Japanese Vocabulary Builder: Day 2 Masterclass

Expand your Japanese vocabulary and master sentence formation with present tense verbs. Build confidence in daily conversations and writing using Hiragana.

75-90 Minutes English Support Audio Guides Beginner Friendly

Your 7-Day Japanese Journey Day 2 of 7 - Vocabulary Building

Foundation Complete Certificate: 5 days away

Interactive Pronunciation: Click on any Japanese word, sentence, or the 🔊 button to hear the correct pronunciation!

Hiragana Review Vocabulary Basic Verbs Sentence Structure Daily Routines Practice Exercises

Your Day 2 Learning Path

Welcome to Day 2 of your Japanese mastery journey! Today, we'll build on your Hiragana foundation by expanding your vocabulary and teaching you how to form complete, grammatically correct sentences.

100+ Vocabulary Words

Learn essential daily words with English translations

Sentence Structure

Master Subject + Object + Verb formation

Present Tense Verbs

Learn dictionary form and polite -masu form

Daily Conversations

Apply learning to real-life situations

Vocabulary Learning Strategy

Learn words in context! Instead of memorizing isolated words, learn them in sentences. Create flashcards with the Japanese word on one side and the English translation with an example sentence on the other. Practice writing the words in Hiragana.

Hiragana Review & Expansion

Let's review the Hiragana from Day 1 and learn new characters. Reading practice is essential for vocabulary building.

あ 🔊

Click to flip for pronunciation

"a"

Pronunciation: "ah" as in father

"あさ" (asa) - morning

Click to flip back

New Hiragana Characters: T-Row & N-Row

T-Row Hiragana

た

"ta" as in tall

たべる (taberu) - to eat

ち

chi

"chi" as in cheese

ちいさい (chiisai) - small

つ

tsu

"tsu" as in tsunami

つくえ (tsukue) - desk

て

"te" as in ten

てがみ (tegami) - letter

と

"to" as in toe

ともだち (tomodachi) - friend

N-Row Hiragana

な

"na" as in nah

なまえ (namae) - name

に

"ni" as in knee

にほん (nihon) - Japan

ぬ

"nu" as in noodle

ぬるい (nurui) - lukewarm

ね

"ne" as in net

ねこ (neko) - cat

の

"no" as in no

のむ (nomu) - to drink

Hiragana Reading Practice

Try reading these words aloud: たこ (tako - octopus), ちち (chichi - father), つき (tsuki - moon), てんき (tenki - weather), とけい (tokei - clock), なつ (natsu - summer), にわ (niwa - garden), ぬの (nuno - cloth), ねつ (netsu - fever), のる (noru - to ride).

Essential Japanese Vocabulary Builder

Building a strong vocabulary is crucial for effective communication. Here are 100+ essential Japanese words with English translations that you'll use in daily conversations.

People & Relationships (人々と関係)

家族

kazoku

Family

私の家族 (watashi no kazoku) - my family

友達

tomodachi

Friend

親友 (shinyuu) - best friend

先生

sensei

Teacher

日本語の先生 (nihongo no sensei)

学生

gakusei

Student

大学生 (daigakusei) - university student

Daily Objects (日常の物)

本

hon

Book

本を読む (hon o yomu) - to read a book

ペン

pen

Pen

ペンで書く (pen de kaku)

電話

denwa

Phone

携帯電話 (keitai denwa) - mobile phone

コンピューター

konpyūtā

Computer

パソコン (pasokon) - personal computer

Food & Drinks (食べ物と飲み物)

水

mizu

Water

水を飲む (mizu o nomu) - to drink water

食べ物

tabemono

Food

日本食 (nihonshoku) - Japanese food

お茶

ocha

Tea

緑茶 (ryokucha) - green tea

果物

kudamono

Fruit

りんご (ringo) - apple

Places (場所)

学校

gakkō

School

学校に行く (gakkō ni iku)

家

Home/House

家に帰る (ie ni kaeru) - to return home

店

mise

Shop/Store

本屋 (honya) - bookstore

病院

byōin

Hospital

病院に行く (byōin ni iku)

Vocabulary Learning Tip

Practice 10 new words each day. Use them in sentences throughout the day. Create associations - connect new words with images, stories, or personal experiences to remember them better. Write them in Hiragana to practice reading.

Essential Japanese Verbs

Verbs are the heart of Japanese sentences. Japanese verbs have dictionary forms and polite forms (-masu form).

Common Japanese Verbs

Dictionary Form	-Masu Form (Polite)	Meaning	Example Sentence
食べる 🔊	食べます 🔊	to eat	ご飯を食べます 🔊 (I eat rice)
飲む 🔊	飲みます 🔊	to drink	お茶を飲みます 🔊 (I drink tea)
読む 🔊	読みます 🔊	to read	本を読みます 🔊 (I read a book)
書く 🔊	書きます 🔊	to write	手紙を書きます 🔊 (I write a letter)
行く 🔊	行きます 🔊	to go	学校に行きます 🔊 (I go to school)
来る 🔊	来ます 🔊	to come	日本に来ます 🔊 (I come to Japan)
する 🔊	します 🔊	to do	勉強をします 🔊 (I study)
見る 🔊	見ます 🔊	to see/watch	映画を見ます 🔊 (I watch a movie)

Verb Conjugation Tip

To make the polite -masu form: Remove the -ru from -ru verbs (食べる → 食べます). Change -u to -imasu for -u verbs (飲む → 飲みます). Irregular verbs: する → します, 来る → きます. Use -masu form in polite conversations.

Verb Conjugation Practice

Convert these verbs to polite -masu form:

1. 食べる (taberu) → ___________

2. 飲む (nomu) → ___________

3. 読む (yomu) → ___________

4. 書く (kaku) → ___________

5. 行く (iku) → ___________

Japanese Sentence Structure Mastery

Understanding Japanese sentence structure is key to forming correct sentences. Japanese follows Subject + Object + Verb (SOV) order.

The Basic Japanese Sentence Structure

Subject は (wa) Object を (o) Verb

The person/thing doing the action + Particle は + The person/thing receiving the action + Particle を + The action itself

Element	Function	Examples	Particle
Subject	Who or what performs the action	私、あなた、彼、彼女 🔊	は 🔊
Object	Who or what receives the action	本、水、食べ物、ペン 🔊	を 🔊
Verb	The action	食べる、飲む、読む、書く 🔊	-

Sentence Building Practice

Let's build sentences together. Identify the Subject, Object, and Verb in these examples:

"私は本を読みます。" 🔊

Subject: 私 (I)
Particle: は (topic marker)
Object: 本 (book)
Particle: を (object marker)
Verb: 読みます (read)

"I read a book."

"彼女はお茶を飲みます。" 🔊

Subject: 彼女 (she)
Particle: は (topic marker)
Object: お茶 (tea)
Particle: を (object marker)
Verb: 飲みます (drink)

"She drinks tea."

"彼らは日本語を勉強します。" 🔊

Subject: 彼ら (they)
Particle: は (topic marker)
Object: 日本語 (Japanese language)
Particle: を (object marker)
Verb: 勉強します (study)

"They study Japanese."

Daily Routines & Conversations

Now let's apply what we've learned to talk about daily routines and have simple conversations in Japanese.

Common Daily Routine Vocabulary

起きる

okiru

to wake up

朝７時に起きます (asa shichiji ni okimasu)

着る

kiru

to wear (clothes)

服を着ます (fuku o kimasu)

朝ご飯

asagohan

breakfast

朝ご飯を食べます (asagohan o tabemasu)

仕事に行く

shigoto ni iku

to go to work

電車で仕事に行きます (densha de shigoto ni ikimasu)

Daily Routine Conversation

Practice this conversation about daily routines:

A: "何時に起きますか？" 🔊

"What time do you wake up?"

B: "私は６時半に起きます。" 🔊

"I wake up at 6:30."

A: "家で朝ご飯を食べますか？" 🔊

"Do you eat breakfast at home?"

B: "はい、たいてい卵とパンを食べます。あなたは？" 🔊

"Yes, I usually eat eggs and bread. What about you?"

A: "私はコーヒーだけ飲みます。朝はお腹が空きません。" 🔊

"I just drink coffee. I'm not hungry in the morning."

Write About Your Daily Routine

Write 8-10 sentences about your daily routine in Japanese. Try to use the vocabulary you learned today. Use Hiragana as much as possible!

Example: "私は７時に起きます。歯を磨いてシャワーを浴びます。それから家族と朝ご飯を食べます。８時半に仕事に行きます。５時まで働きます。仕事の後、３０分運動します。夜、テレビを見ますか本を読みます。１１時に寝ます。"

"I wake up at 7 AM. I brush my teeth and take a shower. Then I have breakfast with my family. I go to work at 8:30. I work until 5 PM. After work, I exercise for 30 minutes. In the evening, I watch TV or read a book. I go to bed at 11 PM."

Day 2 Practice Exercises

Apply what you've learned with these comprehensive exercises. Test your understanding of vocabulary and grammar.

Exercise 1: Vocabulary Matching

Match the Japanese words with their English meanings:

家族 → _____ (family / friend / teacher)
友達 → _____ (friend / water / student)
水 → _____ (water / food / tea)
先生 → _____ (teacher / student / family)
本 → _____ (book / pen / computer)

Exercise 2: Sentence Formation

Create complete sentences in Japanese using these words:

私 / 本 / 読む → ___________________________________
彼女 / お茶 / 飲む → ___________________________________
彼ら / 日本語 / 勉強する → ___________________________________
私達 / 学校 / 行く → ___________________________________
彼 / 仕事 / 行く → ___________________________________

Hint: Use correct particles (は for subject, を for object) and polite verb forms (-ます).

Exercise 3: Verb Conjugation Practice

Convert these verbs to polite -masu form:

食べる → __________
飲む → __________
読む → __________
書く → __________
行く → __________

Review Your Answers

After completing the exercises, go back through the lesson to check your answers. Focus on understanding any mistakes and learning from them. Practice writing the sentences in Hiragana to improve your reading skills!

おめでとうございます！ (Congratulations!)

You've completed Day 2 of your Japanese journey. You now have a solid vocabulary foundation and understand basic Japanese sentence structure.

Tomorrow, we'll build on this knowledge with question formation, more verb conjugation, and conversation skills.

Back to Day 1 Continue to Day 3

Want to review? Go back to Hiragana Review or redo exercises