ニッポイ

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ベアトリスとナギの、初心者向け日本語。

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ベアトリスとナギの、初心者向け日本語。

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

初めまして #4 — ちいさい、セーター (The Sweater Hunt)

It's the first really cold night, Celeste's lucky sweater is on a cat, and ナギ's deal is simple: buy a replacement yourself, in Japanese, while she "supervises." Celeste leads the way past the laundromat to a 古着屋 on the shopping street and learns い-adjectives on the move: おおきい, ちいさい, あたたかい, ながい, かわいい, たかい and やすい. She uses the く from last time (ちいさく、なる), then くない for "not" (the haggle goes badly when "たかくない?" sounds like a compliment) and かった for "was" (あたたかかった). There's one honest exception, いい → よくない / よかった, and ナギ's single snap of the night. Stay for the vending-machine tea and the fitting room. Reviews なる, ある, どこ and する.

今日のことば：さむい・おおきい・ちいさい・たかい・あたたかい

「おや、常連さんに、なったね。」— ジョウレンサン… ニ… ナッタ。 …ん。

AI-generated voices.

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初めまして #3 — ローカル、なる (Becoming a local)

Celeste finally finds the cat-sticker laundromat on her own, and ナギ makes her do a whole load of laundry in Japanese while she "supervises" from the bench. It's the first particle lesson: を for the thing you act on ("no を, no button") and に for where it goes (not the soap machine). Then lesson #5, なる: clothes get きれいになる, Celeste's lucky wool sweater ちいさくなった, and Boss the cat ends up wearing it. Reviews ある, いる, どこ and ここ・そこ・あそこ. Next time: で, が, and adjectives.

今日のことば：を・に・なる・洗濯機・常連さん

「おや、常連さんに、なったね。」— ローカルに、なった？ …マイベ。

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Celeste is lost in Tokyo at night, hunting for a shop before it closes, and ナギ turns the whole thing into a Japanese scavenger hunt. Three strangers point 「あそこ」 three different ways, コウ gives confidently wrong directions, the shop turns out to be closed, and the night ends at a taiyaki stand. Words: ある (to exist, for things), どこ (where), ここ/そこ/あそこ (here/there/over there), plus 〜はどこですか. Review: する, いる.

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Prototype episode. Celeste, freshly arrived in Tokyo from Maine, wanders the city at night and ends up stuck behind a very strange man at a konbini shelf next to ナギ, a deadpan local with opinions. An awkward alliance forms, and on the walk home ナギ reluctantly starts teaching her Japanese. Words: する (to do), いる (to exist, for people and animals).