Japanese course

Lesson 60 of 240

New here? This is lesson 60 of a free 240-lesson Japanese course.

Start hereHow this works

Write it down for me in Japanese

Leo wants the name of Kissa Hotaru on paper. He stands at the wooden counter with a small notebook and asks Masako to write it.

Goro leans in from the booth and tries to read the characters upside down.

You will ask someone to write a word, show you a character, and jot a note.

Keep it polite. These lines help when a sign or a name is new.

By the end of this lesson

Ask someone to write or show a word.

  • 漢字(かんじ)で書(か)いてください。Please write it in kanji.
  • どう書(か)きますか。How do you write that?
  • 見(み)せてください。Please show me.
  • これのことですか。Do you mean this?
  • この字(じ)はどう読(よ)みますか。How do you read this character?
  • メモしてください。Please jot that down.

Scene — a name on paper

Afternoon light hits the siphon pots at Kissa Hotaru. Leo opens a small notebook at the wooden counter. Masako already has a pencil.

In the corner booth, Goro's blend coffee sits untouched. He leans toward the counter, horns first, ready to read whatever she writes.

Leo opens a notebook at the counter while Masako holds a pencil and Goro leans over from the corner booth.

Learn — write it, show it

These six lines help you ask for writing, a look at a character, and a quick note.

Use them at a counter when a name or a sign is new.

  1. Leo turns his open notebook toward Masako at the wooden counter.

    漢字(かんじ)で書(か)いてください。

    Please write it in kanji.

    When to use it: Ask this when you want the kanji, not kana.

    Learn it as one piece for a kanji request.

    Say it: Give ん in 漢字 its own beat.

  2. Goro leans toward the counter from the corner booth to watch the page.

    どう書(か)きますか。

    How do you write that?

    When to use it: Ask this when you need the written form.

    Learn it as one piece for how to write a word.

    Say it: The u in ます is almost silent.

  3. Leo gestures toward the paper Masako holds, asking to see it.

    見(み)せてください。

    Please show me.

    When to use it: Use this when you want to see something.

    Learn it as one piece to ask for a look.

  4. Masako points to an indistinct pencil mark on the slip as Goro leans in to inspect it.

    これのことですか。

    Do you mean this?

    When to use it: Use this to check the thing in front of you.

    Learn it as one piece when you point and check.

  5. Leo and Goro study the turned slip from opposite sides of the counter.

    この字(じ)はどう読(よ)みますか。

    How do you read this character?

    When to use it: Ask this when a character is new to you.

    Learn it as one piece for reading a character.

  6. Masako slides the open notebook and pencil toward Leo at the counter.

    メモしてください。

    Please jot that down.

    When to use it: Use this when you want a quick written note.

    Learn it as one piece to ask for a memo.

    Say it: Keep メ and モ as two even beats.

Story — upside-down characters

Leo asks Masako to write the kissa's name. Goro tries to read the characters upside down.

Highlighted phrases are the new lines. Turn on Show English if you want a gloss.

  1. Leo sets a small notebook on the wooden counter.
  2. Leoどう書(か)きますか。How do you write that?
  3. Masako店(みせ)の名前(なまえ)ですか。The shop's name?
  4. Leo紙(かみ)に書(か)いてください。Please write it down.
  5. Masakoはい。Yes.
  6. Leo漢字(かんじ)で書(か)いてください。Please write it in kanji.
  7. Masako writes on a slip. Goro leans in, head tilted.
  8. Goroこれのことですか。Do you mean this?
  9. Leo見(み)せてください。Please show me.
  10. Masako turns the slip. Goro still reads it upside down.
  11. Leoこの字(じ)はどう読(よ)みますか。How do you read this character?
  12. Masakoほたるです。It's firefly.
  13. Leoメモしてください。Please jot that down.

Practice — pick the right request

Ten short tasks wait in this round. You will listen, match meanings, fill a gap, and build a line.

Each one is small, so you move on quickly.

0 of 10 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    Japanese

    見(み)せてください。Drop the English here
    メモしてください。Drop the English here
    どう書(か)きますか。Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its Japanese, or tap one and then the other.

  3. What do you say?

    Masako says the shop name. You need the written form.

  4. Pick the reply

    Masako says:

    はい、書(か)きました。

    Yes, I wrote it.

    And you reply with:

  5. Build the line

    Please jot that down.

    。

    Tap the words in order.

  6. Fill the gap

    How do you read this character?

    この字(じ)はどう____か。

  7. What does it mean?

    これのことですか。

  8. Swap the word

    You want the shop name in kanji, not hiragana.

    ____で書(か)いてください。

  9. What do you say?

    Masako is about to write the shop name. You cannot read kanji yet.

  10. Fill the gap

    Please write it down.

    ____に書(か)いてください。

Say it — your turn to speak

You are Leo at the counter with a notebook. When the cue is yours, tap the microphone and say the line.

Tap play first if you want to hear it. The recording stays on this device.

  1. Masako店(みせ)の名前(なまえ)ですね。The shop's name, then.
  2. Leo (you)Ask how that name is written.

    どう書(か)きますか。

    How do you write that?

0 of 5 said

Recap — what you can say now

JapaneseEnglish
漢字(かんじ)で書(か)いてください。Please write it in kanji.
どう書(か)きますか。How do you write that?
見(み)せてください。Please show me.
これのことですか。Do you mean this?
この字(じ)はどう読(よ)みますか。How do you read this character?
メモしてください。Please jot that down.
Next: lesson 61Is this okay

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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Keep these write-and-show lines in your pocket. Open the Yak Cards for this lesson and run them on the train.

A short Yak Cards round keeps write-it-down ready at the counter.

Open Yak Cards