Natural Japanese — Part 2
Kinship terms, passive form, compound sentences, and everyday Japanese patterns.
Kinship Terms
Family Vocabulary
Use the Speaker's Family column when talking about your own family to others. Use the Outsider's Family column when referring to someone else's family members.
| Speaker's Family | Relation | Outsider's Family |
|---|---|---|
| 両親 | Parents | ご両親 |
| 父 | Father | お父さん |
| 母 | Mother | お母さん |
| 兄 | Older Brother | お兄さん |
| 姉 | Older Sister | お姉さん |
| 弟 | Younger Brother | 弟さん |
| 妹 | Younger Sister | 妹さん |
| 夫 / 主人 | Husband | ご主人 |
| 妻 / 家内 | Wife | 奥さん |
| 息子 | Son | 息子さん |
| 娘 | Daughter | お嬢さん / 娘さん |
| 祖父 | Grandfather | おじいさん |
| 祖母 | Grandmother | おばあさん |
| おじ | Uncle | おじさん |
| おば | Aunt | おばさん |
| いとこ | Cousin | いとこ |
| 甥 | Nephew | 甥御さん |
| 姪 | Niece | 姪御さん |
- ～ちゃん can become an intimate / childlike form: お母ちゃん, お兄ちゃん, etc.
- Colored terms (humble forms) can only refer to the speaker's own family.
- The kanji for uncle/aunt: 伯 (older than parent) vs. 叔 (younger than parent) — 伯父 vs. 叔父.
から vs. あと
- It is a temporal sequence: first A happens, then B.
- To emphasize that B must not precede A, use てから.
手を洗ってから食べる。
Wash hands, and only then eat.
- Noun + のあと(で) or V-ta + あと(で).
- Simply indicates temporal order without emphasis on sequence.
授業のあとで友達に会った。
Met friends after class.
～ないことはない
- Common double negative construction, affirms something with a nuance of reluctance or hesitation.
- Usually followed by a quite contradicting statement.
- Pattern: ～ないことはない = "it is not that I don't..."
行かないことはないけど...
It is not that I will not go, but...
食べられないことはない。
It is not that I cannot eat it (but I would rather not).
それで
- それで is followed by objective, factual statements only.
- Lightly suggestive; used to connect cause and result.
雨が降った。それで試合は中止になった。
It rained. And so the game was cancelled.
Appending Nouns
- Used for abstract activities, events, and experiences.
- Often used in grammar patterns like ことがある, ことにする.
日本語を話すことができる。
Can speak Japanese.
日本に行ったことがある。
I have been to Japan.
- Used for concrete, tangible, or sensory perceptions.
- Interchangeable with こと in some cases, but more concrete.
走るのが好きだ。
I like running.
- Physical things or objects.
- In casual speech (especially female), もの/もん = because.
しょうがないもの。
Because it cannot be helped.
甘いものが好き。
I like sweet things.
Summary
こと = abstract, の = concrete/sensory, もの = tangible things. Use in the way that best matches the context.
だから～ですから
- だから = casual. ですから = polite.
- Only marks reason/cause; both connect to a result.
- Used at the start of a new sentence to explain consequence.
雨だから行かない。
It is raining, so I am not going.
病気ですから休みます。
I am ill, so I will take the day off.
ず Words
Classical Negative ず
～ず can be added to verb stems to make a classical negative form, equivalent to ～ない. Some ず words survive as independent vocabulary in modern Japanese.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 絶えず | たえず | constantly; incessantly |
| 思わず | おもわず | involuntarily; unintentionally |
| 限らず | かぎらず | not limited to |
| 関わらず | かかわらず | regardless of; despite |
| 知らず | しらず | unknowingly |
| 変わらず | かわらず | unchanged; as always |
| 構わず | かまわず | not caring about; regardless |
| 必ずしも | かならずしも | not necessarily |
か / かな
- ～かな softens a question into a light self-reflection.
- Not a question directed at the listener.
明日晴れるかな。
I wonder if it will be sunny tomorrow.
- Used to reminisce about the past.
- It is a self-directed sentence ending.
あの映画、面白かったな。
That movie, it was fun (reminiscing).
Descriptive Uses of する
- Used with sensory or physical descriptions.
- The subject is the sensation itself.
いい匂いがする。
It smells good.
変な音がする。
There is a strange sound.
甘い味がする。
It tastes sweet.
嫌な気がする。
I have a bad feeling.
Dressing / Undressing Verbs
| Item | Put on | Take off |
|---|---|---|
| Hat | かぶる | 脱ぐ / 取る |
| Shirt (upper body) | 着る | 脱ぐ |
| Glasses | かける | 外す |
| Scarf / Tie | 巻く / 締める | 外す / ほどく |
| Watch / Ring | する / つける | 外す / 取る |
| Pants (lower body) | はく | 脱ぐ |
| Shoes | はく | 脱ぐ |
| Socks | はく | 脱ぐ |
State of Wearing
"Take off/on" verbs describe the action. To describe the state of wearing, use ～ている: 着ている (wearing a shirt), はいている (wearing pants/shoes), かぶっている (wearing a hat), かけている (wearing glasses).
Passive Form
Three Meanings of the Passive
- Normal (used with all): A is ~ed by B.
- Suffering passive (the "nuisance" passive): the speaker is negatively affected.
- Honorific: ~(ら)れる used as a respectful form.
AはBに～（ら）れる = A is ~ed by B.
先生に褒められた。
I was praised by the teacher.
この本は多くの人に読まれている。
This book is read by many people.
The speaker is negatively affected by the action — even if the action was not directed at them.
雨に降られた。
I got rained on (and was inconvenienced).
隣の人にたばこを吸われた。
The person next to me smoked (and it bothered me).
～（ら）れる used as a respectful form for the actions of someone you respect.
先生が来られた。
The teacher came (respectful).
社長が話された。
The president spoke (respectful).
In usage: add ら for ru-verbs (e.g., 食べられる). For u-verbs, change to あ-row + れる (e.g., 読む → 読まれる).
Nominalized Noun Phrases
- When a noun phrase modifies itself, the result becomes a nominalized expression.
- The modified noun can be replaced by の.
赤いの
The red one.
大きいの
The big one.
昨日買ったのはこれです。
The one I bought yesterday is this.
Compound Sentences
| Connection | Casual | Polite | Formal / Written |
|---|---|---|---|
| **AND** | ～て / ～し | ～まして | および / また |
| **BUT** | ～けど | ～けれども / ～が | しかし / しかしながら |
| **SO** | ～から | ～ので / ～ですから | したがって / そのため |
- Both て and し forms can make compound sentences, but し implies listing reasons.
- ～けど is casual; ～が is more formal and used exclusively in written Japanese (especially literature).
- ～から is casual reasoning; ～ので is softer and more polite.
- Certain conjunctions (しかし, したがって) are used in written Japanese or formal speech.
Omitting "I" and "you"
- "I" (私) is the default subject and is usually omitted.
- "you" (あなた) is considered rude in many contexts — use the person's name + さん instead.
- Pointing out the subject explicitly can feel emphatic or even confrontational.
- Politely rephrase to avoid the need for pronouns entirely.
田中さんがこれをくれた。
Ms. Tanaka gave this to me. (私に omitted)
映画を見ましたか。
Did (you) see the movie? (あなたは omitted)
これを食べます。
(I) will eat this. (私は omitted)
田中さんですか。
Are (you) Tanaka? (あなたは omitted — use name instead)
Tip
Polishing your ability to omit pronouns naturally will make your Japanese sound far more native. When in doubt, leave it out.
思う vs. 思っている
- An action which you do — a current judgment or opinion.
- Use for your own present thoughts.
- A momentary or subjective assessment.
明日は雨だと思う。
I think it will rain tomorrow.
- A regular way of thinking — an established belief.
- Use for third-person thoughts or ongoing opinions.
- Indicates a maintained or habitual belief.
彼はそう思っている。
He thinks so (ongoing belief).
日本に行こうと思っている。
I have been thinking of going to Japan.
Key Distinction
と思う = a thought happening right now. と思っている = a thought you hold ongoing or a third-person thought.