Lesson 1: Vocabulary and Meanings (Minna No Nihongo)

Welcome to your first step in mastering the Japanese language! This lesson covers the essential introductory vocabulary from Chapter 1 of the Minna No Nihongo series. These words focus on personal pronouns, occupations, and basic introductions.

        Study Tip: Focus on the difference between desu (is/am/are) and how these nouns fit into basic sentence patterns like "Watashi wa [Name] desu."
    

Vocabulary List

Japanese (Hiragana/Katakana)	English Meaning
わたし	I
わたしたち	We
あなた	You
あのひと	That person
あのかた	That person (Polite)
みなさん	Everyone / Ladies and Gentlemen
～さん	Mr. / Ms. (Suffix)
～ちゃん	Suffix for children/cute things
～くん	Suffix for boys/juniors
～じん	Nationality suffix (e.g., Nihon-jin)
せんせい	Teacher / Professor
きょうし	Teacher (as an occupation)
がくせい	Student
かいしゃいん	Company employee
～しゃいん	Employee of (Company name)
ぎんこういん	Bank employee
いしゃ	Doctor
けんきゅうしゃ	Researcher / Scholar
エンジニア	Engineer
だいがく	University
ふじだいがく	Fuji University (Example)
さくらだいがく	Sakura University (Example)
びょういん	Hospital
でんき	Electricity / Light
だれ (どなた)	Who (Polite version in brackets)
～さい	...years old
なんさい (おいくつ)	How old? (Polite version in brackets)
はい / いいえ	Yes / No
しつれいですが	Excuse me, but...
おなまえは？	May I have your name?
はじめまして	Nice to meet you (First time)
どうぞよろしくおねがいします	Pleased to meet you (Formal)
こちらは～さんです	This is Mr./Ms. ~
～からきました	I come from ~

Countries and Nationalities

アメリカ — America
イギリス — UK
インド — India
インドネシア — Indonesia
かんこく — Korea
タイ — Thailand
ちゅうごく — China
ドイツ — Germany
にほん — Japan
フランス — France
ブラジル — Brazil

Description and Summary

This comprehensive guide provides the Minna No Nihongo Lesson 1 vocabulary list with English meanings. Whether you are a beginner starting your Japanese language journey or a student reviewing for the JLPT N5, this list covers essential terms for greetings, nationalities, and professions. Master these basic Japanese words to start introducing yourself and others confidently.

Keywords: Minna No Nihongo Lesson 1, Japanese Vocabulary, Learn Japanese Beginners, Japanese Pronouns, JLPT N5 Vocabulary, Japanese Occupations List.