Course: 1 Lesson: 3 – Possession

Course 1 Lesson 3
Who is it?
 About This Lesson このレッスンについてSubmit a Question
Natsumi Sensei


Know the following hiragana: かきくけこ and がぎぐげご
Understand how to use the question words dore, docchi and the particle ha.


It’s common to mistake dare (who) and dore (which one). It’s also common to mix up watashi and あnata. Try to avoid these mistakes.
 New Vocabulary 新しい単語Submit a Question
By clicking on the button, you can hear how each word is pronounced. You can add any word, sentence or phrase to your "Notebook" by clicking on the word and then the save icon.
Japanese English Word Type
dare who? question
watashi I, me (male or female) noun
boく I, me (male only) noun
あnata you (male or female) noun
かnojo her, she, girlfriend noun
かre him, he, boyfriend noun
namaえ name noun
tomodachi friend noun
tabun maybe noun
がっこう school noun
tori bird noun
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 New Phrases 新しいフレーズSubmit a Question
Here in the NEW PHRASES section you don't have to think about the grammar of each phrase. Simply memorize these phrases to increase your conversation skills.
1. Soう desu.
That's right.
2. Chiがいmasu.
It's wrong.
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 Culture Clip カルチャー・クリップSubmit a Question
Culture plays an important role in learning Japanese. Knowledge of modern and traditional culture will help you retain more information and learn faster!

Hey, Little Boy

The word boく means “me” or “I,” and only normally only males use it – both little boys and grown men. When talking to little boys it is very common to call them boく when their name is not known. For example, if someone is talking to a little boy and you hear them say, “ boく wa nansaい desu か” It means, “How old are you?” and not “How old am I?” boく, even though normally a male word, is commonly used in music and poetry even though the writer is female. However you will not normally hear females use boく in everyday speaking.

 Grammar 文法Submit a Question
The Grammar sections of each lesson give you the building blocks necessary to speak Japanese properly. Make sure that you read and understand each section.

3-1. Showing possession with the particle no

The particle no is used as a possession marker. It is used much like the ‘s (apostrophe s) in English.

1. dare no
2. dare no pen
whose pen
3. watashi no
4. watashi no いnu
my dog
5. あnata no
6. あnata no おかあsan
your mother
7. かnojo no
8. かnojo no neこ
her cat

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Mini Quiz
Click the to reveal the English.
1. Watashi wa yamadasan no tomodachi desu.
2. こre wa muraきsan no pen desu か.
3. Wadasan no くruma wa dore desu か.

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no is not limited to linking only two items. It can also be used to clarify the relationship between multiple items.

1. あnata no かnojo no namaえ
your girlfriend's name
2. おかあsan no neこ no namaえ
mother's cat's name
3. こbayashisan no おtoうsan no くruma
Kobayashi's father's car

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Mini Quiz
Click the to reveal the English.
1. こre wa dare no pen desu か.
2. あnata no namaえ wa nan desu か.
3. Shibatasan wa watashi no tomodachi desu.

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3-2. The question word dare

You can use the question word dare just as nani, dore and docchi are used.

Example Q&A
1.       Nan desu か.
    くruma desu.

 What is it?
 It's a car.
2.       Dore desu か.
    Sore desu.

 Which one is it?
 It's that one.
3.       Dare desu か.
    Tanaかsan desu.

 Who is it?
 It's Mr. Tanaka.

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3-3. Using ha with dare

The topic particle ha is used with dare (who) in the same way as nani (what) and dore (which one).

Example Q&A
1.       あnata wa dare desu か.
    Watashi wa こbayashi desu.
    Jefu desu.

 Who are you?
 I am Kobayashi.
 I am Jeff.
2.       かre wa dare desu か.
    Tabun, tanaかsan desu.
    Watashi no tomodachi desu.

 Who is he?
 Maybe it's Mr. Tanaka.
 He is my friend.

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3-4. The particle

is the topic/subject marker. When a question word is the topic of the sentence, must be used instead of ha. Remember that the answer must follow the same pattern as the question, so the answer must also use as the topic/subject marker.

Starting a conversation with a question word as the topic is not normal. Usually, question words are used as the topic only midway through a conversation for emphasis, once the subject has already been established. For example, Kanako says to Mr. Fukamachi, sore wa watashi no desu (That one is mine). Mr. Fukamachi does not know which one Kanako is referring to, so with stress on “which one” he replies, Dore が あnata no desu か. (Which one is yours?).

You can start a conversation with a question word as the topic if the items you are talking about have already been introduced or are in front of you.

For example, you have heard that your friend is going to get one of the puppies from a litter. He wants to show you his dog and takes you to the litter. You can ask, あnata no いnu wa dore desu か or Dore が あnata no いnu desu か.

Example Conversation
1.       Sore wa watashi no くruma desu.
    Dore が あnata no くruma desu か.
    Sore desu.

 That one is my car.
 Which one is your car?
 That one.
2.       Tanaかsan wa watashi no tomodachi desu.
    Dare が tanaかsan desu か.
    かre desu.

 Tanaka is my friend.
 Who (Which one) is Tanaka?
 That's him.

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 Question and Answer 質問と答えSubmit a Question
Each question is presented with several potential answers. To test your pronunciation, try each question and answer out loud before you click the sound button.

1. Dare desu か.
Watashi desu.
Hideこ san desu.
おかあ san desu.
Who is it?
It's me.
It's Hideko.
It's Mom.
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2. Dare no くruma desu か.
Watashi no くruma desu.
Tanaかsan no くruma desu.
Whose car is it?
It's my car.
It's Mr. Tanaka's car.
I don't know.
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3. あnata no うsaぎ wa docchi desu か.
Watashi no うsaぎ wa あcchi desu.
Socchi desu.
Which one is your rabbit? (out of 2 rabbits)
My rabbit is that one over there.
That one.
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4. こre wa あnata no くruma desu か.
Haい 、soう desu.
いいえ、 chiがいmasu.
いいえ、 tomodachino desu.
Is this your car?
Yes, it is.
No, it isn't.
No, it is my friend's.
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5. あnata no tori wa dore desu か.
Boく no tori wa sore desu.
Which one is your bird?
My bird is that one.
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6. あnata no おtoうsan no namaえ wa nan desu か.
Yoshiお desu.
Jefu desu.
What is your Father's name?
It is Yoshio.
It is Jeff.
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7. Sore wa かnojo no taoru desu か.
いいえ、 あnatano desu.
いいえ、 watashino desu.
Is that her towel?
No, it is yours.
No, it is mine.
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 Comprehension 読解Submit a Question
Read the sentences below out loud, then click the play button to listen. If you don't understand the reading selection, go back and review the grammar in this lesson.
Watashi no namaえ wa honda desu.

Sanjuうごsaい desu.

Watashi no かnojo no namaえ wa terada desu.

かnojo wa nijuうkyuうsaい desu.

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 More Practice 補充練習Submit a Question
In this section we will practice what was taught in the lesson and reinforce what was taught in prior lessons. Any new words or expressions are listed in the section.
Yoshida san:     うえきsan, こnnichiwa.
うえき san:     こnnichiwa, yoshidasan。おhisashiburi desu。おtoうsan wa げnき desu か.
Yoshida san:     Haい、げnき desu. sore wa nan desu か.
うえき san:     こre wa kamera desu. watashi no shumi desu.
Yoshida san:     Suごい desu ne.
うえき san:     Yoshidasan no shumi wa nan desu か.
Yoshida san:     Watashi no shumi wa gorufu desu.

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New words and expressions
おhisashiburi desu. It's been a long time. / Long time no see.
___ wa げnき desu か. Is ___ healthy / doing fine? (Are you fine?)
げnき desu. They're fine. / I'm fine.
kamera camera
shumi hobby
Suごい desu ne. That's great.
gorufu golf

Course 1 Lesson 3
Hiragana さしすせそ
 New Characters 新しい字Submit a Question
Learning the correct stroke order of the new characters is important, especially as your writing speed increases. The strokes are marked with arrows and numbers.
sa shi su se so
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za ji zu ze zo
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 Writing Styles 書くスタイルSubmit a Question
This section shows you the various acceptable styles for writing in Japanese. The red character is a great example hand written Hiragana.
sa shi su se so
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za ji zu ze zo
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 Writing Points 書くポイントSubmit a Question
The Writing Points in each lesson give you important information about how the symbols are used. Make sure that you read and understand each section.

W3-1. The different versions of sa (sa) and so (so)

You may have noticed in the Writing Styles section of this lesson that there are two versions of sa and so. It’s your choice as to which version you write as long as it is legible.

This version has three strokes and is very common when writing. Most Japanese people write using this version.
This version has combined the second and third strokes into one stroke. It is very common in printed text.

This version has two strokes and is very common when writing. Most Japanese people write using this version.
This version has only one stroke and is very common in printed text such as books and magazines.

 Hiragana Words You Can Write 書ける言葉Submit a Question
You should practice writing these words at least 5 times each. Be sure to pay attention to stroke order. By clicking on the button, you can hear how each word is pronounced.

しか deer
かしこい clever; wise
すし sushi
すずしい cool; refreshing
おそい late
しあい game; match
あし leg; foot
いす chair
すき to like
ぞう elephant
ぜい tax
きず an injury
すうじ numbers
かじ fire
がし starvation
そうしき funeral
せかい the world
せいかい correct (answer)
あじ flavor
すいか watermelon
せいざ constellation
きそく rule; regulation
ずきずき a throbbing pain
ぞくぞく shiver; feel chilly
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 Lesson Quizzes クイズSubmit a Question
The quizzes will test your understanding of the material taught in each lesson. You can take each quiz as many times as you want to. The correct answers will be show at the end of the quiz.
 Additional Vocabulary 補充単語Submit a Question
The following words will possibly be used in the following lessons. Vocabulary is very important to attaining fluency in Japanese. The more words you know, the closer you will be to fluency!

Group E: animals 1

いnu dog
neこ cat
zoう elephant
うma horse
うsaぎ rabbit
panda panda
nezumi mouse (rat)
raion lion
きrin giraffe
うshi cow
saru monkey
hitsuji sheep
くma bear
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 Download Area ダウンロードSubmit a Question
Natsumi Sensei

Hiragana SA SHI SU SE SO Writing Practice Sheet

Hiragana ZA JI ZU ZE ZO Writing Practice Sheet

 Related Videos 関連ビデオSubmit a Question
The video(s) below help explain what is taught in this lesson. It is recommended that you first complete the lesson and then watch the video(s).

 Hiragana Match Submit a Question
 Hiragana Match 2 Submit a Question
 New Words Submit a Question
 Chizu Challenge Submit a Question
 YesJapan Kana Attack! Submit a Question
 YesJapan Strike! Submit a Question
Course 1 Lesson 3 Area About
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