から

Word から can be found easily in any daily or formal conversation. There have two meaning so far I know, that is 'because' and 'from'. The meaning selection depend on から location itself. So, if から is before a comma (,), it means 'because'.
I give you and example:

眠れない(ねむれない)  から、疲れているよ(つかれているよ)
Because I can not sleep, I'm tired!




Another meaning of から is used to show time or location which is it should be use together with まで. Example:


学校(がっこう)  は  8時(じ)  から  2時  まで  です
School is from 8.00 until 2.00


アメリカ  から  日本  まで  行きます(いきます)
I will go from America to Japan




In third example, there have no subject marker (word that highlight with particle 'は' . If you see sentences like this subject marker is a speaker himself (I).

ました and ませんでした

Remember for our last two lesson we learn about ます and ません form. However there have a past tense version of those two which is ます will become ました and ません will become ませんでした. What is the differences between non past version and past tense version? Hmm.. maybe you can determine it by look at example below


私(わたし)  は  飲みます(のみます)
I drink


私(わたし)  は  飲みました(のみま した )
I drank




中村(なかむら)さん  は  日本語  を  話しま せん
Mr. Nakamura does not speak Japanese

中村(なかむら)さん  は  日本語  を  話しませんでした 
Mr. Nakamura did not speak Japanese

Verbs + ません

Remember on my last post we learn about verbs + ます, to make it negative is by simply replace 'ます' with 'ません'. Here I'll give same example in negative ます forms.




example:

平沢(ひらさわ)  さん  は  日本語  を  話しません(はなし ません)

Mr. Hirasawa don't speak japanese

私  は  車(くるま)  が  ありません

I don't have a car

私  は  毎日(まいにち)  勉強しません(べんきょしません)

I am not study everyday

私  は  明日(あした)  勉強しません(べんきょしません)

I will not study tomorrow

Verbs + ます form

Any verb that attach with ます represent non past tense which mean it can be translated either as a 'future tense' or 'present or continuous tense', sometimes it also use as a formal form of communication.

example:

平沢(ひらさわ)  さん  は  日本語(にほんご)  を  話します(はなします)

Mr. Hirasawa speak japanese

私  は  車(くるま)  が  あります

I have a car

私  は  毎日(まいにち)  勉強します(べんきょします)

I study everyday

私  は  明日(あした)  勉強します(べんきょします)

I will study tomorrow

Acknowledge (ね, ねえ and よ)

Below here I want to give an example when answering a question and at the same time you want to acknowledge them to agree with your statement, simply put 'yo' (ょ) at the end of sentence

東京(とうきょう)  は  どこ  ですか
where is Tokyo?


ここ  は  東京  ですよ
this is Tokyo you know




While if you give a statement that urges people to agree with you, you can use 'ね' like below


東京  は   面白い(おもしろい)  ですね
Tokyo is interesting, isn't it?




but don't get confused between 'ね' and 'ねえ' which 'ねえ' also can used as ! in English, for example


面白い  ですねえ
It is interesting!

But (でも)

でも (demo) means but or however. Can be found between two sentences
example:
今日  (は)  寒い  です。でも、昨日  (は)  暑い  です
Kyou (wa) samui desu. demo, kinou (wa) atsuidesu
Today is cold but yesterday is hot

スパゲッティ  (が)  好き  です。でも、ハンバーガー  (が)  嫌い  です
Supagetti (ga) suki desu. Demo, hanbaagaa (ga) kirai desu
I love spaghetti but I hate burger

Famous kanji

Kanji is a Chinese set character which 1 character represent 1 word, and yes there have a thousands of them (maybe more than six thousand I think). It is impossible to memorise all of them and sometimes you will find it not useful with your lessons. But it is essential to master them if you wish to master Japanese, and once you can recognize them it is easier for you to understand meaning of a word without read through the all sentence.


How does it sounds? That was good question, basically Japanese kanji comprise 2 sounds that called onyoumi and kunyomi. Onyomi is sound that take from original Chinese kanji sound while kunyomi is sound that develop by Japanese themselves (thats what I think...hehehe, but you can Google them to make sure of it). This mean that one kanji can have two or more sounds and it is difficult to choose which one we have to use. The easiest method to determine which sound we should use is by look at kanji position itself. If a kanji is written together with hiragana or a single kanji, usually we use kunyomi sound and if a kanji is written together with other kanji (without hiragana) then onyomi is used


example: 
一時：ICHIJI (onyomi) pronunciation of the 時 is ji (chinese reading)

子どもの時 KODOMO no TOKI (kunyomi) pronunciation of the 時 is toki (japanese reading)




100 Famous kanji


1. 日 sun
2. 一 one
3. 大 big
4. 年 year
5. 中 middle
6. 会 to meet
7. 人 human being, people
8. 本 book
9. 月 moon, month
10. 長 long
11. 国 country
12. 出 to go out
13. 上 up, top
14. 十 ten
15. 生 life
16. 子 child
17. 分 minute
18. 東 east
19. 三 three
20. 行 to go
21. 同 same
22. 今 now
23. 高 high, expensive
24. 金 money, gold
25. 時 time
26. 手 hand
27. 見 to see, to look
28. 市 city
29. 力 power
30. 米 rice
31. 自 oneself
32. 前 before
33. 円 Yen (Japanese currency)
34. 合 to combine
35. 立 to stand
36. 内 inside
37. 二 two
38. 事 affair, matter
39. 社 company, society
40. 者 person
41. 地 ground, place
42. 京 capital
43. 間 interval, between
44. 田 rice field
45. 体 body
46. 学 to study
47. 下 down, under
48. 目 eye
49. 五 five
50. 後 after
51. 新 new
52. 明 bright, clear
53. 方 direction
54. 部 section
55. 女 woman
56. 八 eight
57. 心 heart
58. 四 four
59. 民 people, nation
60. 対 opposite
61. 主 main, master
62. 正 right, correct
63. 代 to substitute, generation
64. 言 to say
65. 九 nine
66. 小 small
67. 思 to think
68. 七 seven
69. 山 mountain
70. 実 real
71. 入 to enter
72. 回 to turn around, time
73. 場 place
74. 野 field
75. 開 to open
76. 万 ten thousand
77. 全 whole
78. 定 to fix
79. 家 house
80. 北 north
81. 六 six
82. 問 question
83. 話 to speak
84. 文 letter, writings
85. 動 to move
86. 度 degree, time
87. 県 prefecture
88. 水 water
89. 安 inexpensive, peaceful
90. 氏 courtesy name (Mr., Mister)
91. 和 harmonious, peace
92. 政 government, politics
93. 保 to maintain, to keep
94. 表 to express, surface
95. 道 way
96. 相 phase, mutual
97. 意 mind, meaning
98. 発 to start, to emit
99. 不 not, un~, in~
100. 党 political party