ＨＥＬＬＯ！ Ｉ　ＡＭ　ＱＵＩＺＢＯ™！It is always a pleasure to interact with you via The Internet. And, the segment of today is also exceptionally apropos as it will introduce you to two words you may use in present, future and past. But, you may still be wondering, who am I? Well, I am the robot friend of Kiki and Koko from Kiki+Koko: Let’s NihonGO!! Online. On this culture and language blog, I provide assistance to every and all level of Japanese language learner through various functions. These functions include reading and displaying Japanese script as well as hopefully helping you in your Japanese language learning journey, whether you simply enjoy learning bits and bobs of another language or have the goal of becoming fluent. And, Word of the Week is here to present you with the vocabulary, grammar, and sentence concepts to enrich your journey along the way. However, you may still be asking yourself: What is Word of the Week Wednesday?

During what some may refer to as the ‘before times’, the site had begun as a place where Japanese lessons and articles regarding language and culture were regularly created and uploaded regularly, every Monday and Friday. Though such a consistent flow of information would seem to be enough for other sites, it was clear that there could be even more. For between Monday and Friday was a long gap in which there was no new information being presented. Not only was there a long gap between information, but many would forget to return to revise previous lessons. In learning any language, it is important to be consistent, even if it is only once a day. Thus, Japanese Word of the Week Wednesday was born. Word of the Week Wednesday not only acts as a great reminder for those who have either missed previous lessons or those who simply require revision, returning to previous lessons and articles, but it also gives just enough new information for students and visitors not to feel overwhelmed. Whether it is simply a quick addition to their vocabulary or studying sentence structure and pronunciation or reading, this segment serves beginners and more advanced learners alike. However, What happens during Word of the Week Wednesday?

During Word of the Week Wednesday, with the assistance of Kiki and Koko, a Japanese word or phrase is chosen and presented to you with the possibility of a bonus word, as well. I provide a definition and other useful information about the vocabulary word, and if applicable, Kiki and Koko provide a helpful hint in using the word or phrase. However, that is not the whole of it. I personally sound out each word or phrase aloud for you to repeat as many times as you wish, and you can ask me to say it as many times as you wish. I will never tire of it, as it is my function. From there, an example sentence is created. You can not only use the sentence to see how the word is used or to see the definition in action, but you can also use it to practise your reading and writing. You can compose your own sentence based on it; you can use it to see examples of grammar; or you can even use it to learn other adjacent vocabulary. Each sentence is written in a way that is useful to beginners through advanced learners. So, there is something for everyone. And, again, I will be there to read it aloud for you. I can only read it at one speed, so there is no need to repeat after me, but it can still assist you in picking out vocabulary within natural speeds of speech. And, if you would like to know more about how to create your own sentences, be sure to consult the grammar section of the Essentials.

And, now it is time for the essential part of this segment, which is the vocabulary! Kiki and Koko will be joining us in their Helpful Hints segment of this corner to give some insight relating to today’s vocabulary.

Without further ado, let us NihonGO!!

Word(s) of the Week:

選挙【せんきょ】
senkyo

Noun (名詞)、suru verb (「名詞＋する」の動詞)
1.election (verb: elect)

jlpt n1| common word (常用語) 

Bonus Word(s) of the Week:

大統領【だいとうりょう】
daitouryou

Noun (名詞)
1.president; chief executive
2. boss; mate; big man; (usually slang familiar language used when complimenting an actor’s performance)

jlpt n3| common word (常用語)

※Helpful Hints with Kiki+Koko

Photo via @kikikokoNihonGO on Twitter

Hello, there! It’s your guides to Japanese language and culture, Kiki+Koko of Kiki+Koko: Let’s NihonGO!! Online. We’re here with a classic Helpful Hints segment. We’re sure that if you are reading this segment at the time of release, no matter where you are in the world, you may already feel as though you’ve heard these words in English far too many times. But, it simply shows that these vocabulary words would be of important use as it’s useful to gage the words used most often in your everyday life to see what would be the most useful to memorise. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t simply learn as many vocabulary words as you can because you’ll never know what word to expect next, but rather, it’s something you’ll be able to try out easily. However, there is something that you won’t find in a basic dictionary definition of one of these words!

You’ll hear it alone and you’ll hear it as an honorific. The word ‘president’ in Japanese works in the same way as English save for one important factor, and that is exactly how honorifics are positioned. We strongly recommend our lessons 敬称とは？| What are honorifics? （SIDE A）and 敬称 | Basic Japanese Honorifics（SIDE B） in order to get a better understanding of what this word means and how it functions. But, in short, if you want to refer to someone as a president, aka President Lincoln, you would suffix it to the end of the name: リンカーン大統領、りんかーんだいとうりょう, rinkaan daitouryou.

And, luckily, this is a vocabulary word that you can use to practise some recent vocabulary reading. You may notice the youon and chouon「りょう」at the end of this vocabulary word. See how all of these lessons really start to build upon each other? It can be very encouraging to see your efforts come to fruition, and hopefully, no matter the sentiment, this will show just how often you’ll be able to use all of these skills in conjunction with one another.

One other important advice we have about the main vocabulary word, 選挙、せんきょ、senkyo, also may not be apparent according to dictionary definition alone (save for the definition we added, of course). 「選挙」alone is a noun, as election, however when you’re storing this in your mind, be sure to remember that when it becomes a verb by adding する, suru, it becomes to elect. However, this leaves one more important phrase that may not be very apparent due to the nebulousness of one of the particles involved. 

大統領の　選挙を　する
daitouryou no senkyo wo suru
To elect the president

Now, we’ll delve deeper into 「の」in future beyond what we’ve already provided in the past, but for those who are familiar with this possessive particle, but it’s just simply how the grammar works out. It’s a versatile particle that is just important to note in this scenario even if it may feel a bit confusing. That’s why it’s important to always think of this particle as connoting relationship so it doesn’t stagnate in your mind. 

We hope that helps!! Until the next lesson!
♡Kiki+Koko

Thank you, Kiki and Koko! Many may not have even thought to ask these questions, but they certainly are useful. And, that is the importance of this segment, as it can take a working knowledge to realise the questions you had not even yet known you should ask. Luckily, you will not have to ask us for the following sentence examples because we have already provided them for your educational enjoyment.

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:

学級委員に立候補するでしょうか？花子って優しい生徒みたいですね。選挙に勝っちゃうのかなあ。
がっきゅういいんに　りっこうほするでしょうか？はなこって　やさしい　せいとみたいですね。せんきょに　かっちゃうのかなあ。
gakkyuuiin ni rikkouho suru deshou ka? hanako tte yasashii seito mitai desu ne. senkyo ni kacchau no kanaa.
Will she run for class president*? Hanako seems like a kind student. I wonder if she’ll win the election.

*also known as class representative or head class representative.

Example #2:

米国大統領の選挙に世界が注目していますよね。
べいこくだいとうりょうの　せんきょに　せかいが　ちゅうもくしていますよね。
beikoku daitouryou no senkyo ni sekai ga chuumoku shiteimasu yo ne.
The world is watching the election of the US president.

Example #3:

選挙の結果はどうなったのか？どなたが勝ったの？
せんきょの　けっかは　どうなったのか？どなたが　かったの？
senkyo no kekka wa dounatta no ka? donata ga katta no?
How did the results of the elections go? Who won?

Japanese Word(s) of the Week w/ QUIZBO™ | 【発音】+BONUS: 【発音記号】(+Helpful Hints with Kiki+Koko)

That is all for today! But, maybe you have not had enough Japanese vocabulary, yet? Perhaps you would like to learn more vocabulary related to today’s vocabulary? Well, maybe you can give this one a go:Japanese Word(s) of the Week w/ QUIZBO™ | 【発音】+BONUS: 【発音記号】(+Helpful Hints with Kiki+Koko) Or maybe you want to experience an even broader range of vocabulary. In which case, you can have a look at our fine selection of segments on the main Word of the Week page. Or, you can be sure you are caught up with the latest with the sidebar link: 今週の単語 | Word of the Week. These segments alone serve as weeks of material. Share these segments with your friends and family who may be interested in broadening their Japanese vocabulary, that is if you would like to spread the knowledge and show the fun things you are learning with us. Be sure to return often to keep your pronunciation properly in check, as well! If you have any questions, feel free to contact us, and we will do our best to assist how we can. We hope to see you at the next lesson!

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♡QUIZBO™

    
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