English Verbs		Present Tense	Past Tense
To be able	Dekiru	Dekimasu	Dekimashita
To go	Iku	Ikimasu	Ikimashita
To look	Miru	Mimasu	Mita
To drink	Nomu	Nomimasu	Nonda
To eat	Taberu	Tabemasu	Tabemashita
To walk	Aruku	Arukimasu	Aruita
To do one’s best	Ganbaru	Ganbarimasu	Ganbarimashita
To understand	Wakaru	Wakarimasu	Wakarimashita
To need	Iru	Irimasu	Irimashita

Particles
wa	Used after the noun, which declares it as the main topic of the sentence. For example: Nihongo wa muzukasii desu. = Japanese is difficult.
ga	Used similarly to "wa," except "ga" refers you to the subject, where the topic is unknown. For the purposes of FFXI I would suggest just using "wa."
o	It implies that an action is taking place in the noun that it follows.
no	Most commonly used to show possesion. For example: Watashi no tomodachi = My friend (literally friend of me).
ni	"Ni" has multiple uses, but they all relate to direction. It may be used to tell where something is "in" or "at," or the reason why something is performed ("in order to"). It may be used to show direction towards the noun, or it can show where the verb's action is going "to", "from," or "of." For example: Serubina ni ikimasita. = I went to Selbina. Watashi wa Syakurami ni imasu. = I am in Shakrami Maze.
de	Like "ni," "de" has multiple uses as well. It's used to show the place of action, the means of action, and the limit of action. (at, in, by, through, in, within) For example: Jyuuno de kaimasita. = I bought it in Jeuno.
e	This is used to show the direction "to" or "toward" the noun, in which the action takes place. For example: Serubina e ikimasita. = I went to Selbina. ("E" and "ni" can serve similar purposes and can sometimes be interchangable.)
to	"To" basically translates to "and." It can also show who an action is performed with. For example: Siro to kuro = White mage and black mage

[NOTE: Particles are fundamental to creating sentences in Japanese. Once you understand them it will make communicating a lot easier. In this chart I have tried to explain most of the functions of particles you may use and see, but some functions were left out. If you are a beginning Japanese speaker it is best to keep things as simple as possible.]

Adjectives Table
Positive
Present	(Taka)i desu	It is expensive
Past	(Taka)katta desu	It was expensive
Tentative	(Taka)i deshoo	It is probably expensive
Tentative Past	(Taka)katta deshoo	It was probably expensive
Negative
Present	(Taka)ku arimasen (Taka)ku nai desu	It is not expensive
Past	(Taka)ku arimasen deshita (Taka)ku nakatta deshoo	It was not expensive
Tentative	(Taka)ku nai deshoo	It is probably not expensive
Tentative Past	(Taka)ku nakatta deshoo	It was probably not expensive

[NOTE: In this chart I've shown the usage of "i" adjectives. In Japanese, adjectives may either end with an "i" or "na" in combination with a noun. Be sure that if you conjugate adjectives using this chart that they are "i" adjectives. "Na" adjectives will be added in the future.]

 

NOTE REFERENCE SECTION:

[NOTE: It is acceptable to say hajimemashite, then doozo yorosiku onegaishimasu upon a first meeting.]

[NOTE 2: When using romaji, Japanese will commonly abbreviate words. It can be compared to how Americans use slang. For example, ohisashiburi desu = ohisa desu, purinto kurabu = purikura, warau = W.]

 

[NOTE: Males will commonly refer to themselves using boku or ore  instead of watashi or watakushi (polite form). Women may use atashi.]

[NOTE 2: This guide does not use the most formal Japanese, but gaming typically does not require formal Japanese (which is more commonly used to show respect to elders or in a business situation). As a rule of thumb, it is good to be polite regardless of how informal this is, because Japanese are very courteous. Some people find all the niceties annoying – those people shouldn’t party with Japanese.]

[NOTE: It is common to combine words in the Japanese language, so if a word appears to be unusually long – try to break it down. For example, mata ne = matane.]

[NOTE 2 : Although certain words have similar meaning, they may be used best in different situations. Like English, there are different ways to say the same thing. Keep in mind, some phrases are best used by females and some by males. (On one gamefaq it said to use "Boku...", but boku is inappropriate for females to say. ]

[NOTE: Be careful about spelling. For example, one page claimed to say “Do you want to party” but the way it was spelt meant “Do you want to throw up in my party.”]

[NOTE 2: If a Japanese player says something that looks familiar, they are probably spelling it based on pronunciation, so try to consider what it may be. (For example, tomodachi = tomodati. daijoubu = daijyobu. yoroshiku = yorosiku). In other situations they may be combining words, as previously mentioned.]

[NOTE: Particles are fundamental to creating sentences in Japanese. Once you understand them it will make communicating a lot easier. In this chart I have tried to explain most of the functions of particles you may use and see, but some functions were left out. If you are a beginning Japanese speaker it is best to keep things as simple as possible.]

[NOTE: In this chart I've shown the usage of "i" adjectives. In Japanese, adjectives may either end with an "i" or "na" in combination with a noun. Be sure that if you conjugate adjectives using this chart that they are "i" adjectives. "Na" adjectives will be added in the future.]

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

[1] I've seen guides, books, and websites dedicated to the bad words you can say in Japanese. Honestly, Japanese is a very clean language. The extent of foul Japanese language may extend to the English equivalent of "damn" or "bastard." There are ways to say things more impolitely, but these things still do not properly translate and carry the same meaning as words we may use in English. So be cautious when someone tells you something means #$%@&*.

[2] Certain words used in the game (and in other MMOs or online) are used differently in real life. "Umai" is a good example. In real life, it would be used to describe something tasty or delicious like food, but in the game it's used to describe (tasty) experience points. Otsukaresame, (otukare, otukaresama desita), is used to thank another player for working hard in the game, as they would in a party. In real life, we don't make groups to battle monsters, but we do work! As a common courtesy in real life people will use the phrase to tell each other after a hard day's work.

[3] Many Japanese words and phrases do not translate exactly into English. Typically, if you see certain translations on a site such as this then the person may give the best estimate or example of how the word/phrase is used in English. An example of this is "doozo yorosiku". The way we would understand it is along the lines of "pleased to meet you" or "nice to meet you" but technically it translates to something like "please take care of me".

[4] Checking/Inspecting someone's equipment: I've received several questions on this topic, in regards to the proper way of asking before you inspect and later on I'll probably add a section about it to this guide. In the meantime, people are probably aware that many Japanese players (as well as some English speaking players) feel that checking strangers is rude. One phrase you can use is "Sumimasen. Soubi wo mite mo iidesuka?" (Excuse me. Can I see your equipment?) You can also add in some emotes, like bowing or simply acknowledging the other player. Being polite never hurts. ^_~

[5] SPECIAL FEATURE: Summerfest Explained

 

 

Question, Comment, Suggestion? E-mail kristy@shigemo.com (btw. I'm on the Siren server)

To learn more about my background and the purposes of this guide, please visit my site shigemo.com.
Thank you for visiting, and for the wonderful feedback. I appreciate it! Good Luck, and happy hunting! <3

  [created by: GAMER GiRL SHIGEMO | edited by: Azn_Lion] © shigemo design 2004 LEGAL DISCLAIMER

Last Updated: August 17, 2004: Corrected some inconsistencies. PLEASE CHECK REGULARLY FOR ANY REVISIONS, ARIGATOU~~