Please, Thank You
My first day in Japan, I feel like I’m cracking secret codes. So many Japanese characters! So many unwritten (and written) rules. Not that I’m a rude person but "be polite and respectful at all times" (mum says) is going to take a little practise.
Firstly, I made up tricks to help me say polite things, politely:
おはよう ございます begins "oh! Hi! oh!" (and If I just say that first part, it’s casual, for friends only.)
こんばんは starts with a "kon" as in coin sound, and the first character looks to me like a coin.
さようなら starts like "say your" (goodbyes).
ありがとう ございます sounds like “a rig, a toe goes eye muss.”
どうぞ sounds like "doors," and people often say it when they open a door for you.
Secondly, I created this skill-drill game to read characters (levels 1 and 2) and hear the sounds of the words (level 3). To win, answer 8 questions correctly in a row. If you get one wrong, the countdown to zero starts over. Keep playing! I nailed it after a couple of tries.