Kare wa uta ga umai desu
…wa …ga …
By using the ‘…wa…ga’ form, you can express concepts such as ‘like’, ‘dislike’, ‘good at’, and ‘want’.
In Japanese, desires, needs, likes, and dislikes are expressed using adjectives rather than verbs. Consequently, the object in English becomes the subject in Japanese. This pattern is similar to structures found in Russian and Spanish.
hoshii desu (want: i-adj)
suki desu (like: noun-adj)
kirai desu (don’t like: noun-adj)
umai desu (be good at: i-adj)
jouzu desu (be good at: noun-adj)
heta desu (be poor at: noun-adj)
hitsuyou desu (need: noun-adj)
I want muscle. >>> Muscle is wanted (for me). >>> (watashi wa) kinniku ga hoshii desu.
I like her. >>> She is adorable (for me). >>> (watashi wa) kanojo ga suki desu.
I’m good at singing. >>> Me(topic), singing is well performed. >>> (watashi wa) uta ga umai desu.
Words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| kinniku | muscle |
| uta | song, singing |
| ryokou | travel |
| okane | money |
| arimasen | don’t have |
| jikan | time |
| motto | more |
| kankoku | Korea |
| dorama | TV drama |
| mada | not yet |
| tanoshii | fun |
Expressions
Satou:
Watashi wa ryokou ga suki desu ga, okane ga arimasen.
Okane to jikan ga motto hitsuyou desu.
Suzuki:
Soudesune.
Watashi wa kankoku no dorama ga suki desu.
Kankokugo ga mada heta desu ga, tanoshii desu.
Exercise
Questions
Translate them into Japanese
I want money.
Human needs oxygen. *human (ningen, hito), oxygen (sanso)
Does Mr. Suzuki like cooking? *cooking (ryouri)
What does human need?
Ms. Honda doesn’t like excercises. *exercise (undou)
Answers
(watashi wa) okane ga hitsuyou desu.
Ningen wa sanso ga hitsuyou desu.
Suzukisan wa ryouri ga suki desuka?
Ningen wa nani ga hitsuyou desuka?
Hondasan wa undou ga kirai desu.