Lesson 14: ラーメンを ください
N5 · Lesson 14 · 25 min — Review of Lessons 5–13: use your Japanese at Mr. Kuma's ramen shop
This lesson has almost nothing new (just two new words: ラーメン and うどん)! We link the sentences from Lessons 5–13 into one small trip: introduce yourself → buy something → order food. In the questions, ねこ先生 is Neko-sensei (ねこ = cat, from Lesson 8). At the end, a self-check lets you pick from the roles and nationalities you learned in Lesson 6. Forgot something? The review cards will help you fill the gaps.
After this lesson, you can:
- Say your name, nationality and role in Japanese
- Ask prices in a shop and understand "〜円です"
- Say how many you want: 〜を ふたつ ください
- Order with "〜に します" and tell は・の・も・と・を・に apart
Mr. Kuma's Ramen Shop
Last time Rin only cared about ordering. This time he's going to introduce himself properly at くまや!
Review: self-introduction, prices and ordering. When he hears "a Taiwanese exchange student", Mr. Kuma seems to remember something...
The full dialogue
The full version of the comic. Cover the translation and read it once. How much do you remember?
Review word cards
- 台湾人 (Taiwanjin): Taiwanese person (Lesson 6)
- 留学生 (ryūgakusei): exchange student, international student (Lesson 6)
- 学生 (gakusei): student (Lesson 6)
- 先生 (sensei): teacher (Lesson 6)
- ねこ (neko): cat (Lesson 8)
- くまさん (kuma-san): Mr. Kuma (くま "bear" + さん)
- おちゃ (ocha): tea (Lesson 10)
- コーヒー (kōhī): coffee (Lesson 10)
- おにぎり (onigiri): rice ball (Lesson 10)
- いくら (ikura): how much (Lesson 10)
- 円 (en): yen (Lesson 10)
- 二本 (nihon): two (bottles, pens…) (Lesson 11)
- ラーメン (rāmen): ramen
- うどん (udon): udon (thick Japanese wheat noodles)
- 食べます (tabemasu): eat (Lesson 12)
- 飲みます (nomimasu): drink (Lesson 12)
- ください (kudasai): please give me (Lesson 13)
- なに (nani): what (Lesson 8)
Grammar 1 / 3: Introductions
Introduction kit: 〜です (is) · 〜じゃありません (is not) · 〜ですか (is it?)
- は: name the topic first: は is read "wa". It marks who the sentence is about: リンさんは〜 (As for Rin, ...).
- Answering: はい・いいえ: Right → はい、そうです. Wrong → いいえ、ちがいます. You can also just give the correct answer: いいえ、たいわんじんです。
- の: link two nouns: たいわんの りゅうがくせい (an exchange student from Taiwan), リンさんの せんせい (Rin's teacher). の also shows who owns something: わたしのです (It's mine).
- も: me too: Swap は for も to say "also": わたしも がくせいです (I'm a student too). Note: も replaces は. Don't add it after は.
- わたしは リンです。 — I'm Rin.
- ねこ先生は わたしの 先生です。 — Neko-sensei is my teacher.
- わたしも りゅうがくせいです。 — I'm an exchange student too.
Grammar 2 / 3: Shopping
Shopping kit: これ・この (point at things) + いくら (how much) + counters
- これ vs. この: Alone: これ・それ・あれ・どれ. Before a noun: この・その・あの・どの + noun.
- Prices: 〜円です: Watch the sound changes: さんびゃく (300) · ろっぴゃく (600) · はっぴゃく (800) · さんぜん (3,000) · はっせん (8,000).
- Counters depend on shape: For most things: ひとつ・ふたつ・みっつ. For long, thin things like bottles and pens: 〜本 (いっぽん・にほん・さんぼん). For flat things like paper and tickets: 〜枚. All from Lesson 11.
- と = and, だけ = only: おちゃと おにぎり (tea and a rice ball). おちゃだけです (Just tea).
- この おちゃは いくらですか。 — How much is this tea?
- おにぎりを みっつ ください。 — Three rice balls, please.
- わたしは おちゃだけです。 — Just tea for me.
Grammar 3 / 3: Ordering
Ordering kit: 〜を ください (please give me) · 〜に します (I'll have) · AかB (A or B)
- を: the object of an action: おちゃを 飲みます (drink tea), ラーメンを 食べます (eat ramen). For "don't", change ます to ません.
- 〜を ください + how many: When ordering, put the number after を: ラーメンを ふたつ ください (Two ramen, please).
- 〜に します: making a choice: Staff ask なにに しますか (What would you like?). You answer 〜に します. If you want the same as your friend, say わたしも 〜に します.
- AかB: pick one of two: ラーメンか うどん (ramen or udon). Also handy for thinking out loud when you can't decide.
- ラーメンを ふたつ ください。 — Two ramen, please.
- わたしは うどんに します。 — I'll have udon.
- おちゃか コーヒーを 飲みます。 — I drink tea or coffee.