Japanese/Lessons/Lesson 3

Lesson 3
In this lesson you will learn how to say phone numbers and ask what someone else's phone number is in Japanese, and learn how to talk about your age.

電でん話わ番ばん号ごう・Phone Numbers
例れい一


 * 電話番号は何なんですか？・でんわばんごうはなんですか？
 * ５５５の５５５５です

Example: With the phone number 987-6543, one could appropriately respond to the question, "Denwa bangou wa nan desu ka?" by saying, " Kyuu hachi  nana no (acts as a dash) roku  go  yon  san desu."
 * Question: Denwa bangou wa nan desu ka? - (What is your phone number?)
 * Answer: _ _ _ no (の) _ _ _ _ desu (です). - (Phone number)

NOTES: Always use the word yon for four and the word nana for seven in phone numbers. Zero can be either zero - ゼロ (in a Japanese accent) or maru - まる (丸まる - circle). If one would like to ask another's cellphone number add keitai in front of the denwa. ex. 携けい帯たい電話番号は何ですか？・けいたいでんわばんごうはなんですか？ Often times, Japanese will use Ku(く） instead of Kyuu（きゅう） for nine（九） because of superstition.

年ねん齢れい・Age
Saying age in Japanese follows a consistant pattern, as demonstrated below.


 * There is a notable exception to this rule. Age 20 is properly referred to as 二は十た歳ち (hatachi).

 年齢の問もん題だい・Questions about age: 

例二


 * 何歳ですか？・なんさいですか？
 * 二十歳です. ・はたちです.

Translation:


 * Question: Nan sai desu ka? - (How old are you?)
 * Answer: your age  sai desu. - (I am ___ )

例三


 * お幾いくつですか？・おいくつですか？
 * 八十三歳です. ・はちじゅうさんさいです.

Translation:


 * Question: O ikutsu desu ka? - (May I ask your age?)
 * Answer your age  sai desu. - (I am ___ )

PRACTICE: Repeating these questions outloud with different ages will help ones memory of the numbers, questions and ages.

語ご彙い・Vocabulary
Continue on to Lesson 4 >>