Minna no Nihongo - Unit 5 Overview
Unit 5 focuses on how to describe movement, travel, and the use of transportation. It introduces vocabulary related to transportation, locations, and how to express destinations, as well as how to ask and answer questions about going somewhere.
1. Vocabulary (たんご)
Here are some key vocabulary words from Unit 5:
- いきます (ikimasu) – to go
- きます (kimasu) – to come
- かえります (kaerimasu) – to return
- えき (eki) – station
- ひこうき (hikōki) – airplane
- ふね (fune) – ship, boat
- でんしゃ (densha) – train
- しんかんせん (shinkansen) – bullet train
- バス (basu) – bus
- タクシー (takushī) – taxi
- あるいて (aruite) – on foot
- ともだち (tomodachi) – friend
- かれ (kare) – he, boyfriend
- かのじょ (kanojo) – she, girlfriend
2. Grammar Points (ぶんぽう)
A. Describing Movement: いきます, きます, かえります
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Verb Patterns:
- いきます (ikimasu) – to go
- きます (kimasu) – to come
- かえります (kaerimasu) – to return
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Basic Structure:
- [Person] は [Place] へ [Verb].
- Use the particle へ (e) to indicate the direction or destination of movement.
Examples:
- わたしは きょうとへ いきます。 (Watashi wa Kyōto e ikimasu.) – I am going to Kyoto.
- かれは にほんへ きます。 (Kare wa Nihon e kimasu.) – He is coming to Japan.
- わたしは うちへ かえります。 (Watashi wa uchi e kaerimasu.) – I am going back home.
B. Asking About Destinations and Transportation
- How to Ask Where Someone is Going:
- どこへ いきますか。 (Doko e ikimasu ka?) – Where are you going?
Example:
- わたしは えきへ いきます。 (Watashi wa eki e ikimasu.) – I am going to the station.
- Asking How Someone is Traveling:
- なんで いきますか。 (Nande ikimasu ka?) – How will you go?
Examples:
- でんしゃで いきます。 (Densha de ikimasu.) – I am going by train.
- バスで いきます。 (Basu de ikimasu.) – I am going by bus.
Important: Use the particle で (de) to indicate the method of transportation.
C. Describing Time and Duration
- When Asking and Telling Time or Duration:
- なんじに [Verb]? (Nanji ni [verb]?) – What time will you [verb]?
Example:
- なんじに うちへ かえりますか。 (Nanji ni uchi e kaerimasu ka?) – What time will you go home?
- ごご ６じに かえります。 (Gogo roku-ji ni kaerimasu.) – I will go home at 6 PM.
3. Example Sentences
- わたしは きょうとへ いきます。 (Watashi wa Kyōto e ikimasu.) – I am going to Kyoto.
- ともだちは にほんへ きました。 (Tomodachi wa Nihon e kimashita.) – My friend came to Japan.
- なんで えきへ いきますか。 (Nande eki e ikimasu ka?) – How are you going to the station?
- でんしゃで いきます。 (Densha de ikimasu.) – I am going by train.
- かのじょは ひこうきで かんこくへ いきました。 (Kanojo wa hikōki de Kankoku e ikimashita.) – She went to Korea by airplane.
4. Practice Sentences
- わたしは しんかんせんで おおさかへ いきます。 (Watashi wa shinkansen de Ōsaka e ikimasu.) – I am going to Osaka by bullet train.
- かれは バスで えきへ いきました。 (Kare wa basu de eki e ikimashita.) – He went to the station by bus.
- きのう ともだちは ひこうきで アメリカへ かえりました。 (Kinō tomodachi wa hikōki de Amerika e kaerimashita.) – Yesterday, my friend returned to the US by airplane.
5. Summary
Unit 5 introduces key vocabulary and sentence structures related to travel, movement, and using different methods of transportation. Focus on learning how to describe where you're going, how you're getting there, and practice using the correct particles like へ (e) for destinations and で (de) for transportation methods.
