto ga dekimasu ka?", that works because koto is being use to
nominalize shaberu (in "eigo ga dekiru", the speaking is implied. It's easier
to say it that way and just as easily understood.)
--- Saying suru koto ga dekiru is the same as just saying dekiru (i.e. benkyō
suru koto ga dekiru = benkyō dekiru). However because it's longer, it can
have a more formal, polite feel. You may hear it in prayers. Usually it's just
easier to cut out the filler to say it more quickly.

Koto ni naru --- 2-2-1

Koto ni suru --- 3-2-3

Koto wa --- 2-3-1

〜 Kudasai --- 5-5-5

--- The informal version of this is Bte kure (from kureru), but except in
special circumstances, this usually comes off as very rude and arrogant. You
may hear it occasionally, but a missionary, it's best you don't use it.

-Kun --- 2-2-1

--- You won't have to worry much about this; you pick it up incredibly easy
anyway. This is mostly used for young men. For women, chan is usually
used. I would avoid using it and try to call investigators and members
kyōdai and shimai. There are other things you can say. However kun is a
more endearing and friendly term.

Kurai --- 5-5-5

--- There's no difference between kurai and gurai; you will tend to hear
gurai more often, however, especially in Kansai.
--- When you read Example Sentence C, you may ask yourself, "what does
'desyō' mean?" No worries; they just misspelled "deshō" (romaji is not fully
standardized. This is a spelling based on another transliteration system.
They messed up and switched which system they used here. See notes for
the entry O (1) for more)

Kureru (1) --- 4-3-3

--- This is used when something is given to you or your in-group. The
concept is more fully explained in the below entry. The difference between
kureru 1 and kureru 2 is the former expresses a literal giving of something
while the second is a figurative. But the principle is the same. This same
idea is used for ageru and morau.
--- It would probably be best to study and compare this and kureru 2 with
the ageru and morau principles.

Kureru (2) --- 5-5-5

--- This is someone does something for YOU or someone you define within
your "in-group". Who this group is and how many people are in it depends
on the perspective from which the sentence or context is speaking. For
example "Kamisama wa sukui no keikaku o ataete kuremashita." (God gave
us the Plan of Salvation) in which you are referring to the human race as a
whole as your "group" in contrast with God. Another: "Shibu Kaichō wa
nani o shite kuremashita ka?" (What did the Branch President do for you?).
Pay attention to how natives use it and be careful of your own usage. This is
a very important grammar principle to know, but if misused can result in
confusion as to who is doing what.
--- This can be replaced by kudasaru (the BIII form of kudasai and honorific
form of kureru) to honorify someone or what they did (pay attention to the
irregular conjugation of BII. This is a pattern with many honorific and
humble words.) The above example sentence can be rephrased as
"Kamisama wa sukui no keikaku o ataete kudasaimashita."

Kuru (1) --- 5-5-5

--- See notes for the entry Iku 1.

Kuru (2) --- 3-3-3

--- This gives the feeling of a gradual process of doing something. Bte kuru
focuses on the ending portion of the braces as opposed to Bte iku, which
focuses on the beginning. Also Bte kuru implies greater personal
involvement (see notes under Iku 1)
--- I've heard this used in more than just a "begin to" way. It seems to also
have directional feel to the speaker. For example, "Kare kara nanimo itte
kite inai" (I haven't heard anything from him); "Denwa ga kakatte
kimashita" (We got a call). Don't worry about using it this way, but it is
something you'll have to keep your ears open to; just know the meaning is
a little different than described here sometimes.

M
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Mada --- 5-5-5

--- Study this along with mō. They are two sides of the same coin.
--- This and mada will be difficult to learn by trying to just translate it
from/into English (because we use many different words in English and
those same words' meanings can change depending on the sentence).
Instead try to understand the concept. Mō indicates that there is a change
from a previous condition. Mada indicates you a previous condition
remains the same. With this is mind, analyze how the example sentences
show this.
--- A lot of missionaries use this for the wrong "still". For example, if you
want to say, "If he doesn't answer the phone, do you still want to visit?",
you would not use mada for still. Instead you should use Bte mo; "Denwa ni
denakute mo hōmon shitai n desu ka?" (Do you want to visit even if he
doesn't answer the phone?). There are other ways to say this, but mada is
not one of them.

Made --- 3-3-2

Made ni --- 3-2-2

--- The difference between made and made ni is fairly simple. Made implies
"until" a certain point. Made ni implies "by / before" a certain point. It
conveys more of the idea of a deadline. I hear a good amount of
missionaries sometimes mix the two up.
--- This can be useful when giving commitments. For example, you could
say, "Tsugi no toki made ni, kono seiku o yonde kudasai." (Please read this
verse by next time.)

Mae ni --- 5-5-5

--- Pay attention to the formation. The verb is in present tense (BIII). This is
a common mistake (compare with ato de). You can tell if you're talking
about the past or future depending on the tense of the last verb. In hymns
you may notice the grammar to be different (using Bta mae ni), but this is
archaic Japanese grammar; it's not used anymore.
--- You may also hear this mae without the ni.
--- Another way to use mae is to mean "ago" or "before". For example
"ichinen mae (ni)" means "One year ago" or "One year before" (you can tell
based on the context and time perspective). The ni is optional but usually
left out. The opposite idea is expressed with "go (ni)", which means "in" or
"after" (it is a different reading of the kanji for "ato"). The formation is the
same. For example "Futsuka go (ni)" means "in two days" or "after two
days".

Mai- --- 3-3-3

--- This grammar principle is pretty limited in its usage. Mostly just use
maikai (every time), maiasa (every morning), maiban (every night/evening),
mainichi (every day), maishū (every week), maitsuki (every month), and
maitoshi (every year); besides that, use goto ni.

Mama --- 2-2-2

〜Mashō --- 4-5-5

--- BV of a verb has the same meaning, and is used often in more friendly,
informal situations.

Mieru --- 3-3-3

--- This and kikoeru are similar ideas. This means something can be seen
(despite whether or not you make an effort to look). Kikoeru is the same
idea with sound. You'll get a feel for how it's used by listening to natives.
--- This can be used to convey the idea of "look" as in "How old do I look?";
"Nansai ni miemasu ka?"
Miru --- 5-5-5
--- Under related expressions, BV to suru is good to know. You should try to
understand the difference, but don't stress it until you are more
comfortable using them. Simply BV to suru implies that you'll put forth
effort try do something (and may or may not fail). Bte miru means you'll do
something to see the result. Knowing the difference in the past tense can
make things a little more clear how an attempt turned out. For example,
"Kinō, Fujimoto-san ni hōmon shiyō to shimashita ga, imasen deshita." vs.
"Kinō, Fujimoto-san ni hōmon shite mimashita ga, imasen deshita." The first
implies you made the effort to visit Fujimoto, but she wasn't home. The
second means you visited to see how it would go, but she wasn't home.
They're close in meaning, but with BV to suru, before even saying "imasen
deshita", you've indicated that there was some kind of problem in actually
accomplishing it.

Mo (1) --- 3-5-5

Mo (2) --- 3-2-2

--- Note 1: This is simply an extension of the first mo. The more comfortable
you are using this, the easier it is to see how they are the same. This also
means the formation rules are the same. (See below)
--- Note 2: Nanimo and daremo must be used with negatives. If you want to
refer to "everything"' you would use "zenbu"; for "everyone" you would use
minasan / zen'in. There are several words you could use, but don't use
nanimo or daremo.
--- A lot of people mix up mo and demo. For an analysis on this, see notes
under the entry for demo.
--- Besides wa, ga, and o, when a particle is used with this mo, the particle
precedes the mo; e.g. "Dare ni mo hanasanakatta", not "Daremo ni
hanasanakatta" (We didn't talk to anyone.) This is similar to mistakes in
using "demo" (see the notes for demo above). When particles combine like
this, I've heard things like nani ni mo and dare ni mo used with positives as
well (although in other cases only negatives are used.) It may be technically
incorrect grammar however.
--- It would be a good idea to study altogether how demo, mo, and ka work
with WH-words.
--- Note 3: Until you are comfortable using both mo principles, I wouldn't
worry about using it with verbs. That said, once you are well comfortable
this might be good to know: it says BII mo is used only with the negative
verb (i.e. shinai), but this is misleading (refer to "Mo" from page 179 in the
Squirtle.) This is simply an introduction on how to use mo with verbs
(formation: BII mo suru). You'll learn more about it when your Japanese is
more advanced.

Mō --- 3-4-3
--- Learn this with mada. They are two sides of the same coin. See notes for
mada for more commentary.
--- Often missionaries say "Ima (wa)" to compare a current situation with a
past one. Like "It was hard five years ago, but now it's fine". Many
missionaries would say "Gonen mae muzukashikatta kedo, ima wa
daijōbu." but I think often this is better rephrased using mō (i.e. "...mō
daijōbu desu.") Mō can mean "now" when you use it in a way suggesting
now is different from before. Both can be used, but listen to natives for
which is more natural for a situation.

～ Mo ～ mo --- 3-2-2
--- This simply shows how to use more than one mo in a sentence.
--- One interesting principle you'll see here is how mo functions with
adjectives. Don't worry too much about this until you are comfortable with
its other uses. But when you are: The Pikachu only shows it using negatives,
but for positives, the nai becomes aru. It introduces the concept and shows
how to conjugate; for i-adjectives, the i becomes ku mo aru (e.g. takai -->
takaku mo aru). For na-adjectives, you add de mo aru (kirei --> kirei de mo
aru). You'll learn more about it when your Japanese is more advanced
(Refer to "Mo" from page 179 in the Squirtle).

Mono (da) --- 1-1-1

Morau (1) --- 4-4-4

--- The difference between morau and kureru is, morau is receiving, kureru
is someone giving to you. The subject of the sentence changes accordingly.
--- Note 3: Because we say in English, "I got this from ～", most missionaries
use kara all the time. But kara has a feeling of putting a emotional barrier
between you and the giver, and often it is more appropriate to use ni.
--- The humble version of morau is itadaku. You this only when speaking
about yourself or your "in-group"; you would not humble / put someone
else down.

Morau (2) --- 5-5-5

--- Bte kureru is a little more friendly than Bte morau, which feels more
formal and businesslike; this is because the former focuses more on the
giver (and therefore feels more direct), while the latter focuses more on
your receiving (and is therefore less direct to them). As you use both you'll
get the feel for that. Don't worry too much about the difference, though
(besides grammar structure).
--- You can use this to delegate or assign roles or assignments. For example,
you may hear something like this at a ZTM: "Tsugi wa, watashi wa mogi
shite moraimasu" (Next, I'll have you all do a role-play.) It often has that
"have someone do 〜" feel.
--- In Kansai, they sometimes have a weird way of saying this and it sounds
like "motta" instead of "moratta"; e.g. "Benkyō sashite motta n ya kedo."

N
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Na --- 2-1-0
--- This is a strong "don't 〜". Natives can get offended when missionaries
use it and don't understand how strong it is. When it is written, it seems
the rudeness is turned more to firmness. You might see this written on a
sign with written rules at a pool or park. Sometimes you will hear it used in
a joking situation with friends. Learn that from native's before you start
trying to use it.

Nado --- 2-2-1

Nagara --- 3-3-3

--- The subject has to be the same. Be careful not to mix up with aida ni
(see Aida ni). There are a few other nuances when using this versus aida ni
which are explained in Note 1 and also Related Expression in the aida ni
entry.

〜Nai de --- 3-2-3

--- The pattern BI zu ni is good to know (not that for suru, it is not shi, but se
(i.e. sezu ni). This is an exception). It cannot be used to connect to other
words in grammar patterns like nai de can (e.g. hoshii, kudasai, etc.)
because it simply means without verbing, ～. It says it is used in formal or
written Japanese, but I've heard it in polite but nonformal conversations as
well. I think it shows a broader range of and more intelligent use of
language.
--- Note 2: Nai de is what is used in Bte formations (e.g. kudasai, hoshii, etc.
Exception: Bte mo). Nakute has a bit of the feeling of "because" (shown in
the first 2 example sentences in Note 2, and can be extended to explain its
use as "X is not Y but Z". See also notes for the "nakute" entry.) while nai de
is not as strong as a "because". With that in mind it should be easier to see
where nai de and nakute can both be used and where they can't. You will
still be well understood even if you mix them up.

〜Nakereba naranai --- 5-5-5

--- This literally means "If you don't do 〜, it will not become." You will very
often hear ～nai to ikenai (if you don't do 〜, it cannot go), which doesn't
feel as strong. If the context is clear enough, the ikenai can even be
dropped (but it's quite informal).
--- In Kansai, they often say "sena akan", which means the same thing as
nakereba naranai. The se comes from suru and is an informal version of BI
suru (usually shi). Akan means dame. It is the same as saying "shinai to
dame" (It would be bad if I didn't do ～ / I must 〜).

〜Naku naru --- 3-3-3

--- Related Expressions: The difference between this yōni naru, and mō ～
nai is best explained here.

〜Nakute --- 4-4-4

--- See commentary under nai de for some insight.
--- This is used often in the sense of "it's not 〜, but 〜". "Hontō ni?
Takeuchi Kyōdai to hanshimashita ka?" "Iie, Takeuchi Kyōdai ja nakute,
Takehara Kyōdai desu." It's used to clarify or correct something.

Nara --- 3-3-2

--- Don't worry too much about the differences between the if principles.
You will not be misunderstood for mixing them up. That said, here is a little
insight on my understanding. BIV ba and Btara are very similar when
meaning if, however in comparison to nara, there seems to be a higher
focus on the action while nara has a higher focus on the clause as a whole.
(The notes suggest that PF nara originally came from first nominalizing the
sentence (since nara is the 'if version' of desu), which would mean that
nara would consider the nominalized clause as a whole, as opposed to BIV
ba and Btara as conjugations of the verb. This seems consistent to me with
how they compare these 3 if principles under the Btara entry in the Pikachu
and how I hear it).
--- Note 2: You hardly hear naraba, but you will sometimes.

〜Nasai --- 2-3-1

--- We all know and love the phrase "gomennasai". The nasai is this same
one. However it is not impolite to say it to anyone. Unfortunately I do hear
a lot of missionaries drop the nasai and just say "gomen" in formal/polite
situations. Don't do that. Taking out the nasai is pretty informal and can be
disrespectful if you don't know the person well. Many older people will use
it too you, "gomen, ne?" but remember the Japanese idea of "Senpai
Status"; they CAN. There a times that are perfectly appropriate for it, but
especially on first meetings with people, be careful. Pay attention to native
usage in various situations and settings.

Naze ka to iu to --- 4-5-4 (Not in the Pikachu)

--- This is used all the time. This is a principle the Japanese use a lot that we
don't in English. You'll hear it at least a handful of times daily.
--- It translates as "if I say why" and carries the meaning of "the reason
being 〜". For example, "Amerikajin wa nihongo o manabu no ga
muzukashii desu yo. Naze ka to iu to, bunpō ga daitai gyaku da shi, kanji mo
tsukaimasu." (Learning Japanese is difficult for Americans. The reason is the
grammar is generally backwards and they use kanji too.) It's similar to
"nazenara(ba)" below.
--- The to used here is To 4 (used more as an if than when). But you can also
use Btara or (less frequently heard) BIV ba (i.e. naze ka to ittara / ieba).

Nazenara(ba) --- 3-2-3 (Not in the Pikachu)

--- This is used to indicate that you are giving a explantion for something. It
could be nazenara or nazenaraba (the second sounds more formal). It is
misused by missionaries often, however; nazenara does not replace kara,
node, etc. You use it the same way to indicate you will give a reason as
moshi is used to indicate you will give a hypothetical (with BIV ba, Nara(ba),
Btara, To 4, etc.) For example if you want to say "I am a missionary. This is
because I want to help people", "Watashi wa senkyōshi desu. Nazenara,
watashi wa hito o tasuketai desu" is wrong. You must have kara after
tasuketai (i.e. ...tasuketai kara desu.) To give it a plug-in formula, it would
be, "Nazenara(ba) ～ kara da".
--- The nara here is the same as the nara in the Pikachu. Read Note 2 for
using "ba".

Ne --- 5-5-5
--- Note 3: Ne is also used to draw attention to something. For this reason,
it is often used to introduce a topic, similar to "wa" or "tte". It can even
used mid-sentence and replaces basic particles (i.e. wa, ga, o). Using it this
way sounds very informal and can using it too much makes you sound like
you aren't very intelligent. Listen to and understand how natives use it
before trying to use it this way yourself.
--- In the Kansai region especially, the usage of ne is often replaced by
na/nā. From what I've noticed, ne can be used in polite and formal
language, but na seems a touch more informal (which means you don't
really use it with desu or masu). There are some usage differences, but the
nuances of the two will be easy to pick up as you listen and talk to native
speakers.

Ni (1) --- 4-5-5

--- Note 1: This is helpful. Many words such as ashita, kinō, saikin, mazu,
etc. don't use ni. This is a common mistake. You can usually know which
ones don't require particles if Imiwa defines it as an "adverbial noun."
Ni (2) --- 4-5-5
--- if you don't understand what the object is, learn that before trying to
learn this (see O 1). This is the indirect object marker; in other words it
marks something indirectly effected by or involved in the action of a
sentence. Usually this is translated as "to" in English; for example, "Watashi
wa dōryō ni bōru o kerimashita." (I kicked the ball to my companion); "
--- There are several verbs that in English are transitive verbs (and thus use
a direct object (i.e. o / を)) but in Japanese are intransitive (which don't
take a direct object); for example au (to meet), denwa suru (to call), etc.
Since these verbs are intransitive, they will instead take the indirect object
marker (i.e. ni / に) for what would be a direct object in English (e.g.
Tanaka-san NI au; Bishoppu NI denwa suru) (Note some intranstive verbs
will use ga (e.g. dekiru, mitsukaru, etc.) This is because the verb is more of a
quality of the word than something receiving an action. For now just pay
pay attention to how natives use it to tell which is which).

Ni (3) --- 3-3-3

--- This ni stems from the idea of an indirect object marker (Ni 2). Ni
involves someone or something in an action. In the case of Ni 2 is as an
indirect object. In ni 3 however it involves what is marked in a different
way, in particular as an agent (or the one doing the action.) This idea is
found in passives (-rareru); causative (-saseru); and receiving (morau). As
Key Sentence D shows, it can even involve someone or something as a
source (which in English usually would translate as from) (in this case it can
be replaced by kara; the difference between ni and kara here is explained
in Related Expressions; it might help to understand and remember the
nuance by reading especially the graph on page 55 and 56 and the
information below it on sound symbolism.). You may also recognize this in
verbs that essentially act like passives, such as mitsukaru; e.g. "Sono
Morumon sho ga kare ni mitsukarimashita." (The Book of Mormon was
found by him).

Ni (4) --- 4-3-3

Ni (5) --- 3-4-4

Ni (6) --- 4-3-3

Ni (7) --- 5-5-5

Ni chigainai --- 3-1-1

--- A phrase that may actually be more common nowadays is ni machigai
nai. It means the same thing. Both aren't used very much, however.

-Nikui --- 4-3-4

--- It is best to study this with BII yasui. They both use the same formation
and follow the same patterns.
--- Note 2: You have to remember that because the verb becomes an
adjective, the thing the adjective is modifying is marked by wa or ga. Other
particles are replaced by them. This is a common mistake by foreigners.
--- For BII nikui and BII yasui, a similar phrase you can use is ～no/koto ga
muzukashii/kantan (mostly the difference between, for example, "it's hard
to run to the church" and "running to the church is hard".) It seems to me
that the former places more emphasis on the noun while the latter places
more emphasis on the doing. Also, because the former are adjectives, the
difficulty/easiness of something seems like an attribute of the noun (as
opposed to whatever is acting.) There are several other subtleties between
the two, but they're not very significant. The best way to understand is first
get comfortable using them and then asking natives.
--- Don't use nikui by itself to mean hard or difficult. It doesn't carry that
meaning by itself. Instead you should use muzukashii.

Ni shite wa --- 2-1-1

--- A more literal translation of this is given in the notes: "If you make it 〜".
Ni suru in this sense is explained in the Suru 1 entry (the "～ ni suru" below
is an extended meaning thereof). For an analysis of how this is different
from to shite wa, refer to the notes for that entry.
--- This is a little different from typical Japanese grammar since it drops the
need for a nominalizer (koto or no) before the particle. There are a few
other principles like that, but for the most part you first nominalize a
sentence before modifying it.
〜 Ni suru --- 2-2-2

No (1) --- 5-5-5

--- Remember that this always connects nouns or noun phrases. Often I
hear missionaries use no following adjectives or verbs before a noun (these
are mistakes in forming Relative Clauses). Although most Japanese will
understand it and won't say anything, it comes off as very gaijin and poor
grammar. (See the notes for the Relative Clause entry)
--- When it comes to using particles with no, the pattern I've seen is that
the most basic ones, ga, o, and ni, are dropped, while others form
compound particles. This is usually true for most particle principles (e.g.
mo, wa, etc.) except for it is a little less predictable with ni. See notes under
Double Particles.
--- In some cases no can be dropped to simply form a compound word.
Mostly just be aware of it for understanding. Don't drop it yourself until you
have a good understanding and feel of how natives do it.
--- Sometimes you will hear no replace the subject of a clause (usually
marked by ga), but this is only in Relative Clauses (Plain Form Noun). The
idea is that the action belongs to the actor. Until you have a solid
understanding of Relative Clauses and how they work, and have a feel for it
from natives, only use ga.

No (2) --- 2-1-1

No (3) --- 5-5-5

--- This and No (2) are related, which helps to explain the role of no as a
nominalizer and comparing it to koto. Understanding this concept is very
helpful in using no wa ～ da effectively.
--- Pay attention to the formation. Instead of da or desu, you will use na to
connect nouns before the no. You'll notice here and in other grammar
patterns that even nouns proceeding no use na as if it were a na adjective.
Keep this in mind with principles such as "no da", "node", "noni", etc.
(Compare this to the formation for Koto 2).
--- Note 3: Similar to how koto can be used. In most cases, either can be
used, but koto sounds more like a stated fact while no sounds more a bit
more emotionally involved in it. These are subtle messages that can
influence the formality of what you say or your own involvement. That said,
you will never be misunderstood for mixing them up. Compare with Koto 2.
It might help to understand and remember the nuance by reading
especially the graph on page 55 and 56 and the information below it on
sound symbolism.

No (4) --- 2-5-2

No da --- 5-5-5
--- When you use no da, it seems to emphasize a little more that you are
conveying or seeking information. Notes 3 also explains some additional
nuances in this connection. If you want extra details or reasoning from
someone when you ask a question, using this grammar principle would be
good. It is also a little easier to connect particles like ne and yo to desu than
masu (although there's nothing wrong with using them after masu).
--- You often hear n da when people make a connection in their head; I
imagine a lightbulb; e.g. Sō na n da!
--- Except in more formal settings, you will almost always hear this as simply
n da. As a statement, ending a sentence with no is pretty feminine (this is
described in No 4); but as a question it can be used by either women or
men (especially directed towards children).
--- You may also hear no ka, which seems to have the feeling of a rhetorical
or thought-provoking or deep question; it's not strong, but there. It is
related to this no da. It's not terribly different from just using ka, however.
Using no deshō ka is basically the same, just more polite and maybe a
slightly stronger sense as a rhetorical question.
--- You will also hear n da made into a negative; i.e. "n ja nai?" Sometimes
even the "n" is taken out and use just "ja nai?" (technically grammatically
incorrect and is quite informal). This essentially just means, "isn't it?" I
really have only heard it for questions. It's is fairly informal, and I don't
recommend using it, but be aware of it.

Node --- 5-5-5

--- Don't worry too much about the difference between kara and node.
There are lots of rules listed here placing restrictions on node (e.g. making
requests using Bte kudasai after node, etc.). This is because node
apparently conveys a legitimate cause for something, not necessarily
something within your control or command. However these rules may be
outdated considering the publishing date and/or very Standard Japanese
only; many natives (including those over the intercom at the train station)
use grammar like Bte kudasai after node all the time. That said, if you have
the idea, try to stick to the book until you have a feel for it.
--- You may also hear a variant of node, which is nde. This doesn't always
seem to have as much of a direct connection, but I'm not totally sure.
--- Node does feel slightly more formal/polite than kara does; also in
connection the the first note above, node does seem to carry a greater
sense of legitimacy to it; it also retains some of the feel of no da (which this
comes from) by seeming to convey information (see notes for the entry no
da) These are slight nuances, however.

Noni (1) --- 5-5-5

--- This noni and noni 2 will be explained together here. Both use the
nominalizer, no 3, and both use the particle ni, however the meaning of ni
is a little different. In noni 1 it has more of a "toward" meaning, with the
implication of contrasting Sentence 1 with Sentence 2. But in noni 2 it has
more of a "in" meaning, as in "in (the process of) verbing". In most cases,
however, you will likely hear noni 1. You should study and compare with
Bte mo and see the notes for that entry.

Noni (2) --- 2-2-1

--- You may also use "ni wa". It means the same thing, but the no is
dropped (implied) and marked as a topic. It's a good principle to know, but
you can almost always just use tame ni.

〜 No wa ～ da --- 4-4-5
--- Be sure to read the explanation box. It explains its connection to no 2
and the kinds of things no stands in place of: time, person, thing, place, or
reason.
--- This is a very useful way to rearrange a sentence to change emphasis
and/or mix up your sentence order. It is important in understanding more
difficult grammar patterns you'll come across. You'll find yourself and
others using this very frequently.
--- The example sentences aren't too illustrative of the ways you can use
this grammar pattern, however. It is important to keep in mind, however,
that the da/desu at the end must be proceeded by a noun or a noun
equivalent. The example sentences don't use verbs in the second clause,
but if you'd like to do so, you could say, for example, "Dendō ni dete kita no
wa kamisama to watashi no kazoku o ai shite iru koto/tame desu." (The
reason I came out on a mission is I love God and my family.) You'll hear
natives actually not do this often, but it's not technically grammatically
correct. Make sure you can follow the rule before you ever try to break it.

O
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O- --- 1-2-1
--- This is used often for a few words. However, the best way to know how
to use this naturally is listening to natives; studying won't really help you
use it well. There are a few things I would like to just point out, however.
Ohashi: the word hashi can refer to many things (chopsticks, bridge, end,
etc.), but I've only heard ohashi refer to chopsticks. The following are used
always but I've only heard them when talking about someone else, never
yourself: gosenzō (anscestors), gokazoku (family), gojibun (self; see entries
for Jibun 1 & 2). Also pay attention to Note 5; you will also almost always
hear okane instead of just kane. You will also often hear Oinori for prayer. I
don't know if I've ever heard just kashi for confectionary (which is just a
fancy and somewhat broad term for snacks and stuff); always use okashi
(but be careful not to say okashii); same with oyatsu (snack).
--- All of these words come from the kanji, 御; it can have the reading o or
go depending on what it's next to (o is usually for Japanese words, while go
is for words that came from China or otherwise). Though uncommon, it also
has 2 other readings: mi and on. Mi is sometimes used in place names (e.g.
Miyukitsuji 御幸辻, Mitsue 御杖, Mitsu 御津). It is also used for many
church words; mikotoba 御言葉(word (i.e. God's word)); mina 御名 (name
(i.e. Christ's)), etc. Outside of that, you don't hear it hardly at all. On is
hardly used at all; as missionaries outside a few rare occasions, you'll
probably just see this with onchichi 御父 (used in the scriptures often; it's
the same as otōsama 御父様). (Note: often the kanji 御 is written in kana,
especially in these cases) These may be good to be aware of, particularly for
church vocabulary, both understanding it and helping to explain it to
investigators who don't understand (especially mina; most people think
you're saying "Christ's everyone").

O (1) --- 5-5-5

--- It is very important to understand what a direct object is. A direct object
is the thing that is being verbed / acted upon. For example "I ate a snack"
(Watashi wa oyatsu o tabeta). The snack is being acted upon, and so it is
the Direct Object. Transitive verbs will use a direct object; Intransitive verbs
do NOT use a direct object.
--- Sometimes the object will be marked by ga (e.g. ～ ga dekiru, ～ ga
wakaru, ～ ga suki, ～ ga hoshii, etc.) In reality, these are not objects but
subjects in Japanese, although they are objects in English. This is because
these verbs and adjectives are acting more in a way describing a more
inherent quality of the subject than something being acted upon (you then
use wa or ni to specify to whom/what that quality belongs (this is where
the entry ～ wa ～ ga comes into play. Also see the notes for that entry for
some details) (This idea is somewhat explained in Note 6 & 7 under Ga 1,
page 120). This concept is easier to understand with adjectives such as suki
and hoshii, but with dekiru and wakaru this has proved to be a difficult
concept to grasp for many foreigners. As a beginner, it might be best to just
know the rule than the concept, but you should develop an understanding
of the concept, and it will help you use your Japanese more effectively and
understand the nuances of using ga versus o in many cases where
sometimes they can be interchangeable (which cases are described in the
Pikachu).
--- Just as a note to missionaries in particular: many missionaries make the
mistake of saying something like "Kamisama ni shinjite imasu" because in
English we say "We believe IN God." However it is different in Japanese;
you will use the particle o. You can check the scriptures: "Moshi, Kirisuto o
shinjinagara, seishinseii tou naraba..." (Moroni 10:4) People understand it,
but I've heard even experienced missionaries mess this up unknowingly.
--- In rōmaji, o may also be spelled wo. This is because the pronunciation of
the hiragana を was originally wo. Because the pronunciation has changed,
rōmaji has mostly changed to match it with o while the hiragana character
has stayed the same. Rōmaji is not entirely standardized, so you'll likely
notice several different kinds of transliterations, some rarer than others:
--- は: as topic marker, either wa or ha.
--- おう: ō, o ou, oh. e.g. 赤穂 (あこう), Akō, Ako, Akou, Akoh.
--- おお: ō, oh, o, oo. e.g. 大谷 (おおたに); Ōtani, Ohtani, Otani, Ootani.
--- づ: zu, dzu, du. e.g. 気付く (きづく); kizuku, kidzuku, kiduku.
--- じ: ji, zi. e.g. 小島 (こじま); Kojima, Kozima.
--- ふ: fu, hu. e.g. 福本 (ふくもと); Fukumoto, Hukumoto.
--- しょ: sho, syo. 正直 (しょうじ); Shōji, Syōji
--- There are others. These are various variations that derive either from
the actual pronunciation of the words, the spelling of the hiragana
(especially the "rows" (i.e. さしすせそ, たちつてと, etc.), or a mixture of
the two. Some systems way one side more heavily than the other. I have
seen all these variations. The Pikachu uses the most common accepted
system. The way the government uses it is mostly consistent, but from city
to city it can change slightly. Just be aware that rōmaji is not standard and
has variations. If you understand the Hiragana and Katakana systems and
the pronunciation of the characters, it should be fairly easy to figure out
which character(s) a spelling is derived from.

O (2) --- 3-3-3

O (3) --- 1-2-1

O (4) --- 1-2-1

--- I don't know if it's this o or another (but it seems to follow the concept
here most closely), but you will often hear the grammar pattern noun o
arigatō gozaimasu to say "thank you for ～". (Note, for verbs you use Bte
arigatō gozaimasu.) Arigatō is technically an honorific adjective of arigatai
(see page 39 of the Pikachu) but because of it's such common usage and
how it's come to be used, the particle o has come to be used with it; e.g.
after sacrament meeting, "Hanashi o arigatō gozaimasu". You will find a
similar pattern with the phrase "omedetō gozaimasu" (from medetai).
Ōi --- 4-5-4
--- You may use the grammar pattern BIII koto ga ōi. It means something
happens or you do something a lot. It literally means "the thing of ～ing is
many." You may also use BIII koto ga sukunai for the opposite idea.

Oku --- 4-4-4

--- Note 3: You'll hear this all the time. A common way you'll hear it is
"Oboetokimasu!" (I'll remember it!)

O ～ ni naru --- 1-1-1

--- This is very honorific. It's usually better to just use Rareru 1 if you do
ever need to use honorifics (even PMG honors God with rareru instead of
this). You may hear it if you go the Post Office or places like that. You don't
often come across situations that use or call for it and it's largely not
needed.
--- This goes for both Honorific and Humble forms: know when it's
appropriate to use and how to use it before you do. Many missionaries try
to impress Japanese people by whipping out Honorifics and Humbles.
However, unless you use them well and appropriately, there are usually
one of two thoughts that go through their heads: "Try-hard" or "Huh?".
Talking this way puts a gap between you and the person you're talking to;
there are situations that call for that, there are situations where that will
only hurt your ability to connect to people. For example, you don't speak
this way to children and almost never will you encounter a situation to
speak this way to people your age. It creates a very awkward gap between
you and the speaker. I include in these notes because I believe there is a
sad misunderstanding of Honorific and Humble forms in the Japanese
language among many missionaries. Simply stick to the basic polite and
plain forms until you have a good grasp of native usage.

O ～ suru --- 2-3-2

--- Used all the time in prayers. You don't use this to ask someone to do
something (otherwise you're telling them to be humble); however you may
be asked often, "Oinori shite kuremasu ka?" (Will you pray for us?). I think
this is because Oinori is such a common word in the Church that it has
basically become a suru verb rather than a humble (although it can still be
used to be humble). That's just personal opinion, though. Once again, listen
to natives for this one.
--- You will hear this on trains and other announcements and such often.
Many will include the word itasu (the humble version of suru). This is also
common in prayer.

〜Owaru --- 3-2-2

R
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Rareru (1) --- 5-5-5

--- It is important to understand the difference between Passive and Active
sentences. An example of a Passive Sentences would be "I was taught the
gospel by the missionaries."; the Active counterpart would be "The
missionaries taught me the gospel." In a Passive, the subject is being acted
upon. In an Active, the subject is acting. You can usually tell if it is say "by
someone/something". For example, "My bike was stolen." You may add "by
someone" and it would make sense. If you said "I stole a bike (by
someone)", it wouldn't make sense adding "by someone."
--- Note 5: I wouldn't worry too much about using or hearing "Indirect
Passives" much. These can't directly translate into English and aren't used
to much anyway (except a few cases such as iwareru). I'll try to explain the
idea, however. The main idea of Passive Voice in Japanese is that the
subject is affected somehow by the action. This could be directly (as
explained above and as used in English), or indirectly (which is shown by
Key Sentences B and C and explained from Notes 5 through 8). Usually it's
negative: In English the closest thing that imitates the indirect, negative
idea is by saying something like, "on me" (not literally meaning on top of);
e.g. "He drank juice on me" (Watashi wa kare ni jūsu o nomareta), as in he
drank juice and it annoyed you; "He called my girlfriend on me." (Watashi
wa kare ni kanojo ni denwa sareta.); like in English, this usually indicates a
bad thing (but it could also be good, as in Note 7). Essentially, "I" am being
affected (passively) by whatever "he" does. There are many other ways to
express this in English that are used more frequently (usually just explaining
the situation), and the same goes for Japanese. You should be aware of this
for some understanding. For information on this you could study Section 5
of Characteristics of Japanese Grammar (from pg. 33).
--- Note 9: The passive used used to create honorific verbs. You won't hear
it too often this way outside of church and PMG. The reason this functions
as a honorific form is connected to the Japanese idea that being indirect is
more polite/formal/etc. In the case of passives, it almost separates the
actor from the action, making it seem that the actor was more influenced
by the action than doing it himself. Though this isn't taken literally, it gives
the image that the actor is higher up, and thus honorified. The same idea is
expressed in the construction o-BII ni naru. It may be hard to separate this
function from normal passives at first, but as you look for it, your
understanding will improve. Some members will use this to honorify you or
someone else; "Dochira kara koraremashita ka?" (Normal: Doko kara
kimashita ka?) I wouldn't recommend using until you get a feel for how
natives use it and when it's appropriate. If you try to use a passive in an
every day sentence (e.g. "Kore wa watashi ni taberareta" (This was eaten
by me)), most Japanese will assume you made a mistake and are trying to
use it as an honorific or a potential (Rareru 2). In the case of taberu, unless
you say you are eaten by an animal or something like that, passive voice
sounds really strange.

Rareru (2) --- 4-5-4

--- This is the same as saying BIII koto ga dekiru. The difference is it is much
shorter and BIII koto ga dekiru is slightly more polite sounding. Koto ga
dekiru is a little easier to use grammatically. Sometimes the rareru forms of
some verbs is the difference between a transitive and intransitive verb (and
thus ambiguous) (e.g. yaku (to burn something) vs. yakeru (be able to burn
something / to burn (intrans.); tatsu (to stand (intrans.) vs. tateru (be able
to stand / to stand something). (It's not too hard to tell which is which from
context, however.) You should be familiar with using koto ga dekiru first
before starting to using rareru.
--- On the Bulbasaur, you will see both "BI + rareru = can verb (Ichidan)" and
"BIV + ru = can verb (Godan)". They are both from this principle.
--- Note 1: It says that the object can be marked by either o or ga. Note 2
explains the nuance. However, you shouldn't be very concerned about it.
Just use o unless you can easily grasp the concept and see how natives use
it.
--- Note 3: This is important. You never mark the object of dekiru with o,
but ga. This is because your ability to do is not necessarily volitional (see
Note 2). The rule should be easy to remember if you know koto GA dekiru.
--- Note 10: Ichidans make take the shortened form "-reru", but it is a touch
more informal and not technically correct grammar (Japanese teachers get
on students for pronouncing it this way). Despite, you will still hear this
contraction a lot. It doesn't look like the passive rareru can be shortened
like this, however.

Rashii --- 2-2-1

--- Note 2: Rashii and BIII sō da are very similar when rashii means "I heard
～" (see Sōda 1). I wouldn't worry too much about the difference. You can
use whichever you prefer.

Relative Clause --- 5-5-5

--- Much of Japanese grammar is based on the Relative Clause (otherwise
known as "Plain Form Noun") principle. This is a key principle to
understanding Japanese and likely the most important grammar principle in
this book. Understand how this works and how to form Relative Clauses
helps explain why certain formations and conjugations exist and how they
behave. You are likely using Relative Clauses much more than you realize.
--- To try to explain the role of it simply, a Relative Clause essentially makes
a clause an adjective (a word (or in this case clause) that describes a noun).
Verbs connect more easily and so do i-adjectives. Nouns and na-adjectives
require particles (such as no or na respectively) or other words (such as de
aru) to connect them (This pattern partly is why i-adjectives are called
Descriptive Verbs and na-adjectives are Descriptive Nouns). Analyze the
example sentences and how natives speak and it will make more sense.
--- You can use Relative Clauses to dance around words you don't know,
which saves a lot of time from learning more useless vocabulary for more
useful and common words. For example, I don't know the word for shelf;
instead describe it: "Kabe ni kakete atte, hon toka mono ga okareru mono"
(Something that is hung on a wall and that books or things are put on.) (If
you intend on using a word a lot, it would probably just be better to learn
it.) Remember that hand gestures totally work and help.
--- A common mistake missionaries make is placing no between the
verb/adjective and the noun being modified. This is straight wrong. For
example, chigau no hito; atsui no dorinku; nemuru no akachan; atarashii no
dōryō. I even hear na-adjectives being used, but replacing the na we all
know and love since the MTC with a no for some reason. These are all
incorrect; no should not be used in these cases. There are a few adjectives
that take no (e.g. futsū no, kenkō no, etc.), but these are uncommon. Know
which is which, but na is likely the safer option.

S
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-Sa --- 3-2-2

-Sama --- 3-2-2

Saseru --- 2-3-4

--- Causatives can be important to study, but they have proved to be
difficult for many missionaries to learn. You could do without them, but it
would be a good idea to study them once you've got the basics down.
--- There are two forms to see here: -saseru and -sasu. The latter has a
feeling of more direct involvement and/or force. The former is a more
general; it can mean to force or to allow/have do. Both have the idea of
causing someone or something to do something. With Ichidan verbs, the
pattern is BI saseru, BI sasu. With Godan verbs, the pattern is BI seru, BI su.
If you want to say you had someone do something, it would probably just
be best to use Bte morau (i.e. Ressun o oeru tame ni, Yamamoto-san ni
inotte moraimashita." (To end the lesson, we had Mr. Yamamoto pray.)
--- A note found in the Appendixes, pg. 588 shows an interesting pattern
you may notice a lot; with Godan verbs, -sasu changes intransitive verbs
into transitive verbs. For example ugoku (to move) --> ugokasu (to move
something); hagemu (to strive) --> hagemasu (to encourage); heru (to
decrease) --> herasu (to decrease something). This idea can give a bit of a
clearer image of just how involved the -sasu can be in causing an action.

Sekkaku --- 2-3-1

--- It'll mostly do you good to recognize rather than use this. You likely
won't find yourself aching to use it.
--- When you do favors or do little acts of service, you will often hear
wazawaza. It has the feeling "go out of your way" or "take the trouble to".

Shi --- 4-5-5

--- This is used as a little stronger of an "and". It has the feel of putting a
stress on the and in English. "Watashitachi wa kare ni ressun o oshieta shi,
denwabangō o kōkan shimashita." (We taught him a lesson and we
exchanged phone numbers.) In this case, it can also have the feeling of
"plus" (i.e. We taught him a lesson plus we exchanged phone numbers). It
also can have the feeling of giving a reason for something. For example, you
may hear something like this: "Hotondo ie ni inai shi, chotto yakusoku o
tsukuru no ga muzukashii." (I'm hardly ever home, so it's a little hard to
make an appointment.") In this case, if the context is sufficiently clear, the
phrase after shi can be left unsaid / implied (i.e. "Hotondo ie ni inai shi...").
It basically gives an exhaustive list of either things that stack on top of each
other, whether good things, or often excuses or complaints (be aware that
In that kind of situation, using shi could sound a little whiny). It cannot be
used to start a sentence, however. Remember this adds some stress as and;
I've often heard missionaries use shi to list regular things, and it just feels
funny to natives.

-Shi- --- 3-4-4

--- This has a very good list of vocabulary to know (although you should
double check some translations it gives with another dictionary / Imiwa). A
good word to know is koishii; e.g. "Kazoku ga koishii" (I miss my family). Be
careful how you use it though because it seems to have a bit more
emotional connection to it.

Shika --- 4-4-5

--- Japanese use this all the time; they may even use it more than dake.
Sometimes you may hear someone say "Eigo wa chotto dake shika
shiranai" which is like "I don't know anything but just a little."
--- The note is so important: you have to use this with a negative. I think
missionaries often have the wrong idea when they think of shika meaning
"just", because it always causes them to mess up this essential rule. Shika
mostly actually means "except for". To reiterate: it must be used with
negatives.
--- Related Expressions: It compares shika, dake, and bakari here. I'll
summarize: if you use dake, it sounds more more neutral, not really any
emotion. Shika very strong and must be used with a negative. Bakari is like
a stronger and somewhat more emotional dake. It can only be used with
positives. It's a little more difficult to use how you may like. With this in
mind, listen to what natives say. You will get the best feel for it from them.
--- This isn't written here and I'm not sure how far it can be used, but I've
also heard shika following verbs, especially the phrase "ganbaru shika nai"
(which translates to something like "We don't do anything but our best").
Whether it is even technically correct grammar, I don't really know, but you
will hear it.

Shimau --- 4-5-5

--- The Pikachu focuses a lot on the "do completely" meaning, but you will
not hear it used much like that. It will almost always carry the "unfortunate
meaning." You could say "Nonde shimaimashita" to say "I drank it all". But
there is no chance of a mistake if you just said "zenbu nomimashita." (I
drank it all). For the most part you could just use BII owaru to mean "to
finish ～ing".
--- Once you have this down, I would suggest trying to listen for how the
contraction of this is used. Once you get a feel for how natives use it, go
ahead an use it likewise. You will often hear "tabechatta" (I at it all / I
(unfortunately) at it.)
--- You will also hear the Bta of this by itself, shimatta. This essentially
means "Shoot!" or "Dang it!" to put it into Mormon vocabulary. It's not
necessarily a curse word, but it can be pretty strong. As a missionary, I
recommend avoiding using it and being careful when you do. Try to
maintain dignified language (Ecclesiastes 3:1) A much lighter, acceptable
phrase you could use is "zannen", which more literally means,
"unfortunate".

Shiru --- 4-5-5

--- Please don't say "shitte inai" to say "I don't know"; you use "shirimasen."
And use "shitte imasu", not "shirimasu" to mean "I know ～".
--- For the negative, you may also hear shiran often in informal
conversation.

Sō da (1) --- 2-2-2

--- To say "I heard", you could also use "to kikimashita" (I heard ～) or "to
iwareta" (I was told / it was said that ～). Those may be easier to use.
--- Don't mix this up with Sō da 2.

～Sō da (2) --- 4-4-4

--- Be familiar with the formation differences between this sō da and the
one above. Often I hear missionaries try to say something like "You look
tired" but say "Tsukarete iru sō desu" or "inai sō desu" to say "it doesn't
look like they're here." But that actually means "I hear you're tired" or "I
hear they're not here." (Sō da 1). Natives usually get the idea, but it sounds
awkward.
--- It's easier to remember the meaning difference by comparing it with the
formation difference. Sō da 2 is connected to the verb/adjective by
connecting it to BII or removing the i of i-adjectives; it is more apart of the
word and thus easier to recognize first hand (i.e. something seems a certain
way from what you see or feel). On the other hand Sō da 1 is disconnected
(it is followed by BIII verb, i, or da) and likewise so is the information (i.e.
you heard it, you didn't perceive it directly).
--- Also be well familiar with mitai. It is very versatile and easy to use. See
notes for the entry "Yō da" for more information.
--- Note 2: This is very important. I hear missionaries make this mistake so
much; for example you go visit someone and they don't seem to be home.
Many missionaries say "inai sō desu" (see notes above) or "inasō desu."
Both are wrong. When using a negative with nai, it becomes nasa first; so
instead you would say "Inasa sō desu." Also ii (which when "conjugating"
becomes yoi) has a similar pattern and becomes yosa (i.e. yosasō desu.) I
don't know why, though.

Sore de --- 5-4-5

--- Sore de is easy to use. Many missionaries use dakara, but you should try
to use sore de more. They're not the exact same, but very similar.
--- Sore de has much of a "that's why" feel. It gives a legitimate reason for
something (it has a similar feel to node). Meanwhile dakara is a much more
general use of because. Many missionaries also use "Nazenara ～ kara
desu" (which has more of a "it's because" feel), but they're not quite the
same. When using sore de, you give a reason. When using nazenara ～ kara
desu, you are giving an explanation. For example, you might say "I love the
gospel". If you want to explain what how you love the gospel, use nazenara
～ kara desu; if you explain why you said that (i.e. what you did as a result
of that love) use sore de. (See notes above under Nazenara(ba).)

Sore de wa --- 2-3-2

--- Notes 2 & 3: You'll often hear de wa as just ja / jā. It is useful, but you'll
best learn how to use it by listening to natives.

Sore kara --- 4-4-5

Sore nara --- 1-2-0

--- You will hear sonnara and in Kansai, you'll also hear honnara. They mean
the same thing. I wouldn't worry about using them at all though.

Soretomo --- 4-3-4

Soshite --- 5-4-5

--- I hear some missionaries use this to mean because or to follow logically
on their last sentence. It mostly makes sense, but sounds very gaijin. Try to
use other principles to do that. Instead you should read the entry in the
Pikachu for what soshite actually means.

Sugiru --- 4-4-4

--- When you want to add sugiru to a verb and an adverb, you just put the
adverb before the verb like usual and conjugate the verb to BII sugiru. In
other words, just conjugate the verb. For example, if you want to say
something like "We are teaching too fast", then you would say hayaku
oshiesugite iru. You could probably also use no wa ～ da (oshiete iru no wa
hayasugiru) or BII kata (oshiekata wa hayasugiru).
--- Note 2: Remember when conjugating ii, it becomes yoi first. Therefore it
is yosugiru, not isugiru (that would sound like "you're existing too much"
from iru). This also happens with some adjectives with a free-hanging "ii"
on the end (namely kakkōii, which with this grammar principle becomes
kakkōyosugiru (too cool/handsome/etc.).).
--- Note 3: I don't hear this much, but when using sugiru with nai, you have
to change nai to nasa; i.e. nasasugiru, which usually translates as "too little
〜".

Sukida --- 5-5-5

--- Be sure to mark the think you like with ga. Suki is an adjective in
Japanese so it is describing the subject (what is marked by ga). I have heard
some regions use o (を), but this isn't grammatically correct.
--- This can also mean favorite, especially when used as a na-adjective
before a noun; e.g. "Suki na tabemono wa nan desu ka?" (What is your
favorite food?)
--- I recommend studying this along side "Kiraida".

Sukunai --- 4-5-4

--- This is the opposite of ōi (but it doesn't have all the same uses). See
notes for the entry ōi.

Suru (1) --- 5-5-5

--- The basic meaning of suru is "to do", but it is used more versatilely in
Japanese. You can say "I'm doing a nametag" to mean "I'm wearing a
nametag" (nafuda o shite imasu) ; "We are doing church volunteers" to
mean "We are church volunteers" (kyōkai no borantia o shite imasu); "I do
this store" to mean "I run this store" (Kono mise o shimasu); etc. It is a
useful way of expressing several different things using one of Japanese's
most basic words, suru. Sometimes I see missionaries overcomplicate their
approach to learning the uses of suru, but just try to understand suru in a
more broad sense and it will make more sense.
--- A very important concept illustrated here is translated as "make 〜".
This is usually "～ o ～ ni suru" (or in the case of i-adjectives, replacing the i
with ku, making it an adverb (which is the basic idea of the grammar
construct)). "Kamisama wa Josefu Sumisu o yogensha ni shimashita" (God
made Joseph Smith a prophet); "Reihaidō o kirei ni shite kuremashita" (He
made the chapel clean / He cleaned the chapel); "Hon no yama o motto
takaku shite kudasai" (Please make the pile of books taller.) You will hear
and use this principle often. Keep your ears open and you'll see this used in
many different ways.
--- Under related expressions, it mentions "yaru", however you shouldn't
worry about that until after you're comfortable using most of the Pikachu.
For now, just pay attention to how natives use it and understand it often
has the same meaning as suru.

Suru (2) --- 2-2-1

--- This comes from the same idea describe in the first part of the notes
above, but applies to characteristics of something. As foreigners, you'll
likely hear people talking about your non-Japanese characteristics. For
example, if you have blue eyes you may hear, "Anata wa kirei na me o shite
iru yo!" (You have such pretty eyes!) That said, most people don't use this
grammar structure to express it. Like it says, you'll probably just hear the "
～wa ～ga" construction (see that entry for details): "Anata wa me ga kirei
desu yo!"

Suru (3) --- 3-4-3

--- This applies to non-visual perception. You use it to say you feel, hear, or
smell something, etc. For visual, use suru 2, or just say it another way (as
shown under Notes). It's hard to literally translated into English, but this is
another way Japanese uses suru to simplify vocabulary. You may often hear
"Jishin ga shimashita." (I felt an earthquake.); "Ie wa ii nioi ga shimasu ne."
(Your house smell good.); "Carupisu mitai na aji ga suru ne?" (It tastes like
Calpis, doesn't it?)
--- Speaking of tasting, you probably shouldn't use ajiwau. That has more of
a "savor" feel, like you're emotionally involved somehow. In most cases it
just has a funny feel. Either use this principle or say something else for now.

Suru (4) --- 2-1-1

--- This is just another principle which shows how broadly suru is used and
interpreted in Japanese. You won't hear it this way much, however. If you
want to know how much something costs, use "Ikura desu ka?" For more
detailed usage, see the entry Ikura from page 138 of the Charzard.

Suru to --- 3-2-2

 T
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-Tachi --- 4-4-4

Tai --- 5-5-5

--- Don't worry too much about the difference between using o and ga with
a verb; almost always o is safer grammatically.
--- Remember that BII tai is conjugated like an i-adjective; i.e. kunai, katta,
kunakatta, kereba, kattara, kute, or ku naru. Missionaries often make the
mistake of saying things like "Muzukashii ni naru" (It will get difficult/hard)
or "tabetai ni naru" (I came to want to eat/I got hungry). These are wrong;
you should say "muzukashiku naru", "tabetaku naru".

Tamaranai --- 2-1-1

--- You shouldn't worry about using this much. The only exception might be
BII takute tamaranai (dying to 〜; want to 〜 and can't stand it) (see
Example Sentence C). For example, "Fukuin no messēji o tsutaetakute
tamaranai" (I am dying to tell you a message of the Gospel). It comes off
pretty strong, so take that into consideration
--- You may hear Bte shikata ga nai sometimes, which appears to be more
common. It has less emotion and translates kind of as "I can't help but ～".
By itself or after Bte mo, shikata ga nai more means "it's of no use" (it
literally means, "there is no way to use/do it"). That said, none of the
principles under this entry are used significantly or are of much use.

Tame (ni) --- 5-5-5

--- Often missionaries overuse yōni when they should instead be using tame
ni. I can't exactly explain a good rule of thumb of when to use which, but
just be aware of it and listen to natives.
--- Another good way of asking why to people is using "nan no tame ni ～",
which kind of means "What for?" or a little more literally "For what
purpose?".
～Tara --- 5-5-5
--- Btara can mean if or when depending on the context. Some missionaries
think it means both (i.e. if and when 〜) but this gives the wrong
impression of how it's used, I think, especially since it still implies that there
is an if to it.
--- As an if, this feels like the most basic and versatile of all the if principles.
Most missionaries get used to BIV ba the most, and although is a necessary
part in your vocabulary, Btara is more useful and used. If you add moshi to
the start of the sentence, there will be no misunderstanding as to whether
Btara is if or when; it will be if (moshi is only used with if's).
--- As a when, there is an important difference between Btara and toki. Toki
refers to a time when you do something (toki literally means time), but
Btara means that following an action or event, a subsequent result or
action takes place. Keep in mind that the second action in the sentence
must be AFTER (toki doesn't have the same rule). In both if and when, Btara
has a condition: that is that Action 1 takes place and THEN Action 2 can/will
take place. Both the if and when principles are used all the time. To has the
same rules, but Action 2 can only be a result, not anything controllable. See
notes for the entry for To 4.
--- Another way the difference between Btara and toki can be illustrated is
like going home. Imagine a house with a front door (and in case you didn't
know, kaeru means to go home (Godan)). If you say kaeru toki, it gives the
image of the time you get to the door. If you say kaettara, it gives the
image of passing through the front door. Toki can be more broad than that,
but that is the basic image.

～Tara dō desu ka --- 4-3-4

--- This is good to know an illustrates how dō can be used for suggestions. It
literally means "if you 〜, how is that?" Sometimes Japanese speakers,
especially females, leave out the dō desu ka; e.g. "Yamamoto-san ni homōn
shitara?" (If you visited Yamamoto? / How about you visit Yamamoto?)

～Tari ～tari suru --- 5-5-5

--- Note 2: Don't forget the suru after Btari. Japanese often drop it, but
when you are first learning the language, always include suru; you'll
develop bad grammar habits otherwise. For example, "Morumon sho o
yondari, oinori o shitari suru koto niyotte kamisama no eikyō o kanjiru koto
ga dekimasu." (You can feel God's influence by doing things like reading the
Book of Mormon and praying.)
--- You can use Btari several times in the same sentence.
--- You will often hear Japanese people include toka after Btari (i.e.
Morumon sho o yondari toka oinori o shitari toka, sō sureba kamisama no
eikyō o kanjiru koto ga dekimasu.) It seems to mostly emphasize the fact
they're giving a general, inexhaustive list (not listing everything, just
examples). Btari could be a general or specific list while toka is only general
(explained in Related Expressions under Toka); perhaps using both just
clarifies that it is only general, but I'm not sure.

-Tatte --- 2-1-0

--- This is a more emotional version of Bte mo, that you shouldn't be too
concerned about. As it mentions in Note 1, in contrast with Bte mo, this is
only used for hypotheticals (i.e. even if), not actuals (i.e. even though) (see
notes for the entry Te mo for commentary on those differences).
--- Another not-terribly-important nuance the book tries to show is that -
tatte is a use of the subjunctive mood, while Bte mo is indicative. If you
don't know what that means, use the Apple Dictionary to view the
definitions (and under subjunctive perhaps the usage at the bottom), and
with that in mind compare Example Sentence A and the sentence under
Related Expressions. It's a slight nuance.
--- It might be a good idea to look over this entry to help you understand
when you do hear it, but you should not be concerned about using it. Also if
you understand -tatte the same you understand Bte mo without the
nuances of subjunctive versus indicative, etc., you won't lose anything
substantial by it.

-Te --- 5-5-5

--- Note 3: Bte doesn't just mean "and". Often the first verb is more
involved and influences the second verb, so sometimes it means "having
done 〜", as in Example Sentence A; it says "Taking off my coat, I hung it on
a hanger." In this example sentence it would also make sense to say "I took
off my coat and hung it on a hanger." However sometimes it doesn't
translate so nicely. For example, "Kono seiku o yonde, dō omoimasuka?" It
could be "You read this scripture and what do you think?", but the
Japanese's meaning is more closely illustrated in English by saying "Having
read this scripture, what do you think?" I think understanding this would be
very beneficial for especially some missionaries' understandings of
Japanese.
--- The commentary under D is important, especially when describing how
you go/come somewhere. People often asked how you came/went
somewhere. If you say you walked somewhere, you would put aruku in Bte
and use iku/kuru (e.g. Watashitachi wa aruite (koko ni) kita. (We walked
here/We came here by foot).). To say by bike/train, you would say
jitensha/densha ni notte kuru, etc. (you could also say jitensha/densha de,
which is an extension of the same concept using desu).
--- See Note 4 under the entry Ne. Often Bte ne is used to give a reason for
something at the end of a sentence. I think it can be easy to misunderstand
and miss if you don't know this detail. Watch out for it.
--- I've actually heard BI nakatte used like a past tense Bte of a negative
fairly often. It is most definitely grammatically incorrect, but it just goes to
show that even natives mess up. (: But I beg of you, don't use it yourself.

Te mo --- 5-5-5
--- This could be hypothetical (i.e. even if) or actual (i.e. even though). In the
case of hypotheticals, you can use the word totoe to emphasize that "even
if" feeling. It is used the same way as "moshi" is used for if grammar
principles. That said, it's not as common and seems to be mostly used in
more formal conversation.
--- In the case of "actuals" (things that actually happen(ed)), noni 1 is very
similar. However Bte mo has more meanings and is a little more versatile. In
cases where either Bte mo or noni are appropriate, Bte mo is a little more
nonchalant in comparison to noni; there's not a lot of emotion to Bte mo.
Noni expresses greater emotion and/or surprise. You will hear noni used to
end a sentence; you will not hear Bte mo at the end. Listen to natives and
you should get an idea of that.
--- It is good to know how it is used with WH-words. Understanding this can
help explain WH-words with "demo" (nandemo, daredemo, etc.), which
stems from the same idea. Often demo is used when it would be more
appropriate to use Bte mo. Try to get a feel for how to use both.
～Te mo ii --- 5-5-5
--- In more informal settings, the mo is often dropped; e.g. "Koko ni suwatte
ii?" You may notice that some people pronounce the ii very lazily/informally
and actually say ee; i.e. "Koko ni suwatte ee?"

Te yokatta --- 4-4-5 (Under Ba yokatta entry in Pikachu)

--- The formation is Bte yokatta. With a noun, that would be (noun) de
yokatta. This is often overlooked by missionaries when they read Ba
yokatta, so it's importance is stressed by making it another entry here.
--- You may also use the negative form to say "I am glad that I didn't do
something". The negative form is (plain form negative) BI nai in Bte. Bte of
an i-adjective is kute (see -Te or page 465 of the Pikachu, Formation 4). So
Bte of nai is nakute. You replace the i with kute. For example, "Tenkin
shinakute yokatta desu." ("I am glad that I didn't transfer.").

To --- 3-4-4
--- Note 2: This is very important. This to, meaning and, is ONLY USED WITH
NOUNS; not at the start of a sentence, nor after verbs, or adjectives, etc.
When used after a verb, adjective, etc., it could mean a variety things
(often To 4 but other to's as well); at the start of a sentence it is
unintelligible or sounds like you're trying to make up for accidentally ending
your last sentence. This is a VERY common mistake. It is hard for natives to
understand. Most foreigners can still get away with it, but it comes off as
incredibly gaijin. Instead either Bte, BII, or shi (read that entry for details)
should be used. Please use those instead. At the start of sentences, use
soshite for now (there are other things you can say, which you can learn
when you are ready for the Squirtle).

To (2) --- 3-3-3

--- This is simply an extension of the first to, just in a different part of a
sentence (which ends up translating a little differently into English, i.e.
with). To make it clearer, it would be good to use the adverbs issho ni or
tomo ni.

To (3) --- 5-5-5

--- Do not worry too much about the phonomimes, phenomimes, or
psychomimes at first. They may be fun to study, but you'll learn the ones
you need to know quickly. There are plenty in the Squirtle and Japanese
people would love to tell you about them. Ask investigators and members
in your free time if you'd like to.

To (4) --- 3-3-2

--- This is like Btara, and the second event comes after a condition is met (in
other words, when something or if something happens); however the
sentence following the to is the for-sure result, which means it cannot be
opinion, invitation, etc. For example, "Migi ni magaru to akai mise ga
miemasu." (When/if you turn right, you'll be able to see a red store.) Being
able to see the red store is a certain result of turning right, not just an
opinion or something like that. You will hear to used like this quite a bit.
Besides the rules described herein, it is practically the same as Btara (see
notes for the entry ～Tara).
--- This is almost always used in the present tense and hardly in the past.
Use toki unless you happen to have many natives tell you otherwise and
you understand well how it's used.
--- Again don't stress to much about all the if principles. It will come
naturally from listening and paying attention to natives talking.

～To ieba --- 2-2-1

--- You will hear much more often tte instead of this. You will also hear
ttara, but not as often. This is basically used to change the subject by going
on a tangent from what someone may have said or context. Listen to
natives.

～To iu --- 5-5-4

--- This essentially takes a word or clause and packs it into something that
can be used to describe something. It literally means "to say" or "to be
called", and although it may be used that way, it is used in other ways very
generally and loosely. In fact I've heard an entire role-play played for a
branch demonstrating how to invite their friends to an activity, and to wrap
it up, they said "to iu kanji desu." ("Kind of like that" (or more literally, "it is
a feeling that says ～")).
--- When used with a clause, usually the same idea is simply done directly
without to iu using Relative Clause (Plain Form Noun). However, to iu seems
to be a little more indirect and a little less exact, which can be a helpful
nuance. Listen to how natives use it, and it will come pretty naturally.

To iu ka --- 4-5-4 (Not in the Pikachu)

--- You will hear and use this often. It means "would you say 〜 ?", but
usually has a feeling of "rather than 〜..." or "Actually...". It's used to call
into question a characterization or description or clarify one. For example,
"Kyōkai ni ikenakatta kedo, dō shite desu ka? Isogashii?" "Isogashii to iu ka?
Mā, nete imashita." This should be very easy to pick up if you look for it.

Toka --- 4-5-5

Toki --- 5-5-5

--- I think many missionaries overcomplicate the when principles. There are
lots of little rules and nuances, but there is no need to be so concerned
about it (at least not until a more advanced level). Sometimes it's better to
just say something simple that gets across.

Tokoro da (1) --- 3-3-2

--- Good for giving directions.

Tokoro da (2) --- 4-3-3

--- This is good to know.
--- Key Sentence 5 and BII sō ni naru (see "-Sō ni naru" from page 409 in the
Squirtle) both practically mean the same thing. I would ask an older
missionary to describe this to you; I think it's good for even less
experienced missionaries to know with tokoro da (however you should first
understand Sō da 2 to understand how this works). However BII sō ni naru
has a feeling of it never actually was going to happen, it just seemed like it
would. For example, "Wasuresō ni natta n desu ga..." (It seemed like I was
going to forget, but...). BII sō ni naru is usually used in the past tense.

～ To shite --- 5-4-4

～ To shite wa --- 3-3-2

--- This principle comes from a more advanced principle not in the Pikachu,
"to suru". In a basic sense, it means "to assume". Meanwhile ni shite wa
comes from ni suru, which means "to make" (see suru 1). Knowing this
difference can help distinguish the nuance between to shite wa and ni shite
wa. However to shite wa is used more often and more worth your time
(compare the given ratings). (The grammar structure to suru is explained in
the entry To suru from page 518 of the Squirtle).

Tsumori --- 3-2-3

--- A principle I've seen similar to this is "yotei", which means plans,
arrangements, schedule, etc. In fact it seems be used more often than
tsumori. You can use it in the same formation as tsumori (i.e. BIII yotei
da/desu) to mean "planning on/to". For example, "Watashi wa ashita,
Shiroyamadai no hō ni itte, Shimada-san to iu kyūdōsha ni au yotei desu."
"Tomorrow we're planning on going to Shiroyamadai and meeting with our
investigator, Mr. Shimada." It sounds a little more intelligent / organized
than tsumori. I personally prefer it in most cases.

-Tte (1) --- 4-4-3

--- A useful contraction of several things related to things that are said. It
says it's informal, but I've heard it used in somewhat formal settings too.
That said, make sure you use understand how natives use it before ever
using it like that. As a topic marker, you should stick with wa.
--- In the combination "tte iu" the first "t" can be removed, but it has a
slightly even more informal feel. You'll mostly hear it as "Nante?" (What did
you say?)

-Tte (2) --- 4-4-5

--- You will often hear this used after n da (see No da); e.g. from the Key
Sentence: "Jēn wa odoranai n da tte." I assume the nuance is the same as
that of a normal usage of n da (see notes for that entry). Not a big deal
though.

U
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Uchi ni --- 2-1-1

W
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Wa (1) --- 4-5-5

--- To try to explain it simply, wa largely gives a background for the rest of
the sentence while ga is an actor within that (or it is replaced by wa,
becoming the background). But please don't get too worried over the
difference between wa and ga when you start out. You'll get a feel for it.
Keep thinking about it and paying attention to native usage and you'll start
making connections. Natives will understand what you mean (for the most
part). (Note that wa can also replace o. You'll get a feel for that too).
--- Wa can also be used to emphasize something (as opposed to other
things) or stress something. You'll hear it sometimes, but that too you'll get
a hang for if you listen for it. For both, see more commentary under
"Double Particles" above).

Wa (2) --- 0-4-0

--- In Kansai, men use this as well. But especially as a gaijin Elder, this would
come off very feminine or try-hard and just straight weird. For Sisters I
would still probably recommend using principles like yo instead unless you
understand dang well how native women use it.

～ Wa ～ da --- 5-5-5
--- When you are first learning Japanese, it is much better to use a series of
short, simple sentences than try long, complex sentences. Push yourself,
but pace yourself. Slowly work up to it.
--- In Kansai you will often hear ya for da. You may even hear ja / jā.

～ Wa ～ ga --- 5-5-5
--- Many missionaries will say something like, "Watashi no nihongo wa jōzu
de wa arimasen" (My Japanese isn't good). First of all, you don't need to
apologize, no one wants to hear it. Secondly, "Watashi wa nihongo ga jōzu
de wa arimasen" is a better way to say it. It's much more natural in
Japanese.
--- Make sure you have a solid understanding of most the principle in this
book (in particular wa, ga, this principle, and Relative Clauses) before
spending time on the following note:
--- You cannot use wa in a subordinate clause or Relative Clauses, so it
made me wonder for a while how I was suppose to use this structure
without using wa. It turns out (in most, not all cases) you just replace the
wa with ni. In fact wa usually replaces ni in the "～ wa ～ ga" pattern.
You'll notice in many example sentences in the Pikachu, as another option
for wa they use "ni wa" (particularly in possession with aru and iru), which
illustrates this link. This ni is an interesting usage of ni 3, the indirect object
marker. However if you used 2 ga's in the same clause it would still be
understandable and in Modern Japanese sometimes even grammatically
correct (see Iru 3, Note 4). Though it's technically incorrect, you could easily
get away with just using the "～ wa ～ ga" construct and ignoring the rule.
You may use other structures like "ni totte" if this is difficult to use for you.
BUT, to have to use this whole structure in a subordinate clause or Relative
Clause is very rare. It usually means you're overcomplicating your sentence.
However this concept can be useful to know sometimes.

～ Wa ikenai --- 2-2-1

Wakaru --- 5-5-5

--- You won't hear wakaru used with o hardly at all. Though there are times
you can use "～ o wakaru", unless you fully understand the concept they're
trying to illustrate and get a feel for it from listening to natives, you should
stick with marking the object with ga. You might also say, "～ o rikai suru"
and it works all good.
--- You do not use koto ga dekiru or rareru. It essentially already is a "can
do" verb. It sounds funny saying "wakaru koto ga dekiru" or "wakareru".
Please don't do it. You may use rikai dekiru or use a form of shiru instead.
--- For the negative, you may also hear wakaran often in informal
conversation.

Wake da --- 0-1-0

--- You will hear wake da all the time, but it's usually not this wake da. It is
almost always the Wake da in the Squirtle (from page 570). You shouldn't
really waste time on this one until you're at an advanced level, but should
study the Squirtle's wake da (and wake de wa nai, from page 574 of the
Squirtle).

Y
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-Ya --- 3-3-2

Ya --- 3-3-3
--- Usually toka is used to express the same/a very similar idea. I hear toka
more in conversation, and ya written or formal.
--- You only need to say ya once, the first time; e.g. "Shiawase ya heian,
nagusame, anshin, kōfuku, yasuragi o eru koto ga dekimasu" (You can
obtain things like happiness, peace, comfort, security, another word for
happiness, and peace of mind). You don't need to put ya after every word,
it is implied. You will probably use toka more than once though.

Yahari --- 3-4-2

--- More often yappari is used. It's more important to understand than use
it.
--- Another form you may hear is yappashi. It is used often in Kansai
(especially older people).
--- You will best get a feel for this word listening to natives.

-Yasui --- 4-4-4

--- It is probably best to study this with BII nikui. They both use the same
formation and follow the same patterns. (Most commentary goes together,
so for commentary refer to the entry for BII nikui)
--- Note 2: see commentary for BII nikui. This is an important rule to
understand.
--- Do not use yasui by itself to mean easy. BII yasui means "easy to ～".
Yasui means cheap / inexpensive. Please use kantan (simple) if you want to
say easy.

Yo --- 3-4-4
--- You use "desu yo ne" when you feel really confident in what you're
saying and you'd like the other guy to acknowledge either verbally or
internally that you are right. It is used in persuasive situations; you expect
the other person to agree with your assertion.

Yō da --- 4-5-4 (Pay attention to mitai)

--- Look at the rating. Actually, you don't hear yō da all that much; BUT it is
very good to know the meaning, especially so that you can understand its
more informal counterpart, mitai, which has the same meaning (i.e. "it
seems") and is used all the time. Honestly it's not all that informal at all.
Listen to natives. When used with nouns, the formation is (noun) mitai da
(compared to (noun) NO yō da). Na-adjectives follow the same pattern.
With mitai, you can attach it directly to any word. Keep in mind that
although it looks like one, mitai is not an i-adjective but a na-adjective.
--- Related Expressions: here they break down how darō, rashii, BII sō da,
and yō da / mitai are different. There is also a not-apparently-easy-to-
understand graph. They are fairly good details to know. Basically darō (the
same as deshō) is a random guess. Rashii is something you read or heard
(3rd-person info). BII sō da is from what you see. Yō da / mitai is what you
see mixed with what you can logically infer from it (of all of them, it sounds
like the most legitimate information). They all involve assuming something
based on incomplete information. (You'll also see BIII sō da on the graph;
there's no conjecture, which means you aren't putting in your own
thoughts, just purely saying what you read or heard.) Once you are familiar
with them all, it would be a good idea to compare them using the
information here.

Yōni (1) --- 5-5-5

--- You may also see this same idea expressed without the ni, just yō in
written language (as is written in Our Purpose) It means the same thing; yō,
but you won't say it.
--- To be more formal, you can put the verb before yōni in masu form.
--- You may often hear Japanese people end sentences with yōni (especially
in prayer). This largely has the meaning of "May ～"; e.g. "Kyō watashitachi
wa mina mitama ni kyōka saremasu yōni." (May we all be edified by the
Spirit today). It is from this grammar principle, but everything after yōni is
implied (often the implication is what is described in ～yōni suru). It is
usually a very indirect request or hope.

Yōni (2) --- 3-3-2

--- You can often use the phrase "onaji yōni" to mean "just like ～" or
"likewise". You could also say "(noun) to issho de". "Morumon sho o yomu
toki to onaji yōni inoru toki ni mo seirei o kanjiru koto ga dekimasu." (Just
like when you read the Book of Mormon, when you pray you can feel the
Holy Ghost too."

～Yōni iu --- 3-3-3

～Yōni naru --- 3-3-3

--- This often has a feeling of indirectness, meaning something came to be
by some unknown, unexplained factor.
--- Note 1: Usually yōni naru implies that a process took place. If you use a
positive verb, it could be fast, but in that case you should always include an
adverb (e.g. kyūni (suddenly)). I feel you often can also use Bte kita for yōni
natta to imply a quicker change, but you should listen to natives before
trying it yourself to get a feel for it. With negatives, use naku naru to imply
it happened quickly.
--- To convey the idea that you "want to be able to 〜", you don't use
dekitai. Japanese people use "dekiru yōni naritai"; e.g. "Umaku oshieru koto
ga dekiru / oshierareru yōni naritai" (I want to be able to teach skillfully).

～Yōni suru --- 4-4-4

Yori (1) --- 5-5-5

--- You can often use this to express the same idea as hō ga ～ yori, but also
that the "hō ga" is often optional. When either can be used, from my
experience, the comparison doesn't seem as strong without hō ga.
--- Note 2: It says mo is optional after yori and doesn't change the meaning.
I don't feel so, I always feel there is a bit of a nuance. My thought is that mo
is from Mo 2 and adding it is like saying "than even" or something to that
effect. (e.g. Key Sentence C: "Watashi wa ryokō suru yori mo uchi ni itai." I
feel the translation would be "I'd rather stay home even more than go on a
trip.") The mo isn't strong here, but I think there is a slight nuance there.
--- You will also hear nani yori mo, which means "more than anything". Here
the mo is necessary, not optional, and definitely Mo 2. This is useful. For
example, "Nani yori mo, kono messēji ga anata no jinsei o yutaka ni suru
koto ga dekimasu." (This message can enrich your life more than anything
else). The formation "WH-word + yori mo" is good to know; i.e. dare yori
mo, doko yori mo, dore yori mo, etc.

Yori (2) --- 2-2-2

--- The word yori essentially just sets up a point of reference. It can be used
for comparison (as in yori 1) or, as shown here, more literally.
--- Related Expressions: the word ikō is good to know. It means "from 〜
(onwards)". It appears adding the particle ni after is optional. So if you said,
"Sanji ikō", it means anytime after three o'clock. This is used relatively
often, especially for appointments; e.g. "Itsuka sanji ikō (ni) kite kudasai."
(Please come sometime after three o'clock.); "Sangatsu ikō aite imasu."
(I'm available after March).

～Yō to omou --- 5-5-5

--- This is a spur of the moment type decision. In other words, it lacks a
feeling of premeditation; therefore it is used in situations in which you
haven't though much about your decision or the decision is not set in stone.
Usually you've made the decision on the spot.
--- Don't study Key Sentence B. Nobody uses BIII mai so don't worry about
it. Instead just use BI nai like normal.

Z
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Zutsu --- 2-2-2

--- This is very commonly used (especially as missionaries) as sukoshi /
chotto zutsu, "little by little". You may also hear things like ippo zutsu "step
by step". Besides that you don't hear it incredibly often.
--- Notes: The last sentence here is helpful. You can express the same idea
with or without zutsu, but when you add zutsu, it emphasizes an equal
distribution of something. Without zutsu, the EQUAL distribution is not
emphasized.

INDEX 1
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Combined Rating
This is geared around giving a very general view of what might be the
most important principles. The sum of the 3 ratings together provide a
range from 15 (higher priority) to 1 (lower priority), to act as a general
guide as to its relative importance. However, it is important to note that
this does not show where any particular strength is (e.g. frequency heard
from natives, frequency used by missionaries, etc.) and does not necessarily
suggest any specific order you should study these principles.

15 -
• Amari
• Aru (1)
• Ato de
• Dake
• De (1)
• Dō
• Ga (1)
• Hoshii (2)
• Iku (1)
• Imbedded Questions
• Iru (1)
• Iru (2)
• Ka (2)
• Kamoshirenai
• Keredomo
• Koto (1)
• Koto (2)
• Koto ga aru (1)
• Koto ga dekiru
• 〜 Kudasai
• Kurai
• Kureru (2)
• Kuru (1)
• Mada
• Mae ni
• Miru
• Morau (2)
• 〜Nakereba naranai
• Ne
• Ni (7)
• No (1)
• No (3)
• No da
• Node
• Noni (1)
• O (1)
• Rareru (1)
• Relative Clause
• Sukida
• Suru (1)
• Tai
• Tame (ni)
• 〜Tara
• 〜Tari 〜tari suru
• -Te
• Te mo
• 〜Te mo ii
• To (3)
• Toki
• 〜 Wa 〜 da
• 〜 Wa 〜 ga
• Wakaru
• Yōni (1)
• Yori (1)
• 〜Yō to omou
14 -
• Ko-So-A-Do
• 〜Mashō
• Ni (1)
• Ni (2)
• Shi
• Shimau
• Shiru
• Sore de
• Soshite
• Toka
• Wa (1)
13 -
• Hoshii (1)
• Kashira (Kanā)
• Mo (1)
• Naze ka to iu to
• 〜 No wa 〜 da
• Ōi
• Rareru (2)
• Shika
• Sore kara
• Sukunai
• Te yokatta
• To iu ka
• 〜 To shite
• -Tte (2)
• Yō da (Mitai)
12 -
• Ba yokatta
• De (2)
• Ga (2)
• Hō ga ii
• 〜 Hō ga 〜 yori
• Ka (1)
• Kara (3)
• Koto ga aru (2)
• Morau (1)
• 〜Nakute
• Oku
• Sō da (2)
• Sugiru
• -Tachi
• -Yasui
• 〜 Yōni suru
11 -
• Goro
• Goto ni
• Hazu
• Iku (2)
• Jibun (1)
• Jibun (2)
• Kara (1)
• Kiraida
• Ni (5)
• -Nikui
• -Shi-
• Soretomo
• 〜Tara dō desu ka
• To (1)
• -Tte (1)
• Yo
10 -
• Ba
• Ka (dō ka)
• Kara (2)
• Kureru (1)
• Mō
• Ni (4)
• Ni (6)
• Suru (3)
• Tokoro da (2)
9-
• Aida (ni)
• Darō
• Double Particles
• 〜Hajimeru
• Hodo
• Kata
• Kikoeru
• Kuru (2)
• Mai-
• Mieru
• Nagara
• 〜Naku naru
• Ni (3)
• No (4)
• O (2)
• Saseru
• To (2)
• Ya
• Yahari
• 〜 Yōni iu
• 〜 Yōni naru
8-
• Dake de (wa) naku 〜 (mo)
• De (3)
• Demo
• Made
• 〜Nai de
• Nara
• Nazenara(ba)
• To (4)
• Tokoro da (1)
• 〜 To shite wa
• Tsumori
• -Ya
• Yōni (2)
7-
• Iru (3)
• Kawari ni
• Koto ni suru
• Made ni
• Mo (2)
• 〜 Mo 〜 mo
• O 〜 suru
• 〜Owaru
• -Sa
• -Sama
• Sore de wa
• Suru to
6-
• Ageru (1)
• Ageru (2)
• Bakari
•E
• Koto wa
• Mama
• 〜Nasai
• 〜 Ni suru
• Sekkaku
• Sō da (1)
• Yori (2)
• Zutsu
5-
• Aru (2)
• 〜Garu
• Koto ni naru
• -Kun
• Nado
• Ni chigainai
• Noni (2)
• Rashii
• Suru (2)
• 〜 Wa ikenai
•
4-
• 〜Dasu
• Ni shite wa
• No (2)
• O-
• O (3)
• O (4)
• Suru (4)
• Tamaranai
• Uchi ni
• Wa (2)
3-
• Mono (da)
• Na
• O 〜 ni naru
• Sore nara
• Tatte
2-
• De (4)
• Kai
1-
• Dai
• Wake da