Midyear Exam F2

Try out the exam paper sat by the Form 2 students of SAS in May 2011. Give your comments. Was it too easy or too difficult for you ? Click here for the paper. :)

がんばってください！

Midyear Exam F4

This is the exam paper sat by the Form 4 students of SAS in May 2011. Give it a try by clicking on this link. Midyear Exam F4 2011 

がんばってね。。

Happy Holiday Shukudai :)

This is meant for my japanese students of SAS.
The mid year holidays is finally here but students are not really free to run wild and forget about school (n their teachers..) for these two wonderful short weeks. So, here's something to keep you from 'boredom' at home. I promised the tasks should be fun and easy. I hope you enjoy doing it. :) Happy Holidays, my dear students. :)

Form 1 : You have a new pen friend from Japan, Akiko. Write to her to tell her all about yourself and your family. Write the letter on an A4 paper. You may add additional drawings if you want.

Form 2 : You will be welcoming the students of Japanese School Kuala Lumpur to our school in July. Design an invitation card to be sent to them in June. (You may want to refer to page 64 of Nihongo Daisuki for ideas). Size of the card depends on your own creativity. (Leave out the name of the student from JSKL as we have yet to receive the name list.). I am sure they will be looking forward to your nice cards !

Form 3 : No shukudai for you .... get ready for PMR !

Form 4 : Time to get ready for our annual program with JSKL. Find out how to introduce the 'Zapin', 'Menganyam Ketupat', 'Galah Panjang' and 'Batik Printing' in Japanese language. Each student must produce a handout (A4) or powerpoint presentation regarding one of the topics as assigned below.
4BC students - 'Zapin'
4DW students- 'Menganyam ketupat'
4MU students - 'Galah Panjang' and
4J students - 'Batik Printing'.
Make the most simple, concise and easy to understand handouts for our friends!

Enjoy your tasks ! I am looking forward to receiving your master pieces... yoi yasumi wo~~

いっしょに おどりませんか

A sentence ending with 「～ませんか」is used for inviting someone to join you in something.
For example,
1) いっしょに　ひるごはんを　たべませんか。
    Would you like to have lunch together ?

2) いっしょに　えいがを　みませんか。
     Shall we see a movie together ?

3) いっしょに　しゃしんを　とりませんか。
    Shall we take a photograph together ?

Maybe you will be wondering why the Japanese invite people by using the negative form of the verb.
Well, I guess it is because the invitation won't sound so crude or forceful and it gives the other person a chance to say 'no'...
This is part of the Japanese culture that I find very beautiful. They take great care of others' feelings through their speech and actions. Always be courteous towards others. :)  Think before you speak because you can't erase what is spoken like the words you wrote on the white board or paper.

Now, what shall the answer be if you were invited by your friend ? There will be two choices..either 'YES' or "NO", right ?


To accept:
If you would like to join him/her, just say ' いいですね’ or use the sentence structure ending with　「～ましょう」which means 'Let's..'
Example:

1) いっしょに　ひるごはんを　たべませんか。

    いいですね　or　はい、たべましょう。

2) いっしょに　えいがを　みませんか。

    いいですね　or　はい、みましょう。

3) いっしょに　しゃしんを　とりませんか。

    いいですね　or　はい、とりましょう。

To Reject:
Remember the courteous Japanese ? In the art of rejecting, we must first of all remember to say 'sorry'. Then, give the reason or just say 「ちょっと。。。」

 1) いっしょに　ひるごはんを　たべませんか。

    すみません、いま　ちょっと　いそがしいです。あとで　たべます。

   (sorry, I am busy now. I will eat later.)

2) いっしょに　えいがを　みませんか。

   すみません、ちょっと。。。。

   (sorry.......)

3) いっしょに　しゃしんを　とりませんか。

  　すみません、ちょっと。。。

    (Sorry,.....)

「ちょっと」is a very 'convenient' word ! It has no 100% exact translation in English and it means 'quite','just', 'a little'..etc.. 

If we 'reject' an invitation with the word 'chotto' , we do not wish to tell the person who invited us the exact reason why we are rejecting or not accepting the invitation so as not to hurt his/her feelings. Vice versa, if someone uses the word 'chotto' with you, please do not press on further to ask for further explanation..... My advice to you is " take the hint and move on...!! ".  

Cheers ! 

’～んです’

'～んです' is used when you are explaining something or asking for an explanation. In the Japanese language we have 2 types of talking mode. One is to make a statement and the other is to explain. For example:

1) あした　しけんが　あります。I have an exam tomorrow. --- statement
2) あした　しけんが　あるんです。I have an exam tomorow (that explains why I can't go out today) --- explanation

The same goes when you want to ask for or invite explanation．

eg;　1)  A:  どうしたんですか。 What happened ? (you looked shattered)
              B: ねこが　死んだんです。My cat died. (that should explain how I look today)

        2) A: ここで　なにを　しているんですか。What are you doing here ?
            B: あなたを　まっているんです。 I am waiting for you. ( isn't it obvious ?)

It is also used for asking clarifications from the person you are talking to.

eg.　　3)  A: きのう　こなかったんですか。Didn't you come yesterday ?
                  B: ええ、びょういんに　いったんです。I went to the hospital. (that's why I didn't come)

            4) A: さむいんですか。Are you feeling cold ? ( you are shivering)
                B: はい、ちょっと　さむいんです。 Yes, it is quite cold

            5) すみません、ゆうびんきょくへ　いきたいんですが、。。
             Excuse me, I would like to go to the post office..(so, could you please direct me there)

 * for Noun and 'na' adjectives, we use  '～なんです’ instead of　’～んです’

       6) A: あの人は　がくせいなんですか。 Is that person a student ? (he surely doesn't look like one...)
            B: いいえ、せんせいなんです。 No, a teacher. (of course he is not a student )

        7) A:   また　りょこうに　いったんですか。You went for a trip again ? (unbelievable..)
            B:　ひまなんです。 I am free. (well, I have nothing to do....)


Note:
In writing form, it is common to see’～のです’ instead of 　’～んです’.

Try using ’～んです’ today !  :)

Will I get an 'otoshidama' ? （ お年玉もらえるかな？）

Duit Raya packet

angpow packet

As Malaysians, we are so used to receiving 'angpow' (red packets with money) or 'duit raya' during festivals such as Chinese New Year, Hari Raya and Deepavali. Even now, as a working adult, I still receive angpows from my parents and elder siblings and sometimes from relatives ! That's the advantage of being single....receive but not required to give. (HAHA !) That's the chinese culture..the belief is that the more you give away your fortune, the more you will receive in the new year. As for the Malays, some of my students told me that they stopped receiving duit raya as soon as they entered university or started working. Duit Raya is only meant for the little ones :D.  The same goes for Deepavali celebration. Well, the main purpose of giving out angpow or duit raya is actually to make the 'little ones' happy. My family's custom is just exceptional, I must admit.

otoshidama packet

Now, how about the Japanese custom, you might want to know. The Japanese give out otoshidama to their own children and little children of relatives and friends. Do find out more from this wonderful website I found. I am not sure what is the age limit in receiving otoshidama but I received my first otoshidama from my foster family when I was studying in Japan at the age of 25... :)  It was from my obaasan (grandmother). Otoosan and okaasan (dad and mum) did not give me one..I guess it must be that obaasan 'represented' the family to bestow the good fortune on me :D I won't tell you how much I received cos it would make you green with envy !! Besides the otoshidama, I received lots of foodstuff and my train fare fully paid by otoosan and okaasan ! They were such generous and nice people ! And they surely did make my 5 years stay in Japan a memorable one. Not only that, they showed me ( a foreign student ) what unconditional love is... accepting me into their family and taking care of me all those years. I watched their children grow up, enter university and got married. Otoosan finally gave up smoking (or else he wouldn't be allowed to go near his grandson !) and obaasan passed on... I promised to myself that I will pass on the kindness they showed me to others. Also, to share my culture and what little I know of others' that had made my life so rich and colorful.  :) Teaching is not only about finishing the syllabus and fabulous exam results, the biggest part is to educate young ones how to understand other's cultures while appreciating their own even more in the process.
Cheers ! Happy 2011 ! May the new year bring more joy, success and everything nice to each and everyone of you who read this ! :) So, do you think you will get an otoshidama this year ?

5S methodology

A new year is around the corner...yet I've gone back to not a very new methodology for the future use. Maybe most have heard of the 5S methodology in efficient working. It came from 5 japanese words starting with S.
Seiri (Sorting), Seiton (Setting in order), Seiso (Systematic cleaning/ Shining), Seiketsu (Standardizing) and Shitsuke ( Sustaining the self-discipline). Perhaps the last one is the hardest to keep. Gambarimasu !
がんばります～～

For more details, have a look at this link. :) Cheers ! Siew2 Sensei goes 5S....

では、よいお年を。。