皆様みんなさま、こんにちにゃあぁ！Welcome to Kiki+Koko: Let’s NihonGO!! Online! When you’re out there, trying to navigate your way through Japanese language and culture, we’re your cartographers, providing you a map and a route to your destination. But, during that journey, you can count on us to be there in the passengers seat, pointing you towards the way you need to go, and letting you take the wheel. We’re Kiki and Koko, your guides to Japanese language and culture! And, this time, we’re letting you take the wheel, again. Or if you’re not quite ready to go full speed ahead, we’re letting you walk out in front of us whilst you look look to us for helpful hints along the way. Whether you’re confidently here to test your skills or just here practise, this is your time!

If you haven’t already, be sure to take a look at our monster of a lesson (most realistically over the course of a few sittings): Here, There, and Everywhere| Existential Verbs| 「に」／「が」＋「いる」／「ある」|| Kiki+Koko: Let’s NihonGO!! Japanese Language Learning Essentials

Though reading and revision is important to learning, going out and actually putting said ideas into practise can be invaluable! Even in our lessons, we’re sure to provide step-by-step instructions to allow you to practise these concepts on your own and even think through them in an organised way. But, there’s still something to be said for physically putting these ideas to the test, being given options, then choosing which is most appropriate. Sometimes instructions can box some people’s minds into a train of thought that might not be able to be properly challenged. Knowing what sounds correct isn’t the only skill you’ll need, but also knowing what sounds incorrect! This skill can take time to hone, but it’s worth it at any level. Whilst fill-in-the-blank answers are perfect and open-ended, for people just beginning to test their skills and practise, building more pathways and ruling out other answers with multiple choice can be irreplaceable.

So, if you haven’t already, be sure to check the previous quiz in order to know which prerequisites you’ll need to get the most out of this quiz / practice session. And, if anything it should be useful to use to practise the ideas once more before jumping back into this. This time, we’ll also be thinking about existential verbs, but we’ll be shifting slightly towards particles. And, we admit, particles can be tricky, but no worries! We’ll be there every step of the way. If you want to try again, you can always refresh the page and try again immediately, or restart it again in another sitting in order to properly. Believe us, there’s no pressure to get all of these correct on your first try.  If you are very confident in particles and you do happen to get them all correct, then good on you! But, if you’re here to practise, then also good on you! Making mistakes is an important way to learn, and whilst it’s fun to keep yourself in a comfortable bubble where you know everything perfectly, it’s most useful to push yourself out of that comfort zone in order to learn new things. Then, with time, this will become that comfort zone where you can come back and remind yourself of how far you’ve progressed.

Also! Before we begin, don’t worry if you don’t know every vocabulary word used. As long as you understand the parts of speech, you should be just fine. And, you may end up revising or learning new vocabulary along the way!

And with that, it’s time to continue our journey! Let’s do our best, and: Let’s NihonGO!!

Particle Acceleration! (Pt.2)

Choosing the correct existential verb in relation to the particles used| お使いされた助詞に関して正しい存在動詞をお選びする

In this, we’re just warming up. You’ll have to pay mind to whether いる or ある is the most appropriate, but this time, you’re also going to have to have a look at the particles to know how it will be used where there are ‘exceptions’ for ある because of its connection to です.

Sentence 1:

私たちは　地球上に　[います・あります]。
watashitachi wa chikyuujou ni  [imasu / arimasu] .
We [are] on Earth.

Sentence 2:

これは　ナイフでは　なくて、スプーンで　[いる・ある]。
kore wa naifu de wa nakute, supuun de  [iru / aru].
That is not a knife, it [is] a spoon

Sentence 3:

侍は　今も　まだ　[います・あります]か。
samurai wa ima mo mada  [imasu / arimasu] ka?
[Are]there still samurai?

Choosing the correct particles| 正しい助詞をお選びする

Now, it’s your turn! Try your best to choose the correct particle. It may be a bit tricky, but no worries, just think of it as useful practice. This is definitely a bit advanced for absolute beginners, but it can still serve as a useful learning opportunity. In this, you’ll need to pay attention to the part of speech or the function that the particle is emphasising. We’ll give you an example so that you aren’t completely on your own. Or, if you want to really test your skills, then just scroll a bit and try to ignore the example:

This will be focusing on particles:「は」「が」and「に」, expressing who has it, what they have, and where they have it.

ビリーくんは　バックパックに　ノートが　あります。
びりーくんは　ばっくぱっくに　のーとが　あります。
biriikun wa bakkupakku ni nooto ga arimasu.
Billy has a notebook in (his) backpack.

However! There will be exceptions to this, but hopefully this helps you with the less than simple sentences. Let’s give it a go!

Sentence 1:

宇宙人は　どこ [が・に・は]　[います・あります]か。
uchuujin wa doko [が・に・は] [imasu / arimasu] ka?
Where [are] the aliens?

Sentence 2:

興子ちゃん[が・に・は]　部屋に　あのレコード [が・に・は]　[います・あります]。
koukochan[ga・ni・wa]　部屋に　あのレコード [ga・ni・wa]　[imasu・arimasu]。Koko [has] that  record in her room.

Sentence 3:

嬉嬉ちゃんの　戸棚[が・に・は]　ユーフオー[が・に・は]　[います・あります]。
kikichan no todana [ga・ni・wa]　yuufoo [ga・ni・wa]　[imasu・arimasu]。
Kiki [has] a UFO [in] her cupboard.

Sentence 4 :

興子ちゃん[が・に・は]　スウェーデン語[が・に・は]　興味[が・に・は]　[います・あります]。
koukochan [ga・ni・wa]　suueedengo [ga・ni・wa] kyoumi [ga・ni・wa]　[imasu・arimasu]。
Koko [has] an interest [in] the Swedish language.

Sentence 5 :

彼女[が・に・は]　ペット[が・に・は]　[います・あります]か。
kanojo [ga・ni・wa]　petto [ga・ni・wa]　[imasu・arimasu]ka。
Does she (have) a pet?

Answering with the correct particles| 正しい助詞でお答えする

Let’s take it one step further with one last particle activity! In this segment, you’re going to choose answers that have the correct particles and grammar in response to the questions. The information itself doesn’t have to apply to you, though. Just focus on the grammar, particles, and existential verbs used.

Let’s do our best!

Question 1 :

車の　鍵を　見かけなかったですか？
kuruma no kagi wo mikakenakatta desuka?
Have you seen my car keys?

Question 2 :

花見に　いなり寿司は　どこですか。
hanami ni inarizushi wa doko desuka?
Where is the inarizushi for Hanami?

Question 3 :

嬉嬉ちゃんは　どこですか。
Kikichan wa doko desuka?
Where is Kiki?

Question 4 :

僕は　レジャーシートを　持ってきた。それは何？
boku wa rejyaashiito wo mottekita. sore wa nani?
I brought the picnic blanket. What is that?

Question 5 :

彼女の　専門は　何ですか？
kanojo no senmon wa nandesuka?
What is her area of expertise? (i.e. profession)

Wowee, how did you do? If you completed this to study, did you learn a bit more about particles? If you did this to test your skills, did you get many correct? Even if you didn’t get many correct in either case, the important part is understanding the concepts and getting a feel for which particles are natural and their functions. Many sentences would be quite gibberish with the wrong existential verb, but with a different particle, it could either make gibberish OR an entirely different meaning to the sentence. If you’re in need of more puzzles to solve, you can always go through the incorrect answers and try to figure out if they make a real sentence or just silliness, or a silly but real sentence. The possibilities for learning are endless! But, hopefully, this served you well in the meantime. If you still don’t feel confident with your particles, as well, that is alright! It takes a bit of time and effort before these things become natural. Just be patient with yourself and give it your best. And, we’ll continue to do our best giving you the tools you need to understand these concepts, survive in Japanese language, and eventually thrive in communication!

Speaking of communication, you probably noticed a lot of hiragana used in today’s lesson in order to help you practise your reading. But, if you’d like to unobscure some of the characters we used, have a look at our Reading and Writing sections to revise / review / study. It will help your pronunciation, and reading and reading are essential to learning any language. If you want to make sure your Japanese language survival kit is stocked with the latest tools, you can make sure you stay up to date by subscribing to the Electronic Mailing List of Tomorrow, today, found usually at the bottom of the site page or the sidebar on desktop. You’ll get the latest tools and resources to surviving in Japanese language in straight to your inbox. That’s articles, videos, podcasts, and more.

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Thank you for joining us! We hope that you continue with us on this adventure, and we appreciate that you’ve chosen us to assist you on your Japanese learning journey.

Stay safe!!
♡Kiki+Koko

     
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