家族と友だちFamily and Friends
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Ask and answer "who is this/that?" using だれ.
- Use の to describe family relationships and possession, such as わたしのちち.
- State that a person, animal, or family exists using います.
- State that a thing exists using あります, and explain the difference between います and あります.
- Combine location and existence in the pattern [place]に[person/thing]が います／あります.
- Name immediate family members using plain forms for your own family and polite forms for someone else's family.
- Recognize and begin using a small set of adjectives to describe people, such as やさしい and げんき.
- Recognize and begin writing the first block of katakana: the ア, カ, and サ rows.
- Recognize the small っ and produce geminate (doubled) consonants accurately.
- Recognize the seven new kanji introduced in this chapter: 家・族・友・母・父・女・男.
Communication Scenario
Tom and Keiko have agreed to study together after class. Keiko brings a small photo of her family to show Tom, and Tom brings a photo of his own. Each of them wants to say who is in the photo, how that person relates to them, and one small detail about that person. This kind of exchange — sharing a photo and explaining who is who — is a common and natural way for new acquaintances to get to know each other a little better.
- Think about a photo you might show a new friend: a family photo, a photo with friends, or a photo of a pet. What information would you naturally give about each person or animal in the photo?
- In Japanese, the words you choose to describe a family member often depend on whose family you are talking about. This chapter gives you the tools to talk about your own family and to ask politely about someone else's.
Core Vocabulary
かぞく（じぶんの）— Your own family
Japanese uses one set of words when you talk about your own family members to someone else, and a different, more polite set of words when you talk about someone else's family. This section introduces the plain forms used for your own family.
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 家族 | かぞく | family | Kanji 家・族 introduced this chapter |
| 父 | ちち | (my) father | Use when speaking about your own father to others |
| 母 | はは | (my) mother | Use when speaking about your own mother to others |
| あに | あに | (my) older brother | Written in hiragana at this stage |
| あね | あね | (my) older sister | Written in hiragana at this stage |
| おとうと | おとうと | (my) younger brother | Written in hiragana at this stage |
| いもうと | いもうと | (my) younger sister | Written in hiragana at this stage |
| きょうだい | きょうだい | siblings; brother(s) and/or sister(s) | Used for siblings as a group |
ひとのかぞく — Someone else's family
When you ask about or refer to someone else's family members, Japanese uses a different, more polite set of words. Compare these directly with the table above.
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| お父さん | おとうさん | (someone's) father | Note the special reading of 父 as とう in this word |
| お母さん | おかあさん | (someone's) mother | Note the special reading of 母 as かあ in this word |
| おにいさん | おにいさん | (someone's) older brother | Written in hiragana at this stage |
| おねえさん | おねえさん | (someone's) older sister | Written in hiragana at this stage |
| おじいさん | おじいさん | grandfather | Long vowel — compare with おじさん below |
| おばあさん | おばあさん | grandmother | Long vowel — compare with おばさん below |
| おじさん | おじさん | uncle | Short vowel — a completely different word from おじいさん |
| おばさん | おばさん | aunt | Short vowel — a completely different word from おばあさん |
These polite forms may also be used, in many families, when speaking directly to your own family members (for example, calling out おかあさん！ to your own mother). This chapter focuses on the more basic distinction: plain forms when talking about your own family to someone outside it, and polite forms when talking about someone else's family. See the Culture section for more detail.
ともだちとひと — Friends and people
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 友だち | ともだち | friend | Kanji 友 introduced this chapter; だち stays in hiragana |
| ひと | ひと | person | Written in hiragana at this stage |
| 女のひと | おんなのひと | woman | [女 (female)] + の + [ひと (person)] |
| 男のひと | おとこのひと | man | [男 (male)] + の + [ひと (person)] |
| 女のこ | おんなのこ | girl | こ (child) stays in hiragana; kanji 子 not yet active |
| 男のこ | おとこのこ | boy |
ようす — Describing people (recognition)
The following descriptive words let you begin to characterize people. At this stage, learn them as recognition vocabulary and use them mainly in the simple pattern 〜は＿＿です. Full adjective grammar — including past and negative forms — is developed in later chapters.
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| やさしい | やさしい | kind; gentle | い-adjective |
| きびしい | きびしい | strict | い-adjective |
| わかい | わかい | young | い-adjective |
| おもしろい | おもしろい | funny; interesting | い-adjective |
| げんき（な） | げんき | healthy; energetic; well | な-adjective |
いえとばしょ — Home and place words
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 家 | いえ | house; home | Kanji introduced this chapter; also read か in compounds such as 家族 |
| がっこう | がっこう | school | Written in hiragana at this stage; contains small っ |
Hiragana Fluency, Katakana, and New Kanji
小さい「っ」— Small っ and geminate consonants
Japanese has a special small version of the hiragana つ — written っ, about half the size of the regular つ — that does not represent a sound of its own. Instead, it signals that the following consonant is held or "doubled," creating a small pause before it is released. This doubled consonant counts as one full mora, just like any other kana.
Compare these two words, which are identical except for the small っ:
- いた (ita) — two morae: i – ta. Meaning: "was" (a form you will study later).
- いった (itta) — three morae: i – (pause) – ta. Meaning: "went."
The small っ adds a brief silent beat — like a tiny held breath — before the consonant that follows. It does not add a vowel sound. You will meet this pattern again in common words such as がっこう (school) and いっしょ (together). Practice tapping once for the pause itself, just as you would tap for any other mora.
れんしゅう — Practice: Say each pair aloud, tapping one beat per mora: いた／いった、おと／おっと? — note that not every such pair is a real word; focus on the rhythm difference itself, then practice がっこう and いっしょ several times.
カタカナのはじめ — Beginning katakana: ア行・カ行・サ行
Katakana is the second kana system, used mainly for loanwords, foreign names, and emphasis. Each katakana symbol represents exactly the same sound as its hiragana counterpart — ア is the same sound as あ, カ is the same sound as か, and so on. Katakana shapes tend to be more angular and geometric than the rounder hiragana shapes.
Hiragana and katakana represent the same underlying sounds; they are two different sets of symbols for one sound system, not two different pronunciations. At this stage, focus on accurate recognition and careful copying of the ア, カ, and サ rows. A frequent point of visual confusion for new learners is シ (shi) versus ツ (tsu, not yet introduced) and ソ (so) versus ン (n, not yet introduced) — pay close attention to the direction of the short strokes as you practice. Katakana vocabulary in full words begins in Chapter 6; for now, the goal is confident recognition and accurate handwriting of the symbols themselves.
れんしゅう — Practice: Write each of the fifteen katakana symbols above three times, saying the sound aloud as you write. Then cover the chart and try to write all fifteen from memory, checking your work afterward.
あたらしいかんじ — New kanji: 家・族・友・母・父・女・男
This chapter introduces seven kanji connected to family and people. As with earlier chapters, focus on recognizing each kanji in the specific words you are learning, not on memorizing every possible reading in the abstract.
These kanji appear in words you are learning this chapter:
- 家族kazoku — family家 (house) + 族 (group)
- 友だちtomodachi — friend友 (friend) + だち (hiragana suffix)
- 父chichi — (my) fatherplain register
- お父さんotōsan — (someone's) fathernote the special reading とう for 父 here
- 母haha — (my) motherplain register
- お母さんokāsan — (someone's) mothernote the special reading かあ for 母 here
- 女のひとonna no hito — woman女 (female) + の + ひと (person)
- 男のひとotoko no hito — man男 (male) + の + ひと (person)
Notice that 父 reads ちち alone, but reads とう inside お父さん. Similarly, 母 reads はは alone, but reads かあ inside お母さん. This is a good early reminder of a principle introduced in Chapter 3: a kanji's reading belongs to the specific word, not to the character in isolation. Rely on the furigana provided for each word rather than trying to predict the reading from the character alone.
れんしゅう — Practice: Cover the furigana above and try to read each example word from memory. Then practice writing 家、族、友、母、父、女、男 once each, paying attention to stroke order and component balance.
Pronunciation
This chapter's family vocabulary offers an excellent opportunity to practice vowel length, because several word pairs are distinguished only by a long versus a short vowel:
- おじいさん (ojīsan, grandfather) — five morae: o – ji – i – sa – n, with the long い held for a full extra beat.
- おじさん (ojisan, uncle) — four morae: o – ji – sa – n, with a short じ and no extra vowel.
The same contrast applies to おばあさん (grandmother, long vowel) versus おばさん (aunt, short vowel). Confusing these words changes who you are talking about, not just how "correct" you sound — this is a meaningful, not merely stylistic, contrast. Practice each pair slowly, tapping once per mora, before speeding up.
Return to the small っ words introduced in the Script section: がっこう (school) and いっしょ (together). Say each word slowly, pausing briefly where the small っ falls, before returning to a natural speaking pace. Listen for this same pattern in your instructor's or partner's speech during this chapter's dialogue and listening activities.
Grammar Instruction
4.1 だれ — Asking "who"
Purpose: ask about the identity of a person, extending the question-word pattern you know from これ・それ・あれ.
- これはだれですか。Kore wa dare desu ka. — Who is this?
- あれはだれですか。Are wa dare desu ka. — Who is that (over there)?
- これはだれのペンですか。Kore wa dare no pen desu ka. — Whose pen is this?だれ + の + [noun]
You already know なん／なに (what) from Chapter 2. Use だれ only for people, and なに／なん only for things. Asking ＊これはなにですか about a person, or ＊これはだれですか about an object, will sound confusing to a Japanese listener even though the sentence structure is otherwise correct.
4.2 の — Showing family relationships
Purpose: extend the possessive/connecting particle の, introduced in Chapter 2, to describe relationships between people.
- わたしのちちです。Watashi no chichi desu. — This is my father.
- ともだちのいえです。Tomodachi no ie desu. — It's my friend's house.
- けいこさんのおかあさんです。Keiko-san no okāsan desu. — This is Keiko-san's mother.
The pattern is always [person/owner] + の + [related person or thing]. Word order is the reverse of English "Keiko's mother" — Japanese places the possessor first, then の, then the item or person possessed.
4.3 います and あります — Talking about existence
Purpose: state that someone or something exists, choosing the correct verb for animate versus inanimate subjects.
Japanese uses two different verbs to say "there is / there are," depending on whether the subject is animate (a person or animal) or inanimate (a thing):
- かぞくがいます。Kazoku ga imasu. — I have a family. / There is family.animate subject → います
- ともだちがいます。Tomodachi ga imasu. — I have a friend.
- いえがあります。Ie ga arimasu. — There is a house. / I have a house.inanimate subject → あります
います is used for people and animals — anything considered animate. あります is used for objects, plants, and other things considered inanimate. This distinction has no equivalent in English "there is/are," so it requires deliberate attention. As you build vocabulary in later chapters, sort each new noun mentally into one of these two categories.
4.4 場所に〜がいます／あります — Existence with location
Purpose: state where a person or thing exists, using the location particle に together with います or あります.
- いえにかぞくがいます。Ie ni kazoku ga imasu. — My family is at home.[いえ] + に + [かぞく] + が + います
- がっこうにともだちがいます。Gakkō ni tomodachi ga imasu. — My friend is at school.
The particle に marks the location where something exists. The word order is fixed: [place] + に + [person/thing] + が + います／あります. Do not reverse this order or drop に when a location is stated.
4.5 Describing people (recognition)
Purpose: begin recognizing and lightly producing descriptive words about people, using the simple pattern 〜は＿＿です.
- ちちはやさしいです。Chichi wa yasashii desu. — My father is kind.
- あねはげんきです。Ane wa genki desu. — My older sister is well/energetic.
Japanese has two families of descriptive words: い-adjectives, which end in い (such as やさしい), and な-adjectives, which do not (such as げんき). In this chapter, both types simply attach to です without any special change, so the difference is not yet visible. The difference becomes important once these words are used to directly modify a noun (for example, "a kind father") or placed into past or negative forms — those patterns are developed in later chapters. For now, treat these words as recognition vocabulary that you can use lightly in the 〜は＿＿です frame.
Introducing a family member, piece by piece. You now have everything you need for a short, natural description of a family member: name the relationship (with の if needed), confirm who it is (with だれ if asking), and add one descriptive detail. A typical exchange might move from identifying a person in a photo, to naming the relationship, to adding one adjective — exactly the sequence practiced in this chapter's dialogue and writing workshop.
Practice — Particle choice: の, が, or に?
Choose the correct particle for each blank.
- これはわたし＿＿ちちです。
- いえ＿＿かぞく＿＿います。
- ともだち＿＿いえ＿＿あります。
- がっこう＿＿ともだち＿＿います。
Practice — います or あります?
- あにが＿＿＿＿。
- いえが＿＿＿＿。
- ともだちが＿＿＿＿。
- かぞくが＿＿＿＿。
Model Dialogue
Setting: Tom and Keiko meet at a café to study, as planned at the end of Chapter 3. Keiko shows Tom a photo on her phone.
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- How does Keiko describe her mother and her father? Which two adjectives does she use?
- Where is Keiko's older brother right now?
- Does Tom have any human siblings? What does he have instead?
- Find every place in the dialogue where います is used with a person and every place いません (its negative) appears. What do you think いません means, based on context?
- Keiko says おとうさんもいますか using も rather than が. Based on what you learned about も in earlier chapters, why is that natural here?
いません is the negative form of います, meaning "does not exist / doesn't have." You can recognize and use this form now in simple answers such as きょうだいはいません (I don't have siblings), following the pattern of ます/ません you already know from other polite verbs. The negative of あります — ありません — follows the same pattern.
Listening
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following three short family descriptions at a clear, moderate pace. Listen for who is described, the relationship, and one detail about each person.
Family description 1 — Andrés
これはわたしのかぞくです。ちちがいます。ちちはやさしいです。ははもいます。はははげんきです。いもうとがいます。いもうとはいまがっこうにいます。
Family description 2 — Yuna
わたしのかぞくです。ちちとははがいます。あにがふたりいます。あにはきびしいです。いえにねこがいます。
Family description 3 — Fatou
わたしのかぞくです。ははがいます。はははとてもやさしいです。あねがいます。あねはがっこうのせんせいです。いえにいぬがいます。
聞くタスク — Listening task:
| Name | Family members mentioned | One detail given | Animal, if any |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrés | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Yuna | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Fatou | ______ | ______ | ______ |
ディクテーション — Dictation: Listen to Fatou's description a second time. Write the final two sentences in hiragana, using furigana over any kanji you have not yet learned. Then compare your hiragana against the script above.
Reading
Read the following short family profile cards. Then answer the comprehension questions below.
かぞくカード ① — Family card 1
なまえ：トム・ウィルソン
家族：父、母、いぬ
父はやさしいです。母はげんきです。
きょうだいはいません。
かぞくカード ② — Family card 2
なまえ：山田けいこ
家族：父、母、あに
父はきびしいです。母はやさしいです。
あには今がっこうにいます。
かぞくカード ③ — Family card 3
なまえ：レイラ・スミス
家族：母、あね、いもうと
母はとてもげんきです。あねはがっこうのせんせいです。
いもうとはわかいです。ねこがいます。
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- Which student does not have any siblings? What does that student have instead?
- What two adjectives describe Keiko's father and mother?
- Where is Keiko's older brother right now, according to the card?
- What is Layla's older sister's job, according to the card?
- Write one complete Japanese sentence describing Layla's family, using vocabulary from this chapter.
Notice that each family card lists family members with commas rather than the particle と (for example, 父、母、いぬ). This is a common convention on forms, cards, and lists, distinct from the full sentence pattern 父と母といぬがいます that you would use in connected speech or writing. Recognize both styles, but use the full sentence pattern with と in your own writing this chapter.
Writing Workshop
In this chapter you will write a short family card for yourself, then turn it into a connected description.
- Complete your family card. List your family members (or a fictional family) using plain forms, and add one adjective for at least two people:
- なまえ：
- かぞく：
- （かぞくのひとり）は＿＿です。 × 2
- Write a connected family description. Using your family card, write a four-to-six sentence description. Include at least one います sentence, one location sentence with に, and two descriptive sentences.
- Add one negative statement. For example: きょうだいはいません。
- Add one question you could ask a partner about their family, using だれ, います, or の.
- Revise and check. Use the checklist below before finalizing your work.
チェックリスト — Editing checklist:
- I used plain family terms (ちち、はは, etc.) for my own family.
- I used います for people and あります for things.
- I used の correctly to show relationships (e.g. わたしのちち).
- I placed に correctly before a location-existence sentence.
- I checked my new katakana (ア・カ・サ rows) and my small っ spelling.
- I ended each sentence with a Japanese full stop 。.
- I have not used kanji beyond the scheduled set (Chapters 1–4 kanji only).
Speaking Practice
コントロールされた練習 — Controlled practice: Question and answer
With a partner, take turns asking and answering the following questions.
- かぞくがいますか。
- きょうだいがいますか。
- おとうさんはどんなひとですか。 (recognition: どんな previews later chapters — accept a simple adjective answer)
- いまだれがいえにいますか。
コミュニケーションタスク — Information gap: Whose family is it?
One partner reads a family card (from the Reading section) without showing it. The other asks yes/no questions to identify which student it describes. Use only Japanese.
- きょうだいがいますか。
- いぬがいますか。
- おかあさんはげんきですか。
ひとりでもできる練習 — Solo practice: Describing a photo
Using a real or imagined photo, record yourself describing three people in it: who they are (using の), whether they are present using います, and one adjective for each. Listen back for your が and に particles, and for accurate long vowels in any words like おじいさん／おばあさん you may have used.
Culture and Communication
The plain/polite distinction for family terms in this chapter (ちち versus おとうさん) reflects a broader pattern in Japanese communication sometimes described as うち (in-group) and そと (out-group) language: how you refer to someone can shift depending on whether you are speaking about your own circle to an outsider, or about someone else's circle. This same underlying idea reappears later in the course in workplace and institutional contexts. For now, the practical rule is straightforward: plain terms for your own family, polite terms for someone else's family — and for many people, polite terms when addressing their own family members directly.
The vocabulary in this chapter — 父・母・あに・あね, and so on — describes common family roles, but real families vary widely: single-parent households, blended families, extended families sharing a home, same-sex parents, and households without children are all part of everyday life in Japanese-speaking communities, as everywhere else. When practicing this chapter's material, feel free to describe your actual family structure, a family you know, or a fictional one — the language works the same way regardless of family shape.
Beyond the standard forms taught in this chapter, many regions and families use their own affectionate variants for parents. In the Kansai region — home to Keiko's Osaka, introduced in Chapter 3 — casual terms such as おかん (mom) and おとん (dad) are common in informal, familiar speech, alongside the standard おかあさん／おとうさん. These regional and familiar forms are useful to recognize if you encounter them in media or conversation, but they are not part of this chapter's productive vocabulary; continue using the standard forms taught above in your own speaking and writing for now.
Common Mistakes
Error: *かぞくがあります。
Correction: かぞくがいます。 — People, animals, and other animate beings always take います, never あります. Sort each noun into "animate" or "inanimate" as you learn it.
Error: *これはなにですか。 (pointing at a person)
Correction: これはだれですか。 — Reserve なに／なん for objects and だれ for people.
Error: Telling a classmate *おとうさんはやさしいです when describing your own father to them.
Correction: ちちはやさしいです。 — When describing your own family to someone outside it, use the plain forms (ちち、はは, etc.). Save the polite forms (おとうさん、おかあさん) for referring to someone else's family, or for family members who use them to address each other directly.
Error: Pronouncing がっこう as "ga-ko-u," without the pause.
Correction: がっこう has four morae: ga – (pause) – ko – u. The small っ is a full mora with its own duration, even though it has no vowel sound of its own.
Error: *かぞくがいえにいます is not wrong in meaning, but many learners instead produce *います、いえに、かぞくが or omit に entirely: *いえかぞくがいます.
Correction: いえにかぞくがいます。 — The fixed order is [place] + に + [person/thing] + が + います／あります. Both orders shown as correct in this note ([place]に first, or the subject stated first with に still attached) are acceptable, but に must always directly follow the place word.
Chapter Review
Section A — ごい (Vocabulary)
1. Write the plain form and the polite form for "father" and for "mother."
2. What is the difference between おばあさん and おばさん? What single sound distinguishes them?
3. Write the Japanese for "older brother," "older sister," "younger brother," and "younger sister" (your own family forms).
4. Write the Japanese for "woman" and "man" using the pattern with の and ひと.
5. Name two い-adjectives and one な-adjective from this chapter.
Section B — ひらがな・カタカナ・かんじ (Script)
1. Which katakana rows were introduced in this chapter? Write all fifteen symbols.
2. Explain what the small っ does. Give one example word.
3. Write the seven new kanji from this chapter and give one word using each.
4. Why does 父 read ちち in one word and とう in another? What general principle does this illustrate?
Section C — ぶんぽう (Grammar)
1. Choose います or あります for each: あに（ ）、いえ（ ）、いぬ（ ）、がっこう（ ） (as a building, not a person).
2. Write a sentence saying your friend is at school, using に.
3. Write a sentence saying "this is my older sister" using の.
4. Write a question asking "who is this?"
5. Write a sentence saying you do not have any siblings.
Section D — どっかいりかい (Reading comprehension)
1. Look at Layla's family card in the Reading section. Write two sentences in Japanese summarizing her family, using vocabulary and grammar from this chapter.
2. Why do the family cards use commas instead of と to list family members? When would you use と instead?
Section E — かくこと (Writing)
1. Write a four-to-six sentence description of a fictional student's family: a mother who is kind, a father who is strict, and an older brother who is currently at school. Include one います sentence, one location sentence with に, and two descriptive sentences.
Section F — はなすこと (Speaking)
1. Describe your own family (or a fictional one) aloud without reading from the page. Then ask a partner (or an imagined partner) two questions about their family.
るいせきふくしゅう — Cumulative review: Chapters 1–4
Complete this exchange using language from all four chapters so far.
Ａ：はじめまして。どこから来ましたか。
Ｂ：______________________________________ (Origin sentence)
Ａ：にほんごをはなしますか。
Ｂ：______________________________________ (Language sentence with を)
Ａ：かぞくがいますか。
Ｂ：______________________________________ (います sentence naming one family member)
Ａ：（かぞくのひとり）はどんなひとですか。
Ｂ：______________________________________ (One adjective description)
Chapter Performance Task
パフォーマンスタスク
家族しょうかい — Family introduction
You are showing a photo (real or imagined) to a new friend and introducing your family.
- Written: Write a family description of at least six sentences, including at least one います sentence, one location sentence with に, one の relationship statement, and two descriptive sentences using adjectives from this chapter.
- Spoken: Deliver the description from memory or with only your family card as a note. Your partner or instructor then asks two follow-up questions from the Speaking Practice section; answer in complete sentences.
- Interaction: Ask your partner at least two questions about their family using だれ, います, or どんなひとですか.
- Script check: Hand-write the following without looking at a chart: the katakana ア・カ・サ rows, and the words がっこう、いっしょ、かぞく、ともだち.
- Reflection: Write one sentence in English about the difference between おじいさん and おじさん, and why this distinction matters.
Assessment focus: correct choice between います and あります, accurate use of の for relationships, correct choice between plain and polite family terms, accurate location sentences with に, legible new katakana and small っ, and recognition of the seven new kanji in context.
Answer Key
Practice — Particle choice
1. これはわたしのちちです。 2. いえにかぞくがいます。 3. ともだちのいえがあります。 4. がっこうにともだちがいます。
Practice — います or あります
1. あにがいます。 2. いえがあります。 3. ともだちがいます。 4. かぞくがいます。
Dialogue — Comprehension
- Keiko describes her mother as やさしい (kind) and her father as きびしい (strict).
- Keiko's older brother is at school right now (がっこうにいます).
- Tom does not have human siblings; he uses きょうだいはいません. He has a dog instead (いぬがいます).
- いません appears once, describing Tom's lack of siblings. Based on context, it means the negative of います — "does not exist / doesn't have," used for people and animals.
- も is natural here because Keiko has already mentioned her mother being in the photo and is now adding her father as another item in the same category, which is exactly the function of も ("also") introduced in earlier chapters.
Listening task — Model answers
- Andrés: father, mother, younger sister · mother is well/energetic · none mentioned (sister is at school)
- Yuna: father, mother, two older brothers · older brothers are strict · cat
- Fatou: mother, older sister · mother is very kind; older sister is a teacher · dog
Reading — Comprehension
- Tom does not have siblings (きょうだいはいません). He has a dog instead.
- Keiko's father is described as きびしい (strict) and her mother as やさしい (kind).
- Keiko's older brother is currently at school (今がっこうにいます).
- Layla's older sister is a teacher at a school (がっこうのせんせい).
- Model answer: レイラさんのかぞくにははとあねといもうとがいます。 (Other accurate answers accepted.)
Chapter Review — Section A
- Father: plain ちち, polite おとうさん. Mother: plain はは, polite おかあさん.
- おばあさん means grandmother (long vowel); おばさん means aunt (short vowel). The vowel length of the second syllable distinguishes them.
- あに (older brother), あね (older sister), おとうと (younger brother), いもうと (younger sister).
- 女のひと (woman), 男のひと (man).
- い-adjectives: やさしい、きびしい (also acceptable: わかい、おもしろい). な-adjective: げんき.
Chapter Review — Section B
- ア行: ア イ ウ エ オ; カ行: カ キ ク ケ コ; サ行: サ シ ス セ ソ.
- The small っ adds a brief pause before the following consonant, creating a doubled/held consonant sound that counts as one full mora. Example: がっこう.
- 家 — e.g. 家族; 族 — e.g. 家族; 友 — e.g. 友だち; 母 — e.g. 母 or お母さん; 父 — e.g. 父 or お父さん; 女 — e.g. 女のひと; 男 — e.g. 男のひと.
- A kanji's reading belongs to the specific word it appears in, not to the character alone — the same character can have entirely different readings in different words.
Chapter Review — Section C
- あに（います）、いえ（あります）、いぬ（います）、がっこう（あります）.
- ともだちはがっこうにいます。
- これはわたしのあねです。
- これはだれですか。
- きょうだいはいません。
Chapter Review — Section D
- Model answers: レイラさんのはははげんきです。あねはがっこうのせんせいです。いもうとはわかいです。 (Other accurate answers accepted.)
- Commas are a compact list format common on cards and forms, distinct from a spoken/written sentence. Use と when writing a full connected sentence, such as 父と母がいます.
Cumulative Review — Model responses
Ｂ：カナダから来ました。
Ｂ：はい、すこしにほんごをはなします。
Ｂ：はい、います。ちちがいます。
Ｂ：ちちはやさしいです。
Exact wording will vary. Check that origin uses から来ました, that language statements use を, that existence statements use います correctly, and that all sentences end with 。.
Looking Ahead
いまできること — What you can do now
You can now introduce your family and friends, ask who someone is, and describe people with a small set of adjectives. You can correctly choose between います and あります, and state where a person or thing is located using に. You have begun katakana with the ア・カ・サ rows, learned the small っ, and met seven new kanji: 家、族、友、母、父、女、男.