🌸 Your Japanese Vocabulary Adventure!
Imagine you’re a little explorer with a magic backpack. Every new Japanese word you learn is like a shiny treasure you collect!
🎨 Colors Vocabulary — Paint Your World with Japanese!
Picture this: You have a magical paintbrush. Every time you say a Japanese color word, that color appears in the air!
The Rainbow of Japanese Colors
| Color | Japanese | How to Say It | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🔴 Red | 赤 | Aka | “Ah-kah” — Like saying “Ah!” when you see a bright red apple! |
| 🔵 Blue | 青 | Ao | “Ah-oh” — The sound you make looking at the blue ocean! |
| 🟡 Yellow | 黄色 | Kiiro | “Kee-ro” — A key that’s yellow and glows! |
| 🟢 Green | 緑 | Midori | “Mee-doh-ree” — Think of green Midori melon! |
| ⚫ Black | 黒 | Kuro | “Koo-roh” — A cool black crow! |
| ⚪ White | 白 | Shiro | “Shee-roh” — A white hero in shining armor! |
| 🟠 Orange | オレンジ | Orenji | “Oh-ren-jee” — Just like English! |
| 🟣 Purple | 紫 | Murasaki | “Moo-rah-sah-kee” — A mooing purple cow! |
| 🩷 Pink | ピンク | Pinku | “Peen-koo” — Almost like English! |
| 🤎 Brown | 茶色 | Chairo | “Chai-roh” — The color of chai tea! |
🌟 Quick Story
Little Yuki looked at her crayon box. “This is aka!” she said, picking up the red one. She drew a big red sun. Then she grabbed ao for the blue sky and midori for the green grass. Her picture was beautiful!
🍱 Food and Drink Vocabulary — Let’s Eat in Japanese!
Imagine you’re at a magical Japanese restaurant. The menu is in pictures, and you know all the words!
Delicious Words to Know
Rice & Basics
| Food | Japanese | How to Say It | What It Is |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍚 Rice | ご飯 | Gohan | “Go-hahn” — The most important food in Japan! |
| 🍞 Bread | パン | Pan | “Pahn” — From Portuguese! |
| 🥚 Egg | 卵 | Tamago | “Tah-mah-go” — Eggs go in everything! |
Yummy Foods
| Food | Japanese | How to Say It |
|---|---|---|
| 🍣 Sushi | 寿司 | Sushi |
| 🍜 Ramen | ラーメン | Rāmen |
| 🍙 Rice ball | おにぎり | Onigiri |
| 🥢 Noodles | 麺 | Men |
| 🍖 Meat | 肉 | Niku |
| 🐟 Fish | 魚 | Sakana |
| 🥬 Vegetables | 野菜 | Yasai |
| 🍎 Fruit | 果物 | Kudamono |
Drinks
| Drink | Japanese | How to Say It |
|---|---|---|
| 💧 Water | 水 | Mizu |
| 🍵 Tea | お茶 | Ocha |
| 🥛 Milk | 牛乳 | Gyūnyū |
| 🧃 Juice | ジュース | Jūsu |
🌟 Quick Story
“Ocha please!” said Kenji at breakfast. His mom smiled and poured green tea. He ate his gohan with tamago on top. “Can I have kudamono too?” Fresh strawberries appeared. Yum!
👕 Clothing Vocabulary — Dress Up in Japanese!
You’re getting ready for a fun day. Let’s learn what to wear!
What’s in Your Closet?
| Clothing | Japanese | How to Say It | Remember It! |
|---|---|---|---|
| 👕 Shirt | シャツ | Shatsu | “Shah-tsoo” — Like “shirt” with an accent! |
| 👖 Pants | ズボン | Zubon | “Zoo-bon” — Pants for the zoo! |
| 👗 Dress | ドレス | Doresu | “Doh-reh-soo” — Pretty close to English! |
| 🧥 Jacket | ジャケット | Jaketto | “Jah-keh-toh” — Keep warm! |
| 👟 Shoes | 靴 | Kutsu | “Koo-tsoo” — Cute shoes! |
| 🧦 Socks | 靴下 | Kutsushita | “Koo-tsoo-shee-tah” — Under the shoes! |
| 👒 Hat | 帽子 | Bōshi | “Boh-shee” — On your head! |
| 👓 Glasses | 眼鏡 | Megane | “Meh-gah-neh” — To see better! |
| 🧣 Scarf | マフラー | Mafurā | “Mah-foo-rah” — Warm and cozy! |
| 👔 Necktie | ネクタイ | Nekutai | “Neh-koo-tie” — Very fancy! |
🌟 Quick Story
Sakura opened her closet. “What should I wear?” She picked a blue shatsu and her favorite zubon. She put on her kutsu and bōshi. “Perfect for the park!”
🏠 House and Furniture Vocabulary — Home Sweet Home!
Welcome to a Japanese home! Take off your shoes at the door — that’s the rule!
Rooms of the House
| Room | Japanese | How to Say It |
|---|---|---|
| 🏠 House | 家 | Ie / Uchi |
| 🚪 Room | 部屋 | Heya |
| 🛁 Bathroom | お風呂 | Ofuro |
| 🚽 Toilet | トイレ | Toire |
| 🍳 Kitchen | 台所 | Daidokoro |
| 🛏️ Bedroom | 寝室 | Shinshitsu |
Furniture Friends
| Furniture | Japanese | How to Say It |
|---|---|---|
| 🪑 Chair | 椅子 | Isu |
| 🪵 Table | テーブル | Tēburu |
| 🛏️ Bed | ベッド | Beddo |
| 🚪 Door | ドア | Doa |
| 🪟 Window | 窓 | Mado |
| 🛋️ Sofa | ソファ | Sofa |
🌟 Quick Story
“Welcome to my ie!” said Hiro. He showed his friend the daidokoro where mom was cooking. “This is my heya!” His room had a small beddo and a tēburu for homework.
🚗 Transportation Vocabulary — Let’s Go Places!
Time for an adventure! How will you travel?
Ways to Move
| Transport | Japanese | How to Say It | Fun Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🚗 Car | 車 | Kuruma | “Koo-roo-mah” — Wheels go round! |
| 🚌 Bus | バス | Basu | “Bah-soo” — Big and helpful! |
| 🚃 Train | 電車 | Densha | “Den-shah” — Electric train! |
| ✈️ Airplane | 飛行機 | Hikōki | “Hee-koh-kee” — Fly high! |
| 🚲 Bicycle | 自転車 | Jitensha | “Jee-ten-shah” — Pedal power! |
| 🚶 Walking | 歩く | Aruku | “Ah-roo-koo” — Use your feet! |
| 🚢 Ship | 船 | Fune | “Foo-neh” — On the water! |
| 🏍️ Motorcycle | バイク | Baiku | “Bye-koo” — Zoom zoom! |
| 🚕 Taxi | タクシー | Takushī | “Tah-koo-shee” — Call one! |
| 🚇 Subway | 地下鉄 | Chikatetsu | “Chee-kah-teh-tsoo” — Underground! |
🌟 Quick Story
“How do we get to the park?” asked little Mei. “Let’s take the densha!” said Dad. They walked to the station. The densha was fast and fun. “Next time, can we ride jitensha?” Mei loved her bicycle!
📍 Places Vocabulary — Where Are You Going?
Every place has a name. Learn these and you’ll never be lost!
Important Places
| Place | Japanese | How to Say It |
|---|---|---|
| 🏫 School | 学校 | Gakkō |
| 🏥 Hospital | 病院 | Byōin |
| 🏪 Store/Shop | 店 | Mise |
| 🍽️ Restaurant | レストラン | Resutoran |
| 🏦 Bank | 銀行 | Ginkō |
| 📮 Post Office | 郵便局 | Yūbinkyoku |
| 🏛️ Library | 図書館 | Toshokan |
| ⛩️ Shrine | 神社 | Jinja |
| 🏞️ Park | 公園 | Kōen |
| 🏬 Department Store | デパート | Depāto |
🌟 Quick Story
“First, gakkō!” said Mom on Saturday… just kidding! “Let’s go to the kōen!” They played at the park, then visited a jinja to make a wish. “Can we stop at a mise for ice cream?” Perfect day!
📚 School Vocabulary — Learning is Fun!
School in Japan is exciting. Here are words you’ll need!
Classroom Words
| Word | Japanese | How to Say It |
|---|---|---|
| 📖 Book | 本 | Hon |
| ✏️ Pencil | 鉛筆 | Enpitsu |
| 📓 Notebook | ノート | Nōto |
| 🎒 Backpack | カバン | Kaban |
| 👨🏫 Teacher | 先生 | Sensei |
| 👨🎓 Student | 生徒 | Seito |
| 📝 Test | テスト | Tesuto |
| 🏫 Classroom | 教室 | Kyōshitsu |
| 🖍️ Eraser | 消しゴム | Keshigomu |
| ✂️ Scissors | はさみ | Hasami |
🌟 Quick Story
Takeshi packed his kaban carefully. Hon, enpitsu, nōto… all ready! At school, sensei smiled. “Good morning, seito!” Today they would read a fun story in the kyōshitsu.
🌿 Nature and Animals Vocabulary — The Beautiful World!
Japan has amazing nature. Let’s explore!
Nature Words
| Nature | Japanese | How to Say It |
|---|---|---|
| 🌸 Flower | 花 | Hana |
| 🌳 Tree | 木 | Ki |
| ⛰️ Mountain | 山 | Yama |
| 🌊 Ocean/Sea | 海 | Umi |
| 🌧️ Rain | 雨 | Ame |
| ☀️ Sun | 太陽 | Taiyō |
| 🌙 Moon | 月 | Tsuki |
| ⭐ Star | 星 | Hoshi |
| 🌲 Forest | 森 | Mori |
| 🏖️ Beach | 海岸 | Kaigan |
Animal Friends
| Animal | Japanese | How to Say It |
|---|---|---|
| 🐕 Dog | 犬 | Inu |
| 🐈 Cat | 猫 | Neko |
| 🐦 Bird | 鳥 | Tori |
| 🐟 Fish | 魚 | Sakana |
| 🐰 Rabbit | うさぎ | Usagi |
| 🐻 Bear | 熊 | Kuma |
| 🐵 Monkey | 猿 | Saru |
| 🦋 Butterfly | 蝶 | Chō |
| 🐢 Turtle | 亀 | Kame |
| 🐘 Elephant | 象 | Zō |
🌟 Quick Story
Spring came to Japan. The hana bloomed pink on every ki. “Look, a chō!” said Yuki, pointing at a butterfly. Her inu barked happily. They walked to see yama in the distance. “The taiyō is so warm today!” What a perfect day in nature!
🎯 You Did It!
You’ve learned SO many Japanese words! Remember:
- Colors to describe the world 🎨
- Food to fill your tummy 🍱
- Clothes to look great 👕
- House to feel at home 🏠
- Transport to go anywhere 🚗
- Places to explore 📍
- School to learn and grow 📚
- Nature to enjoy the beautiful world 🌸
Keep practicing a little each day. Soon these words will feel like old friends!
🌟 Remember: Every expert was once a beginner. You’re doing amazing! 🌟