Duolingo Study Notes: Intro 1

Lesson 1
Katakana
ア : a
メ : me
リ : ri
カ : ka
ガ : ga

Vocabulary
アメリカ : (n) the US


Lesson 2
Katakana
マ : ma
シ : shi
ジ : ji
ヨ : yo
ン : n

Vocabulary
マリア : (n) Maria
ジョン : (n) John


Lesson 3
Vocabulary
はじめまして : (expression) Nice to meet you. (literally, "this is the first time we've met.")
です : (v) be/is
アメリカ人 : (n) American (person)
出身 (しゅっしん): (n) from, origin, hometown


Kanji Meanings & Mnemonics
人 : person
Doesn't this one look a little like a stick person with their arms behind their back where you can't see them?

出: exit
To me, this kanji looks like someone throwing their arms and legs up in a panic as they dash to exit the building!

身: somebody
That long, slanted stroke looks like somebody is reaching for a delicious three-layer cake. There's even a cherry on top!


Grammar
はじめまして、ジョンです。Nice to meet you, I'm John.
アメリカ人です。I am American.
アメリカ出身です。I am from the US.
どうぞよろしく。Nice to meet you.
はじめまして、マリアです。Nice to meet you, I'm Maria.




Lesson 4
Vocabulary
日本 (にほん) : (n) Japan
中国 (ちゅうごく) : (n) China (literally, "middle country")


Kanji Meanings & Mnemonics
日 : sun, day
Imagine looking out your bedroom window at the brand-new, sunny day.

本 : origin, book

Do you think it takes one tree to make a book?

     Radicals:
     木 : tree
     一 : one

中 :  middle, inside
Looks like the arrow went straight through the middle of the box and stuck inside!

国 : country
The king always stays safe in the enclosure of his country.

     Radicals:

     王 : king

     囗 : enclosure

Grammar
中国出身です。 I am from China.
中国人です。 I am Chinese.
日本出身です。 I am from Japan.
日本人です。 I am Japanese.

Lesson 5
Vocabulary
本田 (ほんだ) : (n) Honda (family name)
田中 (たなか) : (n) Tanaka (family name)
と言います (といいます) : (v) is named, is called
さん : (polite honorific suffix)
は : (particle) Marks the subject of the sentence.

Kanji Meanings & Mnemonics
田 : rice field
This kanji looks like a tidy little field, doesn't it? Look at the nice paths that cross through it. Just like a Studio Ghibli movie. Wanna watch Totoro?

言 : say
The horizontal strokes look like sound waves coming up from a radio as it says words.


Grammar
はじめまして、本田です。 Nice to meet you, I'm Honda.
はじめまして、ジョンと言います。 Nice to meet you, my name is John. (Literally, "I'm called John," or "say Tanaka.")
はじめまして、田中と言います。 Nice to meet you, my name is Tanaka. (Literally, "I'm called Tanaka," or "say Tanaka.")
マリアさんは中国出身です。 Ms. Maria is from China.
田中さんは日本人です。 Ms. Tanaka is Japanese.
ジョンさんはアメリカ人です。 John is American.