ＨＥＬＬＯ！ Ｉ　ＡＭ　ＱＵＩＺＢＯ™！Welcome to Word of the Week Wednesday! Betwixt Monday and Friday used to exist a span of days devoid of learning. But, with the creation of Japanese Word of the Week Wednesday, you can continue to keep your mind active and learning throughout the week! Perhaps, you would rather keep Wednesday a day for rest? That is useful, as well. You can use this segment for as much or as little new knowledge as you wish. This is also a great opportunity to remind yourself to revise and study previous lessons. The content presented will usually act as a useful catalyst for practice as well. But, what exactly is Word of the Week Wednesday?

If you would like to learn how to apply these words to your own basic sentences, feel free to take a look at a few of Kiki and Koko’s articles on this subject in Kiki+Koko: Let’s NihonGO!! Japanese Language Essentials.

Every Wednesday of the week, I present to you a Japanese word or phrase. When learning on your own, it can be difficult to know where to begin when it comes to expanding your vocabulary. With this segment,this issue will be a thing of the past. However, you are not simply given the word and left to suss it out yourself. I will help you pronounce each new word syllable by syllable, character by character. This way, you will also know how to spell said word using hiragana. You will also be provided with the proper kanji spelling when applicable. On top of this, if you do not know how to read the beginning ‘alphabet’ of Japanese, we also provide you with romanisation. Of course, the definition is also provided.

This is meant for learners of any level. With the help of Kiki and Koko, sentences incorporating the word or phrase is used to give a proper example. This can be helpful for those looking to improve their grammar or get inspiration for their own sentences to challenge themselves. Learning a language is not just about knowing what you will say, but knowing what will be said to you. So, the random nature can help with this feeling. Though, all in all, it does end up having a method to the madness.

These sentences are also written for you in their original script as well as in hiragana and romanised form. The sentences are translated in their closest proximity to English. But, this is not all. Though you should certainly repeat after the words to assist you in learning them,the sentences are at normal speed, so you probably would benefit most from using these as listening practice. If you are advanced and ambitious, however, you can feel free to try to repeat them. But, if you are a beginner, there are no worries.

As for the word choice this week, these seemed like they would be useful in practising some classroom nouns as well as practising using nouns you may be learning, particles and verbs. Again, you may even learn other vocabulary through the sentences, but if you are a beginner, it is best to focus on the simpler aspects and then build your way up. It is best to return to this article in future as many times as you wish no matter the day of the week.

Kiki and Koko are joining us once again to assist you with this week’s words.

Without further ado, let us NihonGO!!

Word(s) of the Week:

探す【さがす】※
sagasu
verb, transitive,(他動詞), godan (五段), ウ段（す）
1. to look for, to search (for something)
2. to seek, to search (i.e. something lost)

(Not to be confused with an online search as in 「検索」kensaku)

Bonus Word(s) of the Week:

無くす【なくす】※
nakusu
verb, transitive,(他動詞), godan (五段)
1. to lose (something); to mislay (‘misplace’)
2. to eliminate; to get rid of

(Usually written in hiragana when referring to losing something. Not to be confused with 亡くす, nakusu, as in losing someone to passing away. There are many homophones in Japanese.)

※Helpful Hints with Kiki+Koko

via @kikikokoNihonGO!!

Hello, there!

We’re Kiki and Koko from Kiki+Koko Let’s NihonGO!! Online! This is another special Word of the Week that includes verbs! Verbs are an essential part of sentences, but they’re also very useful to helping you practise nouns. If you’re going to want to use these words, you’ll probably want to know how to use them properly~~! And, being polite is an important part of written and spoken Japanese. Also, if you know anything about particles, which you can learn about in the Essentials section, you’ll probably want to know which is the best choice. So, let’s jump right into this!

Firstly, the polite non-past form of these two lovely verbs are:

探す→探します
sagasu→sagashimasu

なくす→なくします
nakusu→nakushimasu

And, because these are both transitive verbs, you’ll usually see 「を」used. As used with an example from our Classroom vocabulary list, you can apply these verbs as follows:

鉛筆をなくしました。
enpitsu wo nakushimashita.
(I) have lost (my) pencil.

鉛筆を探します。
enpitsu wo sagashimasu.
(I) will find (my) pencil.

If you have a good look at our grammar lesson concerning 「を」, you can also apply these skills to many more sentences!

And, though we already have a bonus word for today, you may be interested in how to say something was ‘found’. No need to focus too much on it, as we should eventually include it in a proper lesson, but if you’re curious, then this will be useful for future reference. To ‘look for’ or ‘search for’ is different to actually finding something, which is the act that you’re aiming for after you’ve looked for something. To help you remember, you can think of it this way:

探したものを見つけた。
sagashita mono wo mitsuketa.
(I) found what I was looking for.

or more politely:

探したものを見つけました。
sagashita mono wo mitsukemashita.
(I) found what I was looking for.

It’s definitely something to be said for learning about word choice. Even in one’s own language, there can be times that word usage can be mixed up, so it’s definitely something common in which you should pay mind. Especially early on when you’re learning, you may want to say that you’re going to ‘find’ something, but in Japanese, what you’re really looking to say is that you’re ‘looking for’ something. It feels very similar, but the action is a bit different. That’s why it’s always useful to learn more than one definition that’s attached to a word. Though words can hold different contextual definitions, it’s very helpful to get the idea in your head more easily.

But, as we always say, with practise and time, all of this will become much more natural. And, learning is a journey, so always be open to discovering new things, and don’t feel as though there’s any time limit on it. There will always be more to learn, so be sure to celebrate the milestones along the way. Each milestone is more than you knew before, and little by little, you’ll reach your goals.

We hope that helps!! Until the next lesson!

♡Kiki+Koko

Thank you, Kiki and Koko! This is a useful mindset, and also very useful conjugation, word choice, and sentence structure examples. Though we did not have an official SpeRaToBo News segment, I would like to mention that it is lovely of them to join us with their busy schedule this week. Due to issues that made recording impossible, they have been working on something that will allow them to work on newer and better radio show episodes and videos. There are quite a few being created with great difficulty, and many failed sessions that could not be recovered, but their dedication is admirable. But, you are also admirable for reading and visiting as well as doing your best. And, for you, I know they would go to the ends of the Earth to be sure they can provide the best content they can. To help you continue to be the best you can be, I now present you with the example sentences.

Example Sentences:

The first row is in Japanese with Kanji. The Next row is in hiragana, then romanised using rōmaji with the final row translated into English.
(Japanese→Hiragana→Rōmaji→English)

Example #1:

英語の教科書をなくしちゃった！探すのを手伝ってくれないの？クラスは一時間で始まるわ。
えいごの　きょうかしょを　なくしちゃった！　さがすのを　てつだってくれないの？くらすは　いちじかんではじまるんだわ。
eigo no kyoukasho wo nakushichatta! sagasu no wo tetsudatte kurenai no? kurasu wa ichijikan de hajimarundawa.
I’ve lost my English language textbook! Will you give me a hand in looking for it? My class starts in an hour.

Example #2:

日本語がわからない外国人として日本で仕事を探すのは大変だそうです。
にほんごが　わからない　がいこくじんとして　にほんで　しごとを　さがすのは　たいへんだそうです。
nihongo ga wakaranai gaikokujin toshite nihon de shigoto wo sagasu no wa taihen dasou desu.
I’ve heard it’s hard to look for a job in Japan as a foreign person that doesn’t understand Japanese.

Example #3:

地図で一番近いホテルはどこにあるか探してちょうだい。運転しながらできないわ。
ちずで　いちばん　ちかい　ほてるは　どこにあるか　さがして　ちょうだい。　うんてんしながら　できないわ。
chizu de ichiban chikai hoteru wa doko ni aru ka sagashite choudai. unten shinagara dekinai wa.
Please look for where the nearest hotel is on the map. I can’t do it whilst driving.

Example #4:

日本で大邸宅を探したら、言い方に注意するべきです。英語で「Mansion」の意味と日本語で「マンション」の意味はちょっと違っています。(日本語で「マンション」は「アパート」のようなことを意味します)
にほんで　たいていたくを　さがしたら、いいかたに　ちゅういするべきです。えいごで「Mansion」のいみと　にほんごで「まんしょん」のいみは　ちょっと　ちがっています。（にほんごで「まんしょん」は「あぱーと」のようなことを　いみします。）
nihon de taiteitaku wo sagashitara, iikata ni chuui suru beki desu. eigo de ‘mansion’ no imi to nihongo de ‘manshon’ no imi wa chotto chigatteimasu. (nihongo de ‘manshon’ wa apaato no youna koto wo imi shimasu.
If you’re searching for a mansion in Japan, you ought to be careful of your wording. The meaning of  ‘mansion’ in English is a bit different to the meaning of ‘mansion’ in Japanese. (In Japanese, ‘mansion’ means something like ‘apartment.’)

🔊Japanese Word(s) of the Week w/ QUIZBO™ | 【話す】+ BONUS:【英語】(+Helpful Hints with Kiki+Koko)

That is all for today! But, perhaps you are looking for more learning opportunities? Perhaps you would enjoy another Word of the Week: 🔊Japanese Word(s) of the Week w/ QUIZBO™ | 【話す】+ BONUS:【英語】(+Helpful Hints with Kiki+Koko)These are two essential words that can help you talk about the languages you speak. Kiki and Koko join us again to help with the usage of this verb and noun. In our Countries of the World series, found in the Vocabulary sectionof the Essentials, you can discover more ways to say different languages, as well as discovering more about why they are inconsistent once in a while. Or, maybe you would just like to choose another past Word of the Week  section on your own. Also, you can spread the joy of learning! Share with your friends, mum, dog, and plant, if you would like. You can practise these words and more in the comment section below, if you fancy. Or, ask a question if you find anything confusing, either here or through social media. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this article where you will find our social media pages. Follow us there and here for more! We hope to see you here, there, and everywhere!

Grooving to the content we’re creating? You can leave a TIP in the TIP♡JAR to keep it going!
(Can’t? No worries! The content is free for everyone! We’re just glad you’re here!!!)

Be sure to subscribe to our Electronic Mailing List of Tomorrow, today, using the form at the bottom of the web page so you can be the first to see the latest from Kiki+Koko: Let’s NihonGO!!, Indigo East, and SpeRaToBo. And, remember to return back to previous articles and lessons to review/revise.

Also consider following our new page on Twitter  and Instagram to support the spread of this site in a friendly domination of Earth that will help more people. Or, if you are enjoying the content that we are creating, or want to spread this content to more people to be able to access it for free, you can leave a TIP in the TIP♡JAR to keep it going. If you cannot, then no need to worry. We are just super happy that you are here! It is appreciated!

Thank you so much for learning with us!
♡QUIZBO™

    
Follow SpeRaToBo || ieindigoeast on WordPress.com