12th March 2012
issue 5iJapanese Newsletter

Published by iJapanese Language & Culture SchoolENDOFTERM
E V E N T

Giongo and Gitaigo – 擬音語 と 擬態語
Have you heard of ‘Giongo’ (擬音語) and ‘Gitaigo’ ((擬態語) ?
Have you ever used them?
Most of Japanese learners are introducedto ‘Giongo’ and ‘Gitaigo’ very early intheir language studies and don’t evenrealise it.
People who like Manga (Japanese comic)
and Anime (Japanese animation) might befamiliar with these words.
‘Giongo’ is ‘onomatopoeic words’ whichshows the sound of something, such asanimals and natural phenomena.
Japanese has about 2,000
onomatopoeia.
For example :ワンワン(Wan Wan ) – Bowwow
キーッ (Kiiiii) – screech

Term 2 Info
10th April:
Beginning of Term 2, 2012
9th April (Easter Monday)
There will be no classes running on
this day, but will be replaced on
Mon 25th June.

‘Gitaigo’ is ‘Mimetic words’ which imitate
situations and body movements.
For example :ゆっくり (Yukkuri) - slowly
そろそろ(Sorosoro) - soon
にこにこする (Niko niko suru ) - smiling
わくわくする (Waku waku suru) - excited

11th April (Queen’s Birthday)
There will be no classes running on
this day, but will be replaced on
Wed 27th June.
In order to organise our new termschedule we ask that you pleaseconfirm your next term scheduling witheither Phillip or your teacher.
If you have any questions regarding theabove dates please contact us.
Contact Details: 0401 886 629
info@ijapanese.com.au

There are many repeating words in
Giongo and Gitaigo and they might soundfunny to you.
インターネットが遅くて、いらいらする。

( Intaanetto ga osokute,iraira suru.)- I am frustrated with slow internet.
日曜日はたいていうちでごろごろしている。

(Nichiyoobi wa taitei uchi de gorogoroshiteiru)- I am usually lazy and relax on Sundays.
And you could say,
おなかがぺこぺこだったので、(Onaka ga peko peko datta node, )- Because I was starving,
焼肉をもりもり食べた。

(Yakiniku o mori mori tabeta ra.)- I ate Yakiniku heartily.
今、食べ過ぎてむかむかする。

(Ima tabesugite muka muka suru.)- Now I ate too much and feel sick.
Giongo and Gtaigo are not only used in
the comic books, they are also used in ourdaily conversations.

In English there are many onomatopoeicwords such as "thump”, ”murmur” and”clink”, while at the same time there arenumerous onomatopoeia in Japanesesuch as "buruburu," "konkon," and"gatagata". So it might be easier tounderstand what someone means.
However, the mimetic words that do notexist in English, causes difficulty forJapanese learners.

If you use these expressions correctly,
your conversation will be more natural,
emotional and lively.
Therefore learning ‘Gitaigo’ and ‘Giongo’is very useful not only to have richcommunication with Japanese nativespeakers, but also to understand Japaneseculture.

NEW TERM COMMENCES 10th APRILPage 2 of 4

iJapanese NewsletteriJapanesefreeservice
for students!
Write a diary in Japanese!
日本語で日記を書こう！
And Noriko will check yourwriting!
The best way to improve yourJapanese is to use it on a dailybasis.
We recommend writing a diary inJapanese. It will help yourskills, not only writing, but also
speaking, listening and reading.
Please email your diary entries
tonoriko@ijapanese.com.au

Student’s Story“Hajimemashite”

different scripts and sought the easier ( ? )Learning any
language for the firsttime is difficult
especially for early
Klaus Dithmer 60 year oldstarters. ( My wife : Linda and I ). As ourdaughter is living in Nihon and is marrying
into a Japanese dynasty in October thisyear, we thought it was about time tojump out of our comfort zone and take on
the challenge of Nippongo ( the Japanese
Language ).
At the beginning, we were alreadyfamiliar with some basic words such as“rickshaw”, “kimono”, “soy”, “geisha”,“samurai”, “sushi”, “sapporo” and“asahi”, but knew there was much moreto this language.
The terms “kanji” ( ideographs-symbols

Thank you to those students
who provide me withinteresting diaries.
I really enjoy reading them!
Norikothe reading and writing of these threethat each represent a concept, idea orthing ), “hiragana” and “katakana”(syllabic scripts where charactersrepresent syllables) were introduced andwe immediately decided that for ouroption of sticking with the Romanizedequivalents.
We’re into our 17th session and are
gradually beginning to understand a few
fundamentals of sentence structure andknowing the existence of the “i” and“na“ adjectives which differ from theirEnglish counterparts.
What makes us keep coming back to“iJapanese “ is having a bubbly personaof Noriko ( the face and contact of thelanguage school ) greeting you with thatwelcoming smile and our wonderful “kyooshi” ( teacher ) Mari who has a great
sense of humour, resilience and patienceand above all makes our lessons fun tolearn.
We have come along way since “soy”,“kimono” , and “sushi” etc, and lookforward to gaining further knowledge andinsight into the Japanese language andculture. I’m hoping to say a few words inJapanese at our daughter’s wedding.

purpose we would never be able to grasp

Quiz - Japanese Gesture クイズ 日本のジェスチャー
When we communicate with people, we use not only language but also body language such as gesture or facial expression.
All cultures have gestures and some of them are very different from other cultures, this may cause confusion for you.
These are a few of the Japanese gesture you might encounter. Do you know the meaning of them?
「日本語おしゃべりのたね」
Try this quiz! (the answers on page 4)(スリーエーネットワーク）より

1. Your a liar!
2. Itchy nose
3. Me

1. No way!
2. I understand3. Transforming!

1. Stinky!
2. It’s wrong
3. Feel hot

1. Excuse me for passing
in front of you
2. Please shake hands
3. Excuse me for going
before youiJapanese Newsletter

Page 3 of 4

iJapanese’s Anniversary - Phillip Anderson
Did you know it is iJapanese’s 2nd anniversary
this month?
Some of our students might be surprised toknow that 2 years has flown by from the day
we first opened our doors in March 2010.

Like all business, it takes time to grow and getwell established in the community. Trust andvalue for money is an important part of any
successful business and I believe that this is
one of many reasons why our school has
passed the 2 year hurtle that so many people

I would not be celebrating this if it wasn’t forthe support of our current and past students.
Noriko and I are extremely happy with theprogress of our school and equally excitedabout what we will be offering to you, ourstudents, in the future.

often talk about.

Let’s try cookingJapanese food!

From Mari まりより
‘Sakura zensen’!?
Do you happen to know what sakurazensen is?
Most of you may know the meaning ofsakura, which is the Japanese word forcherry blossom. As sakura starts
blooming in Okinawa and gradually
moves northward up the country towards
Hokkaido, it is called a ‘sakura zensen’,
which can be translated into “cherryblossom front”. So at this time of theyear in Japan, you will see sakurazensen forecasts on TV, usually after
weather forecasts, which predict when
and where sakura is likely to bloom inthe country. With this information,people can make plans to go to the parkand enjoy hanami (flower-viewingparties).

For Japanese people, sakura is very
special. March and April, when sakura
blooms all over Japan, is the time whenschools and companies start their newyear. In other words, many people
graduate and enter a new school, or
move to new places to start their newlives.
As we say in English, ‘we never meetwithout a parting’. As time goes by, we
have more and more experiences ofmeeting new people and parting fromfriends. Sakura is special for theJapanese because we can neverremember these memories without
sakura.
This coming April, sakura is going to bea very special flower for me, as I am
having my wedding ceremony in Tokyo.
I have been checking sakura zensen
forecasts on-line everyday to see if
sakura blossoms will be there with me tocelebrate my special day.

Gyuu don(Beef on rice bowl )Ingredients:
400cc Hot water
300g Thinly sliced
beef
1 Onion, thinly sliced
1 tbs Grated ginger
2 tbs Usukuchi soy sauce
2 tbs Koikuchi soy sauce
3 tbs Sake
3 tbs Sugar1 tbs Dashi (instant bouillon)
A pinch of salt
Pickled ginger
Method:1. Put 400cc hot water, dashi andonion in a pot. Cook until onion
softens.
2. Add sake, sugar, salt, soysauce, and beef. Mix and coverwith a lid.
3. Cook over a medium heat for 10
minutes. Then add grated ginger.
4. Cook for 1more minute. Add
sugar and soy sauce to taste.
5. Place 4 on the hot rice andscatter over pickled ginger totaste.

iJapanese Newsletter

Page 4 of 4

Announcement お知らせ
Cancelation System
If you are unable to attend your class, we ask that you notify us as soon as possible if on
the day of your lesson please contact us directly by mobile phone or sms message,instead of emailing us. Thanks
Private Lessons;48 hours notification is required to reschedule lesson within the same term.
Group lessons;
You will be able to reschedule and join another group lesson or reschedule a private lesson.

Did you know the “i”
in iJapanese's Logo
represents a bamboo
plant!

From Noriko のりこより
Catch up Lesson Price
Increases
We would like to remind you ofour prices increase for “Catchup Lessons” in 2012.
Price as of 16th January 2012:$22 per hour
We trust that you will
understand the necessity forthese price increase and welook forward to continuing toprovide you with the utmost
quality in lessons.

②-1

③-2

Our desire was quite simple - to provide
professional courses with a comfortable
and relaxing environment for all age
groups and professions.
Another aspects of our business was toprovide an introduction not only language
but also culture, hence the name
‘Language & Culture’.
To be honest, it has had its challenges,
especially with the business side of things,

but, I always enjoy seeing my students
and teaching Japanese.
Starting with zero students and little
business experience Phillip and I havebeaten the odds, despite both of us still
having other commitments outside of theschool.
I must say we could not have made it thisfar without the supports of our students,
Phil’s family & friends and, of course,
Mari sensee.
With appreciation to all of you.
Thank You.

Thank You ご挨拶

Quiz Answer①-3

As Phillip says, we have reached our 2ndyear of establishing iJapanese as abusiness.

④-1

How did you go with your answers?
Just in addition…
In western culture, shrugging yourshoulders means ’I don't know.
However for Japanese people, itappears to be an insulting gesture.
So be careful when you talk toJapanese people!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all again for learning with us at
iJapanese Language & Culture School. Your support to us has been invaluable as wecontinue to grow as an established Japanese language school in Melbourne.
We hope you have enjoyed learning
Japanese with us, and we will continue towork harder to build our school as the bestin Melbourne.
So please, fill in the questionnaire and give
us your feedback. Looking forward toseeing you all during the new term statingin April.
iJapanese Language & Culture School
488 Bourke Street Melbourne 3000
Phone: 0401 886 629
E-Mail: Info@ijapanese.com.au
Website: www.ijapanese.com.au