Japanese for English speakers House · Lesson 4

House lesson

Talk about a parent's job in Japanese using お父さんのお仕事は何ですか (what is your father's job?). Introduces 看護師 (kankoshi, nurse) and the polite お- prefix for others' family.

Conversation

  1. PX296 PX296

    ピシ君、お父さんのお仕事は何ですか？

    Pishi kun, otōsan no oshigoto wa nan desu ka?

    Pishi, what does you father do?

    Tip: <shigoto> = job Literally: your father's job what is it?

  2. Pishi Pishi

    父は看護師です

    chichi wa kankoshidesu

    My dad is a nurse

    Tip: <kankoshi> = nurse

  3. PX296 PX296

    う～ん、そうですか？

    ūn, sōdesu ka?

    Oh, really?

  4. Pishi Pishi

    はい、そうですよ！

    hai, sōdesu yo!

    Yes, sure!

    Tip: <sō> = like you said

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

What is the お- prefix for?

An honorific/polite prefix used when talking about someone else's possessions, family, or actions: お父さん (your dad), お仕事 (your job), お名前 (your name).

What is 看護師 (kankoshi)?

'Nurse' — gender-neutral and now standard. The older 看護婦 (female nurse) and 看護士 (male nurse) are largely obsolete.

How do you say 'my father' politely?

Use 父 (chichi) when talking about your own father. お父さん is for others' fathers, or when addressing your own father directly.

Test yourself

Pick the English translation for each line from this lesson. Wrong answers are pulled from other Japanese lessons.

4 quick questions on what you just heard.

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